Andyboy Cooks!

Pasta with Lemon Cream and Prosciutto

 

This is a nice and simple pasta dish that you can eat for dinner at home or serve to company. The presentation of the draped prosciutto is really something else. If you look through the ingredients there may be one that jumps out as a little peculiar: mint. Trust me... it works. Many people who haven't cooked with mint before assume that the sweetness that is often associated with it (candy, for example) is a natural part of the herb, and it isn't. It's the same thing with chocolate. Chocolate isn't sweet, but it becomes sweet when you add a boatload of sugar to it. The mint here is terrific and will have your guests scratching there heads (which is aways a good thing). The recipe came from Epicurious (but I think it may have come from Giada DeLaurentis first). One last note - I used fresh fettucini insteat of penne. :)

Pasta with Lemon Cream and Prosciutto

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 large shallots, minced
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
12 ounces penne pasta

12 thin slices prosciutto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Simmer over medium-high heat until mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Add cream, lemon peel, orange peel, and cayenne. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Add peas; simmer just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint and lemon juice. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. Toss pasta with sauce to coat.

Divide pasta among plates or bowls. Drape prosciutto slices atop pasta and serve, passing Parmesan separately.

Makes 4 servings.

The Top Chef Challenge results!

Here are the (belated) results of the Top Chef Challenge. Below are pics and thoughts from the participants!

AntB

First of all, I didn't follow the rules. 

I didn't feel like buying a bottle of port wine or gorgonzola cheese.  We were going to make a pie with feta later in the week so I used the stinky goat cheese.  I used a 3 dollar bottle of shiraz as my port substitute.  I didn't buy any beets and almost used the canned ones in my pantry - but figured the vinegar they were soaked in would mess with the sauce.  I also almost didn't buy the shitakes because they were sooo expensive, but found them by the pound and only got what I needed.  I also don't own a food processor and had to use my blender which creates another unique problem.  Nothing that can't be overcome though.

I suppose you can call my version the traditional white trash version.

My reduction sauce was more like cheap shiraz with nice herbs.  It was fun to make though and really pretty by the time I added the butter.  Oh, I didn't add a half a pound of butter either nor did I mount it.  Only about 2tbs and I threw it in.  I'm not sure what "mount" means in the cooking world, but in mine it doesn't involve butter.  Well, it could but not in this case.........

I also made herb roasted potatoes for the potatoes.  I don't have a top smoker in my stove unless something falls on the bottom and catches on fire.  I'm working with a Holiday model with a busted seal that causes my knobs to melt when it's on too long.

The steaks turned out well.  Mike said it was the best steak he'd had and then took it back to say "the best steak I've had at the house."  I wasn't sure what crusting was so I just patted the steaks with the mushroom mix before broiling.

All in all, it was good although I forgot to cook something green.  I was too wrapped up in everything else I suppose.

Phat Jimmy

Well, here it is. I think it probably would be better with the reduction, but I've never made one and the 3 quarts of port threw me for a loop.

Great idea, lots of fun. Never made anything like that. Excited for the next one and to see everyone elses.

 

Andyboy

When I picked this I kind of ripped through the recipe pretty quickly and I wish I had read it a little more carefully. It turns out that it is exactly what I didn't want to do in that it's expensive and very difficult. My bad - sorry gang.

The first thing I did was rewrite the recipe so that it could be made for two, not eight. That brought the amount of port down to about a half a bottle, or five bucks worth. Not bad. I decided to make the gorgonzola/mushroom crust in advance and then the port sauce, and when all of that was ready I fired up the potatoes and the steaks. Again, I missed that "smoker" nonsense for the potatoes so it was olive oil, salt and pepper and into the oven with them. Nice and simple. The steaks cooked up in the pan well; I think I may actually prefer that to grilling because it's easier to control the temperature so you can get the exact amount of doneness that you want. Also you can use the fond at the bottom to make a sauce (which I didn't need to here because I already had one).

Let me say that the whole meal was unbelievable. The sauce was ridiculous with all the different layers of flavour. Mine turned out to be very sweet, almost syrup-like, which I'm still not sure was supposed to be the case. I may have overcooked it a little bit. Regardless, it was incredible, and I may make it again for my lovely sister who is down here on vacation.

Thanks everybody who joined in and I'll be doing another challenge soon, although not a Top Chef challenge. The next will be selecting a basic recipe (ie. lasagna, pizza) and having everyone "get creative" with it.

AB

Vegetarian Chili

  

 

To be perfectly honest, this isn't really a vegetarian chili. At least I don't think it is. This is a modified vegetable stew that I've been making for a few years now. In that stew I use a bit of cumin, and this time out I found myself adding more, and then a little bit more, and then a few more pinches of cayenne, and finally some chili powder, and all of a sudden I had chili. I was really pleased with the result. It manages to have all of the depth of a well made chili without all of the weight (and fat) of ground beef. Don't get me wrong - I love a good hearty meat chili as much as anybody, but this is a nice change of pace.

Bear in mind that this really was the product of "adding a bit of this and a pinch of that" so the ingredient amounts are estimates. They should be pretty close though. Remember to season to YOUR taste. What might seem hot to me may be mild for you, and so on. Hope you like it!

Vegetarian Chili

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large russet potato (diced)
2 cans corn (drained)
2 cans black beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
3 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
1 cup chopped Italian parsley (chopped)
1 package frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
S&P to taste

 

 

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the stock, tomatoes, corn, black beans, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat up to high and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for twenty minutes. Add the spinach (broken up) and Italian parsley and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

 

I've never made a pot roast before and I was very keen and a little nervous to try it out. The flavour was unbelievable, let me just say that. The richness created by the red wine, Dijon mustard and tomato paste is just wonderful. The most important thing I noticed was that a really lean cut of meat is needed for this. I used a four pound chuck roast which was tender but had a good deal of fat on it. By the end of the four hour cooking process there was a TON of rendered fat. Waaaay too much. With the olive oil used to sear the beef and cook the veggies you really shouldn't need much fat on the cut, if any at all. The other thing is that because this is such a rich dish, it should be served with some kind of acid to help cut through it and help clean the palette between bites. A nice salad with a simple vinaigrette would have really complimented this dish. I will definitely add that next time.

If you choose to make a gravy with the remaining fond and juices, make sure you drain plenty of the fat leaving only a few tablespoons. With the gravy I made, I found myself adding more of the tomatoe paste, the Dijon and the red wine to bring out the flavours and I'm really glad I did - it was really bland without it. I got the recipe from Cooking Closet and it really is a winner.

Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
3-5 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
4 carrots (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
8 "new" potatoes (cut in half)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large oven proof pan.
2. Add the beef and brown on all sides and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the same pan.
4. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan.
7. Add the beef broth, thyme, tomato paste, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
8. Add the roast, cover and cook in a preheated 325F oven until fork tender, about 3-5 hours.
9. Add the carrots and potatoes during the last 20 minutes of cooking.


Makes 8+ servings depending on the size of the roast

 

This is a terrific recipe that covers the three most important cooking criteria for me: delicious, easy, affordable. All recipes need to be delicious of course, and I'm more than happy to try something complex, or spend a little bit of green on some higher priced ingredients (usually seafood). But let's be honest here. We all want to know at least a few really tasty recipes that we can whip up on the fly, especially after a long day when you may barely want to be in the kitchen at all. Now, granted, sun-dried tomatoes and goat's cheese aren't the cheapest things around, but you can dry your own tomatoes in the oven for a cheaper alternative (more on that later) and you can easily substitute a healthy portion of freshly grated Parm. Reggiano for the goat's cheese. The flavours from the white wine and tomato paste really pop here and it's a good enough dish with which to entertain. Don't skimp on the parsley - it's a critical ingredient here. And as for the choice of wine, don't skimp either. You should always cook with a wine that you would drink. When it comes to tomato based sauces that call for white wine I generally use a Pinot Grigio, but you can go with whatever you like (maybe not chardonnay). The recipe comes from Giada DiLaurnetis and it's well worth your time. The whole thing takes about a half hour. Oh... one last thing. I used spaghetti here instead of the Angel Hair pasta because that's what I had on hand. Bon Appetito!

Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese and parsley and stir. Mound the pasta into bowls and serve.

     

I'm not sure if this constitutes a stir-fry (I imagine it doesn't) but I'm calling it that as that's the name I've always used. I always find that I have leftover proteins and veggies in the fridge and this is a great way to use them up (leftovers seem to be a bit of a theme this month, but I digress). This is something I whip up when I have those things as well as some left over rice. This isn't a formal recipe so bear with me here. Essentially I heat up about a tablespoon of canola oil (olive will do if that's what you have on hand) or if you have it about a half a tablespoon of sesame oil with about two tablespoons of soy sauce - low sodium, people... always control your salt in recipes. When that heats up throw in a pinch of ginger powder, a pinch of cayenne and a couple of grinds of pepper. After that throw in your chopped leftover veggies and protein (chicken and pork work wonderfully) and heat them through with the occasional stir for about two minutes. Lastly throw in your cooked rice. I use about a cup of cooked rice, a cup of protein and two cups of veggies. Stir everything through until it all appears coated. You may feel the need to add some more soy sauce if it seems a little dry - go right ahead. I do it all the time.

Now here's a little catch. If you like your stir-fry a little on the wet side, go ahead and take it out about three minutes after you've added the rice. If you're like me and you like your stir-frys (fries?) sticky, keep cooking until there is no liquid left in the pan and everything really starts to hold together. Feel free to eyeball all of this - it's not rocket science. Just tinker with it until you have it the way you like it. If you want to sweeten it up a little bit add a teaspoon of honey. If you want to make it a little richer mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Or add both (I just didn't do that this time because I started a fitness program and I'm watching my intake). And that's basically it folks. As always, feel free to add you thoughts or questions to the comments section.

Serves 2-4

AB

Pot Roast

 

I've never made a pot roast before and I was very keen and a little nervous to try it out. The flavour was unbelievable, let me just say that. The richness created by the red wine, Dijon mustard and tomato paste is just wonderful. The most important thing I noticed was that a really lean cut of meat is needed for this. I used a four pound chuck roast which was tender but had a good deal of fat on it. By the end of the four hour cooking process there was a TON of rendered fat. Waaaay too much. With the olive oil used to sear the beef and cook the veggies you really shouldn't need much fat on the cut, if any at all. The other thing is that because this is such a rich dish, it should be served with some kind of acid to help cut through it and help clean the palette between bites. A nice salad with a simple vinaigrette would have really complimented this dish. I will definitely add that next time.

If you choose to make a gravy with the remaining fond and juices, make sure you drain plenty of the fat leaving only a few tablespoons. With the gravy I made, I found myself adding more of the tomatoe paste, the Dijon and the red wine to bring out the flavours and I'm really glad I did - it was really bland without it. I got the recipe from Cooking Closet and it really is a winner.

Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
3-5 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
4 carrots (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
8 "new" potatoes (cut in half)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large oven proof pan.
2. Add the beef and brown on all sides and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in the same pan.
4. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan.
7. Add the beef broth, thyme, tomato paste, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
8. Add the roast, cover and cook in a preheated 325F oven until fork tender, about 3-5 hours.
9. Add the carrots and potatoes during the last 20 minutes of cooking.


Makes 8+ servings depending on the size of the roast

Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

 

This is a terrific recipe that covers the three most important cooking criteria for me: delicious, easy, affordable. All recipes need to be delicious of course, and I'm more than happy to try something complex, or spend a little bit of green on some higher priced ingredients (usually seafood). But let's be honest here. We all want to know at least a few really tasty recipes that we can whip up on the fly, especially after a long day when you may barely want to be in the kitchen at all. Now, granted, sun-dried tomatoes and goat's cheese aren't the cheapest things around, but you can dry your own tomatoes in the oven for a cheaper alternative (more on that later) and you can easily substitute a healthy portion of freshly grated Parm. Reggiano for the goat's cheese. The flavours from the white wine and tomato paste really pop here and it's a good enough dish with which to entertain. Don't skimp on the parsley - it's a critical ingredient here. And as for the choice of wine, don't skimp either. You should always cook with a wine that you would drink. When it comes to tomato based sauces that call for white wine I generally use a Pinot Grigio, but you can go with whatever you like (maybe not chardonnay). The recipe comes from Giada DiLaurnetis and it's well worth your time. The whole thing takes about a half hour. Oh... one last thing. I used spaghetti here instead of the Angel Hair pasta because that's what I had on hand. Bon Appetito!

Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese and parsley and stir. Mound the pasta into bowls and serve.

Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry (ish)

     

I'm not sure if this constitutes a stir-fry (I imagine it doesn't) but I'm calling it that as that's the name I've always used. I always find that I have leftover proteins and veggies in the fridge and this is a great way to use them up (leftovers seem to be a bit of a theme this month, but I digress). This is something I whip up when I have those things as well as some left over rice. This isn't a formal recipe so bear with me here. Essentially I heat up about a tablespoon of canola oil (olive will do if that's what you have on hand) or if you have it about a half a tablespoon of sesame oil with about two tablespoons of soy sauce - low sodium, people... always control your salt in recipes. When that heats up throw in a pinch of ginger powder, a pinch of cayenne and a couple of grinds of pepper. After that throw in your chopped leftover veggies and protein (chicken and pork work wonderfully) and heat them through with the occasional stir for about two minutes. Lastly throw in your cooked rice. I use about a cup of cooked rice, a cup of protein and two cups of veggies. Stir everything through until it all appears coated. You may feel the need to add some more soy sauce if it seems a little dry - go right ahead. I do it all the time.

Now here's a little catch. If you like your stir-fry a little on the wet side, go ahead and take it out about three minutes after you've added the rice. If you're like me and you like your stir-frys (fries?) sticky, keep cooking until there is no liquid left in the pan and everything really starts to hold together. Feel free to eyeball all of this - it's not rocket science. Just tinker with it until you have it the way you like it. If you want to sweeten it up a little bit add a teaspoon of honey. If you want to make it a little richer mix in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Or add both (I just didn't do that this time because I started a fitness program and I'm watching my intake). And that's basically it folks. As always, feel free to add you thoughts or questions to the comments section.

Serves 2-4

AB