My new favorite must have ingredient is the pepperoncini. I love it. Love it. It's tangy, has some nice heat, it's pickled. Everything about it works. It is the star of sauces and now it is showing up in much of what I cook. This is a nice little chick pea dish that works as an appetizer or a salad that you could easily add to and make a hearty meal.
-2 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed, drained
-6 pepperoncini, seeded and chopped
-1 tbsp parsley, chopped
Mix these ingredients together
-1 clove garlic, minced to paste
- juice of 1 lemon
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
-pepper
Blend in to dressing. Add to garbanzo beans.
This can be served as a bruschetta, or as a salad. As a salad, the following ingredients are a nice addition
-halved cherry tomatoes
-thinly sliced fennel
-chopped persian cucumber
-tsp crumbled feta
Monday, September 5, 2011
MEDITERRANEAN "COMPOTE" (FOR PASTA, FISH, AND POULTRY
We don't eat much pasta, maybe once per month, so when I was given an atlas pasta maker and a chitarra for my birthday this past August, I was a little perplexed. I thought it would be collecting dust in a closet. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it unleashed a bunch of ideas about what is possible with pasta.
First and foremost, if you make fresh pasta at home, you will never be satisfied to eat boxed spaghetti again. Ever. Ever. The pasta cut on the chitarra is light, delicate, and delicious. It's important not to overwork the dough, as I learned trying to make filled pasta this past weekend. To serve two people, the simple recipe is 100g flour/1 egg/a tiny bit of water. All this goes in the cuisinart, and off you go. Adjust water/flour to right consistency. Turn once, let rest for 30 minutes. And you are ready to make pasta.
Here's the thing about this sauce, which really isn't a sauce, it's more like a ragu...or a compote. If I ever leave the world of marketing performance products, I will do it to sell this sauce/ragu/compote.
I wanted the sauce to be as fresh and light as the pasta itself. This came together really well, and has a kick but has a very fresh taste that would work just as well on top of fish or chicken as it does on pasta. In this case I like making the noodle fettuccini width. I may try hand cut pappardelle as well.
Ready ?
-Slice six to eight cloves of garlic super thin (think the movie Goodfellas where Paul Sorvino slices the garlic with a razor....yes, that thin...although I don't recommend the razor)
-Sauté in ev olive oil but do not let brown
-Add 2 tbsp capers
-Add three or more cups of cherry tomatoes (I like red and yellow), halved. Or rough chopped fresh tomatoes.
-Add 8-10 pepperoncini, sliced, seeds removed.
-Add 10-12 pitted, chopped olives-they must be Castelvetrano olives.
-Cook down until tomatoes are soft and shriveled..
-Remove from heat.
-Swirl in two to three teaspoons butter
-Add chopped fresh parsley and basil.
Insane.
First and foremost, if you make fresh pasta at home, you will never be satisfied to eat boxed spaghetti again. Ever. Ever. The pasta cut on the chitarra is light, delicate, and delicious. It's important not to overwork the dough, as I learned trying to make filled pasta this past weekend. To serve two people, the simple recipe is 100g flour/1 egg/a tiny bit of water. All this goes in the cuisinart, and off you go. Adjust water/flour to right consistency. Turn once, let rest for 30 minutes. And you are ready to make pasta.
Here's the thing about this sauce, which really isn't a sauce, it's more like a ragu...or a compote. If I ever leave the world of marketing performance products, I will do it to sell this sauce/ragu/compote.
I wanted the sauce to be as fresh and light as the pasta itself. This came together really well, and has a kick but has a very fresh taste that would work just as well on top of fish or chicken as it does on pasta. In this case I like making the noodle fettuccini width. I may try hand cut pappardelle as well.
Ready ?
-Slice six to eight cloves of garlic super thin (think the movie Goodfellas where Paul Sorvino slices the garlic with a razor....yes, that thin...although I don't recommend the razor)
-Sauté in ev olive oil but do not let brown
-Add 2 tbsp capers
-Add three or more cups of cherry tomatoes (I like red and yellow), halved. Or rough chopped fresh tomatoes.
-Add 8-10 pepperoncini, sliced, seeds removed.
-Add 10-12 pitted, chopped olives-they must be Castelvetrano olives.
-Cook down until tomatoes are soft and shriveled..
-Remove from heat.
-Swirl in two to three teaspoons butter
-Add chopped fresh parsley and basil.
Insane.
