Primavera Orzo

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, a handful
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper


Directions

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Add garlic, shallots, zucchini and carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Add curry, chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until pasta absorbs the liquid and is al dente in texture, 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in cheese, parsley and peas. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

From: foodnetwork.com

Aunt Angie's Lasagna Recipe

Cook Time: 2 hr
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 12 servings


Ingredients

For the Meatball Mix:

5 pounds ground beef
5 eggs, beaten
4 cups bread crumbs
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound grated Romano cheese

For the Meat Sauce:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup each carrots, celery and onion, roughly chopped in food processor
1 gallon ground pear tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped basil leaves

For Aunt Angie's Lasagna:

1 pound cooked lasagna pasta (about 10 pieces)
4 pounds meatball mix
2 pounds ricotta cheese
2 pounds mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Romano cheese
32 ounces meat sauce


Directions

For the Meatball Mix:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Roll meatballs into desired size and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. For the lasagna, instead of rolling into desired size, spread mix out evenly on a sheet pan and bake. Break up the meat for lasagna.


For the Meat Sauce:

In a stock pot (or large cooking vessel) brown the ground beef. Add the celery/carrot/onion mix and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings. Let simmer for 2 hours.


For Aunt Angie's Lasagna:

Using a 1/2 hotel pan or medium to large baking dish, coat the bottom with a thin layer of meat sauce. Lay out 4 pieces of lasagna so they go up the side of the pan with an additional 3 to 4 inches hanging over the edge. Do the same in the other direction of the pan using pieces of pasta. Add another layer of meat sauce, followed by 1/2 of the meatball mix. Then top the meat with 1 pound of the ricotta cheese, 1 pound of mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of Romano. Add a layer of pasta and repeat to have 2 layers. Fold over the remaining pasta to cover the top. Top with meat sauce and place in preheated oven and bake until proper serving temperature is reached or top is golden brown.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

From: foodnetwork.com

Three Mushroom Rigatoni

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 pound rigatoni pasta
Salt
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 portobello mushroom caps
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup dry Italian red wine
2 to 3 stems rosemary, stripped and finely chopped, a couple of tablespoons
Black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, such as San Marzano
Hunk Pecorino Romano, for grating
Crusty bread, for mopping


Directions

Heat a grill pan to high.


Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Add salt and cook rigatoni to al dente.


Place porcini in a small pot with about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, drop to simmer, and reduce liquid by half, 10 minutes.


While pasta and porcini are working, pour about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil into a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to coat the portobellos in extra-virgin olive oil and place them on hot grill. Cook until dark and tender, 7 to 8 minutes, turning once. Remove and let rest.


Heat a large deep skillet with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add shiitakes and cook a few minutes then add garlic and cook a couple minutes longer. Add wine and reduce a minute. Halve and slice portobellos then add to shiitakes. Scatter the rosemary into the pan and turn to distribute the herb. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes. Remove the porcini from steeping broth with a slotted spoon and chop. Stir mushrooms into sauce then add a few ladles of the steeping broth. Do not use the very last of it: any grit in the dried mushrooms will have settled to the bottom of the pot. Let flavors combine for a couple of minutes more.


Drain pasta and add to warm pot. Grate some Romano down over the pasta and add a few ladles of the sauce to the pasta. Toss the pasta and sauce to coat, then transfer to a serving platter or into individual bowls and top with remaining sauce. Pass more cheese at table for topping, and bread for mopping. Yum-o!

From: foodnetwork.com

Heck of a Jicama Salad

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients


1 medium jicama root, peeled and sliced into thick matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 limes, juiced
2 hearts romaine, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, a handful of leaves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, eyeball it in the palm of your hand
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions


Place jicama in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and sugar, and add the juice of 1 lime. Let jicama stand 15 minutes. While jicama softens, work on the rest of your meal.


Arrange romaine on a serving plate. Top romaine with jicama. Juice 1 lime into a small bowl, add cilantro and cumin. Whisk in extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. Pour dressing over salad and season with salt and pepper.

From: foodnetwork.com

Mashed Potato Skins

Photograph by Con Poulos

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

6 slices turkey bacon
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, halved
Salt
1 cup buttermilk, eyeball it
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, a handful
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, yellow or white, 2 handfuls


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Arrange the turkey bacon on a sheet pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Cool and chop.


Put the potatoes in a medium sauce pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and season with salt. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash potatoes with buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chives and cheddar and fold in the bacon.


Rachael cuts calories here by using turkey bacon, and buttermilk instead of sour cream. As she says, "If you eat well, you can eat more!" From the 30 Minute Meals library, courtesy of Rachael Ray, 2006

From: foodnetwork.com

Red and White Delight: Strawberries and Ice Cream

Cook Time: 5 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 2 to 3 servings


Ingredients

1 pint ripe strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pint French vanilla ice cream, softened


Directions

Rinse berries. Halve berries; reserve a few for garnish, one per person. Place halved berries in a small glass bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Toss berries and sugar. Spoon soft French vanilla ice cream over berries and smooth. Cover bowl and place in freezer. When you serve berries and ice cream, garnish each dish with remaining berries.

