Monthly Archives: June 2011

Pasta

Rotini Pasta With Broccoli, Roasted Walnuts And Basil Pesto

A Pound Of Rotini Pasta

30 Fresh Basil Leaves

A Minced Garlic Clove

A Tablespoon Of Grated Romano Cheese

1/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

A Pinch Of Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Of Olive Oil

Two Cups Of Broccoli Florets

1/4 Cup Of Chopped Walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Into a food processor, add the basil leaves, the garlic, the grated cheese, the sea salt, the black pepper, and the olive oil. Pulse until smooth. Set the basil pesto aside.

Put the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven and roast the walnuts for ten minutes. Remove the baking sheet and set the nuts aside.

Cook the rotini pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water according to the package instructions. Add the broccoli florets for the last five minutes of the pasta cooking time. Drain the rotini and the broccoli well in a colander.

Add the pasta and the broccoli to a large mixing bowl. Add the basil pesto and mix all of the ingredients well. If the pasta appears a little dry, add some more olive oil. Garnish with the roasted walnuts and serve with grated cheese.

Pasta

Angel Hair With Garlic And Olive Oil (Capellini Aglio e Olio)

Angel Hair With Garlic And Olive Oil

A quick and easy pasta dish that is made with ingredients that you would normally have on hand. This simple preparation makes for a perfect meal for one (especially after working late on a weeknight).

Eight Ounces Of Angel Hair Pasta

A Garlic Clove Roughly Chopped

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (As Much As You Like)

A Tablespoon Of Roughly Chopped Italian Parsley

1/4 Cup Of Olive Oil

1/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Cook the angel hair pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Into a 12-14 inch sauce pan, add the olive oil, the garlic, the crushed red pepper flakes, and the sea salt. Cook on medium low heat until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the pasta to the sauce pan. Cook while stirring for two minutes. Note: If the pasta appears to dry, add some more olive oil. Turn off the heat. Garnish with the parsley. Serve with grated cheese.

Pasta

Rigatoni Bolognese

Rigatoni Bolognese

This hearty meat sauce pairs perfectly with the wholesome rigatoni pasta.

1 and 1/4  Pounds Of Rigatoni Pasta

1/2 Pound Of Ground Beef

1/2 Pound Of Ground Pork

1/2 Pound Of Ground Veal

Two Tablespoons Of Diced Pancetta

1/3 Cup Of Finely Diced Carrot

1/3 Cup Of Finely Diced Celery

1/2 Cup Of Finely Chopped Spanish Onion

Two Minced Garlic Cloves

A 28 Ounce Can Of San Marzano Tomatoes Hand Crushed With The Can Juices

6 Ounces Of Tomato Paste

1/2 Cup Of Dry Red Wine (Select One That You Would Drink)

A Teaspoon Of Dried Oregano (Marjoram Can Be Substituted)

Three Whole Fresh Italian Parsley Stalks

Three Whole Fresh Thyme Stalks

1/4 Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil

Into a 12-14 inch wide, 2 inch deep sauce pan (with a lid), add the ground beef, the ground pork, the ground veal, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and the ground black pepper. On medium heat, cook the meat until browned while breaking it up with a wooden spoon. After the meat has browned, drain it well in a colander to remove any excess grease. Set the browned meat aside.

Into the same pan, add the pancetta and the olive oil. Cook on low heat until the pancetta becomes crispy. When the pancetta is crispy, add the onion, the garlic, the celery, the carrot, 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt, the oregano, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes while stirring frequently. Add the red wine. Cook for an additional 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste. Stir well to incorporate the tomato paste with the wine and the vegetables. Cook for an additional minute. Add the hand crushed tomatoes and the browned meat to the pan. Stir well. Turn the heat down to low. Add the parsley stalks and the thyme stalks. Simmer partially covered (the lid should be about 3/4 of the way on) for 30-40 minutes.

After 30-40 minutes, remove the parsley and the thyme stalks. Taste and add more sea salt and/or pepper, if needed.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta well in a colander.

Add the rigatoni and the sauce to the pot that the pasta was cooked in. Cook while stirring constantly for three minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat. Serve with grated cheese and/or ricotta cheese.

Poultry

Barbecued Half Chickens

Barbecued Half Chickens

Two Chickens With The Backbones Removed And Cut Into Halves

1/4 Cup Of Spice Rub (You Can Use Your Favorite Spice Rub Or Make My Recipe Published On This Web Site On 8/24/10)

1 and 1/2 Cups Of Barbecue Sauce (You Can Use Your Favorite Barbecue Sauce Or Make My Recipe Published On This Web Site On 6/1/10)

A Weber Charcoal Grill Set-Up For Indirect Cooking As Follows-

Top (Lid) And Bottom Vents Opened Half Way

Drip Pans Placed In The Center Of The Charcoal Grate

A Generous Amount Of Hot Charcoal Briquets Piled On The Sides Of The Charcoal Grate Adjacent To The Drip Pans

Using your hands, rub the chicken all over (including under the breast skin) generously with the spice rub.

Place the half chickens on the cooking grate of the charcoal grill directly over the drip pans. Close the lid.

Let the chicken cook without lifting up the lid for 1 1/2-2 hours. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear. You can check for doneness by gently inserting a fork between the chicken leg and the thigh.

Brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce when the chicken is fully cooked. Otherwise, the barbecue sauce will burn. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Sauces and Dressings

Homemade Ketchup

Homemade Ketchup

Great with French fries!

A Tablespoon Of Finely Diced Spanish Onion

A Minced Garlic Clove

A Teaspoon Of Canola Oil

Six Ounces Of Tomato Paste

Six Ounces Of Cold Water

Two Teaspoons Of Worcestershire Sauce

Two Teaspoons Of Sriracha Red Chili Sauce

A Tablespoon Of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Into a sauce pan, add the canola oil, the onion, the garlic, and the sea salt. Cook while stirring on medium heat for one minute. Add the balsamic vinegar, the Worcestershire sauce, and the Sriracha sauce. Whisk the ingredients well. Add the tomato paste and the water. Reduce the heat to low. Cook while whisking for two minutes. Turn off the heat. Taste and add more sea salt and/or Sriracha sauce, if desired. Put in a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Vegetables

Easy Jalapeno And Scallion Corn Bread

Easy Jalapeno And Scallion Corn Bread

A Finely Diced Jalapeno Pepper

1/4 Cup Of Finely Chopped Scallion

1-1/4 Cups Of All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Of Yellow Corn Meal

1/4 Cup Of Sugar

Two Teaspoons Of Baking Powder

A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

A Cup Of Skim Milk

1/4 Cup Of Canola Oil

A Beaten Egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, the corn meal, the sugar, the baking powder, and the sea salt in a mixing bowl. Mix these dry ingredients well.

Into another mixing bowl, add the milk, the canola oil, and the egg. Whisk well.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Whisk well in order to remove any lumps. Add the jalapeno pepper and the scallion. Mix well to incorporate the vegetables with the rest of the ingredients.

Grease an 8 or 9 inch pan. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the pre-heated oven or until light golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Pizza

Naan Bread Pizza With Tomato Pesto, Spinach, And Roasted Red Pepper

Naan Bread Pizza With Tomato Pesto, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper

This recipe was improvised when my grocery store did not have any pizza dough or pizza shells. I was in a hurry and could not wait for the in-store bakery to make fresh dough. I saw the naan bread and I decided to substitute that for regular pizza crust. If you can’t find naan bread in your local supermarket, pita bread will work fine.

