Niamh's Chicken

Every once in awhile you need to name a recipe after your kids - right? This dish is one of Niamh's favorites with the exception of the asparagus which she promptly removes. I like asparagus . . . so they stay in. This dish takes a little time to prepare but is worth it. You can also prepare it ahead of time, freeze it and pop in the oven when you are ready. If you do freeze, thaw prior to baking.

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken breast
• Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
• Swiss Cheese, sliced
• Asparagus, fresh
• Chicken broth(1 cup)
  
• Olive oil
  
• Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder (to taste)

Cut chicken breast down the middle and lay flat between wax paper. With a meat mallet or hammer or anything you have lying around, pound it thin (I make Joe do this, it helps alleviate any anger management issues he may be having). Place to the side.

Clear an area on your counter where you can create the 'rolls'. Place a piece of chicken down and layer mozzarella and Swiss slices across the length (about 2 slices each per roll). Place 3-4 fresh asparagus spears in the center and roll. You won't need to 'fasten' the rolls as the chicken adheres to itself. Place rolls in a large glass rectangle baking pan side by side.

Drizzle with olive oil and season according to taste. Pour chicken broth around (not over) chicken rolls. Cover with aluminum foil and bake approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and place under broiler for about 5 minutes until golden. Place on plate with a couple of tablespoons of broth (now thicker and mixed with cheese).

Easy. Yummy. Good.

Hardcore Italian

Tripe in Red Sauce

There are very few people I know who actually enjoy tripe. In fact, I can probably count them on one hand. However, if you are on of those few, please let me know how you feel about the recipe below. I never actually knew how to cook tripe until my dad got sick . . . but when he was down to his last couple months, he started to ask for some of the dishes his mother and my mother used to make. He was able to tell me how to make the dish - what he didn't share was how cooking tripe stunk up your house to high heaven (during the initial boiling). If you are a tripe lover - and are trying the recipe, be sure to do it on a day you can open every window in the house!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. tripe
• 2 large cans of whole tomatoes
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• Oregano, salt, pepper (to taste)

Okay, so the first thing you need to do is boil the tripe for about 3 hours. Yes, I said 3. . . and again, the stink coming off the pot during this part of the recipe is nasty. If you can, open the windows, set the pot to boil, throw on some candles - and leave. Come back 3 hours later when the tripe is done.

After you boil the tripe, drain it thoroughly and allow to cool.

In a large pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until transparent. Put whole tomatoes through the blender (puree) and add with the can of crushed tomatoes. Add all other ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cut the tripe into bite size strips and add to the sauce. Simmer at least another hour.

I like the tripe sauce spicy - so you may want to add some additional hot pepper flakes if desired.

Once done, serve hot with a loaf of hot crusty bread, and topped with grated cheese.

Not a recipe for everyone - but if you enjoy tripe, this is truly delicious.

In memory of dad. . . 1.9.08

Turkey Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Nothing says comfort like meatloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy on a cold rainy day. I make my meatloaf with ground turkey, but feel free to substitute ground beef. . . works just as well. You are going to see one major cheat in this recipe - the gravy, so I just want to put it up front that I do NOT make my own gravy with this recipe, I actually use serve-a-gravy brown gravy mix (sorry!!). There simply is not enough 'drippings' to make a good gravy, but later when we talk about roast chicken, we'll make it from scratch!

Meatloaf:

Ingredients:

•  2 lbs. lean ground turkey
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• Salt, pepper, oregano
• 1 small can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup

In a large bowl mix ground turkey, bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup grated cheese and salt, pepper and oregano to taste - about a 'pinch' of each. Plunge your hands in (need I remind you to wash them first?) and mix well. Mixture should be firm - and not too wet. If too wet, add more bread crumbs until the meatloaf mix is not 'eggy'. Once mixed, add half of the can of the Cream of Mushroom soup (right out of the can). Mix again and then form into a loaf - loaf can be oval or round, whatever floats your boat. Once meatloaf is formed, place in a shallow baking pan and cover (top only) with the remaining mushroom soup. Place in preheated oven (350) and let bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Meatloaf is done when center is not pink.

Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 12 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup sour cream

Boil potatoes in a large pot for 25 minutes. Drain but do not rinse. Place potatoes back in the pot, add milk, butter and sour cream and mash. I use an old-fashioned hand masher - you can also use an electric hand mixer or food processor. If potatoes are lumpy - add a little milk until desired consistency is reached.

Gravy: I already 'fessed up, follow the directions on the pack!

Dinner is ready! Filling and comforting - and very affordable! Save the extra for tomorrow's lunch. Enjoy.

