Rediscovering Pasta Salad

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Recently, I began working at a locally-owned bakery and cafe that offers a lovely pasta salad each day.

I never gave much thought or consideration to pasta salad, until now. One lunch break, I tried one bite of a Southwestern-themed salad laced and was hooked. My favorite pasta salads are laden with creamy mayonnaise or salad dressing. I don’t mind indulging in them on occasion, but wanted to make a lighter version at home.

There’s not really a recipe for my pasta salad. I kept the Southwestern theme and tipped the salad’s balance in favor of fresh vegetables and black beans. However, I did coat the ingredients with a thin layer of mayonnaise (regular Hellman’s for me), lightened with a spritz of lemon juice. For a healthier version, you could try substituting thick Greek yogurt or combine it with your favorite mayo. Fresh herbs would also make a lovely addition.

This salad held up well for much of a busy work week and, four days later, the vegetables retained their crisp. We were happy to have an easy snack or light meal to grab on the run.

 Confetti Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
Small pasta shells, or other small pasta variety
Fresh bell peppers, diced
Celery, diced
Red onion, diced
Green onion, thinly sliced.
Black beans, or whatever’s in your pantry
Mayonnaise, just enough to hold the salad together
Lemon juice, to taste
Salt (I prefer flaky sea salt). You could also use your favorite seasoned salt.
Black pepper
Pinch of sugar
Shredded cheese

 Instructions:

  1. Cook pasta until al dente in boiling water seasoned with salt and a little olive oil.
  2. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside to continue to drain, shaking off the extra water a few times.
  3. Chop plenty of bell peppers, onions and green onion. I like a lot.
  4. Drain a can of your favorite beans and rinse off the canned liquid.
  5. Combine the pasta with the chopped vegetables and as many beans as you’d like. I tipped the balance of the pasta salad in favor of the vegetables and beans.
  6. Add just enough mayonnaise to hold the salad together.
  7. Season with lemon juice, salt, lots of pepper, and a pinch of sugar to balance the salty and sour.
  8. Toss in a scarce scattering of shredded cheese.

My First Homemade Lasagna & Our Favorite Garlic Bread

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For as long as I’ve known my husband, I’ve never made lasagna.

I’m the cook of our relationship. I’m guessing you’ve assumed as much by now. He’s easy to please when it comes to food and doesn’t often request certain meals. However, he has requested lasagna and, until now, I’ve never been able to bring myself to make it.

I think it’s because we ate so much lasagna in my household growing up. We ate all types of lasagna from the Stouffer’s variety with the sweet, orange sauce and cottage cheese curds to pans my mom made herself. It probably appeared in our dinner rotation once a week. While I don’t remember not liking it as a child, I haven’t wanted to make it as an adult. Heck, I worked at Broders’ Cucina Italiana, a lovely Italian deli in Minneapolis, MN during my first year out of college and didn’t even eat their lasagna.

The tides began to turn this past winter when I found myself enjoying a version my cousin recently made at family gathering. And finally, when my husband inquired about homemade lasagna at the start of an especially busy work week, I finally decided to honor his request. I adapted Lidia Bastianich’s recipe for Italian-American lasagna and made a few changes so that it was simpler to make.

Now that I’ve embraced lasagna again, it’s earned its rightful place in our dinner rotation. The leftovers were especially welcome at the end of a work day, and they tasted as satisfying as the first day.

A Cook’s Notes
For just the two of us, I divided the recipe in half and baked the lasagna in a 11 X 7 pan. It made six servings that we enjoyed over the busy week. Much of the lasagna-building process is up to your discretion. Build each layer as thick or thin as you’d like. For example, I went lighter on the cheese. Lidia recommends letting the finished lasagna sit on the counter for a few hours and reheating the squares when it’s ready to serve. I found one hour sufficient and served it from the pan with the extra sauce. There’s really no wrong way to build a lasagna. Just do whatever fits best for you.  

I served our lasagna with my favorite garlic bread and a tossed green salad. 

Lasagna With Meat Sauce
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich’s recipe for Italian-American Lasagna.

