Bavarian Cheese Toast

At the grocery store this morning, I came across a beer called “Schnicklefritz” from Urban Chestnut Brewing Company here in St. Louis, MO. I remember my parents and grandmother calling me that so many times when I was growing up, that I had to buy the beer. Apparently, “Schnicklefritz” is a term of endearment for mischievous or talkative children so, yeah, that was me! Seeing this beer also brought back memories of one of my parent’s favorite snacks—Limburger on rye or pumpernickel bread with shaved red onion. Limburger is not really all that stinky when combined with a milder cheese (I promise) and the flavor is deep and rich. It is also great with beer. Please keep this in mind for Oktoberfest!

Ingredients:

4 slices rye or pumpernickel bread, toasted

Limburger Cheese Spread (recipe follows)

Bavarian Toasted Caraway and Dill Salt (recipe follows)

Red onion, shaved into thin rings

Serve with any combination of:

Dill pickles

Cherry tomatoes

Sliced apples

Grapes

German sausages, cooked and sliced

Directions: Cut each piece of toast into 4 squares. Spread with Limburger Cheese Spread, sprinkle with Bavarian Toasted Caraway and Dill Salt. Place a few shavings of red onion on top.

Limburger Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package Limburger cheese, room temperature

1 (8 ounce) package Neufchâtel or cream cheese, room temperature

Directions:

Place both cheeses in a mixing bowl and combine well with an electric mixer or whisk. That’s it.

Bavarian Toasted Caraway and Dill Salt

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon caraway seed

1 teaspoon dill seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon onion powder

6 Tablespoons kosher salt

Directions:

Add the caraway, dill and celery seeds to a dry skillet and heat to medium low. Cook until just fragrant (about 6 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool and place in a small sealable bag. Crush the seeds lightly with a rolling pin and place in a small container. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. This salt is best if it has a few hours to hang out before use.

St. Louis Baked Mostaccioli

If you have ever attended any family event in St. Louis, I bet you’ve seen the big dish of Mostaccioli on the buffet. We have it at weddings and reunions. We take it to someone’s home when they are ill. Why? Because it’s such a lovely comfort food, is hearty and filling and makes for terrific leftovers.

Ingredients (serves 8 easily):

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage (I like mild or sweet, but feel free to use hot if you prefer)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but it helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)

½ cup red wine, like chianti, or water

1 (one pound) box mostaccioli noodles, cooked according to package directions until they are just shy of al dente

1 ½  cups shredded mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

Directions: Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, breaking up any large pieces. Drain off the fat and add in the onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes or until the garlic and onions are soft and fragrant, but not browned.

Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper and wine or water. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often and tasting-adjust the seasonings as you go.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove the Dutch oven from heat. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce  and gently combine. Pour the mixture out into a 2 ½ or 3 quart baking dish. Top with the mozzarella and then the parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

St. Louis Creamy Italian-Parmesan Salad Dressing

St. Louis is one of the best places to live in the country if you love to eat. We get cultural influences from Italy (the Hill), Germany (the wineries and restaurants of Hermann, Defiance and Augusta), Bosnia, Mexico (there are small yet fabulous Mexican restaurants everywhere) and the Southern US (Sweetie’s Pie’s soul food!). You probably know that we also have our own version of cheese (Provel), we like our ravioli ‘toasted’, we have the best dessert (breakfast) in Gooey Butter Cake. Of course we also have our special thin crust pizza and our own version of BBQ. You may not realize that we also have a regional salad dressing that we adore. It’s a cross between Caesar and Creamy Italian and it goes a little something like this:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 Tablespoon grated onion (with juice)

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons garlic salt

½ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, anchovy paste and onion. Then slowly whisk in the cheese, sugar, garlic salt, table salt and dried oregano. Whisk for several minutes or use an immersion (hand) blender to combine all the ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This should keep in an airtight container for about 5 days but it will never last that long around here.

Mom’s Cheese Soup

One of my most treasured memories is of mom making soup. It always filled the house with warmth, great scents and (most importantly) love. This is not quite how mom made hers but, knowing her love of slightly spicy food, I think she would like the addition of pepper jack cheese.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 stalks (about ¾ cup) celery, diced

½ cup onion, diced

½ cup carrots, diced

½ cup red bell peppers, diced

4 cups (one good chicken broth (or veggie broth)

½   cup pepper jack cheese, shredded or diced

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or diced

1 cup processed American cheese, shredded or diced

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Salt and pepper to taste

A sprig or two of fresh parsley for garnish

Directions: Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add in the celery, onion, carrots and bell peppers and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the veggies are soft but not browned. Add in the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the veggie and broth mixture is simmering, toss the cheeses with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Bring the heat on the soup up to medium high and add the cheese one handful at a time. Once the first handful of cheese melts, add another. Continue until all the cheese is incorporated and melted and the soup has thickened. Serve in bowls, garnished with parsley and with pieces of crusty bread. 

