Mashed Over Leftovers?

If you have leftover mashed potatoes as I had after making hot pockets with potatoes, put it to work. In my experience re-heating mashed potatoes never worked. I tried oven, cast iron, steam, but it wouldn't come out tasty.

Until I tried this dish. I don't even know its name—moussaka? lasagna?—but it is worth having one! My friend shared this recipe, or rather description, via email. It stuck in my head because of a creative allegory she used: she called a middle layer "an oreo stuffing"

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Meat And Potatoes Layers

1 lb meat—I used ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Salt+ground black pepper

leftover mashed potatoes—about pound and a half

1 whole egg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup plain (or seasoned) bread crumbs (optional)

In a frying skillet, brown beef and add onions, pine nuts, salt+pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F; layer a lasagna pan with 1/2 mashed potatoes;

Layer browned beef;

Layer the remaining mashed potatoes; beat egg with cream and pour over;

Top with bread crumbs. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on a side.

If you don't like beef, you can layer fried beans or greens, such as spinach or kale, sautéed with onions—as long as there's an 'oreo stuffing' inside!

Borscht

Continuing my Red theme, I decided to share my all time comfort food: Borscht. Conveniently, my dad was coming back from his short trip to Russia and I wanted to treat him to a bowl of this ruby red hearty soup. There are many recipes for this dish out there, each equally delicious, but I share the one I've knows since I started making it myself.

This dish is known to the world mostly as Russian as Russian people are often called "Borscht eaters". However, other Slavic nations claim that Borscht is their invention. Some even say that it was created by Ancient Romans who grew tons of cabbage and beets specifically for this soup.

The name of Borscht, containing only one vowel and four consonants making it its not-so-easy to pronounce, came from Slavic word "бърщь" [brsch] meaning "beets". The soup has over 40 varieties, including cold--as they eat it in Lithuania, but it can be very easy to make.

I'm not going to bore you history of this rich red soup only because I don't really know it myself, but I know one thing--it is a delicious vitamin powerhouse! Key ingredients are available almost all year round so you can have bowl any time. It is fun to make especially for those cooks who love chopping. If you aren't found of this meticulous task, don't blame the unsharpened knife--sharpen your knife skills (and preparing borscht will be a good practice), or just buy pre-chopped veggies at your grocery store. Although you will find bagged chopped cabbage (cal slaw mix) or carrots (matchstick cup carrots) you will not find chopped beets. Well, at least I never seen any.

Besides all the vegetables, it is made with fresh herbs--parsley, dill and cilantro--but if fresh is not available, you can use dry. In fact, for following recipe I used dry dill and parsley but fresh cilantro (that's what I had). Sometimes, borscht is served with pirojki (Russian fried hot pockets with potatoes) but dinner rolls or french baguette will do, too. It is mostly served with sour cream.

You can make vegetarian borscht ("lenten" as it is known in Russia) or with any meat and poultry, preferably on the bone. Today, I'm sharing with beef-based soup, for it was made especially for my dad, who is a carnivorous! Oh, and another thing that makes my version easier--I use only one pot unlike other recipes, that call for skillet to sauté veggies.

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Borscht

2 TB spoons olive oil

about a pound beef ribs

1 cup chopped beets

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onions

2-3 cloves of garlic (pressed in garlic press) +couple more for serving

5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2-3 bay leaves

1 dry chili pepper

2 TB spoons tomato paste

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dry dill weed

1 teaspoon dry parsley

about 12 oz shredded fresh white cabbage

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro for garnishing

Sour cream for serving

1. Heat oil in a 10 qt. stock pot and brown beef ribs on one side until crispy and comes off easily, flip and repeat. Takes about 5 minutes per side to brown. Lower heat to medium.
2. Add vegetables: onions, carrots, beets and garlic. Cover and sauté for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spices: dry herbs, bay leaves, chili, black pepper and salt. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
3. Add potatoes and tomato paste, stir, cover and continue to simmer over med-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile boil 10 cups of water in a tea kettle.
4. Pour 10 cups of boiling water, check for salt, adjust if needed; cover and continue to cook for 20 minutes over med-low heat or until potatoes are cooked.
5. Add cabbage, cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until cabbage is cooked through.
6. Turn the heat off, add fresh cilantro, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
7. Serve with additional fresh cilantro, freshly pressed garlic and sour cream. Melt and enjoy!

There's a joke: if you like yesterday's borscht, come by tomorrow--it is believed that borscht tastes best on a second day.

