Tuscan Pork Kebabs

A couple of weeks ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Proud Italian, and there was a giveaway for a grill pan. I entered the giveaway and went on with my life. A few days later I get an email from Marie, from The Proud Italian, informing me that I won the grill pan! Wow! The pan was delivered soon after that and I used it tonight.

What a beautiful pan! It is an Italian cookware brand, Lagostina. The pan is the Bistecchiera Grill  Pan. Tri-ply stainless construction provides fast and even heat distribution throughout the entire pan. The pan was handcrafted in the Lagostina factory in Italy.

The recipe I used called for the meat and veggies to be on a kebab. Well, I remove the kebab's because the meat was not resting on the surface of the pan. And being a pork dish I wanted to be sure it was cooked. The recipe was from Cooking Light and it was delicious!

From Cooking Light, Tuscan Pork Kebabs -

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

16 (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper

16 (1-inch) pieces yellow bell pepper

Cooking spray 

 

Method-

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine olive oil, grated lemon rind, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic in a large bowl, stirring well. Add pork; marinate at room temperature 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
3. Thread pork and bell peppers alternately onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until pork is done, turning occasionally.

And Lucy wanted some blog time because yesterday was all about Archie.

Oven Baked Artichokes, Maybe Not

When I saw the recipe for Oven Baked Stuffed Artichokes I thought, "Brilliant!" I made the artichokes on Sunday but we did not eat them until Monday night. I had Chris warm them in the oven. That was a mistake. I should have steamed them. Monday night we split one and I did not like it. I DID NOT LIKE an artichoke!!! Too dry. Today for lunch I steamed the remaining artichoke. Much better. But I still prefer them boiled. They retain their moisture. And that is the way my Mom made them.

Friday the 13th Chicken Pot Pie

Happy Friday the 13th! Being the owner of a black cat, Friday the 13th are kind of a special day.
I worked from home today so I was able to "work" with Archie.

And I made a dinner with him in mind. Chicken Pot Pie. I used the recipe I always use, from RealSimple.com. I left some of the chicken meat out of the mix that had the onion so Archie could have a treat too!

And the pie was decorated with cat cutouts to continue the Black Cat theme.

Here is the recipe. I used the meat from the Roasted Chicken instead of poaching the chicken breast.

Ingredients-
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups 1 percent milk
1 10-ounce package frozen mixed vegetables (not from Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 9-inch pie crust

Method-
Heat oven to 400° F.
Cook the chicken in a pot of simmering water until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool, then shred.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stir-ring, until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes (do not let them darken). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, peas, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish.
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pot pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Italian Rigatoni Pie

Pretty cool right? I had this pinned for while and finally made it. I was suppose to make it a couple of night ago but I realized the Rigatoni I had was too short! It was not that hard to make. I made the sauce on Sunday and then put the pie together last night and Chris baked it when he got home tonight.

I found this recipe on One Little Project. I did make a couple of revisions. No I did not use jarred sauce.

Ingredients-
1 pound Rigatoni
2.5 cups of Meat Sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 container ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1-1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Method-
Cook the Rigatoni in a large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook it about 1 minute less than the package directions so it is still hard enough to stand up. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.

Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking. Then add the Parmesan cheese and toss until the cheese is evenly distributed. Set aside.

Mix together the container of ricotta and the egg. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

Take the cooked rigatoni and stand each piece up on its end in the pan. Continue until the whole pan is tightly packed. It is easier to do if you tilt the pan while stacking the pasta. Tilt is so it is almost on its side.

Pour the cheese mixture over the rigatoni and spread evenly over all the noodles.

Pour the meat mixture over top and spread evenly over the noodles. Use your finger to poke the meat and cheese mixture down into the noodles. The more patience you have with this step, the better it will be.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400F.

Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake for another 15 minutes at 400F.

Let stand for 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pan to help remove the springform pan.

Roasted Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, and Roasted Carrots

The Bundt Pan Roasted Chicken make a return visit!

And a certain resident is so happy!

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Roasted Potatoes

Archie loves chicken!

Sunday Night Pizza!

Happy Mother's Day to all! Tonight I made what was my Mom's go to Sunday Supper. Pizza! I had Bacon and sauteed onions and some Eggplant Balls. Nice combination. The crust was perfectly crisp.

 

Happy Mother's Day.

Baked Macaroni

The other night I made Eggs in Purgatory. There was leftover sauce. What to do? Baked Macaroni! Added some shredded Mozzarella and Parmigiana Cheese and breadcrumbs. And a spoiler alert! There are leftovers for tomorrow night! What will be for dinner on Sunday? Pizza? Stay tuned!

Eggs in Purgatory

Can a dinner get any simpler than this? No. You make marinara sauce. You heat it until it is bubbling. You add eggs. You poach them in the sauce. Yes, having homemade Italian bread is a nice touch. I also added grated Parmigiana and Feta Cheese.

My Sister Makes The Best Pie!

I met my sister, Lenore and my friend Kelly tonight to go see Anna Quindlen and Amy Bloom. My sister said she had a pie for me. I did not think she had a whole pie, but she did. A Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. I do not think I have ever had Rhubarb before. I told her I would have piece when I got home. I am now sitting here trying to convince myself not to have another piece. But oh my God, it is so good. My sister's crust is the best, hands down, no one pie crust comes close.  And the filling! Let's just say if I have ever had Rhubarb in a pie before, this blew any previous pies away. 

I bet she could make an awesome Chocolate Cream Pie. Maybe just like my Mom's. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge!

Zuppa Arcidossana

This recipe came from a Mark Bittman New York Times article from 2009.  I love this meal. It was delicious. The vegetables melt in your mouth, the sausage is crisp on the outside and the bread, well it just makes the whole dish better. I made this yesterday and I had Chris heat it up in the oven, like a casserole. That added some extra crispy bites!

Ingredients-

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup feta
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Method-

1. Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots and onion continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2, add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
3. Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. Serve immediately. Or place in casserole and heat for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with feta cheese sprinkled on top.