Brainy Beefy Mongolian Beef with Wild Rice and more...

 

For this dish, you will need:beef stew meat or inexpensive steak cut (1lb), garlic, onion, green or red pepper, ginger and garlic paste, one young zucchini or green beans, sun dried tomatoes, wild rice and homemade Mongolian Beef sauce which is like teriyaki only with a small amount of natural ground peanut butter (softened with sesame oil) in the mix.  

Homemade Mongolian Beef sauce can be a basic recipe is: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup of beef broth or stock, along with tablespoon cornstarch mixed in, 1 tbs of ginger paste and 2 tbs of peanut butter, 4-5 tablespoons honey or brown sugar, and red pepper flakes to taste. To that mixture, you can add garlic paste to taste. For an extra zing, you can use a dash or two of either Rice or Marsala wine.

To begin, cube the beef, chop the onion, zucchini or green beans, sun dried tomatoes and green/red pepper; for a quick stir fry in olive oil or coconut oil. Once this stir fry is singed on the edges, remove from heat and place in a warm oven while you prepare the wild rice.  

When the rice (s) is/are tender, drain and ladle onto a serving plate, top with beef and vegetables from the oven and pour over any additional sauce left over in the skillet.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Closing the Winter Olympics with a Brainy Verona Pork Loin...

 

This dish is truly a no-brainer... "not when in Rome" but in Verona Italy. This is a dish known as Lombata di maiale or lonza.  Pork loin is highly regarded as a lean, and tender cut of meat and often served with traditional Veronese side dishes like pearà (a peppery, bread-based sauce) or roasted with rosemary. 

This dish can be done in the skillet or in the oven in a glass baking dish. You will need: one pound lean pork loin (boneless) along with a jar of sun dried tomatoes and a package of dried plums. *Recommended sides are: baked potato and green beans.

To begin, turn on the oven to 350F. Then, take a glass baking dish, drizzle in olive oil and lay in the pork loin. Sprinkle with dried 'bread' mixed with herbs: black pepper, rosemary, mint and oregano with a dash of garlic powder and pinch of sea salt. When the oven is up to temp, put the loin into the oven uncovered.

Let this roast for about 25 min. Next, add to the pork loin as many sun dried tomatoes and dried plums as you like, toss in a few pats of butter and 1/4 of heavy cream which creates the peppery sauce. Finish in the oven on 325F uncovered for another 25 - 35 minutes more. Prepare your sides.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Taste of the Gulf... Brainy Shrimp Louisiana Style!

 

 

This popular gulf dish is so simple and tasty that its beyond brainy.You will need to buy: 1/2 lb of either frozen  jumbo shrimp or fresh from the fish counter at your local grocer. I actually like to buy shrimp fresh calculating amount per person- about 4.

If frozen then thaw out and when thawed, remove tails and marinate in fresh squeezed lemon juice while you prepare the while rice and a creole 'chutney or thick sauce' - petite diced purple onion, roasted red pepper and young green zucchini. Saute in 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs coconut oil.

Prepare wild rice in stock - 1 cup per 2 cups liquid. Check on the chutney, remove from skillet (set aside) so that you can sear the shrimp, adding a bit more olive oil and a small pat of butter. Once seared, bring back the veggie chutney and scramble together with shrimp.

When the rice is tender, ladle onto a low lipped serving plate and top with the shrimp creole. Squeeze lemon juice on top, along with some fresh chopped dill and chive; don't forget to put out the Louisiana hot sauce!

~ Tutti a Tavola! 

Fat Tuesday means a Brainy Mardi Gras....

 

Jambalaya is a simple dish. It can be whipped up in 35 min.  For this dish you will need, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, smoked sausage (buy meat according to number of guests/family), one onion, green and red pepper, dry white wine, chicken stock and a whole bunch of good ole hot stuff as in seasonings.

In a large covered skillet, pour in 5 tbs of olive oil, add to that chopped one whole onion and your red/green peppers (if you have on hand only green peppers then use them, you don't have to be strict). Give this onion and pepper a good stir fry on high heat. Reduce heat to med, and add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of white 'dry' wine. Cover and let simmer on med. heat while you dice up your chicken and sausage. Once you've done your dicing, add the pieces of chicken and sausage.

