Good Morning.
I'm going off the grid today, at least for me. I'm doing a vegetarian menu - no meat, no fish, but not vegan, because I have
this thing that cows need to be milked or they'll explode, plus I've talked about my obsession with cheese. I do what I can and so does a cow. I like cows quite a lot.
In any case, vegetarians, at least the ones I know, do not object to the consumption of spirits, so I begin with a British libation called a Bramble.
Two shots gin
1 shot lemon juice
1/2 shot sugar syrup
Blackberry liqueur
Sugar syrup is made with equal parts of regular old granulated sugar and water. Boil them in a saucepan on the stove, stir the sugar until dissolved, let cool thoroughly, put in a jar with a lid, and refrigerate for future use. To make the drink,
fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, lemon juice, and sugar syrup. Strain this mixture into an on the rocks glass full of crushed ice and stir. Drizzle some blackberry liqueur over the ice so that the color swirls into the liquid and garnish with a slice of lemon and a fresh blackberry.
This is reportedly a fairly recent creation in London. Nice to see they're finally using ice in their drinks and a great deal of it in this one. Warm gin doesn't do it for me, although I've heard it helps with arthritis. I must try it.
Serve the drinks with a Pineapple Cheese Ball.
1 11 ounce can crushed pineapple
2 tbsp. finely chopped white onion
1 tbsp. finely chopped green pepper
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Drain the can of pineapple. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, onion, green pepper, and pineapple with an electric mixer. With your hands, form into a ball. Place the chopped pecans on a plate and roll the ball in the nuts to coat. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crackers.
For an entree, we suggest Green Lasagna. You won't miss the meat at all, promise.
1/2 pound lasagna
1 medium white onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed very, very dry
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup basil pesto, store-bought is fine or make your own, recipe follows
2 cups ricotta
1 cup cottage cheese
1 1/2 pound shredded Mozzarella
Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Place the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. Through the top, add 1/2 cup of olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper. If not using immediately,
place in an air-tight container and drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the top. Freeze for up to two months. When ready to use, thaw and stir in the Parmesan.
In a large skillet, saute the chopped onions in the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prepare the lasagna according to package directions and drain in a colander. Add the pesto, ricotta, cottage cheese, and maybe a third of the Parmesan to the onions. To assemble the dish, put a layer of lasagna in an oblong baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spread half the filling on top, then some Parmesan and Mozzarella. Repeat, ending with a layer of lasagna. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let it sit for five minutes before cutting into
squares - or rectangles. Serve with a loaf of crusty garlic bread and a Beet and Goat Cheese Salad.
6 medium beets
3/4 cup goat cheese
2 tbsp. finely chopped shallots
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups salad greens of your choice
Wash the beets and place them in a roasting pan with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom. Seal the pan tightly with a top or foil and roast in a 425 degree oven for an hour. Do this long before you need the oven for the lasagna. Remove the beets and let cool, then remove the skins and discard. Slice the beets thinly and refrigerate until needed. To fix up the salad, combine the
olive oil, juices, and a dash of salt and pepper in a small pitcher and mix well. Place the salad greens, sliced beets, chopped shallots, and oranges in a salad bowl and toss carefully with the dressing. Arrange on six chilled salad plates and top with
crumbled goat cheese.
Serve this salad before or after the entree depending on whether you prefer the American or European custom. I was raised with the latter but now prefer my salad before. Otherwise the Europeans dine in a much more civilized manner than we do.
There's none of this wolfing something down and heading for an evening in a recliner. The meal is the evening.
For dessert we'll have Strawberries with Zabaglione Sauce.
3 pints fresh strawberries
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
2/3 cup Marsala wine
Wash, slice, and chill the strawberries. Beat the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and gradually add the sugar and then the wine. Cook, constantly whisking, until the sauce is foamy and begins to thicken. Serve it warm over the chilled strawberries in individual bowls or glasses.
Not as simple as it sounds. You have to tend the egg yolks like a mother hen so they don't scramble and you have to whisk in
the sugar so the sauce is smooth and not grainy. The wine is the easy part. All that said, this is an elegant treat that is not
appropriate for the kiddies. Give them an Eskimo Pie and tell them it's cough syrup when they report that Granny is nipping at the Marsala in the kitchen. Then again, they probably won't want lasagna with spinach or a salad with beets. Get them
a pizza, a cheese pizza. And a glass of milk.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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