When Winter Gives You Lemons.

According to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), citrus fruits grown in North America are in their prime during the winter season.  They are loaded with vitamins A, B-complex and C which promote healthy skin and eyes, support the immune system, and boost energy levels.  Their colors are brighter, for example the blood orange, and flavors are more intense and sweeter.

During the winter months, with the lack of sunshine bringing overall moods down, a bowl of colorful citrus fruits will elevate your mind, body and spirit.

Back on July 19, 2023, I gave you information on lemons, and a recipe for Lemon Fruit Scones.

Since this is about winter fruits, the lemon that is the tastiest is the Meyer lemon.  Originating in China, it was brought to the United States, in 1908, by Frank Meyer.  Who was Frank Meyer?  He was a plant explorer, or what we refer to today as botanists or botanical photographers and painters, and worked for the USDA.  He traveled to, on a three-year expedition, China, Korea, Japan, Manchuria, and Siberia with the goal of finding unusual plants that had health benefits.  Meyer found growing, in most Chinese households, a dwarf lemon tree whose fruit was used medicinally and culinarily.  Bringing samples back to the USA, and after much testing, the lemons were found to be high in yield, hardy in winter temperatures (as low as 22F), and sweeter than regular lemons. 

Oh, here’s a little tidbit about Frank Meyer that was not widely known at that time.  His name was actually Frans Meijer and had immigrated from the Netherlands in 1875.  Having difficulty finding work, he “Americanized” his name, and quickly became a greenhouse gardener for the USDA in Washington, DC.  His life story and adventures are documented in Isabel Shipley Cunningham’s book, Frank N. Meyer: Plant Hunter in Asia. 

Besides being sweeter which means the inside fruit can be eaten as is, the skin is a deeper yellow with a floral scent, so can be used in baking (when lemon peel is called for).  Which brings me to a copycat recipe I developed for Olive Garden’s Italian Lemon Cream Cake.  I know, I know, since my own culinary specialty is Italian cuisine, how did we end up at an Olive Garden?

It was one of those all day in Grand Junction days, we were getting the “hangries”, and Italian sounded good, so what the heck!

For dessert, we tried the Italian Lemon Cream Cake and it was something between a lemon mousse cake and a crumb cake, but put altogether as one.  For one of his birthdays, Roy asked if I could recreate the cake, and after much trial and error, success!  A little tip for a happy marriage, make sure to keep the spouse’s tummy very happy as well.  So, let me introduce you to my copy cat recipe for Italian Lemon Cream Cake, and this certainly will put a smile on any grumpy winter face.

By the way, Olive Garden discontinued this dessert, so now you will have to try my recipe to see what it is all about.  I believe you will enjoy it, especially if you like lemons.

 

Italian Lemon Cream Cake

Ingredients:

The Cake

1 (18 1/4 oz.) package French Vanilla cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup oil

4 egg whites

Lemon Cream Filling

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon extract

3/4 cup whipped cream (homemade or canned; do not use a tub brand like Cool Whip)

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. cold butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnish

powdered sugar

Preparation:

Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 10” spring form pan with nonstick baking spray; line bottom of pan with baking parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, water, oil and egg whites until smooth. Pour batter into pan; bake for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cake cool for 10 minutes before removing spring form. Let cake completely cool before cutting into two layers.

Make the Filling: In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon extract till smooth; fold in the whipped cream; set aside.

Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, cut the butter into the flour, powdered sugar and vanilla until little crumbs, about pea size, form. Refrigerate until ready to be put onto the cake.

Assemble the Cake: Flip top layer of cake onto flat dish; repeat with 2nd layer and remove spring form bottom and parchment paper. Flip 2nd layer back onto another dish, so cut part is facing up. Frost 2nd layer with half of the lemon cream filling. Flip the top layer onto the 2nd (cut sides together); frost top and sides of cake with remaining half of filling. Press the crumb topping onto sides of cake and evenly over top.

Refrigerate cake for 3 hours before serving. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake for garnish.

Makes 10 servings. 

Mary Cokenour

Copycat of a Copycat of French Bread Pizza

Way back, in 2019, I was writing up my trilogy on pizza, and the October 9^th edition, of the San Juan Record, concerned, not just Sicilian, but French bread style. Even then, the bread labeled, in the local markets, as French bread, was, in fact, just plain, soft, wide loaves of white bread.  But hey, you have to work with what you have, or make it yourself, right?

 

To make a true French bread pizza, you have to use a baguette which translates to “wand” or “baton”.  Now according to culinary sites, there are four origins to this bread.  #1 – in the 19^th century, it was brought to Paris by an Austrian officer, turned baker, August Zang.  He also created pain viennois (a sweet bread filled with cheese, jam or chocolate) and the croissant.  #2 - 1920 French law prohibited bakers from working between 10pm to 4am (strange I know, but it’s the French, so…), so baguettes could be prepared and baked within 3 hours, and during working hours.  #3 - Napoleon Bonaparte ordered local bakers to create this bread for his soldiers, as it was easier to carry in their packs than large round loaves. #4 – management of the Parisian metro asked local bakers to make a bread that was easy to tear with the hands.  Why?  Workers, using the metro, would bring knives, to cut apart hard loaves of bread to eat, on the way to work.  With everyone carrying a knife, well, violence would break out on nearly a daily basis.  Easier bread to tear with hands, meant knives could be banned on the metro, since they were no longer necessary for eating the bread.

Most culinary historians lean towards origins #1 and #2, since French law also dictates that baguettes must be made with only flour, salt, water, and yeast; and must be between 2-3 feet long, and 2 inches wide.  Which now makes me wonder, “Did the creators of Star Wars see two people dueling with baguettes, and light sabers were born?”

Now to Panera aka St. Louis Bread Company, founded in 1987, Kirkwood, Missouri, and their newest edition to the menu, Toasted Baguette Sandwiches.  The first commercial I saw was of a pepperoni pizza style, extremely similar to French bread pizza, like Stouffer's, but both sides of the bread placed together.  However, the “baguettes” they use are only one foot in length, yet still 2 inches wide; so, a baby baguette that still needs to reach its maturity?  The point is though, that Panera was making a copycat version of a Stouffer’s frozen item.

…and there I was, at Blue Mountain Foods, and what did I find in the artisan bread display?  Full Circle Market brand, take and bake, twin set of baguettes, and this is a very tasty product indeed.  At 400F, for 10-15 minutes, the outer crust becomes crisperty-crunchity; smear butter on the hot and soft inside, and it is quite easy to eat a complete loaf for a meal.  Ahem, yes, I am speaking from experience, and not ashamed of it.

But here was the question, could I create a copycat version of Panera’s Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt?  Heh, most of you know that the answer is definitely, “Of course I can!”

 

 

 

Setting the oven to preheat at 400F, I split a baguette, lengthwise, down the middle.  First a good coating of homemade pizza sauce, getting as close to the edges as possible.  Second, a generous helping of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Third, sliced pepperoni from end to end, but only on one side of the split loaf.  Now while a plain loaf would take 10-15 minutes to bake, with the toppings, it took almost 20 minutes for the cheese to fully melt, and the pepperoni to develop a crispiness around the edges (how we like it).

 

The cheese only side placed on the pepperoni layered side, and there it was, the pepperoni mozzarella melt, without having to go to Panera to purchase it (and a lot cheaper to make too).

The taste was fantastic, especially being homemade with love and passion; alright, and wanting to quiet a rumbling stomach.

 

Moral to this entire story?  If you want something badly enough, but cannot purchase it outright, then make a copycat version…period!  This is also a great way for families to get together, and have fun learning to make favorite restaurant foods.  Not only is cooking or baking learned, but accounting measures such as cost and budgeting.  Education via eating, who knew!

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belly Bombers and Suicide Fries.

 Come with me, on a stroll, down a White Castle memory lane. Back in the 1960's, my family lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York off the Fort Hamilton Parkway.  Typical homes in the neighborhood were brick townhouses and the major ancestry was Italian, with a mixture of Croatian and Norwegian here and there.  I wish I could say that I had an absolutely wonderful childhood in Brooklyn, but I did not; most of my fond memories are of my maternal grandmother, museums and, most especially, of food. 