To this mixture now bubbling in your skillet, add your seasonings: 1 tsp of sea salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and the same of garlic powder, 1/2 - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1/2 - 1 tsp of paprika (hotter if you want to melt snow). Stir in all seasonings until everything is a rusty amber. Cover and let simmer for 25 min.

In the meantime, prepare a side dish. I recommend rice, after all its Jambalaya. Add dry kernel rice (1-2 cups depending on # guests) to a deep stock pot of boiling water (two cups water to one of rice) with a pinch of salt.

When the rice is tender, ladle onto a low lipped serving dish, pour out your Jambalaya and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. You can also squeeze on fresh lemon or lime. Or, you can just put a half of lemon on the table along with a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce.

~Tutti a Tavola!

When in Italy, do as the Italians... Brainy Italian Bisque!

 

Italian tomato bisque is a creamy rich, velvety soup characterized by the use of vine ripe tomatoes i.e. San Marzano, accentuated by fresh herbs such as leafy basil and dried oregano, olive oil and heavy cream. Its really very simple too.

Just stir together in a large stock pot 4 cups of chicken stock along with a few cloves of garlic and a med.onion if you like. Add one small can of tomato paste and simmer. Add the basil, oregano, olive oil and heavy cream on the end. While the bisque simmers, prepare either baked brie or grilled cheese or just toasted bread with butter and Parmesan cheese. 

*Tutti a Tavola a Mangiare! 

 

*Brie is not necessarily Italian but being on the French/Italian border, you find such a mix ;-)

Teriyaki Chicken ~ Brainy Quick, Easy and Delicious...

 

Chicken teriyaki ingredients typically include chicken (breasts or thighs). For this dish, thighs are used (skinless or skin on). A basic sauce of soy sauce and brown sugar, plus flavorings like fresh or ground ginger and garlic, often thickened with cornstarch, and sometimes finished with sesame oil, sesame seeds or peanuts and coconut as well as a garnish of green onions or rocket.

And, let me stress… it’s the brown sugar that truly adds flavor and sweetness as well as fresh ginger and garlic for flavor and depth.

The basic ingredients are:
1 package of boneless and or skinless chicken thighs per guest. One package of either flat rice noodles or regular spaghetti noodles or just simply cook rice for as many guests per serving. Use 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 tbs of soy sauce and 1/4 cup orange juice or lime juice, one large diced onion and one or two gloves of garlic.

Chop your onion and garlic (2 cloves)
Take chicken out of the package and set aside. In a covered skillet on a low flame, melt 3 tbs of Coconut Oil and the same of Olive Oil and then add the diced onion, garlic and brown.

Place chicken thighs in and turn up the flame to get them nicely browned on both sides.
Now add your brown sugar, soy sauce, and also add 1/4 cup orange juice.
Cover and let simmer until chicken is cooked. I like to use a braiser with cover which finishes the chicken nicely in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, cook noodles or rice. When the noodles/rice are done, drain and place on a large low lipped bowl.  Pour out the chicken and all skillet contents then sprinkle with sesame seeds, peanuts and or coconut flakes! 

 
*Teriyaki Sauce and hot sauce for the table is perfect ... 

Italian Sausage with Penne and Olives ~ Brainy Tavern Style

 

Italian food stirs the imagination...

This dish is so awesomely delicious that you can imagine never eating anything else for the rest of your life. The key is in the sausage. Quality Italian sausage is best bought from the local deli or butcher and it should be 'rustic' as in meaty... not overly seasoned; no fennel. The other key aspect regarding the sausage is that the casing is excellent quality; you don't want it to be rubbery or chewy.

Besides really good Italian sausage, you will need: black olives, one med. red pepper (roasted) one large onion, and penne pasta.  To get started, saute the onion and pepper 'chopped' in olive oil until browned on the edges. Have your sausage cut into bite sized chunks or crumbled. Add to the skillet with the onion and pepper pushing them aside while you brown the sausage.

Bring back in the onion and pepper covering the sausage while you open a can of crushed Red Gold tomatoes unless of course you have either fresh garden tomatoes to use and one handful of black olives. Generously, sprinkle in dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano. Stir and cover, let this simmer on med heat while you prepare the pasta; simmering the sauce for a good 25 min.

Add the penne pasta to salted boiling water. Once tender, drain and ladle onto a serving plate and or bowl. Pour out the hot bubbly Italian sausage sauce onto the pasta and serve.

Put on the Parmesan... ~ Tutti a Tavola!