2010 January : Weeknight Gourmet

Archive for January, 2010

Slow Cooker Recipes: Red Wine Short Ribs

January 11 2010 | Leave a Comment

I had one last package of short ribs from our half-steer and decided to cook them yesterday in the slow cooker. Tim loved this dish! And, I loved how easy it was to get dinner on the table. I think I prefer the traditional braising method, but you can’t beat how little work this recipe requires — only 5 to 10 minutes in the morning. We had the short ribs with some crusty bread. Mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or pureed cauliflower would be great sides as well.

I need to find some new slow cooker recipes because it is so nice to have dinner ready and waiting for you in the evening!

Slow-Cooker Red Wine Short Ribs
Real Simple

2 medium onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in half crosswise
2 small parsnips, peeled and cut in quarters crosswise
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
1 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut in half lengthwise
1 small bunch sage
5 pounds short ribs
kosher salt and pepper
1 bottle red wine
1 loaf crusty bread

In the bowl of a slow cooker, combine the onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, tomatoes, and sage.

Season the short ribs with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and nestle them among the vegetables. Add the wine. Set the slow cooker to high and cook until the meat is tender and falls from the bones, 8-9 hours.

Using a large spoon, skim off the excess fat and discard. Divide the ribs and vegetables among individual bowls and spoon the sauce over the top.

Serve with the crusty bread.

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Categories : Beef, One-pot meal, Slow Cooker

Scampi Fra Diavolo with Orzo

January 10 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here’s a very tasty and easy shrimp dish. The recipe is basically a spicy version of shrimp scampi. It’s very simple and fresh tasting.

I didn’t make any changes to the dish other than adding some freshly grated pecorino romano to the panko mixture. Serve the dish over your favorite pasta or some crusty bread. I served it over orzo on Saturday night. Yum!

Scampi Fra Diavolo
Bon Appetit

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
1 1/4 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left intact
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2/3 cup dry white wine (preferably Sauvignon Blanc)
Lemon wedges

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; mix in 2 tablespoons parsley. Wipe out skillet.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in same skillet over high heat. Add red onion and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté until barely opaque in center, about 1 minute per side. Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining 6 tablespoons parsley. Transfer to shallow bowl. Sprinkle sautéed panko over and serve with lemon wedges.

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Categories : Fish, Pasta

Healthy Dinners: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard & Pecorino Cheese

January 7 2010 | Leave a Comment

Here is a healthy, vegetarian dinner option for those of you trying to keep to your New Year’s resolutions.

I was a little skeptical of this recipe but then I read the reviews on the Food Network site and they were all raves! The sauce really comes together beautifully. There is a great blend of flavors from the chard, tomatoes, olives, and pecorino. I used a combo of red and green chard and bought a wedge of nice pecorino which I grated myself.

The pasta was delicious and quite healthy with the whole wheat spaghetti and plethora of leafy greens. I’ll be making this dish again!

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Pecorino Cheese
Giada de Laurentiis

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 14 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Sprinkle the olives, cheese, and pine nuts and serve.

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Categories : Pasta, Vegetarian entree

Charlotte's Boursin Roasted Chicken

January 5 2010 | Leave a Comment

I can’t believe this chicken recipe didn’t make it to the blog in 2009! Both Tim and I love it and I have made it for a number of dinner guests who all seem to have enjoyed it as well.

The recipe is great because it only requires a whole chicken and two packages of Boursin cheese. How easy is that! The cheese imparts amazing flavor to the chicken and produces a very tasty sauce for the chicken and the pureed cauliflower I typically serve as a side.

The store was out of the traditional Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin so I bought the Shallot & Chive Boursin. The chicken was just as delicious with this flavor of Boursin!

Despite the somewhat ugly photo below, I am sure this chicken recipe will become a staple in your kitchen once you try it!

Charlotte’s Boursin Roasted Chicken
Emeril Lagasse

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) whole chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (5.2-ounce) packages garlic and fines herbs flavor cheese spread (recommended: Boursin)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or shallow casserole dish with the oil.

Rinse the chicken well under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken well, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the prepared roasting pan and place 1 whole block of cheese inside the cavity of the chicken. Cut the remaining block of cheese into fourths and pat 1/4 of the cheese spread over the breast portion of the chicken. Allow the remaining 3/4 of the block of cheese to sit out at room temperature while the chicken is roasting.

Place the roasting pan in the center of the oven. After about 10 minutes, once the cheese has softened and begun to melt on the top of the chicken, remove the pan from the oven, and using the back of a spoon, spread the Boursin all over the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on top.

Remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken over so the back is now facing up. A small amount of cheese will probably begin to ooze out of the chicken cavity at this point, so take a bit of it and spread it all over the back side of the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the back side of the chicken is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven one more time. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and turn the chicken over again, so the breast is once again facing up. Continue to cook until the chicken is done, 20 to 30 more minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife at one thigh joint and making sure that the juices run clear.

Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Set aside, loosely covered with aluminum foil. Carefully remove and discard as much rendered fat from the roasting pan as possible. Add 1/2 cup hot water and the remaining cheese to the roasting pan. Remove any remaining melted cheese from the cavity of the chicken and add to the roasting pan.