 

White Castle is one of those wonderful food memories; three mini-hamburgers for one whole whopping dollar.  The "meat patty" was a little square (2 and 1/2 “by 2 and 1/2 "), just about 1/8 inch thick with 5 holes punched into each; this allowed the steam to cook the patty thoroughly and quickly.  A soft square bun (three of those meat patties stacked would equal the height of half the bun) and tiny, diced onions; all prepared on a special steaming table.  The smell was awesome, but the taste sent you to heaven; four perfect little bites for each little hamburger or cheeseburger.  Sliders?  White Castle invented the original sliders!  Enjoyers of White Castle had nicknames for the food; the burgers were "belly bombers" and the thin cut fries were "suicide fries".  Why?   You have to eat them to understand, that is the only way; sorry, cannot explain it to a novice, you just have to experience it all.

I have eaten White Castle in Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania; New York always tasted the best, but what do you expect a New Yorker to say, right?  Now down South, they have a similar fast food item called Krystal's; tried them in Florida and Georgia and in my personal opinion, they can stay down South.  They are not the same as White Castle!

White Castle introduced a frozen version of the hamburgers and cheeseburgers to supermarkets when the microwave became a popular home appliance.  Two burgers in a cellophane package steam when "nuked" for one minute; and yes, the onions are included.  I eat them when I crave that particular childhood memory, but they are not as good as the fresh made.  As soon as the heated cellophane is opened, you can see the bun begin to wrinkle up; eat it quickly or it becomes chewy.  The meat does not cook evenly; a section here overcooked, a section there undercooked.  The onions are, well they just do not look, smell or taste right.  So why buy them?  It is all about the memories; it is all about the memories!

 

 

 

While I do not have the machinery to make frozen square log of ground beef, punch holes through it, and then create 1/8 inch slices; I can do some kind of copycat version.

 

Belly Bombers and Suicide Fries

 Ingredients:

1 bag (1 lb.) frozen crinkle cut fries

4 tablespoons oil (canola or vegetable)

½ cup diced onions

½ cup water

Salt and ground black pepper

1 lb. ground beef (80/20)

4 slices American cheese

4 hamburger buns

Ketchup

Preparation:

To make the suicide fries; heat oven to 400 F, and spray a large jelly roll pan with nonstick spray.  In a bowl, mix the frozen crinkle cut fries with oil.  Spread the fries onto the pan, in a single layer, place inside oven and do not touch for 20 minutes.  Now start those onions and burgers!

 

On medium-low heat, in a 12-inch skillet, spread out onions, sprinkle slightly with salt and pepper and pour water over all.   Cover, let onions steam for 5 minutes.

 

With the beef, make 4 balls, place each on a square of wax paper; place 2^nd piece of wax paper on top and then press meat down until it reaches ¼-inch in thickness.  If the meat breaks up, or frays on the edges, pat it back together, but keep that ¼-inch thickness and round shape.

 

Remove from wax paper and place on top of onions in skillet.  Raise heat to medium, add ¼ cup water, cover and steam 5 minutes.  Flip burgers, cover, steam additional 5 minutes.  Place slice of cheese on top of each burger, cover, steam additional 5 minutes.

 

After 20 minutes, the belly bombers are ready to be placed on buns, add ketchup, and a good supply of those suicide fries on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

These burgers are juicy and packed with onion flavor; do not be surprised to be reaching for a second one.

 

This was a pleasant trip down memory lane for me, and thank you for the company.

White Castle Locations: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Website: http://www.whitecastle.com/

Mary Cokenour

Using Real Pork to Copycat the McRib

One of the frustrating things, about the pandemic, is being unable to fulfill cravings.  It could be for a rootbeer float or ice cream cone; perhaps the most awesome fries you have ever tasted; or a favorite dinner with a special someone, family or friends.  Covid-19 has restaurants on a rollercoaster ride of open, not open, closed permanently, take out or drive thru only.  Even fast food places are going through this; and that drive up window might seem so far away on a very long line.  Worst yet, maybe your favorite restaurant or fast food place is miles away, and travel restrictions are in constant flux as well.

