Ninety-second Post ~ Easy Peasy Veggie Pizza!

I had one of those nights that just got away from me - and before I knew it, it was 9:00 and I still hadn't stopped for dinner.  I needed something fulfilling, quick, and not too rich.  Here's what I came up with.

You'll need:

~ Flatbread (or pita - I've become a huge fan of Kontos Multigrain Flatbread - it's a great afternoon snack cut into triangles, toasted, and served with hummus)
~ Pesto of any sort (I used Wegman's sundried tomato pesto)
~ Veggies (mushrooms and zucchini for me!)
~ Grated parm
~ Drizzle of black truffle oil
~ Fresh parsley

Preheat your toaster oven on 400/broil.  Spread about a tablespoon of pesto over the flatbread.  With a mandoline, thinly slice some zucchini.  Place the slices around over the pesto-spread bread.  Slice up some mushrooms, and lay them on top.  Drizzle on a little truffle oil, sprinkle on some parm, and spread fresh parsley over all.  Broil in your toaster oven until the veggies are beautifully cooked and sizzling!

While the veggies themselves were a delectable roasted sweetness, the best part of this pizza to me was the crust!  The flatbread toasted to a perfectly crispy finish, and the parm was just golden - savory, flavorful, wonderful!

I served this easy-peasy meal with a crisp, peachy pinot grigio by Vetter Vineyards.  A perfect compliment!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Ninety-first Post ~ More Mussels (with a citrussy flair!)

If you're sick of reading about the many virtues of a dinner of mussels...

...Then skip this post.

I wasn't going to blog about this, because it is rather similar to some of my past posts, but I feel like this batch was TRULY the perfect combination of herbs and other flavors.  Here's what you'll need:

~ Mussels, of course.  I make a pound per serving.
~ White wine (I used a "melange" of sorts of some leftover dry Riesling and Pinot Grigio)
~ Salted butter.  Lots o' butter.
~ Herbs: Fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, fresh, fresh, fresh.
~ Chives to top
~ Two crushed garlic cloves
~ Coarse-ground sea salt
~ One slice lemon

In a pan, add a generous bit of wine.  I'd say a little over a cup.  Start the butter melting.  When all is said and done, probably about three or four tablespoons.  Add the fresh herbs, and don't skimp on the parsley.  Add the slice of lemon and the garlic.  By now, your nose should be telling you that you're doing something right.  Add the course-ground sea salt.

Wash and dump in the mussels.  Slap a lid on and walk away for 3-4 minutes as you slice your baguette.  Come back, take off the lid, and SAVOR the aroma!

Top with lots of snipped chives and enjoy with the bread and a glass of dry riesling.  It is a perfect, perfect meal.

Yours in the love of food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Ninetieth Post ~ Maple Garlic Rosemary Marinated Salmon with Parmesan and Parsley Yellow Squash

I can't say enough good things about marinades.  They provide a quick way to make a flavor-packed meal without a lot of fuss.

Here's what you'll need to make this easy dish:

For the salmon:
~ Salmon fillet
~ Maple syrup (the real stuff, preferably)
~ One clove garlic, crushed
~ Rosemary
~ Coarse-ground sea salt

For the veggie:
~ One small yellow squash
~ EVOO
~ Parsley
~ Coarse-ground sea salt
~ Grated parmesan

Several hours before dinner, pour some maple syrup into a bowl.  I got a little souvenir bottle of maple syrup from a friend who traveled to Nova Scotia.  I used that, and shook a little water around in the bottle to catch any remaining sugary awesomeness.  Into the bowl I crushed a clove of garlic and stirred it around.  I added the salmon fillet, spooning some of the mixture over it.  I topped the salmon with some salt and a sprig of rosemary, covered the bowl, and left it alone in the refrigerator until I was ready for dinner.

At that time, I took it out to let it get closer to room temp while I preheated the toaster oven (broil, 400) and prepped the veggies.  In a bowl, I placed the sliced squash and drizzled EVOO over all.  I sprinkled on ample parm and snipped on some parsley.  After adding some salt, I tossed it around by hand, making sure that the squash was well-covered in the mixture.