Hot St. Louis Cardinals Dip (AKA: Baked Mozzarella and Marinara Dip)

I’ve been wanting to make this for a few days now. Just a simple, quick and great tasting hot dip for a party or for game day. I love that the colors of this dip are red and white, just like our Redbirds!! If you really want to get your St. Louis on, you might want to try provel cheese in place of some or all of the mozzarella. Just saying. Also, you can skip toasting the bread and just use bread chunks, pita chips, bread sticks, whatever.

Ingredients:

1 (1/2 to 1 pound) loaf unsliced Italian bread, cubed into 2 inch chunks
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups prepared marinara
8 ounces fresh (or aged-you choose) mozzarella, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bread cubes on it. Toss with the olive oil and bake 5 minutes. Toss the bread cubes and toast another 5 or so minutes. You want them just lightly toasted, but still soft in the middle.

Next, turn the oven up to 350 degrees F. Spray a small casserole dish (mine is a shallow, 1.3 quart dish) with cooking spray. Place the dish on a baking sheet to prevent spillovers. Ladle in the marinara and then top with mozzarella, letting some of the marinara show through. Toss together the parmesan and garlic salt and sprinkle over the top. Bake on the top rack of your oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and browning on top.

Serve hot with bread cubes.

Pasta Con Broccoli

St. Louis is really just a big smorgasbord. We have wonderful traditions in barbecue, our own style of pizza, a strong German presence, our own kind of cheese, Sweetie Pie’s for soul food and then we have The Hill—the most remarkable Italian town you would ever want to visit. Pasta con Broccoli is one of our favorite Italian dishes and, just like everything else here, everyone does theirs a different way. Here’s my take:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons kosher salt
8 ounces (1/2 package) of large or medium shell pasta
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½  cups thinly sliced white button mushrooms
1 ½ cups fat free half and half (or regular, or cream, whatever you want here)
½ cup marinara sauce (jarred or home made)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the salt and pasta. Cook until about halfway done, say 5 minutes or so and add the chopped broccoli. Continue cooking until the broccoli is bright green and still crisp and the pasta is done (another 4 to 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and the mushrooms. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes until the mushrooms are done and the garlic is fragrant but not browned. Add in the half and half and the tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and toss into the sauce. Add in the parmesan and then adjust the salt and pepper, toss once more and serve.

St. Louis Style Barbecued Pork Steaks

There are as many ways to barbecue pork steaks in St. Louis as there are people who enjoy barbecue. The great thing is, no one’s is ‘the original’ or ‘the best’; we love them all the same. My mom and dad worked in tandem to do the pork steaks at our house. Mom would prep the meat and sauces, Dad staffed the grill. All of us kids loved having our turn to flip, baste or sauce because a piece of the pork steak might ‘accidently’ come off and go into our mouths. Try this with Fast and Easy Coleslaw and Mom’s Garlic Biscuits and you’ve got a terrific meal.

Ingredients:

2 handfuls hickory chips

Baste:

2 teaspoons bacon grease or canola oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 can beer
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Meat:

6 pork steaks (if you can’t get pork steaks where you are, get a 4 or 5 pound pork shoulder (butt) and slice it lengthwise into steaks)
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 bottle Maull’s barbecue sauce (that’s straight up St. Louis, but you can use anything that you like)
½ can of beer

Directions:

First, put the hickory chips in a container and just cover with water. Let them soak for an hour or so before you start the charcoal fire.

Make the baste by heating the bacon grease or oil in a saucepan on low heat and sweating the onions in it. Add the beer and Worcestershire and let simmer for 30 minutes or so. Keep warm until ready to use.

