Trying to put a few more recipes up for my vegetarian friends, but for the carnivores, know that you can easily chop up some left-over grilled or roasted chicken into this recipe and it's every bit as good.
Ingredients:
1 pound of whatever kind of pasta you like. I really like whole wheat pasta for this recipe.
1/4 cup of olive oil
5-6 large cloves of garlic, minced (or if you're in a rush, 2 tablespoons of Tastefully Simple Garlic, Garlic -- see previous post about Items I love). If you're a total garlic fiend, as I am, feel free to add even more!
1 and 1/2 teaspooons salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Approximately 3 cups of broccoli florets, chopped up into fairly small pieces (one bag of pre-cut broccoli florets is perfect).
Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and add your pasta. When it's 3 minutes away from being al dente, add the broccoli florets to the water and cook them along with the pasta.
Right before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water for use in the sauce.
After you drain the pasta, add the olive oil to the pot, and when it's hot, add the garlic and seasonings. Keep the heat fairly low and don't let the garlic brown. Once the garlic is translucent, add the pasta and broccoli back into the mix, and stir thoroughly, cooking the flavor of the garlic and seasonings into the pasta.
Add at least 1/4 cup of the pasta water to this mixture, as it will cause the sauce to adhere better to the pasta. If it seems to dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup.
Serve with grated cheese and a glass of good Italian wine!!! If it's white, make sure it's very dry and crisp. Any dry red will also be lovely with this.
This meal would easily serve 4 people, and if any of the diners are light eaters, 5 is possible too.
Mangia!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Chili
Keeping with my theme of great meals for cold nights, here's one for chili. The best thing about this dish is that you can make it with a variety of meats, or make it totally vegan as well.
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, even lamb would be OK), or ground firm tofu or tempeh
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer (I prefer something like a pale ale -- too weak and it's just watery, too strong and it overwhelmes the chili)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of crushed tomatoes -- fire roasted ones are particularly good and Muir Glen makes a great organic version
1 can of corn (or 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernals)
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed. (If you are not a tofu fan, skip it and simply add another can or two of beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons sweet chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or more, but only if you like things hot!)
Salt to taste, but you might not need any because the canned ingredients will have plenty already.
Brown the ground meat until cooked through and broken up in to bits. When it's done, add all the veggies except the corn, and saute until they are all soft, but not browned. Then drain off any fat that has accumulated from the meat.
Add the tomato paste and seasonings and mix thoroughly. After this is good and hot, add the beer, and let it come to a rapid boil for at least 2-3 minutes, to burn off the alcohol, but leave all the taste.
Then add the beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes. Stir thoroughly, and once it bubbles, reduce to low heat, cover your pot, and let it simmer for an hour.
By this time it should be nice and thick, but with a bit of "juice" left. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or anything else you think it needs.
Serve with minced raw onion and shredded cheddar or jack cheese.
YUM!
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, even lamb would be OK), or ground firm tofu or tempeh
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of beer (I prefer something like a pale ale -- too weak and it's just watery, too strong and it overwhelmes the chili)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of crushed tomatoes -- fire roasted ones are particularly good and Muir Glen makes a great organic version
1 can of corn (or 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernals)
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 can of kidney beans, rinsed. (If you are not a tofu fan, skip it and simply add another can or two of beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons sweet chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder (or more, but only if you like things hot!)
Salt to taste, but you might not need any because the canned ingredients will have plenty already.
Brown the ground meat until cooked through and broken up in to bits. When it's done, add all the veggies except the corn, and saute until they are all soft, but not browned. Then drain off any fat that has accumulated from the meat.
Add the tomato paste and seasonings and mix thoroughly. After this is good and hot, add the beer, and let it come to a rapid boil for at least 2-3 minutes, to burn off the alcohol, but leave all the taste.
Then add the beans, corn, and crushed tomatoes. Stir thoroughly, and once it bubbles, reduce to low heat, cover your pot, and let it simmer for an hour.
By this time it should be nice and thick, but with a bit of "juice" left. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or anything else you think it needs.
Serve with minced raw onion and shredded cheddar or jack cheese.
