Swiss French Cooking... Cheesy and Brainy!

Along the Swiss French border (Jura Mountains), one can clearly notice the local preference for cooking with Raclette cheese. Though traditionally Swiss, this semi-hard cow's milk cheese is most commonly used for cooking and or melting on both sides of the border (France) and definitely not for slicing .

The smell is pungent, the taste is strong and yet also buttery. It all sounds wildly European. That is why this cheese is great for cooking.  The brainy point of this wild mountain cheese is... if you happen to have leftover Raclette fondue from the weekend or a chunk in the fridge...why not put it together some pasta and cooked chicken breasts with mushrooms and asparagus.

To begin, in a deep skillet on med heat saute chopped onion in olive oil and 1 tbs of fresh creamy butter sprinkled with dried herbs. Then push the onion aside in the skillet and on high heat seared strips of chicken breasts (skinless/boneless). Next, reintroduce the onion, reduced the heat and added the left over Raclette along with 1 cup of heavy cream.

Cook the pasta on the stove in another pot of boiling water. Also, in another skillet, saute mushrooms and asparagus in butter and a dash of chicken stock. Lastly, rinse and drain the pasta and simply pour the Raclette sauce and chicken over the pasta. Serve the mushrooms and asparagus on the side.

 ~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Oven Baked Eggplant Lasagne...

Eggplant Parmesan is as easy as pie in the oven. Wash and slice two medium/large sized eggplants. Layer in a glass baking dish in this way: olive oil, eggplant, tomato sauce, dried herbs, and parmesan cheese... repeat until the dish is full. I like to pour soup stock around the dish edges to make it brimming with liquid only because I like it juicy. Lastly, bake at 375  until nearly bubbling over.

Serve with garlic toast and a green garden salad...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Tavern Style Italian Sausage in Marinara with Penne...

Italian food stirs the imagination...

This dish is so awesomely delicious that you can imagine never eating anything else for the rest of your life. The key is in the sausage. Quality Italian sausage is best bought from the local deli or butcher and it should be 'rustic' as in meaty... not overly seasoned; no fennel. The other key aspect regarding the sausage is that the casing is excellent quality; you don't want it to be rubbery or chewy.

Besides really good Italian sausage, you will need: black olives, one med. red pepper (roasted) one large onion, and penne pasta.  To get started, saute the onion and pepper 'chopped' in olive oil until browned on the edges. Have your sausage cut into bite sized chunks or crumbled. Add to the skillet with the onion and pepper pushing them aside while you brown the sausage.

Bring back in the onion and pepper covering the sausage while you open a can of crushed Red Gold tomatoes unless of course you have either fresh garden tomatoes to use and one handful of black olives. Generously, sprinkle in dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano. Stir and cover, let this simmer on med heat while you prepare the pasta; simmering the sauce for a good 25 min.

Add the penne pasta to salted boiling water. Once tender, drain and ladle onto a serving plate and or bowl. Pour out the hot bubbly Italian sausage sauce onto the pasta and serve.

Put on the Parmesan... ~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Veal Marsala... A Visit to the 'Old Country'...

Veal is young beef and is relatively inexpensive. But, finding it can be a problem. So, even if you don't have veal, you can make a brainy 'veal' Marsala using lean pork.... boneless pork loin.

To begin, make sure you cut the pork loin thin and pound flat with a meat hammer. After you have pounded the meat, marinate the 'veal' or pork for at least 30-40 minutes in a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of sweet Marsala wine (or sweet non alcoholic cider with a touch of nutty flavored balsamic vinegar), garlic infused olive oil and a few dashes of sea salt.

This dish works best with some lovely brown Bavarian mushrooms and linguine pasta - infused with mushrooms. While the meat marinates in the Marsala, wash and slice whatever mushrooms you can find (preferably Bavarian) and then saute in butter along with a few garlic cloves.

Once the mushrooms have browned, push them aside in the skillet and lay in the 'cutlets' of marinated veal/pork. Flash fry on high heat, reduce the heat and bring the mushrooms back in and add 1/4 cup of Marsala wine and 1/4 cup of beef stock...bringing this skillet mixture to a bubbling richness.

Finally, add fresh dried herbs: rosemary, mint, and oregano and 1/4 cup of heavy cream (optional), let simmer on very low heat until the pasta is tender.

