Clam Dip

My dad started making this clam dip about 20 years ago and I've enjoyed it ever since. I wish I could credit the original author, but all I know is that it came from a 2002 issue of Gourmet magazine. Gourmet ceased publication in 2009 and this particular recipe doesn't seem to have been archived. The recipe I've posted here is my adaptation of dad's adaptation of the original. It's a great snack or appetizer served with chips. All the amounts here can, and should, be adjusted to personal taste.

My main change has been in the garlic and clam juice. I grate the garlic on a microplane, which releases a ton of flavor. I've realized lately that recipes measuring garlic in cloves can be a big problem since they vary in size so much. I've been getting garlic from our local farmer, whose garlic comes in massive cloves about 2-3 times the size of those typically found in the grocery store. With something as potent as raw garlic, this can make a big difference. Grating helps measure more consistently. My recommendation is to be careful as you can always add more garlic, but can't take it away. For the clam juice, I added one tablespoon at a time until the consistency was right. Four to five tablespoons should do it. It should be fairly loose but still able to be picked up with a chip. The scallions came from our garden. With the incredible heat this summer, most of our vegetables didn't do as well, but the scallions were very successful.

Ratatouille

Bonne fête! It's that time of year again, when we celebrate Bastile Day through classic dishes of France. Our Bastile Day feast started with escargot and bread and continued into a pan-seared ribeye and ratatouille. I've enjoyed ratatouille here and there over the years and made it a few times before, but had not yet dug into the sources on it. Julia Child has two versions, both on the fancier side, with thin slices of eggplant and zucchini layered between the peppers and onions. Mark Bittman's recipe does the same. Jacques Pépin goes with a more rustic style with cubed vegetables all mixed together. That is the form of the dish I'm most familiar with, so that's what I did here. The most interesting thing I took from these sources is to keep the cuts of vegetables large, so that each can be enjoyed on its own merits. This recipe makes a lot, but the sources agree that ratatouille is excellent both cold and reheated.

Ratatouille is a classic dish of Provence, the southeastern coastal region generally known for its seafood. As I wrote on 2019's Bastile Day post, olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes are characteristic of Provençal cuisine. These elements are central to ratatouille, as well. The four other vegetables featured here (eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion) seem to be the most commonly used, but can certainly be swapped out. It's an excellent way to use up summer vegetables like yellow squash or kohlrabi. Any fresh herbs you have on hand can also boost the dish. I used basil because I tend to have a lot of it on hand this time of year. I will finally note that I increased the recommended baking temperature to 400, up from the 350 I used. A dish composed entirely of vegetables has a lot of liquid, which could have been reduced more. At that higher temperature, it may be necessary to stir more often.

Tomato Jam

Today, I'm pleased to present a recipe from Ariel, which serves as a follow up to her strawberry jam from 2012. As I mentioned earlier, our cherry tomato plants have been quite prolific lately. Tomato jam is a great way to use them up while also putting them into something that won't go bad as quickly. The tomatoes for this recipe came from one day of picking. Although I'm generally not a huge fan of cherry tomatoes, this was an interesting and enjoyable application. It was very nice on a warm pita with a little goat cheese.

Ariel used yellow sunburst tomatoes, which resulted in a deep orange-colored jam. Other colors of tomatoes could be mixed for different colored jams. The main discussion we had afterward was about the sugar content. I didn't mind it, but Ariel thought it was much too sweet. I suppose the sugar does obscure the tomato flavor a bit. I tried the jam by itself on toast, as well with goat cheese as shown above. The goat cheese does balance out the sweetness. Dropping the sugar down as low as 1/2 cup could be a good experiment for the future. 

Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Chicken sandwiches are a popular lunch choice at our house, and are a great way to use leftover chicken. Since discovering the dish a few years ago, cotoletta alla palermitana has become one of my favorite chicken dishes to make, especially in the summer. Enjoying a daiquiri while tending the grill makes it even better. I usually make extra so we have some for lunch the next day. Although I highly recommend trying the grilled version, any cutlet, such as a chicken schnitzel or katsu, will work for a sandwich. These sandwiches, which combine the chicken cutlets with flavors from the classic caprese salad were one of our favorites.

I made the pesto in a mortar and pestle using homegrown basil. We used most of it for pasta the previous day and had a little left for this. Mixing the pesto with Kewpie mayonnaise makes for a delicious spread. The tomatoes also came fresh from the garden. The buns Ariel made for the Jucy Lucy were such a hit, she made some more, which we used here. Any kind of good bread will work. As with many people, the pandemic has been an opportunity for us to explore homemade bread. 