YUM!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sweet Potato Curry Soup
Another easy, hearty, and warming soup for the cold months ahead.
Peel and chop three large sweet potatoes and put into a pot.
Add 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth (Swanson's low sodium will not disappoint)
Add one onion, diced and 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped.
Bring to a boil and simmer on low until the sweet potatoes are well cooked.
With either an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the mixture thoroughly.
Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon curry power (sweet or hot, the choice is yours) and 1 tablespoon ground cumin.
Simmer gently for about 10 minutes and then taste for seasoning. You will likely need to add at least a little salt, although there is some in the broth. If you want it a bit more zesty, keep adding some of each of the spices above.
It'll warm you up from the inside out!
Peel and chop three large sweet potatoes and put into a pot.
Add 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth (Swanson's low sodium will not disappoint)
Add one onion, diced and 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped.
Bring to a boil and simmer on low until the sweet potatoes are well cooked.
With either an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the mixture thoroughly.
Then add 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 tablespoon curry power (sweet or hot, the choice is yours) and 1 tablespoon ground cumin.
Simmer gently for about 10 minutes and then taste for seasoning. You will likely need to add at least a little salt, although there is some in the broth. If you want it a bit more zesty, keep adding some of each of the spices above.
It'll warm you up from the inside out!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Dinner Party #1
When I started this blog, I led off with an introduction about the joy of nurturing people with good food, good company and good conversation. As time goes on, I'm going to lay out dinner parties you can throw -- food that is both easy enough for anyone to prepare, as well as a plan for making it happen in the midst of busy weeks and hectic lives. Here is the first one.
Menu --
Antipasto platter
Lasagna (possibly with meatballs and sausage, though this is optional)
Ceasar salad
Dessert
Here's how you make it happen day by day:
Your dinner party is on a Saturday which in this chronology is Day 8.
On Day 1, which is the Saturday before your party, you go food shopping and buy all the ingredients for your sauce (and meatballs and sausages if you choose to go with that sauce), and lasagna.
Day 2 (Sunday) -- make the sauce (and meatballs and sausages if you're not going with marinara or Bolognese sauce).
Day 3 - Day 5 (Monday - Wed) -- you can pretty much take it easy, but if you have a burst of energy, and a dedicated dining room you won't be using until your dinner party, set the table one night so you won't have to do it on the day of your party. On one of those nights, you can also make your salad dressing . . it tastes good when it's got a few days for all the flavors to meld together and for the sharpness of the garlic to mellow just a bit.
Day 6 (Thursday) -- assemble the lasagna (including veggies if you go with that variation), cover tightly with foil, and put into the back of your refrigerator.
Day 7 (Friday) -- on your way home from work, or in a bit of free time that day, go back to the supermarket and pick up ingredients for the salad and your antipasto platter. (More on that later). If you haven't done so yet, set your table.
Day 8 (Saturday) -- in the morning, either make some brownies (using previous recipe), or buy a nice assortment of Italian pastries (assuming you live in part of the country where that's possible), or some other favorite dessert from a bakery. (Of course, you can bake something more ambitious yourself, but this is all about keeping it simple!)
In the early afternoon, arrange your antipasto platter -- this can be as simple as an assortment of Italian meats (prosciutto, salamis, pepperoni, etc.) and cheeses (boccocini of fresh mozzarella, fontina, chunks of parmigiano, etc.), and you can also add various veggies such as olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers, all of which are available in your grocery store, usually in the same aisle as canned tomotoes or near pickles and condiments. Keep this in the fridge until about 30 minutes before your guests arrive, but take it out a little early to take the extreme chill off, as all the food will taste a little richer if it's not quite so cold.
An hour before your guests are expected to arrive, cut and wash your lettuce, and put it into a salad bowl in the refrigerator to crisp. At the same time, take the lasagna out of the fridge and let it start to come up to room temperature. Don't worry about the cheeses going bad -- it won't happen.
If you are serving meatballs and sausages, put them in a sauce pan and turn the stove burner on as low as it will go. Let them come up to temperature very slowly, stirring every 15 minutes or so. It will not only keep them moist but will perfume the whole house.