Carve the chicken into serving pieces, allowing the juices from the chicken to run onto the platter. Add the juices to the roasting pan and mix well with the Boursin, drippings, and water. Serve the sauce spooned over the carved chicken.

Serves 4.

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Categories : Poultry

Beefy Meat Sauce with Broken Lasagna

January 4 2010 | Leave a Comment

We are slowly but surely working our way through the ground beef in our freezer.

I decided to make an all ground beef meat sauce on Sunday night. But after our long drive home from the Berkshires, I needed a sauce that would be ready in an hour and that didn’t require both ground beef and ground pork (which many bolognese sauces do).

After reviewing a number of recipes, I came up with the recipe below. I thought broken lasagna noodles would be a fun change of pace. The sauce was very tasty and I really enjoyed the chunks of carrot and celery (apparently I didn’t chop them finely enough).

I am excited to eat some of the leftover sauce on Tuesday night when Tim is away on business!

Beefy Meat Sauce with Broken Lasagna
Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound ground beef
1/4 cup red wine
1 28 ounce can peeled whole tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Red pepper flakes to taste
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 box lasagna noodles (not no-boil noodles)

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add carrots, celery, garlic and onion; cook for 2 minutes.

Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine; season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.

Cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, break the lasagna sheets into pieces, bring pot of salted water to boil. Cook lasagna pieces to desired doneness.

Serve sauce over pasta. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

2 Comments

Categories : Beef, Pasta

Weeknight Gourmet: The Cookbook!

January 3 2010 | Leave a Comment

As a Christmas gift for our family and a few friends, I printed Weeknight Gourmet cookbooks featuring my favorite 70 or so recipes from 2009.

Pulling the book together was a fun way to reflect on my year of cooking and blogging and the recipients genuinely seemed excited about the end-product. Hopefully, I will make the cookbook an annual tradition!

If you are interested in buying a cookbook, please email me at jessica.ogilvie [at] gmail.com. Each book costs $19.95 + shipping to print.

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Categories : Weeknight Favorites

Winter Side Dish: Pureed Cauliflower

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Pureed cauliflower is one of my favorite winter side dishes. It is a great accompaniment to many comfort foods – stews, roast chicken, meatloaf — and is far less caloric and full of carbohydrates than mashed potatoes.

Here is recipe I have concocted. If you’d like, change it up by substituting a different type of cheese for the parmesan.

Pureed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Place the cauliflower florets in a sauce pan with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover for 15 – 20 minutes. Cauliflower is done when it is very easily pierced by a fork.

Drain cauliflower and place in food processor with remaining ingredients. Process the mixture until smooth.

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Categories : Side dishes - vegetables

Sunday Morning Breakfast: French Toast

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Since it is our last morning in Becket after a wonderful week, I decided to make a special breakfast. Pregnancy has definitely brought out my sweet tooth so I thought french toast would be a delicious way to start our Sunday!

I had a loaf of cinnamon bread so for some extra flavor I decided to use that instead of boring old white bread.

I used the Barefoot Contessa’s Challah French Toast recipe as a guide. I think the honey and orange zest add a wonderful something extra to this french toast recipe. I served the french toast with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and delicious local maple syrup and a few slices of bacon.

Lately I have been baking bacon because it is a much less messy preparation. I just place the bacon on a baking sheet lined with foil and baked at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on how you like your bacon).

Overall the breakfast was a delicious start to our snowy Sunday and should provide the sustenance we need to drive back to NYC.

French Toast
10 to 12 slices

6 extra-large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Unsalted butter
Vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Dip the cinnamon bread mixture in the egg mixture as possible for 2 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven.

Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding more butter and oil as needed.

Serve hot with maple syrup and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

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Categories : Breads, Brunch

Simple Spinach Salad

January 2 2010 | Leave a Comment

Happy New Year!

The first post of the year is a quick one. Last night, I made this simple spinach salad. The recipe reminds me of my mom’s spinach salad which I have always loved! I used baby spinach because that’s what we had but I am sure it would be delicious with curly spinach. Substitute red onion if you don’t have shallots.

Enjoy!

Spinach Salad
Gourmet

* 6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise (3/4 cup)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 6 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
* Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 lb curly spinach (about 20 cups), coarse stems discarded
* 4 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped

print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation

Cook bacon in a 12-inch skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add shallots and oil to bacon fat in skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and add vinegar, stirring and scraping up any brown bits.

Stir in salt and pepper and immediately pour dressing over spinach, tossing to coat. Serve sprinkled with egg and bacon.

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Categories : Salads

Archive for January, 2010

Slow Cooker Recipes: Red Wine Short Ribs

Scampi Fra Diavolo with Orzo

Healthy Dinners: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard & Pecorino Cheese

Charlotte's Boursin Roasted Chicken

Beefy Meat Sauce with Broken Lasagna

Weeknight Gourmet: The Cookbook!

Winter Side Dish: Pureed Cauliflower

Sunday Morning Breakfast: French Toast

Simple Spinach Salad

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