I love the garden harvests of summer and last night, I made a dinner that tasted like summer, with a few things from the backyard!
Pesto:
2 cups (packed) basil leaves (remove the tough stems)
1/4 c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic (more or less depending on your vampire status and taste buds)
put the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well chopped
1/2 c good olive oil
add in a stream and pulse to incorporate
remove from processor bowl and stir in
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Let sit at room temperature until the next step is done
1 package of bowtie pasta (or your favorite shape) cooked according to the package's directions.
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 clove garlic
1T olive oil
Heat the oil in a deep skillet, add garlic, cook chicken until no pink remains
Turn off the heat and add
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
cover for 4-5 minutes to warm the tomatoes
Add the cooked pasta and the pesto and toss, coating everything with that yummy greenness.
Serve with crusty Italian bread and a nice tossed salad.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz package of fresh mozzarella, diced to 1/4" dice
1 small vidallia onion, coarsely diced
1 qt cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
1/4 lb spicy capicolla, fried like bacon and chopped in chunks
fresh basil (about 15-20 leaves divided)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2T olive oil
1 #28 can diced tomatoes
1t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Make a pocket in each of the chicken cutlets, keeping the opening as small as possible. I put in the knife and then move the blade to each end making a nice size pocket with a small opening. Set these babies aside.
Add olive oil to a deep saute pan, add garlic and heat. Add cherry tomatoes and roast until they start to pop. Swirl in the pan to coat them with oil and garlic. Add the onion and the red pepper, saute until soft. Set aside.
Dice up the mozzarella, add about 2/3 cup of tomato/pepper/onion mixture. Toss in the fried capicolla, and about half of the basil leaves, chiffonaded (if that is a word)
This is the stuffing for your chicken. Mix it up and evenly fill up the pockets in the chicken breasts. Using a wooden toothpick, close the opening so the stuffing doesn't fall out on cooking. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet.
To the remaining tomato/onion/pepper mixture, add the can of diced tomatoes, the remaining basil, the sugar. Using a stick blender, puree coarsely to create a sauce. (I moved it into a sauce pan so it didn't shoot all over the kitchen.) Let simmer for 15-20 minutes to mellow all the ingredients.
Remove the chicken from the oven and saute both sides in that sauce pan that once housed those roasted tomatoes, adding a little olive oil if needed. Brown them so they look nice and tasty.
Serve with something nice and green (we did peas, or on a bed of steamed spinach) and top with some of that nice fresh tasting sauce. Enjoy.
1 8 oz package of fresh mozzarella, diced to 1/4" dice
1 small vidallia onion, coarsely diced
1 qt cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
1/4 lb spicy capicolla, fried like bacon and chopped in chunks
fresh basil (about 15-20 leaves divided)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2T olive oil
1 #28 can diced tomatoes
1t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Make a pocket in each of the chicken cutlets, keeping the opening as small as possible. I put in the knife and then move the blade to each end making a nice size pocket with a small opening. Set these babies aside.
Add olive oil to a deep saute pan, add garlic and heat. Add cherry tomatoes and roast until they start to pop. Swirl in the pan to coat them with oil and garlic. Add the onion and the red pepper, saute until soft. Set aside.
Dice up the mozzarella, add about 2/3 cup of tomato/pepper/onion mixture. Toss in the fried capicolla, and about half of the basil leaves, chiffonaded (if that is a word)
This is the stuffing for your chicken. Mix it up and evenly fill up the pockets in the chicken breasts. Using a wooden toothpick, close the opening so the stuffing doesn't fall out on cooking. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet.
To the remaining tomato/onion/pepper mixture, add the can of diced tomatoes, the remaining basil, the sugar. Using a stick blender, puree coarsely to create a sauce. (I moved it into a sauce pan so it didn't shoot all over the kitchen.) Let simmer for 15-20 minutes to mellow all the ingredients.
Remove the chicken from the oven and saute both sides in that sauce pan that once housed those roasted tomatoes, adding a little olive oil if needed. Brown them so they look nice and tasty.
Serve with something nice and green (we did peas, or on a bed of steamed spinach) and top with some of that nice fresh tasting sauce. Enjoy.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Summer Pasta Sauce
1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed in 1/2" cubes
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 pts cherry tomatoes (or roughly chopped larger tomatoes or a combination)
garlic to taste (I used 2 cloves)
fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)
6 Italian sausage links or bulk sausage
1 28 oz can tomato sauce (or a jar of prepared sauce)
2T olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
A package of your favorite pasta, cooked to your taste.
