We all have fond memories of "Mamma's" or "Auntie's" or "Grandma's" homestyle dishes, but the sad truth is, we rarely have time to actually make these favorite foods even if we are lucky enough to have the recipes and find the special ingredients. Those of us who are "sola" have an additional deterrent to making the effort...leftovers!
Lately, I've had the opportunity to create a few "knock-offs" taking short cuts with palatable results, and making fairly reasonable quantities: Boston Cream Pie ( a futile charm to ensure a super bowl win for the team that lost :(( ), Cinnamon Walnut Palmiers, and Stuffed Swiss Chard Leaves.
For the Boston Cream Pie, I used a small yellow cake mix which yields only one layer. Adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla and about 1 tablespoon canola oil ensured some flavor and lightness. When cooled, I cut the layer in half horizontally and spread 1 container of English Devon Cream (hey, if you're going to cheat, it might as well be decadent, no moral compunction here!) over the bottom layer. Cover it with the other half and spread some softened Nutella over the top. Sprinkle with chopped salted cashews and macadamia nuts JUST in case the fat content seems too low for a sinful cake like this!
Then the Palmiers...I've been wanting something slightly sweet," cinnamony", and reminiscent of my mothers nutty pastries, or my catering partner's baklava, but without all the work or mess involved. Thank goodness for frozen puff pastry! It is soooo easy to use and always comes out well.
Just mix some softened butter with chopped walnuts and cinnamon and sugar. Emily brought me some Cajun Cinnamon, Vanilla Sugar from New Orleans, so I used that. Unnfold one package of the pastry, let it rest a few minutes, then roll it out slightly to make a nice rectangle. Spread the nut mixture all over the pastry. You can simply roll it up lengthwise for spirals or fold each long end in until they meet in the middle. Fold once more until it is log shaped, and chill. Slice and glaze if desired. A simple cream or egg wash is good. I had some apricot nectar and reduced it with sugar to make a glaze. Place slices on parchment and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes and voila! Your own rather elegant pastries to eat and share. They are best rewarmed if allowed to cool or IF you have any leftover!!
Now that we have breakfast and dessert, let's go to the main course!! Remember stuffed cabbage rolls or stuffed grape leaves?? So yummy, but so much work!! Well how about stuffed swiss chard leaves?? They are easy to stuff and roll and can be eaten with tomato sauce like cabbage, or with a cheesy béchamel which imitates a spinach gratin, or with olive oil and lemon juice like grape leaves..versatile and simple..ahh, sola Gina style.
Swiss Chard is really a misnomer: it is not Swiss and is actually a beet cultivated for it's leaves rather than the root! Known to the ancient Romans and possibly before, it is a popular vegetable in France and also here in the USA. My Dad grew it in our garden and we always had it steamed or sautéed...Mom saved the stuffing for the grape leaves and the cabbage and each was a day's project!
I had some beautiful chard leaves from SunCoast Organics and wanted to make an entree from them the other day. The extra stuffing from my stuffed portabellas the prior week, came to mind, sausage, green pepper, onion, rice and cheeses, all stashed away in my freezer. Dinner was taking shape nicely!
Wash the leaves, cut the center stem out (they can be sautéed or eaten raw in salads) and put the 2 halves together. Put about 1/4 cup of whatever stuffing you want, meat, veggies, breadcrumbs, leftover risotto, etc.
on the bottom of the leaves. Roll the ends inward and then roll up. Simple, no precooking, nice crinkly leaves which are easy to handle and no need to secure the rolls. Place seam side down in a baking dish, add a little broth or wine and olive oil, cover and bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes until leaves are wilted and stuffing hot!
Serve the rolls with lemon juice, tomato sauce or whatever you wish! They reheat well also and you can make as many or few as you want. I saved a few leaves for a risotto later in the week! See first Sola Gina Post, Dedication, for recipe.
Relax, eat and enjoy..so simple, scrumptious, and this one's good for you too!
(a sola Gina special..)
