Pasta with Peppers and Sand

The recipe is from Jeff Smith's "Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian." Peppers, Breadcrumbs, Crushed Red Pepper, and Pasta. Perfect for a lazy Sunday night.

Ingredients-
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumb
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 lb spaghetti
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method-
Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta.

Remove the core and seeds from the pepper and slice thinly--julienne style.

Heat a large frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Add the pepper and sauté over high heat for two minutes.

The peppers should remain a little crisp.

Remove from the pan and set aside uncovered.

Heat

the 4 remaining tablespoons of olive oil to the frying pan.

Add the bread crumbs and red pepper flakes.

Gently toast the mixture, stirring often, until very lightly browned.

Boil the pasta until al dente and drain well.

Add the pasta to the pan and toss with the red bell pepper and the breadcrumbs.

Add a bit of posta water and Parmesan cheese to make a light sauce.

Salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Osso Buco

Happy 35th Anniversary!

Osso Buco 

Ingredients -

1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 dry bay leaf
2 veal shanks
sea salt & pepper

all-purpose flour, for dredging
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock

Method -

Tie together the rosemary, thyme & bay leaf with twine; set aside. This will be the herb bouquet. 

For the shanks, pat dry with paper towels; they will brown better if they are dry. 

Season each piece with salt & pepper, and dredge in the flour and shake off the excess. In a large pot, heat the oil and butter until very hot and brown the shanks on each side, about 3 minutes per side. 

Remove shanks & set aside. In this same pot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. 

Season with salt. 

Sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. 

Add tomato paste and mix well. 

Return the shanks to the pot and add the wine, and reduce the liquid by about half, about 5 minutes. 

Add the bouquet and chicken stock and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to low and cover the pan. 

Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. 

Keep checking and turning shanks every 15 minutes or so. 

You can add a little more stock if needed. 

The cooking liquid should always be 3/4 of the way up the shank. 

When done, remove the bouquet, the bay leaf, and the shanks. 

At this point, you can blend the sauce and vegetables with a hand blender. 

Or you can leave the veggies as they are.

Taste and re-season. 

Air Fryer Pork Ribs and Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

I picked up 2 small racks of pork spare ribs at Ferraro's Market. Small enough for each of us to have a little rack of ribs. I think the correct name is riblets.

I used the air fryer to cook them. Easy prep and cleanup. And these were delicious!

The Crispy Parmesan Potatoes is a recipe I have seen on Instagram for a while now, and I finally gave it a try. So GOOD!! The recipe is after the rib recipe.

Air Fryer Pork Ribs

Ingredients

Pork Spare Ribs (membrane removed, cut into 3–4 bone sections to fit your basket)
1–2 tablespoons olive oil (to help the rub stick)
Dry Rub: 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper
½ cup of your favorite sweet or smoky BBQ sauce( We used Sticky Fingers Smokehouse Classic Original)

Method-
Remove the tough, silvery membrane from the bone side of the ribs by sliding a butter knife under it and pulling it off with a paper towel. 

Cut the rack into smaller sections of 2 to 4 bones so they can fit inside your air fryer basket without overlapping.

Pat the pork sections completely dry with paper towels. 

Lightly coat them with olive oil, then rub the spice mixture generously over all sides of the meat.

Preheat your air fryer to 385°F. 

Place the pork ribs in the basket meat-side down (bone-side up). 

Cook for 15 minutes. Cooking them meat-side down first helps render out the fat and keeps the meat from drying out.

Flip the ribs over so they are meat-side up. 

Cook at 385°F for another 10 to 12 minutes. 

Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer; pork ribs are tender and safe to eat when they reach between 195°F and 200°F.

Brush a thick layer of barbecue sauce all over the ribs. 

Turn the air fryer up to 400°F and cook for a final 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce is bubbly, sticky, and slightly charred at the edges. 

Let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

The Crispy Parmesan Potatoes has been showing up in my social media feed and tonight I finally tried them. Yeah, they are really, really good. The recipe I followed was on the web site Simply Recipes. I did, of course, alter the seasonings. This is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients-
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus more for serving (optional)
1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) yellow baby/new potatoes, cleaned and patted dry
2 ounces (nearly 3/4 cup) grated Parmesan

1. 
   Method-
   Preheat the oven to 400°F.

   Place a rack set in the middle of the oven.
   
   Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
   In a large bowl, add the olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and parsley.
   
   Stir to combine.
   
   Cut each potato in half, adding to the olive oil mixture as you slice to avoid browning.
   
   Toss the potatoes with the oil mixture until coated.
   
   Add the Parmesan to the potatoes and toss until just coated so as not to cause the cheese to clump up and knock the cheese off each potato half.
   
   Arrange the potatoes on the lined baking sheet in a single layer with the cut side facing down, scraping whatever loose Parmesan mixture there is in the bowl onto the flat sides of the potatoes as you arrange.
   
   It’s okay if the potatoes are close together on the pan.
   
   Roast the potatoes until fork-tender and the Parmesan is a deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway.
   
   Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the potatoes sit for 5 minutes.
   
   This allows the Parmesan to cool slightly and set into its crispy, snappy texture. 

Flip the potatoes over (using a thin metal spatula, if needed) to reveal their golden brown, cheesy surface and transfer to a serving platter.

Top with more parsley and serve right away. 

Sheet-Pan Salmon and Zucchini With Sesame and Ginger

 

Tonight's recipe is variation of a The New York Times Cooking ecipe. A 20-minute meal. The original uses broccoli but I had zucchini in the fridge.

Loved the glaze. Really quite delicious.

Ingredients (1 serving) -
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 
1/2 pound zucchini, cut into cubes
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 6-ounce skin-on salmon fillet

Method -

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with olive oil.

In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and ginger until smooth. 

Toss the zucchini with some of the glaze. Place the zucchini on a sheet pan. 

Place the salmon fillet on the pan. 

Brush the fillets generously with the glaze.

Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

Place the pan in the oven and roast until the salmon is cooked through but still slightly rare in the center, about 12 minutes.

A Nor Easter. Bring It On.

Look, after 17 years of writing these blog posts, I know the drill. I’m supposed to give you a sprawling, 2,000-word essay about the profound emotional resonance of ground beef, or a heartwarming childhood memory of braving a blizzard just to buy fresh thyme.

But there’s a Nor’easter predicted for tonight and tomorrow, even though it is only September.

Sometimes you don't need a deeply personal story. You just need comfort food, and you need it with absolutely zero fuss. This is Mark Bittman’s basic meatloaf. It’s warm, it’s hearty, and it doesn’t require you to think too hard at the end of a long day. Just mix it up, get it in the oven, and go put on your warmest sweatpants. Let the storm do whatever it wants outside—we have meatloaf.

Stay safe and stay warm.

The Meatloaf recipe from Mark Bitmans's How to Cook Everything - The Basics.

Ingredients-

Fresh breadcrumbs made from 1 or 2 slices of good-quality white bread
2 lb (900 g) ground beef (or veal, lamb, and/or pork combined with beef)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, minced
1 small carrot, peeled and minced
1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (10 g) minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Other Ingredients-

I like to add some extra things to our meatloaf. There are no measurements. They are all the same amount: "some".

Some ketchup.

Some Dijon mustard.

Some Worcestershire sauce.

And a touch of horseradish sauce.

Method-

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix together all of the ingredients. 

Shape the meat into a loaf in a baking pan (a free-form meatloaf baked in a larger pan will be less greasy than one baked in a loaf pan). 

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, basting occasionally with the rendered pan juices. 

When done, the meatloaf will be lightly browned and firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf will read 160°F.

Country Chicken Vegetable Soup

This recipe has been in my recipe box for a very long time. At least 34 years. I found the recipe in a box of Ronzoni Ditalini pasta.

Ingredients-

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1/2" pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 46 oz can chicken broth

1 cup water

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup Ronzoni Ditalini

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 tsp chopped parsley

Method-

Cook the chicken in hot oil until lightly browned; remove from pan.

Place the carrot and onion in the pan, stir, and cook until tender but not browned.

Add broth, water, nutmeg, and pepper.

Bring to a boil.

Stir in pasta.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining ingredients and chicken.

Simmer for about 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Roast Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes

Tasty dinner! The recipe is from So Much Food Blog. Two thumbs up from across the table.

Ingredients-

1 lb pork tenderloin 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method-

Mix the marinade. 

Whisk together the olive oil, Dijon, rosemary, sage, balsamic, salt, and pepper until smooth. 

Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside.

Prep the pork. 

Start by using a sharp knife to trim away any silver skin.

Cut the pork into 2” cubes

Marinate the pork. 

Place the pork in a Ziploc bag or baking dish and coat with the marinade. 

Transfer to the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Season the potatoes. 

Toss the potatoes with half of the reserved marinade plus one tablespoon of olive oil. 

Season with salt and pepper and toss well. 

Spread the potatoes in an even layer in the skillet or braiser. 

Transfer to the oven for 15 minutes.

Sear the pork. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or braiser over medium-high heat. 

Remove the pork from the marinade and shake off any excess marinade. 

Sear the pork for a couple of minutes on all sides until browned. 

Once browned, transfer to a plate and turn off the heat.

Remove the skillet or braiser from the oven. 

Place the pork on top and return to the oven.

Roast the pork. Roast for 10-15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145˚F-150˚F. 

Rib-Eye Steak and Potatoes for Two

Another New York Times Cooking Recipe tonight, 
Rib-Eye Steak and Potatoes for Two.

Not a bad dinner. I would have liked the steak cooked a bit less medium, but it was nicely seasoned.

Also made a Tomato and Freselle salad as a side.

Here is my version of Rib-Eye Steak and Potatoes for Two

Ingredients-

• 1 large boneless rib-eye steak, cut 2 inches thick (at least 1 ½ pounds)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 rosemary sprig, roughly chopped

• 1 pound very small potatoes, rinsed

• 2 tablespoons butter

• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

• Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
  
  

Method-

Season steak generously with salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with rosemary and set aside to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. 

Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. 

Add potatoes and cook at a brisk simmer until just done, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Drain and keep warm.

Heat a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over high heat.

When the pan is hot, put in the steak and let it brown well on one side, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Wait until the steak forms a crust and comes away cleanly from the bottom to move it.

Flip steak and transfer pan to oven, uncovered. 

Roast until juices begin to rise on the surface of the steak (you will see the droplets) and internal temperature is 120 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes. 

Remove steak from pan and let rest, tented with foil, for 5 minutes. (Residual heat will continue to cook the meat to medium-rare as it rests.) 

Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add potatoes and toss to coat and heat through. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Gently stir in parsley and lemon zest and transfer to serving bowl.

Cutting on a slight diagonal, slice steak into ½-inch slices, then transfer to plates.