Chicken Paremesan

1/2 c flour
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded uniformly
1/2 c olive oil
2 T butter
4 cloves garlic
1 med onion, chopped
3/4 c red or white wine (white is better)
3 cans crushed tomatoes
2 T sugar
1/4 c chopped parsley, divided
1 1/2 c grated parmesan
1 lb thin linguine or other, cooked

combine flour with s and p to taste on a large plate. sprinkle breasts on both sides with s and p, dredge in flour. heat oil and butter on med high. fry chicken until golden, 3 min per side. remove and keep warm, add garlic and onion, cook 2 min. pour in wine, cook 3 min till reduced by hal. sti in tomatoes, sugar, s and p. reduce heat, cook 30 min. add 1/8 c parsley and 1/2 c parmesan. arange chicken on top, sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover and heat till cheese melts. sprinkle remaining parsley, serve over pasta.

baked sausage peppers

brown one package of mild italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled, in olive oil with chopped garlic, one chili pepper, diced, and chopped onion. add chopped sage, basil and rosemary. dice three tomatoes and cook till reduced. add chopped broccoli, then cubed monzarella, stirring till melted, with parmesan grated.

sliced peppers halfway and seed them. stuff with sausage mixture, place in casserole, and surround with extra mixture if available. cover with more parmesan and bake.

tomato pie

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons shredded manchego cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
Kosher salt
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Make the crust: Pulse the flour, cornmeal and fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and 3 tablespoons manchego; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough comes together; add 1 more tablespoon ice water if necessary. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

Put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the crust with foil, then fill with dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes; toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Let drain, gently tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup manchego, the mozzarella, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons each chives and parsley, the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper, and the sauteed onion in a bowl. Spread in the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon each chives and parsley.

Quinoa Jambalaya

6 Servings

1 tb eden hot pepper sesame oil
1 tb organic whole wheat flour
1 md onion; diced
1 garlic clove; minced
28 oz canned eden crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tb dried thyme; or... fresh
-thyme, minced
3/4 ts lima sea salt
3/4 c water or stock
1 c eden quinoa; rinsed
1 green pepper; diced
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1 c celery; chopped
2 green onions; thinly sliced
1/2 lb sm. or md. shrimp (optional)
- - shel; led
1 black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add flour and stir until a frangrant
aroma is released (3 minutes). Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, bay
leaf, thyme and salt. Mix and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add
water to stock. Bring to boil. Add quinoa, green pepper, parsley,
celery, and green onion. Cover and cook another 3-5 minutes longer.
Turn heat off and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Add pepper. Mix
well. Serve.

Prep Time: 10 min. * Cooking Time: 45 min. * Yield: 4-6 servings

chicken parmesean

Chicken Parmesan Recipe


Ingredients

Sauce:

* 1/2 large yellow onion
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
* 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (we use Muir-Glen)
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* Pinch of red pepper flakes
* Pinch of sugar

Chicken:

* 4 chicken breast cutlets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
* Salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup breadcrumbs (we make our breadcrumbs running pieces of stale French bread through a blender)
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
* 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

Method

1 Prepare the sauce. Coarsely grate half of an onion. Grating the onion will create smaller onion pieces and release more of the onion's juices, and is faster than chopping. Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Then add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to maintain the simmer. Cook, uncovered while you prepare the chicken (about 10-12 minutes).

chicken-parm-pounding.jpg

2 Preheat oven to 400°F. Working one at a time, place a chicken cutlet between two layers of wax paper (or plastic wrap). With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. (If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rubber mallet, an empty wine bottle, or a heavy rolling pin.) Salt the chicken pieces well.

chicken-parm-1.jpgchicken-parm-2.jpg

3 In a shallow bowl (large enough to dredge the cutlets), mix together the breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and pinch of salt. In separate shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs.

4 Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. The oil should be shimmering, not smoking. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Then lay the pieces in the hot sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium, then gently fry the cutlets until they are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.

5 Spread enough tomato sauce to thickly coat the bottom of 9x13 casserole pan or baking dish. Once the cutlets are browned on both sides, arrange them on top of the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Place sauce over each of the cutlets. Sprinkle the tops with sliced basil. Then top the cutlets with slices of mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

6 Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the mozzarella begins to brown.

Serve with spaghetti and the remaining sauce, or in a large roll.

Serves 4.

Eggs in Purgatory

bon appetit jan 2010

* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
* Coarse kosher salt
* 1 8- to 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, drained
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
* 8 ounces red-skinned or white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons drained capers
* 8 large eggs
* 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, chopped thyme, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle lightly with coarse kosher salt and sauté until onion is tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add artichokes and minced garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover skillet and simmer 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, cook potatoes in small saucepan of boiling salted water just until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Add potatoes and capers to tomato-artichoke sauce; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Tomato-artichoke sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce before continuing.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour tomato-artichoke sauce into 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Using back of spoon, make 8 evenly spaced indentations in sauce for holding eggs. Crack 1 egg into each indentation in sauce (some of eggs may run together slightly in spots). Bake until egg whites and yolks are softly set, 12 to 16 minutes. Carefully remove baking dish from oven; sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over and serve.

