Grilled Cheese Wheel

I saw this simple grilling idea for grilling a cheese wheel on the Martha Stewart Living (June 2011) website, under the heading "20 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Grill."

Warm, luscious, and smoky, this hors d'oeuvre gives a whole new meaning to the term "grilled cheese." Choose a wheel of cheese with a thick rind and an inside that's soft but not runny, such as Camembert. Brush rind with olive oil, and grill cheese directly on oiled grates over indirect heat until warmed, about 2 minutes per side. Serve immediately with grilled baguette slices.

Complete listing of all 20 grilling ideas:

http://www.marthastewart.com/354741/grilled-cheese-wheel?czone=food/best-grilling-recipes/grilling-recipes&center=0&gallery=989514&slide=354741

Biff Paj (Swedish Meat Pies)

Swedish meat pie, served with almond green beans.

Today was cold and dreary, and I was wanting to bake, and I was also craving comfort foods.  After thumbing through some recipes, as I was trying to figure out what to make, I stumbled across this favorite.  It hit the "want to bake craving," the "comfort food" criteria,  and also was a great dinner idea, so I decided to make Biff Paj (Swedish Meat Pies) for dinner.

Many years ago, I first had these at the Junction City Scandinavian Festival, and is one of my favorite treats from the festival. Swedish Meat Pies are rich, savory, and delicious! In the spirit of Paula Dean, I have to say that it's hard to go wrong with potatoes, cheese, butter and sour cream.

Swedish Meat Pies (Biff Paj)

Skill level: 

Adapted from: The Barest Hint of Sweetness 

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Baking Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 meat pies

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 pound ground beef (or turkey)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 pinch Hungarian paprika (regular is fine, as well)

2 large red potatoes, grated

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

1 cup sour cream

Preparation:

1. Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. 
2. Crumble in the ground beef and add parsley, allspice, dill, nutmeg, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and grated potatoes. Cook and stir until the meat is browned. 

3. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and 1/2 cup sour cream until melted. 

4. Set aside to cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
6. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and 1 teaspoon salt. 
7. Mix in the 1 1/4 cup cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until only pea sized lumps remain OR pulse ingredients in a food processor to get pea sized lumps. 
8. Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream a little bit at a time until the dough holds together. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface. 
9. Divide into six equal portions, and pat into balls.
   
10. Roll out each ball of dough to about 1/8 inch thickness, about 8 inches across.  They do not have to be pretty at this point, as they will be trimmed in step 13.

11. Place a heaping 1/2 cup of filling onto each one.

12. Fold over into half circles, and seal by moistening the edges with warm water and pressing together. 

13. Trim edges so that the pies have a nice half circle shape, and crimp edges. 

14. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

15. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

Oregon Cheeses

One of the cheeses featured in the article,
Willamette Valley Brindisi (a parmesan cheese),
is one of my local favorites.

Over the last two years, my friend Georgene and I have attended many wine and cheese tastings at Long's Meat Market, in Eugene, Oregon. What has made their tastings unique is that they theme items by nationality, and then they also find locally made items that are comparable to the imported goods. Because of this unique approach to cheese and wine pairings, I have found many Oregon made cheeses that are simply incredible.

Oregon is one of the few states that has many local farmstead cheeses, as most states, if they have dairies and creameries, only have mass produced dairy products, made for grocery stores. Oregon has at least 40 farmstead cheese makers. What this means is that these farmers produce the milk, and make the cheese; usually hormone free, and created using traditional methods of production.

While on FlipBoard (an iPad newsfeed app) this morning, I saw this article about Steve's Cheese Bar in Portland, featuring 10 Oregon cheeses. I have had a number of the selections featured in the story, and thought I would share the article.

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/10/oregon-farmstead-cheese-steves-cheese-bar-pdx-portland.html (Follow the link, there is a slideshow of the 10 cheeses featured).

Article: Steve is all about supporting small local cheese-makers, but he admits, some of them are better than others. "You see cheese-makers who put a blindfold on and run off a cliff. Others study the science and art of cheese-making."

Brian Humiston, for example, studied food science and fermentation at Oregon State University before starting Full Circle Creamery in Crabree, Oregon, 2010. Applying his degree in curd-nerdery, he now makes cheddar and mozzarella from organic milk. Steve introduced us to Full Circle Creamery's cheddar as well as the unique "Chubut" cheese from a man named Mariano Battro who comes from a lineage of Argentine cheese-makers. His family's dairy back in Patagonia was largely influenced by Welsh settlers who migrated to Argentina in the 1800s and started making Chubut. He now makes this historic cheese using cow's milk from Lochmead Dairy in Junction City, Oregon.

Hearing Steve talk about the cheese-makers and where they came from gives you a sense of where Oregon cheese is headed. Many Old World cheese traditions meeting the Oregon terroir. Like Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue: a feisty blue cheese that's roasted over hazelnuts shells. (Hazelnuts are the state nut of Oregon, and Oregonians really love them.)