When you expect your guests (this is different from the time they actually arrive, for if they're anything like my friends, no one will be on time) pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
When a critical mass of your guests arrive, put the lasagna in the oven, removing the tin foil and just draping it loosely over the baking dish.
Enjoy the antipasto and some cocktails with your guests.
After the lasagna has been cooking for 30 minutes, remove the foil. In theory, it should cook in about 45 minutes, but the only way to be sure that it's heated all the way through is to poke a finger right into the middle -- if it's so hot that you can't submerge it into the center, then it's done. The outer edges should be bubbling.
When it's done, take it out of the oven, cover tightly with foil, and set on the stove. Put a few toothpicks in the top of it so the foil won't stick to the cheese.
Toss and serve the salad at the table. (A real Italian meal would serve salad AFTER the main course, which is also an option, but most Americans are used to salad first.)
When the salad is done, remove the foil from the lasagna, bring to the table and serve it, along with the meatballs and sausages if you have them (if you don't, don't worry -- the lasgna is enough of a meal!).
After a sufficient respite from dinner, serve your dessert.
At every opportunity, take your guests up on their offers to help clean up, and when they ask what they can bring for dinner, suggest a nice bottle of Chianti or some other Tuscan red wine. You can also get a guest to bring dessert fairly easily and then it's one less thing you have to do!
Remember, your guests will be eager to dine with you -- they would probably be willing to pay for dinner in a restaurant for the pleasure of your company, so don't feel bad about asking them for wine or a dessert for this party, because odds are it's still cheaper than going out to dinner would have been. People love to pitch in -- they're usually just too daunted to throw the dinner party by themself.
So there you have it . .. .a meal everyone will love, and a plan to do it bit by bit, a day at a time.
Enjoy!
Menu --
Antipasto platter
Lasagna (possibly with meatballs and sausage, though this is optional)
Ceasar salad
Dessert
Here's how you make it happen day by day:
Your dinner party is on a Saturday which in this chronology is Day 8.
On Day 1, which is the Saturday before your party, you go food shopping and buy all the ingredients for your sauce (and meatballs and sausages if you choose to go with that sauce), and lasagna.
Day 2 (Sunday) -- make the sauce (and meatballs and sausages if you're not going with marinara or Bolognese sauce).
Day 3 - Day 5 (Monday - Wed) -- you can pretty much take it easy, but if you have a burst of energy, and a dedicated dining room you won't be using until your dinner party, set the table one night so you won't have to do it on the day of your party. On one of those nights, you can also make your salad dressing . . it tastes good when it's got a few days for all the flavors to meld together and for the sharpness of the garlic to mellow just a bit.
Day 6 (Thursday) -- assemble the lasagna (including veggies if you go with that variation), cover tightly with foil, and put into the back of your refrigerator.
Day 7 (Friday) -- on your way home from work, or in a bit of free time that day, go back to the supermarket and pick up ingredients for the salad and your antipasto platter. (More on that later). If you haven't done so yet, set your table.
Day 8 (Saturday) -- in the morning, either make some brownies (using previous recipe), or buy a nice assortment of Italian pastries (assuming you live in part of the country where that's possible), or some other favorite dessert from a bakery. (Of course, you can bake something more ambitious yourself, but this is all about keeping it simple!)
In the early afternoon, arrange your antipasto platter -- this can be as simple as an assortment of Italian meats (prosciutto, salamis, pepperoni, etc.) and cheeses (boccocini of fresh mozzarella, fontina, chunks of parmigiano, etc.), and you can also add various veggies such as olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers, all of which are available in your grocery store, usually in the same aisle as canned tomotoes or near pickles and condiments. Keep this in the fridge until about 30 minutes before your guests arrive, but take it out a little early to take the extreme chill off, as all the food will taste a little richer if it's not quite so cold.
An hour before your guests are expected to arrive, cut and wash your lettuce, and put it into a salad bowl in the refrigerator to crisp. At the same time, take the lasagna out of the fridge and let it start to come up to room temperature. Don't worry about the cheeses going bad -- it won't happen.
If you are serving meatballs and sausages, put them in a sauce pan and turn the stove burner on as low as it will go. Let them come up to temperature very slowly, stirring every 15 minutes or so. It will not only keep them moist but will perfume the whole house.
