Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Ingredients
5 Patty Pan Squash
For the stuffing
1 cup cooked, crumbled Italian sausage
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit/180° Celsius.
Cut the top of each squash off and reserve.
Remove the squash flesh center and hollow out further with a spoon. Dugard the what you remove because it consists of mostly seeds. with salt and black pepper.
Prepare the stuffing by combining all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl. Place the squash into a baking dish and fill the squash with all the meat stuffing. Top with the lid. Pour water up to ½-inch in-depth into the baking dish.
Roast the stuffed patty pan squash for about 45-50 minutes at 350° F
Both dishes can be roasted at the same time.
Potato, Leek, And Fennel Bake
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only sliced into ¼-inch half moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, thinly sliced
1 large stem of fresh rosemary
1 lemon cut in half
2 pounds of small red-skinned potatoes, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables arranging them in a single layer as much as possible. Salt and pepper the vegetables. Add the rosemary, garlic, and lemon halves to the dish. Bake covered until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Let the dish rest 10 minutes before serving. Squeeze the lemon over the vegetables.
Ingredients
2 bone-in pork chops, 6 oz each
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons flout
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small bell pepper, seeded and sliced
Half a medium onion sliced
¼ cup salsa
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Combine the flour, chipotle pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Press the mixture on all sides for the pork chops.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high. Add the pork and cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the pork chops over and transfer the skillet to the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the pork chops.
Remove the chops to a serving plate. Add the remaining oil, peppers, and onions to the skillet and cook until softened. Stir in the salsa and heat. Top the pork chops with the sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.
Or make my Potato Stuffed Cabbage serve with the pork chops.
Have you tried Sea Bream?
The ancient Greeks and Romans liked sea bream cooked with seasoned sauces and accompanied by fruit. They are most often found in coastal areas but have been caught at depths of up to 150m. Spawning occurs between November and December. Solitary fish, eat worms and crustaceans as well as smaller fish and have impressive teeth when you see them up close.
Interestingly, these fish start life as males and change sex at about three years of age.
With dense, moist white flesh, sea bream are usually sold whole or in fillets. With a satisfying meaty texture, a clean taste, and a delicate flavor they’re a good choice for dinner. Whole or filleted, sea bream can be baked, pan-fried, grilled, steamed, or roasted.
A good rule of thumb is not to overcook sea bream. In fact, it’s always better to undercook sea bream than let it spend too long in the pan or the oven.
Cook sea bream fillets with herbs and spices to enhance the fish. Cooking sea bream fillets only takes a few minutes on each side and they’re ready to eat for a quick dinner.
Here is how I like to cook these fillets.
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 sea bream fillets, about 6 oz each
Side Dish
20 cherry tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
A small bunch of basil, chopped
1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Potato Cakes
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 onion, diced
1 egg
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
For the side dish
Place a small saucepan over gentle heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the oil. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper and stir over low heat for 1–2 minutes.
Add the coriander, garlic powder, basil, and lemon juice of one-half to the pan stir, and set aside to allow the flavors to infuse.
For the potato cakes
Mix mashed potatoes, flour, onion, egg, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl until batter consistency.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop 4-inch circles of batter into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter.
To cook the bream
Heat a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Slash the skin of the fillets in 3 places. Add a dash of oil to the pan and, when really hot, add the bream fillets skin side down. Season and cook for 2 minutes. (The flesh should be opaque two-thirds of the way up the fillet.)
Turn the fillets and cook on the other side for 1 minute until just cooked through.
To serve
Pace a potato cake on a dinner plate. Top with a fillet and spoon some of the zucchini mixtures around the fish.
Short Ribs
I like to serve this dish with potato gnocchi and garden peas.
8-10 servings
Ingredients
6 lb. English-style beef short ribs
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
2 diced carrots
1 medium diced onion
1 small-diced fennel bulb
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon. finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1teaspoon minced anchovies
2 cups dry red wine
26-28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
2 cup lower-salt beef broth
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons. of the oil over medium heat.
Place 1 cup flour, 2 teas[oons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large ziplock plastic bag. Add the ribs and shake the bag until the ribs are coated.
