Showing posts with label onion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onion. Show all posts

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Green and Yellow Artichoke Tortellini with Mushrooms, Pancetta and Spring Peas with White Wine Reduction for an Italian Fest #SundaySupper

Green and Yellow Artichoke Tortellini with Mushrooms, Pancetta and Spring Peas with White Wine Reduction for an Italian Fest #SundaySupper


My long time readers know that one of my passions I've explored on this website is Italian cuisine, so I couldn't let this week's #SundaySupper theme of Italian Fest go without participating. It's hosted by Manu of Manu's Menu. Thank you, Manu!

As this passion has developed over the years, I've tried to learn as much as I can on the topic. What fascinates me is the differences between authentic Italian food and America's version of Italian food which is the reason why I'm so appreciative of an article my friend Caroline of La Cucina Della Prima Donna wrote a few years ago that explains how Italians can still eat healthy despite calorie-laden dishes such as pasta, pizza and gelato.

As I noted in a dish I published this past fall, Italian pasta dishes tend to be simple, so I've struggled to balance genuineness with my desire to continue to prepare foods that challenge me, either in flavor profile and/or preparation. However, I think I found a compromise with an article I discovered several years ago on about.com that reviewed recipes for flavored pastas and have been using it as a source of inspiration ever since. Such is the case with this dish.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

The idea of this dish was born from episode 16 of season six's MasterChef, where the elimination challenge charged the contestants with preparing three fresh pasta dishes. One of the assigned dishes is a squid ink striped farfalle. At the time, I hadn't even considered the concept of striped pasta so I was intrigued and wanted to explore the notion. In addition, my long time readers will remember I prepared a Paglia e Fieno dish two years ago which is the second source of inspiration for this updated version.

Dish Details

When I conceptualized this dish, I imagined it to be served at a modern Italian fine dining restaurant. The dish the contestants on the show I referenced above made pasta with only stripes on one side, so I did a little digging and found a method to ensure the stripes appear on both sides. I also wanted to use seasonal ingredients so, after consulting The Flavor Bible, I decided to use artichokes for my filling in addition to mushrooms, spinach and peas. Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio with Catherine Young, Lori Silverbush and Sean Fri played a role in two components of the dish. The reduction was comprised from the basic sauce making technique described on page 75 and the artichoke filling on pages 129 through 130 and 134. Pasta dough was adapted from the about.com article I linked above. I also added the pancetta because The Flavor Bible noted it worked well with artichokes and I've also found I enjoy the pairing of cured pork with mushrooms.

Ingredients

For the artichoke filling:
3 lemons
3 artichokes
1 medium yellow onion, peeled
1 leek, tops trimmed and green outer leaves discarded
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
7 to 8 baby carrots, sliced thin
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs lemon thyme
1 3/4 cups white wine

For pasta dough:
8 ounces raw spinach
6 cups all-purpose flour, divided plus more as needed
Kosher salt
8 eggs, divided

For the vegetables and reduction:
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces pancetta, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced thin
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon thyme sprigs, for garnish

Method

1. Complete the artichoke mise en place. Combine the juice from 2 1/2 lemons and 2 quarts water in a large bowl. Trim the stem (leaving only 1-inch), then remove the outer leaves and cut off the inner leaves. Next, peel away the outer layers that encircle the heart with a pairing knife, similar to peeling an apple. Scrape out the fuzzy choke and immature leaves using a spoon, then trim the top of the choke, rubbing it with the remaining half lemon frequently to prevent it from oxidizing and turning brown. When finished place the artichoke into the lemon water and repeat the process with the other two artichokes. Cut the yellow onion in half lengthwise, then slice thinly. Repeat the process for the leek.


2. Braise the artichokes. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a high sided pot over medium heat until the pot begins to smoke. Add the onions, leek, carrots and celery (i.e. mirepoix) to the pot to sweat, reducing the heat to medium low, seasoning with kosher salt and stirring occasionally, approximately 20 minutes.


Remove the artichokes from the lemon water and add to the pot. Drizzle the chokes with approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon thyme sprigs. Add the wine to the pot and enough water to cover the artichokes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat, partially cover the pot and let them simmer until the chokes can easily be pierced with a knife, approximately 30 minutes.