Caprese Salad

I recently wrote about making BLTs with garden fresh tomatoes. The other main thing we use our homegrown tomatoes for is caprese salad. Even before we started making BLTs, it was this dish that started converting this tomato skeptic to a regular consumer. To me, caprese salad is emblematic of Italian cuisine in that the preparation is simple and focuses on the quality of ingredients. It's a dish I've been aware of for a long time, but there are a lot of subpar examples out there, and I wouldn't have considered myself a fan until I started making it at home.

The tomatoes are, of course, what makes or breaks a caprese salad. These are more of our homegrown Mortgage Lifters. In the past, I've also had success with using tomatoes from the farm shares we had the past two summers. With the ongoing pandemic, we decided to forgo farm shares this year and just use our own tomatoes. Whatever the tomatoes, it is essential to season them with salt and pepper. The basil is also from the garden. I've always had success with growing basil, but it's important to remember to harvest before the first frost. The only aspect of the salad we've yet to upgrade is the mozzarella. Around here, we can only get BelGioioso in a plastic tube. It's okay, but a bit lacking in flavor. Use the best you can get.

It's BLT Season

The tomato plants we planted at the beginning of the summer are finally coming into their own. This year, we planted black and yellow cherry tomatoes and Mortgage Lifters. There are not a lot of foods I don't eat (which this blog can attest to over the years), but I am not a fan of cherry tomatoes. Ariel loves them, though, so more for her. In general, raw tomatoes are not something I tend to seek out, but growing them at home has slowly brought me around. The Mortgage Lifters have been particularly good. BLTs are one of my favorite use of homegrown tomatoes, and have been a big part of my journey to tomato appreciation. Our BLTs are based on Kenji's "BLT Manifesto," with a couple personal touches.

We've recently been playing around with our bread machine, and one of our house staples has been a crusty loaf made with the whey left from making farmer's cheese. Homegrown tomatoes and homemade bread really upgrade the BLT experience. We don't have access to particularly high-end bacon, but a thick-cut bacon from the supermarket does fine here. Ariel got me a set of Chef's Presses for our anniversary. They are a handy tool to add weight to food in a pan, in this case preventing the bacon from curling up. As usual, we use Kewpie Japanese mayo, which has largely overtaken Hellman's for most uses in our house.

Chef's Presses in action

I'm not posting a full recipe here, and will instead encourage you to read Kenji's excellent article. I do have a few tips. Seasoning the tomatoes with lots of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper makes a huge difference in bringing out their flavor. Toasting the bread helps the sandwiches keep their shape. Tomatoes are a very wet ingredient to have in a sandwich, and they will be a mess. Lean into it and have a stack of napkins on hand!

Chickpeas with Roasted Red Peppers

Although I typically feature main dishes on the blog, it's equally important to have easy side dishes in the cooking repertoire. This is especially true now, when access to fresh vegetables is more limited. This chickpea dish is perfect for this purpose. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and the bell pepper keeps relatively well in the refrigerator. It can also be left simmering more or less indefinitely while a more labor-intensive dish is prepared. In this case, I made fried calamari. 

This recipe is loosely based on a chickpea dish Dad used to make for his Spanish wine class. The original had Spanish chorizo, which is somewhat hard to come by in these parts. I converted it into a completely vegetarian dish by replacing the chorizo with a roasted bell pepper. Roasting a pepper is easy to do directly on a gas stove, but a grill or broiler work fine, too. 

This was also a good opportunity to show my (relatively) new saucier. A saucier is similar to a saucepan, but with sloping sides. They are perfect for a dish where there is need for both a saute and simmer. The sloping sides make tossing easy, but there is still enough volume for liquid. When cooking tomatoes or other acidic foods for a long period of time, I've read a nonreactive pan is best. Stainless steel, lined copper, or enameled work best here. The pan I used has a three layer construction which sandwiches conductive aluminum with nonreactive stainless steel.

Poulet Chasseur, Provençal Style

Bonne fête, everyone, or as we say here in the USA, happy Bastille Day! With all the wedding planning going on, July 14 kind of sneaked up on me. This morning, I grabbed Essential Pepin and Julia Child's The Way to Cook and got to work. When I recently posted my chicken with bell peppers recipe, I commented that chicken is a real workhorse in a busy person's home. With a little French technique, it's easy and inexpensive to turn a few pieces of chicken into a nice dinner. Pepin, in particular, seems to be a master of the humble chicken. 

