Baked Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon

This recipe popped up on my Facebook feed the other day and I instantly knew I needed to try it.  We loved it! My Hubbers kept raving about the sauce.  It's a very easy dish to put together, would be a great meal on a busy week night.  I love the combination of sweet and spicy.  The sauce had a little "kick" to it but the honey provided enough sweetness to balance things out. 

The fish only takes about 15 minutes to bake, then it's broiled for a few minutes to get some char.  Don't forget to use aluminum foil on the pan, as you can see, the broiling made for a sticky mess on the foil. We loved topping the salmon with the extra sauce for that little extra spice!

Baked Honey Sriracha Lime Salmon

1 large salmon fillet or 4-6 individual (4-6 ounce) fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Sriracha sauce
2 limes (one juiced, one for slicing)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, grease lightly, and lay salmon on top. Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste.  Slice one lime thinly, and place the slices under the edgs of the salmon.

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir in honey, Sriracha sauce, juice of one lime, soy sauce, and garlic.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes longer.

Pour 2/3 of the sauce over the salmon (reserve remaining sauce for later) and use a spoon or spatula to make sure the sauce covers all the salmon.  Fold the edges of the foil up around the salmon so the sauce doesn't spill out everywhere.

Bake for 15 minutes, then switch to a broil and cook another 4-5 minutes until the very edges of the salmon begin to char slightly, watch carefully so the whole salmon doesn't burn.

Top salmon with reserved sauce.

(Recipe adapted from lecremedelacrumb.com)

 

 

Sriracha is an Asian hot sauce and can be found in most grocery stores' Asian food aisles.  I bought this local honey at my favorite produce stand, it has the honeycomb inside!

 

Creamy Lemon Risotto with Asparagus

This recipe comes from the Williams Sonoma Taste Blog.  My Hubbers loves risotto, we both love asparagus and lemon, so it quickly went to the top of the "things I want to make" list.

It's a great risotto, one I will make again. I'm hoping the next time I make it things will go smoother.  If it could go wrong, making this dish, it did! We are leaving for the race track in the morning.  Our motorhome and my race car are parked in front of our house. I am taking items from home and transferring them to the RV, in our above-normal 90-plus degree weather! I had to pick my granddaughter up from school, feed her a snack, and take her to gymnastics. In the meantime, a floor installer stopped by to measure the RV as we are going to replace some of the carpet with laminate wood flooring. This was probably not the night to try a new recipe!  I didn't have shallots, though I could swear I bought some (did they stay in the grocery cart?)  I ended up adding a little garlic and onion salt to compensate. When it came time to put the wine in, I accidentally put the lemon juice in instead, even though I hadn't gotten the seeds out of the juice yet. So, the wine got added in later! I didn't have as much cream as the recipe called for. You would think I was a beginner in the kitchen!  But, it's obviously a very forgiving recipe; it has a nice lemon flavor and the cream gives the risotto an extra creaminess. It's a light and fresh-tasting spring risotto.

Creamy Lemon Risotto with Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 cups Arborio rice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken broth, heated to a simmer
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the asparagus and 2 tablespoons water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high until the spears are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, place the asparagus in a steamer basket and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and steam until the spears are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut into 1-inch pieces and set aside.

In a large, heavy saute´pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme sprigs and cook until the shallot is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes longer.

Add the rice and 1 teaspoon salt to the pan, stirring to coat the grains of rice with the butter and oil.  Raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine and stir until absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium and add a ladleful of hot broth.  Cook, stirring often, until the broth is absorbed. Reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Continue to cook the risotto, adding the broth a ladleful at a time and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender but still pleasantly chewy, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the reserved asparagus, lemon zest, cream, and cheese. Then stir in the lemon juice and a final ladleful of broth to achieve a creamy texture. The risotto should not be too stiff or too runny; it should mound softly on a spoon.  Sprinkle with the parsley, season with pepper and serve immediately.

