Recipes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 strip, rib-eye, or tenderloin steaks, about 1 ¹⁄₂ inches thick
Pepper

Instructions
1. Combine salt and cornstarch. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub with salt mixture. Arrange on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and freeze until steaks are firm and dry to touch, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. Season steaks with pepper. Grill, covered, over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.  

Comments
This recipe is also from the August/September 2009 issue of Cook’s Country.  Apparently the thing that makes restaurant steaks so delicious is that they’re dry aged and cooked over very high temperatures.  I got the BGE grill up to 650*F, followed the freezing instructions of this recipe, and was rewarded with perfectly delicious filet mignon steaks.  If I wasn’t sold on grilling before, this pushed me over the edge.  The steaks were tender, flavorful, and juicy to boot!  

Shown here with Cherry Tomato Caprese Pasta Salad.

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
8 ounces fully cooked sausage, such as andouille, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14 ¹⁄₄-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound okra, sliced
1 cup white rice
Cayenne pepper

Instructions
1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sausage and sauté until brown, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer meat to bowl.

2. Add onion and bell pepper to pot. Sauté until soft and brown, about 6 minutes. Add flour and stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, then diced tomatoes with their juices. Bring to boil. Mix in chicken mixture, okra and rice. Reduce heat to medium; cook uncovered until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

3. Season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.

Comments
One of the classic things to do with okra is gumbo.  Having never made gumbo, and not particularly caring for shellfish, I turned to Epicurious.com and found this recipe.  It’s sort of a mix of gumbo and jambalaya.  We all enjoyed this for dinner although, sadly, the leftovers didn’t really hold up well.  It was nicely spicy from the sausage and the okra vanishes into the rest of the dish.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
8-10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and quartered
4 cups chicken broth

Filling
16 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons chili powder
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons cumin, ground
20-30 corn tortillas (6 inch)
32 ounces enchilada Sauce (I use store-bought, I’m sure homemade would be great if you make your own)

Instructions
1. Place chicken, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and chicken broth in a large pot.  Cover the pan, bring to a simmer, and poach the chicken for 12 to 14 minutes or until the chicken is completely done.  Remove the chicken from the pot and discard remaining ingredients.  Once the chicken has cooled, shred or chop it into small pieces in a large mixing bowl.  

2. Combine the sour cream, cream cheese, chili powder, and cumin. Add the cheese mixture to the chicken and combine until well incorporated.  

3. Place 5 tortillas on a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until flexible.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  

4. Place a heaping spoonful or two of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla, roll, fold, and place in a large baking dish.  (I tend to use two 9x12 baking pans for this.)  

5. Top the enchiladas with the sauce, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, or other toppings as desired.  

Comments
This makes a lot of food.  It’s one of our go-to meals when we need to cook in bulk.  It’s one of Art’s most requested meals when I’m away from home for a few days as a result!  It’s easy to prepare and absolutely fantastic.  Easy to serve with Spanish rice or a simple salad.  The only problem with them is that I rarely get to have any myself thanks to everyone in the house devouring them!  

This recipe fills two 9x12 baking dishes when I make it – a single layer in each.  I’m sure that, if you didn’t want to discard the poaching liquid, you could strain it and use it for making rice or any other Mexican flavored dish where chicken broth would be appropriate.

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Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₃ cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 ¹⁄₄ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (¹⁄₄ stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
Fresh blueberries, optional
Chocolate chips, optional
Pure maple syrup, for serving

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons butter in medium bowl; stir into dry ingredients.

2. Heat large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-low heat; brush with butter. Drop batter by ¹⁄₃ cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until brown, brushing griddle with more butter as needed, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes with maple syrup.

Optional: After dropping batter onto the griddle, sprinkle the uncooked top of the pancakes with blueberries or chocolate chips.  Or both!