Joe's Chicken Soup

I love fall and winter . . . because I LOVE soup. . . and my husband Joe makes the best soup. His recipes feed about 20 or so, apologize for that, but he used to run a deli and when he cooks, he cooks like he is feeding the masses. The great thing about his soups is that they freeze well, so it's up to you - you can either make the recipe below or cut it in half. Honestly though, if you are going through the effort of making homemade soup, you might just want to make a bunch.

Ingredients:

• 2 large split chicken breasts or similar quantity other parts. Should have bones (for flavor) but not neck or spine (too hard to sift out later)
• 2 large tomatoes (can substitute with canned whole tomatoes if not in season - use 4 if canned)
  
• 3 onions peeled
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 tbs. chicken stock
• Black pepper, thyme, oregano, and parsley (to taste)
• 1 lb. frozen spinach
• 4 carrots, sliced
  
• 4-5 stalks celery with leaves
• Orzo or pastina pasta
  

 Fill large pot with water (about 10 - 12 cups), add the chicken, onions and garlic. Add seasoning and cook on medium heat until the chicken falls about - this takes at least 2 hours. Remove any bones as well as the chicken and tomato skin. Skim off the extra fat with a spoon.

Add spinach, sliced carrots and stock. Cook another hour on low. Last 5-10 minutes, throw in about a half a pound of pasta and cook until pasta is done.

Serve hot with a nice crusty bread. YUMMMMMMMMM!!!

Optional: Sprinkle with grated cheese for additional flavor - totally not necessary but GOOD!!

The Sauce

Nothing is more important than the sauce in my household.

It is a staple that is always on hand in the freezer - generally laden with meatballs and sausage among other things. The secret to a good sauce is how long you cook it - as well as how adventurous you get with the ingredients. The funny thing is that it doesn't matter whose recipe you follow, everyone's sauce tastes different - and it is so easy to make yours unique.

Keep in mind that sauce isn't just for pasta! Use it on fish, in parmesans, meatball subs, - even on eggs for a change of pace. Keeping a good basic sauce on hand always ensures that you have dinner ready in a pinch regardless of whoever shows up at the door!

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 large cans whole tomatoes
• 1 large can of tomato puree
• 2 small (the smallest!) cans of tomato paste
• 2 cups of red wine (white does in a pinch)
• Garlic
• Onions
• Italian seasoning
• Basil
• Red pepper flakes
• Chopped mushrooms
• Olives (any kind that float your boat)
• 1 large carrot
• Olive oil
• 2 large beef marrow bones (if ya' want!)
• 2 lbs. of hot and/or sweet Italian sausage

Meatballs:

• 2 lbs. of ground beef/veal or turkey
• 1 cup of grated cheese
• Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 2 Eggs

Coat the bottom of a large (really large) pot with a thin coat of olive oil. Chop 2 medium onions and about 5 cloves of garlic - throw in the pot and saute over low-to-medium heat until transparent. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and about a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning and Basil (dry is fine). Mix well and let heat until seasoning aroma is apparent.

Puree whole tomatoes in a blender (make sure to use the whole tomatoes, there really is a flavor difference), and add to the pot along with the can of puree, tomato paste and wine.

Peel the carrot and throw it in - you can cut into 'chunks' or leave whole. The carrot is added to keep the 'sour' out of the sauce. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and olives.

Cut sausage into 4" - 5" inch links and add. DO NOT PRE-COOK.


Okay. . . STOP! I know a lot of you are saying what the hell is she doing? I am cooking my meat, is she crazy??? No, don't!! The secret to this sauce is that the meat cooks in it! It provides a much better flavor to the sauce - and oh by the way, if I didn't mention it earlier, this sauce is going to cook at LEAST 6 hours.

If you are one of the braver ones - you bought the marrow bones - throw them in as well. Marrow provides one of the BEST flavors to a sauce. . . truly unique. If you are squeamish about marrow, you can throw in a steak, a chicken leg, some vegetables - ANYTHING goes in a sauce if you are cooking it this long . . .so go crazy! Remember, it's all about the flavor.

Now, let's make the meatballs. This is so easy, you are going to kick yourself that you 'fried' or 'baked' them until now.

In a large bowl add ALL of the ingredients. Now get your hands in their and mix - yes, use your hands, it is the only way you are going to get this stuff together. If the mixture is too 'wet', add some bread crumbs, but remember - you do want them to be moist NOT dry . . . so unless they are ridiculously wet, start rolling

Once mixed, roll the meat into balls and place gently into the sauce. Use a wooden spoon to gently push them down until covered.

Okay, now . . . put on a low flame and walk away. By low I mean the lowest setting possible. Place a lid on the pot and walk away . . . for at least 3 hours of so.