Making risotto isn't difficult but it does require some patience as you continually add broth, stir until it's absorbed, and add some more until you get a creamy mixture.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

I confess that there hasn't been much going on in my kitchen lately. Most of the dishes in my dishwasher are cereal bowls. There are dairy products with expired dates in my refrigerator. I think about cooking, but planning a menu and going to the grocery store is too much strain on my already-tired brain.  The bright side is that there is less than a month of tax season left.  The business returns deadline is behind us, I only have 2 more weeks of client interviews left. Soon another tax season will be behind me and I'll be back in the kitchen again!

All this past week we've grabbed dinner on the way home or ate cereal (mini shredded wheat is the cereal of choice these days). I so crave a homemade meal. This easy and flavorful pasta dish met the criteria. I found this recipe online but tweaked it to our tastes, adding spinach and artichoke hearts. Of course, the sun-dried tomatoes provide so much flavor, due to the concentration of flavor during the drying process. This recipe uses the oil from tomatoes left in olive oil and has no cream, it thickens with milk and a little cornstarch. Both of these cut down the calorie ratio in this dish.  After sitting at my desk 12 hours a day we don't need a meal laden with calories!  I served it over pasta because that's how my Hubbers likes it. It could easily be served over vegetables for even less calories.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

1 pound chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
7-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve liquid)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can artichoke hearts (not marinated), sliced in half
4 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shake off the excess and set the pieces aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Cook the chicken until golden on each side, cooked through and no longer pink (about 12 minutes).  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet; saute the garlic one minute.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms are softened.

Reduce heat to medium-low heat, add the milk and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the center of the pan.  Continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture until the sauce thickens.

Add in the spinach and parmesan cheese, allow sauce to simmer until the cheese is melted and the spinach is wilted.  Add the chicken back in the pan and heat through. Serve over pasta or vegetables, if desired.

Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

The Mardi Gras season ends Tuesday.  Ash Wednesday and the more solemn events of the Lenten season are about to begin. Mardi Gras isn't a big deal out in California, but I have many friends in the New Orleans area and they have been celebrating for a while now! Someday I hope to join them.  In the meantime, to keep in the spirit of this festive season, I made jambalaya.

Jambalaya is a Louisiana based dish, heavy on it's French and Spanish influences.  It's quite similar to a Paella.  It consists of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat always includes sausage of some sort, often a smoked sausage such as andouille, along with some other meat or seafood, frequently pork, chicken, crawfish, or shrimp. The vegetables are usually a mixture known as the "holy trinity" in Creole and Cajun cooking, consisting of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, though other vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, chilis, and garlic are also used. After browning and sauteeing the meat and vegetables, rice, seasonings, and broth are added and the entire dish is cooked together until the rice is done. You can use any kind of sausage, but spicy andouille gives the jambalaya a nice kick of heat.  The jalapeno and Tabasco in this version adds even more heat, the Tabasco can easily be cut back to suit your taste buds.

This easily serves 6-8 people, so share with friends. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage
1 pound smoked ham, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, finely chopped
Kosher salt
3 plum tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
4 bay leaves
10 dashes hot sauce (preferably Tabasco)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves with tender stems, divided
Lemon wedges (for serving)

Cook sausage and ham in a large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate.  Wipe out pot.

Melt butter in same pot over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, celery, green pepper, red pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring frequently, until onion is transparent, 10-12 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, garlic, jalepeno, tomato paste, and thyme; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt, if necessary.

Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Stir in rice, bay leaves, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.  Uncover and stir in reserved sausage and ham. Cook until heated through, about 5 more minutes.

Add shrimp, scallions, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir a few times to allow shrimp to begin cooking, then cover pot, turn off heat, and let jambalaya sit until shrimp are cooked through, 15-18 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl, then top with remaining 1/4 cup parsley.  Serve with lemon wedges alongside.

Source: Bon Appetit magazine

Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken

I keep perusing Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa) new cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey and finding things I want to try.  Jeffrey is Ina's husband and he is on her food television show quite often.  His favorite meal is roast chicken and that seems to be a Friday night tradition with them. Well, Jeffrey and I have a lot in common as I love roast chicken, too. It's so easy to make and, with veggies and potatoes added to the dish, you have a one-pot nutritious meal. I wasn't surprised that she had a roast chicken recipe in this new book.

