Creamed Spinach
About 2 ½ pounds fresh cleaned spinach (stems removed)
¼ cup olive oil
s&p
3 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbls. flour
1 cup milk
¼ cup grated parmesan
fresh grated nutmeg
white pepper
Lawry’s seasoning salt
4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
Heat olive oil in sauté pan, add spinach (season with s&p) and cook, turning frequently until spinach has wilted, remove and place spinach in a colander to drain. Press out as much liquid as you can. Set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan, add onion and sauté until translucent, add garlic and then flour to make a roux. Whisk in milk, add parmesan cheese in slowly whisking after each addition. Season with white pepper and nutmeg. Toss together spinach and sauce, season with Lawry’s seasoning salt and place in oven safe dish, sprinkle bacon over the top. Serves 6.
(Can be refrigerated at this point) and reheat in 350 degree oven until hot.
Beef Wellington with a Red Wine Reduction Sauce
4- 1 ½ inch-thick 6 oz. filets
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 Tbls. finely diced shallots
2 tsp. finely diced garlic
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 pound baby portabellas; finely chopped
2 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 egg mixed with water (egg wash)
2 sheets of puff pastry
Season filets with salt and pepper. Sear in olive oil in hot sauté pan on both sides. Set aside to cool. Reserve pan for sauce.
Sauté shallots and chopped mushrooms in butter and olive oil, add thyme and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to grain and cool.
On a lightly floured surface roll out puff pastry sheet and cut in half and then cut 1 inch off the end of each rectangle for decoration.
Place 2-3 Tbls. of mushroom mixture in center of puff pastry, top mushrooms with filet, pressing down gently. Using a pastry brush, brush edges with egg wash to seal. Wrap pastry like you would a package trimming off excess on edges and pinching ends together. Seal any gaps and brush entire “package” with egg wash. Decorate with puff pastry scraps and again egg wash them. Chill beef Wellingtons for at least 1 hour before baking. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. Serve with sauce on side, as you will not want the pastry to get soggy.
Sauce:
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 tsp. shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup beef stock
¼ cup cream
3 Tbls. butter; room temp.
salt and pepper to taste
Using sauté pan that steaks were browned in, add olive oil and sauté shallots and then garlic. Add wine, scraping brown bits that have stuck to the pan. Reduce down to about 2 Tbls., add beef stock and then whisk in cream. Finish by whisking in 1 Tbls. butter at a time and season with salt and pepper.
*½ c up gorgonzola/or goat cheese (optional)
Caesar Salad
For the Croutons:
6 one-inch slices crusty white bread, cut into ¾ inch cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. granulated garlic
2-3 tsp. dried oregano
For the Salad:
2 cloves garlic, minced
11/2 cups mayonnaise
11/2 tsps. Dijon mustard
4-5 anchovies or 1 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)
Squeeze of fresh lemon
dash worcestershire
salt and pepper to taste
2 head romaine, washed and dried and torn into 2-inch pieces
grated parmesan (reggiano) to taste
½ pint grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
For the Croutons:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, toss bread cubes with remaining crouton ingredients. On a sheet pan, bake until golden brown, tossing occasionally, about 10-12 minutes.
Toss lettuce, croutons, parmesan, tomatoes & dressing serve in parmesan bowl Serves 6.
Parmesan basket: take about ¼ cup grated parmesan and sprinkle into a hot non stick skillet, once hot and bubbly carefully take a fork and flip, let cook about 20 seconds remove and place over a cup to form the mold.
Turtle Cheesecake
11/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
6 Tbls. melted butter
Mix together the above ingredients and press firmly into bottom and about 2 inches going up the side of a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan; bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.
Drizzle about half of the caramel over cooled graham cracker crust, sprinkle with chopped pecans, pour cream cheese filling over that and bake at 325 for about 1 10 minutes or until set, let cool and refrigerate. To finish spread chocolate over and let cool slightly, drizzle remaining caramel and pecan pieces over the top.
Cream Cheese Filling:
3 (8 ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl; add eggs and sour cream.
Caramel: (go ahead and purchase caramel if you think this step may be too difficult)
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup whipping cream
½ cup pecans, chopped
Caramel:
Place sugar, water and corn syrup in saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and let boil until syrup is a deep amber color, occasionally brushing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and cream (mixture will bubble). Pour into crust, let caramel firm up before spreading chocolate glaze over it.