Once finished remove from the heat and allow the artichokes to cool in the braising fluid. Purée the artichokes with the mirepoix adding just enough braising fluid so the mixture has the consistency similar to toothpaste. Cover and set aside until the pasta dough has been prepared.


3. Prepare the spinach. Coarsely chop the spinach, then rinse it under cold water. Place the wet spinach leaves in a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add a pinch of kosher salt until the spinach wilts, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pan and let it cool. Once the spinach has cooled enough to handle, place them in a double layer of paper towels and squeeze out as much water from them as possible. Purée the spinach in the blender.


4. Make and roll the pasta dough. Make two mounds of flour, each using 3 cups. Dig a hole in each mound to form a well big enough to hold the eggs, then add a pinch of salt to each mound. Whisk 4 eggs together, then pour them into one well. Whisk the remaining 4 eggs together with the puréed spinach and pour it into the second well. Make, knead and roll each dough separately by following the instructions of Steps 4 and 5 in this prior agnolotti dish, however stop rolling the dough one setting thicker than desired. (For example, my Atlas machine has 6 settings but wanted my pasta as thin as setting 5 so I stopped rolling the dough at setting 4.) Many pasta dough recipes direct the cook to use a clean flat surface but I recommend using a sheet pan because the sides will contain the eggs in the event that the well should break. Dust both sides of each pasta dough with flour and then roll each dough up as if you were rolling a cigarette, then cut it lengthwise in half similar to this picture, cutting along the blue rubber band. Unroll each half and wet the edge of the cut side of each green pasta sheet with water, then lay a yellow pasta sheet next to the green so the yellow sheet overlaps the green sheet by a 1/4-inch. Repeat the process with the remaining sheets. Pass the combined dough through the pasta roller at the final setting.


5. Form the tortellini. Using a ring mold, cut circles in the pasta sheets in a manner that half of the circle is green and the other half is yellow. Using the reserved artichoke filling and the pasta cirecles, fold the tortellini in the manner demonstrated in this YouTube video, ensuring that each tortellino is folded in a manner so the half circle has a different color on each side. If you're not preparing the dish immediately, place each tortellino on a sheet pan dusted with flour and place in the freezer.

6. Prepare the sauce and finish the dish. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the tortellini to the pot and boil until they float to the top, approximately 2 minutes. Remove the tortellini from the pot and set aside to reserve. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the pancetta to render the fat, approximately 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pancetta to sweat and reduce, stirring occasionally. Add the peas to the skillet and cook until heated through.


Remove the pancetta, mushrooms and peas from the pan and reserve. If the pan is dry, add the remaining tablespoon to the skillet, then the shallot to sweat for approximately 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine and scrape the bottom to release any fond and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain out any solids in the sauce and return it to the skillet over low heat and add the butter, stirring until it melts. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. To plate, spoon some of the reduction into a bowl, top the reduction with the mushrooms, pancetta and peas, then place tortellini onto the vegetables. Garnish with lemon thyme sprigs.


Final Thoughts

I was discussing this dish with my friend, Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Kiss My Smoke before I published it today. I explained that this dish is as far as I can escalate the complexity of fresh pasta. As I stated above, I intended this dish to be an example of food that could be served at a modern Italian fine dining establishment. Overall, I was pleased with the taste of the dish, as it was well balanced with strong flavors, however I was not happy with it's presentation. If you perform a google image search for tortellini fine dining, you'll get a general idea of what I had in mind. I think the issue is the size of the pasta circles I cut. I used a 3-inch ring cutter so when I went to wrap them around my finger, I found that they didn't reach all the way around. so I ended up folding both corners over to seal with water. When I make tortellini again, I'd use my 5-inch ring mold. I hoped to document the process of forming the tortellini in a little more detail with pictures, however I so focused with making the tortellini I forgot about my camera.

I've reviewed the process of making fresh pasta several times in the past and I've hoped to dedicate a post focused solely on this one aspect, however my hands get rather messy with flour and eggs when I knead the dough so it's difficult to take pictures. Probably the best demonstration I've found is this one by Chef Tomm Johnson I found on YouTube. He initially combines the wet and dry ingredients in a mixing bowl instead of using the well method I describe above, however.