This skillet chicken dish calls for the backbone to be removed from the chicken so that it lays flat (known as "butterflying"). Doing so allows the chicken to cook quicker and more evenly. Now working with raw poultry isn't one of my favorite things to do so I had my butcher do the bone removal.  (I've done it before and it's not difficult, just cut out the back bone with a sharp knife or poultry shears.)

This chicken was very easy to put together, with very little mess, which is great for a busy work night. While it baked I made a veggie and some rice. I also drank a little wine as the recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of white wine.  No need in wasting the rest of the bottle!  The beauty of this dish is the luscious lemon-wine sauce that develops.  It's great not only drizzled over the chicken, but I also drizzled it on my sides.  My Hubby kept dipping his bread in the skillet!

If you like roast chicken this is a good dish to have in your repertoire.

Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground.  Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.

Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top.  Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture.  Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!) and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes.  Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the  breast registers 155-160 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.  Cut the chicken into quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

The recipe calls for the spices to be ground in a mini food processor.  I have a coffee grinder that I use for spice grinding.  Using it means I don't have to wash the mini food processor.  I get tired of washing dishes!

 

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

When the temperatures start cooling and daylight ends earlier, my culinary thoughts turn to soups, stew, and chili.  Is there nothing better on a cold night than a hot bowl of goodness? We enjoy the spiciness of a good chili.  One of the good things about chili is that it seems to improve with age as the spices blend together.  It's a great one-pot meal to make on a weekend and have the leftovers during the week.  We especially like the leftovers on a baked potato, topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese and other toppings.  Yum!

Debbie, a food board friend of mine, told me about a chili she makes that has no meat in it.  The meat-substitute is quinoa and sweet potatoes.  I'm not a big quinoa fan but I was intrigued and had to try it.  We loved it!  It's amazing how much this tastes like it has meat in it!  Who knew I had inner vegetarian tendencies? Thank you, Debbie, for the tip!

I've had these pumpkin tureens for years.  Of course, my Hubbers swore he never saw them before. Silly man!  But I do have other dishes he's yet to see!
 

This chili was very easy to make and uses one pot, which is an added bonus (who needs to wash more dishes?) While it was simmering on the stove I made a pan of cornbread.  With my Okie background, corn bread, slathered with butter and honey, is the perfect accompaniment to a hot bowl of chili!

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dried quinoa
4 teaspoons lime juice

Heat a large heavy bottom pot with the oil over medium high heat.

Add the sweet potato and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened.

Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin and salt and stir to combine.

Add the stock, tomatoes, black beans and quinoa and bring the mixture to a boil.  Stir everything to combine. 

Cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cook for 30-40 minutes until the quinoa is fully cooked and the sweet potatoes are soft and the entire mixture is slightly thick like a chili.

Add the lime juice and remove the pot from the heat.  Season with salt as needed.

If desired, garnish with cheese, avocado and olives.

Caramelized Figs and Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter & Crispy Prosciutto

Growing up I wasn't a fan of figs unless they were in Fig Newtons.  My Mom would practically swoon anytime she was given some fresh figs.  Now that I've matured (also known as getting older and smarter!), I love figs. Another example of "Mother Knows Best" I think!

This recipe came across my Facebook page one evening and I knew I would have to try it. It didn't disappoint.  The combination of the sweet, slightly caramelized figs, salty prosciutto, and the rosemary-infused brown butter sauce was amazing. Though it was very easy to make and didn't take much time to do so, it is a pasta dish that you could easily serve to company.

Caramelized Figs and Ravioli with Rosemary Brown Butter & Crispy Prosciutto

4 thin slices prosciutto
2 (9-ounce) packages fresh cheese ravioli
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 fresh figs, quartered through the stem
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto in a single layer and cook until curling and lightly browned underneath, about 2 minutes. Flip and let cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes more.  Transfer the prosciutto to paper towels to drain.  Do not wash the pan (all the goodness is still in it!)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the cheese ravioli according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, using the same frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the figs and rosemary.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter browns and the figs have softened and caramelized a bit, about 3 minutes.  Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked ravioli to the frying pan.  Add 1/4 cup of pasta water and simmer, tossing gently, until the sauce has thickened a bit and evenly coats the ravioli, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer to serving bowls and crumble the crispy prosciutto over each portion.

