Lemon Chicken Drumsticks over Israeli Couscous

We usually brine our chicken to add more flavor. This time I was looking for something a bit quicker and lemony. I found the recipe on Epicurious (you probably know by now I often cook recipes from that site :) ). Here is a link to the original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lemon-chicken-drumsticks-352909.

I served the chicken over israeli couscous that was cooked according to the package directions - with some sauteed onions, garlic and homemade chicken stock. I also added some of the juices from the pan where the drumstick was baked.

It was a really delicious dinner. Definitely a keeper!

Baked Whole Branzino

I had bought two whole branzinos from Whole Foods. The first I grilled on a pan and finished in the oven (based on a recipe not worth sharing). We found it bland and somewhat overcooked, so we hoped the second one would turn out better, so here is how we prepared it. The result was so tender and flavorful, so I just had to share it! We had sides of mashed potatoes and green salad. Yum!

Baked Whole Branzino
serves 2


1 whole branzino (about a pound)
1 lemon
lemon zest from the lemon half
1 small garlic clove, minced
2-3 T minced parsley
2-3 T dill
4-5 scallions (bottom to middle part), cut in 1 inch lengths (optional)
1 yellow onion, cut in circles
2-3 T olive oil

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Generously grease the bottom of a pan (I used 9x13 pyrex one) with about 2T olive oil.
3. Rinse and dry the fish and season with salt and pepper all over (inside and out).
4. Mix the lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. Spread over the inside of the fish (if you have extra you can top it over the skin).
5. Cut 3-4 lemon slices (half lemon) and stuff them along with the dill in the inside of the fish. Add a couple of the scallions if using.
6. Place the fish in the pan and top with scallions.
7. Spread the onion slices over the fish and its sides (it is supposed to keep the fish from drying out).
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Serve with the remaining lemon half.

Note: If you like crispier skin you can broil the fish for the last 3-4 minutes. We skipped that and had the fish ready at the 22-23 minute mark.

Bulgarian Meatloaf (Rulo Stefani)

We have been pretty excited with our new outdoor grill. Adding smoky flavour to the traditional meatloaf really brings it up to the next level. This is a traditional recipe you could easily make in the oven as well. We served it with glazed carrots but mashed potatoes would have worked even better.

Bulgarian Meatloaf (Rulo Stefani)

1.2-1.5 lb ground meat (we used lamb here; mixture of pork and beef also works well)
3 T minced onion
3-4 T chopped parsley
3-4 T breadcrumbs, or 2 bread slices
1 egg
spices like summer savory, paprika, cumin
salt and pepper
1-2 T butter

Filling
2 boiled eggs
1-2 boiled carrots
2 pickles
 

1. Preheat oven/grill to 300-350F.
2. Mix all meatloaf ingredients in a bowl and adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Spread meat mixture over greased aluminum foil in a rectangular shape about 1 cm thick.
4. Arrange the filling along the center and roll along the long edge helping yourself with the foil to seal it well. Make sure the seal is in the bottom.
5. Drizzle with hot butter.
6. Optionally add a little water .
7. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until done. We added some grated Kashkaval cheese during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
8. Let cool a bit, slice, and serve. 

Cheesy Tomato Lasagna

Here is how I have been making lasagna for awhile. Since I started making my own dough I would never go back to buying lasagna sheets. The dough is easy to make and using a pasta machine makes it a breeze. There is no need to preboil the sheets when they are fresh and you can tell the difference in taste. I sometimes cheat and use ready-made marinara sauce but again if you make you own sauce it has much fresher taste.

The dough recipe is adapted from the recipe on the back of the Bob's Red Mill semolina package.

Dough
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina
1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
4 tsp olive oil
4 tsp water

1. Mix the dry ingredients and form a well in the middle.
2. Add the egg and yolk and mix lightly.
3. Drizzle the oil and the water and mix lightly again.
4. Form into a bowl and start kneading, adding a little more water if the dough is too dry.
5. Knead for 5-10 minutes. It should feel somewhat like play dough. 
6. Let rest for 20 minutes and it is ready for use.

Tomato sauce

28oz canned tomatoes with juice
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
3-4 T parsley, chopped

1. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes with their juices and simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. Add the parsley.

Lasagna

3 eggs
16 oz ricotta cheese
14 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Mix the eggs with the ricotta, and add salt to taste.
3. Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13x9 inch pan (I like Pyrex).
4. Divide the pasta dough in 4 equal pices.
5. Take one piece of the dough and cut in 3. Roll each one in a long sheet. Layer over sauce, slightly overlapping.
6. Spread some ricotta mixture and a quarter of the mozzarella. Spoon over tomato sauce.
7. Repeat the layers until you get to the last one. The forth layer should only have tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and started to turn golden.

Mushroom Pizza with Quail Eggs

Homemade pizza is much better than any frozen one. It is even better when you make it according to your tastes. Today we had some mushrooms and quail eggs laying around so this is what we made for dinner.

Mushroom Pizza with Quail Eggs

• pizza dough
• 1-2 handfuls of mushrooms, sliced thin
• 6 Tbsp shredded mozzarella
• thinly sliced tomato
• 3-4 quail eggs
• 1 Tbsp ggod olive oil
• chopped fresh chives for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 450F with a pizza stone inside.
2. Saute the mushrooms until they shrink in half or so. Do not skip this step unless you like your pizza soggy.
3. Sprinkle half of the cheese, layer with mushrooms and tomatoes.
4. Drizzle the olive oil on top and put on the pizza stone.
5. After 5-6 minutes add the quail eggs and bake 2 more minute at which point it should be ready.
6.  Sprinkle with fresh  herbs and enjoy!

Here is another picture: