Brainy Scaloppini with Capellini '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 often referred to as Angel Hair pasta as it is in the form of long golden strands.

 Serve with Parmesan cheese....

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Brainy Parmesan Encrusted Round Steak or any Steak...

 

If you have been wondering, what can I do with inexpensive steak or how can I 'do up' an already impressive pound of meat, then wonder no further. Parmesan encrusted steak is the way to go. Serve with french fries, baked potato, or rice and a green salad. 

To begin: buy/use as many palm sized cuts of beef (your choice, see list below) to serve per guest. Either grill or broil until blood pink inside. Remove from the grill or broiler, and top with the following: garlic powder, salt and pepper, ranch dressing (thick coating per cut), Parmesan cheese (thin sliced), bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese grated, and dried Italian herbs. Return the steaks to the grill/oven/broiler until the cheese is puffing and browned. Serve!

~ Tutti a Tavola!

• Steak (NY strip steak, rib eye, top sirloin or eye of round steak)
• Ranch Dressing
• Parmesan Cheese
• Bread Crumbs
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Black Pepper
  

Hawaiian Pork, Pineapple and Tuna with Rice...

 

With winter over, its time to start celebrating with sunshine... if you can't go to Hawaii then bring it home...

The easy part is putting it together, the relaxing part is waiting for it cook in the broiler while you set the table. For this simple and delicious dinner, you will need these essential ingredients: pork loin, tuna steaks, fresh pineapple and rice.

In a glass baking dish, combine chunk pieces of pork loin with chunks of fresh cut ripe pineapple. Drizzle with olive oil and teriyaki sauce (optional), then sprinkle with garlic powder, a pinch of sea salt, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs and mix it around.

Its better to cook the tuna separate from the pork either on skewers or on the grill or in a skillet on the stove or in another glass dish in the oven along side the dish of pork and pineapple; but certainly, they can be combined and baked or broiled together. Prepare the rice and plate it! 

*serve with hot mango sauce...

~ Tutti a Tavola!
 

 

Going 'Brainy' Asian at Home...

Go Asian at home...the Brainy Gourmet way!

You will need to buy one pound packaged pork tenderloin, one box of rice noodles, one red and one green fresh crisp bell pepper and red chili paste. 

Grab a covered skillet and on medium heat melt in 3 tbs of coconut or peanut oil.  Slice up the red and green pepper tossing them up into the skillet. To this, add a seasoning mix of: sea salt, ground coriander powder, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of ground ginger.

GO easy on these  seasoning as this dish also calls for teriyaki sauce which has plenty of flavor of its own (use rice vinegar and brown sugar to substitute the teriyaki).

Let this mixture cook for about 8 min. Then, add to the skillet, 3-4 tbs of teriyaki sauce and one tsp of roasted red chili paste. Next, turn up the heat to high and let this mixture start to sizzle and bubble. Take the pre-cut pork (1 inch thick medallions), add a drop more of oil if needed, to sear on both sides, having pushed aside the peppers.

Cover and let cook for 12 min, on low flame/heat.  In the meantime, boil water, adding a pinch of salt, to cook the rice noodles. Keep an eye on the pork medallions and peppers, occasionally stirring.

Once the noodles are tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped white serving dish. Then, pour out the medallions and peppers. You can garnish as you like using fresh parsley.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Orchestrate your Plate with Color...

 

 

The un-color has its place too on the color 'palette' ... plate ;-)

Aside of knowing your taste preferences, you need to make use of the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Especially, smell and sight... it seems that the best taste starts there.

I rely on all my senses but when it comes to cooking sight and smell are my go to. In the context of using 'sight', color plays into my brainy cooking style. You can try and should experiment with color; because, practice makes perfect. The simplest color enhancers provide flavor as well. They tend to be the brightest colors: red, green, purple, yellow and orange.

Give color a try using: green or red pepper, green beans or asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, spinach or carrots. Also, add zing by adding colorful fruits either fresh, dried or cooked. Use a little or a lot. Scroll down to view some brainy dishes so that you too will get some brainy ideas of your own.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Mongolian Beef Stir Fry...

 

Mongolian beef, why not with pork... being brainy!

You will need for this dish: pork loin (1lb), garlic, onion, green pepper, young zucchini, reconstituted sun dried tomatoes, wild rice and brown rice (optional mix), and teriyaki sauce. You might ask, "Isn't that kind of sauce 'Japanese'?" Yes, but its also totally Asian in character and since you are being brainy it can be used however you like.

Teriyaki sauce can be made at home. The basic recipe is: ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 4-5 tablespoons honey or brown sugar. To that mixture, also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and diced garlic. For an extra zing, you can half the water with Sherry or sweet Marsala wine.

