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Festa Italiana alla Pilollas – Tortellini Bolognese

Posted on April 15, 2022March 29, 2022 by Mike P

Tortellini with a thick Bolognese sauce can be a meal by itself. When it’s part of a multi course Italian Feast it’s best served as a small portion. It can be very filling. Tortellini originates from Bologna, Italy. Legend claims that Tortellini was inspired by the goddess Venus’ navel. An Italian medieval legend tells how Venus and Zeus, weary one night after their involvement in a battle between Bologna and Modena, arrive at a tavern in a small town on the outskirts of Bologna. After eating a hearty dinner and becoming slightly drunk, they decide to share a bedroom. The innkeeper, captivated after watching them, creeps to their room and peeks through the keyhole of the bedroom door. However, all he can see through the keyhole is the naval of Venus. This vision leaves him spellbound – so much so that he immediately rushes to the kitchen and creates a pasta inspired by Venus’ navel…and so was born the Tortellini.

Of course, a perfect sauce to go with Tortellini, also originates from Bologna, Bolognese. The night we served our Italian Feast, we offered Two pasta dishes. This one and Pesto Alla Genovese with Vermicelli. The recipe for that one comes later.

***Six courses and Four wines made for quite an evening!***

If you make your Bolognese ahead of time, chill or freeze it, and then reheat it, the flavors will intensify. I recommend simmering the Bolognese, alternating between covered and uncovered for several hours so that you end up with a slight “reduction’ of the sauce. Again, this lends itself to even more intensification of the flavors. The Bolognese will become richer and thicker, clinging to the Tortellini, when you finish it off. The number of servings will depend on how much Bolognese you make and if this is the main course or one of many.

Prep time: 10 minutes to 1 hour – Cook time: 20 minutes to 4 hours

Ingredients

A glass of red for the Chef

Italian Bolognese sauce

Tortellini of your choice

Grated or shredded Parmigiana cheese

Start by making the Bolognese. Here is my own recipe, which I shared with you some months ago. After simmering for several hours, begin to heat your pasta water minutes before you intend to serve this. I DO NOT make fresh pasta. There are so many excellent pastas available, I would rather spend my time on the sauces they deliver us when we eat! I do however, prefer refrigerated Tortellini, rather than dried, that you can get at most grocery stores now. Rana and Buitoni both make excellent refrigerated pasta, in a wide variety, and widely distributed through large and small grocery stores. We served a four cheese Tortellini the night of our Italian Feast and in this recipe as well.

***Delicious, convenient and available***

Add salt to taste. Gently boil the Tortellini so that it retains its shape and cook it about 30 seconds less than called for in the instructions. You’ll want to finish cooking the Tortellini in the sauce.

***Slow boil, according to directions***

***Newest family member Lucy supervising***

When nearly cooked, drain the Tortellini, add it back to the pot and add your sauce. Continue cooking on medium heat for a couple of minutes. You want the pasta to finish and to absorb the sauce. It really enhances the flavor. Gently stir the pasta and sauce together.

When you’re ready to eat, plate this tastebud delighting gift from Bologna, pour a nice glass of your favorite red wine, and enjoy!

***Served with a Cesar Salad, OMG, this was so good!***

This is pictured as the main course. The night of the Italian Feast, there were four Tortellini with Bolognese plated alongside Pesto Alla Genovese con Vermicelli. Just enough of each to satisfy the taste buds and set them up for the Secondi and a nice Chianti.

Leftovers are not usual.

Wines We Love With This

Chianti

Valpolicella

Sangiovese

Cabernet Sauvignon

Quando condividi un pasto con gli amici, diventano una famiglia!

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Fajitas – On A Sizzle Plate

Posted on April 1, 2022March 27, 2022 by Mike P

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried or experienced “Sizzle Plate Cooking”, but it is awesome. Some very dear friends, Grace and Garth Pearce, introduced us to the technique about 10 years ago, perhaps a little less. Anyway, it does take some special kitchen equipment, which was gifted to us by the Pearces and we have enjoyed using it many times over these last years.

It always reminds me of the visits the Pearces would make when we were living in SE Georgia, near the coast. During one of those visits, the Pearces brought the sizzle plates and the wooden platters, absolutely necessary when serving, for the four of us. Sizzle plates can be used for all sorts of dishes. The secret to success and slicing and preparing all your ingredients ahead of time. One the cooking process begins, it goes in stages and is fairly fast. If you have smoke alarms in the kitchen, I would recommend having a fan nearby. You’ll be cooking at very high heat and releasing that heat and smoke every time you open the oven door.

One of the real advantages of sizzle plate cooking is the food stays warm throughout the meal. You just need to be careful not to touch the cast iron sizzle plates when they are placed in front of you at the table. If you’ve ever been to a Chili’s Restaurant or any place that serves Fajitas, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

This cooking method is fun and entertaining when your guests are in the kitchen. You can imagine all sorts of meat and veggie or just vegetarian dishes that can be prepared with this method. Just be sure that you keep your slices of veggies and meats, fairly consistent in thickness so that all will cook quickly and finish at the same time.

If you decide to invest in a set of sizzle plates, you can get them at Amazon, of course and I think they are also available at the Bed, Bath and Beyond. Some non-chain, local cooking shops also carry them. Be sure to follow the instructions for seasoning the plates before you use them the first time. Just like a cast iron skillet, you don’t want to “over clean” them.

Having shared with you one of my recipes for a Boston Butt on the rotisserie I thought it might be fun to share how we use some of the leftover pork. You can use either sliced or chopped pork. In this recipe I use chopped.

This recipe serves 2 and can be adjusted, depending on how many sizzle plates you have. If you have the extra rack and a convection oven, you can do 6 sizzle plates at once.

Pre time : 30 mins – Cook time : 15 to 20 mins

Ingredients

A cold glass of Sangria or a Spanish red of Chef’s choice

Large Flour Tortillas

1/2lb – Cooked, chopped pork

1/2 – Fresh tomato, diced small

1/2 – Lrg sweet oinion, thin sliced

1 – Red Bell pepper, or Yellow

1 – Shallot, chopped

1C – Sour cream

1 can – Old El Paso refried beans

1C – Rice

1T – Turmeric

Fajita Seasoning from Lindberg-Snider

1 Jar of your favorite Salsa

Making The Magic

Place your seasoned sizzle plates in the oven and heat to 450° while doing the rest of your prep.

Slowly heat the refried beans. I always like to add 1T of Bacon grease for seasoning. You can also use Olive Oil.

Mix the turmeric, salt to taste, chopped shallot, appropriate amount of water and rice. Begin cooking. I love using the InstaPot to make rice. I dump all the ingredients into the pot, turn it on and forget about it until I’m ready to serve it. It’s an awesome kitchen tool.

Now that the rice and beans are going and the sizzle plates are heating in the oven, prep the veggies and pork.

Slice the Red Pepper and Onion into 1/4″ slices. Coat with a small amount of Olive Oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Season the chopped pork with the Lindberg-Snider Fajita rub/seasoning.

***Chopped tomatoes, slice onion and pepper in 1/4″ strips***

Place the onions and Peppers onto the hot sizzle plate in equal portions. Close the oven door and cook for about 3 minutes.

***The veggies will sizzle right away***

Open the door and turn or flip the veggies. Then add the pork to the sizzle plate. Close the oven door and cook for about 2 minutes.

Open the oven door and turn the onions, peppers and pork. Close the oven door and cook for about 2 minutes.

***Cook another 2 minutes after turning all the ingredients***

When the cooking is done, it’s ready to serve! No need to plate this since it cooks on it’s own plate! Don’t forget to use the wood platter that go under the sizzle plates.

Heat your flour tortillas if you like them warm. Plate the refried beans and rice. I love shredded cheese on top of the beans.

Build your own Fajita and enjoy the flavor explosion!

***This is fun to make and delicious to eat!***

Variations To Keep It New

Sliced pork also works, but cut into strips. Steak strip or chicken strips also work great. Precooked, chopped bacon can be added to any of these meats, or can be the only meat. Sliced avocado is awesome. Guacamole is sensational, especially when mixed with the fresh tomatoes and sour cream. There are so many variations on this you could eat them every day and never grow tired of them.

Wines We Love With This

Merlot or Chianti or Sangria

Beer! is our favorite

Leftovers

Depending on what ingredients you have leftover, I really like taking everything and making a hash that you can heat and serve with scrambled eggs and hash browns. Another breakfast favorite is making the hash, scrambled eggs and creating some breakfast burritos!

Saludos y cervezas! ¡Come rico y disfruta!

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Festa Italiana alla Pilollas – Oliva d’porco Scaloppine

Posted on March 18, 2022March 17, 2022 by Mike P

So this is another of the recipes for the Italian Feast Menu. This dish was borrowed from the cookbook, “Italy, The Beautiful Cookbook”, and modified for our taste. The original recipe calls for red pepper flakes, but we weren’t sure everyone coming would appreciate the rising heat in the back of the throat, so we left that out. Suzanne loves capers, so we doubled the amount called for.

The dinner that evening was an event. Starting around 6pm, it stretched and meandered its way all the way to 2am the following morning. The entire 6 course evening was inspired by my love for the people we invited and the desire to express that in the best way that most Italians do, through food and wine. Oh yeah, we had 4 different wines throughout the feast, ending with Cappuccino and after-dinner drinks.

When we got together that evening we had known everyone for about 5 years. Our neighborhood was one of those filled with YUPPIES of the 80’s and 90’s. We had all taken vacations together, watched each others kids growing up, shared similar professional experiences, supported each other through personal troubles, cheered one another and slowly became an extended family. It had been a very long time since I felt that kind of closeness, so I really wanted the evening to be special.

This dish was part of the Secondi, or main course. Suzanne and I waited table and brought this out, already plated, preceded by Pollo Alla Romano and followed by Melanzane Alla Parmigiana. Of course, you can serve it all at once, sharing plate space for each dish. We just wanted to stretch things out, have plenty of wine and talk through the evening.

Since this is one of six courses, the recipe will serve 8 to 10 people. If it’s the only course, being served with pasta, it will serve 4 to 6.

Prep time: 15 mins. – Cook time : 20 mins.

Ingredients

1 – Pork Tenderloin – cut into 1″ medallions

3 – Lgr shallots

1/4C – Capers (drained)

1/4C – Kalamata Olives

1/2C – Dry white wine

1/2C – Chicken broth

1T – Cornstarch mixed with 2T water OR Butter/Flour Roux mix

Olive Oil

Pat the Pork Tenderloin dry before slicing

Making the Magic

First, take a sip of wine and relax.

Add Olive Oil to a large, deep pan and heat over medium.

Slice the Pork Tenderloin into 1″ thick medallions. Pat dry.

Once the oil is swirling in the pan, carefully place the medallions. There will be some splatter.

Turn the medallions after 4 minutes or so.

***I always feel like one of my favorite chefs is watching me. This painting is one of many by Will Rafuse and my kitchen is full of them!***

***Carefully place medallions in hot oi***l

***Brown the medallions and cook for about 8 minutes***

After browning both sides of the medallions, move them to the side of your pan.

Drop in the shallots and saute for about 2 to 3 mins. Lean over the pan and smell the aroma as the shallots begin to release their oils and acids into the hot olive oil. They are chemically changing and the flavors will mingles with the rest of the ingredients.

Now add the chicken broth and the wine. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan. As the liquid begins to boil it will help the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan to release into the sauce you are creating.

Next add the Olives and the Capers. Stir and coat them with the broth and wine.

***Sauce the shallots before adding liquids***

***A slow simmer for about 10 minutes***

After a minute or so, slide the pork medallions back into the middle of the pan, spreading them around.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Return the heat to med-high and add your Butter roux or corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce. An easy butter roux is 1T softened butter thoroughly mixed with 1T flour. It makes a soft paste that you can drop into and sauce you want to thicken.

***Return to med-high heat before adding the Roux for thickening***

Once your sauce has thickened, it is ready to serve over your favorite pasta as a main course or one or two medallions with just the sauce, as part of a beautiful Italian feast!

Variations To Keep It New

Consider adding fresh button mushrooms to this. Also, a hand full of raisins will make a nice sweet/savory change of pace.

I love trying different pastas and YES, the do taste different!

Wines We Love With This

Any light red or a dry white wine.

Goditi il cibo, la famiglia e l’amore! Mangiare!

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Lessons Learned From Surprising Teachers

Posted on March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 by Mike P

It’s been a few months since my last post. I apologize to everyone who was looking for new posts and updates. I hope you haven’t given up on me. All I can say is that the last half of 2021 is the most stressful and agonizing I’ve experienced in a long time. A death in our family, it’s impact on all of us, followed by stressful projects at home, all took the wind out of my sails. I just had none of the passion or creativity I usually feel about cooking and eating. Having to deal with Covid for ANOTHER year and limiting how much we were willing to socialize just squashed any desire to write my blog.

Finally, my best little buddy for the last 10 years, Bandit, was diagnosed with cancer on my birthday in October. He died on December 9th. I’m still grieving the loss of him. It’s painful to think of his being gone, but I’m trying to focus on the things about Bandit for which I’m grateful. It occurred to me that it might also help to write about it in my blog and perhaps share that with some of you. I hope you won’t mind that this post is about Bandit and what I learned from him. The love we get back from our pets, after all, is just as important a nourishment as the food we eat!

Bandit was a broken little soul when he came to us. I found Bandit through a pet finder app that connected me to a small animal rescue in Saint Marys, GA. He was rescued from a “put down shelter” in South Carolina. Bandit wound up there because someone saw him and his litter mate, Lokie, being thrown from a moving car in South Carolina. Both dogs were picked up and taken to the shelter. Both had been beaten, malnourished and terribly abused. It took a long time for me to win Bandit’s trust, but it was so worth it. Once we bonded, he never left my side. He became a shadow, a companion, a protector and the little guy went everywhere with us.

Bandit’s favorite spot when we would “Go to work” in my home office.

“Let’s go hiking Bandit!” he would spring up and down like a rabbit. “Go for a walk!” He wiggled so much it was almost impossible to get him into his harness and leash. “Let’s go in the car!” Bandit would be out the door ahead of us and race straight to the car or truck. “Gonna go camping Bandit!” He would race to the truck as soon as we let him out the door. Watching his joy and excitement over anything we did together made me see the joy and pleasure in it myself. He taught me to appreciate and cherish the countless times we did any of those things, or anything else, together. He was like most other dogs in that way, but he was special to me. I’m grateful for learning this from Bandit.

Patience is not one of my virtues. I really have to work at it. Most of the time I would lose that battle, before Bandit came along. He helped me get better at being more patient. Shortly after he came to live with us, I found him sneaking into the Master Bathroom, for the 3rd time that day, to eat the cat’s food. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I lost my temper and started yelling at him. He cowered and began to whimper. Seeing and hearing him, I stopped immediately and picked him up. I remembered what he had been through before he came to live with us and I vowed not to ever yell that way again, not in anger and certainly not directed at Bandit. The moment I put my hands on Bandit and spoke to him, he started licking my face and squirmed with joy. For him, the moment of anger was gone. I still feel guilty to this day.

Unconditional love is not something that humans practice very well. We feel it, at times, when it’s convenient and not painful. When we are hurt or feel betrayed or disappointed we sometimes hold on to those feelings, not wanting to let go. It changes our devotion or perceptions of those we love. Most of the time, the pain goes away, our feelings are healed, we forgive, but we never forget. We are creatures that live in the past and future and not nearly enough in the present. Dogs, on the other hand, always live in the now. We are the center of their universe. They depend on us and they love us unconditionally. Living in the now is hard for us, but I’m there more often than I used to be.

Nothing in our lives will warm our hearts and fill us with more pleasure than seeing the joy and excitement of our little buddies when we come back home after an absence. It can be an absence of a week or just a few minutes, but dogs almost never fail to tell us how much they love us when they see us return. I remember being away for about a week, Bandit was at home with Suzanne. I remember thinking as I fell asleep one night how much I missed the little guy. Suzanne had told me that day, when we spoke on the phone, how Bandit was spending so much time looking out the window, waiting for me to return. Oh how that pulled on my heart.

Just having Bandit next to me, or on my lap, helped to relieve stress and calm me when I needed it. He knew when I was upset and it would upset him. He knew when I was tired and he would rest beside me. He was excited and happy with me. Bandit came from a rescue and I know we gave him a good life, but he gave us so much more back.

When it came time for Bandit to leave us I stayed home with him that day. We had a 4:30 appointment to assess his condition. I knew what the vet would say to us. Suzanne and I gathered up his favorite bed and blanket and off we went. He rode in the front seat, on Suzanne’s lap. Bandit loved riding in the car, but being a “front seat dog” was his favorite way to go. I held myself together as I drove, glancing over at him to see his happiness at being in the front seat. He sat up on Suzanne’s lap, looking out the windshield at all that passed by. He was pretty weak and had slept most of the day, but he wasn’t going to let the opportunity to watch the world go by get away from him. When we arrived we brought in his bed and blanket and were ushered into an examination room to wait for the vet. For the first time ever, Bandit was relaxed and didn’t seem at all anxious to be at the vet’s office. I know having his bed and blanket made a huge difference, but I think he knew it was his time. Our vet came in and she examined Bandit. She explained what was going on. I asked if he was suffering and she replied that he soon would be. The doctor asked me if we were ready. I choked out that I would never be ready, but I think Bandit is. She explained what the procedure would be and asked if we wanted to stay with him. I had made up my mind that I would be with Bandit at this moment, no matter what. I held his little head in my hands and got down on my knees so he could see me. I kept telling him not to be afraid and that I was there for him. Tears streamed down my cheeks and he licked my hands as if to thank me for being with him. When he left this world I could feel him leaving his sick little body. His face was peaceful and he was gone. Nothing I’ve experienced in my life has been more painful, but I am so thankful I had Bandit in my life and stayed with him at the end. I was the “center of his universe” and there was never a time in his life that he needed me more than at that moment. His ashes and a couple of his favorite toys sit on the headboard, above my pillow and I say goodnight to him every night. He’ll never be forgotten. Rest In Peace Bandit.

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Marinara Bravissimo

Posted on July 23, 2021June 30, 2021 by Mike P

Finding a good Marinara in a jar can be a real time saver when it’s one of the ingredients in your recipe. I found two that I like. Barilla and Classico make excellent sauces, but they both are a little sweeter than I prefer. Far less so than most of the others I’ve tried. So, when I want a basic Marinara, without any sweetness, and especially when it is the main dish that’s being served, I make my own.

I learned this one from my father, Ralph. He was a trained Chef, learning his profession before WW2, serving in the Merchant Marines. Dad used to tell us great stories about his travels in the Merchant Marines, but not so much about the war. He would talk about it from time to time, if we asked questions.

Dad loved cooking. With his skills, and my Mother being the best Southern cook I’ve ever known, well, I grew up thinking everyone ate that way. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to really appreciate the food we had in our home and the skill with which it was prepared. Dad had several variations on this sauce. He changed it, depending on what he would be using it for. This was his “stand alone” sauce, made to be served over pasta, as the main ingredient of the dish. This was my Grandmother’s favorite sauce, which my Dad taught her to make when he and my Mother were dating in Charlotte, NC. How a boy from New York ended up in Charlotte is a wonderful story.

**Dad and Mom, out for a night on the town, just after they were married in 1948**

Dad served in the Atlantic crossings during WW2, as part of the convoys that took troops and material to Europe. He made more than a dozen trips. When Germany surrendered, he volunteered to do the same in the Pacific, until Japan surrendered. My mother’s first husband, Tracy, died in France during the war. They had a quick “war time” marriage just before he shipped out, and Mom decided to volunteer for work in a munitions factory in California. At the end of the war my Dad was given a train ticket and told he had to report back to New York, his “Home Port” station. My Mom quit her job and decided to go home, back to Charlotte.

As my Dad boarded the train, he noticed a young woman struggling to get aboard with her luggage. Mom had a cast on her leg and there were no “Red Caps” or porters around to help. Dad jumped off and helped her, introducing himself, and as he put it, “falling in love the moment he looked into her eyes”. Mom always tells the story that he “pestered” her all the way across the country, insisting on having his meals with her, following her from one car to another, but also being very charming and “almost” irresistible. Mom got off the train in Charlotte, saying goodbye to my Dad before they arrived at the station. A Porter and Red Caps helped her with the luggage and she made it to the platform, only to turn around and bump directly into my Dad. Mom said he a “huge grin” on his face. When she asked, “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you had to be in New York!” Dad just shook his head. “Nope”, he said, “I’m staying in Charlotte until you marry me”. And he did, and they did, and that’s why me and my brother are here!

I heard this story for the first time, at least that I remember it, while the two of them were in the kitchen and Dad was making this sauce. That didn’t happen very often because they were both “kitchen sergeants” and usually got in each other’s way. It was special when they did share the cooking though. I don’t think of this story every time I make the Marinara, but I do think of it, and I love telling it, because it’s the kind of thing you hear and see in the movies!

This recipe will make about 8 to 10 servings. I’ve added meatballs to this meal, but I add those to the sauce I’m going to use for the evening’s meal, not to the entire pot of Marinara.

Prep time: 15 min. – Cook time: at least 1 hour

Ingredients

1 – Glass red wine for the Chef, I had Merlot this evening

1 – Lrg Can Tomatoes, whole, peeled

2 – Lrg Cans Tomatoes, Crushed, I prefer Cento because they are Italian tomatoes and I love the flavor.

2 – Onions, medium, finely chopped

5 – 6 Garlic cloves, halved lengthwise

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2C – White wine, dry

Oregano, dried

Parsley, dried

Salt, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Pasta of you choice

Making The Magic

If you haven’t had your first sip of wine, I’m going to stop until you do…..

Okay, Start with a large pot on the stove and begin to heat about 4-5T of olive oil to medium heat.

***Finely chopped so they soften quickly***

Finely chop your onions and set aside. Next, peel the garlic. The easiest way is to place the flat of your knife on top of the clove and whack it gently. The peel will pop open and you’ll be able to pull the clove out of the peel. Don’t worry if it’s slightly crushed. Now, slice the garlic cloves into halves and set aside.

When the oil is hot, you should be able to smell the aroma of the olive oil rising from the pot or see the oil beginning to swirl in the pot, drop in one piece of the halved garlic. Does it sizzle? If it does, drop in the rest of the garlic and immediately reduce the heat to medium low. You want the garlic to brown slowly. It will begin to release it’s oils and will change as it cooks in the oil. The oil will absorb the garlic flavors and the garlic will change from a pungent flavor to a slightly sweet and creamy texture.

Just as the garlic starts to brown, ever so slightly, drop in the chopped onions. Swirl them together and let the new flavors begin to bloom in the oil as the chemical reaction between the garlic, olive oil and onions transforms them into little pearls of soft, savory, flavor.

When all of it is softened and the garlic has browned a little more, use your hands and gently crush and squeeze the whole tomatoes into the pot. Do it gently or you’ll end up getting splattered with tomato juice. Stir this thoroughly into the simmering onions and garlic.

When it’s fully blended, add a little salt and pepper and blend it into the mixture.

Take another sip of wine…..thank you.

***Squeeze gently, or you’ll get a bath***

Next add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and blend together. I use this combination to make the sauce a little thicker,

Now add a “handful” of oregano and a “handful” of parsley by filling one palm with the dried herbs and then rubbing your hands together and spreading it over the sauce. Take a deep sniff of your palms when you do this. You’ll love the aromas that are released as a result of your crushing the dried leaves between your palms. Mmmmm-mmmm that smells so good! Blend everything thoroughly.

***Not a precise measurement, but it works***

***Blend thoroughly to combine the flavors***

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and 1/2C dry white wine and blend again.

Cover and simmer for at least an hour. I usually allow 3 to 4 hours, because the longer this simmers the more intense the flavors will become. I would recommend tasting this as it simmers, every 30 minutes or so and decide if you want to add more salt.

For this meal I added meatballs after the sauce had simmered about 4 hours. I took out the portion I wanted to serve that evening and pout it into another, smaller sauce pan. I then added the meat balls to that sauce pan and let it simmer together for another 20 to 30 minutes.

***simmer 3 to 4 hours, if you have time, 1 hour minimum***

***Gotta have bread to “Sop Up the sauce”***

While the meatballs were simmering in the sauce, I put on the pasta. We had Linguini with this. I also fixed a loaf of bread from Aldi’s to “sop” up the sauce.

When it was all ready, it was on the plate and to the table in two heartbeats. By the time it was ready, and I had been smelling it for several hours, I couldn’t wait to dive in!

***With or without meatballs, this sauce stands on it’s own!***

Variations To Keep It New

This sauce is so versatile. Take the serving portions from the pot, or if it’s leftover and frozen in serving sizes, try these additions:

Red, Pepper Flakes

Italian Sausage

Meat Balls

Chopped Black Olives

Wines We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Valpolicella

Any red that’s medium bodied and doesn’t fight the spiciness of the sauce.

Leftovers

I always make enough to have leftovers. Freeze this sauce in one or two serving size portions. Then you can take out the portions you need and add anything you want, like sausage or meatballs.

Momma Mia, that makes my stomach so happy! Eat, enjoy!

Question

How did your parents meet? Do they have a favorite meal?

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el Sandwich Cubano

Posted on July 16, 2021August 16, 2023 by Mike P

With those who know me, even a little, it’s no secret that I love movies. I collect them, I love sharing them and I could talk all day about films, how they are made, the personalities and the stars who fill the screen. So, is it any surprise that some of my favorite movies are about or have major scenes that feature cooking, food, people gathering around food or with food as a catalyst to tell a story? One of those films is “Chef” starring Jon Favreau, who also wrote and directed the film.

Carl Casper, played by Jon Favreau, is an acclaimed and well respected chef. The pressure from his passion for food and cooking, results in a family life that’s falling apart at the same time he is losing his culinary artistic freedom. As the pressure builds, it finally explodes in a public confrontation with an equally renowned restaurant critic who expresses his dislike and disappointment at what he’s served when he visits the restaurant one night. His career seems to be in ruins, his life coming completely undone before his very eyes. Then, Carl’s ex-wife suggests a whole new direction for him, starting in Miami. Reluctant at first, Carl decides to refurbish and refit an old food truck.

The goal is to offer quality food, with simple ingredients and cooking it with his own artistic freedom. Along with him, Carl takes his young son, Percy, and old colleague, Martin, on a trip of discovery across America. With that truck, and the help of his son and friend, Carl rediscovers and reconnects with his culinary passion and desire to share with those he loves. By so doing, Carl discovers he is making and serving more than simple food. He is sharing his joy, his love and his artistic creativity. He is also rediscovering a deeper connection to his wife, his son, his life and his family.

Directed, Written and Starring Jon Favreau. Also starring Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, and Jon Leguizamo

One of the scenes that really connects with me is how he shares his love for a simple sandwich, a Cuban of course, with his son. He describes the care with which all the ingredients must come together and how they are transformed from what each ingredient is by itself to what they become when they are together, sort of like family.

In the film you’ll see Chef Carl casually select 2 really nice, professional sandwich/panini presses for the truck. I would love to have one, but frankly, I’ve run out of counter space in my kitchen, so I came up with an alternative, that you’ll see in this recipe. This shows the makings for two sandwiches. If you serve this with a nice soup, you can make this into 4 servings, half a sandwich per person.

Prep time: 10 min. – Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients

How about fixing a Mojito for the Chef!

2 – Cuban rolls or Hoagie rolls

2 – slices Swiss Cheese

2 – 3 Dill sandwich pickles

Ham, thinly sliced, to taste

Pulled, sliced pork from a roasted, slow cooked Butt, to taste

Dijon Mustard, to taste

Extra Light Olive Oil

1 – Avocado, to serve on the side

SECRET SAUCE – a twist to try

3T – Dukes Mayonnaise

1T – Lindberg-Snider Cajun Spice

Mix mayo and spice, let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or so. Spread this on one of the bread halves, instead of mustard on both halves. OMG…it is so good! I’ve used all the spice blends from Lindberg-Snider and they are awesome good!

***Simple ingredients make amazing flavors when combined***

Making the Magic

Preheat a large pan, large enough to hold both sandwiches, to medium. Coat with a film of Extra Light Olive Oil. It imparts little flavor and tolerates high heat much better.

Slice your Hoagie or Cuban rolls lengthwise and slather as much Dijon Mustard as you like on both sides of the roles.

First layer the thinly sliced pork or pulled pork on top of the bottom section of the role. Next, layer the Swiss Cheese and then the Ham on top of the cheese.

The sandwich pickle tops all of it and then the top of the roll. Press it down and start to flatten the sandwich.

***As much mustard as you want, pickle on top***

***Layers of flavor just waiting to blend***

Place the sandwiches in the preheated pan. Now place an iron skillet on top, it doesn’t need to be hot, just heavy, to help press the sandwiches and keep them pressed. Let it toast in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Take the iron skillet off and flip the sandwiches. Toast for another 5 minutes. Press the skillet down a little to help it press the sandwiches.

***Iron skillet makes an awesome panini press***

The sandwiches will be done when the bread is slightly browned on both sides.

When done, remove from the pan, slice and plate these little beauties along with an avocado halve on each plate.

***Crunchy outside, a palates delight inside***

***Creamy Cole slaw with raisins contrast and compliment***

So far we’ve had two meals with Cuban sandwiches, made with leftover ham from months ago, frozen of course, and leftover pork that had been roasted on our rotisserie just a week before. I love taking leftovers and making completely different and new dishes.

Variations To Keep This New

Well, this is mostly made from leftovers to start with. Personally, I wouldn’t change the recipe for the Cuban. Changing up the side dishes will give you some variety. Try pineapple in the Cole Slaw. Fresh, sliced peaches on the side would be delicious. Perhaps a green salad with Balsamic vinegar and Olive Oil.

Wines We Love With This

So I’ve had Cubans with reds, bold and light, whites, Sangria and Beer. So far, I have’t found anything that doesn’t go with a Cuban!

Leftovers

Not. Don’t see it happening.

As they usually say in Cuba:

“Salud, por que la belleza sobra”

Question

Have you ever been to Cuba?

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Would Someone Rub My Butt

Posted on July 9, 2021July 7, 2021 by Mike P

Slow cooked pork roasts, especially a Blade Roast, aka Boston Butt, is one of my favorites, but I never seem to have time to do one. Well, I got to thinking, maybe I could find something that would be just as tender and not take as long on my grill. I don’t own a “Green Egg” or “Tragger” or “Weber” slow cooker/pellet grill. However, I do have an awesome Broil King gas grill with a Rotisserie. So, I looked for a recipe that uses a Rotisserie and would come close to a long, long slow cook on a wood pellet grill.

I was hoping to repeat the incredible tender, juicy pork roast that I remember from one of the best neighborhoods we have ever lived in, Wood Valley. It’s located in Raleigh, NC. It’s a place we remember so fondly because of the community, friends, neighbors and unforgettable memories we made there. I remember being “volunteered” to help get the pigs and butts ready for the annual, Wood Valley Pig Pickin’. It was famous in Raleigh, well, maybe just in our neighborhood, but it was something very special. The “Boys” met at the community swim and racquet club at 5:30am. We split up duties and I went off with Bill Sinnett to get one of the 150 Gal Oil Drum cookers. We used three. Two were for the whole pigs we were roasting and the third was for 150lbs of pork butts. Others went off in separate directions to collect the pigs, the pork butts, the 50Qt pots to make the outstanding vinegar based sauce and all the other accoutrements. The homeowners attending were expected to bring dishes to share.

I won’t name the person, but one person was left behind to start creating the charcoal and burning wood to put in the cookers when they arrived. We wanted to get started as early as possible because we knew it would take all day and folks were expecting us to start serving around 5PM. The charcoal and burning embers were supposed to be started in a pit dug into the ground and would be kept going all day long so we could add burning embers and charcoal as needed. We were gone about an hour, and when we all arrived back, we discovered the fire hadn’t been started. Puzzled, and a little anxious, we looked for the person who was supposed to be tending the fire that wasn’t. No where to be found at the club house or pool area, we went on with our tasks, going off the get some additional tools and things we knew we would need.

When we got back, the “Firestarter” was there and was walking back from the clubhouse with a beer in his hand. Yep it was early, but early and day long beer drinking was part of the experience, so he had started without us. He was walking over to the pit as we asked where he had been. He explained that with all the dew from the previous night, it is the south and can be hot and humid from time to time, it had been impossible to get the fire going, even with the fire sticks. Several of us walked towards the pit and I suddenly noticed the smell of gasoline. “Firestarter” had put his beer on the ground and was pulling a pack of matches out of his back pocket. He continued to explain why he hadn’t been able to start the fire, how he had gone home and gotten his can of gasoline for his lawn mower and then soaked the wood when he had gotten back. He lit the match, threw it towards the pit and “WHOOSH, BOOM”. Suddenly, any of us near the pit, no longer had any hair on our legs. It was over in a flash and it was nothing more than the fumes flashing off when the match hit, but it sure got the heart pumping and it was one of those, “here, hold my beer moments”! We all started laughing, no one wanting to admit it had scared the hell out of all of us. I suddenly felt thirsty, so it was time to open my first beer of the day. We were a little late serving up the pork, but it was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Needless to say, I can’t repeat that experience every time I want pulled pork or tender, juicy bar-b-q pork. But the memory of that, and how it tasted, made me search for a good alternative that I could do at home.

This recipe is for any size butt. The one I made was 8 lbs and we did have a lot of leftovers. Prepping the Butt, and cooking it to the right internal temperature, is the key to its juiciness and tenderness.

Prep time: at least 8 hrs. – Cook time: 4 1/2 hours

Ingredients

As many beers as the Chef wants

1 – 8lb Blade Roast, aka Boston Butt

1/4C – Brown Sugar

3/4C – Salt

Cooking twine/string

1/2C – Paprika, smoked is best

1/3C – Brown Sugar

1/4C – Garlic Powder

2T – Black Pepper

2T – Chili Powder

2T – Onion Powder

2T – Chipotle Chili Powder

1T – Cumin

1T – Dry Mustard

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

**Makes enough rub for at least two** butts

The amount of Dry Rub you make will be enough to do two 8lb butts. I save the extra and will use it for another butt on the rotisserie, or it is an outstanding rub for pork chops or St Louis style pork ribs.

Making The Magic

Prep your Butt well in advance by marinating or “Brining” for at least 8 hours. I did mine overnight. Use hot water to melt 1/4C Brown Sugar and 3/4C Salt together, about 4 cups of hot water. Stir until well blended. Place the Butt in a container large enough to add about 8Qts of cold water and the sugar/water blend. You want the Butt to be completely covered in the brine/marinade. Put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Cover the container and let it sit. there’s no need to stir or shake the mixture.

At some point prior to pulling the Butt out of the fridge, get your rub ingredients together and blend them thoroughly. Mix the Paprika, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Chili Powders, Black Pepper, Cumin, and Dry Mustard. Be sure it is thoroughly blended. You want the ingredients to melt into the pork as you rub it on and while it’s cooking. These spices enhance one another as they heat up and blend with the fats and juices coming from the pork. As they darken, and they darken quite a bit, the flavors will intensify, blooming into a unique combination that will make your mouth water just thinking about it.

When the Butt has been brining for at least 8 hours remove it from the brine and pat it dry, all around. Once dry, you’ll want to evenly score the “fat cap” on the butt. DON’T trim the fat off! This is where a lot of flavor comes from, and it becomes the “cracklin” when it crisps and releases it’s juices.

Preheat your grill to about 350°. the lower the heat, the longer it will take to reach an internal temperature of 185° to 190°. That’s an important measure. The Butt has to reach that temperature in order to make it tender and juicy. This cut of pork has a lot of tendons and connective tissue that can make it very tough and chewy. However, it begins to break down and melts into the surrounding muscle tissue when it gets to around 175°. Cooking it too quickly, at higher temperatures, will also melt the connective tissue, but it will also burn off, and the juiciness will be lost, resulting in dry and tasteless pork.

***Blend thoroughly to insure maximum flavor***

The scoring will allow you to rub the spices into the fat cap and surface of the pork. Doing this will greatly enhance the flavor of the meat and it also allows the “cracklin” to develop. Officially, cracklin’ is the product of a whole, roasted pig, and what happens to the skin as it roasts. This is pretty close though.

***Score evenly, not more than 1/8″ deep***

Once dried and scored, you want to thoroughly rub the Butt with olive oil. Coat it all around because the oil is going to begin the process of melting the dry rub into the Butt. Once coated with the oil, sprinkle and rub the blended spices into the Butt.

***Use the rub generously. Don’t skimp.***

Rub the spices into the scoring and on all sides. Don’t be afraid to get your hands in there. It washes off. Just don’t rub your eyes or nose if they start to itch!

After the Butt is well crusted with the rub, you’ll want to truss it up with the cooking twine. It’s not absolutely necessary, but you run the risk of the meat falling apart and off the spit, when the connective tissue and tendons begin to break down and melt. Just add or replace any of the areas where you knock the rub off.

**Thoroughly coat and rub into the scorin**g

***If you don’t truss the Butt the meat may fall apart when cooking***

Now that the Butt is trussed and completely encrusted with the rub, you’ll want to skewer the butt on the spit. Because of the position and shape of the bone in this cut, remember, it’s a should blade cut of pork, not really a part of the butt, it was necessary to skewer this by running through the narrow part of the cut, side to side. Running it lengthwise would have caused the Butt to be offset and not centered on the skewer. This way, it just fit better on the spit and rotated better on the rotisserie.

Once the Butt is on the rotisserie, monitor the temperature to be sure it doesn’t get too high or low. I used a quick check meat thermometer to check the internal temp every hour. It’s important to let the Butt reach an internal temperature of 185° to 190°. When you take it off the rotisserie, it will continue to cook internally, so take it away from the heat as soon as you see it reach that temperature.

About 2 hours into the cooking I also added a “smoker box”. It’s an awesome way to get the flavoring of a smoke pit fire and still use a gas grill. This Butt will still have an incredible amount of flavor with out doing this. It’s completely optional, as far as I’m concerned. If you do want the smoke pit flavor, I used Hickory wood chips, soaked in water for about an hour, and placed in a stainless smoker box that fits on my grill. It goes directly on top of the sizzle plates of the grill, below the cooking grate. I turn the burner on, beneath the smoker box and monitor the temperature of the grill, when it starts to rise more than a few degrees I turn the burner off. I go back and forth with the burner to allow the Hickory chips to release their steam and start to smoke as the heat up and start to burn. It may be more work than you want to do, but I love the additional layer of flavor it adds. I have to do this on my grill because it has a dedicated rotisserie burner that is high up next to the meat that turns on the spit, not below it.

