What Is a Beerock, And How Did It Get To Fresno? or How Did Fresno Cooks Corrupt the Bierock??

I was born and raised in Fresno, California, the raisin capital of the world. I loved Fresno. I especially loved the summers. While most adults would spend countless hours inside their homes cooled by the swamp coolers, I spent my childhood summers outside playing and exploring, clad only in shorts and t-shirts and always...always... barefoot.

Many of my most cherished childhood food experiences were in Fresno. When I was in second grade, I ate my first loquats from a tree that grew between the apartment buildings where we lived. Later we moved to a house in a more rural neighborhood directly across a one-lane asphalt road from a large fig orchard. In late summer, after the figs had ripened and before the rancher harvested the trees, my mother would send me across the street to pick bags of figs and bring them back to the house where she would make homemade fig jam. I knew it was stealing and I was terrified of being caught, but we'd eat that wonderful fig jam on toast for weeks. My dad had a large garden in the backyard of that house and my mom would make sweet tomato preserves dotted with candied lemon peel from the tomatoes he grew there. At family gatherings, my aunt Sally taught me how to quickly peel a hard boiled egg. My maternal grandmother taught me to make the best potato salad I've ever eaten. And, for Thanksgiving and Christmas I would fill countless stalks of celery with softened cream cheese.

Fresno was where my mother first made and I first tasted Beerocks, wonderful individual beef and cabbage pies, seasoned with lots of black pepper and wrapped in a thin yeast dough. They are spicy and delicious, but a common version of the more complicated meat-filled pocket pastry that arrived in the 1870's with German-Russian settlers. Their pastries were made from braised beef that was coarsely ground and mixed with cabbage and onions and wrapped in a handmade yeast dough. My mother's version was made with hamburger and boxed hot roll mix.

This recipe makes 12 stuffed pockets.

Betty's Beerocks
by Terri Powers adapted from my mom's recipe

2-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 large head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix

Prepare the hot roll mix according to the directions on the box. While dough is rising to twice it's size, prepare the filling.


Put the ground beef in a large frying pan or pot and cook thoroughly on medium high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks into the consistency of the meat filling for tacos. Add the chopped onions and cook until the onions are almost transparent. Add the cabbage and cook until it is almost soft, but still retains a somewhat firm texture (you don't want it to be mushy), stirring frequently until the meat, onions and cabbage are well mixed. Add the salt, then begin adding the pepper. Taste the mixture after you have added 2 tablespoons. The mixture should have a distinctly peppery flavor. Add more pepper as needed. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.


Preheat oven to 375ºF. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle about 8 inches across.

For each pocket, pile several spoons full of the filling on one half of the dough circle.


Lift the remaining half of the dough over the filling and seal the dough all the way around the half circle.


Place the pockets on a large cookie sheet (you probably will need two cookie sheets) lightly dusted with corn meal. Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

These freeze extremely well.

Timpano ~ When Inspiration Becomes Reality...

I wander around the internet quite frequently. Every morning while enjoying my coffee, rather than read the paper or watch television news, I read bits and pieces of news sites online. As my attention span reaches it's max, I begin to wander to food sites looking for something new and delicious to cook and eat. That is how I found Proud Italian Cook and her post about Timpano.

Tom and I saw the movie, Big Night, years ago and afterward I searched the internet for an authentic Timpano recipe. There were lots out there and we did try once to make a Timpano, but for some reason, it didn't really turn out like we had hoped. When I came across this recipe, the photos were so beautiful and the dish looked so delicious, I thought, okay, let's get this one done!

I bought the book, Cucina & Famiglia, on the internet. Then I ordered the 14" basin that Proud Italian Cook recommends. But I ran into a snag! When I received the basin, I realized I didn't have a plate or tray with a diameter wide enough to plate the entire Timpano. Tom and I scoured Conway, Arkansas for a tray. Store after store, no luck: Kohls, Kirklands, TJ Maxx, Pier One, both Walmarts. Nothing wide enough. Everything was too small. By the time we finally stopped at Target, Tom was talking about making a large, cutting-board-type serving tray out of wood. Target saved him the trouble. It's not pretty. It was really cheap ~ $4.99, I think ~ but as you will see by the photo, it worked. So we were ready. Sort of.

