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Krustai, also called Zagarėliai in Lithuanian (known as Chrusciki in Polish…and sometimes called Angel Wings), are basically strips of fried dough, sprinkled with powdered sugar. What makes them different than your basic funnel cake is that the recipe uses egg yolks to make the batter richer. They’re simple and absolutely delicious, especially if they’re served with homemade applesauce, the way my mom used to serve them to my daughter. (The recipe for that is at the bottom of this blog.)

 

 

The traditional recipe my mom and grandmother used for years featured vegetable shortening–good old Crisco–so I still use that, considering how rarely I make them. (It’s the only time I still use it!) But you can also fry them with the oil of your choice.

 

 

This recipe can be made gluten-free if you use your favorite one-to-one gluten-free flour. (I like King Arthur.) The dough has less elasticity (as all GF dough does) and they’re crumblier than regular Krustai after frying, but the taste is still delicious!

 

 

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt

8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sour cream
vegetable shortening (the 3 lb. can)

Combine the powdered sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Set it aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add about 1 1/2 cups of the flour, then add the sour cream. Add flour again, a 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until the dough forms. (You may need more or less than the 3 cups listed.) The dough should be soft, but not too sticky.

Move the dough to a clean work surface, dusting it with flour. Knead the dough a bit, adding flour to prevent it from getting too sticky. Cut the dough into several pieces to make it easier to work with.

 

 

The original recipe said to roll the dough out to about 1/8″ thick, and I have a rolling pin that can be set in increments. I found that 1/8″ of an inch, although absolutely delicious, was thicker than my mom’s recipe. So it’s up to you if you want to go thinner with the dough.

 

 

Once you’ve rolled the dough out into a sheet, cut it into 4-inch long, 1-inch wide pieces with a sharp knife or a pastry wheel. (I used a pizza cutter.) Traditionally, you make a slit in the center of each strip, and slip one end of the dough through the slit to get the desired “angel wing” form. I made a few of them that way, and then decided to leave the rest of them the way they are. (The gluten-free dough has much less elasticity than wheat dough.) Again, up to you.

 

 

Re-roll any unused dough scraps and add them to the next batch of dough.

 

 

In a sturdy pot, melt about 2/3’s of the can of vegetable shortening. Most vegetable shortening has a smoke point of about 360°, so I don’t let it get past 350°. Keep an eye on it, and use a thermometer! You don’t want the shortening to burn.

Once the shortening reaches about 325°, drop one piece of dough in the oil to see how it’s frying. If it immediately rises to the surface and sizzles, the fat is ready for frying.

 

 

I use 2 forks to flip the pastry once it gets golden brown on one side. Once the oil temperature is right, the frying process goes quickly so keep an eye on your Krustai and don’t let them burn!

 

 

I like to place the fried Krustai on a metal rack for a few minutes to drain the oil, before transferring them over to a plate.

 

 

Once they’ve had a moment to drip off excess oil and to cool a bit, dust the Krustai with the cinnamon sugar.

 

The Krustai are delicious just like this, but serving them with applesauce is a special treat. My daughter was lucky enough to get to know her grandmother, and one of the last things my mom ever cooked for her was Krustai with homemade applesauce. Her recipe was simple…

 

6 to 8 organic apples, different varieties
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup water

My mom always used a variety of apples. Some cook down more rapidly, other stay chunky. Others are sweet. Others, like Granny Smiths, are tart. Whatever the choices, use organic apples to avoid pesticides. (Apples are some of the most heavily sprayed fruits you can buy.)

Peel and core the apples, cutting them into 1/2″ cubes. Combine them with the other ingredients in a large saucepan, and put it over medium heat.

 

 

Cook the apples down to the consistency you like. (I like it chunky.) You might need to add a little more water. Store the applesauce in a sealed mason jar in the fridge.

 

My daughter wanted something special for breakfast a few Saturdays ago, and she brought a ready-to-mix box of Belgian waffle mix out of the cupboard. I read the instructions, and it required using the entire box, which made 10 gigantic waffles…way too much for us to eat in one sitting!

 

I figured there had to be a homemade Belgian waffle recipe somewhere online, and using ingredients I already had at home. The Food Network’s Alton Brown is usually my go-to source for recipes like this, and sure enough, he had a waffle recipe. But it used buttermilk and whole wheat pastry flour, neither of which I had in my pantry or fridge. Alton’s recipe would have to wait for another day.

