Oven Barbecued Chicken with Rosemary and Lavender...Delish!

Want to end the summer with a spectacular dish... then try oven barbecued chicken. As a side, you can roast along side in a separate dish herb seasoned garden fresh zucchini.

To begin: buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts (as many per guest), shallots from the garden along with three young zucchini, fresh herbs: rosemary and lavender. Heat the oven to 375, take two oblong glass baking dishes and coat with olive oil.

Lay in the chicken and sprinkle on garlic powder and sea salt to taste. Garnish with herbs and slip in the oven. You can do the same with the zucchini adding to either (chicken/zucchini) some paprika if you like.

Bake together until roasted to a golden rich brown color. Prepare on the stove a mixture of Sweet Baby Rays and Open Pit Barbecue sauces to pour over the top of the chicken for a finale... prior to serving.

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!

Beef ~ It's What's for Dinner...

When Beef Stroganoff is served, you should be thinking; rich and creamy and romantically delicious! Given that, you could easily imagine that you are at some far off tucked in European bistro...

For this dish you will need: quality cuts of beef (stew meat or thick sirloin cut into chunks), one medium onion, dark brown Bavarian mushrooms, beef stock, heavy cream and wide egg noodle pasta - Parppardelle.

To begin, marinate the beef in balsamic vinegar and pink Himalayan salt for 30-40 min. When that time is nearly finished, in a large skillet saute the onion in olive oil until dark brown on the edges.

Remove from skillet and in the same skillet, brown the mushrooms, adding 3 tbs of butter. Once the mushrooms are darker and tender, remove from the skillet putting them aside with the onion and sear the beef in chunks (drained) in the same skillet, adding a drizzle of olive oil.

Bring back into the skillet the onion and mushrooms, pour in about 3 tbs of beef stock, a half shot of either white wine or vermouth a, stirring on high heat. Then turning down the heat, add the heavy cream about 1/2 cup, cover and let simmer while you prepare the pasta and a side of blackened asparagus.

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped plater. The asparagus should be flash stir fried in olive oil, then cover to simmer on medium high adding 1 tbs of beef stock.


 Serve all together, start the music and pour the wine...

~ Tutti a Tavola

Beef... it's what's for dinner!

Who doesn't like a good steak... a vegetarian definitely.  "I don't propose they eat steak and I don't expect them to suggest I eat kale"... as my husband the Brainy Guy would say. I would say its a personal choice.

Years ago, there was a slogan put out by the American Beef Association; 'Beef, It's What's for Dinner!' And, yes that slogan is still being used to promote delicious quality beef.

Here are some of the beef dishes made by the Brainy Gourmet whose mission is to make you a brainy gourmet too. *Check Brainy Archives for ideas/instructions.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Ravioli with garden fresh vegetables...

Harvest time is here and you can get very busy!

So, sometimes dinner gets thrown together but that does not mean it can't be brainy...

Just gather some fresh veggies from the garden and mix it up with whatever you have in the fridge or freezer. Tonight its beef ravioli with diced red ripe tomatoes from the garden, new Ratte potatoes and a salad.

Never heard of Ratte? They are a French fingerling variety of potato about 6 inches long; creamy, earthy and rich with a hint of nut flavor, the 'La Ratte' potato is a culinary treat that's simple to grow in the home garden.

 ~Tutti a Tavola!

Cooking with summer fruits...

In Europe, this time of year is full of flesh and I mean yummy purple plum flesh, juicy and sweet. Generally, Europeans love to cook with a variety of summer fruits and plums especially either fresh or dried. The best chicken cacciatore is made with dried plums - prunes. Check out Brainy Archives for summer fruit dishes!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Beef or Chicken Minestrone Soup...

Choose a beef or chicken stock as a base and get cooking. Add to that base stock, your favorite vegetables (any kind of bean is optional) and include diced onion, garlic and tomatoes along with a pinch of salt then some dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano.

Boil your pasta preference on the side to add to individual bowls, put out the Parmesan and serve!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Mark's Spaghetti di Tuna...

Whether you have heard of spaghetti de tuna or not doesn't matter... its just delicious and that's what matters most. Yes, Italians do make this dish. Italians living on the seaside eat a lot of seafood and pasta with it... ever heard of 'Frutti de Mare'?  That means fruit of the sea.

For this dish you will need: tomato sauce, canned tuna in oil, onion, red pepper flakes, garlic, fresh dried herbs and linguine. Essentially, the sauce is an Arrabbiata sauce... spicy hot tomato.

To begin, chop one onion and 2 cloves of garlic to saute in olive oil. Once browned, add one large can of crushed tomatoes, 1/2 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes (1/2 depending on your taste buds or more if your brave), fresh dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano and the canned tuna un-drained. Let simmer while you start a pot of water to boil for the linguine.

...top with Parmesan

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Mark's Brainy Summer Salmon Bake...

Fresh salmon with butter and lemon is summertime delicious!

For this delicious summertime dish you will need: a large fillet 'slab' of fresh salmon, lemon, butter, and olive oil, herbs: rosemary, dill, mint and oregano.

To begin, turn the oven to 400f, take a large roasting pan and drizzle the olive oil, lay in the 'slab' of salmon skin side down, top with garlic powder, lemon slices and herbs. Once the oven is hot, pop it in until the meat is just turning from dark pink to light pink. Turn the oven temp down to 350.

Next, add fresh washed asparagus spears laying them in along side the salmon. Drop in about four pats of butter and back into the oven until the asparagus is tender.

~ Tutti a Tavola!