When the Butt has reached a temperature of 185° to 190° at the center, remove it from the heat and let it rest for about 15 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise for a few minutes and then start to drop. Cutting into the Butt too soon will release a large amount of the internal juices onto the cutting board. That’s not where you want them.

***The drip pan beneath is absolutely essential***

The rub will begin to darken as the Butt cooks. The brown sugar caramelizes, and the paprika and chili powders all darken and create really intense flavors in the fat cap. Without the trussing, it’s possible the meat could just fall apart, or even off the spit. It does just fall off the bone when you you carve it up.

***It looks burned, but it isn’t and the flavors are incredible!***

Now it’s time to carve into this beauty. One section of this cut will be perfect for chopping and pulling apart. Another section, on the other side of the bone will have a beautiful hunk of pork that will be perfect for slicing. You’ll see this as you cut into the Butt yourself. It can all be chopped and pulled, if that’s your preference.

***Sliced or chopped, it’s so delicious***

***Chop the “cracklin” in with the meat***

Having learned how to do this on my gas grill and rotisserie opens up a whole new layer of grilling I hadn’t tried before. Gas grills are not generally viewed as something you use to “slow cook” meats, by most folks. I was one of them, but I so wanted to recreate that taste of a Boston Butt, cooked in a smoke pit for hours, I decided I had to at least give it a try. OMG, I’m so glad I did!

***As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words…***

***…well, here’s two pictures that say it all!***

Variations To Keep It New

There are so many rubs out there, the variations are endless. Make a vinegar based bar-b-q sauce to go with this. It’s my absolute favorite with chopped pork bar-b-q. There are 4 other types of wood chips you can try, to change the smoke flavor. My favorite is Hickory, and not because I live in Hickory, NC.

Wines We Love With This

BEER! – There are so many microbreweries that make awesome beers in North Carolina, I could list twenty or more and still just be scratching the surface. There’s an amber ale, called Independence Harbor, brewed in Rochester, NY and sold at Aldi’s that is awesome, especially given the price.

Sweet Tea – THE Southern Table Wine!

Pinot Grigio

Leftovers

Holy cow, there are so many things to do with this. One of my favorites is to use this in a Cuban sandwich. The recipe and the technique for making a Cuban, without a sandwich press will be coming next week. It’s also part of my “Dinner and a Movie” series. This is inspired by the movie “Chef”. Find the movie and be ready to watch it while you enjoy one of the best, and simplest of sandwiches that comes from our Cuban brothers and sisters.

Great memories are made with great food and great friends. Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!

Question

What is your favorite kind of bar-b-q, barbecue for those who can’t spell southern style.

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Suzanne’s Go To – Chicken Parmigiana

Posted on July 2, 2021June 6, 2021 by Mike P

This is one of Suzanne’s all time favorite comfort foods. For many years, whenever we went out to an Italian Restaurant, I could always predict that Suzanne would order Chicken Parmigiana. It was a given, especially if we had a hard day and weren’t in the mood for trying something new, Suzanne ordered Chicken Parmigiana to help heal the battle wounds of the day. We’ve tried lots of variations in lots of places, so I had many examples to draw from when I came up with my own recipe. I probably did a dozen variations myself, but this is the one I’ve settled on, and the one that Suzanne seems to like best. I’ve added a secret little ingredient that changes the texture and the flavor, just a little. Unfortunately, Suzanne never asks to go out to an Italian restaurant anymore.

This recipe is for two. It’s easy and can be scaled up. I’m using a jarred sauce, Barilla Tomato, Onion and Basil, but I also like my own Marinara sauce. I just didn’t happen to have any when I made this. I usually make a couple gallons of Marinara and freeze it in two serving containers, between 2 1/2 to 3 cups, so I have it for these kinds of recipes. When we lived on our boat, Carolina, I had very limited freezer space, so I looked for and found two brands that have become my favorite pre-made sauces, Barilla and Classico. Easy to find and delicious to use.

Prep time: 20 minutes. – Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

A glass of wine for the Chef!

2 – Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, butterflied

3C – Tomato sauce, homemade or your favorited jarred sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Egg

1/2C – Flour, all purpose

1C – Italian Breadcrumbs

3/4C – Mozarella, shredded

1/3C – Parmigiana, shredded

3/4C – Parmigiana, grated

2 – Swiss cheese slices

Pasta – your choice, I used Barilla Thin Spaghetti this night.

***I know, the cheeses aren’t in the picture. I forgot to add them when I shot this!***

Making The Magic

Start with butterflying your chicken breasts, ending up with 4 halves. Once cut, lay each one out on a cutting board, cover with plastic cling film and tenderize. I like using the side of a small plate to tenderize most meats.

Prepare your egg dip by beating the egg thoroughly in a shallow bowl.

Preheat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large skillet, medium. Add a little butter if you like. While the oil is heating, get your chicken breasts ready.

Start heating your tomato sauce as well. You’ll be using this to assemble the Chicken Parmigiana, and for your pasta.

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Dredge each half of the chicken breast in flour. Coat it thoroughly and then knock off any excess flour. Next coat the flour dredged chicken with the beaten egg. When coated with the egg, thoroughly coat the chicken with the Italian breadcrumbs. Now the chicken is ready for the hot oil.

Place the chicken in the hot oil, reduce the heat if it splatters. Let the chicken fry in the oil so that it develops a crispy exterior. You want the chicken breasts to be golden brown when they are finished cooking in the oil. Usually about 4 minutes per side.

When they are browned on each side, remove from the pan and place them into a baking dish. The two extra chicken breast halves were unseasoned and made for Bandit, our pooch. He always gets a little something extra on top of his dry food every night, but almost never table scraps, unless it’s a tiny bit of leftover meat from someone’s plate.

Cover the top of each chicken breast with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce.

***Fry until golden brown. The 2 extra are unseasoned for Bandit.***

***Place in a baking dish and layer with sauce***

On top of the tomato sauce begin to layer the cheeses and some additional tomato sauce. Start by spreading the shredded Mozzarella, then the shredded Parmigiana, and top that with the sliced Swiss. I know, some of you are saying, “what is he thinking!” I added this to my recipe because it adds a slight nuttiness to the flavor blend, and additional stringiness to the texture.

Top the Swiss cheese with about 1/4 cup of Tomato sauce. Finally, top all this with the grated Parmigiana.

Pop the baking dish into your preheated, 400° oven, and bake while you get your pasta ready, or at least 15 minutes. The baking will melt all the cheeses, and the flavors will blend and bloom inside that baking dish.

Get your pasta going and when there’s just a few minutes left on the pasta, switch the oven to broil. This will brown the top of the Parmigiana nicely. Just don’t leave it too long, or you’ll burn the top of your beautiful Chicken Parmigiana. It will still taste great though!

***Bake uncovered at 400° for at least 15 minutes***

***After baking 15 minutes, brown Parmigiana under broiler***

When the Parmigiana has browned to the color you like, turn off the broiler and remove the dish from the oven. Let it rest while you drain your pasta and plate it.

Once the pasta is plated, ladle a generous portion of your sauce over the pasta. Then use a large spatula and remove each chicken breast from the baking dish, plating it next to the pasta. Oh Mama Mia, this is so Delizioso! Your tastebuds, and everyone you serve this to, will remember the loving care and delight that went into this dish.

***This is so good you’ll stop going out to restaurants for it!***

Variations To Keep It New

Replace the sliced Swiss cheese with sliced Mozzarella. Add a little red wine to the sauce. No too much or it will become too runny. Just enough for the red wine to bloom in the sauce and start to release it’s aroma.

Wine We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Valpolicella

Bardolino

Leftovers

I have to admit, that doesn’t happen often. When I have had leftovers I’ve reheated the chicken along with some additional sauce and just made fresh pasta.

“La vita e bella con greta cibo e famiglia!”

Question

Would anyone be interested in a recipe for Veal Parmigiana?

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Cubano Picadillo

Posted on June 25, 2021June 20, 2021 by Mike P

I love Cuban food and two of our favorite restaurants when we lived in Tampa, FL was the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the other one. I do remember the bread though. It was a dark bread that was not too dense, had an incredible flavor and perfect crust surrounding a soft warm interior. They brought this bread to the table almost as soon as you sat down. I think we went to this place about 6 or 7 times during the couple of years we lived in Tampa. Our dearest friends, Bob and Cecy Zaffuto went with us a number of times and I remember being introduced to Picadillo at this place. It was awesome! Combined with the bread, I couldn’t stop eating it. The only thing that did stop me was the fact that my plate was empty.

***The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Just on the outskirts of downtown Tampa, FL.***

Although we lived in Tampa only a short time, I met two of my best friends living there, Dan Trammell and Bob Zaffuto. We worked together, played together, drank together, and ate together often. You can’t break bread with people that often and not come to cherish and love them. I miss both Bob and Dan, but I have this dish to help me remember them now.

***People often thought Bob and I were brothers***

***Dan, Bob and I were the 3 Muskateers***

Thanks to a more recent, and very dear friend, Ashley Cooper-Heath, I was reminded of this recipe when she responded to my post on Palomilla Steak. She asked me to put up a recipe for Picadillo. I honestly had forgotten that I ever had this until Ashley asked for the recipe. We didn’t experience a lot of Cuban cuisine once we moved away from Tampa. That was back in 1980 and 1981. In any case, THANK YOU Ashley Cooper-Heath for reminding me of this incredible Cuban dish.

This recipe will serve 4 and you can easily stretch it to 6, with some side dishes. There are lots of variations, but this is my favorite and the one I remember having for the first time in Tampa.

Pre time: 25 minutes. – Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 – 2 Glasses of the Chef’s favorite red or white

Extra Light Olive Oil

1 – Garlic clove, minced when you add it to pan

1 – Onion, small, chopped

1/2 – Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1lb – Ground Beef, lean

6 -10 Green Olives, Pitted and quartered

1/2C – Raisins

1T – Capers

8oz – Tomato sauce

1T – Cumin, ground

1t – white sugar

2 packets – Sazon Seasoning (I use Goya for convenience) about 3oz

Salt to taste

White rice – Use your favorite

**Gather your goodies and make them ready**!

Making the Magic

Start your rice cooking while you prepare the rest of this recipe. Making 2 cups of rice will serve 6 people. We use an Instapot to cook rice all the time. It’s so easy and always gets it right.

Once you have or while you are prepping your onion, bell pepper and garlic, preheat about 2T of Extra Light Olive Oil in a large pan. When the oil starts to swirl in the pan, add the onions and bell pepper, then the garlic, mincing it into the pan. If you mince the garlic and let it sit, it will develop a much stronger flavor. Stir the bell pepper, onion, and garlic in the oil, cooking it over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are softened. The garlic will start to bloom in the hot oil, combining with the onions and bell pepper. Salt to taste.

***Chop the veggies and peel the garlic***

Push the veggies to the edge of the pan and crumble the Ground Beef into the center of the pan. As the Ground Beef starts to brown, stir and mix it together with the veggies. Cook thoroughly, about 7 to 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

Now you have your base prepared, it’s time to create the magic in the pan.

Stir in the olives and raisins, mix thoroughly. Now add the capers and the tomato sauce, mix thoroughly. Finally, blend in the cumin, sugar and Sazon Seasoning, salt to taste. Blend and stir thoroughly. Ummm, smell the cumin come alive in the pan! The Sazon and the raisins, enhance the flavors and increase the intensity of the spices because of the contrasts.

***Add tomato sauce, cumin, sugar and Sazon, WOW, this is good***

Cover and let simmer on medium low for about 5 minutes. You want this to reduce slightly to intensify all the flavors.

When this is almost complete, plate the rice so that it makes a bed for the Picadillo.

Now, spoon a portion of the Cubano Picadillo over the bed of rice and prepare yourself for a meal you won’t want to stop eating!

***Take a picture before your plate looks like…….***

***…this. An empty plate is the only thing that makes me stop!***

Cuban food is a cultural mixture of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. It’s an amazing blend of flavors and styles of cooking that takes simple ingredients to create gastronomic delights! You have to try this, at least once. But I’ll bet you keep coming back for more.

***An amazing melting pot of cultures***

Variations To Keep This New

Try adding some Black Beans on the side, seasoned with bacon. Brussel sprouts, coated with olive oil and baked in the oven are also a great side to this dish. Substitute the raisins with sweet corn.

Wines We Love With This

A chilled Sangria works great with this dish.

Pinot Grigio

Reisling

Leftovers

Simply reheat. Is also awesome as part of a Taco Salad, or in Tacos.

Salud! Buen provecho!

Question

In what Cuban city did Michael Corleone kiss his brother Fredo!

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Lemon Butter Pork Tenderloin

Posted on June 18, 2021May 24, 2021 by Mike P

Pork tenderloin is such an awesome cut of meat. It’s versatile, delicious and can be made in so many ways. I love pork tenderloin from the grill, in the oven, with sauces, dry rubbed, cooked in a pan, in sandwiches, with salads, well, you get the point. This recipe is one I found on the internet. I wanted something a little different and that would utilize the best lemons I’ve ever had. A long time friend of ours offered to give us a “few lemons” from the trees in their back yard. Having a bumper crop this year, they wanted to share. Wow, did they ever! We received a large shopping bag full of beautiful lemons, so many that I had to find a way to keep them long term and not have them spoil. These lemons are the same as those that are grown along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The skins are not as thick, they have a slight orange tint, a hint of sweet, and can be eaten by themselves! The Amalfi Coast in Italy is famous for its lemon trees and lemons that are grown on every hillside and spot of land that isn’t occupied by a structure of some kind.

***The perfect climate and years of careful tending to the trees have produced the most incredible lemons.***

So, being inspired to make use of the lemons brought me to this recipe. I’ve made a few changes because the results were not as good as I had hoped. The problem may have been the chef, but I think the directions were a little off, in terms of timing.

This recipe will make 4 hearty servings and can be served over egg noodles, pasta or rice.

Prep time: 20 min – Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

1 Glass of wine for the Chef

1 1/2lb – Pork Tenderloin

3 – Lemons

1 – Large carton sliced mushrooms

2 – Garlic cloves, crush when added to recipe

8T – Butter

2T – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2T – Heavy Cream

1/2 Can – Cream of Mushroom soup

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Egg Noodles

***One thing missing from this picture, a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup!***

Making The Magic

Prep the pork tenderloin by slicing it into 1/2″ thick slices. Place about six of the slices into a large freezer bag. Pond the meat until it is thinned. I like to use the edge of a plate, not a meat tenderizer. The plate doesn’t pierce the bag and it keeps me from pounding too hard. You want to “thin” the meat into cutlets, not obliterate and separate! Season the cutlets to taste with the salt and pepper.

Wash the outside of the lemons. Cut one of the lemons in half, squeeze out all the juice from both halves, and set it aside for later. Discard the skin. Slice the other two lemons and set them aside.

***6 slices leaves enough room to pound these out***

***I prefer the edge of a small plate to thin the cutlets***

Heat the Olive Oil and 2T butter in a large sauce pan or skillet. Bring the heat up to medium high. Add the pork tenderloin cutlets and brown on both sides. Don’t cook more than 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Remove the cutlets from the oil and set aside.

Begin to cook your egg noddles and let them finish while you do the rest of this.

Add 2T butter to the pan. Lower the heat to medium and drop in the mushrooms. Spread them evenly and allow them to cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes. Look for them to begin to change color, then stir the mushrooms to allow them to start releasing their moisture. DO NOT add salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, and then remove the mushrooms from the pan, leaving as much liquid as possible.

Add the garlic to the sizzling liquid and stir for a minute. Add the lemon juice and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the garlic bloom in the pan and the lemon juice blend with the butter, oil and garlic. This takes about 3 minutes. The flavors will enhance each other and it begins to add a richness to the intensity of the flavor.

Add the pork and the mushrooms back to the pan. Layer the sliced lemons all over the pork and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes. Don’t overcook the pork, or it will dry out. The original recipe said to cook for a total of 10 minutes, but that was far too long.

While this is cooking, drain the noodles and plate them.

***No more than 1 1/2 minutes per side***

Once the the pork, mushrooms and lemons are done, plate the cooked pork over the noodles. If any of the pork tenderloin is left, remove it from the liquids and set aside.

Add 1/2 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup to the liquids left in the pan. Once it comes up to medium heat add the 2T of Heavy Cream and mix thoroughly. This is your lemon butter sauce.

***Heat the Cream of Mushroom soup first, then add the heavy cream***

Ladle the sauce over the plated pork tenderloin and lemons. Sit down and be prepared for your tastebuds to tingle! The flavors are amazing!

***I ate the lemons as well! They are delicious!***

Variations To Keep It New

Since this is the first time I made this dish I can’t tell you what I’ve had. I can share what I think would be good with this.

Try serving this over rice or with a pasta, like linguine. I’m thinking this could also be an awesome dish if you made it with oranges, instead of lemons. I would definitely serve it over Jasmine Rice if I did it with oranges. I’m also thinking that adding some raisins to this while the pork tenderloin, mushrooms and lemons are cooking together would be awesome.

Wines We Love With This

We had a nice Pinot Grigio

Also would be good with:

Chardonnay

Sauvignon Blanc

Leftovers

What we had, we simply reheated in the microwave. It was just as delicious as the first time.

So, when life gives you lemons…….make Lemon Butter Pork Tenderloin!

Question

What is your favorite recipe using lemons!

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Western Oven Bar-B-Q Chicken Thighs

Posted on June 11, 2021June 9, 2021 by Mike P

So, in most places around the country, Bar-B-Q is a verb, as in “let’s barbecue some steaks”, or “do you want to barbecue this weekend”, or “I lay in the sun too long and got barbecued!” However, in its proper use, in the south, it is always a noun. Bar-B-Q is something you eat, not something you do. You can grill steak, or grill chicken, or grill burgers, but not all things that go on the grill are Bar-B-Q. So having made this point, I’m going to share a recipe using a Western Style Bar-B-Q rub that is awesome. And it is something you eat, and by-the-way, it doesn’t go on the grill. Chicken thighs! One of my favorite “comfort foods” is oven baked chicken. I love it so much I could eat it almost every night, but I suspect it would not be as delightful every time, if I did.

This recipe is baked in the oven along with the veggies. it’s also very easy to scale up or down. Making it all in one pan, especially lined with foil, is simple and quick, and the clean up is easy. If you’re making a lot, you can make two or three pans all at once. This recipe will serve four normal appetites or two “chow hounds”. I always have left overs when I make this. I love using the veggies in a breakfast bowl. The veggies soak up the chicken juice and the olive oil, and make for an awesome flavor when combined in a breakfast dish.

Prep time: 20 min. – Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

1 Full pour of the chef’s favorite wine

4 Chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

3 – 4 Potatoes, medium to small

1 – 2 Onions, sweet work best

3 Carrots, large or 10 or so baby carrots, cut in half

Olive Oil

Italian seasoning mix – your choice

***Simple ingredients, easy prep, one pan to cook***

Bar-B-Q spice dry rub – your choice. I use a western style rub for this recipe. It’s awesome. Red Baron Barbecue Spice. It comes from Lindberg-Snider in California. They’ve been making rubs, spice blends and marinades for about 50 years. Their website is currently being totally renovated, but I’ll let you know when it is back up and running.

