Inquiring pups want to know.

Between injuries and an enormous “To Do” List, I haven’t been blogging much, but I’ll be back soon. I feel an urge to cook up a storm, and that usually produces some dishes worth blogging about!

I’ve heard a lot about Alice Medrich’s book, Cookies and Brownies, so I decided to pull it down off the bookshelf and try some recipes. I love her books, and enjoyed her chocolates many moons ago when she owned Cocolat in the Bay Area.

I would not make the chocolate chip cookies again, not because they weren’t tasty (they were), but because the dough was dry, crumbly, and very difficult to work with. The results weren’t worth the aggravation.
The oatmeal cookies, on the other hand, were amazing. Usually, I like my cookies thick and chewy, so I wasn’t too sure about these when they came out of the oven. I was pleasantly surprised – thin, but crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and a buttery symphony on the tongue. The nutmeg makes these cookies taste amazing.

It’s a mystery to me why this book, which gets universal praise, is out of print.

P.S. Thanks to all of you who wrote and wished me well. I’m doing a lot better!

Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon FRESHLY ground nutmeg (wonderful – try grating it fresh)
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar, lump free
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins

Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinammon, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.

Cut the butter into chunks and melt it in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Let the mixture and the pan cool. Stir in the walnuts and the raisins. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator to soften. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Scoop about 2 level tablespoons of dough and place them 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. If you want smaller cookies, use 1 tablespoon of dough. Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes for large cookies, 13-15 for smaller ones, or until the cookies are a deep golden brown. Rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven and let cookies firm up on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Use a metal pancake turner to transfer them to rack to cool completely before storing or stacking. May be stored in a tightly sealed container for several days.

Makes about 40 large cookies, and about 80 small cookies.

Nope. I’ve just wrenched my knee and hip, sprained my wrist, and badly thrown out my back in the past two weeks. That’s why I haven’t been cooking much, or posting. But that will change soon! In fact, when I return to the blogosphere, I will have some thoughts on oatmeal cookies! Thank you for waiting, and I’ll be back by the end of the week.

The mainstream media has more or less dropped the ball on the pet food contamination story that broke about six weeks ago. Fortunately, pet owners and bloggers have kept pushing for answers – the recall now includes thousands of products, including large animal feed. Some livestock that was fed melamine-laced food has made it into the human food chain.

The primary culprit for the contamination appears to be China, although melamine spiking of food goes back decades in both the United States and China. Why? Melamine contains nitrogen, and nitrogen content is commonly used to measure protein content.

In the past couple of days, The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, and USA Today have once again picked up the story. In a virtually unprecedented move, the FDA has limited vegetable-based food imports from China:

The Food and Drug Administration is enforcing a new import alert that greatly expands its curtailment of some food ingredients imported from China, authorizing border inspectors to detain ingredients used in everything from noodles to breakfast bars.

. . .

Inspectors are now allowed to detain vegetable-protein imports from China because they may contain the chemical melamine. Melamine, used in the manufacture of plastics, was found in the wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate that has led to the recall of 5,300 pet food products.

. . .

An import alert of this breadth is rare. Before this new FDA action, only products from two Chinese companies that exported the melamine-tainted wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate had been detained.

Now for the products to reach U.S. foodmakers, the importers will have to prove to the FDA that they are safe. The ingredients restricted include wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn by-products, soy protein, soy gluten, mung-bean protein and amino acids.

This affects virtually every prepared food product on the market. Here is the FDA’s import alert. For more information, check out itchmo.com, pet connection, and howl911.com.

Like many food bloggers, I bake from scratch. At least 99.999% of the time. The other .001%, I use a little help. I am not a snob, except perhaps when it comes to Parmigiano Reggiano. Oh, okay, I’m a snob when it comes to that.

Enter, the tried and true Bacardi Rum Cake. I have been making this cake for over 30 years, having learned to make it at my mum’s knee. Her nickname for it was “sliver cake” – you have “just a little sliver,” again and again, until you realize you’ve eaten half the cake. Every time I make it, someone asks me for the recipe, even avowed non-bakers. That’s how good this is.

This cake keeps wonderfully, and freezes equally well – if there is any cake left over to freeze, that is!

