Some Serious Sauce

   One of my all time favourite meals is Spaghetti and Meatballs. I had recently used up all of my "in the freezer, and ready to go" spaghetti sauce, so it was time to make some more. I took a quick scan of my freezer to see what ingredients I had, and which I needed to buy... and coincidentally I happened to have everything I needed to make this Bolognese Sauce. I don't usually change from my habitual Spaghetti and Meatballs, but I sure am glad I did. This was a great change in flavor.
    This cold, rainy weather is really allowing me to have large simmering pots of hot sauces and soups on the stove for hours on end. Once the hot weather comes....not a chance.... maybe then I will break out the slow cooker.

Spaghetti Bolognese:

Spaghetti Bolognese garnished with Pecorino
Romano and Fresh Basil.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsps. olive oil
1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (I like to use the hot sausage)
2 tbsps. olive oil
1/4 1b. pancetta, diced (bacon will work as well)
1 cup red wine (or 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (5 ounce) can tomato paste
1 pecorino romano rind (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. spaghetti
1 handful basil, chopped

1/4 cup pecorino romano, grated

Directions:

1) Dice the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
2) Cook the ground beef and sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until brown all over. Drain the fat and set aside.
3) Heat the oil in the same pan on medium high heat.
4) Add the pancetta and saute until it starts to get crispy.
5) Add the vegetables and saute until they begin to caramelize.
6) Add the beef, wine, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, pecorino romano rind, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
7) Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 1-3 hours. The longer then better.
8) Cook the spaghetti as directed on the package.
9) Toss the spaghetti and the sauce or serve the sauce on the spaghetti and garnish with basil and grated pecorino romano.

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Chicken Parmagiana

 

The Better Butter Chicken

    We had a mountain of leftovers from the Tandoori Chicken I made yesterday. I thought I could put it to good use by making a batch of something that I could portion out, and put in the freezer. This way, on the busy days of the week when I have little time to cook (or just don't feel like it), I just have to thaw and reheat.         
    Since it was Tandoori Chicken I was working with, I thought I would stick with the Middle Eastern flavor theme. So I checked out what was available in my pantry and decided to make Indian Butter Chicken.
    Traditionally Indian Butter Chicken is made with loads of, well, butter....but I use a lighter version of the recipe that's much kinder to my waistline and my arteries.

Indian Butter Chicken:
(Adapted from Janet and Greta Podleski's, Eat Shrink and be Merry)

Indian Butter Chicken over Basmati Rice
with a side of Steamed Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. oil

1 1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp. ginger, grated

2 Tbsp. garam masala

3/4 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds, optional (These can be really hard to find. I have made this recipe many

           times without the fenugreek, and it tastes great regardless).

1 can (28oz/798ml) tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt (not fat free)

1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 Tbsp. cashew or almond butter (this helps to thicken the sauce)

1/4 cashews, as garnish

1/2 of a tandoori chicken, precooked and cut into pieces 

            (Or 3 chicken breast that have been precooked and cut into cubes)

Hot cooked basmati rice, optional (yield one 1/2 cup for each serving)

Directions:

(1) Heat the butter and oil together in a large heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat.

(2) Add the chopped onions and saute until tender. About 5 minutes.

(3) Add the ginger, and all the spices. Stir to combine, and cook for another minute.

(4) Add the drained tomatoes, chicken broth, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(5) Remove from heat.

(6) Transfer the sauce to a blender to puree, working in batches. (It is very important to firmly hold down the lid of the blender. When adding a hot liquid, pressure builds up in the sealed pitcher causing the lid to slip off).

(7) Return the sauce to the pot.

(8) Stir in the sour cream, as well as the cashew or almond butter.

(9) Add the precooked Tandoori Chicken and mix well. Continue cooking until the chicken is hot.

(10) Serve over hot Basmati Rice. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and cashews.

* I always freeze any leftover sauce. Once all the hard work is done it makes a super easy weekday meal. All you need to do is pour the sauce over some chicken and rice and the whole thing can be made in no time.

Silly for Chili

    Cooking for one can become a bit of an annoyance. As much as I love to cook, I love sharing what I have created. When their isn't anyone around to share what I have made, it becomes a chore.
    When I get to the point where I can't be bothered anymore to cook a new meal everyday, I start making big batches of freezable meals. Meals that require me to cook once, and yield a ton of freezable leftovers. Then I can thaw and heat, without effort. This keeps me from making bad, last minute food choices.
    Since I had the ingredients for Texas Chili, a recipe I adapted from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Cookbook, I decided to make that. It takes some time to make, but most of that time is just simmering on the stovetop. This was right up my alley since I had a bunch of other things to take care of today.
   
