Brainy Elegant Parpardelle with Asparagus...

 

Ahh, Italia...

A Quick Delicious Pasta Dish ~ Egg Pappardelle Pasta from Rustichella d'Abruzzo with Capers, Red Peppers and Tomato Garlic Sauce! Yes, even with a long title like that this pasta dish is fast and frugal.

To begin, you will need to buy or take from the pantry a package of wide egg noodles... preferably the 'Egg Pappardelle Pasta from the Italian food product provider ~  Rustichella d'Abruzzo.

Next, using a deep fry pan, gently saute the bacon (thick sliced) and or very mild Italian sausage in olive oil on med. heat until it crumbles. Drain off the extra fat that accumulates to save for future cooking.

Add to the skillet, half a jar of drained capers, and one chopped roasted red pepper, one med can of diced tomatoes, dried herbs: rosemary, mint, sage and oregano along with garlic powder.

As the sauce simmers, start salted water to boil in which you will cook the pasta. Returning to the sauce in progress, add a little less than 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce, and a small pat of butter.

As a colorful and tasty side, fry a few spears of fresh green asparagus in 3 tbs of diced bacon in olive oil until blackened on edges. And, put out the grated Parmesan cheese...

~ Tutti a Tavola! 

 

Brainy Boneless Pork Loin with Sun Dried Plums...

 

 

 

The title or name of this dish says it all!

Basically, all you need to whip this up in about 45 min is a 1 lb boneless pork loin, beef stock, a few dried plums, mushrooms, one onion, one carrot, one parsnip, and fresh string beans

To begin: open the pork loin (cut down the middle and gently spread open) to lay out flat until you have a fillet (do not pound). Season with Himalayan sea salt, garlic powder and dried herbs. Sear the loin on all sides in a skillet of olive oil. Once you have done that, remove the seared loin and set it aside to rest.

Next, chop one onion and half pound of mushrooms. In another skillet brown the onions/mushrooms in olive oil and a dollop of butter. Once browned, remove from the heat.

Turn your attention back to the loin, add the mushrooms and lay in as many sun dried plums as you can fit. Top with a 3/4 cup of beef stock and let simmer while you prepare the root veggies and fresh green string beans.

Wash the beans and cut off stem tops if needed. Peel the carrot and parsnip, then julienne slice.  Using the onion/mushroom skillet, add olive oil, 2 dollops (tbs) of cold pressed coconut oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Stir fry the veggies until just tender and slightly blackened. As the pork is nearly finished, get ready to serve on a low lipped plate, pouring out the rich liquid with mushrooms and plums.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Piccata with Buckwheat Groats and Lemon Pesto...

 

When in Italy, do as they do... Cook with your senses and your heart! 

 

You will need to buy a package of boneless chicken breasts: 

Butter
Heavy cream
Chicken stock 

Green Olives
Red Pepper Flakes

Dried Herb Seasonings
Lemon Pesto
Fresh Garlic
Onion
Salt

Start this dish by chopping your onion and garlic. Then take your best covered skillet melt in 3 tbs of olive oil and coconut oil.  Add the chopped onion and garlic. Turn the heat to med- high. Once the edges brown lay in your boneless chicken breasts cut into wide strips. Dash in your seasonings, salt (according to your dietary allowances and or on brand of olives you will be using) and pepper flakes. Sizzle both sides of the strips on high heat; add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and cover. 

Allow this to cook on med. for 5min. Uncover for a moment, turn up the heat to high to let the juices intensify. Then add 1/3 cup heavy cream and as  many diced green olives as you like. However, if they are a salty brand go easy; do a taste test. Cover and simmer on low for 8-10 min.

In the meantime, start a pot of water boiling (with a pinch of salt). This will be to cook a side of brown rice mixed with buckwheat groats. I like to use the boil in the bag method and nowadays you can even get this type in the organic section of your food mart. Once tender, remove and drain. Whether you use groats or pasta, pour out the scrumptious Piccata, garnish and serve with room temp lemon pesto. 

Blessings~

Brainy Skillet Lasagna... with Ragu!

Have a taste for lasagna but don't have the time or patience to make it, then try skillet lasagna, you won't be disappointed. I prefer a 'ragu' (chunkier meat) sauce because it lays better on the large noodles.

Ragu sauce is one of the most popular and beloved sauces in Italy. It is made from tomatoes and ground or chopped meat cooked for a long time. For this Ragu dish you will need: 1 lb. quality beef stew meat (or ground beef if you prefer).  One large jar of either fresh jarred stewed tomatoes or canned, 3/4 cup of beef stock, one whole onion, 1 tbs garlic paste, 3 tbs of tomato paste and herbs: rosemary, oregano, and mint. And of course, ready to use lasagna noodle pasta.

To get started: gently saute the onion (chopped) along with garlic paste. Add your meat, if using stew meat make sure the chunks are small or not too big and brown the meat a bit before adding the stock. Let this simmer for about 25 min. making sure the liquid is yet covering the meat. You can add more stock if needed. Next, add the jarred tomatoes and 3 tbs of paste. Let this simmer for about 45 minutes until the beef is tender.

You can add the 'dry' pasta directly to the skillet as they will cook in the bubbling meat and tomato sauce. However, you can also boil the pasta separately and then add the boiled pasta to the skillet and serve. Its a lot quicker that way.  I don't add mozzarella cheese to this dish but of course you can. We prefer it served with grated Parmesan which is shaved and put on the table.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Asian Food with Lots of Flavor...

Asian flavor... what does that mean?"

Asian flavor usually refers to a combination of savory, aromatic and other ingredients such as: soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and chilies. 

Check out these Brainy Asian dishes for your dinner menu... 

[Type in the Search Box top left margin of this blog: Asian Pork, Asian Beef or Chicken]

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Chicken Enchilada Lasagna... Tex Mex Style!

Looking for a quick Sunday evening meal that's different but familiar... try this!

For this dish, you will need: corn or wheat flour tortillas, one store bought rotisserie chicken, salsa sauce, mozzarella and shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, chicken or beef stock and hot sauce.

To begin, layer this Tex Mex lasagna just as you would any lasagna. First, spread a hot spicy coat of olive oil onto a glass baking dish and then layer: first tortillas, shredded cheese, a quick splash here and there of chicken stock, pulled rotisserie chicken, salsa sauce... and again until the glass dish is to the brim with deliciousness. Lastly, top with more cheese and bake on 350 until golden brown. 

Garnish and eat as much as you want... with sour cream, diced tomatoes, cilantro and hot sauce!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Bacon and Eggs for Dinner... Its Brainy!

Farm food... bacon and eggs can become an elegant dinner; served on the terrace... 

My daughter and son-in-law live in the country and have the wonderful pleasure of raising their own chickens, beef and pork. And, of course, parents are treated to their generosity. Eggs are one of the best basic food items to keep in the pantry (as you know farm fresh eggs don't need refrigeration). That's because they are full of protein, not as expensive as meat, easy to cook making eggs a fast and frugal food item.

When I make omelettes, I like to keep the omelette simple and have extra ingredients on the side. This keeps any veggie who want to add crisp and the omelette pure... also, its a good idea to do this in case any family member doesn't like green pepper, mushroom, asparagus or whatever else you like to have in your omelette.

Farm food... bacon and eggs can become an elegant dinner; served on the terrace. For today's meal, begin by sauteing fresh green asparagus with fresh green pepper, onion and mushrooms in olive oil and a dollop of fresh creamy butter.

Once, brown and tender, remove from the skillet and set aside. Add a bit more olive oil to the skillet and lay in your bacon. Fresh cured pork is so delicious, there is no store bought comparison. As the bacon browns and crisps up, set on top of the asparagus, mushrooms and green peppers. Drain off any excess bacon grease (in Poland they use this to make lard spread) and wipe out the skillet with a clean napkin. Drop in another dollop of butter and then pour into the hot skillet a mixture of whisked eggs (use as many eggs as you will need per person omelette) with 1/4 of heavy cream or more depending on number of eggs used (cover the bottom of the skillet only).  

Cover and let it bubble up, remove cover and check edges. If they lift of up easy shuffle your omelette in the skillet and cover again until you see most of the egg mixture solidifying in the middle, add a few slices of cheese and or grated Parmesan and cover again for a few seconds. Finally, remove the lid and turn over the omelette in half, slide onto a serving plate.  Put out the bacon and veggies as a side of extra ingredients.

~ Tutti a Tavola!