We are on a roll folks! Another guest recipe – thank you to Cathy’s Grandpa Benetti.
Spaghetti Sauce (for about 2 1/2 lbs pasta)
2 onions (size of fist) chopped
2 sections (cloves) garlic chopped
Handful fresh parsley (chopped)
½ stalk celery with leaves (chopped)
½ green pepper (chopped)
1 small can mushrooms (pieces & stems) drained
1 large bay leaf
3 cans tomato paste (or tomato sauce)
3 cans water
Seasonings (Rosemary, Nutmeg, Hot peppers, Oregano)
Or use commercial Italian spice mixture
Brown onions & garlic in skillet. Add tomato paste, water & everything else. Heat & then cook slowly.
Italian Meatballs
Ground beef or turkey or mixture (Aunt Mary uses ½ to 1 lb)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 t Spice Island Italian Herb seasoning
(small bit extra ground basil & rosemary & black pepper)
Brown onion & garlic
About 1 egg – beaten
About 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
Mix all together & shape into balls.
More or less bread crumbs to hold together.
Brown balls in same skillet on all sides – slowly – turning frequently.
Finish cooking in sauce.
Another guest chef with their recipe. Thank you Aaron!
Cream of Jalapeno Potato soup
Ingredients:
3-5 jalapenos – follow directions below for making the puree
5 strips of bacon – diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 med. Yellow onion – diced
1 cup AP flour
3 cup heavy cream
4# yukon gold potatoes – ½ in. dice in enough water to cover them
4 cups shredded Jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
To start, roast the jalapenos over an open flame, a gas stove works best or a gas grill, until the outside is charred and blistered all over, put the peppers into a plastic bag or covered bowl and let steam for 30 mins. Peel and seed the peppers. Boil the flesh of the peppers in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes and let cool. Puree the peppers and broth in a blender till smooth and save till later.
In a large stock pot, fry the bacon until crispy and all fat is rendered. Season with cumin and black pepper. Add the onions and saute till well sweated. Lower the heat and add the flour mixing very well to avoid lumps. Add the cream and jalapeno puree and mix very well to avoid lumps. Add the potatoes and the water they were in, again mixing well to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are tender turn the heat to very low and slowly add the cheese, stirring well to incorporate.
Season with salt as desired.
Note – do not let the soup come to a boil again as this may cause it to separate. Garnish with sour cream.
The first guest recipe – courtesy of my friend, Trevor Wilson. This is something he made, and in case anyone is curious, even kids ate this up! A good way to get veggies into kids’ diet.
1 pound of spaghetti
1/2 pound of pancetta or bacon
3/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, grated
3 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound of asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
Parsley (optional)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
**The trick to this recipe is timing. I cook the pancetta before I start the pasta. You’ll want the sauted veggies to be done about the same time as the pasta so as not to overcook the asparagus.**
Bring salted water in a large pot to a boil.
In a bowl, beat the eggs then mix in 2/3 of the cheese. Set aside.
Cook the pancetta in large saute pan to render the fat. Remove cooked pancetta and reserve. Retain a couple tablespoons of fat in the pan.
Start cooking the pasta. (about 9 minutes for al dente)
Saute garlic and onions in rendered fat until onion starts to turn translucent. Add the asparagus, season, and saute until done to your taste. (~3 minutes for me as I like the asparagus to still be a bit firm.) Add the cooked pancetta back to the pan. Reduce heat to low.
Using tongs move the (wet and hot) cooked pasta into the saute pan and toss to coat the pasta with yummy goodness.
Remove from heat and add the egg mixture. Toss again for more yummy goodness coating. (You don’t want the egg to curdle, just to be warmed up by the residual heat.)
Garnish with chopped parsley, parmesan, and lots of fresh ground black pepper.
2 quarts of homemade chicken stock
2 onions
1 clove of garlic
1-1/2 cups of orzo
Chicken meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1 egg
3 Tablespoons of chopped thyme
3 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
1-3 Tablespoons of breadcrumbs (this all depends upon your mixture)
Package of spinach, arugula, endive, or any other quick cooking green
OK folks – here we go because this is a complete “make this up as you go”
Heat the chicken stock – I like it to be at a rolling boil. Add the orzo and cook until the orzo is about 3/4 done. (The packet doesn’t help – go with your gut. Maybe 5-6 minutes?)
While the orzo is cooking combine all the rest of the ingredients except the greens together. Roll them into small – I’d say golf ball size – meatballs.
When the orzo is close to done, drop the meatballs into the hot liquid (it’s ok if the meatballs aren’t refrigerated and set). Cook them for another 5 minutes or so (until they are done – It really depends on the size of the meatball. But orzo is very forgiving so it’s ok if you overccook it)
Right before you’re ready to serve, add your greens and stir in. Serve with crusty bread.
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil or fat
2 cups cooked rice
3/4 cups peas (frozen are fine)
2 teaspoons garlic
soy sauce
Any choice of cooked meat (chicken, ham, pork, bacon, beef)
splash of sesame oil
Use high heat at all times. (I know — it’s going to be uncomfortable because it will feel like everything is going too fast. That’s OK. If it’s too intense, pull the pan off the burner for a minute and then put it back. It’ll be ok. I felt the same way)
Lightly beat the eggs and cook in a non stick skillet. Set aside.
Add the rice and fry quickly until it’s dry and starting to caramelize. Add soy and then add the peas, onions, garlic, meat and then heat those through. The trick is you want all moisture from the pan (frozen peas will give you some moisture).
When the rice is to your liking, splash with sesame oil and then serve immediately.
Here’s a tip: Roast chicken thighs in a 375 oven (skin on, bone in) for about 45 minutes. Use the fat that drips off the chicken as your fat to fry the rice. You can use the chicken in your fried rice too.
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs – diced into bite sized pieces
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 inches ginger finely chopped
1 zest and juice of lemon
black pepper to taste
splash of oil
1/4 c of soy sauce
1/4 c of honey
Place the diced chicken into a zip loc.
Combine all the marinade ingredients into a bowl and stir together (make sure the honey is truly incorporated into the marinade). Pour the marinade into the bag with the chicken and leave from 20 minutes to up to 5 hours.
Drain the chicken so it’s dry and the marinade is in a bowl.
If you are cooking in a non stick pan, give it a light coating of cooking spray.
Brown the chicken in batches so it’s nicely browned on all sides.
Add the marinade and cook the chicken until is completely cooked through – (15 minutes). Remove the chicken and cook the remaining marinade on high heat until it’s a sticky consistency.
Add the chicken back into the marinade and serve over rice.
Fast, easy and yummy!
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons ground coriander
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
5 Teaspoons curry powder
Salt
Pepper
Chili Flakes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Small Head of Cauliflower – cut into bite sized pieces
2 Crowns Broccoli – cut into bite sized pieces
2 Carrots – sliced on the diagonal
1 Large onion – largely diced
1 Garlic clove – finely chopped
1 Red Pepper largely diced
1 14 oz tin of chopped tomatoes (or 2 fresh tomatoes)
Dry fry all the spices until they are fragrant. Add the oil and toast the spices.
Add all the vegetables to the pan with a splash (and I really mean a splash) of water and cook until the vegetables are cooked through
You can serve this over rice, with Naan bread or all by itself.
Alright…..This one I developed one night while figuring out how to use a new appliance. I marinated the chicken for at least 17 hours so this was for the chicken at night to be cooked later the next day.
This chicken was so good! Try it.
3 gloves of garlic, roughly chopped
Bunch of Cilantro
1 -2 inches of ginger roughly chopped
Lemon zest – peeled off with a veg peeler in long strips
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp tumeric
1 Tblsp paprika
2 tsp garam masala
1 chopped birds eye chili
2 cups of Greek Yogurt
6-7 boneless chicken thighs or 3 boneless chicken breasts – cubed
Put all ingredients except the yogurt and chicken into a processor and combine. Place yogurt into a non metallic bowl and add the puree. Mix together with the yogurt and then add the chicken.
Leave the Chicken for as long as possible, 6 hours at the very least.
Skewer the chicken and grill on the BBQ, Stove top grill or tandoor until done.
Serve with pita, riata or other condiments.
I really like pork but I don’t write about it because it’s not something that I would usually cook late night when I can’t sleep. And, to be honest, this was a recipe I created during my waking hours but I’ve still included it.
I used a pork loin that I got from a butcher. Try to get one with skin on and it makes a fabulous cracklin snack (I think that might be from my midwest days that I love cracklin).
I bought 1/4 a loin and scored the skin. Think of slicing an onion very finely, but don’t cut all the way through the fat on this.
Ingredients:
Pork Loin – skin on
6-9 shallots
salt, pepper
olive oil
Butter – about – 5-6 tblsp
Sage – 2 tblsp
Garlic – 1 clove minced
Lemon juice
Finely slice the shallots and place in the bottom of your cooking dish. Place the pork on top and generously salt and pepper both the top and bottom. Place loin skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil and place in a 350 preheated oven for about an hour with lid on (or cover with aluminum foil).
10 minutes before the pork is done, melt and brown the butter, add the garlic and sage.
Check the pork to verify it’s almost done. Pour over the butter, sage mixture and turn up the heat to 375 for 10-15 minutes until the cracklins look crisp.
Reduce the heat to about 200-250 for another 15-20 minutes. The loin can sit there for a very long time as it starts resting at that point. Do not cover so the cracklin stays crunchy.
I served this with new potatoes with a little butter and sage.
Spritz lemon juice over the sliced pork loin and potatoes.
This takes 15 minutes to make – great for getting something on the table that’s satisfying and seems more luxurious than it actually is.
1 Tbls Olive Oil
Chorizo – sliced
Scallops
Parsley for garnish
Arugula (or Rocket)
Crusty bread
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the chorizo and fry lightly.
Add the scallops and saute in the paprika’s oil until the scallops are done.
Remove from the pan and plate – sprinkle with the parsley
Add the arugula to the oiled pan and wilt.
Serve with crusty bread. We made mini open faced sandwiches.