To begin, chop garlic, onion, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes and green pepper for a quick stir fry in olive oil or coconut oil. Once the stir fry is singed on the edges, remove from heat and place in a warm oven, giving a squeeze of lemon juice over the top. In the same skillet, sear the pork loin cut into medallions in a drizzle of olive oil.

Once seared, add the teriyaki sauce and let simmer while you cook the wild rice in a mix of water and beef stock (brown rice to mix in should be boiled separately).  Additional spices can be added to the simmering pork: rosemary, mint, red pepper flakes and crushed coriander.

When the rice (s) is/are tender, drain and ladle onto a serving plate, top with pork and vegetables from the oven. Pour the sauce, left over in the skillet, into a dipping bowl.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Shish Kebab in the oven...

 

A Shish Kebab typically consists of meat and vegetables on a skewer and is usually grilled. It can contain lamb, beef, fish, or chicken as well as vegetables like green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Also, you can try pineapple in the mix. 

The term shish kebab comes from the Turkish words şiş kebap that mean "skewer" and "roast meat," and shish kebab is a signature Turkish meal. Kebabs were a natural dietary solution for nomadic tribes in what's now Turkey. Unusual meats were marinated not only to tenderize them but also to get rid of some of the gamey flavor.

For this dish, you will need: your choice of meat, vegetables, onion, peppers and or mushrooms. Instead of using skewers, you can actually get the same effect cooking in the oven. Its quick and easy. Cut up your meat, veggies etc. into bit size chunks, place in a glass baking dish coated with olive oil.  

Add your seasonings/spices: garlic powder, salt, ground pepper, paprika, (using amounts you prefer) and dried herbs. Pour additional olive oil over the top and mix with hands to get all meat/veggies coated well with oil and seasonings. Roast in your oven (375f) or grill in your broiler (broiler/grill option will be hotter depending option settings).

Serve in a pita pocket or plated with rice or couscous... 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Cuban 'Mojo' Pulled Pork...

 

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 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 remaining 'Mojo, in French the 'Au Jus'; also, put your bestie hot sauce on the table...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

 

Brainy Catch of the Day...Great Lake Salmon ~ 'Trout'!

 

Yesterday, I was talking about meat dishes with a friend and today I thought it was about time for some fish. As much as I love meat, fish is on equal ground; especially salmon or trout. For some in the Mid-west is not easy to get Atlantic salmon but very east to get fresh water 'great lake salmon' or trout.

For this dish, you will need frozen or fresh caught great lake salmon which most grocers have in the freezer section. Lemon, fresh chive, heavy cream and as a side... a mixture of buckwheat groats and white or wild rice.

To begin, marinate your trout/salmon in half of a fresh squeezed lemon for 45 min to an hour. If there is a dark vein in the meat, take it out before cooking as tonight we are not eating sushi. Melt into a covered skillet, 3 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of coconut oil.

Season with red pepper flakes, garlic powder, white or green pepper fresh ground pepper corn and a bit of coriander. Lay in your trout/salmon and let the fillets sizzle on high heat searing both sides. Then, cover and steam in the juices for 6 min on low heat adding 1/4 of heavy cream on the end. Turn off heat, toss in a hand full of fresh chopped chive and a pinch of dried mint, keep covered while you prepare the side.

Set 2 cups of water to boil your rice and groats in which should be started at the same time you begin cooking the fish. Once the water rolls, add 1/2 cup of rice first letting it boil for 3 min alone and then the same amount of groats as they tend to cook faster. When both are tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving plate, placing the 'trout' or great lake salmon along side.

~Tutti a Tavola!


*another great lake salmon favorite of mine is with spinach infused fettuccine pasta!

Brainy Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp with Asparagus and Linguine...

 

For this dish, you absolutely don't need a recipe. You just need the ingredients and in the amounts you prefer: I like plenty of butter, lemon and garlic and shrimp. Good pasta is always the worth the money. 

If I can buy pasta made in Italy... I will and surprisingly, you can order online (surf the net) and have dry pasta delivered directly to your door from the producer. 

To begin, take a skillet, melt in your butter plus a bit of olive oil and I prefer the 'fruity nutty' taste over any other.This dish is so quick you better set the table before you start. 

Boil the pasta at the same time while you have the skillet ready to essentially 'stir fry' the shrimp (use pre-cooked fresh frozen), asparagus and garlic in lemon butter. 

Once the pasta is firm to tender, drain and add to the skillet to toss and plate... 

 *Note- you can substitute the asparagus with zucchini...

~ Tutti a Tavola~