Antipasto Pie

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield:  8 servings


Ingredients

1 (12-inch) round or oval, crusty, chewy bread, such as Tuscan-style or a sesame semolina
1 (14 to 16-ounce) jar giardiniera*, drained
1/2 pound thinly sliced sharp provolone
1 (14 to 16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, or 2 fresh roasted red bell peppers, see note
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1 (12-ounce) bag mixed salad greens, any variety
1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves
15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, torn
1/3 pound sliced Genoa salami
1/3 pound sliced sweet soppressata
1/3 pound sliced cappacola (hot cured pork shoulder)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 vine-ripe tomato, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt and pepper
8 hot or sweet pickled cherry peppers


Directions

8 (8,10 or 12-inch) bamboo party skewers

Serving suggestions: green and black olives, herb flavored potato chips

* Giardiniera is a Italian pickled salad of cauliflower, hot peppers and carrot found in International Foods aisle of market

Cut the top off of a large round or oval bread and hollow it out leaving a half inch rim and bottom to your bread. The loaf should resemble a bowl or deep pie shell.


Pulse the giardiniera in a food processor into a coarse relish. Spread and press relish into the bottom of your bread shell in an even layer. Top relish with a layer of provolone slices, red pepper pieces, and artichoke hearts. Press ingredients down as you work to make room in your shell for as much antipasto as possible.


Combine mixed greens, parsley, and basil in a bowl. Add a thin layer of greens on top of artichokes, and drizzle with oil. Layer in meats and remaining cheese. Top with a few more greens, onion and tomato slices, and another drizzle of oil. Season the top of filled shell with salt and pepper. Bag up remaining unused greens and herbs for tomorrow night's salad.


Replace top of bread and wrap your GIANT, drip-less antipasto stuffed pie for travel.


When you are ready to serve, spear hot or sweet cherry peppers on 10 or 12-inch bamboo skewers and space eight skewers equidistant around the bread. Cut bread into wedges, like a pie, and serve with olives and fancy potato chips.


Note: to roast peppers, split each red bell pepper down the center and gut them by scooping out seeds with a tug using your cupped hand. Place peppers skin-side-up under broiler preheated to high. Leave oven door ajar for steam to escape and blacken peppers entirely. Place charred peppers into a paper bag and roll the bag up tightly. Let stand 5 minutes until peppers are cool enough to handle and peel off charred skins.

From: foodnetwork.com

Gutsy Red Pepper Gazpacho

Cook Time: 25 min

Level: Easy
Yield:  6 servings


Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 slices white bread, crust removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 (28-ounce) can stewed diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Blue corn tortilla chips


Directions

Place peppers in food processor and puree. Add sugar, jalapeno, bread, garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes and process until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of water to thin soup, if necessary. Add vinegar and oil, pulse-process and season soup with salt, to taste.


Serve immediately or chill. Garnish cups of soup with chopped red onion and pass blue corn chips for dipping into soup at table.

From: foodnetwork.com

Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie

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

Ingredients

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons EVOO - extra-virgin olive oil - 2 turns of the pan
1/4 pound smoky bacon or turkey bacon, chopped
1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spiceaisle of market
(You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined)
Coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream, divided
3 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, beaten
10 to 12 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, to the skillet. Add bacon and brown it up, then add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and peppe,r and thyme. When turkey browns up, add: onions, carrots, celery. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine. Simmer mixture over low heat.

Preheat your broiler to high.

When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg. Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.

Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

From: foodnetwork.com

Cream Eggs with Irish Cheese and Chives

Cook Time: 5 min
Yield:  8 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small bits
8 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream, eyeball it
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound farm house Cheddar, shredded or diced
12 blades fresh chives, chopped

Directions

Heat a medium nonstick pan with butter over medium low heat.

