Lessons from Ina: How easy is that?

I have a mental list of recipes that I've always wanted to try, but haven't had the guts to. As easy as Ina makes it look, that double-layer chocolate cake really can't be that simple. There are several factors that might shy me a way from a certain recipe: too many ingredients, need for particular (or expensive) cookware, patience. This is why I rarely blog about baking; because I don't have any more space in my apartment to house five different cake pans and I don't have the patience to follow a recipe word for word.

While I don't see myself getting over my baking phobia any time soon, I will brave more savory recipes when I'm feeling adventurous. Some feared recipes that I've been able to cross off my list: frittata, risotto, braised short ribs. The funny thing is, every time I've finally attempted one of these dishes, I'm always surprised at how easy and not scary it is.

So this past Friday evening was the perfect occasion to give lasagna a go. I was having some friends over, so I wanted to serve something that I could prepare ahead of time and just heat up before they arrived (Ina's number one rule when entertaining: never serve something that will keep you over the stove while guests are waiting hungrily). Lasagna has always been hallowed ground for me. Gaga makes lasagna every Christmas Eve, so I've always felt that lasagna was her territory, not to be toyed with. Luckily, this lasagna was for friends, so I didn't have to live up to the decades-old expectations from family and could play with the recipe as needed.

While I tend to use recipes more for inspiration (see above, re: lack of patience), I do stick closely to a recipe when trying something for the first time. So who better to go to than the Food Goddess Herself: Ina. While there was no one part to the recipe that was particularly difficult, it was a bit time consuming between cooking the sauce, pasta, and actual cook time. But all good things come with a wait, right?

Right. So, so right. The lasagna was incredibly cheesy, with so many great flavors - tanginess from the goat cheese, butteriness from the mozzarella, and a fresh, herbiness from the basil. We all went back for seconds and thirds, and yet somehow managed not to feel heavy and weighed down at all. A great dish to feed a crowd or impress your friends, yet relatively simple. As we shoved our faces, cheese oozing down our chins, I couldn't help but think (in the words of Ina): Now, how easy is that?


Ina Garten's Lasagna with Turkey Sausage
serves a crowd
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Pepper

For the lasagna:
1/2 lb lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add the sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and let sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, Parmesan, the egg, the rest of the parsley, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Ladle a third of a the sauce into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish, spreading over the bottom. Layer  half the noodles, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta and one-third of the sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to lightly cover the top. Bake for 30 minutes in a 400-degree oven, until bubbling. (If serving later, refrigerate as needed, but allow to come to room temperature for about an hour before putting in the oven. This is what I did and it worked out great!)

Lotsa layers!

Cheesyliciousness

In the words of Ina, how bad can that be?

Eggcellent Spinach, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Frittata

One of my favorite dishes that my mom makes is her quiche. Quiche was a staple in my mom's weekly round-up of dinner recipes. Most frequently she'd make broccoli and cheddar quiche, which was delicious and suited to the picky taste buds of my younger siblings. But my favorite was the bacon and Jarlsberg quiche; the more pungent flavor of the Swiss cheese and the saltiness of the bacon were most satisfying to my "refined" palate as a kid.

Quiche always seemed like such an elegant dish to me when I was younger. I remember my French teacher used to ooh and ah about Quiche Lorraine, and I would envision myself enjoying the savory bite as I sipped un cafe au lait along the Seine (in fact, this is still a dream of mine...). Something about the indulgent ingredients - creamy cheese, fatty bacon, buttery crust - made me think quiche was a dish reserved for experienced cooks...

And it could be if you have the time and patience to make your own pie crust. But since moving to NYC, quiche has become one of my go-to dishes for entertaining or potlucks. Okay, I cheat and use pre-made pie crust, but it still tastes delicious and saves me so much time. From there, it's just a matter of mixing your eggs and preferred cheeses/veggies/meats et voila... quiche straight from Paris!

