Chestnut Cream Sauce

4/10/2024

This is a great sauce that can really fancy up a meal; I often use it with an inexpensive cut of meat to dress it up. You can even turn it into soup by adding more liquid.

Chestnut Cream Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 carrot, minced
14 oz. chestnuts (pre-cooked jarred or vacuum-packed), chopped
1 cup water
1 cup cream
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute shallot and carrot in olive oil until softened; add remaining ingredients and cook until everything is soft enough to be blended with an immersion blender. Once blended, allow to simmer for about 30 minutes so flavors come together.
This is a great sauce that can really fancy up a meal; I often use it with an inexpensive cut of meat to dress it up. You can even turn it into soup by adding more liquid.

Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Pasta

2/4/2024

This is an easy and impressive dinner to make. It's full of flavor from the balsamic vinegar, but the acidity is tamed by the cream. It's a favorite around our house!

Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients

8 oz. fettucine pasta
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup cream
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus a few tablespoons for garnish
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 2-3
Cooke Time: 20 minutes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; once it is at a rolling boil, add a handful of salt. Cook pasta about 1 minute short of package directions; this should leave your pasta al dente, but check about 2 minutes before the package directions say it will be done just to check.
In a large pan, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Once melted, add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes or so, just until softened. Add the mushrooms, toss them around to get them coated in the butter and olive oil. Let them cook and release their water so they can brown, 8-10 minutes.
Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar; stir everything together making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. When most of the sherry is cooked into the mushrooms, pour in the cream and continue to cook for about 10 minutes (this is a good time to drop your pasta into the boiling salted water).
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Add the fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

12/19/2023

This is a fairly traditional spaghetti and meatball - it's a long cook dish packed with tons of flavor. It's got slow-cooked tomato and onion goodness. The meatballs can be made in advance and frozen.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated and divided
1 egg
4-5 slices stale bread, any kind
3/4 cup milk
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cups chardonnay or other dry white wine
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb. spaghetti

Serves 6-8
Cook Time: 1 hour

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; once boiling add salt and spaghetti noodles. Cook according to al dente according to package directions.
Cut crusts off bread and pour milk over bread to reconstitute. Once bread had absorbed milk squeeze out excess milk.
Combine ground beef and pork, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, egg, squeezed out bread, half the parsley and half the basil. Once combined shape into meatballs (any size you like is fine, but I prefer roughly a golfball-sized meatball).
Heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat, once heated add olive oil and pan sear meatballs on all sides. Get a good sear on the meatballs, but do not cook them through. When meatballs are seared on all sides remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Sauté onions and garlic in drippings, add extra oil if necessary. When onions are starting to brown deglaze with wine and allow the alcohol to cook off.
Add can of tomatoes and cook down, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they cook. Lower heat to medium low, add meatballs back to sauce and toss in sauce. Cover pan with lid and allow meatballs to cook low and slow until cooked through.
Once meatballs are cooked through remove from pan. Drain pasta and toss in sauce and garnish with remaining chopped herbs (if you toss with the meatballs still in the sauce they will break up when tossing in the pasta). Serve meatballs over pasta.

Mushroom & Lentil Shepherd's Pie

12/19/2023

This is a vegetarian version of shepherd's pie that is so rich and delicious you won't miss the meat at all! Plus, it's mostly made with pantry ingredients to it's easy to throw together on a whim.

Lentil & Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup milk, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh herbs, chopped (I use sage, parsley, and thyme, but it's your choice)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups stock (I use beef, but again, it's your choice)
1/2 cup dry lentils
2 cups baby kale, packed
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Wondra or AP flour
Salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4
Cook Time: 1 hour

Preheat oven to 375.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, once boiling add potatoes and cook until fork tender. Once potatoes are boiled, mash with potato masher or ricer, then add 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. milk and the butter. Stir to combine and set aside.
While water is coming to a boil, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent, add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add chopped mushrooms along with salt and pepper. Allow mushrooms to brown and release water, then add herbs and cook for another minute or two; then add tomato paste and allow to cook for another minute.
Add stock and bring to a boil, add lentils, cover and cook until lentils are cooked through, about 30 minutes. When lentils are cooked add kale and bring back to a boil, meanwhile make a slurry with remaining milk (2 Tbsp.) and cornstarch. Once boiling add slurry and boil for one minute. Reduce heat to low and add balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes for all flavors to combine.
Add mushroom mixture to casserole dish and dollop with mashed potatoes. Gently spread potatoes out over mixture so mushrooms are completely covered and back, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Rack of Lamb

12/13/2023

A rack of lamb is a flavorful cut of meat that needs very little to be delicious. A simple coating of herbs and spices is really all you need; I like to cook mine on a very high temp to break down the fatty outside and then drop the temperature very low to lightly cook through - keep on eye on your thermometer as you don't want this to overcook.

Rack of Lamb

Ingredients

1 7-or-8-bone rack of lamb (2-3 lb.)
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. thyme, leaves removed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450. Whisk together mustard, garlic, herbs, and olive oil; reserve 1 Tbsp. mixture. Rub remaining mixture over roast; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place roast on a lightly greased rack in a roasting pan. Add about 1" of water to bottom of pan.

Bake at 450 on lower oven rack 20 minutes, fat side up. Reduce oven temperature to 300; bake 5-10 or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 120 to 130 (medium-rare) or 130 to 135 (medium).
Let stand 30 minutes; transfer roast to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Shrimp Bisque

12/12/2023

This is such and easy and impressive dish to make! I usually serve it on Christmas Eve when I want to impress and make the evening feel special, but also am tired and could use a break. Since the shrimp is pureed, it makes it one of the few dishes you can make in advance using shrimp - since it's pureed there's not risk of it getting rubbery. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, peeled, shells reserved
1/4 tsp. Old Bay
4 cups water
1 bunch parsley
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups leeks, chopped (both white and green), reserving the darker green tops
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 cups half-and-half
salt & pepper, to taste
Loaf of crusty bread, cut into as many slices as you need
enough butter to spread on bread

Servings: 4-6
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Bring the water to a simmer. Peel shrimp; rinse, season with salt and pepper and Old Bay, and set aside (you are welcome to devein the shrimp too, but I'm too lazy). Add shrimp shells, leek tops, parsley, and about 2 Tbsp. of dry sherry to simmering water; if you happen to have any frozen shrimp shells you are saving for stock, this is a great time to throw them in - it will only make your stock better! The stock needs to simmer for about 15 minutes, then strain out the stock and throw the rest out.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot to shimmering and add rinsed and chopped leeks; cook until tender, but before they start to color, then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the butter and give a minute to melt. Add the shrimp and cook until just beginning to turn pink (2-3 minutes); sprinkle the flour on the shrimp and cook for about 2 more minutes to allow the flour to cook some. Deglaze with sherry and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook sherry until the alcohol vapors disperse (about 3 minutes). Add tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes - like the flour you want some of the "raw" taste to dissipate.
Add the stock to the shrimp pot and blend using an immersion blender until bisque is nice and smooth. Add half and half, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk for a few minutes to allow the half and half and flour to come together and thicken the bisque. This can be served immediately, but you can wait a little while, just keep the stove on low and give it a stir now and then.
A few minutes before serving slather a few good slices of crusty bread with butter and broil until browned.

Ratatouille Pie

11/8/2023

A great twist on ratatouille that is quick and easy to throw together. This pie is a great make-ahead dish, uses a lot of garden fresh summer vegetables, and is perfect for entertaining!

Ratatouille Pie

Ingredients

1 pre-made (or store-bought) pie crust
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 small eggplants, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium summer squash, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 45 minutes

Blind bake pie crust according to package directions; let cool. Sautee onion and pepper over medium heat until translucent. Evenly spread on bottom of pie crust.

Toss sliced eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shingle vegetables, including tomatoes, into pie crust (I like to start on the perimeter of the crust and work my way inwards); repeat to form two layers (three if you pie plate is deep enough). Sprinkle top with grated cheese and bake 30-45 minutes at 350.