Ingredients:
11 X 7 baking dish
Lasagna noodles (About 3/4 of a pound)
Salt
Olive oil
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 lb. mozzarella, thinly sliced (I used one small ball of fresh mozzarella)
Parmesan cheese, grated

Meat Sauce:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
About 1/2 cup of dry red or white wine
35 oz. of crushed tomatoes
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Pinch of sugar

Instructions:

To begin, start the sauce. It will taste better the longer it simmers.

  1. Saute the onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt until the edges start to brown.
  2. Add the ground beef and sausage and saute until browned. Remove any extra fat drippings.
  3. Add the garlic and briefly cook until fragrant but not browned.
  4. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add the bay leaves and oregano. Try to remember to remove the bay leaves before assembling the lasagna.
  6. Deglaze the pan with wine and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
  7. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and black pepper to taste, and a pinch or two of sugar.
  8. Allow the sauce to simmer for as long as you are able, or until it turns rustier in color. This could take 2-3 hours. If you don’t have time to simmer the sauce for hours, it will still be fine. Longer cooking lessens the tinny taste from the canned tomatoes. You could also substitute your favorite jarred tomato sauce.
  9. Keep tasting the sauce while it simmers and adjust the seasonings accordingly. You may want to add more salt, pepper, sugar, and/or wine.
  10. If the sauce becomes too reduced, add water.

To prepare the other layers

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous dash of salt and small drizzle of olive oil.
  2. Cook half of the noodles at a time until they are pliable but undercooked (about seven minutes).
  3. Shock the noodles in ice water.
  4. When the noodles are completely cool, place them on a sheet pan and rub with a light coat of olive oil so they don’t stick together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  5. Whisk together the ricotta and egg. Season with salt.

To assemble the lasagna:

  1. Heat oven to 350-375 degrees F.
  2. Ladle enough sauce into the bottom of a pan to generously cover the bottom of the dish.
  3. Layer three noodles into the dish, lengthwise. It’s OK if they slightly overlap. Trim a little off the edge for a better fit.
  4. Ladle a thick layer of sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
  5. Add a noodle layer.
  6. Spread the noodles with the ricotta-egg mixture. Use your best judgement about how much cheese to spread. You may want to use less than the full amount.
  7. Add a noodle layer.
  8. Add the sliced mozzarella cheese. If it’s fresh mozzarella, sprinkle it with a little salt. Cover with sauce and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
  9. Add a noodle layer.
  10. Cover with sauce and sprinkle more Parmesan cheese.
  11. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover. If the top looks a little dry, add more sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 more minutes.
  12. Allow the lasagna to sit before cutting into squares. Serve with any extra sauce.

My Favorite Garlic Bread

Ingredients:
French bread, split
Butter
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Herbs, whatever you have on hand. I used dried basil and marjoram.
Salt
Black pepper
Cayenne

Instructions:

  1. Combine butter and a little olive oil in a small dish. Add minced garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.
  2. Heat until the mixture is spreadable.
  3. Spread on both cut sides of the bread. Put the bread back together and wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees F. until heated through.
  4. Cut and serve.

Apparently, I’m Afraid Of Lobsters: Seafood Class Finale

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Apparently, I’m afraid of lobsters.

On the last day of seafood class, our teacher ordered live Maine lobsters. She even ordered extras for the students who wanted to purchase them for home cooking. This was the only opportunity on which I passed to purchase food the school purchased for special demonstrations. Once the teacher handed the lobsters over to my care, I was afraid I’d feel responsible for their well-being. They would have been more likely to live in my bathtub than ever become food. It mostly came down to the thought of driving home with them in my car. I knew I’d freak out.

The lobster demonstration got off to a rough start. One of our teachers had snuck a slinky, wooden snake into the box before we reached the kitchen and when we opened the box, I screamed. Before I could make sense of the situation, I remember wondering why on earth the supplier would include a snake with the lobsters.

And you thought your last flight in coach was rough

Our teacher gently removed the lobsters and examined each one for movement.