R

sicilian caulliflower wih pasta

i made this without access to the recipe, so my version differed, but it was wonderful and it would have been better had i remembered the red pepper flakes, the breadcrumbs and the parsley. i didn't have enough cauliflower so i added some kale and collards from my fall garden, and i also added one link of sweet italian sausage that i had on hand. oh, and subbed a good squirt of anchovy paste.

the anchovies will not make this dish taste like fish, they will however give it an indescribable savoriness. This pasta with cauliflower recipe she adapted from a recipe from dear friend Pam in Napa who adapted it from a Sicilian recipe by Vincent Schiavelli that appeared in Saveur.seems to get better as the flavors have more time to meld.

Variations to this recipe include adding some toasted pinenuts or walnuts, a few raisins, and or some saffron.
Ingredients

* 1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
* 2 Tbsp anchovies packed in oil, minced (about 6 anchovies)
* Olive oil
* 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs*
* 1 large head of cauliflower, core removed and discarded, florets coarsely chopped
* 5 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 Tbsp tomato paste
* 1/2 pound small elbow macaroni
* 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes, chopped, or diced tomatoes, including juice
* 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


* To make breadcrumbs, chop up about 3 slices of day old bread. Pulse in blender or food processor until you have small crumbs.
Method

1 Toast crumbs in a little olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat until lightly browned. Remove crumbs from skillet and set aside.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet on medium low heat. Add the onions, garlic, and anchovies. Crush the anchovies with the back of a spoon so that they smear well over the onions. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Remove from heat. While you are cooking the onions, put a large pot of salted water (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water) for the pasta on the stove to boil.

3 Heat 4 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the cauliflower, stir infrequently, allowing the cauliflower edges to brown. Cook until the cauliflower florets are lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes to the pan, and salt and pepper to taste. Dissolve tomato paste in 1/2 cup of water. Lower the heat to low. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and anchovies, stir to combine well. Cook, uncovered, on low heat, until the cauliflower is tender.

4 Cook the pasta, uncovered, in salted boiling water until just al dente, according to the pasta package's cooking directions. Drain the pasta from the cooking water and add the cooked pasta to the cauliflower mixture. Stir in about half of the parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan (leave the rest for garnish on top).

Serves 4. Makes great leftovers as the flavors have more time to blend.

Eggplant and Red Pepper Terrine

Recipe adapted from Jacques Pepin, by Simply Recipes/Epicurious.


Use high-quality, soft, fresh Mozzarella (the kind packed in water in the refrigerated section of the grocery store).
Ingredients

Terrine ingredients:

* 3 large red bell peppers (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 large, long (11-inch), firm eggplants (about 2 1/2 lbs)
* 2 Tbsp grapeseed or peanut oil (high smoke-point oil)
* 1 1/2 cups loosely-packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 8 oz of fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/8-in slices, about 14 slices

Raw tomato sauce:

* 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
* 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes (1 1/4 lbs), each cut into 6 to 8 pieces
* 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
* 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Method

1 Prepare the red peppers. Arrange the red peppers on a broiling pan and place them under a hot broiler so that their upper surfaces are about 1/2 inch from the heat. Broil for 15 minutes, turning occassionally, until the peppers are blistered and black on all sides. (You can alternatively blacken the peppers directly over the open flame of a gas cook-top, holding them and turning them with tongs.) Place them in a brown paper or plastic bag and close the bag. Let the peppers steam in their own residual heat inside the bag for 10 minutes. Then peel them (the skin will slide off) and remove the seeds.

Note that Trader Joe's makes an excellent bottled cooked red pepper that can be used as a shortcut to the above step.

2 Prepare the eggplants. Heat a grill or grill pan until very hot. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices and lay out flat on a large flat surface such as a baking pan. Brush the slices on both sides with the grapeseed or peanut oil, and sprinkle with salt. Cook the eggplant slices on the grill, covered, for 4 minutes on each side, until they are nicely browned and softened. If your grill does not have a lid, make a tentlike lid of aluminum foil and place it over the eggplant as it cooks.

3 Prepare the parsley. While the eggplant is grilling, soften the parsley by blanching it in boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds. Remove, cool under cold water, drain.

4 Build the terrine. Line a terrine mold (loaf pan) with plastic wrap. Arrange a layer of eggplant in the bottom of the mold and top it with about a third each of the red pepper pieces, parsley, and cheese. Repeat, beginning and ending with a layer of eggplant, until all the ingredients are used. Cover with plastic wrap and press on the wrap to compact the mixture. Refrigerate.

At this point you can make the terrine in advance and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

5 Prepare the sauce. Place the garlic and tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth. Push the mixture through a food mill (fitted with a fine screen) over a bowl. Add the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Mix well.

To serve, pour some of the sauce on a large platter and unmold the terrine in the center. Cut it into slices and serve with the remainder of the sauce.

party food

thursday i had a party. i made some 'tizers and had some wine, but when we get together, this group, we bring stuff along as we can. so i have a fridge full of stuff, and i need to make an appetizer for dinner at a friend's tonight, at which the hostess is having no carbs and another guest is watching every calorie.

i guess i could bring celery sticks.

but i'm not. i'm making the kale chips just posted and bringing this:

leftover spinach-artichoke dip from the butcher shop
leftover crab artichoke dip from fresh market
enriched with:
crumbled bacon (2 slices thick cut leftover from breakfast thurs)
whole antipasto garlic cloves and red peppers, chopped from the publix deli
quartered grape tomatoes from my garden
chopped banana pepper
1 medium sized caramelized onion (yes this was in the fridge)
lemon juice
lemon zest
olive oil drizzed on top
salt and pepper if you need it but probably no salt required)
basil chiffonade artfully scattered atop

and i'm roasting a peach, sliced, with a banana pepper and onion slivers, and melting (leftover) brie on it to top olive bread with. this will be either lunch when david gets home, or another app for those not shy of certains foods like cheese and bread.

zucchini egg tomato basil casserole, oh my

Zucchini Breakfast Casserole Recipe
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Ingredients

* 6-8 eggs
* 1 cup ricotta cheese
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot chili sauce
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 cups grated zucchini (from 2-3 fresh zucchinis)
* 1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (from 4-5 fresh tomatoes),
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil (from about 20 leaves)*
* 4 cups cubed day-old bread (from about 4 slices)
* Olive oil

*Chiffonade basil by stacking a few leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, slice thin, starting at one end of the cigar and working your way down.
Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. Mix in the grated Parmesan cheese, Tabasco, salt and pepper.

2 Prepare the vegetables and bread. Once you chop the tomatoes, squeeze excess moisture out of them by pressing them in a sieve, or wrapping in paper towels and squeezing. Add the tomatoes, basil, and zucchini to the egg mixture. Moisten the bread cubes with a little water then squeeze out any excess moisture using paper towels. Mix the bread cubes into the egg mixture.

3 Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish generously with olive oil. Pour the egg vegetable mixture into the baking pan and even it out in the pan. Place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. The casserole should puff up and brown lightly. If it hasn't after 30 minutes at 350, increase the heat to 425° and cook for 5-10 minutes further. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Makes 6-8 portions.

baked shrimp in tomato feta

can i tell you how easy this is, and how freaking delicious? karin licked the plate, practically. the folks who cooked murmured. and my husband, who ate it first, was unhappy that i took the leftovers for an appetizer to a friend's steak grill on any given friday, after the bistro. so there you are. it even keeps. 's a keeper.

Ingredients

* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
* 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
* 1 Tbsp minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
* 1 to 1 1/4 pounds medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on), thaw if frozen
* Pinch of salt, more to taste
* Pinch black pepper, more to taste
* 3 ounces feta cheese (about 2/3 cup, crumbled)


Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.

2 Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit.

3 Remove from heat. Stir in the herbs, shrimp, feta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Place pan in oven and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Serve immediately. Serve with crusty French or Italian loaf bread, pasta, or rice.

Serves 4.

Pork Ragout

Okay, so we had Greek pork chops earlier in the week. I'll post them. But we had huge boneless really thick chops, Daniel and Elizabeth and I, and we ate only 2 1/2 of 6 chops. So half were lurking in the fridge, and in the checkout line at Whole Foods, lo and behold: a cooking magazine had an article for leftover roast. Pork roast! So I perused the recipe and determined to remember it for today. Not too taxing.

Called for a pork shoulder roast, and of course we had chops, but here's what I did:

olive oil in a frying pan
one chopped carrot
one chopped stalk of celery
3 green onions, sliced
several several shakes of dried pepper flakes
salt
Cooked this for ten minutes.

Added:

2 minced cloves of garlic
added 1 can chopped tomatoes
3 1/2 cooked 1 1/2 inch pork chops, sliced and cut in thirds again
glugs of chicken broth to cover

Stewed this for a while. 30 minutes minimum, though it cooked a bit longer. Added more broth as necessary.

then added the juice of a lemon, some lemon zest, more pepper flakes to taste, stewed some more. Before serving, added a generous topping of chopped Italian parsley and some fresh diced tomatoes.

We'd had this with some flavored rice, so I scooted over the ragout to one side, heated up the rice. I baked a batch of sundried tomato muffins. We ate it. It was nise.