On a pan, I made a tin-foil divider.  Into one side I set the salmon, pouring the remaining marinade over the top.  In the other side I placed the veggies.

I popped the pan into the toaster oven and walked away for 12 minutes or so.

: : PAUSE : :

WARNING.  This recipe will cause your house to fill with amazing aromas.  If you are immune to the scent of parmesan slowly browning, crushed garlic adding sizzling warmth to cloyingly sweet, sugary maple syrup and rosemary singeing and releasing its spicy earthiness into the air, then you might be able to walk away for the12 minutes.  If you're like me, you'll try walking away, but will then end up back in front of the toaster oven, watching it like a cartoon cat watching a mouse-hole.

: : UNPAUSE : :

So presumably, you're right there when the timer dings.  I served this meal with a dry reisling by Vetter Vineyard.  While the wine was outstanding (and paired perfectly with the lemon rosemary salmon I'm planning to blog about soon), I think a warmer, oakier wine would have matched the maple better, as this riesling is marvelously crisp (think biting into a green apple).  On the other hand, it did add a nice refreshing bite to the meal, which kept it from being too sweet.

'Cause we wouldn't want that...

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-ninth Post ~ Bruschetta Tortellini with Breaded Pork Medallions Sautéed in Roasted Tomato Oil

A confession from the Accidental Chef:  Tortellini and pork tenderloins are sort of my go-to meal in a time crunch.  I have it down to such a science, I can have it from raw ingredients to the table (er... TV tray) in 15 minutes.  In order to do so, you have to have a few things stocked and on-hand:

~ Breading mixture: In my freezer I keep a plastic container that originated from one of my first purchases of fresh grated parm from Wegman's cheese shop.  One day, running short of supplies (or craving more cheese, I can't remember which) I made up for a lack of cheese or breadcrumbs by mixing the two together.  It has become my "can't-live-without" thing in my kitchen.  I keep it in the freezer because I routinely toss pork or chicken around in it before sauteeing, so I figure freezing will keep it fresh.  The mixture consists of basically half Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and half grated parmesan.  Along the way, if I have a few extra bits of fresh herbs that are going to wilt soon, I'll toss those in, too.  So there's probably some thyme and oregano floating around in there.  As it starts looking empty, I dump some more parm and breadcrumbs and herbs in as I have them.

~ Pork tenderloins: I buy club packs of pork tenderloins from Wegmans and spend about 20 minutes opening them, slicing them into medallions, separating the pieces into appropriate servings, wrapping and freezing them.  It's a 20 minutes well-spent, because I can toss one of the packets onto the counter to thaw and have dinner set for the evening.

So now that you know my freezer basics, on with the show.

I got two pre-made things from Wegmans this week that I've been enjoying tremendously: Roasted tomatoes in oil and a container of bruschetta.  The tomatoes were used last night in a remix of my original Ratatouille recipe (this time I nixed the eggplant in favor of some baby bellas that needed to be eaten) but I saved the oil, infused with the sweet flavor of the roasted tomatoes and embellished by spices, herbs and garlic.  The bruschetta I munched on with baguette slices, but I had purchased it mainly with tortellini in mind.  So here's what I ended up doing for tonight's meal.

Here's what you'll need:
~ Pork tenderloins sliced into medallions
~ Italian breadcrumbs (optional parm and herbs mixed in)
~ Tortellini (I swear by Barilla's tortellini - tonight's was cheese and spinach)
~ Oil from roasted tomatoes
~ Coarse-ground sea salt

Now: here's the science.  Master these steps and this will be your easy-peasy go-to dinner, too!

In a small pot, start some salted water boiling.  Lid on.  It'll heat faster.  Open up your package of pork.  By now, your water is boiling, so add your tortellini and start the timer for 10 minutes.  Put a colander in your sink.  Put the oil in a stick-free pan and turn it on medium heat.  Open the plastic container of breadcrumb mixture and, with a fork, turn each medallion in the mixture, setting each into the simmering oil.

: : PAUSE : :

If your apartment's fire alarm is as finicky as mine, you may need to add the steps "Fling door open repeatedly to ventilate the fire alarm to stop its screeching" and "try coaxing puppy out from under sofa and finally give up" to your steps.