Two 8 Inch Naan Breads

Two Roma Tomatoes Cut In Half

5 Fresh Basil Leaves

A Minced Garlic Clove

3 Tablespoons Of Olive Oil

A Six Ounce Package Of Baby Spinach (Cooked In About 1/2 Inch Of Boiling Water And 1/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt For Three Minutes And Then Drained Well In A Colander)

A Roasted Red Bell Pepper Chopped Into About 3/4 Inch Squares

8 Slices Of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (Four Slices Per Pizza)

1/4 Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Into a food processor, add the tomatoes, the basil leaves, the garlic clove, a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Pulse until smooth. Taste and add more sea salt and/or black pepper, as needed. Set this tomato pesto aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush the top of each piece of the naan bread with a tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the tomato pesto out evenly on each piece of the naan bread. Place the spinach and the roasted red peppers in equal amounts on the top of the tomato pesto. On each pizza, add four slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the vegetables.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese melts and is slightly browned around the edges.

Let the pizza cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

This pizza makes for a great hors d’oeuvre.

Pork and Lamb, Poultry

Stove Top Sausage And Peppers

Stove Top Sausage And Peppers

1 1/2 Pounds Of Hot Or Sweet Italian Sausage (Pork Or Poultry)

A Red Bell Pepper (Cut Into About One Inch Squares)

A Green Bell Pepper (Cut Into About One Inch Squares)

3/4 Cup Of Roughly Chopped Spanish Onion

A Minced Garlic Clove

Two Tablespoons Of Sherry Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Of Dried Marjoram

1/4 Cup Of Olive Oil

1/4 Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

3/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Into a 12-14 inch saute pan (with a lid), add the olive oil. Heat the olive oil on medium heat for three minutes. Add the sausage. Brown the sausage well on all sides. Turn off the heat. Remove the sausage to a plate. After the sausage cools for 5 minutes, cut it into about three inch long links. Set the sausage aside.

Remove about half of the pan drippings but retain the brown bits of cooked sausage that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Put the saute pan on medium heat. Add the peppers, the onions, the marjoram, the crushed red pepper flakes, and the sea salt. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add the sherry vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits that have accumulated. Cook the vegetables while stirring frequently for three minutes. Add the garlic and the partially cooked sausage to the pan. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve with white rice or in a sandwich on Italian bread.

Sauces and Dressings

Amatriciana Sauce

This simply prepared tomato sauce combines both sweet and spicy flavors.

A 28 Ounce Can Of Hand Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes

1/3 Cup Of Chopped Spanish Onion

1/4 Cup Of Diced Pancetta

Two Tablespoons Of Olive Oil

1 And 1/2 Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Into a shallow sauce pan, add the olive oil and the pancetta. Cook on low heat until the pancetta becomes crispy. Add the onions, the sea salt, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Turn the heat up to medium. Scrape the bottom of the pan while cooking the onion to loosen any of the brown bits of the pancetta that have accumulated. After cooking the onion for two minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and stir well. When the mixture begins to boil slightly, turn the heat down to low. Simmer the sauce partially covered while stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes. Taste and add more sea salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.  Serve with your favorite pasta.

Vegetables

Grilled Marinated Eggplant

Grilled Marinated Eggplant

A Medium Sized Eggplant Peeled And Cut Lengthwise Into About 1/2 Inch Thick  Slices

A Tablespoon Of Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Of Olive Oil

A Garlic Clove Cut In Half

A Fresh Basil Leave Torn In Half

A Teaspoon Of Chopped Fresh Rosemary

1/2 Teaspoon Of Fresh Thyme

A Teaspoon Of Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley

1/4 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper

Grilled Marinated Eggplant

Combine the balsamic vinegar, the olive oil, the garlic, the basil, the rosemary, the thyme, the parsley, the sea salt, and the black pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended.

Place the eggplant slices into the bowl with the marinade. Mix well. Let the eggplant marinate for 30 minutes.

Cook the eggplant on a hot gas or charcoal grill for three to five minutes on each side until the eggplant slices develop grill marks and are slightly browned.