In a large sauce pan with high sides, heat the oil and garlic. Add the cherry tomatoes (and/or other tomatoes) toss to coat with oil and cook until they start to pop (or soften). Add eggplant and continue to saute. Add zucchini and tomato sauce. Break up the raw sausage into small pieces and add. Chiffonade the basil and add to the mix. Add the wine, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions (we used fusilli lunghi bucati which looks like kinky hair). Enjoy
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 pts cherry tomatoes (or roughly chopped larger tomatoes or a combination)
garlic to taste (I used 2 cloves)
fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)
6 Italian sausage links or bulk sausage
1 28 oz can tomato sauce (or a jar of prepared sauce)
2T olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
A package of your favorite pasta, cooked to your taste.
In a large sauce pan with high sides, heat the oil and garlic. Add the cherry tomatoes (and/or other tomatoes) toss to coat with oil and cook until they start to pop (or soften). Add eggplant and continue to saute. Add zucchini and tomato sauce. Break up the raw sausage into small pieces and add. Chiffonade the basil and add to the mix. Add the wine, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions (we used fusilli lunghi bucati which looks like kinky hair). Enjoy
Monday, May 24, 2010
Rockin Robin's Raving Enchilada Sauce
makes about 2 cups
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 4 Tbs Gebhardt Chili Powder
* 1 tsp. ground cumin
* 2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added)
* 3/4 tsp. salt
* 1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
* 1/3 tsp. sugar
* 5 Tbs. cold water
* 5 Tbs. white flour
Directions:
In a 2 quart sauce pan add the chicken broth, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar (the sugar is a little secret to eliminate any bitter taste from the chili powder).
Use a whisk to mix everything well. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes.
Whisk frequently to make sure all spices dissolve. This is important for flavor and a nice smooth sauce.
While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, add 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.
With another whisk mix 1 tablespoon at a time of flour. Whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. If you have lumps here, you will definitely have lumps in your sauce.
After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high. Very slowly, pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Here you must whisk the sauce vigorously while adding the flour to avoid lumps.
After all the flour is added, continue to whisk for one minute. You can turn the heat down to medium during this time. Just make sure the sauce is boiling.
Turn off the heat, this enchilada sauce recipe is done.
You will notice that as this sauce sits it will form a "skin" on the surface. This is normal and in fact the longer the sauce sits the thicker this skin becomes. All you have to do is peel the skin off and throw it away.
As you can see, this enchilada sauce recipe is very quick to make.
So go on, make some cheese enchiladas tonight for dinner.
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 4 Tbs Gebhardt Chili Powder
* 1 tsp. ground cumin
* 2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added)
* 3/4 tsp. salt
* 1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
* 1/3 tsp. sugar
* 5 Tbs. cold water
* 5 Tbs. white flour
Directions:
In a 2 quart sauce pan add the chicken broth, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar (the sugar is a little secret to eliminate any bitter taste from the chili powder).
Use a whisk to mix everything well. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes.
Whisk frequently to make sure all spices dissolve. This is important for flavor and a nice smooth sauce.
While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, add 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.
With another whisk mix 1 tablespoon at a time of flour. Whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. If you have lumps here, you will definitely have lumps in your sauce.
After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high. Very slowly, pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Here you must whisk the sauce vigorously while adding the flour to avoid lumps.
After all the flour is added, continue to whisk for one minute. You can turn the heat down to medium during this time. Just make sure the sauce is boiling.
Turn off the heat, this enchilada sauce recipe is done.
You will notice that as this sauce sits it will form a "skin" on the surface. This is normal and in fact the longer the sauce sits the thicker this skin becomes. All you have to do is peel the skin off and throw it away.
As you can see, this enchilada sauce recipe is very quick to make.
So go on, make some cheese enchiladas tonight for dinner.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Chicken and Mushroom Frittata
A friend of mine, who is also a writer (and she knows who she is), was telling me that cooking is a way for her to clear her head and be thoughtful about what she is going to write.
For me, it seems that the food is the driving end of the bargain.
My life is filled with stories surrounding the food. Food seems to be the center of so much and is the cornerstone of many of my memories, especially distant ones from people no longer with me.
My mother was a meticulous cook with over 2,000 cookbooks in her personal library (more than the Betty Crocker library in Minnesota with a full time librarian, she liked to brag). She would spend time actually reading the books, from cover to cover and seemed to know just what book to grab to cook whatever struck her fancy. This was all before Google and the Food Network. Julia Child was her inspiration and we watched the show on PBS religiously. My mother experimented with Coq Au Vin, pate, trussing chickens and poaching fish--things that were not common fare on most of my contemporaries dinner tables. At a time when Campbell's Soup was the mainstays for most, my mother was making granola and whole wheat bread that made me wince when I found it in my lunch box. How I longed for the soft and squishy Wonderbread my school mates found for lunch.
