by Kathy Douglas | Jan 18, 2018 | Entrees
Sautéed garlic and Italian sausage, seared cherry tomato sauce, mozzarella, and broken pasta sheets are topped with cheesy toasted lemon crumbs before popping it in the oven and baking to gooey perfection. To make this delicious dinner even better, it’s a two-pan meal with quick clean up.
Ingredients
1½ tablespoons butter
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Zest of one medium lemon
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided, plus more for serving
12 ounces lasagna or sheet pasta broken into pieces, (do not use no-boil noodles)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian hot or mild sausages, pork, turkey or chicken, casings removed
2 teaspoons minced garlic
24 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
Juice of one lemon or 3 tablespoons
½ cup grated mozzarella
3 tablespoons whole small basil leaves or large leaves torn
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panko and toss until lightly browned about 7-8 minutes, season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Cool to room temperature, stir in the lemon zest and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and the broken pasta to the boiling water. Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking. Cook until al dente, about 11-12 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, remove the casings from the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron or another oven-proof skillet over medium heat and add the sausage and garlic. As the sausage cooks, break into bite-size pieces. Cook until the edges are browned, and the center is no longer pink. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour out any remaining sausage fat leaving just a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until blistered, popping open and slightly softened about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and cook, lightly-pressing until all the tomatoes are crushed. Add the pasta, sausage, remaining Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved cooking water, one tablespoon at a time, to thin to your desired consistency.
Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta the Panko crumbs, and place in the oven for 15 minutes, baking until the crumbs are golden. Top with fresh basil leaves and serve in warmed bowls with more Parmesan cheese on the side.
by Kathy Douglas | Jan 9, 2018 | Entrees
Perfect for a winter breakfast, brunch, or dinner, our pastry crust is layered with thinly-sliced sautéed potatoes, bacon, baby arugula, and gruyere cheese. Fresh thyme with a cream and egg filling are added and then baked to tasty perfection. You can prepare and serve on the day of your meal or the day prior and merely reheat to serve.
Ingredients
1 pie crust, recipe below or high-quality store-bought
4 slices of thick cut bacon, sliced width-wise into ¼” lardons
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts plus 2 tablespoons of just the green parts, divided
2 medium Yukon Gold potato, very thinly sliced
2 cups baby arugula
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 eggs
¼ cup cream
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
½ cup grated gruyere cheese, plus 1 teaspoon, divided
Instructions
Preheat to 400°F. Roll out the pie dough into a 12-13” circle and place in an 8-inch pie pan or 9-inch springform pan. Gently prick pie dough all over with a fork making sure to not puncture through the dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Cover with buttered foil, butter side down, and add pie weights or beans. Place on a sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, and continuing baking until lightly browned, about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, add the bacon lardons in a cold pan and cook over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove and set aside. Discard the remaining fat except for a thin layer in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When melted add the ¼ cup green onions and cook about 2 minutes. Then add the potatoes, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, cook, frequently tossing until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with ⅛ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add ¼ cup gruyere cheese to the bottom of the crust then ½ of the potatoes and bacon in a layer over the cheese. Add the 2 cups of arugula, top evenly with the remaining potatoes and bacon then ¼ cup of the cheese. Sprinkle over the top the thyme then pour the eggs and cream evenly over the whole pie. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and green onions. Place on a baking sheet in the oven and bake until quiche is puffy and just starting to brown, about 35-40 minutes. Cool briefly for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 6-8 servings.
Savory Pie Crust
½ cup butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor and pulse lightly just until the mixture comes together resembling sand, and the butter is the size of peas. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition. Keep adding water until the dough gathers together into larger clumps. Dump out of the food processor onto a clean surface and pat into a disk. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured re-sealable plastic bag. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 26, 2017 | Appetizers
Savory applewood smoked bacon combined with sweet onion jam, apples, and maple syrup makes this appetizer flatbread the hit of any holiday party or get-together. Using only seven ingredients purchased in most grocery or specialty stores, you can pull together a quick appetizer that makes you look like a culinary genius.