Bacardi Rum Cake

Cake

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix (my mom and I prefer Duncan Hines brand)
1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold milk, water, or half-and-half
1/2 cup vegetable oil, or melted butter (butter will give you a thick crust and dense cake, while vegetable oil will give you a thin-crusted, tender cake.  Use what you have on hand.)
1/2 cup Barcardi dark rum

Glaze

1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark Barcardi rum

Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan (this step is very important, or you will have trouble getting the cake out. Baking sprays work very well). Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until cake separates from sides of plan and a testing skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Invert cake onto serving plate. Prick top with a skewer. Drizzle glaze (see below) slowly over top of cake, allowing it to soak in between applications. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze:

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.

Hhhm, what to cook for dinner, since I haven’t made it to the grocery store?

What’s in the cupboard? Eggs. Cheese. Milk. And a secret ingredient that makes so many things taste better. Shhh . . . it’s anchovies. Even if you don’t like them (like me), they add an amazing depth of flavor to tomato sauces and souffles. They simply melt in and lose their anchovy taste.

I had some cheddar cheese that wasn’t sharp enough for my tastes, so I decided to use it up in a souffle, and jazzed it up with some of those little fishies. I must say, the smell of this little golden marvel filled the house and wafted outdoors, much to the delight of Master Chow when he came home. “What is that?” he inquired. He soon found out. Just add a nice salad, and enjoy!

Cheese Souffle

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• Butter, room temperature, to grease souffle dish

• 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) butter

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 anchovy filets, packed in olive oil, minced

• 1 1/3 cups milk, hot

• 4 large egg yolks

• 6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

• 5 egg whites plus 1 tablespoon water

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartarGrease an 8-inch souffle mold with the room temperature butter. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the mold to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  In a medium bowl combine the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the butter. When the butter has stopped foaming, turn down the heat and add the anchovies, stirring them in. Whisk the flour mixture into the melted butter and anchovy mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Monitor the heat because you don’t want this to burn, or you will have a rather nasty mess on your hands.

  Whisk in the hot milk and turn the heat to high. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks to a creamy consistency. Temper the yolks into the milk mixture, constantly whisking. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, using a stand or hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and firm. Start by whipping the whites on a low speed until they start to foam, and then increase the speed. Be careful – if you overbeat the whites, they will be unusable.

  Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture to the cheese base. Continue to add the whites by thirds, folding very gently. Pour the mixture into the souffle. Fill the souffle to 1/2-inch from the top. If you like, run a damp finger along the inside of the rim to give the souffle a “hat-like” appearance.

  Place on an aluminum pie pan. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Here is the list!

I was apprehensive to give this a try, but it looked so good! And the Chow household is glad that I did, as it is now on the repeat list.

We love butternut squash. However, I am not a fan of most lasagnas – too much cheese (yes, there is such a thing), and acidic tomato sauces. So, I decided to combine and tweak two recipes from the Food Network, one by Giada De Laurentiis, and the other by Michael Chiarello.

I was pleasantly surprised at how the flavors melded; not one thing stood out more than anything else. There are a few key things to remember when you make this. First, season the major components as you go along, or you could easily end up with an unpalatable mass. Second, use herbs and spices that you like. Third, think twice about using no-boil noodles; a reviewer of one of the aforementioned recipes warned that the starch overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the squash. Finally, you can cook the squash in advance and freeze it for a couple of weeks, before thawing and using it in the recipe.

The lasagna freezes very well, so you can put it together in advance, freeze it, and pop it in the oven on the day you plan to use it. If you do that, I recommend pulling it out of the freezer at least 4 to 5 hours before you plan to eat. Let the lasagna sit at room temperature for about two hours. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake at that temperature for two hours, covered with foil. Why so long at this temperature? So that the center warms up – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made a frozen lasagna, and the middle is still stone cold!

Turn the oven temperature up to 375 F and remove the foil. Cook for another 45 minutes, or until cheese is golden, melted, and bubbly. Another thing I don’t like about most lasagnas is burned mozzarella cheese on top. Blech. Cooking it this way avoids that problem, as well.

Now, on to the recipe!