Solution?  Learn to make it yourself, or a close enough version to satisfy those cravings for a bit. Now for the warning. This article is how I created my copycat version of the McDonald’s McRib Sandwich.   I researched how they made that mini-boneless rib for the sandwich, and what it is made from.  If you love them, no matter what is in them, you can skip this part.  Personally, we have not enjoyed this sandwich, since they changed its consistency, and now we know why.

Here goes, the McRib consists of a restructured boneless pork patty shaped like a miniature rack of ribs, barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles; served as a sandwich on a sub/hero/hoagie roll.

Question, restructured?  Meat restructuring was developed by the US Army to deliver low-cost meat to troops in the field.  For the McRib, ground “pork” is pressed into the iconic rib shape, including the illusion of bones, then seared to give the eye catching “cooked on the grill” look.

The McRib made its debut, in the United States, in 1981.  McNuggets was a best seller, but McDonald’s kept running into shortages on chicken.   McDonald's first Executive Chef René Arend, who invented McNuggets, came up with the idea of McRib.  Originally, the ground meat was made from pork shoulder (aka real pork), but not from the rib meat, as the name implies; plus salt and water. The McRib did not sell well, so was taken off the menu.  However, many customers actually liked the sandwich and complained to the head offices.  So, every few years, McDonald’s puts the item back on the menu, for a limited time, and these customers get their treat, and feel special.

Of course, there has been, for years, a call for healthier menu items at fast food establishments, and McDonald’s complied.  Instead of pure pork, tripe, heart, and scalded stomachs were ground, then pressed into the patties.  Being high in protein, completely edible, wholesome, and nutritious was the selling point to the health crowd.  Tripe is the edible muscle lining from the stomach of farm animals, such as cows, pigs, and sheep; there is your pork product then.

Have I ruined your love of the McRib?  Let me make it up to you by giving you my copycat recipe which is made from pure pork.  Boneless pork ribs are still not the rib meat though, but from pork shoulder.  Oh, just what the original McRib was made from!

 

Copycat McRib Sandwich

 Ingredients:

 3 lbs. boneless pork ribs (also called country style)

1 tsp. each fine sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder

1 extra large onion, julienned (can never have too much onion with this)

1 (18 oz.) bottle brown sugar barbeque sauce

6 sub rolls (I used Ciabatta bread which fit the pork portions better)

Pickles (Dill or Bread & Butter chips)

Preparation:

 

Each slab of pork will be sliced, not all the way through, into 9-10 “ribs”, attached with fat on the underside.  Cut the slabs, so that each portion has 3 or 4 “ribs”; there should be 6 portions altogether.  If the underside fat is very thick, trim it; do not have it more then 1/8^th of an inch thick.  Mix the seasonings together; rub into tops and sides of the “ribs”.

 

Spray a 2-quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.  Fat side down, place one portion on the bottom of the crock pot.  Line the 5 remaining portions along the sides, fat against the crock pot wall.  Pour barbeque sauce over pork portions and into center.  Place julienned onion into the center, on top of the sauce.  While cooking, the sauce will rise up over the onions and pork.

 

Set on low and cook 5-6 hours (pork easily comes apart with a fork).  Pull out the pork, place on an aluminum lined jelly roll pan.  Set broiler on high, place pan under and let pork broil for 10-15 minutes (check every 5 minutes to get to desired grill effect).  At the same time, if the sauce has thinned out, due to juices from the pork, whisk in two tablespoons of flour to thicken.  The onions will have softened, yet still have a bit of bite to them.

 

Now to create the sandwich.  Slice roll in half, lengthwise and spoon two tablespoons of sauce on bottom half.  Place pork portion on top, spoon additional sauce and onions on top.  Top with pickle chips and top half of bun.  Eat with enjoyment, and have plenty of napkins at hand.

Makes six sandwiches.

Remember, you do not have to deprive yourself of a craving due to restrictions.  Create!  The only limit you have is the limitation you give yourself.  Imagine the fun you will have trying to copycat a menu item; thinking about its taste, texture, structure.  Who knows what you will learn about this item, and more so, yourself.

Mary Cokenour

 

Copycatting Papa John.

