Archives for posts with tag: Broccoli Rabe

Taking Stock…

June 2, 2014 //
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No, not that kind of stock.

Since I started this blog in January I have posted almost 20 meal plans and over 70 meals! It is crazy to think that I have made that many different meals so far this year, and the best season for cooking is just beginning! This is obviously a roundabout way of saying that I’m sorry I haven’t posted a new meal plan in a few weeks, but I hope you’ve been able to use the archive to pull together some tasty dinners for your family.

Fortunately, we are entering into the best time of the year to cook. I am obviously inspired by what I find when I am grocery shopping, but no shopping experience inspires me more than a trip to a farmers market. When I first caught a glimpse of those sugar snap peas you see below my heart leapt a bit. This week features a bunch of recipes that make the most of Spring’s finest; I especially love the soy-glazed chicken with asparagus and scallions. And, I promise there are more meals to come.

Sugar Snap Peas web

Meal #1: Penne with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Meal #2: Pork Medallions with Mustard-Caper Sauce and Braised Swiss Chard
Meal #3: Soy-Glazed Chicken with Asparagus and Scallions
Meal #4: Whole Baked Trout with Cherry Tomatoes and Potatoes

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

broccoli rabe – 1 large bunch
Swiss chard – 2 large bunches
shallots – 4
onion – 1
asparagus – 1 large bunch
scallions – 2 bunches
Yukon gold potatoes – 2
cherry tomatoes – 12 ounces
oregano – 1 bunch
cilantro – 1 bunch
lemon – 1
limes – 3-4
penne – 1 box
aniseed (fennel seed) – 2 tsp. (optional) 
chicken broth – 2 cups
whipping cream (or half and half)
capers (if you don’t already have them)
grain dijion mustard (if you don’t already have it)
soy sauce (if you don’t already have it)
honey (if you don’t already have it)
chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on – 8
pork tenderloin – 2, 8-10 ounce each
sausage – 1 lb.
trout – 2 whole fish (9 ounces each)

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Categories Meal Plans

Penne with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

January 10, 2014 //
1

Broccoli rabe, an Italian favorite, is a bit bitter, but if you blanch it the flavor will mellow. 

¾ lb. penne
1 bunch broccoli rabe, roughly chopped*
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb. Italian sausage, removed from casings
½ cup chicken broth
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

* ingredients that can be prepped several days in advance.

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

Boil salted water and add chopped broccoli rabe for about 1-2 minutes, or until it turns bright green. Immediately remove it from the water, drain it in a colander and run cold water over it to stop the cooking. Or, if you are really ambitious, dump it in a bowl of ice water and then drain. Set aside. (Now you’ve learned how to blanch!) This step can be done before you start the pasta so that you can use the small pot twice.

Heat a saute pan and add sausage, cooking between 5-7 minutes, or until it is no longer pink and is starting to brown. Add garlic, and a bit of olive oil to the pan, sautéing until the garlic starts to smell delicious. Add broccoli rabe and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sausage and garlic and saute a couple more minutes until it is covered in all of the nice juices and heats through. Pour in chicken broth and let the mixture simmer a bit until the pasta is finished.

Before you drain the pasta, reserve about a ½ cup of the pasta’s cooking water, and set aside. Drain the pasta, add it to the broccoli rabe/sausage mixture and toss. If it is too dry for your taste add the reserved pasta water – just a little bit at a time! Toss, add salt and pepper and taste. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over it and serve!

 

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Categories Meals

The Standards

January 10, 2014 //
0

Welcome to Everyday Banquet! I’m Kelly, and I am very excited to introduce you to my blog, which is a meal planning tool designed to make your life easier and more delicious. On Fridays, I will post four to five meals and a grocery list to help you shop and prepare for the coming week. The best part is that my family has already enjoyed these meals, usually the week before, so along with recipes and/or links to recipes I will share my advice and insight from having already prepared the meals. To learn a little bit more about the blog and me please visit my about page. And now, on to the first post!

I believe it was Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, who once said that most people make the same five to ten recipes for dinner over and over. At first I thought that couldn’t be right, but then I thought about what I make on a regular basis and actually, it is! With some variation here and there, if something is relatively inexpensive, easy and obviously delicious why wouldn’t I make it again and again? For this first week I am sharing a lot of my standards, starting with roast chicken on Sunday night, which, when done well, is one of the greatest dishes on earth.

(Meals should feed four adults and take about 30-40 minutes to prepare, or the time it takes Patrick to give Eliza a bottle and put her to bed.)

Meal #1: Hamersley’s Walk-Away Roast Chicken with Onions and Potatoes, Steamed Green Beans
Meal #2: Penne with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Meal #3: Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives, Kale Caesar Salad
Meal #4: Bourbon Glazed Smoked Pork Chops and Roasted Delicata Squash

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:
lemons – 2
large red onion – 2
medium red potatoes – 6
green beans – 1 lb.
broccoli rabe – 1 bunch
tuscan kale – 1 large bunch
delicata squash – 2
plum tomatoes – 8
chicken broth – 1 can (1 pint or 2 cups)
Whole Chicken – 4 lbs.
Italian Sausage – 3/4 lb.
smoked bone-in pork chops, ½- inch thick – 1 per person
white fish – 6 ounces per person

 

 

 

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Categories Meal Plans