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and Michael Chiarello

Roasting the Squash

• 2 large butternut squash, about 4 to 5 pounds (I actually used a combination of kabocha and butternut)
• 1/4 cup water (more, if needed)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop the seeds out with a spoon. Place the squash face down on a rimmed baking sheet (you may need more than one). Place the baking sheet in the oven, and pour about 1/4 cup water in the pan to prevent burning. Roast the squash in the oven until very soft and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Remove squash from oven and let cool until you can handle it comfortably. Scoop out the flesh into a large bowl and allow to cool. At this point, you can continue, or freeze the squash for later use.

Preparing the Squash Mixture

• 14 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 to 2 inch sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (low fat is OK)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is best)
• 1 large egg

Have a large mixing bowl standing by. Puree the squash in a food processor (you may have to do that in batches), and put it in the mixing bowl. When you puree the first bit of squash, add the sage, thyme, rosemary, almond extract, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. After you have combined all the pureed squash, taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. After you have done this, mix in the egg, and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

Making the Bechamel (white sauce)

• 6 cups whole milk (2% is fine, but do not use nonfat, or sauce will not thicken properly)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a slow simmer over medium heat. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir. Add about 3 cups of the milk, and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, while whisking continuously. Add the remaining milk and whisk again. Add the salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Adjust the heat to low to maintain a slow simmer, and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Makes about 8 cups.

Preparing the Lasagna Noodles

• 12-15 lasagna noodles, each 6 1/2 by 3 inches
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt (important, or your lasagna will suffer in the flavor department)
• extra-virgin olive oil

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna sheets until they are slightly undercooked. In my case, the package said to cook for 10 minutes, so I cooked them for 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the sheets and spread them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them lightly with olive oil and set aside.

Putting Together the Lasagna

• 2-3 cups of mozzarella, grated (if you put it in the freezer for 30 minutes, it will be easier to grate) Use 3 cups if you like lasagna really cheesy.
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon a ladle of bechamel into the dish and spread to coat the bottom. Place a single layer of lasagna sheets on top of the bechamel. Spread some of the squash mixture evenly over the lasagna sheets and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top. Repeat this step until all ingredients are used, using 1 to 2 ladles of bechamel for each layer. You should end up with 3 to 4 layers, depending on how you divide your ingredients per layer. Keep building the layers until the pan is full, to about 1/4-inch from the top. Finish with sauce, and cheeses directly over the last layer of noodles.

Cover lasagna with foil. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour. Remove the cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Allow lasagna to rest before slicing. Serve warm.

This morning, my uncle passed away, at home with his daughter, just as he wanted. He was an adventurous rascal who fought in the South Pacific during World War, moved to Alaska in the late 1940s, and welcomed friends and strangers into his home. He died of mesothelioma, an asbestos lung cancer. He is the fifth family member to be diagnosed with cancer in the past eight years, and the fourth to succumb to it. So, as you can see, I am so glad that Chris at Mele Cotte posted the recipes today for the first ever Cooking to Combat Cancer event.

My uncle lived a full life. And he loved food. On a remote island in Alaska, he had one of the most amazing pantries one can imagine; among the canned venison and salmon, tucked behind those tins of beans, he had palm sugar, hum ha (shrimp paste), and capers. He was opinionated, and thought the food and exercise obsessions of those who lived in “the lower forty-eight” were ridiculous.

He may have had a point. One of the things that I’ve been realizing for a while now is how much guilt we have when it comes to food. Think about it: meat eaters are criticized by vegeterians. People who believe in “slow-food only” criticize those who would dare use a cake mix once in while. Vegans and vegetarians are often treated like the dotty old aunt in the attic. Low fat, low carb, Atkins, Zone, South Beach. Eggs are bad, eggs are good.

Life is so short. We live in a time when we have so many wonderful food choices. We should try, I believe, to eat healthily as much as possible, but one of the things I learned from my uncle, who lived to 87, is to eat with joy, and love what you eat. The attitude with which you eat may be just as important as what you put in your mouth. As a friend of mine recently said, “I’m sure I’ve eaten a donut or two that were actually healthy for me!”

I just had a piece of homemade rum cake. I will follow it with some Swiss chard and broccoli tonight, along with some tofu. These are my choices today, and I am happy with them. I can just picture my uncle smiling down at me, and praising me. Not for the chard, or the tofu. But for the rum cake.