Potato Soup Recipe: Cream Of Potato Soup My Special Potato Soup Recipe

Potato Soup Recipe

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1735" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Potato Soup Recipe - Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Here is a wonderful potato soup recipe that is sure to please even the most discriminating potato soup recipe connoisseur! This potato soup recipe is a cream of potato soup with bacon, mushrooms and hatch green chilies from New Mexico. This potato soup has multiple layers of flavors as well as textures. Like some of my friends in Australia would say it's a "sticktoyourribba!"  Well here it is! The cold weather of winter is coming all over the country. When this weather hits all I want to do is stay warm Who doesn't? In the mornings all I want to do is stay nice and toasty under the covers and hide! Who doesn't? When it comes to eating dinner in the evening and it's getting colder at night I want something to help keep me warm and glowing inside and out!

This potato soup recipe that I am making this week is one of my favorite soups to make. This potato soup recipe is thick and creamy and is guaranteed to please! This is not your regular cream of potato soup recipe which is usually made with boiled and blended potatoes and maybe some fried onions, chicken stock and salt and pepper. This cream of potato soup recipe has a base that I use to make vichyssoise which is potatoes and leeks and some brown onion. This adds really good flavor and a fantastic base to this cream of potato soup recipe.

I experimented with this potato soup recipe for quite some time to come to the place where I am with it now. When it comes to the bacon in this recipe I tried to use regular strip cut bacon but it did not work out. Don't get me wrong it imparted great flavor to this potato soup recipe but it didn't offer the texture I was looking for. So I bought some bacon ends and pieces and found this was what this potato soup needed to put that much needed "chew" into it. If you make this potato soup recipe I urge you to use bacon ends and pieces because you get the texture of large pieces of bacon and you can control that amount of fat that goes into the potato soup recipe because you can trim the excess fat off of most of the bacon.

As far as the mushrooms are concerned for this potato soup recipe I used baby portabello or crimini mushrooms but you can use any mushroom that you want like Shitake, Shimeji or even porcini if you desire. Then the added warmth and flavor of New Mexico Hatch Green Chilies to round this cream of potato soup recipe off to give it the added warmth that you need in a really good soup for those cold winter nights!


I love to eat soups in the winter and I hope you do to! I hope you try this potato soup recipe because I know that you will just love it. So watch the video and then make this soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

A large skillet.
A Potato masher.
A blender or immersion blender.
4 Cups of diced potatoes. Any type of potato will do.
4 Cups of cleaned and sliced leeks. Slice leeks about 3/4 to 1 inch wide on the bias.
1/2 to 1 whole small brown onion diced or sliced.
1 Lb Bacon. I use bacon ends and pieces because there is more meat and you can trim excess fats.
1 Lb of mushrooms. Any type will do. Button, Crimini, Shitake, Porcini or even Shimeji.
1 7oz minimum sized can of diced green chilies. If you can get the Hatch variety from New Mexico that's great!
1/4 to 1/2 stick butter to cook down the leeks.
1 or 2 Tbsp. Olive oil to cook down the leeks.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 to 2 cups Half and Half. Use either 1 or 2 cups depending on the color you are trying to obtain. I used 2 cups in the video.
6 to 8 cups of chicken stock.
French fried onions.
Mild Cheddar cheese shreds.

Method:
1. In a skillet cook down your bacon.
2. When bacon is done remove from skillet and put aside.
3. Now pour bacon grease from the pan and put about 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease back into pan.
4. Add your mushrooms to the skillet and start to saute. Then add a ladle full of chicken stock and cook the mushrooms until they are soft. Add another ladle full of stock if necessary to cook/soften the mushrooms.

5. Once cooked remove mushrooms from the skillet and put them aside for later.
6. Put 1/4 stick butter and 1 to 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in your skillet and sweat down your leeks.
7. Now add your potatoes to your soup pot or stockpot.
8. Add your leeks to the stock pot on top of the potatoes.
9. Pour in enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes and leeks.
10. Bring the pot to a boil and let boil 1 to 3 minutes then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes +/- until all the contents are soft.

11. Once the potatoes and leeks are soft then take a potato masher and mash for a couple of minutes to make the size of the ingredients smaller and easier for your blender or immersion blender to handle. You can use a food processor as well to blend the soup.

12. Once the soup has been blended put the soup back in you soup pot and bring back to a simmer for a minute or two.

13. Now slowly add your 1 or 2 cups of cream to get the desired color you want and simmer for one minute or two and keep stirring. Add some black pepper. Cream soups LOVE black pepper.

14. Now add your bacon and stir it in well for a minute or so.
15. Add your mushrooms now and stir them in well and simmer for about one minute.
16. Add your green chilies now and stir in well and simmer for about one minute.
Finally allow the soup to simmer for another three minutes or so to let all the flavors blend together while you stir it constantly to prevent sticking.

17.Ladle you soup into a large soup bowl and add some french fried onion to the center of the bowl and then add a sprinkle of red chili flakes for more heat and then a nice ring of mild cheddar around the bowl. Eat and enjoy!

[caption id="attachment_1765" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Potato Soup Recipe - Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Salmon Recipes: Salmon With A Creamy Dijon Mustard Dill Sauce

Salmon Recipes

 

[caption id="attachment_1713" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Salmon Recipes: Salmon And Creamy Dijon Mustard Dill Sauce - Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Salmon is probably my favorite fish to cook at home. I love my salmon recipes! Salmon burgers, salmon steak, smoked salmon and salmon with pasta but to name a few. I love salmon recipes! So I have been building this blog since March of this year and I have been having a blast! I have experimented with lots of recipes and flavors and I have even put on some weight! Oh well!

In the time that I have had this blog I host my videos on Youtube and one of my earliest subscribers is someone called the White Witch. She has a channel called whitewitchwares and she has lots of videos of nature and animal life. I happen to love animals and so I watch the videos on her channel. The White Witch has been watching my recipe videos since day one and at times she has always given me a bit of a ribbing about "When are you going to make me dinner? I want a real meal!"

I began to think that if she wanted a real meal that she was most like living on french fried foam rubber or something like that. So I finally asked her "What would you like me to cook you for dinner?" She told me that she liked salmon recipes and that her mother always used to make her different salmon recipes. Well! It was a good thing that the White Witch likes salmon recipes because I love salmon recipes to! She told me that one of her favorite salmon recipes that her mother used to make for her was salmon with a nice cream dill sauce.

It was set then! I decided to make Salmon With A Creamy Dijon Mustard Dill Sauce. So I went to the market and got the ingredients for this recipe and I made this video this week. I hope this becomes one of the Witches favorite salmon recipes and I hope it becomes one of your favorite salmon recipes as well. I know it is mine! Enjoy the video!


Ingredients:
A nice salmon fillet 1 Lb. minimum skin on or skin off.
2 Tbsp. Butter.(For cooking the salmon and making the side dish of onions and tomatoes.

5 Tbsp. Olive oil.(For cooking the salmon, rice pilaf and onions and tomatoes.)
1 Cup sour cream.
1/3 Cup of fresh chopped dill weed or equivalent amount dry dill weed.
2-3 Tbsp. fine chopped brown or white onion depending on taste.
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard either coarse ground or smooth.
10 Pearl onions.
10 Grape tomatoes or 8 cherry tomatoes.
1 Cup white rice.
2 Cups chicken stock.
1/2 White or brown onion finely chopped.
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Method For Sauce:
In a bowl:
1. Take cup of sour cream
2. Add 2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard either coarse or smooth.
4. Add 1/3 Cup fresh or dried dill weed.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Now whisk all these ingredients together really well and then put a cover on the bowl and sit this sauce mixture aside for minimum of one hour. You want this sauce to be used at room temperature. Now it is time to move on to making the rice pilaf.

Method For Rice Pilaf:
1. In a large sauce pan pour 1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil and heat it up.
2. Take your half of finely diced white or brown onion and sweat it in the oil.
3. Add your rice and make sure all the grains get coated. Add Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pour in 2 cups of chicken stock to the sauce pot and stir. Bring to a boil for one or two minutes and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for five minutes and then stir the pilaf again and then take off the heat and let stand for fifteen minutes. It will stay warm for a long time in the sauce pot so don't worry it won't get cold before serving. This is one of the fastest salmon recipes I know how to make! Now it's time to make the tomatoes and onions. This dish will all come together!

Method For Tomatoes And Onions:
1. In a medium saute or medium sauce pan take 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. olive oil and heat it up.

2. When the oil/butter mix shimmy's then put in your pearl onions first and get them browned up a bit on all over.

3. When pearl onions are browned up then put in your grape or cheery tomatoes and saute well. Wait for the tomatoes to break open and then continue to saute for 1 to two minutes and then take off heat and cover and put aside. Time to make the salmon!

Method For The Salmon:
1. In a large skillet depending on how big your salmon fillet is you will need 1-2 Tbsp. of butter and 1-3 Tbsp. of olive oil in the skillet.

2. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper to taste. (Optionally you can season with salt and pepper and then do a light dusting of AP flour before putting salmon in the skillet as this will allow for some nice brown bits to form and then you can add the tomatoes and onions and then deglaze with some dry white wine if you wanted to before plating the dish!)

3. Now when the oil/butter mix is shimmying then gently put your salmon fillet in the skillet. Watch how it cooks! You only want it to cook a certain amount on each side because you want this piece of salmon to have just a little bit of red in the center of the fillet.

4. When the time comes to turn the salmon due so and watch it cook. It depends how long it will take depending on how thick your fillet is but look for just a thin maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch depending on fillet thickness of pink/red flesh in the middle. Like making a medium rare steak.

5. When the fillet is done plate it in the center of the plate.
6. Take your tomato onion mix and scoop some on either side of the salmon.
7. Now take your rice pilaf and scoop some on either side of the salmon.
8. Take your Creamy Mustard Dijon Dill sauce and spoon some or as much as you want on your salmon fillet and serve!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Recipes: Ravioli Recipe! Shrimp Ravioli With Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

Shrimp Recipes: Ravioli Recipe

 

[caption id="attachment_1703" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Shrimp Ravioli - Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Who didn't grow up loving Ravioli? We all did! Did you eat homemade Ravioli? I did!  What was your favorite Ravioli recipe? Mine was always the seafood Ravioli recipe made in my house made with either lobster or crab and even clams! Over the years I have eaten tons of Ravioli and I have made tons of Ravioli to boot! I love shrimp recipes as well and I will eat shrimp anything if I can get my hands on it.

I had sat around for the better part of the week trying to think about what I wanted to cook for my video and blog post this week and I was really having a hard time trying to think of something to make. I know that sounds strange in a world full of food and recipes that could reach the moon a hundred times over. I guess I wanted to get my hands dirty and dig in a bit that is why I finally landed on a Ravioli recipe!

Well in today's economy things like lobster and crab can get costly for making things like a Ravioli recipe. Now of course if you can get lobster or crab on sale then it's all good! I am always looking for sales! So this week I decided to make you a Ravioli recipe. This week I am making shrimp ravioli with a lovely tomato vodka cream sauce.


This is a wonderful recipe that is easy to make and easy on the wallet! This Ravioli recipe can be made with shrimp, crab, lobster and even surimi or a combination of any of the above! Sure I know lot's of people just go out and buy frozen ravioli but that is nothing like making your own Ravioli recipe catered to your tastes! So let's take a look at how to make Shrimp Ravioli With A Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce! NOTE: I make the ravioli's beforehand and I put them in the fridge to chill while I make the sauce. When the sauce is done I make sure to have the boiling water needed to cook the raviolis quickly so I can plate them and add sauce!

Ingredients For Ravioli:
1Lb Cooked shrimp.
2 packs of won ton wrappers.
1 Cup Ricotta cheese.
6 Cloves of garlic minced fine.
3-4 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
1 Cup Mozzarella cheese.
1 Cup fresh finely chopped basil.
A pinch of dried Greek or Italian oregano bulbs.
You will need a plastic cutting board, a plate and a fork for scoring the ravioli if you decide to do that.

Make Quick Seafood Stock:
Pour the water from the bag of defrosted cooked shrimp into a bowl. Then squeeze out the excess water from the shrimp into the bowl as well. Squeeze the shrimp gently it is not going to be a lot of water but enough for this quick stock. Then take the water from the shrimp and add 2-3 Tbsp. of Clam Juice and place in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer add some black pepper and reduce to about 2 to 3 oz of fluid depending on how much water was in the bag of cooked shrimp. Now allow the stock to cool and add 1-2 Tbsp. of cream and stir it in and bring to a simmer and reduce a bit then take off heat and cover it and put it aside. This will be added to the sauce later on.

Method For Making Ravioli:
1. Drain the water from the bag of cooked shrimp and put aside.
2. In a food processor grind the shrimp to a rough consistency.
3. Once the shrimp has been ground find a large bowl and put the shrimp in it.
4. Now one by one add your ricotta cheese, garlic, Parmesan, basil, mozzarella, oregano, salt and black pepper to taste and mix it up with either a spoon or by hand. Mix it up well.

Now take some of the filling and put it in the middle of a won ton wrapper and then take a little water on your fingertip and spread on the won ton wrapper and fold the wrapper in half and press the ends together and make sure you squeeze out all of the air from the ravioli because if your don't they will pop in the boiling water. Place your finished ravioli's on a plate. When you are finished making all of your ravioli's put a damp towel or paper towel over them and put in the refrigerator for about an hour to chill as they cook better this way.(See Video) Go make the sauce now. When it comes time to cook the ravioli's you won't cook them in a rolling boil but rather a gentle rolling boil for about 6 to 10 minute to make sure that the won ton wrappers cook and the filling cooks completely!

Ingredients For The Sauce:
I used two cartons of Pomi imported Roma tomatoes from Parma, Italy! one carton strained and one carton chopped. I love this product!
4-6 Cloves of garlic finely minced.
1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil.
1 Medium onion finely chopped.(I used Onion Confit)
1 Tbsp. Greek or Italian oregano bulbs crushed.
Just about 1 Tsp. of red pepper flakes for flavor not heat.
1-2 Tbsp. Honey or sugar as an acid balancer.
The quick seafood stock from recipe above.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cream to lighten the sauce and add flavor and richness. How light you want the sauce is up to you hence the measurment.

Optional: 2-4 Anchovy fillets melted into the olive oil before proceeding with making the sauce.
Salt and black pepper to taste.

Method For The Sauce:
1. In a large skillet or large sauce pot add your olive oil and heat it up and then add your chopped onion to the oil with a pinch of salt to sweat the onions.

2. Once the onions have softened add your garlic and saute for 1-2 mins until soft.
3. Add your tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
4. After about 30 minutes add your honey and mix it in well.
5. Now add your vodka slowly and stir in well. Let cook 3-5 minutes to burn off alcohol.
6. Now add your quick seafood stock from recipe above and mix in well.
7. Now add your cream slowly and mix it in well.
8. Add pinch of red pepper flakes.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Continue to simmer real low and real slow while you go and cook the raviolis.

Optional: Add Anchovy fillets to the olive oil and let them breakup before adding other ingredients.
Eat and enjoy!

Indian Recipes? Chicken Curry? Chicken Vindaloo!

Chicken Curry: Chicken Vindaloo

 

[caption id="attachment_1667" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chicken Vindaloo Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Have you ever had Chicken Vindaloo? I have never had Chicken Vindaloo either until this last week! Now it is one of my favorite Indian recipes to make!  It is a delicious chicken curry that fills the senses with aromas and the taste buds with flavors! If you like layers of flavor in the foods you eat then Indian recipes are the way to go!  About two weeks ago I made a recipe called Fresh Spring Onion Pesto for a pasta dish I was doing for this blog. One of my readers and fellow foodies is a guy named Sean and he has a Youtube channel called Seans food. Sean and I are pretty friendly and we communicate often. I respect his cooking ability and dishes and vice verse!

He had left a comment on the dish and said something along the line of "There you go again Rich, another recipe packed with flavor! I bet you like curries don't you? Have you ever had any Indian recipes? Do you know what  Chicken Vindaloo is?" I told him that I do love curry recipes although I have not made very many of them. So then he came back and said I should try to make a chicken curry recipe called Chicken Vindaloo! This is one of manyIndian recipes popular in England where my friend Sean come from. In fact he tells me that Indian recipes are amongst the most popular foods to eat in all of England and that the image of fish and chips is not really how it is at all!

I asked him what kind of chicken curry dish Chicken Vindaloo was and he explained that it was the popular dish eaten by the lads after a hard night of drinking and partying. Well, I was all in for that! I have had many nights of hard partying and some busted up mornings as well in my lifetime so as far as Chicken Vindaloo is concerned I was all in!

So I took it upon myself to do some research on Indian recipes with a focus on Chicken Vindaloo. I come to find that Chicken Vindaloo is not a chicken curry dish that is native to Indian recipes at all. Chicken Vindaloo is a dish that currently hails from Goa and in the part of India where meat is eaten it is a staple of Indian recipes.

I thought it was an interesting fact that the word Vindaloo in Chicken Vindaloo comes from the Portugese language called "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos". This traditional variation of Chicken Vindaloo was made of pork with wine and garlic and that was it!  Over time this dish became an Indian recipe that became the chicken curry dish we call Chicken Vindaloo today!

The dish was changed over time with the addition of vinegar and the subtraction of wine. Also The addition of multiple spices and of course chili pepper for the heat! Traditonally, Chicken Vindaloo is not served with potatoes. Potatoes are something that was added to this chicken curry dish in modern times. The potatoes are used as a thickener and yield enhancer to increase the volume of the dish for sale in restaurants.

So this past week I took it upon myself to learn how to make Chicken Vindaloo! I must say that this is the best chicken curry dish that I have ever had! So please sit back and relax and watch the video. If you are not familiar with Indian recipes and even if you are then you will love this Chicken Vindaloo made my way! Watch and enjoy!



Ingredients For Marinating Process
2 Lbs Chicken thighs cut into chunks.
2 Cups slivered onions.
4 to 8 whole chilies or the equivalent amount in crushed red chilies it all depends on how HOT you like your vindaloo.
4 to 6 cloves of garlic.
1 or 2 Inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced up a bit for processing.
3 Tbsp onion confit. If you don't have any just puree about half a medium onion to put into marinade.
1/4 to 1/2 Cup of White wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for the marinade.
Light squeeze of lemon juice.

Ingredients For Dry Spice Mix:
1 Tsp. Garam Masala.
1 Tsp. Paprika. Not smoked or sweet paprika. Regular paprika. It is used for some color not flavor.
1 Tsp Ground cloves.
3/4 Tsp. Ground Cardamon.
1 1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon.
1/2 Tbsp. Freshly crushed black pepper.
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cumin.
1 Tsp Coriander.
1 1/4 Tsp. Mustard Seeds
3 Tbsp. Honey
4 Tbsp. Olive oil or Ghee.

Method:
1. Take your chilies or crushed chilies, garlic, and ginger and put it into your white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar stir it up well then squeeze some fresh lemon juice into it and let sit for about an hour.

2. After the marinade sits for one hour you can either pour it over your cut up chicken thighs or you can do what I did which was to place the marinade in a food processor and blend it up and then pour it over your cut up chicken things and allow to marinate for minimum of one hour in the refrigerator. I let my chicken marinate for four hours to really suck up those flavors from the marinade! Yum!

3. Now for the dry spice mix take your clove powder, cumin, cardamon, paprika, cinnamon, black pepper, garam masala, and coriander and put them in a bowl and mix them up completely with a whisk!

4. Now after your dry spice mix(your curry is made) Make some simple white rice with some salt and black pepper and put it aside when it is finished. Your Chicken Vindaloo will go on top of the rice.

5. Get a large skillet I like using an All Clad Non-Stick skillet that I love and heat your oil or ghee in it and add your mustard seeds to the skillet. Eventually the seeds will start to pop like popcorn. Once this happens add your slivered onions and and touch of salt and sweat the onions down til you get some browning to them.

6. Once the onions are golden brown it's time to add your marinated chicken using all the juices that accumulated with it and stir it about the skillet for a few minutes getting the chicken and the onions mixed well.

7. Add your dry spice mixture and a pinch of salt and mix the curry into the chicken and onions well. Cook in open skillet for about three minutes continually mixing then add your honey and stir it in then cover the skillet with it's lid and simmer the Chicken Vindaloo

8. Let the Chicken Vindaloo simmer in the skillet until the chicken is done and the curry it is cooking in is nice and thick! Don't forget to stir the vindaloo every so often.

9. Prepare plates or bowls with your rice and then just spoon the Chicken Vindaloo over the rice and serve!
Enjoy!

Braciole Recipe: Flank Steak Made The Italian Way! A Godfather's Dish!

Flank Steak: Braciole Recipe

 

[caption id="attachment_1642" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Braciole Recipe Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

The Braciola! A classic Italian/Sicilian dish! The dish of the Godfather! I love Braciola! If you are making more than one Braciola flank steak then it is called Braciole in the plural. Where I come from in New York, we just call it Braciole no matter how many we are making. Flank steak recipes come from all over the world, the roulade from France, and the rolladen from Germany for instance. In the long run the Braciole recipe of Italy is my favorite flank steak recipe.

The simple Italian Braciole recipe is made by pan searing thin beef slices or flank steak in some olive oil in a skillet or saute pan and then serving it with a simple salad or boiled or roasted potatoes. This is the very basic Italian rustic Braciole recipe. In the American Italian culture in the U.S.A. Braciole is still the name given to this flank steak recipe. This Braciole recipe is also made with chicken, pork, beef and it is even prepared with swordfish. These meats and fish are then rolled up with breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and spices and then seared in a cast iron skillet. The Braciole recipe the classic flank steak recipe of Italy is also made in Sicily and is called Bruciuluni, Involtini or Rollatini. The name Rollatini is a regional name in parts of the United States but it not a true Italian word. Rollatini is most often made just using flank steak and does not get involved in using chicken or pork to make it.

The Braciole recipe is generally cooked with other meats or sausages in a sauce or ragu. In certain parts of the east coast we call the Braciole recipe a "Sunday Gravy". The Braciole recipe can be made outside of tomato sauce and coated in flour and breadcrumbs and pan seared and then roasted in the oven eggplant and other vegetables. There is no clear cut died in the wool way to make a Braciole recipe. A Braciole recipe can be eaten as either a main course with pasta which is the way I like to do it or it can be served as a side dish. My Mom says it's great for breakfast and yes if you are thinking about it a good Braciole recipe makes a killer sandwich for lunch!

In Italy Involtini is the name given to the Braciole recipe that we make here in the states. Involtini are thin slices of beef most of the time although chicken or pork can be used and they are stuffed full of cheese and egg, sausage, mushrooms and hot red pepper flakes for the heat which is the way the Sicilians like it. Other ingredients like pignoli or pine nuts and spinach or arugula are used as well. Involtini is the name given to multiple Involtinos and they are kept together with toothpicks and cooked in and served in the desired sauce of the day whether that sauce is a red or white sauce. The Involtini or Braciole recipe gives fantastic flavor to the sauce and then that sauce is used to toss the nights pasta!

As a kid I ate my mom's Braciole recipe for years. In my house my mom made her Braciole recipe using flank steak and stuffed it with any number of things and it was always delicious!  I felt that I would like to make my own Braciole recipe for my readers and viewers of my blog. Enjoy the video!



Ingredients For Sauce Step One For This Recipe:

I used 2 cartons of Pomi Brand Roma Tomatoes 1 carton strained and 1 carton chopped plus one 14.5oz stewed/sliced italian Roma tomatoes.

8 Cloves of garlic minced.

2 Tbsp of my homemade onion confit. You can use 1/2 to 1 whole onion finely chopped.

1 small piece of bacon or pork shoulder or pork based sausage to contrast the flavor of the beef and slow down the sauce sticking to the sides of the sauce pot.

2 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano bulbs or more to taste.

2 Tbsp. dried basil or more to taste.

1 Tsp. red pepper flakes for flavor and not heat.

2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil.

1 Tsp. Salt.

2 Tbsp. Sugar or honey to cut the acid from the tomatoes. I used honey. (see video)

Method For Making The Sauce:

1. Pour all of your tomatoes into your sauce pot and then bring to a boil. Once at a boil bring to a simmer.

2. Add all of the other ingredients one at a time and stir them into the sauce well before adding the next ingredient.

3. Allow this sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes. At end of 30 minutes stir the sauce and allow to keep simmering and while it continues to simmer go make your Braciole.

NOTE: You will need to have some artichoke hearts for searing for this dish. I use prepared hearts in a jar with water but you can use the one's in oil if you wish and frozen will work just as well.

Ingredients For Braciole:

2 1/2 Lbs minimum piece of flank steak. (flank steak is fairly tender but I use a meat mallet and gently use the flat side of the mallet on the steak first to flatten it out a bit more and then I use the textured side of the mallet gently all over the steak to break up any connective tissue and allow the meat to get really tender from the simmering.)

Olive oil to coat the meat.

Enough fresh or dried basil to cover the flank.

Enough fresh or dried oregano to cover the flank.

A sprinkle of granulated garlic just enough to cover the meat.

A pinch of red pepper flakes. Just enough for flavor and not high amounts of heat.

Any kind of Italian cheese to cover the meat. Generally about a cup or 2.

2-3 Scrambled eggs scrambled loosely. They will tighten up in the simmering.

Thinly sliced ham of any kind. Enough to cover the flank steak.

Enough white flour to coat the rolled up flank steak for searing in the skillet.

4 or 5 toothpicks to hold the flank steak together while you tie up the Braciole.

1 Cup of red wine to deglaze the skillet used for searing the Braciole.

2 or more Tbsp. of Onion Confit. (Recipe for Onion Confit @ bottom of blog post)

NOTE: A Braciole can be stuffed with many different items. You don't have to use the ingredients I used. You can use sausage, prosciutto, chicken, lamb, veal, eggplant and even seafood! There are so many ways to make this dish it is really incredible!

Method For Making The Braciole:

1. Lay the flank steak out on a synthetic cutting board.

2. Pour some olive oil on the flank steak and rub it into the surface of the meat. This will help with the tenderness.

3. 2 to Tbsp Onion Confit.

4. Now use enough fresh or dried basil to cover the surface of the Braciole.

5. Now use enough oregano to cover the surface of the flank steak thinly, don't bury the meat in it.

6. A pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

7. A sprinkle of granulated garlic to cover the flank steak. You can use fresh garlic if you want depending on how much fresh garlic you put in your tomato sauce because you don't want to overpower you sauce with the taste of garlic.

8. A pinch of red pepper flakes. Just a pinch as we only want the flavor and not overpower the flank steak with the heat of the pepper.

9. Now cover the surface of the Braciole recipe with the Italian cheese of your choice.

10. Add your thinly sliced ham or meat of your choice to the surface of the flank steak. (This is my fave part of the Braciole recipe!)

11. Add your scrambled eggs to the flank steak horizontally about one inch from bottom of the flank steak so it will roll easier.

12. Now it is time to roll the Braciole recipe up. Grab the bottom one inch of flank steak and fold it over the scrambled eggs as if you were rolling sushi. Roll up the meat tightly all the way to the end.

13. Once the meat is rolled up use your toothpicks to hold the final flap of flank steak down against the roll.

14. Now that the roll is held in place with the pick get your string and tie up the Braciole recipe. Tie it firm but don't strangle the meat or end up cutting it with the string.

NOTE: Now that the Braciole is rolled up coat it in white flour and then sear the Braciole in a skillet with olive oil. Once all sides of the Braciole have been seared in the skillet and you have all those little brown bits of flavor in the pan remove the Braciole and gently put it in the sauce pot to simmer for a minimum of one hour. If you want the Braciole to really get tender simmer for two or more hours and if necessary add little amounts of beef stock to the sauce in case it is reducing to much. After about sixty minutes deglaze your skillet with the red wine and pour that into your sauce for that little extra flavor boost! It will make your sauce DELICIOUS!

About fifteen minutes before the Braciole is ready to be served cook your pasta. I used Linguine. Also sear your artichoke hearts in olive oil and salt and pepper about five minutes before serving the dish. Then remove Braciole from sauce and slice on a board. Plate some pasta and pour sauce over the pasta and then add one or two slices of the Braciole to the sauce.( the slices should be at least one inch thick minimum)Then add your artichoke hearts and serve. Enjoy!

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Braciole Recipe Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

Pesto Recipe: Fresh Spring Onion Pesto

Pesto Recipe

 

Pesto has got to be my favorite pasta sauce. There are so many varieties of Pesto it can boggle the mind! You can make Pesto out of just about anything and you can put Pesto on just about anything you want and it will make any dish more flavorful!

Pesto recipe history is not exact. Many pasta historians believe that Pesto sauce originated in Genoa, Italy in a region that is called Liguria which is Northern Italy where my old boss Mr. Mele' came from. The Pesto from that region is called "Pesto Genovese. It is your basic Pesto recipe that most of us are familiar with. Crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts all blended with olive oil and parmigiano reggiano cheese or pecorino romano cheese. Today we make Pesto in a blender or food processor but, in the old days this delicious sauce was made in a mortar and pestle. I would imagine the cooks of the day had very strong arms!

In Rome during ancient times Pestos earliest version was called Moretum and it was made in a mortar and pestle of the simple ingredients of cheese, garlic and selected herbs. Later in history the Genoans(Ligurians) would add the herb basil, pine nuts and olive oil to the garlic, cheese and other herbs to make the original Pesto Genovese!

The word Pesto is the modern word adaptation of the Italian word Pestare which means to pound. Therefore the modern word Pesto is the generic term given for anything that is made by pounding as you would with ingredients in a mortar and pestle. There are many kinds of Pesto recipes out there and some of them are the true Italian classic Pesto recipe and some are the more modern fusion style types used in fine dining and gourmet home cooking but, the most common Pesto recipe in Italian cooking is called "Pesto alla Genovese" or "Pesto Genovese." (olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, basil and cheese)

The traditional Pesto sauces use pine nuts but, I make Pesto sauces with just about any type of nut I can think of because I am just plain nuts! I love to use almonds, walnuts, pistachios and macadamia nuts in my many Pesto sauces. Most people think that Pesto is just an Italian sauce but in reality there are Sicilian versions of the original Pesto recipe as well. One such sauce is called "Pesto alla Siciliana or "Pesto Rosso" or Red Pesto! This Sicilian Pesto recipe is made with the addition of tomato and using almonds instead of the classic pine nut and this pesto recipe also used less basil then the Italian Pesto recipe calls for. Then there is a Pesto recipe from the Calabrese region of Italy called Calabria in which the Pesto recipe is made with grilled bell peppers, black pepper, basil and choice of nuts and garlic. This Pesto recipe is known to be quite spicy and can like other Pesto recipes be made in a variety of ways and styles to meet the needs of today's chefs and gourmet home cooks.


For this reason in this blog post I am doing a video on a favorite spring time Pesto recipe that I like to make and that is fresh spring onion pesto. This Pesto is made with olive oil, basil, pistachio nuts salt, pepper, garlic and of course spring onions and cheese. I made this Pesto recipe for my Youtube channel just before leaving town on vacation and now that I am back I am putting it to this blog post. This Pesto recipe is packed with flavor and can like with all Pesto recipes be made in a wide variety of styles to suit the person making it. I know that if you try this Pesto recipe you will love it!

Enjoy!



Ingredients:

1 Cup olive oil.
1 Bunch spring onions(scallions).
4 Garlic cloves or more to taste.
1/2 Cup Pistachios.
1/4 Cup fresh basil leaves.
3 oz any type Italian cheese: Pecorino Romano, Parmesano/Reggiano, Asiago etc.
1 Tsp. sugar.
A pinch of oregano
Salt and pepper to taste.
Red pepper flakes to taste are optional.

Method:

1. In a food processor puree the spring onions/scallions to a desired consistency. No oil is needed in this step as there is enough water in the onions to allow the pureeing to take place. Start by pulsing the onions down to manageable texture then add some olive oil about 1/4 cup and go to blend.

2. After you have desired consistency add your garlic and pulse a few times then go to blend.
3. Now add your fresh basil leaves and add some olive oil 2 to 4 ounces and pulse them down then go to blend.
4. After all these ingredients are blended add the remaining olive oil and pulse then go to blend.
5. Now add your pistachio nuts and pulse and then go to blend. You want this pesto to be on the thick side and the nuts should be on the chunky side and the pesto a bit on the rustic end of things. (see video)

6. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse that in. I put the salt and pepper in the pesto after it was out of the processor. The choice is yours.

7. Now add your cheese and pulse it into the pests. I put the cheese in after the pesto came out of the processor. The choice is yours.

8. Now add your oregano and pulse it into the pesto. I put the oregano into the pesto after it was out of the processor. The choice is yours.

9. When it comes time to cook something with this pesto I add some sugar to the amount of pesto I am going to use to cut any bitterness from the spring onions. This is an optional step. (see video) Some people might enjoy the slight bitter cut of the onions in this dish.

10. Eat and enjoy!

Quesadilla: My Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla Recipe

Quesadilla Recipe

 

[caption id="attachment_1575" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla - Click To Enlarge"][/caption]

I had been wanting to make this Quesdilla for some time now as it is easy and delicious! I love the Quesadilla  as a main dish or appetizer but no matter how I make it the Quesadilla is one of  my favorite comfort foods. I mean who doesn't love gooey, cheesy, melty comfort foods? Nobody that's who!

Years ago I was a bartender here in Las Vegas and I worked with a cook named Wes on my graveyard shifts. Wes was a pretty creative guy in the kitchen and sometimes he would come up with some really excellent recipes. Some would be a bit on the complex side and we would not get the OK from the owner of the bar to add it to the menu and then sometimes Wes would come up with a simple little something that was a big hit. This was the case with his Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla!

He made a Quesadilla for the boss one day and the boss loved it so much that he let us have the Quesdilla recipe on the menu. I worked graveyard shift four nights a week and we sold the hell out of those Quesadilla's! Now you would think that we just made bar food and the truth be known we did! Chicken wings and fingers, burgers and dogs. We had a small breakfast menu as well. But! When you have two guys who love to cook then watch out!

Anyway this weeks video is for my version of  the Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla recipe that Wes used to make. I am adding Southeast Asian flavors because I just love the flavors of Southeast Asia and most notably the flavors of Thailand and Viet Nam! I am also adding my very own Asian Pesto Sauce that I personally guarantee will go good on anything you put it on be it beef, chicken, fish, noodles, rice! Anything will be greatly enhanced with flavors with this sauce!  So without further adieu let's get into my Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla Recipe!


Ingredients for Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla:
A stove top cast iron griller,  or a really large cast iron pan, or pizza stone.
A package of large flour tortillas. If you are gluten free then you can find gluten free flour tortillas.
One tortilla for the Quesadilla and half of another tortilla for the second layer of this Quesadilla recipe.
As much Sambal Olek (garlic chili sauce) you would like to spread on the tortilla. I used about 5 Tbsp.
A package of any kind of cheese you like. I used Colby Jack but you can use any kind really.
A package of cooked shrimp any size you like will do. You will use 10-20 of these cut in half lengthwise.
1/2 Cup Thai Basil either sweet basil, holy basil, hoary basil any variety will work just fine.
1/4 to 1/2 Finely sliced onion. Sliced as thinly as possible.
1/2 to 1 Tbsp finely chopped lemongrass. Chopped as finely as possible.

Ingredients for Asian Pesto Sauce:
1 Cup of olive oil.
2 to 4 (depends on how hot you like) Thai Bird Chilies finely chopped seeds and all.
4 cloves garlic.
1 Tbsp finely minced ginger.
1/2 Tbsp sugar. (brown or white)
2 to 3 Tbsp of sesame tahini.
1/2 Cup Thai basil. Any kind will do.
1/2 Cup of mint.
1/2 Cup cilantro.(optional)
2 to 3 Tbsp of scallion white bulbs sliced fine.
Zest of one lime.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of Pesto Sauce. If you want more then multiply this base recipe by any number you want!


Method for making Asian Pesto Sauce:
Make the Asian Pesto Sauce first so that the flavors of the sauce get to marry before being put on the Quesadilla!

1. Pour olive oil into a food processor or blender. I am using a Cuisinart Elite processor and I love it!
2. Now add your chilies, garlic, ginger, sugar, Tahini, sliced scallions, lime zest and blend it up in your processor or blender until it's smooth. This is your emulsion.

3. Now add your basil, mint and optional cilantro and your salt and pepper to taste and blend it together with your emulsion. This is your Asian Pesto Sauce. I make this about an hour or more in advance of making my Quesadilla to allow the flavors to marry and blend together. Put Asian Pesto in a non-metallic bowl and put aside.

Method for Spicy Shrimp Quesadilla Recipe:
1. Lay out your tortilla on a cutting board or pizza peel. I used a pizza peel.
2. Spread your chili sauce over the tortilla.
3. Cover one half of the tortilla with your cheese of choice.
4. Now cover the cheese with your shrimp. I cut the shrimp in half lengthwise to allow it to cook faster.
5. Sprinkle some more cheese over the shrimp on your Quesadilla.
6. Half of a second tortilla placed on top of the shrimp and cheese.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top of the second layer.
8. Place about 1/2 to 1 cup of basil leaves on top of the cheese.
9. Now put your finely sliced onions on top of the basil leaves. You want your onions sliced as thinly as possible.
10. Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of finely chopped lemongrass.
11. Fold the other half of the Quesadilla over the half with the basil and onions and press it down.


Before you grill this Quesadilla make a salad out of any kind of lettuce or salad mix that you have on hand. Use some of the Asian Pesto Sauce as the salad dressing and mix the greens and the pesto by hand and then plate the salad. Now it is time to grill your Quesadilla.

I am using a Lodge cast iron griller for indoors use. You can use whatever you have. If you have a pizza stone that will work well and if you have an Air bake pizza stone that will work to. Place your Quesadilla down on the flat top that you have either coated with some oil or non-stick spray and let it cook for 1 to 3 minutes depending on your stove and grill medium. Then turn the Quesadilla over to the other side and cook as the first side.

When the Quesadilla is done cooking cut it up and plate 2 or more pieces with your salad and drizzle some of your Asian Pesto Sauce on you Quesadilla slices and you are ready to eat! Enjoy!