Texas Chili:

Texas Chili with Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients:
3 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper for seasonin the beef
2 Tbsp. Recipe Ancho Chili Powder
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 can corn niblets
1 can mixed bean medley, rinsed
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup masa harina (you can subsitute with cornmeal)

*Garnish with tortilla chips, grated cheese, avocado and/or sour cream

Directions:
(1) Boil a kettle full of water.
(2) Heat a heavy bottomed casserole pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic. Sautee until the onions begin to caramelize. About 5 minutes.
(3) Dry the beef cubes with a paper towel. Add to the casserole pan. Cook until browned.

(4) Add Ancho Chili Powder, tomatoes, cinnamon stick and sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil.

(5) Add hot water from the kettle until meat is covered. Return to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

(6) Stir in beans and corn niblets. Stir in masa harina (cornmeal) to thicken.
(7) Cook for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered to heat through and for the cornmeal to take effect.
(8) Taste and adjust seasonnings. Garnish and serve.

Garnished with Corn Tortillas

Stored in plastic, air tight containers,
ready for the freezer.

* This recipe makes 10, one cup servings.*Pair's well with Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins 
   
    I have made this recipe using a slow cooker as well and it turned out great. Just pre-cook the beef, load all of the ingredients into the insert (except the masa harina/ corn meal), and cook on low for 8 hours. Once the 8 hours have passed, add the cornmeal. Put the lid back on and turn the slow cooker to the high setting for one more hour. Garnish and serve.)

Meatless Monday

    For a month or two now, I have been giving "Meatless Monday's" a try. "Meatless Monday" is a new food movement that spans all borders and demographic groups. The idea is to cut out meat one time per week, with the overall goal of  improving health, shrinking our carbon footprint (and our waste lines) as well as helping reduce global climate change.
    After all, if you eat less meat, you consume less saturated fat. This lowers your risk of heart disease and keeps cholesterol low. As an added bonus, it helps you maintain a healthy weight, and automatically adds more vegetable variety to your diet. I have also noticed the amount I spend on grocery's drop about $20.00 per week. That's $960.00 per year (I could plan a mini vacation for my family with that money now).
    I have to be honest, at first I thought that a "certain" member of my family would struggle with this change. But as of yet, I have had no complaints. I have just been planning very carefully, what type of vegetarian meals I choose to make. I don't think a tofu salad would go over very well at all.
    Since it was just me and the little guy this week I made something that I new he would really enjoy. I already had everything I needed on hand, so with his help, we made Pizza Margherita. Mmmm Mmmmm. It was delicious. Who says vegetarian food can't be wonderful.

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita

Ingredients:

1 recipe Pizza Dough
1 cup Homemade Pizza Sauce
1 ball Mozzarella di Buffala (regular  fresh mozzarella will subsitute just fine)
8-10 leaves of Fresh Basil
Handful of Kalamata Olives, optional


Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating, place pizza stone in oven to preheat as well. (If you do not have a pizza stone, a regular pizza pan will work fine. But you should really get one, they're fabulous. They about $13.00 at most kitchen specialty stores).
(2) Roll out the prepared pizza dough.
(3) Once the pizza stone has been heated through (this usually takes as long as the oven does), remove it from the oven, and sprinkle with cornmeal. The cornmeal will keep the dough from sticking. (You can do this with a pizza pan as well. It will save you the calories from the oil you would otherwize have to add to the pan).
(4) Place the rolled out dough onto the pizza stone. From this point on, the dough will begin cooking.
(5) Begin assembling the pizza. First add the sauce, and then the mozzarella.
(6) Place the stone back in the oven and bake the pizza for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted and has begun to brown.
(7) Once cooked, remove from oven and garnish with the fresh basil and kalamata olives.

Tomato, Tomahto (Parte Terzo)

    I just couldn't take any more tomatoes. So out of the mountain of tomatoes that I still had left, I made Pizza Sauce. Thank Heaven's. They're all gone... Now on to the mango's.....lol. Oh my, sigh.
    When I got the idea for the pizza sauce, I was trying to find a way to use the tomato's so that they wouldn't be the main focus on the plate. I just couldn't eat another tomato. So the first thought I had was a sauce of some sort. I also knew if  I made a sauce, by the end of the day all my tomatoes would be gone, and I would be able to move on to something new. Tomato sauce for pasta would have been my first thought, had there not been about 15 jars already in my pantry. This past fall I spent about a month canning anything and everything I could get my hands on. Pasta sauce was one of the things I made an abundance of. But in any case, pizza sauce it was.
    When I make a tomato based sauce, the first thing I like to do is remove the skins. This is done the same way you would skin a peach, apricot, or plum. Just take a pearing knife and score the top and the bottom of the fruit by making a small "X" through the skin. Once done, drop all of the fruit into a pot of boiling water, and let boil for 30-40 seconds. No longer. You don't want to cook them, just loosen the skin.

