Hearty Minestrone

Serves 6
Prep 30, Cook 60

Soup improves with age!
2T evoo
1# portuguese or Italian sausage, sliced
1 large onion, coursely chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk with leaves, sliced
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2t thyme dried
1/2 t rosemary dried
1 t sweet paprika
1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
2 large potatoes, srubbed and cut into 1/2" chunks
16 oz crushed tomatoes
2 x 16 oz canellini, kidney or pinto beans, or chick peas
8c water
1# small tortellini, ravioli, agnolotti or other stuffed pasta, cooked
grated parm, asiago or romano cheese

Heat oil in large soup pot over med heat. Add sausage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, paprika. Cook until softenend and sausage begins to brown. Add cabbage and potatoes and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally until cabbage is wilted, abotu 5 mins. Rais heat to high and add tomatoes and juice, beans and water. When boils, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until vegs are tender about 40 mins. Add pasta and simmer 10 mins. Serve with cheese.

Serve with ligh, spicy red from Proence like a Bandol or Chateuneuf du pape or a chianti.

Chicken Jambalaya

Serves 4-6
Prep 20 mins
Cook 40 mins

2T veg oil
2# chicken, cut up and deboned
1c course chopped cooked ham
1/2# spicy smoked sausage, sliced
2 med onions coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coursely chopped
3 celery stocks with leaves, fine chopped
1 t dried marjoram
1 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 x 16 oz cans whole tomatoes coarse chopped with juice
1 t tobasco
2 c chicken broth or water
2 c uncooked white rice

Heat oil in large deep skillet over med heat. Add chicken and brown lightly all over. Remove. Add ham, sausage, vegetables and herbs and cook, stirring til vegs are softenened. Stir in tomatoes and simmer 5 mins. Add tobasco and broth. Boil, then add rice and reserved chicken. Lower the heat and simmer until tender. 30 mins.

Serve with an earthy white wine: Rhone or California Syrah

One-Pot Hungarian Chicken with Dumplings

serves 4
Cooking 45 mins

Rust red chicken stew warms the belly on a chilly night.

3-4lb frying chicken cut up (or 3# chicken pieces)
s/p
2 T veg oil
1 med onion
2 med carrots, peeled, sliced 1/4" thick
2 red or green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and sliced 1/4" thick
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T sweet paprika
1/4t cayenne
1 bay leaf
1 t dried oregano
3 T flour
14 oz can whole tomatoes
12 oz can beer

DUMPLINGS
1.5c flour
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4 c milk
3 T veg oil or melted butter
2-3 drops tobasco

Season chicken with s/p.  Heat oil in skillet over med-high.  Add chicken and brown.  Set aside.  Lower heat to med.  Add vegs, herbs to pan and cook, stirring 5 mins.  Add flour and cook, stirring 2 mins.  Add tomatoes and beer and stir, scraping browned particles stick to pan.  Return chicken and cook til tender (25 mins).  Skim off fat.  Make dumpling batter.

Mix flour, baing pwder, salt in mixing bowl.  Add milk oil and tobasco, stir till moist.  Drop tablespoonfuls 1" apart on surface, cover and cook without lifting lid, 15 mins.

BBQ/Roasted Fish with Potatoes and Vegs

Serves 4-6
Cooking 40 mins
Grouper, Pompano, Sea Trout, Red Snapper

4-5# whole fish, or 2x 2-3# fish cleaned
salt, paprika, olive oil
1 garlic clove fine chopped
1 t oregano
6T lemon juice (2 lemons)
4-6 med potatoes peeled and sliced
1 med onion thin sliced
2-3 firm ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced
2 med cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 oranges, sliced

Slash fish. Rub with salt, paprika, garlic, oregano. Drizzle on oil and lemon juice and rub into fish slashes. Marinate 15 mins. Use 2 layers of heavy foil about 18" square. Oil top sheet. Arrange potaton and onion overlapping on foil leaving margin all around. Sprinkle with salt, paprika and 2 T oil. Place fish on vegs. Cover with tomato and cucumber slices, sprinkle with salt and drizzle oil. Finish with layer of orange slices. Enclose in foil, folding over edges to form tight seal.

Place packet on grill, covr and cook until fish tests done and potatoes are tender, about 40 mins. Serve with white Rhone or a light red like Chianti or Zinfandel.

Chicken 3 Bean Stew

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut in chunks
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
3 cups no-salt-added chopped tomatoes
1 (14.25 ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added black beans
1 (15 ounce) can no salt-added navy beans
1 (15 ounce) can no salt-added kidney beans
1 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1 cup smoked chicken breast, cubed
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot; brown chicken. Remove chicken and set aside. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, celery, carrots, wine, bay leaf, herbs and all the chicken; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Add parsley, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and simmer 5 more minutes.

Rice Cooker Paella

Serves 4-5

2 c med grain white or Valencia (not Japanese)
2.66 c + 2T water
1/2 t salt
3 oz chorizo or other smoked sausage cut into 1/4" dice
1.5# boneless breast chicken, trimmed and cut into 2" strips
2 T evoo
1 minced shallot
1 small red pepper seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 c frozen petite peas
1t dried oregano, crumbled
1/4t saffron threads, crumbled
3/4 c water + 3/4 c bottled clam juice
1/2 c dry white wine
1/4t red pepper flakes
2t cornstarch
salt
hot pepper sauce
chopped fresh parsley leaves

Spray cooker bowl. Add rice + 2.66 c water and salt. Swirl. Cook on reg cycle. Steam 10-15 mins on Warm. Fluff.

