Bread stuffed with meat

The hubby has been under the weather lately, and I asked him if there was anything that would make him feel better for dinner. And he wanted bread stuffed with things.

He loves bread stuffed with things, and it's a good way to sneak vegetables into him. It doesn't quite work with the kids yet, as they are suspicious of any dish that wants to hide in bread. But since I like calzones or meaty pastries myself, I do make them every now and then; the kids will eat calzones if I cut them into little pieces and give them some pizza sauce to dip it in; for other dishes, I just serve them the filling separately.

So, how do I have the time to make meaty pastries? Well, they are on the time-consuming side, but not too bad if you use frozen bread dough. (There's no way I would try to make my own bread; my husband went through a phase when he was doing it, and although the results were tasty, they just weren't worth the effort; don't tell me that it's easy, I am just not the kind of person that has the inclination or time to make my own bread, as lovely a pasttime as it may be).

I don't know when I first found out about frozen bread dough. It wasn't something my mother ever used, and when I was single, I had no real desire to work with dough. But now that I have discovered it, and all the delightful bready dinners it can yield, I am hooked.

So, they usually sell bags of five one-pound loaves. Usually, one loaf will feed the family, but while I am at it, I go ahead and thaw two and make a big batch of whatever I am making.

Tonight I made Bierox, a German meat-and-cabbage-stuffed pastry that my husband goes nuts over, and that I am partial to myself. I monkeyed around to make my own recipe, so I doubt it's authentic--it just tastes good to me.

So, recipe:

2 lbs frozen bread dough (two loaves)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Basil

First, in the morning, take out two dough loaves, wrap them in foil, and put them in the fridge to thaw. They will still be a little frozen in the evening, but the dough is actually a little easier to work with when it is cold and firm.

Then, when you have the time (sometimes I do this the night before), make the filling. Put the beef in a large skillet (I use my big cast-iron pan) and cook the beef. When the beef is starting to brown, add the onions and spices; after two more minutes, add the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is wilted.

Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350. Cut each loaf into four sections, and roll each into a circular shape, no more than 6 inches in diameter. Put approximately a cup of filling in the middle, and the fold the edges into the middle. Pinch and knead the edges of the dough together so you have a good, tight seal that won't burst open in the oven. Place them on the cookie sheet, and then cook them for 20-25 minutes.

We eat about half for dinner the first night, and then they are good for lunches during the rest of the week. Really good.

As I said before, calzones are also popular. I don't make the super-gooey calzones you get at restaurants; you can actually cut down on the fat, sodium and calories considerably by using ricotta cheese--and in my opinion, you don't lose out that much on flavor.

I take sixteen ounces ricotta, mix in a tablespoon of basil, and sometimes a cup or so of mozarella (to give it a bit of gooey, but you don't have to). And then, go crazy. Olives, broccoli, pepperoni, tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers--whatever your family likes on their pizza. Then, like with the Bierox, roll out some of the dough, daub a 1/2 to a cup of filling in each one, and fold. I fold calzones in the customary semi-circle shape. To do this, put the filling slightly off center, and then take the edge of the dough CLOSER to the filling and fold it over (this helps stretch the dough out a bit and compress the filling). I then take a fork and press it along the edges to get a good seal. Again, cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes, and then serve with pasta sauce.

If anyopne else has good bread-based recipes, share them! I am always looking.

Salads!

This is the song that my husband sings when I make salads for dinner:



But I have a thick skin. And the fact is, even though he is not a fan of rabbit food, I am able to quite frequently make salads that he happily easts.

I think entree salads as a family meal is under--rated. They are perfect for a picky family, because it is very easy to customize each one. My oldest, for example, will not eat regular cut tomatoes, but will gobble up grape tomatoes. She will also only eat orange cheese, whereas sometimes I want a little mozarella or even feta (which my husband isn't wild about). It is almost no extra effort to mix and match, especially if you are starting with a bag salad mix (which I almost always do).

And on those bags: it's obviously the first and most principal ingredient in a salad. I don't waste my time with iceberg, as it is nutritionally pretty empty. Opt instead for romaine, and your kids will get their daily dose of Vitamin A. Better yet, choose one of those 'veggie lover' mixes that has shredded carrots, cabbage, and sliced radishes, and you've already got a pretty healthy meal before you put anything on top of it.

We're all used to standard salad fare, but be creative with the veggies you add. You can stray far afield for fruits and veggies on a salad. My children loved canned mandarin oranges. Avocados are also a wonderful addition. Chopped zucchini, apples, walnuts...anything that you like, is on season, and on sale, just chop it up, through it on some greens and you have dinners.

Of course, most of my entree salads have meat--usually chicken or bacon. If I'm not being super healthy, I will cook up some frozen popcorn chicken and serve that over the salad (it has green stuff under it, so the fried chicken is healthy, right?) Shredded rotisserie also works. My family gets very excited if I make a spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs and real bacon (the trick really is the real bacon).

Another important part of the salad, of course, is the dressing. I personally love that sesame-ginger stuff that they serve at Japanese restaurants. But everyone can have there own--and it doesn't always have to come from the dressing section. Depending on the other ingredients, salsa can be a great alternative to dressing for a salad. So can barbecue sauce.

So, my husband's Simpsons song notwithstanding, I serve my family salad, and I like doing it. And now, my 4-year-old has gotten used enough to eating salad that she sometimes requests 'green stuff' for her school lunch. It warms my cockles.