Recipes

Ingredients
1  flank steak
1 (1.06-ounce) packet McCormick Zesty Herb marinade (or similar)
1 ¹⁄₂ cups red wine
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped

Instructions
1. In a large zip-top bag or container, combine all ingredients. Seal bag or container. Marinate in refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Remove flank steak from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Preheat grill, griddle, or grill pan to medium-high heat.

3. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on grate. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium, depending on the thickness of the steak.

4. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. To serve, slice in half with the grain and then in thin slices against the grain.

Comments
This recipe is from Sandra Lee of FoodTV fame.  I’ve been making it for the past year on a griddle on the stovetop and looking forward to finally getting to do it on the grill outside so it wouldn’t smoke up the house!  I wasn’t disappointed at all.  The grill did a great job of cooking the steak and it turned out lovely.  One of the things I like about flank steak is that the thickness varies the length of the cut so it suits everyone’s desires for doneness.  

Shown here with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata.

Internet - Sandra Lee

Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
¹⁄₂ pound Italian sausage, casings removed and sausage crumbled
³⁄₄ cup pasta sauce, divided
¹⁄₂ cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried basil
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
8 slices mozzarella Cheese, divided

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook 6 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes to cool.

2. Combine meat, sausage, ¹⁄₄ cup pasta sauce, bread crumbs, egg, basil, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add onion mixture; mix well. Shape half of meat mixture into 10x5-inch loaf in a 12x9 baking pan. Top with 4 slices of cheese and remaining meat mixture. Spread remaining pasta sauce over top of loaf. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 40 minutes.

3. Remove meatloaf from oven and top with remaining cheese. Return to oven; bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts and internal temperature of loaf reaches 160°F. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Comments
I’ve always been a fan of meatloaf but it’s been hard to sell Art on it.  He loved this one.  It was flavorful, delectable and not a bit dry.  

Shown here with Amatriciana Pasta.

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Ingredients
5 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
18 slices firm white bread (such as English muffin bread), cubed
6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
4 ounces provolone cheese, grated or cut into small cubes
¹⁄₄ cup green onions, chopped
6 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions
1. Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  

2. In a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, mix bread, prosciutto, goat cheese, provolone and green onions.  Pour egg mixture over bread mixture and press down gently on the bread to ensure coverage.  Drizzle melted butter over strata.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours.  

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Uncover strata and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake until center is set, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, cut into large squares and serve.

Comments
I have no idea where I found this recipe but it’s been in my files for some time now.  Strata is normally a breakfast dish but the ingredients didn’t scream breakfast to me.  I made this for dinner to go along with steak and we all enjoyed it quite a bit!

Shown here with Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak.

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Ingredients
1 pound pasta shells
1 stick unsalted butter (¹⁄₂ cup)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3-4 cups tatsoi leaves, lightly packed
¹⁄₂ cup fresh sage, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta as directed on the package.  Drain and return to pot.  

2. When pasta almost done, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir the butter in the pan as it foams.  When butter begins to brown, add it to the pasta, turn the heat to medium, and mix to coat with butter.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tatsoi and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss with parmesan and serve immediately.  

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Comments
I found this recipe at Appetite for China which is a great food blog.  I was looking for interesting things to do with the Tatsoi that came in my CSA box this week and a simple pasta dish fit the bill.  The dish was great although we all found the Tatsoi to be a tidge on the bitter side.  It did give me some inspiration for future pasta dishes of a similar nature, so keep your eyes peeled for those!

Internet - Appetite for China

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¹⁄₄ cup white wine
³⁄₄ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ounces brie cheese, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons pesto

Instructions
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken with olive oil until cooked through, about 10 minutes per side depending on thickness of breasts.  Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. 

2. Add wine to skillet and stir, scraping up any brown bits in the pan with your spoon.  Add broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Simmer sauce until reduced by half.  Return chicken to pan and top with brie slices.  Cover and continue cooking until cheese has melted.  Stir in pesto and serve brie-topped chicken with sauce. 

Comments
I’m not sure where I initially found this recipe since it’s been waiting in my “cook eventually” folder for quite some time.  I finally made it tonight and it was quite a success.  The chicken was moist and tender, the flavor of the pesto nicely complimented the brie.  I would have been 12% happier with the dish had the sauce been a bit thicker, but I have some ideas about how to rectify that the next time.  Since most of the brie oozed out of my chicken anyway, I was thinking that I could maybe reserve the brie and just melt it into the sauce at the end for a thicker consistency.  I recommend serving this with rice or something else nice to soak up the sauce.

