Today, in theory, I was cooking for myself. Chris was away, but with my Sunday free, I still wanted to make a Sunday Dinner. The past couple of weeks have been really hectic, so I turned to The Joy of Cooking to give me some of that joy back. I selected Becker Quick Miso Soup (p.125), Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie (p.95), and Baked Figs with Ricotta (p.227). Of course, my camera chose today to conk out so I only had pics of the miso soup (I start a photography class next month. Then when these things happen, I’ll give a throaty laugh and magically fix said camera to take the most beautiful pictures ever). However, two friends decided to pop by, so not only did I have lovely company, but one of them contributed an additional two pictures using his phone.
The meal was a success, as any with the word “joy” should be, although I preferred the soup and pasta pie to the ricotta recipe. The Johnny Marzetti pie was “made famous at Marzetti’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio,” Joy explains. I added mushrooms and adjusted timings, but otherwise stuck pretty close to the original.
The miso soup was incredibly salty, probably because they used a broth base instead of water, so I added an additional cup of water to balance. I’ve written the recipe as per my experiment, but I recommend you recreate it using 2 cups of water instead of 2 cups broth plus 1 cup water. The soup paired perfectly with my creamy glass of milk, and would be tasty with some small shrimp thrown in.
With fig season just past, I used delicious, plump Medjool dates instead of the specified figs. I’m not a huge fan of either the ricotta mixture or the marsala sauce, although they did pair nicely together. The cheese blend called for equal parts cheese and cream, and I scooped in additional ricotta to thicken the soupiness.
All recipes adapted from The Joy of Cooking.
Becker Quick Miso Soup
2 cups chicken broth
1.5 tbsps miso/ soybean paste (I used white miso)
1 cup water (or to taste)
3- 5 sliced mushrooms, optional
1 green onion, chopped
1 thin slice of lemon, to garnish
(the Beckers also suggest a dash of hot pepper sauce to garnish, as desired)
miso/ soybean paste
Bring the broth to boil. Stir in miso paste, and add water to taste. Add sliced mushrooms and green onions. Continue boiling 1 minute. Garnish with lemon.
soup boiling away
finished miso soup
Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small container mushrooms, chopped
1 28-oz can tomatoes, with juice
1 15-oz tomato-based spaghetti sauce
1 tsp oregano or pizza spice
1 bay leaf
1- 2 handfuls whole wheat spaghetti (or other pasta as desired), cooked and drained
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, separated
1 cup breadcrumbs
Place ground beef, onion and garlic in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up beef with a spoon, until beef is mostly browned. Add green pepper and mushrooms, cook 3- 5 minutes, until vegetables have softened.
Add tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, oregano and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. While simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove bay leaf. Stir in spaghetti and 1 cup cheddar cheese, letting cheese melt into beef mixture. Transfer to 9 x 13″ baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top, followed by bread crumbs. Bake until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
spaghetti pie
Dates with Ricotta and Marsala Sauce
1/3 cup sugar plus 3 tsps sugar, separated
3 tbsps water
1/2 cup Marsala wine
20 Medjool dates
2/3 cup ricotta
1/3 cup heavy (35%) or table (18%) cream
Cut slit lengthwise in each date and remove pit.
In small saucepan, bring to boil 1/3 cup sugar and water, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add Marsala.
Mix together ricotta, cream, and 3 tsps sugar. Spoon cheese mixture into center of each date, and drizzle with marsala sauce.
dates with ricotta and marsala sauce