Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

Easy and very tasty.

Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

Swabian Maultaschen

Recipe link for Maultaschen.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli's

From Epicurious

I made fresh spinach pasta to use for the ravioli's. I did the butter and hazelnut thing in this recipe, but liked the tomato sauce over the ravioli's better.

Ingredients

For filling
a 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
3 ounces aged goat cheese, grated (about 2/3)

60 won ton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/3 cup hazelnuts,toasted lightly and skinned and chopped coarse

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. and lightly grease a baking sheet.

Make filling:
Put squash halves, flesh sides down, an baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Cool onion mixture slightly and add to squash. Add goat cheese and stir to combine well.

In a 6-quart kettle bring 5 quarts salted water to a gentle boil for ravioli.

Put 1 won ton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, keeping remaining wrappers in plastic wrap, and mound 1 tablespoon filling in center. Lightly brush edges of wrapper with water and put a second wrapper over first, pressing down around filling to force out air and seal edges well. If desired, trim excess dough with a round cutter or sharp knife. Transfer ravioli to a dry kitchen towel. Make more ravioli with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner, transferring as formed to towel and turning occasionally to dry slightly.

In skillet cook butter with hazelnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat (nuts will continue to cook). Season hazelnut butter with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.

Cook ravioli in 3 batches in gently boiling eater 6 minutes, or until they rise to surface and are tender (do not let water boil vigorously once ravioli have been added). Carefully transfer ravioli as cooked with a slotted spoon to a large shallow baking pan and add enough cooking water to reach 1/2 inch up side of pan. Keep ravioli warm, covered.

Transfer ravioli with a slotted spoon ) letting excess cooking liquid drip off) to 6 plates and top with hazelnut brown-butter sauce.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Another recipe gleaned from Epicurious.

Tasty, easy to make.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large yellow crookneck squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound penne pasta

2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray large roasting pan with nonstick spray. Combine red bell peppers, eggplant, crookneck squash and butternut squash in prepared pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Combine pasta, roasted vegetables, tomatoes and basil in large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar and garlic. Toss to combine. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten, if desired. Mound pasta on serving platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter

Another recipe from Epicurious. Easy to make and tasty.

Lime Butter

Ingredients

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce

Directions

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

Steamed Clams with Spicy Italian Sausage and Fennel

Headed up to Hog Island Oyster Farm for fresh Oysters and Clams for dinner.

Tried out a different recipe to cook the clams in and it turned out surprisingly well. I was skeptical of using sausage with the clams but it was good stuff.

Recipe is here: Epicurious.com

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2x1/3-inch strips
• 1 large fennel bulb with fronds, bulb cored, sliced; fronds chopped (for garnish)
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausages coarsely crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed in mortar with pestle
• 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
• 4 dozens Manila clams (about 2 1/3 pounds), scrubbed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions

Heat oil in large deep skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper, sliced fennel, Italian sausage, and fennel seeds, and sauté until sausage is brown and vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add clam juice, and bring to boil. Add clams and oregano; reduce heat to medium-high, cover, and cook just until clams open, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper. Divide among 4 bowls, discarding any unopened clams. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds and serve.

Scallops and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

Deedy's favorite food is Scallops so for Mothers Day this year I made this for dinner. Although Mothers Day is tomorrow, I'm leaving on a trip today so we had the Mothers Day dinner early.

Scallops with Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce.

Amazing Sea Bass!

I made this Grilled Sea Bass with Mango, Grapefruit, and Avocado Salad and it probably was the best fish I ever made. 

I got the Sea Bass from Lunardi's in Walnut Creek.  The chunk, tail section, I got was 1 3/4lb and at $24.99 a pound so it had to be a good dinner.  

I cooked the fish indirectly on the grill using a couple of soaked wood chips.  The filets were thick so the fish was cooked for about 15-20 minutes.  They turned out amazing.  Just melted in your mouth.  I'll be doing  this recipe again.

Ingredients

For fish:
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
6 4- to 5-ounce sea bass fillets

For salad:
5 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens (about 10 cups)
3 pink grapefruits, peel and pith cut away, segments cut from between membranes
2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

Directions

Make fish:
Grind first 6 ingredients in processor until almost smooth. Add juice and blend well. Season spice mixture with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Rub 2 teaspoons spice mixture over each fillet; place on waxed-paper-lined tray. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Make salad:
Whisk juice, oil, vinegar, mint and ginger in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Dressing can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Spray barbecue rack with nonstick spray; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Spray fish with nonstick spray. Grill until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plate.

Toss greens in large bowl with enough dressing to coat; divide among 6 plates. Arrange grapefruit segments and mangoes atop greens; drizzle with some dressing. Place 1 fish fillet alongside each salad. Top fish with avocado. Serve, passing any remaining dressing separately.

Grilled Sea Bass, Mango, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

I'll be making this tonight: Grilled Sea Bass, Mango, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad. Sounds good.

Another Sea Bass recipe I've been planning on making is Salt Encrusted Sea Bass. I had this when I was in Malta and it was incredible. It looked like a big pile of baked salt coming to the table. The waiter made it a big presentation removing the salt layer, skin, and getting to the meet.

Seared Scallops with Tarragon-Butter Sauce

Got this off of Epicurious. Very good!

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

Directions

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (total).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to low and add 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.

Spiced Rice

Good stuff! Flagrant and tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup white basmati rice
1/2 cups reduce-sodium chicken broth
half of one (3") cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves

Directions

We pretty much followed the cooking instructions on the rice. Rinse with water. Put all of the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer following instructions from the rice vendor.

Tasty stuff!

BBQ.....

We had a delicious BBQ this weekend.  I'll post the recipes when I get a chance.  Essentially, pork ribs with a dry rub and homemade sauce; mustard slaw, german hot potato salad.

Portobellos with Arugula

Another delicious recipe from Epicurious:    Portobellos with Arugula

Ingredients

6 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
Generous 4 cups trimmed arugula, washed and spun dry
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A 4-ounce chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano for shaving

Directions

Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.

Place the portobellos on the grill and cook, turning two or three times, until slightly soft-ended, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter, arranging the mushrooms grill side up.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the anchovy paste, vinegar, and thyme. Spoon the mixture evenly over the portobellos and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with coarse sea salt and pepper.

Divide the arugula among six plates and top each with a mushroom. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmigiano over the salads. Serve immediately.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

I like pizza.  Lots of pizza.  Lots of different kind of pizza.

This recipe Deedy and I made up after having something similar at a Pizza place.

Ingredients

1 Bobalee (sp?) pizza crust, or even better, a homemade pizza dough of your choice. We sometimes make an herb pizza dough or wheat pizza dough
6-8 cloves garlic chopped
Ranch Dressing
2 chicken breasts
Sun dried tomatoes or 3-4 roma tomatoes, seeded a chopped.
Fresh basil
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil

Options:

Sliced mushrooms
Broccoli trimmed

Directions

Saute garlic in olive oil for about 15 seconds. Just until they start to change color.

Either bake or pan cook the chicken breast about 15 minutes at 350. I usually undercook it a bit since it will be cooking on the pizza. Once the chicken is done, cut it into small strips.

Spread the Ranch Dressing on the pizza dough, don't make it too thick. A nice thin layer spread evenly across the dough. Spread the chicken over the ranch dressing. Spread the chopped garlic, tomatoes over the pizza then top with mozzarella cheese. I don't put too much cheese on, and sometimes I don't put any on.

Bake the pizza at 350 for 20 minutes. When the pizza is done, top it with the fresh basil.

Slice and enjoy.