Robin’s Random Recipes

I can’t believe I’ve made it this long without posting a lasagna! Well, I can since it’s one of the few things I make without a recipe.

1 lb sausage, browned
1 jar (yes, jar, I know) spaghetti sauce, I prefer Barilla’s marinara
dry red wine

16 oz. ricotta
1 egg
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan (divided)
fresh chopped oregano & basil, if available
salt & pepper

1 lb mozzarella, shredded
1 lb Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles

You can use non-no-boil noodles, or other brands of no-boil, but I vastly prefer Barilla.

Preheat oven to 350F, spray 9×13 baking pan with Pam.

Drain the sausage, add the spaghetti sauce, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add a healthy splash of wine and simmer for another five minutes. Set aside.

Combine ricotta, egg, half the parmesan, herbs, salt, and pepper.

Combine mozzarella & remaining parmesan.

Ladle a half cup of sauce into the pan, top with three noodles.
Top the noodles with half the ricotta mixture, 1/3 the sauce, and 1/3 the cheeses. Top with three more noodles, then repeat the last layer. Top with three more noodles, the remaining sauce, and the remaining cheese. Be sure the noodles are completely covered with sauce or you’ll have unpleasantly crispy edges.

Cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another ten minutes to brown. Let sit for ten minutes, and enjoy! We like it with garlic bread, red wine, and a salad.

Grilled Tuna
Published: May 1, 1998
Serves 4

It is difficult to avoid cooking tuna steaks thinner than 3/4-inch to medium because the interior cooks almost as quickly as the surface. For 3/4-inch steaks, follow steps 1-3; for 1 to 1 1/2 inch tuna steaks, use variation described in steps 4 – 6. Piquant sauces and fresh salsas are natural partners for either thin or thick grilled tuna steaks (see related recipes for suggestions).
INGREDIENTS
4 tuna steaks (about 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1. For 3/4-inch Tuna Steaks: Place tuna and oil in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag; seal bag and refrigerate until fish has marinated fully, at least 1 and up to 24 hours.
2. Meanwhile, spread one large chimney’s worth, about 5 quarts, hardwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes over 2/3 of grill bottom. Refill chimney with charcoal, position on charcoal layer in grill, and ignite. Burn until charcoal in chimney is blazing, 5 to 8 minutes. Dump burning coals onto unlit charcoal, position grill rack over fire, and burn until all charcoal is completely covered with thin coating of light gray ash and fire is very hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 1 to 2 seconds), 20 to 30 minutes more.
3. Remove tuna from bag; season both sides of each steak with salt and pepper. Grill over direct heat until well seared and grill marks appear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip steaks over and grill on second side until fish is cooked to medium (opaque throughout, yet translucent at very center when checked with point of paring knife), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
4. For 1- to 1 1/2-inch Tuna Steaks: Whereas thinner tuna steaks cook to medium before you know it, thicker 1- to 1 1/2-inch steaks can easily be cooked to rare or medium-rare. In addition, you need only to brush thick steaks with olive oil rather than to marinate them, because they are less likely to dry out during cooking.
5. Spread one large chimney’s worth, about 5 quarts, hardwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes over 2/3 of grill bottom. Refill chimney with charcoal, position on charcoal layer in grill, and ignite. Burn until charcoal in chimney is blazing, 5 to 8 minutes. Dump burning coals onto unlit charcoal, position grill rack over fire, and burn until all charcoal is completely covered with thin coating of light gray ash and fire is very hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill surface for 1 to 2 seconds), 20 to 30 minutes more.
6. Brush both sides of each tuna steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill steaks 2 1/2 minutes on first side and 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes on second side for rare (opaque near surfaces and still red and translucent at center when checked with point of paring knife) or 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on first side and 3 to 4 minutes on second side for medium-rare (just opaque throughout, yet still pink at very center when checked with point of paring knife); serve immediately.

Smothered Pork Chops with Cider and Apples
Published: November 1, 2002
Serves 4

Serve smothered chops with a starch to soak up the rich gravy. Simple egg noodles were the test kitchen favorite, but rice or mashed potatoes also taste great.
INGREDIENTS
3 ounces bacon (about 3 slices), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups apple cider
vegetable oil
4 bone-in, rib-end pork chops 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion , halved pole-to-pole and sliced thin (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 Granny Smith apple (large), or 2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 3/8-inch wedges
table salt
2 tablespoons water
2 medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1. Fry bacon in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in saucepan (you should have 2 tablespoons bacon fat; if not, supplement with vegetable oil). Reduce heat to medium-low and gradually whisk flour into fat until smooth. Cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is light brown, about the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Whisk in apple cider in slow, steady stream; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally; cover and set aside off heat.
2. Heat 1-tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, dry pork chops with paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2-teaspoon pepper. Brown chops in single layer until deep golden on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chops to large plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon oil, onions, apples, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to now-empty skillet. Using wooden spoon, scrape browned bits on pan bottom and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and browned around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Return chops to skillet in single layer, covering chops with onions. Pour in warm sauce and any juices collected from pork; add bay leaves. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until pork is tender and paring knife inserted into chops meets very little resistance, about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer chops to warmed serving platter and tent with foil. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer sauce rapidly, stirring frequently, until thickened to gravy-like consistency, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves, stir in parsley, and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Cover chops with sauce, sprinkle with reserved bacon, and serve immediately.

This is from a guy named Lou (surprise!) on the Cook’s Illustrated forums.

24 oz freshly ground chuck
4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Gently mix meat, salt, pepper, W. sauce in a bowl.

Make eight thin patties.

Evenly divide the toppings among four patties.

Add another plain patty on top of each and gently seal edges.

Grill to your content, I like 3-4 minutes per side.

serves 6 to 8

Use kosher salt when salting the eggplant. The coarse grains don’t dissolve as readily as the fine grains of regular table salt, so any excess can be easily wiped away. To be time-efficient, use the 30 to 45 minutes during which the salted eggplant sits to prepare the breading, cheeses, and sauce.
INGREDIENTS

Eggplant
2 pounds globe eggplant (2 medium eggplants), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 slices high-quality white bread (about 8 ounces), torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 generous tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Table salt and ground black pepper

8 ounces whole milk mozzarella or part-skim mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish
1. FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, placing second batch in colander on top of first. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on triple layer paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.
2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Wipe out bowl (do not wash) and set aside.
3. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Beat eggs in second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, dip in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack set over baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.
5. FOR THE SAUCE: While eggplant bakes, process 2 cans diced tomatoes in food processor until almost smooth, about 5 seconds. Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is light golden, about 3 minutes; stir in processed and remaining can of diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes (you should have about 4 cups). Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer in remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.