Posts Tagged ‘entree’

I’m going out on a limb here by saying I don’t like vodka, so the idea of vodka sauce never really appealed to me. I couldn’t imagine it tasting good with pasta.  A few days ago, my friend Karen brought some really yummy spinach and cheese stuffed gnocchi with vodka sauce for her lunch. Of course I tried it and thought it was delicious.  I was thinking about trying a new recipe for dinner this week and decided to give the vodka sauce a try.  I searched for a few recipes online and ended up using one from cooks.com. I changed a few things as I went along and kept my fingers crossed.  It was a very simple recipe and tasted really, really good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup vodka
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I skipped this, but may try it next time)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound prosciutto, chopped (I used 4 thin slices of pancetta instead)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine vodka and red pepper flakes. Set aside for 1 hour.(see note above)
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Saute pancetta, garlic, shallots, salt and pepper until pancetta is evenly browned.
4. Pour in vodka mixture, and simmer 10 minutes.
   
5. Add tomatoes, and stir in with 2 cans of tomato sauce, parsley and basil.
   
6. Simmer 15 minutes.
7. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream, and cook 2 minutes.
   

   

My Notes:
1 cup of vodka seemed like a lot, so I cut it back to 3/4 cup.  After tasting the sauce, I will try it with the recommended 1 cup next time.  Zoe was eating with us tonight, so I did not add the crushed pepper flakes.  Jose and Jason both said they’d like it with a bit of heat, so I may add them to the vodka next time, like the recipe states. I did not have prosciutto so I used thinly sliced pancetta instead. Next time, I’ll use a chunk so I can dice it better, but it worked out ok. I did not add the 1 cup of water because the sauce would have been too runny.  I recommend keeping it handy just in case the sauce needs to be thinned out.  Also, I am not sure 2 cans of tomato sauce are needed. I’m not even sure one is.  I would cut back to one can, and then try it with out any and see if it makes a difference.  Finally, in my photo you see half and half.  After I took the photo, I realized I had heavy cream in the fridge so I DID use that as the recipe stated.

Ciao!

Ok, ok so I used a premade crust.  (The kind in the tube).  I was skeptical, but it was really good!

One tube of pizza dough (Pillsbury)
6 oz store brand sliced mozzarella (8 square slices)
3 oz sliced provolone (4 round slices)
A half of a can of pizza sauce (we don’t like it too saucy)
a sprinkle of olive oil,
pepper
Chopped basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Roll the dough out onto a nonstick cookies sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
2. Put sauce on top.
3. Layer cheese to your liking
4. Sprinkle with olive oil and pepper (oregano if you like).  I put the basil on too early because I get carried away with how much I like the smell.  It turns black when it’s cooked, so try to wait until the pizza comes out and sprinkle the basil on it then.  Or do both, like me.  It still tastes good.
5. Bake at 400 for 13-14 mins.
6. Oooh and ahh.  Slice and enjoy!

End result:
Great, cheap alternative to delivery pizza, super quick when you want to have pizza but don’t have time to make your own dough.  The pizza was cooked in 13 minutes at 400 degrees.  Which means it was 15 minutes from prep to eat.  Not bad.  Cost was about $5 when you factor in the dough, cheese, pizza sauce  and basil.   More than enough for 2…meaning we SHOULD have had leftovers, but didn’t.  Normally, I use homemade pizza sauce too (tomato sauce doctored with oregano, basil, pepper and frozen in 1 cup packages) but bought one tonight.  The pizza was a last minute decision.

YES! Another post about meatloaf, but this time I’m documenting my recipe and cooking experience.  We cannot get enough of this meal.  Just to recap, it’s from Jose’s friend Judy at Easy and Tasty Food. I actually just modified Judy’s recipe a bit.  I’m admitting right now that I used a lot of Judy’s recipe almost verbatim, but I did take out all her cute comments about being friends with your meatloaf. You can read all about her triumph with this stove top meatloaf here. It’s quite funny.

