Brainy Bourbon Street Braised Pork Spare ribs...

 

Louisiana road trip...

Before you get started, what is the difference between spare ribs and short ribs? Spare ribs are pork and short ribs are beef. So, for this dish, you will need to buy a package of boneless pork spare ribs, 1-1/2 inch thick. A package of cherry tomatoes, and some bourbon or not... you can of course make this dish without it. 

Marinate the pork for at least one hour in a shallow dish covered with 1/4 cup of bourbon along with sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper as well as dried herb seasonings: mint, rosemary and oregano or basil.

In a heavy black iron skillet, sear your marinated pork in 4 tbs of olive oil and coconut oil. Then add some organic honey and fresh grated ginger along with a generous squeeze of lime. Cook on high for 3 min and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 6-8 min, depending on thickness of pork. Remove from heat and move the pork aside or to a serving plate and cover to retain heat. In that same black iron skillet sauté onion and cherry tomatoes in a buttery olive oil combination letting them sizzle together with an extra dash of bourbon. As they near caramelizing, prepare another side... potatoes or couscous.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Tuscan Garlic Chicken with Rosemary...

 

Tuscan garlic chicken with rosemary marinated in lemon juice and served with potatoes mashed with Parmesan cheese and garlic is brainy delicious. For this dish, you will need to buy: a package of chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. Fresh garlic, one lemon, fresh rosemary sprigs or use dried, yellow gold potatoes (six or seven med. size) and Parmesan cheese.

To begin, marinate the chicken thighs in a glass baking dish using the juice of one lemon, toss over the top 3-4 peeled and diced garlic cloves, drizzle on some olive oil and lay on your rosemary sprigs or sprinkle generously dried rosemary. Heat your oven to 425F.

After 12-15 min. of marinating time, place the chicken in the oven and roast for about 30-40 min uncovered. Check to see if the skin is crisping and if yes, turn over the thighs, return to the oven for 5 min. After five minutes or so turn the thighs back over and consider adding a few fresh washed red cherry tomatoes and a handful of kalamata olives.

Return to the oven covered, reduce heat to 350F and let roast for another 15 -20 min. Take this time now to prepare the potatoes. Wash, peel and halve, the potatoes. Add to boiling salted water and cover. When tender, drain and mash using 3 tbs of butter, the same of sour cream, a dash of olive oil, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of dried herbs - Italian blend.

Brainy Beef Stroganoff... its what's for dinner!

 

When Beef Stroganoff is served, you think: rich and creamy and romantically delicious! You can even 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 - Tagliatelle.

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 vodka, 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

Brainy Asian 'Sticky' Meatball Stir Fry...

 

Asian food is full of flavor and easy to prepare if you stick to basics....like a good stir fry!

For this dish you will need: Your choice of ground meat (lb. pork/turkey/veal +one egg), one purple 'sweet' onion, one green pepper and two young zucchini. Also, bread crumbs, dried herbs, lemon juice, buttermilk and jarred or bottled Teriyaki or you can use a Pad Thai sauce.

You can make your own 'original' Pad Thai sauce using these ingredients: 1 cup Tamarind paste (substitute using mashed dried plums with vinegar /lemon juice), ¼ cup Water, ¼ cup Fish sauce (substitute using oil from canned tuna/mackerel or sardines), 1 Tbsp Soy sauce, preferably low sodium, and ⅓ cup Brown sugar.

To begin, sauté chopped onion and green pepper in 3 tbs olive oil and 2 tbs coconut oil. Once browned, set aside while you mix up ingredients for the meatballs. In a bowl, combine ground meat with 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of buttermilk and dried herbs: lavender, mint and basil with a pinch of sea salt. The mixture should be pasty.

Roll balls of the meat mixture in more bread crumbs and then squeeze fresh lemon juice on each meatball. In the same skillet as the onion and pepper were browned, gently fry the meatballs adding a 1 tsp more of coconut oil. When fully cooked, remove and in the same skillet stir fry strips of zucchini.

Allow the zucchini to singe on the edges. Remove from skillet, bring back to the skillet the onion, green pepper and meatballs. Add the Pad Thai sauce and let simmer while you prepare spinach infused pasta or use whatever pasta you prefer and or rice noodles.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

What's Cookin with the Brainy Gourmet...

There is always something good cookin... 

Pork Loin (roasted) with yellow potatoes and green beans... so so simple; everything goes into a glass baking dish, lightly seasoned and roasts in the oven until the meat thermometer says 'ready'.  *Add potatoes and green beans after 45min so that can cook for the last hour or so together with the pork.

Or, may be meatloaf cooked in the same way...

But why not Italian sausage with gnocchi or Mediterranean chicken with cherry peppers...

and for sure good ole Swiss steak...

just keep em coming... 

Asian anything and everything...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

*all dinner ideas can be found on the Brainy Gourmet Blog...

A Brainy Favorite using Garden Fresh Tomatoes...

This time of year is one of anticipation... why? Because, the tomato plants are in the ground and already growing... I look at them and encourage them to produce a bountiful harvest! Why? Because, when it comes to homemade tomato sauce, there is no comparison.

For this dish you will need: skinless/boneless chicken thighs (as per guest), pappardelle (wide egg noodle) pasta, home jarred tomatoes if you have. If not, I recommend Red Gold whole tomatoes. Also, you will need one whole onion, fresh garlic and dried herbs: rosemary, oregano, basil and some mint. 

To begin, saute chopped onion in a covered skillet along with crushed garlic in olive oil. Next, add the chicken thighs to brown on both sides. Once, browned, dump in one large jar/can of whole tomatoes and toss in fresh dried herbs. Let this simmer while you prepare the pasta. 

Once the pasta is tender, drain and ladle into a deep serving plate and top with the chicken in sauce. Toss over the top grated mozzarella cheese and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Its really the simplicity and fresh garden tomatoes that provide all the flavor you have ever dreamed of eating.

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!

There are so many dishes to dream of...

Brainy Veal Scaloppini with Angel Hair Pasta...

 

For this absolutely delicious dish, you will need either a tender veal or pork loin, a jar of roasted red peppers and capers. The angel hair pasta should already be in your pantry. To begin, cut the loin in medallion size chunks/medals and pound them with a meat hammer. Lay them in a glass dish and sprinkle each one with meat tenderizer and garlic powder. Let the pounded meat medallions rest like this for 30 min.

Once you are ready to cook, take a skillet and lightly drizzle in olive oil covering the skillet bottom. Turn on the heat to med. and add one dollop of fresh creamy butter. As the meat rests, top each piece with bread crumbs and dried herbs... both sides. Once the butter and oil begin to bubble, lay in your veal/pork.

Brown on both sides. Next, take two roasted red peppers from the jar and slice, laying the pieces in the skillet with the breaded meat. Add to that 1/4 cup of capers. If you think you need a bit of liquid, pour in a bit from the jarred red peppers. 

Cover and let simmer on low heat while you prepare the angel hair pasta which is often known as Italian Capellini. This pasta is a very thin variety of Italian pasta in the form of long strands.

 Serve with Parmesan cheese....

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Brainy Garlic Ginger Chicken with Linguine...

 

Summer is on its way, eat out at home and enjoy a great family evening!

For this dish, you will need to buy: a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts. And, if you don't happen to have on hand: linguine pasta, onion, green pepper, fresh lime, garlic and ginger, then make a quick stop by the grocer.
















Start by sauteing on med. heat chopped onion, garlic and green pepper in a skillet with 4 tbs of coconut oil and 2 tbs of olive oil. Once the edges of the onion, garlic and green pepper are richly browned, move to one side and lay in your chicken breasts which have been marinating in a glass dish of fresh squeezed lime, turn up the heat to high, sizzle away uncovered to sear.

Quickly, sprinkle in sea salt, red pepper flakes, fresh dried or fresh herbs from the garden if you have handy; rosemary and mint are best used for this dish. Cover and let this cook for 6 min on med. heat. When the breasts have cooked on both sides move to one side of the skillet, add 4 tbs of organic honey, as much fresh grated ginger and or dried ground ginger if you like. To that, stir in 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar and 1 tbs of lime juice. While bringing up the heat to high, as you observe, this will begin to caramelize with the honey; move the chicken into this sauce, reduce heat to low and cover for 3 min.

Prepare a rolling boil of salted water for the linguine. Once tender, drain and pour out onto a low lipped serving dish. Place your chicken breasts on top of the pasta and cover with the luscious sauce. Garnish!

~Tutti a Tavola!