Monthly Archives: March 2012

Sauces and Dressings

Spicy Turkey Sausage And Kale Ragout

Spicy Turkey Sausage and Kale Ragout

Serve this spicy sauce with penne or rigatoni pasta.

Two Tablespoons Of Olive Oil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, To Taste
A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
A Finely Chopped Serrano Pepper
¼ Cup Of Finely Chopped Spanish Onion
Three Minced Garlic Cloves
1 ½ Pounds Of Hot Turkey Sausage Removed From The Casing
Four Cups Of Chopped Kale (Cleaned And With Stems Removed)
Four Cups Of Your Favorite Marinara Sauce (Or You Can Make My Recipe Published On 10/2/10)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat for two minutes. Add the turkey sausage and cook until the fat begins to render (about 8 minutes). Turn the heat up to medium high and cook until most of the liquid from the sausage has evaporated and the meat begins to turn golden brown (about 5 minutes). Add the sea salt, the serrano pepper, the onion, and the garlic. Cook while stirring for two minutes. Add the marinara sauce and the kale. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer partially covered for at least one hour. Taste and add more sea salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes, as needed.

Mix with the cooked pasta over medium heat until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Serve with grated cheese.

Pork and Lamb

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Wonton Wrappers (You Can Buy These Wrappers In Packages Of 60. You Can Freeze Whatever You Do Not Use.)
½ Pound Of Ground Pork
¼ Teaspoon Of Finely Chopped Fresh Ginger
¼ Teaspoon Of Finely Minced Garlic
A Tablespoon Of Finely Chopped Scallion
One Egg White
A Teaspoon Of Sriracha Hot Sauce (Or More If You Like Spicy)
A Teaspoon Of Soy Sauce
A Teaspoon Of Canola Oil
¼ Teaspoon Of Toasted Sesame Oil

Add the sesame oil and the canola oil to a small sauté pan. Place the pan on medium low heat for two minutes. Add the ginger, the garlic, and the scallions. Cook while stirring frequently for three minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Combine the ground pork, the cooked vegetables, the egg white, the hot sauce, and the soy sauce in a bowl. Mix well.

Wet the edges of a wonton wrapper with cold water. Place one level tablespoon of the pork mixture directly in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wonton wrapper up over the filling. Crimp the edges of the wrapper to completely seal the dumpling. Continue this process until all of the pork mixture has been used up. Place the filled dumplings on a plate and cover them with a damp towel.

To cook these dumplings, you will need a large pot filled with about 2 inches of water, a metal vegetable steamer insert that has been coated with cooking spray, and a lid. Bring the water to a boil. Place about 8-10 dumplings in the greased steamer insert. Put the steamer insert into the pot of boiling water. The insert should not touch the boiling water. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Steam the dumplings for about 8 minutes. Continue this process until all of the dumplings have been cooked.

You can serve these dumplings immediately or reheat them later in a microwave oven for two minutes. I served my dumplings with a simple dipping sauce. I whisked together 1/3 cup of soy sauce, a ¼ teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger, and the juice of a lime.

Pork and Lamb

Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Shoulder Roast

Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Shoulder Roast

A 4 ½ Pound Pork Shoulder Roast
5 Thin Slices Of Fresh Lime
3 Thin Slices Of Spanish Onion
A Teaspoon Of Fennel Seeds
A Tablespoon Of Sea Salt
A Tablespoon Of Chili Powder
A Teaspoon Of Ground Cumin
A Teaspoon Of Onion Powder
A Teaspoon Of Garlic Powder
A Teaspoon Of Paprika
A Teaspoon Of Red Cayenne Pepper

Combine the fennel, the sea salt, the chili powder, the cumin, the onion powder, the garlic powder, the paprika, and the red cayenne pepper in a coffee grinder. Grind until you have a smooth powder with all of the spices well incorporated.

