Pasticcio d'Italia

Saturday, March 27, 2010
We had this wonderful pasticcio (the word means "I mess up" in Italian, but the dish is similar to American lasagna) at our friends' farewell dinner in Italy.  We've tried for some time to recreate the beautiful flavor and simplicity of the dish.  We seemed to have gotten it right this time.  It was wonderful!  And it's actually a lot healthier than your typical lasagna.

Pasticcio d'Italia
1/4 c butter
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 1/4 c milk
pinch of nutmeg
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground meat
scant 1/2 c dry white wine
8 oz can plain tomato sauce
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pkg whole wheat egg lasagne (we used Gia Russa)
1/2 c water
Bechamel Sauce: Melt 1/4 c butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour.  Pour in all the milk, whisking constantly until it starts to boil.  Season with salt, lower the heat, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for a least 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Taste and add more salt if necessary and season with nutmeg and pepper. 
Bolognese: Heat olive oil in pan, add the carrot and onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the meat and cook until browned, then pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated.  Season with salt, add the tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.  Preheat the oven to 400F.  Grease an ovenproof dish. 
Arrange a layer of lasagne on the base of the prepared dish, spoon some of the meat sauce, then some of the bechamel sauce on top, sprinkle with some of the Parmesan and dot with some of the butter.  Repeat the alternating layers until all the ingredients have been used, ending with a layer of bechamel sauce & Parmesan.  Four layers of lasagne noodles is best.  Pour water around edges and cover.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Quick Kids' Tacos

Friday, March 26, 2010
Taco Night!  It was fun and we let Greysen build his own.  We've had tacos before, but he has always refused them.  This time he ate a whole taco! 

Quick Kids' Tacos
can of black beans (preferably with chili and cumin spices)
romaine lettuce
fresh pico de gallo
shredded taco cheese (usually 3 cheese blend with spices)
whole wheat tortillas

We put some black beans and cheese on a tortilla and put them in the microwave for 30 seconds, then added lettuce and pico de gallo.  Yum!

Lemon & Pink Peppercorn Parsnip Cake

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Well, I'm a big fan of trying different things.  Things that sound strange like strawberry risotto, or lamb with blueberries or roasted pigeon.  So this recipe caught my attention.  We tried it with vanilla ice cream and another try with leftover cream cheese frosting from Red Velvet Cupcakes.  We were not huge fans. Allen thinks that we should try to cut the peppercorns.  They add an interesting flavor that neither of us is fond of.  We would try it again - maybe with walnuts or almonds. 

Lemon and Pink Peppercorn Parsnip Cake
Serves 10-12
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup olive oil
3 cups flour (I did half white, half wheat)
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons freshly ground pink peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups parsnips, grated
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
juice of two lemons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 10" bundt pan. In a small bowl, mix eggs, honey, sugar and olive oil until sugar is dissolved. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, peppercorns and salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in grated parsnips and ginger and pour batter into bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden and toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Poke several holes in top of cake, and pour fresh lemon juice over the cake. Cool 15-20 minutes before inverting bundt cake onto serving plate. Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of pink peppercorns.
* Recipe found in the Isthmus from Marcelle Richards, who writes about food at gastropacalypse.com