Streamlined Lasagna

This is the recipe that my mother made when I was growing up. It is not authentic in many ways, but it is delicious comfort food using ingredients that were readily available in a grocery store in the 1970s.

Servings: 6

1 Tbsp oil
½ cup onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 clove garlic, sliced
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped
15 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
8 oz lasagne noodles ( 8 slices)
4 oz Swiss cheese, sliced thin
1 ½ cups cottage cheese
parsley, chopped

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion until tender.
2. Add ground beef, cook until browned.
3. Mash garlic with salt and add to meat with pepper, oregano, parsley, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. If making ahead, refrigerate sauce until ready to assemble.
5. Preheat oven to 350℉.
6. Cook lasagne noodles until al dente. Drain & cover with cold water.
7. Spread ⅓ of sauce in a 9×13 pan. Top with half each of lasagne noodles, Swiss cheese (reserve 1 slice) & cottage cheese.
8. Repeat, ending with remaining sauce and reserved cheese.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot & bubbly.
10. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

• I prefer “petite diced” tomatoes which are cut into appx ½” pieces. You could also use fresh or frozen tomatoes.
• You can substitute mozzarella for the Swiss cheese and ricotta for the cottage cheese for a more authentic dish.

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One-Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken

This is adapted from Rachael Ray’s One-Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken Succotash. I love the flavors, but I prefer it without the beans.

Servings:

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
4 chicken breast halves, halved crosswise to make 8 pieces total
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 pound bacon, chopped
1 pound potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 Fresno chile pepper, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1-2 tsp hot sauce (to taste)
warm crusty bread, for serving

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate.
3. Add the bacon to the pot and cook until crisp, then remove to a plate.
4. Add the potatoes to the bacon drippings and lightly brown for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the corn, onions and chile pepper and brown 8 to 10 more minutes.
6. Stir in the chicken stock. Return the chicken and bacon to the pot and simmer 10 minutes.
7. Combine the cream cheese with the herbs and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pot and stir until well combined.
8. Add the hot sauce.
9. Serve with toasted English muffins or warm sourdough bread.

• You can substitute 1 pound ground turkey for the chicken pieces. This is not quite as fancy a dish, but it is very tasty & economical.
  

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Plantation Ham Pie

Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library 1971

2 Tbsp butter or oleo
3 cups ham, cubed
1 med onion, chopped
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk

Parsley Pinwheels

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1. Heat oven to 425 F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet.
3. Cook and stir ham and onion in butter until ham is golden and onion is tender.
4. Stir in soup & milk. Heat just to boiling, stirring frequently.
5. Pour into greased 8″ square baking dish. Place in oven while you make the Pinwheels.
6. Stir Bisquick and water to a soft dough. Roll into 12×7 rectangle. Sprinkle parsley over dough. Roll up tightly, beginning at long side. Cut into 9 slices.
7. Arrange on top of hot ham mixture.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until pinwheels are cooked.

• The trick to non-soggy biscuits is to make sure the filling is hot before the biscuits are put on top.
  

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Mushroom Spread

8 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 green onion, sliced
10 oz mushrooms, chopped finely
4 drops Tabasco
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash Worcestershire
salt & pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Spread on crackers, toast rounds or use as a dip for crudites.

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SOURCE

Swiss Mushrooms

This recipe was card number 17 of a collection that was sold in the late 70’s or early 80’s. It does not give the name of the company that sold it. I only got a handful of the recipes as a sample set and this was one of only a few that I kept.

1 lb small mushrooms
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Sauce

1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup half & half
1 cup Swiss cheese or Gruyère

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Saute mushrooms in butter. Remove from pan.
3. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Mix with mushrooms.
4. Distribute mixture into 4 small baking dishes.
5. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in paprika.
6. Slowly add half & half and bring to a boil.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
8. Pour over mushrooms.
9. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

• If mushrooms are large, slice or quarter before sauteing.
  

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Portuguese Fish Supper

adapted from Rachael Ray

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 pound Mexican chorizo, casing removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 large bundle kale
few gratings of nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
4 thick pieces cod or haddock fillets (6-8 oz each)
Old Bay seasoning
Italian parsley, chopped

1. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven.
2. Add chorizo and render for a couple of minutes, then add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Strip kale leaves from stems. Slice stems into ¼” pieces (like celery). Chop leaves coarsely.
5. Stir in the stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kale stems, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Add kale leaves and toss to wilt, then season with a few grates of nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Season the fish with Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fish to the sauce and cover. Cook until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
8. Ladle into shallow bowls garnished with parsley.
9. Serve with crusty bread for mopping.

• Rachael Ray uses Spanish chorizo, but I have not found it in my area, so I substitute Mexican chorizo. I believe the seasonings are the same, but Mexican chorizo is a raw sausage.
  
• You can discard the kale stems if you prefer, but with a little extra cooking they taste great & I hate to waste them.
• You can substitute Swiss chard or spinach for the kale. 
• You can substitute any other seafood for the fish – shrimp, scallops, or ???

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