Minnesota Nice

A typical Minnesota/Wisconson Conversation:

"We gotta pot luck organized fer Sunday".

"I think I'll bring a casserole".

"Whatda' heck is a casserole"?

"You know, cream soups, meat, noodles and veg baked in rectangular dish. You don't know what a casserole is"?

"Oh, you mean a hot dish"!

Well folks, I've had that conversation. I lived in Minneapolis for 10 years. Shortly after moving there, this topic came up. I had never heard of a hot dish, and my co-worker had never heard of a casserole. Let me tell you, I learned quick, never to call it a casserole, and bow down to the fact that hot dish was invented by good Lutheran church basement ladies in order to feed the entire congregation on a budget. God Bless them! I can't tell you how many church basement cookbooks I was given up there. Each and every one of them loaded with cream soups, jello molds, and punch recipes created by silver haired ladies and taste tested by generations of families.

Minnesota is a nice place to live. It's loaded with history, good eats and lots of small town values. Any true Minnesotan will tell you that Minnesota Nice is real. You have to be nice because you may need someone to help shovel you out in the winter. Life there is steeped in tradition and history. One of the best traditions is good food. That has been carried through today in five star resturants, incredible pizza places, bars that serve the famous Juicy Lucy, and of course, those church basement recipes that bring us comfort and memories of our grandmothers. Minnesota Wild Rice Hot Dish is the Paul Bunyon of Hot Dish. Like the tall tale, something new is added every time it is passed along. There are countless recipes for this dish. Each has cream soups, poultry, and Wild Rice. I read so many of them, and created my own from multiple recipes, according to my own likes and dislikes. That's the beauty of it. You add and take away to make it your own, and pass it on to your grandchildren.

It is the best of Minnesota, distilled into a dish.

Thanks to my good neighbor, for sharing pictures of this dish.

Minnesota Wild Rice Hot Dish

Makes 2 Hot Dishes. One for you, and one for the neighbor who shoveled you out.

1# Mild Italian Sausage

3 Chicken Breasts

2 Cups Minnesota Wild Rice

1/2 Pound Portabella Mushrooms, sliced

1 Small Onion, minced

2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup

2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 tsp Rubbed Sage

1/2 tsp celery salt

1 tsp granulated garlic

4 TB melted butter

2 sleeves of TownHouse Crackers, smashed to smithereens

Brown sausage with the onions, until cooked through.  Add 3 shredded chicken breasts, coat well.  Mix in cream soups, sage, garlic, and celery salt.  Mix well.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Cover with crushed crackers, drizzle melted butter over crackers.  Bake at 375 until golden and bubbly.

Brown Sugar Cookies

Every Saturday, my husband and I sit down for a tradition that has lasted almost as long as our 10 year marriage.  We watch America's Test Kitchen.  This is often followed by a run to the grocery store for ingredients in order to make whatever it was they featured for the day.  Unfortunately, yesterday they made bread.  If you have read my previous post, you will realize immediately how my heart was crushed.  So, not one to wallow in bread making self pity, I searched their website for a cookie recipe and was elated to find Brown Sugar Cookies.  These are good.  They are really good.  They taste like a Heath bar.  I want to dip them in rich dark chocolate and put them in a sundae.

I did make one slight change to the recipe.  I added a teaspoon of maple syrup.  I just couldn't help myself.  I tasted the browned butter (which made me want to tell my husband I found a new love in life), and it just happened.  I'm sure that these cookies are incredible without it, but it will forever be an ingredient of this cookie in my world.

Brown Sugar Cookies
Recipe from America's Test Kitchen

Makes 2 Dozen Cookies

The most efficient way to bake these cookies is to portion and bake half of the dough. While the first batch is in the oven, the remaining dough can be prepared for baking. Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter. The dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned. Use fresh brown sugar, as older (read: harder and drier) brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.

INGREDIENTS

• 14tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
• 1/4cup granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 ounces)
• 2cups packed dark brown sugar (14 ounces)
• 2cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (about 10 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1large egg
• 1large egg yolk
• 1tablespoon vanilla extract
• 
  

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.
• 3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.
• 4. Divide dough into 24 portions, each about 2 tablespoons, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)
• 

• 5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 12 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.
• 6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

No Knead Bread

My husband and I spent the past weekend in the Twin Cities visiting friends. Needless to say, I'm a little tired this week. I don't feel like doing much cooking yet, and until I get the energy back to make a big meal, we're eating out of the freezer. It's cold out, and I am hungry for some french onion soup. Luckily, I was inspired a month or so ago to make soups and freeze them for future use. Now, here's the deal. I don't like french onion soup. However, I LOVE baked french onion soup. Especially that wonderful crouton that floats on top smothered with gruyere and parmesan. Well, if I'm going to have baked french onion, I need bread.

Now, bread baking and I don't get along. I grew up working in a bakery. Our relationship should be a harmonious one filled with butter and sprinkles of cheese. Nope. Bread doesn't like me. What wonderfully risen rolls and breads I make, only to see them fall flat as pancakes in the oven. Maybe I should have paid more attention to making bread than wedding cakes. I digress. I have finally found a bread recipe that even I cannot ruin. A bread recipe that is so easy I let my four year old make it with me. No Knead Bread. This recipe is courtesy of the Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC. This bread has a thin, hard crust and spongy interior. It will be love at first warm buttered bite. It will be delicious in my baked french onion. If you can control yourself from eating the entire loaf while it's warm, you will have fantastic grilled sandwiches on this bread.