Time to copycat another food item, this time from Papa John's.  Papadias are inspired by the ‘piadina,’ an Italian folded flatbread sandwich from Northern Italy, but Papa John's uses their original pizza dough instead of flatbread.  Sort of like making a calzone, but not sealing the ends.

There are four varieties, each hand-stretched, oven-baked and hand-folded to order. 

1 - Italian: Italian flatbread-style sandwich made with Alfredo sauce, spicy Italian sausage, salami, real cheese made from mozzarella and banana peppers; served with a pizza sauce dipping cup.

2 - Philly Cheesesteak: Italian flatbread-style sandwich made with sliced Philly steak, fresh-cut onions and green peppers, real cheese made from mozzarella and "Philly" sauce; served with a garlic sauce dipping cup.

3 - Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon: Italian flatbread-style sandwich made with grilled chicken, bacon, fresh-cut onions and real cheese made from mozzarella, drizzled with sweet and smoky BBQ sauce; served with a BBQ sauce dipping cup.

4 - Meatball Pepperoni: Italian flatbread-style sandwich made with spicy meatballs, pepperoni, pizza sauce, real cheese made from mozzarella and classic Italian seasoning; served with a pizza sauce dipping cup.

With the name ending with "dia", you can't help but think, "quesadilla"?  Normally made with tortillas, a quesadilla has a filling (yes, you can use what's listened up above), placed on a grill; the tortilla is browned, folded, cut into sections, and ready to eat with a favorite dipping sauce, salsa, and/or guacamole.

When in the mood for pizza, but no fresh dough available, having a package of tortillas comes in handy for a quick, crispy pizza on the fly.  We keep Naan bread in stock as well, and it makes a pretty tasty, spontaneously in the mood for, pizza.

So, why not make one of these "Papadias", but using the original bread type, a flatbread, and that is what Naan is.  By the way, I named my version, MamaMiadias.

To keep ingredients from falling onto my oven bottom, I preheated (tempered) a 16 inch pizza pan, in the oven, at 425F.  Just in case any oils happen to leak through (holes in the bottom of the pan for air circulation), I also have a sheet of heavy duty foil on the oven's bottom.

American (left), Italian (right)

While preheating was going on, I prepped the Naan bread.  One was an American cheeseburger style, with seasoned, and cooked, ground beef (salt and cracked black pepper only), slices of bell peppers, onions and shredded Cheddar cheese.  

The second was an Italian style, with the cooked ground beef containing an Italian herb blend, the bell peppers and onions, diced tomatoes, but shredded mozzarella and provolone cheeses.

Once the oven hit 425F, I placed the prepped breads onto the pizza pan, popped it back into the oven (on the center rack), and let it bake for 15 minutes.  Once out of the oven, I quickly folded the breads and cut them in half.  

Holy Dias Batman!  They were so full of flavor and texture; no need to dip into a sauce, or add anything else.  We did try a couple of sauces, but they actually took away from the initial flavor instead of  enhancing.  This was a truly satisfying sandwich!

...and so, the MamaMiadia was born in the Cokenour kitchen.  Of course, Papa John's gets credit for introducing the idea, to us, via television commercials.

Mary Cokenour

Time to Think Amore’

Day after Christmas, and already stores were filling up aisles with gifts, candies and decorations for Valentine’s Day.  The New Year had not even been celebrated as yet, but we were being programmed to think about a future holiday.  Besides the required gifts to “prove undying love”, a romantic meal is also part of this holiday.  Many restaurants offer specials featuring expensive cuts of meat, or shipped in seafood like lobster.  You know, the types of foods only eaten for holidays and special occasions, where the amount spent equals the amount of love in the heart.

Equating love to a monetary value just does not sound right to me somehow.  However, throughout history, marriages were arranged between families.  Was this a form of keeping these families “pure” by purchasing the correct spouse?  However, women have always been looked upon as a type of commodity throughout history, and world cultures.  Either the groom’s family would pay a “bride price” to the intended bride’s family, or a dowry was offered to the groom’s family.  What is a dowry?  Basic definition is, “A dowry is a transfer of parental property, gifts, or money at the marriage of a daughter.”