There weren't a lot of repeat meals in our house. And no experiments... everything needed to follow a neat map of a proven recipe. I don't ever remember something that was a flop or inedible. Unlike at my house where I take 4 things and figure out how to put them together. I think the next food network star should go from kitchen to kitchen at 5pm and have dinner from what is there ready on the table by 6. Welcome to my life. I suppose if I spent the time to plan, that wouldn't be the way I look at things but then I wouldn't have that chef school market basket challenge to keep my brain cells alive, each and every day.
So for lunch today, I did a favorite go-to meal, a fritta. You can take just about anything and pour eggs over it, add a bit of cheese and broil it. Cut in slices with salsa, what more could someone need? (And we have some for tomorrow as well!)
Chicken and Mushroom Fritta
mixture of mushrooms, chopped coarsly (about 1.5 or 2 cups)
1T butter
1/2 small spanish onion sliced thin
3/4 cup cooked chicken, in small chunks
1/2 c mozerella cheese, shredded
1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c broccoli florettes, broken or chopped into small pieces
5 eggs w 1T cold water beaten until a nice sunny yellow
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the mushrooms and onions with the butter until the liquid is gone and there is a bit of brown on the mushrooms. Sprinkle in the broccoli and the chicken, cover to steam for about 2 minutes to give the broccoli a head start and warm the chicken.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over and pour the eggs over the top covering everything. Cook over low to medium heat until almost set. Place pan in the oven under the broiler and cook until puffed and golden brown on the top.
Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes and then cut into slices and top with salsa if desired
For me, it seems that the food is the driving end of the bargain.
My life is filled with stories surrounding the food. Food seems to be the center of so much and is the cornerstone of many of my memories, especially distant ones from people no longer with me.
My mother was a meticulous cook with over 2,000 cookbooks in her personal library (more than the Betty Crocker library in Minnesota with a full time librarian, she liked to brag). She would spend time actually reading the books, from cover to cover and seemed to know just what book to grab to cook whatever struck her fancy. This was all before Google and the Food Network. Julia Child was her inspiration and we watched the show on PBS religiously. My mother experimented with Coq Au Vin, pate, trussing chickens and poaching fish--things that were not common fare on most of my contemporaries dinner tables. At a time when Campbell's Soup was the mainstays for most, my mother was making granola and whole wheat bread that made me wince when I found it in my lunch box. How I longed for the soft and squishy Wonderbread my school mates found for lunch.
There weren't a lot of repeat meals in our house. And no experiments... everything needed to follow a neat map of a proven recipe. I don't ever remember something that was a flop or inedible. Unlike at my house where I take 4 things and figure out how to put them together. I think the next food network star should go from kitchen to kitchen at 5pm and have dinner from what is there ready on the table by 6. Welcome to my life. I suppose if I spent the time to plan, that wouldn't be the way I look at things but then I wouldn't have that chef school market basket challenge to keep my brain cells alive, each and every day.
So for lunch today, I did a favorite go-to meal, a fritta. You can take just about anything and pour eggs over it, add a bit of cheese and broil it. Cut in slices with salsa, what more could someone need? (And we have some for tomorrow as well!)
Chicken and Mushroom Fritta
mixture of mushrooms, chopped coarsly (about 1.5 or 2 cups)
1T butter
1/2 small spanish onion sliced thin
3/4 cup cooked chicken, in small chunks
1/2 c mozerella cheese, shredded
1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c broccoli florettes, broken or chopped into small pieces
5 eggs w 1T cold water beaten until a nice sunny yellow
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the mushrooms and onions with the butter until the liquid is gone and there is a bit of brown on the mushrooms. Sprinkle in the broccoli and the chicken, cover to steam for about 2 minutes to give the broccoli a head start and warm the chicken.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over and pour the eggs over the top covering everything. Cook over low to medium heat until almost set. Place pan in the oven under the broiler and cook until puffed and golden brown on the top.
Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes and then cut into slices and top with salsa if desired
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Nora's Irish Soda Bread
Dry Ingredients
*3½ Cups flour
*4 Teaspoons baking powder
*1/3 Cup sugar
*1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
*8 oz. Raisins, softened (soak in hot water, drain)
*1/2 Teaspoon salt
*1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
Wet Ingredients
*2 Eggs beaten
*1 Cup sour cream
*1/2 Cup buttermilk
*3 Tablespoons melted butter
Combine wet and dry ingredients, knead together, put in a greased and floured 9" pie pan.
Bake 55-60 minutes at 350°
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This will make one big loaf or two modest sized loaves.