From: foodnetwork.com

Steak Pizzaola with The Works

Cook Time: 22 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 2 BIG GUY servings


Ingredients

1 24 ounce to 2 pound piece porterhouse or rib-eye steak
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
4 cloves garlic, crushed away from the skins
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/3 stick pepperoni, casing removed, then chopped, optional
1/2 cup dry red wine, eyeball it
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano


Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Brown 3 minutes on each side and remove. Add another turn of the pan extra-virgin olive oil and reduce heat to medium high. Add garlic, pepper flakes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and pepperoni, if using. Cook mixture 5 minutes, then add wine and scrape up any good-bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste. Slide steak back in and reduce heat to medium. Cover pan and cook 5 or 6 minutes for medium rare, 10 to 12 minutes for medium well. Remove meat, cut away from bone or divide into 2 large portions. Cover steaks with sauce and top with grated cheese.

From: foodnetwork.com

The Only Pizza You'll Ever Want Again: Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato, Broccoli, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Basil

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings, 8 slices

Ingredients

Crust:

1 (16-ounce) package pizza dough, brought to room temperature
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Toppings:

1/3 pound broccoli from trimmed broccoli bin in produce section, 1/3 head
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
3 cloves cracked garlic
1/2 pound chicken breast cut for stir fry or chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
10 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, available on dairy aisle
12 to 15 leaves fresh basil, torn or stacked and thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

On a 12-inch nonstick pizza pan, stretch out your dough and form the
pizza crust. Drizzle 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil on crust and
spread it with a pastry brush over the dough to the edges. Sprinkle
crust with 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

In a small covered saucepan, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Separate
broccoli tops into florets, discarding lower stalks or reserving for
soup. Salt water and add broccoli florets. Cook covered 3 to 5
minutes. Drain broccoli and set on cutting board. Chop broccoli
florets into small pieces.

Heat a small nonstick pan over medium high to high heat. Add oil,
cracked garlic and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken
breast cut for stir-fry or tenders until lightly golden all over, 3 to
5 minutes. Chop sauteed chicken and garlic on a cutting board into
small pieces.

To assemble pizza, dot crust with chopped broccoli bits and cooked
chopped chicken. Dot crust with spoonfuls of ricotta and spread
ricotta gently with the back of your spoon. Add sliced sun-dried
tomatoes, scattering them around the pizza to the edges. Complete the
assembly with a thin layer of shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup. Place
pizza in oven on middle rack and lower heat to 450 degrees F. Bake 12
minutes, until cheese is deep golden in color and crust is brown and
crisp at the edges. Remove pizza from the oven and let stand 5
minutes. Top with lots of torn or shredded basil. Cut pizza into 8
slices using pizza wheel and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Spanakopizza

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 pizza dough, refrigerated or from your favorite pizzeria
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground chicken or turkey breast
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, a palm full (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
2 (10-ounce) boxes, frozen spinach, defrosted
1 cup feta crumbles
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded provolone
2 jars roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup (10 to 12) pitted kalamata olives
1 cup arugula, coarsely chopped or shredded or 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
Hot pepper rings or pepperoncini, optional


Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.


Stretch out your dough on to a pizza stone or into a pizza pan. Pierce the dough with a fork, drizzle the dough with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with oregano. Bake dough 10 minutes.


While the pizza dough bakes, heat a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil (1 turn of the pan) in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add butter to the warm oil, then the chicken or turkey. Lightly brown the meat 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chopped red onion, garlic and grill seasoning and cook 5 minutes more. Wring the defrosted spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Add it to the meat, separating it with your fingers. Add in feta crumbles.


Once the pizza has cooked 10 minutes, remove dough and top evenly with meat and spinach mixture. Cover the pizza with shredded mozzarella or provolone, roasted peppers and olives. Bake pizza another 13 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is crisp.


Remove pizza from oven, top with chopped parsley or arugula, cucumbers and hot peppers and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Curried Carrot Soup

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: Up to 6 (1 1/2 cup) servings


Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds packaged baby carrots, from produce section
6 cups chicken stock, available on soup aisle
1 tablespoon mild curry paste or 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Coarse salt
1 cup sour cream
Plastic condiment bottle or medium plastic food storage bag
6 blades fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces


Directions

Preheat medium pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, butter, onions and carrots and saute 5 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken stock, curry and cayenne, and about 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Place pot on a trivet next to food processor. Process soup in 2 or 3 small batches until soup is smooth and carrots are fully pureed. Transfer processed soup into a large bowl as you work to make room for more soup in the food processor. Return completed soup to the soup pot and place back over low heat. If the soup is too thick, add remaining stock, up to 2 cups, to achieve desired consistency. Adjust seasonings. Place sour cream in a plastic condiment squeeze bottle or into a medium food storage bag. Cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag with scissors. Ladle soup into bowls and squirt a swirl of sour cream around the bowl from the center out to the rim. Drag a toothpick from the center of the bowls out to the edges, forming a spider web design on soup. Pile a few pieces of cut chives at the center of each bowl to resemble green spiders in their webs! Cool!

Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

Salt
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
1 pound ground pork or chicken
1 egg
2 cups puffed rice cereal
Black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, 1/3 palm full
8 scallions, 2 finely chopped, 6 cut into 2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup tamari dark soy, divided
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
2 inches ginger root, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 pound triple washed spinach, leaves stripped of larger stems, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, available on Asian foods aisle of market
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, available on Asian foods aisle of market


Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


Place a pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente. Heads up: reserve 1/2 cup cooking water just before draining.


Place pork in a mixing bowl. Add the egg to the bowl. Place rice cereal in food processor and pulse into a bread crumb like consistency. Add cereal crumbs to bowl.


Add salt, pepper, five-spice powder, 2 chopped scallions and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Mix the meat balls thoroughly. Form 1 1/2-inch balls and coat with 1 tablespoon oil, scatter onto a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes.When the meatballs are close to done and the pasta is in, heat a large skillet over high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, a couple of tablespoons. Add the snow peas, red pepper, remaining cut scallions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry 2 minutes add spinach and wilt, 1 minute. Add the remaining soy sauce, about 1/3 cup, and the sesame oil then drain, add in pasta cooking water and toss to combine so pasta can soak up sauce, about 1 minute. Garnish with sesame seeds and top with lots of meatballs.

From: foodnetwork.com

Sauteed Pork Chops with Sherry-Berry Pan Gravy, Rhubarb Chutney

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 6 tablespoons butter, divided
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice, a wedge
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 2 to 3 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and chopped, about 1/2 pound yield
* Handful golden raisins
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
* 4 (8-ounce) boneless, center cut pork loin chops
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup sherry
* 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
* 2 tablespoons strawberry, blackberry or raspberry all-fruit
preserves (recommended: Polaner)

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add
sugar, lemon juice, vinegar and bring to a bubble. Add rhubarb and
raisins and cook 10 to 12 minutes until rhubarb is tender. Turn off
the heat and set aside until the pork chops are done.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive
oil, 2 turns of the pan. When the oil smokes or ripples, add chops,
season with salt and pepper and cook 6 minutes on each side. Remove
the chops and keep warm under foil tent while the meat rests. Add
remaining butter to pan, when it melts add the flour and cook a minute
then whisk in sherry and reduce 30 seconds then whisk in stock then
preserves. Season the gravy with a little black pepper. Serve chops
with gravy ladled over top and rhubarb chutney along side.

From: foodnetwork.com

Smoky Cheese Fries

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 large package frozen waffle cut fries
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups grated Cheddar
* 2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 spoonfuls sauce
* Salt

Directions

Bake waffle fries to package directions. Heat butter in a small pot
over medium heat and whisk in flour. Cook the flour a minute then add
the tomato paste. Cook paste a minute then whisk in milk. When sauce
bubbles, stir the cheese and chipotles into it. Season the sauce with
salt, to taste.

Remove fries from oven when crisp and golden brown. Spoon the thick
cheese sauce over waffle fries and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Orecchiette with Crab

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* Salt
* 1 pound orecchiette
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 12 crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
* 2 to 3 ribs celery from the heart with leafy tops, chopped
* 2 shallots, chopped
* 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
* Pepper
* 1 cup green peas
* 10 to 12 ounces lump crabmeat, picked through for shell pieces
* A few dashes hot sauce
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup seafood stock, clam juice or chicken stock
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup cream, eyeball it
* A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
* 3 to 4 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves chopped
* Grated Pecorino Romano, optional

Directions

Bring water to a boil and salt it liberally, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.

While pasta cooks, heat olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium
heat. Add mushrooms, celery, shallots and garlic, cook 4 to 5 minutes
then add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, raise heat to
medium-high and cook tomatoes until they burst, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir
in peas and crab, heat through 2 minutes then add hot sauce and wine,
reduce wine a minute then stir in stock, heat 1 minute more then add
cream - a turn of the pan, parsley, tarragon. Adjust seasonings. Drain
pasta and toss with sauce, sprinkle with cheese to taste, optional.

From: foodnetwork.com

Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta

It looks like mac 'n cheese only healthier!

Cook Time: 17 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients

Salt
1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, grated
2 cups chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
12 cup cream
1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
Freshly grated or ground nutmeg
2 pinches of ground cinnamon
Freshly ground black pepper
7 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Add salt and the pasta and cook al dente, reserving 12 cup of the starchy pasta water.


In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, twice around the pan, over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, pumpkin, and cream, then season the sauce with the hot sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes longer to thicken. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce a bit. Stir in the sage, then toss in the drained pasta and grated cheese.

From: foodnetwork.com