Month: September 2011

Cavatelli with Chicken & Broccoli

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 18, 2011
No Comments on Cavatelli with Chicken & Broccoli

1 bag (16 oz) frozen cavatelli (short shells) or 12 oz dried (short ripple-edged shells)
8 oz boneless chicken cutlets, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise in 1/2-in. strips
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Sauce:
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
8 oz fresh broccoli florets (1/2 a 1-lb bag)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook as package directs.

Meanwhile put chicken and flour in large plastic food bag. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken evenly. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken; sauté 2 to 3 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate. Reduce heat to low. Heat remaining 3 Tbsp oil in skillet. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in broccoli, broth and crushed pepper (if using). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Drain pasta; return to pot. Add Sauce, chicken and cheese; toss to mix and coat.

Beef Main Dish

Carne Guisada

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds round steak, cut into small cubes

1 cup onion, chopped

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) tomato puree1

teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 package McCormick® Original Country Gravy Mix

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown round steak with onion. Stir in tomato puree, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare gravy according to package directions. Set aside.

When meat mixture is done simmering, stir in cilantro. Slowly stir 1 cup meat sauce into prepared gravy. Pour gravy mixture into meat mixture; stir until well blended.

12 Servings

Asian Main Dish Pasta Seafood

Camp Stove Pad Thai

Asian cuisine involves fast, fresh cooking techniques that can produce bold flavors—perfect for camping. Our dinner menu includes an appetizer of easy grilled satay and a simple Pad Thai, both of which are largely made ahead of time.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/3 cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup tamarind concentrate

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup rinsed bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1 package (14 oz.) dried rice noodles

1 lime

1 pound frozen cooked shelled shrimp or 1 pound firm tofu

AT HOME:

Buy pad Thai sauce, or make your own. Pour vegetable oil in an 8- to 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add shallots and garlic and stir until limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tamarind concentrate (or substitute 1 tablespoon dark molasses and increase lime juice to 1/4 cup), brown sugar, Asian fish sauce, chili powder, and lime juice; cook 1 minute. Let cool; chill airtight up to 1 week.

Seal carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts in separate plastic bags; chill vegetables and cilantro.

Purchase rice noodles, lime, and shrimp (pack frozen) or tofu (cut into 1-in. chunks; seal in a bag and chill).

Pack a large pan; a pasta insert or a strainer; a medium pan for sauce; and tongs for combining noodles and sauce.

IN CAMP:

Halve and slice lime. In a large pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender to bite, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse well in cool water. Return noodles to pan.

In a medium pan over high heat, heat sauce and shrimp or tofu. Add to noodles with carrots, sprouts, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts; mix to coat. Accompany with lime slices.

Chicken Main Dish Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta

3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ cups White Wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Salt To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat. Add remaining olive oil and butter.

When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine. Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Beef Main Dish

Cabbage Rolls

My Mother-in-law Judy’s Recipe

1 head cabbage

1 1/2 pounds ground Beef Top Round

1 red and yellow bell pepper, diced

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup rice, cooked

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 dash black pepper, and red pepper

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

Tomato sauce:

1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon garlic

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper

Pre-boil cabbage outer leaves for about 5 minutes. (steam until stems are tender: Don’t Over cook!)

Cook rice. Mix meat and remaining ingredients together. (like you’d make a meatloaf) Cool cabbage leaves, take a hand full of meat mixture and put into leaf, roll, and place in pan seam down. Repeat for rest of cabbage leaves. Pour tomato sauce over the rolls and cook over medium high heat for about 45 minutes.

8 Servings

Chicken Main Dish

Buffalo Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/4 cup shredded provolone cheese

1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs. Place bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in oil for 7-10 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear, adding wing sauce during the last 2 minutes. Turn to coat chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and cook until cheese is melted.

4 Servings

Casseroles Chicken Main Dish

Bruschetta & Cheese – Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 18, 2011
No Comments on Bruschetta & Cheese – Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 (14 oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 package Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

8 skinless boneless chicken breasts, small

1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesean Salad Dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix. Stir until just moistened. Place 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight zip top bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can (or if you’re Danielle, your fists), until chicken is 1/4″ thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top sides down, on cutting board. Spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place seam sides down in 13×9″ baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F), and cheese is melted.

Variation:

For a South of the border style dish, simply use diced tomatoes with bell or jalapeno peppers, Mexican style shredded cheese, instead of mozzarella cheese, and chopped cilantro instead of basil.

8 Servings

Main Dish Seafood

Blackened Mahi-Mahi

4 Mahi Mahi, fillets

Cajun seasoning, (Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Red Fish Magic)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle butter and seasoning over fish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the fish is opaque.

4 Servings

Main Dish Seafood

Black Sea Bass en Papillote

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 18, 2011
No Comments on Black Sea Bass en Papillote

1 whole head of garlic

1 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 cucumber, seeds removed, sliced on the bias 1/4-inch thick

2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs chopped fresh basil

2 sprigs chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

2 pounds cleaned black sea bass, cut into 4 portions

Roast the garlic in a pre-heated, 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Slice off the top, squeeze out the puree, and blend it with the oil. Place the vegetables in a medium mixing bowl and season with roasted garlic-olive puree, salt, pepper, basil, parsley and lemon juice. Divide the vegetables evenly among four 8 by 8-inch sheets of parchment paper. Season the bass with salt and pepper, place one portion on top of the vegetables and fold the parchment together. Wrap each parchment “package” in an 8 by 8-inch square of aluminum foil and place on the grill. Then grill for 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque. Remove from the heat and allow it to rest for 2 minutes before serving

4 Servings

Chicken Main Dish

Bennigan’s Smothered Chicken

Post author By Sharon
Post date September 18, 2011
No Comments on Bennigan’s Smothered Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon hickory smoke flavor

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

4 to 8 slices provolone cheese

4 slices cooked bacon

For Marinade:

1 teaspoon basil leaves

1 tablespoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons hickory smoke flavoring

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons vinegar

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the basil, garlic, 3 tablespoons smoke, wine, oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Mix together and stir well to blend. This will be the chicken marinade. Transfer the chicken marinade to a medium sized Ziploc or plastic bag. Add the chicken breasts to the bag and seal. Marinate the chicken by shaking the bag to mix and coat the chicken. Allow the chicken to soak and marinate for at least two hours, shaking occasionally.

While chicken is marinating, slice onions and mushrooms and cook the bacon. Saute mushrooms and onions in butter and hickory smoke flavor for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions are transparent but not brown, and mushrooms are tender.

After two hours, remove chicken from marinade, and grill for about 10 minutes. Take care not to overcook chicken. While the chicken is grilling, preheat the oven to a high broil.

After the chicken is done grilling, remove from the grill and place in a shallow baking dish. Cover each breast with a strip of bacon, then provolone cheese, and then some sautéed onions and mushrooms. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling. Serve immediately from oven.

Makes 4 servings.

Oven instructions:

If you don’t have a grill, preheat the oven to broil. Broil the chicken, 5 to 7 inches from the broiler, for about 10 minutes. Watch the chicken to prevent burning. About 6 minutes into broiling, top chicken with bacon strips. Once the chicken and bacon is done, remove from the oven, top with cheese and mushroom/onion mixture. Then broil for 2-3 minutes more. Serve immediately from oven.

4 Servings