Spinach Risotto

There are few on pot meals more perfect than risotto. It’s brilliant in its simplicity start with a good heavy pot. Build your base with some sweet onion or shallot cooked in butter. Add 1 cup of aborio rice and cook it slightly. Add 1 cup chicken stock. The secret to a great risotto is to keep it moving. Stir it consistently and add another cup of stock and stir until chicken broth cooked in. Add 1 more cup of broth stirring continually until creamy. Making risotto is that simple. The only thing to bear in mind is not to over cook the rice and turn it into mush. It should be creamy and the rice should be slightly al dente. Finish that with 1/2 stick of butter cut into pats. Fold in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
You can be as creative as you like with you risotto. Enjoy.

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is a nice alternative to the old stand byes when planning dinner at home. Its really allot easier to make than you might realize. I switched things up a little bit with this one using Italian breaded chicken and  topping it with ham and mozzarella. To speed things up you can cut your chicken into chunks and  saute with the mushrooms. The most important thing though is the sauce. I like to use lots of Marsala wine and demi glace, basil, shallots and skinless diced tomatoes and swirl in some butter.

 

 

Chicken and Orzo Soup

 

One of my favorite soups ever is this one. The combination of a rich chicken broth aromatic vegetables, spinach and chunky tomatoes makes this a winner any day. When I was the Executive Chef of a multiunit Mediterranean Restaurant we made this soup every day and would sell 5 gallons per restaurant per day. I guarantee once you try it you will love it as much as me and all of those customers.

Start by roasting a chicken seasoned with salt pepper herbs and garlic

Place it in a pot of cold water with celery onion and carrots and bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 hour

Remove from the pot and discard aromatic vegetables,

Skim the fat while the stock settles

Remove as much of the meat from the bones of the chicken discarding the skin and bones holding the meat in a separate bowl

To the Broth add;

1 Diced red pepper

1 diced green pepper

3 stalks diced celery

one diced onion

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 lb chopped spinach

1 tbs Dry Italian seasoning (herb Mix from McCormick)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring back to a boil and simmer for 1 hour

Add 1 cup Orzo and the chicken and bring down to a simmer

The Soup is ready to serve when the orzo is cooked, about 15 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sausage Stuffing

Traditional Sausage Stuffing The Cape Cod Way.

Living in Plymouth and Cape Cod Cranberries are everywhere, and what balances them out better than apples?  This stuffing is so good it’s addictive.

Start by dicing a 1 1/2 lb loaf of bread and toasting your bread cubes for 45 minutes at 350, on a 1/2 size sheet pan

Diced one large onion finely along with 3 stalks Celery and 2 carrots grated

Cook 1 1/2 lbs loose sweet italian sausage

Add the vegetables and cook until the onions turn golden brown

Add 1 stick of butter and melt thoroughly

Add 4 cups Chicken Broth and boil for about 5 minutes

Add 1tbs. Bell Seasoning to that

Along with Some Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Add 2 Diced Granny smith apples and 1 cup of dried cranberries

Mix with diced bread in a large bowl and bake in a casserole dish at 350 for 2 hours

Bacon and Egg Pizza

As I have mentioned in the past I make Pizza at home quite a bit. Making pizza at home in a creative fashion can be fun for everyone. Try this one and you will soon be telling all your friends how surprisingly wonderful it is. You can buy the dough at your local grocer or make your favorite recipe. I like to make the Pizza dough the day before and cold rise it. This will yield a crispy crust that does not get those huge bubbles in it.

A few tips for making pizza at home and getting Pizzeria results;

Proof twice; Double proofed dough cooks up crispier

Cook it on pizza stone and turn the oven as high as possible the hotter the oven the more flavor your pizza will have.

Less is more with the toppings; Too many toppings on the pizza will give you an undercooked crust and mushy toppings with burnt cheese

Check the bottom of the crust before removing it from the oven; your looking for a golden brown color you can’t judge doneness by looking at the top

Use a rolling pin; Tossing the pizza in the air is nothing more than a show, a rolling pin will push air pockets from your dough and allow you to get a desired thinness.

Use quality ingredients

For the Bacon and Egg Pizza

Roll out your warm dough with a rolling pin

Place on to a Pizza peel lightly floured so it doesn’t stick ( you can start it on a pizza pan or screen if you’re not comfortable with this step)

Brush melted Butter on the crust

Spread 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar evenly

Make 5 spots for your eggs by moving the cheese out of the way kind of like making a mould

Crack the eggs in the moulds

Top with your favorite bacon and fresh chopped chives or scallion

Apple Crisp

After a day of foraging out the perfect apples with my family at the nearby apple orchard. We went home and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with a Roast Beef dinner, and for dessert… apple crisp. I have been making apple crisp weekly for over 20 years. As a professional Chef in the Cape Cod Region it was always popular for Sunday Brunch and as an autumn dessert. In that time I have had quite some time to perfect it and make it unique enough to be my own.

Of course you need to start with the right apples, I recommend Granny Smith peeled and sliced. About 5lbs for the pan displayed.

Squeeze one lemon on them so they don’t bruise from the open air

Add 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 cup sugar and 1 stick melted butter to the bowl of apples and season them with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, chinese 5 spice powder and salt.

In a separate bowl combine half a cup of softened butter, 2 cups brown sugar and mix well.

add 2 cups flour and top the apples in a baking pan placing the mixture on in pieces

bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours

Chicken and Dumplings

With the kids back to school and Autumn fast approaching slow cooked stews and roasts are officially in season. On Sundays is when I have the time to make a dinner that requires time to reach perfection.Chicken and Dumplings is one of those Sunday Meals that excites the entire family as soon as the chickens hit the oven. It’s classic slow cooked family comfort food that permeates the house with fine aromas through the day heightening the olfactory senses and creating the type of anticipation that only adds to the finally of dinner time.

This is a meal I will start very early in the morning so I can execute every step perfectly while multitasking through the day resulting with a perfect conclusion.

Start with two 5 lb chickens seasoned on all sides with plenty of salt, pepper and garlic and roast them at 350 for 1 1/2 hours

While they roast cut 2 lbs carrots, 4 stalks celery and two large onions into 1 inch chunks and saute them to a medium brown and set aside.

When the Chickens are cooked place them in separate pots and put just enough water in the pots to cover them with an inch of water.

Bring them to a boil and turn down the flame so they can simmer for an hour.

Remove the chickens from the pots and allow to cool slightly so you can pull the meat off the bones placing the meat from the chickens in their respective pots, discard the bones and divide the vegetables between the two pots, season with salt, pepper, oregano, sage rosemary and basil. Bring it back to a simmer and thicken with roux to a smooth velvety consistency. ( If you don’t know how to make roux it’s actually quit simple and I am going to walk you through it. Start with two sticks of butter and half cup of flour. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and add the flour stirring constantly, adjust the roux to a thick paste and cook over a medium flame stirring even still until blond in color. This only takes a few minutes. turn of the flame and divide between the two simmering pots stirring it in to assure there will be no lumps)

When the gravy has incorporated make your own dumplings with

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
2 small eggs
3 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix together the salt, oil, water, and eggs. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, blending it constantly with a fork. Stir only long enough to mix the dough.

Or to make it easy grab a box of Bisquick and follow the recipe for dumplings on the side of the box. These will set up in about 10 minutes and you will have a wonderful meal with your loved ones.

Game Day Chili

 

It is with a great deal of hesitation I share this recipe with you. This is the best chili I have ever had and invite you to share yours if you think it is better. I have developed this recipe of 20 years in search of a chili that provides a great balance of heat and big depth of flavors. This chili is made more like a stew rather than the traditional method of cooking some ground beef, adding beans tomatoes and some spices. Instead I start by rendering the fat from a pound of bacon, cooking my aromatic vegetables with some chopped garlic until the onions caramelize, I like to use 4 lbs. chuck diced to 1/3 inch, and add 2lbs ground pork and cook it thoroughly and simmer that in 1 quart beef broth for 20 minutes to tenderize the beef. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, 2 cans white kidney beans, 2 cans black beans and 2 cans red kidney beans it is very important to rinse them of the brine before adding them, this will assure proper consistency and flavor. Bring that up to a boil, reduce the heat and season with lots of cumin, coriander, black pepper and oregano and for the heat I love the flavor of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce because they contribute to the flavor and do not make a long burning heat that just stays with you. I also find chili powder to have a chalky grainy after taste which takes away from a great overall experience. They are best pureed in a blender with a little of the sauce. I typically use 3 or 4 from the can for medium heat but you can obviously use more or less to adjust the heat.