[photo forthcoming]

Comments
This recipe came from Epicurious.com and, sadly, I neglected to take pictures.  The flavor was fantastic.  I preferred mine plain but Art, my brother, and my nephew all gobbled up the ones with blueberries.  Leftovers, if there are any, freeze well and can be reheated in a toaster oven or regular oven.  I mixed up the dry ingredients the night before making these and that worked well!

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
10 ounces lima beans (I used fresh, frozen work as well)
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed with side of a large knife
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
¹⁄₈ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¹⁄₈ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cumin
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Instructions
1. Simmer beans, onion, garlic, salt, and water in a 3-quart saucepan, covered, until beans are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in cilantro and parsley and let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.

2. Drain bean mixture in a sieve and transfer to a food processor. Add cumin, cayenne, 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, dill, and mint and purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature (or chill), stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and add remaining lemon juice to taste.

3. Mound dip in a serving bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil.

Comments
This recipe is from Epicurious.com.  I grew up only having lima beans in succotash and, I’ve got to admit, I’m not a fan.  Art and I were discussing the potential that we’d get some with our CSA box and he pointed out that they’ve got a similar texture to chickpeas.  This set me on the quest for hummus made with lima beans and this recipe is the result of that search.  

I’m still not 100% sure how I felt about this dip.  It was very flavorful thanks to all of the herbs and spices.  We ate it with pita chips and I think it was tasty and delicious.  I believe I’ll need to make it again in the future to pin down whether or not I really like it.  Art, on the other hand, is a firm believer in the tastiness of this dip.

Internet - Epicurious

Ingredients
1 pound ziti, rigatoni, or other medium pasta shape (I use Penne)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 small zucchini, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in purée
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
¹⁄₄ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 (15-ounce) container Ricotta cheese (Part-skim is fine)
²⁄₃ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
¹⁄₃ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 pound mild/sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and sausage crumbled, optional

Instructions
1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, zucchini and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes; reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat oven to 325*F. Blend together the egg and Ricotta cheese until smooth. In a 3-quart casserole dish, layer the pasta, Ricotta cheese and tomato mixture, ending with a layer of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the top with grated Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown on top and bubbling, about 45 minutes.  

Optional Preparation:  If using sausage, cook in the skillet over medium-high heat for step 1 before adding vegetables.  Omit olive oil and add vegetables to skillet.  Prepare the rest of the recipe as directed.  

Comments
When I’m feeling lazy, I skip layering the components and just combine them all in a casserole dish and stir well before topping with cheese.  This is a great baked pasta dish.  You could easily use prepared pasta sauce instead of crushed tomatoes, and just adjust the seasonings to taste.

I used Barilla’s Plus pasta for this and can’t tell a difference in taste between it and white pasta.

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Ingredients
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8-16 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
6 sundried tomato halves, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons tomato paste
¹⁄₄ cup dry white wine
16-18 ounces flat pasta noodles such as fettucine, fresh or dried
12 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons of salt.

2. If using dried pasta, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender.  Drain the pasta.  If using fresh pasta, cook when finished with step 3.  

3. Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and sundried tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the sausage is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the fat from the pan, then stir in the tomato paste and wine and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. If using fresh pasta, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender. Drain the pasta.  

5. Add the pasta to the pan with the sundried tomatoes. Return to the heat, toss in the basil, and stir gently for about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

Comments
This recipe comes from one of Mario Batali’s books.  If I had to guess, I’d guess that I found it in Molto Italiano.  While many of his recipes call for ingredients I just can’t find, every recipe of his that I have made has been amazing.  This one is no different.  When I saw the name of it I knew, immediately, that I had to make it since it contains all of Art’s most favorite ingredients.  All in one dish!  How perfect is that?  

As expected, this has turned out to be one of Art’s favorite dishes and one that he requests on a somewhat regular basis.  (In this house, regular means 1-2 times a year when it comes to food.)  I made it this time with plum tomatoes that I’d roasted in the oven to dry out, just to see how it would work.  If you use sundried tomatoes, they’ll be much more visible in the dish.  The oven-roasted tomatoes worked perfectly in terms of flavor!

