Pre-Rapture Dining- Ricotta stuffed squash

It is Saturday May 21 at 11:00 am.  This may be my last blog post since I expect to be part of “The Rapture” at 6.  I suspect some of you may already be busy with “The Rapture” if you are in a different time zone, so I will make this post brief.

People have asked me what my pre-rapture meal would be. Well I hate to say it but I have been too busy asking forgiveness for my sins to really plan the meal.  I did have some zucchini I bought at the local farm store. Since I walk every morning, I decided to walk to Publix and pick up some things for a nice, down home, pre-rapture meal.  I would make Ricotta Stuffed Squash. That sounded suitable.

The interesting thing about the recipe is how long I have had it.  The title on the index card is hand written by me. The rest of the recipe is….are you ready for this?....I almost hate to say it….

It is typed. Yes, typed, like on a “typewriter”! I apparently wasn’t the best typist in those days as there are several typing errors. No spell checks or cut and paste and I guess I was out of “white out”.

In any case, I love this meal. It is simple to make but it did take several pans/bowls.  I just popped them in the dishwasher and didn’t worry too much about it.  I serve this with Roasted Garlic and Parsley Linguine that I picked up at Marshall’s on discount.  Ragu is my store bought Italian spaghetti sauce of choice (I like the one with mushrooms, gourmet that I am!)

The meal wouldn’t be complete without a nice glass of Red wine, but not too much or I might miss “The Rapture” My choice was a nice Cabernet but a Zinfandel would be good too.

Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality.

I will just have one glass.

Proverbs 23:32 - Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.

Ok maybe I should stick with grape juice.

41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 – The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.

Shoot, no grape juice either? Who are the Rechabites anyway? Does this pertain to me?

Isaiah 19:14 - Drunken men stagger in their vomit.

 I am a woman, so no worries here.

Luke 21:34 - Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.

Water it is. I will put the wine down until after “The Rapture”

I hope you will have a chance to try this before “The Rapture”. If not, I am sure we can make it in heaven.

Ricotta Stuffed Squash

8  zucchini (6in long) squash ( crookneck or large pattypan work too)

1 tbl butter

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 10 oz package spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped (or 10 oz fresh spinach, steamed, chopped and squeezed dry)

2 eggs

1 lb part skim ricotta (2 cups)

¼ cup good quality parmesan

1 tbl chopped fresh parsley

½ tsp each salt, oregano and dry basil( I use chopped fresh basil)

Italian tomato sauce

Trim ends of squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and part of the pulp, leaving the shells about ½ inch thick. Steam them until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes (alternatively you could steam them briefly in the microwave). Plunge in cold water to stop the cooking, drain and reserve.

Heat the butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is limp. Add the chopped, squeezed spinach to the onion mixture and cook one more minute. Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the eggs with the ricotta, stirring until blended. Stir in the parmesan, parsley, salt, basil, oregano, pepper and spinach mixture. Mix it all together then mound filling inside the zucchini (about 3 tbl per squash).

Arrange filled zucchini in a shallow baking dish.  You could brush a little melted butter on each but I didn’t. I sprinkled a little fresh parmesan on top instead. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate. 

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes (If previously refrigerated, bake them for 30 minutes) until they are piping hot.

While they are cooking warm the Italian spaghetti sauce and cook the linguine. Serve the shells topped with some sauce. Mix sauce into the Linguine and serve on the side.  A nice piece of garlic bread would be good too.  You can have a nice glass of wine at risk of missing “The Rapture”.

8  servings.

Herbes de Provence

I attended a week long cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Napa Valley some years ago. The class was in French Provencal cooking. During the class, I was introduced to Herbes de Provence. It is an herb blend I was not very familiar with. What a wonderful blend it is!

Herbes de Provence traditionally is a blend of herbs grown in Provence. There is no set blend or formula. The traditional version is sold in crocks or small packets to tourists in France and does not contain lavender.

To please the US tourists that identify the region with the local lavender, the Herbes de Provence in the US contains lavender and I am happy about that. I love lavender. Still it is an herb that needs to be used in moderation; otherwise it can taste like soap. A little goes a long way.


I have made my own blend, using the recipe I learned at the Culinary Institute. It comes from the cookbook by Richard Carrier, “Feasts of Provence”it and includes lavender and dried orange peel. There are many variations. Recently I bought the McCormick brand. I don’t see lavender on the ingredients list and cannot smell it, so I assume it is a more traditional recipe. I like if for most recipes. If I was going to use the blend with a tomato base, I might prefer my homemade blend with the orange peel.


Herbes de Provence pairs well with many different wines depending on it’s usage, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, White Burgundy to name a few.


