Rice Timbale, Salmon Wellington, Fried Squash, Banana Pudding

Sausage & Rice Timbale

This is a sort of simplified version of the Sartu di Riso recipe by Gina de Laurentis that I replicated and wrote about last year. 

I made this Timbale for our friend Doris who just returned home from several weeks of rehab after a bad fall; and a second one for another foodie friend recovering from surgery. This version uses a springform pan rather than a bundt cake pan, making it a lot easier to un-mold!

This is actually pretty simple and straightforward – make some rice. Make a meat & veg filling. Line the pan with a 1/2” layer of rice miture. Put the filling in the pan and cover with more rice. Bake, unmold and serve.

3 cups Arborio or Jasmine Rice (do not use long grain rice, you want short grain sticky rice here)

1 Onion, chopped

1 cup frozen Green Peas, thawed

1 lb bulk Italian sausage, Hot or Mild, your choice

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3-4 large Beefsteak tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup Breadcrumbs (if using Panko, crush it a bit finer)

4 large Eggs

1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green can is just right)

Cook the rice in your usual manner (I use a rice cooker). Spread the cooked rice on a baking sheet to cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack.

To a large skillet over medium-high heat add a splash of EVOO, and the onion and cook until soft. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the seasoning, garlic and tomatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it starts to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add the peas. Add a couple tablespoons of Panko, if needed, to soak up excess liquid.

Meanwhile, grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with butter. Coat the pan with the breadcrumbs, tapping to remove any excess. Put the eggs and cheese in a small bowl and beat with a fork. Put the cooled rice in a large bowl; add the egg mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer about two-thirds of the rice mixture to the prepared springform pan. Using moist fingers and a rice paddle or spatula, pat the rice onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a 1/2-inch-thick layer.

Spoon the sausage filling into the packed rice shell, filling it to 1/2 inch from the top of the pan, and smooth it out. Spread and pack the remaining rice mixture on top to totally enclose the filling.

Put the pan on the hot baking sheet and bake until golden, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool, 5 minutes.

Run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the timbale, then remove the side of the pan. Slide a spatula under the timbale and transfer it to a platter, to serve. Slice into wedges and serve. 

 Can be eaten at room temperature, but it's better warmed up. Some people serve this with a side of a good marinara sauce.

Fried Yellow Squash

Boy! Talk about a trip down memory lane... I don't think I've had this dish in 50 years or more. That first taste brought back a real rush of childhood memories. My Mom always made these with the big, warty crook-neck yellow squash, but you don't see them any more – or at least no place I've lived in the last 50 years.

What we used to see

What we see today

 Simple recipe, the essence of summer cooking for me. A batch of fried squash, a couple ears of corn, and a pork chop – Good Eats in 1960s Northern Ohio!

Squash cut into 1/4” thick rounds

Flour – seasoned with blak pepper and a bit of paprika – divided in two dredging bowls

Oil for frying

1-2 Eggs, beaten, for dredging

Dredge squash rounds in flour, then egg, then flour again, and lay them out in the hot oil to fry! Fry and turn until both sides are GB&D! Sprinkle with a bit of Kosher salt and serve piping hot!

Salmon Wellingtons

Instead of one large Wellington, I made three individual ones for yesterday's Sunday Brunch.

3-4 pieces Wild Caught Salmon, 5oz each

2 sheets Puff Pastry

1 box frozen chopped, cooked Spinach

4 oz sliced Mushrooms

1 Egg, beaten, for egg wash

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Saute the mushrooms in a bit of butter. Skin the salmon pieces. Thaw the spinach, rinse and drain. Squeeze every drop of water out of the spinach that you possibly can. Thaw the puff pastry sheet and roll out the seams. Cut each sheet in half.

Lay down a bit of bench flour and roll out a half sheet of puff pastry so it's large enough to cover one of the salmon pieces. Top the salmon with a handful of spinach and some mushrooms.

Egg wash the edges, and fold the pastry over to totally enclose the salmon and toppings. Lay the packet seam side down on a baking sheet. Prick the top with a knife to allow steam to escape uring baking. Repeat with the other pieces of fish and toppings. 

 Since I was serving 3 dinners, I used the 4^th piece of pastry, a handful of raspberries and some diced mango, to make a quick-and-dirty fruit pie for later!

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and delicious.

Banana Pudding

This simple version of a southern classic dessert is basically a kind of trifle. We've been getting a LOT of bananas from the SWFL Produce Co-Op, so it seemed like a good thing to make. You could do this with any of the vanilla flavored pudding mixes, but we like the taste of Bird's brand Custard which is an English product that can be found in your mega-mart's Ethnic section. A little goes a looooonnnggg way – 2 tablespoons of custard powder to a pint of milk!

4-6 large Bananas – ripe, but no over-ripe are best, IMHO

1 Box Nabisco brand Nilla Wafers tm (reserve 6-10 cookies for topping)

2 pints of Custard (4 Tbsp Bird's powder, 4 cups milk, follow package directions)

Real or fake Whipped Cream if desired

Sally wants you to know that she made the custard while I sliced bananas and arranged the layers in the bowl!

Spread a couple tablespoons of pudding around the bottom of your dish; then lay down a layer of the cookies. Top that with a layer of banana coins, and then a layer of pudding. Rinse and repeat with the available ingredients, finishing with pudding on the top.

Crumble the reserved cookies into powder and sprinkle it across the top pudding. 

Chill for 3 hours or so before serving. Top with whipped cream if desired, although I think that that is overkill!