Juicy Oven-baked Kebabs

 
No skewers, no standing over a stove while everything splatters. Just mix, flatten, bake and done. Welcome to your cooking comfort zone! Forget complicated cleanup and endless prep. This recipe is your fast-track ticket to a phenomenal meal, proving that the simplest steps often lead to the most delicious results.

This recipe came across my Instagram. It looked interesting. It was quite tasty. The recipe is from Simple Home Edit.

Ingredients-
KEBABS
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, grated using a box grater

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt flakes

1/8 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing

TO SERVE
2 flatbreads or pita (omit for gluten-free)
1 large tomato, sliced into thin wedges or rounds
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook Mode Toggle on to prevent your screen from locking.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

In a large bowl, combine the beef mince, grated onion, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, chilli flakes (if using), salt, pepper, parsley and bicarbonate of soda. 

Use your hands to mix until the mixture is sticky and cohesive – about 2 minutes of firm kneading.

Shape onto tray – Line a large baking tray with baking (parchment) paper. 

Press the ground mixture on the tray into a large rectangle about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. 

Keep the edges relatively tidy but don’t stress about perfection.

Score and notch – Use a bench scraper or metal spatula to slice the mixture vertically into long strips about 2–3 cm (3/4–11/4 inches) wide, cutting all the way through to the paper. Then press shallow horizontal slits across each strip – not too deep, just enough to give that traditional kebab look and help with even browning.

Bake – Brush the top of the kebabs with olive oil. 

Bake on the top rack in the oven for 15–18 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through, with crisp edges. Keep an eye on it from the 15-minute mark – depending on your oven and tray thickness, it may cook slightly faster. 

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients-

½ cup finely grated cucumber

1 cup thick whole milk Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, optional

Method-

Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.

Crock Pot Beef Shank Soup

Beef Shanks were on sale at Ferraro's this week. I googled a recipe for soup with beef shank, and I found Crock Pot Beef Shank Soup. Delicious and a slow cooker recipe on top of it!

The recipe is here.

Also baked some No-Knead. The recipe can be found here.

Crock Pot Beef Shank Soup

Ingredients-
1.5 lbs beef shanks, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb baby potatoes, cut in half

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced

2-3 ribs of celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped

1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp smoked paprika

Season with salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup flour

Method-
Mix all spices and flour. 

Dredge beef pieces.

Sear beef in oiled skillet until browned. 

Transfer to crock pot.

Deglaze pan with 1 cup broth, scrape up fond, and pour into crock pot.

Add remaining seasoning mix, vegetables (except potatoes), tomatoes, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. 

Add broth to cover.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Add potatoes, stir, and cook 3–4 more hours until tender.

Remove bay leaves and serve hot.

Veal Scaloppine with Lemon Caper Sauce

I went to Ferraro's this week and picked up a package of veal cutlets, half a pound for $4.50. Not bad for dinner for two. I used the Lidia Bastianich recipe with a couple of edits. We had Jasmati rice and sautéed zucchini. Dinner came together in less than half an hour and was delicious.

Ingredients-
1 small lemon

4 Veal Scaloppine pieces

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

All-purpose flour for Dredging

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbsp butter

5 large green olives (I used Castelvetrano Olives), cut into strips

2 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp white wine

2 tbsp chicken Broth

Method-
Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon and reserve it. 

With the remaining lemon half, cut into very thin slices. Remove the pits and set the lemon slices aside.

Season the scaloppine with salt and pepper. 

Spread the flour on a plate. 

Dredge the scaloppini in flour to coat both sides lightly and tap off the excess flour. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is foaming.

Add as many of the scaloppine as will fit without touching and cook until golden brown on the underside, about 2 minutes. 

Flip and cook until the second side is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining scaloppine, adding a little more olive oil and butter if the pan is dry.

Remove all scaloppine from the pan. Place on a plate, tented with aluminum foil.

Pour off the fat and carefully wipe out the skillet with paper towels. 

Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and lemon slices. 

Scoop out the lemon slices and set aside. 

Scatter the olives and capers into the skillet and cook, stirring gently, until they begin to sizzle, about 2 minutes. 

Pour in the wine and lemon juice, bring to a vigorous boil, and cook until the wine is reduced by half. 

Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly syrupy, about 2 minutes.

Return the scaloppine to the skillet, turning the cutlets in the sauce until they are warmed through and coated with sauce.

Never Forgotten

 15 years ago, I said goodbye to this little face.

Kramer T. Cat

Bacon Calzones

Not the best food photos, but it is the taste that matters.

Just a delicious dinner.

The calzone dough was the Jim Lahey pizza recipe.

The bacon was baked in the oven.

The sauce was the Marcella Hazan recipe.

All the pieces came together perfectly.