Be sure to check out the other great Italian dishes before you go!

Appetizers:
Mains:
Dessert:
Beverages:
And Artichoke Torta plus More Recipes for Italian Fest from Sunday Supper Movement

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Butternut Squash Risotto with Crème Fraîche and Fried Sage Leaves for a #SundaySupper Where We Use Veggies As A Main

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For those of you in the United States, I hope you had a wonderful holiday this past Thursday. As I stated in my preview, I find this week's #SundaySupper theme of Veggies As A Main refreshing because it could have easily contributed to the noise of Thanksgiving leftover ideas.

I last made a point of addressing the topic of vegetarian dishes earlier this year when I had the opportunity to work with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg to promote their most recent book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. In it, Ms. Page makes a strong case for those that have chosen to eat a plant-based diet be it environmental, medical or ethical reasons and I highly recommend it even for meat eaters because it is helpful in dish composition.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

As I looked over my previous posts, I have found many vegetarian dishes here. Many are salads but I would estimate more are Italian primi dishes, which is the case here. I actually find it difficult to incorporate meat into pasta dishes unless we're discussing fillings. Costs aside, flavor is considered first when choosing the ingredients to use in a dish, then whether or not the dish is in season before science (i.e. yeast to make bread, deglazing with fluid, etc.). Since butternut squash is in season, I decided to use it in a risotto dish. The Vegetarian Flavor Bible listed butternut squash as pairing well with risottos, sage and nutmeg which is how I composed this dish.

Dish Details

I adapted Ree's recipe to the fried sage leaves found on epicurious.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for frying
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into a 1/2-inch dice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
5 to 7 cups chicken stock, brought to a low simmer in a saucepan
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons nutmeg

Method

1. Fry the sage. In a small saucepan or small skillet, add enough vegetable oil to achieve a depth of 1/2-inch and place over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the sage in batches, 3 to 4 leaves at a time for 5 seconds each, removing them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate, then season with kosher salt. Set aside to cool. This can be done a day ahead. Once cool, store the leaves in an airtight container.


2. Prepare the squash. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add in the squash cubes, then season with salt and pepper. Sweat the squash until lightly browned and tender but not falling apart. Remove the squash from the skillet to a bowl, set aside and reserve.


3. Apply the risotto method in the same skillet where the butternut squash was prepared by following the method in step two of a risotto I published previously.

4. Finish the dish. Once the rice is al dente, stir in the reserved butternut squash, crème fraîche, parmesan and nutmeg using more or less crème fraîche until the desired consistency has been achieved. Adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with the sage leaves.

Final Thoughts

With the holiday this week, I didn't get the opportunity to perfect the dish because the night I prepared it, I added too much crème fraîche. Mrs. Stuntman also thought the dish was too sweet so I'll need to play around with spices to balance out the flavors.

Meanwhile, please view these other dishes offered for this week's #SundaySupper:

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.


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Sunday, September 27, 2015

Pork Chops with Apple Dijon Sauce and Arugula Salad for a Fall Flavors #SundaySupper

Pork Chops with Apple Dijon Sauce and Arugula Salad for a Fall Flavors #SundaySupper




If memory serves me correctly, the team at #SundaySupper has repeated the theme of autumnal foods from last year. I remember this because I paired chicken with a sauce that utilized grapes which are coming into season about now. The repeated theme is okay with me because I'm always up for seasonal ingredients.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

In what will most likely be my last trip to the Redmond Saturday Market this year, I noticed apples had appeared at many of the farms' stands a couple of weeks ago so I purchased a few ruby jon apples and decided to employ the classic pairing of apples and pork. To affirm, The Flavor Bible noted a flavor affinity of pork, apples and mustard. It separately noted that pork chops pair well with arugula.

Dish Details

For the pork chops, I relied upon my favorite which is taken from Tyler Florence on Food Network. For the sauce, I was inspired by a recipe I found on seattletimes.com but I had to make it over.

