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

 

Red Pepper Coulis Sauce

I had forgotten how easy this was to make and how yummy it is.

Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
2 cloves of peeled, chopped garlic
½ cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons basil, thyme or marjoram diced
Salt and pepper to taste
16 Sea scallops rinsed and dredged in 2 tablespoons of flour

Preparation:
Roast red peppers in oven at 400 degrees until skins are dark and peppers have collapsed, around one hour. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove skin carefully and remove seeds and stems. Do not rinse.

Add peppers, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken stock, garlic, and herbs to food processor and puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook dredged scallops in 2 tablespoons olive oil until scallops spring back when touched about 3 minutes a side. It is very easy to overcook scallops and if you do they become tough and chewy. Spoon coulis sauce onto each diners dish and place 4  scallops on top of the coulis sauce and serve.

Dan Dan Noodles for Heather

I have had a request to publish my recipe for Dan Dan Noodles. I made this a long time ago and one of my daughter's best friends remembers it and liked it. I told her I gave up making it because so many people are allergic to peanuts. So here's my recipe for you, Heather.

Ingredients:
1 cup beef stock
4 peppercorns
1/2 green onion sliced
1 Tbsp hot bean sauce
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
4 cloves of  garlic diced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
8 oz spaghetti noodles cooked al dente
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3 scallions sliced lengthwise

Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients in food processor blend until you get a creamy paste.Toss noodles with paste and garnish with peanuts and scallions.

Tortilla Brie Appetizer

This recipe is a very easy appetizer to make. I originally used Brie as the cheese of choice, but it can really be made with whatever cheese you like. I recently have made it with pepper jack cheese.

Ingredients: 
4  flour tortillas, 8 inches in diameter
Olive oil spray
8 oz of Brie with rind trimmed and cut into 1/2 slices
1/2 cup glazed walnuts (you can buy these in most supermarkets)

Preparation: 
Spray olive oil into large skillet. Heat oil over medium heat. Place one tortilla into pan. Place 1 piece of brie and 2 or 3 walnuts in each quadrant of the tortilla. Place second tortilla on top of tortilla with walnuts and brie. Spray second tortilla with olive oil. Cook for about 1 minute or until cheese starts to melt. Using a large spatula, carefully turn tortilla over in pan. Cook for one more minute. Remove tortilla from pan and cut into four pieces making sure each of the four pieces has walnuts and melted cheese within it. Repeat process with the second two tortillas. Serve war.                  

Apple Raisin Salad

This recipe is one I have adapted from a salad my neighbor makes. It is super healthy and very filling.

Ingredients: 
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey
1 head of Bib lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
1 Fuji apple cored and sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup glazed walnuts chopped
1/2 sliced avocado

Preparation: 
Combine first 5 ingredients. Using immersion blender, emulsify the dressing. Combine lettuce, apple, raisins in salad bowl. Top with nuts and avocado. Drizzle generously with dressing and serve.