Another 'Ole' Brainy Favorite... Swiss Steak

Nothing brings me back to the idea of a country home kitchen more than the delicious taste of Swiss steak with a heaping side of mashed potatoes.

For this dish, you will need a large round steak, one whole onion, one small can of tomato paste and fresh dried herbs. Its as simple as that; and of course - yellow gold potatoes (2 per person is my ratio when making mashed).

To begin, marinate the steak in balsamic vinegar, two dashes of A1 steak sauce and a couple of good shakes of meat tenderizer. After 1-2 hours, begin cooking by sauteing one whole onion chopped in olive oil on med heat. While the onion begins to brown on the edges, cut up the round steak into palm size medallions or even strips.

Push the onions aside and lay in the steak, turn up the heat to high to sear the meat on both sides. Next, turn down the heat to med. and bring back the onion adding 1 cup of water and all of the contents of the one small can of tomatoes paste. Give it a good stir and add your dried herbs: rosemary, mint, oregano and sage.

Let this simmer on the stove on low heat for 30-40 min. Prepare potatoes (wash and peel) cut into halves and boil in salted water until tender. Once the potatoes pass the fork test, drain and mash with butter and milk until creamy.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

An 'ole' Brainy Gourmet Favorite...Spaghetti!

 

Whether you make spaghetti and meatballs or spaghetti bolognse, its always going to be 'Brainy'. Its one of the simplest dishes you can make and one that is forever memorable...like grandma used to make.

To begin this favorite, you will need: ground veal or turkey or pork (1 egg optional) along with onion (one large), heavy cream, bread crumbs, dried herbs, tomatoes (fresh or canned) and spaghetti pasta.

Mix about 1 pound of ground meat with bread crumbs, heavy cream, dried herbs and a pinch of salt and garlic powder. Start adding each ingredient little by little making sure that the meatballs are not too bready or to creamy. Set aside after forming the meatballs. Next, chop the onion and brown in olive oil. Push aside and in the same skillet, brown the meatballs.

Bring the onion back in around the meatballs and pour in one can of Red Gold crushed 'red' tomatoes unless you have fresh (washed, peeled and chopped).  Boil the pasta in salted water until tender, drain and rinse. Ladle onto a low lipped serving plate and top with meatballs and sauce.

... pour on the Parmesan cheese!



~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Gourmet Chicken Mole Verde...

The term mole stems from the Nahuatl world molli, which means “sauce” or “concoction.” Mole comes from a family of sauces prepared throughout the Oaxaca and Puebla regions of Mexico and is characterized by a complex, layered flavor derived from intricate blends of dried chiles, spices, fruits, and seasonings.

For this spicy hot dish, you will need either pork tenderloin or boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces or leave whole (taking longer to cook); prepare for as much as you need to serve your guests/family (1-1/4 lb). One onion, 2 cans (10 oz) of RoTel diced tomatoes with green chilies (mole verde), 1/4 cup of semi-sweet morsels, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbs espresso coffee (optional) and bacon if you like.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Begin by sauteing one sweet vidalia chopped onion in olive oil on med heat. Once browned, push aside and add your pork loin or chicken (if you want to do a bacon wrap you can). Brown the meat on all sides. Then bring back the onion and set aside on low heat covered. 

In a sauce pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil, let it get hot and then add the 2 cans of tomatoes with chilies and all the above mentioned spices. You can directly add the chocolate chips morsels or pre-melt them in the microwave; but don't let them bubble, and then stir into the developing sauce. 

You can pour the sauce in with the meat (not pouring over the top) and let simmer for 15-20 min. while you prepare rice, potatoes or a salad for your side. Or, you can keep the meat separate from the sauce and when ready to serve pour the sauce onto a serving plate then lay in your meat for a lovely presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

 

A Brainy Gourmet has a Good Sense of Timing...

You know the old saying, "timing is everything" and it is when it comes to cooking... just ask any chef. 

When it comes to timing, all foods in terms of their origin, ingredients, texture, color, and smell play into timing. If you like crispy veggies, don't boil them to death. 

If you want fluffy dumplings, don't add too many eggs or oil. For a creamy sauce, be careful about the order of ingredients and temperature. A really great sauce should be smooth, well balanced...not lumpy.

If you plan to do a stir fry then you need a hot uncovered skillet or wok. If plan to do a pasta dish with a delicate sauce, then don't use flour that will weigh it down.

Always keep in mind that if you let food cook too long on a certain temperature it will change in taste, texture, color and consistency. Treat ingredients with care... every meal cooked deserves respect and to be served at the right time.

Timing comes with time... you have to spend time cooking to get an understanding of timing as well as your time and effort.

Brainy Chicken Quinoa Skillet...

One skillet meals are simple and simply delicious. They cook up in one pan but taste like they were cooked up by chefs with nothing better to do than to make you smile...

Have you ever had quinoa in a skillet dish? Well, first of all... what is that? Quinoa comes to us from the Andes Mountains of South America, we would like to welcome quinoa to our healthy diets! Quinoa (keen-wah) is one of those pseudo-cereals that we let pretend to be a cereal grain because its nutritional makeup is so similar. 

Quinoa actually belongs to the same family as the sugar beet and spinach! This is referred to as the goosefoot family. Botanically, they’re very similar. So quinoa isn’t really a grain at all. It’s actually a seed.

For this dish you will need: chicken breasts (boneless/skinless) per guest. Quinoa, white onion, red pepper, minced garlic, chardonnay wine, chicken stock, kalamata olives, fresh young spinach, fresh thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, paprika and either olive oil or coconut oil. 

Start by sauteing one whole chopped onion, one red pepper and minced garlic in olive oil or coconut oil. Once browned, add the chicken cut into strips and continue sauteing. Next add as many olives as you like, and seasonings (using as much as you like or following dietary needs) Then add 1/2 cup of wine, along with 1 and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Dump in 1 cup of quinoa and stir. Let this simmer until the quinoa has nearly absorbed all liquid. Before serving, chop as much young spinach as you like and mix in.

Serve with steamed sweat peas and or artichoke hearts on the side. Someone in our house likes this dish with hot sauce... why not? 

~ Tutti a Tavoli