• Olive Oil – 5 T – separated
• Mushrooms – 8 oz fresh white (1 pint container), sliced
• Beef stock – 2 cups
• Milk – 1 T
• White Bread – 1 2-inch square, crust removed, cubed
• Ground Beef – 1 lb., lean
• Onion – 1/2  small finely chopped
• Salt – 1 t
• Pepper – 1/2 t.
• Prosciutto (or unsmoked ham, or salami) – 2 T, chopped
• Parmesan Cheese – 1/3 cup, freshly grated
• Garlic – 3 cloves, minced
• Egg – 1, lightly beaten
• Bread Crumbs – 1/2 cup, unflavored
• Tomato Paste – 4 T – I’ve been using the tubed kind instead of a can
• White wine – 1/3 cup, dry

1. In the same pan you will cook the meat loaf in (a Dutch Oven or other heavy stove-top pan with high sides), saute the sliced mushrooms in 2 Tblsp of olive oil. Cook until brown, about 3-5 minutes. I learned from Julia Child that you shouldn’t crowd your mushrooms.
   
2. In a medium bowl and add the beef stock and tomato paste. Whisk well and add the cooked mushrooms. Set aside.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine the milk and bread and mash until the bread is mushy.
   
4. Add the onion, salt, pepper, prosciutto, cheese, garlic and egg and mix thoroughly. (I didn’t have the prosciutto or ham this time, so I left it out.)
   
5. Add the meat, breaking it up as up you add it, and use your hands to blend thoroughly. Mix until the egg mixture is entirely blended in.
   
6. Mold the meat mixture into a cylindrical salami shape, short enough to fit into your pan. Make sure you have at least 2 inches of “wiggle room” so you can turn the loaf over easily.
7. Pour the bread crumbs on a plate and roll the loaf through them, covering all sides entirely with the bread crumbs.
8. Heat the butter and 3 Tblsp. of olive oil in the same pan, medium heat, until the butter is melted. Place the loaf carefully into the pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes or so per side. I used a spatula and a large spoon to roll it.
   

   

9. Once the meatloaf is browned on all sides, you can pour the wine over it and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
10. Roll the loaf once or twice while it cooks in the wine and when the wine is reduced by half, lower the heat to medium low and add the mushroom sauce mixture.
    
11. Mix and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 30 minutes, giving your loaf a few rolls in the sauce to ensure even cooking.
    
    

    

12. When done, carefully remove the loaf from the pan onto a cutting board. Let it rest for a few minutes.
13. Continue simmering the sauce to thicken is up.
14. After a few minutes, slice the loaf at a slant, making slices about 1/2 inch thick and serve slices covered in sauce.
    
    

    My brother (Jason) and Jose enjoying a yummy meatloaf dinner!

Goes well with mashed OR baked potatoes and green beans!  Those lovely yellow tomatoes are from a friend of my brother’s.  They were so delicious with a little salt and balsamic vinegar.  Please let me know what you think of the meatloaf and go visit Judy’s site and let her know too. She’s got lots of great, easy recipes there.

The blue pan is my new Rachael Ray saute pan. I can’t tell you how much I love it (aside from the cobolt blue..which does NOT match my red kitchen!). It’s a great, heavyweight deep sided pan, that CAN go in the oven,too! My old one couldn’t.  I did not pay $66 for it, I got mine for $40 on Amazon during a sale.

This dish is another meal that I’ve copied from a restaurant.  There’s a quaint Italian place where I enjoyed many meals while in college.  I used to alternate between two dishes: rigatoni with ricotta and baby shells with tomato bechamel.  After graduation I moved away and when I would go back I found that the quality of the food was decreasing.  For years I mourned the loss of my baby shells until one day I learned how to make bechamel sauce and the light bulb went off that Yes! I could make this dish!  I’ve been recreating it for about a year and it’s not perfect yet, but it’s pretty close.

Original dish

My Version (a little thick…should be thinned out; also I changed type of tomatoes after this test run – see recipe)

A few months ago I made dinner for three of my friends in lieu of Christmas gifts.  It was a delicious dinner which consisted of the Alouette mushrooms, a provolone garlic bread, a nice green salad with homemade balsamic dressing and this pasta dish. The dish was a big hit and one of my friends asked for the recipe.  My problem is that when I’m experimenting with food, I never use measurements.  I just improvise.  This is not always a good decision when trying to create a recipe that you want some consistency with. So I actually wrote down what measurements I used when I made this latest batch.  I don’t know what to call it since baby shell bechamel is such a long non descriptive title.  I’m taking suggestions for a name if you’re up for a challenge.

Baby Shell Bechamel

Feeds 4-6 hungry people

Ingredients:
2T butter
1T olive oil
3T flour
1/4t Salt,
1/8t pepper (white pepper if you have it is a nice touch)
pinch of nutmeg
1 large shallot or medium onion – finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock ** see notes at the end
2 cups half and half, whole milk, or 2% ** see notes at the end
1 small can of crushed tomatoes (tomato sauce in picture, but crushed works better.  14 oz can)
1 box baby shells (or other small pasta)
freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese for garnish
freshly chopped basil for garnish

Start boiling water for the pasta.

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet with deep sides over medium heat. You’ll be adding the pasta to this pan, so make sure it’s large enough to mix everything.

Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until clear and soft.  Don’t brown them!

The base of the bechamel sauce is a roux which consists of equal parts flour and butter/oil.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and stir together. Allow the mixture to cook for a few minutes, being careful not to let it turn brown.

It will look thick and lumpy.

When the flour has had time to cook, start to slowly add the chicken stock and wisk the mixture.  It will start to thicken up.

Add the half and half/milk and continue to wisk.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue to wisk.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  The sauce should be thick and bubbly at this point.  Adjust the heat if necessary so it does not come to a full boil.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and wisk together.  The sauce is just about done so you can taste again for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if you like.  You can also sprinkle in some grated cheese or wait and allow that to be done at the table.

Cook the pasta a minute or two less than recommended, since it will continue to cook in the sauce.  Drain pasta and add to the skillet.  Mix together until sauce and pasta are combined and serve.  It’s a saucy dish, so a good crusty bread is recommended.

Sprinkle with basil and grated cheese if you’d like.

Recipe Notes:

1. The pictures show a halved recipe.  It does make a lot of food.  Due to the cream sauce it reheats OK..not great, but not terrible either.  Add a few sprinkles of water when reheating to make it creamier.
2. A traditional bechamel sauce does not use chicken stock as part of the liquid. It uses the full amount of milk or half and half.  I try to make my recipes as healthy as I can without compromising the integrity of the dish.  If you want to be completely authentic, use 4c of milk/half and half instead of the chicken stock.  I’d actually suggest you make it both ways to see if you can even tell a different.  My version is not as thick as the original dish, which I attribute to the chicken stock substitution.  I am planning on playing around with the amount of flour to adjust the thickness via the roux, too.  Let me know what you think.
3. I’m a creature of habit and I prefer baby shells in this recipe.  I was out of them and had to use rotini.  For other people, this may not matter so much.  For me, the baby shells are integral to the success of the recipe.

Enjoy!

(I will adjust this as I tweak the recipe, so your comments are welcome)

Here’s another recipe that we make fairly regularly.  This is also one of my mother-in-law’s recipes.  I’ve made it on the stove top and in the crock pot when I’m in a time crunch, but I prefer to make it on the stove. This makes 4-5 servings.

One pack of pork tenderloin (approx 2 lbs) remove silver skin and cut into 3 inch pieces.
5 strips of bacon – diced
3T olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions – diced
1 jar of red pimentos – diced
1 square of concentrated ham stock (Caldo de Jamon)
1t Adobe seasoning
1 packet of Accent flavoring
2 or 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a deep pan and cook bacon until crispy, then remove bacon from the pan.

Add the pork tenderloin pieces and sear on all sides – remove pork from pan.

Add the bacon, onions, pimentos, ham stock, Accent, Worcestershire, Adobe seasoning and cook until the onions are tender. (5 minutes)

Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water to cover the meat halfway.  Let the mixture come to a boil.

Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. (I will add water periodically because I like to have a decent amount of sauce left over)

Serve with white rice, arroz con gandules, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.