Arrange the lime slices and the onion slices on the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the pork shoulder roast (fat side up) on top of the lime slices and the onion slices. Using your knife, diagonally score (about 3/4 inch deep) the fat cap of the pork in a diamond pattern. Rub the spice mixture all over the top of the pork roast. Cover the roast in plastic wrap (leaving the roast in the pan). Refrigerate for eight hours or more.

When you are ready to cook the roast, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap. Place a cup of cold water in the bottom of the pan. Roast uncovered for six hours. Let the roast sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before carving.

Vegetables

Jim’s Colcannon

Jim’s Colcannon

I made this traditional Irish dish on St. Patrick’s Day. Instead of cabbage and leeks, I used kale and chives. Also, I substituted low fat Greek yogurt and fat free milk for the normally used whole milk.

Three Pounds Of Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled And Cut Into About Two Inch Pieces)
A Pound Of Steamed Kale (Stems Removed And Cut Into About One Inch Pieces)
A Cup Of Low Fat Greek Yogurt
A Cup Of Fat Free Milk
Two Tablespoons Of Unsalted Butter
Four Slices Of Cooked Bacon Cut Into About ½ Inch Pieces
¼ Cup Of Finely Chopped Chives
Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
A Tablespoon And A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt, Divided
Three Roasted Garlic Cloves

Place the potatoes and a tablespoon of sea salt in a large pot. Add enough cold water to just cover the potatoes. Bring the pot to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they are fork tender (meaning a fork can easily pass through a potato). Drain the cooked potatoes well in a colander.

Put the same pot that the potatoes were cooked in back on the stove on medium heat. Add the drained, cooked potatoes to the pot. Let the potatoes cook for two minutes. Add the yogurt, the milk, the roasted garlic, and the butter. Mash until fairly smooth. Add the kale, the chives, and the bacon. Mix well so that all of the ingredients are incorporated. Taste and add black pepper and more sea salt, as needed.

You can serve these potatoes right away or put them in a covered pan and place in the oven set at 170 degrees to serve later.

Heart Healthy

Oven Braised Orzo Stuffed Peppers

This dish contains no oil, meat, or fish. The inspiration for this recipe came from a friend who adheres to a heart healthy, fat-free diet. His complaint was that the food that he was preparing lacked flavor. He asked me if I could conceive some recipes that would allow him to still follow his diet but taste good. Lipids (oil, meat, or fish) were out of the question.

Eight Whole Red Peppers
3/4 Pound Of Cooked Orzo Pasta
28 Ounce Can Of San Marzano Tomatoes Hand Crushed With The Can Juice
3 Ounces Of Tomato Paste
Two Teaspoons Of Red Wine Vinegar
Three Cloves Of Minced Garlic, Divided
Two Cups Of Diced Red Onions, Divided
¼ Cup Of Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
¼ Cup Of Chopped Fresh Basil
Four Teaspoons Of Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute (Optional), Divided
Two Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Divided
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper

Cut off the tops of the red peppers. When cutting, slice off at about one inch from the top of each pepper. Discard the stems, the seeds and the white membranes. Dice up any useable pepper flesh and set it aside.

Combine the diced excess red pepper flesh, a cup of the red onions, two cloves of the minced garlic, two teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flakes, the tomato paste, the red wine vinegar, the parsley, the basil, and half of the San Marzano tomatoes in a large oven proof pot with a lid. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Allow the tomato mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add the cooked orzo and the tomato mixture. Mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or black pepper, if desired. Fill each red pepper with this mixture generously.

In the same pot that the tomato mixture was cooked in, add one clove of the minced garlic, a cup of the red onions, two teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flakes, and the other half of the tomatoes. Stir to incorporate. Add the stuffed peppers to the pot (bottoms down) and cover it with a lid.

Cook in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees for one hour.

Heart Healthy

“Mock” Cream Of Broccoli Soup With Garlic Croutons

This soup is a tasty alternative to cream of broccoli. You will not even miss the cream. A hand blender is recommended but the soup can be pureed in a conventional blender. If you use a regular blender, allow the mixture to cool before blending and blend it in batches.

Three Large Broccoli Crowns Roughly Chopped
30 Ounces Of Canned Cannellini Beans Drained And Rinsed
Five Minced Garlic Cloves
One Peeled Garlic Clove Cut In Half
A Cup Of Roughly Chopped Red Onion
Two Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Or More If You Like Spicy Food)
¼ Teaspoon Of Black Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute (Optional)

Combine the broccoli, the garlic, the red onion, the crushed red pepper flakes, the black pepper, and the salt in a large soup pot. Add enough cold water to just cover the broccoli. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it reaches its boiling point, turn the heat down to medium and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Add the cannellini beans. Continue to simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Using the hand blender, puree the mixture until you get the consistency that you like. It is perfectly fine to have small chunks of broccoli present in the soup. Taste and add more crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, and/or salt, to taste. Keep the soup on low heat until you are ready to serve it.

Toast some Italian bread. While the bread is still hot, rub it with a peeled garlic clove (cut side down). Cut the toast into cubes. Use these croutons to garnish your soup.

Heart Healthy

Black Bean And Brown Rice Tacos With Pico De Gallo

This dish contains no oil, meat, or fish. The inspiration for this recipe came from a friend who adheres to a heart healthy, fat-free diet. His complaint was that the food that he was preparing lacked flavor. He asked me to see if I could conceive some recipes that would allow him to still follow his diet but taste good. Lipids (oil, meat, or fish) were out of the question.

Ten Whole Wheat Soft Taco Size Tortillas
Five Fresh Roma Tomatoes Diced Into About ½ Inch Cubes
Two Finely Diced Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Divided
Four Minced Garlic Cloves, Divided
Two Tablespoons And 1/3 Cup Of Finely Diced Red Onion, Divided
The Juice Of A Lime
Sea Salt Or Salt Substitute, To Taste (Optional)
One Can (15 Ounces) Of Black Beans, Rinsed And Drained
One Can (14 ½ Ounces) Of Stewed Tomatoes
2/3 Cup Of Water
½ Teaspoon Of Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Of Ground Cumin
½ Teaspoon Of Paprika
A Tablespoon Of Chili Powder
1 ½ Cups Of MINUTE Brown Rice, Uncooked

To Make The Pico De Gallo

Combine the diced tomatoes, half of the diced jalapeno peppers, half of the minced garlic, two tablespoons of the diced red onion, and the lime juice in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Taste and add sea salt or salt substitute, to taste (optional). Set the pico de gallo aside.

To Make The Rice With Black Beans

Combine the black beans, the tomatoes, 1/3 cup of the diced red onion, two of the minced garlic cloves, the oregano, the cumin, the paprika, and the chili powder in a large pot with a lid. Stir the mixture well. Put the pot on medium high heat and bring the contents to a boil. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer while stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Add the water and stir well. If you want to add sea salt or salt substitute, now would be the time.

Stir in the rice and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the rice and bean mixture stand covered for 5 minutes.

Final Assembly

Wrap the tortillas completely in a dampened paper towel. Microwave the tortillas for a minute just to get them warm. Fill the tortillas with the rice and the beans. Top the rice and the beans with the pico de gallo.

Pizza

Flatbread With Basil Oil, Garlic, Broccoli, And Baby Spinach

Flatbread with Basil Oil, Garlic, Broccoli and Baby SpinachFresh dough is recommended for this flatbread. It can be purchased from your local pizzeria or bake shop.

A Pound Of Fresh Bread Dough
A Pound Of Steamed Broccoli Florets (Note: Cook For About 5 Minutes In A Covered Shallow Pan Containing About ½ Inch Of Salted, Boiling Water)
12 Ounces Of Cooked And Strained Baby Spinach (Note: Use The Same Cooking Method As The Broccoli)
A Minced Garlic Clove
Six Large Fresh Basil Leaves
¾ Cup Of Olive Oil (Approximate)
¾ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt (Approximate)
A Pinch Of Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
A Pound Of A Combination Of Shredded Mozzarella And Parmesan Cheeses

To Make The Basil Oil

Combine the basil leaves, ½ cup of olive oil, a pinch of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.