Add half of the ribs to the pot (or as many as will fit without overlap), and cook, turning with tongs, until nicely browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a platter and repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan.
Add the remaining oil, carrots, onions, and fennel to the pan. Season with salt. Cook, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the thyme, garlic, paprika, coriander, and anchovies, and cook, stirring, until well distributed and fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour the red wine into the pot and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, until the liquid is bubbling
Transfer all the ribs (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot. Add the tomatoes and beef broth, Arrange the ribs as evenly as possible and no more than two layers deep. You may also transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and cover it with foil.
Place the pan or dish in the oven. Cook, turning the ribs with tongs about every 40 minutes, until they are fork-tender, about3/4 hours. (The meat may fall off most of the bones about midway through cooking; this does not mean that the ribs are fully tender.)
Serve the ribs with the sauce spooned over, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Make-Ahead Tips
It’s best to braise short ribs a day ahead for a couple of reasons. First, this allows you to chill the sauce so it can be defatted thoroughly. Also, the flavors only get better with time. To reheat, arrange the meat snugly in a baking dish, cover with foil, and put in a 350°F oven. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
2 servings
Ingredients
4 slicesSwiss, Gruyère or Italian Fontina cheese or a combination
2 slices deli ham
2 teaspoons
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
1 egg
¼ cup All-purpose flour
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Pound chicken cutlets thin.
Place a slice of cheese, a folded slice of ham, and another slice of cheese on one half of the cutlet, fold the other side of the cutlet over the filling.
Press the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
Lightly beat egg with a teaspoon of water in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs and flour in separate shallow dishes. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in flour, egg then dredge in breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
Heat oil in an ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer, registers 165°F, about 20 minutes.
Broccoli with Quick Lemon Sauce
Ingredients For two servings
1 large stalk of raw broccoli florets, rinsed well
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
4 tablespoons room temperature butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
For the sauce
Place the sauce ingredients in a small microwave bowl. Heat the sauce on high until the butter melts. About 2 minutes. Stir well and set aside.
For the broccoli
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Cut the stalk into 4 pieces. Place in a plastic bag with the oil and seasonings.
Place the broccoli on a foil-lined sheet pan large enough to hold them all in a single. Bake until tender for about 15 minutes, Place the broccoli on a serving plate and pour the lemon sauce over the broccoli.
Oven Roasted Potato Wedges
2 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large russet potato, scrubbed and cut into eighths
Directions
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and potatoes into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the potatoes with the seasoning. Spread the potatoes over a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
Potato Filled Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
Cabbage
8 large savoy cabbage leaves
1 carrot shredded
½ cup water
Potato Filling:
4 cups plain mashed potatoes
1 onion finely chopped
2 eggs
4 tablespoon butter melted
1 teaspoons salt
Directions
I like to remove the large cabbage leaves, put them in a zip; ock freezer bag, and place the package in the freezer until you are ready to make the cabbage rolls. Defrost the leaves overnight in the refrigerator. Place on kitchen towels.
Or
Remove the core from the cabbage head, Add the cabbage to a pot of boiling water, core down, and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the number of leaves you want for the stuffed cabbage. Place them on a kitchen towel. Reserve the remaining cabbage for another dish.
Combine the potatoes with the eggs, onion, salt, and melted butter and set aside.
To stuff the cabbage leaves:
Remove the top of the stem with kitchen scissors. Place ½ cup of the filling onto the bottom part and roll folding in the sides.
Place the rolls in a greased baking dish just large enough to fit the rolls. Pour ½ cup water into the dish.
Sprinkle the shredded carrot over the cabbage rolls. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 2 hours. 4 servings
Serve with
Pork Chop Piccata
Ingredients
4 thin pork chops
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Capers, drained
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Directions
Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a wide dish and coat the pork chops.
In a skillet, melt the butter on medium. Add the pork and cook for 5 min. per side, until browned.