Even in modern societies, it is often the bride and her family who foot the major portion of the wedding and reception costs

Whether wealthy or poor (does a middle class even exist any longer?), I believe love is measured in small ways.  The longing look, gentle touching of hands, a little nudge-nudge, wink-wink; an unexpected compliment, or sharing the last cookie while watching a movie.  Does not cost much, well excepting if the cookies are homemade or store bought.

Swinging back to the romantic meal aspect, not every couple can afford a fancy time out.  Does that diminish the value of Valentine’s Day?  Of course not!

Living in Monticello, the nearest Olive Garden is either in Grand Junction, Colorado (2 and 1/2 hours’ drive northeast), or Farmington, New Mexico (2 hours southeast).  Many people enjoy going to one of these when they are in one of those cities.  The commercials are often on television, and yes, we have gone there once in a while ourselves.

Readers of this food column, and people who I have cooked for, know I focus mainly on Italian cuisine.  So, seeing the latest "limited edition menu items" in recent commercials; had to admit that I wanted to try them.  Then I thought about the items, and realized they are pretty close to baked ziti, and another type of baked pasta casserole, made in the past.  In other words, I can make these new items at home, myself!  While my baked ziti and baked pasta casserole use a homemade tomato based sauce, these new dishes require an Alfredo sauce.

Now, and you know I do this, putting my own spin on a recipe is usually on my mind.  Olive Garden uses a "creamy seafood Alfredo sauce" for the shrimp casserole.  Well, I know how to make Alfredo sauce, and it uses loads of Parmesan cheese.  Smoked mozzarella is shredded and used as a topping.  Since this item is not easily found in any local markets, and traveling an hour away to a supermarket is time consuming, regular mozzarella will do.  However, adding it into the sauce, with the Parmesan, will result in a rich cheesy sauce.   Oh, leaving out the nutmeg as black pepper and garlic will be the main seasonings.

     

Baked Mozzarella Casserole

Ingredients:

 

1 bag (12 oz.) medium sized shrimp

1 bag (16 oz.) tortellini (frozen or dried)

1 can (15.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, rinse & thoroughly drain all excess liquid

8 Tbsp. butter

8 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

6 cups hot milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves

Preparation:

Fill a 3 quart pot halfway with water, place on high heat.  While waiting for water to boil, clean shrimp; remove shells and devein.  When water begins to boil, add in tortellini and cook according to package directions.  Fit a metal colander over the pot, place shrimp inside, and steam until a light pinkish coloring.  Place shrimp, drained tortellini and tomatoes into large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F; spray sides and bottom of 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In another 3 quart pot, heat the butter over medium heat until melted; gradually add the flour, stirring until smooth.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a golden brown color, about 6 to 7 minutes; this is the roux.

Yes!  You can make the sauce, on the stove top, right next to the pot cooking the tortellini and steaming the shrimp.

Add the hot milk to the butter mixture one cup at a time; whisk continuously to avoid burning or clumping. When mixture is completely smooth, add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, whisk until smooth again; remove from heat; season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Pour cheese sauce over contents in large bowl, mix thoroughly and spoon into baking dish and sprinkle with parsley.  Place dish in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes; edges around contents, and on the top will be slightly browned, and cheese bubbling.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

In case you are wondering, I rinse and drain the tomatoes as I do not want all that red liquid to dilute the cheese sauce, or turn it red.  The shrimp, parsley, and the tomatoes themselves should be the eye catchers throughout the white pasta and cheese sauce.

Now if shrimp is not a favorite, grill up chicken breasts with a light seasoning of salt, black pepper and paprika; cut into bite sized pieces and add this instead.  Or choose another pasta, like rigatoni, but make the cheese sauce as directed, add shrimp or chicken, and bake it up.

This casserole, paired with a salad and garlic bread will make a fantastic dinner for six.  However, it will be a spectacular Valentine’s Day dinner for two, with leftovers!

Mary Cokenour

My Version of an Olive Garden New Item.

In the area we live in, the newest Olive Garden is either in Grand Junction, Colorado (2 and 1/2 hours drive northeast), or Farmington, New Mexico (2 hours southeast).  I know many people enjoy going to one of these when they're in one of those cities.  The commercials are often on television, and yes, we have gone there once in a while ourselves.

Readers of this food blog, and people who I have cooked for, know I focus mainly on Italian cuisine.  So, when I saw the latest "limited edition menu items" in a recent commercial, I had to admit that I wanted to try them.  Then I thought about the items, and realized they're pretty close to baked ziti, and another type of baked pasta casserole, I have made in the past.  In other words, I can make these new items at home, myself!  While my baked ziti and baked pasta casserole use a homemade tomato based sauce, these new dishes require an Alfredo sauce.

Now, and you know I do this, putting my own spin on a recipe is usually on my mind.  Olive Garden uses a "creamy seafood Alfredo sauce".  Well, I know how to make Alfredo sauce, and it uses loads of Parmesan cheese.  Smoked mozzarella is shredded and used as a topping.  Since this item is not easily found in any local markets, and traveling an hour away to a supermarket is time consuming, regular mozzarella will do.  However, I'm putting it into my sauce with the Parmesan; a rich cheesy sauce will be the result.   Oh, leaving out the nutmeg as black pepper and garlic will be the main seasonings. Even though I have rigatoni in the pantry, I opted to use tortellini. Not sounding even close to Olive Garden's dish?  It gets better, no spinach on hand, so using parsley instead.  Bread crumbs?  No thank you, a nice garlic bread on the side will do.

In essence, this is not a true copycat recipe.  All I did was basically look at the photo of the dish and try to figure out what was in it.  I didn't even look at the description, on the Olive Garden website, until I had completed my version.  Nope, not very close indeed, but we had a great dinner though, and much cheaper than eating out at a restaurant.  Basically, I was inspired to create.

With my dish, I used shrimp, but grilled chicken can be used for those who dislike shrimp.  For the pasta, tubular can be rigatoni, penne or ziti; cheese filled tortellini, or tortelloni, though make a prettier presentation.

Due to the options available to make this one casserole, it will simply be called, "Baked Mozzarella Casserole".

Baked Mozzarella Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag (12 oz.) medium sized shrimp

1 bag (16 oz.) tortellini (frozen or dried)

1 can (15.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, rinse & thoroughly drain all excess liquid

8 Tbsp. butter
8 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 cups hot milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves 

Preparation:

Fill a 3 quart pot halfway with water, place on high heat.  While waiting for water to boil, clean shrimp; remove shells and devein.  When water begins to boil, add in tortellini and cook according to package directions.  Fit a metal colander over the pot, place shrimp inside, and steam until a light pinkish coloring.  Place shrimp, drained tortellini and tomatoes into large mixing bowl.

Preheat oven to 400F; spray sides and bottom of 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In another 3 quart pot,  heat the butter over medium heat until melted; gradually add the flour, stirring until smooth.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns a golden brown color, about 6 to 7 minutes; this is the roux.

Yes!  You can make the sauce, on the stove top, right next to the pot cooking the tortellini and steaming the shrimp.

Add the hot milk to the butter mixture one cup at a time; whisk continuously to avoid burning or clumping. When mixture is completely smooth, add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, whisk until smooth again; remove from heat; season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Pour cheese sauce over contents in large bowl, mix thoroughly and spoon into baking dish and sprinkle with parsley.  Place dish in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes; edges around contents, and on the top will be slightly browned, and cheese bubbling.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Before Baking.

After 15-20 Minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

In case you're wondering, I rinse and drain the tomatoes as I don't want all that red liquid to dilute the cheese sauce, or turn it red.  The shrimp, parsley, and the tomatoes themselves should be the eye catchers throughout the white pasta and cheese sauce.

Now if shrimp isn't a favorite, grill up chicken breasts with a light seasoning of salt, black pepper and paprika; cut into bite sized pieces and add this instead.  Or choose another pasta, but make the cheese sauce as directed, add shrimp or chicken, and bake it up.

This casserole, paired with a salad and garlic bread will make a fantastic dinner for six.  With the winter holidays just around the corner, this will be a wow factor for any guests you are serving.

Happy Holidays!

Mary Cokenour