You will need 4 lbs chuck, I recommend buying a chuck roast with nice marbleization and cutting it up yourself into 1/3 pieces

Cook in a preheated pot until browned in approximately 1 cup bacon fat

add 2 lbs Ground pork stirring periodically to produce medium size chunks simmer in 1 quart beef broth and 2 cans crushed tomatoes.

In a separate skillet cook

1 diced onion

3 diced green peppers

2 diced celery stalks in a few tbs. bacon fat until onions are golden brown

Chop (not mince) 1 bulb of garlic and add to the mix of vegetables. Cook for a few minutes until onions completely caramelize.

Add some of the sauce from the pot to deglaze the pan and pour mix into the pot.

Season with 3 tbs cumin

2 tbs coriander

2 tbs kosher salt

Lots of fresh ground pepper

3 tbs sugar

and 2 tbs oregano

Add 2 cans black beans, 2 cans white kidney beans, 2 cans of red kidney beans and simmer over a low flame for at least an hour.

Serve this lots of tortilla chips and shredded sharp cheddar.

Chicken and Gnocchi with ripe tomatoes and basil

ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and white wine.

Mid August is when my local Farm Stand is producing some of the best vegetables and herbs that can be found anywhere. If you are fortunate enough to have one in your proximity I would urge you to check one out. Farmers markets are also a great experience in their own where you can find top quality product in season at the moment.

Gnocchi are soft tender flavorful pillows of goodness, it is in essence a potato dumpling and something I have been very creative with through my history as a chef. They are very versatile in there application much the same way pasta is and often overlooked as a great alternative to pasta. Cooking them is very simple; boil some salted water, add the gnocchi and remove them when they float. Making Gnocchi on the other hand is an art in itself which is something for another article. For today’s purpose you can make them or if you don’t know how or couldn’t be bothered simply buy them either from a local pasta maker or gourmet food store.

Start with 2 lbs Gnocchi

While the water boils remove the skins from 2 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and dice 3/4 inch

Cut 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks, lightly coat with flour and brown nicely in olive oil

add 3 cloves garlic and cook until golden

add 8 oz white wine and reduce boil until half of the liquid remains

squeeze one lemon

add 4 cups chicken broth and boil for a few minutes

When the gnocchi are cooked and drained add to the pan and toss with 4 ounces diced salted butter

finish with lots of fresh basil and chopped italian parsley

season with salt and pepper and be sure to have plenty of grated parmesan cheese on the table for everyone

Sweet Chili Chicken Wings

Sweet Chili sauce in my humble opinion is one of the greatest sauces ever put in a bottle, it has a perfect balance of sweet heat and savory goodness. There are many brands now on the market and you can find it at many mainstream grocery stores today, however when I first began making these wings I had to have my produce guy go in to Chinatown for me and pick it up a case at a time. Mae Ploy is still the one I prefer again because of the balance of flavors and consistency now I need only to go to the local cash and carry now to get it.

These wings are amazingly simple to make and with Football season fast approaching I highly recommend these as a tailgate item or for having some houseguest. They will think you are a culinary genius and you don’t even have to tip them off otherwise.

Soak 3lbs of wings in pineapple juice, soy sauce and orange marmalade, salt and pepper for and hour or so.

Place on a hot grill or under the broiler in your oven.

When cooked half way toss in a bowl with a generous amount of sweet chili chicken sauce

Cook on high heat turning them frequently to assure even cooking and color

It really is that simple