We went shopping for the ingredients. We searched through 2 Walmarts and 2 Kroger stores and not one of those stores carried ziti, so I substituted rigatoni. That was an error in judgment. I think the rigatoni was too big, so next time I would use something smaller, like penne. Rather than make my own meatballs, I bought a pound of pre-made mini meatballs. They worked okay, but next time I would make my own in advance. We bought the salami and provolone at the Kroger deli and it was sliced to order. Now we were ready!

Saturday morning I started by making the sauce. I used the recipe in the book, but Tom and I both thought it was rather bland, so I added more herbs: dried oregano, dried basil and a couple of bay leaves. But I think any good basic meat-based tomato sauce would be fine as long as you have the required 8 cups.

When the sauce was ready, we prepared the rest of the ingredients. Tom made the crust and put it in the bowl.



While Tom made the crust, I cut up the rest of the ingredients.



Then we started layering everything in the crust.



It was finally time to top everything off with the final bit of sauce...



and fold the dough over the filling and trim all the excess.



I know it must seem like I am easily amused, but it was so exciting when it came out of the oven and looked so beautiful!



When we cut the Timpano, we could see how much of a difference the rigatoni made to the overall substance of the dish. I think a smaller pasta would have helped hold the mold in place when cut.



We cut two slices out of the Timpano and served it for dinner with a little extra sauce. It was delicious! What did we do with the other 14 servings? We cut the Timpano into slices, put 2 slices in each of 7 vacuum bags, sealed them up and put them in the freezer.

We pulled out one bag this week for dinner. Tom made a spicy Arrabiata Sauce to serve with it(2 tablespoons olive oil; 6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, diced; 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 5 cups marinara sauce. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often).

If you decide to make this, please let me know how it turns out!

Timpano Alla Big Night
(Drum of Ziti and Great Stuff)
Recipe from the book: "Cucina & Famiglia"
by Joan T. Tucci,Gianni Scappin

FOR THE DOUGH:

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water

TO PREPARE THE PAN:

Butter Olive oil

FOR THE FILLING:

2 cups 1/4 x 1/2-inch Genoa salami pieces
2 cups 1/4 x 1/2-inch sharp provolone cheese cubes
12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, cut in 1/4's lengthwise, then cut in 1/2 to create chunks
2 cups little meatballs
8 cups Ragu Tucci (Meat-Based Tomato Sauce Tucci-Style)recipe follows
3 pounds ziti, cooked very al dente (about half the time recommended on the package) and drained (18 cups cooked)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
4 large eggs, beaten

PREPARATION

1. To make the dough, place the flour, eggs, salt, and olive oil in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. (A large capacity food processor may also be used.) Add 3 tablespoons of the water and process. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to make sure it is well mixed. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. (To knead the dough by hand, mix the flour and salt together on a clean, dry work surface or pastry board. Form these dry ingredients into a mound and then make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the center of the well and lightly beat them with a fork. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the water. Use the fork to gradually incorporate some of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Continue mixing the dry ingredients into the eggs, adding the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough with your hands to make a well-mixed, smooth, dry dough. If the dough becomes too sticky, add more flour. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.)

2. Flatten the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out, dusting with flour and flipping the dough over from time to time, until it is about 1/16 inch thick and is the desired diameter. Generously grease the timpano baking pan with butter and olive oil. Fold the dough in half and then in half again, to form a triangle, and place it in the pan. Open the dough and arrange it in the pan, gently pressing it against the bottom and the sides, draping the extra dough over the sides. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. To prepare the filling, have the salami, provolone, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, and ragu at room temperature. Toss the drained pasta with the olive oil and 2 cups of the ragu. Distribute 6 generous cups of the pasta on the bottom of the timpano. Top with 1 cup of the salami, 1 cup of the provolone, 6 of the hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of the meatballs, and 1/3 cup of the Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups of the ragu over these ingredients. Top with 6 cups of the remaining pasta. Top that with the remaining 1 cup salami, 1 cup provolone, 6 hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup meatballs, and 1/3 cup Romano cheese. Pour 2 cups of the ragu of over these ingredients. top with the remaining 2 cups ragu over the pasta. Pour the beaten eggs over the filling. Fold the pasta dough over the filling to seal completely. Trim away and discard any double layers of dough.

