Be Brainy When it Comes to Leftovers...

 

If you have turkey or pork or ham or sausage, you can turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a simple gourmet meal. This leftover meal is made with pork loin medallions and smoked sausage in creamy mustard sauce with sun dried tomatoes and dried plums, served with sweet potatoes halved and green beans. This is really so delicious!

Begin by sauteing on med heat chopped onion in olive oil. Then push aside the onion once the edges are brown, add a drizzle more of olive oil and sear the medallions on both sides. Next, add 'chunk size' cuts of smoked veal sausage or any leftover sausage.  To this meat combo, add 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes and the same of dried plums. Sprinkle in fresh dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano.

On med heat, stir and let these flavors blend before adding your heavy cream and Dijon mustard.  After 2 min, spoon in 1 tbs of mustard or more (to taste) and 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Stir while turning up the heat, let this bubble for 3-4 min. Cover and let simmer for about 15  min on low heat.

Prepare sides.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce and Wild Rice...

 

For this dish you will need: about 1 lb pork tenderloin, one yellow or white onion, 1/3 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1 ​tsp minced ginger, 1 tbs brown sugar or a tbs of Apricot jam, 1 clove garlic minced, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste) and dried herbs: rosemary, oregano and mint. Also, don't forget 1-2 cups of Minnesota 'black' wild rice (amount depends on guests). 

To begin, saute half a silvered onion in olive oil, and a pat of butter. Add to that, the garlic and ginger. Next, lay in medallion size cut pork tenderloin pieces to brown. Once browned, add the beef or chicken stock, jam/brown sugar, heavy cream, red pepper flakes and herbs. 

After those flavors coalesce in the skillet, add the peanut butter (use un-stirred organic peanut butter for best creamy results); let simmer on low while you boil the rice in stock (one cup rice to 2 cups water/stock blend) until tender. 

Top with peanuts, a squeeze of some lemon over the top and serve...and of course, any Asian sauces you like including: Soy sauce, Teriyaki, sweet chili or any Caroline reaper hot sauce... for heat.

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Lamb Chops with Au Gratin Potatoes...

 

Want an incredible 'meat' treat? Try this for a quick, frugal dinner menu: Australian lamb chops with blackened onions/garlic and molasses. Yes, you read it right, molasses. And, the health benefits from molasses will definitely amaze  you (Check the Brainy Facebook Page for Molasses post).

For this dish you will need: as many lamb chops as per person at the dinner table. Molasses, onion, garlic, sherry and Worcestershire sauce. As a garnish, and while searing the chops, use a few fresh sprigs of rosemary.

The side dish for this meat delight was au gratin potatoes. Now, to get started, marinate the chops in Worcestershire sauce. Then move on to the potatoes; wash, peel and slice thin to be layered in a glass baking dish drizzled with olive oil and dried herbs.

Once you have layered the potato slices to the brim of the dish, pour over the top 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1/2 cup of milk and smooth over the top 4 tbs of mayonnaise. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and a pinch of salt. Bake at 375 until bubbling. Prior to serving, grate Swiss and smoked Gouda over the top, let crisp on top.

When the au gratin is nearly finished, chop one onion and 2 gloves of garlic. In a medium sz. skillet, saute in olive oil and a bit of sherry, and 1 tbs of molasses. Cook until caramelized. Push aside in the skillet and lay in the chops to sear on all sides.

Once seared, top with a quick pour of sherry to each chop. Bring back the sauteed onion and garlic and pour in 1/4 cup of soup stock (beef/turkey). Turn up the heat until it roars and then reduce the heat to cover while you make a leafy green salad.

The flavor is absolutely delicious!

 

 ~ Tutti a Tavola

Brainy Skillet Lasagna with Ragu...

Have a taste for lasagna but don't have the time or patience to make it. Try skillet lasagna, you won't be disappointed. I prefer the Ragu (chunkier meat) sauce because its best for 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 Hunan Hot and Spicy Pork with Rice...

 

The Hunan tradition of Chinese cuisine is well known for its deep rich colors along with hot and spicy flavors largely because of the use of chili pepper paste. Since you, as a brainy gourmet, are in charge of the heat, you decide how hot and spicy...  

For this dish you will need: 1lb pork loin (boneless), chili paste (or use tomato paste adding red pepper flakes), rice, spinach, ginger paste, garlic paste, coconut oil, one whole onion, and one roasted red pepper. 

To begin, you will need to chop the onion and roasted red pepper (either quick roasting over a flame or drained from jar). Saute in 3 tbs coconut oil along with a tbs of garlic paste and ginger paste (more if you like those flavors). Slice the pork loin into stir fry pieces and add to the skillet with onion, peppers and pastes. Stir til browned. 

 

Add 4 tbs of tomato paste with a tsp of red pepper flakes (or 1 tsp of jarred chili paste). The paste from the tub or jar must be controlled and only you know how much heat you and your family can tolerate... so go slowly, a tsp maybe too much. The tomato paste with pepper flakes is not as hot a substitute but takes as good in my opinion. 

Prepare your rice. Once firm to tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving plate. Before topping your rice with the pork, toss in a handful of rinsed fresh spinach leaves. 

Additionally, top with sunflower seeds to serve... and put out even more sauces on the table to let everyone splash on their own spicy hot deliciousness!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

'Brainy' Roasted Tuscan Garlic Chicken with Rosemary...

 

Roasted Tuscan garlic chicken with rosemary marinated in lemon juice and served with potatoes mashed with Parmesan cheese and garlic. 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Slow Cooked Cuban Pork with Beans and Rice...

 

This slow cooked Cuban 'Mojo' Pulled Pork is the best combination of tangy and savory flavors. The term “Mojo” translates to sauce in the Spanish language. In Cuban cooking, Mojo is any sauce that uses olive oil, garlic, and citrus juices and is typically used as a marinade for pork. 

Mojo Pork is wonderful served over a bed of rice and accompanied by black beans... For this dish you will need: One 4 to 5 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt roast), trim the fat. From the pantry, take out:

4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tbs cumin 

1 tbs dried oregano 

2 tsp salt 

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper 

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth 

1/2 cup fresh orange juice 

1/4 cup fresh lime juice 

 

 1 Can of Black Beans 

 1-1/2 cups long grain white rice 

 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 

To begin, marinate the butt roast in the olive oil, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic, pepper, orange and lime juice for about 30 min. Next, turn up the oven to 375. You want to sear (in the oven) the marinated butt roast for about 40 min. 

After that time, turn on the slow cooker to high. Pour in the 1/2 cup of beef broth. Then lay in the butt roast. Let this slow cook for about 3 hours, adding extra broth if needed. Test the roast's tenderness after this time. If it does not pull apart with a fork, then continue to cook for another 1 hour or longer until it does. 

Boil the rice in the unused broth in a stove top lidded pot. As for the black beans, you can cook them in another small pot or skillet. 

Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce or hot sauce...

~ Tutti a Tavola!