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Pasta Alfredo, Olive Garden CC

Pasta Alfredo, Olive Garden CC

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Yield: 4 Servings

Olive Garden

Very popular take on Alfredo. True Alfredo sauce has no milk or cream, but this is a worthwhile replacement.

This recipe was on the Olive Garden web site with some of their other recipes, but the whole recipe page is now gone.

  • 3oz good butter
  • 1TBS Garlic
  • 2TBS AP Flour
  • 1½cup whole milk
  • 1½cup heavy cream
  • ½cup imported Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • ½cup imported Romano cheese, grated
  • Salt and black pepper to taste


Sauté the butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients to saucepan and stir occasionally until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from heat.

Serve the Alfredo sauce over your favorite pasta, like fettuccine, linguine or bow tie.

Note: The key to making the best Alfredo sauce is quality ingredients like a good butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Your Alfredo sauce will be as good as the ingredients you put into it.

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

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Yield: 4 Servings
adapted from: Damn Delicious

Now you can make everyone’s favorite Stroganoff in ONE POT with ground beef! No-fuss + budget-friendly with the quickest clean-up!

  • 2TBS unsalted butter, divided
  • 8oz Cremini or button mushrooms (see note), thickly sliced
  • ½medium sweet onion, diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1lb lean ground beef
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • ½tsp dried thyme
  • 3TBS AP flour
  • ¼cup dry white wine
  • 4cups beef stock
  • 2TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 1TBS Dijon mustard
  • 8oz egg noodles, uncooked
  • ½cup sour cream
  • 2TBS chopped fresh parsley leaves


Mushrooms:

Melt 2 TBS butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms shrink and start to brown, about 3 – 5 minutes.

Onions:

Add another TBS butter and diced onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and onions are transparent, about 3 – 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ground beef:

Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3 – 5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks.

Stroganoff:

Stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic (heaping tsp) and ½ tsp thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in 3 TBS flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Stir in 4 cups beef stock, 2 TBS Worcestershire, 1 TBS Dijon mustard and 8 oz egg noodles. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is just cooked through, about 6 – 8 minutes.

Stir in ½ cup sour cream until heated through, about 1 – 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Note: Cremini, white button and Portobello mushrooms are all the same mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, White button mushrooms are the youngest and Cremini are partially matured. They are usually brown and often marked as Baby Bella. Portobello mushrooms are fully grown white button mushrooms

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb

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Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from many
  • 1rack of lamb, frenched and halved
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 2TBS butter
  • 2tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1cup panko bread crumbs
  • parsley
  • thyme


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Herb breadcrumbs: Mix parsley and thyme into panko and stir well.

In a large sauté pan with oil, over a medium high flame, sear the lamb, rendering out the fat cap and hard searing all sides. Baste with butter during second half of cooking.

Remove from pan and paint your lamb chops evenly with Dijon mustard. Roll chops in herb breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

Transfer to oven at 400°F and cook to desired temperature, 5 to 10 minutes. Allow chops to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder IP

Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder IP

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Yield: 6 to 8

Adapted from Washington Post

For this recipe, the meat is coated in an overnight marinade of brown sugar, fennel, sage and rosemary, and a slurry of orange and lemon juices whisked together with olive oil.
The resulting braising liquid is a flavorful and fragrant concoction. Either serve as is or skim the fat from it and simmer the remaining liquid to reduce and enrich the flavors, for an au-jus-like result.

Pork and marinade:

  • 1(3- to 4-lb) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 to 3 large pieces
  • 2cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1TBS dark brown sugar
  • 1½tsp ground fennel
  • 1½tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1½tsp chopped fresh sage
  • 1½tsp fine sea or table salt
  • 1tsp garlic powder
  • 1tsp onion powder
  • ¾tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 4TBS olive oil, divided
  • 1large yellow onion (about 12 oz), halved and sliced

For Instant Pot:

  • ½cup apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
  • ½cup dry white wine


Marinate the pork: Thoroughly dry the pork, then poke the meat, avoiding the skin side, all over with a sharp paring knife. Stuff the garlic slices into the holes.

In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, fennel, rosemary, sage, salt, garlic and onion powders, pepper, and the zest and juice of both the lemon and orange and whisk until combined. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until combined. Add the pork pieces and turn them over a few times, making sure they are generously coated in the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and pat the meat dry.

You can brown the pork in either a skillet or the IP. I prefer the skillet as it does a faster, better job.

Brown the pork in a skillet: Working in batches, sear the pork until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the seared pork to a plate and set aside and repeat with the remaining pork.

