Red Wine Marinade
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 rib celery, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups of dry red wine
1 tablespoon peppercorns, cracked
2 or 3 sprigs thyme or 1 large sprig sage
1 bay leaf
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and brown the celery, carrot, shallot and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes
Let it cool.
Red Wine Sauce
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup tomato juice
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
In a small saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute the onion and garlic in it until they soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomato juice and the red wine and boil the mixture gently until it reduces in volume to 1/2 cup.
Pour in the chicken broth and boil the mixture until it reduces to 3/4 cup .
Strain the mixture into a clean pan.
Finish the sauce by whisking the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Keep the sauce warm.
Baked Mostaccioli
1 pound mostaccioli
1 jar sauce — Classico pesto or roasted garlic is good — homemade is better!
10 ounces of ricotta cheese — drained
8 ounces or so of mozzarella cheese — shredded
optional — spinach or ground meat
Cook pasta till done.
Coat bottom of casserole dish or baking dish with sauce.
Layer pasta, sauce, and ricotta.
Use two layers or so, dish shape dependent.
Top with remaining sauce and then mozzarella.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Grilled Shrimp Scampi
1 pound shrimp — peeled and deveined with tails
5 cloves garlic — minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 lemon
parsley
crushed red pepper
ground black pepper
cayenne pepper
In a bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, white wine, parsley, red pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and sqeeze the juice out of the lemon.
Marinate the shrimp for a half an hour or overnight in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
Skewer shrimp and grill for 3 minutes per side.
You may also put them in a broiling pan and broil for 10 minutes at 500 degrees.
Shrimp Primavera
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
12 ounce angel hair pasta
1 pound shrimp
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
oregano
crushed red pepper
parsley flakes
green peppers
red peppers
red onions
Cook pasta till done.
Saute garlic in olive oil in sauce pan until good.
Pour whole can of diced tomatoes into sauce pan after draining half
the juice out of the can and throw it away.
Add oregano, crushed red pepper and parsley flakes.
Simmer, or boil to reduce if there is too much liquid, stirring occasionally.
Cut up the red and green peppers. Chop up red onions.
Saute red onions, red and green peppers with olive oil in the frying pan.
After a few minutes when the vegetables are tender, add the deveined shrimp with shell removed into the frying pan.
When the shrimp is done, add the contents of the saucepan into the frying pan.
Serve over angel hair pasta.
Shrimp Scampi
12 ounce linguine pasta
1 pound shrimp — peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic — minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or 1 1/2 sticks of salted butter
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup white wine
oregano
parsley
Cook pasta till done.
Heat up olive oil or butter in a pan, adding garlic, oregano, and parsley until garlic is cooked(clear).
Add shrimp and saute until cooked.
Stir in white wine.
Mix with the pasta, squeeze half a lemon, and sprinkle some parmesean cheese.
Goat Cheese Delight
1 and 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 to 12 oz. goat cheese
1 bulb of garlic, cloves chopped into thin slices
1 package of fancy crackers
Use a small or medium sized baking dish that will be used for both baking and serving. Mold the goat cheese into a softball shape and put in dish. Pour olive oil around goat cheese. Sprinkle clove slices in the oil. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Serve with yummy crackers. Enjoy!
Leg of Lamb with Creamy Cherry Port
Servings: 8 to 12
Boneless Leg of Lamb (4-7 pounds)
2 Cloves garlic, cut into slivers
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Teaspoon rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup Port Wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup rough chopped bing cherries
In shallow roasting pan place lamb fat side up. Rub with oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. With sharp knife cut slits in lamb. Insert garlic slivers in slits. Roast lamb in preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 145: for rare. For medium doneness, 25 minutes per pound.
Remove from oven, cover lightly and allow lamb to sit in a warm place for 15 minutes before carving. (Internal temperature will rise about 10:.) Meanwhile, in medium saucepan over high heat, combine port, and shallots. Boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add Cream and Cherries. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, season to taste. Serve sauce with sliced lamb.
Meat Loaf
1 1/2 pounds lean hamburger
1/4 cup chopped onions
6 crushed saltine crackers
2 eggs beaten
1 Tbs seasoning salt
1/4 Tbs pepper
3/4 cup bbq sauce
1/4 cup milk
Mix all ingredients together, placing in baking dish, shape in loaf, pour a little more bbq sauce on top, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Miso-Bronzed Salmon
Serves 4
1/4 cup sweet sake (mirin)
1/4 cup sake
3/4 cup light miso paste
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 salmon fillets(about 6-8 oz each)
Combine sweet sake and sake in a small saucepan and bring to boil.
Reduce by half(about 3 minutes). Reduce heat, then add miso and stir until combined.
Add sugars and continue stirring to prevent burning until sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth(about 2-3 minutes).
Pour into bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cool.
Place salmon into baking dish. Cover with marinade and refrigerate 6-8 hours.
Heat broiler and put marinated sailmon on a foil-lined baking sheet. Leave 8 inches from heat for about 3 minutes until salmon starts to brown.
Then set oven temperature to 450 degrees F and bake until center is cooked(about 5-7 minutes).
Place on platter and serve hot.
Tapenade
1 cup nicoise olives, pitted
2 anchovies
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp capers
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup flat leave parsley, leaves only
2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Throw everything into a food processor, and pulse until mixture is spreadable, but still a little chunky. Spread over thinly sliced french bread or stuff inside scooped out cherry tomatoes! Enjoy!