Now you're probably expecting a quiche recipe, when in fact I'm going to give you a recipe for a frittata. A frittata is like an Italian quiche, sans crust; therefore making it slightly healthier (depending on what cheese and other fatty goodness you put inside). In an effort to balance out the obscene amount of gingerbread and cookies I'll be eating in the coming weeks, I decided to fare on the lighter side by amping up the vegetables and opting for a lighter cheese (i.e. goat cheese). The great thing about this frittata (or quiche for that matter) is that it tastes great hot, cold or at room temperature, and makes for a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner. Even though I cheat on the crust (or avoid it all together as I did here), I can still feel like a chic Parisian while I eat my frittata from my desk in New York. Bon appetit!

Spinach, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Frittata
makes 5-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped
3 cups fresh baby spinach
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper
7 eggs, beaten
4 oz goat cheese

1. Melt butter in a nonstick, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and mushroom. Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat in butter and cook until onions become translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the spinach to the pan. Stir until the spinach wilts down.
3. Add the eggs to the skillet. Continue to cook over medium-high heat, swirling around the eggs with a rubber spatula.
4. When the eggs start to set and the sides come together, sprinkle the goat cheese on top. Place the pan under the broiler until the eggs are fluffy and slightly golden, and the cheese is melted - about 4 minutes.
5. Allow frittata to cool slightly before cutting into slices. Serve warm, cold or a room temperature.

Cooking is a Gas

Ah, the joys of cooking in a New York City kitchen. Minimal storage, little counter space, doll-sized ovens. Not to mention bad air circulation (my smoke alarm goes off as soon as I start to boil water). For someone who loves kitchen appliances and spreading out as I cook, this has been quite an adjustment. But cooking in my tiny kitchen has taught me to be nimble and flexible. Go with the flow and see what happens, even if it's not according to the recipe. Well, a recent meal mishap ended in a delicious discovery...

Soon after moving into my apartment in November, I returned home around 10 at night after a food writing class. I walked in and instantly noticed the smell of gas throughout my apartment (okay well in the closet that is my apartment). Freaking out, I called my mom. This of course didn't help at all--she's at home in Massachusetts, so what was she going to do about my oven? The smart thing to do would have been to call my super, which I eventually did. He told me the pilot light had gone out and simply relit it. Well up until a couple weeks ago, my pilot light had been going out on a recurring basis. According to my super this is "no big deal", but it got to the point where I actually woke up in the middle of the night to the smell of gas. And my mom, being an even bigger worrier than me, would frequently send me emails at 7 am with the subject line: "RESPOND ASAP - R U ALIVE??" Yes, really. So enough was enough. I finally badgered asked my super to replace the stove. Although it's about half the size of my old stove, it's much cleaner and about 40 years newer.

Believe it or not, tonight was the first time I attempted to use the broiler on my new stove. To be fair, I'm fairly new to gas stoves (if that wasn't already evident through my gas-smelling freak out)--we always had electric at home. Anyways, tonight I set out to make a frittata from one of my favorite blogs Big Girls Small Kitchen, which requires that you set the eggs under the broiler for a few minutes to finish cooking. Halfway through sautéing the veggies I realized I don't even know where the broiler is on my new stove, so I of course called my mom. This was not a good idea. Not because she didn't know either (which she didn't), but because as I was talking on the phone, the eggs had already fully cooked on the stove top that it was point of frittata. Oops.

I think the consistency of my eggs also contributed to this little mishap turned delicious. The original recipe calls for 4 eggs and 2 egg whites. I only had 4 eggs, so figured I'd wing it. I guess those 2 egg whites really do make the difference. In any case, the frittata turned into more of a an egg scramble, while not intentional, wound up being delicious. So I guess that's the beauty of my lethal gas-leaking New York City kitchen: my own original (albeit impromptu) recipes.

Gas Leak Egg Scramble
Serves 1 hungry individual, or 2 lighter portions


4 whole eggs
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the eggs to the pan. With a nonstick spatula, immediately start to pull the eggs to the center, forming curds. Just before all the egg is cooked, top with Parmesan cheese and stir throughout. Serve immediately as a dinner for one, or on top of toast for 2.