Once the sauce has been cooking for awhile, you'll see a layer of grease start to form - remove this with a wooden spoon (I usually keep one of the tomato cans aside for this). As the sauce (and meat) cook, you will need to do this several times.

Let the sauce cook at least 6 hours - but it can go as long as 10-12 with no issues. The longer you cook it, the more flavorful.

Once it's done, use what you need for dinner and freeze the rest. Sauce actually tastes better the second time round!

Don't forget to have a crusty loaf of bread around while cooking for 'tasting'!

Enjoy.

Strashenatti

Or at least that's what we called it. I googled and googled and found nothing even remotely similar. Doesn't matter, in my house, this recipe is called Strashenatti (Strash - a - not - tea) or simply, pasta with bacon, sausage, egg and cheese. Easy to make (as usual) and delicious to eat, this dish tastes like it took hours - when in fact, it can be ready from stove top to table top in about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. sweet Italian sausage, skinned
• 2 lbs. thick bacon, sliced or cubed
• 8 eggs, beaten well w/1/2 cup of heavy cream and/or milk
• 2 cups grated cheese (parmesan or locatelli - or a mix of both)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• Red pepper flakes (tspn or to taste)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 lbs of pasta (large shells preferred)
• Olive oil

This recipe feeds about 8.

The first thing to do is brown the sausage and bacon. For some reason, this CANNOT be done in the same pan, not sure why, just know it can't (ancient family secret). So in two large frying pans, coat the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil - heat over medium heat and throw half the garlic in one - the other half in the other, saute until golden. Then, add the sausage to one, the bacon to the other and cook until done - make sure to continually break the sausage into 'bits' as it cooks.

While you are cooking this, put a large pot of water on to boil - add a pinch of salt to keep pasta from sticking.

Once the sausage/bacon is done, place on a plate (covered in a couple layers of paper towels), to drain fat.

Cook pasta according to package. When done, drain but do not rinse. Place back in the pot on low burner - mix eggs (beaten) and cheese together with the red pepper - add to the pasta with butter and sausage/bacon. Stir over low flame until egg is 'cooked'.

That's it! That simple! Serve hot with a loaf of Italian bread and side salad. Keep around some additional cheese as required.

Delish!

Note: This dish does not reheat well without the addition of a pat of butter or a bit of olive oil added as it tends to 'dry' out during refrigeration.

Time for a little Fun-ghai . . .

Okay that was bad - enough with the funny stuff (for now at least and I guess you could challenge whether or not that was in fact funny) . . . Besides, we all know mushrooms are serious business! Seriously, there are two staples that are always in my 'fridge - fried mushrooms and fried peppers, and sometimes if I'm feeling a bit crazy, a mix of both. Keeping them on hand can really spice up a meal instantly. We use them to throw on tops of meat and poultry, in eggs,  and on sandwiches. Nice thing is that they will last in the fridge for about two weeks or so.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. mushrooms sliced (you can really use any kind of mushrooms, the basic is white, but I often mix a bunch of different sorts for more flavor)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• Olive Oil
• Red crushed pepper

Yup, that's it. That is all that's required. Those ingredients and about 25 minutes of your day. So without further ado . . . let's go.

Liberally coat the bottom of a large frying pan with olive oil and heat slowly over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic becomes 'clear'. You really don't want it to be brown - just saute it long enough so that it is soft (and flavorful).

Add the mushrooms and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about another 20 minutes or so until the mushrooms are tender. If you notice the mixture 'drying' add some more olive oil. The oil is key in maintaining the freshness of the mushrooms in the fridge, so make sure they are coated nicely.

Store the 'shrooms in Tupperware in the fridge and reheat as necessary.

Again remember, these are great to have around omelets, sandwiches, on steak, with fish . . . the uses are endless. I guarantee you once you get into the habit, you'll always have some available for cooking!

Enjoy.

Pierogi's Aren't Italian . . .

 

So imagine my surprise when the first request I got when I started my blog again was for pierogi's. . . and not just any pierogi's, my mothers recipe. Unfortunately, I don't know my moms recipe, I watched her make them many times - but aside from knowing dough and potato filling, I was clueless. . . so I set off on the search for a recipe that sounded like hers and figured I would give it a try.

The recipe I went with was not credited with an author . . . but whoever you are, thank you. The recipe was almost identical to the one my mom used to make and I hope you don't mind me sharing!

This recipe makes about 3 dozen small pierogi's.

Ingredients:


Dough:

    * 4 cups of flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 2 large eggs
    * 1 cup sour cream
    * 1/2 stick butter, softened and cut into small pieces

Filling:

    * 3 lbs. of potatoes
    * 1 cup of cheddar cheese
    * 1/2 cup of parmesan
    * 1/2 stick butter
    * 1 cup of milk
    * 1 cup of sour cream

Other:

    * Butter and onions for sauteeing

Dough:

Mix together flour and salt. Beat the eggs, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of it's stickiness (about 5 minutes or so). Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight (dough can be kept up to 2 days).

Roll the dough on a floured board or counter top until it's about 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (about 3-4" in diameter) with a cookie cutter, drinking glass - or whatever you have, anything goes.

Filling:

Boil the potatoes until soft - around 25 minutes or so. Drain and add butter, milk, sour cream and cheese and mash. Wow! that was easy. . . .

Place a small ball of filling on each dough and fold the dough over, forming a half moon. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork. If the dough isn't sticking, wet it slightly.

Boil the pierogis a few at a time in a large pot of water. They're done when they float to the top (about 3-5 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute sliced onions in butter in a large pan until the onions are soft. Add the piergies and pan fry until golden and lightly crispy. Serve - you can top with sour cream if preferred!

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY!!!!

 Note: You can fill the pierogies with anything you want. Mom always used the potato and cheese variety so that's where I went. Also, you can refrigerate the pierogies for several days or freeze them for months. They are kind of time consuming to make - so if you are in the pierogie mood, make a bunch and freeze!

Breakfast YUM!

Breakfast is probably one of my favorite meals of the day . . . problem is, I don't like to eat right when I just wait up, so breakfast always becomes more of a brunch. Everyone knows how to make bacon and eggs, so we won't go there. Today's focus is on hash browns - so get out your potatoes and your shredder and let's go!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
  
• 1 medium onion, grated
  
• 5 scrubbed large potatoes (parboiled for about 12 minutes)
  
• 2 cloves of garlic diced fine
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili powder
  

Let's talk about the potatoes first, After you parboil for about 12 minutes, let them cool. Some people like to peel the potatoes prior to frying - I'm good either way, skin on or off. For shredding, I use a hand shredder - an old fashioned tower of terror, handle on the top and frightening little blades running down two sides. Shred the potatoes and put aside. Then do the same with the onion and garlic cloves and place aside separately.

In a large non-stick or cast iron frying pan, coat bottom with a layer coat of olive oil. Heat over medium-high temperature for 2-3 minutes and add the shredded onion garlic mix. Quickly saute for a minute or two - just enough that you start to get the fragrance of onion and garlic. Place the shredded potatoes in, stir together, sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder, and then 'form' the mixture into a large circle (or square if you are cooking in a square pan, one cannot assume all pans are created equal) in the pan. using a spatula or spoon to push together. Lower the heat to a low-medium and allow to brown on one side.

After around 5-7 minutes, lift up the corner of the hash browns and take a peek at the color. Should be a light golden brown. Now you want to flip the 'tators. I find it easiest to use two spatulas - on on each side and turn over carefully. My husband is a big showoff and literally does the flip the pan in the air and the potatoes fly into the air and turn themselves perfectly. I tried this once . . . and do not recommend it at all. . . potatoes everywhere, and I mean everywhere!

Once the potatoes are flipped, brown on the other side and serve. Serve them with anything your little heart desires . . . eggs, bacon, sausage - hell, it simply doesn't matter!! Have fun with it, but most of all, enjoy!

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

I am truly perplexed by the name of this soup. I have been to quite a few Italian weddings – and it has never been served. That being said, it is still delicious – and more importantly with my ‘Italian-for-a-day’ recipe below, extremely easy to make.

Okay – WARNING for those who are ‘made from scratch’ sensitive, the below recipe is NOT for you.

Ingredients:

• 2 large cans of Chicken Broth
• 1 package of chopped frozen spinach
• 1 ½ lbs. of ground veal (can be substituted with ground beef, turkey or meatloaf mix)
• ½ cup of bread crumbs
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot, pour in chicken broth and heat slowly to a simmer. While heating the broth, combine, in a large bowl the 1 ½ lbs. of ground veal, one egg, breadcrumbs and ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese. I generally use my hands to do this – don’t be afraid! It’s only ground meat.

When well mixed, roll into small meatballs – by small I mean like ¾” diameter, tiny little, cute meatballs. Drop one by one as you make them into the simmering broth.

STOP THE RECIPE! There is a lot of controversy across cooks as to whether to cook the meat prior to the soup or cook it in the soup. I believe that it is better to do it my way because frankly, it’s my way. All kidding aside, cooking in the broth provides further flavor to the soup. Since we are already cheating by using canned stock and frozen spinach, we can’t really afford to take any other shortcuts.