When you expect your guests (this is different from the time they actually arrive, for if they're anything like my friends, no one will be on time) pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
When a critical mass of your guests arrive, put the lasagna in the oven, removing the tin foil and just draping it loosely over the baking dish.
Enjoy the antipasto and some cocktails with your guests.
After the lasagna has been cooking for 30 minutes, remove the foil. In theory, it should cook in about 45 minutes, but the only way to be sure that it's heated all the way through is to poke a finger right into the middle -- if it's so hot that you can't submerge it into the center, then it's done. The outer edges should be bubbling.
When it's done, take it out of the oven, cover tightly with foil, and set on the stove. Put a few toothpicks in the top of it so the foil won't stick to the cheese.
Toss and serve the salad at the table. (A real Italian meal would serve salad AFTER the main course, which is also an option, but most Americans are used to salad first.)
When the salad is done, remove the foil from the lasagna, bring to the table and serve it, along with the meatballs and sausages if you have them (if you don't, don't worry -- the lasgna is enough of a meal!).
After a sufficient respite from dinner, serve your dessert.
At every opportunity, take your guests up on their offers to help clean up, and when they ask what they can bring for dinner, suggest a nice bottle of Chianti or some other Tuscan red wine. You can also get a guest to bring dessert fairly easily and then it's one less thing you have to do!
Remember, your guests will be eager to dine with you -- they would probably be willing to pay for dinner in a restaurant for the pleasure of your company, so don't feel bad about asking them for wine or a dessert for this party, because odds are it's still cheaper than going out to dinner would have been. People love to pitch in -- they're usually just too daunted to throw the dinner party by themself.
So there you have it . .. .a meal everyone will love, and a plan to do it bit by bit, a day at a time.
Enjoy!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Bill Anderson's Ceasar Salad
This recipe came from my dear friend, Bill Anderson. He was a wonderful cook, and particularly, a wonderful baker. I loved having him and his wife Christine Stoneman come to my dinner parties -- not just because they are two of the best people in my life, but also because he always brought the best desserts. We lost Bill a little over three years ago, but I think of him almost daily. And he is responsible for a Ceasar Salad Recipe that the whole gang of our friends loves. And those beyond that circle, credit me for the dressing but he deserves all the credit.
It's delicious, easy to make, and egg free, so no worries about salmonella. Here goes!
In a small food processor or some such device (like an immersion mixer), add 3 large cloves of garlic, 1 heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of Worchestire sauce, 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste (or 1-2 anchovy filets), the juice of one lemon, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper. Give this a whir until the garlic is chopped up a bit.
Then drizzle in 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil until the garlic is basically liquified and the mixture is emulsified.
Put this mixture into a bowl and then fold in 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano cheese until well mixed.
Toss with romaine lettuce and croutons and serve. If you want to turn it into a meal, add some grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak, portobellow mushrooms, etc.
It also makes a great dip for veggies, pita chips, and other assorted munchies, or a sandwich spread in place of mayo or mustard.
It's delicious, easy to make, and egg free, so no worries about salmonella. Here goes!
In a small food processor or some such device (like an immersion mixer), add 3 large cloves of garlic, 1 heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of Worchestire sauce, 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste (or 1-2 anchovy filets), the juice of one lemon, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper. Give this a whir until the garlic is chopped up a bit.
Then drizzle in 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil until the garlic is basically liquified and the mixture is emulsified.
Put this mixture into a bowl and then fold in 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano cheese until well mixed.
Toss with romaine lettuce and croutons and serve. If you want to turn it into a meal, add some grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp, steak, portobellow mushrooms, etc.
It also makes a great dip for veggies, pita chips, and other assorted munchies, or a sandwich spread in place of mayo or mustard.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Frittatas
Brunch is one of my favorite meals to host -- it's a fun time of the day to get together, and making brunch food ahead of time is so easy. Plus, it's a fairly inexpensive meal to make, which means you can invite more people.
