Category: Main Dish

Brisket Ragout Over Pasta

As someone who went to Catholic school for most of my life, kosher cooking isn’t exactly something I was exposed to. I have a general understanding of what it means to keep kosher, but I really never took the time to delve into what it really means. I was recently sent a cookbook called The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Cookbook by June Hersh. Not only is it filled with really delicious sounding recipes, but the author took the time to even include a “Kosher 101” in the introduction.

Did you know that giraffes are considered acceptable for human consumption as identified in the Torah? (Sorry, thought that was a fun fact). Animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves are considered acceptable, which includes the more commonly eaten cow and lamb. Bird-wise, it seems a little more lenient. In general, predators or scavenger birds are prohibited but most birds are ok for consumption. Meat is considered kosher when it meets a specific criteria when slaughtered and butchered. Kosher eating also means that meat and dairy cannot be within the same meal, but neutral foods, like oil and eggs, can be used.

Whew. Ok. Now that I’ve completed Kosher 101, I’m ready to try to make a staple of Jewish cooking: brisket, specifically Brisket Ragout over Pasta! At the suggestion of the author, I shredded the brisket and served it in a ragout over pasta.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (2.5-3 lb.) brisket
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  •  2 leeks, cleaned and and sliced
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, drained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 box farfalle pasta, cooked al dente
  • 1 cup panko
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

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Matzo Ball Soup

One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes.

The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.)

 

The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are also present throughout the cookbook and include a few nods to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. (I particularly liked these recipes because, well, what is more comforting that food from the Pennsylvania Dutch?)

 

This cookbook almost reads like a memory book and is filled with wonderful stories, photographs, and obviously recipes. The New Jewish Table would be great for someone who is interested in learning about Jewish traditions through food and those who have grown up with these traditions and are looking for a fresh update to their family favorites.

 

I decided to make the recipe on the cover, called “Not Exactly Aunt Lil’s Matzo Ball Soup.” The recipe is a more polished version of Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Great Aunt’s soup. It has noodles in it, but to make it for Passover, this version below has omitted them. Todd Gray’s spin on this traditional recipe turns a comforting dish into a truly beautiful dish. I altered the dish very slightly, but my version is below. To see the original recipe, be sure to pick up a copy of this cookbook.

This recipe falls into the “meat” category. It is also appropriate for Passover.

 

Ingredients:

Caramelized Shallots:

  • 2 cups chopped shallots
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Matzo Balls:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 1/4 cup club soda
  • 1 cup matzo meal
  • 1/2 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (above)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

  • One 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
  • 1 large yellow onion, quarterd
  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
  • 2 small carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium turnip, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 bunch parsley, washed and blotted dry
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Garnish:

  • 2 cups finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup finely diced turnips
  • 1/2 cup sliced scallions, both green and white parts

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Wild Mushroom Farro Risotto

I’ve made a couple of farro recipes on this blog before and I just love it. If you haven’t tried it yet, I strongly suggest it. I really like it as a substitute for Arborio rice in risotto dishes; farro adds a nice bite to the creamy risotto that I just love.

So I was super excited when Tuscan Fields, a delicious brand of organic farro, gave me and 49 other bloggers the opportunity to not only try their farro, but to create a recipe using the farro in the hopes of winning a scholarship to the Eat Write Retreat conference this year which is being held in my hometown of Philadelphia!

The nutty flavor of farro would be perfect with the earthiness of mushrooms so I decided to make a wild mushroom farro risotto with Tuscan Fields’ Farro Perlato. I added a bit of bacon to really heighten the flavor of the risotto as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Tuscan Fields Farro Perlato
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb assorted wild mushrooms
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Fresh sage and thyme, chopped, for garnish

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Wine and Tomato Braised Chicken Thighs

It’s no secret that I love tomatoes. So when I was contacted to participate in a celebration of Pomi’s 30 year anniversary, I was more than happy to oblige. To celebrate, each month Pomi sends me a Pomi product and an ingredient that should be paired with the product in a recipe.

March’s package came with Chopped Tomatoes and the ingredient of the month was wine, so I loosely used a recipe from Eating Well as a base for a Braised Chicken Thigh recipe with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Onions. (Note: I used my Ninja Cooking System for this recipe but you can use a normal slow cooker as well. I have directions for both below.)

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 container of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs (2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 container sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups uncooked orzo

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Linguine with Spinach Herb Pesto

I love a fresh pesto, it brightens up any dish and just screams spring. I made Fettuccine with Seared Tomatoes, Spinach, and Burrata earlier this week and had some spinach left over. Cooking Light’s latest issue had a recipe for Linguine with Spinach Herb Pesto which uses spinach, basil, oregano, and time to make a creamy pesto sauce. How great does that sound??