Using a high-quality onion jam in this recipe is what makes this dish delicious. If you don’t have time to prepare your own, Stonewall Kitchen makes a delightful Roasted Garlic Onion Jam perfect substitution. Frozen pizza dough is available at specialty grocery stores; merely thaw overnight in your refrigerator before preparation.
3 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon. (We prefer Neiman Ranch)
½ pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
½ cup onion jam, homemade or high quality jarred like Stonewall Kitchen
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely grated
½ large apple sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the bacon on a cooling rack set over a foil-lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. The bacon will not be cooked thoroughly. Cut each bacon slice into four pieces when cooled enough to handle,
Roll the dough out into a thin oblong shape, 9 x 13, and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Spread the onion jam evenly on the dough leaving a 1” border. Sprinkle ⅔ of the cheese over the dough, and cover it with the bacon and apples. Lightly brush one tablespoon of the maple syrup over the apple slices only. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the flatbread. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Remove and drizzle the remaining maple syrup over the flatbread, then sprinkle evenly with fresh rosemary. Cut into sixteen squares and serve. Makes 16 appetizers size servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 18, 2017 | Appetizers
Our tiny tarts are flavorful and an easy dessert to add to your holiday table or bring to your next party. Perfect if you are short on time, mini size tarts require only a few ingredients that come together fast, taste delicious, and make a pretty presentation.
30 frozen Filo cups
½ cup chocolate chips
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 extra large egg
½ teaspoon of vanilla
¼ cup seedless raspberry jam
Grated chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the filo cups on a parchment lined sheet tray. Add two-three chocolate chips in each cup. Place in the oven for 5 minutes to just melt the chocolate. When removed from the oven, spread the chocolate evenly in the bottom of the Filo cups. Set aside to cool.
Using a stand or hand mixer, in a medium bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Over the melted chocolate, spoon ½ teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture into the cups. They should be three-quarters full. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove when the centers are firm and set aside to cool.
When cooled, add ¼ teaspoon of raspberry jam on the top of each cup. Sprinkle with finely grated chocolate. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 30 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 11, 2017 | Appetizers
It’s a cheese truffle tasting ready for your next holiday party. With the appearance of tiny cheese balls, each one of these delights contains a tasty center ranging from a dried cherry, to an olive, date, or sundried tomato. A base cheese recipe is created then divided into four bowls for adding flavors to make four different seasoned versions to go with each tasty center. With lots of flexibility, you can choose if you want to make one flavor or all four. The flavor recipes below use one-fourth of the base cheese recipe each. So be sure to add extra seasonings accordingly if you decide to make only one, two or three different versions.
INGREDIENTS
Base Cheese Recipe – makes 24 cheese truffles
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Mix together well and divide evenly into four bowls. Add the following flavors to create four unique truffles.
Tomato & Jalapeno – makes 8
Combine ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno, and 2 tablespoons finely grated cheddar cheese. Roll mixture into ¾ inch size balls. Using your thumb, make a hole in each ball, press into the center of your truffle ½ sundried tomato. (Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil for best results.) Roll in ⅓ cup finely chopped almonds and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Olive, Basil & Pinenuts – makes 8
Combine 1 clove of finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese and ⅓ cup finely chopped toasted pine nuts into one bowl of the cheese mixture. Roll mixture into ¾ inch size balls. Using your thumb, make a hole in each ball, press into the center of your truffle an olive. Roll in 2 tablespoons of very thinly sliced basil leaves, then ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve
Dates, Orange & Cinnamon – makes 8
Combine ½ teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon ginger. Roll mixture into ¾ inch size balls. Using your thumb, make a hole in each ball, press into the center of your truffle ½ dried date. Roll in ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cherry & Pistachio – makes 8
Combine ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon honey, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest into one bowl of the cheese mixture. Roll mixture into ¾ inch size balls. Using your thumb, make a hole in each ball, press into the center of your truffle a dried cherry. Roll in ⅓ cup finely chopped pistachios and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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