While in the past, I've tended to recreate some classic French dish for Bastille Day, I went with something of my own creation this time, loosely based on my reading from this morning. Julia Child writes that the Provençal style involves olive oil, tomatoes, and garlic. Since Provence is located in southeastern France, next to Italy, this makes a lot of sense. Since Ariel is a huge fan of mushrooms, I decided to add these, as well, positioning my dish as a tomato-forward variant of poulet chasseur, or "hunter's chicken." Interestingly, other countries also have dishes with the "hunter" label, including Italy's chicken cacciatore and Germany's jägerschnitzel, which I covered last year. I chose to serve it with cavatappi pasta, Ariel's favorite, but rice, potatoes, or any other kind of pasta would work well. As a side, we had sautéed string beans from our farm share.

To add a little French revolutionary history, chasseur was the name given to the light troops in Napoleon's army, who served as scouts and skirmishers. The chasseurs à cheval were one of the most distinguished regiments in the Garde Impériale, and the emperor himself was known to wear their uniform on campaign.

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs
• 1 onion, diced (about 1/2 lb.)
• 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 6-8 cloves garlic, grated or minced (dependent on size)
• 1 Tbs flour
• 2/3 c dry white wine
• 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lb. pasta (optional)

Instructions

Dice the onion, rinse and slice the mushrooms, and grate the garlic ahead of time. Gently break up the tomatoes with fingers. 

In a large sauté pan, heat some olive oil on medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down, and cook until the skin is crisp and releases easily from the pan. Flip over and cook a few more minutes, until lightly browned. 

Chicken after flipping

Set the chicken aside (it will not be fully cooked yet) on a plate. Turn the heat to medium and add the onion and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and sauté a few minutes, until softened. Add the flour and garlic. Stir well and cook a few more minutes. This will form the base of the sauce. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook down briefly. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the herbes de Provence. Bring to a boil and reduce to thicken for about 5 more minutes. (Note: I forgot to do this, and reduced at the end. This is fine, too).

Ready to simmer

Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. If serving with pasta, now is the time to cook it, timing according to how long it takes to cook.

To assemble a portion, place a layer of pasta, dish out some sauce, making sure to get a good mix of tomatoes and mushrooms, and add a piece of chicken on top.

Tacos for the Busy Weeknight

I've written before about certain dishes that can be adapted to whatever ingredients you happen to have -- fried rice, frittata, hotdish, and so forth. Tacos are another versatile food that can use just about anything. That being said, the classic version is good, too, and the ground beef taco is as much an American favorite as, well, General Tso's Chicken. 

One great thing to have come out of No Free Lunch is that I now have a convenient repository of recipes, which I refer to often. The chicken kebabs from last summer are one I go back to a lot. Whenever we make tacos, Ariel always makes me cook the meat because I won't let her buy taco seasoning packets. Every time, I explain that it's not that complicated and the taco-ey aroma is really just cumin. I end up cooking the meat anyway. Well, now there is a recipe and we can all taco!

This is the part where I usually talk about exotic ingredients, but sometimes you don't need any. One of the great things about this recipe is that other than the beef, all the ingredients are things I always have in my kitchen, and you should, too!

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground beef (leaner is better; I used 90% lean)
• 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• Pinch black pepper
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes, with juice
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat oil in medium frying pan on medium heat, stirring frequently. Saute onion for a few minutes, until slightly softened. Turn heat to medium high and cook until onions are lightly browned. Add beef, garlic, and all spices and herbs. Break up the beef and stir thoroughly to distribute seasonings. Cook until all beef is browned. If using fattier beef, you may want to drain some of the grease here. Stir in tomatoes and cook a few more minutes.

Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, and your choice of accompaniments.

Sam's Spaghetti

Happy Halloween and a happy birthday to my father, Sam. Today, I am pleased to present one of his original creations, a historical recipe from his younger days. In the late 1970s, he was working in his first job out of college. His colleague, Dan, asked if he had a spaghetti sauce recipe, and he came up with something on the fly, and likely forgot all about it. Soon after, both he and Dan had moved on from the company. Decades later, they reconnected, and he learned that "Sam's spaghetti," as it was now known, had become a beloved family tradition. To this day, Dan's (now adult) sons still ask for it.

