Turkey Saltimbocca Roll-Ups, Mushroom and White Bean Ragout, and Spinach with Pancetta and Onions

WOW!! That is a mouthful! When I first read recipe #18 I had to check the front of the book to make sure that I was reading the right one. This just seemed like a very difficult, loooooooooong recipe. Don't get me wrong, it sounded awesome, but it just looked very difficult. True it does seem to be the most complex Rachael recipe I have done of so far. But the work sure pays off in the end. Plus I have the world's greatest sous chef/boyfriend (thank Goodness!!).

Like I said, this is a long recipe, so don't let the length of it, or amount of pans you will have going at once, scare you off. I was really quite proud of myself once I got it going. My nerves gave way and then I was just downright excited to get it done and in my belly!

Kevin and I prepped everything before hand, so I really didn't cook the "Rachael way" for this one. I just figured if all of the prep work was done BEFORE I started cooking I would be less stressed out about getting everything in the right pan at the right time.

Again a recipe that called for turkey cutlets, and again not a turkey cutlet to be found in the whole town. Luckily for me the store had some HUGE chicken  breasts on sale. I needed 12 cutlets, so I grabbed 3 of the gigantic breasts and tracked down my friendly butcher to get them sliced into 4 cutlets each.

Once I got them home it was really easy to pound them out for the roll-ups. I will admit that I doubled up on the prosciutto for each roll-ups. I just like that saltiness it adds and since there is no cheese I figured a little more wouldn't hurt. I have a huge sage plant in my backyard, so I was able to get some nice large sage leaves to put into the roll-ups. I really wanted to make sure there was a bit of sage in each bite and sometimes the sage leaves in the store bought packages can be a bit wimpy.

After we got all of the roll-ups completed and seasoned we set them aside so we could get everything else prepped. That really didn't take very long, not as long as I thought it would after looking at the recipe, so we were in business and ready to rock and roll. We followed the timing on the recipe pretty close so everything came out yummy and warm ready to be eaten at the same time, which was my big fear. The only thing I did different was to leave the ragout over low heat while I finished the roll-ups and cooked the spinach.

Everyone LOVED this one. It was not only tasty but the roll-ups were really pretty. The cutlets were juicy and the gravy was soooo tummy. I am surprised however that anyone else got any of the mushroom and white bean ragout because I was nibbling away at it while it cooked. One of the perks about being the chef!

So with all of the votes in I really think this is one you should give a try. It is a nice meal to make when you have a couple friends over. One that will make them think you are so fancy and slaved away cooking, but it is our secret that you didn't.

see how pretty they look

my fave white wine vinegar

Turkey (Chicken) Saltimbocca Roll-Ups, Mushroom and White Bean Ragout, and Spinach with Pancetta and Onions.

Ingredients

12 turkey (chicken) cutlets

6 slices of prosciutto de Parma, cut in half

12 whole fresh sage leaves plus 2 tablespoons chopped sage

4 tablespoons EVOO plus more for drizzling

salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans

2 tablespoons wine vinegar, white or red

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 dry white wine (eyeball it)

1/8 pound (3 slices) pancetta, chopped

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 pound triple washed spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped ( I used baby spinach)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg, (eyeball it)

Using a meat mallet or heavy, small skillet, ound the turkey between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap to 1/8 inch thickness. Top each turkey cutlet with a half slice of prosciutto and a whole sage leaf. Roll up the cutlets and drizle them with EVOO, then season with salt and pepper, and poultry seasoning. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO, once around the pan. Arrange the roll-ups seam side down and cook for 6 minutes, then turn and cook for 6  minutes more.

While the turkey cooks, make the mushroom and white bean ragout. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan, then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes to deepen the color. Stir in the beans and season up the mixture with salt and pepper. When the beans heat through, in a minute or two, add the vinegar and stor, then add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.

After the turkey roll-ups have cooked on both sides, transfer toa platter and reserve. Add the butter to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium low. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the wine and cook it for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken stock to make the gravy. Add the remaining chopped sage, then season with salt and pepper. Slide the roll-ups back into the gravy and simmer over low heat until ready to serve.

For the spinach, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, once around the pan, then the chopped pancetta. Brown the pancetta for 1 minute, then add the onions and cook together for 5 minutes, or until they are just tender and the pancetta bits are crisp. Add the spinach to the pan and turn to wilt it while combining with the onions. Season spinach with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Serve 3 roll-ups in gravy with a portion of the ragout and the spinach alongside.

Serve 4

"Christmas" Pasta

No, I have not lost my mind. I know it isn't Christmas time. Although I wish it was since Christmas is my favorite time of year.

The reason this recipe is called Christmas pasta is, in Rachael's words, "For Italians, after all those fishes on Christmas Eve, this dish, with four different meats in it, is especially nice on Christmas Night".

Kevin did the same thing that I am sure many of you did when you first read the recipe title...

K: But it's not Christmas.
B: Yes, yes, I know honey, this isn't JUST for Christmas, it is just the name of the recipe.
K: Well if it isn't JUST for Christmas why is it called Christmas Pasta.
B: Rachael explains in the recipe that it was just her way of getting "meat" in a meal after all the fish Italians eat on Christmas Eve.
K: Well I still think she should have named it something else.
B: Maybe you are right....now can we cook?

When you first look at this recipe it seems like a lot of ingredients and well, it is a lot of ingredients,  but not a big hassle to make. Rachael mentions that she has used this recipe in several of her books and is constantly redoing it to make it quicker and easier. I think it is just fine the way it is.

Oh and Kevin decided he loved this. He is the one that looks at a meal I might be making and the first thing he asks "Is there meat?". I will never sneak vegetarian food in on him that is for sure. I am walking a fine line when I make Pasta Carbonara! He still doesn't like the name of the recipe though. Oh well, as long as they eat it right?

I am not Italian,  but I can tell you that this was a BIG bowl of Merry Christmas to ME!

The picture does not do this meal justice, I am sorry!

Christmas Pasta

Salt

1 pound rigatoni2 tablespoons EVOO

1/4 pound pancetta, chopped

1/4 pound bulk hot Italian sausage (No bulk? Split a link open)

1/4 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 teaspoon allspice, eyeball it in your palm

Course black pepper

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup dry red wine, a couple of glugs

1 cup beef stock

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful), finely chopped

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (a couple of handfuls), plus some to pass at the table

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the pasta and cook to al dente, with a bite to it.

While the water and pasta work, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO. Add the pancetta to one half of the pan, the sausage, both hot and sweet, to the other. Break up the sausage into bits and brown while the pancetta renders, then combine and cook together another minute of so. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, then the beef and veal. Brown and crumble all of the meat into tiny bits and season with allspice, salt, and pepper. Add the carrots, onions, and garlic and cook another 5 to 6 minutes to soften the vegetables, then add the sausage and pancetta back into the pan. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the stock, then the tomatoes. Check the seasoning. Simmer over low heat until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add back to the hot pot. Ladle a few spoonfuls of the sauce over the pasta, and add a couple of handfuls of cheese to the pot. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Transfer to a large serving dish or individual bowls and top with the remaining sauce and parsley. Pass plenty of extra cheese at the table.

Serves 6

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Patties with Pan Gravy and Sour Cream Tomato Smashed Potatoes

First of all, let me wish all the Mom's a belated Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all had a wonderful day dedicated just to you. Mine was very nice. Kevin made breakfast. We had mimosas and we watched a couple of movies with the kids. Very quiet, relaxing day. 


But now I need to catch up with you on the latest recipe. It was recipe #332. When I went through the book looking to plan the next weeks meals I was still feeling a bit sick. Normally a process that leaves me feeling starved and ready to cook 5 meals at once was actually a chore. I kept reading recipe after recipe and nothing was sounding good. I finally ran across the last recipe and this one and felt they sounded fairly good. I am glad now that I picked them. I guess when you feel sick and aren't enthused about a recipe it has no where to go but up right? Seriously, these were both great recipes and everyone else agrees as well so it is not just me.


The pan gravy in this recipe is extra yummy. I would probably cook the onions a bit before adding them to the meatloaf mix, or just grate them to get the flavor but no "chunks". I like onion, but biting into a piece of raw onion is not tasty to me. I also used grape tomatoes, like I always do when it calls for raw tomatoes to be added to anything, and I cut them in half and sauted them in a small pan for a bit so they could get a bit of carmelization going.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Patties with Pan Gravy and Sour Cream Tomato Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds small red skinned potatoes, quartered

1 1/3 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk, plus a splash

1 egg

2 teaspoons McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, or coarse salt and black pepper combined

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 rounded teaspoon tomato paste

1 medium onion, finely chopped (reserve one fourth)

8 slices bacon

2 tablespoons EVOO

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 rounded tablespoons sour cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I used a carton of grape tomatoes cut in half)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 rounded teaspoon spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh flat leave parsley leaves, chopped

Cover the potatoes in water in a medium sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and create a well in the center. Fill the well with the bread crumbs and dampen them with a splash of milk. Add the egg, grill seasoning, allspice, tomato paste, and three quarters of the onions to the bowl. Combine the mixture and for into 4 large oval patties (about 3/4 inch thick). Arrange 2 slices of bacon in an X on a cutting board, repeat with the other 6 slices of bacon so that you have a total of 4 X's. Place a meatloaf patty on the center of each X. Fold the bacon around each patty. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with the EVOO. Transfer the bacon wrapped patties, bacon seam side down, to the hot skillet. Fry the meatloaf patties for 7 minutes on each side under a loose aluminum foil tent. The tent will reflect heat and allow steam to escape the pan.

Check on the potatoes. When they are tender, turn the heat off, drain the potatoes and return the to the hot pot and warm stove top to dry them out. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, sour cream, and the 1/2 cup of milk and smash to desired consistency. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, then fold in the chopped tomatoes. Cover the potatoes to keep warm until ready to serve.

Remove the meatloaf patties to a platter and return the pan to heat. reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining onions to the skillet. Cook the onions for 2 minutes and sprinkle the pan with the flour. Cook the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 cup of chicken stock. Bring the broth to a bubble. If the gravy is too thick, thin with additional stock. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley and taste to see if the sauce needs salt and pepper.

Drizzle the bacon wrapped meatloaf patties with the gravy. Pile smashed potatoes alongside and make a well in the center for extra sour cream or gravy.

Serves 4

Meatloaf



Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

Big Beef Balls with Bucatini

I chose this recipe because Kevin's daughter was coming for dinner and she had told me she like spaghetti. I was excited to find something that I could cook that would not only make her happy, but also be from the 365 No Repeats. Unfortunately she didn't make it for dinner, but we liked what we had.


Sometimes the ingredients that Rachael puts in her recipes drive me crazy. I know she says that she lives in a small town and her store carries these things but my stores a lot of the time DON'T and that makes me nuts. I mean nuttier than I already am. The one in this recipe was the bucatini pasta. I had seen her use this pasta on 30 Minute Meals and thought it would be interesting however, I hadn't been able to find pappardelle pasta anywhere until just recently. I was determined to not be negative about the hunt for this elusive pasta and off I went into the drizzle to complete my quest.


As I began to scour the pasta isle of the store, I started getting more and more depressed thinking I was not going to be able to find a major part of this meal (I mean it is in the name of the recipe for God's sake!) I had to be able to find this pasta! Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a pasta that looked like spaghetti but much thicker. Ok I knew bucatini is this hollow spaghetti so I snatched up the bag like it was a pot of gold. Much to my dismay, when I turned the package over the pasta was called perciatelli. My smile fell and my frustration grew. I must have gone through every single type of pasta they had at the store, and was just about to give up and buy regular spaghetti and issue my apologies when a light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed my trusty iPhone and jumped on Google. I did a search for perciatelle pasta and the very first one said perciatelli a fun spaghetti like noodle with a tiny hole running through it YAY!!! DING DING DING I found it. After I did my little happy dance, and the lady down the isle looked at me like I shouldn't be drinking this early in the day. I purchased my little treasure and away we went, home to make a wonderful meal with this exciting new treat. I know it is crazy that I am this excited about pasta right? I need to get out more.


Now this recipe, #269, was a bit confusing for me to follow because it was a twist to a Master recipe. So it is like you are reading two recipes at once. Maybe it is just me, I don't know, but seemed confusing. Hopefully I can make it clear when I share it with you.


I did follow this recipe very closely. I think that the meatballs need another egg or less bread crumbs because mine had a hard time staying together. They also need to cook longer in the oven. I cooked mine for the exact amount of time the recipe said and they were not cooked all the way through. My answer to that was to place them in with the sauce and cover the pot so they could finish cooking that way. It didn't help the problem of them not staying in one piece, in fact it probably added to the problem, but they were nicely cooked and took on a lot of the sauce, which we all really liked.