Neat Balls Meat Balls

Good things come in a circular motion or at least in round shape. Universal little protein spheres are so easy to make at home I wonder how do they still make money selling packaged frozen ones?
You can make them with any ground red meat, chicken or turkey. Add any spices your family prefers: dry herbs- thyme+rosemary+oregano+marjoram for Italian taste; ground ginger+cayenne+turmeric for Asian twist; allspice+cinnamon for North African. And then toss them in any dinner dish! They turn any soup or any side into a main course. If that doesn't sound multitasking enough--you can also serve meatballs as appetizers. Cook them one day and freeze them yourself with out all the extra ingredients, whose name I'd almost impossible to pronounce.
Today I'm sharing my favorite go-with-everything formula: ground thyme+ground coriander+cayenne pepper+ground garlic+black pepper+salt. These spices go with everything - pasta, rice, vegetables. And I use instant oatmeal in lieu of bread crumbs to make the meatballs "bouncy"

To measure these little multitaskers in the same shape I use cookie scoop--another multitasker--and then let the kids shape meat into balls (make sure they don't eat raw meat!)

The recipe below is only for one batch, double the ingredients if you need to make more.

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Bouncy Baked Meatballs

About 1 1/4 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 whole large egg

1/2 cup instant quick plain oatmeal

1. Heat oven to 350° F.

2. Mix spices together and add to meat; add beaten egg and oatmeal and mix it.

3. With a cookie scoop (#50) scoop meat and shape into balls

4. Arrange meatballs on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes

Now you can cool the meatballs and freeze them in a freezer bag/container for a month. Or use it right away. That's what I did! I made a meatball wild rice pilaf: combine 1 cup of wild rice with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring to boil. Add salt to taste, cover, lower the heat to medium and cook for 50 minutes. Last 10 minutes of cooking add a pack of frozen mixed veggies, cover, let the rice cook through. Turn off the heat, add meatballs to the pot, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

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Хорошее ходит по кругу или, по крайней мере, приходит в круглой форме. Вот и универсальные маленькие кругляшки чистого белка так легко сделать в домашних условиях, что я удивляюсь, почему в магазинах до сих пор продают упакованные и замороженные?
Вы можете сделать их из любого молотого красного мяса, курицы или индейки. Добавьте специи, которые вам и вашей семье по вкусу: сухие травы тимьяна+ розмарин+орегано+майоран для итальянского вкуса; молотый имбирь+острый красный перец+куркума для азиатского оттенка; душистый перец+корица для северо-африканской ноты. Их можно добавить в блюда на обед или ужин! Они превращают любой суп или любой гарнир в основное блюдо. Если этого не достаточно - выможете также подавать фрикадельки отдельно в качестве закуски. Приготовьте один раз и заморозьте на целый месяц безо всяких добавочный суррогатов и консервантов.
Сегодня я поделюсь своей любимой формулой, которая подходит ко всем блюдам: молотые семена тимьяна+молотый кориандр+молотый красный острый (кайен) перец+чесночный порошок+молотый чёрный перец+соль. Эти специи подходят ко всему - макаронные изделия, рис, овощи... Замечу, что я использую овсяные хлопья вместо панировочных сухарей, чтобы сделать фрикадельки более "оживленными"
Для равномерности размера этих маленьких шариков я использую специальную ложку для выпечки и пусть дети формируют фрикадельки.

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Запеченные Фрикадельки

600 гр говяжьего фарша

1 чайная ложка молотого тимьяна

1 чайная ложка молотого кориандра

1 чайная ложка молотого черного перца

1 чайную ложку морской соли

1 чайная ложка чесночного порошка

1/4 чайной ложки молотого острого красного перца

1 целое большое яйцо

1/2 стакана простых овсяных хлопьев

1. Разогрейте духовку до 350° F (180° С).

2. Смешайте специи и добавьте их в фарш, затем добавьте взбитое яйцо и овсяные хлопья и все перемешайте.
3. С помощью специальной ложечки для выпечки отмерьте фарш и сформируйте в шарики (здесь можно задействовать детей--им понравится, только следите, чтоб они фарш сырым не ели)
4. Выложите фрикадельки на не смазанный противень и выпекайте в течение 30 минут.

Теперь, остудив фрикадельки, можно их упаковать в специальные кульки для морозилки и заморозить со сроком на месяц. А можно и сразу в блюдо. Я сделала плов из дикого риса и фрикаделек: отварила 1 стакан риса в 2 стаканах воды, после кипения--посолить и накрыть крышкой, понизив огонь до среднего, варила 50 минут; за последние 10 минут я добавила одну упаковку (прибл. 500 гр) замороженных смешанных овощей, накрыла крышку и доварила рис; после, добавила фрикадельки в кастрюлю и дала плову постоять 10 минут на плите, но без огня и при закрытой крышке. Вот и всё--красиво и вкусно!