Add the lemon juice and capers to the skillet. Being to a boil. Remove from the heat. Garnish with parsley and serve. 4 s34vings
Pan-Seared steak
Ingredients
2 center-cut beef tenderloin steaks {filet mignin}, about 5-6 oz each
Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
Pound the steaks in plastic wrap until they are an even ½=inch thickness. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a nonstick medium skillet unit, very hot, about 5 minutes. Place the steaks in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook 3 minutes without moving the steaks. Turn them over, place one tablespoon of butter on each steak and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.
Twice Baked Potatoes
2 servings
Ingredients
1 large russet potato, 12 ounces
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 slice bacon cooked and crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. Brush lightly with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a sheet tray covered with foil until tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
While still hot, cut the potato in half lengthwise and scoop the potato flesh into a medium bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch shell all around on the potato shell. Season the insides of the potato shell lightly with salt and pepper.
To the bowl with the potato flesh, add the sour cream and butter. Use an electric hand mixer or potato masher and mix until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mound into the potato shells and bake for 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler to high and brown the tops of the potatoes,t. Sprinkle with bacon and chives.
Spinach Salad
2 servings
Ingredients
6 cups fresh baby7 spinach leaves, washed and spinner dried
½ cup diced red onion
2 radishes, sliced thin
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
Italian vinaigrette
Directions
Combine the salad ingredients in a medium bowl and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Add enough of your favorite dressing to lightly coat the spinach leaves. Divide into two salad dishes and serve with the steak.
SOURDOUGH POTATO SANDWICH BREAD
This bread is delicious especially for making BLTs. The bread makes excellent toast and compliments soups.
Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast or instant yeast
6 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
Mashed potatoes (enough for 2 servings) 1 1:3 lbs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 cup sourdough starter, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine all the bread dough ingredients with the paddle attachment until the dough gathers around the paddle. Push the dough off the paddle and switch to the dough hook.
Knead the dough for 8 minutes until completely smooth, Place dough in a greased bowl, turning over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1 1/2 – 2 hrs.)
Punch dough down. Knead briefly to release air. Divide in half.
Shape each half into a smooth ball and then into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pans.
Cover loaves and let rise to the top of the baking pans.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 35-40 min. or until loaves are richly browned.
Let cool on wire racks.
Makes 2 large loaves.
Roasted Swordfish and Potatoes with Caper Aioli
Ingredients
12-14 oz baking potato, cut into eighths
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 swordfish steaks, about 1 inch thick (about 1 pound in all)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Caper Herb Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1teadpoon fried chives
1teadpoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon drained and chopped capers
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
Directions
Heat the oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the potatoes with 1/4 cup of the oil, half the garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Put in the oven for 15 minutes; stir once.
Meanwhile, coat the swordfish with the remaining 1/4 cup oil, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of each salt and pepper, and the rosemary. Put the fish on a baking sheet and put it in the oven along with the potatoes. Cook, stirring the potatoes once until the fish and potatoes are both done, 10 to 12 minutes for 1-inch-thick steaks.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with parsley, capers, and vinegar. Serve the roasted swordfish and potatoes with the caper mayonnaise.
Parmesan Asparagus
Ingredients
1bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Wash the asparagus and cut it into 3-inch pieces. Place the oil in a 12-inch baking dish and add the asparagus. Toss. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss again. Place the dish in the oven when you add the swordfish. Cook 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with the swordfish and potatoes.
Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 celery stalk chopped fine
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup low sugar ketchup
2 pounds of lean ground round
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten slightly
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the meat, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, ketchup, seasonings, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into an oiled rectangular baking pan with inch-high sides.
Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Salt
3 ½ lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ to ⅓ cup heavy cream
Directions
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until very soft, about 20-25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put them into a ricer and press the potatoes back into the cooking pot. Add the butter and just enough cream to moisten. Taste for salt and warm the potatoes.
Sauteed Kale
Ingredients
1 bunch kale
Salt and pepper to taste
3 garlic cloves, sliced in half
¼ cup olive oil
Directions
Remove the kale leaves from the stalks. Chop into small pieces. Wash well and dry in a salad spinner.
Heat the garlic and oil in a deep skillet. Add the kale, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook the kale over low heat until soft, about 30 to 40 minutes.
