Butternut Squash Risotto

Cook Time: 30 min

Level: Easy

Yield: 6 servings

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated or chopped

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 (10-ounce) box cooked frozen butternut squash

Nutmeg, grated, to taste

2 tablespoons butter

7 or 8 leaves fresh sage, slivered

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

 

 

Directions

 

Bring 1 quart stock plus 1 cup water to a simmer in a sauce pot then reduce heat to low.

 

 

Heat a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat with olive oil. When oil ripples, add the onions and garlic and soften 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice and toast 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and cook it out completely, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in stock in intervals, a couple of ladles at a time. Allow liquids to evaporate each time. Risotto will cook 18 minutes, total, from the first addition of liquid. Defrost the squash in your microwave in a dish to collect any liquids and stir in squash the last 3 minutes of cook time, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. In the last minute of cooking time, stir in butter in small pieces, sage leaves and cheese, serve.

 

From: foodnetwork.com

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup" (thicker than soup, thinner than stew)

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


Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups tomato sauce or 1 (14-ounce) can plus 1 (8-ounce) can
3 cups chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix) available at butcher counter
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking


Directions

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.


While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.


Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

From: foodnetwork.com

Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce

Cook Time: 8 min
Level: Easy
Yield: up to 6 servings (as a starter course)


Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup vodka
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1 rounded tablespoon prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper
1 1/3 pounds beef sirloin cut into large bite-sized pieces, 1 by 2 inches
Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
6 to 8 inch bamboo skewers


Directions

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and onions and saute 5 minutes. Add vodka and reduce by 1/2. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and horseradish. Stir to combine the dipping sauce and return the sauce to a bubble. Add salt and pepper and adjust seasonings.


Heat nonstick skillet over high heat. Coat meat bites lightly in oil. Season with steak seasoning blend or salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the meat until caramelized all over, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer dipping sauce to a small dish and place at the center of a serving platter. Surround the dip with meat bites and set several bamboo "stakes" or skewers along side meat.

From: foodnetwork.com

Garlic Bread

Cook Time: 3 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 loaf crusty bread, split
3 tablespoons grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, optional
Chopped fresh parsley


Directions

Combine garlic, butter, and oil in a microwave safe dish or in a small saucepan. Heat garlic and butter and oil in microwave for 1 minute or in a small pot over moderate-low heat for 3 minutes.


Toast split bread under broiler. Remove bread when it is toasted golden brown in color. Brush bread liberally with garlic oil. Sprinkle with cheese, if using, and parsley. If you added cheese, return to broiler and brown 30 seconds. Cut into chunks and serve.

From: foodnetwork.com

Stuffed Steak with Prosciutto and Spinach

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


Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package chopped frozen spinach
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, 1/4 chopped, 1/4 cut into thin strips, for garnish
2 ounces prosciutto (about 3 to 4 slices), cut into ribbons
Coarse salt
Black pepper
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs -- eyeball it
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano – eyeball it
2 pound eye round roast, strings cut off
Re-sealable plastic bag


Directions

Defrost spinach in microwave. Wrap in clean kitchen towel and wring chopped spinach dry.


Place a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil-to hot skillet. Add garlic to oil. Add onion and red pepper, cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium. Add the prosciutto and the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Add bread crumbs and cheese to spinach. Turn off heat. Let stuffing cool.


To create the cavity for the stuffing, use a long sharp knife (like a boning knife), and cut a 1 to 2-inch hole through the center of the roast making a lengthwise slit. Turn the meat around and cut another slit in the same spot so that your knife completes the cavity. Insert a wooden spoon into the cavity to make sure the hole is even and goes all the way through.


Put the cooled filling in a re-sealable plastic bag and snip a hole in the corner of the bag. Pipe the filling into the cavity. You may need to push it along with your fingers to make sure that it goes all the way through.


Preheat nonstick skillet over high heat. Cut the roast into 6 even slices, being careful to keep the stuffing in each slice. Add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and sear in hot, nonstick skillet, 2 minutes on first side. Flip the steaks and sear for an additional 2 minutes then lower the heat to medium-high and cook until done (about 3 to 4 more minutes). Garnish with thinly sliced red pepper.

From: foodnetwork.com

Spicy Shrimp and Spaghetti Aglio Olio (Garlic and Oil)

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


Ingredients

Spicy Shrimp:

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
Coarse salt, about 1 teaspoon
2 tablespoons (a couple of generous drizzles) extra-virgin olive oil

Aglio Olio:

1/4 cup (4 turns around the pan in a light stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 (2-ounce) tin anchovy fillets
6 to 8 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
Coarse salt
1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente
Tomato and Onion Salad, as an accompaniment
Crusty bread, as an accompaniment


Directions

Combine shrimp with next 6 ingredients and toss to coat shrimp evenly.


Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat, then add half of the shrimp. Cook shrimp 3 minutes until pink and just firm. Remove shrimp to a warm platter and repeat process with remaining shrimp.


Return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes to oil. Break up anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt away into the oil and garlic mixture.


Toss spaghetti in the pan with parsley and the garlic oil, then season with a little coarse salt, to your taste. Top servings of garlic and oil spaghetti with spicy shrimp and serve with Tomato and Onion Salad and Crusty Bread.


Cook's Notes: Prepare the shrimp while the pasta is cooking.


Prep your garlic and parsley for aglio olio and set them, as well as drained pasta and remaining ingredients all within arm's reach of your stove top.


The aroma will be intense! Cooked anchovies have a salted-nutty (rather than fishy) taste that compliments the garlic as it sweetens and softens.


Tomato and Onion Salad: (Serves 4)

5 medium plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, gently seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small white skinned onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls)
A generous drizzle extra-virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
Coarse salt and black pepper
Crusty Bread, as an accompaniment


Toss the tomatoes and onions with the chopped parsley, oil, salt, and pepper. Let stand while you prepare dinner, about 20 minutes. Re-toss and serve salad with crusty bread for mopping up juices and oil.


From: foodnetwork.com

Mediterranean Fish Tacos

Cook time: 7 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

3 lemons, zested and juiced
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds halibut or mahi mahi
Salt and pepper
12 (5 to 6-inch) flour tortillas
1 heart romaine, chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
8 pepperoncini peppers
2 roasted red peppers, patted dry
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cucumber, peeled and grated


Directions

Heat grill pan over medium high heat or preheat outdoor grill.


Combine the juice and zest of 2 lemons, oregano, parsley, 2 cloves garlic, olive oil and add fish, turn to coat and season with salt and pepper.


Wrap tortillas in foil and place in warm oven or directly on grill to soften and warm through.


Shred romaine lettuce and combine with sliced onions.


Slice hot peppers and reserve.


Combine red peppers and yogurt in food processor. Add cumin, 1 clove garlic, zest and juice of remaining1 lemon, cucumber and process until smooth, transfer to a bowl.


Grill fish 6 to 7 minutes until firm and cooked through then cut into cubes.


Serve fish to wrap in soft tortillas with lettuce, onions, hot peppers and sauce.

From: foodnetwork.com