Posts from — January 2009

1 Medium to large onion (yellow or white), diced very fine
4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Green pepper, small dice
1 Poblano pepper, small dice
1 Serrano pepper, small dice
1 Jalapeno pepper, small dice
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon cumin
½ to 1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large cans of fire roasted tomatoes, whole (if you can find fire roasted get regular, not seasoned canned tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce or juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound of ground turkey

Don’t be afraid to use a food processor/ mini chopper for the onions, garlic and peppers.

So this chili is all about texture. Start this off like any normal chili, on medium to high heat throw the ground turkey into a large enough pot. You must stir the meat constantly. You want the meat to be all broken up. Gradually stir in the fresh garlic, onions, all the peppers, the chili powder, onion and garlic powder, the cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and the limejuice. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth. You want the texture of the tomatoes to be sort of torn up, so what I do is squish them into the pot with my hands. Do that, then cook for about 5 minutes covered, then add the other cup of the chicken stock/broth. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then add the tomato sauce/ juice. Finally, put in the beans; turn down to a simmer and let cook for at least 1 hour. You may need to add more salt or heat (you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce). Do this to taste, then finally…. ENJOY with some crusty bread, or a tamale, or my favorite, elbow macaroni! A sharp cheddar pairs well as far as a choice of cheese! Never put sour cream on this chili.

Meatball Soup

You will need the meatballs from the recipe below. Make sure to make them into bit-sized balls.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 & ½ cup cups dried pasta (something small)
1-pound washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Bring chicken stock to a boil, and then add the meatballs. Bring back to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer adding the remainder of the ingredients, excluding the spinach. Let cook for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the veggies are tender, and then add the spinach and pasta. Cook until the pasta in al dente, which is about 7-10 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Simple Meatballs

1/4-cup plain dried breadcrumbs

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (fresh is way better than the stuff that comes in the container with the green lid)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 small onion, grated finely

2 cloves of garlic, grated finely

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-pound turkey (or you can do ½ lb ground sirloin and ½ lb pork)

In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the parsley, and mix well; season with salt and pepper. Add meat and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into bite-size meatballs.

With these meatballs you can make:

Spaghetti and Meatballs (just use your favorite jar of red sauce)

Baked Mostaccioli with Meatballs

Meatball Soup

Meatball Sandwiches

Simple Linguini Dish

1 lb linguini cooked (at least 1 teaspoon of salt in the water)

1/2-cup chicken broth

About 1/4 olive oil

Juice of a lemon

2 garlic cloves grated very fine (use a cheese grater)

Teaspoon of dried parsley

Salt and pepper

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.  In the pot you used to cook the pasta in, add all of the above ingredients.  Cook for about 3 minutes on med/high heat.  DONT BURN THE GARLIC.  Then add the pasta back to the pot, coating the pasta.  You can serve with some chicken or shrimp.  Add Parmesan if you want at the end.

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Parmesan

2 eggs

2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

1-cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1/2-cup sun dried tomatoes in oil

2 garlic cloves

Extra virgin olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce

4 to 8 slices Provolone cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes (you may need to give them a coarse chop before they go in the food processor), breadcrumbs and garlic.  Drizzle in about 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in flour, the immediately dip into the egg mixture and then the breadcrumb mixture.  Over medium to high heat, drizzle olive oil in a non stick pan large enough to cook to chicken breasts at a time.  When pan is hot, place chicken into pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.  Once chicken is browned, place all 4 breasts on baking rack (**).  Bake for about 10 minutes, and then add marinara sauce.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes; then top chicken with provolone cheese and put back in over for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  

**For best results, get a baking sheet, place a piece of aluminum foil on it and top it with a cooking/baking rack.  This allows the chicken to stay crispy when you are baking it.**

Pesto

Looking for a refreshing dip that is not full of preservatives, try this one out. 

Basil Pesto and Ricotta

1-cup ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons basil pesto

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

Simply mix all ingredients together and serve with any type of vegetable.  Don’t be afraid to add more pesto to the ricotta if you are looking for a deeper flavor. Listed below are a few of my favorite veggies to eat with this dip.

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Red Peppers cut into strips

Cucumber slices

Pita chips

Have you ever had a pork chop or a steak of some sort that was missing something?  Well it’s probably this sauce that you are looking for.  Even if you don’t like to drink red wine or if you think mushrooms are just a fungus, just give this sauce a try, you’ll love it.  My Dad doesn’t like mushrooms and doesn’t fancy red wine, but this is one of his favorite sauces!

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, minced (may substitute with 1 tablespoon onion)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1-pound mushrooms (portabella, crimini, oyster, shiitake, chanterelle or white, cleaned and sliced)

1-teaspoon whole grain mustard (do not substitute with yellow or Dijon)

2 fresh thyme sprigs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½- cup Cabernet Sauvignon (or any dry red that you want to drink with dinner)

¼- cup beef broth or stock

¼- cup heavy cream

2-teaspoons minced fresh chives

Directions:

In a medium sized skillet, over medium heat, add the butter and a 2-count drizzle of oil. When the butter starts to foam, add the shallots or onions and sauté for 2 minutes to soften. Add the mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Add mustard. Stir everything together for a few minutes. Add the red wine; scrape up any stuck bits; then cook and stir to evaporate the alcohol. When the wine is almost all gone, add the beef broth or stock. Let the liquid cook down and then take it off the heat. Stir in the cream and chives, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve over your choice of meat!