BRAISED BONELESS SHORT RIBS
I had to work myself up to making short ribs. It's one of those items that even though it is not difficult, it is intimidating for some reason. I hear friends rave about short ribs they have eaten at better restaurants, and not being a huge short rib fan, I a) don't really get it, and b) assumed because I am not a huge short rib fan, that there is no way I could make a killer short rib. I am happy to report I was wrong. These short ribs were insane. In looking at other recipes, mine is almost more like an osso bucco short rib, at least it feels that way while I am cooking it.
Didn't really measure here, so just proportion based on your flavor preferences.
-at least four large boneless short ribs (I bought a large pack at costco and made them all, they keep well)
-heavy pan (preferably cast iron, avoid non stick)
-slow cooker or heavy pot with lid (I used slow cooker)
-regular olive oil (not extra virgin)
-salt
-pepper
-garlic cloves (finely minced)
-shallots (sliced thin)
-carrots (finely chopped)
-celery (finely chopped)
-orange and orange zest
-low sodium soy sauce
-bottle red wine
-honey
-brown sugar
-cumin
-thyme
-low sodium chicken stock
Steps:
1) Salt and pepper short ribs
2) Heat olive oil in pan
3) Brown short ribs on all sides (this takes a while and they should have a crust on them). Remove from pan after browning and place in your slow cooker or heavy pot, covered, as some blood will come out, and you want to retain as much moisture as possible.
4) Saute shallots, add garlic, carrots, and celery in same pan with drippings.
5) Add bottle of red wine to pan, allow some of the alcohol to cook out.
6) Add a few shakes of low sodium soy sauce (if you can't handle the gluten use dr.braggs amino acids instead)
7) Add cup chicken stock
8) Add 1/2 cup raw honey and two tbsp brown sugar
9) Liquids should be reducing, add a tsp of thyme, 1/8tsp cumin, and a fist full of parsley.
10) Dump all of the contents of the pan in to the slow cooker/pot over the ribs. If it is not fully covered, add more chicken stock.
11) Add juice or 1/2 an orange and some orange zest.
12) Set slow cooker to six hours on low.
13) After the six hours, set to two hours on high. Test for doneness, should be falling off fork.
14) Heat pan coated with olive oil.
15) Remove the cooked short ribs from the liquid and transfer to pan to create final crust (basically repeating the first step). Remove from pan, Wrap up in foil and set aside.
16). Strain liquid in to bowl or container through fine sieve.
17) Chill liquid and remove fat layer from top (or use one of those things that separates the fat) too remove excess fat.
1) Using heavy pan or saucepan, reduce remaining liquid down by at least two thirds, takes a while. If it reduces too much, add more chicken stock. Also add more honey/sugar to help thicken (not much though).
18) Once reduction is almost done, swirl in 1-2tbsp butter.
19) Add salt to taste.
20) Serve ribs, with reduction on top, with starch of your choice. I would recommend a green onion risotto, or mashed potato with goat cheese, or parmesan truffle polenta. Make sure to include some sort of very refreshing vegetable to balance the richness of the ribs. I like to pair with a simple arugula salad dressed with lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
Didn't really measure here, so just proportion based on your flavor preferences.
-at least four large boneless short ribs (I bought a large pack at costco and made them all, they keep well)
-heavy pan (preferably cast iron, avoid non stick)
-slow cooker or heavy pot with lid (I used slow cooker)
-regular olive oil (not extra virgin)
-salt
-pepper
-garlic cloves (finely minced)
-shallots (sliced thin)
-carrots (finely chopped)
-celery (finely chopped)
-orange and orange zest
-low sodium soy sauce
-bottle red wine
-honey
-brown sugar
-cumin
-thyme
-low sodium chicken stock
Steps:
1) Salt and pepper short ribs
2) Heat olive oil in pan
3) Brown short ribs on all sides (this takes a while and they should have a crust on them). Remove from pan after browning and place in your slow cooker or heavy pot, covered, as some blood will come out, and you want to retain as much moisture as possible.
4) Saute shallots, add garlic, carrots, and celery in same pan with drippings.
5) Add bottle of red wine to pan, allow some of the alcohol to cook out.
6) Add a few shakes of low sodium soy sauce (if you can't handle the gluten use dr.braggs amino acids instead)
7) Add cup chicken stock
8) Add 1/2 cup raw honey and two tbsp brown sugar
9) Liquids should be reducing, add a tsp of thyme, 1/8tsp cumin, and a fist full of parsley.
10) Dump all of the contents of the pan in to the slow cooker/pot over the ribs. If it is not fully covered, add more chicken stock.
11) Add juice or 1/2 an orange and some orange zest.
12) Set slow cooker to six hours on low.
13) After the six hours, set to two hours on high. Test for doneness, should be falling off fork.
14) Heat pan coated with olive oil.
15) Remove the cooked short ribs from the liquid and transfer to pan to create final crust (basically repeating the first step). Remove from pan, Wrap up in foil and set aside.
16). Strain liquid in to bowl or container through fine sieve.
17) Chill liquid and remove fat layer from top (or use one of those things that separates the fat) too remove excess fat.
1) Using heavy pan or saucepan, reduce remaining liquid down by at least two thirds, takes a while. If it reduces too much, add more chicken stock. Also add more honey/sugar to help thicken (not much though).
18) Once reduction is almost done, swirl in 1-2tbsp butter.
19) Add salt to taste.
20) Serve ribs, with reduction on top, with starch of your choice. I would recommend a green onion risotto, or mashed potato with goat cheese, or parmesan truffle polenta. Make sure to include some sort of very refreshing vegetable to balance the richness of the ribs. I like to pair with a simple arugula salad dressed with lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
Friday, February 11, 2011
FOOTBALL FOOD
I've never made lasagna before, but I had to pull something together for the guys after golf (which I couldn't join because of my stupid sinuses-and...this is the day they see Dave Grohl....DAVE GROHL!!!!! on the golf course), and had a small window to actually make something before I had to go rest again because of, yes, my stupid sinuses. Anyway, I tried it, and it worked out pretty well. This is not a low fat, low cholesterol, power meal. This is football food. A regular gut bomb, comfort food in it's purest form. Won't even record the nutritionals because this is one of those things that well, you just don't want to know. I'm guesstimating on the ingredients because I don't typically measure, but I think they are pretty close. Next time I might try it with asparagus and morel mushrooms instead of sausage, and maybe sub out some of the cheese for something else like mashed cauliflower. Who knows, the possibilities here are endless.
I tried to balance it out with an arugula salad with dried sour cherries, a few pistachios, and a few shards of parmesan, dressed lightly with lemon/olive oil/sea salt. But who are we kidding, it didn't offset anything. This was fat and carb fest at it's worst.
-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped
-8 cloves of garlic, minced to paste
-2 packages lean italian turkey sausage links
-red wine (for cooking, meaning it means to be good enough to drink but not out of the cellar)
- 1 package crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 packages shitake mushroom, chopped
1 can drained and diced san marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley
italian seasoning
good balsamic
orange zest (1/8 tsp)
black pepper
red pepper flakes
1 16 oz container whole milk ricotta
1 cup 2% milk
1 container mascarpone
1 cup freshly grated aged parmesan
truffle oil (optional)
truffle salt (optional)
freshly thin sliced mozzarella and provolone
lasagna noodles, preferably no cook and whole wheat
Preheat oven to 375
In large saute pan, heat olive oil, saute onion and garlic.
Remove sausage from casing, break up in pan and cook through
Splash in some red wine, reduce
add mushrooms until cooked
add tomatoes
add parsley, pepper and pepper flakes, seasonings,
add 1/4 cup parmesan
Remove when cooked. Let cool slightly. Run through the cuisinart (unless you want it more of a rustic lasagna
In the meantime, heat ricotta, milk, mascarpone, and 1/2 cup parm in sauce pan. If you have truffle oil and salt, you can add them, just adds a little something extra.
I like to use an 8 x 10 pan, but you could use a smaller one or double the recipe. Depends how deep you like your lasagna. You will probably have some leftover sausage mixture, which can just be added to a red sauce or used for stuffed mushrooms later on.
However you can coat your noodles with the ricotta mixture, do it. I made a mess but I needed to work fast.
- layer a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on the bottom of the lasagna pan.
- coat noodles with ricotta mixture, layer.
- add another thin layer of ricotta mixture, sprinkle parm, add layer of sausage mixture.
Repeat until you are almost at the top.
- the last layer should be ricotta mixture, then mozzarella and provolone cheese, then finally another sprinkle of parm.
- let rest for at least two hours.
- bake for as long as it takes. Maybe 45 minutes or until bubbly ? You may have to at the end hit it with the broiler to get the really crusty look.
Enjoy.
I tried to balance it out with an arugula salad with dried sour cherries, a few pistachios, and a few shards of parmesan, dressed lightly with lemon/olive oil/sea salt. But who are we kidding, it didn't offset anything. This was fat and carb fest at it's worst.
-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 onion, finely chopped
-8 cloves of garlic, minced to paste
-2 packages lean italian turkey sausage links
-red wine (for cooking, meaning it means to be good enough to drink but not out of the cellar)
- 1 package crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 packages shitake mushroom, chopped
1 can drained and diced san marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup parsley
italian seasoning
good balsamic
orange zest (1/8 tsp)
black pepper
red pepper flakes
1 16 oz container whole milk ricotta
1 cup 2% milk
1 container mascarpone
1 cup freshly grated aged parmesan
truffle oil (optional)
truffle salt (optional)
freshly thin sliced mozzarella and provolone
lasagna noodles, preferably no cook and whole wheat
Preheat oven to 375
In large saute pan, heat olive oil, saute onion and garlic.
Remove sausage from casing, break up in pan and cook through
Splash in some red wine, reduce
add mushrooms until cooked
add tomatoes
add parsley, pepper and pepper flakes, seasonings,
add 1/4 cup parmesan
Remove when cooked. Let cool slightly. Run through the cuisinart (unless you want it more of a rustic lasagna
In the meantime, heat ricotta, milk, mascarpone, and 1/2 cup parm in sauce pan. If you have truffle oil and salt, you can add them, just adds a little something extra.
I like to use an 8 x 10 pan, but you could use a smaller one or double the recipe. Depends how deep you like your lasagna. You will probably have some leftover sausage mixture, which can just be added to a red sauce or used for stuffed mushrooms later on.
However you can coat your noodles with the ricotta mixture, do it. I made a mess but I needed to work fast.
- layer a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on the bottom of the lasagna pan.
- coat noodles with ricotta mixture, layer.
- add another thin layer of ricotta mixture, sprinkle parm, add layer of sausage mixture.
Repeat until you are almost at the top.
- the last layer should be ricotta mixture, then mozzarella and provolone cheese, then finally another sprinkle of parm.
- let rest for at least two hours.
- bake for as long as it takes. Maybe 45 minutes or until bubbly ? You may have to at the end hit it with the broiler to get the really crusty look.
Enjoy.
SPICY OATS
I am convinced that oatmeal is a key factor in achieving optimum health. Read most any story about people who have recommitted to health, lost weight, improved their heart health, etc. Almost all of them talk about oatmeal for breakfast. My most recent inspiration was last year, reading about celebrity chef Art Smith, who dropped over 100 pounds. His quote ,“I eat steel-cut oatmeal, berries and lots of water every day". My husband, same deal. He switched from eggs to oatmeal, and boom! weight gone.
I've been eating oatmeal since last spring, but, it was the kind in the package, loaded with extra sugar and sodium. Great for when you are in a rush, but really not the best thing for you.
The other thing I have been reading about quite a bit is the benefits of cayenne pepper. Not in it's master cleanse state, but on it's own. My heart is healthy, and I want to keep it healthy, and any "power food" or natural food that I can integrate in to my diet to stay healthy, I will do.
http://www.cayennepepper.info/health-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper.html
So all that being said....
SPICY OATS
- 1/3 cup coaches oats or steel cut oats (you can buy the big bag at costco)
- 1 cup water
cook as per instructions on stovetop or in microwave. I find I need to cook them longer because I don't like soupy oats.
Add
- 3 tbsp organic unsweetened applesauce
- 1-2 tsp organic grade B maple syrup
- sprinkle or two of cayenne
- 1/2 banana sliced, or 1/2 cup blueberries, or both
278 calories/3 grams fat/42 g carbs/5 grams protein/7.1 grams fiber/
I've been eating oatmeal since last spring, but, it was the kind in the package, loaded with extra sugar and sodium. Great for when you are in a rush, but really not the best thing for you.
The other thing I have been reading about quite a bit is the benefits of cayenne pepper. Not in it's master cleanse state, but on it's own. My heart is healthy, and I want to keep it healthy, and any "power food" or natural food that I can integrate in to my diet to stay healthy, I will do.
http://www.cayennepepper.info/health-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper.html
So all that being said....
SPICY OATS
- 1/3 cup coaches oats or steel cut oats (you can buy the big bag at costco)
- 1 cup water
cook as per instructions on stovetop or in microwave. I find I need to cook them longer because I don't like soupy oats.
Add
- 3 tbsp organic unsweetened applesauce
- 1-2 tsp organic grade B maple syrup
- sprinkle or two of cayenne
- 1/2 banana sliced, or 1/2 cup blueberries, or both
278 calories/3 grams fat/42 g carbs/5 grams protein/7.1 grams fiber/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)