Blueberry BBQ Chicken

It's blueberry picking time at the local U-pick blueberry farms in our area.  Last Saturday my granddaughter and I spent about an hour picking blueberries (and cherries!)  This was our second year to do so and she was quite enthused about going. We laughed and chatted, while getting a bounty for the freezer. It was very good Nana-granddaughter bonding time!

 

 

 
I made a pie with the cherries and froze most of the blueberries.  With the remainder I made this blueberry BBQ sauce that we used for chicken.  I found the recipe on the Big Green Egg website. We don't have a Big Green Egg but the chicken was easily cooked on our BBQ grill.

Oh, the sauce is so good!  It's very thick, sweet, with a slight touch of acidity, due to the vinegar.  According to the website, the sauce keeps for months when refrigerated.  I can't wait to have some on ribs!

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

3 cups blueberries
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine the blueberries and a little of the vinegar in a food processor.  Pulse the berries just to break them up.  You're not trying to achieve smooth berries at this point; you just want to get some blue juice flowing. In a Dutch oven or 4-quart saucepan, combine the pulsed blueberries and the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for one hour, covered.  Give it a stir from time to time to avoid scorching the bottom.

Remove bay leaf and cinnamon and carefully transfer the sauce to a blender.  Pull the little knob off the top of the lid and cover it with a dish towel to prevent a mess. (This resulted in a blueberry sauce-infested towel for me.  Next time I will process the mixture in batches to avoid overflow!) Blend the sauce to get it as smooth as you can, then strain through a fine mesh strainer.  Transfer strained mixture back to pan.  Cook to reduce the sauce by one-third.  The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and have the viscosity of maple syrup. Refrigerate overnight.

For the chicken, I had my butcher "spatchcock" the chicken.  This cuts out the backbone and sternum so that the chicken can be flattened.  (This can be done at home but cutting chicken isn't my favorite thing to do!)  Bring the chicken to room temperature and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the grill to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken skin-side up on the grill and roast for 20 minutes, then begin basting with the blueberry sauce every 5 minutes for an additional 20 minutes of cooking.  After 40 minutes of total cooking time, turn the chicken over the caramelize the skin and baste the other side 10 more minutes. Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the thigh.  Once it's at 165 degrees, remove the chicken.  Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut the chicken into pieces.  Serve with additional sauce, if desired.

Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp

I’m almost embarrassed to say this, but I only cooked one dinner last week. We either grabbed a quick bite on the way home from work, had pizza with our son and his family, or munched on cheese and crackers. I am so anxious to get back in the kitchen again. Only a few more days of tax season left!

A few days ago I was bound and determined to cook a nice dinner.  I knew it had to be something quick and easy as our life is so hectic right now.  I turned to my favorite cookbook author, Ina Garten, and her most recent book Make It Ahead and her Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp.

I first began roasting shrimp when I made Ina’s roasted shrimp appetizer.  Roasting the shrimp is so easy.  With this method of cooking, the shrimp has a very nice flavor.  I find sautéing shrimp often makes “rubbery” shrimp.  This is not the case when you roast them!

A good thing about this recipe is the ability to make part of it ahead of time. I prepped everything in the morning and refrigerated until I got home. All I had to do for dinner was throw the pan in the oven and make the side dishes. 

The sauce is very flavorful, with lots of lemon.  I served it with steamed broccoli and angel hair pasta, both of which were enhanced with a little of the lemony butter sauce.  We also had a few slices of sourdough baguette which we dipped in the butter. It was a great dinner!

Garlic & Herb Roasted Shrimp

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large lemons
2 pounds (8-10-count) shrimp, peeled with the tails on
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium sauté pan.  Add the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and cook over low heat for one minute.  Off the heat, zest one of the lemons directly onto the butter mixture.

