Friday, April 29, 2011

Veal Campanelle Royal


In honor of the Royal Wedding; this brings Hamburger Helper (ugh) to a new level. You'll never want to have it again after having this. It comes together quickly... and you can switch up the pasta to your favorite, but I just love how the meat and sauce gets caught in these noodles!


You'll need:
- Roughly 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
- Half package (maybe 2 1/2 cups- dry) campanelle pasta.
- 2 scallions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 of a large can of San Marzano tomatoes (fridge/freeze the rest for something else)
- Seasonings: dry red pepper flakes, garlic powder, basil, oregano, dash of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Fresh basil
- Freshly grated Romano cheese


Step by Step with Ease:

1- You'll need two large pots. In one, prep your pasta water- bring to a boil. In the other pot, heat up a nice amount of olive oil and add meat, garlic, and white parts of the scallions, salt and pepper.

2- Once the meat is browned, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3- Add your tomatoes to the same pot you cooked your veal in and seasonings (maybe 1 tsp of each and if you don't want it too spicy, use less red pepper flakes/cayenne). Crush your tomatoes with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. *To cut the tomatoe-acidity, you can sprinkle a bit of sugar if you want. Let simmer 5 minutes.

4- Salt your pasta water and add pasta....follow package instructions, but when there are about 3 minutes left to "al dente," remove them with the slotted spoon and add them to the tomatoes.

5- Add the meat back in, stir in the green parts of scallions, fresh basil and some Romano cheese.

6- Stir and let flavors "marry" for a minute.

7- Dig in!

Monday, April 25, 2011

French Roast Provencal with Apple-Edamame Hash





Happy Easter!



I like a good medium-rare roast beef.

This is a fusion roast....a little french, a little Asian and a little apple? Why not?
This cooks up in one pot and takes about an hour total.










The roast:

- One small french roast

- Season with olive oil, and a covering of Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.


For the rest, you'll need:

- about 2 cups chunky potatoes (red/white mixed)

- 2 carrots, peeled and chunky pieces

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, sliced

- 1 royal gala apple

- 1/2 cup edamame beans- taken out of shell

- a sprinkle of corn starch

- dash of red wine

- spoonful of dijon mustard




Step 1:

- Heat up olive oil in a large pot on the stove.

- Preheat oven to 350



Step 2:

- When the oil is hot enough, sear the roast on all sides until browned- remove and set aside on a plate.




Step 3:

- Saute the potatoe and carrots, onion and garlic in the same oil, until slightly soft, 15 minutes.




Step 4:

- Return the roast in the middle of the pot, put lid and place in the oven for 15 minutes.



Step 5:

-With 5 minutes remaining, add edamame and apple chunks.




Optional:

- I like a little sauce.... so when meat and veggies are ready, remove and place in a nice serving dish topped with foil- let it rest!


- On the stove at medium-high heat (in the same pot): add a pat of butter, a small spoon of dijon, a sprinkle of corn starch - whisk well.


- Now add a splash of red wine and let thicken- season with s & p.


= Yummy sauce!















Moolicious!





Thursday, April 21, 2011

Crisped Goat Cheese Salad

We had this "wow" salad a couple of weeks ago. It is a dinner party crowd pleaser- your guests will think you're a real chef.

Here's what to do:

1 - Mince half a jalapeno and a few chive sprigs. Place in a bowl with salt and pepper.

2 - Heat up a frying pan with oil- at medium high heat. The oil has to be hot hot hot for this; so allow time to heat up.

3 - Once oil is ready, take semi-firm goat cheese right from the fridge and mix into jalapeno mixture....you have to act fast, so the cheese stays cold and somewhat hard.

4 - Make small cheese patties like the one in the pic, and place into Panko breadcrumbs and then into the oil.

5- Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden.

Salad assembly:

- On individual salad plates, place a bed of arugula, sprinkle with lemon juice, balsamic, oil and a slight drizzle of honey. Place hot cheese on top and season with salt and pepper.


Moolicious!