Spinach and Apple Salad with Crispy Almonds

I have been making this salad for years. I served it at one of my first ever dinner parties and I have served it often with our Thanksgiving dinner.  I prep the dressing in advance, just be sure to slice the apples right before serving so they do not brown.  The almonds do stick together after they cool, but they are easily broken up for serving.  The recipe comes from Epicurious, my go to recipe site from back in the day.  My friend Courtney even took the leftover salad home with her from the dinner party, so I think that makes it a success!

Spinach and Apple Salad with Crispy Almonds

¼ cup minced onion
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup blanched slivered almonds (about 3 ounces)
1 10- ounce bag ready-to-use spinach leaves
2 medium-size red-skinned apples, quartered, cored, thinly sliced

Combine onion, cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sesame seeds and paprika in small bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons sugar. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds. Stir until almonds begin to color, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over. Stir until sugar melts and begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer almonds to bowl and cool. (Dressing and almonds can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and let stand at room temperature.)

Combine spinach and apples in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Mix in almonds. Serve salad, passing any remaining dressing separately.

Pin It Now!

Mozzarella Basil Bread

This recipe makes two generous loaves of delicious bread. I had intended to bring the second loaf to my parents as a thank you for watching Miss F while I hosted my dinner party. My dinner party guests had different plans. We ate the entire first loaf and it was onto the next. It was so good. And incredibly easy to make. In this past year with C being gone, I have been able to bake bread quite often and I have really enjoyed exploring the yeast world beyond my bread machine.  And you can never go wrong with adding any cheese to bread.  Delicious!  I promise to make it again and send a the second loaf to my parents.

Mozzarella Basil Bread

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups bread flour, or as needed
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon melted butter

Mix warm water with sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the water, and let stand until the yeast begins to form a creamy layer on the water. Stir the yeast into the water. Stir in salt, and 1 cup of bread flour, and beat the flour in to form a loose batter. Stir in 1 more cup of flour, and mix in the mozzarella cheese, milk, and basil. Mix in the remaining 3 cups of flour in ½ cup additions. Swap the paddle for the dough hook and knead for 6 minutes. Form into a ball, coat with olive oil, cover and allow to rise for one hour.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a well-floured work surface, and knead the dough just long enough to eliminate the remaining bubbles in the dough, about 1 minute. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, and form each half into a round ball. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and place the balls onto the baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slash an X into the top of each loaf. Cover the loaves with a towel, and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes. Brush each loaf with the melted butter.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the loaves until browned, about 25 minutes. To serve, cut each loaf into 8 wedges.

Pin It Now!

Braised Short Rib Lasagna

I have two issues with lasagna: I am not a huge fan of ricotta cheese and I like ground beef even less. Enter short rib lasagna. No ricotta cheese, shredded short ribs and a rich béchamel sauce. I knew it would be a winner. The recipe is time intensive, but very little of the time is active. Which makes it perfect for a dinner party.   I had the lasagna assembled and ready to bake when the guests arrived.  Which allowed me more time to socialize, always a benefit at any dinner party.  This lasagna makes 12 generous servings.  Miss F and I enjoyed the leftovers for a couple days after the party.  I omitted the mushrooms from the original recipe to accommodate one of my guest's preferences, but next time I make it I will add them.  Because I love all mushrooms!  C and Miss F probably prefer it without.

Braised Short Rib Lasagna

1 ½ pounds boneless beef short ribs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 ½ cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 box no-boil Lasagna noodles

Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the short ribs, in batches if necessary, and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and add the bay leaf. Simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits as you go, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Return the short ribs to the pot. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, turning the ribs every 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is
fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours total.

Use tongs to remove the ribs from the pot and move them to a plate to cool. Pour the sauce into a heatproof bowl and discard the bay leaf. Allow to sit for a few minutes, until the fat rises to the surface. Be sure to get as much fat off as you can, or the tomato sauce will be greasy. Skim it off with a large spoon and discard. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove any fat or cartilage. Shred the meat and set aside in a medium bowl.

Make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a 3-4 quart saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and add the garlic clove. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Fish out the garlic clove and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix the bechamel sauce into the tomato sauce.

Assemble and bake the Lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread ¾ cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish and cover the sauce with a slightly overlapping layer of the noodles. Spread ¾ cup of sauce over the noodles, and add ½ cup of the shredded meat over the sauce. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese.

Add another layer of noodles, then repeat the layers as instructed above, to make a total of 3 layers of meat and 4 layers of noodles. At this point you should have used all the meat, but still have some sauce and cheese left over. Spread ¾ cup of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the top is browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional cheese as desired when you serve.

Pin It Now!