7 April 2014 Caprese Salad for #MeatlessMonday

Caprese Salad for #MeatlessMonday

April 7, 2014 By

CapreseI know it’s not technically a “recipe” but wanted to share my fresh and delicious caprese salad made with yellow cherry and kumato tomatoes. Just think the yellow and greenish/purple looks beautiful and I had super fresh Mozzarella so paired perfectly with a drizzle of Greek olive oil and reduced balsamic vinegar. 

Just a simple, fresh and delicious entry for #MeatlessMonday!

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, Italian, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With:
17 March 2014 Meatless Bolognese Sauce

Meatless Bolognese Sauce

March 17, 2014 By
Portobello

Portobello

I’m not 100% sure my grandma would approve of me using her meat sauce recipe to create a meatless version, but it’s deeply-flavored and satisfying with pasta, gnocchi and in a lasagna. Perfect for #MeatlessMonday.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8 large Portobello mushrooms, small diced
  • 1 ounce dried porcini, ground to a powder
  • ½ Tbsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • ½ Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt & pepper
  • ¼ tsp. cloves
  • 1 tbs. sugar
  • 1-20 ounce can tomato juice
  • 1 small can of tomato paste
  • 1-28 ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, chopped
Grinding Porcini

Grinding Porcini

Directions:

  1. Sauté onion and celery in oil for 5 minutes in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. 
  2. Add garlic and sauté another minute. 
  3. Add the Portobello and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the porcini powder, the spices and sugar and cook 1 minute. 
  4. Add tomato juice, paste, and Italian-style tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Re-season with salt and pepper if needed.

Makes 8 servings.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Italian, Mushrooms, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
25 February 2014 Easy Chicken Tarragon

Easy Chicken Tarragon

February 25, 2014 By

Chicken TerragonThis is a recipe I grew up with as it might have been my mom’s signature dish. Simply a comforting meal with lots of flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 2 tsp. tarragon
  • 3 ½ cups ( 1-750 ml bottle) white wine
  • 1-8 ounce pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • ½ cup yellow mustard
  • 1 tbs. corn starch
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Place chicken in a bowl and coat with mustard.  Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.  Brown chicken on all sides.  Add tarragon, mushrooms, and wine and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 45 minutes.
  2. Remove chicken pieces from pan and add cream to the sauce.  Simmer 5 minutes.
  3. In a glass, mix water and cornstarch and add to the sauce. Let mixture thicken for 3 minutes.
  4. Return chicken to the sauce and re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve over white rice.

4 Servings.

Filed Under: Canadian, Chicken, Entrees, French Tagged With: ,
20 February 2014 Beef Pot Pie

Beef Pot Pie

February 20, 2014 By
Beef Simmering

Beef Simmering

The first thing that comes to mind when pot pie is mentioned is the creamy, chicken kind. On a cold winter Sunday, I just love the comfort of beef simmered slowly in wine and aromatics. I had some puff pastry on hand and opted to combine the two comforting dishes: pot pie and simmered beef.

Beef in Gravy

Beef in Gravy

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ tsp. each sat and pepper
  • 2 ½ pounds beef stewing meat, trimmed and cubed
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. each thyme and oregano, chopped
  • ½ tsp. rosemary, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 package prepared puff pastry sheets
  • 1 egg, beaten
Puff Pastry Top

Puff Pastry Top

Directions:

  1. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches (if needed), sauté the beef in the oil until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pan and set aside for later use.
  2. In the same Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the onion, carrot and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in smoked paprika, herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook for an additional minute while coating the vegetables with the aromatics.
  3. Return the beef to the pan, add the stock, red wine, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  4. Combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water. Turn the heat up to high and bring the stew to a boil. Pour the cornstarch mixture in the stew and stir gently until the gravy has thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves from the stew.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400. Butter a 2 quart ovenproof dish (I use a souflee pan) and add the stew.
  6. Cut a circle of pastry two inches larger in circumference than your dish. Brush the outer rim of the dish with some of the beaten egg then place the pastry on top and pinch the pastry onto the rim. Cut 2 slits into the pastry and brush it with the rest of the beaten egg.
  7. Put the dish on a cookie sheet and place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or just until the pastry is golden brown.

Serves 6.

Note: If you have beef stew leftover after filling the dish, serve it over mashed potatoes.

Filed Under: American, Beef, Entrees, Irish Tagged With: , , ,
18 February 2014 Easy Crawfish Etouffée

Easy Crawfish Etouffée

February 18, 2014 By

EtouffeeOne of my favorite restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, where I lived for over 20 years, was Creolina’s and it served some of the best crawfish etouffée I’ve ever had. I enjoy making this deeply-flavored dish at home as it seems rewarding for me to make a roux, let the holy trinity (typically onion, green bell pepper and celery) cook in the hot butter/flour and simmer crawfish in the concoction.

Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity

This version doesn’t go through the process of making a homemade stock from the crawfish heads and peels. The roux isn’t cooked for 45 so it’s lighter in color and flavor yet still delicious. Another tweak to the tradition recipe I’ve made here was to use red bell pepper instead of green as I like the flavor better and the red color looks pretty in this dish. Ingredients:

  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • 4 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • ½ cup celery, diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. thyme, chopped
  • 1 cup clam juice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup tomato, diced
  • 1 Tbsp. creole seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pound cooked crawfish, shells and heads removed
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce (I use Crystal)
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ¼ cup scallions, chopped
Roux after 10 Minutes

Roux after 10 Minutes

Directions:

  1. Melt the butter in a large cast iron pan over medium heat and cook until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and whisk to incorporate and break up any lumps. Simmer over medium-low heat until it turns the color of peanut butter, about 15 minutes, whisking frequently.
  2. Add the onion, celery and red bell pepper to the roux and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute.
  4. Whisk in the clam juice and broth ensuring any clumpy roux is broken down, Add the tomatoes, creole seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the crawfish and cook about 3 minutes to just warm the crawfish.
  6. Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper then add the butter and lemon juice.
  7. Serve the etouffée over white rice and garnish with scallions.

Serves 4.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Seafood, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
7 February 2014 Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter

Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Sage Brown Butter

February 7, 2014 By
Gnocchi Dough

Gnocchi Dough

I find myself ordering gnocchi a lot when I go out to dinner. I love the pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth texture of gnocchi and last week, started wondering why I almost never make them at home. I had two sweet potatoes and decided to jump in one morning and make a batch for lunch – not a bad weekday treat, right?

Gnocchi Rope

Gnocchi Rope

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, pierced all over with fork
  • 8-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours
  • ½ cup plus ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. plus 2 Tbsp. salt
  • ¼  tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • 5 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
Uncooked Gnocchi

Uncooked Gnocchi

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Cut in half and cool for 15 minutes. Remove the peel from the potatoes, place the flesh in a large bowl and mash. To the mashed potatoes, add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 1 teaspoons salt and nutmeg and stir until well incorporated. Mix in flour, about ½ cup at a time, until soft dough forms.
  2. Place dough onto a floured surface and divide in 6 equal portions. Create 20-inch long ropes by rolling each portion of dough between palms and floured work surface – sprinkle with flour as needed if sticky. Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over the tines of fork to indent (optional). Transfer to baking sheet sprinkled lightly with flour.
  3. Bring large pot of water to boil then add 2 tablespoons salt. When the water is boiling again, add one or two portions of gnocchi and boil until tender, 2-3 minutes. Transfer the boiled gnocchi to clean cookie sheet and cool completely. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
  4. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook until butter is brown with a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Add chopped sage and turn off the heat. Season sage butter with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
  5. Add the gnocchi to the brown butter and sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 4 minutes.
  6. Divide gnocchi among small bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan.

Makes 8 appetizer portions.                                                                                                                         

Inspired by this Bon Appetit recipe.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Italian, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,
3 February 2014 Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter

Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sage Brown Butter

February 3, 2014 By

Butternut Squash RavioliLast week I stopped at Eataly in Manhattan with some friends visiting from Florida. The place is a Mecca of all things Italian and I couldn’t pass up the pasta counter and the super cute butternut squash ravioli as I knew I’d be in a hurry to fix dinner for all of us when we returned to the burbs.

Well, dinner didn’t happen as we lunched at Barbuto and it was a feast and we simply weren’t hungry for dinner, so I made a quick lunch of the ravioli yesterday and the photo I took of that pasta had everyone liking and sharing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

I couldn’t understand why folks would like this particular dish, yes, I can make my own ravioli, but what I didn’t grasp until later in the day is that so many of us who work longs days just crave delicious, elegant and simple to make meals during the week, albeit semi-homemade. Fair enough, here are the simple steps to making this pretty meal.

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound fresh ravioli (I used butternut squash as I love that in the winter)
  • ½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter
  • 1 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh sage
  • ¼ cup Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain.
  2. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the butter until brown and nutty in aroma, about 90 seconds.
  3. Add the sage to the brown butter, turn heat off, add the ravioli and shake the pan to coat the pasta in brown butter.
  4. Plate the ravioli and sprinkle with Pecorino or Parmesan.

Serves one famished dinner.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, Italian, Pasta, Sides, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
15 November 2013 Beef Short Rib Leftover Ideas

Beef Short Rib Leftover Ideas

November 15, 2013 By

Short ribs are at the top of my list of winter comfort foods. The lowly-simmered, decadent beef with its rich sauce and deep flavors warm the body and the soul.

When I take the time to make Make Ahead Short Ribs, I often double the recipe so I have leftovers. While it’s easy and delicious to simply reheat the short ribs and have them with mashed potatoes, here are two of my favorite ways to use leftover short ribs.

Short Rib Soup

Short Rib Soup

Short Rib, Mushroom and Barley Soup

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 pound beef bones (ideally with marrow)
  • 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped into small dice
  • 2 carrots, chopped into small dice
  • 3 celery ribs, chopped into small dice
  • 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 32-ounce cartons of beef broth
  • 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine or white wine (optional)
  • 3/4 cup barley, rinsed in cold water
  • 2 cups shredded leftover beef short ribs
  • 4-inch long piece of Parmesan rind

Directions:

  1. Pour the oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat, and heat up for 30 seconds.  Add the bones and cook for 2 minutes, or until browned.
  2. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the bones in the pot, reduce heat to medium heat and cook the vegetables for 4 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook an additional 3 minutes.
  3. Add the spices, the broth and the wine, if using.  Bring the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the barley, short rib meat and the Parmesan rind, if using, to the pot and simmer partially covered for another 30 minutes over low heat.
  5. Remove and discard the bones and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Short Rib Panini

Short Rib Panini

Short Rib Panini

Ingredients:

  • 2 Portuguese rolls, or other favorite bread
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 cup shredded leftover short rib
  • 4 slices Gouda cheese, or other melting cheese like Fontina
  • 2 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup mâche or arugula

Directions:

  1. Warm a Panini press or heavy skillet over medium heat.
  2. Cut the rolls horizontally and brush them with the oil.
  3. Add 1/2 cup of short rib to each roll then top with 2 slices of cheese each. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the meat and cheese.
  4. Place the sandwiches on the Panini press, close and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. If using a skillet, simply weight the sandwich down with a second skillet and flip the sandwich after 1 minute or until the first side is golden brown.
  5. Divide the mâche or arugula between the two sandwiches, cut on an angle and serve.

Makes 2 Panini.

If you have clever short rib leftover ideas, please share them!

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Beef, Entrees, Mushrooms, Sandwiches, Soups Tagged With: , , ,
29 October 2013 Lamb and Beer Stew

Lamb and Beer Stew

October 29, 2013 By

Lamb Stew FinishedThe fall’s chill is in the air and winter’s right around the corner and I’m thrilled for one reason – hearty, comfort food. Stews, soups and roasts have such appeal to me and one of my favorites is lamb stew. Lamb simmered in beer – what’s not to love!? This recipe is simple to make and slow cooks until dinnertime comes. Serve this stew with crusty bread and mashed potatoes.

Raw IngredientsIngredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and thyme
  • 3 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2” cubes
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cup cipollini onions (or pearl onions), peeled
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. rosemary
  • 1 bottle of dark beer
  • 1 cup beef broth

Veggies and BeerDirections:

  1. On a large plate, combine the flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Coat the lamb in the flour and shake off excess.
  2. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in batches for about 4 minutes, making sure to not crowd the pot. Transfer browned lamb to a plate for later use.
  3. Stew SimmeringAdd the onions, carrots and garlic to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes ensuring the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the tomato paste and rosemary and coat the veggies in the mixture then cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pot with the beer and the broth, scarping brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the lamb to the pot and cook for 1 ½ hours, partially covered.

Serves 8.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Irish, Lamb Tagged With: , , , ,
6 October 2013 Penne alla Caprese

Penne alla Caprese

October 6, 2013 By

Yellow Tomato PastaIt’s the end of my tomato harvest and my yellow cherry and standard size tomatoes are ripe and sweet and perfect for a light pasta dish. While this recipe is delicious with red

Chopping Tomatoes

Chopping Tomatoes

tomatoes, I find the bright yellow sauce to be just really pretty…and tasty.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. each red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper
  • 2 cups yellow tomatoes
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • ½ pound dry penne pasta, cooked one minute less than recommended on the packaging
  • 1 cup cubed, fresh Mozzarella
  • ¼ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Tomato Sauce Cooking

Tomato Sauce Cooking

Directions:

  1. Warm the oil in a deep, large skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the spices to the oil and cook for 15 seconds.
  2. Late Tomato Harvest

    Late Tomato Harvest

    Add the tomatoes to a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds until a chunky salsa is created. Alternatively, chop the tomatoes to that consistency. Pour the salsa mixture into the hot oil and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  3. Add the cooked pasta and the basil to the sauce and gently stir to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add the Mozzarella to the pasta and stir to combine.  Cook an additional minute.
  5. Serve with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Makes 2 servings.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, Italian, Pasta, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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