Update 12/11/2010: I changed this recipe around completely and melted the brie on top of the chicken instead of trying to stuff it.  The resulting dish was much more successful!  I also neglected to add the evaporated milk the original recipe called for.  Feel free to add ¹⁄₂ cup of evaporated milk for a creamier sauce if desired.

Shown here with Stir-Fried Green Beans with Soy and Pine Nuts.

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Ingredients
5-6 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¹⁄₂ cup shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
16 ounces assorted mushrooms, thinly sliced (I’m a weirdo who prefers normal domestic button mushrooms, so I used 16 ounces of those)
2 cups Arborio rice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup red wine
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot.  (The quick and dirty method is to put the stock into a microwave safe container and just nuke it till hot.  I’ve never had a problem with the microwave method although I’m sure it makes traditionalists cringe!)  

2. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add ³⁄₄ cup of the stock and cook, stirring frequently, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock ¹⁄₂ cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes.

4. Stir in half-and-half, ¹⁄₂ cup of the cheese, and the parsley and mix well.

5. Remove from the heat and add remaining cheese and prosciutto.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Option: For The Chicken Version, switch the beef broth with chicken broth and the red wine with white wine.  

Comments
I have no idea where I originally found this recipe, it has been in my “Try at Some Point” folder for years now.  I was looking for something easy to serve with grilled Filet Mignon and this reached out and grabbed me.  It’s a bit of an odd risotto recipe since it calls for cream/half-and-half, normally risotto just relies on the starch of the rice for its creaminess.  I was thrilled with how this turned out, though.  The flavor was great and the red wine and beef broth made it pair very well with steak.  

Do be sure to add any salt at the end because the prosciutto and the parmesan can really increase the saltiness of the dish and if you salt prior to those you might end up with a risotto that’s entirely too salty to enjoy.  

Shown here with filet mignon steaks that were grilled about 5 minutes per side on a 700*F grill.  That turned out to be a bit too long, so we’re going to try 4 minutes a side next time!

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Ingredients
2 ³⁄₄ cups flour
2 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
²⁄₃ cup shortening, melted (I do this in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl, in 30 second bursts)
2 ¹⁄₄ cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup nuts, optional (I like walnuts and pecans best)
8 ounces chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet, but any would work)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  

2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  

3. In a large bowl, mix the melted shortening and the brown sugar.  Cool.

4. Add eggs to brown sugar mixture, beating after each addition. Add dry ingredients, nuts, and chocolate and stir to combine. Pour into greased 9x12-inch baking pan.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.   Cut into squares and serve.  

Comments
This is an old family recipe that I grew up eating; I think that my mom might have made these for my dad while they were dating in fact!  I’ve had the recipe for years, but this is the first time I got around to making them myself.  I had a hard time explaining what they were to Art and Lance prior to baking them, but afterward it was decided that they’re sort of like chocolate chip cookies in bar form.  

I made these for Game Day and, due to Lance’s nut allergy, I split the batter into two 9x9-inch pans and only added nuts to one of the pans so that the other was nut free.  They turned out great, just like my childhood memories.  The edges were slightly crisp and the insides were moist and chewy.  

Thanks for the recipe, mom!

Person - Mom

Ingredients
24-30 pearl onions (Frozen work just as well, if you’re using them just skip step 1)
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
8 ounces thick cut bacon, sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 (750 ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir (I recommend not spending more than $10 per bottle)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 medium carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions
The Day Before Serving
1. Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an “x” with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.  (Skip this step if using frozen pearl onions and, instead, just thaw them in a sieve under running water.)  

2. Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large ziptop bag or sealable container along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon.  Cook, stirring, until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.  

4. In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside on the same plate with the bacon.  

5. In the same pot, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Remove chicken and place on a different plate than the bacon and onions.  

6. Add the mushrooms to the same pot, along with 1 tablespoon of butter, and sauté until nicely browned, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to the next day.  

7. Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pot with approximately 1 cup of the wine, scrapping up all the dark bits on the bottom.  Then add the chicken broth, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine and the chicken. Cover and allow to cool until you can comfortably rest your hand on the side of the Dutch oven and then refrigerate overnight.  (I find it cools rather quickly due to the volume of wine.)  