    After the time has passed, immediately remove the fruit from the water and drop them all directly into an ice bath. This will shock them, and instantly stop the cooking. You will notice the skins begin to peel away from the flesh. Just let them sit for a minute or two, and then begin removing them.



Arrivederci



Gently slice through the skin on both
the top and the bottom.

Peel off the skins, cut into quarters
and place in an oven proof pan


    Once all the skins have been removed, cut the tomatoes into quarters and place into an oven proof pan. Pour in enough olive oil to cover all the tomato pieces and create a shine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in an oven that has been preheated to 475*. You need the temperature to be high to "roast" the tomatoes. After the first half hour has passed, add the seasonings. Depending on your taste, and what you have on hand this will change. I used red onion, basil and garlic. These flavors always go well together.
    Give everything a stir to combine, and continue roasting for another 25-30 minutes. Once finished, let cool slightly, and transfer to a food processor to puree. And there it is. Homemade Pizza Sauce. And I didn't have to waste anything. Can't wait to use this.
    Because of the olive oil in this recipe, you cannot safely process this via water bath. If you have a pressure canner (which I am not fortunate to have), that will work nicely. But if not, and you have no need for this right away, freeze it in an air tight container.





Homemade Pizza Sauce







Tomatoes are peeled, quartered, seasoned and
ready for roasting.





 

After a half hour in the oven, add the
necessary seasonings.

 



Tomato, Tomahto (Parte Seconda)

    Today, in my second attempt to rid myself of my giant surplus of tomatoes, I decided to make a simple Caprese Salad.
    Caprese Salad aka. Insalata Caprese consists of nothing more than three main ingredients. Mozzarella di Buffala (Mozzarella made from the milk of Water Buffalo), Tomatoes, and Basil, it is then seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with a really good olive oil. Words can't even describe how much I enjoy eating this. But because of the difficulty I have trying to find the Mozzarella di Buffala, I rarely get to make it. It can be made with any old regular fresh mozzarella or even bocconcini, but because of certain dietary restrictions, I don't have the luxury of making this substitute.
    This simple salad is fresh, low in calories and packed full of flavor. And if your taste buds want a little more zip, just drizzle it with a really good quality Balsamic Vinegar.

Caprese Salad:

Caprese Salad Stacks. Drizzle with a little
Olive Oil and some Balsamic Vinegar
for an amazing appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced
3-4 small to medium tomatoes (an heirloom variety will work best)
6-7 fresh basil leaves
pinch of salt (a coarse or flake salt similar to fleur de sel)
coarsely ground fresh black pepper
olive oil and balsamic vinegar for drizzling

Directions:

(1) Stack one slice of the mozzarella, one slice of the tomato and then top with a fresh basil leaf.
(2) Continue until all of the food has been stacked in little bundles.
(3) Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Do both these steps immediately before serving. The salt will release the juices from the tomatoes, and you don't want your tidy little bundles floating in a tomato soup.

Tomato, Tomahto

     Today I was staring at the copious amount of food in my kitchen, and wondering how on Earth I was going to be able to eat it all before it went bad. Right before Hubby got called away, we picked up groceries for an entire two weeks. For an ordinary family of three, this isn't a huge deal. But when the  member of the family who eats enough to feed a small African village leaves without notice, and the child in the family barely consumes enough food to keep a bird alive, the third family member (which is me), is left to deal with this dilemma alone.
    Now what's a girl to do. There is no way I'm going to be able to eat all this food. I'm thinking I might have to get creative. The first thing I figured I would attempt to tackle, were the tomatoes. After all, every time I walked into the kitchen, there they were staring me in the face. A giant Costco sized package of cocktail tomatoes, taunting me.
    So what better way to put a dent in a stock pile of tomatoes than Tomato Basil Bruschetta. So that's what I did. I made Bruschetta.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta:

Tomato Basil Bruschetta with Toasted Baguette

Ingredients:

8 cocktail tomatoes or 3 hot house tomatoes, (you can use any type of tomato you like, as long as the size ratio's match this recipe)
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil (use the best quality olive oil you have on hand)
pinch of coarse salt
freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese to garnish, optional
french baguette, sliced 1/2" thick (day old baguette works well, since you will be frying it anyway)

Directions:

(1) Add all diced ingredients to a bowl.
(2) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
(3) Stir to combine.
(4) When serving with baguette, pour about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into the bottom of a preheated pan. Add a few pieces of sliced baguette to the pan, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Don't waste your fancy olive oil here, any generic brand of olive oil will do.
(5) Scoop Bruschetta onto the toasted baguette and sprinkle with a freshly grated cheese if desired.

