The French definitely got this one right.
½ cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 pounds assorted fresh white mushrooms, stemmed & sliced (larger mushrooms quartered, medium mushrooms halved)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Additional fresh Italian parsley
Finely chop parsley with 1 garlic clove and set aside. Finely chop remaining 2 garlic cloves. Whisk chopped garlic, 4 tablespoons oil, wine and ½ teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Add mushrooms and toss to coat.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add mushroom mixture and sauté until mushrooms are light brown and just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Mix in parsley mixture and lemon juice. Season to taste with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer mixture to bowl. Garnish with additional fresh parsley and serve.
Lyonnaise Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
5 oz butter
4 medium white onions, finely sliced
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Melt 3 ounces of the butter in a heavy skillet. Add the potatoes and fry them over medium heat, turning them regularly until they are golden brown and evenly cooked. In a separate pan, melt the remaining butter and gently fry the onions until they are also golden brown. Add the onions to the potatoes, mix well and continue cooking. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.
Now that I’m living back in the Boston area, what better than to shell out some recipes that are regional favorites. At first I thought, Clam Chowdah!! Then, I thought, no way. I’m not confident enough to attach my name to any home cooked clam chowder recipes just yet. There are too many good places around the corner to get great chowder. Why waste time at home? Legal Sea Foods, Woodman’s and Newick’s are my favorites.
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes in a thick puree
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
2 19-oz cans of small white beans, rinsed and drained, about 4 cups
1 medium onion, cut crosswise into ¼-in thick slices
6 bacon slices
Heat oven to 400°. Stir together tomatoes, brown sugar, mustard and salt in a bowl. Gently stir in the beans and transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Arrange onion slices in one layer over beans, then cover onion with the bacon. Bake uncovered, until bacon is browned and beans have absorbed most of the liquid, about an hour and a half.
2 cups Indian basmati rice
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 fresh garlic clove, finely chopped
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups chicken stock
Garam masala is a seasoning made by blending dry-roasted, ground spices, such as black pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom, used Indian dishes.
Place rice in a large metal seive and rinse under cold running water. Place the rinsed rice in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups of water. Let soak 30 minutes. Drain in the sieve for 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium flame and add the onion when hot. Stir and fry until the onion bits have browned lightly. Add the rice, jalapeno, garlic, garam masala and salt. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes until all the grains are coated with oil. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down slightly. Pour in the stock and bring the rice to a boil. Cover with a very tight-fitting lid, turn heat to very, very low, and simmer for 25 minutes. Serve hot.
There’s nothing better in this world than home-cooked southern vegetables. This recipe definitely represents!
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices bacon, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 quarts chicken stock
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, bacon and onions and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the green beans and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and stew the beans until they are soft but not mushy, about 30 to 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
People, are canned peas the worst thing in the world. I think so. Fresh peas, if you can find them, are pretty good when prepared correctly. This is an Italian variation of cooked peas. Try it and get back to me.
¼ cup of creamery butter, melted
4 Thin slices of prosciutto, minced
6 Fresh sprigs of Italian flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped fine
2 shallots or 2 whole fresh green onions (scallions), diced
Pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds of fresh peas in the pod
Combine in a skillet the butter, prosciutto, parsley, shallots, and salt and pepper; heat. Hull and wash the peas and place them in a saucepan. Add enough boiling salted water to cover. Add about half of the pods, well washed to give them more flavor. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain, and discard the pods. Add the peas to the butter-ham mixture. Cook slowly for five minutes and serve. You can use frozen peas if good fresh ones aren’t available. Those of you in southern California can find some awesome imported prosciutto at Calentino’s Deli in Costa Mesa on Harbor and Adams. GREAT PROSCIUTTO !!! Tastes like silk!
Sometimes it’s just easier to make something packaged, but you still want to tweak things up a bit. Here is a way to make some pretty quick, easy, delicious, semi-homemade rice pilaf. Whenever a packaged box of rice calls for water, I typically use chicken broth. It changes things up pretty good while keeping it lean. Whenever I make this recipe, I have to force myself not to munch on the mushrooms before it’s all done. Thanks Rachael!
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
10 white mushrooms, stemmed & chopped
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
1 package rice pilaf mix (Near East brand is a good one)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
In a medium pot over medium to medium high heat add a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter. When butter melts, add chopped mushrooms and sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Substitute chicken broth for the water dictated by the instructions on the box. Add broth and cover the pot and bring to a boil. Add rice and pilaf packet to broth. Stir to combine, reduce heat and cook 20-25 minutes. Add parsley, fluff with fork.
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