Cooking for Two - Bruce Weinstein [28]
Jelly, Anyone?
Coq au vin is often finished with a little red currant jelly, melted into the stew for the last 10 minutes of cooking. It gives the dish a sweet, slightly sour taste, very authentic and quite good. If you choose this traditional finish for the casserole, use only brandy, not the far sweeter Grand Marnier, to deglaze the pan with the mushrooms.
POTATO and SPINACH CASSEROLE makes a 1-quart casserole
In this vegetarian casserole, thin potato slices are used like wide flat noodles, separating the layers of creamy spinach.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for buttering the casserole dish
1 large Russet potato (about ¾ pound)
1 small onion, chopped
One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of all excess water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a shallow 1-quart casserole dish and set it aside.
2. Fill a large bowl with water. Peel the potato and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips, like noodles, from the cut side of the potato, letting the strips fall into the water as they are sliced off.
3. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drain the potato slices, blot them dry with paper towels, then boil the slices for 2 minutes, or just until they lose their raw, crunchy feel but not until they are cooked through. Drain, refresh with cold water, then set aside.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet or sauté pan set over low heat. Add the onion and soften for about 4 minutes, or until golden, stirring frequently. Cool for 5 minutes off the heat.
5. Scrape the onions and any butter left in the pan into a food processor fitted with the chopping blade or into a large blender. Add the spinach, eggs, feta, dill, parsley, pepper, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse six or seven times, until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until smooth. This hand-whisked mixture will not be as creamy as the one from a food processor.
6. Now build the casserole. Divide the potato slices into four equal portions. Use one-fourth to cover the bottom of the casserole, overlapping the slices as necessary to create a solid layer. Top with one-third of the spinach mixture. Then use another quarter of the potato slices to create another layer. Top this with half the remaining spinach mixture. Make a third layer of potatoes, then top with the remaining spinach mixture. Finally, top with the remaining potato slices.
7. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan set over low heat or in a small dish in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Pour the melted butter over the casserole, then bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes at room temperature before serving.
More Texture, More Crunch
Stir 2 tablespoons of any of the following into the spinach mixture before layering it in the casserole dish: chopped roasted chickpeas, golden raisins, sliced blanched almonds, toasted pepitás, toasted pine nuts.
NO-FRY EGGPLANT PARMESAN makes 2 servings
We love eggplant parmesan, but we’re the first to admit it can sometimes be a greasy mess. So we set about to make a lighter, healthier dish. Here, the eggplant slices aren’t fried; they’re salted, drained, lightly coated with olive oil, and then baked before they’re layered in the dish with cheese and an herbed tomato sauce.
2 small eggplants (sometimes called baby eggplants, about 7 ounces each), peeled and cut into