You can use Herbes to Provence in many recipes. It matches well with a lot of foods. You can match it with:

Chicken dishes (think La Madeline Rotisserie chicken) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herbes-de-Provence-Rotisserie-Chickens-238794
Lamb :http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wine-Braised-Lamb-Shanks-with-Herbes-de-Provence-109263 or
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/sauteed-lamb-chops-herbes-de-provence.aspx
Goat Cheese: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scalloped-Potatoes-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Herbes-de-Provence-2999
Fish:
Trout. Sprinkle inside of Trout with Herbes de Provence. Top with slices of lemon and bake en papillote (in parchment paper or foil) or with
Cod http://miahungrylongtime.com/2010/03/07/cooking-with-paper-cod-en-papillote/
Grilled Salmon Filet Sandwich http://www.herbcompanion.com/cooking/herbes-de-provence-salmon-fillet-sandwiches.aspx
Vegetables: Sweet corn risotto http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/sweet-corn-risotto-with-herbes-de-provence-recipe/index.html
Roasted Vegetableshttp://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=726:roasted-vegetables-with-herbes-de-provence-&catid=47:side-dishes&Itemid=59


Other ideas for using Herbes de Provence:


Use in combination with Goat Cheese in omelets, scrambled eggs or with roasted red or Yukon gold potatoes or as above.


Black olive tapenade- http://recipes.wuzzle.org/index.php/54/1067


Pizza- The best pizza I have ever had was in Geneva, Switzerland. I am not sure what cheese they used (maybe Swiss cheese? Not quite but it was a white cheese!) but it was topped with Herbes de Provence and was fabulous! You could use it in place of oregano and top a traditional pizza with Kalamata olives and roasted red bell pepper, (ok you can throw a little cooked Italian Sausage on if you must).


On baked caramelized tomatoes- Core tomatoes and slice in half horizontally. Place on a baking sheet cut side up. Mix some olive oil, garlic, Herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato halves and bake for about 2 hours at 325 until collapsed and well carmelized. These are great on their own, but I sometimes put them over pasta.


My two newest favorite uses are in grits (for all the French cowboys!) and on a vegetable Panini.


For the grits, I take a packet of quick cooking (I use Quaker butter flavored) grits, add ½ cup of milk, some dollops of goat cheese and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence. Microwave the grits on High for 1 minute 40 seconds. Add some light butter and enjoy.


For the vegetable Panini, cut serving size pieces of either foccacia or a nice sourdough bread. Take 3-4 medium sized asparagus per serving and put them on a toaster oven sheet mixed with olive oil. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees until cooked to desired doneness.


Divide bread in half as for a sandwich. Spread a light coating of goat cheese on one side of the bread, top with cooked asparagus and either roasted red onion slices (can roast with asparagus) or sliced Portobello mushroom. Throw a few leaves of basil on top. Spread the top piece of the bread with some goat cheese then sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and place on top of the vegetables to complete the sandwich. Lightly grease a preheated George Foreman grill and cook the Panini until done. Alternatively, cook on medium high in a lightly oiled skillet. Weigh down the bread to compress as in a Panini. Remove and enjoy.


I hope you will try some recipes with Herbes de Provence. 
Read more:  http://ptbcooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/herbes-de-provence.html

Review: The George Foreman Indoor Grill

I spent the past week at my mother's house while she visited my sister in San Diego. I looked forward to cooking in a big, expansive kitchen and using my Coleman gas grill which I keep at her house.

I have considered buying a small indoor grill since my apartment does not allow my gas grill. I so miss outdoor grilling. Excited about the prospect of using "my" grill, I thought I would cook some kabobs for my sister and I on my last night at the house. Of course, as things go, it decided to pour rain that night. It was beautiful weather the whole week prior! I guess planning a grill night is like getting your car washed. That is the time the sky opens up and let's you know who "really" is in charge!

My mother has a George Foreman indoor grill and I have always wanted to see how well it worked for vegetables and fish. This was my chance.

I cut up some green pepper, yellow squash, mushrooms and onion then marinated them in an Italian Vinagrette (I chose whatever my mom had in her fridge!).  I also took some already cooked and cleaned shrimp that she had in her freezer and defrosted them in water, then marinated them in a combination of Sonny's Barbecue Sauce mixed with a Mango Sauce she had on hand (obviously my mother has a well stocked fridge!).

So here is what happened.... I put the vegetables on the grill first. I don't think I preheated it enough and the first thing I noticed was, I had forgotten to put down the drip pan. Between the the water in the vegetables and the vinagrette, I had to rush to contain the drippings! Not only that but the vegetables were sliding down the grill.

Once I was able to slow down the sliding vegies and close the grill, all seemed in order. You know the saying, "a watched pot never boils" ? Well checking the vegies constantly does not help the grilling process.  Not only that, but with the lack of preheating,  they seemed to be stewing not grilling.

Having a degree of ingenuity, I came up with a not so healthy but equally tasty solution, garlic butter.  Yes, my mother also had a tub of Land o Lakes Garlic butter in her fridge (she's such a thoughful mother!). I melted a bit of it and brushed a little on the vegies. Voila' my vegies quit stewing and started browning, leaving some very attractive grill marks.

I did try putting some vegies on a skewer but that didn't fare too well. The grill didn't close down enough to create enough heat.  So, when the (loose) vegies were done, I simple replaced the grill pan with a plate and slid them onto it.

I did skewer the marinated shrimp. With them all arranged in the same direction, they were flat enough for the grill. I added a little...yup..here it is again...garlic butter to the marinade, (Paula Deen would be proud of me) brushed a little on each shrimp and grilled them to perfection.

In the meantime, I cooked the only rice my mother had available (you didn't think I was actually going to the store for anything did you?), long grain "white" (blasphemy) rice.

Dinner was delicious! Once I get the hang of it, I think old Georgie will be a great addition to my pescatarian lifestyle. A little butter won't kill me. Will it?