Chicken Tenders with Black Beans and Rice

A few of the dishes I put up may get a reaction of "This is considered gourmet?"
In my world, freshly made food  always deserves recognition and I would be remiss not to share these quasi gourmet recipes with you as well as the others.
The comfort food my family gravitate to often includes these. I had a friend while living in Brooklyn who would make this next dish with lovely flavors. Her family didn't have a lot of money, so it was intriguing to me how she made it seem like a meal for kings! I was inspired to make it for my family and it immediately became a hit. I modified it in using tenders instead of whole chicken pieces, but that means I can freeze extras if there are any and use them for salads or another meal.

I used Red and White Kidney Beans here

Feeds 6

Ingredients

Chicken for 6 ( either pre-cut into strips or hand cut from breasts)
5 cups all purpose flour
1 1/ 2 cups of bread crumbs
5 eggs whisked
4 cups of frying oil
Seasoning for your flour (I think my new favorite is All Spice,sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, or try cumin, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, add to taste)
3 cups of rice
4 cups of black beans ( See how to prepare beans from dried in the recipe for  Bean Burritos under Mexican) dried or canned
2 cups of shredded cheese
Butter for your rice
Sea salt and black pepper

Prepare

* Put your rice on to cook, when done take off heat and leave covered
* Heat up your beans and set aside covered
* In a deep pan or wok, heat up your frying oil
* Alternate your chicken stripes into the egg mixture and then the flour/bread crumbs mixture making sure you coat really well
* Add your strips to the hot oil and cook until golden brown, turning once with tongs
* Place on a platter lined with paper towel
* Place your rice, butter if desired and then beans and sprinkle some cheese, salt and pepper if desired

* Give each person 3 to 4 chicken strips to start.



TRY ALL KINDS OF BEANS!!
Use Rice Flour and make rice cracker " bread crumbs"  for Gluten free!
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes to make it lighter!

Risotto with Asparagus, Mint and Peas

Risotto is one of those dishes that can be used for a multitude of things... you can have it be very basic and then after it is cooled down use it for my all time favorite... Rice Ball Parmesan...You can also add other things too it.
My dear friend Andrew made this while he and his family lived with us last spring and it was GORGEOUS!! So experiment with different things and let me know what you discover!

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup of water
½ a bottle of dry white wine
1 stick and a couple of tbs of butter, about ¾ of a cup
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 16-0z-box Arborio rice
20 to 25 Asparagus stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup freshly shelled small peas or petite frozen peas (about 1/4 pound)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Prepare

* Saute your asparagus and peas in a medium pan with about 2 tbs of olive oil until golden brown set aside off the heat
*Melt ½ a stick of butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. *Add onion
* Sauté until soft and transparent, about 6 minutes
* Add rice; stir until rice is translucent at edges but still opaque in center, about 3 minutes
* Add wine; simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 1 minute
* Add broth 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, about 15 minutes
* Add the last of the butter, stir in well
* Add your mint, stirring in well
* Taste the risotto, if it still seems too al dente, slowly add water as you did the broth until it is absorbed cooking until rice is tender but firm to bite and the mixture is creamy
* Add a generous handful of cheese… stir until it melts
*Season with salt and pepper
*Serve and add another handful of fresh Parmesan

Bolognese Sauce for Pasta or Lasagna

 One of my very favorite meals has got to be Spaghetti Bolognese!

This recipe is also the one I use for my Lasagna recipe which is on this site under the Italian Section.

It started out as my mothers recipe and I twigged it a little through the years.... and know am certain you will make it your own too! You can freeze it if you make extra, and I have NEVER seen anyone turn it down when I cook a meal for a friend who has just had a baby or is feeling poorly.



Serves 12



Ingredients for Sauce 

 The sauce is really the important, I cook mine for as LONG as possible, start it one day and turn it off at night, re-heat it the next day... letting all those LOVELY flavors mix and marry..

2 Large cans of diced tomato
3 Large cans of crushed tomato
4 Small cans of tomato paste
7 cloves of garlic-minced
2 onions minced
9 Italian sausages, either hot or mild
5 pds of beef mince/hamburger
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
Dried oregano
Crushed red pepper
Thyme
Sugar
Olive oil
Stick of butter
1 bottle of drinkable red wine
Water


Preparing the sauce

* In 2 large pots, add a splash of olive oil, turn on medium high
* Keeping in mind you need to break the ingredients in half, add onion and garlic to the pots
* Sautee until soft
* Add half a stick of butter to each pot
* Add hamburger and sausage to brown
* Add spices, like 2 Tbs of each except for the crushed red pepper, only 1/2 teaspoon of that to each pot
* When sausage is cooked, remove from pot and cut in half and then into pieces, throw back into the pots
* Add a glug of red wine to de -glaze the pots
* Add the crushed and diced tomatoes
* Stir in half the bottle of red to each pot
*Add the tomato paste
*Add 1/8 cup of sugar to each pot
*In the cans you have used, fill them with water and add in
*Taste it and if you think you need more spice add it!
*Turn heat on to simmer and cover and leave it stirring every little while
( when you go to bed turn it off and leave it till morning )

Pasta with Cream Sauce

I lived in Milan, Italy for quite awhile. It was there that I really became a model, the clients were a bit friendlier than the clients in Paris, that or I had a little more experience so wasn't so awkward... I was a miserable model when I first started and was lucky to work at all. Italians had a way about them that I loved. Very passionate in their expressions and patient with me in my nalvete.
I would often have to cook, not really knowing what I was doing.. but obviously in Italy one has a plethora of things to choose from when cooking. I came home one night with heavy cream, fresh ravioli, and "Invented" my own version of a cream sauce...I fed it to a few friends who assured me any Italian Momma would be proud!

This dish has Shrimp, Peas and Ham or Bacon and is my son Noah's absolute favorite. You can also substitute chicken if you don't like shrimp...

I used fettuccine and ham for this dish

Serves 4 to 6


Ingredients

2 pounds of fresh or dried pasta ... any kind you could even use tortellini or Ravioli!!!!!
1 pound of shrimp
2 cups frozen or fresh peas
2 pints of heavy cream
12 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled or ham diced into small cubes
1 or 2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 stick of butter
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan
White pepper
Sea Salt
Italian Seasoning
Italian Bread
Arugula Salad


Prepare

* Boil your water for the pasta, cook pasta until al dente or still firm
* In a VERY large sauce pan, cook your bacon
* In the same pan with a little of the bacon fat, and on medium high heat, saute your  garlic and add 1/2 stick of butter and about 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
* If adding ham and not bacon add a splash of olive oil to your pan and than saute your garlic and add your Italian seasoning and 1/2 stick of butter
* Add your shrimp and peas and stir for about 2 minutes
* Slowly add your cream and 1/2 cup of cheese to the pan, turn your temperature to low and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
* Add about 1 tsp of white pepper
* Turn mixture off and cover while your pasta is cooking
* Drain your pasta and add it to your pan, if your pan isn't big enough to allow you to mix it up , add your sauce to your pasta in your pot that you boiled the pasta in
* Stir all together and add the rest of your cheese, giving it one final stir
* Serve with some garlic bread and a very simple arugula salad

Cottage/ Sheperds Pie - Cooking Class Recipe 2

Our family had the absolute privilege of living in the UK for 4 years. Our son Sam was born there and we left knowing the rumor that the English produce bland food was laughable!!!

Here is a recipe that at least 3 friends brought around after Sam was born... Comfort food at it's best!!

 

Serves 6  ( but doubling or even tripling this recipe is SO easy! )

Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 pounds of either hamburger/mince or ground or lamb/mince or ground   (lamb is shepherds- hamburger is cottage)
8  big potatoes
1 onion minced
3 carrots chopped
3 TBS butter
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
pinch pf pepper
1 cup of peas
1 cup shredded cheddar
2 TBS all purpose flour (optional)
1 Can tomato paste
2 TBS of Worcestershire Sauce
1 Cup beef broth


Prepare

* Boil the  potatoes (peel on or off up to you!!)
* Soften the carrots and onion in a splash of olive oil or butter
* Add the mince (meat) to the  mixture and brown adding the Worcestershire sauce
* Mash the potato with butter and milk - cover and put aside
* Add the Beef Broth to the Mince(meat) and add the Tomato Paste and flour if desired
* Simmer another 5 minutes
* Heat the oven to 350 Degrees or 176 Celsius
* Put mince (meat) mixture on the bottom of a 13 inch baking dish
* Add peas and Veg
* Put the mashed on top
* Add the shredded cheese
* Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is  light brown

Matthew's Meatballs

We almost didn't put this one up.

At one point our children were sworn to secrecy about the secret ingredient, the one I found in an old school Italian cookbook my mom gave me. Even Grandma Anna didn't have it, and it makes so much difference.

I only ask this. When you make them, make lots, they freeze well. Eat them with someone, they must be enjoyed with others.

Matthew is the one who has perfected these yummy golf ball sized delights. He forms them with loving care and precession, his perfectionism reflected in all its glory.

Enjoy!

Serves 12 adults and 6 children

Ingredients

For the meatballs

5 pounds of hamburger

6 large eggs, whisked in a bowl and set aside

1 loaf of white bread, crust removed

8 oz of fine bread crumbs

2 cups of milk ( the secret ingredient!)