: : UNPAUSE : :

Stir the tortellini, and, as the pork medallions cook half-way up, turn them gently, being cautious of oil splatter.  Miraculously, as the tenderloins are nearing done, your timer will go off.  Pour the contents of the pasta pot into the colander.  Place the tenderloins on a plate.  Drain the remaining oil from the stick-free pan.

At this point, add whatever sauce you're going to use for the tortellini into the pan.  Tonight it was bruschetta. In past nights, it's been sundried tomato pesto, or regular basil pesto.  Sometimes, it's spaghetti sauce and velveeta.  Toss it around in the pan on medium heat for a little under a minute.  Top with some grated parm, if desired.  Which in my case, is nearly always.

Pop onto a plate and enjoy!  I paired tonight's dinner with an award-winning Pinot Grigio from Vetter Vineyards.  It was refreshing and crisp, echoing the flavors of the bruschetta nicely!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-eighth Post ~ Garlic Rosemary Salmon with Bruschetta Zucchini

This is a really easy way to prepare salmon - any fish, really!  Here's what you'll need:

~ Salmon fillet (this was a small wild-caught Alaskan fillet)
~ EVOO
~ Crushed garlic (one clove)
~ Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
~ Coarse ground sea salt
~ Herb of choice (rosemary worked well!)

For the veggies:

~ One small zucchini (or yellow squash)
~ Pre-made bruschetta (as previously posted, I am in love with Wegman's bruschetta!)
~ EVOO
~ Small amount butter

Preheat your toaster oven to 400 on broil.  Line a pan with aluminum.  In a prep bowl, crush one clove garlic and add some EVOO.  Mix it up!  Unwrap the salmon but keep it right in the paper - easier cleanup!  Lightly sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs over the fish.  With a fork, spread the garlic-EVOO mixture over the fillet.  Don't worry about covering the whole thing; aim for a nice line down the center.  Sprinkle on some more breadcrumbs and grind on some salt.  Rest a sprig of rosemary over the whole thing and pop it into the toaster oven.

In a stick-free pan, start some EVOO and about a tablespoon of bruschetta heating up.  Slice the zucchini and add it to the pan.  Toss it around, and just when it's finished cooking (about 5 minutes) add a smidge of butter and toss it a few more times.

By now the salmon should be done (and smelling heavenly of garlic and rosemary!) - depending on the size of the fillet, you may wish to time out your veggies differently.  This fillet was thin, so it cooked within 10 minutes at the most.

The end result is that the breadcrumbs, garlic and EVOO cook into an intensely flavored, crispy topping while keeping the salmon moist and delicate.  Super simple; great results!

I enjoyed this meal with a Spanish Grenache-Tempranillo blend by Don Ramon.  It was fruitier than I expected from an old-world oak-aged red, but it was refreshing, like tart cherries.  All in all, a decent pairing.

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-seventh Post ~ Lemon Thyme Sea Bass with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Tonight's meal was simple to prepare, easy on clean-up, cooked in one pan, and was delicious.  What's not to love?

Here's what you'll need:
~ One small fillet of sea bass.  Mine checked in at a quarter pound.
~ EVOO
~ One smallish lemon
~ One sprig thyme
~ One pearl onion (per fillet)
~ Coarse ground sea salt
~ Surprise spice

: : PAUSE : :
I have two locations for my spices.  One is a 1970s era spice cabinet, where pretty spice bottles stand proudly on display and are used on a regular basis.  Then I have my "spice drawer" which might be a cousin of the "junk drawer."  It contains all of the lesser-used spices - the cayenne powder, the marjoram, the white pepper.  I reached in and grabbed what I thought was paprika.  The handwritten label (I inherited this bottle, so who knows...) was badly worn.  I popped it open and sprinkled a little what I thought was paprika over the fillet... and then wondered why I was having strong memories of Christmas... Peering closer at the label, I saw it said "nutmeg."

Oh well.  A little nutmeg never hurt anything, I say.

: : UNPAUSE : :

...And here's what you'll need for the Brussels sprouts:

~ Tiniest Brussels sprouts you can find, cut in quarters
~ EVOO
~ Sea salt
~ Jarred or crushed garlic

Preheat your toaster oven broiler to 400.  Spread some foil over one pan.  Make a wrinkle in the middle so you have a nice divider.  In a bowl, toss the quartered Brussels sprouts with the EVOO, salt and garlic.  Toss them into one of the divided halves and start broiling them for about 5 minutes.  In the mean time, prepare the fish.

Lay the fillet on a plate or cutting board.  Squeeze lemon over it and then lay a sprig of thyme on top.  Mince the pearl onion and scatter over it, and drizzle on some EVOO.  Grind on some salt and lay a slice of lemon on top.  Sprinkle on some paprika, nutmeg, or whatever other spice you have lying around badly labelled.

By now, your Brussels sprouts have probably started sizzling, so open the oven and put the fish in your other divided spot.  Broil for roughly 10-15 more minutes until the Brussels sprouts are fork-tender and the fish is cooked through to your liking.  If the veggies finish early, take them out and put them in a bowl and continue to cook the fish.

Once on the plate, I squeezed a little more lemon juice over the sea bass, because I love lemon on seafood.  Speaking of citrus, I served the meal with a Pinot Grigio by Vetter Vineyards - which had a wonderful citrus overtone of pineapple and lemon, which complimented the fish beautifully!

...And the nutmeg?  It ended up complimenting the warm, roasted nutty flavors in the veggies and the fish!  Who knew?

Yours in the love of good food and wine (and a little accidental experimentation),
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-sixth Post ~ Pesto marinated steak

This is a quick and fool-proof way to create a savory, tender steak.  MARINADE!  As long as your marinade contains some acidic compound (such as wine or soy sauce, even orange juice) your odds of having a far more tender steak increase exponentially.

Tonight's marinade was thrown together so hastily, it felt like I was just taking a little of this and a little of that and dumping it in a bowl.

Which, actually, is precisely what I was doing.

Here's what you'll need for the marinade:
~ Olive oil
~ Soy sauce
~ Truffle oil (why not?)
~ White wine (I had some leftover vidal blanc that's a little past the enjoyable drinking mark)
~ Basil pesto (premade from Wegmans)
~ Dash of sea salt

Obviously, you'll also want a petite sirloin to put it on.

Combine the ingredients in a bowl that is just the right size to nearly submerge your steak.  Whisk together with a fork.  Marinate the steak for a few hours, turning every so often and spooning the marinade over it.

I broiled it for 8 minutes on one side, 5 on the other.  This is the magic number of minutes for a petite sirloin, I believe.  I served it with green beans sauteed in garlic.  I paired the meal with some more French Maid cabernet sauvignon - so yummy!  It was fruity enough to stand up to the savory marinade, but full-bodied enough to compliment the steak.  All in all, a quick, satisfying meal!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-fifth Post ~ Savory Marinated Strip Steak

Easy to prepare, quick to cook - what's not to love?

Here's what you'll need for this meal:

~ Strip steak
~ Soy sauce
~ Garlic (jarred or crushed)
~ Whatever fresh herb you have on had (wait for it - OREGANO!)

Place the raw steak in a zip-lock bag.  Pour in an ample amount of soy sauce.  Not only does soy sauce add a delicious flavor to meat, but it also tenderizes steak!  One of my favorite meals as a child was my mom's soy-sauce steak over buttered toast - read about it here!  (And pardon the photo - that was before I had a camera with a "food" setting!)

Put about a teaspoon of garlic into the bag along with a sprig of whatever herb you might want - seriously - the herb could really vary anywhere from rosemary to sage to marjoram to thyme - the sky (er... earth?) is the limit!

Let the steak marinate in the refrigerator while you get some work done.  Get the steak out before you're ready to cook so it has time to get back up to room temperature.

Preheat a toaster oven or other heating apparatus on broil at about 375-400 degrees.  Put the steak - marinade, herbs and all - onto a tin foil lining and broil for around 5 minutes or until it's cooked to your preference.

I served the steak with some leftover ratatouille - a perfect pairing for the savory flavors of the salty soy sauce and zesty garlic!  Naturally, I also had a glass of French Maid with it...  Hey - I'm snowed in - give me some credit for varying the ingredients on hand!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-fourth Post ~ Beef Burgundy Soup

With the winter storm that blew across the U.S. this past evening, nothing makes me feel more prepared for bad weather than a pot of soup at the ready!

