Seafood Salad

Another dish we made on Christmas Eve. I crave seafood salad quite often - it is light and refreshing while being a solid meal or appetizer. The ingredients are so flexible, you can use whatever seafood/shellfish you have.

Ingredients

• Boiled Octopus or Calamari, chopped



Big guy!

• Boiled, Hydrated Baccala, broken into pieces
• Jumbo Shrimp, cooked and cut into halves
• 1-2 Lemons
• 1 tbs Red Onion, chopped
• 1/2 tbs Parsley, chopped
• 1 tbs Roasted Red Peppers, chopped
• 1  1/2 tbs Celery, chopped
• Black Olives, pitted (optional)
• Olive Oil
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Salt to taste

Once seafood is cooled - Combine it with onion, parsley, roasted peppers, celery, olives and mix together with lots of olive oil so that everything is well coated. Add in freshly squeezed lemon, cracked pepper, and salt (to taste! the seafood can be salty), mix well.  Set aside to absorb all flavors for 15 minutes or refrigerate if not serving right away.

Stuffed Calamari

A little delayed, but a great dish for Christmas Eve - or any other time of year for that matter... We made these on Christmas Eve this year and it was fun to get the whole family helping!

Ingredients

• 10 Whole Cleaned Squid
• 2 Squids , chopped
• 3 cups of Breadcrumbs
• 1 tbs Parsley, diced
• 1 tbs Onion, chopped
• 1 Garlic, diced
• 3 Raw skinned and clean shrimp, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper
• Marinara Sauce

Stuffing:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. In a large bowl, combine the onion and garlic with breadcrumbs, parsley, cracked pepper, chopped shrimp and squid. Add a touch of water if it is dry.
Spoon the stuffing in each squid about 3/4 full, as they will shrink while cooking and can pop if over stuffed. Secure each end with a tooth pick.

Marinara Sauce:
Saute 2 diced garlic cloves in olive oil with crushed red pepper (add amount of heat desired). Make sure to keep an eye on it, don't let garlic get brown - If the garlic is brown you burnt it!
Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and stir all together. Add 1/2 table spoons of oregano. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and add in stuffed calamari. Simmer for approx 20 minutes or until calamari is fully cooked, rotate the calamri after 10 minutes. Add fresh parsley on top to garnish.

Serve atop spaghetti or linguini or by itself.

Gruyere Cheese PopOvers!

um, Yum, Yum.... These popovers are so freaking good. That's all I have to say about them! I would admit that these aren't the easiest things to make, but very much worth it! They are so warm and fluffy, will go well with any meat dish.

Ingredients: Makes 6

• 2 Cups of Milk, warmed
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Cups of Flour
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 11/2 Cups of Gruyere Cheese, grated
• Vegetable Spray
• Popover Pan

Directions: Place the popover pan in the oven. Heat the oven and pan to 350 degrees.

Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside.

Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk so as not to cook the eggs - set aside. Sift the flour with salt. Slowly add this dry mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth. Once combined, remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non-stick vegetable spray. Make sure batter is still warm, fill each popover cup  3/4 full. Top each popover cup with about 1 tbs of grated Gruyere.



Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, rotating the pan half turn every 15 minutes. The popovers will grow very tall!



Mid-way

Popovers should be very tall and brown. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
You can eat these with butter, jam, nothing - either way, you will love 'em!

My Perfect Little Meatballs

I've had many meatballs in my life and I have to say, I've mastered the art of making the perfect ones. I just finished making my scrumptious balls of meat today, and I debated sharing my secret with everyone, but then two glasses of pinot noir made me feel more giving.

Tiziana's Meatballs (c) - Yes, I have a copyright on it! Kidding-just don't go writing a book about these, calling them your own. ;)

Ingredients: Serves 4-6
Tomato Sauce:

• 2 Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes - Please get the good brand. I recommend Muir Glen.
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• 2-3 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Rind
• 6 Fresh Basil Leaves

Meatballs: makes about 20-24

• 1lb Ground Beef.  (I use 90% lean ground sirloin because I have cholesterol issues (haha) and they taste just as good.... but you can use the fattier one if you prefer, or you can mix pork/veal/beef if you like that too)
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper (if you don't like a lot of pepper cut this in half)
• 1 tbs Italian Parsley, finely chopped
• Canola Oil

First, let's get the sauce going. Run the tomatoes through a blender. Then, in a large sauce pan, add the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper on high heat. Cook for about 1 minute (don't let the garlic burn). Add in the tomato sauce and stir. Bring to a boil and add in the parmigiano cheese rind, basil leaves, and salt to taste. Lower the heat; stir occasionally. PS - See how easy it is? I really don't understand why people purchase jarred pasta sauce.  Anyways......

