AwesomeBites

Tag: recipe

  • Polish Sausage with Linguini, Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

    Polish Sausage with Linguini, Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

    Admit it, it sounds so good to you.  Sausage lovers unite.  

    I had a sandwich the other day filled with bell peppers and sausage at a local BBQ joint, and I thought I probably could create a dinner. 

    So, off to the market as I headed home.  I wanted to make rosemary alfredo cream sauce and then add the sausage to it.  By itself, I thought it would be a bit heavy, so I lightened it up by adding artichoke hearts and zucchini.  As you can see by the pasta, I was light handed with the alfredo sauce. No need to have the pasta swimming in the sauce, it is very rich.

    I sauted the ground rosemary in olive oil, then added a touch of cream.  Letting the flavors infuse while I sauted the zucchini, then added the sausage and artichoke hearts until warm.

    Boiled water and cooked the pasta. I like linguini, but you could use any other favorite pastas including penne.

    I tossed the linguini and portioned it out onto the plates.  Add the vegetables over the pasta, and there you go.

    Finished quickly, and yet a nice meal.

    Top with freshly ground parmesan cheese.

    Enjoy.

  • Grilled Fish Tacos

    Grilled Fish Tacos

    A small place out on silver strand beach sold fish tacos and I had them about 25 years ago.  They weren’t very fashionable back then, but they have gotten to be more and more so.  Most places you get your choice grilled or breaded. 

    Grilled is definately healthier, so here you go.

    I like white fish, like tuna but  Sea Bass and Talipia Halibut work well also.  Tuna and Thresher Shark taste like steak with a lot less fat. 

    Typically I make my “Spanked Tuna”, slice it, and then layout a display of sides for the buffet.

    Or fire up the grill.  

    Marinade:

    • 2 cups chopped white onion, divided
    • 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
    • 1 pound white fish: tuna, tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon fillet, sea bass, swordfish, thresher shark
    • Coarse kosher salt
    • Corn tortillas
    • 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
    • 1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
    • Salsa Verde
    • Lime wedges

    Preparation

    Marinade: Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer.

    Lime Mayonnaise:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

    • Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and lime juice in small bowl.

    Brush grill grate with oil; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

    Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, remaining 1 cup chopped onion, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.

 Rice and Beans go well with this meal.

Serve with fried corn or flour tortillas or fire grilled corn or flour tortillas.

  • Rice – Perfect every time.

    Rice – Perfect every time.

    I used to make soggy rice or  sometimes it would be al dente – you know, tough in the center.

    Today, I am proud of my rice and do not hesitate to whip up a batch for an office luncheon. 

    Use a heavy pot that will go from stovetop to oven. I like a small braising pot with a lid.  

    Olive Oil  2 Tablespoons

    2 Cups of White Rice  (You can add 1/2 cup of wild rice if you like)

    1/2 Cup of Veggies: Peas, Carrots, Onions, Salsa or Pico De Gallo,  or mushrooms

    1 tsp garlic powder and parsley

    1/4 cup of lime or lemon juice (optional)

    2 Cups Water or Chicken Stock (Makes your rice more flavorful)

    Add a little olive oil to the bottom of the pan, and in a proportion of 1 part rice, use 1 part water or boullion.

    Add 1 cup of Jasmine white rice to the olive oil.  Pop the rice on the stovetop stirring to keep from burning.

    Once about 1/4 of it has popped, then add your liquid ingredients of equal proportion.

    You can also add cubed chopped onions, black pepper is great in this rice and salt.

    If you are going to add veggies: peas, carrots, onions, or tomato salsa for spanish rice – do so now unless they are canned veggies and then you can add them 5 minutes before taking the rice from the oven.  Bring the ingredients to a boil and then place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

    Perfect rice everytime.

    Variations:

    Wild Rice:  1 1/2 cups white rice, 1/2 cup wild rice, chicken stock, onions

    Mushroom Wild Rice with Carmelized Onions:  Cook white and wild rice as above in vegetable or chicken stock.

    Carmelize onions with brown sugar, garlic powder, and 2 T butter.  Puree onion mixture.  Saute mushrooms in 2 T butter, add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and stir into cooked wild rice mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

    Yellow Rice:  Add diced carrots, peas, white onion, and 1 tsp tumeric. By the way, tumeric is very good for you and I hear it keeps you from getting alzheimers.  Worth a try.

    Tumeric Rice with Peas and Carrots

    White Spanish rice: Onions, peas and carrots

  • Roast Turkey – It is not just for Thanksgiving!!

    Roast Turkey – It is not just for Thanksgiving!!

