Maryland Crab Cakes

I have lived in Maryland for 45 years,and I have found that nothing ,except the Washington Redskins, creates as much controversy as someones opinion on the right way to make a crabcake.Two things must be included; Maryland blue crab and Old Bay seasoning. As for the rest,I believe that the bread included must be minimal and that Dijon mustard must be the mustard of choice.Below is my recipe.

Ingredients:

2 slices of white bread,crusts removed
1/8 cup milk
1 pound Maryland blue crab meat
1 egg beaten
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Hellman's Real Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk
Add the rest of the ingredients ,except for olive oil ,and mix thoroughly
Take mixture and form 8 patties
Heat oil in fry pan until hot but not smoking
Fry each crab cake about 45 seconds a side,or until light brown in color
Remove from pan and serve

Serves 4

Basil Pesto

Spring is here and summer is coming soon.The basil seedlings are germinating in the kitchen.I love harvesting my own basil and making basil pesto.I found out about this pesto sauce as an adult and I really love it.I combine farfalle with the pesto and top it with a mixture of cut up chicken,caramelized onions,mushrooms and asparagus. Divine!


Ingredients:

2 cups basil leaves tightly packed
4 cloves of garlic minced                                          

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place all items in food processor and pulse until creamy sauce is formed

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Walnut Crusted Chicken

I have avoided nuts for most of my life.They have a lot of calories and a lot of fat.For example,1/4 cup of walnuts has 200 calories and 20 grams of fat.It turns out that they have an abundance of omega 3,a good fat and a lot of magnesium.Good sources of omega-3's come mainly from fatty fish.Not being a fish or seafood eater, I needed to find an alternative for these important nutrients.I have begun using nuts;mostly walnuts and almonds as a coating for chicken or pork. The recipe below is a tasty version of walnut crusted chicken.

Walnut Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of walnuts
2 tablespoon of real maple syrup
2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
4 boneless chicken breasts,trimmed and tenderized using a meat mallet.Do not pound to 1/4 inch as usually recommended.This is too thin to be moist and tasty using this technique
Salt and pepper to taste
Non stick cooking oil spray to coat
your baking pan
Preparation :

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray baking pan with cooking oil
Finely chop the walnuts in a mini food processor
Whisk together syrup,mustard and salt and pepper
Cover chicken breasts with this mixture on all sides
Place the chopped walnuts into a shallow bowl
One by one, place the chicken breasts in the bowl and press the walnut into the chicken until covered on all sides
Place the chicken in the baking dish and place in oven
Cook chicken for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts
Remove the chicken from oven and onto platter and serve

Serves 4

Pork Medallions with Sweet and Sour Sauce

The pork industry likes to call pork "the other white meat".I am not sure about that,but certainly the pork tenderloin comes close.Pork lends itself to sweet and sour tastes.This recipe calls for 2 pork tenderloins as they often come two to a package and some weight is lost from the trimming

Ingredients:

2 Pork tenderloin,trimmed of fat and silver skin
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp real maple syrup(do not substitute artificial maple syrup)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter

Preparation:

Slice pork tenderloins into one inch thick rounds
Season both sides of sliced tenderloin with salt and pepper
Dredge pork medallions in flour and shake to remove excess flour
In a large pan,heat olive oil until hot but not smoking
Brown pork medallions until golden,about 2 minutes a side
Remove pork medallions from pan and place on serving dish
Add shallots to pan and cook for about 30 seconds
Add mustard and chicken broth and simmer for about 5 minutes
Stir in maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and boil down fro about 5 minutes
Finish sauce with one tbsp butter
spoon over pork and serve


A good accompaniment for this dish is mashed potatoes and snow peas to complement the Asian flavor

Serves 4                  Photo by MSPhotographic/Shutterstock.com

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Chicken with Carmelized Onions and Basil Pesto

This recipe incorporates fresh basil pesto and caramelized onions -two of my favorite things.  I thought I could not make Basil Pesto until summer, but I was able to find a large bunch in my local grocery store. The recipe follows.

  Basil Pesto 

Ingredients:

 2 cups of basil pesto tightly packed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup toasted pine nuts. Be very careful because they burn easily. I put them in the toaster
  Oven for only 2 minutes at 350 degrees
¼ cup chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth

Chicken with Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms

 Ingredients:

1 lb of boneless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion sliced
8 oz of button mushrooms cleaned and sliced
4 tablespoons extra virgin oil
12 oz farfalle, cooked al dente

Preparation:

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to large fry pan. Heat until hot but not smoking
Cook chicken in large fry pan until lightly browned .Remove and set   aside
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan and heat oil over medium high heat
Sauté onions until they take on the color of real maple syrup about 10 minutes
In separate pan, cook mushrooms using the final tablespoon of olive oil
Mushrooms have a lot of water in them. You must cook them until no more steam is
formed.  They will then start to brown. This takes about 15 minutes
Add mushrooms and chicken to the pan of caramelized onions and heat thoroughly

Assembly:

Place cooked farfalle in a large bowl
Add ½ cup of pesto and stir until pasta is a shade of light green
Add chicken, onion and mushroom mixture to bowl
Mix thoroughly and serve 

Serves 4

                                                             Photo by Buzz Krivonak

   

Bolognese Sauce

                                 
Bolognese means “with meat” and is one of the foundations of Italian cooking. I actually picked this recipe up in Harry’s Bar in Florence on a trip to Italy. It needs to be slowly cooked, but is very versatile. It can be frozen and then heated for a quick evening meal. It goes well with any pasta.

Ingredients:
1 carrot, peeled
1 stalk of celery, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 lb of ground beef or ground veal
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
32 oz of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of flour
One Fresh rosemary twig, 1 fresh thyme sprig, 2 sprigs of flat leaf parsley wrapped in cheesecloth



Preparation:
Heat olive oil in Dutch oven or large pot
Add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to pan
Sauté until golden
Add meat and cook until browned
Add tomato paste and blend
Add flour and cook for about 2 minutes
Add white wine and boil down until almost evaporated
Stir in stock and add herbs wrapped in cheesecloth
Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer
Cook uncovered for 1 hour. The sauce should not be too thick.
Taste and adjust seasonings
Remove herbs wrapped in cheese cloth and discard
Serve over pasta with a tossed salad and crusty Italian bread

                                                                                   Photo by Joe Gough/Shutterstock.com

 

Salads are more than rabbit food

I think we all know salads are good for you. They have fiber and significant vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately they can be pretty boring if you stick with a lettuce, tomato and cucumber tri-fecta at every dinner. To mix it up a little, try using different types of greens. You can use Bibb, arugula or romaine or spinach for example. You can add fruit like pears and apples or add chopped dates or dried cranberries. Glazed walnuts are a big hit at my house as is a handful of trail mix. The ideas are endless and they really pay off. Many times my family has said "great salad Mom". The one thing that you must do, in my opinion, is make your own salad dressing. It is not hard and it eliminates so many chemicals, preservatives, fat and calories. One basic thing you have to do is decide on the ratio of oil to vinegar. Many cooks prefer the one to one ratio. This cuts down on calories but is too tart for my taste. I prefer the 4 to one ratio of oil to vinegar. After that, you can experiment with additions like mustard, garlic, thyme oregano or whatever herbs and spices you prefer.

White Bean and Ham Soup

Now that Easter dinner is over,what do you do with the leftover Easter ham? This white bean and ham soup is a great way to use some of it. It is easy to make and quick too.Try serving this soup with paninis and a berry bowl for dessert.

Ingredients:
1 15.5 can of cannelloni beans, drained
1 diced onion
1 chopped carrot
1 celery stalk chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups of chicken stock
1 cup ham cut in cubes
1 sliced baby zucchini
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation: 
Heat olive oil in soup pot until hot but not smoking. Saute onions, carrot and celery until golden. Add garlic powder, chicken stock and garlic powder and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature and cook for 15 minutes. Remove one cup of mixture from the pot and puree it using a stick blender. Return pureed amount back into soup pot. Add ham and sliced zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes.

If your kids don't like zucchini, it can be eliminated.
Serves 4