4. Bake until lightly browned, about 1 hour. Then cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the timpano is cooked through and the dough is golden brown (and reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees F), about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 30 or more minutes. The baked timpano should not adhere to the pan. If any part is still attached, carefully detach with a knife. Grasp the baking pan firmly and invert the timpano onto a serving platter. Remove the pan and allow the timpano to cool for 20 minutes. Using a long, sharp knife, cut a circle about 3 inches in diameter in the center of the timpano, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Then slice the timpano as you would a pie into individual portions, leaving the center circle as a support for the remaining pieces.

Ragu Tucci
(Meat-Based Tomato Sauce Tucci-Style)
Recipe from: Cucina & Famiglia
by Joan T. Tucci,Gianni Scappin

1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound stewing beef, trimmed of fat, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into pieces
1 pound country-style spareribs, trimmed of fat, cut in half, rinsed, and patted dry
1 cup roughly chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups warm water
8 cups canned whole plum tomatoes (about two 35-ounce cans), passed through a food mill or pureed in the blender
3 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

1. Warm the olive oil in a stew pot set over medium-high heat, sear the stewing beef until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside in a bowl. Add the spareribs to the pot and sear until they are brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside in the bowl with the stewing beef. (If your pot is big enough to hold all of the meat in a single layer, it may be cooked at the same time.)
2. Stir the onions and garlic into the pot. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions begin to soften and lose their shape, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pot clean. Add the tomato paste. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm water into the can to loosen any residual paste and then pour the water into the pot. Cook to warm the paste through, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes along with the remaining 1 cup warm water. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover with the lid slightly askew and simmer to sweeten the tomatoes, about 30 minutes. Return the meat to the pot, along with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Cover with the lid slightly askew and simmer, stirring frequently, until the meat is very tender and the tomatoes are cooked, about 2 hours. Warm water may be added to the sauce, in 1/2-cup portions, if the sauce becomes too thick. (If you have made meatballs, they may be added during the last half hour of cooking. The meatballs will soften and absorb some of the sauce.)

NOTE: When preparing ragu for timpano only the sauce is used and the meat is served as a separate course. The sauce for timpano should be thin, so measure out 7 1/2 cups of prepared sauce and stir in 1/2 cup water before proceeding with the timpano recipe.

VARIATION: Sweet Italian sausage may be added to this sauce. Sauté it after the spareribs and then proceed with the recipe as written

Seared Salmon on Coconut Spinach

Back in mid-December, I came across this recipe for salmon and it looked so good, I copied it down so I could try it.

It was so good, that I have since made it twice, each time changing it slightly. The first time, I used low-sodium soy sauce for the marinade. The second time, I used Yoshida's Original Sauce (I bought it at Sam's Club). If you use the Yoshida's to make your marinade be aware that it contains sugar, so be careful not to burn the salmon. Both times, I increased the grated ginger in the marinade and eliminated the red chilis in the coconut sauce. Since I was not able to find Asian chili paste, I used Thai Chili Sauce (sweet & hot). The final recipe probably isn't what the original author intended, but it was delicious and it will become a staple dish in our house.

Seared Salmon on Coconut Spinach
Adapted from a post on Sidewalk Shoes
My changes are incorporated into the recipe

4 - 6 oz. salmon fillets
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (the second time I made this I used Yoshida's Original Sauce)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for sautéing)

For the Coconut Spinach:
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons Thai style Chili Sauce (I used Kikkoman)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
juice of one lemon
1 large bag of fresh spinach
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Savory Rice:
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil
2 tablespoons Yoshida's Original Sauce

Mix the grated ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce (or Yoshida's Sauce) in a small bowl. Put the salmon in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the fish. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes on each side.

Prepare the rice first. In a pot with a tight fitting lid, bring the water to a boil. Add the roasted peanut oil, Yoshida's sauce and rice to the pot. Stir well, cover, lower the heat to barely simmer and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat, but leave the rice covered until ready to serve.

To cook the salmon, heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and cook the salmon for at least 1 minute on each or until it has reached desired doneness.

To make the spinach, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and cook quickly, but do not brown. Add the chili sauce, coconut milk and lemon juice and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and toss until wilted. Remove spinach from the sauce to a bowl with tongs. Pour sauce into small bowl or gravy boat.

To serve, place a portion of rice on a plate. Top the rice with some spinach and place a piece of salmon on top of that. Ladle a little sauce over the salmon.