Category: Entrees

Farfalle (Bowtie pasta) Vegetable Alfredo Sauce

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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 an onion, chopped
  • 1 cup of half and half
  • 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1/8 cup of sweet white wine sweet
  • 1 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of flour
  • 1 16 ounce package of mixed veg, cooked
  • Parmigiano Reggiano (grated cheese)
  • Olive oil for frying
  • Salt, and white pepper

Directions:

In a medium sided pan, sauté onion in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once caramelized, add butter, and flour to create a roux. Allow flour mixture to cook for about 30-45 seconds. Add in wine, allow alcohol to burn off. Then add in stock, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and half and half. Reduce heat, allow sauce to reduce, stirring occasionally. Be sure to not burn the sauce. Once thick, season to taste. Remember the cheese will contains salt. Once thick, toss in al dente pasta, mixed veg, and grated cheese. Serve hot. Top with shaved cheese.

Serves 8

Coconut Rice with Green Beans

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of medium grain white rice
  • 2 cups of Coconut Milk
  • 1/2 cup of chicken stock
  • 16 oz of cut green beans
  • 2 teaspoons of onion powder
  • Salt, and Pepper

In a medium sauce pan, warm milk, and stock. Add rice, and par cooked green beans (if frozen). Season with salt, and pepper. Stirring only once, simmer on low, covered for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has cooked off. Serve hot.

Ginger Rice

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of medium grain white rice
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped (sub 1 teaspoon of dry ginger)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley
  • Oil, or butter for frying
  • Salt, and Pepper

In a medium sauce pan, sauté onion until caramelized, add rice, ginger, and parsley. Season with salt, and pepper, then add stock. Simmer on low, covered for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has cooked off. Serve hot.

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

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Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs of potatoes, grated
  • 3/4 of a cup of all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • Oil for frying

Combine all ingredients. Set griddle to medium heat, or utilize a sauté pan. Use about 2 tablespoons of oil per pancake. Place dollop of batter in pan. Brown each side. Serve hot.

Traditionally these are served with apple sauce, or sour cream.

Chicken Francese

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 lb. chicken cutlets
  • 1/4 cup of flour, seasoned
  • 3 eggs, seasoned, and beaten
  • 1 cup of chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup of semi sweet wine (I used a Pinot Grigio from Aldi)
  • 1 stick of butter
  • Fresh lemons (about 1/2 a lemon for every three cutlets)
  • Salt, black pepper, and white pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sided bowl beat eggs, and buttermilk together. Season with salt, and black pepper. Set aside. Place flour in a separate bowl. Season with salt, and black pepper.

Butterfly, and pound cutlets to achieve an even constancy. Dredge cutlets in the seasoned flour mixture, and then egg. Sauté cutlets in large pan starting with a teaspoon of butter, on low/medium heat. Lightly brown on each side. Add butter as needed to cook all cutlets. Once all cutlets are browned, add more butter, and two table spoons of butter. Raise heat, and mix it well. Don’t burn it. Allow roux to thicken, and add white wine. Once the wine cooks off, add stock, and then the chicken back to pan. Add lemon. Simmer for about five minutes, rotating cutlets, until chicken is softened. Season to taste with salt, and white pepper. Serve immediately.

Osso Buco (Braised Veal Shanks)

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Ingredients:

  • 8-10 large 1 1/2″ thick veal shanks, rinsed, and patted dry
  • All purpose flour (for dredging)
  • 7 tablespoons of butter
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped onions
  • 3/4 of a cup of finely chopped carrots
  • 3/4 of a cup of finely chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic (fresh, not jarred)
  • 3 1/2 cups of broth (beef, or chicken)
  • 1 1/2 cups of peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato (alt 1 1/2 cups of canned plum tomatoes, drained, chopped)
  • Cheesecloth bag with 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 4 fresh thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

For the Gremolata

  • 1/2 cup of minced fresh flat leafed parsley leaves
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

Season the shanks with salt, and pepper. Dredge them in seasoned flour, be sure to shake off any excess flour. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter, and 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium/medium high heat. Brown shanks in small batches. Add in additional butter, and oil, as needed. Place the browned shanks (one layer) in a large, deep, ovenproof casserole/banking pan.

Preheat over to 325º F.

In the same skillet, cook the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter on low heat. Stir occasionally, until the veggies are soft. Create a roux with equal parts fat, and flour. Cook for approx 30 seconds, or until brown while scraping the bottom, and sides of the pan. Add wine, allow to boil, and cook off the alcohol. Continue to scrape, and stir to prevent burning, combine with some of the broth. Pour mixture over browned shanks. Add additional broth which should almost cover the shanks. Spread tomato over shanks, add in the cheesecloth bag. Cover shanks, and place in oven for about 2 hours, or until the veal is tender. Basting, flipping, and rotating as needed.

Remove the shanks from the broth. Keep warm. Discard the cheese cloth bag.

Skim any fat, then put the broth back into sauté pan, make sure you have all the pan drippings. That is where all the flavor is. Bring mixture to boil, allowing to reduce for about 15 minutes. Season with salt, and pepper, as needed.

Baste shanks with reduction. Place back in the over, continue to baste. Bake them for another 10 minutes, or until the shanks are glazed.

Serve with veg, and a starch. See sides page for some great pairing ideas.

Lemon Vinaigrette

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  • 1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
  • 2/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Whisk vinegar, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl (or blender). Slowly stream olive oil into the mixture, and then the lemon juice all while whisking.

Pairs well with an Arugula Salad.

Chilian Empanada Dough

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  • 2 cups of flour
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 2 tablespoons of shortening
  • 1 teaspoons of salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons of vinegar

Bring milk to boil, add vinegar. Let cool, combine remaining ingredients. Kneed dough. Once combined, place dough in fridge, covered in plastic wrap for 30-45 minutes. Once cool the dough is very easy to work with. Cut off small amount, and roll. Then stuff with anything you’d like. Use water, or an egg wash to seal in all the yummy goodness. A pastry brush works well, to keep the hands fresh from glue that is dough.

See below for creative ideas. Empanada are fun. They can be a small bite sized appetizer, an entree, a side, or even a dessert! Filling ideas:

  • seasoned ground beef
  • ground pork
  • pulled pork
  • pulled chicken
  • potatoes/vegetable mix (seasoned potatoes, and peas work well)
  • Thanksgiving leftover mix: turkey, cranberry, yams, splash of gravy (one of my favs)
  • fruit cream cheese mixture

Once stuffed, you can freeze for later, or cook right away. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or fry until golden brown.

Easy Crockpot Pulled Chicken

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  • 1 pound of chicken (breast meat is preferred)
  • 1 packet of Taco seasoning (or mix up your own)
  • 1 jar of your favorite salsa (can certainly use fresh)
  • Salt & pepper

Clean chicken, season with salt, and pepper. Place seasoned chicken, salsa, and taco seasoning into crockpot. Set on high for four hours, or low for six. Chicken should pull easily with two forks. Stir, and add additional seasoning, as needed. Often times I’ll add sriracha for a bit more heat.

I made it, now how do I eat it/what do I pair it with?

  • Serve warm, as an entree with sides like macaroni salad, or potato salad.
  • Toss the chicken into soft, or hard taco shells. Top with your favorite taco seasonings.
  • This chicken also works well served on Kings Hawaiian buns, topped with cheese.
  • Want something healthier? Top a salad with this as the protein!
  • Make pulled chicken EMPANADAS!