Everything you need...

When chopping basil, stack all the leaves into a pile
and roll them into a little parcel. Slice your roll with a
sharp knife, as though you were slicing a loaf of bread.

*This Recipe will make enough for two generous servings. Nutritional value does not include toasted French Baguette.

Nutritional Value
(Per Serving)

Calories 66                       
Total Fat 3.9                             Carbohydrates 7g
Saturated Fat 0g                        Fiber 1.3g
Cholesterol 0mg                       Sugars 3.6g
Sodium 6.5mg                           Protein 1.3g

What's for Dinner?

    I was going through my weekly meal plan earlier this morning, trying to decide what to prepare for Dinner tonight. I thought since it was Friday I would choose one of the "fancier" meals from the list. Our little guy doesn't have any extra-curricular activities tonight to rush us out the door shortly after we've finished eating. And we generally decide to stay up a bit later on Fridays to enjoy each others company. This leaves me with a larger window at meal time to whip up something extra delicious.
    I usually plan our meals based on items that I currently have on hand, combined with what happens to be on sale in the weekly flyer. All the while trying to eat healthy, and spend as little as humanly possible. After all, with the rapidly rising cost of living, who can afford to be wasteful with their hard earned cash.
    I find that preparing a meal plan ahead of time, as well as a shopping list to go along with the meal plan, prevents me from buying unnecessary items. And also prevents any last minute runs back to the grocery store to pick up forgotten ingredients while in the middle of preparation. Plus, if you already have something in the works for dinner you're less likely to be tempted to stop off for unhealthy take-out.
    So on the menu tonight is, Chicken Parmigiana over Whole Wheat Spaghetti w/ Caesar Salad. Now that I know I am eating a Dinner LOADED with carbs, I will run an extra 5K at the gym :)

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana with Caesar Salad

Tomato Basil Sauce w/ Kalamata Olives

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (optional)

8-9 fresh basil leaves

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I use canned organic tomatoes, I think conventional tomatoes taste like a cheap ketchup) 

1 tsp. sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chicken Parmesan
                

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella, grated 

Freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, for garnish

1/2 lbs. of pasta (I prefer spaghetti, but anything will do)

1) Pour 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil into a sauce pot over medium heat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
2) Add onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant, and onions begin to become translucent. Do not burn the garlic. It will take on a bitter taste.
3) Slowly pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add olives and basil. Stir to combine.
4) Cook over a medium low heat until the sauce has reduced. (About 12-15 minutes)
5) Season with the salt and pepper.
6) Lower heat and keep warm.

7) Create a breading station for the chicken breast. (I use standard dinner plates for this and it works adequately) Plate number 1 should contain the flour, seasoned generously with salt and pepper. Plate number 2 should contain the lightly beaten egg with 1 Tbsp. of water. season with salt and pepper. Plate number 3 should contain the bread crumbs mixed with 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan or pecorino. Also seasoned with salt and pepper.

The breading station

8) Place the chicken breast inside of a clean plastic bag, and pound out using a meat mallet to approximately 1/2" thick. Cut into 4 like sized portions.

9) In a heavy bottomed, oven proof skillet, add the rest of the olive oil. Heat over medium high heat.

10) Begin breading the chicken breast pieces. Dredge the pieces first in the flour, then the egg mixture, and lastly the bread crumb mixture.

11) Place into the preheated pan, and fry until the underside becomes a nice golden brown.

12) Flip chicken, and immediately add some of the tomato basil sauce. Top with some of the grated mozzarella. Continue until all of the chicken pieces are topped with sauce and cheese.

I chose to bake these today.

13) Place pan directly into the preheated oven. Bake until cheese browns and begins to bubble. About 15 minutes.

14) Cook pasta according to package directions.

15) Ladle sauce over noodles, place chicken on top of pasta, dress with freshly grated cheese and basil.

The perfect bite.

Makes 3 portions

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories 517           Total Fat 25.6g

Sat. Fat 6.4g          Cholesterol 52.9mg

Sodium 699.9mg    Carbohydrates 43.3g

Fiber 7.7g              Sugars 1.4g

Protein 29.7g

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Spaghetti Bolognese