The sauce itself is quite thick, and a deep red. Using tomato paste is an interesting choice, and gives the sauce a real intensity compared with my usual sauces with crushed tomato as a base (see beef ragù and fettuccine in tomato sauce). This sauce is certainly of the "old school" of Italian-American cookery, but continues to be delicious nearly forty years after its inception.

This version is slightly edited from the one provided by Dan. The original uses "3 mushrooms," but I brought this up a little to use an 8 oz. package. I used my own mixture of herbs rather than the recommended Italian seasoning, which I do not have. Finally, it can be useful to save a little pasta water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 12 oz. tomato paste (1 large can)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked pasta (reserve some of the cooking water)

Instructions

In a large saute pan, heat a bit of olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add to the pan with the garlic. Add more oil if needed. Turn heat up to high and cook until the beef is browned. Deglaze the pan with wine. Add tomato paste, water, and herbs. Return the mushrooms and onion to the pan. Mix well and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. This will be just enough time to prepare the pasta. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as desired. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a splash of the pasta water. Serve with grated parmesan.

Chicken and Mushroom Curry

It's been over 3 years since my last curry recipe, and I think it's about time we returned. I've done two other chicken curries in the past, but this one is a little different. Those used dairy-based sauces for a creamy texture, whereas this time I've gone tomato and stock-based. This dish is inspired by some curries I've had in restaurants along with recipes I found online. And by the fact I had a half pound of mushrooms in the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, this was also equally delicious the next day.

The curry turned out quite spicy, and this will come down to how spicy your particular garam masala blend is. It may be best to leave out the crushed pepper until the end if it is still desired. Always taste your sauce (after the chicken is cooked) and season accordingly. This curry also goes well with some plain yogurt or Greek yogurt on the table to cool things off to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs, deboned
• 2 onions, diced
• 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs ginger, minced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• Dash of cinnamon and cardamom
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil

Instructions

Ahead of time, chop the onion, mushroom, garlic, and ginger. Remove skin and bones from chicken, if needed. Cut the chicken into 1 inch squares, then season lightly with salt and pepper.

 In a deep saute pan, dutch oven, or wok (anything with a lid works), heat a bit of oil on medium high. Briefly brown the chicken on both sides, then set aside. Add more oil if needed. Add all the spices to the pan and stir into the oil for a minute. Add onions and saute for a few minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and ginger, and cook a few more minutes, until mushrooms start to soften.

Pour in the tomatoes and the juice from the can into the pan. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered 10 more minutes to let the sauce reduce.

Salt to taste. Serve with rice and plain yogurt, if desired.

Fish and Tomato Curry

Today's recipe is really one from the heart, 100 percent my own creation. This is the second time I've made this dish, and both times, I tasted as I went along and adjusted the ingredient levels. It's a great example of what can come out of spontaneous creation in the kitchen. If you follow this recipe, I suggest you do the same.

The basic idea is a play on the tikka masala - a tomato and dairy based sauce with chunks of meat. Here I've gone with skim milk, which lends itself to a mouthfeel more sympathetic to a light fish like tilapia, rather than the traditional rich, silky cream sauce. Just a little half and half goes a long way to give my sauce a touch of creaminess. Lemon juice and white fish are old friends in food, and this addition gives a little edge to the sauce as well as calling to mind that familiar combination.

Ingredients

Fish

• 2 large Tilapia fillets
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Paprika

Sauce

• 1 onion
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tbs canola oil (or ghee)
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup crushed tomato
• 1 cup diced tomato with juice
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup half and half

Instructions

Season the Tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika. A light dusting is sufficient. On medium-high heat, sear the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat canola oil in the pan on medium-high. Note that for a more traditional Indian style, you could use ghee instead. Slice the onion into strips and mince garlic. Add all the spices to oil, followed by the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute everything for several minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and lightly browned.

Slice the lemon in half and squeeze all the juice in. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, skim milk, and half and half. Mix together thoroughly. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and salt to taste. I added just a little bit to bring it all together. Break up the fish into smaller pieces and add to the sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve over steamed basmati rice. This curry pairs well with almost any drink. I went with a Warsteiner Dunkel - a Bavarian style dark lager. Just remember James Bond's advice and avoid the chianti.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs truly is a classic American comfort food. It's simple, hearty, and undeniably tasty. The dish is also one that lends itself to variation. I present a simple, basic sauce here that can easily be augmented with a variety of vegetables, herbs, or mushrooms. You could also spice it up with some crushed red pepper. My version here is light on sauce; adding another cup of crushed tomato will give you a saucier pasta. I've chosen to make my meatballs with equal parts ground beef, veal, and pork, and they really explode with flavor when you take a bite. It reheats very well, and I've been eating off of it for the last few days!