Chocolate Glaze:
¾ cup whipping cream
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
For Chocolate Glaze:
Bring cream to a boil, remove from heat and stir into chopped chocolate. Pour glaze over cheesecake, using a whisk drizzle caramel over chocolate and sprinkle chopped pecans over that.
This week...
Well, to my surprise "everyday dinner recipes" was the winner this week. These are a few of my family favorites. Starting with carbonara, it is so easy. The chicken can be omitted and I have also used Italian sausage which is really good. I originally made my carbonara with whole eggs but an Italian friend of mine said she used just the yolks (her Grandmother's recipe in Italy) naturally I had to try it and she was right it was better, much creamier (thanks Diane). I did find that you had to thin it out with reserved pasta water. The next recipe is cheeseburger pie, I have made this for years, everyone loves it, serve it with a salad. Last, roast chicken which is one of my favorites I usually make it with the thighs. I am picky with my chicken, Sunset and Caputos both have the Amish chicken, good quality. Sorry, just one picture, this is after all the week before Christmas! I am hosting a dinner party for 8 on Tuesday so look for those recipes on Wednesday. Enjoy!
Carol
Carol
The winner this week is everyday dinner recipes!
Carbonara
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, sliced into small strips (can use bacon)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips or diced
¼ cup dry white wine
4 egg yolks
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and ¼ cup Romano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbls. Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Reserved pasta water
Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the hot pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and sauté for less than 1 minute to soften, add the cooked chicken.
Add the wine and turn off the heat, add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss. Beat the eggs, parsley and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, stirring quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table, serves 4-6.
Cheeseburger Pie
1 unbaked pie crust-9”
1 lb. Ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped green pepper
Cook ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Drain ground beef and stir in oregano, green pepper, breadcrumbs and tomato sauce.
Cheese Topping:
1 egg
½ tsp. dry mustard
¼ cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. Worcestershire
Mix egg and milk then add dry mustard, worcestshire and cheese.
Turn ground beef mixture into piecrust and top with cheese mixture. Bake 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Roast Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary
8 pieces of chicken
about 1/3 cup olive oil
10 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of rosemary
salt and pepper
lemon
Arrange chicken in baking dish, lift skin and put rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves under the skin. Brush chicken with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and cook 30-35 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through. Brush chicken with olive oil during roasting,squeeze a wedge or 2 of lemon over the chicken when done.
*During cooking drain out any excess oil or liquid that is in the bottom of your baking dish.
Smashed Potatoes with Pancetta
4-6 large red potatoes, large dice
5 slices pancetta, chopped (can use bacon)
¾ stick of butter
½ cup of milk
salt and white pepper to taste
Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, sauté pancetta in pot over medium heat until crisp. Add potatoes, mash and add milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, sliced into small strips (can use bacon)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips or diced
¼ cup dry white wine
4 egg yolks
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and ¼ cup Romano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbls. Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Reserved pasta water
Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce. Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the hot pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and sauté for less than 1 minute to soften, add the cooked chicken.
Add the wine and turn off the heat, add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss. Beat the eggs, parsley and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, stirring quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table, serves 4-6.
Cheeseburger Pie
1 unbaked pie crust-9”
1 lb. Ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped green pepper
Cook ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Drain ground beef and stir in oregano, green pepper, breadcrumbs and tomato sauce.
Cheese Topping:
1 egg
½ tsp. dry mustard
¼ cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ tsp. Worcestershire
Mix egg and milk then add dry mustard, worcestshire and cheese.
Turn ground beef mixture into piecrust and top with cheese mixture. Bake 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Roast Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary
8 pieces of chicken
about 1/3 cup olive oil
10 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of rosemary
salt and pepper
lemon
Arrange chicken in baking dish, lift skin and put rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves under the skin. Brush chicken with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, turn oven down to 350 and cook 30-35 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through. Brush chicken with olive oil during roasting,squeeze a wedge or 2 of lemon over the chicken when done.
*During cooking drain out any excess oil or liquid that is in the bottom of your baking dish.
Smashed Potatoes with Pancetta
4-6 large red potatoes, large dice
5 slices pancetta, chopped (can use bacon)
¾ stick of butter
½ cup of milk
salt and white pepper to taste
Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, sauté pancetta in pot over medium heat until crisp. Add potatoes, mash and add milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper
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