Shown here with Grilled Eggplant.

Molto Italiano

Ingredients
1 large egg, beaten
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

For the sauce
2 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons soy sauce
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced (about 1-inch)
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dry sherry

3 ¹⁄₂ cups peanut oil, for frying
8 small dried chili peppers
1 bunch green onion, finely sliced
3-4 cups broccoli, cut into florets

Instructions
1. In a bowl, mix together the egg, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Add the chicken pieces, mix to coat and marinate for at least 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and reserve.  (I skip chopping the garlic and ginger, put all the sauce ingredients in a hand blender cup, and blend away.)  

2. Heat a wok over high heat for 40 seconds. Add the peanut oil and heat to 350*F. Place chicken into the oil, trying to separate with your fingers. Deep fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chicken is browned, crisp and cooked through. Turn off the heat. Remove the chicken with a Chinese strainer and drain over a bowl. Pour off all but 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons of the oil from the wok.

3. Heat the wok over high heat for 20 seconds. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the chilies and stir for 15 seconds. Add the green onion and stir for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and stir until tender-crisp.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir the sauce mixture, pour into the wok, stir well, and cook until the chicken cubes are completely coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, transfer to a heated dish, and serve.

Comments
I’m not entirely sure which cookbook this originally came from, but based on the ingredients I’m guessing it’s from one of Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s excellent books.  

I’ve never actually had General Tso’s Chicken in a restaurant so I’m not sure how this compares.  That said, no one has ever not wanted seconds, so I consider it a success regardless of its similarity to the restaurant version.  You can easily adjust the heat of the dish by adding fewer (or more) of the red dried chilies.  Feel free to use vegetables other than broccoli depending on your tastes and, if you like a saucier dish, the sauce ingredients are quite simple to double or even triple!

The Chinese Way

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I use orecchiette or shells)
1 cup frozen peas
12 ounces center-cut bacon, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch pieces
¹⁄₂ cup dry white wine
3 large eggs
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated (About 2 cups)
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta as directed on package.  Place frozen peas in colander and drain pasta over the peas to thaw.  

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon.  Stirring occasionally, cook until crisp.  Drain bacon and return to skillet.  

3. Add white wine to skillet and simmer until the wine is mostly reduced, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  

4. Meanwhile, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk well.  Stir in cheese and garlic.  

5. Add hot pasta and peas to the egg mixture and stir well until the pasta is coated, the egg is cooked, and everything is evenly mixed.  Then add the bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper.  

Comments
I’m not sure where the original inspiration for this method came from.  I went through a phase where I was trying to find the perfect carbonara and would make a new recipe every week.  I tried baked carbonaras and stovetop ones like this, and this was the winner after months of trials.  I like that the garlic isn’t cooked so it’s nice and flavorful.  

I make this with orecchiette because I like to be able to stir pasta dishes that are sauced prior to serving.  I also like the way the orecchiette cups the peas and other ingredients.  

Shown here with Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ cups balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
6 filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft goat cheese

Instructions
1. Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to ¹⁄₃ cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.  Keep warm prior to serving or it will be closer to the consistency of taffy than syrup.  

2. Meanwhile, preheat the grill or griddle. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. After turning steaks over, spoon a small dollop of goat cheese on top of each one.  The cheese will melt while the second side cooks.  

3. Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis via the Food Network site.  I was looking for a way to prepare filet mignon that would be Italian inspired in order to go with Carbonara and this seemed to fit the bill.  It was delicious, the goat cheese was soft and melty.  The glaze was sweet and strong.  I did make the mistake of letting the glaze cool a little too much so it stuck to our teeth, but I’m not planning on telling my dentist.  

Shown here with Gwen’s Carbonara.

Internet - Giada De Laurentiis