Scallops & Cherry Tomatoes with Caper Butter Sauce

I found this recipe in my email this morning from a newsletter I get from The Prep at Eating Well. I was intrigued by the time it would take to make the recipe and the calorie count. 20 minutes to prepare and under 400 calories! The reviews from the other side of the table were favorable.

The newsletter recommended Zucchini Zoodles Cacio e Pepe. I love Cacio e Pepe but had never tried Zucchini Zoodles. Well, I made the recipe and found out I am not a fan of Zoodles. Next!

The recipe also recommended polenta to soak up the sauce. I made that too and that was a good suggestion. And yes I use instant Polenta.

This is the original recipe from EatingWell.com.
I cut the recipe in 1/2 and there was plenty for both of us. 

And enough for Lucy who seems to love scallops!

Ingredients-
1 pound dry sea scallops, tough side muscle removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1-pint cherry tomatoes
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method-
Pat scallops dry. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
 
Add tomatoes to the pan and cook, stirring once, until browned on one side and starting to burst, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and capers; cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter and pepper. Serve the sauce over the scallops, garnished with parsley, if desired.

A Tale of Two Pastas

This month is what I think is the last meeting of the online library group, International Cooking. With things returning to "normal", there was talk of discontinuing the group. We will find out tonight...

This month's recipe was Pasta Verde, Green Pasta. It was made with roasted asparagus, fresh spinach, mint, and leeks. The sauce was a lemon vinaigrette.
I used homemade pasta, the recipe called for Penne. 

Chris, not being a fan of most of the ingredients in Pasta Verde dined on Fettuccine Alfredo, which has 4 ingredients - Pasta, Cheese, Butter, and Pasta Water.

I liked the Pasta Verde but I was not in love with it. I would rather have had the Alfredo. The flavors were good, but it was something I cannot imagine going out of my way to make again. It was just lacking something. I was supposed to top the dish with Ricotta Salata which I did not have but I do not think that it was the one thing that would have made the dish a home run.

Steaks on the Grill

For Christmas, I got Chris a Weber Grill. 

He put it together today and he grilled tonight.

I picked up Porterhouse Steaks at Robert's. 

This is my favorite part of summer. Steaks on the grill. Perfect. 

Chris used the William Sonoma Outdoor BBQ Fork 

with Thermometer so the steaks were spot on.

I made Potato Salad as a side dish. 

Simple recipe with a few ingredients. 

I found this recipe on GimmeSomeOven.

Filetto Di Manzo All'Aceto Balsamico

It seems that this has become a once-a-week posting blog. Tonight we had Filetto Di Manzo All'Aceto Balsamico, Beef with Balsamic Vinegar. It is from La Cucina The Regional Cooking of Italy, or as Chris calls it - The Big Book. The recipe is from the Emilia-Romagna region. The recipe came together super fast, easily a 20-minute meal.

The sauce was quite good. There were some comments about the texture of the meat. I had no problem with the texture, but one of us did.

I made our usual sauteed zucchini and Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes. Again, here we were split on the potatoes. But the Air Fryer is definitely the way to go with baked potatoes. The kitchen did not get super hot with the oven on for 45 minutes. The skins were crispy and the interior was creamy.

Filetto Di Manzo All'Aceto Balsamico

Ingredients-

3/4 lb. beef tenderloin, cut into 2 slices

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup beef broth

Method-

Flatten the tenderloin slices with a meat pounder and dredge them in the flour. Shaking them to remove any excess.

Heat a saute pan to high and grease it lightly with olive oil.

Salt the slices, then cook them on high heat on both sides, sprinkling with 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.

Remove the meat from the pan and keep warm.

Prepare a thin sauce by combining the remaining vinegar, broth, and 1 tbsp flour.

Return the meat to the pan with its juices and cover with the sauce and serve piping hot.

Happy Mother's Day

Fifteen years ago was the first Mother's Day that I did not buy a Mother's Day card. Damn, time does go by fast. I miss her laugh. I miss shopping with her. I miss her phone calls. But most of all I miss her cooking.

I wanted to do something special today for dinner. I found a recipe for Beef Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine from Lidia Bastianich. I think my Mom would have enjoyed this.

Ingredients-

2 cups red wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 pounds bone-in Beef Short Ribs

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

¼ cup minced pancetta

2 carrots, chopped

2 sprigs rosemary

2 dried bay leaves

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups Crushed Tomato

Method-
Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy braising pan over medium heat. Lay as many of the short rib pieces as will fit into the pan in a single layer. Cook, turning as necessary until evenly and well browned on all sides. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the remaining ribs. Adjust the heat as the ribs cook so that they brown without burning.

Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Stir in the onions and bacon and cook, stirring, until the onions are lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and the carrot, rosemary, bay leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the carrot is wilted for about 3 minutes. Drop in the tomato paste and stir well until the vegetables are coated and the tomato paste begins to darken for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the reduced wine and the crushed tomatoes and tuck the browned short ribs into the pan. Pour enough of the remaining chicken stock to barely cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the liquid is at a lively simmer. Cook, adding the remaining stock a little at a time as necessary to keep the ribs covered until the ribs are tender and just about to fall off the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Taste the cooking liquid from time to time as the ribs cook and add salt as necessary.

