Firenza ~ Fire Roasted Tomato Creamy Vodka Sauce with Penne

It is easy cooking Italian. Why/How? Because, Italian cooks are not uptight. They go with the flow by making use of whatever they have on hand using whatever to go with what they have in their basic stocked pantry. On the right margin of this blog, you will find the basic pantry items and including an extended version. Believe me, you can do a lot with the basic items. A good Fettuccine Alfredo only needs to have these basic items: butter, heavy cream, pasta, and cheese. Of course, some herbs along with salt and pepper would be wise to have on hand but those four basic items will still make a great simple dish.


Tonight, I made a delicious simple pasta dish. It may sound complex or elegant but it is simple... simply elegant. How? Start with chopped onion sauteed in olive oil and some coconut oil (med heat), add to that ground pork or veal if you prefer it could even be ground turkey for that matter. Once you have broken down the meat stirring repeatedly in the sauteing onion, you can add dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano. Add 2 small cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes (you can do it yourself by chopping/dicing up two plump Italian tomoates and roasting the tomato flesh in an iron skillet until they blacken).

Now, the moment to add 2 tbs of vodka. Turn up the heat and let it sizzle. Reduce the heat to low and add 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Cover and let simmer on low heat while the penne boils. Once the pasta is tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving plate. Pour out your sauce over the pasta, shave some parmesan cheese to top and serve.











~ Tutti a Tavola!

Cajun Winter ~ Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

It's winter but when the sun shines, you can't help but feel anxious about spring. With January nearly half gone, February is just around the corner and that means its Mardi Gras time. When I think New Orleans, I think jambalaya. Being Italian and Polish puts me quite a distance from Arcadian, but that doesn't mean the Brainy Gourmet can't cook like one or you for that matter.


Jambalaya is a simple dish. It can be whipped up in 35 min.  For this dish you will need, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, smoked sausage (buy meat according to number of guests/family), one onion, green and red pepper, dry white wine, chicken stock and a whole bunch of good ole hot stuff as in seasonings.

In a large covered skillet, pour in 5 tbs of olive oil, add to that chopped one whole onion and your red/green peppers (if you have on hand only green peppers then use them, you don't have to be strict). Give this onion and pepper a good stir fry on high heat. Reduce heat to med, and add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of white 'dry' wine. Cover and let simmer on med. heat while you dice up your chicken and sausage. Once you've done your dicing, add the pieces of chicken and sausage.

To this mixture now bubbling in your skillet, add your seasonings: 1 tsp of sea salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and the same of garlic powder, 1/2 - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1/2 - 1 tsp of paprika (hotter if you want to melt snow). Stir in all seasonings until everything is a rusty amber. Cover and let simmer for 25 min.

In the meantime, prepare a side dish. I recommend rice, after all its Jambalaya. Add dry kernel rice (1-2 cups depending on # guests) to a deep stock pot of boiling water (two cups water to one of rice) with a pinch of salt.

When the rice is tender, ladle onto a low lipped serving dish, pour out your Jambalaya and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. You can also squeeze on fresh lemon or lime. Or, you can just put a half of lemon on the table along with a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce.

~Tutti a Tavola!

Veal Medallions with Olives and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Good food couldn't be quicker. A veal loin can be thickly sliced into nice small medallions. You can saute them in olive oil with dried herbs and sun dried tomatoes. It takes only about 25 minutes on med to high heat. Add a 1/4 cup of heavy cream and this delicious meat dish can top any rice, groat or pasta side. I like to add the olives on the end, not cooked just straight out of the jar or deli container.

~Tutti a Tavola!

Polenta with Mushrooms and Boudain Sausage!

For something different for dinner on a cold winter evening, try creamy cornmeal polenta. A lovely and tasty accompaniment to that or any dinner is sauteed wild mushrooms and homemade sausages. Now, if you don't have wild mushrooms or homemade sausages at your local grocery or in your food cellar, don't panic. Any mushrooms at the grocery store will do and any good sausage can be found in most delis.

You will need olive oil, one onion, yellow cornmeal, chicken stock, parmesan and butter.

Polenta -
2 tbs of olive oil
one whole onion chopped
2-4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
4 tbs of butter or 1/2 stick

Heat oven to 350F. On the stove, saute your onion in the olive oil in a deep oven safe pot until browned on all edges; then, add your stock (2 cups thicker) and 5 cups of water. Heat to boiling on high and slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Then cover and bake for 45-50 min.with an occasional stir - about every 10 min. Remove from the oven, add the butter and Parmesan for one last stir, then let it set covered.

 












*you can saute with the mushrooms, fresh spinach for color and vitamins.  

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!  

Thanksgiving is over but Turkey is Always Good!

Yes, the holidays are behind us and I am sure many of you ate your fair share of turkey since Thanksgiving. But cooking and eating turkey is always a pleasure and its good for you. Especially, pastured turkey which is better than eating turkey raised in a container if you know what I mean. I won't go into detail about some producer practices but they are not the best for you nor the animal.

Turkey for dinner can be deliciously gourmet any day of the week. You can buy turkey breast, legs or thighs.
The quickest way to have turkey is to buy ground turkey and there are many organic brands as well as free range or pastured.  Being brainy and frugal, I keep a few packages of ground turkey in my freezer. I like to use the meat for hamburgers, meatballs or meatloaf. In a pinch, you can make a rich flavorful gourmet meal.
















Today, I decided to make turkey meatballs with onion in a cream sauce (using as a base some left over beef au jus) a kind of turkey stroganoff.  To begin, I simply shaped 1 pound of ground turkey into equal balls (or you can break up the ground turkey) to be sauteed in 4 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. coconut oil and chopped onion. To that, besides laying in my meatballs, I added dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano. For this dish, I wanted a meaty taste and did not add anything to the turkey as I would when making meatballs for spaghetti. When the meatballs are cooked through, add 3/4 of heavy cream and grate in some aged Swiss cheese.

Let this simmer while boiling water to cook your side ~ mushroom infused tagliatelle pasta. When tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving plate, top with meatballs and sauce.

 Tutti a Tavola!

Italian Roasted Chicken with Olives and Sun Dried Tomatoes

This dish can be made with either hot cherry peppers or sun dried tomatoes. Both are delicious as both have absorbed the Italian sun and air.

You will need chicken thighs with bone in and skin on... there is more flavor. If you don't have on hand, then you will need to buy sun dried tomatoes, kalamata (pitted) olives and green olives along with spinach infused wide noodle pasta.

Begin by sauteing on medium heat your chicken thighs in 4 tbs. of olive oil along with 1 tbs of coconut oil. As the thighs sear through, add dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano along with red pepper flakes and garlic powder. Next, add 1 tbs of butter along with one small jar of sun dried tomatoes (fairly drained) and generous amounts of both the dark and green olives.

Cover and cook for a good 20 min. on med heat, stirring and turning the chicken as it cooks. To finish up, add 1/4 cup of chicken stock which should become a bubbling liquid consuming the chicken. Turn down the heat to low and let the mixture cook covered for another 15 min.

In the meantime, heat water to a boiling to cook your pasta. Once tender, fully drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving dish. Check your chicken, it should begin to produce a rich sauce. Turn out the thighs and sauce on top of the pasta and serve.

Tutti a Tavola!

Worried about Your Diet ~ Good Food has been Given Us

Spices in the Bible

• Coriander (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:7)
• Cinnamon (Exodus 30:23; Revelation 18:13)
• Cumin (Isaiah 28:25; Matthew 23:23)
• Dill (Matthew 23:23)
• Garlic (Numbers 11:5)
• Mint (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)
• Mustard (Matthew 13:31)
• Salt (Ezra 6:9; Job 6:6)

Fruits and Nuts

•  Apples (Song of Solomon 2:5)
• Almonds (Genesis 43:11; Numbers 17:8)
• Dates  (2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:3)
• Figs (Nehemiah 13:15; Jeremiah 24:1-3)
• Grapes (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 23:24)
• Melons (Numbers 11:5; Isaiah 1:8)
• Olives (Isaiah 17:6; Micah 6:15)
• Pistachio Nuts (Genesis 43:11)
• Pomegranates (Numbers 20:5; Deuteronomy 8:8)
• Raisins (Numbers 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:19)

 
 










Vegetables and Legumes

• Beans (2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
• Cucumbers (Numbers 11:5)
• Gourds (2 Kings 4:39)
• Leeks (Numbers 11:5)
• Lentils (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
• Onions (Numbers 11:5)

Grains

• Barley (Deuteronomy 8:8; Ezekiel 4:9)
• Bread (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 6:19; 16:1; Mark 8:14)
• Corn (Matthew 12:1)
• Flour (2 Samuel 17:28; 1 Kings 17:12)
• Millet (Ezekiel 4:9)
• Unleavened Bread (Genesis 19:3; Exodus 12:20)
• Wheat (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)

Fish

• Matthew 15:36
• John 21:11-13

Fowl

• Pigeon (Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8)
• Quail (Psalm 105:40)
• Dove (Leviticus 12:8)

Animal Meats

• Veal (Proverbs 15:17; Luke 15:23)
• Goat (Genesis 27:9)
• Lamb (2 Samuel 12:4)
• Oxen (1 Kings 19:21)
• Sheep (Deuteronomy 14:4)
• Venison (Genesis 27:7)

Dairy

• Butter (Proverbs 30:33)
• Cheese (2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10)
• Curds (Isaiah 7:15)
• Milk (Exodus 33:3; Job 10:10; Judges 5:25)

Miscellaneous

• Eggs (Job 6:6; Luke 11:12)
• Grape Juice (Numbers 6:3)
• Honey (Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 8:8; Judges 14:8-9)
• Olive Oil (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)
• Vinegar (Ruth 2:14; John 19:29)
• Wine (Ezra 6:9; John 2:1-10)