Pollo all'Arancia e Olive

In English - Chicken Breast with Orange and Gaeta Olives.
From Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking.

Here is a link to the exact recipe from the book on Lidia's site. 

I got home from church at 5:45. 

Dinner was on the table by 6:35pm. 

That included the Arborio rice and the roasted Buttercup Squash. 

Not bad for timing and quite delish!!

That Buttercup Squash is a new product we tried. It was featured in the Bishops Farmers Market newsletter this week so I picked it up for a try. It is Sodium Free, high in Vitamin C and A, and Potassium.

I cut it into 1/5 inch slices, brushing it with olive oil and seasoning it with salt, pepper, and crushed sage. Roasted it at 375˚. 20 minutes. Flip and in for another 15 minutes.

Rustic Salad

I got the idea for this salad from Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking. But I used our "House Dressing." I boiled the potatoes and the hard boiled eggs. I chopped the scallions. I mixed the cooled potatoes, 1/2 a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and the scallions with some of the dressing. I mixed arugula with some of Jake's Green Leaf Lettuce. I added some dressing to the lettuce and topped it with the potato mixture. Added the eggs on top and some chopped tomatoes. Very good. Keeping it light this Labor Day.

Spaghettini all'Olio e Rosemarino

Spaghettini all'Olio e Rosemarino and Steak. Why pasta and steak? Chris had to go into work yesterday and today. I wanted to make him a delicious dinner and I think I achieved that goal.

The Spaghettini all'Olio e Rosemarino was a recipe from Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking.

Ingredients-
1 pound spaghettini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bushy rosemary sprigs, needles stripped , from the stem (about 3 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Method-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When you begin preparing the sauce, begin cooking the pasta.

In a large skillet, over -medium--high heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the rosemary, and cook until the needles are sizzling and the rosemary is fragrant. Ladle in 1 cup of pasta water, and simmer to reduce by half. Stir in the parsley.

When the pasta is al dente, remove with tongs directly to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat, toss with the grated cheese, and serve.

 

The steak was added to the menu just because I knew Chris would enjoy it. I marinated it in his favorite, A1 Steak sauce and salt. It was quite good. Chris even said that this was the best dinner ever.

And on a sad note, today was the last day of Jake's Farm Stand. I bought 10 ears of corn today. I plan on freezing some tomorrow. I bought my last $2 head of green leaf lettuce that supplied me with a week's worth of lunches.

I picked up some of the incredible tomatoes and made a I made a Caprese Salad.  No more corn or huge heads of lettuce until next summer....

 

And the wine was just something I picked up this week and thought it would be a nice addition to the meal. Hey, I was right!

Steak Pizzaiola and Spaghetti Squash Cacio e Pepe

Steak two nights in a row? I wanted to make something special for Father's Day. My Dad and Chris's Dad were wonderful men. They were the best Dads and we miss them both.

 

 

The Steak recipe is from Lidia's Favorite Recipes. The sauce was so amazing. Chris grilled the steak, perfectly again. We usually make Steak Pizzaiola in the oven. Now in the summer we will definitely use this recipe. And remember the Italian bread. You will not want to waste any of this sauce.

 

The sauce is from Lidia's Favorite Recipes.

Ingredients-
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
One 14-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

Method-
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic. Let the garlic sizzle a minute, then toss in the bell peppers and mushrooms. Season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the oregano. Saute until the mushrooms and peppers are caramelized on the edges, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, and slosh out the can with ½ cup hot water, adding that to the skillet as well.

Bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the peppers break down, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Chris let the steaks rest for a few minutes and then we topped them with the sauce. Did I mention not to forget the Italian bread?

 

I have wanted to make Spaghetti Squash Cacio e Pepe as soon as I first saw the recipe on the Proud Italian Cook site. I used zucchini ribbons in place or the asparagus. Delicious! Light but packed with flavor from the cheese and pepper. There is a little left over and I am considering making a pasta pie.

Sformato di Verdure e Carne and a Belated Happy Birthday!