*3½ Cups flour
*4 Teaspoons baking powder
*1/3 Cup sugar
*1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
*8 oz. Raisins, softened (soak in hot water, drain)
*1/2 Teaspoon salt
*1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
Wet Ingredients
*2 Eggs beaten
*1 Cup sour cream
*1/2 Cup buttermilk
*3 Tablespoons melted butter
Combine wet and dry ingredients, knead together, put in a greased and floured 9" pie pan.
Bake 55-60 minutes at 350°
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This will make one big loaf or two modest sized loaves.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Mushroom Ravioli
Filling Ingredients
1/2 sweet onion diced fine
2 cloves garlic grated
1/4 cup butter
2T olive oil
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup oyster mushrooms
1 cup shitake mushroom
1 cup baby bella mushrooms
(or 4 cups of the varieties and mix you prefer)
sprinkling of kosher salt
1 c ricotta cheese (part skim is okay)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese grated not really fine
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1 egg, beaten
fresh ground pepper
fresh grated nutmeg
1T fresh cilantro
round dumpling skins made with eggs (the yellow ones)
Butter/sage sauce
4T butter
5 sage leaves, rolled and sliced thin
1 garlic clove chopped fine
Chop the mushrooms so the pieces are about the size of peas. Dice the onion to the same size. Melt butter and olive oil, add onions and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released. Sprinkle with salt, set mushroom mixture aside to cool.
Mix ricotta, other cheeses and beaten egg together. Add pepper, nutmeg and cilantro.
Mix in cooled mushroom mixture and mix until blended.
Place one dumpling wrapper on the counter and using water, make a ring along the outside edge with your finger. Put about 1T filling in the center and cover with a second dumpling skin. Press the edges to seal and make sure to remove the extra air from between the layers. Place these on a cookie sheet with saran wrap to separate the layers. Chill for an hour before cooking.
Using a high sided saute pan (deep enough water and lots of surface area) bring salted water to a boil. Gently slip in 6-8 dumpings into the boiling water making sure they don't stick together or stick to the bottom. Cook 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (drain well) and place on serving plate or individual plates. Cook the next batch.
While the pasta is boiling, make the butter sage sauce. Melt the butter, add garlic and sage. After the butter comes to a boil, remove from heat. Spoon over cooked ravioli as you plate them. Serve with a nice chopped salad.
1/2 sweet onion diced fine
2 cloves garlic grated
1/4 cup butter
2T olive oil
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup oyster mushrooms
1 cup shitake mushroom
1 cup baby bella mushrooms
(or 4 cups of the varieties and mix you prefer)
sprinkling of kosher salt
1 c ricotta cheese (part skim is okay)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese grated not really fine
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1 egg, beaten
fresh ground pepper
fresh grated nutmeg
1T fresh cilantro
round dumpling skins made with eggs (the yellow ones)
Butter/sage sauce
4T butter
5 sage leaves, rolled and sliced thin
1 garlic clove chopped fine
Chop the mushrooms so the pieces are about the size of peas. Dice the onion to the same size. Melt butter and olive oil, add onions and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released. Sprinkle with salt, set mushroom mixture aside to cool.
Mix ricotta, other cheeses and beaten egg together. Add pepper, nutmeg and cilantro.
Mix in cooled mushroom mixture and mix until blended.
Place one dumpling wrapper on the counter and using water, make a ring along the outside edge with your finger. Put about 1T filling in the center and cover with a second dumpling skin. Press the edges to seal and make sure to remove the extra air from between the layers. Place these on a cookie sheet with saran wrap to separate the layers. Chill for an hour before cooking.
Using a high sided saute pan (deep enough water and lots of surface area) bring salted water to a boil. Gently slip in 6-8 dumpings into the boiling water making sure they don't stick together or stick to the bottom. Cook 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (drain well) and place on serving plate or individual plates. Cook the next batch.
While the pasta is boiling, make the butter sage sauce. Melt the butter, add garlic and sage. After the butter comes to a boil, remove from heat. Spoon over cooked ravioli as you plate them. Serve with a nice chopped salad.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Easy Rice Pudding
1 box vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
1 egg
2 cups plus 2T cold milk
3/4 cup left over rice
mix milk, egg and pudding mix together until well blended. Add rice and break up into individual grains as you stir it. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a complete boil. It will thicken more as it cools. Pour into serving dishes or just spoon into your mouth.
1 egg
2 cups plus 2T cold milk
3/4 cup left over rice
mix milk, egg and pudding mix together until well blended. Add rice and break up into individual grains as you stir it. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a complete boil. It will thicken more as it cools. Pour into serving dishes or just spoon into your mouth.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Best Drop Biscuits
- makes 12 biscuits -
Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits
Procedure
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.
2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits
Procedure
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.
2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
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