Prep the meat by lining a baking sheet or 13 x 9 cake pan with foil. Lay out the pork steaks and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Get a charcoal fire going by lighting about 25 briquettes. Let the coals completely ash over. Spread out the charcoal to make one side with a lot of coals and one with less (this will be your ‘hot’ side and your ‘cooler’ side. Throw on a handful of drained hickory chips over the hot coals and put the grill on. Lay the meat evenly over the grill. Cover the grill and cook (flipping once halfway through) for about 10 minutes. Start basting every 10 minutes and cook until the meat is done (about 2 hours). During cooking, add the second handful of hickory chips about 1 hour in. You may also want to add a few more coals-up to you. Keep moving your steaks from the hotter portion of the grill to the cooler side if they appear to be getting too dark brown on the edges.

Make the sauce while the pork steaks are cooking by bringing the bbq sauce and beer to a low simmer and holding it until you are ready to use. Then, just slap on some sauce over the pork steaks. Turn and sauce the pork steaks every ten minutes or so until the outside is caramelized.

Remove the foil lining from your baking sheet/cake pan and pile the steaks in there.

If you need to hold the pork steaks for any reason (late guests???) Just cover with any extra sauce and put clean foil on top, sealing around the edges and keep the steaks warm either on the cool side of the grill or in a 225 degree oven until you are ready to eat.

Toasted Portobello Strips with Parmesan/Horseradish Sauce

I had really forgotten how good mushrooms can be! If you are wondering why there are so many posts this week, let me just say that, with 13. 5 inches of snow, this is my way of beating cabin fever!

Ingredients:

For the Portobello strips:

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup flour

½ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup milk

8 ounces sliced Portobello mushrooms

For the sauce:

¾ cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine)

2 Tablespoons grated parmesan, plus extra for garnishing

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Maybe a little parsley (fresh or dried) for garnishing

Directions: Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Get out two wide shallow bowls. In the first bowl, mix the flour , salt and seasoned bread crumbs and stir until mixed. In the next bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dip the mushroom slices first egg mixture and then into flour mixture. Cook in batches until golden on each side, about 3 minutes per side (Note: you want to adjust your time according to how big and fat your mushroom strips are. Mine were chubby). Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all ingredients. Let stand at room temp until the Portobello strips are done. Garnish the portobellos and serve the strips nice and warm!

Toasted Ravioli

Who knew there was a national ravioli day? Personally, I don’t need a special day to have St. Louis’ favorite-Toasted Ravioli! Here, we have them frozen, in restaurants and get them delivered from every pizza place in town. If you can’t get here, here’s a close approximation. Note: In St. Louis, ‘toasted’ means ‘fried’.

Ingredients:

3 quarts water

2 Tablespoons salt

1 (17 ounce) bag frozen ravioli (meat or cheese)

1 cup canola oil

1 cup liquid egg whites

1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 cup prepared marinara, warmed through

¼ cup grated parmesan

Directions: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the salt. Drop in the frozen ravioli and stir gently to separate. Boil for 4 minutes.

While the ravioli are boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Place the egg whites and the bread crumbs into two separate, wide, shallow bowls.

Gently drain the ravioli into a colander. Working in batches, place the ravioli in the egg whites and then into the bread crumbs and turn to coat. Place the ravioli in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Place the marinara in a bowl and add in some of the parmesan. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over the ravioli.

Liptauer Kase-St. Louis Baden Neighborhood Style

Baden is a German influenced area in St. Louis and, for many years, a street festival called “Badenfest” was held there. I know there are tons of stories about the history/origin/ingredients and methods for making Liptauer, but here’s how we did it in the old neighborhood. Oh, and please give a shout out if you remember Streit’s Meat Market on Broadway!

Ingredients:

12 ounces cottage cheese

3 ounces butter, well softened (a little less than half a stick)

1 Tablespoon sour cream

2 Tablespoons onion, minced

1-2 teaspoons caraway salt (if you are watching your salt, just use some lightly crushed caraway seeds)

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

A sprinkle of paprika to make the top look pretty

To Serve:

Bread, toast, rye crackers, celery, carrots and/or radishes for serving

Directions: Line a strainer with a clean coffee filter. Add the cottage cheese and drain for about half an hour. Discard the liquid from the cheese and place the cheese in a bowl. Add the butter and blend with a stick blender or just use a fork to get it is well combined (a food processor works here, too). Add the rest of the ingredients for the spread (using just 1 teaspoon of caraway salt at first to see how much more you want to add) and mix until well incorporated. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Goes great with beer, by the way.

Get creative on me: Add paprika, capers, anchovies, and/or beer to the mix. Some people even add garlic or mustard. Whatever tastes good to you works for me!

Diet version: Skip the butter, use non-fat cottage cheese and sour cream. It still works!