In addition to sampling through the cheese case, you can pop into Steve's Bar for his impressive selection of local beers and wines (really, this guy must love beer as much as his cheese), as well as cheese plates, sandwiches, salads, and warm dishes from the oven to enjoy at the seats inside.

Steve's Cheese Bar

6031 SE Belmont, Portland OR. 97215

503-222-6014

Easy Rustic Parmesan Biscuits

This summer, I seem to have been making a lot of dishes containing tomatoes; soups, sauces, salads, etc.

To accompany all of these tomato based dishes, I  created this simple cheese biscuit recipe which has a nice hint of cheese, without being overpowering.  The flavor and texture is reminiscent of home made  shortening biscuits, like my grandmother used to make.  These biscuits are great with soups.

This takes about 40 minutes to make; 10 to 15 minutes of preparation, and about a half hour  to bake.

Parmesan Biscuits

(makes 6)
Skill level:

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

1 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Special equipment:  2 1/2" diameter biscuit cutter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Whisk 1 cup of flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. 

3. Cut butter into 4 pieces.

4. Put remaining cup of flour in a food processor, and add butter; pulse until pea-size pieces form. 

5. Add milk, cheese, and flour & butter mixture to the dry ingredients; carefully stir until dough forms, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if dry. 

6. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll to 3/4 inch thickness. Using biscuit cutter, cut into rounds. Repeat until all dough is used. 

7. Transfer biscuits to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and put in the oven. 

8. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

New American Meatloaf

Meatloaf has been an Ameriacn staple for generations.  As I child, I simply loathed meatloaf (and casseroles), and refused to eat it in my adult life.   Meatloaf seemed a messy concoction, with a bizzare assortment of ingredients, usually bland in flavor, and seemed to resemble cat food, far too closely.  Also, I think the catsup baked (and crusted) on top of the meatloaf tasted weird, and seemed an oddly sweet topping.

In recent years, I began experimenting with meatloaf, as I needed something I could eat for a few days, as I was working extremely long hours, and did not have time to cook.  Over time, I came up with this flavorful recipe, featuring hints of traditional meatloaf, with new twists.  The catsup is replaced by sun dried tomatoes, and there are plenty of herbs and spices to add flavor, texture, and color to the mix.

New American Meatloaf

Skill level:

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup roughly chopped green peppers

2 gloves of garlic, peeled, and roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

2 heaping tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes (I prefer the oil pack variety, but any kind will work nicely)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon beau monde seasoning

4 saltine crackers (or 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs)

1 green onion

1 pound of hamburger or ground chuck roast

1/4 cup parmesian cheese (optional)

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

1/3 cup shredded cheddar (optional)

Preparation

1. Put peppers, garlic, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, rosemary, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, and beau monde seasoning into a food processor, equipped with the blade attachment.  

2. Pulse the food processor a few times until contents are combined, and resembles salsa.

3. Chop the green onion and stems (discarding the roots).

4. Put the meat into a bowl.
5. Using your hands crush the crackers over the meat. (Sustitte plain bread crumbs, if you like)

6. Add the chopped onion to the meat and cracker mixture. Optional: Add pine nuts, and parmesian cheese.

7. Add the egg and spice mixture from the food processor to the meat.

8. Using your hands, squeeze all of the ingredients together until uniformly combined.

9. Shape the mat loaf mixture into a log, roughly 9 by 3 inches.

10. Roll the meat loaf log in baking parchment, and then twist the ends tightly against the end of the log, so that the wrapped meat loaf resembles a giant tootsie roll.
    
    

11. Tuck the ends under the log, and place on an edged baking sheet (seems down, to allow for drainage).

12. Bake in the oven (I just use my taster oven, as the meat loaf is not too large) at 375, or 55 minutes to 1 hour.  Note:  I usually use a cooking thermometer, poked through the parchment, to make sure the center is a minimum of 160 degrees. 
13. Remove from oven, and using an oven hit, untwist one of the ends of the twisted parchment.  using the oven hit, grab the remaining twisted end of the parchment, and gently shake the meat loaf log out of the paper covering.  Usually, it will just slide out.
14. Optional: When the meat loaf is done, sprinkle shredded cheddar over the length of the log, and return to the oven, until the cheese begins to melt.

15. Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 slices, and serve.

Deep Fried Macaroni & Cheese Balls

I have made several different recipes of fried macaroni & cheese balls, all of which have been flavorful.  What I have not liked about the recipes that I have tried, is that they are not super creamy, so I decided to experiment, resulting in this recipe.

There are seemingly a lot of steps, but each step is quite simple.  

As you work, the mac balls start off looking very rough and crude. These are very creamy inside, so the rounds require several steps of rolling, coating, and chilling to get the shape.  When you are ready to fry them, they will have a nicely rounded shape.  I seldom roll mine perfectly round, as I like them to have a slightly rustic, and homemade appearance.

When complete, these have a lightly crunchy crust, and very creamy interior.  These are a great as a side dish, or an unusual appetizer. When serving as an appetizer, I like to call these "fried pasta au gratin croquets." 

