Tasty Tuesday

"I can't stand people that do not take food seriously."
-Oscar Wilde

Hello! I do not know if it is because I am Italian and grew up in a large Italian family, but my favorite food is Italian. My favorite Italian dish is braciola! Serve it with some polenta or pasta and a vegetable and you have a complete meal. Below is a recipe for braciola that I adapted to suit my tastes - Enjoy!

"I hate the man who eats without knowing what he's eating. I doubt his taste in more important things."
-Charles Lamb

Beef Braciola

Ingredients:

* 2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
* 2/3 cup Italian parsley, stemmed & minced
* 2 large eggs
* 2 Tbsp Pecorino-Romano cheese, shredded
* 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
* 4 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
* Sea Salt and freshly grated pepper
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 8 top round beef cutlets (about 2 Lbs.)
* Pan Searing Flour
* 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
* 6 cups tomato sauce

Equipment Needed:

* Large bowl
* Waxed paper
* String
* Braising pan (oven safe)
* Thermometer

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Prepare filling:
a.) Put ground beef in a large bowl.
b.) Add garlic, parsley, eggs, cheese, bread crumbs, pine nuts, salt & pepper.
c.) Mix well with hands until well-blended.
3.) Line work surface with waxed paper.
4.) Lay cutlets flat on waxed paper.
5.) Place about 1/3 cup filling on lower 1/3 of cutlet.
6.) Roll up cutlets and secure with string on either end.
7.) Season beef rolls with salt and pepper.
8.) Dust beef rolls lightly with pan-searing flour.
9.) Heat olive oil in large braising pan on med-high, until oil faintly smokes.
10.) Add beef rolls, seam-side down, to pan.
11.) Turn rolls when color changes 1/4 way up & seared side is light brown.
12.) Sear other side about 2 min, until brown.
13.) Remove from pan.
14.) Remove excess drippings from pan, leaving about 1 Tbsp in pan.
15.) Lower heat to medium & add wine.
16.) Stir to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.
17.) Add tomato sauce & stir well to combine.
18.) Return meat to pan.
19.) Bring liquid to a simmer (180°).
20.) Cover & place pan in oven.
21.) Braise about 2 hours, until meat is very tender.

"The cuisine of a country is the only exact attestation of its civilization."
-Anonymous

Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Temptation Thursday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"For each petal on the shamrock... this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness, for today and every day."
-Author Unknown

I am not a big corned beef and cabbage fan, so I decided NOT to share a recipe for that. Instead, I thought I would give you a recipe with a main ingredient that can be substituted with left over corned beef. Enjoy!

"Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck."
-Author Unknown


Brisket Hash

Ingredients:

* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
* 3 cups Idaho potatoes, peeled, very finely chopped
* 1/2 cup carrots, peeled, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup sweet onion, peeled, finely chopped
* 3 cups beef brisket cooked & finely chopped
* 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Your favorite toast

Equipment Needed:

* Large Ovenproof skillet

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Heat skillet on medium high.
3.) Add oil and swirl to coat.
4.) Stir in garlic and potatoes, cook 3 min, until lightly browned.
5.) Add carrots, celery, and onion, cook 3 min.
6.) Mix in brisket and tabasco; cook, without stirring 5 min.
7.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8.) Place skillet in oven and bake 10 min, until lightly browned.
9.) Serve with toast.

"May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night."
-Irish Blessing


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Mangia Monday!

Hello! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend, and wish you well for the upcoming week! I am sharing a few recipes today that will make a great family meal - Enjoy!

Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.
-Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses


Home-Style Pot Roast



Serves: 6

Ingredients:

* 3 yellow onions
* 1 beef chuck roast, (about 2 1/2 lb.)
* 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
* 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 Tbs. canola oil
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 tsp. sweet paprika
* 1 1/2 cups beef broth
* 1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
* 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

Equipment Needed: Dutch Oven

Directions:

1.) Slice the onions into 4 pieces, then Set aside.
2.) Season the chuck roast with the salt and pepper.
3.) Spread the flour on a plate. Coat the roast with the flour, shaking off the excess.
4.) In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the oil.
5.) Add the roast and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides.
6.) Transfer to a plate.
7.) Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat.
8.) Add the onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. minutes.
9.) Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
10.) Stir in the stock, tomatoes and the 2 Tbs. of parsley.
11.) Return the beef to the pot, nestling it in the onions.
12.) Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low.
13.) Cover and simmer until the beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
14.) Transfer the pot roast to a deep serving platter.
15.) Season the onion mixture with salt and pepper.
16.) Skim off any fat from the surface.
17.) Spoon the onion mixture around the roast and garnish with parsley.
18.) Serve immediately.



Garlic Mashed Potatoes



Serves: 10

Ingredients:

* 4 lb. small Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on/left whole
* Salt
* 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 3/4 cups half-and-half, warmed
* 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
* 4 Tbs. garlic (crushed into a paste)
* Freshly ground pepper, to taste
* Chives, finely chopped

Equipment needed: Potato Ricer

Directions:

1.) Place potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches.
2.) Generously salt the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3.) Reduce heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender.
4.) Drain well in a colander.
5.) Set a potato ricer over a large bowl and pass the potatoes through in batches.
6.) Add butter, 1 1/4 cups of the half&half and the sour cream and stir until smooth.
7.) Add more half-and-half until the desired consistency is reached.
8.) Stir in the garlic paste, and pepper to taste.
9.) Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and garnish with chives.
10.) Serve immediately.