Ingredients

For the pork:
4 quarts water
1 cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed with the side of a knife
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bone-in pork rib chops, approximately 1-inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
4 ounces arugula
Juice from 1 lemon
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Brine the chops. Stir together the water, 1 cup kosher salt, sugar and apple juice until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Add the peppercorns and thyme into the brine, then the pork chops. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Prepare the chops. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Remove the chops from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the chops dry with paper towels, then season them with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sear the chops, two chops at a time if they don't fit, approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove them to an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan, then roast the chops in the oven until their internal temperature reaches 140° Fahrenheit, approximately 30 minutes.


3. Prepare the pan sauce. While the pork chops roast, return the same skillet to the stovetop over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to smoke, toss in the onions to sweat, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the apples and brown lightly, approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with the apple juice, then stir in the mustard. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce until the sauce is thick enough so that when you slide your finger across a spoon dipped in the sauce, it holds its shape. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the nutter until it melts. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

4. Prepare the salad and finish the dish. Combine the lemon juice and oil in a small bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Toss the vinaigrette with the arugula. To plate, place a pork chop in the middle off center, spoon some sauce over the chops then garnish with arugula on the side.

Final Thoughts

I must confess that the dish you see above isn't the dish I had originally conceptualized. I wanted to present it with a fourth component of a polenta cake. When I visualized the dish, I imagined the chop to rest against it with the bone raised to give the dish some height. I even had the chops frenched similar to the dish I published about a year ago. That being said, the dish was still very flavorful. The spice of the mustard balanced the sweetness of the apples nicely.

Check out A Guide to Apples plus Best Fall Recipes Ideas for #SundaySupper and this week's recipe collection:

Breakfast
Appetizers and Sides
Main Dishes
Desserts and Cocktails
Plus, A Guide to Apples plus Best Fall Recipes Ideas for #SundaySupper

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It's easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Friday, May 15, 2015

Farro "Risotto" with Cannellini Beans and Kale plus a Giveaway #VegFlavorBible

Farro "Risotto" with Cannellini Beans and Kale #VegFlavorBible




Meet Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, creators of the critically acclaimed book The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, which has been cited as one of the five best cookbooks of 2014 based on 300+ reviews in media including Bloomberg, The Chicago Tribune, Food & Wine, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

They are not only the two-time James Beard Award Winning authors of The Flavor Bible and Becoming a Chef, but also coauthored What to Drink with What You Eat, which was named the IACP Cookbook of the Year and the Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year, while also winning a Gourmand World Cookbook Award.

It goes without saying that Karen’s credentials are exemplary. In addition to holding degrees from Northwestern and Harvard, she earned a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell, so it is little wonder that critics are praising her invaluable knowledge and contribution to a healthier and more flavorful approach to food and nutrition!

Karen and Andrew are teaming up with 9 food bloggers to be able to reach out further and share their knowledge and talents with an even greater audience. They have offered to partner in a giveaway in order to educate and make accessible not only their latest creation, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, but also copies of The Flavor Bible and What to Drink with What You Eat! ALL of these resources are treasures that would grace the presence of any home cook’s library, but already hold places of reverence within the commercial kitchens of many chefs.

If you've been reading this website for any length of time, the opening phrase "meet Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg" is a little ridiculous. I have been using my copy of The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg before Crazy Foodie Stunts ever existed, so you can imagine my excitement when I was presented with the opportunity to work with them. You could even call me a fan.

Last autumn, Karen and Andrew published a follow-up to The Flavor Bible titled The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Ms. Page uses the same format to the earlier version, but the similarities end there. Before reading it, I must admit that I did not realize the topic of vegetarianism was so expansive. In the first 90 or so pages, Karen discusses the reasons behind consuming solely a plant-based diet and puts them in a historical context, demonstrates how to fulfill your body's protein needs with a vegetarian diet, reviews the concept of flavor (which was discussed in the first book), provides plant substitutes for animal-based foods, and examines sample vegetarian tasting menus from well known restaurants as Eleven Madison Park and The Inn at Little Washington. In addition, the reference section of the book contains more detail than the original and now includes a color code that indicates the nutrient content, a description, health benefits, vitamin and/or mineral content, gluten specificity, protein content botanical relatives and possible substitutes in many of the ingredients.

So what exactly is occurring here? Well, I am one of nine bloggers that have teamed with Karen and Andrew to promote The Vegetarian Flavor Bible by hosting a giveaway for one copy of it in addition to The Flavor Bible and What to Drink with What You Eat. In the interest of full disclosure, this giveaway is sponsored by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg in addition to their publisher, Little, Brown & Company and I was compensated by product, however all opinions are my own. Each participant was to prepare a dish inspired by one of the flavor pairing suggestions listed with everyone choosing a different ingredient. Details of the giveaway below.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

You might remember a dessert I published shortly after Valentine's Day last year where I noted that Mrs. Stuntman and I marked the occasion with a dinner at Frances in San Francisco. One dish Mrs. Stuntman ordered that evening was the Tuscan Kale & Butter Bean Soup with Farro, Crostini, Roasted Chicken and Garlic Broth. Truthfully? I wasn't all that excited by it but my opinion went 180 degrees in the other direction once it was served. It looked like nothing, yet it was the most flavorful broth I've ever had the pleasure of consuming. I remembered this dish when I chose farro because I knew it was a common substitute for rice in a risotto and wanted to see for myself. This flavor affinity I enjoyed at Frances was further reinforced on page 248 by noting that farro, kale and garlic pair well with each other in addition to the tip on page 247 that notes to add the cooking water from cannellini beans to the farro risotto a creamier and starchier texture.

Dish Details

I took some hints from the "farroto" recipe on the package of farro I purchased in addition to Chef Anne Burrell's version on pages 138 to 139 of Cook Like A Rock Star by Anne Burrell with Suzanne Lenzer, however this dish is a Crazy Foodie Stunts original. I could imagine it to be on any fine Italian menu, although its presentation would need to be elevated a little.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pearled or semi-pearled farro, soaked in water overnight then drained
1 cup dry white wine
6 to 8 cups chicken stock, warmed over low heat
3 cups baby kale, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
Freshly ground lack pepper

Method

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions to the oil and sweat until softened, approximately 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir. Once the garlic is fragrant (approximately one to two minutes), add the farro to the onions and garlic to toast, an additional 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with white wine, continually stirring until the wine has evaporated, then add chicken stock, 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously until each addition has absorbed before adding the next one. Start tasting the farro after the third or fourth addition and stop adding stock once the it is al dente.


2. Once the farro is al dente, stir in the kale until wilted, then the beans until warmed through. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter and Parmesan until melted. Season the risotto with salt and pepper, then spoon into warmed bowls and garnish with more parmesan.

Final Thoughts

Before I proceed with the details of the giveaway, I must note Karen and Andrew's website, in addition to their instagram, twitter, facebook and pinterest pages. I also wanted to introduce you to the eight other participating bloggers. Please visit all of these ladies in addition to adding them to your social media platforms.


This giveaway is open to addresses in the USA only, including APO addresses. For a complete set of giveaway rules, see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Monday, May 11, 2015

Spaghetti with Sausage and Peppers plus Updates

Spaghetti with Sausage and Peppers




Hello? Are you still there? I haven't published a dish in almost a month but I have still been busy working. My anniversary was a couple of weeks ago but Mrs. Stuntman and I decided to forgo a dinner at a nice restaurant in exchange for the opportunity to upgrade our cell phones. While Mrs. Stuntman got a newer version of an iPhone, I made the leap from a $12 flip phone to a Samsung Galaxy S5. This is relevant here because, in addition to opening an instagram account for this website, the pictures of this dish were taken with it primarily because it has a 16-megapixel camera which is better than the 12-megapixel quality of my point-and-shoot camera I had been using.

I also attended a photography seminar which was held through my local parks and recreation department which was moderated by Duke Conrad who's an award-winning nature photographer. I encourage you to check out his portfolios at 500px.com and flickr.

The third update is that I have re-written my About Me page. In it, I summarize a new direction here from execution-focused challenges to flavor profile-focused challenges. As such, I will be announcing some format changes. I'll start with the inspiration behind the dish, then the dish details (which will include the recipe) and finish with some final thoughts. This dish will be my first under the new format.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

A contributing factor in why I went so long without publishing a here is because of Mrs. Stuntman's contributions to the dinner table as of late. She has been purchasing a lot of prepared food. Most of it is the type of food that is already fully-cooked and the only thing needed is to reheat and serve. Don't get me wrong, there isn't anything wrong with these items but it's just not appropriate to publish here at face value. So, while I was rummaging around the refrigerator on a recent evening, it occurred to me that the smoked mozzarella with artichoke and garlic chicken sausages could be used in a classic Italian pairing of sausage and peppers.