Meanwhile, arrange the shrimp snugly in one layer in a large (12-inch) round ovenproof sauté pan (or 10x13-inch baking dish) with only the tails overlapping. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.  Sprinkle with the sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.  Slice the ends off the zested lemon, cut five (1/4-inch-thick) slices, and tuck them among the shrimp.  Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the shrimp are firm, pink, and cooked through.  Cut the remaining lemon in half and squeeze the juice onto the shrimp. 

Serve hot with toasted bread for dipping into the garlic butter.

 

 

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

Tax season 2016 finds me, once more, working 7 days a week. We've done it so many years now, we are used to it. Strangely enough, Sunday is the day I most look forward to.  No client appointments, no phone calls, no interruptions, I go to work in my workout clothes. I save my big projects for Sundays, turn on the stereo and work away!  I do, however, try to be home by 4ish and to cook us a nice dinner. This not only gives us a chance to relax, unwind, and chat, but also enables us to start the week with leftovers, either for lunch or for dinner. By the time we hit Thursday or Friday we're often eating cereal for dinner! Such is the glamorous life of two CPA's!

This week found me making Shrimp Lasagna rolls, a recipe from Giada De Laurentis. We love pasta and lasagna, and anything with shrimp in it, so it seemed like a good combination.  This wasn't a very involved recipe, was very easy to prep, or should have been. I had some unsettling medical news earlier this week and my mind has just been wandering all over the place.  I didn't buy enough ricotta so had to send my Hubby to the store for more.  The first four rolls I made, I used the marinara sauce as the filling, rather than the shrimp mixture.  I had to take them apart and re-do them! So if your brain is working correctly, these little rolls are easy to do!

We really enjoyed them.  The filling is flavored nicely with the shrimp.  They are a nice change from a traditional lasagna. A loaded green salad and a few glasses of wine made for a enjoyable Sunday night dinner!

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

1 lb. lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 (15 oz.) containers whole-milk ricotta
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 6-8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and garlic to the pan and saute until shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 1 cup ricotta cheese, the parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup ricotta and stir to combine.

To make the lasagna, cover the bottom of a baking dish with 1/2 cup marinara mixture. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface (I used waxed paper). Spread about 1/4 cup shrimp mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seem-side down in a baking dish. Repeat to make 12 rolls total.

Pour the remaining marinara mixture over the rolls and top with the mozzarella. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.


Garlic & shrimp?  What's not to love about that combination?

The ricotta/shrimp filling.

Assembling the rolls was easy!

Beef Stew With Bacon

Like most people, when the weather is wet and/or dreary outside, I like to cook comfort foods...things such as stew, soup, big pot of pasta sauce or a meaty casserole.  They warm you up when eating them and warm the kitchen up while they are cooking.  Most involve longer cooking times, but once the prep work is done, you let them cook in the oven or on the stove.  A pretty low-key way of making dinner!

I also like these type of meals on football Sundays.  I LOVE my football!  Last Sunday the NFC & AFC championship games were on. This stew was working its magic in the oven while I watched the last game.  I love multi-tasking like this!

I found this recipe on the Williams-Sonoma blog.  Using bacon in the stew appealed to me.  Everything is better with bacon, right? It's a very flavorful stew, we really enjoyed it.  I messed up while shopping and bought four pounds of stew meat, instead of the three pounds the recipe called for. Oops! What the heck, I browned them all and we had a very meaty stew!  It made a lot.  We had it for dinner and then I brought the leftovers to the office to share for lunch. It was even more flavorful the next day.

The original recipe calls for using the cooked bacon as a garnish.  I threw the bacon in the pot before baking.  I didn't have fresh thyme, was too lazy to cut some rosemary, so used Italian seasoning instead. I like a lot of veggies in my stew, so used extra carrots. It was quite yummy!

Hearty Beef Stew
 
3 lbs. boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs. canola oil
4 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-in. lengths
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
4 cups (32 fl. oz.) beef stock or broth
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 lbs.  red-skinned potatoes
 
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Cut the beef into 1 1/2-inch  cubes and set aside. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the oil. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and browned, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain and set aside. Pour the fat into a heatproof bowl. Return 2 Tbs. of the fat to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper. In batches to avoid crowding, add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate.
 