(Potatoes boiled whole in their skins absorb less water and produce lighter, fluffier mashed potatoes)


Have a great day!

Until Tomorrow: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Temptation Thursday

Hello and Welcome!

Today I am going to tempt you with the menu I have settled on for Christmas!
I will be having sixteen guests over for dinner Christmas, so I needed a menu
that was not only delicious, but simple!


May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!
-Author Unknown



Roast Beef Tenderloin in Red Wine Sauce

Serves: 8

*1 Trimmed & Tied Beef Tenderloin (about 4 lbs)
*2 Tbsp Basting Oil
*4 Tbsp mince garlic
* salt and pepper (to taste)
*1 Cup red wine
*2 Cartons (11 oz each) Beef Culinary Gravy

You'll Need: Small Open Roaster
Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1. Place meat in roasting pan; rub with basting oil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
2. Sear on center rack of oven 15 min; reduce heat to 350 degrees.
3. Roast meat about 15 min per lb, until desired doneness. Check internal temp by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of meat.
4. Transfer meat to clean platter; let rest 10-20 min.
5. Place pan on stove-top on MEDIUM-HIGH; add red wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce liquid by half, 6-7 min. Add gravy; cook, stirring, until warmed through.
6. Slice meat into 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange neatly on plates, top with wine sauce.


Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.
-Author Unknown



Mushroom Risotto

Serves: 8

*2 cartons (32 oz each) Beef Culinary Stock
*3 pkgs (4 oz each) Gourmet Blend Mushrooms
*3 Tbsp Basting Oil
*4 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil
*1 cup sweet onion, diced (1 cup)
*3 cloves Garlic, minced
*2 cups Arborio Rice
*1 cup dry white wine
*2 Tbsp Butter
* Salt and pepper
*4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
*4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) Chives, minced


You'll Need: Baking sheet, braising pan
Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1. Heat stock in saucepan on medium-low; reduce to low. Simmer as you proceed with recipe.
2. Toss mushrooms with basting oil; arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Roast 20 min; remove from oven. Set aside.
3. While mushrooms are roasting, heat olive oil in braising pan on medium. Add onion and garlic, cook 5 min.
4. Add rice to braising pan; stir to coat all grains well with oil. Cook 2 min.
5. Add wine. Cook, stirring 3 min, until wine is reduced by three-fourths.
6. Add 2 cups warm stock to completely cover rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until almost all liquid is absorbed. (Set aside one ladle of stock for adjusting consistency of dish immediately prior to serving.)
7. Add remaining stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly, about 30 min. Add next ladle only after almost all liquid is absorbed (you may not use all the stock).
8. Add roasted mushrooms to pan with last ladle of stock. Cook 1-2 min, stirring constantly, until liquid is almost all absorbed, rice is firm, and mixture is creamy.
9. Add butter; turn off heat. Stir; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese; garnish with chives.




Cider-Glazed Carrots with Pumpkin Seeds

Serves: 8

*2 lbs Organic Carrots, trimmed, peeled
*2 Tbsp Basting Oil
*2 cups Apple Cider
*1 Tbsp Clover Honey
*1 Tbsp Lemon-Dill Finishing Butter
*Salt and pepper to taste
*2 Tbsp organic pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Cut carrots on bias. Place in bowl; drizzle with basting oil. Toss to coat. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet.
2. Roast carrots for 20 min, until tender. Remove from oven; set aside.
3. Make the glaze while carrots roast: Add cider and honey to large skillet on medium-high. Stir to blend; bring to a boil.
4. Cook, stirring about 10 min, until liquid is a syrupy consistency and mixture has reduced by about half.
5. Remove from heat. Add lemon-dill butter; stir to melt and blend.
6. Add carrots; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.


Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.
-Janice Maeditere


Until tomorrow: Go Ahead & Indulge!

Mangia Monday!

Hello!

I have wonderful recipe to share with you today!
It was a HIT with my family!

Buon Appetito!




Slow-Cooked Beef Minestrone

Servings: 14 cups
ACTIVE TIME: 30 min
TOTAL TIME: 5 - 8 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

* 1 pkg (about 1.5 lbs) Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
* Pan Searing Flour
* 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
* 2 cups Cleaned & Cut Soup Vegetables (carrots, celery, squash)
* Salt and pepper
* 32 oz Beef Stock
* 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
* 3 cups Tomato Sauce
* 1/2 cup dry Ditalini Soup Pasta
* 1 can Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 pkg (6 oz) Baby Spinach


You'll Need: 6-8 qt slow cooker, large braising pan.

Directions:

1.) Dust beef with pan-searing flour; pat off excess.

2.) Heat oil in large braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes.

3.) Add beef and sear 10 min until all sides are paper-bag brown.

4.) Transfer beef to slow cooker; don't discard pan drippings.

5.) Add vegetables to pan with beef drippings; season with salt and pepper.

6.) Cook vegetables, stirring, 3 min; add to slow cooker.

7.) Add stock, tomatoes, and sauce to slow cooker.

8.) Cover, cook 4 1/2-6 hours on HIGH or 8-10 hours on LOW.

9.) Add dry pasta & beans 30" before end of cooking on HIGH (45" before on LOW).

10.) Add spinach to slow cooker; stir to blend well. Allow spinach to lightly wilt.

Serve with crusty Italian bread.



Until Tomorrow:

Go Ahead and Indulge!