Moussaka

10/10/2023

I love to entertain in the summer with moussaka! It's a long-cook dish that takes a lot of time to make, but can easily be made a day, or even two, in advance and just popped in the oven for when guests arrive. It's also a great way to use up eggplants - not my favorite vegetable to eat, but one that is beautiful to grow in the garden and I can't resist planting a few seeds every year. Since the eggplant plays a supporting role in moussaka, I can enjoy the dish without being overpowered by the eggplant taste.

Moussaka

Ingredients

Casserole

4 lb. eggplant, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
4 cups frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. ground lamb
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 can cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 sprigs oregano, chopped
1 medium potato, thinly sliced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt & pepper, to taste
Cheese Custard
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
4 cups milk, at room temperature
2 cups kefalotiri cheese, grated
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

Serves 6-8
Cook time: 2 hours

Preheat oven to 450. Brush sliced eggplant with olive oil and roast until softened, about 30 minutes (this should take 2 sheet trays). Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion and cook until soft, then add garlic and cook one more minute. Salt and pepper lamb, then add to onions, break apart as it cooks. When lamb is mostly cooked, deglaze pan with wine, once alcohol cooks off add tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cinnamon and nutmeg (salt and pepper, to taste). Cook for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the cheese custard. Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour; cook till light blonde in color. Slowly whisk in the milk, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly bring to a boil, whisking. Allow mixture to simmer for a few minutes to thicken, then remove from heat. Add half the cheese, the eggs, and the egg yolks, whisking.
Line a casserole dish with potato slices and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Layer as follows: 1/2 the eggplant slices, 1/2 the lamb sauce, 1/2 the spinach, remaining eggplant, remaining lamb sauce, remaining spinach. Top with cheese custard and bake for an hour and twenty minutes (check occasionally to make sure cheese custard does not burn, cover with foil making sure not to touch the top, if needed). Let rest 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Ratatouille Gumbo

10/10/2023

This is a vegetarian version of gumbo that uses many vegetables found in ratatouille. It's a great way to use bumper crops of many late summer vegetables!

Ratatouille Gumbo

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 large or 3 small eggplant, chopped (about 4 cups chopped)
3 lb. tomatoes, chopped
3 cups okra, sliced
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours

Begin by making a roux: melt butter over medium-low heat, add flour and stir to combine; keeping an eye on the roux, cook until tan to chestnut brown in color. Add onions, celery, and pepper cooking until translucent; add eggplant and brown. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are broken down, roughly one, hour, or until the consistency you want. Add okra about 30 minutes before serving. Serve over rice or grits.

Tomato Pie

9/4/2023

Here's a Southern classic to add to your summer routine! I go easier on the cheese than a lot of recipes do, but I really want to highlight those garden fresh summer tomatoes. This also freezes well, so you can enjoy it in the dead of winter too!

Tomato Pie

Ingredients

1 pie crust
5-7 slicer tomatoes
1/3 cup fontina (Manchego or Havarti are good too)
1/3 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 50 minutes

Blind bake pie crust according to package directions; meanwhile, slice tomatoes. Line two baking sheets with paper towels and lay tomato slices on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, flip slices and sprinkle other side. Allow tomatoes to drain for about 30 minutes, then press with more paper towels to help "ring out" some of the water.
Combine cheese and mayonnaise until they form a cohesive ball; press ball into "frisbee" shape to set on the top of pie.
If oven has cooled, preheat to 350. Sprinkle bottom of pie crust with 1/3 of the breadcrumbs, then shingle stack in tomato slices, then layer with 1/3 of the basil. Repeat another layer of breadcrumbs, tomatoes, and basil twice (you should have three layers of breadcrumbs, tomato, basil; top with remaining tomatoes (this means a total of four layers of tomato slices - they can dome up in the center because this will cook down, but use your judgement). Top with cheese/mayonnaise mixture and, finally, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake, covered, at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. This will be incredibly hot, so please cool for a minimum of 15 minutes before slicing into.