Aunt Carm’s Braciole

This recipe is from Italian Sons and Daughters of America.  

Easy to prepare during the weekend for a weeknight heat and serve dinner.

For 4 braciole

Four top rounds – cut quarter inch
1/4 pound of Italian lunch meats: capicola, provolone, sliced thin
Meatball mixture – raw (breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, spices, ground beef, ground pork, and egg)
One hard-boiled egg – sliced
Olive oil
Cooking twine

Assemble:

Pound out top round pieces nice and flat.

Layer the lunch meat and cheese. I used Capicola and Provolone.

Spread the raw meatball mixture. 

I used the house meatball mix. 

Ground Beef and Pork with egg and Parmesan Cheese, this time I used bread crumbs instead of bread soaked in milk. 

Seasonings were salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning.

Layer the hard-boiled eggs on top of the meatball mixture.

Make sure to fold up the ends and then roll them into a little package. 

Tie with string. 

Heat a pan over medium-high and add olive oil.

Brown braciole on all sides and ends.

Drop package into the simmering tomato sauce and cook for three hours.

Slice and serve.

Steak Au Poivre Soup

When I first mentioned that I was making Steak Au Poivre Soup for dinner the reaction was questioning. I found the recipe in the Soup edition of Delish Magazine.

After the first bite was taken, it was requested that we have this every 3 days.

It was really that good. I started the recipe at 5:45PM and we sat down to eat at 6:30pm.

I made 1/2 of the original recipe which serves 4 people. 

I used a sirloin steak, which is more affordable than the filet mignon. My favorite part of the recipe was the fried shallots.

• Ingredients-
• 3 tbsp. 

  whole black peppercorns

• 4 

  (4-oz.) filet mignons or 2 (8-oz.) sirloin steaks, sliced in half 
  

  Kosher salt  
• 1/2 c. 

  plus 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

• 4 tbsp. 

  (1/2 stick) butter

• 2 

  thyme sprigs, plus 1 tbsp. chopped leaves

• 2 

  large shallots, 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced into rings

• 1/4 c. 

  all-purpose flour

• 1/4 c. 

  cognac or brandy 

• 5 c. 

  low-sodium beef broth

• 1 1/2 lb. 

  waxy baby potatoes, quartered 

• 1 c. 

  heavy cream

• 2 tbsp. 

  Worcestershire sauce

Method-
Grind peppercorns on the coarsest setting of a pepper mill (you can also use a mortar and pestle, or wrap peppercorns in cheesecloth and smash with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet). 

Season steaks on both sides with a generous pinch of salt and crushed peppercorns, pressing peppercorns into the meat. 

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tbsp. of oil until shimmering. 

1. Cook steaks, gently pressing to make sure you don’t lose any peppercorns until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. 

1. Flip steaks and add butter and thyme sprigs. 

1. Continue to cook, spooning butter over the steak, until tops are crusty and well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°, 2 to 3 minutes more. 

1. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest until ready to use. 

1. Strain the remaining fat in the skillet and reserve. 

1. Wipe out any large chunks of pepper from the skillet. 

1. Return reserved fat to the pan, then cook chopped shallot over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. 

1. Add chopped thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

1. Add flour and whisk until combined. 

1. Cook, whisking constantly, until flour darkens slightly, about 2 minutes. 

1. Whisk in cognac until smooth, then slowly whisk in broth. 

1. Add potatoes and bring to a simmer. 

1. Cook until potatoes are tender and the soup is thickened, about 15 minutes. 

1. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream and Worcestershire. 

1. Cook, stirring, until warmed through and combined, about 5 minutes more.  

1. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, cook sliced shallots and remaining 1/2 cup oil, stirring occasionally, until oil begins to bubble around shallots, 2 to 3 minutes.

1. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook until shallots are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more.

1. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to a paper towel-lined plate; season with a pinch of salt. 

1. Let cool slightly. 

1. Divide soup among bowls. 

1. Cut steak into cubes, then top bowls with steak and fried shallots. 

Beef Bourguignonne Pot Pie

Sounds pretty fancy, doesn't it. 

I found this recipe on the Bon Appetit site. I fixed the filling on Sunday and tonight I just put the filling into a pie plate and put the puff pastry on top. It only took about 25 minutes in a 400˚ oven. 

