Gourmet Meals for Your Unique Tastes
Isn’t this a gorgeous plate? Perfectly seared jumbo sea scallops resting effortlessly on top of a creamy portion of cauliflower purée that is flavored with a touch of black truffle oil. Garnished with a snip of lemony fresh thyme, a squirt of fresh lemon juice, and briny caper berries. A perfect celebratory dinner idea–especially if paired with a rich bottle of chilled champagne.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Recipe Courtesy of Food & Wine Magazine
Everyone loves a shortcut. Especially when the final product is decadent baked pasta like this one…the shortcut here is that you assemble a pan of simple, uncooked ingredients–pop it in the oven, and voilà. Dinner is served!
Store-bought rigatoni, marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and easy-to-assemble meatballs are layered in a 9×13 dish, water is added, and that is all the effort this comfort dish requires. Seriously! No hand-on cooking involved. Serve this baked pasta alongside roasted broccoli or a simple side salad and believe me, everyone at your table will be superbly pleased.
(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shortcut-baked-rigatoni-meatballs )
Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple Magazine
This lovely vegetarian version of a classic salad Niçoise swaps in cumin-scented chickpeas for the usual seared or flaked tuna. Along with the fragrant use of cumin, this salad also used other Middle Eastern-inspired ingredients including tahini paste and feta cheese. Some of the old standbys are still present though! Olives, thin green beans, Romaine lettuce, a hard-boiled egg, and cherry tomatoes. Colorful and filling, all you need to accompany this entrée salad is a glass of crisp Rosé wine and some toasted garlic bread.
The peppery flavor of dandelion greens make them the perfect choice for a simple salad like this one, but they are also wonderful sautéed or wilted down in a touch of olive oil. In addition to the bitter, chopped dandelion greens, this salad is made with buttery toasted walnuts, plump raisins, crumbly ricotta salata cheese and a homemade pomegranate vinaigrette.
If you are unfamiliar with ricotta salata cheese, think of it as the Italian version of feta cheese. Similar in texture to feta cheese, just not as salty. And for the pomegranate vinaigrette, try using thick pomegranate molasses in combination with the Dijon mustard and olive oil, for a tangy and unique flavor agent.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
One of the most famous dishes to come out of the port city of Veracruz, Mexico is Snapper Veracruz. Flaky red snapper is cooked and served over a flavorful tomato sauce studded with olives and fresh herbs. Popular not only with snapper, but also shrimp, this sauce is truly wonderful with just about any protein.
For the sauce, I followed a simple recipe I recently came across in a back issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, with which they served the sauce with chicken thighs. I found some nice halibut fillets, so I made the sauce according to their recipe (with the addition of wilted baby spinach), and topped it with seared halibut fillets instead. No matter what you top it with, the sauce is hearty with the addition of roasted potatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, shallots, fresh oregano and a touch of warming, ground cinnamon.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Recipe Courtesy of Cook Real Food Everyday Magazine
This hearty beef and sweet potato chili recipe comes from one of my favorite food magazines: Cook Real Food Everyday. A simple chili made with onion, beef chuck roast, broth, tomato paste and the fragrant spices of chili powder, cumin and paprika, the flavors only get richer as the stew cooks low-and-slow on the stovetop.
The term paleo is used in the title simply to indicate that it follows the rules of a popular diet these days called ‘the paleo diet’: a diet that includes meats, fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, greens but no processed foods, grains, beans, or refined sugars. If you are not following the paleo diet, I recommend serving this chili over al dente pearled cous cous, brown rice, or even whole wheat egg noodles. I added a few extras to the chili that I had on hand: peeled pearl onions and some chopped scallions.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Recipe Courtesy of Martha Rose Shulman’s Mediterranean Harvest cookbook
This moist and flavorful quick bread is from a lovely vegetarian cookbook I just read through. Mediterranean Harvest is a wonderful collection of fresh recipes from the entire Mediterranean region. And when I say the ‘entire’ region, I mean not just southern France and Greece, but Spain, Italy, Northern Africa, Lebanon, Israel….the list goes on and on. An easy bread to make and hands-down, one of the best quick breads I have tasted to-date. Filled with ripe green olives and nutty Gruyere cheese, the top of the bread gets browned and a bit crisp, while the interior crumb of the bread really moist and eggy.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine
Some might gawk at the phrase ‘healthy pasta’, but I am a firm believer in the idea that to be the healthiest, you can and should, eat everything moderation. This pasta would be even better for you if you swapped in a whole wheat pasta variety, but as is, it is hearty and filled with good-for-you kale, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Not to mention buttery pine nuts, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and cubes of crispy pancetta.
You start by cooking the pancetta for this pasta dish, then you add the cherry tomatoes and kale right into the same pan. Everything cooks down beautifully, with the helpful addition of some of the pasta cooking water. A colorful dish when made with multi-colored cherry tomatoes, try serving this pasta with your favorite shape of pasta and a glass of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau.
Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living Magazine
This side dish is simple in its description, but complex thanks to its layers of flavor. A plate of luscious steamed cauliflower (I used a distant Italian cousin, light green Romanesco instead) topped with a red wine vinaigrette, briny capers and a crunchy mixture of roasted, omega-three rich walnuts flavored with a simple garlic paste and some grated Parmesan cheese. Be sure and top the steamed cauliflower with the vinaigrette while it is still warm, this helps the veggies absorb more of the vinaigrette’s delicious flavor.
Recipe Courtesy of Good Housekeeping Magazine
No need to make reservations at your favorite steakhouse to enjoy a perfectly cooked filet mignon. Just follow this simple recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine that starts with lean filet mignons coated with mustard and cracked black peppercorns. Cooked to medium rare in a pan, then finished off with simple sauce made with slightly sweet Brandy and a pinch of fresh thyme to deglaze the pan. Wonderful when served with roasted asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes.
(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a54/mustard-steak-au-poivre-127/)