Add another 2 Tbs. of the fat to the pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Gradually stir in the stock, and then stir in the tomato paste, the 1 Tbs. parsley and the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Return the beef to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover, place in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
 
Cut the unpeeled potatoes into 1-inch cubes, add them to the pot, stir, re-cover and continue cooking until both the meat and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes more. Season the stew with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and the reserved bacon. Serves 6.

Recipe source: Williams Sonoma

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

I'm pretty good at storing food in the freezer.  In fact, just last night, I pureed a bag of persimmons and put 1-cup portions into freezer bags.  Where I go awry is using said frozen food before it's too late. It's almost as if the freezer has a magic hole that stuff disappears to, only to return when freezer burn has taken over!  I try to keep an inventory but, along the way, it all falls apart. It seems I'm always disposing of something I froze. So it probably should not have surprised me that I found some homemade gnocchi, that I had made in October, in the freezer while looking for the walnuts.  I worked hard to make those gnocchi, I'm amazed I forgot I froze some! Old age taking over? Anyway, I grabbed the bag of gnocchi and rearranged my dinner menu to include them.

 This is just a simple tomato sauce, simmered a while for the sauce to reduce and thicken and the herbs to add some subtle flavor. In fact, Pomodoro sauce basically means tomato sauce, it just sounds fancier!  I always have San Marzano tomatoes in my pantry, a can is the foundation of many a quick meal around here. Other brands can be used,  I think San Marzano tomatoes make superior tomato sauces.

Of course, homemade gnocchi is not required here.  There are wonderful packages of gnocchi in most grocery stores these days.  A package of gnocchi works well with hectic weeknight dinner schedules.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup heavy cream
16 ounces potato gnocchi
8 ounces mozzarella
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in 10-inch ovenproof pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, lowering the heat if needed so the onions don't brown.  Cook until the onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes with your hand (or blender) and add to the pan, along with the juice.  Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens.  It should be thick enough to coat the gnocchi.  Stir in the heavy cream and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted boiling water. The gnocchi are done when they rise to the top.  Drain and place the gnocchi into the cooked sauce. Top with mozzarella (shredded or halved mozzarella balls) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese melts and the tops become crispy. 

Chicken Stew With Biscuits

We're finally getting some winter weather in my part of California; it's winter to us when the morning temps are in the 40's and we have to wear socks instead of flip flops! We've even had some rain (and snow in the mountains) to help our drought situation. With cold weather, comes spending nights by the fire and comfort food. One of my favorite cold-weather dishes is Chicken Stew With Biscuits from the Barefoot Contessa.  Chunks of chicken in a creamy sauce and veggies, all topped with biscuits, what's not to like about that?  It's a one-bowl dinner, perfect on a cold and rainy night!

The recipe is here. It's very versatile and can be modified for your tastes.  I've tweaked it a little and make it with the following changes:

I like dark meat, my hubby likes white, so I cook a whole chicken, rather than using just chicken breasts

I omit the frozen onions, finding that the sautéed onions are plenty for our taste

I use a package of frozen mixed vegetables, preferring a variety of vegetables, not just carrots

The dish can easily be made ahead.  On the day I made it, I cooked the chicken in the morning.  Once cool, I cut the meat into bite-size pieces.  I made the sauce and assembled the dish in a baking pan and refrigerated until later.  All I did before dinner was make the biscuits, it's really an easy dinner!

Honey Sriracha Orange Chicken

Even though it's almost November, we are still grilling in central California. For those of you that are already confined to indoor cooking, this chicken dish can easily been done on a grill pan on your stove.  You must try it, it is so good!

The sauce is the star of this dish. It's got a little heat, a little sweet. I love hoisin sauce and never thought to pair it with Sriracha. Yum!   Though it has quite a few ingredients, the dish is easy to put together, takes just minutes to mix it all up.  The marinade doubles as the glaze by the addition of some cornstarch.  Twice the flavor with no extra work! I'll take that!  We loved the glaze.  In fact, we liked it so much, we were dipping each bite of chicken in it.  I could have drank it, it was so good!