We learned that active lobsters taste better. Those that barely move are known as sleepers and are close to death. They’re still edible but won’t taste as flavorful. Our instructor flipped a feisty lobster on its back and tickled its little pairs of legs, known as swimmeretes, to identify whether it was a male or a female. A female’s swimmeretes are feathery, while a male’s are firm. The lucky students who bought the lobsters got to take home the females that were rich in roe.

Before she passed one around the class, she firmly stated the afternoon’s one and only ground rule: Do not, under any circumstance, remove a rubber band from a lobster’s claw. No one dared.

Then, she piled the rest of the lobsters onto the demonstration table. Some of them may have been sleepers while others explored the table as they waved their long, delicate antennas. Our teacher had set out a container of hot water to rinse the lobsters after they been cooked and broken down. I noticed one lobster’s antenna wiggling dangerously close to the hot water and leaped to its rescue until it touched my hand. A kind classmate came to both of our rescue.

 

I noticed that I started feeling funny. My face flushed with heat and I broke out into a cold sweat. When the lightheadedness hit, I knew there was a distinct possibly that I might faint. I’ve prided myself on maintaining a (mostly) composed demeanor in the kitchen and trying to avoid giggly and squeamish gender stereotypes. This has also meant being willing to taste anything, handling raw meat like a champ, and throwing down in the dish room. I didn’t want to end this winning streak by being the girl who fainted at a lobster. Plus, I had laughed when I found out someone passed out when the Meats class broke down half a cow. Call it karma.

Our teacher placed the lobsters into a brazier of boiling water and quickly covered the pot with a lid. No, the lobsters did not “scream” or make dramatic scratching noises as they tried to climb out from the pot, but for someone who’s never taken part in dispatching an animal, it still felt unsettling. A minute later, she lifted the lid and we all flinched when we saw they were still writhing in the hot water.

Somehow, I did not faint.

Phobia aside, the demonstration was worth the taste. During our last seafood demonstration featuring clams, mussels, and oysters, I was surprised when a quarter of my classmates left because they thought they were gross. To my dismay, everyone stuck around to taste lobster, but fortunately there was more than enough to go around.

We compared previously frozen warm and cold water lobster tails broiled in their shells to our freshly boiled Maine lobsters. It was hardly a contest, as the Maine lobsters’ texture was stunningly more delicate and silky than the other varieties. One lucky student took home the lobster shells to make a seafood caldo broth while I stuck around to suck the tiny shards of meat from the legs.

We wiped clarified butter from our faces and thus ended seafood class.

It’s summer break now. I took my last final and turned in my final project. Maybe by the fall I will have enough gall to reconsider the upcoming field trip to North Dakota State University’s slaughterhouse. So far, I’ve maintained that I’m just not going. If I almost fainted at a lobster, who knows what will happen?

Worst case scenario is that even if I do, in fact, faint, it’ll make a good story, right?

India Palace in Fargo: A Spicy Dish With A Curious Disclaimer

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Our first visit to India Palace, Fargo’s newest Indian restaurant, brought tears of joy and tears of pain to my eyes. I wished it hadn’t taken us so long to get here.

Since moving to Fargo, we’ve been quite loyal to Passage to India. We dined at Karma, once, and found it bland so we stuck with what we knew. In the Twin Cities, there are at least five India Palaces, several of which are part of a local chain. I was initially concerned Fargo’s India Palace also a part of a chain, but from what I can tell, it’s not related. In January 2013, Eric Daeuber wrote a review of India Palace that was published in the Forum. He spoke well of the food and service, but the following description stuck in my mind:

“When tradition demands something more like the Indian food your Midwestern mother used to make, the popular Chicken Tikka Masala brings a kind of comfort food familiarity, and a little smoke, to the table.”

Despite the fact that Daeuber gave India Palace’s food a four star rating, I couldn’t move past the comical mental image of picturing my own Midwestern mother cooking Chicken Tikka Masala. She never ate Indian food and avoided anything spicy. It would have been dreadful. Recently, a friend and chili-head assured us the food was spicy and well-prepared, so we visited on our next date night.

On this Saturday evening, we were warmly greeted and seated immediately. We ordered a couple Indian beers and our server expertly poured them into fancy beer glasses. For dinner, we chose a few orders of garlic naan ($2.99/order), raita yogurt sauce ($1.99), Paneer Masala ($10.99) and Dhamaka Balti with lamb ($14.99), a style of dish described as being cooked in a special pot with white wine, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions and seasoned with cumin, coriander, cassia bark, and ginger. Most curiously, the following disclaimer accompanied this particular Balti dish:

*Very HOT! Prepare for an explosion in your mouth.  

Woah. An explosion? We had to try this.

The Dhamaka Balti with lamb was wonderfully spicy. Despite the fact that I was weeping tears of pain and sweating profusely, I was really happy. Completely giddy on the rush of endorphins released by the hot peppers.

The Paneer Masala was milder than the Dhamaka Balti, but it was still notably spicy and both dishes were laced with chunks of hot peppers.

Those who aren’t fond of heat can certainly order dishes mild. Spiciness aside, the sauces had compelling flavors from which the heat did not detract. I also appreciated that the Balti dish contained a generous amount of tender lamb. Both entrees came with a plate of fluffy basmati rice fragrant with a subtle, warm spicing.

We sopped the curries up with the garlic naan that was blistered and soft in all of the right places and cooled them down with raita yogurt sauce. Both were respectable versions of themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, we were thrilled with our first visit to Fargo’s India Palace. Our meal wasn’t cheap, but it was flavorful and thoughtfully prepared, the curries were appropriately filled with their respective proteins, and the service was warm and hospitable. Most exciting of all, they actually make spicy food spicy. I was getting bored with turning to Buffalo Wild Wings to satisfy my spicy food cravings.

Kudos to India Palace for bringing the heat.

Culinary School Update: Seafood Class

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Join me at Simple, Good and Tasty for my latest culinary school update.

This the class I’ve been waiting for my entire life. It’s all about seafood.

Even though we’re on the prairie, we got to try preparing different types of seafood from whole salmon and halibut to littleneck clams and scallops. This might be my favorite update, yet.

I’ll meet you there.

Culinary School Woes: I Just Don’t Like These Pants

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Culinary school has a lot of benefits.

We get to taste a new type of dessert everyday, attend food shows, and scarf down what’s left of the themed breakfast buffets every Thursday morning. But culinary school is like any other experience and has its own set of ups and downs. Our pants come to mind. I just hate those pants.

 

Next week, our semester will come to an end and we’ll return our uniforms to AmeriPride. I will not be sad to part with my pants over the summer. These aren’t just any pants, they’re culinary school pants and we get five pairs. Have I mentioned how much I loathe them? Let me count the ways:

First, they’re unisex pants and don’t differentiate between male and female anatomy. I don’t need to explain these differences, only to say that there are reasons why pants aren’t generally offered in unisex shapes.

Not only are these pants unisex, but they have a firm waistband that just doesn’t give. It’s not like these are sweatpants. They’re non-stretchy unisex pants. This is unfortunate considering they’re like clown pants merged with high-waisted, tapered jeans from the 90′s. These pants levitate towards my bosom and are so severely starched that they literally stand on their own legs. When I sit down, they rise, and when I exhale, they squeeze my abdomen like a sausage.

I encountered these pants during my first week of school on Uniform Fitting Day. We took turns meeting with vendor representatives who assigned us pants. Now, I’m a petite individual who already has trouble finding adult clothes, any clothes, and most especially pants. It’s hard to be on either side of the size spectrum, and it’s not fun to be on the small/short size when default sizes are often set to extra large. I hauled a few pairs of pants to the bathroom and tried them on. They fit in such a comically bad way, that I confronted a random girl in the bathroom and asked for reassurance.

“They’re not that bad, are they?”

In the Midwest, “Minnesota Nice” is a reality, not a myth but even she could not say anything nice about the pants. She made a face and replied, “I don’t think those are supposed to fit like that.” That’s when I ran.

I found the AmeriPride representative and showed him my pants so he could see for himself how badly they fit before he sentenced me to wearing them for a year. Even he could not tell me, in good conscience, to just wear the pants, so he made a note to find a different size and hem about a foot from the bottom.

