Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Garlicky Lamb Stuffed Eggplant using the Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker

April 28, 2016 by Mary 8 Comments

There are garlic presses… and then there’s this garlic rocker!! Quicker, easier, kinder to your hand as there is no squeezing motion, just press down and rock! Yes!!! I minced 8 cloves of garlic in 47 seconds! How about that?!?

And, it’s gorgeous to look at. Being a designer, this is super important. Form follows function here. This one-piece brushed stainless steel tool is truly a thing of beauty. I think I might just leave it out on the counter at all times, just to admire! This amazing kitchen tool was in our spring MARY’s secret ingredients box. You can get your very own rocker and still order a box here.

Joseph Joseph is this incredible company based in the UK. It is owned by two twin brothers, hence the name, Joseph Joseph. All of their items are cleverly and beautifully designed and I was not familiar with them until recently. You should check out their site as I’m sure you’ll want more of their handsomeness and usefulness in your kitchen.

So I made up this lamb and eggplant dish with plenty of garlic to put the rocker to the test. Make this with LOVE and get 2 different meals out of it – the first night stuffed in the eggplant shells and the second night as a sauce over pasta. Works for me for busy weeknights!

While the first night does take a bit more time – about 45 minutes – the second night is just the time it takes to cook some pasta. All easy. All good.

GARLICKY LAMB STUFFED EGGPLANT – serves 2 with leftovers for 3 more meals with pasta

1 small eggplant
2 Tbs. olive oil
Salt
Pepper – fresh ground
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
1 lb. ground lamb
8 cloves of garlic
1 yellow pepper, ½ chopped into 1/3” squares and the rest in strips for garnish
1 28 oz. can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
2 pinches of red chili flakes
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2.5 oz. baby spinach leaves

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Wash, dry and trim your eggplant. Cut in half lengthwise and score in diamond shapes as shown in the photo. Cut deep but do not cut through the skin. Drizzle 1 Tbs. of olive oil over each half, spreading open the cuts as you do. Season with salt, fresh ground pepper and the dried oregano. Roast in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, brown the ground lamb, breaking it up into small chunks, in a non-stick skillet. Mince the peeled garlic with the garlic rocker. There! That only took about 40 seconds, yay!!!

When lamb has browned, drain the juices and fat, leaving about 1 Tbs. in the skillet.

Add the garlic, the tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you add, and the chopped yellow pepper. Salt and pepper to taste and add the chili flakes. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring every once in a while. Your sauce should thicken nicely while the eggplant continues to roast.

When the eggplant is done, scoop out the chunks and add to the sauce along with the cumin and reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add in the washed baby spinach and stir to barely wilt it. Taste to see if any additional salt and pepper are needed.

Serve in the eggplant skin shells and garnish with the yellow pepper strips. Delish!!

And then on the next night, you can whip this up in a jiffy with the leftover Garlicky Lamb Eggplant Mixture!

GARLICKY LAMB EGGPLANT SAUCE OVER PASTA – serves 3

Leftover lamb and eggplant mixture from the above recipe
½ lb. pasta – I used spaghetti
Maldon salt
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Warm the leftover lamb and eggplant mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute to take the chill off.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it with coarse sea salt and add ½ lb. of pasta. Test at two minutes less than the package directions. When done to al dente, remove a cup full of pasta water and then drain the pasta.

Toss the pasta with the lamb and eggplant mixture, adding a few tablespoons of pasta water.

Did you know that adding pasta water makes your sauce adhere better to the pasta? Yes it’s true! Add enough water to make that work and loosen the sauce.

Serve in shallow bowls, season with crushed Maldon salt and grated Pecorino Romano cheese if you like. Enjoy!!

The BEST Meatballs

March 6, 2016 by Mary 32 Comments

I made 52 meatballs last Sunday. 52!!! I thought we’d be eating them forever. And I couldn’t freeze them again – I was working with meat that had been frozen, so that wouldn’t have been right.

And then both boys were home, with their girls. I served 10 as an appetizer for a special birthday dinner with 5 of us. OMG – everyone LOVED them!!

Everyone spent the night. The next morning, one boy had 6 or 8 for breakfast and one girl took some amount for lunch. And then I kept trying to sell them – take more for your dinner – you know – I have so many – we’ll never eat all of these…

So now it was Wednesday and this was our dinner for just the two of us. I opened the pot — ooops. Not many left. I have four and my husband has six for dinner and there are just 9 left!

This is a really good recipe. They really are THE BEST meatballs.

It is based on a recipe by Seamus Mullin of Tertulio, an award-winning restaurant here in NYC that has fond memories for me. Several years ago, as one of my Christmas presents, my two boys took me there for dinner and said I could ask them ANYTHING I wanted. That was their gift.

Isn’t that so cool? So cute!!!

I did not abuse it then. I didn’t ask anything untoward. Nothing outrageous. I was a bit nosey but respectful.

But then afterwards, sometimes I’d forget. I thought we were in the same mode and they’d say, “un uh – no, no – time’s up. We’re not there anymore. You can’t ask that.”

They are so cute.

Back to the meatball recipe. This was published in Food & Wine some years ago and I just recently discovered it and of course, as usual, I have changed it. And oh by the way, the recipe says it takes an hour and a half. Don’t kid yourself. Plan on more like three hours. By the time you wash and chop all the herbs and make and fry the meatballs, then make the sauce – it’s a long time.

But boy, these are really, really good.

My French bookkeeper at the office once told me that her grandmother always mixed a little veal into things to make them sing. So here Seamus calls for 2.5 lbs. of ground lamb. I made these with 2 lbs. of lamb and 1 lb. of veal, bumped up all the herbs and used heavy cream with a touch of water, instead of milk to soak the almonds in.

Try these. You will be so super satisfied when you hear the deep sighs and murmurs of delight while watching your crew devour them.

You will never feel more LOVED. Promise.

THE BEST MEATBALLS WITH RICH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA – serves 8 – adapted from a Chef Seamus Mullin recipe

FOR THE SAUCE:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lightly packed basil leaves, torn
2 heaping Tbs. fresh oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Two 28-ounce cans whole Italian tomatoes with their juices, crushed
6 large anchovy fillets, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

FOR THE MEATBALLS: – makes 52 meatballs
1/2 cup raw almonds, finely chopped in a food processer
6 Tbs. heavy cream + 2 Tbs. water or 1/2 cup whole milk
2 lb. ground lamb
1 lb. ground veal
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, packed, plus whole leaves for garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, packed
2 heaping Tbs. finely chopped mint
1 heaping Tbs. finely chopped oregano
2 tsp. finely chopped thyme
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. dry red wine (or white wine)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 3/4 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. ground fennel
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Ricotta cheese, for serving
Extra olive oil for serving

MAKE THE SAUCE:
In a large heavy enameled pot – such as a Le Creuset – heat the oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaves and red pepper and cook over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until the tomatoes are saucy, 1 hour. Stir in the anchovies and season with salt and black pepper.

MAKE THE MEATBALLS:
In a bowl, cover the almonds with the heavy cream and water or whole milk and let stand until most of the milk has been absorbed, 30 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the whole basil leaves, olive oil and ricotta and mix well. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

In a skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the meatballs over moderately high heat, turning, until nearly cooked through, 7 minutes per batch. Drain the meatballs on paper toweling on a platter.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until cooked through, 8 minutes. Spoon into bowls, top with ricotta and a drizzle of olive oil on the ricotta. You can also add some basil leaves as garnish.

The meatballs can be refrigerated in the sauce overnight. Warm in a covered ovenproof dish at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Serve with LOVE and toasted bread, and you’ll be in heaven!!

Delicious Sunday Morning Breakfast Sausage Patties

January 30, 2016 by Mary 15 Comments

We always enjoy a big breakfast on Sunday mornings. It’s nice to take the time to make a bountiful and beautiful one to linger over as a special treat. I am spoiled in that my husband always makes me breakfast during the week. As I‘m sure you probably do, we start our workdays eating breakfast in a rush, eager to get the day going. He serves me mine to eat while I’m putting on make-up and blow drying my hair. I take a bite and chew, hairbrush in hand, multi-tasking to try to save some time.

So this is all the more reason we truly enjoy our Sunday mornings! I know I’ve published my sausage recipe before but this one is a little different with the added shiitake mushroom. I LOVE mushrooms! My husband, not so much. However, I snuck this one in and he LOVED it!

One shiitake mushroom and multiple mushrooms behind it.

Use just one very large shiitake mushroom.

Chopped up shiitake mushroom on a wooden board.

One large mushroom chops up into a lot!

The mushroom did not add a deep mushroom-y flavor, but it did add a wonderful lightness that really made these Delicious Sunday Morning Breakfast Sausage Patties good enough to record, share and make again.

I hope you’ll try these – and remember it’s always better to know what is in the food you’re eating as opposed to buying store made sausage. That is why I do not mind taking the time to make these on a Sunday morning. They actually come together, very quickly and easily – takes about 20 minutes and then time to grill or sauté in a skillet.

You should also know that these reheat beautifully in the microwave for 30 seconds for that quick weekday breakfast. So leftovers are not a problem!

DELICIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST SAUSAGE PATTIES – serves 6, makes 14 patties

1 lb. ground pork
1 small egg
¼ cup of panko
1 Tbs. grainy mustard
¾ tsp. herbs de Provence
1 large shiitake mushroom, stem trimmed at bottom & stem and cap finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion or shallot
2 – 3 sprigs of Italian parsley finely chopped
Sprinkling of salt
Black pepper – 20 grinds

Combine everything together with your hands. Mix thoroughly, but lightly. Do not overmix.

Shape into 12 – 14 small patties.

Spray grill pan or sauté pan with a very light coating of canola or vegetable oil. Cook patties on high heat, turning once, for a total of about 7 minutes.

Serve with scrambled eggs, toast, fruit salad, coffee and LOVE!

RawSpiceBar Winter Herbs on a Beef Rump Roast with Potatoes & Parsnips

January 3, 2016 by Mary 17 Comments

Growing up in the Midwest, and from a large family with lots of boys (five brothers) Sunday dinner was often a big beef roast with mashed potatoes, green beans and some sort of homemade fruit pie. That roast and the pie said “Sunday” to me and my mom did a great job of making sure the beef was cooked to a beautiful medium-rare. Desserts in the Midwest were pretty mandatory and her pies were spectacular. My father always loved her flakey crusts.

This little packet from RawSpiceBar doesn’t look like much. However, cut it open and the fragrance released is like nothing I’ve ever experienced from a mixture of dried herbs. They say that they’re special and you know what, they are! Also, you don’t think there’s much in the packet but there’s more than you think! My rump roast was pretty sizable, 2.7+ lbs. and I applied the spice mixture liberally and still have a third of my spices left!

So use these now to take advantage of their freshness and don’t be stingy. They are a little rustic with some stems in the mixture, but that all adds to the aroma!

Sprinkle Kosher salt all over your roast, then sprinkle on the herb mixture and press in. For the rounded sides of the roast, sprinkle the herb mixture and salt on a flat surface spread out about the same area you need to cover, and then roll your roast in it to cover completely. Neat trick, eh?!!

Do this as early in the morning as you can on the day you want to serve this. Do it the day before for even better results. Salting any meat ahead of time helps to tenderize it. While a rump roast is flavorful, it needs some help on the tender part.

RawSpiceBar WINTER HERBS ON A BEEF RUMP ROAST WITH POTATOES & PARSNIPS – serves 6

1 Tbs. Kosher salt
1.5 – 2 Tbs. RawSpiceBar Winter Herbs spice mix
2.7 lbs. beef rump roast, tied at 2-inch intervals
½ bunch marjoram
1.5 lbs. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
1.5 lbs. medium parsnips, peeled, cut in 3-inch lengths
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 large bunch watercress

FOR THE HORSERADISH SAUCE:
½ cup crème fraîche
2- 3 Tbs. horseradish, drained
Small pinch cayenne
Salt and pepper

The day before or in the morning, evenly cover the roast with the Kosher salt and the RawSpiceBar Winter Mix herb mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. (If you don’t have time for this, even 2 hours at room temperature before you put it in the oven will do.)

Remove the seasoned roast from the refrigerator at least an hour before you plan on putting it in the oven.
Line a roasting pan with marjoram branches and set roast on top. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roast the beef, uncovered, for about 1 hour. Check with an instant-read thermometer after 45 minutes. For medium-rare, take the roast out of the oven when thermometer registers 120 degrees (residual heat will cause roast to continue cooking as it rests). Remove the roast, let it rest for 20 minutes; the temperature should rise to 125 degrees.

Meanwhile, while the roast is cooking, in a large pot of well-salted boiling water, cook potatoes until just done, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a baking dish. In the same water, simmer parsnips until just done, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add them to the potatoes in the baking dish. Pour melted butter over the potatoes and parsnips and use a brush to make sure they are all well coated.

Make the horseradish sauce: Whisk together crème fraîche, horseradish and cayenne in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

After about 45 minutes after the roast goes into the oven, put in the baking dish of potatoes and parsnips, uncovered, and roast until beautifully golden brown, about 25 – 30 minutes.

Slice the beef into thin slices and arrange on a warmed platter, garnished with a big bunch of watercress and the roasted vegetables. Pass the horseradish sauce separately.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

Country Style Pork Spare Ribs with Just Cook Herbed Coffee Rub

December 27, 2015 by Mary 4 Comments

I want to tell you about this Just Cook Herbed Coffee Rub. I love rubs and this one is so unique and delicious with coffee in it!

This works on beef, lamb and pork. For the very best results, I found that lightly oiling your meat with canola oil, then massaging in the rub and letting it marinate for 1 – 2 days lets your meat really absorb the exotic combination of flavors of this wonderful west coast blend. The company is based out of San Francisco and headed by a husband and wife team.

I used the rub on these boneless country pork spare ribs and it was outstanding!! You can have fun and experiment with lots of different cuts of meat but don’t skip the marinating overnight, and 2 days is even better.

I love rubs because they are a quick and easy way to make a protein special. Here, Just Cook Foods has done all the hard work concocting their blend to make you look like a superstar chef. I love the heady coffee smell in this one – really gets me going! And, it’s combined with oregano, cumin and chipotle to really whet your taste buds.

Many rubs go too heavy on the salt. This one does not. In fact, I found it a bit light on salt which is why I added a sprinkling of crushed Maldon salt to finish. You taste and decide, of course.

Now on to the recipe. While this cut of meat is called “ribs”, it’s a misnomer as it’s really part of a traditional pork chop so it does not need to be cooked long, which makes this recipe perfect for a weeknight dinner and fancy enough for a dinner party. Apples and cranberries go so well with pork and look festive for the season. Just Cook with LOVE and their rub and have a happy Sunday while you get ready for New Year’s!

COUNTRY STYLE PORK SPARE RIBS WITH JUST COOK HERBED COFFEE RUB – serves 3 – 4 – needs 2 days of marinating for best results

1.5 lbs. boneless country style Pork Spare Ribs
2 tsp. canola oil
2 Tbs. Just Cook Herbed Coffee Rub
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Braeburn or Fuji apple, washed, cored and sliced into 16 slices
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
Maldon salt, crushed

Wash and pat dry your meat with paper toweling. Rub in the canola oil, 1 tsp. for each side of the meat. Then rub in the Herbed Coffee Rub, approximately 1 Tbs. for each side of the meat. Place in a glass pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.

On the day you’re cooking, ideally, allow the meat to be at room temperature for 1 hour.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil. Raise heat to medium-high and add the butter. When the bubbling butter subsides, add the meat and cook for 5 minutes, lowering heat slightly. Flip the meat over, add the apples and cranberries and cook for 4 more minutes. Then add the white wine and cook for 2 more minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 135 – 140 degrees.