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons organic vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (~1/2 a lemon), plus zest from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)
  • 8 ounces uncooked linguine

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Fettuccine with Seared Tomatoes, Spinach, and Burrata

There are few things pasta can’t cure. (I’m not a doctor so don’t hold me to this) Pasta is my ultimate comfort food. Growing up, it was literally the only food my grandma (my mom’s mom) would make for me when I would visit, with the exception of Thanksgiving dinner. If I’m in a bad mood, need a pick me up, or feel a cold coming on, I want pasta. So when Cooking Light’s March issue’s photo was of a beautiful bowl of pasta, I was immediately excited for what deliciousness might be inside. Paging through, the issue didn’t disappoint. I plan on making quite a few of these, so expect a bit of a pasta week coming up! (I’m also about to move so my precious kitchen tools are little by little being packed away.) I naturally had to make the one on the cover first, so here is my take on the Fettuccine with Seared Tomatoes, Spinach and Burrata.

First a little background on Burrata, which means “buttered” in Italian (interest peaked? I thought so). Burrata is basically the best mozzarella cheese ever. Why? Because it is mozzarella cheese with cream. Oh yes. You should be able to find it in the specialty cheese section of your supermarket but if not, mozzarella is obviously a fine substitute (if you can, sub in the mozzarella that is still in a brine to have a super creamy version).

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (I used a mixture of spinach fettuccine and regular)
  • Cooking spray
  • 2/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved (about 10 large)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 3 cups)
  • 4 ounces burrata cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper

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Sesame Salmon with Green Onions and Lemon

I’ve been eating pretty crummy lately, a lot of take out and not a lot of thought about what I am eating. So it’s about time I tried a new salmon recipe. The latest Cooking Light has a recipe for Sesame Salmon that caught my eye. I made a few changes to the recipe (some intentional, some not) but kept the overall gist of the recipe in tact. Salmon is one of my favorite weeknight meals and this one is no different. The recipe takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, great for a busy night.

Ingredients:

  • 4 (6-ounce)  salmon fillets
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups sliced green onions (about 2 bunches)
  • 5 thin lemon slices, halved
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup baby arugula

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Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This may come as a surprise, especially coming from a food blogger, who is about to share a recipe for Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, but I had my first piece of bacon just a few years back. I’ve never been a big fan of pork products to begin with (I was an awfully picky child… sorry mom!) and swore it off all together after a trip to Switzerland where I couldn’t find anything that didn’t have pork/bacon/ham/sausage in it. But a few years ago, I finally started going back to eating pork, starting with bacon. And I’ve never looked back. Although I’m still not fully into pork yet, I have finally incorporated it slightly into my repertoire.

Hatfield Quality Meats contacted me last week to see if I’d be interested in trying some of their products. At first I was a bit wary but this was my chance to finally work with pork products and perhaps even like it! So I thought I’d jump in head first with a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin!

Hatfield’s pork products include bacon, tenderloin (marinated and regular), ham steaks and sausage and can be found at your local grocery store. I was sent a boneless pork loin filet, which has no MSG added and is gluten free, as well as thick cut hardwood smoked bacon, both of which I used in this recipe.

Ingredients (get all ingredients here):

Pork:

  • 1 (2-lb.) pork tenderloin
  • 1 tablespoon steak seasoning (recipe below)
  • 6-8 bacon slices
  • Fresh parsley, for garnish

Steak seasoning:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

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Huevos Rancheros Tacos

There is something so fun about having breakfast for dinner. Not only is it an easy way to whip up a meal with things you probably already have on hand, but it is so nice to have something so familiar and yet out of the ordinary.

Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth (of Love and Olive Oil) have compiled a cookbook filled with breakfast treats with a spin, making them perfect for  dinner. The cookbook, Breakfast for Dinner: Recipes for Fritatta Florentine, Huevos Rancheros, Sunny-Side-Up Burgers, and More! is plain drool-worthy. The photos are fantastic and each recipe sounds better than the last! It has a little bit of everything in its pages, including main dishes, appetizers, and desserts. Each recipe has an inventive twist on a traditional breakfast dish, which made it so difficult to decide which recipe to try first! When I asked my boyfriend to help choose, he responded, “Mmm… can’t we just make every one of them?”

Photo care of Quirk Books

We were finally able to decide on the Huevos Rancheros Tacos because we are big taco fans (I have 7 listed on this blog as of this post) and I loved the idea of turning Huevos Rancheros into delicious dinner!

Ingredients:

Ranchero Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped, plus 1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste

For tacos

  • 1 (15 ounce) can refried black beans
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or oregano

Note: this recipe is reproduced from the Breakfast for Dinner cookbok

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Chicken Fricassee With Tarragon

Cold weather always makes me crave comfort food. I tend to really want pasta (and would be perfectly happy eating it every day that drops below 40 degrees) but am always open to healthier comfort food options. BetterEats.com had a lighter recipe for Chicken Fricassee, which is a French stew with chicken, vegetables, white wine, and cream that when paired with some day old bread makes a fantastic comfort food option.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks) – bone-in, skin removed (I used 1 chicken breast, 1 thigh, 1 leg, and 1 drumstick)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pepper, black – to taste
  • 2 tablespoons flour, all-purpose
  • 1 tablespoon oil, olive, extra virgin
  • 1 cup shallots (about 4 large ones)
  • 1 cup wine, dry white
  • 1 1/2 cups broth, chicken, less sodium
  • 1 medium carrot – peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 pound mushrooms, I used 1/2 lb baby bellas, 1/2 lb button – wiped clean and halved or quartered
  • 4 sprigs tarragon, fresh
  • 4 teaspoons tarragon, fresh – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup sour cream, reduced-fat
  • 2 teaspoons mustard, Dijon

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Chicken Puttanesca with Angel Hair Pasta

I border on having an obsession with seafood. If I could eat it every night I would. (I have over 60 seafood recipes listed on this blog alone!) But I apparently have caused my boyfriend to be “fished out” so I decided to make a chicken dish with another favorite ingredient of his: olives. Pasta Puttanesca normally includes a tomato sauce with olives and capers. This Cooking Light version of Chicken Puttanesca is simplified to make it easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
  • 1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped kalamata olives
  • 1 tablespoon capers
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Chopped fresh basil

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Tri Vegetarian Chili

I made a realization this weekend. Chili is so hearty that I really don’t realize if there is even meat in them. So why add it in?

With a bunch of different beans and peppers, you can still deliver an absolutely delicious chili that doesn’t even need meat! (I’m not knocking those that like meat in their chili, I just apparently prefer the vegetarian version)

Katherine Martinelli had a chili link up last week on her blog and I couldn’t stop thinking about chili. Her Three Bean Chili in particular looked so fantastic, I decided to make my own version of it below. It is based off of her recipe but I did make some changes, so to see the original recipe, check it out here.

This Tri Vegetarian Chili is aptly named. It uses three types of beans, three types of dried peppers, and three types of bell peppers.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried red kidney beans
  • 1 cup dried great northern beans
  • 1 cup dried black turtle beans
  • 2 dried guajillo peppers
  • 2 dried chipotle peppers
  • 2 dried ancho chili peppers
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

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Sweet Orange Salmon with Browned Butter Orange Couscous

After all the pasta, meat, and desserts I’ve had over the past, oh, month, I think it’s about time to switch back to some seafood recipes.

This is actually two different recipes from Cooking Light but I thought they’d be fantastic together. The Sweet Orange Salmon recipe is so easy and quick to make and the Browned-Butter Orange Couscous can be whipped up in no time as well!

Ingredients

Salmon:

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • Cooking spray
  • Orange wedges

 

Couscous:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 cup uncooked couscous
  • 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped orange sections
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Orange wedges

Continue reading Sweet Orange Salmon with Browned Butter Orange Couscous

Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade

I realized I have never posted a recipe for crab cakes.  That is ridiculous! So today’s the day. I found this recipe for Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade in one of my Cooking Light recipes and altered it a bit for what I happened to have in my pantry.

 

Crab cakes:

  • 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup bread crumbs, divided
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Remoulade:

  • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons minced shallots
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon capers, chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon champagne vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

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Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

It’s funny how you can go years, even decades, thinking that you don’t like a certain food only to find you can’t get enough of it when you’re older. Fish tacos is one of those foods for me. They pack a ton of flavor but are a healthier option than other proteins (as long as the fish isn’t fried, that is). I also love how quickly you can cook them up, perfect for a weeknight dinner! Cooking Light always has the best taco recipes so I naturally went in search of a fish taco recipe there. I found this recipe in the myrecipes.com new cookbook: Myrecipes’ America’s Favorite Food Cookbook, which you can win by entering below!

 

 

Ingredients

Crema:

  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime rind  (I just used the zest of one lime)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (I used the juice of one lime)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage (or romaine lettuce)

Continue reading Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema

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