A New Take on Pasta

So, I subscribed to the Gourmet Food Box via, the Fancy. It is actually pretty good and thus far I have been pretty happy with it. Basically, they charge you $40 a month (plus s&h) and every month they ship you a box of gourmet food samples. Now, unlike other similar deals, when I say samples, it is actually a full sized product. Generally the retail value of the stuff in the box exceeds the $40 (plus s&h). What's cool about it is that it is full of random items that either are not available to me locally or are somewhat strange and probably not something I would buy if left to my own devices. BUT now I get to play with my food. On my first delivery, I had a jar that was damaged and the seal had broken so I could not use it. It was a butternut squash pasta sauce. I contacted Fancy and since they could not replace the item, they gave me a $10 gift card. I understand they have limited quantities of products but damn that sauce smelled good and I REALLY wanted to try it. So, I wrote down the ingredients on the jar and made my own version. It was delicious! So good that I wanted to drink it! Try it, I think you will like it too!

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

1 butternut squash
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
2-4 cloves garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
1 jar roasted red peppers (about 12 oz)
1 can tomato paste
1 can chicken broth
3/4 c light cream
a few sprigs fresh parsley and basil
salt to taste

Halve squash and remove seeds.
Roast in a 350 degree oven until flesh is soft
While squash in roasting, mince onion, celery and garlic and saute in sauce pot with olive oil until soft
Add flesh of the squash, peppers, tomato paste,chicken broth and fresh herbs to the pot.
Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Add cream and salt to taste.
Let simmer a few minutes and serve with pasta.

The Heat Is ON!

It is the first week of June and we have already had our first official heat wave! Let me tell you the past few days have been BRUTAL! To top it all off I had to attend a wedding AND bring a dish! Thankfully the bride requested that I make a pasta salad so the only real cooking I had to do was boil the noodles (Thank Goodness!). Now, I new the wedding day was going to be 90+ degrees and I would be riding my motorcycle down so absolutely no mayo would be going into this salad. I also new I was going to make a LOT so I had to keep it in budget too. I decided to try out a new recipe and I really liked it a lot - Southwestern Pasta Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing. I love fresh veggies and the the dressing made for a tasty, yet light and refreshing salad. I don't know how everyone else liked it but I don't really care either! I ate a ton of it! LOL!

Southwestern Pasta Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

2 boxes Orzo Pasta
sea or Kosher salt

Dressing:

3/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne/red pepper (or more)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2-3 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 small red onion, diced
2 cans sweet corn kernels, lightly steamed
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions in plenty of salted water to al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking make the dressing: whisk oil, lime juice, honey, chile powder, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, salt and pepper together. Taste and tweak if needed. Cover and store in refrigerator.

3. Drain pasta and rinse to cool. (TIP: I like to put the onions in the colander and drain the pasta over them to blanch them quickly and remove some of their bite.) Add to a large mixing bowl along with the onion, corn, beans and tomatoes. Add dressing and combine well. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Store tightly covered in refrigerator; toss well before serving.

And now for something completely different

Lot's of graduations this weekend. While I am proud of the many graduates, I also am feeling a little sorry for them as getting on a career path these days is nearly impossible. But hard work and tenacity will pay off in the long run so good luck. Although I missed the many graduation celebrations I did manage to prepare these Seafood Salad Filled Cucumber Cup appetizers for some friends. The whole chip and dip thing gets so tired so I wanted to try something new. I was worried though, because I really do not enjoy seafood at all so I didn't know if these would taste good to others or not. I tried to taste it myself but, seriously, I do not care for seafood. I am happy to say that they were very well received and people were texting me for the recipe. So, before I forget, here is my best recollection of what I did. LOL!

Seafood Salad in Cucumber Cups

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound bay scallops
1 can crab meat (I used claw meat)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 lemon
1Tbs white wine vinegar
1/4 C minced vidalia onion
1/4 finely chopped celery
1 Tbs dijon Mustard
1/2 C mayo
1 tsp celery salt
1-2 Tbs dried tarragon
handful of chopped fresh parsley

3 english cucumbers

Preheat oven to 400. Toss shrimp and scallops in olive oil and juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Spread on a baking sheet and roast 5-8 minutes or until opaque. Let cool.

When the shrimp and scallops are cool place in a food processor, with all of the pan juices, and pulse until chopped. Be careful not to overdo it. Mix with remaining ingredients and the juice from the remaining half of lemon. Refrigerate overnight

Slice cucumbers thickly (about 2 inches). Use a melon baller to scoop out flesh leaving some at bottom and along sides. Fill cups with seafood salad and serve.

You Can Never Have Enough!

Meatloaf that is! This variation was inspired by a delicious looking recipe I saw on the blog Bite by Michelle. I had gone to Arthur Avenue with my girlies and stocked up on all sorts of Italian specialties including some HOT Italian sausage. Now, when I went to use the sausage it looked and smelled VERY spicy. For those of you that know me or read this blog much, my hubs has quite the tender palate. He will eat spicy foods but they have to be very sissy versions for him to enjoy. I took one look at this sausage and knew he wouldn't enjoy it. I remembered Michelle's meatloaf and said, "A-HA", I can tweak that to use this sausage. Thankfully, it all worked out and, even though the meatloaf was still a bit spicy, it was tame enough for everyone to enjoy. Success!

My Modified Michelle's Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh good quality bread crumbs
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bloody Mary mix
1/2 cup dry white wine
large bunch fresh basil leaves
6-10 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thickly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a large mixing bowl combine ground meats with eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, garlic, juice, wine and seasonings

Place mixture on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.

Pat mixture out onto a large rectangle about 2 inches thick

Sprinkle meat with sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves and 3/4 of mozzarella.

Roll up jelly-roll style and pat ends to seal shut

Roast 1 hour

Top with remaining mozzarella cheese until melted

Let sit 10 minutes before slicing

Serve with marinara sauce

For the record, the leftovers made awesome sandwiches the next day!!!

Lidia Bastianch Inspired Dinner

I have to admit that I love the way Lidia Bastianich cooks. Every now and then I catch her show "Italy in America" on public television and she always is cooking something right up my alley. A few weeks ago it was a chicken with prosciutto any provolone cheese that looked divine! Now, I had already missed the first part of the show so I didn't get the entire recipe but after a pretty exhaustive search on the Internet I was able to find it. I am not sure if my cooking method is exactly the way she did it since she was at the last few steps when I started watching but all I can say is that it came out SO good! Cooking the chicken with the fresh herbs in place imparts a lovely flavor that is really quite tasty. One thing I did realize is that smoked provolone is sure hard to find in my area! I even went to Manhattan and couldn't find it! BUT... regular provolone didn't disappoint so if you can't find smoked, don't sweat it. I will continue my search and am sure I will get my hands on some eventually and will let you know how it compares. So for now, be assured that this recipe, even without the smoked cheese, is quick and easy to prepare for a delicious weeknight meal and is sure to please. I think I served it with a side of fresh green beans. It was delightful.

Lidia Batianch's Chicken with Smokey Provola

2 chicken breast halves (I like to fillet mine into 2 or 3 cutlets rather than Pound them out)
8-10 fresh basil leaves
6-8 slices prosciutto
6-8 slices smoked provolone cheese
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 C sweet Marsala
1/4 C white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet
Place basil leaves on the chicken cutlets and cover with slices of prosciutto
Place chicken, prosciutto side down, in skillet and allow to brown
Carefully turn over chicken ans brown other side - Use tongs to keep herbs and prosciutto in place
Remove from skillet as set aside
Deglaze pans with wines and return chicken to skillet, prosciutto side up
Place provolone on top of prosciutto and cover pan.
Cook until provolone is melted and chicken is cooked through
Remove chicken and simmer pan liquids to desires consistency. Pour pan liquids over chicken to serve.
Salt and pepper to taste
DELICIOUS!

Super Bowl Breakfast

OK, I have been meaning to make a pot of green chili for a LONG time now. I LOVE this stuff, like mad crazy! The catch is that since moving back to New England you cannot find it ANYWHERE! The only option is to make it yourself! Traditiona chili verde calls for pork but I wanted to try a little something new (partially because this may be an entry for the Hood Cook-off this year). My local butcher (Westchester Market in Colchester, CT) makes all sorts of sausage varieties in their top notch meat department. One of my favorites is a spicy chipotle version. I thought this would be great in chili verde and I was not disappointed. This recipe makes a HUGE pot of the stuff and is great for smothering just about anything or eating straight out of the bowl with a dollop of sour cream and some warm tortillas. I shared it with my brother and his girlfriend over breakfast burritos Superbowl Sunday morning. We all were literally grunting with joy while we scarfed it all down.

 

Breakfast Burritos Smothered in Chipotle Chili Verde

 

Chipotle Sausage Chili Verde

3 lbs Chipotle Sausage

1 large white onion, diced

4 medium-large anaheim peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped

2 medium-large poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped

2 cans Kuners Black Beans with Chili Spices (undrained)

1 can Kuners Diced Tomatoes with Chili Spices

2 cans Rotel Tomatoes with Lime and Cilantro

2 cants Rotel Tomatoes (Traditional) any heat level you like (I used 1 mild and 1 regular)

5 small cans prepared salsa verde ( I think mine were 7oz cans)

1 box chicken stock

1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

2-4 Tbs Masa Harina

Sour Cream

 

Remove sausage from casings and add to you largest stock pot with chopped onion. Saute until sausage is browned and onion is soft. Add remaining ingredients except cilantro and masa harina. Let simmer on low heat until sausage is tender. If chili it very watery, in a small bowl combine masa with warm water to form a thick slurry. Turn up heat on chili and add masa slurry to thicken to desired consistency. Add cilantro and serve with a dollop of sour cream!

 

 

Breakfast Burritos

1 lb breakfast sausage

1/2 lb parboiled white potatoes

1 medium yellow onion

8 large eggs beaten with 1/2 cup milk

4 flour tortillas

4 cups chili verde (heated)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

OPTIONAL: Shredded lettuce, chopped fresh tomato, sour cream, avocado slices

 

In a large frying pan saute onion, potato and sausage together until sausage and potato are browned and onion is soft. Add egg mixture and continue to saute until egg is cooked. Place cooked egg mixture into flour tortilla and roll into burritos. Pour hot chili verde over burrito, top with cheddar cheese and place under broiler or in a hot over to melt cheese. Garnish with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and avocado if desired. Enjoy!

Don't bury me, I'm not dead yet!

LOL! I am here! So sorry to have been away. Again, life gets crazy sometimes. On top of that I have been observing a low carb diet in order to shed some pounds so my cooking hasn't been all that interesting. I do have some recipes to share though, and hope to catch up soon. I even have a picture or two! WHOA! First and foremost is my chicken enchilada stuffed peppers. I adore Mexican food so I had to come up with something that would deliver the flavors I crave in a low carb package. I came up with this and I have to say that it satisfied my every craving!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Peppers
(Serves 2)

1 Tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper, halved, cored and seeded
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and diced
1/4 c chopped onion
1 small can diced green chilies
1/2 Tbs cumin
1/2 Tbs chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 can prepared enchilada sauce (if you make your own, YAY you!-use it!)
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
OPTIONAL: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, avocado slices and sour cream

Place cored bell peppers in a shallow baking dish, set aside
Heat oil in a saute pan and add onion, green chilies and chicken
Saute and add cumin, chili powder and Cayenne pepper.
Continue sauteing until chicken is fully cooked and onions are soft.
Fill peppers with chicken mixture - pack them full!
Pour enchilada sauce over and around filled peppers
Top with cheddar cheese
bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes or until peppers soften.

Garnish with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, avocado slices and sour cream.

ENJOY!