Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes

A very quick hot dish, it's full of creamy starchiness. And you only need one stovetop element while making something else to go with. As a main dish, accompany with a pilaf.

3 Tbsps. butter (1½ oz/42gr)

1 small onion, chopped (4oz/115g)

4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (1lb 12oz or 800 grams)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar (4 oz/115g) (Old English very good)

OPTIONAL - 1 - 2 tsps minced herbs (chives or thyme or rosemary)

1. In a sauté pan, fry the onion in butter until they are lightly browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt and milk. 
3. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. Serve at once. 

Creamy Curried Chickpeas

Serves 4 as a main course

(OPTIONAL: Saute ½ onion chopped and 2 cloves chopped garlic for 4 to 5 mins then add ingredients)

1lb/453.6ml canned tomato puree or unseasoned tomato sauce

3 cups (1lb12oz/780g) milk

4 cups (1lb10oz/780g) cooked chickpeas (or 400 to 500g paneer) (OR BOTH, by halving the amount of each)

4 tsps. garam masala

1 tsp paprika or cayenne or Indian red chili powder or both

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1½ tsp garlic powder or 4 tsps. minced ginger and garlic or ginger-garlic paste

4 bay leaves, optional

4 Tbsps. (75g) yogurt 

+ 4 tsp yogurt for garnish drizzle

cilantro, sliced green chilies and lime for garnish

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add all the ingredients and mix really well. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can add more garam masala if you like or some ground cumin and ground coriander for additional flavor.
2. There will be a lot of liquid. Cook down at least 20 minutes, maybe longer. 
3. The sauce will thicken more as it cools so you don’t want it too thick while it’s hot.
4. Serve the butter chickpeas garnished with cilantro, lemon juice, and sliced green chillies or with rice or flatbread, or naan. You can also add a garnish of cream.

Onion, Cheddar and Bacon Pasta

This is more of a cold weather dish, with the warmth of the browned onions and smoky bacon. Wonderfully warming and creamy. 

5 servings 

6 to 8oz bacon, cut into lardons

(reserve ¼ cup bacon fat)

4 medium onions (24oz/680g) thinly sliced

¼ cup white wine

1 lb spaghetti, linguini or fettucine etc.

1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream

6oz shredded Cheddar cheese 

Salt, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until just before it crisps, or until it is of a light golden colour. Remove it from the fat and set aside, keeping about ¼ cup of fat (if there isn't enough fat, add butter). 
2. To the hot bacon fat add the onion to caramelize. To properly caramelize, cook the onions over med-low heat, preferably using a diffuser, stirring often; this can take a half hour+, be patient. It's worth it. 
3. When the onions are of a delicious brown and very soft, the sugars will have stuck to the bottom of the pan creating the fond and a lot of the flavor. Deglazed with the wine. Add as much wine as you need to get that lovely fond moving... (within reason. If you want more white wine, pour some in a glass and drink it).
4. Put the pasta on to boil.
5. Add the cream to the onions and bring to the boiling point. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cheese and the bacon.
6. Pour over the noodles; toss to coat. Test the seasoning and add salt to your liking, a pinch at a time.
7. Serve with a good grind of black pepper.

Pasta with Bacon, Swiss chard and Gruyère

This delicious concoction harbors hidden chunks of crisp bacon that don't make it into every delicious bite, but when they do, they are like little secret savory explosions of crunchy deliciousness.

1lb Swiss chard, leaf separated from stem and sliced, stems sliced thin

2 tsps. vegetable oil

2 oz bacon cut into lardons

3 garlic cloves

½ cup white wine

½ cup heavy cream

2 tsps. chopped fresh sage

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

8 to 12 oz chunky pasta OR spaghettini

3 oz Gruyère, If using Chunky Pasta, cube 1/4"; If using spaghettini, coarsely grate

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook chard stems for about 2 minutes, then add chard leaves and cook an extra minute. To save the water for cooking the pasta, remove the chard with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crispy and rendered; set aside. 
3. Reduce heat to low, add the garlic and cook until just starting to go brown. 
4. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. 
5. Add the heavy cream and sage and simmer for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the salt, pepper and reserved chard; cover and remove from heat. 
7. Return the pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to the skillet. 
8. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce, Gruyère and reserved bacon until the cheese starts to melt. 

Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Crust - enough for 1 crust

2 cups (280g) graham crackers

120 g butter 

2Tbsps sugar

pinch of salt

Cake - batter for 2 cakes

40 oz (1134g) cream cheese

1½ cups white sugar

(OPTIONAL ½ cup cocoa powder)

3 Tbsps. flour

4 tsps. vanilla 

1 tsp packed lemon zest

2 tsps. lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

2 egg yolks

6 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

Topping - enough for 1 cake

7-8 oz (130g) chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup (188g) heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

Crust

1. Melt the butter. Combine the butter with the graham cracker crumbs until you get the texture of wet sand. Firmly press it down into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. It should almost reach the top. I like to use a small measuring cup to pack it in.
2. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.

Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium-low speed until softened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and under the paddle often. The process should take 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and flour and continue to mix on low until blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. One at a time, add the eggs, followed by the yolks.
4. Add the heavy cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined. Don't over mix the batter.
5. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling.
6. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour
7. Cheesecake is done when a 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) ring around the the edge begins to brown and puff up slightly from the pan. The filling should still be pale, rather than golden.
8. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool.
9. After cooling refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours. Overnight is best.

Topping

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. 
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir until smooth.
4. Spread over the cooled cake and allow to set.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

THE BREAD

1½ cups apple sauce, drained in a sieve of extra moisture before measuring (390g)

¼ cup/4Tbsps (2oz/58gr) melted butter 

½ cup sugar (110gr)

½ cup (4.5oz/125gr) Brown Sugar (packed)

2 eggs

1 + ½ tsp ground cinnamon 

1½ cups (7.7oz/220gr) flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp cloves

STREUSEL TOPPING

¼ cup (32g) flour

¼ cup (62g) Brown Sugar (packed)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1½ Tbsps. (23g) melted butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Sieve any extra moisture from the apple sauce before measuring the 1½ cup.
3. Melt the butter and whisk into the apple sauce
4. Add the sugars and then whisk in the eggs.
5. Without stirring, add the flour, cinnamon. salt, baking soda and cloves.
6. With a wooden spoon mix the batter just until combined.
7. Grease a bread pan with butter and pour in the batter.
8. In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and and cinnamon until evenly combined. Rub in the butter.
9. Sprinkle the streusel on top of the batter.
10. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Pierogi Casserole

Totally not pierogi, but close enough to fake it. Super easy although not easy on the number of dishes, but definitely worth it for some carb-y, fatty comfort food. There's no shame in it, and it's so, so good.

4-6 servings

5 potatoes, (2lb8oz/1150g) 
½ cup milk
⅓ cup butter (2.7oz/76gr), melted (#1)
½ tsp salt 
½ tsp pepper 

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#2)
(Optional: ¼ lb bacon, diced)
2 onions (12oz), chopped
9 lasagna noodles 
2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#3)
2 Tbsps. flour
1¼ cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
3 Tbsps. chopped fresh chives

1. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 10-20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and mash with milk and ⅓ cup of butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsps.' of butter to sauté the onion (if using bacon, cut the butter by half and sauté together with the onion), until soft and translucent and starting to caramelize.
3. Meanwhile, boil the water and cook the noodles until just al dente. They cook some more as the dish bakes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour and whisk, until the flour starts to turn golden. Stream in the milk, whisking to avoid lumps.
6. Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish in the following sequence: 
• a single layer of 3 noodles
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• the whole preparation of bechamel
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• ⅓ of the cheese
• onions (and bacon) on top. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Bake, uncovered, in the hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives.