Shakshuka

With a family of 5, including 3 kids each doing something different almost every night of the week, we often ate dinner late and it had to be on the table fast. Although we have several fast favorites, breakfast for dinner was something we were always up for. Now that it is just Mr. Mimi and me at home, breakfast for dinner is something we enjoy often when we just want a light no fuss meal. When I got the opportunity to review the new cookbook "Breakfast For Dinner" by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth of Love & Olive Oil,  I jumped at the chance to get some fresh ideas for breakfast dinners.

The book is full of tempting recipes that go way beyond the standard pancakes or scramble. Bacon fried rice, chocolate brownie waffles, grapefruit herb soda, habanero-chedder bread pudding, and Earl Grey panna cotta were some of the things that caught my eye, but because we have plenty of fresh eggs from our girls, we settled on Shakshuka, which is simply eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.

This was a great quick, delicious dinner that we would gladly eat for breakfast as well. The sauce was flavorful and thick, and the extra was really good over some pasta.  

 Shakshuka- Eggs poached in tomato sauce
via Breakfast for Dinner by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 mild peppers (such as Anaheim), seeded and chopped
1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 medium or large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Warm pita bread or baguette for serving

1. In a large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and jalapeno, and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper; lower heat and simmer for 20-22 minutes or until thickened. (I did use my immersion blender in the sauce to get the texture a little smoother, which is the way we prefer it)

2. Crack eggs on top of sauce; cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until whites are set and yolks are thick but runny (if you like firmer yolks, cook 1 to 2 minutes more). Sprinkle parsley and feta cheese over top and serve with warm bread. (I didn't have any feta on hand so I used Parmesan, which was delicious)

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  I just might surprise the kids with Loco Moco for dinner when they are home for spring break.
 You can find this well written and beautifully photographed book at amazon.com

  

Chili

One of our favorite family go to recipes is chili. I have been making this for many years and can't find the original recipe, but I think it came from a very old Sunset magazine. We make it with either ground beef or ground turkey, and like both versions. Like almost every chili recipe, it has a few "secret ingredients". No one has ever been able to guess that the rich, deep flavor comes from cocoa powder and molasses. Although they sound more like ingredients for a cookie rather than chili, the result is a slightly spicy chili with a hint of earthy sweetness that is perfect for a cold winter night, or a big Super Bowl party.

The best thing about chili is that you can adapt it to suit your own taste. I make it less spicy when Mini Me is home, and I set aside some without beans for Boy Mimi. You can make it extra thick and serve it on top of nachos or make southwest chili burgers. The options are endless, and all delicious.

Chili

1-2 tbs oil
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs cumin (3 teaspoons)
1 Tbs chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce- more or less to taste
1 Tbs cocoa powder
1 Tbs molasses
salt and pepper.
1 can black bean rinsed and drained


1. In a small bowl mix together chili powder and cumin.

2. In a large sauce pan heat oil, add onions and garlic, cook until soft. Add ground beef or turkey, season with salt and pepper, and the chili powder and cumin. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink.

3. Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer).

If you don't have molasses use a tablespoon of brown sugar.  Adjust the amounts of chili powder, chipotle chilies and cumin to suite your taste.

Serve with shredded jack cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro and salsa on the side.
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Pasta with Corn Pesto

 This delicious Linguine with Fresh Corn Pesto comes right from the pages of the August Bon Appetit magazine. I am trying to make more recipes out of all those cooking magazines I have. I am always so excited when they come in the mail and I pick so many things I want to make, then during the week I get so caught up with everything that I usually resort to an easy favorite for dinner, forgetting that I have so many new recipes to try.

 This recipe was not so easily forgotten. Corn is at the peak of the season here in Southern California, and it is sweet, abundant and really inexpensive, so this was the perfect recipe to throw into the mix. Pasta is usually a once a week meal anyway so there was no excuse not to try something this easy using fresh, sweet corn. We chose to have this as a side with some grilled chicken and a green salad, but you could easily mix in some chicken pieces and make it a one bowl meal.

Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto

(adapted ever so slightly from Bon Appetit August 2010)

4 bacon slices, chopped

4 cups fresh corn kernels ( I used 4 ears of corn)

1 large clove minced garlic

1 1/4 tsp.Salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground Pepper

 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup  toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

8 oz tagliatelle or any pasta you choose

3/4 cups torn basil leaves.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp and brown. Remove from pan, leaving bacon drippings, and let bacon drain on a paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, salt and pepper to the skillet. Saute over medium high heat until the corn is tender, but not brown, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cup of the corn mixture and scrape the remaining corn into a food processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and pine nuts to the processor and with the machine running, slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube. Blend until pesto is almost smooth.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until done. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Place pasta in pasta bowl, add pesto, reserved corn kernels and about 1/2 cup of the basil. Toss pasta adding reserved cooking water to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with remaining basil and reserved bacon. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: the amount of pesto from this recipe could easily sauce 1lb of pasta. The recipe called for 8 oz of pasta, I used 12 oz of linguine and had plenty of pesto sauce.
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Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce is a quick, easy and tasty weeknight meal. The chicken is tender and flavorful and the peanut sauce has a hint (or more if you like) of heat. While the chicken pieces marinate soak your wooden skewers in some water so they will be ready for the grill, make the peanut sauce  and side dishes. Rice and steamed or grilled vegetables are very good with this sauce.  After thirty minutes in the marinade the chicken is ready to grill. Push 3-4 chicken pieces on a skewer and grill 2-3 minute per side.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

4 chicken breast halves

Marinade

4 cloves mince garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Peanut sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup milk - coconut milk would be good

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 cayenne pepper to taste

Cut the chicken breast on the bias into 1/2 inch strips, place in a bowl or zip lock bag.

Put all ingredient for the marinade in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth, pour over chicken. Refrigerate for thirty minutes.

To make peanut sauce.  Stir all ingredients in a pan over low heat, until mixture just comes to a boil, remove from heat. Or place in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 1 minute. Sauce will thicken as it stands.

Heat grill, place chicken strips on skewers and grill over medium heat for 2 to3 minutes per side. Serve with peanut sauce.
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This is my entry for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells are a family favorite, so when Mimi Jr. said she wanted to learn to make them we spent a fun afternoon in the kitchen making all the different components. They are a little time consuming, but you do it in several steps which can all be done ahead of time so all you have to do is bake the assembled dish. Along with the ricotta filling that you most often see, we also did a veal and Italian sausage filling. The filled shells are covered by both a bechamel and a marinara sauce and it is all topped with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan. With a nice salad and glass of wine we had the perfect little Italian restaurant right at home!

There are lots of shortcuts to make this a quick and easy dinner. When the children were small, and I cooked by myself, I would just make the cheeses filling covered with balsamella and cheese.  The recipes can easily be halved or doubled to make the amount that suits your family. I like to double the marinara sauce and freeze half for another time, but you could also use your favorite jarred sauce.

Ingredients:
24 Jumbo shells- we got 12 of each filling
Marinara sauce
Balsamella (bechamel) sauce
cheese filling
sausage/veal filling
1 lb fresh mozzarella grated
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Marinara Sauce
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chopped basil
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
2 lb plus 6 oz crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
fresh ground pepper
salt
Pinch of sugar


1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet. Add onions and cook over low heat about 10 minutes, until soft and opaque. Stir in carrots and cook 4 minutes. Add basil, parsley and bay leaf, stir to incorporate.
2.Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes
3. Puree the sauce in a food mill or food processor. Leave some texture to the sauce.

Balsamella Sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 /2 cup cream

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Melt the butter over moderate heat; add the flour and stir together thoroughly.

2. Add the milk and cream and mix together. Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil. When thick and smooth, stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well and remove from heat. Stir as it cool to prevent skin from forming. If it does form a skin, just add a little more milk and warm it up again.

Cheese Filling

1 lb ricotta cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground pepper

3 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs

2 tablespoons chopped scallions or chives

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1/4 lb. diced mozzarella

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to fill the shells.

Sausage and Veal Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage

1/2 lb ground lean veal

6 tablespoons fine bread crumbs

1/2 cup cream

2 eggs

1 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh rosemary, lemon zest and salt

freshly ground pepper.

1.Heat the oil over moderate heat, add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. When they just begin to color add the sausage meat and cook until it loses its pink color. Add the veal, saute for 3-4 minutes until it too has lost its pink color. Drain off the fat.

2.In a large bowl soak the  bread crumbs in the cream for 3-4 minutes.  Add the cook meat and beat together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is fairly smooth, than beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Stir in the parsley, rosemary,lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

To assemble the shells:

Cook the pasta until al dente. We did this in 2 batches of 12 shells each. Lay them on a clean kitchen towel to cool before you fill them. Butter a large casserole dish or several smaller ones. Stuff the shells with about 2 tablespoons of the filling and place them in the dish(es) so they are close, but not too squished together.

Pour the marinara and balsamella sauces over the top and spread to cover evenly. Sprinkle the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses over the top and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

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This my entry for Foodie Friday

Oven Baked Pork Chops

Let me start by saying these are not my mother's pork chops. If you grew up in the sixty's every mother made pork chops by browning them in a skillet and pouring a can of mushroom soup over them and cooking them until the meat fell off the bone. This does not mean that they were tender, moist and juicy. It usually meant that there was some chewy meat in the mushroom sauce.


These pork chops are everything chops in the sixty's weren't; flavorful, moist and juicy. As with most recipes this one morphed from another. The source was Cook's Illustrated, The American Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. 

I made these on back to school night when the younger Mimis would be dining without us. I baked them just before Mr. Mimi and I left for school, the kids ate and left the chops in a warm oven, they were still perfect when we returned. In addition, they make incredible pork chop sandwiches if you happen to have any left over.

Oven Baked Pork Chops

6 boneless rib pork chops ¾ to 1 inch thick, brined
¾ cup Italian bread crumbs (Progresso)
¾ cup plain bread crumbs
6 TBS mayonnaise

Brine the pork chops.
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix together the bread crumbs and 3 tablespoon mayonnaise.
Remove chops from brine and pat dry. Coat each pork chop with about ½ tablespoon mayonnaise then coat thoroughly with crumb mixture, pressing to make sure it adheres, place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake chops until the coating is golden brown and the center of the chops registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 16 to 22 minutes, remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

Brine:
1 ½ qt water
3 TBs salt
3 TBS sugar

Mix all together, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.
Place pork chops to a large zip lock bag; pour brine to completely cover meat refrigerate one hour.