Dish Details

I adapted this epicurious recipe to accomodate a few ingredient substitutions in addition to the sausages noted above. First, I substituted spaghetti for the bucatini simply because I didn't want to pay the additional dollar for the bucatini. Bucatini is the same shape as spaghetti with the exception of a hole running through the pasta so it resembles a straw or a hose. Second, I puréed my tomatoes instead of crushing them by hand. I also substituted fresh oregano leaves for the dried and used regular parmesan instead of the Grana Padano. This dish would easily fit onto any casual Italian menu.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces smoked mozzarella with artichoke and garlic chicken sausages (approximately 3 links), casings removed
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, julienned
1 medium yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, puréed
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
Kosher salt
Red pepper flakes
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Method

1. In a large pot, bring to a boil at least 4 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat. Separately in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the sausage and break it up into bite size pieces until well browned, approximately 4 minutes. To the sausage, add the onion and peppers to sweat and adjusting the heat as needed, approximately 8 minutes.


2. Add in the garlic and stir until it becomes redolent, one or two minutes. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up any brown bits and reducing for minute or two. Add in the tomato purée, 2 cups of the pasta water, then season with salt, red pepper and oregano. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and becomes flavorful. Approximately 10 minutes in, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook for two or three minutes less than the box instructions direct. Once the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of the water, then drain and add to the sauce. Toss the pasta with the sauce and the parsley. Serve in warmed bowls garnished with Parmesan.


Final Thoughts

While not my most creative effort, it still was well balanced and perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

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Saturday, February 7, 2015

Spring Pea and Mint Chilled Soup for a Valentines Day Cookbook Affair Giveaway

Spring Pea and Mint Chilled Soup




Maybe a week before Christmas I get this message from Alice of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen gauging interest in a group cookbook giveaway. You might remember her because I had the opportunity to meet her in person a few months ago when she attended the International Food Bloggers Conference. Each of the participants was to prepare a dish from a cookbook they enjoy and giveaway a copy of that book. I accepted, in part because I thought it would be fun and, in part because I wanted to use the occasion to highlight a book you may not have known about previously.

Cookbook Affair Giveaway

As the picture above suggests, I'm not the only one doing this. In fact, there are several other connected books being given away by some terrific ladies too. So far the list of giveaways is numerous:

Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart being given away by Alice of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories by David Lebovitz and Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan being given away by Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva
The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg being given away by Christina of Mama's High Strung
The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History by Ana Sofia Pelaez being given away by Adriana of Great Food 360°
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero being given away by Kim of Liv Life
Cooking with Frank's® RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce: Delicious Recipes That Bring the Heat by Rachel Rappaport being given away by Heather of girlichef.

In addition, I have the pleasure of introducing Kathy of BakeawayWithMe who will have another cookbook up for grabs tomorrow. Be sure to check out her facebook page and enter all of their giveaways.

I chose An Appealing Plan: A Year Of Everyday Celebrations by Krayl Funch which was just published this last autumn. I met Krayl at the Food and Wine Conference last July, so I was pleased to see her hard work pay off.

As I've stated in the past, I generally like cookbooks that are more than just a collection of recipes and Krayl's book follows this pattern. I like that it's organized by seasons and reviews annual occasions when guests are common such as Cinco de Mayo, Thanksgiving and summer birthdays. Since these holidays are well covered by other resources, she has recommendations for more common events such as grilled food for game day, summer solstice and spontaneous get togethers among close friends. Woven throughout her book are instructions for table settings for several events and it's all highlighted by some of the most beautiful food photography I've ever seen.

Krayl does Valentine's Day and I was originally going to replicate one of her dishes for the occasion but Mrs. Stuntman thought the soup was more appealing and, after all, she is my Valentine, so...

The Challenge

Present a dish from Krayl's book in a favorable fashion.