This soup was a quick meal that could be thrown together when I got home from my afternoon class yesterday and left alone until I was ready to eat in the evening.

Here's what you'll need for this easy-peasy soup:
~ Stew beef
~ One package mirepoix (or make your own quite easily by dicing up some onion, carrot and celery - but as I said, I was in a hurry!)
~ Handful cleaned and cut mushrooms
~ 5-7 beef bouillon, depending on your taste
~ Fresh herb(s) of choice (I chose thyme and oregano, since that's what I've got right now!)
~ A couple handfuls wild rice
~ Splash red wine

Fill a medium pot about half full of water and start it boiling.  Toss in the bouillon, mushrooms, package of mirepoix and stew beef.  Toss in some fresh herbs (don't bother pulling the thyme or oregano from the stem - I threw in three stems of thyme and two solid stems of oregano.  As it cooked, the leaves fell from the stems) and add a splash of red wine.  Stir it all around a bit.  Start it boiling and work on other things as you every so often check on the soup.  Turn down the heat after a little bit.

Simmer gently for a little over an hour, stirring occasionally.  Toward the end, toss in a few handfuls of wild and long grain rice (I opened a box of Uncle Ben's and only used a small portion of it, keeping the rest of the rice and the full seasoning packed in a ziplock bag for later use).  Simmer the soup with the lid on for about 10 minutes, then let it sit with the lid on and heat off.

Whenever you're ready for dinner, turn the heat back on and bring the soup to a simmer again.  I paired this meal with the same crusty bread I had with last night's ratatouille.  I also enjoyed another glass of French Maid cabernet sauvignon!  All in all, a hearty winter meal!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighty-third Post ~ Ratatouille

I will confess that around the new year of 2009, I watched a certain computer animated film by Pixar and Disney, and, well, Gusteau's catchphrase of "Anyone can cook" just may have helped push an idea of a cooking blog over the edge from "Hmm, I wonder..." to "That's it - I'm starting a cooking blog!"

This is, of course, the titular meal and a classic in its own right.  Ever since the film, I've been clipping out recipes for this Provençal dish; photos of beautifully arranged veggies are pinned up next to devil-may-care tossed ones.

So last evening, I decided to give it a whirl.

Here's what you'll need:
~ Garlic (jarred or a couple cloves)
~ 1 eggplant (a smallish one)
~ 1 zucchini
~ 1 golf-ball sized onion
~ 1 orange or yellow pepper
~ One small container roasted tomatoes in oil
~ EVOO
~ Coarse-ground sea salt
~ Herbs of choice (I chose fresh thyme and oregano)

Start a hefty amount of olive oil smokin' in a large skillet.  Chop up the eggplant and toss it around a bit.

: : PAUSE : :

I guess I had had a stressful day.  I hadn't realized it until that point, but chopping up that eggplant felt good.  Next came the zucchini.  CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP-CHOP.  Then the pepper.  CHOP-CHOP!  CHOP-CHOP!  Then the onion.  WHACK-CHOP-CHOP-CHOP-CHOPPA-CHOPPA-CHOP.  With each chop I felt a bit of the day's frustrations leave me.  And a bit more, and a bit more...  This is my new favorite "I've had a bad day" meal.

: : UNPAUSE : :

So - ahem! - toss the chopped eggplant around the oil a bit and add some garlic.  Chop up the zucchini, pepper and onion and add that all in turn.  Open the container of roasted tomatoes (hopefully they come packaged in oil - because the oil is delicious!) and it all in.  Add some fresh herbs at this point.  If it starts sticking, add a bit of water to create some steam.

Let the whole deal simmer, covered, until the veggies are tender.  I served this with a crusty loaf of pain de compagne and it was a perfect textural partner for this savory, filling meal.  I paired it with a cabernet sauvignon by French Maid (it seemed fitting!) and it was wonderfully fruity, balanced and bright.

All in all, a successful meal!
Yours in the love of good food, wine, and the outlets they bring us (both creative and physical!),
AL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.