Recipe

Prep time, including freezing and cooking, 1 hour. (Half of this is waiting time, so it really is not as long of a process, as it seems).

Skill level:

Ingredients 

Macaroni Balls 

1 1/4 dry, uncooked macaroni (I prefer fusilli) 

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter 

3/4 cup sour cream 

1/4 teaspoon of rosemary, very finely chopped 

1/4 cup milk 

2 teaspoons flour 

1 tablespoon parsley, roughly chopped 

8 turns of a pepper grinder (1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, if you do not have a pepper grinder) 

1 cup (heaping) of sharp cheddar or Gruyère cheese 

1 egg 

1 tablespoon milk 

1/2 cup flour 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or Panko (I prefer seasoned & herbed bread crumbs) 

Cooking Oil 

Tomato Wine Sauce (optional)

1 tablespoon butter 

2/3 cup red wine 

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 

1/4 cup of tomato paste 

16 turns of pepper grinder (1/2 teaspoon black pepper) 

1 tablespoon of honey 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

pinch of salt 

Preparation 

Macaroni Balls


1. Boil water, and add salt and macaroni. Cook macaroni to minimum cook time suggested on the package.
2. While macaroni is cooking, and in a separate sauce pan, brown 1 tablespoon of butter. (If you are not comfortable browning butter, melted is fine).
3. When butter has browned, add 1/4 cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of flour, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of sour cream. Bring to light boil.
4. Reduce heat, and add 1/2 cup of the cheese, stirring rigorously.
5. When cheese has melted and mixed with the milk mixture, remove from heat, and set aside. Sauce will be quite thick.
6. When macaroni is done cooking, pour into a colander, and rinse with cold water. This stops it from cooking. Allow to drain.
7. Add macaroni to the sauce mixture.  

8. Add rosemary, and parsley to the macaroni and sauce mixture. 
9. Using the back of a large spoon, pack macaroni and cheese flat in the bottom of the pan, and put in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, to set the macaroni.
10. When macaroni and cheese is cool, and the sauce begins to “harden” add remaining cheese and sour cream. Stir until combined, and cheese shreds are visible in the mix.
11. Again, pack down, using a large spoon, and return to the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
12. At the end of the chill, roll pasta balls in your hand, like rolling a dough ball, and then roll in the 1/2 cup of flour after each is rolled in the flour, re-roll with your hands. If the balls become sticky, just roll in the flour again. When each ball is rolled, return to the freezer for 5 more minutes. At this step, you may feel ice crystals, or a slight "crunchiness" to the balls as you roll them.  That is fine, just do not allow the mixture to completely freeze between steps 11 and 12.

13. At the and of the chilling, using a scoop or tablespoon, scoop the macaroni and cheese onto roughly formed balls (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches across) onto a plate lined with parchment or waxed paper. You should be able to make 8 to 10 mounds with the mixture.
14. Using your hands, pack the macaroni balls a bit. and return to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not worry is the pasta balls are rough looking, we are not done with the rolling process.
15. While the balls chill, heat coking oil in a deep frier to 325 degrees. (If you do not have a fryer, fill a tall sauce pan with oil, until oil is roughly 3 inches deep. DO NOT OVER FILL PAN).
16. Remove the floured pasta balls from the freezer.
17. Mix the egg, and remaining tablespoon of milk. Whisk until combined, and eggs are not streaky. One by one, dip the balls in the egg mixture, and immediately roll in the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.
18. Each ball should be nicely coated. Using your hands, roll balls again to smooth the shape. If there are sticky spots on the balls, re-roll in the breadcrumbs.

19. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
20. About 15 minutes before you want to serve, remove the pasta balls from the refrigerator. (I like to give the pasta rounds one last quick roll at this point).

21. Drop 1/2 of the batch (4 to 5 balls) in the hot oil, and cook for about 5 minutes, until deep golden brown.  (If you have a very large deep fryer, these can be cooked all at once, skipping the remaining steps, other than draining on a paper towel).
22. Drain on paper towels, and keep warm in 350 degree oven while you wait for the last half of the batch to fry.
23. Fry remaining balls in the oil, as above, for 5 minutes, until deep golden brown.
24. Drain on paper towels.
25. Remove balls from the oven. Serve while hot/warm with a drizzle of the sauce (see below).

Sauce (optional)

This can be made while waiting for the balls to chill, at Step 11

1. Brown 1 tablespoon of butter. (If you are not comfortable browning butter, melted is fine).
2. When butter is lightly browned, add (all at once) the wine, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir over high heat until combines.
3. Add the pepper, and bring to a rapid boil.
4. When boil is achieved, reduce heat to medium high, and reduce mixture by 1/4 to 1/3 (stir occasionally), and has the thickness of chocolate syrup.

 
5. Reduce heat to low, and keep sauce warm on the stove. Stir occasionally to keep from scalding.

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For a simpler recipe, using mac & cheese leftovers, I have made this version as well: http://norecipes.com/blog/fried-mac-cheese-balls-recipe/. Frankly, I like my recipe better  ;)