Seafood Boil

A seafood boil screams summer so I wanted to make one before the weather cools down again for fall. It's a really simple way to make a very large meal. I didn't have access to the best seafood and the good stuff was really expensive so I made this into a shrimp boil. If you have the budget you can add all kinds of yummy things like artichoke or  seafood like crabs, lobster, and crayfish. The best part about this meal is the eating and the clean up. Simply cover a table with newspapers and pour all the cooked food onto the table.  Serve with lots of melted butter on the side, bread for dipping, and crab crackers to get into the shells. Everyone eats with their hands and it's a really fun experience. Then, when everyone is full all you have to do is roll up the newspaper with everything in it and throw it away!

Ingredients:



1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise so all the cloves are exposed
1 Zatarans crab boil packet
1 Tbsp cayenne, more if you want it really spicy
2 pounds Small potatoes, yukon gold
4 ears of Corn, cleaned and cut into thirds
1/2 pound shrimp per person
1 polish kielbasa, sliced into 3 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Fill your largest pot with water. Add Zatarain's crab boil or 5 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, cayenne, 1 tbs. salt, lemons, and garlic to the pot. Bring to a boil.

2. Add potatoes and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Add corn to boiling water and cook about 3 minutes.

4. Add kielbasa pieces. Cook for another 3 minutes.

5. Cook shrimp until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer everything to a large platter or table covered with newspapers using a sieve or strainer.

Serve with melted butter, lemon wedges and French bread.

Skillet Thyme Chicken with Potatoes

I was looking for a really quick dish that took up one pan and this thyme chicken with potatoes called to me. It's a very rustic and homey dish that packs on the flavor.  I suggest some green veggies on the side. You could roast asparagus or broccoli in the oven or serve it up with some sauteed green beans.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
Kosher salt and pepepr
5 sprigs fresh thyme plus 1 tablespoon leaves
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Pinch of red pepper flake
Juice of 2 lemons (squeezed halves reserved)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Cover the potatoes with cold water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

2. Pile the thyme leaves, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and the red pepper flakes on a cutting board, then mince and mash into a paste using a large knife. Transfer the paste to a bowl. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, cover and cook until the skin browns, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes to the skillet and drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon. Season everything with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the thyme sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves to the skillet.

4. Put the skillet into the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 157. Pull chicken out of oven and allow to rest. Serve family style and let everyone help themselves or slice chicken before serving.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

I have fallen in love with arugula in pasta. The first time I tried I kept it very simple. This time I wanted to add more flavors so I added goat cheese. When I was thinking of flavors I came up with a lot of things that go with arugula. You could add prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, feta, or basically anything that is tasty in salads with arugula. Let your imagination run wild! 

 

Ingredients
1 tbs good olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 pound frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
1 lemon
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1 4oz. log of goat cheese
1 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tbs. salt to water. Once water is boiling drop the fusilli and cook according to package directions.

2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic and shallots and cook for 60 seconds. Add the shrimp, the zest of one lemon, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until shrimp are cooked through.

3.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta making sure to reserve some of the starchy pasta water. Immediately add the pasta to the shrimp mixture. Add the goat cheese, 1/2 cup pasta water and 1/2 lemon juiced. Stir until cheese is melted and water and cheese form a sauce.

4. Turn off the heat and add the arugula and Parmesan. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot. I like to add extra chunks of goat cheese to my pasta right before serving.

Veal Schnitzel, Mashed Potatoes, and Cucumber Salad

I wanted to eat some Czech food so I made my fastest favorite Czech dish- Schnitzel. I always use veal because it is a very tender piece of meat. I love to serve the schnitzel with mashed potatoes for creaminess and the cucumber salad for extra acidity. All three items really complement each other and make me feel very Czech!


Here are the links for the recipes:

Cucumber Salad: Try to make this a day in advance or very early the day of so the flavors have time to meld together.

http://kleinanddine.blogspot.com/2011/07/schnitzel-mashed-potatoes-and-cucumber.html


Mashed Potatoes: Make these the day of, in advance, so you only have to heat them up when it's time to eat. Use either russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes.

http://kleinanddine.blogspot.com/2010/02/garlic-mashed-potatoes.html


Schnitzel: Bread this lightly and fry right before serving.

http://kleinanddine.blogspot.com/2009/10/weiner-schnitzel-with-mashed-potatoes.html

Ravioli with Bechamel Sauce

This dish is great for people with busy schedules. You can make the sauce in advance on the weekend when you have more free time and then you use store bought ravioli; combine the two for a great dish. It's not the healthiest dish but by using low fat milk you can get rid of some of the calories.

Ingredients:
Bechamel Sauce
2 Tbs melted butter
2 tbs flour
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. worchestire sauce

1 1/2 cups grated cheese, I use a combo of mozzarella and parmasean
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Boil a pot of water. In a second large pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until it forms a thick paste (this is called a roux,  it thickens the sauce later) Cook this paste for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Add the nutmeg, paprika, garlic powder, and worchestire and cook over low heat until sauce starts to thicken.

3. Drop pasta into water. Cook according to package directions but it should be about 8 minutes.

4. Add cheese to sauce mixture and taste. Check if it needs salt and pepper or lemon juice, add as much as needed. Continue to cook sauce over low heat until it is the consistency you like (I mean it should look saucy and like other alfredo sauces you've had in restaurants)

5. Drain pasta when finished cooking. Add cooked pasta to the bechamel and allow to simmer together over low heat. Serve pasta with a little extra sauce and cheese.

Pasta with Arugula, Shrimp, and Lemon

I had a friend over for dinner (hey Nancy hah) and she requested pasta. I wanted to do something a little healthy and while looking for recipes I found one by Giada that incorporated pasta, lemon, shrimp, and arugula. I had never heard of or seen some put arugula in pasta. I tried it and I have to say, it was a revelation. The arugula wilted just like spinach and it tasted amazing with the pasta. I can't wait to start using arugula in pasta much more often! 

Ingredients:

For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta (preferably whole wheat/grain)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. For the lemon oil: Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

2. For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

6. Turn off the heat and add the arugula and lemon oil to the pasta. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped basil and fresh parmesan cheese to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Red Onion Marmalade

Red Onion Marmalade a.k.a. Onion Jam is something I've wanted to make ever since I had the short rib at Fiamma in Las Vegas. They used Red Onion Marmalade on toast as a garnish for the braised short rib. Now that I have Braised Pot Roast leftovers I decided to make the onion marmalade.

There are lots of ways to use a red onion marmalade besides as a garnish. You can add some cream to the mixture and make a sauce or use it as a spread on sandwiches.

Ingredients:
1 medium-large red onion, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp.  red wine vinegar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the onions, thyme sprigs, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, covered, until the onions have wilted, about 10 to 15 minutes, (give them a stir every now and then with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking).

2. Add the red wine, and simmer over high heat until most of the wine gets absorbed into the onions. About 5 minutes.

3. Add the honey, balsamic and red wine vinegar and simmer gently until the onions get jam-like, about, about 15 minutes.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

I love pot roast, especially when it's been cooking all day while I've been working around the apartment. It makes the whole house smell amazing and it's great because you get a lot of leftovers! I served up my pot roast with some mashed potatoes (and garnished with onion marnalade on toast- recipe coming soon). I had a ton of beef left over so I shredded it and marinaded it in BBQ Sauce (shredded beef BBQ sandwiches recipe coming soon). You could also take the shredded beef and make Mexican tacos or Asian dumplings.

A really great way to make a simple sauce for your pot roast is to either just use the liquid from the slow cooker or do what I did- make a glaze. I took some of the juice for the slow cooker and placed it into a blender. I pureed the mixture until it was really smooth. Pour the sauce into a small saute pan and add 1/2-1 cup water. Stir mixture together and cook over medium heat or until the sauce has reduced and become thick. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 4 to 5 pound chuck roast or brisket, cut into 3 pieces
1 tbs. freshly ground pepper
2 tbs. lawry's seasoning salt
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 box beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 bundle thyme leave, tied together with butchers twine

Directions:
1. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the brisket with pepper, lawry's salt, garlic powder, and cumin.  Brown the beef on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

2. Add onions to same skillet and turn heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are translucent, making sure to scrap up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes to the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Taste for seasoning.

4. Pour tomato-onion mixture on top of the beef in the slow cooker. The liquid should cover 3/4 of the beef . Add water if necessary to cover. 

5. Turn heat to low and cook for 8 hours or turn heat to high and cook for 6 hours. Flip the pot roast over half way through cooking. Keep warm on low heat until you're ready to eat!