So many wonderful flavors in this glaze!

Honey Sriracha Orange Chicken
(adapted from RecipeGirl.com)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Marinade/Glaze:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (found in Asian section of grocery store)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Sriracha (Asian hot red chili sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Add 1/3 cup of the marinade to a large Ziploc bag; whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the chicken and marinate 60 minutes, up to overnight in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the reserved marinade separately.

When ready to grill, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease and preheat the grill to medium heat.

Separate 3 tablespoons from reserved glaze into a small bowl. Add the remaining glaze to a small saucepan and whisk with 2 teaspoons cornstarch; set aside.

Drain the chicken from the marinade.  Grill the chicken, 7 to 8 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F), basting with the 3 tablespoons separated marinade.

While the chicken is grilling, bring ingredients in saucepan to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Brush glaze on cooked chicken and/or serve glaze on the side for dipping.

Garnish the chicken with orange zest and green onions, if desired.

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi

After attending a gnocchi-making class it was time to take what I had learned and do it in my own kitchen.  Without a teacher to guide me, I was a little insecure but I had to try sometime! It was easy, I had no problems. The little tips our chef had given us helped me along. My Hubbers was so impressed, which is always a good thing!

Making gnocchi is very similar to making pasta, the only difference being gnocchi is made with potatoes.  It's a matter of lightly mixing and kneading the potatoes, flour and eggs until a smooth dough is formed.  Lightly is the key word, working the dough too much makes for a tough gnocchi dough. No mixing bowls or spoons, just the oldest cooking tool of all, our hands!

Some gnocchi recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled, some are baked.  After reading many gnocchi recipes and articles, I decided to stick with baking the potatoes, same as we did in class.  They have less moisture this way, so you don't need as much flour. A potato ricer is a must.  It's like a large garlic press; the potatoes are pressed through it resulting in rice-size pieces of potato.  Again, this makes for a lighter gnocchi.

After being put through the potato ricer, the rice-sized pieces of cooked potato are ready for the eggs and flour.

 

I used a gnocchi board to make ridges on the gnocchi.

I've had gnocchi many times but always with a traditional marinara-type sauce.  During our class we made two very untraditional sauces so I was determined to do the same with my first batch of gnocchi.  I found a mixture with Italian sausage, mushrooms & spinach. I knew my Hubbers would love that. It was a filling dinner and one I will make again. 

As it was just the two of us for dinner, I had extra uncooked gnocchi that I froze for another day. I'm looking forward to trying other sauces and types of gnocchi. Our 2-hour class was full of great instruction and built up my confidence to make gnocchi at home!

Homemade Gnocchi (adapted from recipe by Lidia Bastianich)

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, scrambled
1 1/4 cup flour, plus more if necessary

Bake or boil potatoes until potatoes are soft and can be pierced with a fork.  Cool until able to touch.

Peel potatoes and cut in half.  Put each half in a potato ricer and push potato through.  Repeat with the rest of the potatoes.

Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet (I used my countertop), sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Once the potatoes are cool, pile in a rectangular mound.  Pour eggs** over the potatoes and sprinkle with the flour.  Using your hands, slowly incorporate all the ingredients.

Once all the ingredients are incorporated, gently knead dough until smooth.  DO NOT OVERKNEAD.

Divide the dough into four quarters.  Using your hands, roll each quarter into a rope, about 1/2 inch thick.  Use flour as needed.

Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut gnocchi rope into 1/2-inch pieces. 

If desired, make ridges on the gnocchi using a gnocchi board or the tines of a fork.  Doing so helps the sauce adhere to the gnocchi.

**  My eggs were large so I didn't use all of them.

To cook the gnocchi:  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Season liberally with salt.  Add gnocchi and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until gnocchi rise to the top. Don't overcrowd the pan, work in batches if necessary.

Sausage, Spinach and Mushroom Sauce

3/4 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
1 small diced onion
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
10 ounces of chopped fresh spinach
Salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat and break it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.  Add the onion and mushrooms to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet and gently toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.

Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired.