FOUND IT: In Rachael Ray's Magazine.
I had been considering modifying my stove top recipe to use manchego and chorizo, but then I found this recipe so I didn't have to. Feel free to substitute in any veggies you like, just chop them small because they don't have much time to cook. I've already used spinach, peas, carrots, corn and asparagus.
Ingredients:
1 lb cavatappi, or any small cut pasta, really.
1/2 raw chorizo (or, grill a bunch of chorizo the night before and save a couple to chop up and use the next day)
3 tbsp butter
2 shallots, chopped (I use half of a small onion)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups (or more) shredded manchego cheese
2 cups frozen peas (or any vegetable that you can chop small, really)
Cook pasta to al dente in salted water, drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, remove the casings from the chorizo, and brown them in a skillet. roughly 2-3 minutes or until done. Remove from heat and allow to drain on a paper towel.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a skillet with high sides. Add the shallots (or onions) and garlic and cook until tender, roughly 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, then the sherry, then the stock, then the milk. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. It shouldn't be like paste, but it should be thicker than it is when you start.
Salt and pepper this mixture, and add the vegetables and the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted, then add the pasta. Serve with the chorizo as a garnish.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Easy Chicken Parmesan
FOUND IT: In a magazine from Kraft
I've tried making Chicken Parm in several different ways, and never really done it well. This one is so easy that it's probably cheating, but it's better than any of my previous attempts.
Ingredients:
3 cups rotini pasta (I had penne on hand, so I used that.)
Ten Ritz Reduced Fat crackers, crushed (I used about half a tube in the food processor.)
3 tbsp grated parmesan, plus some to top it off
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 egg white (I used the whole egg)
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I bought 3 big ones and made them into six thin ones)
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
At least 1 cup of shredded mozzerella cheese
Heat a large skillet (but pick one you can cover) on medium-high heat and add a couple of turns of oil. Crush the crackers, and combine the crumbs with the grated parmesan and oregano in one bowl. Beat the egg in another. Dip chicken in the egg, then the crumbs, coating the chicken in crumbs. Once your chicken breasts are coated, cook them in a single layer in the skillet, turning once. It'll take 3-4 minutes per side.
While they're cooking, boil the pasta, strain it and set it aside. Once the chicken is cooked through, add a cup of the sauce, spreading evenly, then put the mozzerella and parmesan cheeses on top and cover the skillet, simmering on low heat until the cheese is melted. Toss the pasta with the remaining sauce, and serve the two together.
I've tried making Chicken Parm in several different ways, and never really done it well. This one is so easy that it's probably cheating, but it's better than any of my previous attempts.
Ingredients:
3 cups rotini pasta (I had penne on hand, so I used that.)
Ten Ritz Reduced Fat crackers, crushed (I used about half a tube in the food processor.)
3 tbsp grated parmesan, plus some to top it off
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 egg white (I used the whole egg)
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I bought 3 big ones and made them into six thin ones)
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
At least 1 cup of shredded mozzerella cheese
Heat a large skillet (but pick one you can cover) on medium-high heat and add a couple of turns of oil. Crush the crackers, and combine the crumbs with the grated parmesan and oregano in one bowl. Beat the egg in another. Dip chicken in the egg, then the crumbs, coating the chicken in crumbs. Once your chicken breasts are coated, cook them in a single layer in the skillet, turning once. It'll take 3-4 minutes per side.
While they're cooking, boil the pasta, strain it and set it aside. Once the chicken is cooked through, add a cup of the sauce, spreading evenly, then put the mozzerella and parmesan cheeses on top and cover the skillet, simmering on low heat until the cheese is melted. Toss the pasta with the remaining sauce, and serve the two together.
Asparagus Tempura
Found it: In Everyday with Rachael Ray
This is an interesting new way to serve asparagus, and I'm always interested in new ways to serve vegetables. It's a little plain, but you could probably fix that by adding more spices to the batter or adding spices to the finished product. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing you could also replace the seltzer water in the batter with beer for beer battering.
Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus
4 cups vegetable oil (just use enough to get about an inch/two inches in the bottom of the kettle you're using, or use a deep fryer if you have one)
For Batter:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup seltzer water, room temperature
For dipping sauce:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
Heat the oil in a large saucepan for several minutes on high, then turn it down to medium-high to maintain temperature of about 375 degrees. Combine all batter ingredients to form a sticky batter. Dip asparagus into batter one at a time and place in the oil. Cook the asparagus in 3-4 batches, each of which will take around 2 minutes. You can keep earlier batches warm in a 200 degree oven if needed. They're done when they're golden brown. Serve hot.
Combine the four sauce ingredients to make a dipping sauce.
This is an interesting new way to serve asparagus, and I'm always interested in new ways to serve vegetables. It's a little plain, but you could probably fix that by adding more spices to the batter or adding spices to the finished product. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm guessing you could also replace the seltzer water in the batter with beer for beer battering.
Ingredients:
1 lb asparagus
4 cups vegetable oil (just use enough to get about an inch/two inches in the bottom of the kettle you're using, or use a deep fryer if you have one)
For Batter:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup seltzer water, room temperature
For dipping sauce:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
Heat the oil in a large saucepan for several minutes on high, then turn it down to medium-high to maintain temperature of about 375 degrees. Combine all batter ingredients to form a sticky batter. Dip asparagus into batter one at a time and place in the oil. Cook the asparagus in 3-4 batches, each of which will take around 2 minutes. You can keep earlier batches warm in a 200 degree oven if needed. They're done when they're golden brown. Serve hot.
Combine the four sauce ingredients to make a dipping sauce.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Oatmeal Raspberry Bar Cookies
FOUND IT: On Cooks.com
I was recently given some raspberries from the first picking of the season, then needed a recipe to make some kind of dessert for a barbecue. This one was pretty easy and not bad.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, soft
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. fruit only seedless raspberry jam (I used a cup of fresh raspberries in the food processor, and didn't remove the seeds)
Line an 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray or butter. Mix all the ingredients together, except the raspberries. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the fruit to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press it into the jam. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
I was recently given some raspberries from the first picking of the season, then needed a recipe to make some kind of dessert for a barbecue. This one was pretty easy and not bad.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, soft
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. fruit only seedless raspberry jam (I used a cup of fresh raspberries in the food processor, and didn't remove the seeds)
Line an 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray or butter. Mix all the ingredients together, except the raspberries. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the fruit to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and lightly press it into the jam. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 and allow to cool on a wire rack before cutting.
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