The Day Of Serving
8. About 3-4 hours before you wish to serve Coq au Vin, preheat the oven to 325*F.

9. Place the Dutch oven in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 ¹⁄₂ hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.  (I always forget to stir it and nothing bad ever happens as a result.  Feel free to ignore it once it’s in the oven.)  

10. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the Dutch oven to a heatproof container, cover, reduce oven heat to warm (about 200*F) and place the chicken in the oven to keep warm.

11. Strain the sauce from the Dutch oven in a colander and return the strained sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by ¹⁄₃. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.  

12. Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon from the refrigerator and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles or rice, if desired.

Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary.

Doubling Note: This recipe is easy enough to double just by doubling all of the ingredients.  However, your Dutch oven, if it’s like mine, isn’t large enough to handle everything and 4 bottles of wine.  I recommend, for the overnight marinade, just adding two bottles of wine to the pot and then adding the other two bottles of wine after you remove the chicken and strain the sauce in steps 10 and 11.  It will take about an hour to reduce by ¹⁄₃, due to the extra liquid content.  The taste will still be amazing.  

Wine Note: Please do not use something labeled as “cooking wine” for this recipe.  Use something that is at least tolerable to drink.  

Comments
This is an Alton Brown recipe that has been tweaked a bit.  I caught the episode once and knew I had to make this dish.  This is strange for me because, however much I love Alton Brown’s show for the information; I’m not a huge fan of his actual recipes.  I must say that this recipe just rocks.  

It is a time commitment but it’s pretty much all the day before.  The day you serve this it’s just a few hours in the oven, strain, and less than an hour on the stovetop.  And most all of that time is unattended which allows you to entertain company because, let’s face it, this is a great “wow the guests” sort of meal!

I have served this with rice and egg noodles and both work equally well.  The chicken is so amazingly tender that you don’t even need a knife.  Leftovers are just as good as the initial meal.  As written, the recipe serves about 4-6.

Internet - Alton Brown

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ¹⁄₂ pounds small potatoes, halved (New, red, Yukon gold, etc)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
³⁄₄ cup white wine
³⁄₄ cup chicken broth
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450*F.

2. Heat the oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches if necessary, cook the chicken in the pot until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Carefully add the potatoes to the same pot and cook until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, oregano, and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

3. Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Arrange the potatoes around chicken. Add the frozen artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pot. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Turn heat to low. Stir in the butter. Pour the sauce over chicken and potatoes, and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis and it’s great.  If you’ve got a Dutch oven type of pot, I recommend that you use that.  A few years ago Art’s awesome parents gifted us with a fantastic one from Le Creuset and it’s just amazing for applications like this.  It’s certainly an investment, but I find it to be an extremely worthwhile one.   It’s a cinch to clean, distributes heat perfectly, and deglazes like a champ. 

Back to the dish.  I love artichokes and potatoes and this is a great complete meal in one pot.  It was perfect to make after a long day at the Renaissance Faire because it comes together very quickly and doesn’t require a lot of prep work in order to do so. 

Sorry for the messy looking picture, I was a bit rushed.

Internet - Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
20 ounces fresh spinach, well rinsed and stems trimmed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground black pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup Brie, rind removed
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
16 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
12 ounces center-cut bacon, fried crisp, drained, and chopped
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.

2. Place spinach in an uncovered microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, working in batches if necessary.  Once spinach is microwaved, roughly chop.  

3. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the milk and half-and-half in a steady stream, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked spinach, lemon juice, brie, Monterey jack, artichoke, and bacon and stir well to combine and melt.  

5. Remove from heat and pour into the prepared dish. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake until bubbly, about 10-20 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and serve hot, with chips, bread, or other desired dippers.

Comments
I’m a huge fan of Spinach and Artichoke Dip, but it’s hard to find recipes that don’t include mayonnaise, which Art dislikes.  I found this one a few years ago, it’s an Emeril creation.  I’ve been making it ever since and it’s always a hit.  The mix of cheeses and other flavors work extremely well together.  It’s also easy to prepare in advance and just bake before serving.  If you do that, you will need to bake it for 30-45 minutes before it will be toasty enough to serve.

Internet - Emeril Lagasse