Brown the pork in Instant Pot: Set a 6-quart Instant Pot (IP) to SAUTE. Let the pot heat for 2 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. Working in batches, sear the pork until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the seared pork to a plate and set aside and repeat with the remaining pork.

Pour off as much fat as possible from the skillet or Instant Pot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, followed by the onion and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Pressure cook the pork: Return (or add) the pork, along with any accumulated juices, to the IP and pour the cider and wine around the meat. Add the reserved marinade and cover. Make sure the steam valve is sealed. Select PRESSURE (HIGH) and set the timer to 1 hour 15 minutes. (It can take up to 10 minutes for the appliance to come to pressure before cooking begins.)

Let the pressure release naturally. Carefully uncover the IP and transfer the pork to a cutting board. Taste the cooking liquid and if it seems thin or weak, set the IP to SAUTE and simmer the liquid until it reduces slightly and the flavors concentrate, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, if desired.

Transfer the pork to a platter and spoon some of the sauce around it. Alternatively, you can shred the pork using 2 forks or a knife and a fork. Serve warm.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

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Yield: 4 Servings
“Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

What’s to say, this is incredible.

  • 16-oz piece of chunk bacon
  • 3½TBS olive oil
  • 3lb lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1carrot, sliced
  • 1onion, sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 2TBS flour
  • 3cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
  • 2-3cups brown beef stock
  • 1TBS tomato paste
  • 2cloves mashed garlic
  • ½tsp thyme
  • crumbled bay leaf

For the brown-braised onions (Oignons Glacés à Brun)

  • 18-24white onions, small
  • 3½TBS butter
  • Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter tsp thyme, tied in cheesecloth)

For the sautéed mushrooms (Champignons Sautés au Beurre)

  • 1lb mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Bacon: cut into lardons (sticks ¼-inch thick and 1½ inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1½ quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Sauté lardons in 1 TBS of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Beef: Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.

Vegetables: In the same fat, brown the sliced onion and carrot. Pour out the excess fat.

Coat & cook beef: Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.

Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust). Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325°F.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Onions: Heat 1½ TBS butter with one and one-half TBS of the oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add ½ cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Mushrooms: Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms. Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

Separate beef from sauce: When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Sauce: Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few TBS stock. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

Spice-Roasted Carrots

Spice-Roasted Carrots

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Yield: 4
Epoch Times

Lightly spiced carrots. Use rainbow carrots if you can find them, but any will do.

  • 1½lb medium carrots with tops
  • 2TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½tsp salt
  • ½tsp paprika
  • ¼tsp pepper
  • ¼tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼tsp garlic powder pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1TBS chopped fresh carrot tops, cilantro, mint or parsley (optional)


Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Trim green tops from carrots, leaving about 1 inch of greens attached; set greens aside and save for garnish or another use. Peel carrots and transfer to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine oil, salt, paprika, pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder, and cayenne (if using). Stir mixture until combined.

Drizzle oil mixture over carrots. Use your hands to toss and rub carrots until evenly coated. Spread carrots into an even layer on the baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Remove foil. Use tongs to flip carrots over.

Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue to roast, uncovered, until the thick ends of the carrots are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let carrots cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer carrots to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped carrot tops or herbs (if using). Serve.

Nana’s Colorado Granola

Nana’s Colorado Granola

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Yield: 10 Servings
adapted from: theKitchn

Gayle makes this. It’s good though…

  • ⅓cup canola oil or other neutral oil, such as coconut or olive oil
  • ⅓cup local, raw, unfiltered honey or maple syrup
  • ½tsp ground cinnamon (rounded if you use Ceylon cinnamon)
  • ½tsp salt
  • 3cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1cup sliced almonds
  • 1cup raisins, Craisins or other dried, chopped fruit


Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F.

Line a rimmed half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Measure and add the oats and almonds right into the oil mixture — don’t worry if you add a little more oats or almonds — granola is very forgiving. Stir thoroughly to coat well. A silicone spatula is great for this and helps with the next step.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. If the granola is clumpy, use the side of the spatula to gently break up the clumps and press lightly into the pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and lightly stir and re-spread the mixture in the pan. Bake for 15 more minutes, about 30 minutes total. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel slightly wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the raisins or fruit. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool. If you want clumps of granola, press and tamp down the granola before it cools, which will help it stick together. Cool completely before storing.

Transfer the cooled granola to an airtight 8-cup container, crumbling or breaking it up into clumps as you go. Granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Tip: I find making a double batch more convenient and it will store nicely in a gallon sized container. If you do so, make batches one at a time in two separate pans, switching oven shelves midpoint in the baking time.

Rustic Peach Galette

Rustic Peach Galette

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Yield: one 10” Galette

King Arthur Baking

Flaky, buttery crust enfolds juicy peaches in this rustic tart. I’ve updated the recipe to add egg wash and sugar sprinkle to crust. The photo clearly has this, but it’s missing.

 

Crust:

  • 1¼cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1TBS buttermilk powder
  • ½tsp salt
  • 4TBS butter, cold
  • ¼cup vegetable shortening
  • 3-4TBS ice water

Filling:

  • 4-5large ripe peaches, peeled and sliced; or 6 cups frozen sliced peaches, partially thawed
  • ½cup sugar
  • 2TBS Instant ClearJel (or corn starch)
  • ⅛tsp nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • ½cup fresh raspberries

Egg wash & Sugar

  • 1egg yolk
  • 1TBS milk
  • 1tsp sparkling sugar (coarse sugar)


To make the crust:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, buttermilk powder, and salt.

Mix in the cold butter and shortening until the dough is crumbly.

Sprinkle ice water over the mixture 1 TBS at a time while tossing with a fork. After adding 3 TBS of water, gather the dough together into a ball. Add more water if it crumbles and won’t hold together.

Flatten dough into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

To make the filling:

Whisk together the sugar, Instant ClearJel or corn starch, nutmeg, and salt.

Add the peaches and a few of the raspberries, tossing to combine. Set aside.

Roll the chilled dough on a well-floured work surface or silicone rolling mat into a 14″ circle.

Use a knife or pizza wheel to trim the edges in a scalloped design.

Move the crust to a baking pan or pie pan; a giant spatula works well here.

Assembly:

Fill the center with the peach mixture.

Fold the edges of the crust up over the peaches, leaving the center uncovered.

Look for holes where you folded the crust. Galettes tend to leak syrup when they bake. Make sure you have a good solid seal on the edge of the crust.

Egg wash:

Mix the egg yolk and milk in a small dish and brush the crust. Sprinkle crust with sparkling sugar.

Bake the tart for 30 to 45 minutes, until the crust is golden.

Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with the remaining fresh raspberries.

Serve warm, with whipped cream or ice cream.

Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma

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Yield: 2 Servings
BBC

Leave the curry to stand for 30 minutes before reheating if you have time – it helps the aromatic flavors develop.

For the chicken

  • 4boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and quartered
  • ½tsp ground turmeric
  • 1TBS lime or lemon juice
  • 2tsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
  • ½tsp fine sea salt

For the sauce

  • 2TBS sunflower oil or 1 TBS ghee
  • 1tsp cumin seeds
  • 1medium onion, very finely chopped
  • 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
  • ½14 oz can chopped tomatoes, blended until smooth (alternatively use passata)
  • 1tsp tomato purée
  • 1tsp ground turmeric
  • 1heaped tsp garam masala
  • ¼tsp hot chili powder
  • 2¾oz ground almonds
  • 8oz full-fat milk
  • ½tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • freshly cooked rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Put the chicken thighs in a bowl with the turmeric, lime or lemon juice, oil and salt. Toss together well and set aside for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, heat the oil or ghee in a saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook gently for 5–6 minutes over a low heat, or until well softened, stirring regularly.

Tip the tomatoes and tomato purée into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Next, stir in the turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, black pepper and a tsp of salt. Add the ground almonds and milk and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly.

While the sauce is cooking, heat a griddle pan or heavy-based frying pan. Cook the chicken pieces for 8–10 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through, turning occasionally.

Add the chicken to the sauce, cover loosely and simmer gently together for 5–6 minutes, stirring regularly. It’s important to cover the pan as the sauce will splatter a little as it cooks. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of water. If you have time, leave the curry to stand for 30 minutes before serving, then reheat gently. Serve with rice on the side and fresh coriander scattered over.

Lemon Garlic Herb Crumb Topping for Seafood

Lemon Garlic Herb Crumb Topping for Seafood

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from ATK

Great for baked stuffed fish, shrimp, lobster… Top with a garlic, lemon, butter crumb mixture and it’s like being back east.

  • ½cup Ritz cracker crumbs (15 crackers)
  • ⅓cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2TBS minced fresh parsley
  • 2tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 1tsp grated lemon zest
  • 3TBS unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼cup dry white wine
  • 2TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice


For topping:

Combine the cracker crumbs, panko, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Set aside.

Use:

Partially bake the seafood if it is thick. Remove seafood from the oven and pour the wine and lemon juice directly on the seafood. Pat the crumb mixture evenly on top, pressing gently to help them adhere. (Don’t worry if some crumbs get into the sauce!)

Return the pan to the oven for 12 minutes, until the seafood is just cooked through in the center. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices and lemon wedges.