The Source

Adapted from page 16

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
Kosher salt
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
6 cups fresh peas
3 cups flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crème fraiche, for garnish
1/4 cup diced ham, for garnish
Saltine crackers, for garnish

Method

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt to sweat, approximately 5 minutes. Deglaze with the stock and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the peas and return to a boil, then remove from heat and add the parsley and mint. Purée using an immersion blender, or a regular blender in batches, if necessary. Transfer the soup to a clean bowl, add the lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Chill the soup for 1 hour, or it can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. When ready to serve, spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with crème fraiche, ham and crackers.


Successful?

I made a few ingredient substitutions with this dish. Krayl calls for vegetable broth but I used chicken stock instead. She also garnishes the soup with pea shoots it's a little early for those to be in season, so I used diced ham and oyster shaped saltine crackers. It was still a well balanced dish and Mrs. Stuntman was happy with it. Unfortunately with the resources available to me, the picture above isn't even in the same league (much less the same ball park) as the stunning photograph of the dish published in the book and I encourage you pick up a copy yourself (at the very least to view what I'm referring to) if you aren't chosen the winner. You can do so by clicking here.

Finally, the giveaway details are as follows:

Official Rules: Giveaway is open to U.S. residents, Canadian residents and any APO/FPO addresses. Entrants must be 18 years old or older. To enter, use the widget below. One winner with a valid entry will be selected on March 6th, 2015. I will email the winner and they will have up to 24 hours to respond and claim their prize or another winner will be selected. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.



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Sunday, December 21, 2014

Skillet Steak Fajitas for an Easy Holiday Entertaining #SundaySupper with @Beef

Skillet Steak Fajitas for an Easy Holiday Entertaining #SundaySupper with @Beef




There seems to be a certain theme in my dishes recently. Namely, a mad scramble to find an alternate dish because I wasn't able to prepare my original idea. Such was the case last Sunday and it repeats its ugly head again today. The dish I wanted to prepare originally utilized the oven which is not available to me at the time of this writing. I do live in an apartment and the matter is being addressed by the maintenance staff but it requires an order for a replacement part and am at the mercy of the manufacturer and the shipping company, so I am too.

This dish isn't the first one thought of when discussing Holiday dishes, but I must ask, why not? The dish could easily be prepared on a weeknight and if presented buffet-style would be perfect for a potluck style Holiday celebration. In fact, beef can be much more versatile during this time of year than a roast (but that always works well too!) To learn more about the adaptabililty of beef, I encourage you to review the Beef Checkoff website, 'Like' their facebook page, in addition to following them on their twitter and pinterest pages, but especially the #SundaySupper Beef pinterest board for more recipe ideas. This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. All opinions are my own.


From the standpoint of the dish itself, long time readers of my site will remember that I profiled this dish two and a half years ago however I've done some additional research since then and have learned to fortify flavor of the dish.

The Challenge

Replicate a more flavorful version of a dish I profiled previously.

The Source

This dish has been inspired by Serious Eats and The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 flank steak, approximately 2 pounds
3 bell peppers, each a different color (red, green, orange, or yellow), coarsely julienned
1 large yellow onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise (from root to stem), then sliced thin crosswise
8 to 10 flour tortillas, warmed
Salsa, guacamole, sour cream and/or shredded cheeses, for serving

Method

1. Marinate the fajitas. Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl, then divide the marinade between two resealable plastic bags. Place the flank steak in one of the bags and the bell peppers with the onions into the second. Push any excess air out of the bags, seal and refrigerate for 3 hours.

2. Cook the fajitas. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon oil over medium high heat. While the pan is heating, remove the flank steak and the vegetables from their marinades and shake off any excess. Add the flank steak to the pan first, about 3 minutes per side or until medium rare. Remove from heat and set aside. Add the vegetables into the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, approximately 5 minutes.



3. To serve, slice the flank steak thinly across the grain and serve with warmed tortillas and your chosen condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream and/or cheeses.

Successful?

One of the things I liked about Ree's version in addition to Chef López-Alt's is the seasoning of the accompanying onions and peppers which don't receive as much attention as the beef in many recipes and a good example is the version I published previously.

Please check out other Beef dishes for this week's event:

Appetizers
Brunch or Breakfast for a Crowd
Main Dish
Potluck Style
Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

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