The crust was as good as you would expect, it was puff pastry after all. The filling, well it did needed a bit more seasoning. Some creamy horseradish sauce on the side fixed that.

Want to try this yourself - Click Here.

Bacon and Onion Pizza

 Jim Lahey Pizza crust recipe. The toppings were cooked bacon, thinly sliced onion, tomato sauce, Parmesan, fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, Olive oil, and oregano. Into a 450˚ oven for about10 to 15 minutes.

Happy Anniversary!!

31 Years!!!

We decided to eat at home tonight.

I stopped by Luizzi's in North Haven and picked up some
Octopus Salad and Stuffed Peppers for an appetizer.

Also picked up some Italian Bread and even some imported pasta
to go with our Meat Sauce.

The bottle of wine was from my boss, a very nice Malbec from Argentina.

A perfect dinner.

Happy Anniversary!
 

Sausage, Pepper and Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This dinner started off as sausage and peppers. I roasted the sausage and peppers along with a sliced onion and marinara sauce. As everything was roasting in the oven I noticed the spaghetti squash I received from a co-worker. 

I thought why not make a casserole with sausage and peppers and spaghetti squash! Chris cut the spaghetti squash in half for me in the oven it went for about an hour, maybe 50 minutes.

I shredded the squash and mixed it with some marinara sauce, cheese, and butter. That went into a greased baking dish, and greasing it makes the clean up easier. The sausage and peppers went on top of the squash and I added a bit more sauce and cheese to the top.

I ended up with enough to fix 2 baking dishes. One for the freezer!

Rave reviews were received for this dinner. I liked it because it tasted amazing and with the spaghetti squash we did not need to have the sausage and peppers with rolls. Never a bad idea to cut a carb or two.

Meatloaf

Yeah! It is meatloaf time again. This time I made it free form. We think this helped it hold its shape better. It was not cooked in a baking dish with a lot of grease.

I lined a baking dish with wax paper and put the mixture in and shaped it into a loaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Baked for an hour at 350˚.

I found a recipe from Alton Brown for a glaze to brush onto the meatloaf after it has been cooking for about 10 minutes. I forgot to do this and put the glaze on for the last 10 minutes. Either way, it was damn good!

Ingredients-
3/4 pound ground beef 
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp horseradish sauce

The Glaze-
1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Method-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. 

Place the mixture into a wax paper-lined baking pan and shape it into a loaf. 

Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. REMOVE THE WAX PAPER.

Mix the glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

Baked for an hour at 350˚.

After 10 minutes, brush the meatloaf with the glaze.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour until or the internal temp is 160˚. 

After baking, let sit for 5 minutes before removing from pan and slicing to serve.

Braised Rib Stew

Not sure if the word delicious is enough to describe dinner. Every aspect of this meal was spot on. The meat, the sauce every seasoning.

The recipe is from the Living The Gourmet Life blog. I have followed this blog for, well, a really long time.

It was a very easy recipe to prepare. The bone in short ribs was on sale this week. I love the idea of the stew served over pasta. Chris was in favor of this idea too.

Want to make this? You will be happy that you did. Click here to visit the Living the Gourmet Life blog for the recipe.

Slow-Cooker Creamy Gnocchi Soup

I found the recipe in the new Delish magazine.

It was a perfect night for Chicken Soup.

I was tied up with some things today, so the slow cooker was the way to go.

I ended up with enough leftovers for a nice bowl of soup for lunch for probably 4 days.

Ingredients-

1/2 yellow medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped 

3 stalks of  celery, chopped

1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. fresh thyme 

3 sprigs rosemary

3 c. Homemade chicken broth

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 (17.5-oz.) package of gnocchi

1 c. baby spinach

Method-

Combine onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the bowl of your slow cooker. 

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place on top of vegetables. 

Add thyme and rosemary, then pour in chicken broth. 

Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.

Remove chicken and rosemary sprigs from the slow cooker and discard the rosemary. 

Using 2 forks, shred chicken, then return chicken to soup. 

Remove about 1/4 cup of hot broth and place in a medium bowl. 

Add cornstarch to the broth and whisk to combine, then pour back into the soup. 

Add cream and gnocchi, cover, and cook 45 minutes more on high.

Stir spinach into soup until wilted. 

Season to taste and serve with freshly ground black pepper.