Drain your pasta and pour out the Marsala sauce, top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and dried or fresh green parsley...

~ Tutti a Tavola

Brainy Blackened Brussel Sprouts in Sherry...

Brussels Sprouts were very likely first cultivated in Ancient Rome. Since then, Brussels Sprouts as they are now known have been mostly grown in what is now Belgium in the early 13th century. In the U.S. most Brussels sprouts are grown in Northern California, the state of Washington and New York.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a Sherry Wine Reduction

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

Brussels sprouts/1 lb., 1 whole red onion
½ cup sherry wine, a little olive oi and a pinch of sea salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice off the very tip of the stem of each Brussels sprout and cut in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute one sliced red onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-10 minutes in olive oil.

Stir frequently until the onions start to blacken. Add the sherry to the pan and continue cooking and stirring for another 5 minutes until the alcohol has burned off. Transfer the Brussels to a serving plate and top with the onions and pan juices.

*This can be done in a skillet also. Just steam the sprouts in a bit of stock until it reduces. Add olive oil and the chopped onion with the pinch of salt and stir fry until blackened; splash the sherry over the top for a flash finish. 

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy Good Chicken Vesuvio...

Someone asked me what Italian dish do I order out. I said that I really enjoy ordering Chicken Vesuvio; eating it out or eating it in...The French eat a similar dish called,  Poulet Bonne Femme.

For this dish you will need: chicken thighs (as many per person... picked up six at Aldi for less than 4$) with the skin on and bone in, potatoes, onion, bacon (optional), peas and onion. To begin, saute the onion along with the bacon until browned and crispy. Remove from the skillet, saving the bacon grease and set aside. Add some olive oil to the skillet and fry the chicken thighs skin side down and then the other side.

Remove the thighs and keep in 375 degree oven while you saute the potatoes (washed and diced) in the same skillet; adding, 2 tbs of butter.  Next, toss in the peas (frozen or fresh) along with a dash of salt, black or white pepper, garlic powder and dried herbs of your choice.

 Bring back the onion and bacon...

Bring the chicken back into the mix along with 1 cup of beef stock and 1/2 cup of beer...let simmer!

Serve with a good Chianti...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

*This dish can be prepared in the oven as well!!! Basically, combine ingredients and bake/roast in the oven.

Stay at Home Cooking ~ Its Brainy Therapeutic!

Stay at home and cook...

How can cooking at home be therapeutic? Its comforting in a way that may not be so apparent. It calms the soul stirring the creative imagination that truly sings to the spirit. This is especially good for you when faced with the daily stresses of life and especially challenging crisis like pandemics.

When you cook at home you should always cook what you like; and, keep it simple by not getting all tied up in this or that recipe. Why? Following a recipe 'going by the book' can be very stressful and you can end up buying expensive 'exotic' ingredients (as well as spices/seasonings) that you will likely never use again.

The Brainy Gourmet has always advocated to keep a simple basic pantry stock and go from there. To start cooking at home and enjoying the benefits of doing so... start with a soup.

Keep in mind that soup is not stew. Soup is lighter having more liquid. Most often, it is treated as a starter but it can be the main meal if you serve with bread and meat (usually that which can be taken out of the soup stock).

Every soup begins with stock which is made by boiling a piece of meat or a few vegetables. You can use whatever meat or vegetable base you prefer straining out the meat/vegetables once the stock is finished. Now, you have the basic stock to make any soup you want.

Once you decide which soup you want to make, consider how far you want to stretch the liquid stock. It is better Not to add rice, pasta, potatoes or any other vegetables to the stock because down the road it will be difficult to change up the soup. For instance, if you have beef stock and want to make a beef vegetable soup use whole carrots, onion and or leek that can be strained out and served separate.

Don't add rice or pasta or even potatoes to the stock. Cook those items separately to be added to individual bowls of stock. This way, the stock (beef/chicken\turkey) you made can serve a different soup the next day or be used as a liquid to stir fry or to make a gravy or sauce for another evening's dinner.

When you cook frugally in this way, you discover that you are in charge of your kitchen/cooking and it's a very satisfying and rewarding experience.

~ Tutti a Tavola!