My final grievance about these pants is that they are white. They match our white everything: Pants, jacket, and baseball cap which comes in a one-size-fits-all. No matter how tightly I adjust it, the bill always falls into my eyes. It’s not unusual for me to run into others or biff counters and I maneuver around the kitchen by watching my feet. I know that white symbolizes ideals like cleanliness or purity, but what if it’s accented by spots and streaks in questionable colors? I feel like a walking canvas. A sunset painted in carrot orange, rusty blood, and chocolate streaks. I just hope I don’t unknowingly sit in something colorful. On especially messy days, I jump at the sight of my own clothing. People must look at me and think, “Wow, that girl sure knows how to throw down in the kitchen,” or, “What a klutz!”

In addition to being prone to staining, white pants are also kind of revealing. Some of my white pants are constructed from thick fabric, while others border on transparent. Both become see-through when wet and, since we are often cooking with water or spraying down dirty dishes, this is a significant concern. I have to wear pants underneath my pants because I just don’t trust my pants.

All of this makes me wonder, “Why white? and, “What’s up with these pants?”

Turning in my pants will feel bittersweet, but unfortunately, it’s not a goodbye. It’s a see you later.

Mock Duck/Seitan: How To Make Your Own & Save Money

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I’m not a vegetarian but I love mock duck.

Mock duck, also known as seitan, is a vegetarian product made from wheat gluten, meaning it’s not a good option for those with gluten sensitivities. I like mock duck’s chewy texture because resembles meat more so than other other meat-substitutes. Mock dock is often stationed in the refrigerated section of grocery stores and or sold by the can in Asian grocery stores. I remember enjoying my first tastes of mock duck in Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches at Jasmine Deli, a restaurant located along Eat Street in Minneapolis, MN. Three dollars never tasted so good.

This afternoon, I found mock duck in Sidney’s refrigerated case for about $3.69 per package. It’s cut into small pieces and ready to eat, but the package only contains a cup’s worth. Instead, I bought this bag of wheat gluten flour and decided to make my own. Although this bag cost a little over $7, it actually makes about three times more mock duck for the price of the packaged version, when compared ounce for ounce. If you have some extra time, it’s really easy to make at home. I mostly followed the package’s instructions and adjusted a few elements.

 

Ingredients:
2 cups wheat gluten
2 cups boiling water
Garlic salt, about a teaspoon
A pinches of dried marjoram
A pinch of dried sage
9 cups of water
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons molasses (could also use honey)
A few thick slices of of fresh ginger, washed and skinned

Instructions:
To prepare the cooking liquid, bring 9 cups of water, soy sauce, molasses and ginger to a simmer.

In a large bowl, stir together the wheat gluten and boiling water. It’s texture will be damp and spongy. Set the mixture aside until it’s cool enough to handle.

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes to further develop the chewy texture.

Divide the dough in smaller pieces, and cut into slices. Drop into the simmering liquid. Stir and simmer for an hour.

The mock duck will absorb the liquid’s flavor and become chewier. The slices of mock duck will greatly expand in size.

Remove the mock duck and drain in a strainer. Place a heavy object on top of the mock duck to remove extra liquid or wait until it cools and press it with your hands. Now it’s ready to use.

I sauteed the seitan until golden brown and added it to a crock pot along with an onion and two waxy potatoes sliced and sauteed until golden. Then, I topped it with a sliced zucchini, one shredded carrot, one bell pepper cut into rings, barbecue sauce and cooked it on high for several hours. If there’s too much liquid, let the pot cook uncovered until it condenses. This recipe for Barbecued Seitan and Layered Vegetables was adapted from the book Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson available from the Fargo Public Library system. The original recipe’s version of homemade barbecue sauce struck us as overly sweet so if you give it a try, substitute your favorite sauce instead.

You can also use the mock duck to replace the meat in stir-fries, salads, or sloppy joes. Extra mock duck can be frozen for later use.