2 Tbs of Sea Salt

1 Tbs of Fresh Black Pepper

3 Tbs of Italian seasoning

For the sauce

6  Whole Spicy Italian sausages

2 Large cans of diced tomato
3 Large cans of crushed tomato
4 Small cans of tomato paste
7 cloves of garlic-minced
2 onions minced
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Crushed Red Pepper
Thyme
Sugar
Olive oil
Stick of butter
1 bottle of drinkable heavy red wine- Chianti is nice because it is so rich
1 to 2 cups of water

4 to 5 pounds of Spaghetti

3 cups of grated parmesean cheese

Garlic Bread

Prepare


The longer you allow the sauce to cook the better it will be! 


Sauce
* In 2 large pots, add a splash of olive oil, turn on medium high
* Keeping in mind you need to break the ingredients in half, add onion and garlic to the pots
* Sautee until soft
* Add half a stick of butter to each pot
* Add sausage to brown
* Add spices, like 2 Tbs of each except for the crushed red pepper, only 1/2 teaspoon of that to each pot
* When sausage is cooked, remove from pot and cut in half and then into pieces, throw back into the pots
* Add a glug of red wine to de -glaze the pots
* Add the crushed and diced tomatoes
* Stir in half the bottle of red to each pot
*Add the tomato paste
*Add 1/8 cup of sugar to each pot
*In the cans you have used, fill them with water and add in
*Taste it and if you think you need more spice add it!


Meatballs

* Get a VERY large mixing bowl, a large shallow baking dish, and at least 2 baking sheets

* Mix the hamburger and eggs together with your hands, get all of it incorporated!

* Add the milk to the shallow baking dish and add your bread into it allowing it to soak in the milk, squeeze the milk out of the bread and add to the hamburger, (If you run out of milk with the loaf, add more!)

* Again incorporate the mixture together

* Add your bread crumbs slowly while mixing up, sure to go through and not have clumps

* Add your seasoning, salt-pepper- italian seasoning

* Form golf ball sized meatballs, making sure you compress them well, and place on a baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart

* Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until brown, turning them over once

* Add your still hot meatballs to your sauce and allow them to cook in the mixture for at least 1 hour, more if you can, on low heat

* Stir the sauce every now and again to avoid burning

* Pop your garlic bread in the oven to warm it up

* Prepare your pasta and drain

* Add your sauce and then 3 meatballs to each plate

* Serve with garlic bread and a handful of your grated parmesean cheese

* Freeze left over meatballs and sauce!

Try left overs on a crusty italian baguette with a bit of sauce and a couple pieces of mozzarella! 

Wine Suggestion- Conero Rosso

Bangers and Mash with Leeks

We spent 4 years living in Bristol, England and a summer living in London.
One of the dishes that I was thrilled to learn to make was this one.. as sausage is quite inexpensive and so are potatoes.
And you can glam it up so easily!
Another fond discovery for us has also been the leek. Rich in nutrients, and not really used much in dishes while I was growing up , we try to incorporate them into our menu because we love them so. You  simply sautee them  a bit and add them too the mashed potato and you are going to be in heaven...
Bangers are what the English call sausage..this dish is a staple in the Traditional English Pub where  we spent lots of happy times.. a wonderful community experience, one which we don't have any likeness to here in the States.

Feeds 6 - or divide up for less people...


Ingredients

12 Sausages ( you can use Pork, Beef,Turkey or Chicken... as you like)
6 Large Potatoes
1 Stick and 2 Tbs of butter
Splash of Olive oil
1/2 cup milk or 1 pint of sour cream/cream fresh  if you don't care about fat
3 Leeks, rinsed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces ( start cutting under the leaves close to the light green part where it isn't so tough)
 2 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp White Pepper



Prepare

* Depending on if your crew like peel on or off, rinse and peel the potatoes, and quarter them
* Add them to a pot of boiling water with a pinch of Sea Salt and cook until tender, about 45 minutes
* In a sautee pan on medium low heat, add a splash of olive oil, 2 Tbs of butter and the leeks, at the end when they are looking soft, add a pich of salt and a twist of white pepper.. cover and turn heat off
* In a large sautee pan, or under a broiler, cook up the sausages, make sure they aren't pink! Remove from heat
* Drain the potatoes and put back into the pot, add the stick of butter and cover and let butter melt
( about 5 minutes )
*Add milk ( or sour cream!) and with a potato masher mash the potatoes until creamy, add a dash of salt and pepper
* Add the sauteed leeks to the mash
*Put a mound of mashed potatoes on the plate and place the Sausages on the mound to the side