Whisk eggs with cream and salt and pepper. Scramble eggs soft only, stir in cheese and chives and continue to cook a minute more then serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Dijon Tarragon Chicken Breasts

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


Ingredients

2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 ounces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or, 2 teaspoons dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions

Bring 2 cans chicken broth to a boil. Add chicken to the broth, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken 12 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and pour broth into a large measuring cup or batter bowl. Return the pan to heat and add butter. When butter melts, add flour and cook, whisking with butter, 2 minutes. Slowly pour cooking liquid back into the pan, until appropriately thickened, combining with a whisk. Stir in Dijon mustard and tarragon and season sauce with salt and pepper. Return chicken to the pan and coat with sauce. Simmer 2 or 3 minutes to heat chicken back through and to combine flavors. Serve with rice pilaf, and roasted squash vegetable medley.

From: foodnetwork.com

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper and Black Olive Sauce

A must-try for the holidays! :)

Cook Time: 40 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 8 servings


Ingredients

2 (2 to 2 1/2 pound) center-cut pieces beef tenderloin – ask the butcher to give you 2 pieces for use in a Chateaubriand recipe
Extra virgin olive oil, for coating roasts, plus 3 tablespoons for sauce
Grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning for Steak by McCormick)
5 whole roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped, well drained and pat dry
2 cloves garlic, popped from skin
Handful flat-leaf parsley
1 cup good quality pitted black olives, from bulk bins, such as kalamata, drained well
Salt and pepper
Crusty bread, sliced


Directions

Preheat oven as high as it goes, 500 degrees F.


Liberally coat the meat with extra-virgin olive oil and grill seasoning. Place the meat on a roasting rack or in a roasting pan and place in oven. If you are cooking in a pan with no rack, add a splash of water to the pan. Roast the meat 10 minutes on high then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and cook 30 minutes more. Do not open oven during those first 10 minutes. Remove meat from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.


Place roasted peppers in food processor and add garlic, parsley, olives, salt and pepper. Turn the processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil, about 3 tablespoons.


Thinly slice meat against grain and serve with crusty bread and sauce.

From: foodnetwork.com

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Lasagna + Mushroom + Gorgonzola = Yum-O

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


Ingredients

16 cremini caps, cleaned with a damp towel and finely chopped in food processor
1 small yellow-skinned onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or the equivalent of freshly grated
2 cups part skim ricotta
8 curly edge lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente (12 to 14 minutes)
1 cup fat free chicken broth
8 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Serving suggestions:

Steamed asparagus (2 small or 1 large bundle asparagus)
Broiled tomatoes (4 vine-ripe tomatoes)


Directions

In a medium skillet over moderate heat, saute mushrooms, chopped onions, and garlic in oil until mushrooms give off their juices and darken and onions are tender, about 7 or 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; the salt will help draw water out of the vegetables as they cook.


Add dry chopped spinach to the pan and heat through for 1 minute. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add ricotta and stir into mixture to heat cheese through, 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat but leave in the warm skillet.


Heat broth in a small pan over moderate heat. Melt Gorgonzola into broth and bring liquid to a bubble. Stir in cream and thicken sauce 2 minutes.


Place cooked lasagna noodles on a large work surface or cutting board. Spread lasagna noodles with a layer of spinach-mushroom filling. Roll up pasta and arrange the 8 bundles in a shallow casserole dish. Pour warm sauce over roll-ups and top with mozzarella. Place casserole under broiler to melt cheese. Serve with steamed asparagus and broiled tomatoes.


Steamed Asparagus Tips:

2 small or 1 large bundle asparagus

While you boil your lasagna noodles, place fresh asparagus tips in a small colander over the boiling water in the pasta pot. Place a lid on the colander and steam asparagus while you are cooking your pasta for 4 minutes or until tips are just tender.


Roasted Tomatoes:

4 vine-ripe tomatoes

Split 4 vine ripe tomatoes across the center and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Broil tomatoes.


Serve along side your completed casserole. Top with any fresh herb you have on hand: basil, thyme, or rosemary.

From: foodnetwork.com