In 12" nonstick skillet cook suasage with 2T water over med-high stirring untilw ater gone and sausage brown... 5 mins. Drain on paper towels. Add chicken to skillet, cook through (5 mins) and put with sausage. Add evoo to skillet with shallot, pepper, garlick. Reduce to me low and cover. Cook 4 mins til tender. Stir in peas oregano and saffron.

Small bowl mix fish stock, wine and pepper flakes. Whisk in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour in skillet and bring to simmer. Add meat. Cook til thickened 1-2 mins. Add salt and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Serve - rice in shallow bowls, top with saute and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

All-In-One Potato Bake

• 4 x potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 x eggplant sliced
• 1 x onion sliced
• 1 x peppers sliced
• 4 x chicken pieces
• 1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
• 1/2 cup Kraft 4 Cheese Italiano Shreds

Directions:

1. PLACE potatoes, eggplant, onion and peppers on foil-lined baking sheet. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
2. COAT with dressing. Bake at 450°F for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through.
3. SPRINKLE with cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking.

One Pot Chicken

• 1 large stewing chicken, well rinsed
• 2 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup mixed minced fresh herbs, (such as parsley, sage, thyme and oregano)
• 4 cup water
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup flour

Directions:

1. Place the chicken, vegetables and water in a cast iron pot or large stew pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Suspend just far enough over an open fire to bring the water to a simmer and keep it there. Simmer for one and a half hours. Alternatively place on a burner on a modern stove and do the same.
2. While the chicken cooks make a modern roux with the flour and butter. Melt the butter and stir in the flour until a smooth thick paste forms.
3. In the last twenty minutes of cooking add the herbs. When done carefully remove the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter. To make gravy whisk the roux into the simmering juices that remain. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Potato Hash

Kid Friendly

1/2# sweet turkey sausage
2 T EVOO
3/4# cauliflower cut into small florets (3c)
1 med onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 T butter
s/p
1 idaho potatoes, peeled, boiled, broken into 1" pieces
1/4 t ground cumin

Slit sausage casings and scrape meat into bowl. Heat oil over med and cook meat, stirring about 7 mins. Add vegs (not potatoes), butter, sp, cont cooking until browned. About 30 mins. Add potatoes, cumin and cook 15 mins more.

Menu: New England Boiled Dinner (smoked ham)

Serves 8

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
1 handful mixed fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley)... palm full of herbes de
provence
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 t peppercorns
3 boneless smoked shoulder butt hams (about 2# each) rinsed
12 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
2 large turnips, peeled and quartered
12 med russet potatoes, peeled and halved
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
24 pearl onions, blanched, rinsed and peeled
1/4# fresh green beans, trimmed
2 large cabbages, trimmed and quartered

Combine 3 gallons water with celery, onion, bay leaf, herbs, garlic and
peppercorns in 4-5 gallon pot and boil over med heat. Simmer 15 mins. Add
hams, cover and simmer 1 hr.

Prepare vegetables: tie up carrots and turnips in cheesecloth. Divide
potatoes and parsnips in half and tie up each bundle in cheesecloth. Tie up
onions and beans in cheesecloth. Divide cabbage wedges into 2 pieces of
cheesecloth, and tie up.

Remove hams to platter and keep warm.

Add carrot/turnip bundle to simmering ham water; cover and simmer 10 mins
more.
Add potato/parsnip bundles; cover and simmer 10 mins.
Add cabbage bundle; cover and steam 10 mins.

Using tongs, lift each bundle out and test for doneness. cut beg bundles
and arrange in bowls. Slice ham thickly. Spoon cooking water over veg's
and ham. Serve with mustard, horseradish, bread and applesauce.

WINE: Chateua Petrus

Chili-Flavored Turkey Stew With Hominy and Tomatoes *****

"This scrumptious Southwestern-inspired stew can be prepared in minutes using leftover turkey."

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, cut into medium dice 1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice 3 large garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup chili powder (or 2T) 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 2 cups canned hominy, drained 4 cups leftover turkey meat, pulled into large pieces Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Heat oil in a large, deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder; continue to cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add tomatoes, broth and hominy; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes, to blend flavors. Add turkey, salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve with tortilla or corn chips if you like.

My Italian Sausage Festival

1 lb italian sausage, split and cut into 2" segments (or 1 sausage ground for flavor + chicken tenders or cubed chicken breast)

1 med onion, roughly chopped

2 med peppers, roughly chopped

2 tomatoes, quartered

1/2 lb mushrooms (halve the stems and large caps)

1 T olive oil

1 t minced garlic

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t salt

1 T sugar

1 T sweet basil (start with 1/2 T if using dried and taste it)

1/2 T oregano (dried)

2 T red wine

1/2 to 1 c tomato sauce (to taste)

Saute split sausages slowly in oil. Add onion, peppers, mushrooms, spices. When almost done, add tomatoes and saute until tender. Add 1/2 c tomato sauce and cook 2 mins more to thicken sauce. Add more tomato sauce if desired. Add red wine and simmer 2 more mins. Taste for balance/adjust seasonings. Serve over pasta.