Archives for category: Meals
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Lemon Chicken Breasts with Noodles and Sautéed Spinach

February 28, 2014 //
2

Lemon Chicken Breasts

I thought I was familiar with all of Ina Garten’s recipes, but I was wrong. I tried this recipe for the first time this week and I’m glad I did. It is one of those dishes that you throw in the oven for awhile so you have time to work on side dishes or just check your email.

I do have one reservation about this dish. While it isn’t hard to make, Ina recommends that you use boneless, skin-on chicken breasts, which can be hard to find. If you have a good butcher I’m sure they will debone them for you, but if you rely on a grocery store for your chicken – good luck. We happened to go to Fairway this week to shop, rather than our usual run around the neighborhood, so I had to rely on what they had. I got bone-in, skin-on chicken because I knew the skin was going to be important to the flavor of the dish. I decided to bone them myself – big mistake. It added another 10 minutes of prep time, and a lot of frustration. My suggestion – buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and just expect this to take 40 minutes to cook. You could probably use cutlets but it will definitely not be as juicy.

Noodles
They will be perfect for sopping up the lovely sauce from the chicken.

Boil salted water and follow the directions on the bag.

Sautéed Spinach

2 TB. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 TB. pine nuts (optional)
2 bags or bunches of spinach
salt and pepper
lemon wedge

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, when the oil begins to shimmer add the garlic and pine nuts, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach to the pot and stir.  As it wilts it will release water; let the spinach saute some more (1-2 minutes), stirring frequently, until the water mostly evaporates. Add salt and pepper to taste, and squirt the lemon wedge over the spinach to serve.

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Penne alla Vodka and Green Salad

February 28, 2014 //
0

Penne alla Vodka
Penne alla Vodka_Web
This is comfort food territory, or at least it is for this South Shore Long Island girl. I’ve said this before, but I grew up around a lot of Italian-Americans so I know (and love) Italian-American food. I’m sure you can’t find anything like Penne alla Vodka in Italy, but you know who’s missing out? Italians.

I’ve only recently started making it myself, rather than ordering it from our local pizza place, and I was happy when I found this recipe, from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, who is, by the way, an authentic Italian chef. It is a great weeknight dish because it comes together very quickly (skip the tomato pureeing step and just buy crushed or diced tomatoes) and you probably have a lot of the ingredients already. I know you already have the vodka! (Don’t worry, the alcohol cooks off and your kids won’t notice the taste.)

Green Salad

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Sausage with Caramelized Red Onions and Radicchio and Green Salad

February 28, 2014 //
0

Sausage with Caramelized Red Onions and Radicchio

Sausage w Caramelized Red Onions and Radicchio_WebWhen you visit Italy in the middle of winter, as I did, you had better like radicchio. This is a country that takes seasonality very seriously, and since radicchio is one of the few salad greens available in the winter you eat it often. I admit to being a bit intimidated since I had heard it was bitter, but tossed with a bit of balsamic vinegar, good olive oil and a lot of salt and pepper, radicchio is out of this world. When I returned to the US, I started adding radicchio to many of my salads, but I never cooked it. I don’t know why, but I thought I wouldn’t like it. However, this recipe wooed me. Maybe it was the sausage, or maybe it was the caramelized red onions. Either way, it had enough other things going for it for me to give it a shot and I’m glad I did.

Green Salad

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Cauliflower and Sausage Casserole with Green Salad

February 21, 2014 //
2

Cauliflower and Sausage Casserole

A few weeks ago, I said that I don’t typically make casseroles, but I love this recipe. To be honest, if a dish combines proteins and vegetables, and doesn’t require you to open a can of cream of something soup, I’m game. The cauliflower is the star of this dish – bet you never thought anyone would say that! You can use any type of sausage you like (chicken, turkey, pork) but, I use sweet Italian pork sausage because the recipe only needs ½ lb. for 4-6 servings, and you get a lot more flavor. I think ⅔ cup of breadcrumbs is too much, so I suggest using just enough bread crumbs to lightly coat the top of the casserole.

Green Salad

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Shrimp “Scampi” and Linguine with Green Salad

February 21, 2014 //
0

Shrimp “Scampi”

I added the quotes because this is definitely not a traditional shrimp scampi, but it tastes pretty close. I like to pair the shrimp with linguine, but rice or even some good Italian bread would be great for sopping up the wine and lemon sauce.

1 ½ lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ cup olive oil
½  dry white wine
2 TB. lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch black pepper
2 TB. parsley, finely chopped (optional)
¼ – ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay shrimp in baking dish.

Combine olive oil, wine, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper in small bowl. Pour over shrimp and sprinkle with parsley and bake 10 minutes.

Remove dish from oven and sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Heat broiler to high, broil until bread crumbs are toasted, golden brown, about 2 minutes. Serve!

Linguine

2-3 oz. of linguine per person

Boil salted water for pasta, when boiling add pasta and follow directions on the box.

Green Salad

 

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Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans

February 21, 2014 //
0

Meatloaf

After a lifetime of eating my mother’s meatloaf I am incapable of eating anyone else’s. Her recipe is that good, and will convert any meatloaf haters. The addition of bacon and cheddar cheese definitely does not hurt.

2 lb. ground beef
2 TB. ketchup
1 ts. dried basil
1 ts. dried oregano
½ ts. garlic powder
½ ts. salt
½ ts. pepper
¼ cup minced onion
2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce (my addition/optional)
1 egg (you may need 2)
⅓-½ cups bread crumbs
3 strips of bacon
cheddar cheese slices, enough to cover the meatloaf

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients with 1-2 TB. water, and mix with your hands. If it isn’t coming together add another beaten egg and a bit more breadcrumbs. When all of the ingredients are fully incorporated place the meatloaf in a baking pan, forming it into a loaf. Place the strips of bacon on top and bake for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, top with cheese slices and bake another 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Roasted Potatoes

1 lb. red or yukon gold potatoes, halved
2 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil and salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until tender and browned.

Green Beans

1 ½ lb. green beans, trimmed
1 TB. butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil salted water in a pot or saucepan. When boiling, add green beans for 3-5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Drain and toss with butter and salt and pepper.

 

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Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice

February 21, 2014 //
1

Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry
Stir Fry Ingredients_web

There is nothing special about this recipe; it is a variation on what you have probably been making since college. Lately, I’ve been trying out some different sauces, rather than just my standard soy sauce. I came up with this sauce on the fly while the chicken and vegetables were cooking so I’m open to suggestions.

1 TB. vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ inch of ginger, minced
1 bunch of scallions, whites and a little bit of the green stem chopped*
2 red, yellow or orange peppers, chopped *
2 zucchini and/or summer squash, chopped *
1 cup, or a handful of snap peas
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into strips *

* ingredients that can be prepped several days ahead.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large saute pan until almost, but not quite, smoking. Add garlic and ginger and stir constantly until you can smell their loveliness. Add scallions, pepper, and squash and saute for about 3 minutes. When the pepper starts to soften a bit add the chicken and quickly stir together. After 3-5 minutes the chicken should be cooked through; add the snap peas and give it a quick stir. Then, add the sauce (see below for ingredients) and stir for about a minute to thicken it up and coat all of the vegetables and chicken. Top with the greens of the scallions.

Sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce
½ ts. oyster sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 ts. sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Rice

 

 

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Roasted Wild Striped Bass with Lemon, Olives, and Rosemary and Roasted Fennel with Artichoke Hearts

February 14, 2014 //
1

Roasted Wild Striped Bass with Lemon, Olives, and Rosemary

The original recipe, published in The New York Times, actually uses Halibut, but when I visited my local fish market they didn’t have any, so I bought some beautiful, wild striped bass instead. It was a perfect substitution. My fishmonger suggested that the bass might take a little less time to cook than the halibut, but I found that it was done at exactly 10 minutes, just like the recipe said. If you can’t find halibut or even striped bass, be sure to get a comparable, thick, white fish, such as cod.

Roasted Fennel with Artichoke Hearts

A long time ago, my best friend dated a guy who asked her why all women loved artichokes. It had been his experience that women were crazy for them, while he thought they were just okay. I can’t speak for you, but this rings true in our house too. I love them, and Patrick thinks they’re fine. What is it about artichokes? Why do women love them so much?

(Note: both recipes serve 2, double the ingredients to serve 4)

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Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto and Green Salad

February 14, 2014 //
1

Macaroni and Cheese was one of the first meals that Patrick and I bonded over. I have to admit though that I had never really made it, except from a box, until I met him. While Patrick rarely cooks, except to make Sunday breakfast, he makes a fantastic macaroni and cheese. I found him this recipe, from Bon Appetit, when we started dating and he’s been making it for me ever since.

Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto

8 ounces (2 cups) small elbow macaroni
1 ½ cups (packed) grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
3 TB. grated Parmesan cheese
⅛ ts. ground nutmeg

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Butter, or spray oil on 11×7-inch baking dish. Cook macaroni in large pot in boiling, salted water until tender, but still firm to bite. Drain well.

Whisk ½ cup of Gruyere, cream, milk, prosciutto, Parmesan and nutmeg in a large bowl to blend. Add macaroni and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Gruyere over the macaroni. Bake until cheese melts and macaroni and cheese sets, about 20 minutes.

Green Salad

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Kale, White Bean, and Kielbasa Stew and Bread

February 14, 2014 //
1

Since I was a kid I have always loved kielbasa. I don’t eat it that frequently, but when I do, I get the real stuff from the Polish delis of Greenpoint, Brooklyn or Copiague, Long Island. This recipe isn’t as heavy as your usual sauerkraut and pierogi dinner. The kielbasa is mostly here to add flavor and a little bit of richness to the stew.

Kale, White Bean, and Kielbasa Stew

1 TB. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ lb. kielbasa, cut into ¼ inch-thick slices
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth
2 small cans of white beans, such as cannellini or navy
1 large bunch of kale, chopped
½ ts. black pepper
¼ ts. crushed red pepper
⅛ ts. salt
2 TB. lemon juice

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic and kielbasa, saute 1 minute. Add water, broth, and beans; bring to a boil. Stir in kale, black pepper, red pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5-10 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Bread
A nice baguette or Italian bread would be a great with this stew.

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