Remove the meat to a warmed platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Leave the apples and cranberries in the skillet while the meat is resting. They may need a little more cooking so do that carefully as you don’t want your apples to be too mushy, just tender and golden brown.

Pour apples, cranberries and sauce on top of the meat. Sprinkle crushed Maldon salt over all.

Cut into serving pieces and serve with LOVE.

Discover more exciting products like this rub to inspire your cooking in our next MARY’s secret ingredients box! The spring box mails on March 25^th and they are selling fast. There’s only a limited number of them, so order now and be the cook everyone LOVES!!

POURfect Measuring Spoons & Curry Pho with Veal & Veggies

October 16, 2015 by Mary 7 Comments

My mother used to say, “You must have the right tool to do the best job.” How true that is – for anything! Well for cooking, there are measuring spoons and then there are these POURfect measuring spoons. Completely accurate – perfect for bakers where that accuracy really matters – a dream to use in that each spoon easily snaps on and off of the holding ring so you don’t have all of these dangling spoons all around while you’re trying to measure something, and all the sizes!!

First, there’s the 2 tablespoon size! Simple, but genius, because how often do you use 2 tablespoons? All the time!! Then, there’s the 11/2 teaspoon size and ¾ teaspoon – again genius. And I haven’t even gotten to the dash, pinch, smidgen, or drop measurements. Who knew there were real standard measurements for these? All these years, I just guessed!

And then there’s the leveling tool and the shiny surface area of the interior bowl of the spoon so ingredients slip out easily yet the rest of the spoon is matte so you have a better grip on it. The depression in the middle of the spoon is also so clever – a pourfect thumb grip! (couldn’t resist.)

Do I like these spoons?

You bet!

These spoons were designed when owner, Randy Kaas,unfortunately lost his sight in 2001. He had been in the kitchen utensil business since 1978 and was inspired by the TV show, The French Chef starring Julia Child. The need for a mixing bowl that wouldn’t spill when you couldn’t see what you were doing was recognized. POURfect Products solve common cooking problems making your life easier, less messy and more enjoyable.

POURfect measuring spoons are the only, Made in USA, 100% accurate spoons that snap off one at a time, have markings in English, Metric and Braille and are comfortable to hold. There isn’t another set of 12 measuring spoons that include all of these hard to find sizes.

Take a look at this luscious recipe I made recently featuring these spoons upfront as this has a lot of different ingredients, yet this soup comes together very quickly. I made this on a weeknight and it was perfect!

CURRY PHO WITH VEAL AND VEGGIES – serves 5 – 6

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into quarters and then 1/4” slices
1 lb. ground veal
2 Tbs. curry powder
Salt to taste
10 cups vegetable broth or vegetable pho
5.5 oz. brown rice udon noodles
4 kale stalks – main artery removed, rolled and cut in a chiffonade
1/3 of a bunch of beet greens, stalks separated from greens, greens sliced thin
¾ of an orange pepper, cut in 1/3” squares
¼ cup chopped oil-cured black olives
1 tomatilla chopped
Handful of sorrel leaves, leaves sliced, stems chopped for garnish, or use sliced scallions

Warm the olive oil with the onions in a large skillet. Cover and sweat the onions for 5 minutes on low heat. Add the ground veal and brown partially, until just pink and broken up into small chunks. Add the curry powder and salt to taste. Stir well to combine.

Meanwhile pour the broth into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the udon and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions.

Turn heat to low and add the meat and all the rest of the vegetables, except for the sorrel stems. Stir for a minute or two. Add the chopped olives and the very end.

Serve immediately in bowls with chopsticks and LOVE. Garnish with the chopped sorrel stems, or you could use thinly sliced scallions. Enjoy!!

POURfect 13-piece measuring spoon set was one of the products in our MARY’s secret ingredients fall box. You can get your winter box here! Make a great gift and helps us in our support of Feed The Children.