Pick out the ribs from the sauce, carefully so as to prevent the bone from falling out, and set them on a baking sheet. Ladle the cooking liquid into a sieve placed over a bowl and push the liquid through with the back of the ladle. Discard the solids in the sieve and return the strained liquid to the pan. Tuck the ribs back into the sauce. You may serve the ribs at this point, or cool them in the liquid and refrigerate them for up to three days. Bring them back to a simmer and cook until heated through before serving.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Superfast Sunday dinner.

I made the Arborio rice first and kept it warm on the stovetop. The zucchini was sauteed while the chicken was cooked.

About the chicken. I picked up Chicken Cutlets at Fresh Market. I did a google search for a recipe and found a Lidia Bastianich recipe from Food and Wine. Perfect!!

Ingredients-

Four 6-ounce  boneless chicken breast halves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

All-purpose flour, for dusting 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

Method-

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place 2 sage leaves on each breast. Top with a slice of prosciutto, trimming it to fit. Press the prosciutto to help it adhere to the chicken. Dust the chicken with flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat a large skillet. Add the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 2 of the breasts, prosciutto side up, and cook over high heat until nearly cooked through about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook just until the prosciutto begins to shrink about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a plate; repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off any fat and wipe out the skillet.

Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Add the wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, 3 minutes. 

Return the chicken to the skillet, prosciutto side up, and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to plates, pour the sauce on top, and serve.

It seems that someone else in the house is a fan of this recipe...

Air Fryer Steak, Smashed Potatoes and Arugula Salad

I purchased this steak, 1.13 pounds at Robert's today. It came to 6 dollars and change. It was the most amazingly tender steak. Just enough for the 2 of us.

I used the Air Fryer to cook it. Seasoned the meat (that was at room temperature)  with just salt and pepper. 7 minutes in a preheated Air Fryer set at 400˚. Flipped it over and set it for an additional 6 minutes. We let it rest for about 10 minutes and the came out perfect!

For sides, I made the Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes. OMG, they are so delicious. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients-
1 1/2 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes 
2 cups chicken stock 
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick) – melted
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
Kosher sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method-
Place the potatoes in a medium-sized pot.

Pour in the broth, enough to cover the potatoes.

Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a cutting board.

In a small bowl combine the melted butter, olive oil, parsley & paprika.

Dip the bottom of a small drinking glass in the butter mixture and gently press the potatoes with the bottom of the glass. 

Dip the glass into the butter as needed while smashing the potatoes.

Be careful not to smash them too hard so they break apart.

Just enough to flatten slightly.

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.

Spray or lightly coat the air-fryer basket with a little bit of olive oil.

Gently transfer the potatoes in one layer to the basket of the air fryer.

Brush some of the butter mixtures with a basting brush over the tops.

Sprinkle salt & pepper evenly over the potatoes.

Air fry for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Remove the basket & gently flip the potatoes.

Brush with more of the butter mixture. Season again with salt & pepper.

Continue to air-fry for 8 minutes at 400 degrees until crispy and browned.

 

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Air Fryer Fried Chicken Again

Nailed it! This time I tried a different recipe for the Air Fryer Fried Chicken and was very pleased with the result.

The recipe I followed was from Fabulessly Frugal,https://youtu.be/50lBseukzPg.

I did make some changes. 

I did not add the spice mix to the marinade. I marinated in only buttermilk (Milk and Lemon Juice) and the hot sauce.

For the spice mix, I left out the onion powder. But other than that I followed the video. 

It was the double-dipping of the chicken that made the difference here.

And the chicken was crispy and tender and the breading was not too spicy. Loved it!!!

This will be the house Fried Chicken Recipe. Click YouTube Link above for the recipe.

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Best Damn Air Fryer Pork

Honestly, that is the name of the recipe. I found it on RecipeTeacher.com. I googled Air Fryer Bone-in Pork Chops and it was the first recipe listed. Not having a whole lot of time to read through the other recipes I dove into this one. I got home at 5:50 and had dinner on the table by 6:35.

First, preheat the air fryer to 400˚ for 5 minutes.

Next, I made the rub. 

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon onion powder

I rinsed pork chops and pat dry completely with a paper towel.

1. I rubbed the bone-in pork chops, 2 inches thick with 2 tablespoons olive oil and rubbed on the spice rub.

Into the Air Fryer for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes I flipped the chops and put them back in the air fryer for another 6 minutes. We were at 145˚ at that point.

Moist and the rub was delicious. If you don't like spice you can use any number for combinations.

Really a nice treat for a Tuesday night. Really glad I found the site  -RecipeTeacher.com. 

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12 Years Ago Tonight

12 years ago tonight I was sitting in front of the computer with a glass of wine missing my mom. I had done a lot of Easter baking. I had used all of her recipes.

I started this little blog to fill a void.

A lot has happened during the past 12 years. 

Too many goodbyes but some wonderful hellos.

I came across I photo of my Mom with her first grandchild today. Priceless.

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