NOW back to cooking . . .

Let the meatballs simmer in the broth 20-30 minutes and then add chopped spinach. Bring back to a simmer and allow cooking for another 15-20 minutes.

In a small bowl, crack the remaining 5 eggs and add the ½ cup of parmesan, beat until ‘frothy’ (don’t you love that word? Frothy?).  Drizzle into the simmering soup stirring slowly. Simmer another 5 minutes and voila. . . soups on!

This soup is rather hearty and can be served as a meal if desired.

Until next time – Ciao!

VODKA RIGATONI

Vodka Rigatoni is one of my favorite dishes – it’s easy to make and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. One thing of note – when I stress in the recipe below to use cheap vodka – I mean CHEAP! The vodka really gives the sauce the flavor so if you use the good, smooth vodka you really aren’t getting any flavor from it . . . so remember; it needs to be cheap, cheap, wrapped in a brown bag, embarrassingly cheap vodka!

Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 medium onion diced
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Italian seasoning
• ½ lb. of prosciutto chopped
• 2 cups CHEAP vodka
• 2 cans 35 oz. whole tomatoes
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• 1 cup of grated cheese (parmesan or locatelli)
• 2 lbs. of penne pasta

Now let’s get going! I am going to write my blog so that even the most amateur of chefs can follow a recipe. If you can’t make sense of what I am saying (and I am referring to the blog site only) please feel free to email me at phoenix.lori@gmail.com with any questions.

Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan with approx. 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and set heat to low flame (or if electric around 3-4).  Add chopped garlic and onion and cook slowly, it should be more transparent than golden or brown. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes (sidebar: a pinch consists of what you can fit between your thumb and pointer finger or approx. 1 teaspoon or so) and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning – stir.

Now it’s on to the prosciutto. I like the prosciutto finely chopped – so when I go to the deli, I ask them to cut a ½ lb. ‘chunk’ for me and then I dice it. If you don’t want to do it this way, ask for it finely sliced with NO WAX PAPER in between slices – and then just cut it into thin strips. Trust me on the wax paper, nothing is more annoying than sitting there peeling it off piece by piece.

Stir the prosciutto into the oil/garlic/onion/etc. mix until it is thoroughly coated, add vodka. Or should I say add the really, really cheap vodka just to remind you? Drink the Grey Goose – pour in the cheap vodka.

Now, here is the fun part! FIRE!!! Yes, I said fire. With a fireplace match or one of those long funny looking lighters used for the grill, light the vodka on fire (cool huh?). Once you get a flame, stir very gently (remember it is fire) for about a minute or so until the prosciutto begins to brown on the edges. Once it’s brown, put the lid on the pot to extinguish the flames. Remove lid, bring to a low simmer and move on to the next step.

Place the whole tomatoes into the blender to puree (kinda’ funny right? I tell you to use whole tomatoes and then have you puree them! But trust me on this). Pour into the saucepan; add the heavy cream and grated cheese and stir.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes or so.

Cook penne according to instructions on box (no, I don’t make my own pasta now and can’t envision doing it in the future – if you want to, go at it!), drain well and put back into pot. Put about a cup of the vodka sauce in the pot with the pasta and stir to coat.

Place pasta on plates, put on additional sauce, sprinkle with cheese and serve. Garlic bread and a nice salad are the perfect company.

Oh, and don’t forget the wine! Mangia!

P.S. Keep in mind that this sauce freezes well – double up and you’ll have it for the next time!

Let's Get Cooking!

Okay, so I LOVE to cook. . . and I really don't cook enough! I tried to blog once before and took it down due to circumstances beyond my control. . . but I am doing it again!

A little about myself.

I grew up Italian - even though my mother was half Polish she cooked really for my dad, so most days it was Italian all the time. There were days when we might get a traditional Polish dish like Stuffed Cabbage or Chicken Papikash (spelling) but it was mostly Italy 24/7 on the table.

I am married to a Sicilian, Joe with three daughters, Dylan 13 and Niamh (Think Eve starting with an N) 12, and Allie, 11 - live in Hamilton Square, NJ with two Rottweilers, a Pomeranian (don't even ask) a Koi pond (I would say just Koi but we all know they need somewhere to hang out) and the recent addition of an Eclectus parrot named Ruby.

I am not promising to blog everyday - but I do promise that when I blog, the recipe will be worth it!!

Feel free to comment, request, bitch and moan. . . it's all good!

Let me know how you feel about the things I post . . . not that I'll listen but it is always good to know how you're really feeling!

Tonight's recipe will be for Vodka Rigatoni . . . so stay tuned around dinner time and let the blogging begin (again!).