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups crushed tomato
• Water to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs

• 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground veal
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Everything Else

• 1 1/2 lb dry spaghetti
• Salted water
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Start with the sauce. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepan and heat on medium high. Saute the onions until softened and browned, adding the garlic halfway through. Add the basil, oregano, and crushed tomato, and stir. Put on a back burner and simmer while making the meatballs, about an hour. Add water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the meatballs, combine the three meats in a bowl. Add the egg, cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix together with your hands until homogeneous. Little by little, add the breadcrumbs, mixing in until integrated. Form into meatballs, no more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I got about 30 meatballs out of it.

Heat olive oil on medium high in a large saute pan. Brown meatballs on all sides. Add chicken stock, cover, and cook until meatballs are cooked through, just a few minutes. You can crack open a sacrificial meatball if you need to check them. Note that the chicken stock will be partially, but not completely absorbed. I made the mistake of trying to cram them all in one pan. They made it, but it's easier to brown them if you either work in batches or in a very large pan.

Be aware that a large pot of water takes time to boil, so this should be started early. Boil a pot of salted water, and cook the spaghetti for about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to large serving dish. Cover with meatballs and pour the sauce over. Serve with grated Parmiggiano, chopped parsley, and a red checkered tablecloth.

Fettuccine in Tomato Sauce

This recipe is an illustration of how the same classic techniques and ingredients can make completely different dishes. Last week, I used a mirepoix to form the base of the sauce for a lamb shank. Here, I've created a classic, simple tomato sauce. I think the ratio of sauce to pasta is important. There's just enough here to lightly coat the fettuccine, rather than have it swimming in sauce. The sauteed vegetables give the dish  texture. Note also that when I make tomato sauce, I always prefer to use crushed tomatoes or chopped tomatoes, rather than tomato paste. This will give you a lighter, runnier sauce than the intense tomato paste. You can leave the dish as a simple and elegant pasta course, or you can make a meal of it by adding some Italian sausage, some pan-seared ham, or whatever meat you like.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• Dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 pound dry fettuccine
• Fresh flat leaf parsley
• Crumbled Parmiggiano-Reggiano

Instructions
 

We'll start by preparing the mirepoix. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan, medium-high heat. Dice the onion and add to pan. Peel and dice the carrots and add. Peel, then crush or mince the garlic and add. Finally, dice the celery and add this as well. Thrown in some oregano. Cook everything, tossing frequently, until lightly browned. 

Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure to taste the sauce as you go along.

Cook the pasta in the usual way, 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, rinse. Once the sauce is done, pour it into the pot with the pasta. Toss well to coat over heat for a few minutes. Serve with parsley and crumbled Parmiggiano.

Minnesota Hotdish

I'm going back to my roots for this one. No matter how many delicious Indiana pork tenderloins you feed me, there will always be a place in my heart and belly for hotdish. There's just something so endearing about a food that you dump a can of soup into. Comfort food at it's finest. This recipe is the perfect complement to the mushroom soup-based casserole from January. I, perhaps like many Minnesotans, am lucky to have casseroles from both sides of the family. This is a dish Mom grew up eating, and I made sure to call for some tips before making it.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2/3 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1/6 cup breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil salted water in a pot. Cook the macaroni for 10 minutes in the boiling water.

Dice the onion. Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Fry the onions until soft, then add beef and season with salt and pepper. Remember, other seasonings would be so un-Minnesotan. Brown the beef. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato soup. Mix together and heat briefly.

In a casserole dish, combine the beef, onion, and tomato mixture with the macaroni. Mix thoroughly, then sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly on top. Bake for 30 minutes. If you desire a softer, gooier texture, bake longer. You may also want to broil for a few minutes to brown the breadcrumbs on top. Make sure to watch it so it doesn't get burned.