The calzones were baked in the air fryer for 8 minutes. I flipped the over at 4 minutes.

Jim Lahey Pizza Dough-
Ingredients-
3 3/4 cups bread flour

2 1/2 tsp instant or other active dry yeast

3/4 tsp table salt

3/4 tsp plus a pinch sugar

1 1/3 cups water, room temperature (about 72 degrees F)

Method-
In medium bowl stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. The dough will be stiff. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter-
Ingredients-
2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, prepared as described below, or 2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt to taste

Method-
Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
Taste and correct for salt. Before tossing with pasta, you may remove the onion (as Hazan recommended) and save for another use, but many opt to leave it in.

Crispy Bacon
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Line the covered baking sheet with bacon.
Place the baking sheet in a cold oven set to 425˚.
Set the timer for 15 minutes.
Check for doneness. 
The bacon may need another 3 minutes or more depending on the thickness.
Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes.
Transfer bacon to paper towel lined rack.

Butternut Squash Soup With Italian Sausage

My friend Sally gave me a butternut squash from her garden. I love butternut squash soup. Chris likes it, but is not as much of a fan as I am. I knew I needed a recipe that would add extra flavor.

I found the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Italian Sausage on the 
Easy Weeknight Recipe site.

This was a hit! I made a couple of edits to the recipe. The original recipe called for garlic and beans. I opted to omit those. I did add some frozen chopped spinach for color. 

We both went back for seconds, and I have enough left over to freeze for another meal.

I roasted the squash along with eggplant from my sister's garden for baba ghanoush.

Ingredients-
2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 pound ground Italian Sausage, 
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped into 1-inch cubes, and roasted
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 can (7.25 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method-
Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a Dutch oven or stockpot set over medium heat. 
Add onions and peppers; cook for 2 minutes. 

Stir in the sausage and cook for 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage into crumbles as it cooks.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage mixture from the pot and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the pot set over medium heat; add squash to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. 

Then, stir in the chicken broth; add bay leaf, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and continue to simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. 

Start checking around the 10-minute mark.

Note: The larger the chunks of butternut squash, the longer it will take for them to soften.

Remove from heat. 

Discard the bay leaf. 

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. 

You can also blend the soup in a traditional blender and return it to the stockpot.

Set the pot over medium heat. 

To the soup, add the tomatoes, spinach, and previously prepared sausage mixture; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through.

Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly.

Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken

I believe the last time I made this was back in 2018. It was one of our cats, Archie's, favorite meals.

It's easy to prepare, set it, and forget it. The leftovers will be incorporated into a Chicken Pot Pie. Maybe 2 Chicken Pot Pies...

The potatoes were simple roasted potatoes that had been tossed with olive oil and Italian seasoning.

The green bean salad, beans and tomatoe from my sister.

Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe

Ingredients-
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Salt and Pepper
2 carrots, cut into thirds
2 celery, cut into thirds or quarters
2 1/2 to 3 -pound whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel, neck, and gizzards removed (if any)

Gravy (optional but too good not to make!)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour
Drippings from Chicken
salt & pepper

Method-
Chop vegetables and add to a 6 to 7-quart slow cooker.

Prep the chicken
Bend the wings back around the neck of the chicken.
Use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat. Rub half of the butter under the skin and the other half on top of the skin. Season with salt, pepper.

Lay the chicken in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables. (No need to add water or broth). PLUG IN THE SLOW COOKER. Turn slow cooker on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Remove chicken and place into a baking dish and broil for 4 to 6 minutes or until the skin is crisp. Keep an eye on the chicken under the broiler it can brown up pretty fast!

Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables from the slow cooker if desired.

Gravy
Remove vegetables and pour chicken broth from the bottom of the slow cooker into a fat separator or use a spoon to remove any extra fat. Strain the liquid.

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon to cook the flour. Whisk in 1 to 1.5 cups of the strained chicken broth. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 30 to 60 seconds. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and season to taste.

Eggplant Rollatini

I picked up a couple of small eggplants at Coles Farm Stand. Seeing one of us is not a fan of eggplant, I thought the addition of prosciutto would be appreciated. It was appreciated, and the dish was delicious.

Ingredients-
Vegetable Oil
1 eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup Grana Padano
10 slices prosciutto
Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method-
Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Spread some flour on a plate. 

Season the eggplant slices with salt, and dredge them in the flour. 

Fry, in batches without crowding, until they’re tender and golden, about 3 minutes per side. 

Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Grana Padano, the parsley, and the egg. 

Lay the eggplant slices out on your work surface with the top end toward you. 

Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese onto each slice of eggplant. 

Place a slice of prosciutto onto each one. 

Roll up tightly, and place seam-side down in a 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Pour tomato pasta sauce over eggplant rolls, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.