Making The Magic

Preheat your oven to 450°.

Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil. It makes clean up so, so easy compared to scraping and soaking the pan.

Whew…..sip some wine.

Cut your potatoes into 1/2″ cubes and toss into a large mixing bowl. Cut your onions into small wedges and separate the onion layers. Toss them in with the potatoes. Cut the carrots into 1″ pieces, 1/2″ thick or less. Add those to the potatoes and onions.

***Coat well with Olive Oil and Herbs***

Pour 3 or 4T of Olive Oil over the veggies. Sprinkle to taste. I use about 3T of Italian Seasoning. Toss everything in the bowl until the veggies are fully coated with the oil and the seasoning.

Pour your veggies from the bowl into the foil lined baking pan and spread them evenly over the pan. Then push some of the veggies aside to make room for the chicken thighs you’ll be adding.

Time for another sip.

Pat the chicken thighs dry and place them skin side down in the bowl you used for the veggies. Add some olive oil and rub the thighs around in the bowl to completely coat them with the olive oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of your favorite Bar-B-Q rub and completely coat both sides of the thighs. Don’t be stingy with your rub. It doesn’t do you much good sitting on the shelf in the bottle!

***I use paper towels so there aren’t so many towels in the laundry, and my boxer shorts won’t end up smelling like chicken!***

Once the thighs are well coated with rub, place them in the baking pan along with the veggies. These juices and flavors of the chicken will blend and be absorbed by the veggies as everything bakes together. The result is awesome.

Take another sip of wine, you deserve it!

Slide the pan into your preheated oven and let bake for 30 minutes. Relax, finish your glass of wine and get ready for an amazing dish. The flavors will zing in your mouth.

***The flavors will combine in the oven***

***Potatoes are tender inside, crispy out***

The chicken will be dark, the potatoes slightly browned, the carrots tender, the onions sweet, soft and some charred and the combined flavors will be a mouth full of happiness. When you make this for someone, you’ll be putting a huge smile on their face. Plate your dish and enjoy.

***Amazing flavors, crispy skin on the chicken, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside potatoes.***

Variations To Keep This New

I never get tired of this combination, but it is nice to change it up from time to time. I like to add veggies that are in season. Try it with halved Brussel Sprouts, cubed sweet potatoes, whole button mushrooms can be added for the last 10 minutes or so, broccoli or cauliflower is also great with this.

I’ve also made this with chicken legs, but they can overcook before the veggies are ready, so watch them. Whole, bone-in, or boneless chicken breasts are great, but with the skin on. They will dry out and can get tough if you don’t have the skin on them.

Wines We Love With This

Southern Table Wine (you tell me what you think this is)

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay – I prefer a stainless aged one with this dish

Dry Rose

Leftovers

I always have left overs with this, if I’m cooking just for the two of us. The veggies are awesome when pan fried and part of a breakfast bowl. Leftover chicken, which isn’t often, can make a great chicken salad with Dukes mayo, grapes and walnuts. I’ve reheated this for a light lunch and also served it cold with a fresh salad.

When you are making this dish for others, tell them…

Come hungry, eat hardy, enjoy the company and let your taste buds dance!

Question

Who made the best chicken recipe you’ve ever had? Do you remember it?

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Festa Italiana alla Pilolla – Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Posted on June 4, 2021June 9, 2021 by Mike P

Eggplant is one of those things that most people seldom make. Well, maybe not most, but enough to make this dish worth considering. It’s not nearly as intimidating as it looks and the flavors and textures are amazing. Eggplant will absorb the flavors of almost anything you cook with it, so it becomes a very versatile ingredient. This dish was part of the “Secondi” course during our Italian Feast back in 1993. I included this for several reasons. One of our guests was not a huge consumer of meat, and I was able to make this a few days ahead of time, refrigerate it and pop it in the oven at the appropriate time during the evening of our dinner party. We started this meal around 6 or 6:30pm and it went until 2am the following morning. I usually find some link, for most of the dishes I post, to a memory or event that makes it special? The dinner we served that night was the first time I made Eggplant Parmesan. I think of that evening every time I make it. I remember the laughter, the warmth and love being shared around the table. It always makes this dish special to me.

As I’ve related in previous posts, this was a dinner inspired by wanting to show all our friends how we felt about them. It took several days to get ready and it was an amazing evening of toasts, good food, friendship, love and knowing we were with people we had chosen as “Family”. So this meal, this gathering, this evening of sharing was, as my Grandfather Francis used to say, “per la famiglia, cin, cin!”

This recipe is good for six people if you serve pasta on the side, four people if you make it the only dish and 8 or more if it is for a multi-course dinner.

Prep time: 30 minutes – Cook time: 40 to 50 minutes (longer if you prep and refrigerate before baking)

Ingredients

1 Generous pour of the Chef’s favorite red wine

2 – 3 (1 1/2lb) Eggplants, sliced 1/2″

3 – 5T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 3/4C Tomato sauce, use your favorite jarred sauce or a homemade marinara

20 Basil, whole leaves

1 1/2C Mozzarella, shredded

1C Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1/4C Italian bread crumbs

Salt & Pepper to taste

***Get your ingredients together and take the stress out of cooking!***

Making The Magic

Wash the outside of your eggplants and slice them into 1/2″ thick slices. Sprinkle a little salt over each slice of the egg plant and layer them, in a colander, on top of each other. Once sliced, salted and layered, lay a large plate or something solid on top and weigh it all down. I use a large can of tomatoes for this. Leave the eggplant for about 20 to 30 minutes. The salt draws out some of the moisture and the bitterness you sometimes find in eggplant. Once they are sufficiently drained, lay them out and pat them dry.

Preheat your oven to 425° while the eggplant is sweating. Take another sip of your wine!

Line a shallow baking pan with foil and spray it lightly with Pam. When you’ve dried your eggplant, lay the slices out in the baking pan, in a single layer. It might take two pans. Brush the slices with olive oil. Notice how the oil is absorbed into the eggplant? You may need more olive oil, so don’t be stingy. You can always use more. When all of the eggplant has been brushed with olive oil, lightly dust the eggplant with Italian bread crumbs. Place the baking pan(s) in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

**Dust lightly with Italian breadcrumbs**

While that’s baking, prepare the initial bed for the eggplant. Use an 8 x 12 (best) or 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread about 1/4 of your tomato sauce in the baking dish. Your first layer of eggplant will go directly on top of this. When the eggplant is finished, remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Reduce the oven temp to 400°.

Begin to layer the eggplant, basil, sauce and cheeses. Place the first layer of eggplant in the bed of tomato sauce.

Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce over the eggplant in the baking dish.

Place half of the Basil leaves on top of the tomato sauce. Spread 1/2C of the Mozzarella and then 1/4C of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Grind some fresh black pepper to taste over all of it.

Repeat this layering a second time.

***Fresh Basil really makes a difference***

***Plenty of cheese in the layers and on top***

Repeat again for a third time, finishing without the Basil leaves and using the final 1/2C of Parmigiano Reggiano to top it all off.

Bake the casserole for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, not letting the cheese get too dark. It will be bubbling on the sides and golden brown on the top when it’s finished.

***Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes, not too long, or it will overcook.***

Bring it out of the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Finish that first glass of wine while you’re waiting and then pour another.

***Left this in too long, but it was still delicious***

***Slightly overcooked but tasted great. Probably should have used an 8 x 12 instead of an 9 x 13 baking dish.***

Cut into squares and plate your beautiful Melanzane alla Parmigiana! Ummmm, you’re so gonna love this! Delizioso!

Variations To Keep It New

If you would like to add some meat to this dish, thinly slice some precooked Italian sausage and add it in the second layer. Add some red pepper flakes to the tomato sauce for a little heat.

Wines We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Beaujolais

Leftovers

Reheated in the microwave keeps it from drying out. In the oven at 350°, covered and you can always add a little tomato sauce to keep it moist.

Mangia, bevi, ama con gusto!

Question

Do you have a favorite jarred or canned sauce you like to use in recipes?

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Not Yo Mama’s Chicken

Posted on May 28, 2021May 2, 2021 by Mike P

Growing up in Charlotte, NC; Brooklyn, NY; Miami, FL; and other places far-flung, my brother and I learned a lot about adapting to new places and people. We got to try new foods, not that our parents didn’t already expose us to loads of things. The variety was awesome. Most of the time it was exciting, but my brother Don was always a little hesitant and sometimes completely refused to eat what he didn’t know. That’s no longer a problem for him. He’ll eat anything and everything you put in front of him. I always have!

The one dish my mother could always count on getting my brother to eat, was pan fried chicken. That was pan fried, in Crisco, iron skillet, flower with her own “secret ingredient” and loaded with love. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, that chicken was so damned good. Her method, the proper southern style of cooking it, took what seemed like forever. I remember Mom spooning large globs of the purest white Crisco into the skillet and turning up the burner as it would melt. A drizzle of flour told her when it was hot enough. She would then slowly, and lovingly ease each flour and seasoning coated piece of chicken into the hot melted Crisco. Never crowding the pieces, Mom would gently adjust each piece so they could sizzle on their own. Gradually Mom would lower the heat on the stove so the chicken did not brown too quickly. I learned to equate that sizzling, frying chicken in the pan to a delicious and traditional Sunday dinner in our house. Sunday dinner was usually around 3:00pm, so there would be time for our meal to settle and then snack on the leftovers that evening, just before some incredible dessert my Mom would make from time to time.

***My Mom, Iona, always seemed this young to me when I was growing up***

After we ate, we’d settle down in front of the TV and watch our favorite Sunday night TV show, “The Wonderful World of Disney”. The excitement, the anticipation, and the joy of what was to come on every Sunday night was almost beyond the ability of a 12 and 9 year old to contain. It was a family event for us. Something we all did together, without complaining or wishing to be anywhere else, or doing anything else. The episodes that were my all time favorite were the ones about Davey Crockett. He was the coolest thing a 12 year old had ever seen! His “coon skin hat”, with the raccoon tail hanging down the back of his neck was something I HAD to have. I’d lay in bed those Sunday nights, trying to get my 12 year old brain to figure out how I could convince my parents to “get me one”. Hatching all sorts of schemes, every one of them failing, taught me a valuable lesson. As the song goes, you don’t always get what you want…..but you get what you need. Harsh for a 12 year old! Imagine my total shock and surprise at the age of 46, learning that Davey Crockett was a distant relative, by marriage, from my Mom’s side of the family. I learned about this from a small, paperback book, that my Great Uncle Clyde loaned to me. Oh my God, I so wish I had made a copy of it when I had the opportunity! It looked like it had been published by a small, local company, that is no longer in business. VERY boring to read. It was a recitation of the lineage of our family going all the way back to when they first immigrated to America in the 1750’s. As I slogged through the book, skimming a lot of it, a name popped out on the page, “DAVEY CROCKETT”. What! My mind screamed. I went back several pages and carefully read what lead up to this improbable linking of myself, a 46 year old man who still idolized Davey Crockett, to some degree. Still no hat though! Apparently, ole Davey took himself a Cherokee wife, he was known for having several wives, and she was a sister of one of the Whiteside Cherokees, who is an ancestor of the Whitesides part of my family. My mother’s maiden name is Whitesides. I know, it’s a razor thin relationship, but hell, Davey Crockett! Are you kidding me! Davey….Davey Crockett….king of the wild frontier….well you know the rest, maybe. Doing some research several years ago I learned that the Whitesides are descendants of family members who are still part of the Deer Clan of the Eastern Band Cherokee. I’m sure my mother probably never knew about this. Her Dad, my Grandfather Earl Regan Whitesides, aka Speedy, was probably unaware as well. I’m sure he would have told us stories about it when we were growing up, because Speedy loved to tell stories. I get that from Speedy and my Dad.

To bring all this back to the point, chicken, it’s something I love to fix in many different ways. Chicken is so versatile and it’s affordable, so it’s in a lot of our dishes at home. Now, I still absolutely love pan fried chicken. Especially when it’s fried in Crisco, but it’s not the healthiest combination, so it’s a rare treat. Having said all of this, I’m always trying to find ways to change it up, spice it up and make it an adventure for the palate. That’s where this recipe comes from. I saw a similar recipe on line and got to thinking about how to make it with some jazz and pop that your tastebuds will remember. This recipe will serve two, but is very easy to scale up.

Prep time: 20 minutes – Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 or 2 – Glasses of wine. Chef’s choice

1 – Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, butterfly’d

1C – Mayonaise, Dukes – I know I’m starting an argument here, but in my humble opinion, Dukes is the very best mayonnaise you can use. It’s not sweet and not too tart. It’s creamy, but not cloying in the mouth. If you can’t find Dukes, just don’t substitute with Miracle Whip. I won’t say any more about that.

1/2C – Parmesan, grated

2 – Cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed, just before you mix with other ingredients

1T – Rosemary, fresh, chopped, make it a heaping tablespoon

1/4t – Cayene pepper

3/4t – Paprika, smoked Spanish is awesome, but not required

Salt – to taste

Pepper – to taste

***There is only ONE mayonnaise, DUKES***

***Butterfly the breast or increase the baking time***

Making The Magic

Preheat your oven to 350°

Finely chop the fresh Rosemary. Combine it with Mayonnaise, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika (smoked Spanish if you have it), salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. Crush the garlic cloves and mix into the mayo blend. When you crush the garlic a chemical reaction begins to take place almost immediately. The longer it is allowed to change, the more pungent and stronger the garlic flavor will become. Mixing it into the mayo right away, minimizes the change and keeps the garlic flavor from becoming bitter. Once all is mixed, set aside.

Butterfly your chicken breast so you end up with two relatively equal halves. Pat each half dry and place the breast meat in a baking pan or in the air fryer basket. Air frying will take less time, but these directions are for a convection bake oven. Coat each breast with the mayo mixture and don’t be stingy. Once each breast is covered, sprinkle 1/4C Parmesan over each chicken breast, covering it completely.

***Crush garlic and add, thoroughly mix***

***Top with mayo mix and then Parmesan***

If you use an air fryer this will cook faster. In a convection oven this will take about 20 to 25 minutes. In a regular oven, figure on 30 to 40 minutes. Place the chicken in the oven and bake. The last time I made this it went into the convection bake small oven.

***If the topping slides off during the bake, it’s not a tragedy!***

The last time I did this, I kept watching it in the oven, and it looked great, until the last 5 to 10 minutes. At that point, all the toppings slid off the chicken, into the baking pan. It happens sometimes. If your’s does the same thing, don’t worry. When I took it out of the oven, I spooned the toppings that slid off, back over the chicken. It doesn’t seem to affect the flavor at all! This is one of the things I love about cooking. You can use your imagination and improvise as you go.

When the chicken is finished, plate it with your side dishes and enjoy. It’s just another variation on something my mother taught us to love as we were growing up.

We served this with pan cooked fresh Spinach, takes less than 5 minutes, and Butter Beans.

***It may not be a substitute for “Pan Fried Chicken”, but you can’t get these flavors frying chicken in a pan!***

Variations To Keep This New

Add 1/4C Panko Bread Crumbs to the Parmesan Cheese. It will add some crunchiness to the finish. The breadcrumbs will darken more quickly as well.

Italian Bread Crumbs, about 1/4C, added to the Parmesan Cheese adds another level of flavor and crunchiness.

Increase the amount of Cayenne pepper if you want to heat things up a bit.

Adding a little Dijons Mustard, 1T, to the mayo mix will make it more tangy and adds a little heat.

Wines We Love With This

Any dry wines, except for big, bold reds go great with this dish. I like dry whites in the summer and light reds in the winter. I guess it depends on the mood at the time and what I was drinking when I started to make it!

Leftovers

If you have any, cut the remaining chicken into small cubes, or shred it, keeping any toppings that remain. Mix this with more Duke’s mayonnaise, sliced celery, red onions and halved seedless grapes. Serve it on a bed of lettuce for lunch or a light dinner.

As my Grandmother Gracie used to say:

“We may not have much, but you will never leave my table hungry!”

Question

What is your favorite chicken recipe? Do you make it often?

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Palomilla Steak

Posted on May 21, 2021April 29, 2021 by Mike P

This is a Cuban dish, Bistec de Palomilla, that is so simple and quick. Plus, it delivers a great flavor on a very low budget, cut of meat. Suzanne and I lived in Tampa, Florida in the early 1980’s and I discovered an awesome little Cuban market a few miles from the house. The guys behind the meat counter were really helpful. When I went in to look for a kind of fish I had seen in a recipe, I started asking about some of the specialty items they had in the meat case. There was a thinly cut piece of meat, between 1/8″ and 1/4″, beautifully laid out in slices, offset, one on top of the other, like a stack of cards that had been fanned out. Each slice was about twice the size of my hand. I asked what it was. The butcher explained it was a thinly sliced top sirloin. I looked at it, thinking it would be impossible to grill it or even broil it! So I asked what was the best way to fix it. Suzanne and I loved steak, but found it was usually outside of our budget at the time. You know the saying, “champaign taste on a beer income”, so finding a “steak” recipe that was affordable and delicious was like hitting the lottery to us. The recipe he gave me is one we still use to this day.

There are a number of variations, but I’m going to share our favorite recipe and suggest you check out all the variations that you’ll find on line. You’ll see recipes made with cubed steak, flank steak and top sirloin, so there are many ways to get creative with this dish. Hint – thin and barely cooked is the most tender and the tastiest!

***Our first house. Tampa, Florida, 1981. Many great memories.***

This recipe will serve two and is easy to scale up or down. Like I said it is very simple and quick to prepare and since the cuts are so very thin, it’s also a great last minute, “oh crap, I forgot to take something out of the freezer” life saver. I always vacuum seal any cuts of meat that I bring home, unless they are going to be used within a couple of days. Vacuum sealing will allow you to keep meats for up to two years or more in the freezer. We try to buy things on sale and in bulk. That keeps our freezer stocked and we tend to get better cuts of meat. The point of this is it allows you to fast defrost meat by dropping it into a pan of water. The laws of thermodynamics really work. Heat and cold transfer happens very quickly in water, so dropping a steak into a pan of water to defrost it will result in a completely defrosted steak in less than 1 hour. Of course, the water will ruin the cut of meat if it’s not sealed. Vacuum sealing works great because the meat will stay submerged. Without vacuum sealing, even if the supermarket packaging doesn’t leak, the meat will float at the top and the foam packaging acts as an insulator. Okay, enough about thermodynamics.

One of my best and lifelong friends, Dan Trammel, had this meal with us several times and it always put a smile on his face. Dan lives in Germany now, with his lovely wife Irene, and has two beautiful daughters. I so wish we could see them, but I think of Dan every time I fix this dish for Suzanne and me. When we sit down to eat it, I half expect Dan to pop through the kitchen door and ask, “Hey, what’s for dinner?”

***Dan ate so many meals with us it seemed abnormal if he wasn’t at the dinner table. – 1982***

Prep time: 5 minutes – Cooking time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

1 – Glass of wine, maybe Sangria, for the Chef, a nice merlot

2 – Slices Palomilla style top sirloin

2T – Mustard, spicy brown or Dijons

1C – Italian bread crumbs

3T – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2T – Butter

Salt – to taste

Pepper – to taste

***Simple ingredients, incredible flavor!***

I got this Palomilla Steak at our local Publix. It’s a thinly sliced top sirloin. About 1/8″. Went to the meat counter and started to tell the butcher what I was looking for. Ended up, he is Cuban and knew exactly what I wanted. I bought 3 pounds and it will make about 6 or 7 meals for Suzanne and me.

Making The Magic

In a large pan, preheat the Butter and Olive Oil on Medium. Heat until the butter starts to sizzle when you swirl the combination in the pan.

Salt and pepper to taste, one side of the steak. I don’t usually add either because the mustard and bread crumbs have so much flavor, but some like to add both.

Spread the mustard over one side of the steak. Coat the steak with Italian bread crumbs.

Flip the steak, and coat the second side with the bread crumbs. if you want more mustard flavor, spread some on the second side.

Drop a couple of bread crumbs into the oil and look for them to sizzle in the oil.

Once the oil is hot, drop the steaks in the pan and let sizzle just long enough to brown a little on each side. No more than 2 minutes total for both sides.

The high heat and the bread crumbs will help to sear each side of the steak. If you overcook this, it will still be tasty, but will get chewy very quickly.

Take it out of the hot oil right away and plate your Palomilla Steak.

This is delicious with buttered Rice and buttered Green Beans.

***The beans and rice take more time to cook. This is so delicious!***

Variations To Keep This New

Add some Panko Bread crumbs to the Italian Bread Crumbs to give it a little crunchiness. Try different mustards, hot, sweet, yellow. Serve it with Black Beans. Marinate the steak in garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Wines We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Dry Rose

Leftovers

Never had any!

“Buen provecho!”

Question?

What was the Cuban dish in the movie, “Chef”, that started his comeback?

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Pork Chops a lá Cannellini with Ucelleto

Posted on May 14, 2021April 19, 2021 by Mike P

Like several recipes that are my favorites, this one also comes from Nick Stellino. His cooking show still runs on PBS and I try to record every one of them so I can watch and rewatch each show. Nick is a great Chef and an awesome storyteller. This recipe reminds me a lot of a very basic Southern meal we had when visiting my Great Aunt Hallie Dellinger, only with an Italian twist.

The first time I took Suzanne to meet my Aunt Hallie and Uncle Dorse, we were visiting with my Grandparents, Speed and Grace Whitesides, in Charlotte, NC. I called ahead of time to be sure it was convenient for them. God bless my Aunt Hallie, she lost a lot of her hearing as she got older and tended to talk extremely loud. When I got her on the phone, I held the receiver at least 12 inches from my ear and could still clearly hear everything she said. Aunt Halley said she was “tickled” to have us out, and said she would “make a little something for lunch”. I knew what that meant, so I pleaded with her not to make a fuss. She insisted she would not and said, “Ya’ll come on now. We’ll have a nice visit and a little lunch.”

It was a very memorable visit, one of my last with her before she passed away. Of course, her “little something” was, pan fried pork chops, pinto beans, white rice, bacon seasoned green beans, country fried steak, fried chicken, fresh corn, cut from the cob, turnips, butter beans, scratch made buttermilk biscuits, sweet potato pie and pecan pie. Pitchers of “sweet tea” and home made jam for any leftover biscuits. That was Aunt Hallie’s way of saying, “I love you Darlin'” and she said it often.

***Her cooking was an expression of her love for people*** – 8/28/85

***Strong and quiet, he always welcomed us*** – 8/28/85

Funny how I connected Nick’s recipe to this memory when I ate it for the first time, but it probably was triggered by Nick sharing how this dish was one his mother often made.

So, this recipe is good for two people and can be scaled up for more servings.

Prep time: 6 Hours – Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 – Glass of favorite wine for Chef

2 – Pork chops

1 15oz – Can Cannellini Beans, drained

4 – Garlic cloves, chopped

1 – Onion, small, chopped

2T – Rosemary, fresh, chopped

2T – Basil, fresh, chopped

1/2Can – Tomatoes, about 14 oz of 28oz can,San Marzano are best, peeled, chopped, save 1C of the juice from the tomatoes

1/4t – Red pepper flakes

2T – Pork chop rub, your favorite

3T – Salt

3T – Sugar

2C – Water

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2T – Butter

***Prepping right means cooking right. Get your ingredients together.***

Making The Magic

The secret to making these pork chops tender and juicy is the majority of the prep time. It may take 6 hours, but you get to sit or do something else for most of that time. We’re going to brine the pork chops for at least 5 to 6 hours.

Combine the water, salt and sugar, in an air-tight container or plastic bag, stirring until dissolved. Drop in the pork chops and let them marinate in the brine for at least 5 to 6 hours in the fridge.

***Turn occasionally to ensure it marinates on both sides.***

About 20 minutes before you want to eat, begin prepping the rest of your ingredients.

Chop the onion, garlic, fresh basil and fresh rosemary.

Drain the tomatoes, saving 1C of the juice. Save the remainder of the juice if you want to store the leftover canned tomatoes in the juice. Finely chop the tomatoes, set aside.

To make the “Ucelleto” add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a large sauté pan and heat to medium. When you see the oil start to swirl in the pan add the onions and garlic. Sprinkle some of your favorite pork chop rub into the mixture and continue to cook the onions and garlic. Next add the chopped Basil and Rosemary, stirring constantly and cooking until the onions are translucent. At this stage the fresh herbs, garlic and onions start to release their flavors and aroma. Take a deep breath and enjoy it! Add the Red Pepper flakes and stir in. Once it’s all blended add the chopped tomatoes and the beans. Stir all of it thoroughly. Finally add the tomato juice that you set aside. Bring it to a fast simmer, then move it to a back burner and reduce the heat to let the Ucelleto simmer while you cook the pork chops.

Preheat some extra virgin olive oil in another pan. Take the pork chops from the brine and pat them dry. Rub the dry pork chops with olive oil and then sprinkle your favorite pork chop rub over both sides of the pork chops. Pan fry the pork chops on medium heat for about 2 minutes per side. Add the butter to the pan. Once melted, spoon the butter over the pork chops, coating them thoroughly, letting the butter glaze the pork chops and helping them to finish the cooking in the pan, about 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Bring the simmering Ucelleto back to the medium burner and move the pork chops to the pan. Gently settle and push the pork chops into the Ucelleto and let them cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.

***Herbs, onions, garlic bloom in the hot oil***

***2 minutes per side, add butter to glaze***

***Let the pork chops simmer and finish in the Ucelleto, covered for about 5 to 6 minutes***

Remove your sauté pan from the heat. Rest it for about a minute, then plate your dish.

I love this dish with rice. It stretches the meal and gives you a nice combination for leftovers.

***Guaranteed these will be the MOST tender pork chops you will ever have!***

Variations To Keep It New

Try different types of beans to change the texture. Add more or less Red Pepper flakes. Serve with steamed cabbage.

Wines We Love With This

Pinot Grigio

Chianti

Merlot

Dry Rose

Leftovers

This dish is great when it’s reheated and it doesn’t make the pork chops tough. The brining works!

Momma Mia, questo é cosi delizioso!

Question

Would you try this dish with pasta?

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Lemon Tingle Dessert

Posted on May 7, 2021May 7, 2021 by Mike P

Don’t know about you, but I just can’t resist dessert. Even when I’m full, it’s hard not to treat myself at the end of the evening. Trouble is, sometimes I would prefer something light, but I also want it full of sweetness and bursting with flavor. That’s not always easy to find. In warmer weather I like citrusy or fruity desserts, but Suzanne isn’t crazy about them. Recently I made a dessert called Lemon Delight, and it got me thinking about how I could make a simple, lighter version. I came up with what I think is the perfect answer today.

This recipe is my own, taken from a couple of recipes that I realized could be changed a little, and combined to make an incredible desert. It’s simple and quick to make, but will taste decadent, as if you spent hours on it. You should be able to serve four people with this or stretch to six.

Prep time: 15 minutes – Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

8oz – Cream Cheese, softened

1C – Powdered sugar

1/4C – Lemon juice

5 – 6T – Sugar, granular

Waffle Mix – I like Krusteaz

2C – Strawberries, sweetened

Dark Chocolate syrup – to taste, I like Hersheys – Optional

***A few ingredients, tastes like millions***

Making The Magic

If you’re using fresh strawberries, slice them in half. If you’re using frozen whole strawberries, let them begin to thaw in a bowl. In either case, sprinkle generously with granular sugar and set aside.

Have your waffle iron preheated and your favorite waffle batter ready to go. I like the Krusteaz Belgian Waffle mix because it’s off the shelf and as good as any home-made mix I’ve ever tried. It also makes a waffle with a slightly crispy crust.

Cut your lemon in half and squeeze up to 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Experiment with this until you get the sweet-tart flavor you want in the lemon sauce.

In a bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer, until you have a creamy, sweet blend. If you taste this, be careful. You may not be able to stop and you’ll end up with no lemon sauce for your dessert. Continue to mix, slowly adding the lemon juice until you achieve the sweet-tart flavor you like.

***Very similar to the lemons from the Amalfi Coast***

***Blend the sugar first, then the lemon juice***

Now that your lemon sauce is ready, stir the strawberry and sugar mix to help increase the “strawberry juice” as the sugar dissolves and the berries soften. Set aside.

When your waffle iron is ready, pour your batter in and cook until golden brown. Remove from the waffle iron when ready and plate the waffle to cool.

Once cooled, plate half of each waffle and smother with a generous portion of the lemon sauce. Top the sauce with your strawberry mix and the juice. Even a quarter of each waffle will make a nice portion and allow you to stretch the servings.

Drizzle a little of the chocolate sauce, or skip it all together. It’s delicious with or without.

***Krusteaz makes a slightly crisp waffle***

***With or without chocolate is awesome***

Variations To Keep It New

Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, toasted and chopped pecans. Use your imagination, try all your ideas. It’s so easy to make and there’s so few ingredients you can do this almost everyday, until you get tired of it.

Serve the sauce and berries over sliced pound cake. Imagine this over buttermilk biscuits, halved and open faced. It’s like a short cake!

Leftovers

IF there are any leftovers, all the ingredients can be refrigerated and served later. The waffles can be kept for a couple of days in an air-tight container. If you want to keep them longer, they can be frozen and thawed before you use them.

Enjoy the sweetness of life and the sour. It takes one to compliment the other! Buon appetito!

Question

What is your favorite summertime dessert?

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Rub My Pork Tenderloin Please

Posted on April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 by Mike P

Now that it’s grilling season, I’ve started doing more meals on the grill. When I say meals, I mean the entire meal is cooked on the grill, if the menu allows. Haven’t found a way to do pasta or rice on the grill, yet! My father, a great Chef, and mother, the best Southern cook I’ve ever known, never did any grilling. So I learned all the grilling techniques from others and through my own experimentation. Personally, I don’t use barbecue sauces on the grill. My preference is to have them on the side for two reasons. Most, if not all barbecue sauces overpower the flavor of the meats to which you apply them and number two, they make a hell of a mess on the grill. However, I do love dry rubs and marinades.

This recipe will result in an encrusted tenderloin with your favorite rub all around it. Pork tenderloin is one of those cuts that is so tender, it is difficult to mess up. About the only way to screw up a pork tenderloin is to OVER cook it. Even then, it can be salvaged. I like my pork tenderloin to be pink in the middle. I know, some of you are screaming, “What about trichinosis?! You’re gonna die!” Well, back in the 50’s and maybe even the 60’s, there was a higher threat than today. However, for the last several decades the pork industry has taken measures to significantly improved the health of their livestock, resulting in a huge reduction in cases in the US. There are less than 20 cases per year in the US today, vs more than 400 cases per year in the 1950’s. As long as you’re eating US produced pork and not wild game, it’s very unlikely you’ll be exposed to trichinosis. Having said all this, you can still thoroughly cook pork tenderloin all the way through, and it will be delicious.

This is so easy to prepare and easy to scale up if you need to serve a bunch of folks. We usually buy this cut of pork when it’s on sale. I’ll buy 6 or 8 of them and vacuum seal each one individually so I have them on hand. They can be thawed in less than 2 hours when vacuum sealed. Dropping one in a sink or dishpan full of water will thaw it very quickly. That’s how we thaw most things these days. Using this method to thaw a piece of meat that isn’t vacuum sealed can be challenging. First of all, it’s likely to want to float and secondly the packaging may let water in, exposing the meat to a water soak before it’s thawed completely.

We find that a single pork tenderloin is plenty for a first dinner for the two of us and then leftovers for something else. So basically, we get four generous servings out of a single pork tenderloin. Or, it will serve generous portions for four people.

Prep time: 3 hrs – Cooking time: 10-11 Min

Ingredients

1 – Glass of wine to marinate the Chef, Chef’s choice.

1 – Pork tenderloin

4T – Dry rub, use your favorite. I used Applewood Dry Rub for this meal. I have several that I love. Just depends on my mood.

Olive Oil

Making The Magic

With the dry rub I use in this recipe I like to prep the tenderloin at least 3 hours before I introduce it to the grill. Pat the tenderloin dry. Coat with olive oil and then crust the entire piece of meat with dry rub. Place it in a container, cover it and put it in the fridge. The oil will slowly moisten all the rub. Some of it will dissolve into the tenderloin and create a beautiful crust when exposed to the heat on the grill.

***Don’t be stingy with the rub. Use plenty to create the encrusted tenderloin.***

Preheat your grill on high. Take the tenderloin out of the fridge and let it start to warm up. When the grill is hot, lay the tenderloin directly over the heat source and reduce the heat to medium, or about 400°. Cook on one side for about 4 1/2 minutes, with the lid down. Flip and cook on the second side for about 4 1/2 minutes, with the lid down.

For this recipe I also grilled a zucchini. It was cut lengthwise, coated with olive oil and seasoned with my own “GSB Kicker” seasoning. The recipe is simple and is on the Spices page. I cook this on the grill over medium low heat for the same amount of time as the tenderloin.

***This grill has five burners, so I have seperate cooking sections.***

When the tenderloin is finished, let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. It will have a dark, crispy crust, all the way round. I like to thinly slice the tenderloin at an angle. It makes each slice a little larger and exposes more of the beautiful pink color.

***So tasty and tender. It’s also very lean, so a lot of the flavor will come from your rub!***

Variations To Keep It New

The variations on this are limited only by your imagination and the number of rubs and food combinations you are willing to try.

Wines We Love With This

Depends on the rub.

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Sauvignon Blanc

What ever your favorite is!

Leftovers

We love slicing the leftover tenderloin and serving it cold with a nice salad.

This is also awesome in a Hearty Breakfast Bowl. See the recipe on this site.

It’s warm, it’s sunny, it’s time to grill! Move the love from your kitchen to the outdoors!

Question

What is your favorite Dry Rub and what do you use it on?

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Garlicy, Garlicy Chicken Delizioso

Posted on April 23, 2021April 15, 2021 by Mike P

Nick Stellino has been one of my favorite Chefs for many years. Nick and Vicky Saman, friends we made while living in London, introduced us to his cookbooks and style of cooking in the mid-1980’s. Suzanne gave me one of his cookbooks in the late-1990’s. “Mediterranean Flavors” has been one of my favorites ever since. I remember the first time I made one of the recipes. We were living in Havre de Grace, MD. We had purchased a town house that was built on a point of land that stuck straight out into the Susquehanna River. It was a beautiful location. We were the top two floors of a four story townhouse. From our dining room and living room balcony you could drop a fishing line right down into the river. The wild life was incredible to see. Being on the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, the area was home to Osprey and Bald Eagles in numbers we had never seen anywhere else. Our kitchen, living room and dining room was a large, open floor plan, allowing us to be in the kitchen and have an incredible view, straight up the river.

***My Dad and Suzanne enjoying the view!***

Moving to Havre de Grace also moved us closer to getting back to one of our passions, sailing. But that is another story.

The recipe I’m sharing with you originally comes from Nick Stellino’s cookbook, “Mediterranean Flavors“. He calls this recipe Chicken with Garlic Sauce. I’ve added my own twist to this, but the original recipe needs no improvement. When you take the first bite be ready for such an intense combination of flavors it may blow your mind! Suzanne and I had this a week ago. When I finished the last bite, I put my fork and knife down and said, “It’s a good thing there’s nothing left on my plate. I am stuffed, but I couldn’t stop eating this.” Momma Mia, what an incredible mix of flavors and textures. There’s a crunchiness to the chicken skin, a moist tenderness in the chicken meat, a buttery smooth texture to the sauce and a creaminess to the garlic that you won’t believe, and NO bite in the garlic!

Prep Time: 20 min. – Cook Time: 25 – 30 min.

Ingredients

This is one of those dishes where doing all the prep up front really helps. Start by getting everything you’ll need together.

1 – Large glass of wine for the Chef!

2 – 3T – Flour

1 1/2t – Sage, finely chopped

1 1/2t – Rosemary, finely chopped

3/4t – Salt, I prefer sea salt, but plain salt will do just fine

1/2t – Black pepper

4 – Boneless chicken thighs, skin on. If you can’t find these at the market, thighs are easy to bone yourself.

3+T – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

***Having all the ingredients out helps to insure you don’t forget something.***

20 – Garlic cloves, peeled, do not crush, cut in half, lengthwise (YES! don’t skimp here. You’ll be amazed at how the garlic is transformed as you cook this dish.

1/4t – Red Pepper flakes. You can skip this if you don’t like any heat at all, but this won’t add very much. It does add another dimension to the flavors!

1/2 – White onion, chopped

1/4C – White wine, dry

1 1/4C – Chicken Stock, try Chicken Bone broth too!

1T – Butter, softened, mixed with 1T Flour. This makes a wonderful beurre manié (kneaded butter). The general rule is this mixture for each cup of liquid you want to thicken. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge, or even freeze the cubes for later use, any time you need a thickener for soups, sauces, etc.

3T – Italian parsley, chopped, fresh

***Prepping lets you enjoy the experience***

Making The Magic

Once the chicken is in the oven, you’ll have time to make your Garlic Sauce, but be sure you have all the ingredients prepped. For me, having them ready to go means I can focus on the music of the cooking. Bringing the ingredients together at the right time and in the right way to create the flavors that will make your tastebuds sing.

First, did you pour yourself a glass of wine? Take a sip and begin.

Preheat your oven to 325°.

Combine and thoroughly mix the black pepper, sea salt, rosemary, sage and flour. Spread your mixture on a plate. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet/pan, medium high. Dredge your chicken in the herbal, flour mixture. Drop the chicken into the pan of hot olive oil, skin side down. Reduce the heat slightly. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side. Wait…take a moment and smell the incredible aromas coming up from your pan! The mixture of the sage, rosemary, salt and pepper, transforms itself as it blooms in the hot olive oil. Enjoy it! When finished, transfer the chicken to a foil lined baking dish and pop in the oven for about 15 minutes.

***Skin side up in the oven for 15 minutes***

Take another sip of wine and begin making your sauce while the chicken is in the oven.

Add some extra virgin olive oil to the drippings in your pan. Bring the heat back up to medium high. As the oil begins to sizzle, add the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium. Gently stir, mix and blend the ingredients in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes, just long enough for the onions to begin softening. The garlic will start to brown slightly. You want to be sure not to cook this too quickly. If the garlic starts to darken quickly, remove it from the heat and let the temperature drop. Overheating the garlic will turn it bitter. Cooking it slowly will turn it creamy and sweet. Once you taste the result of this you won’t believe you’re eating garlic. After 3 to 4 minutes, slowly stir in the wine. Scrape the bottom of your pan to loosen the bits and drippings from the chicken. This adds a whole new dimension to the flavors. Now bring the heat up and let the wine boil for several minutes. The goal is to reduce the liquid by half. Once reduced, add the chicken stock, bring back to a boil and let the liquid reduce by half, again. This can take anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes. Once reduced, remove the pan from the heat and add your flour/butter mixture, the beurre manié. Stir this into the sauce until it has melted completely, then return the pan to the heat. Stir for a minute or so, allowing the sauce to thicken. Reduce the heat to low, just to keep the sauce warm.

***Add the onions, garlic and red pepper***

***Remove heat, then add the beurre manié***

Take another sip of wine and refill the glass! It’s time to plate the dish and enjoy!

We love serving this with rice and for this meal I also did a fresh, butter and cream spinach.

Plate the rice, lay your beautiful chicken thighs on the plate, along side the spinach.

Now, spoon the most amazing garlic sauce you’ll ever have over the chicken and the rice.

Momma Mia! I can still taste the flavors as I write about this.

***Get ready for your taste buds to dance!***

Thank you Nick Stellino for sharing this incredible recipe with us! I’m so going to enjoy this! Like I said, it’s a good thing I ran out of food on my plate, because I just couldn’t stop eating this!

Variations To Keep it New

Like I said before, I don’t think this can be improved, but a little variation might be fun.

Nick uses boneless chicken breasts with the skin on. Just be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts. They can get tough and dried out if you overcook them. You may need to debone them yourself. I’ve never found boneless chicken breasts with the skin on at the market.

This may sound a little strange, but adding some raisins to the sauce, for the last minute or so of the cooking, will give a contrast to the savory blends already in the sauce.

You might want to try serving this with Ginger Glazed carrots and Angel Hair pasta.

Wines We Love With This

Sauvignon Blanc

Cabernet Franc – a Nick Stellino recommendation

Frescati

Leftovers

If you do have any leftovers, reheating in a microwave works great. I have saved some of the rice that goes with this and reheating in the microwave at power level 8, doesn’t overcook the chicken or rice.

Make your taste buds dance and sing with the music and love from your kitchen!

Question

Do you have any favorite garlic recipes?

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Festa Italiana alla Pilollas – Minestrone di Riso

Posted on April 16, 2021April 16, 2021 by Mike P

This was the second course of our wonderful Italian Feast with friends and neighbors in 1993. This marvelous and delicious soup also connects me to one of my oldest memories. We lived in Brooklyn, NY for several years when I was somewhere in my preschool years. My father was in the Merchant Marines until I was 7 years old, so we moved between Charlotte, NC and Brooklyn, NY. My mother’s parents, Gracie and Speedy, lived in Charlotte on Tennyson Ave. A dirt road back then, they built their house in 1949, paying about $5,600. It was the one place in our “gypsy lifestyle” that remained constant, so no matter how much we moved, Gracie and Speedy were always there. My father’s sisters lived in New York and we were close to one of his sisters, my Aunt Jean and Uncle Gabe. Brooklyn was a bustling, prosperous, middle class town that stood in the shadow of Manhattan.

***Such sweet faces, such holy terrors!***

***Gracie and Speedy’s house – 1009 Tennyson Dr, Charlotte, NC***

I remember my Aunt Jean making her Minestrone all the time. It seemed as if she always had a pot going on the stove and her kitchen always smelled glorious. One day, she and her daughter Delores came over for dinner and brought some of her Minestrone. Mom had some bread in the oven and my little brother, Donnie, was running around our apartment in his diapers, making a ruckus and refusing to let Mom put pants on him. It was January, cold and we had hardwood floors, like most apartments back then.

We finally sat down for our meal and I remember my brother and I sitting on phones books. Because I was sitting at the “big table”, Donnie insisted he do the same, not in the one high chair we had. He made such a fuss about it my Mom finally gave in, and sat him at the “big table”, on a stack of phone books. Aunt Jean was serving up her wonderful Minestrone, and Mom brought out the sliced, hot bread. Even though it was winter, cold outside and the sun was going down, I remember feeling warm and safe in the apartment. My Dad was at sea again, so when we weren’t with Aunt Jean and the family, it was just the three of us. We were all sitting at the table, and I was listening intently to everything the adults were saying. I adored my cousins, Delores, Jimmy, and Janette, as well as my Aunt Jean and Uncle Gabe. Just being with them was always fun, and it was one of the few times we felt like we were part of a big family. Aunt Jean and Mom were laughing about something I didn’t understand. I was laughing because laughter is contagious and little kids “catch a laugh” as easily as they catch a cold. I remember the soup was delicious and Mom gave me a large piece of bread to dip in the soup. I think we were about half way through our soup when Donnie announced, “pee-pee Mommy”. She looked over to see him standing up on his chair, his diaper around his ankles. And then, he peed, straight into his soup bowl. With shocked looks on all our faces, we froze while little Donnie relieved himself right into his bowl of Minestrone. Aunt Jean and Mom burst into laughter at the same time. Delores and I soon followed. Donnie looked at all of us, a little confused I think, and then he started laughing. Finally, he sat back down, with his diapers still off. He picked up his spoon and started to reach for his soup bowl. Mom and Aunt Jean screamed, “NO”, and my cousin Delores jumped up and took the spoon away from him. Little Donnie started to cry, more from the loud “NO” than anything else. Aunt Jean got up and whisked his bowl away. Delores and Aunt Jean came back out of the kitchen with a fresh bowl of Minestrone and a new spoon. We all finished that incredible meal together, Donnie still sitting on the phone books with no pants or diapers on. I still remember the taste of that soup and the warmth from the inside out!

The recipe I’ll share comes from another of my favorite cookbooks, “Italy – The Beautiful Cookbook”. It’s one of those that looks like a “coffee table book”, but don’t judge this book by its cover. The recipes inside are amazing. It was a cookbook I bought because of the beautiful photos and stories and has become one of my favorite “goto’s” when I’m looking to try something new.

This recipe will serve 6 as a meal with bread or 10 as a second course of a large meal. I promise it does NOT include my brother’s “special ingredient”! Also, Minestrone can be served hot or cold/room temperature. The cooking method is a little different because of the rice.

Pre time: 45 min – Cook time: 2 hrs 20 min

Ingredients

Gather everything you’ll need and prep the ingredients so all you’ll need to do is add each, once you start cooking.

***I double check to be sure everything is there.***

1 – 2 Glasses of wine, Chef’s choice, drink while cooking!

8C – Chicken stock or chicken bone broth

1 Can – Red beans, drained

2oz – Pancetta or bacon, finely chopped

2T – Butter

1 – Onion, medium sized, chopped

2 – Celery stalks, diced

2 – Carrots, medium sized, diced

2 – Zucchini, diced

2 – Potatoes, medium sized, diced

4 – Tomatoes, large, ripe, peeled, chopped

1T – Tomato paste

1C – Green beans, short cut. I used frozen cut green beans.

1/2C – Arborio rice. You can use any type rice you refer, but this adds to the thickening of this soup.

***The candle helps reduce burning eyes while chopping onion***

2T – Italian parsley, chopped

6+T – Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Salt – use sea salt if you have it, to taste

Pepper – to taste

***Prepping makes the cooking process a lot more fun!***

Making the Magic

You probably finished the first glass of wine, unless it was a generous pour, so you should probably refill that glass of wine. Take a sip. Now, let’s get started making your masterpiece! These steps are simple, but the sequence is important. Adding the right ingredient, at the right time, helps the flavors to combine and bloom inside your Minestrone.

Add the 2T of butter, add more if you like, into your stock pot or sauce pan. Preheat on medium high until the butter just starts to sizzle.

Add the pancetta, or bacon, and the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Stir frequently and cook for several minutes, until the onions start to brown, slightly. When the bottom of the pan has a golden crust starting to form, it will be time for you to start adding more ingredients. Lean over the pan and take a deep breath. OMG…is that smell incredible, or what?!

A sip of wine is appropriate at this point.

Next, add the celery, carrots, red beans, potatoes and zucchini. Stirring frequently, cook for about 5 or 6 minutes. You don’t want things to stick to the bottom, so keep an eye on this.

Next, I like to add the tomato paste at this point. Thoroughly stir it in, mixing it well with all the veggies, coating each piece so the flavors start to combine and the combination begins to bloom in the pan. Take another whiff. Amazing, isn’t it?

Next add the green beans and chopped tomatoes. Stir into the mix.

Finally add the broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Bring everything up to a boil. Increase the heat to medium high and wait for the boil to begin. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let your Minestrone simmer for about two hours.

***Not too dark or the onions will burn***

***Simmer for 2 hours. The house will smell wonderful!***

IF YOU WANT TO SERVE THE MINESTRONE HOT:

After 2 hours simmering, bring the heat back up and add the rice. Cook on medium high to high for 15 to 16 minutes. When finished cooking, remove the heat. Ladle your work of love into the serving bowls. Sprinkle with the grated or shredded Parmesan and top with the chopped Italian Parsley.

IF YOU WANT TO SERVE THE MINESTRONE COOLED DOWN OR COLD:

After 2 hours simmering, bring the heat back up and add the rice. ONLY cook the rice for about 5 or 6 minutes and then remove the heat. The rice will finish cooking as the Minestrone cools. While the Minestrone is still hot, ladle it into the serving bowls and stir in 1T of Parmesan cheese. Let it cool. Garnish with the chopped Italian Parsley, just before serving.

Hot or cold, you will love this soup. Serve it with some crusty Italian bread. We get ours at Aldi’s grocery stores. We love the “Special Selected – Italian Bread” they carry. You finish baking this at home and it is so very close to what we used to have when traveling in Italy. Momma Mia, Bellissimo!

***Mangiare, mangiare, il tuo amore è in ogni boccone!***

Variations To Keep It New

Try different vegetables. Sliced Okra makes it a little thicker and adds an amazing texture. Corn adds a little sweetness and a nice crunch. Replace the green beans with cut asparagus. You can add cooked, chopped chicken or turkey. Cubed ham adds a whole different dimension to this. The possibilities are endless.

Wines We Love With This

Frascati

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay

Leftovers

I always make extra so I can freeze some. It’s awesome when cooked again. The veggies change texture and the flavors are more blended. I never met a left over Minestrone I didn’t like!

Food attaches us to so many memories. Remember that whenever you make a meal for someone you love!

Question

What’s your earliest childhood memory? Is it associated with food? No, breastfeeding does not count!

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Tomato Topped Chicken Breasts

Posted on April 9, 2021April 15, 2021 by Mike P

This is a great dish, loaded with flavor and very easy to make. I fell in love with Basil and Pesto many years ago and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate either of them into any dish I make. I used to make my own Pesto and found I wasn’t having it nearly as often as I wanted to. It’s not that making Pesto is difficult or complicated, it’s about when basil is available, and when I have enough of the various ingredients in the house. So, after missing many opportunities to make the dishes I wanted, I searched high and low for an off-the-shelf product that would match my preferences in taste and ingredients in Pesto. There are some really good ones out there, but the one I finally settled on is from Costco. To me, it has a perfect balance of Olive Oil, Basil, Parmesan, Garlic and Pine Nuts. Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy. It’s found in many places around the world today, and the quality can vary quite a bit. The Costco brand uses Basil imported from Italy and I think it does deliver an authentic flavor. I usually buy 4 or 5 jars, they’re plastic, and I freeze them so I can replenish when I empty a jar.

***Love having this on hand all the time!***

It takes very little time to prepare and make this dish. In this recipe, I cook the chicken in our air-fryer. It cooks very quickly without drying the chicken out. Chicken breasts can dry out, become rubbery or chewy if you’re not careful. You can also cook the chicken in a frying pan, on the stove top and of course, you can cook it in a conventional oven. There’s nothing complicated about this recipe and it’s so simple, you can try different methods until you find what works best for you. This recipe is for two, but is very easy to scale up or down.

Prep time: 15 minutes – Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 – Glass of wine for the Chef, Chef’s choice

2 – Large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 – Plum tomato

Pesto

2 or 3 – Slices Swiss cheese

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Angel Hair Pasta

Making The Magic

Preheat your oven to 375°. Preheat your skillet or frying pan to medium, if you cook the chicken on the stove top. The oil should be hot when you place the chicken in the pan.

Put a pot of water on the stove for your pasta. Most folks, including myself for years, used too much water to cook the pasta. Use a stock pot or sauce pot, large enough for the pasta and fill about half way with water. Add plenty of salt and start warming the water. You want it to come to a boil just when you are flipping the chicken.

Slice your tomatoes, lengthwise. You should be able to get 4 slices out of the tomato.

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Butterfly the breasts so you have 4 pieces. Set the “underside” pieces aside for another recipe. Coat and rub both sides of the “topside” pieces, the pieces with the smooth side, with Olive Oil. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cook the chicken in a pre-heated oven, or skillet. 375° in the oven, for 5 minutes. Medium heat on the stove, about 7 minutes.

Half way through the total cooking time, flip the chicken.

Cook for another 5 minutes, 7 if you are cooking stovetop. When you have about two minutes left, spoon some pesto over each chicken breast. Layer the sliced tomatoes over the pesto. Layer the cheese slices on top. Finish cooking.

***Add more cheese if you like cheese!***

We love serving this with Angel Hair pasta and Pesto. While your chicken is cooking, bring the water in your pot up to boil. Drop the Angel Hair pasta in the water with about 4 minutes left on the chicken. Al Dente Angel hair pasta takes about 3 minutes. I usually cook it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Drain it when it finished.

Plate your finished dish and enjoy!

***This is a delicious and simple way to enjoy Pesto, Chicken and Pasta!***

Variations To Keep It New

You can also sprinkle some Romano or Parmesan Cheese over the Swiss cheese and turn the broiler on for a minute or two, just enough to start browning the cheese.

Adding a strip or two of cooked bacon, on top of the pesto, under the tomatoes, is incredible.

Wines We Love With This

Frescati

Chardonnay

Pinot Grigio

Sauvignon Blanc

Leftovers

This chicken is absolutely delicious with scrambled eggs, especially if you do the variation with the bacon!

Great meals don’t have to be complicated, they just have to be made with love!

Question

Do you have a favorite Pesto, either off-the-shelf or home made?

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Lobzilla vs Pilolla

Posted on April 2, 2021April 15, 2021 by Mike P

Lobster is one of those dishes we seldom have at home, unless you live in an area of the country where lobster is available and as plentiful as chicken at the supermarket. Before 2005, I may have had lobster a total of 6 or 7 times. In 2006 -2008 we probably had lobster two dozen times or more. What changed? Availability, price and I learned how to make it at home. The reason for all that changing has more to do with our lifestyle and location changing, than anything else. It’s a bit of a story, but there are so many great memories wrapped up in the years 2000 to 2009. When I started this blog, I said I wanted to also share stories and explain why some of my dishes are special to me. I hope you enjoy the stories, if not as much as the recipes, at least enough to make it worth your time to read them. Maybe they will trigger a memory of yours and so inspire you to some creative cooking.

Suzanne and I lived on a sailboat for those 9 years. We decided to make plans so that I could retire early, in 2005, and go cruising on our full-time live aboard sailboat, “Carolina”. We purchased Carolina in 1999, took delivery in 2000 and moved from Havre de Grace, MD to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. It was a wonderful experience, filled with many, many friends and memories.

***Our home for nine years….sailing under the Bay Bridge, near Annapolis, MD!***

One memory, in particular, was the evening we made fresh Maine Lobster onboard Carolina for six of us. Some friends and marina neighbors had them shipped to us as a surprise. It was the first time I ever knew you could ship live lobster that way and the first time I would fix them at home. We all had a blast and of course, the lobster was incredible. I wouldn’t call what the lobster had, a blast though! Preparation was a bit of a challenge, given the size and limits of a small galley/kitchen. But we managed and were able to pull off one of the many memorable meals on Carolina. We lived aboard Carolina longer than any house we have ever owned!

***Lobster dinner on-board SV Carolina, 2001***

The full-time live-aboard boating community is really unique. Everyone agrees that it is an “equalizer”. It doesn’t matter your background, profession, social status, race, creed or religion. Everyone depends on everyone. You become truly self-sufficient and dependent on one another in many ways, turning to each other for help, assistance, and advice. We all had shared experiences to which we could relate. We all found things to make life aboard a boat easier and fun. We all traveled to many of the same places, or recommended places to those who have not been there. We ALL end up sticking our hands into things and learning about on-board systems that we wish we didn’t have to deal with. No one is above any of it, so it doesn’t matter what your social or economic status might be. It sure as hell does matter if you know how to fix a toilet, unstop a plugged water intake or replace an engine water pump. Mechanics, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Nurses, Corporate Executives, Truck Drivers, Farmers are all at the same level when you’re up to your elbows in “whatever”, and it happens to EVERYONE!

The next time we had lobster was in the Bahamas. In 2005, as planned, I retired and we began our cruising life on Carolina. Like hundreds of others, we headed south in October of that year, finally making our crossing to the Bahamas in December. I was so looking forward to all of the things I knew we would experience. One, in particular, was to “free dive” for fish and lobster. I had all the gear I needed and was totally prepared. In the Bahamas, it is illegal to wear scuba gear or use a speargun when hunting fish or lobster. You can only use a Hawaiian sling (like a large sling shot) and snorkel (holding your breath while you dive). It took some practice and lots of failures, but I finally got my first lobster in January, 2006.

We had caught up with some friends of ours, from Harbor View Marina in Baltimore, and Dave taught me where to look for lobster. I had envisioned them walking across the sandy bottom or across coral formations, just waiting for me to come shoot them with a spear. Didn’t quite work that way. Once I learned where to look, I caught lobster almost every time I went out hunting. It was an amazing feeling to take lobster and fish out of the ocean and feed ourselves from what I caught. The day I got LOBZILLA, was the first time Dave took me out. We had been hunting for a couple of hours and Dave already had one. He was going back for a second, in a place he was pretty sure he had seen another. I was frustrated, having had so many failures already, but thought, what the hell, I’ll try one more spot that I had snorkeled over. It was about 20 feet down, a formation of brain coral, surrounded by white sand. There was an opening at the bottom of the brain coral, with a slight mound of sand on the outside, as if something had dug it out and made its way under the brain coral. I hyper ventilated, took a deep breath and dropped slowly to the bottom, right over the coral formation. I had to lay down on the sandy bottom to peer inside the hole. As I looked in, sure enough, for the first time, I saw the eyes of a lobster starring back at me. In the darkness, it’s the one thing you can see on a lobster. I bounced back to the surface, got another breath and dropped back down, this time with my Hawaiian sling at the ready. As I hit the bottom I made sure my spear was lined up and I fired at the two eyes glaring from inside the darkness. The spear left my sling and the next thing I could hear was the impact of the barbed tip crashing into and through the hard shell. Suddenly, ALL HELL broke loose! Dave had told me never to use the spear to pull a lobster out of its hole. If you do, there’s a good possibility you’ll lose your catch. The trick is to reach inside the hole and grab the lobster by its back. Once you have a good hold, pull it out with your hand. So, reaching into the darkness, still holding the other end of my spear, I found him and wrapped my hand around the back of the beast. Holy cow, what a ruckus! At that moment, two things occurred to me. Damn, this is a big lobster, or my hands have shrunk. Secondly, Oh crap, I need to breath, this guy does not. As Lobzilla thrashed his strong tail repeatedly I did manage to get him out, and immediately bounced to the surface for air. Swimming on the surface and breathing through a snorkel tube, with my first lobster held tightly against my chest, I finally made it to the dingy. Carefully, I eased my catch, with the spear still though it, into the dingy. I was so excited! I pulled myself up and into the dingy. Ripping my mask and snorkel off I reached over and took hold of my catch. This was my first, but I was thinking, this guy seems to be pretty big. After removing the spear I put soon to be named Lobzilla inside the huge cooler I had for any fish or lobster I might catch. His antennae were sticking out one side. I was stowing the spear when Dave arrived back at the dingy. He pulled himself aboard and took off his mask and snorkel. He did have his second lobster for the day! Leaning over to open the cooler and drop in his second catch, he said, “Gawd Damn, I’ve never even seen one this big, and this is your first catch! Good job!” Wow, did that ever feel good. Getting that kind of praise from Dave was inspiring and awesome. I couldn’t wait to get back to Carolina and show Suzanne. She met us at the stern of the boat as we pulled up in the dingy. Pictures were taken. I beat my sub primal chest. Grunted, “Me Tarzan, you Jane.” Suzanne just rolled her eyes and murmured, “Yeah whatever….I’m not cleaning’ that thing” and walked back to the cockpit of the boat. LOBZILLA was delicious and only the beginning of a great lobster hunting season our first year out. It was an awesome experience.

***My first catch was nicknamed Lobzilla because of his size!***

Our winter in the Bahamas gave me a chance to sharpen my hunting skills and got me into the best physical condition I had been in for many years. I caught fish and lobster every time I went hunting and we made great use of our vacuum sealing system and a freezer that really worked. Most boats have terrible refrigeration and freezers. I had completely replaced the factory system before we left Baltimore and ours worked great. We could even make ice and keep ice cream on our boat! Even as we were frequently eating fish and lobster we still managed to bring back about two dozen frozen lobster tails when we returned to the US.

***Finding their “Hidey-Holes”. About 25′ down.***

***Oop there it is…Oop there it is…Oop there it is!***

There was such a beautiful bounty of fish and lobster. We found many ways to prepare it and enjoy it and the recipe here will be an entire dinner with some of the Bahamian twists we learned there.

***We had a catch on every hunting trip!***

Sharing these experiences and memories with many of our friends has been great fun over the years. Sharing the dishes we learned to cook and the recipes we acquired has been even more special. Food is an integral part of our shared experiences. Delighting in the flavors and textures, the colors and aromas, the company and friendship create memories that last a lifetime. Sometimes, even beyond the life of a friendship. Even when that happens, it doesn’t diminish the memories and the feelings they may evoke.

Lobzilla Dinner Menu

Bacon Wrapped scallops – Frascati, a fresh, crisp white Italian wine

Beer Steamed whole lobster – Chardonnay from Shug Vineyards and a Sauvignon Blanc

Chicago Style grilled ribeye – Stayed with the whites

Bahamian Style Mac ‘n Cheese

Lemon Delight squares

Prep Time: 1 – 2 hours – Cook time: 1 hour

To make this dinner manageable for the chef and fun for everyone, make your dishes in this order so the easiest is left for last. Let me state, right here at the beginning. Insert the following instruction throughout any of these steps as often and where ever you like. It’s essential to the joy of cooking!

“Pour yourself a glass of wine and take a sip! Hug someone you love! Continue…..

1 Lemon Delight Squares

Ingredients

Pecan Crust

1C – Flour

1/2C – Ground or finely chopped pecans

1/4C – Butter, melted

Lemon Square Layers

2 1/2C – Cool Whip, thawed

2pkgs – Lemon Instant Jello Pudding

8oz – Cream cheese

1-2T – Lemon juice, fresh squeezed if you have it

3C – Milk

1C – Sugar, powdered or icing (same thing)

1/4C – Finely chopped, toasted pecans

Making The Magic

Crust

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the flour, the finely ground pecans and melted butter. Blend these together until you have a crumbly mixture. Add a little butter if it seems to dry. It should be slightly pasty.

Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13 baking dish.

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. While it’s cooling…..

***Having a crusty top on the base will let you spread the next layer more evenly.***

Lemon Layers

Cream Cheese

With an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese, slowly adding all of the powdered sugar. Blend until smooth and creamy. Continuing to blend, slowly add at least 1T of fresh lemon juice

Gently fold in 1C of Cool Whip

Gently spread evenly over the cooled pecan crust. Have a knife or another spatula ready to scrape the layer off the spatula you’re using to spread the cream cheese layer. The crust may want to pull up, so be gentle.

Lemon Pudding

Whisk together the pudding packets and the milk. The directions on the packets will call for 4C milk. Ignore that and use 3C. Add at least 1T of fresh lemon juice for additional tartness. Continue to whisk until the pudding has thickened.

Spread evenly over the Cream Cheese layer.

Topping Layer

Spread the remainder of the Cool Whip over the Lemon Pudding. Sprinkle 1/4C toasted, finely chopped pecans over the Top Layer.

***The toasted, chopped pecans are a nice contrast to sweet, tart layers.***

Refrigerate for several hours. I made mine the night before and stored it covered in the fridge until desert was served the next evening.

2. Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Okay. I’m busted here. I have to admit that this is a “cheater recipe”. We LOVE the Bacon Wrapped Scallops you get prepackaged and frozen at Target! Yes, I did say Target. I figure, with all the other things I’m doing, using this as an appetizer is just fine, and guess what, your dinner guest will LOVE them too!

Here’s the instructions: Buy them at Target. Open the box. Cook as directed. OMG, they are so GOOOOOOOOD!

Drink wine and serve these before the Mac ‘N Cheese goes in the oven.

***So easy to add a really special starter to your evening***.

**A friend of ours turned us on to these**!

3. Bahamian Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients

1 pkg – Macaroni, elbow, 16oz

2 – Country Ham slices, can also use bacon or sausage, fully cooked

2 – 3T – Butter

2 cans – Evaporated milk, 12oz

6C – Cheddar cheese, grated, use sharp medium or mild, or 2C of each, or whatever is your preference

2T – Onions, yellow, finely chopped or minced, add more if you like onions

2T – Sweet Pepper, finely chopped use red or yellow and I add up to 1/4 cup, always depends on my mood

1 – Pepper, Habanero, seeded, deveined and finely chopped. I sometimes wear a face mask to keep the vapors of the pepper out of my nose. This pepper is very hot and will burn your skin and eyes if you’re not careful. This much pepper will not add a lot of heat to the dish because of what we’ll be doing with it in the recipe.

3 – Eggs, large, beaten

1t – Paprika, sweet, smoked paprika will give this a nice change.

Salt

Pepper

***Get all your ingredients out before you start your prep.***

Making The Magic

Fill a large pot, 6 to 8 Qt, approximately half full of water and add salt. Turn the burner on high and bring the water to boil. Once boiling, add your macaroni elbows, reduce heat to medium high, and cook the recommended time for al dente, minus 3 minutes. The macaroni will finish cooking while you bake this dish in the oven.

While the macaroni is cooking, coat the inside of your 9×13 baking dish with butter. Preheat your oven to 400°.

Also, mince the onion, bell pepper and habanero pepper. Finely chop the country ham. This is a very salty ham and is sort of an American prosciutto, just a little thicker and not so subtle a flavor.

***I like wearing a mask to keep the Habanero vapors out of my nose and throat. They tend to make me cough when chopping them.***

Sauté the ingredients in olive oil and butter. 5 to 7 minutes should do nicely.

***Blending these in the olive oil and butter transfers the flavor and some of the heat to the oil, which all mixes better with the macaroni.***

While sautéing the mixture, heat the evaporated milk in a sauce pan, slowly. Do not bring it to a boil.

When the macaroni is finished, minus 3 minutes, drain the water and return the macaroni to the pot. Stir in the warmed milk, the sautéd onions, peppers and ham, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Stir in gently so everything is well mixed. I prefer using a silicone spatula because it is gentler on the food you’re mixing.

***It will look “soupy”, but transforms itself in the oven.***

Transfer your macaroni mixture to your 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly.

Beat the eggs and spoon them evenly over the macaroni mix, working the eggs into the macaroni. Don’t stir it in, just push it in gently with the spoon or the silicone spatula.

Sprinkle and evenly distribute the remaining cheddar cheese over the top, finishing it all off with a sprinkle of paprika. Smoked, Spanish paprika gives a nice twist to the flavor.

***The paprika adds color and darkens the top quickly, so don’t be afraid it’s burned.***

Bake in the preheated oven at 400° for 35-40 minutes. Look for a dark golden crust to develop on top.

When ready, remove from the oven and let this cool for a few minutes. Serve it by cutting into squares or rectangles, “Bahamian Style”!

4. Chicago Style Grilled Ribeye

Ingredients

2 – Steaks, I used ribeye, 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick. You could also use marinated flank steak, or New York Strip.

Olive oil, my favorite comes from The Natural Olive Hickory

Steak seasoning or rub, to taste

Making the Magic

I do these on the grill, outside, because of the amount of smoke. If you have a strong vent hood, you can probably do these on the stove top. The secret is to use a cast iron skillet or raised rib griddle. Make sure the surface temp is high. You want the steaks to sear quickly and blacken on the outside and be pink, all the way through.

Lay your steaks out for a couple of hours allowing them to come up to room temperature. Rub them with olive oil and your favorite steak rub. I used Mitchell Street steak rub this night. Do both sides of the steak and let them sit for the two hours, covered, while they come up to room temperature.

Put your steaks on the grill AFTER you start steaming your lobster. Have them ready to go.

Once you’ve grilled your steaks, slice them and plate them on a serving platter. Since we had so much other food, I only needed to grill two steaks for the six of us.

***With all the food we had I only needed to serve two steaks for the six of us, and we had leftover steak for Bandit!***

5. Beer Steamed Whole Lobster

So here’s the thing, cooking whole, live lobster requires a big pot. I used my 30 Qt Stock pot for this, with a steaming rack in the bottom. It was the perfect size for 6, 2lb lobsters. We got our lobster from an online source, the Lobster Trap, in Maine. They are very reasonably priced and next day shipping means you get “LIVE LOBSTER”, and it doesn’t get any fresher than that.

I used three bottles of Independence Ale that I get from Aldi’s. Pretty good beer to drink as well! Pour it into the bottom of your stock pot being sure the liquid doesn’t come above the steaming rack in the bottom of the pot. Bring the beer up to boil. Once you have it boiling, add the live lobster.

Steam a 2lb Lobster for 16 minutes. The calculation is 13 minutes for the first pound and then an additional 3 minutes for each additional pound. A 1 1/2lb Lobster would take 14 1/2 minutes. You want to see a bright red when they are done. If you steam too long, the Lobster will become a little rubbery, but you know what? The worst Lobster I ever had was wonderful!

***Do NOT remove the rubber bands until after they cook. They can put a serious hurt on you!***

***Drop ’em in, cover ’em, don’t look!***

After the proper cooking time, take them out right away. Use some oven mitts, and holding them over a sink, pierce the underside to let any excess juice run out. Otherwise, it will end up on the plate of the person eating it. Clip off the rubber bands, or slide them off and plate the Lobster.

Sequence For Timing All Of It

Make Lemon Delight and place in fridge.

Prep Mac’N Cheese – set aside.

Prep Steaks for grill. Olive Oil and season as you like.

Cook and serve Bacon Wrapped Scallops.

40 – 50 minutes before eating, preheat oven to 400° and put Mac ‘N Cheese in.

25 minutes before Mac ‘N Cheese comes out, boil beer and start steaming Lobster.

Melt 3/4 to 1LB butter – pour into individual serving cups as you plate and serve the Lobster.

10 minutes before Mac ‘N Cheese comes out of oven, grill the steaks, 2 1/2 minutes per side for 1 1/2 inch ribeyes.

Remove steak from grill and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove Mac ‘N Cheese from oven. Let rest for a few minutes.

Remove Lobsters, pierce undersides, drain and plate.

Cut Mac’N Cheese into squares and plate with Lobster.

Slice steak into strips and place on a serving platter.

Serve it all and enjoy!

***The beautiful floral arrangement came for www.sharonsturgessflorals.com***

When everyone is finished and they think they just can’t eat another bite, holy moly, we almost forgot dessert! Not to worry, too much. You’ll be surprised at how light, refreshing, and perfect the Lemon Delight is for this meal.

Cut into squares, serve it, sit back and enjoy the Ummmm’s and Ahhhh’s and Oooooo’s and maybe even a “Please sir, may I have some more?”

***Lite enough to enjoy, even after all we just ate!***

What in the world are you waiting for folks……Dig in, before it gets cold!

Wines We Love With This

Frascati

Chardonnay

Sauvignon Blanc

Pinot Grigio

Gewurztraminer

Reisling

Leftovers

Wait! Before you throw out the legs and shells, there’s another meal in there. Yes, even the shells! Freeze them and look for my recipe for Creamy Lobster Bisque. You’ll love it!

Eat hearty friends, neighbors and loved ones! Feel the joy from the inside out? That’s the food you’re eating and the love that went into it!

Question/Request

Make any part, or all this menu. Make it really special and add your own twist. Share it with me so we can all try your creation! Let me hear from you.

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Dinner & A Movie – Timpano alla Big Night

Posted on March 26, 2021April 15, 2021 by Mike P

Movies that celebrate food, friendship, caring and love are some of my favorites. Big Night, starring Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini, Ian Holm, Allison Janney, Campbell Scott and many other supporting actors is a story about two Italian immigrant brothers who own a struggling Italian restaurant named Paradise. The story swirls around their personal relationships and the fact that preparing and serving real Italian food in the late-1950’s can make you go broke, no matter how good and authentic it is. A “spaghetti and meatballs” restaurant down the street is always packed because the owner gives his customers what they expect and want in 1950’s America. The owner of the successful restaurant offers to help the two brothers put their place on the map with one Big Night, thereby saving the Paradise from financial ruin. So many plot twists and stories in this beautifully made film.

Stanley Tucci says this film is semi-autobiographical, but I don’t know where his life and the story cross. He cowrote and co-directed the film with Campbell Scott. Suzanne and I met Campbell Scott when he and Melanie Lansky starred in a film, Eye of the Hurricane, that was largely shot in St Marys, GA. We were living there at the time and Suzanne was asked to be an extra in several scenes. Suzanne is in the very middle of the screen in the opening scene of the film. Also in some additional scenes in the movie.

I guess I got off track there. Timpano is one of the big dishes, and there are several, in Big Night. When I saw this being made and the resulting dish that comes out of their oven, I decided at that exact moment, I’m going to make that! There’s a palpable reaction to the presentation and slicing into this beautiful Italian specialty. There’s so much joy being shared in these scenes you can’t help but share in the experience, even if you’re not sampling the fare being brought to the table. I find myself, Ooooing and Ahhhhing along with the characters in the movie every time a new dish comes out of the kitchen. I can feel my belly about to explode and the warm sense of total satisfaction sort of flow from head to toes as the meal creeps towards its conclusion. This is an entire evening of dining, not a quick meal and then a dash off to do something else.

It so much reminds me of family meals when we were growing up. Going for Sunday dinner at my Grandfather’s, Francis Pilolla, was an all day event and totally unhurried. Grandpa was a small, wiry man with a huge smile and strong hugs. The only thing I remember him wearing was a baggy pair of black trousers, white shirt and a brown cardigan sweater, with one of the buttons missing. He always seemed to have an unlit, crooked Italian cigar in the corner of his mouth. I think they were called Toscanelli or Toscanni or something like that. It felt as if he was cooking all day and when we finally sat down to eat he made sure we savored the meal, took out time. If we started to eat too fast he would make us put a fork of food in our mouth and then sit on our hands until we had chewed and swallowed each bite. Everybody had wine, which he made in the cellar every year. Two hundred gallons of red and one hundred gallons of white. Everyone drank from short tumblers. For the kids, it was just a splash of wine added to water to fill the glass. Bread was broken by hand and passed around the table. Crumbs flew all over the place! Oh how I wish I had been old enough to appreciate the moments and the memories that were being created at the time. What I do remember is glorious and those memories are evoked every time I watch Big Night.

This mouth-watering recipe is the same one that’s prepared in the film, with my own, added twists. There are many, many variations. You can experiment and make it your own. This dish will serve 10 to 14 people, depending on how hungry your guests are and what else you serve with it.

I recommend preparing some of the ingredients ahead of time, and storing them in the fridge. This is a real project, so do as much ahead of time as you can. That way you won’t be totally worn out when it comes time to sit down and enjoy it.

Prep Time: About 3 hours – Cook Time: 90 minutes – Rest Time: 30 minutes

I broke this down into 5 major steps, preparing the inside ingredients, making the dough and lining the “Timpano” pot, filling the dough with the ingredients, baking the Timpano, removing and serving the Timpano. You can also assemble this a day or two ahead of time, bring it up to room temperature and then bake it on the day you want to serve it. Also, you can assemble it and freeze it. It will take at least three days in the fridge to thaw. Then bring it to room temperature and bake it.

Ingredients

A bottle of your favorite red wine for sipping.

FOR THE DOUGH

If the fillings are already made and stored in the fridge, take them out of the fridge and let them start to warm up.

4C – TIPO “00” soft wheat flour. It’s a specific kind of wheat grown in Bologna, for pasta and this kind of dough. I like the Caputo brand that Publix carries. All Purpose flour will also work

4 – Large eggs

1t – Kosher salt, salt or regular salt will also work.

3T – Water

3T – Olive oil, I prefer the Extra Virgin olive oil I get from The Natural Olive in Hickory.

FOR THE FILLING

Make as much of this ahead of time as possible. Store it in the fridge and take it out to warm up when you start making the dough.

6 – Italian sausage links, mild

2 – Large onions, Vidalia, if you can find them, work best

5 – Slices of provolone

2C – Mozzarella, shredded

3 – 28oz cans crushed tomatoes, I prefer Cento, if you can get them.

8 – Eggs, hardboiled, shelled, cut in half

15 slices – Italian salami, hard

4C – Meatballs, you can make your own, but there are some great products on the market. Publix has a good Italian style meatball made with pork and beef. I also like DiRusso’s Italian style meatballs that are all beef. If you already have a favorite, use it.

1box – Large shell pasta, cooked al dente, or slightly less

1/2 box – Rigatoni, cooked al dente, or slightly less

2C – Ricotta cheese

1/2C – Parmesan, finely grated

8C – Marinara sauce or you can use your leftover Bolognese that I covered a few weeks ago. I prefer the Marinara. It’s a simple, tomato sauce, made with crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. This is what the 3, 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes are for.

1C – Pecorino Romano, fine grated

8 – Garlic cloves, peeled

4T – Basil, fresh, chopped

3T – Basil, dried

3T – Oregano, dried

Olive Oil

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Making The Magic

Make the Marinara

In a large sauce pot, add 1/3C of Olive Oil and heat to medium high. Drop in the whole garlic cloves and let them sizzle in the oil, stirring occasionally for about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat after about 5 minutes. Let the garlic start to soften and brown in the hot oil. When the cloves are soft, remove them from the oil and set aside.

Take a sip of wine or two!

Start adding the crushed tomatoes. You may need to lower the heat so it doesn’t splatter. Once the crushed tomatoes are in the pot, bring it up to a simmer.

Add 3T dried basil, rubbing and crushing it in your hands. Do the same with the 3T dried oregano. Smell your hands now. Isn’t the aroma incredible?! Salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer on low heat while you work on the rest of this.

Make the Pasta and the Stuffing

Cook about 20 shells until they are al dente or slightly less. They will cook more inside the Timpano. Once cooked, drain and set them in the fridge to cool.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta and finely grated parmesan. Add the chopped fresh basil and 1t of Olive Oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Another sip of wine fits nicely at this point.

Remove the shells from the fridge and stuff each shell, approximately 15 to 20, with the cheese mixture. Put them aside, until you are ready to use them.

While you’re stuffing the shells, cook your Rigatoni, al dente or less. When they are finished cooking, drain and return to the pot. Add 1/2 to 1C of the Marinara, enough to coat the pasta, and set aside.

Make the Salami, Sausage and Meatballs

If you’re using frozen meatballs, take them out of the freezer to thaw. If you’ve made your own, you’re awesome and you deserve an extra sip of wine right now!

Start cooking your sausage. In a large pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and spread it around. You only want to coat the pan, so the sausage doesn’t stick. Heat the pan to medium and add the sausage. You want these to cook most of the way through, so 10 to 15 minutes will be enough time. Turn the sausage several times to brown the outside, all the way round. When the sausages are cooked, remove them from the heat and let them cool on a cutting board for about 15 minutes. Have a Paper towel nearby to catch the juices that seep out.

Slice the sausage into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces and set aside.

Have you Salami slices out of the fridge and separated.

Make the Onions

In a large pan add 3T of Olive Oil and 3T of Butter. Melt the butter on medium heat. While the pan is heating, peel and slice the onions in half. Cut each half into 1/4 inch slices and drop them into the heated oil and butter. Stir thoroughly so the onions are coated with the oil.

Sip some more wine……stir the onions……sip some wine……stir the onions……sip some wine, well you get the idea. Cook the onions until they are limp and start to darken. At the end, salt and upper to taste and finish the onions off by cooking another 3 or 4 minutes. Once finished, remove from the heat and set aside.

All your fillings are now ready, so let’s get started on the dough.

Make the Timpano Dough

You can mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a heavy duty mixer and dough hook. I prefer to do this on the counter top, by hand. I like to develop the dough and feel the texture change until it’s just right. Start with the flour, making a well for the eggs. Add the salt, olive oil and 3T of water. mix and blend the ingredients. As you work the dough you may want to add a small amount of water, in addition to the 3T, to develop the dough into a soft ball. It may be a little tacky, but not sticky.

Once you have a nice dough ball, lightly dust the counter top with flour. Begin kneading the dough and continue for up to 10 minutes, just to be sure it is well mixed. Stop kneading when you know it is and set it aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Lightly dust the counter top again and begin to roll the dough out. You’re going to make a large round “Pizza looking thing”. It should be large enough to cover the bottom of your dutch oven, or whatever pot you have chosen, come up the sides and then fold over the top of your fillings to seal it. Roll it so the dough is an even thickness all over. I use a 9 1/2″ cast iron, ceramic coated, dutch oven that’s 5″ deep. The cast iron heats evenly and helps to insure an all around browning of the baked dough. I roll my dough out to 28″ – 30″ across the center. Once it’s that large, fold in half and then quarter so you can place it and position it in the pot without tearing it.

Rub the inside of your Timpano Pot with a light coating of Olive Oil or butter, lightly dust with flour. Place the rolled out dough into the pot. You’ll slowly open the folded dough and gently position it so it’s even on all sides. The excess dough will drape over the edge of the pot.

Whew! Drink some more wine! If you’ve already drained what you poured, pour some more.

Building the Timpano

Pre-Heat the oven to 350°

Spoon in your coated Rigatoni, making a nice layer in the bottom.

Cover the Rigatoni with the shredded Mozzarella.

Place the Meatballs on the bed of Mozzarella and cover them with a thin layer of Marinara. Sparingly.

Place your stuffed shells in next, arrange and stack them so you end up with a nice layer.

Spoon some of your Marinara over the shells, enough to lightly coat them, but not swimming in the sauce. Use the Marinara sparingly. This is only to add a little moisture and enhance the flavor. Too much will make it soggy.

Place the sliced Salami on top of the sauce.

Any wine left in your glass? Take a sip.

Layer the Pecorino Romano on the Salami.

Layer the halved eggs on top of the Pecorino Romano.

Cover the eggs with the carmelized onions.

Place the sliced sausage on top of the onions.

Top all of this with the sliced Provolone.

Use the Marinara sparingly. Think of it like the pizza sauce that is on your pizza. Too much makes the pizza soggy.

Fold the dough over the top of all and seal it. Cut any excess dough out and slightly moisten the dough where it overlaps to help make it seal.

Baking the Timpano

Put the Timpano in your pre-heated 350° oven, uncovered. Bake for about 1 hour, until the top is lightly browned. Cover the Timpano with the lid from the dutch oven or aluminum foil and bake for another 30 minutes. If you want the baked dough to be slightly darker, leave it uncovered for a longer period. You want the internal temperature of the Timpano to reach about 120°. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for another 30 minutes.

***Enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio and a Caprese Salad while you wait***. ***The red we started with was a TCM Special!***

After it’s cool and allowed to set, turn the Timpano onto a cutting board so you can slice into servings. Be careful when you do this. The pot will still be hot and this is heavy.

***See the video on Facebook @ It’s My Kitchen***

I’m thumping the Timpano the same way you thump a watermelon to see if it’s “ripe”. I just wanted to know if it was solid at the top and not hollow. Things will have cooked down a bit.

Plate the Dish

Stab into the top of your Timpano and slice, moving your knife up and down and then backward and forward as you slice downward and towards yourself. Have a plate with a bed of your delicious Marinara, next to the Timpano. Once you cut a slice free, lift it and move it to the plate, laying it on its side.

***Mouthwatering and filling. Delizioso!***

There are some videos on Facebook at It’s My Kitchen that shows the flipping and the slicing techniques. Also, the Ooooos and Ahhhhhs when your friends see your creation!

Variations To Keep It New

Wow. There are so many. I’ll list a few, but let your imagination run wild and make this your own.

Seasoned ground sausage or ground beef. Ziti, tossed in the marinara to replace the Rigatoni, or the shells or both. Pepperoni, instead of Salami. Add a layer of fresh spinach. Make a layer with sautéed Egg Plant.

Wines We Love With This

Anything that is red, bold and can stand up to the intense flavors of the meets and sauce. More importantly, any wine you like, and is a favorite, is the one to enjoy!

Barolo

Cabernet Sauvignon

Zinfandel

Gattinara – Traviglini is my favorite red of any and all. Hops and Grapes will order it for you in Hickory. It might be a challenge to find, but it is so worth the hunt!

Leftovers

Only if you don’t have enough folks over to share it. In which case, you want to save some of the Marinara. I have reheated this in the oven, cover with foil, at 350°, with the slices laying in a bed of Marinara. I think I did this for about 20 minutes. Haven’t had to do it often.

So, I told you this would be a project and I didn’t lie. The thing is, when you make it for people you care about, it isn’t a project. It’s an absolute expression of love and caring. You will know it when you make this and bring it to the table. Those at the table will know it because they’ll see the time and effort it took to craft such a beautiful dish. And best of all….now you’re all going to enjoy a wonderful meal together!

Famiglia e amici per sempre! Cin cin alla salute!

Do you have a favorite dish and moment that you shared with others, and it’s still vivid in your memory?

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Festa Italiana alla Pilollas

Posted on March 19, 2021April 16, 2021 by Mike P

Years ago, I suddenly had an urge to prepare a truly memorable, Italian feast for our closest friends. It was 1993 and we lived in Raleigh, NC, in a neighborhood called Wood Valley. While there, we developed close, personal friendships that have lasted to this day. We were there for seven years and even though we’ve been tumbleweeds and moved many places since then, I have some of my fondest memories from that time and the people we shared our lives with.

*Wood Valley was and is a great community!*

Anyway, I wanted the meal to be special. I wanted the invite to be more than ordinary and I wanted to serve and enjoy the meal the same way that most Europeans did at the time. We had moved to Raleigh, almost directly from London, having spent 5 years there. Suzanne and I almost felt more European than American at that time. We wanted to cling to some parts of that experience, and were able to do so, because our close friends had also traveled abroad. I knew they would appreciate and love the effort and the care that went into what was planned. Suzanne and I worked on the menu for weeks together and the dishes we came up with were pretty good, even if I do say so myself. I’m pretty sure that I’m speaking for all of us when I say it was a most memorable evening. The meal started with a glass or two of wine in the kitchen, while Suzanne and I were doing some last minute preparations. It then moved to the dining room, around 6:00 that evening, and went on until 2AM the next morning.

We served six courses, nine dishes and five different wines that evening. The pasta course consisted of two different styles and types of pasta, the main course consisted of three dishes. The food was great, but the thing that made it so memorable was the time we took to relish each dish, spend time talking about it and sharing memories of our lives together. After each dish we took a small break, sipping wine and letting things settle before the next course. If memory serves me right, we consumed 16 bottles of wine that evening and no one went home intoxicated, maybe a tiny bit tipsy, but no one was drunk.

I was sitting at the head of the table. After we served one of the courses, I sat back in my chair, and sipped on the second or third red variety we opened that evening. I listened to the low din of voices and laughter, competing and harmonizing in a crescendo of real joy. At least it felt that way to me. I looked around the table and smiled to myself, not saying anything to anyone. I just wanted to absorb it, listen to it and remember it. A warm contentment spread over me as I realized how much I loved these people. How much they had come to mean to Suzanne and I. They had become family in our minds, in our hearts and always would be. When you share experiences, break bread, share food and drink with people, it happens. The power of food to bring us together is amazing. We seldom stop to think about its influence on our culture, ourselves and each other. Occasions, like that dinner, for the ten of us, mark those times when we are lucky enough to experience one of those moments. I was fortunate enough to “be in the moment”.

**Ten of the adults in this picture made up that memorable dinner. All of these folks are our extended family!**

This is the actual menu from that evening. A year, or so, ago, I found this one copy that I had saved. Like any document I want to preserve these days, I scanned it.

Obviously, I didn’t spend the entire evening in the kitchen. We did lots of prep work ahead of time, allowing us to savor and enjoy each dish. The breaks between each course gave everyone time to catch their breath and time for Suzanne and I to get the next course ready for the table.

The following year, the Wood Valley Gourmet Club used this same menu, with a couple of minor changes, for one of the monthly dinners. We so enjoyed those evenings. Those menus exposed us to some dishes we probably would never have tried on our own. Best of all, we always made new friends. There were more than 100 members. Each meal was set up so that no one host home had more than 8 to 10 persons. The menu courses were divided amongst the participants, the host usually providing the main course and wines. The costs were added up and then divided between each couple, deducting what they had already spent. Everyone shared the cost equally and the effort to make all the courses.

I plan to share each of the recipes in this menu over the next several weeks. Maybe you’ll be inspired to do something similar with your closest friends and companions. There’s no better way to show your love and how much you care! It might be a lot of work but it will be more than worth it when you reach that moment during your dinner party, and you feel deep inside….life is great!

***This is my happiness in the kitchen.*** *By one of my favorite artists, Will Rafuse.*

Io sono contento! Cento anni di gioia! Cin Cin!

Question – What kind of menu would you put together for the ones you love? How would you change this one?

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Festa Italiana alla Pilollas – Antipasti

Posted on March 19, 2021April 16, 2021 by Mike P

Mamma-mia!….there are so many variations on this! You can start any meal, formal or informal, with a simple Antipasti, or you can make an elaborate dish with lots of different bites, Antipasti Misti. The evening of our Italian Feast at the Pilolla’s, we started with a small plate that included very small portions, small bites, of several items. We accompanied the Antipasti with a light and refreshing white wine.

Ingredients

This is what we did, but it could have been many other delicious things as well!

Large Green Olives

Kalamata Olives

Prosciutto – Rolled

Roasted Red Pepper – Sliced into 1″ strips

Bread Sticks

Making The Magic

This is a simple dish, but can be made elegant through its presentation. It’s all in how you plate it. Play with the layout, use small plates and go for color! People eat with their eyes, as much as their palates, so excite them with the variety and color.

Knowing this was going to be a long evening, we took our time, savoring each bite. We talked and laughed a bit and when the plates were empty, we didn’t get up right away to clear the dish. The great thing about this plate is you can prepare it ahead of time, we did this the day before. Plate the dish, covering each with plastic wrap, and storing it in the fridge.

Here’s a small list of possible small bites to use: Stuffed Green Olives, Kalamata Olives, Pepperoncini, Fresh Mozzarella Slice, Sliced Salami, Prosciutto, Cubed Provolone, Chunks of Parmesan, Pickled or Fresh Carrots, Roasted Red Peppers, Pickled Okra, any Variety of Italian cold cuts.

How you serve them depends on how formal and how large is your dinner party. Here’s some pictures that I hope will spark your creative ideas and help you imagine your own creation.

***Serving your Antipasti on a board is less formal and allows folks to sample what they like.***

***Plating the dish can make simple, beautiful!***

***Simple and Delizioso make the taste buds ready!***

***Individual servings can be plated and refridgerated a day ahead of time!***

Remember that you are setting up the dinner to come, with your Antipasti, so don’t over-do the portions. I generally don’t serve bread with this course. Breadsticks are great. They add a little crunchiness, light and easy to serve.

Wines We Love With This

With our Antipasti dish we served a nice Italian Frascati. Also great:

Pinot Grigio

Chardonnay – I prefer a stainless aged Chardonnay with this

Sauvignon Blanc – if you prefer something dry

Riesling – is sweeter and might also be better, depending on what you serve.

The night of our Italian Feast, we served 5 different wines, pairing each wine with the course we were serving. It was awesome! Just be sure to pace yourself. Our dinner went from 6:00PM to 2AM. There was plenty of time between courses to let things settle, sip more wine, enjoy each other’s company and absorb and be present in the evening.

Grandi amici, ottimo cibo, ottimo vino, ottimi ricordi!

Do you have a favorite Antipasti, something you like to share with friends and family? Share it with me. I’d love to add it to my list of favorites too!

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Dinner & A Movie – Ratatouille

Posted on March 12, 2021April 16, 2021 by Mike P

In a previous post I shared my secret recipe for popcorn and a short list of my favorite movies about food, cooking, friendship, family and love. This week I’m sharing a recipe from one of those movies, Ratatouille. I guess it’s not surprising that I experience the same sort of emotions when cooking, sharing and eating a special dish or meal with people I love, as I do when watching some of my favorite stories told through movies. When we watch movies together, we share emotions. We experience the emotions of something we may never have an opportunity to do or live through ourselves. Sometimes, the story reflects our own, personal experiences. That’s when a story really connects! That’s how food can affect us too. Connecting us to memories, to experiences, and to those we love!

*“Anyone can be a chef – if they love what they’re doing”*

In Ratatouille, a wee creature, through the help of his human friend, and their common love of food, reconnects a cynical food critic to the reasons he embarked on his career in the first place. The scene that plays this out in the story is one of my favorites. The joy that Amon Ego, that’s the food critic’s name, finds in the moment is palpable. As you watch the emotions roll across his face, and he recalls some of his most cherished childhood memories, it evokes the same “reconnecting” in the viewer. It is a scientific fact that smells and aromas are the most deeply implanted memories we have. That is true, throughout nature and it’s why I sometimes have the most vivid memories of my mother, or father, grandfather or grandmother or many other family members, when a smell hits me. It’s powerful!

This is the same recipe from the movie Ratatouille. It can be the center of your meal, or a side dish. It will make up to 8 servings.

Prep time: 45 minutes – Cooking time: 40 to 60 minutes

Ingredients

Veggies

***Slice thin enough to cook, 1/8″ or so***

2-3 – skinny eggplants, Italian, if they’re available. If not you can slice and quarter the larger eggplants

6 – Roma tomatoes, more meaty, less seeds

2 – yellow squash

2 – zucchini

The Sauce

2T – olive oil – The quality of your olive oil makes a huge difference in flavor. My favorite comes from a shop in Hickory, NC. If you can’t visit The Natural Olive, check out their web site. www.naturalolivehickory.com They do ship.

1 – onion, diced, I prefer Vidalia sweet onions

1 – red bell pepper, diced

1 – yellow bell pepper, diced

4 – garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

28oz – crushed tomatoes, canned. I prefer Cento, if it’s available.

8-10 – basil leaves, fresh, chopped, about 2T

Herb Seasoning

***So much flavor in this little bowl***

4T – olive oil

8-10 – basil leaves, fresh, chopped, about 2T

2T – fresh parsley, chopped

2t – thyme, fresh

1t – garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Making the Magic

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Slice the eggplants, the squash, zucchini and tomatoes into 1/8” to ¼” slices. Not too thin or the veggies will end up mushy. Too thick and they will have less flavor and may be too firm. You don’t need to measure, and it doesn’t need to be perfect. Set the sliced veggies aside.

Make the Herb Seasoning. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the fresh basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Set aside.

Make the Sauce. Heat your olive oil to medium high. Add the onion, garlic and bell peppers. Sauté until they are soft. I sometimes reduce the oil and add butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir until thoroughly mixed. Remove from the heat and add the fresh basil. Blend into the sauté mixture.

Transfer your beautiful sauce to a baking dish large enough to hold all your veggies. At least 12 inches. If you have leftover veggies they will make a great breakfast hash. Smooth the sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. You’re creating a “bed” for the veggies. Starting from the outer edge of your dish begin stacking your veggies, on their edge, in an alternating pattern, working in a spiral, towards the middle, until you fill the dish. Eggplant, tomato, zucchini, squash, repeat.

Stir your herb mixture. Spoon it over the top of the veggies in your dish. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover your dish. Best is to cut a piece of parchment to fit down, into the dish. The parchment prevents browning of the top of the veggies and allows steam to escape while it’s baking. Next best is to cover with a piece of foil, cut to fit down inside the dish. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20 minutes. Monitor the progress of the veggies. Cook them to the tenderness you prefer. I prefer soft, but not mushy. For effect, take the dish out of the oven and put the parchment back on top of the dish.

Bring the dish to the table covered. Then, when everybody is looking and anticipating, pull the cover off and say, TADAH! OR as the French would say, Bon Apetit!

Variations to keep this new

After removing the cover and baking for about 10 minutes, sprinkle heavily with shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan, or just Parmesan. The Mozarella will make a stringy coating on top. The Parmesan will brown more quickly and toast on top.

Different, infused olive oils, will add subtle flavors.

Wines we love with this.

Dry Rose

Chianti

Chardonnay

Leftovers

Reheat in the oven at 350° with cheese on top. Serve on top of toasted Italian or sour dough bread. If the slices are dried out, it works best. The toast will end up crunchy. Toast the bread until it is brown and drizzle with olive oil. Try different, infused olive oil to change up the flavor.

This is also awesome with soft scrambled eggs and a crunchy French Baguette.

Bon appétit mon amour!

Question: How would you change this dish? Could this be a vegetarian main dish? Please tell me if you have seen the movie and did you like it.

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