Tomato and Egg

During my time in Shanghai in the summer of 2009, I encountered many interesting foods. Tomato and egg quickly became a staple of our diets. You could buy a bowl of rice and a plate of tomato and egg for next to nothing. Although very common in China, the dish is relatively rare in American Chinese restaurants, although Carnegie Mellon's esteemed eatery Asiana, to their credit, does serve it. As I note below, juicier tomatoes make this even better, as the juice naturally forms the sauce. This dish marries perfectly with white rice, as the juice integrates nicely. For me, the perfect accompaniment to this nostalgia-laced dish would be a bottle of Tsingtao.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 tomatoes (the juicier the better)
• 1/4 medium sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

As with making fried rice, we'll do the eggs first. In a bowl, beat eggs and add sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Heat a little oil in a wok and cook the eggs until the liquid is gone, but they are still soft. As always, avoid overcooking scrambled eggs. Set aside.

Clean the stuck egg bits out of the wok, and add more oil. Slice the onion into strips. Cook on medium-high heat until softened. Once the onions go in, mince the garlic and add to the wok. While this cooks, cut the tomatoes into wedges. I cut 12 wedges out of each one. Once the onions are nice and soft, add the tomato wedges. Cook covered until the tomatoes are heated through. Add sugar and eggs. Mix well, and cook together briefly. Serve with rice.

Beef Ragù

Like many people, I ate a lot of pasta in college. It was quick and required little effort. I could just cook it in an electric water boiler and shovel some jarred sauce onto it. There is no shame in using jarred sauce, and I still do so often, but this kind of slapdash cuisine is no longer satisfying to me. It is not to hard, however, to create a tasty pasta dish just from ingredients you have in your fridge or pantry. That's what I did today with this simple beef ragù. Ragù is simply a meat-based sauce, and can get much more complex than the quick one I present today. Traditional ragù originates from the Italian cities of Naples and Bologna.

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry pasta
• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil
• 1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of paprika
• Parmiggiano-Reggiano
• Olive oil

Instructions

While you are preparing the ragù, you can cook the pasta. Heat a pot of salted water and boil the pasta for about 10 minutes. I used farfalle, but go with your favorite. Once finished, drain, rinse, and set aside.

Dice the onion and finely mince the garlic. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large sauté pan. Cook the onion until softened. Add the beef and garlic and turn heat up to high. Cook until beef is browned. While the beef is cooking, make sure to break up and chunks. Add basil and oregano while beef is cooking, and mix in. Season with salt and pepper also. 

Turn the heat back to medium-high and add both the diced and crushed tomatoes. Stir to integrate and simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika as desired. Now, transfer the ragù into the pot with the pasta, and stir to coat. When serving, grate or crumble Parmiggiano-Reggiano over the pasta. This recipe should make about three servings.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular Indian dishes worldwide, especially in Britain. The origins of the dish are unclear, but one story says it originated in an Indian restaurant in Scotland. Everyone has their own recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala, and I devised my own after some extensive research. What everyone does agree on is the basic construction of the dish - chicken tikka and a tomato cream sauce. Chicken Tikka  is a an Indian dish of marinated chicken pieces roasted in a Tandoori oven. Of course, I don't have one of those, so I substitute my handy broiler.

The chicken tikka by itself is very tasty, and I encourage you to take a bite before submerging it in the sauce. Overall, you'll notice that the flavors are a lot more nuanced than the quick-and-easy chicken curry I did before. This is a dish that is one must nurture, and it is well worth it. In terms of ingredients, this is by far the most sophisticated recipe to appear on No Free Lunch so far. Don't be intimidated, however, by the long list of spices. This is by no means a definitive recipe; go with what you have if you're missing something here or there. That said, the flavors come together beautifully - the acidic citrus from the lemon, the fragrant cinnamon, the spicy cayenne pepper, and all the rest make for a delicious treat.

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka

• 2 split chicken breasts
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 lemon

Tomato Cream Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
  

Cut the bone and skin off the chicken, then cut into small pieces, about an inch a side. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty here, it's messy work. Combine the yogurt, spices, and chicken in a large bowl or Ziploc bag. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Use this time to cook some basmati rice and to get the sauce started. It is worth noting here that due to the shape of the grain, basmati rice only takes about 15 minutes to cook fully.

Once the chicken is done marinating, place the pieces on a sheet pan and shake off excess marinade. Broil until cooked through. Since we cut up the chicken into small pieces, this takes less than 10 minutes. You may want to flip the chicken after a few minutes to cook evenly. The marinade will keep the chicken juicy and tender.

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are softened. Add the spices and stir. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the cream. The sauce will now take on the brownish-orange color we all know and love. Simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, then add the chicken pieces. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Simmer for a few more minutes all together. Serve with basmati rice. A great drink accompaniment is an English dry cider.