Firebird Chicken Pasta

I have seen this recipe posted online by a few different people. 
Each time I looked at the ingredients I thought it sounded interesting
but I hesitated making it a week night recipe because of the number
of steps involved in the recipe. 

Since the weekend allows for a little more time to cook dinner I finally
gave this recipe a try.  I have to admit that this pasta dish is" packed full of flavor. 
It is not a hot dish but it is a little spicy.


Firebird Chicken Pasta

* I did not have a Chili Rub so I just mixed the ingredients the recipe has listed  to make
my own adding more of the chili powder, paprika and cajun spices and just a pinch of
the cayenne pepper, salt and sugar.

* This recipe is for 2lbs of pasta so if you are making less you may want to make less of the cream sauce.

Cream Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil


1/3 cup chile rub (ancho chile powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar and salt)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Roux (Whisk 2 Tbsp flour with 1/2 cup of chicken stock to make a paste)

1 1/2 cups asiago cheese, grated

3 tbsp basil, roughly chopped

Firebird’s Chicken Pasta

2 lbs penne pasta

4 chicken breasts, grilled

4 slices apple wood-smoked bacon, cooked

3 cups chile asiago cream sauce (see recipe)

3 tbsp green onions, chopped

1 large fresh tomato, diced

Parsley

Sauce:
Heat the oil in a sauce pan on medium heat, add the shallots and garlic and cook
about 5-7 minutes.  Add the chili rub.  Mix well. 
Add the wine and cook on medium / high until reduced by half.  Add the chicken stock
(the half cup that is left after you made the roux) and bring to a simmer. 
Add the heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the roux ,  asiago cheese and basil. 
 
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. ( I seasoned my chicken with a little bit of the chili rub).
Cook on medium high. Set aside .  Cook the bacon, set aside.
 
Cook the pasta.
 
While the pasta is cooking dice the green onion and tomato, chop the cooked bacon, and slice the chicken.
 
Drain the pasta.  Place it back in a big pot.  Add the cream sauce over the pasta and stir well.  Add in the green onions, bacon, tomato and stir.   Serve with a little parsley or basil on top.
 
 

 
 
                                            Yummy pasta dish ~ packed full of flavor.   

Burritos with Chorizo and Potato

Recently I found two interesting recipes in my Cooking Light Magazine.
When I plan out my menu for the week I usually try to include 2 or 3 new recipes
just for fun. This can be time consuming but in the end I think it adds great variety
to what we are eating.

This recipe caught my eye because I have not ever included potatoes in my
burritos before. I also really liked the combination of Chorizo and potatoes.

Since this is my first time making this recipe I followed it pretty closely. The only
change I made was I added about a teaspoon or so of cumin to the potatoes while
I was cooking them. 

Potato, Chorizo and Green Chile Burritos

from Cooking Light

10 ounce red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup chopped tomato
2 tablespoons diced white onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
6 ounces Mexican raw chorizo
1 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup thinly sliced poblano chile
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt 4 (7- to 8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
* I used a little more lime and cilantro in my tomato salsa b/c I love those flavors.
*I added a tsp of cumin to the potatoes when I cooked them.
* I used spinach tortillas instead of flour tortillas

Preparation

1. Place the red potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain; pat potatoes dry with paper towels.

2. Combine 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, cilantro, and lime juice.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo; cook for 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion and poblano to pan; cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender and chorizo is done, stirring frequently. Remove the chorizo mixture from pan. Add oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add potatoes; cook for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chorizo mixture and salt.

4. Heat the tortillas according to package directions. Divide the potato mixture evenly among tortillas, and top evenly with salsa and cheese. Roll up each burrito, jelly-roll fashion.

5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 burritos to pan, seam side down; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned.

* Instead of step 5 I placed my burritos in a greased baking dish.  I brushed a little oil on the top and baked them on 400 for about 10 minutes.  After they came out of the oven, I added a little more cheese and some of the tomato salsa to the top.

This is a very good recipe.  The ingredients create a very fresh, light tasting burrito.

                                                              Fancy Chorizo and Potato Burrito!

Sausage, Arugula and Lemon Risotto

It is really much easier to make Risotto than you think.
I was scared of Risotto for a long time but not any more.
Risotto is not difficult to make. It is just a little time
consuming.
The reason I like to make it is because it is so versatile.
Basically you just need Aborio rice and good broth,
after that it is all up to your creativity.

This Risotto dish has sausage, arugula and lemon.

I sauted the sausage in pan until it was just a little
brown.  The I removed it from the pan and set it
aside for later.
I cooked some shallots in a pan with a little oil and butter.
While cooking the shallots, I put my organic vegetable
broth in a pan to heat. Once the shallots were cooked
I added the Aborio rice the pan making sure it was
coated lightly with the oil/ butter. I did not cook the rice
to long, just for a few minutes. Then comes the work -
you slowly add the broth to the rice allowing the rice
to absorb the liquid slowly. 
Toward the end of this process, which took about
25 minutes, I added in lemon zest, a squeeze of
lemon juice and the sausage that I had cut into
small pieces.  At the very end, when the Risotto
had a creamy consistency, I turned off the heat
and added the arugula and a nice helping of
parmesan cheese.

YUM!  You really need to give Risotto a try.
Just add in two or three of your favorite
ingredients and it will be great.

Scallops over Spinach Salad with Bacon and a Cider Vinaigrette

This is a great recipe from Cooking Light for scallops over a spinach salad. 
I have to confess that I usually don't mess around with "fancy" salads that
take several steps. Typically I like my salad to be the quick part of the meal.
Since this salad is the meal and because I like scallops I was willing to
let go of my usual rules and try this recipe. 

Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad with Cider Vinaigrette
 from Cooking Light

1 cup apple cider
2 teaspoons sugar (I used honey instead of the sugar)
4 slices center-cut bacon

1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced Granny Smith apple
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
10-12 sea scallops (about 1lb) (adapted for us - 2 people)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions
1. Combine cider and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 9 minutes). Remove from heat.

2. Cook bacon in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add chopped shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in cider mixture, cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.

3. Crumble reserved bacon. Combine bacon, Granny Smith apple, onion, and spinach in a large bowl.

4. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, curry powder, and red pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle salt mixture evenly over both sides of scallops. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

5. Drizzle cider mixture over spinach mixture; toss gently to coat. Place about 2 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 scallops.

This is a wonderful dish. I definately see myself making this again as a light summer meal.

Dutch Baby Pancake

Hi Everyone,

I know it has been some time since my last post and
I am sorry. It has been very busy around here and
at work which leaves me with little to no
time to blog. Don't worry though, I am always trying
out new recipes, taking photos and eating.

My husband is the Sunday Morning Chef and today he made
a wonderful breakfast. I found this recipe for
a Dutch Baby Pancake in Everyday Food. I have held on to
the recipe for some time but now, after having it,
I think it will become a favorite in our house.


Dutch Baby Pancake

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
*Toppings : fresh strawberries and mango.

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium cast-iron or ovenproof nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat; set aside.
2.In a blender, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt, vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar. Blend until foamy, about 1 minute. Pour batter into skillet; bake until pancake is puffed and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
3.Working quickly, dot pancake with 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and lemon juice. Slice into wedges, and serve immediately. We added fresh,cut strawberries and mango to the top of our pancake.

*This is an excellent dish. It does not taste anything like a pancake. It is more like custard with a crispy outside. You really should give this recipe a try!

Pasta with Peas, Arugula and Prosciutto

This recipe for Pasta with Peas, Arugula
and Prosciutto is from Fine Cooking.
I cut out the recipe from the magazine
several years ago and set it aside.
It caught my eye because of the arugula and peas
but I hesitated to make it because it
really has no sauce, causing me to fear
that it would be bland.
I finally took a chance on this recipe and
am so glad that I did because it was
very good.

The Peas, Arugula and Proscuitto
add so much flavor to this dish
that it works out perfectly.

I made two very small changes /
substitutions to the reicpe while
making it. Instead of using orecchiette
I went with a small, shell, noodle.
You will notice that the recipe only calls for
lemon juice but I am a huge fan of lemon
so I also added a tsp. or so of grated
lemon zest.



Pasta with Peas, Arugula and Prosciutto
Recipe from Fine Cooking

1 lb. dried pasta, such as orecchiette or penne
1 lb. arugula (I used baby arugula)
6 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fresh English peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
10 thin slices prosciutto, diced (6 to 7 oz.)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
( I added 1 tsp. grated lemon zest)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano; plus 3/4 cup shavings for garnish
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley



Put a pot of water on to boil. Salt it well and boil the pasta following the package directions.

Wash and thoroughly dry the arugula. If it large leaf arugula give it a little chop. If you have small leaf arugula there is no need to chop it up.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter. Add the garlic and sauté until barely golden, about 2 minutes. Add the peas and sauté until tender-crisp, another 3 to 4 minutes if using fresh or 1 minute if using thawed frozen. Season lightly with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, remove the peas and garlic from the pan and set aside. Leave as much liquid in the pan as possible and add the olive oil to the pan. Add the prosciutto and cook until very lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the arugula in batches, stirring and adding handfuls as it wilts. Add the lemon juice ( and zest). Cook briefly, unitl the greens have wilted.

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. In a large bowl or pot, toss the pasta with the peas, prosciutto, arugula, and grated Parmigiano, along with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients. If the pasta seems dry, toss with more of the reserved cooking water. When serving the pasta, garnish each serving with a little bit of the parsley and the Parmigiano shavings.

I am so glad I finally made this dish
because it turned out very good.
I will definately make this again.

Turkey Meatballs

It is very important to have a good meatball recipe
being Italian. I remember watching my grandma
make home-made pasta and meatballs when I was younger.
I was always surprised how tender the meatballs turned out.
I wish I knew her secret.
Was it the bread soaked in milk? Was it the mixture
of ground beef and ground lamb? I really don't
know but the meatballs were delicious!

I have been trying to find a really good recipe for
turkey meatballs because I don't eat red meat.
I just tried this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis and
the meatballs were very good.



Turkey Meatballs
by Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
1 small onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground dark turkey meat
3 tablespoons olive oil

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil.

Add about three cups of your favorite pasta sauce. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Check out these beautiful meatballs: