I made this the day before a party to pop in the oven and slow cook until all the food was ready. I think this is pretty much fool proof however long you want to cook it.
Preheat a large skillet to med-high temp. Pound out boneless and skinless chicken breasts into thin cutlets. Cut in quarters, if necessary. Salt and pepper both sides. In a plastic ziplock bag, add 2 cups of flour and season with paprika to taste. Add cutlets to plastic bag and shake. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your preheated skillet and add 2 pats of butter. Shake off excess flour from cutlets and add to the pan. Cook each side till golden browned but not cooked through. Place browned cutlets into baking dish. Work in batches, adding more oil and butter as needed.
Once all the cutlets are browned, skim off excess fat from pan and add a 1:3 ratio of white wine to chicken stock to pan drippings. For example, 1 cup white wine to 3 cups chicken stock. Crank up heat to high and whisk until bubbling. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced.
Meanwhile, finely mince a few sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle over chicken cutlets. Thinly slice a fresh lemon and place one lemon slice on top of each chicken cutlet. Once pan gravy is ready, pour over chicken cutlets. You should have enough pan gravy to coat the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil wrap and place into refrigerator until next day, or you can cook this right away in a preheated 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.
If cooking next day, preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place foil covered baking dish into oven and cook on this temp. until 1 hour before party, up to 3 hours beforehand. One hour before serving, raise oven temp to 300 degrees and cook for 1 hour. Remove foil and serve.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Veal Rollotini with Pesto Mashed Potatoes
Preheat oven to 400
Place 1 large skillet, 1 saute pan, 1 sauce pan, and one large pot onto stove top
Pound out veal cutlets w/ meat tenderizer until very thin. Salt and pepper both sides and set aside to become room temperature. Meanwhile, make the pesto for the mashed potatoes. Place bunch basil in food processor with salt & pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Run on low setting and slowly drizzle in olive oil until paste like consistency. Spoon contents into bowl and set aside. In same food processor (no need to clean it out), place 1 medium sized roughly chopped carrot and pulse until coarse but not grated. Scrape contents into a saute pan that is on medium heat and lightly coated with olive oil. While carrot cooks, repeat the same process with the onion in the food processor, add to skillet with carrots, pulse the 1/4 cup of mushrooms in same manner, and lastly the 1 cup of spinach. Add salt and pepper to season as you go. Saute all ingredients until wilted and tender, onion is opaque in color. Set aside and let cool. Add 1 cup ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup bread crumbs to vegetable mixture and mix well.
Peel 3 large potatoes, quarter, and place in cold salted water. Bring to boil and cook until fork tender. In a small sauce pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of milk , 2 chopped garlic cloves and simmer for 15 minutes. Work potatoes, butter/milk/garlic mixture and pesto mixture until mashed well but not over worked. Spoon into buttered casserole dish and place in oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.
Place cutlets on flat surface and spoon 1-2 tablespoon of vegetable/cheese mixture onto center of cutlet. Roll as you would a burrito or egg roll. Secure with toothpick and dredge veal roll in seasoned flour and set aside. Continue same steps with remainder cutlets. Heat large heavily oiled skillet and add veal to brown all sides of veal rollotinis. Remove from skillet and add 2 cups port to deglaze skillet. Add 1 cup chicken broth and 4 sprigs rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook on high until mixture reduces down by half. Add veal rollotinis back to port sauce to reheat for 10 minutes on low.
Preheat oven to 400
Place 1 large skillet, 1 saute pan, 1 sauce pan, and one large pot onto stove top
Pound out veal cutlets w/ meat tenderizer until very thin. Salt and pepper both sides and set aside to become room temperature. Meanwhile, make the pesto for the mashed potatoes. Place bunch basil in food processor with salt & pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Run on low setting and slowly drizzle in olive oil until paste like consistency. Spoon contents into bowl and set aside. In same food processor (no need to clean it out), place 1 medium sized roughly chopped carrot and pulse until coarse but not grated. Scrape contents into a saute pan that is on medium heat and lightly coated with olive oil. While carrot cooks, repeat the same process with the onion in the food processor, add to skillet with carrots, pulse the 1/4 cup of mushrooms in same manner, and lastly the 1 cup of spinach. Add salt and pepper to season as you go. Saute all ingredients until wilted and tender, onion is opaque in color. Set aside and let cool. Add 1 cup ricotta cheese and 1/4 cup bread crumbs to vegetable mixture and mix well.
Peel 3 large potatoes, quarter, and place in cold salted water. Bring to boil and cook until fork tender. In a small sauce pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of milk , 2 chopped garlic cloves and simmer for 15 minutes. Work potatoes, butter/milk/garlic mixture and pesto mixture until mashed well but not over worked. Spoon into buttered casserole dish and place in oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.
Place cutlets on flat surface and spoon 1-2 tablespoon of vegetable/cheese mixture onto center of cutlet. Roll as you would a burrito or egg roll. Secure with toothpick and dredge veal roll in seasoned flour and set aside. Continue same steps with remainder cutlets. Heat large heavily oiled skillet and add veal to brown all sides of veal rollotinis. Remove from skillet and add 2 cups port to deglaze skillet. Add 1 cup chicken broth and 4 sprigs rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook on high until mixture reduces down by half. Add veal rollotinis back to port sauce to reheat for 10 minutes on low.
Spaghetti with Spicy Sausage and Spinach Tomato Sauce
Place 1 Stock Pot filled with cold water, 1 large Saute pan, and 1 medium size Sauce pan on stovetop.
Turn Stock pot on High to boil water. Meanwhile, heat Saute pan and add sausage. Begin breaking up meat to crumble. Cook till done and drain. Add spinach and mix until well incorporated. Put lid on pan and set aside. Heat Sauce pan to medium. Coat bottom with olive oil. Dice large onion and add to pan. Salt and pepper to season and cook till opaque. Add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings. Add entire can of tomato paste and stir till thick and warmed. Add entire contents of Diced tomato can, and 1 cup chicken broth. Mix well and lower stove to a simmer for 10 minutes. If you like chunky sauce, leave as is. If you want, you can use a hand blender to puree, or carefully transfer to blender to puree. Return back to Sauce pan. Add sausage and spinach and stir until incorporated. Simmer for additional 10 minutes.
When water in Stock pot comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and pasta to pot. Boil as directed or until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve some of the pasta water to add if the Tomatoe sauce is too thick. Add sauce to pasta in stock pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Place 1 Stock Pot filled with cold water, 1 large Saute pan, and 1 medium size Sauce pan on stovetop.
Turn Stock pot on High to boil water. Meanwhile, heat Saute pan and add sausage. Begin breaking up meat to crumble. Cook till done and drain. Add spinach and mix until well incorporated. Put lid on pan and set aside. Heat Sauce pan to medium. Coat bottom with olive oil. Dice large onion and add to pan. Salt and pepper to season and cook till opaque. Add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasonings. Add entire can of tomato paste and stir till thick and warmed. Add entire contents of Diced tomato can, and 1 cup chicken broth. Mix well and lower stove to a simmer for 10 minutes. If you like chunky sauce, leave as is. If you want, you can use a hand blender to puree, or carefully transfer to blender to puree. Return back to Sauce pan. Add sausage and spinach and stir until incorporated. Simmer for additional 10 minutes.
When water in Stock pot comes to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and pasta to pot. Boil as directed or until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve some of the pasta water to add if the Tomatoe sauce is too thick. Add sauce to pasta in stock pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Penne Pasta with Roasted Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
You can start by roasting a chicken in the oven or your rotisserie, but I prefer the easy way of buying one of those pre-made roasted chicken from your local grocer. They are typically in the deli section and sometimes they are under a heating lamp. If you can, ask for a fresh out of the oven one from the person behind the deli counter.
Cook your pasta to al dente, still firm. Meanwhile, shred half of the roasted chicken, breast, thigh, and leg.
In a large saute pan, add some olive oil to sweat some chopped shallots and garlic. Season this and let simmer until opaque. Add a pat of butter and some flour and cook on med. heat till a light rue is formed. Wisk in some white wine and kick up the heat to a boil. Add some chicken stock until you have a nice thin sauce. Add some heavy cream and parsley, sun dried tomatoes, pepper, old bay seasoning and thyme. Reduce back to simmer. Sauce will thicken the longer it is simmering.
Drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce. Add the pasta to the saute pan to incorporate with the sauce. Add the roasted chicken and mix well. If it's too dry, add the reserved pasta water. The pasta will suck up more of the sauce as it continues to cook. Simmer till heated through, about 5-10 minutes. You can add parmesan cheese to the top before serving, if you want to make it that much more decadent. I serve this with a green salad with light oil and vinegar dressing to break up the richness a bit.
You can start by roasting a chicken in the oven or your rotisserie, but I prefer the easy way of buying one of those pre-made roasted chicken from your local grocer. They are typically in the deli section and sometimes they are under a heating lamp. If you can, ask for a fresh out of the oven one from the person behind the deli counter.
Cook your pasta to al dente, still firm. Meanwhile, shred half of the roasted chicken, breast, thigh, and leg.
In a large saute pan, add some olive oil to sweat some chopped shallots and garlic. Season this and let simmer until opaque. Add a pat of butter and some flour and cook on med. heat till a light rue is formed. Wisk in some white wine and kick up the heat to a boil. Add some chicken stock until you have a nice thin sauce. Add some heavy cream and parsley, sun dried tomatoes, pepper, old bay seasoning and thyme. Reduce back to simmer. Sauce will thicken the longer it is simmering.
Drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce. Add the pasta to the saute pan to incorporate with the sauce. Add the roasted chicken and mix well. If it's too dry, add the reserved pasta water. The pasta will suck up more of the sauce as it continues to cook. Simmer till heated through, about 5-10 minutes. You can add parmesan cheese to the top before serving, if you want to make it that much more decadent. I serve this with a green salad with light oil and vinegar dressing to break up the richness a bit.
Meatloaf with Green Mashed Pea-tatoes
You can use ground beef or ground turkey, or you can get creative like I have been and use ground venison or ground elk. My husband is a hunter and believe me, anything that adds flavor and disguises game meat, I'm all for.
Preheat oven to 350.
This recipe we'll go with the traditional meat of choice: ground beef. To a large bowl, add bread crumbs and milk, catsup (or chili sauce to give it a kick), egg, parsley, chopped carrots, onion and celery. Add salt and pepper to season (you can also add some italian seasonings) and mix well. With hands, gently mix in ground beef. Don't over mix or it gets tough. Dump contents into a loaf pan and place in preheated oven to cook for about an hour. It will shrink up a little bit when its done.
Peel potatoes and place in large stock pot. Cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender. In a separate container, or in the microwave, cook frozen peas until soft. Place cooked peas into blender with milk and 1 clove garlic. Blend until smooth and has a pea-soup consistency. Drain potatoes and mash with the pea mixture. Season to taste. Add butter, if desired.
You can serve with fresh corn on the cob, canned corn, or other country vegetable of choice. Goes really well with biscuits too.
You can use ground beef or ground turkey, or you can get creative like I have been and use ground venison or ground elk. My husband is a hunter and believe me, anything that adds flavor and disguises game meat, I'm all for.
Preheat oven to 350.
This recipe we'll go with the traditional meat of choice: ground beef. To a large bowl, add bread crumbs and milk, catsup (or chili sauce to give it a kick), egg, parsley, chopped carrots, onion and celery. Add salt and pepper to season (you can also add some italian seasonings) and mix well. With hands, gently mix in ground beef. Don't over mix or it gets tough. Dump contents into a loaf pan and place in preheated oven to cook for about an hour. It will shrink up a little bit when its done.
Peel potatoes and place in large stock pot. Cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender. In a separate container, or in the microwave, cook frozen peas until soft. Place cooked peas into blender with milk and 1 clove garlic. Blend until smooth and has a pea-soup consistency. Drain potatoes and mash with the pea mixture. Season to taste. Add butter, if desired.
You can serve with fresh corn on the cob, canned corn, or other country vegetable of choice. Goes really well with biscuits too.
