Amanda Major's Recipes

Gorgonzola Pasta
1 lb. Gorgonzola cheese (2 cups)
¼ cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 package Ziti or Penne pasta

On very low heat, melt butter with cheese. Using a wooden spoon, press the cheese to melt it quickly. DO NOT BOIL. Add cream and spices. Keep warm and add cooked pasta and toss together. Serve hot with parmesan cheese.



No-Knead Bread
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 ¾ tsp. salt
Cornmeal as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add 1 ½ to 1 5/8 cups water (here in Wisconsin, I usually need to use close to 2 cups), and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 72 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a thin cotton towel or cheesecloth (not terry cloth) with cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 2 ½ quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Lift the bread with the towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is ok. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake another 5-8 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yields one 1 ½ pound loaf.



Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. Jimmy Dean’s ground sausage
1 lb. ground chuck
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 medium yellow onion, chopped

Brown meat and drain excess fat. Add chopped onions and minced garlic, then add:

1 – 2 lb. can tomatoes (either diced or stewed and blend in a blender)
1 – 12 oz. can tomato paste
1 – 12 oz. can water
1 Bay leaf
¼ tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
¼ pepper
1 ½ tsp. basil
1 ½ tsp. oregano
4 T. sugar
½ cup Red cooking wine

It’s best if you can let it simmer after adding all the ingredients for about an hour.



Tortilla Soup
4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed (I like to BBQ)
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic
1 – 10 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 – 10 oz. can tomatoes with chilies
1 – 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 – 2 cups frozen corn
1 can chicken broth and 1 can of water
2 cans beef broth

To add:
5 oz.-roasted red peppers
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. chili powder
1 – 2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. Worchester sauce
Dash of hot sauce (Tabasco or Tapatillo)

Toppings:
Cubed avocado
Monterey Jack cheese
Limes
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips - crushed
Finely chopped cilantro