Bowtie Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

 

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage and Tomatoes

So, it's been a long day and you're tired, you've worked late and you have hungry people at home to feed, or, you have company coming over and now you're feeling a little stressed due to running late.  Let's solve your problem.  I have the perfect meal for you and your hungry eaters.  Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

2 pints cherry or baby tomato medley

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

6 fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 stick butter

2 rounded tablespoons Dry Italian seasoning or fresh:

rosemary, oregano, thyme, finely chopped

1 box or package Farfalle, "Bowtie" pasta

Bring four quarts of water to a roiling boil. In a skillet, add the onion and garlic in evoo, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute till the onion begins to soften.  At that point, use a wooden spoon to move the onion and garlic off to the sides of the skillet. Add the ground Italian sausage in chunks.  Add the dry Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper, breaking up the meat as fine as possible. I like it a bit chunky; you work it out however you wish. 😁

When the water begins to boil, generously add salt and stir.  When it begins to boil vigorously, add the Bowtie pasta and set a timer for about ten minutes. 

While the pasta boils, add the washed tomatoes to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Stir thoroughly. Add some of the fresh basil.  Cover the skillet and allow the heat and hot oil to cause the tomatoes to burst and add sweetness to this "deconstructed" pasta sauce. This is amazing. 

The pasta should be "al dente" or near done. Use a colander to drain the pot or, use a "spider" utensil to remove the pasta, placing it into the skillet. Either way, keep the pot, and reduce the heat to low.  Add the butter and about three turns of the pot with evoo.  Add some of the dry Italian seasoning, some of the fresh basil and add the ingredients from the skillet into the pot.  Stir thoroughly to coat the pasta with the butter, evoo, seasoning and the popping tomatoes with it. Turn off the heat that was under the skillet. 

Either grate the parmigiano-reggiano over the pot or over the plated pasta. I like to grate it over the plates or bowls. I used bowls for this particular meal. 

As always, make the dish your own. This can be purely vegetarian, as well, which I have made in the past. 

Thank You for your time and your visit.  I hope you enjoyed reading this humble blog post. I am working on getting into the swing of writing again after a long absence.  It means a great deal that you are here.  

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love! ❤

~Martin 

In-House Cook

Martin's MIssissippi Pot Roast

 

Martin's Mississippi Pot Roast

Everyone who knows me, knows how I love tangy, spicy, warm flavors.  Mississippi Pot Roast allows me all of that, and more.  I am kinda drooling about it as I write!  My best friend, Anne, makes THE BEST Mississippi pot roast Ever, but I thought I'd share mine; it's a bit of a tweak from the norm. Let's get started, shall we?

This meal-a-palooza can be  made in a slow cooker or any pot. There are tons of different takes on this, but as long as we don't deviate too far from the original, I think we can do it justice, with a little tweak.  So, slow-cooker, Dutch oven or just a pot will be needed.  Let's get to my list of ingredients. 

Ingredients

1 large pot roast

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 head garlic, halved

four leaves fresh basil

1 rounded tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary

2 rounded tablespoons of freshy or dried lemony thyme

1 -2 pounds baby New Potatoes (Use your favorite!)

1 -2 packages of either dry Italian dressing seasoning or...

Ranch dry dressing

1 cup of mayonnaise

3 rounded tablespoons mustard (your favorite)

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon (rounded) dry dill

1 cup of pepperoncinis and half of the juice of the bottle

1 cup dill pickle juice

1 can pickled jalapenos

6 tablespoons your favorite searing oil (I like grapeseed)

4 teaspoons Green Hot Sauce (Tobasco and Cholula are my favorites)

1 large can beer (Corona is great) or 1 large box of Chicken Broth

The great thing about this recipe is, you can add or change or delete whatever you want to!  

First, preheat the oven to 250-degrees.  Add four exaggerated tablespoons of oil to a skillet or Dutch oven over high heat. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the pot roast. When the oil begins to ripple, add the pot roast and sear 6 minutes per side. Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and set aside, and halve the head of garlic; slice off the stop quarter of the head of garlic, and if there are cloves protruding around the bottom, use a paring knife and cut the top off of those extra cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place with the potatoes. 

Seared pot roast ready for braising

Potatoes, basil, rosemary, thyme and onion ready to braise with the pot roast. 

Place the seared pot roast into the pot or slow cooker over the potatoes.  Add the mayo and green hot sauce atop the roast.  Add the pepperoncinis to the pot, along with the garlic and pickled jalapenos. Also, add the entire beer or box of chicken or beef stock, the pepperincini juice and dill pickle juice.  Add a fresh herb bundle, including rosemary, thyme and dill. 

*One tweak I made was to add a half cup of Sweet Carolina BBQ sauce.  The tangy flavor is just amazing and the aroma while braising is enrapturing.  You will be like the cartoon person who smells the cooking aroma and floats into the kitchens, captivated by aromas. I will make it this way forever. 

Now, if you are using a slow cooker, you will want to assemble everything the night before or early in the morning.  Set the slow cooker to high for eight hours.  If you are using a Dutch oven or another type of pot, arrange to take one rack out so you can place the pot into the oven at 250-degrees, as mentioned earlier. Slow cook for up to five or six hours.  The meat should fall apart when touched with a fork. IF you must do this on the stove top, bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low for six or seven hours. No matter how you do this, it will be amazing!

When finished, remove the chunks of pot roast, remove the pepperincinis and potatoes.  Plate up to six servings.  Garnish with fresh sage, oregano or Italian flat-leaf parsley.  The aromas are only a mild hint to the incredible, sweet and dill flavors coming your way. 

THANK YOU so much for your visit and your time!  As always, I am thoroughly grateful for you.  Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love❤!!!

~Martin

Your In-House Cook

The full Hunter's Moon two weeks ago from Santa Cruz. Ca. 

The many faces of my Foley dog. 

Rosemary Garlic Chicken Thighs with Roasted Herb Potatoes

 Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Roasted Herb Potatoes

I have come to a place in my life where time is still crunched and many dinners are too simple and store bought to blog about, but I want more.  I want elegant, beautiful, fragrant dinners to relish and enjoy and talk about for a few days.  This....is one of them. Takes about an hour, a little shopping, and totally worth while.  Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

4 - 6 chicken thighs skin on, boneless or bone-in

1 - 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered

4 - 6 cloves garlic, diced

Fresh Rosemary, 6 large sprigs

4 fresh thyme sprigs

3 sprigs fresh oregano

1/2 teaspoon saffron fronds

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika

4 + 3 tablespoons your favorite oil

This dish can be made in a slow cooker or a skillet with a cover. The best part is, while there is a little searing involved, the rest is done in one pot or skillet.  Alright, place the chicken thighs out on a large plate. Generously sprinkle both salt and pepper and paprika onto both sides of the chicken. Be sure to retain some for the slow cooking. Set the plate aside.  On a separate cutting board, slice each potato into fourths.

Now, in two separate skillets, add oil to the skillets; four tablespoons in the larger skillet, both skillets over medium-high heat.  When the oil ripples, place the chicken and potatoes into their perspective skillets. Turn the chicken after about four minutes, or when the seared side is just a little golden. As for the potatoes, when they begin to show golden colors, like the chicken, turn them over and add a little garlic , thyme and some fresh rosemary leaves. Fry to about four minutes more and then remove.  

At this point, add a little more oil to a pot or to a large skillet.  Add the potatoes to the high-sided skillet (let's just go with that for simplicity's sake).  Add some more fresh garlic, thyme and oregano, and twice as much fresh rosemary. Place the chicken atop the potatoes and add the remaining fresh herbs, garlic, two pinches of saffron and two or three of the larger whole sprigs of rosemary; after all, rosemary is the star of the show!  In addition, sprinkle pinches of the remaining salt, pepper and paprika over the chicken. Bring to medium-high heat.  When frying begins, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Check it in a few minutes, as you may need to reduce to low, depending on the calibration and elevation of your stove top.  

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken and potatoes to rest about five minutes, or, if you prefer, plate right away!  It'll be hot!  I added a little parmesan to the potatoes and chicken.  Serve with fresh garnish of your choice.  White wine would go best with this dish.  I prefer Chardonnay, myself. 

Thank You so much for your visit and time!  I am so grateful.  Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love!❤

~Martin

Your In-House Cook

My Foley

Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Saffron Rice and Grilled Peaches

 

Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Saffron Rice and Grilled Peaches

Sometimes we want to have a bit of elegance at dinner without much fuss. Here is a version of caprese chicken with rice you can microwave with grilled peach slices. The prep is simple and the flavor is powerful, not to mention the aromas! Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

2+ chicken breasts (1 per person)

8+ slices Italian salami (I prefer sopressata) 

3 leaves fresh basil, chopped plus 8 fresh whole leaves

4 cloves garlic*, diced

3 cups marinated mozzarella balls or...

2+ cups grated mozzarella

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 4 tbspn

salt and pepper

1 rounded tablespoon dry Italian seasoning

2 microwavable bags of Basamati Rice

1 pinch saffron per rice bag

1/2 teaspoon diced fresh garlic*

2+ fresh peaches, quartered

Using a chef's knife, make four or five cuts about an inch deep about an inch apart. Add a good drizzle, three or four rounds of evoo in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little salt and pepper and half of the dry Italian seasoning all over the chicken breasts and gently sear until the breasts turn golden. Remove the breasts and allow to cool, about ten minutes.  Prep the salami, mozzarella balls, fresh basil leaves, remaining spices, and preheat the oven to 375-degrees.  

Add one piece of salami that has been halved to each slice.  Add one large or two medium folded fresh basil leaves per slice. Add a little diced garlic to each slice on the chicken. When that has been completed, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and dry Italian seasoning to the top of each chicken breast.  Place the breasts in a baking pan or oven-safe skillet. Add the mozzarella balls to each chicken breast over the stuffings. Now place the skillet or pan into the oven for 35 minutes. 

Now, using a grill pan or skillet, add butter or butter spray over medium-high heat.  Add the peach slices  when the butter begins to sizzle and grill the peaches.  Turn when the sugars release the peach and there are grill marks on them. Try not to turn too quickly. If the sugars have not developed and softened the meat of the peach it will tear when turning. 

Next, tear the seal of the rice packets and add a tiny splash of water and a pinch of garlic.  Usually, these packets need only one minute to cook, but please read the directions, just to be sure. 

After the timer goes off signaling the completeness of the chicken, and let the chicken rest about five minutes before serving.  When the rice is cooked, empty the rice onto the serving plates and add a pinch of saffron to each.  Add the peaches and the chicken after five minutes. Add white balsamic vinegar to the chicken and the peaches. Garnish with the remaining diced fresh basil and serve.

            Well, What are you waiting for?  Go Cook For Someone You Love!!!!

Thank You for your time and consideration!  I hope you make this, or some version of it that works for you.  Let me know what you do and how you like it!

~Martin

Your In-House Cook

Homemade Pasta Sauce with Ravioli

Homemade Pasta Sauce with Ravioli

Hello Friends!  

This recipe is so simple and easy, it is a true 30-minute meal, maybe even less.  Flavorful, easy, and aromatic, and you can effortlessly adjust the recipe to serve two or more hungry eaters. Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

2 pints cherry or medley tomatoes

1 head garlic, halved

3 - 6 leaves basil, chiffonade cut

4 tablespoons EVOO

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. 

In an oven safe skillet or cast iron skillet, add the evoo, the tomatoes and the two halves of the garlic. Place the cut side into the evoo, then turn them over and sprinkle the tomatoes and the garlic with a little salt and pepper. Add about a fourth of the sliced basil to the tomatoes. Place in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes.  When about all of the tomatoes have popped, releasing their sweetness, and the garlic begins to turn a little golden, remove the skillet carefully.  Add the next two fourths basil to the skillet and let the sauce ingredients cool for about fifteen minutes. Place the sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend till smooth.  Set aside. 

Bring four cups to four quarts of water to a boil (four cups for two, four quarts for 4 or more) and salt generously. When the water comes to a roiling boil, add the ravioli or whatever pasta you are wishing to use, and boil till the pasta rises (if it is ravioli or tortelloni).  Now, pour the sauce into the skillet along with a drizzle of evoo and bring to medium heat. Use a spider or  hand-held strainer and add the pasta to the sauce skillet.  Toss with a wooden spoon until the ravioli has been fully coated. 

 Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese to each dish and enjoy!

Thank you for your time and consideration!  I am so happy you have come to visit my humble little site.  I am working on becoming more consistent with my recipe writing and posting.  Thanks, Again!

~Martin

Your In-House Cook