 In the mean time, get a large mixing bowl and combine the ground meat and cracked eggs and mix together. Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and mix very well. Go at it and use your hands if you need to.

Next, roll the meatballs into ~3 inch balls. I personally don't prefer large meatballs but some people do, so make them as big as you please.

Coat a large frying pan with canola oil and bring to high temperature. Carefully place the meatballs on the frying pan and brown on each side for about 2 minutes.

Once they are browned, move them to a plate lined with paper towel to soak up the extra oil.

(If you want to have some fried, because those are also amazing, leave them on the frying pan for a bit longer - they make a great appetizer or side dish as well.)

Add them into the sauce and let cook for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with the pasta of your choice. Tonight, I am serving this with garlic pepperoncino spaghetti. I recommend a nice glass of Sonoma Pinot Noir, just saying...

Broccoli Gratin

My third holiday party side dish. I know broccoli can sound boring...whomp whomp... But wait until you try this very tasty gratin. I promise if you've never liked broccoli before, you will now.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
• 2 Garlic Cloves, diced
• 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Cheese
• 1 tbs Breadcrumbs
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Olive Oil

Gratin Dish

Directions:

Trim the Broccoli florets from the stem and cut into bite size pieces. You can use the stalk if you like - Peel the broccoli stalks and cut them crosswise into slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Blanch the Broccoli.



In a 8-10 inch gratin dish, coat the bottom and sides with butter. Cut the remainder of the butter in cube-like pieces. Add in 1/2 of the blanched broccoli and sprinkle on 1/2 of the ingredients - diced garlic, butter pieces, pecorino cheese, and some cracked black pepper. Layer on the rest of the broccoli and top off with the remainder of the ingredients, evenly spread. Feel free to add extra cheese to the top! Drizzle Olive Oil all over. Sprinkle on breadcrumbs evenly on top.

Cook at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes, until gratin has a golden top.

Rustic Parmesan Rosemary Potatoes

For me, there is no better side dish than potatoes... made any way, shape, or form! Add some parmigiano cheese and I really couldn't ask for more. Hope you feel the same way because this next side dish is all about these two ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 4  Russet Potatoes, skin on
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbs Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 tbs Fresh Rosemary
• 1/4 cup (or more!) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into about 3/4 inch cubes/triangles/random shapes -- I really don't like perfection with this dish. Toss them in a large mixing bowl and coat with olive oil. Mix in garlic powder, rosemary, parmigiano, lots of cracked pepper, and kosher salt; mix well and make sure every bite is coated evenly with each ingredient.

Lay potatoes flat in a large baking tray and top off with extra parmigiano.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are fully cooked and golden. Rotate potatoes every 15 minutes.

Mushroom Stuffed Mushrooms

Need something quick and easy to bring to a holiday party? ME TOO!

I made three special veggie side dishes this weekend (on a Friday night not to mention) and didn't spend too much time preparing them. Here is the first one:

Ingredients:

• 15-17 White Mushroom Caps, cleaned
• 2 White Mushroom Caps, cleaned and chopped
• 2 tbs White Onion, chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, diced
• 1 tsp Parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 Cups of Bread Crumbs
• 1 tbs Pecorino Romano, grated
• 2 tbs Mozzarella, chopped
• 1 tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• Water

Directions:
Stuffing:

In a small frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook together until mushrooms are softened (about 4 minutes). Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pecorino romano (salty enough so we don't need to use salt), mozzarella, pepper, parsley. Add the sauteed onion, garlic, mushroom mixture; add in olive oil and mix all together . Add in water as needed to make the stuffing sticky, but not runny. Water will keep the stuffing from getting dry.

Mushroom Caps:

On your baking pan, spread a tiny bit of olive oil on bottom so mushrooms don't stick.

Lay mushroom caps upside down evenly spread out in pan. Roll a ball of the stuffing to fit in each mushroom cap and press down.

excuse the messy pan!

Bake in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Prosciutto Eggs Benedicto!

Good Morning, rise and shine from that hang over!! Ok, well if you have a hang over you probably don't want to be cooking this... but it will definitely make you feel better! Especially if you pair this with a spicy bloody mary!

So, one of my favorite hearty breakfasts is eggs Benedict. But who wants Canadian bacon when you have prosciutto??? I had some left over prosciutto from the last meal I made and you know how expensive it is, can't throw it away!

Ingredients: Breakfast for 2

• 4 poached eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 Hefty tablespoon of melted butter
• 2 whole wheat English muffins
• 4 slices of prosciutto di parma (substitute: organic smoked salmon)
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Cracked black pepper

Poach 4 eggs. This isn't a cooking class so I won't go into how you poach an egg -- you can google this or click on this youtube link.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtZ14xEbgzg   :)

Hollandaise Sauce:
Separate the yolk from the whites of 2 eggs in a bowl. Whisk the yolks until mixture lightens in color and add in 1 tbs of fresh lemon juice. In a small pan on low heat, lowest possible setting, melt the butter. Add in the yolk/lemon juice mixture and continue whisking quickly so the eggs don't cook. Add in a pinch of salt and cayenne pepper and continue whisking until the sauce is frothy and thick. Turn off heat and serve right away or set aside on warm stove.

Slice the English muffins and toast. Layer on 1 slice of prosciutto on each half. Carefully place a poached egg on top of the prosciutto. Top off with the hollandaise sauce and cracked black pepper.

Enjoy!

 

Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto and Baby Spinach

It was Friday night, and I was exhausted from a long work week. Without doing too much food shopping I thought about what I could make with whatever was in the refrigerator, and I came up with this yummy dish! It went perfect with Sonoma Valley Cab Franc. I very much enjoyed drinking a glass while cooking. ;)

Ingredients: Serves 4

• Thin cut Chicken Breasts, 6-8 breasts
• 1/4 lb Prosciutto di Parma (fresh from the deli)
• 6 oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
• 2 Fresh Whole Garlic Cloves, chopped
• Fresh Mozzarella (substitute: provolone)
• Chicken Stock  (substitute: 1 cube of chicken bouillon+water)
• White wine
• Light olive oil
• Flour
• Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Crushed Rep Pepper
• Small skewer sticks/strong tooth picks

Directions:
Wash the chicken breasts in cold water and pat dry. Lay flat on a baking dish (1 1/2-3/4 QT dish) and season with salt and fresh ground pepper on one side.

SPINACH: In the mean time, in a medium/large frying pan, toss some light olive oil (about 2.5 table spoons) in with the chopped garlic and crushed red pepper - let this cook for less than one minute. Add in the entire bag of fresh baby spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted. This should take no longer than 3 minutes. Set aside.

SAUCE: In a small pot, let 2.5 cups of chicken stock come to a boil and add in 1 cup of white wine. Simmer for 4 minutes while whisking in 1 table spoon of sifted flour to thicken. Set aside to cool.

ROLLATINI: Back to the chicken, on each breast, lay a slice of prosciutto - you should be able to fold the slice of prosciutto in half so it's not longer than the chicken. Next, add sauteed spinach on top of the prosciutto, evenly disperse it on all breasts. Add slices of mozzarella on top of the spinach. Now roll each breast into a rollatini and secure with a skewer. If you can't roll the chicken, then you added too much spinach and mozzarella!

Add in the chicken stock and white wine mixture in the baking pan with the rollatini. Bake in a 375 degree over for 15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked (this will depend on how big your chicken breasts are).

Serve rollatini with sauce on top, along a side of rice or greens. I personally served this with rice pilaf, but it will go well with anything!

Sunday funday - Meat Sauce

Since today happens to be Sunday, and my first posting, I figured I would share one of my favorite Sunday pasta sauces. Pair this with Syrah. YUM!




Pappardelle

 
Ingredients: Serves 4

• 2 Large Cans of Whole  Peeled Tomatos - My favorite is Muir Glen Organic. If you have your own homemade tomato sauce, even better.
• 1 lb of Ground Sirloin (can substitute another ground meat like veal, lamb, etc.)
• 2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 Cup Dry Red Wine (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 1/2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Rind
• 5 Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1 LB of your favorite Pasta. Suggestions: Rigatoni, Pappardelle

Directions:
Run the tomatoes through a blender so they are fully blended to a tomato sauce.
In a large stock pot, medium heat, combine olive oil, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper.
Let the garlic saute for about a minute - BEFORE it gets brown, combine the meat and break up/mix until meat is half cooked.
Pour in red wine and let simmer until meat is fully cooked.
Add in tomato sauce and stir all together.
When sauce comes to a boil, add fresh basil, cheese rind, and salt to taste.
Cook for about 45 minutes.
Serve on top of your favorite pasta al dente.
Top off with fresh ground pepper and grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano.
Any extra sauce can be frozen for leftovers. Enjoy!



Rigatoni



Hello Friends, Family, and Food Lovers!

So, I woke up today and decided to start a blog about one of my greatest passions in life to share with all of you. I truly hope that you can enjoy cooking and eating these recipes as much as I do.