Chicken Chili with Cornbread
I made this the other night for Sunday dinner. Chili is always better when it has time for all the flavors to combine. Start out with dicing 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 green and 1 red bell pepper. Dump this in a large stock pot that has been heated on Med., bottom coated with olive oil. Saute until soft. Add a large palm full each of cumin and chili powder and simmer for 5 min. Add some thyme, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to season. Add 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 1 can green tomatilla sauce, and 1 can diced green chilis. Add 2 quarts of chicken stock, 4 cans of white beans (or 2 cans white beans and 2 cans pink beans...or any combination of beans you like). Add 3 bay leaves. Let cook on simmer for at least 3 hours. In the meantime, you can either brown some boneless skinless chicken breasts and cube up, or cook a whole roaster chicken and pick apart. I added 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts and half of a roasted chicken to my chili. If you are serving this the same day, add the chicken and cook another 2 or so hours so that all the flavors come together. If you are serving this the next day, add the chicken and let cool until you can refrigerate. To heat up, place stove temp on simmer and bring the pot to a boil for 2 or so hours before serving. I serve with sour cream, monterey jack cheese, and green onions (scallions). I love cornbread with this too. I just buy the premade mix and follow instructions.
I made this the other night for Sunday dinner. Chili is always better when it has time for all the flavors to combine. Start out with dicing 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 green and 1 red bell pepper. Dump this in a large stock pot that has been heated on Med., bottom coated with olive oil. Saute until soft. Add a large palm full each of cumin and chili powder and simmer for 5 min. Add some thyme, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to season. Add 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes with juice, 1 can green tomatilla sauce, and 1 can diced green chilis. Add 2 quarts of chicken stock, 4 cans of white beans (or 2 cans white beans and 2 cans pink beans...or any combination of beans you like). Add 3 bay leaves. Let cook on simmer for at least 3 hours. In the meantime, you can either brown some boneless skinless chicken breasts and cube up, or cook a whole roaster chicken and pick apart. I added 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts and half of a roasted chicken to my chili. If you are serving this the same day, add the chicken and cook another 2 or so hours so that all the flavors come together. If you are serving this the next day, add the chicken and let cool until you can refrigerate. To heat up, place stove temp on simmer and bring the pot to a boil for 2 or so hours before serving. I serve with sour cream, monterey jack cheese, and green onions (scallions). I love cornbread with this too. I just buy the premade mix and follow instructions.
Venison Backstrap
I don't eat red meat too often, and if I do it's only in ground beef form. But my husband loves it and according to him, I've perfected the method of cooking it. Venison cooks really quickly and it's a very lean meat. I get a cast iron skillet really hot. I also let the venison sit out until it's room temperature. You can season with whatever you want or even marinate the meat. Make sure you wipe off any excess moisture. The meat should be pretty dry because you want to create a crust to lock in the juices. Place it on the hot skillet for 4 minutes. Do not touch the meat until you flip it over. Let it do its thing. Flip once and cook for another 4 minutes. Then remove from heat and let the meat sit for at least 8 minutes. It will continue to cook until medium rare to medium doneness and redistribute the juices throughout the meat. I find this same method effective for almost any type of steak, as long as it's about 1/2-1 inch in thickness. Anything thicker than that you'd probably want to increase the cooking time on each side.
I don't eat red meat too often, and if I do it's only in ground beef form. But my husband loves it and according to him, I've perfected the method of cooking it. Venison cooks really quickly and it's a very lean meat. I get a cast iron skillet really hot. I also let the venison sit out until it's room temperature. You can season with whatever you want or even marinate the meat. Make sure you wipe off any excess moisture. The meat should be pretty dry because you want to create a crust to lock in the juices. Place it on the hot skillet for 4 minutes. Do not touch the meat until you flip it over. Let it do its thing. Flip once and cook for another 4 minutes. Then remove from heat and let the meat sit for at least 8 minutes. It will continue to cook until medium rare to medium doneness and redistribute the juices throughout the meat. I find this same method effective for almost any type of steak, as long as it's about 1/2-1 inch in thickness. Anything thicker than that you'd probably want to increase the cooking time on each side.
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