Tonight we have another recipe from Lidia's Commonsense Cookbook. I prepared this on Sunday and tonight Chris just had to bake it when he got home. This seems to be more of a fall/winter dish. But comfort food is good any time of the year. And the turkey was a nice change! This was really delicious and will be made again! I think of making the filling and then topping it with mashed potatoes, kind of like a Shepherd's Pie. But that won't happen until at least October. Stay tuned.

Ingredients-

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, thinly sliced

1 pound zucchini, diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 cups white wine

2 fresh bay leaves

1 3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced  (1/4 inch thick or less)

8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded

1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method-

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the zucchini is tender, then remove vegetables to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ground turkey. Cook and stir the turkey until it is crumbled and browned, about 4 minutes. Then clear a space in the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it toast for a minute, then stir it into the turkey. Add the wine and bay leaves, bring to a simmer and cook until the wine is reduced and saucy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and zucchini.

Toss the potato slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses. To assemble, butter a large oval baking dish (4 quart size). Layer the potatoes in the bottom, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Layer all of the turkey mixture, then all of the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil (making sure it doesn't touch the cheese), and bake on the bottom rack until bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top is browned and crusty, about 15 minutes more.

And I forgot Donald Duck's birthday yesterday! 

Want to know more about the amazing duck?
Click here for 10 facts about Donald Duck.

Stuffed Hamburgers

Chris gave me Lidia's Commonsense Cookbook for Christma and I have been looking forward to making these burgers. I was unsure about the sun-dried tomatoes, but loved the finished product.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces low moisture mozzarella, cut in small cubes

6 large basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method-
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar and salt. Mix the ingredients together with your hands to combine. Form into 6 equal sized balls.

In a small bowl, toss together the mozzarella and basil. Make an indentation in each ball and press in some of the mozzarella/basil mixture. Seal the mozzarella in and press to form patties, about an inch thick.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook until cooked through and the cheese inside is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes in all. To check if the cheese has melted inside, stick a toothpick into the center; if the cheese has melted it will stick to the toothpick.

For a side dish I made Cold-Fashioned Potato Salad. The recipe is from the Food Network. Yum!

Barley Soup and Black-Pepper Breadsticks

For Christmas, Chris gave me a copy of Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking. I love Lidia. Her cookbooks always fun to read and filled with recipes that I want to try. The first recipe I tried from this book was Barley Soup.

Perfect for this time of year when it is just so darn cold. I made the whole recipe and have a couple of portion tucked away in the freezer.

And a sneak preview- We are eating at Becco on Saturday!!!!

From Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking, Barley Soup

(serves 8 or more)
Ingredients -
2 smoked ham hocks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups peeled, cubed russet potatoes
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 pound split peas. rinsed
3 cups barley, rinsed
12 ounces baby spinach
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Method -
Put the ham hock in a saucepan, and cover them with water. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes to remove some saltiness. Drain and rinse.
In a large soup pot, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, and saute until they being to brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, carrots, and celery, and saute until everything is coated with oil. Add 8 quarts of water, the split peas and the ham hocks, and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer, uncovered until the peas have broken down, about 45 minutes.
Add the barley, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. The split peas should be broken down and have made the soup thick and creamy at this point. Add the spinach, corn and salt and simmer until the spinach is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

With the soup we had Black-Pepper Breadsticks. I found the recipe on the Food and Wine site. They tasted just like Frezels, little black pepper crackers my mom made. I am not sure I have the spelling correct on that. I will have to check with my sister.

From Food and Wine, Black-Pepper Breadsticks

Ingredients -
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
4 teaspoons kosher or Maldon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Method -
Preheat the oven to 350° and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, yeast and 2 tablespoons of the flour and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour along with the shortening, salt and pepper and knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and divide it into fourths. Cut each quarter into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 9-by-1/2-inch rope. Using a knife, trim the breadsticks to 8 inches; arrange on the baking sheets and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and firm, shifting the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the breadsticks to racks and let cool before serving.