This is great comfort food on a cold winter day.
Saute 1/3 an onion in a stick of butter.
Whisk in 1/2 C. flour.
Whisk in 5 cups of chicken stock.*
Simmer until thickened.
Add 1 cup of half and half.
Throw in 2 Tbs. of Chili Powder and 1 Tbs. each of Salt and Cumin.
Add 2 ts. Cayenne Pepper
Add a diced jalapeno. (Take out the seeds if you don't like a lot of heat.)
Add several cups of cooked, shredded chicken* and 1 C. cheese. ( I like the Kraft "Mexican Mix" for this.)
Top with cheese and tortilla strips.
* A recipe for stock and cooked chicken is here. If you're pressed for time, ready-made broth is fine. For the chicken, chunk up some chicken tenders and saute them in olive oil with a little onion, salt and pepper.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Pesto
I had a dinner on Friday, and was asked to bring Pesto. The request was mad becauseI have one of the best recipes ever.
We went to Italy for two weeks a couple of years back. We spent seven days in the middle of the trip in a villa in Tuscany. We wanted to experience local life in a small town, and we wanted to COOK. Before we went we took an Italian cooking lesson from a lovely lady who grew up in Turin, Italy.
She taught this Pesto recipe, and it's the best I've ever tasted.
4 Cups Basil
2 Clove Garlic
¼ Cup Pine Nuts
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbs. Heavy Cream
Olive Oil
Combine first six ingredients in your food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Stream in Olive Oil until pesto is desired consistency.
Serve over warm pasta. Delicious!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Friends For Dinner
We had some neighbors over for dinner Tuesday night.
MENU:
Marinara with Italian Sausage on Penne
Green Salad with Vinaigrette
Bread with good Olive Oil
I love a good marinara sauce. And I'm not talking about the stuff in a jar. This takes all of fifteen minutes to make. Step away from the Ragu people!
Here's what you need:
Season to taste with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Simmer for five minutes and thin with red wine as needed.
Sometimes I add a pinch or two of sugar, sometimes not. Just taste and you'll know.
A little fresh basil on top is a nice touch too.
You can do a veggie version too. Substitute a pound of sliced mushrooms and a diced zucchini for the sausage and you've got a healthy alternative!
Bon Apitito!
MENU:
Marinara with Italian Sausage on Penne
Green Salad with Vinaigrette
Bread with good Olive Oil
I love a good marinara sauce. And I'm not talking about the stuff in a jar. This takes all of fifteen minutes to make. Step away from the Ragu people!
Here's what you need:
- Half an Onion, diced
- Garlic , clove or two, minced
- 1 lb. + Italian Sausage (Bulk)
- 28 oz. can Crushed Tomato (I prefer Di Napoli)
- 2 Tbs. Tomato Paste
- Salt/Pepper/Italian Seasoning
- Red Wine
- Sugar?
Sauté onion and some garlic in some olive oil.
Break up a pound or so of Italian Sausage in the pan and brown. You can use any pan, but I think a good sauté pan makes the best sauce.
Deglaze pan with a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
Squirt in some tomato paste. (This is where having the stuff in the tube on hand in the fridge , beats the canned stuff.)
Season to taste with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Simmer for five minutes and thin with red wine as needed.
Sometimes I add a pinch or two of sugar, sometimes not. Just taste and you'll know.
A little fresh basil on top is a nice touch too.
You can do a veggie version too. Substitute a pound of sliced mushrooms and a diced zucchini for the sausage and you've got a healthy alternative!
Bon Apitito!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Alfredo Sauce
Sunday Lunch
Cook pasta of choice. Fettuccini is “traditional”, but just about anything works. I had an open box of bowtie pasta, so that’s what I used.
While water is heating, crisp pancetta in a little EVOO. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. (Pancetta is Italian “bacon”, cured, but not smoked. Allow 2 ounces per four servings.)
In a large shallow pan, melt a stick of butter. I use half and half instead of heavy cream so I sprinkle a generous tablespoon of flour into the melted butter. Whisk in 2 cups of half and half. Return to a boil, lower heat and simmer for five minutes.
When pasta has a few minutes left to cook, stir a cup of grated parmesan cheese into the sauce.
Drain pasta and toss with the sauce. Top with pancetta.
I also served a green salad made with red leaf lettuce, heart of palm, cucumber and mushrooms. I dressed it with vinaigrette. Equal parts red wine vinegar and EVOO. Salt (this is the time to use sea salt folks), pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning.
Precious Oldest was home this weekend and she baked the Saint a cake for his upcoming birthday. Isn’t that sweet? (It was cherry chip – not strawberry.)
Lunch was a long time ago. I think I need a snack.
- Bowtie Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
- Salad with Italian Vinaigrette
- Bread
- CAKE!
Cook pasta of choice. Fettuccini is “traditional”, but just about anything works. I had an open box of bowtie pasta, so that’s what I used.
While water is heating, crisp pancetta in a little EVOO. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. (Pancetta is Italian “bacon”, cured, but not smoked. Allow 2 ounces per four servings.)
In a large shallow pan, melt a stick of butter. I use half and half instead of heavy cream so I sprinkle a generous tablespoon of flour into the melted butter. Whisk in 2 cups of half and half. Return to a boil, lower heat and simmer for five minutes.
When pasta has a few minutes left to cook, stir a cup of grated parmesan cheese into the sauce.
Drain pasta and toss with the sauce. Top with pancetta.
So good an so easy!
I also served a green salad made with red leaf lettuce, heart of palm, cucumber and mushrooms. I dressed it with vinaigrette. Equal parts red wine vinegar and EVOO. Salt (this is the time to use sea salt folks), pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning.
Precious Oldest was home this weekend and she baked the Saint a cake for his upcoming birthday. Isn’t that sweet? (It was cherry chip – not strawberry.)
Lunch was a long time ago. I think I need a snack.
Friday, February 8, 2008
My Mom is a Big Cook
Another blog? I know, overly ambitious for someone who posts irregulary on her OTHER blog. Nevertheless, there are many times when a post I write is about something that happened at family dinner. I don't always want to interupt that tale to delineate the dinner details. So, if I do that over HERE, folks can come over to see what I'm doing if and when they choose.
Now as to the name of this blog, credit goes to Precious Youngest. When she was a wee lass, she used to thank me for cooking and would always add, "you're a big cook". She meant to say "good", but even after we got the language sorted out she continued to call me a "big cook".
With a tip of the hat to Precious Youngest, off we go!
Now as to the name of this blog, credit goes to Precious Youngest. When she was a wee lass, she used to thank me for cooking and would always add, "you're a big cook". She meant to say "good", but even after we got the language sorted out she continued to call me a "big cook".
With a tip of the hat to Precious Youngest, off we go!
Roast Chicken
Last night's dinner:
The next time you want to run in to the store to buy a rotisserie chicken - DON'T. This recipe is so damn easy you might just as well stop by the meat counter and pick up a roasting chicken instead. The prep time is minimal, and we can all do without the extra fat they inject into those deli birds.
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse the chicken and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Put about three tablespoons of Kosher salt into a small dish and add ground black pepper to taste. Rub the cavity with the salt and pepper. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the breast and rub into the skin. Then coat the outside of the chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper too.
Tie those legs together with some kitchen twine, slap it in a roasting pan, and slide the whole deal in the oven. Set the timer for sixty minutes. Walk away. Do not open the oven door, do not baste the chicken. In fact, pour a glass of wine. Read your kid a book. Fold a load of laundry. Clean up dog vomi… oh sorry; that’s just a my house.
After an hour (just to make sure it’s done) pierce a leg with a fork to make sure the juice runs clear (it will). Baste the chicken with pan drippings, cover with a loose foil tent, and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes.
When you carve the chicken, the skin will be crispy and salty. The meat will be so moist you won’t NEED gravy. (But you could make some if you did potatoes instead of pasta.)
While the chicken is resting cook the pasta. I used bowtie last night, but any short cut would work. Mix olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper (I use about a tablespoon of oil per serving). Toss the cooked pasta with the oil with and some grated parmesan. Simple and yummy.
- Roast Chicken
- Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil
- Green Salad
The next time you want to run in to the store to buy a rotisserie chicken - DON'T. This recipe is so damn easy you might just as well stop by the meat counter and pick up a roasting chicken instead. The prep time is minimal, and we can all do without the extra fat they inject into those deli birds.
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.
Rinse the chicken and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Put about three tablespoons of Kosher salt into a small dish and add ground black pepper to taste. Rub the cavity with the salt and pepper. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the breast and rub into the skin. Then coat the outside of the chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper too.
Tie those legs together with some kitchen twine, slap it in a roasting pan, and slide the whole deal in the oven. Set the timer for sixty minutes. Walk away. Do not open the oven door, do not baste the chicken. In fact, pour a glass of wine. Read your kid a book. Fold a load of laundry. Clean up dog vomi… oh sorry; that’s just a my house.
After an hour (just to make sure it’s done) pierce a leg with a fork to make sure the juice runs clear (it will). Baste the chicken with pan drippings, cover with a loose foil tent, and let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes.
When you carve the chicken, the skin will be crispy and salty. The meat will be so moist you won’t NEED gravy. (But you could make some if you did potatoes instead of pasta.)
While the chicken is resting cook the pasta. I used bowtie last night, but any short cut would work. Mix olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper (I use about a tablespoon of oil per serving). Toss the cooked pasta with the oil with and some grated parmesan. Simple and yummy.
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