By the way, this bread sings. When you take it out of the oven, listen to the hiss and crackles as it cools.

No Knead Bread

Courtesy of Sullivan Street Bakery, NYC

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

The weather is turning colder. That calls for something hearty. This dish isn't just hearty. It's stick to your ribs, cold weather comfort food. It's Tomato and Sausage Risotto. Creamy, cheesy, velvety comfort food that you want to cook up and eat in your favorite pajama's in front of the TV.

Now, I know some of you may think that risotto is just a bit daunting of a task. It's not. It's so easy. Risotto is all about time. Taking your time and working slowly. This dish takes about an hour to make, but oh, it's worth the wait. Pair it with some Deep Roots Red from Northleaf Winery in Milton.

Just a side note about cooking with wine. An excellent rule of thumb is that if it's good enough to drink, it's great to cook with. If you're not a wine drinker, or you are looking for a dry white to keep in the pantry for cooking, Gallo Dry Vermouth works well. America's Test Kitchen recommended it as a shelf stable dry white. If you're a still a bit skeptical, I have two words for you. Julia Child. Yes, if the queen of all cooks swore by it, then you know it's gonna be good.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, November 2006

Serves 4

2 cans (14 ounces) diced tomates with garlic and basil

1 Tb olive oil

1 pound mild or sweet ground italian sausage

1 small onion, finely chopped

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 c Aroborio rice

1/2 c dry white wine

1 bunch fresh spinach (about 7 cups)

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (0ptional)

2 Tb butter

1 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes in their juices with 3 cups of water. Add red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Add sausage and onion. Cook until onion is soft and sausage has browned. Add rice , stirring to coat it well. Add white wine and stir until absorbed. Add 2 cups of hot tomatoe mixture to the rice and sausage. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until absorbed. Continue adding the tomato mixture, one cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the the next. Stir occasionally until the rice is creamy and tender, about 30 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, parmesan and butter. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with parmesan for serving if desired.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Each year, we pack up the kids and head to a local apple orchard. I love picking my own. I can mix up bags of apples for pies, crisps, tarts and of course, my kids eat them like candy. We usually go in the morning, pick a bushel, buy some fresh cider and anything else that strikes our fancy. Then we pile in the car with our loot, all of us sampling a freshly picked apple. That afternoon something takes over my house. You guessed it, the smell of apples, maybe some cinnamon, a bit of sugar, and we are all drooling by supper. Which leads me to a pie that is so delicious, it is the grande dame of pies. The Sour Cream Apple Pie! It's custardy, it's cinnamon and nutmegy, it's creamy, it's appley, it's just plain yummy! I've made this pie for several years now, always in the fall, always after a trip to the orchard. The first time I made this, I looked up a few recipes, and didn't find one that was quite what I was imagining. So, I did the only sensible thing, and took the best parts of each recipe, added enough apples for two pies, and of course threw in some Penzey's Apple Pie Spice. What I ended up with is delectable. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Makes 2-9 inch pies

Filling

1 1/2 c. sour cream

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

4 Tb. flour

10 mixed baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Topping

6 Tb. salted butter, softened

2/3 c. granulated sugar

3 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tb. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place your favorite pie crust (either homemade or pre-made) into a 9 inch pie plate, and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, salt, eggs, flour, pie spice and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Add the apples, and fold with a spatula until the apples are coated.

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until well blended.

Spoon the filling into your chilled pie crusts, and pour the excess liquid over the top, dividing everything evenly between the two pies. Crumble the topping over the pies. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil for the last half hour to prevent the topping and crust from burning. Transfer to a rack, and allow to cool completely before serving.

Fall in Wisconsin

Few things spark my childhood memories like the Fall Season. I grew up in the country, surrounded by fields of corn, woods full of maple trees, and ancient oaks. The long summer months would wax and wane, until one morning you would wake up to a barely perceptible scent in the air. Somewhat sharp, spicy, smoky even, tempered by the cool crisp air. The humidity was gone, along with the mosquitoes. You might go outside and notice a maple tree beginning to turn yellow or red. In a few weeks, mother nature would put on show like no other. Brilliant orange sunsets setting the horizon on fire, swaths of color cutting into the green of the woods, cool gentle rains lulling you into peaceful slumber. Yes, fall had definitely arrived.

I love this season more than any other time of year. There is something so wonderful about tucking your garden into bed for the winter, gathering apples from the orchard, burning leaves, and finding that one perfect pumpkin for the porch. Yes, fall is here. The farmers are busy harvesting the fields, the straw is golden, the leaves are starting to come down, and my kids are waiting patiently for me to make a pile they can jump and play in.

I live in Wisconsin. I love the weather here, the seasonal changes that only the midwest can offer. I cannot imagine why people live in California or Florida. I'm sure it's nice in the winter when it's 20 below, but that is the only amenity it affords me. I'm a mid-westerner, born and bred. Life here is small town, simple and easy. Sure, we have our problems, but we also have so many joys and blessings. This falls season, I count mine. One is four, and one is two. Both of them are wearing flannel jammies because it's cool out. My other blessing is sitting in front of fire he built, waiting patiently for me to put on a jacket and join him for some quiet time. I hope that my readers enjoy this season as much as I do. I hope you smile when you bite into that first honeycrisp apple, or when you find yourself thinking of Linus at the pumpkin patch, and checking it's sincerity.

Happy Fall, Everyone!