    It is nearing Thanksgiving and once again I overhear people nervously confess they have never cooked a turkey.  Their concerns?  It will be dry, or worse yet not cooked. Stop over thinking it.  

    I love turkey sandwiches and while at Costco yesterday, I was going to buy some sliced turkey, but wow, for the price I could purchase a whole turkey – so I did. 

    I’ve been roasting turkey since I was a teenager. My parents divorced and to help my Dad, I was in the kitchen.  I loved those days of making the dressing while the turkey was in the oven.   Cook with your kids, they will remember it forever. I have wonderful memories of meal times, large table, big platters of food, the unbelievable smells and of course many smiling faces chatting around the table.

    Turn the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the bird, I always figure if I am going to cook a turkey, I like the largest turkey that will fit in the oven.  One year I purchased a 26 going on 27 pounds. Well, that was a bit big.  I actually had a hard time fitting it in my pan, my oven, and it was very difficult to hoist into and out of the oven.  Stick with what you can lift, but don’t buy anything less than 12 pounds.

    You may think that is a lot of turkey, but with sandwiches and the freezer being nearby, just cook the whole turkey.

    This fresh young turkey – that’s what it said on the package – is a little over 19 pounds.  I brought it home, washed the outside and inside out removing those extra parts.  You know there is a big resurgance in using the internal organs, but I just toss them.  I keep the neck and carcass and freeze in a ziplock until I am ready to make soup. 

    For you, my friend Denise, take that plastic thing out of the turkey.  And, there can be extra stuff in the neck as well as the body cavity. You need to do a full body search removing everything, then was the turkey inside and out, and then you are  ready for the next step.

    Pat the turkey dry and set it on you roasting pan.   At the moment it should look very, very white.  Soon to be gorgeous and irresistable.  Notice: I didn’t brine it or go thru any other work. I don’t think turkey needs to be brined and I am not going to baste it either. The oven is my friend and it should be yours too! 

    Using olive oil I rub the turkey all over and sprinkle salt and pepper liberally over the turkey.

    At this point, you can add rosemary or thyme.  But, it is not necessary. 

    Using aluminum foil, cover the entire bird. Crinkle it up, sealing the tent around the roasting pan.  If your foil is smaller then the pan, put two pieces of foil together and seal it up.   Put it into your 350 degree oven. 

    My 19 pounder took about 3.5 hours to cook.  One hour before the turkey is scheduled to be done, take off the tent and place it back into the oven for the remaining hour.  Your turkey will brown nicely over the next hour.

    Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  (I use my foil again to cover the turkey loosely.)

    Hot Turkey Croissant Sandwich anyone?

  • Asian Coleslaw

    Recipe can be halved or doubled.

    Salad:
    1 16-oz bag cole slaw
    4-5 scallions, sliced
    1/2 c slivered almonds (or more if you want)
    1/2 c sunflower kernels (or more if you want)
    2 pkg “Oriental” flavor ramen
    chopped parsley and/or cilantro

    Dressing:
    2 little flavoring packets from ramen
    4 T sugar
    2 T cider vinegar
    1 c oil
    salt and pepper

    It’s good to mix the dressing and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before adding it to the salad. Add the dressing and the crumbled ramen about 15-30 minutes before serving.

  • Roasted Beets with Walnuts Gorganzola Dressing

    • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds beets, trimmed and halved
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 bunch arugula, well washed and torn apart

    For the Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing:

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
    • 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
    • 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
    • 1/4 cup light or heavy cream

    print a shopping list for this recipe

    Preparation

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

    To roast the beets: Place the beets, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a roasting pan and cook until the beets are tender, about 40 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and slice the beets.

    Place the beets in a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

    To make the Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and, when it is hot, add the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the walnuts and cook until they are browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and when the walnuts have cooled to room temperature, add the onion, basil, vinegar and salt.

    Place the Gorgonzola cheese and cream in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Transfer to the bowl with the walnuts and mix to combine.

    Divide the arugula between 4 to 6 plates and top with equal amounts of beets. Serve immediately with a large dollop of Walnut Gorgonzola Dressing.

  • KFC Coleslaw

    One of my friends, Brandee, used to make this crowd pleaser.  Always great at a pot luck dinner or picnic.
    8 Cups Finely chopped cabbage
    1/4 Cup carrots, shredded
    1/3 Cup sugar
    1/2 Teaspoon salt
    1/8 Teaspoon pepper
    1/4 Cup of milk
    1/2 Cup mayonnaise
    1/4 Cup buttermilk
    1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
    2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

    Preparation

    No preparation instructions, just mix it all together