I need to get some different plates, the plain white is getting boring for all of the pictures. Although it does make the food the focus, so we will see.

Big Beef Balls with Bucatini


Ingredients

• coarse salt
• 1 pound bucatini (thick hollow spaghetti)
• 1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground  beef
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup Italian style bread crumbs ( a couple of overflowing handfuls)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some to pass at the table
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• fresh black pepper
• 3 tablespoons EVOO, plus some for drizzling
• 1 small to medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, San Marzano variety if available
• 1/2 fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
• 12 cremini (baby portabello) mushrooms caps, chopped
• 1/2 beef stock

Directions


Preheat the oven to 400. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.


Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Cook onions in 1 tablespoon of the EVOO for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and set them aside to cool.  In a large bowl, mix the meat with half of the onions, 3 cloves of the chopped garlic, the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, allspice, capers, sage, a handful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and a healthy drizzle of EVOO. Score the meat into 4 sections and make three very large balls from each section. Arrange the 12 balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes until firm, but not hard.


Add salt to the boiling water and drop the bucatini in, cook to al dente. Drain the pasta.


While the pasta and meatballs are cooking, heat another tablespoon of the EVOO in the skillet in which the onions were cooked. Add the pancetta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the remaining garlic and the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the remaining onions back and deglaze the pan with the red wine, cook for 1 minute, add the beef stock, and whisk up any brown bits. Stir in the tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes.


Toss the pasta with half of the sauce. Remove the meatballs from the oven and add to the remaining sauce, turning to coat. Serve 3 meatballs per person alongside the pasta. Spoon any remaining sauce over the pasta. Pass extra cheese at the table. Serve with a green salad.


Serves 4

Turkey Club Super Mashers

Happy Sunday Everyone! I have been so busy getting everything ready for my trip to Vegas I have been seriously neglecting my blogging duties. I must learn how to multitask better! I skipped a few nights of cooking from the book due to not feeling well and also working on a few of my own recipes. If you haven't already check out my other food blog Bobbi's Bitchin' Kitchen. I was a little nervous that I might be getting sick right before the trip, but I am fine and ready to go!!


This past week I only made three of the recipes. We already talked about the Spanish Style Pork Chops from last Sunday, so now we are onto recipe #107 Turkey Club Super Mashers. Again, another recipe that called for turkey cutlets, which of course I can not find. I have just given up trying to find them and instead get chicken cutlets cut a bit thicker than normal if possible. I really don't think it makes a big difference as long as you don't over cook the chicken.


This recipe went over really well. Everyone liked it and although I was a bit nervous about the potatoes with the fire roasted tomatoes in them, even my picky one liked them. She told me she likes fire roasted tomatoes now, just not raw tomatoes. OK, note taken. Seth said the potatoes had a pizza flavor to them, but Kevin and I both just felt they really did remind us of a club sandwich. I wasn't sure about the watercress since I have never had it before, but it added a nice flavor. Something different from spinach. I think arugala would be nice as well. It would give kind of a peppery kick to the potatoes.


Whatever the potatoes tasted like, we all really loved them. The chicken was so tender we didn't even need a knife to cut it! This is a great recipe, nothing fancy, but nice and satisfying.

Turkey Club Super Mashers

Ingredients

• 8 slices applewood smoked bacon
• 4 large Idaho potatoes
• salt
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 tablespoons thyme leaves, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups, stemmed and chopped watercress (1 bunch)
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped, or for extra smoky mashers, use 1 14 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 4 scallions, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange bacon on a slotted broiler pan and bake it for 15 minutes, or until evenly crisp. Cool, chop, and reserve.

While bacon cooks, peel the taters and cut them into small chunks. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling add salt, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cutlets with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Add the EVOO to the skillet. Add the cutlets and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden but not firm and dry. Transfer the cutlets to a platter and cover with foil. return the skillet to the heat and melt the butter in it. Add the flour and cook together for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and reduce the heat to simmer. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. The sauce will take about 5 minutes to become thickened gravy.

Drain the potatoes, then return them to the hot pot. Add the sour cream and start mashing. Add enough milk to get the potatoes to the desired consistency. Season the super mashers with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, watercress, and tomatoes ("BLT") into the potatoes.

Pile up one fourth of the potatoes on each plate. Slice the cutlets and arrange on top of the potatoes. Cover the meat with pan gravy. Top the turkey club super mashers with chopped scallions and serve.

Serves 4

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella

Hello my fine food loving friends! I woke up today in a wonderful mood. Possibly it was because there was actually a tiny bit of blue sky showing, or could it be that last nights dinner was an off the chart winner? Both help, but the latter made me so happy. I had the whole gang here last night and everyone, I mean EVERYONE, went on and on about how much they loved this meal! Jessi even went so far as to say it was two thumbs up and she wished she had three thumbs so she could really show how much she loved it.


This recipe was a bit of a pain at first though and I was wondering if I really even wanted to make it. Let me explain, I normally shop at the local Albertson's. I knew I had seen turkey breasts and turkey cutlets there in the past so I was not nervous about finding the ingredients I needed. Boy was I wrong. I went to do my shopping and could not find a package of turkey ANYTHING in the store. I also could not find a couple of things for other recipes but I will stick to just this story for now.


So off I go to the other side of town. Even though I don't live in a very large town I will still complain. I get to QFC and they don't have turkey breast anything either! Ggrrrrr why do they have to make it so difficult? I tell myself I have all week to get them so I go on with my weekly shopping, putting my quest for turkey cutlets on the back burner.


Now fast forward to yesterday, yes I waited until the last minute, and Kevin and I are back at Albertson's. I found whole turkey breasts and turkey legs, but still no cutlets. I know one of the guys that works in the butcher block so I asked what was up. He asks around. All the info I can get is they used to carry turkey cutlets, which I already knew, but for some reason they no longer do. Now I am in a pinch knowing I am scheduled to make this recipe that night. I look down and see chicken cutlets. Ok, not much difference except size really, so I grab them and we get on with the rest of our shopping.


We get home and both grab bags and put the items away. When the time comes to start dinner I go searching for the chicken cutlets and can't find them anywhere. I call Kevin to the kitchen so I can ask him if he put them somewhere, and he didn't bring them in either. He searched the car and then we both realize we had to have left them at the store. Kevin jumps in the car and heads back to Albertson's. Of course they are no longer there. Someone not only got 2 pounds of free chicken cutlets, but they got 4 1 1/2" center cut boneless pork chops too!


Poor Kevin calls me to tell me this and to ask what exactly I needed because the butcher was going to cut it for me. He picked up what we needed and headed home. He is so wonderful!


Anyway, now you can see the fiasco this recipe started out as. All of that aside, as long as you have all of your ingredients and don't leave them behind anywhere, you should be fine. This recipe is a bit more work than the last few, but it isn't really that much work, as it is so worth it!


Ok, we are on recipe #57 for those that have the book. I of course made a couple of slight changes, but not much. I sliced my grape tomatoes in half so they would cook out more and be like a sauce. It might not have been necessary, but with non tomato lovers in your family, you have to try to get tomatoes as close to sauce as possible. As it goes I really could have made them the correct way because Jessi just asked me to leave the tomatoes off of hers.


I also kept the onion, garlic, tomato topping simmering for pretty much the whole time I was cooking. I think it came out fabulous as did everyone else. Possibly the other way will give you more of a fresh tomato flavor (as the recipe suggests) but we liked it this way. Next time I may try to get the tomatoes closer to a fresh flavor.


Kevin helped as I cooked the cutlets and we ended up with a little assembly line from flouring to placing them on the cookie sheet to broil in the oven. Here is what they looked like at this point.

Don't they look good? I was so excited by this point I almost wanted to eat one before it went in the oven!

I made a simple side of asparagus and dinner was ready!! I think next time I will make my homemade pesto instead of the store bought though. Fresh just has much more flavor. 

Just looking at the picture makes me want more but Seth took the last one home with him last night. I had to make do with left over Italian Style Garlic Shrimp for lunch. Poor me right?

Turkey Cutlet Parmigiano with Warm, Fresh Grape Tomato Topping, Pesto, and Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (lighter than EVOO), plus some for shallow frying.
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs (three overflowing handfuls)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (a couple of handfuls)
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful), chopped
• 2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, red or yellow or a mix
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 1 cup store bought, good quality pesto sauce (the refrigerated stuff)
• 1 large ball fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or grated

Directions

For the grape tomato topping, preheat a medium size skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, set up the breading station for the cutlets. Place the flour in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, thoroughly beat together the eggs with a splash of water. In a third shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmigiano, and the parsley. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides and turn lightly in the flour. Thoroughly coat the cutlets in the egg and then in the breading, and add to the hot oil. Cook the cutlets in a single lasyer, in 2 batches if necessary, for 3 or 4 minutes per side, until the juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned. Remove the cooked cutlets to a plate lined with a paper towel.

To the skillet with the onions, add the grape tomatoes and white wine or stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to burst and the wine has reduced by half.

Preheat the broiler.

Arrange the cooked cutlets on a cookie sheet. Top each cutlet with a little of the warm tomato topping, top that with a little pesto, then top that with 2 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler and broil until the cheese warms and melts but has not browned. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 (very hungry people)

Italian Style Garlic Shrimp, Or In Other Words YUMMMMM!

Please forgive me dear friends for missing Friday nights recipe. I would hang my head in shame however, I had an amazing date night with Kevin so I can't feel bad. Sometimes a girl just has to have fun. I will tell you that I had some fantastic scallops with a bacon onion sauce that I will figure out the recipe for if it kills me! For those of you that follow my other blog, Bobbi's Bitchin' Kitchen, it will be there soon I promise.


But back to the reason we are here. I picked up last night where we left off and made recipe #147 Italian Style Garlic Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Thin Spaghetti. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. I have really never cooked shrimp before. I have done all kinds of fish, clams, muscles, scallops, but for whatever reason I have never cooked shrimp. I knew that if you overcook it they are rubbery and awful, so I just was a bit worried. But this is a recipe that, if you follow the directions, you can't mess it up. It was great! My nerves gave way to a very hungry tummy as I was cooking.


I had a houseful last night. Kevin, Jessi, Seth, and Melissa were all here for dinner. Everyone gave this recipe their seal of approval, even Jessi, my pickiest eater. My Dad just doesn't like seafood so he was out of this one. All of us, except Jessi of course, thought the addition of some red pepper flakes would be fantastic in this. But as it stands it is still a terrific meal. You know we just like things a bit hot in this house.


I actually followed the recipe very closely, believe it or not. Like I said I was nervous so no going crazy for me this time. The only things I did were, used two pounds of shrimp instead of one. Which if you do make sure and double the lemon zest and juice. I also used grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes because I think they are sweeter. I think I have told you that I am not the biggest fan of tomatoes, at least raw tomatoes, but grape tomatoes are great.


So in my wrap up here I will say MAKE THIS RECIPE!! This was a master recipe too and the variations sound just as yummy, Spanish Style Garlic Shrimp, and Greek Style Garlic Shrimp......stay tuned for those, I know I am excited!


Oh, and I know that you are not supposed to use cheese with seafood, but I sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on mine and it was fabulous!

Italian Style Garlic Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes and Thin Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin spaghetti
• 1 pound small shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus the juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 cup EVOO (4 times around the pan)
• salt
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 scallions
• 1/4 cup white vermouth or 1/3 cup dry white wine (eyeball it)
• 2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 20 fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded
• course black pepper

Directions
Heat a large pot of water for the pasta, when the water boils, salt it and cook the pasta al dente.


Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a little salt. Add the EVOO to the the hot pan and then the shrimp. Cook for a minute, then add the garlic, tomatoes, and scallions and toss, cooking for another minute or two until the shrimp are firm and pink. Add the white vermouth and the herbs. Turn off the heat. Drain the pasta well and add to the sauce. Toss and combine the sauce with the pasta and season with salt and black pepper.


Serves 4 (very very hungry people)

Couple-of-Minute Steaks and Potato Ragout

Hhhhmmmmm what to say about this one? I had never made "minute" steaks before, or even knew what they were. I had cube steak before and wasn't real fond of it so that was why I opted for the "minute" variety. Although after I cooked them last night my Dad told me he had always heard cubed steak called minute steak so who knows?


All I can say about minute steaks, at least the ones we had, which were eye of round, they are meat. Edible meat? Not so much! I cooked them medium rare but seriously could not even chew one bite and get it down. They were so tough and so chewy with absolutely NO flavor. They also were super small so there is no way this recipe would feed 4 people. At least not the people in my house.


Now those of you that have been reading for a bit know how Kevin feels about any steak other than ribeye. It is simple, he feels there IS no other steak besides ribeye. After last night he is more sure of that than ever!


The potatoes were good though. Maybe if I had gotten some small thin cut ribeyes it would have been a good meal, but a meal of just potatoes? Bad, bad, bad...


