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Showing posts from November, 2021

Vesuvio in meat sauce with rapini

INGREDIENTS 140g Vesuvio pasta 2 uncooked Italian sausage 1 bunch rapini, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup chicken stock Salt, to taste Freshly-grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving METHOD Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add the pasta and salt Remove the sausage casings and crumble the meat into a frying pan over medium low heat and slowly cook the meat until it no longer looks raw, about two minutes. (Do not brown the meat) Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium until the tomato sauce is simmering gently Add the stock and decrease the heat until the ragù is at a very gentle simmer, with a bubble just occasionally breaking the surface Add the broccoli rabe with about two minutes before serving (you don't want to overcook the vegetable) When the pasta is almost cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly to the ragù.  Mix gently.  The pasta will finish cooking in the ragù   Serve topped with freshly-grat

Grilled veal chop with arugula and walnuts

INGREDIENTS 2 veal chops, frenched 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 sprig rosemary Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup olive oil Arugula Walnuts METHOD Salt the veal chops and place on a cooling rack, uncovered in the fridge for at least 3 hours.  This will dry out the surface which helps with browning Preheat the barbecue to maximum (ours gets to about 650F) Add the crushed garlic and rosemary sprig to half of the olive oil, and heat over low heat.  You don't want the olive oil to bubble or burn; just enough to release the essence from the herb and garlic Grill the veal chops to about 145F.  I prefer the fast-flip method to get a nice even browning on the chops.  Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving Meanwhile, combine the remaining olive oil and lemon juice.  Adjust olive oil / lemon juice to taste.  Use as both a dressing for the arugula, and to spoon over the chops Plate the chops and top with the garlic- and rosemary-infused olive oil.  Serve with arugula and walnuts, with the extra o

Paella Valenciana

INGREDIENTS 1 chorizo sausage (cured) 2 boneless chicken thighs 8 shrimp 20 mussels 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced  1 cup green beans 1 cup Bomba rice  2 red peppers 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 1 rosemary sprig 1 tsp smoked paprika Saffron 3 cups chicken stock + water Lemon wedges Smoked paprika for sprinkling METHOD Soak the saffron in warm water.  Grill the red pepper, turning every 10 minutes or so until skin has blackened.  Place in pot to cool to room temperature.  Peel the blackened skin and remove seeds and stem.  Slice into 1/4 inch pieces Grill the chicken pieces, skin side down.  Remove crispy skin and eat as a snack.  Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Heat the oil in the paella pan over medium heat, add shrimp and cook until almost done.  Transfer to a plate.   Cook the chorizo, and then add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the green beans and cherry tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes. Squish

Oysters Rockefeller

  INGREDIENTS Oysters, shucked, about 4-6 per person 1 cup spinach, loosely chopped into about 1 inch square pieces 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp butter Grated Parmigiano Reggiano METHOD Preheat oven to 400F Shuck the oysters, leaving in the half shell.  Use the other half of the shell to balance the oysters in a baking sheet, careful not to lose too much of the liquid Separately, fry the onions in butter until softened but not brown.  Add in the spinach and cook briefly until wilted Add a little spinach / onion mixture to each oyster and top with the cheese Place in oven until cheese is starting to brown NOTES The oysters will be hot right out of the oven!

Braised beef neck

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 lbs beef neck  1/2 cup diced white onion (about a medium onion) 1/2 cup diced celery (about one and half stalks) 1/2 cup diced carrot (about one large carrot) 1 cup full-bodied red wine  1 cup chicken or beef broth  3/4 cup tomato sauce 1 tbsp butter  Sachet 2 large bay leaves  1 sprig thyme 2 cloves 1/2 stick cinnamon METHOD Brown the beef neck in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove from pot Add diced vegetables and cook until onion is translucent and celery and carrot are slightly browned, about 5 minutes Add the tomato sauce, broth, red wine, beef neck and sachet and bring to boil.  Add water if needed to fully cover the beef Simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, adding water as needed to keep the beef covered Remove beef and sachet from pot; strain broth and discard vegetables etc Add beef back to broth and store in fridge overnight.  This will cause the fat to harden at the top The next day, discard the layer of fat that will have risen

Arctic Char with orange zest

Arctic Char w/brussel sprouts, onion, orange, rice, cashews Test recipe to see if label content shows up in search results