Two QuaranDinners
Terrible play on words, but I wanted to share with you all a couple of simple dinners to bust your taste buds. First is an experiment with traditional lasagna and the other is a slammin' burger. Nothing here is difficult. As a teacher, I am working remotely from home, and as a parent, you can bring the kids in on this and other dishes, particularly baking, talking about measurements. Great math lessons abound in your kitchen!
My first dish was a two-parter. I made my garlic lasagna sauce, ingredients are below, but decided to create a lasagna stuffed noodle wrap in a parmesan bowl (See the photo above). Did not turn out pretty, but it tasted just like lasagna should!
Let's get to my lasagna sauce, which is pretty much my regular tomato-based sauce with a little extra. 😉
In-House Cook's Lasagna Sauce
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons evoo
1 pound lean ground beef (93%)
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, hand burst*
1 16-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes in oregano, basil and garlic
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 fresh basil leaves, rolled, chiffonade cut
2 rounded tablespoons dried Italian Seasoning
Several sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and Pepper to layer flavor
1 cup Cabernet Sauvingon
1 box lasagna noodles.*
1 container grated parmesan*
Ball of mozzarella cheese, sliced into discs or grated mozzarella*
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Use non-stick evoo spray and spray three bottoms of a muffin tin (underneath, to make a cup). To a baking sheet, spray evoo-non-stick spray. Add half a cup of parmesan in mounds onto the baking sheet. Add to the oven and melt into discs. When melted, remove the baking sheet to cool for about five minutes. Use a spatula to carefully pick up the discs and place them onto the sprayed reverse cups of the muffin pan. Allow the cheese discs to droop into a cup.
Now.....
In a medium pot, drizzle two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) over medium-high heat. Add the lean ground beef and crumble, add pinch of salt and pepper and continue to crumble finely, about four or five minutes. Add the onion and garlic and toss for three minutes to bring out the aromatics. Add a pinch of salt as you combine.
*In a bowl, add the hand burst San Marzano tomatoes and juice. Use a large fork to continue to smash the tomato chunks. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and some of the fresh thyme (and oregano leaves, if you have some).
Add the wine to the pot and deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon, picking up those burnt on beef flavors.
Now, back to the tomatoes. When the mixture is fine as possible, add it to the pot. Add the other wet ingredients to the pot and incorporate thoroughly. The aroma should have you floating in the kitchen by now. Add the dry Italian seasoning and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer one hour, if you can, otherwise, thirty minutes.
In a high-sided skillet, add three cups of water and bring to a boil. Add a hefty pinch of salt and stir. When the water begins to boil, add three lasagna noodles.* Leave them in the water until they are pliable and not dried in the corners. They do not need to be fully cooked. After four or so minutes, use tongs to remove the three lasagna noodles. You can use ready use or need-to-boil lasagna noodles to do this.
Now, remove the parmesan cups from the bottom of the muffin pan and set aside nearby. Three muffin cups should be sprayed with non-stick spray already. Add the three parmesan cups to the sprayed muffin cups. Take a lasagna noodle and curl it up and let it expand loosely in the cup. Using a tablespoon, fill the cup with the beefy pasta sauce. Top with a mozzarella disc or fresh grated mozzarella. Set the oven heat to 375-degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and serve in a bowl, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Three Lasagna Rolls in Parmesan Cups oven ready. Add a little evoo and splash of water (3 tablespoons water) to the small skillet or pan to bake.
Not pretty plating, but delicious and aromatic!
Next, with the leftovers, I made traditional lasagna. I hope my videos come out!!!
I sprayed the baking pan with evoo spray, placed a layer of pasta sauce, then a layer of ready use lasagna noodles, a layer of pasta sauce, a layer of grated mozzarella, more noodles, repeated until I had nothing left. I topped with fresh mozzarella discs and baked for thirty minutes at 375-degrees. Easy and sooo delicioso!!!
Ready for the next dish? I promise, many more photos this time.
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In-House Cook's Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers
A true diner classic burger full of bacon and dripping with mozzarella cheese and my special sauce. Easy to put together, to fry or grill, this burger is a true winner. Let's get to it!
Ingredients
1-pound 85% lean ground beef
1/2 red or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 level tablespoon Chinese Garlic Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon ground or whole seed Cumin
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon smoked Paprika
1 package thin thin sliced bacon
Cheese for topper melting.
Special Sauce Ingredients
Shhhhh.....!!!!!
Not going to tell you! Make your own! Get creative! Use yogurt and spice it up!
In the meantime, combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl, less the cheese and bacon. Make burgers, put a thumb hole in the center on top and place in the frig.
The buns. Not very big, I know.
In a large skillet, fry up the bacon. IF you get that super thin kind I mentioned above, it curls up somewhat or a lot, and that is good. Season it with pepper or oregano or your favorite bbq spice! Or not. ✌ Set the bacon aside once done.
Make your special sauce and set it aside.
Keep the bacon renderings in the large skillet, may need to add a little vegetable oil to it because that super thin bacon does not release a lot. Over medium-high heat, or, on your grill, cook the burgers. I like mine with a little little bit of pink in the middle, but you do you, boo. ✌
Put your big ole burger together with your special sauce and enjoy!
Thank You, Friends, for your time and patience! I did a lot of writing today! More recipes are on the way!
Now, go cook something for someone you love!