I will suggest that if you make the potatoes, which I think you should, make SURE you dice them small. The recipe says 1/4 inch dice and I didn't listen so well. Many of mine were closer to 1/2 inch and they just weren't done all the way through, but the flavors were great. Kevin said this was a keeper as a side dish recipe. I used little yellow tomatoes in place of regular cherry tomatoes. I cut them in half and let them sit face down on the pan surface for a bit to make them really sweet. That was a good idea.


The most I can say about this recipe is, thank goodness it is over. I will post it so you can get the potato part, and if you choose to make it please use a better cut of meat! Oh and I would recommend using McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning in place of the black pepper.


Couple-of-Minute Steaks and Potato Ragout


Ingredients
4 minute steaks or cubed steaks
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
black pepper
4 tablespoons EVOO
2 medium sized baking potatoes cut in 1/4 inch dice
4 sprigs of thyme leaves, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary leaves, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter


Directions
Season the minute steaks with the Worcestershire sauce and some pepper. Let the steaks hang out while you start the potato ragout.


Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the diced potatoes to the skillet and spread them out in an even layer. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and let them brown for about 2 minutes, resisting the urge to shake or stir the pan. Once browned on one side, go ahead and give the skillet a stir and shake. Then leave it be for another 2 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock, bring the mixture up to a simmer, and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 6 minutes more.


Once the potatoes are almost tender, preheat another large skillet over high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO for the minute steaks. Season the steaks with salt and then add to hot skillet. Sear the steaks for 1 to 2 minutes per side.


While the steaks are cooking, add the cherry tomatoes and parsley to the potatoes. Toss and stir to incorporate. Heat the tomatoes for about 1 minute. Turn the heat off and add the cold butter, stirring constantly until the butter has melted. Serve the minute steaks with the potato ragout.


serves 4

Three is a Charm?

Hi gang, sorry I haven't posted! I know it has been three days. Fifty lashes with a wet noodle for me huh? No excuses, just put the laundry and house cleaning on the top of the list and didn't realize there was as much to do as there was! YIKES! Who's been making all of these messes?


Ok, now we have three recipes to go over. So look at it as a bonus right? Three is a lucky number!


Friday night was recipe #50 Big Thick Hearty Thighs. Only three of us ate that night, and I didn't get the report from Seth until the next day because he took it to work, he works nights, and ate it there. But when he does that I can always count on someone else from his work weighing in on how they liked the recipe. So far they are a nice crowd to feed!
Seth, as well as his boss, like this one. I felt I may have under salted it but for some reason my taster wasn't working very well and I just kept thinking it is missing something but couldn't put my finger on it. Usually I am Johnny on the spot when it comes to salt, and I salted and peppered the thighs liberally before I put them in the pan, plus salted again a bit later on. I just kept feeling like something was missing. But Kevin said he liked it and it makes a nice broth for sopping with some crusty warm french bread yummm can't go wrong with that right? I would suggest trying this recipe but just stay on top of the salt and see if that was my issue. 


Another nice thing about the recipe is it is inexpensive. So if you are like me, and don't have a lot of money to throw around for crazy recipes, this is a good one for you! I did add slightly more garlic than the recipe calls for. My family LOVES garlic, plus the cloves Rachael has on the show are always nice and big. Mine, well, not so much. I also added and extra tablespoon of thyme leaves.


Alas, I neglected my duties of taking a picture so the recipe will have to suffice. 


Big, Thick, Hearty Thighs


Ingredients
2 tablespoons EVOO
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt 
black pepper
1 small yellow onion
5 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 medium to small red  bliss potatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves chopped


Directions
Preheat a large skillet or wide soup pot over medium high heat and add the EVOO. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on both sides for about 3 minutes. Scoot the browned thighs to the edges of the pan, making some space in the center of the skillet. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes.


Add the wine and the chicken stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the potatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.


Remove lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the peas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley, and cook for 1 more minute just to heat the peas through. Serve with crusty bread. 



Chicken Thigh

serves 4

Night Number 2

The next recipe is #7 Chipotle Mac-N-Cheddar. It is a twist on the Master Recipe #4 Mac-N-Cheddar with Broccoli.

Four out of the six people that I can be feeding any given night, enjoy spicy food. I expected this one to be a bit hot with the "C" word (chipotle) in the title. I am still remembering how hot the ribeyes were and a bit nervous about making things so spicy only a few of us can eat it. It is a fine tap dance I do but I try.

Actually this one was not hot at all. Just enough spice to make it warm and yummy, but not enough to burn your tongue off. Seth, Melissa, and Kevin all said it was great and would even suggest adding a bit more chorizo to the recipe. I had it but was afraid it would be too much. They said I could have even add an extra chipotle pepper. So if you want to warm it up a bit give that a try. I will say this recipe is a nice one for people looking for something other than *yawn* Mac-N-Cheese. I love most of Rachael's spins on Mac-N-Cheese and this was just another one to add to the list.

FYI a little hint for the chipotle peppers in adobo. This comes from Rachael so I can't claim it myself, once you open the can and use the peppers you need, place the remaining peppers and sauce in a snack or sandwich baggie and roll like a tube then pop in the freezer. The next time a recipe calls for chipotles in adobo BAM you drag it out of your freezer and grate a bit off with your cheese grater. Rachael says it is about 1 tablespoon per pepper.  

Again, I hang my head in shame, no picture for your viewing pleasure.

Smokey Chipotle Mac-N-Cheddar

Ingredients

• 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
• 3/4 pound chorizo, 1 package, casing removed and diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 chipotle in adobo and their juices, chopped or 1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 cups shredded smoked Cheddar

Directions

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni. When it boils, salt water and cook pasta until a little under done, just shy of al dente.

While pasta cooks, place a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chorizo. Brown the chorizo then add the canned tomatoes to the pan and heat them through. Remove from heat and reserve.

While chorizo begins to cook, heat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, then add onions and chipotles and cook 3 to 5 minutes to sweat it out and turn the juices sweet. Raise heat up a bit, add the flour and whisk together until mixture bubbles up. Cook 1 minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat up a little more to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop heat back to a rolling simmer sauce to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta. Add cooked pasta back to the large pot.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt, a minute or so. Stir in chorizo and tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over cooked pasta in large pot and toss to combine. Transfer to a large serving platter, garnish with chives and serve.

serves 4

Chipotle Peppers



Macaroni and Cheese

Night Number 3

Now we are on to recipe #74 Turkey (or Chicken) Croquettes with Spinach Mashers and Pan Gravy. This recipe right off the bat reminded me of Thanksgiving. That is because I used to always make turkey croquettes from the left over turkey. I wish I had found this way to make them a long time ago! I made them with a rue and then you had to grind the turkey and let it all set in the fridge....blah blah blah. This was like a little Thanksgiving party in my mouth.

I would suggest chopping the veggies very fine. I did the "rustic" chop and that made them too big. I also felt 1 pound of spinach was too much so I grabbed a 5 ounce container and I will say that is as much as I would want in the potatoes. But that is the only negative thing I will say about this recipe. If you like "Turkey Day" make this one!!!

And YAY!! I have a picture!

• Turkey or Chicken Croquettes with Spinach Mashers and Pan Gravy

Ingredients

• 3 large starchy potatoes, peeled and cubed
• Coarse salt
• 1 package (about 1-1⁄3 pounds) ground turkey breast or ground chicken
• 2 celery ribs and their greens, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (eyeball it in the palm of your hand)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (from 5 to 6 sprigs)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (a handful)
• Coarse black pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil (eyeball it)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2-1⁄2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1⁄2 cup cream or half-and-half
• 1 pound triple-washed baby spinach leaves
• Prepared whole-berry cranberry sauce, to pass at the table

Preparation

Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Put a lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. While the potatoes cook, make the croquettes. Place the turkey or chicken in a bowl. Add the celery, onions, poultry seasoning, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and egg yolk. Combine and form 8 patties. Coat both sides of the patties in the bread crumbs. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the croquettes to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat under the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and melt, then whisk in the flour. Cook the roux for a minute or two. Whisk in 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a bubble. Thicken for a minute or so and turn off the heat. Season the sauce with a little salt and pepper.

Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and the cream. Mash and season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach leaves until they wilt into the potatoes.

To serve, pile the spinach mashers on plates and top each portion with 2 croquettes and a spoonful of gravy. Pass the cranberry sauce at the table.

serves 4

I will update the menu page and then can't wait to report to you on all the great stuff coming up this week!

Chicken Croquettes



Mashed Potatoes



Spinach