Date Night in Fargo: Cork’ n Cleaver

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For this weekend’s date night we wanted to try something new. We’ve overheard a couple acquaintances mention the Cork’ n Cleaver, a restaurant that’s been open for 40 years. Also, we recently saw its steak featured in Fargo Monthly’s newest issue, 50 Tasty Eats that provides photos of each dish and ideas for future dining experiences.

We visited Cork’ n Cleaver for an early dinner. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the hostess and seated immediately. The relatively large interior is cozy and dimly lit and we admired the warm fireplaces. We had a hard time getting comfortable because the section in which we were seated was lined by a vent that pumped cold and hot air. The mirror-covered wall by our table was smudged and I smelled Windex mist when a staff member wiped down adjacent tables.A server quickly took our drink orders and carded my husband since he ordered a beer. He willingly obliged. Minutes later, someone from the bar stopped by our table and firmly asked Jake to show her his ID, again, before she would bring him the beer. He began to explain he just showed the server his ID, but shrugged it off and pulled it from his wallet again. I wonder if she didn’t believe the server who originally took his drink order.

Everyone receives this crusty sourdough bread with honey butter. It was freshly baked and pleasantly sour. This is the best bread I’ve tasted in Fargo-Moorhead.

Then, we ordered a whole artichoke to share as an appetizer. For entrees, Jake ordered a sirloin steak with a baked potato and opted for the salad bar while I ordered the evening’s catfish special with wild rice pilaf and the salad bar. I had read in this same Fargo Monthly issue that the Chef enjoys cooking Cajun food and is willing to accommodate requests for spicy food, so I ordered the fish extra spicy.

The salad bar was a fun touch though it wasn’t particularly memorable. I bypassed iceburg lettuce that looked to be discolored around the edges and chose romaine and spinach instead. The bar offered pasta salad, potato salad, and typical toppings like pickled beet slices, shredded cheese, hard boiled egg, peas and baby carrots. The croutons did not appear to be homemade and I passed on what appeared to be processed tropical fruit cocktail. I did enjoy the salad dressings which the restaurant says it makes from scratch.

I’ve always wanted to eat a whole, steamed artichoke and was excited to see it on the menu. Since this was our first one, we have nothing to compare it to. We enjoyed peeling back the leaves and nibbling their fleshy ends. The little ramekin contained what tasted like plain mayonnaise which tasted better when we added juice from the lemon wedge. It provided some needed acidity.

Jake’s steak arrived juicy and cooked to a precise medium-rare. It had a nice beefy flavor and wasn’t gristly, though I felt it lacked seasoning. Jake enjoyed the baked red potato that came with sour cream and butter. The insides were especially creamy since it was of a waxy variety, but I missed the crispy, salted skin I love most about traditional, starchy baked potatoes.


My catfish special consisted of two baked or broiled fillets sprinkled with Cajun seasoning. The fish was cooked through but its texture was waterlogged and I longed for some sort of crust or sear. The seasoning level struck me as just right and the tartar sauce tasted homemade, but the lemon wedge was dried out. The accompanying wild rice pilaf was mushy and tasted like something that would come from an Uncle Ben’s box. All things considered, this special seemed overpriced, not only because it was executed poorly, but because I know catfish isn’t very expensive. Then, we packed up my leftovers to go so we could make a movie showing.

All in all, the service wasn’t unfriendly, but it wasn’t exactly warm and a little inattentive, with the exception of the lovely hostess. The highlight of the meal was the complimentary sourdough bread, though we also enjoyed the artichoke and appreciated they cooked the steak to a perfect medium rare. Considering that we spent nearly the equivalent to a dinner at Mezzaluna, I can’t say we’ll make an effort to return. The meal cost $70, not including tip, for two entrees, an $8 artichoke, one draft beer, and a Shirley Temple. If you want water, you may have to ask for it, as it was not automatically served to us this evening.

Culinary School Update on Simple, Good & Tasty: Menu Planning Basics

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Visit Simple, Good and Tasty for one of my last culinary school updates for the semester. This time we change gears as I share what I’ve learned from my menu planning course.

Our teacher provided us with an introduction to menu planning that included topics such as pricing strategies, truthfulness in item descriptions, and basic design principles. Then, he set us loose to create our own.

I’ll meet you there.