Arancini Pork Casserole

This is a less healthy variant of https://www.skinnytaste.com/sicilian-rice-ball-casserole/ 

Ingredients:
1 Qt Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

1/2 Medium Red Onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 Cauliflower

2 Cups uncooked Jasmati Rice

1 Qt Homemade Low Salt Vegetable Broth

3/4 lbs Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese grated

1/2 cup Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs

5 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 lb Ground Pork

* Olive Oil

* Cooking Spray

* Salt

* Black pepper

* Garlic Powder

* Dry Basil

Tools:

13x9 Oven safe casserole dish

Small oven safe dish (for roasting cauliflower)

Large skillet for pork

2 qt saucepan 

Preparation: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small oven save dish, add olive oil, cauliflower, salt and pepper. Put in the oven and roast until it has started to brown. 

In a 2 qt saucepan bring vegetable broth with salt to a boil. Add 2 cups of jasmati rice, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dice onion and mince garlic, add to skillet with salt & pepper. While cooking, flatten out pork and season with salt, pepper, garlic and basil and fold into the ends over. Once the onion/garlic mix has become fragrant and starts to become translucent, spread to the outside of the skillet and add pork breaking up as it browns on one side. Once cooked through and broken up into small pieces (think taco meat) add enough sauce to mix through but not cover the pork. Cover with a lid leaving partially open and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, egg, egg white, and cooked rice with about 1 pint of sauce. Mix thoroughly until well incorporated and set aside. 

Prepare oven safe casserole dish by spraying all sides and adding 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, spreading around until all sides of the dish are coated in breadcrumb. Add a 1/2" layer of the rice mixture, cover with pork combined with chopped cauliflower.  Add 1/4 lb of grated mozzarella then cover with another 1/2" layer of rice mixture. 

Top with remaining 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and remaining mozzarella cheese. 

Bake in oven for 30 - 45 minutes until breadcrumbs have toasted and cheese has melted with a good crust. 

Serving: 

Remove from oven and serve in squares as you would lasagna. 

Handmade Raviolis

Ingredients: 
2 Cups Flour
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 Cup of baby spinach (optional)

1/2 Cup of Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese 

*Extra Flour for dusting
* Sea Salt
* Cornmeal - this is used only to keep pasta from sticking together 

Best if using: KitchenAid Pasta Roller And Cutter - KPRA (Google Affiliate Ad)


Preparation:
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the flour and egg. Keep the mixer going until all flour has been incorporated and dough has a firm texture (not sticky).[If making the spinach dough, chop spinach finely and add to the dough mixture as it is kneading].  Add flour if necessary to smooth out. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 - 2 hours. 

Using a pasta roller attachment on the stand mixer, start rolling dough until you have a long sheet. For reference on how best to roll out pasta dough, see this previous article:Rolling Pasta Dough. Once the dough thins (use flour if necessary to avoid sticking) begin reducing the roller thickness from 1 - 5. Hang sheets on a drying rack but do not allow them to dry out as we will need them to be moist. 

Use a food processor/blender to shred mozzarella cheese into tiny pieces. Mix mozzarella and ricotta together in another bowl.  Spoon this mixture into a ziploc bag and cut the corner off (leaving about a 1/2 - 3/4" hole in the bag. 

Keep a small bowl handy with some water to help seal the pasta together. Lay one sheet of dough down, using the ziploc bag with the filling, squeeze a small dollop approximately every 1 - 1 1/2 inches lengthwise and if you can fit 2 across with a 1/4 - 3/8" border, do so otherwise only use 1 row to start. Once all filling is down, use your finger in the water and outline (square) around each dollop of filling.  Press another sheet of dough over and apply pressure specifically over the seams that were just moistened. Using a pizza cutter (or ravioli stamp) cut out around each ravioli. 

Allow raviolis to sit before cooking on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal. If they will not be cooked right away, ensure that the container they are put in has a fair amount of cornmeal and parchment paper and freeze. 

Boil salted water (should taste like the sea) and cook raviolis until they float.  They will rise up quickly, let them cook for about another minute once they float to the surface. 

Serving:
If making a spinach dough, this goes well with: Alfredo Sauce
If making a non-spinach dough, this goes well with: Joe's Homemade pasta sauce

Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is based on a healthier alternative than frying the eggplant by using a stoneware pan and the broiler. 

Ingredients: 
1 Whole eggplant
1 pint of egg beaters
1 cup of whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
12 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
2 cups of Joe's Homemade Pasta Sauce

* Olive Oil to be sprayed on the eggplant

Preparation:
Peel the eggplant and slice 1/8 to 1/4" thick (can do either rounds or lengthwise).  In one shallow dish, empty entire carton of egg beaters. In another dish, mix together both breadcrumbs.  Dip the eggplant slices in the egg then pat well in the breadcrumbs to ensure complete coating. 

Heat broiler on high. Using a stoneware pan, spray with olive oil and place down one layer of the breaded eggplant.  Spray the top and place in the broiler for about 3 - 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from broiler and flip over and cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes. You can cook about 4 - 6 slices at a time. 

Spray a baking dish with a light coating of olive oil. Ensure all of the cheese is shredded and begin layering: 

Eggplant > Sauce > Cheese > Eggplant ...

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 15  - 20 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Serving:
Serve by cutting into 4" x 4" squares. 

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients: 
28 g Whole Wheat seasoned Breadcrumbs
1/2 pint of Egg Beaters
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 pcs boneless skinless chicken 
1/4 cup of Joe Homemade Pasta Sauce
1 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

* Dry Italian Seasoning - crushed in a mortar and pestle
Preparation:
Pour egg beaters into a shallow dish and spread breadcrumbs in another.  Dip chicken in egg then coat thoroughly in breadcrumbs. 

Place olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium high heat and pan fry the chicken until golden browned. It is recommended to use an oven safe skillet for this. Flip ensuring both sides are adequately crisped and remove from heat. Cover each piece with a layer of pasta sauce and coat in cheese.  Sprinkle top with crushed seasoning. 

Place entire skillet in the oven for approximately 5 - 7 minutes or until cheese melts. 

Serving:
It is recommended to serve this along side garlic bread and pasta.