Read Online Elm Creek Quilts [13] The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini - Free Book Online

tasty dishes and birthday greetings to that lonely, grieving girl so long ago. She wished that for Vinnie’s next surprise party—the surprise party that all the campers had come to expect though they never knew what form it would take—she could re-create that potluck party from so long ago. What better way to express her admiration for Vinnie’s determination to create her own happiness despite her grief, for her resolve to find something worth celebrating in life, for her refusal to let loss turn her bitter and mistrustful?
    Elm Creek Manor had so many stories, Anna thought, so many campers with tales as compelling as Vinnie’s, and she longed to know them all. Each new story showed her a new facet of Elm Creek Quilts she had never suspected, like turning the cut-glass dish over in her hands near the sunny kitchen window and discovering new patterns of light cast upon the hardwood floor.
    Tomato Mushroom Ragout
    Yield: sauce for 1 pound of pasta
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 Spanish onion, chopped
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    1½ pounds button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced or chopped, stems included
    1 teaspoon dried rosemary
    ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, chopped
    One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, including juice
    ¼ cup red wine
    ½ teaspoon kosher salt
     
    Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and rosemary and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the porcini, tomatoes, wine, and salt and cook until the ingredients come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
    Spinach Lasagna
    Serves 6 to 8
    1 pound whole or skim-milk ricotta cheese
    2 large eggs
    1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 large bunch flat-leaf spinach, chopped and blanched
    One 8-ounce box no-cook lasagna noodles
    1 pound Fontina or mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated, or a combination of both
    2½ cups tomato sauce
     
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 9 x 13-inch pan with olive oil.
    Place the ricotta, eggs, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the spinach and gently mix.
    To assemble the lasagna: Put three noodles across the prepared pan. Add one-third of the ricotta-spinach mixture, in dollops, on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with one-third of the Fontina cheese and then top with about ¾ cup tomato sauce. Repeat twice and then add another layer of noodles, another of sauce, another layer of Fontina cheese, and finish with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
    Cover with aluminum foil, press down to tighten the layers and transfer to the oven. (If storing, cover with plastic wrap instead of foil. You can refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.)
    Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil, and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
    Spicy Meatballs
    Yield: 18 large meatballs
    ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    ½ teaspoon black pepper
    1 slice white bread
    ¼ cup whole milk
    1 to 1¼ pounds ground beef
    1 large egg, beaten
    ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
    2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
    Grated zest of ½ lemon
    ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
    1 teaspoon dried basil
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    2 tablespoons olive oil
     
    Place the bread crumbs, flour, salt, and pepper on a plate and mix well.
    Place the bread and milk in a 4-quart bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
    Squeeze the milk out of the bread, discarding the milk. Using your hands, break the now mushy bread into small pieces. Add the ground beef and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
    Using the back of your fist, create a crater in the middle of the meat mixture. Add the egg, cheese, onion, grated lemon zest, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper flakes and combine until the mixture is