Quiche is usually a very popular brunch dish, and I love a good quiche . . . but I can go you one easier with my version of a frittata, which is a baked Italian omelet. Once you get the basic technique down, you can literally make ENDLESS varieties. If you can scramble an egg, chop ingredients, and throw them into an oven to bake, you can make a frittata.
So first, the basics . . . .
Take 8 eggs, 1/2 cup milk (whole is best, but 2% is OK -- just don't use skim), a pinch of salt and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper, and whisk them all together until they're well incorporated.
Take a pie dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and pour the egg mixture into the dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes -- until the top is lightly brown and the middle is firm to the touch. Let it rest for a few minutes before you serve, or you can also let it cool to room temperature and serve that way.
That's it -- how easy is that?????
Now -- for some of my favorite varieties, but really, you can add anything you want to this.
The All American -- dice 1 onion and saute until it's translucent. Add that, about 1/2 cup of some chopped ham or bacon or breakfast sausage, 8 ounces of shredded cheddar, and 2 shredded potatoes (squeeze out the excess water), and bake as above.
Carciofi -- mince 3-4 large cloves of garlic, mince 10 fresh basil leaves (or use 1 tbsp. dried basil), chop up 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (about 3 full hearts), 1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, and 8 ounces of shredded smoked fontina (or some such smoked cheese), stir and bake.
Caprese -- remove seeds from 1 large tomato and dice; 10 minced basil leaves (or 1 tsp. dried basil), 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh mozzarella -- it's too watery); 1/3 cup of parmigiana; stir and bake.
Let your imagination run wild -- great ingredients to use include zucchini, spinach (buy chopped frozen spinach, defrost and squeeze out all the excess water before adding), broccoli, asparagus, roasted red peppers, all sorts of breakfast meats, and cheeses -- there are no limits.
My guest are always FAR too over-impressed with this very easy dish. Make one for every 3-4 people, put out some bagels or other pastry, a fruit salad, and it's a party.
Enjoy!
Quiche is usually a very popular brunch dish, and I love a good quiche . . . but I can go you one easier with my version of a frittata, which is a baked Italian omelet. Once you get the basic technique down, you can literally make ENDLESS varieties. If you can scramble an egg, chop ingredients, and throw them into an oven to bake, you can make a frittata.
So first, the basics . . . .
Take 8 eggs, 1/2 cup milk (whole is best, but 2% is OK -- just don't use skim), a pinch of salt and a bit of fresh cracked black pepper, and whisk them all together until they're well incorporated.
Take a pie dish, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and pour the egg mixture into the dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 - 45 minutes -- until the top is lightly brown and the middle is firm to the touch. Let it rest for a few minutes before you serve, or you can also let it cool to room temperature and serve that way.
That's it -- how easy is that?????
Now -- for some of my favorite varieties, but really, you can add anything you want to this.
The All American -- dice 1 onion and saute until it's translucent. Add that, about 1/2 cup of some chopped ham or bacon or breakfast sausage, 8 ounces of shredded cheddar, and 2 shredded potatoes (squeeze out the excess water), and bake as above.
Carciofi -- mince 3-4 large cloves of garlic, mince 10 fresh basil leaves (or use 1 tbsp. dried basil), chop up 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (about 3 full hearts), 1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, and 8 ounces of shredded smoked fontina (or some such smoked cheese), stir and bake.
Caprese -- remove seeds from 1 large tomato and dice; 10 minced basil leaves (or 1 tsp. dried basil), 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh mozzarella -- it's too watery); 1/3 cup of parmigiana; stir and bake.
Let your imagination run wild -- great ingredients to use include zucchini, spinach (buy chopped frozen spinach, defrost and squeeze out all the excess water before adding), broccoli, asparagus, roasted red peppers, all sorts of breakfast meats, and cheeses -- there are no limits.
My guest are always FAR too over-impressed with this very easy dish. Make one for every 3-4 people, put out some bagels or other pastry, a fruit salad, and it's a party.
Enjoy!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
World's Best Chocolate Cake
Buy a can of Hershey's baking cocoa powder (not to be confused with any sort of chocolate drink mix!)
Follow the directions on the back of the can to the letter.
Viola!!!!!
Follow the directions on the back of the can to the letter.
Viola!!!!!
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