Category Archives: Dinner

Penne alla Vodka

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound penne
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 whole medium onion, chopped finely
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup vodka
  • One 14-ounce can tomato puree or tomato sauce
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 generous pinch red pepper flakes, plus more if needed
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Saute the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until soft. Pour in the vodka, being careful if your stove has an open flame (remove the pan from the heat before adding). Cook and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour in the tomato puree. Stir the mixture until it’s thoroughly combined, then reduce the heat to low. Pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine, then turn heat to the lowest simmer possible. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the drained pasta into the sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle on the Parmesan, then sprinkle on more red pepper flakes if desired.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 2 sticks butter, softened, plus more for pan
  • 5 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes
  • One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 4-quart baking dish.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. Place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the heat and add 1 1/2 sticks butter, the cream cheese, heavy cream, seasoned salt, kosher salt and pepper. Mash to combine.

Spread the potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Throw pats of the remaining butter over the top of the potatoes and bake until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warmed through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Fresh Corn Casserole with Red Bell Peppers and Jalapenos

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 8 ears corn (still in the husk)
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 2 fresh jalapenos, diced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 stick salted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the corn from the husks. In a large, deep bowl, slice off the kernels of corn with a sharp knife. Turn the knife to the dull side and scrape the cob all the way down to remove all the bits of kernel and creamy milk inside. (I do this inside the bowl because it goes everywhere if you cut it on a board.)

Add the red bell peppers, jalapenos, heavy cream, milk, salt to taste, a generous amount of pepper and butter and mix it well. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bake until thoroughly warmed through, 30 to 45 minutes.

Duchess Potatoes

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced, and boiled until fork-tender
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 whole egg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat.

Lay the boiled potatoes on a baking sheet and place into the oven until slightly dried on the surface, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and process through a ricer or food mill. Allow to cool in a bowl for about 5 minutes.
Add the egg yolks, butter, a couple generous pinches of salt, a generous pinch of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and 3/4 cup cream. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Taste and make sure the potatoes have been adequately salted.
Transfer to a large pastry bag and pipe through a large star tip in a circular/upward spiral motion onto the prepared baking sheet.
Make an egg wash by mixing the whole egg with the remaining 1/2 cup cream. Lightly brush the piped potatoes with the egg wash. (This is a little easier if you chill the piped potatoes for half an hour or so.)
Bake until golden brown around the edges. Serve on a pretty platter!

Prime Rib with Rosemary Salt Crust

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1 whole boneless rib eye (12 to 15 pounds)
  • Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup tri-color peppercorns
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup minced garlic

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut the rib eye in half (roast halves separately for more controlled/even cooking).

Heat some oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear both rib eye halves until a nice dark golden color, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Place the peppercorns into a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Shred the leaves from the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Mix the salt with the crushed peppercorns, rosemary leaves, thyme leaves and garlic. Pour olive oil over the rib eye and pour on the rub mix. Pat slightly to get it to stick to the meat. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and roast until a meat thermometer registers 125 for rare/medium-rare, about 20 more minutes (the roast will continue to cook slightly after removing from the oven). Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Perfect Pot Roast

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • One 3 to 5-pound chuck roast
  • 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 whole onions, peeled and halved
  • 6 to 8 whole carrots, unpeeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup red wine, optional
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.

Heat the olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the halved onions to the pot, browning them on both sides. Remove the onions to a plate.

Throw the carrots into the same very hot pot and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so. Reserve the carrots with the onions.

If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pot. Place the meat in the pot and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.

With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pot, scraping the bottom with a whisk. Place the roast back into the pot and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway.

Add in the onions and the carrots, along with the fresh herbs.

Put the lid on, then roast for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast. For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours. The roast is ready when it’s fall-apart tender.

Potatoes a la Bakery

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

•3 tablespoons butter

•1 tablespoon olive oil
•4 onions, sliced
•2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•Fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
•2 cups beef stock

Directions

•Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

•Melt half the butter with the olive oil in a saute pan, and gently fry the onions until soft and lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Spread half the onions in the bottom of a casserole. Lay a layer of sliced potatoes on top, season with salt and pepper, and scatter with thyme leaves. Build another layer of onions, then a final one of potatoes, and finally pour over the stock. Cover the pan with foil, and bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, 2 to 3 hours, removing the foil for the last hour if you like a crisp top.

Blackberry and Apple Pie

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

•Old-Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, recipe follows

•1/4 cup butter, plus extra for greasing
•1/3 cup raw sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
•2 large Bramley or McIntosh apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 16 wedges
•4 Cox’s, Empire or Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
•1 heaping tablespoon chopped ginger, in syrup
•5 ounces blackberries
•1 large free-range or organic egg, beaten
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•3 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
•1 cup icing sugar, sifted
•1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good-quality cold butter, cut into small cubes
•1 lemon, zested
•2 large free-range or organic eggs, beaten

•Splash milk
•All-purpose flour, for dusting

Directions

First, make your pastry dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and rest it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan and, when the butter has melted, add the apples, ginger and a tablespoon of the ginger syrup. Slowly cook for 15 minutes with a lid on, then add the blackberries, stir and cook for 5 more minutes with the lid off.

Meanwhile, remove your pastry from the refrigerator. Dust your work surface with flour, cut the pastry in half and, using a floured rolling pin, roll 1 of the pieces out until it’s just under 1/2-inch thick or looks as if it will cover a shallow 10-inch pie dish. (Rolling the dough between 2 layers of waxed paper will also stop it sticking to your rolling pin.) Butter the shallow 10-inch pie dish and line with the pastry, trimming off any excess around the edges using a sharp knife.

Tip the cooled apples and blackberries into a sieve, reserving all the juices, then put the fruit into the lined pie dish so you have a mound in the middle. Spoon over half the reserved juices, (if desired use all the juice). Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg. Roll out the second piece of pastry, just as you did the first, and lay it over the top of the pie. Trim the edges as before and crimp them together with your fingers. Brush the top of the pie with the rest of the beaten egg, sprinkle generously with sugar and the cinnamon, and make a couple of slashes in the top of the pastry.

Place the pie on a baking tray and then put it directly on the bottom of the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. To serve, slice the pie into portions and serve with a generous dollop of custard.

Old-Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Sift the flour from a height onto a clean work surface and sift the icing sugar over the top.

Using your hands, work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture. This is the point where you can spike the mixture with interesting flavors, so mix in your lemon zest.

Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together until you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don’t work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator to rest for at least half an hour.

Carbonara

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

•6 medium green and yellow zucchini
•1 pound penne
•4 large free-range or organic egg yolks
•1/2 cup heavy cream
•2 good handfuls freshly grated Parmesan
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•Olive oil
•12 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into chunky pieces
•A small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped, flowers reserved (if you can get hold of flowering thyme)
•Optional: a few zucchini flowers

Directions

Carbonara is a classic pasta sauce made with cream, bacon and Parmesan and is absolutely delicious. Try to buy the best ingredients you can, as that’s what really helps to make this dish amazing. I’m using a flowering variegated variety of thyme but normal thyme is fine to use. When it comes to the type of pasta, you can serve carbonara with spaghetti or linguine, but I’ve been told by Italian mammas (who I don’t argue with!) that penne is the original, so that’s what I’m using in this recipe. 

Before you start cooking, it’s important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting pan so you can give the pasta a good toss. 

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger zucchini lengthwise. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller zucchini can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the package instructions. 

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a very large frying pan (a 14-inch is a good start – every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the zucchini slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the zucchini is coated with all the lovely bacon-flavored oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly. 

It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini, bacon and lovely flavors, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straightaway. While you’re tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. If you’ve managed to get any zucchini flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

Mac & Cheese 3

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

    • 1/2 lb macaroni
    • 1 teaspoon butter
    • 1 eggs, beaten
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
    • 1 cup milk

Directions

  1. Boil macaroni in water until tender and drain thoroughly.
  2. Stir in butter and egg.
  3. Mix mustard and salt with 1T hot water, and add to milk.
  4. Add cheese, leaving enough to sprinkle on top.
  5. Pour into buttered casserole; add milk, sprinkle with cheese.
  6. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is crusty.