To Make The Flatbread Crust

Rub the bread dough with olive oil and place it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit out at room temperature for three hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Brush a large one-inch deep rectangular baking pan with olive oil (including the sides). Place the dough in the pan. With your hands, spread the dough out until it fills the entire pan. Be patient. This process can take awhile. Once the dough has been spread out, bake it in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

Final Assembly

Brush the top of the flatbread with basil oil. Place the garlic and the crushed red pepper flakes equally over the top of the flatbread. Next, do the same with the broccoli florets and the spinach. Finally, sprinkle the shredded cheese uniformly over the vegetables.

Bake the flatbread in a preheated oven set at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Let the flatbread cool for 10 minutes and then cut it into squares.

Sauces and Dressings

Dill And Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

This recipe was conceived purely by accident. I was looking to make tarragon vinaigrette. However, my grocery store did not have fresh tarragon that day. I decided to substitute fresh dill for the tarragon. This dressing is the result of that change. It worked well with a nicoise salad that I had made containing baby potatoes, fresh green beans, and Boston lettuce. The dressing nicely complimented the buttery flavor of the lettuce.

¾ Cup Of Olive Oil
¼ Cup Of Dijon Mustard
A Minced Garlic Clove
Two Teaspoons Of Finely Chopped Shallot
A Teaspoon Of Lemon Zest
The Juice of ½ Lemon
Two Teaspoons Of Anchovy Paste
¼ Cup Of Finely Chopped Fresh Dill
½ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
A Pinch Of Black Pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Next, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while pulsing until the mixture thickens to an almost mayonnaise-like consistency. Taste and add more sea salt and/or black pepper, as needed. Refrigerate the dressing until you are ready to use it.

Beef

Ground Beef And Sausage Meatloaf Stuffed With Baby Spinach, Capicola, and Mozzarella Cheese

Ground Beef and Sausage Meatloaf Stuffed with Baby Spinach, Capicola and Mozzarella

A Pound Of 85% Ground Beef
A Pound Of Sweet Italian Sausage (Removed From The Casing)
½ Cup Of Diced Spanish Onion
A Minced Garlic Clove
A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil
¾ Cup Of Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Two Beaten Eggs
½ Cup Of Skim Milk
A Cup Of Tomato Puree
Four Cups Of Breadcrumbs
¼ Cup Of Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
¼ Cup Of Finely Chopped Basil
A Teaspoon Of Garlic Powder
Two Teaspoons Of Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
12 Ounces Of Cooked Baby Spinach (With Most Of The Water Squeezed Out)
Four Slices Of Capicola
Four Slices Of Mozzarella Cheese

Combine the onion, the garlic, and the olive oil in a small sauté pan. Sprinkle the vegetables with a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook on low heat stirring occasionally for four minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the ground beef, the sausage, the cooked onion, the cooked garlic, the grated cheese, the eggs, the skim milk, the tomato puree, the breadcrumbs, the parsley, the basil, the sea salt, the black pepper, the crushed red pepper flakes, and the garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Using you hands, mix well to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Place half of the meat mixture on a greased baking sheet. Spread it out with your hands into roughly a six inch wide by twelve inch long rectangle. The thickness should be about an inch.  Evenly place the cooked spinach on top of the meat mixture. Place the capicola slices on top of the spinach. Place the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the capicola. Place the other half of the meat mixture on top of the mozzarella. Wet your hands with cold water. Using your hands, form the meat loaf making sure to completely surround and seal the spinach, the capicola, and the mozzarella with the meat mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for two hours. Let the meat loaf sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before slicing.