I finally found one that used regular milk instead of buttermilk. I combined organic all-purpose flour with organic whole wheat flour; I like the richness in flavor whole wheat flour brings.

I try to always use organic unbleached flours, because wheat is another one of those crops that gets blasted with pesticides and chemicals in both growing and processing.

 

 

*Separating eggs*
I like to take 2 small bowls and place them on the counter. I take an egg and crack it on a flat surface, which reduces the chance of a shell fragment getting into the egg. Going back and forth between eggshell halves, the yolk stays in the shell while the whites drip down into one of the bowls. The clean yolk goes in the other bowl. Repeat with the other egg.

It’s important to remember that you CAN have a little egg white with your yolk. It won’t hurt anything. BUT…you can NOT have any yolk with your egg whites! The whites will not whip up if there’s even the tiniest bit of yolk in them!

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 large eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat the waffle iron, spraying it with cooking spray. (I like to use a high-smoking point oil like avocado oil.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and wheat flour, the sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.

Carefully separate the eggs whites from the yolks, placing the yolks in a bowl with the milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.

Place the egg whites in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. (I don’t have a hand mixer, so I used my stand mixer for this job.)

 

Add the yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Next, fold the egg whites carefully into the bowl. You should have a beautiful, light airy batter, that has a wonderful cinnamon fragrance.

 

 

Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron (according to your iron’s directions.)

 

 

Serve the waffles immediately with butter, syrup, fruit, whipped cream, or anything else you love!

I didn’t mean to cheat…honest. But I wasn’t thinking when I bought my corn in the supermarket, and I bought ears that were already shucked. Classically, Mexican street corn is made by throwing unshucked ears of corn on the grill to cook them. So I improvised.

 

I took the shucked ears of corn, placed them in a pot of cold water, and brought it to a boil. I boiled the corn for just 2 minutes, removing them from the water at that point.

 

 

I lit a grill. But you can also put them under a broiler, keeping an eye on them as they cook, rolling them back and forth so that they would have a nice char on them but wouldn’t burn. When I liked the color of the corn, I brought the ears inside and added the remaining ingredients, which can be prepared ahead of time.

 

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Combine these ingredients in a bowl and place it in the fridge until it’s ready to use.

Cotija cheese, crumbled
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

 

Once the corn comes off the grill, brush on the mayo/sour cream mixture all over the corn. Traditionally, chili powder is sprinkled on, but I prefer the Tony Chachere’s. Sprinkle the cotija cheese on top, and garnish with a little cilantro.

Even if it’s too cold to grill outside, a nice barbecue sauce can make you feel like it’s summer!

I’ve probably got a dozen really great barbecue sauce recipes. But these days, it seems I’m always gravitating toward this one. It’s sharp and vinegar-based so it has that acidic kick, and goes great with beef and chicken, but especially pork.

I’ve used this sauce when making tacos with ground beef, pulled pork, ribs, and grilled chicken, as well as a whole roasted bird. Lip-smackin’ good!

 

Let’s make it…

 

2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons white vinegar
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion

 

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until until the flavors have blended and it has thickened a bit–about 20 minutes.

If you store it in an airtight container in the fridge, it will keep for weeks.

 

This was an interesting choice by my daughter for Christmas dinner, but it came out great! It’s definitely not diet food, however, as you’ll see. We cooked up some twice-baked potatoes and stir-fried broccoli to serve on the side.

Lingonberry jam can be found at better supermarkets or you can easily buy it online.

Using gluten-free breadcrumbs and GF soy sauce are the only changes you need to make this dish GF-friendly. (See bottom of blog.)

For the meatballs…

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 eggs (whisked, in a bowl)
2 tablespoons beef stock
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb ground beef (preferably grass-fed)
1 lb ground pork (preferably pastured)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
more unsalted butter and oil for frying

 

In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, half-and-half, eggs, and beef stock. Set it aside.

Fry the onion in some butter and then add it to the breadcrumb mixture.

Place the ground beef and pork in a large bowl, and add the salt and pepper to it. Add the contents of the breadcrumb and onion mixture, and mix everything together gently with your hands.

In the pan you fried the onions, add more butter and a little oil, and heat it to medium.

Roll the ground meat into meatballs, adding them to the pan. (If the meat mixture is mushy, just add more breadcrumbs until you get a consistency you can work with.) The meatballs might be sticky, so wet your hands every once in a while to make your job easier.

Fry the meatballs until they’re golden brown and cooked through completely, then remove them from the pan and set them aside.

For the sauce…

2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups beef stock
3 teaspoons soy sauce
2 oz unsalted butter
4 tablespoons lingonberry jam

In a bowl, whisk together the cream and the corn starch. Then add the beef stock and soy sauce, mixing well. Pour this into the pan you cooked the meatballs, and bring up to medium heat. Let it boil for a couple of minutes, to activate the corn starch, which will thicken the sauce.

Reduce the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and the lingonberry jam. Stir it all together, then add the meatballs back to the pan. Let them cook for a few minutes, basting them in the sauce.

Serve with potatoes and more lingonberry jam, if you like.

Gluten-free note: As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I have family members that are gluten-sensitive, so I only use gluten-free soy sauce. It’s easy to find in any supermarket and there’s no difference in taste. The brand I buy is La Choy.
And the best gluten-free breadcrumbs are ones that I make myself. I buy a loaf of Udi’s frozen GF bread and toast it. Then I place the toasted slices in my food processor. No one can tell the difference from breadcrumbs with gluten!

There are a handful of Italian dishes that can be considered classics. They don’t require dozens of ingredients…just a few quality ingredients prepared in a particular way. We all know their names: Pasta alla Carbonara…Fettuccini Alfredo…and Cacio e Pepe.

 

 

Carbonara requires pasta, guanciale, egg yolks, black pepper and a hard cheese (Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano). Alfredo: just  pasta, butter, cream and cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano). And Cacio e Pepe: pasta, black pepper, cheese (Pecorino Romano), and a little pasta water. Simple, but simple requires the best quality ingredients and the right method of preparation.

 

 

1 lb. spaghetti
4 teaspoons roughly ground black peppercorns
7 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated

 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until it just about reaches the al dente stage.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a dry pan and dry fry the roughly ground peppercorns until they start to release their aroma.

 

 

Add a ladle of the pasta water to the pan with the peppercorns.

 

 

When the pasta is ready, move it to the pan with the peppercorns, saving the pasta water.

 

 

Mix the pasta and peppercorns together, and then slowly start adding the grated cheese, stirring constantly. Keep adding the cheese until you use it all. If the pasta is too dry, add more pasta water. You want the cheese and pasta water to blend to make a beautiful, creamy sauce.

 

 

When you’ve achieved ultimate creaminess, it’s ready to serve!

 

Baked ziti, lasagna, and baked ravioli are all “cousins” …slightly different versions of basically the same dish. Yet each one is unique, and it’s fun to change them up when you’re in the mood for something gooey and cheesy.

 

I made this recipe recently, when my daughter invited some friends over, and they wanted to avoid meat. The extra layer of spinach makes it at least a tiny bit healthy! (I prefer fresh spinach over frozen.)

 

 

I used fresh pasta for this dish (it came frozen and I thawed it), so no need to cook it ahead of baking. But you will have to cook dried pasta to a very chewy al dente stage if you choose to use it. (Not recommended for this recipe.)

 

 

1 lb. fresh or frozen raviolis (I used ravioli stuffed with burrata and spinach this time)
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 cups fresh spinach, washed
1 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

 

Thaw the raviolis, if frozen, by placing them on a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Cover them with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in to avoid cracking. (It’s not a big deal if they do.)

 

Preheat the oven to 400° .

Blend the tomatoes in a food processor or blender, then pour them into a large bowl. Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste.)

Spread the spinach out in the bottom of a large baking pan. Take a ladle full of the sauce and mix it with the spinach to soften it and give it moisture.

 

Dunk the raviolis in the sauce, then lay them on top of the spinach, one by one. Then pour the sauce on top of the raviolis. (If you use tortellini, you can mix them right into the sauce, because they’re sturdy.)

 

Cover the raviolis evenly with the mozzarella, then with the Parmigiano Reggiano. Dust some dried oregano on top.

 

 

Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden, and the sauce is all bubbly. Let it cool a bit before serving.