Butternut Squash Risoto

 

The flavors of this squash, sage and Comté risotto are simply irresistible. The creamy cheese, the earthy squash and the tang of sage all work together brilliantly to create a hearty meal that's so much greater than the sum of its parts. Check out the recipe..

INGREDIENTS:

•1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed (and discarded) and flesh cut into cubes of no more than 2cm (1 inch) 

•2 tbsp olive oil 

•2 banana shallots, finely chopped

 •1 clove garlic, crushed 

•320 g risotto rice 

•175 ml dry white wine 

•1 l chicken/vegetable stock 

•1 tbsp sage, chopped 

•50 g butter 

•75 g grated Comté (aged 8 months) 

•25 g shaved Comté (aged 24 months)

DIRECTIONS:

1.Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4).

 2.Mix the butternut squash and one tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper in a large roasting tin. 

3. Cook for 30 minutes then turn the pieces of squash over (so they cook evenly) and roast for another 10 minutes until cooked through and deep golden brown at the edges. 

4.Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over a low to medium heat and fry the shallots until soft but not golden (about 5 minutes). 

5.Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the rice and sage turn the heat to medium. 

6.Stirring constantly, fry the rice until it is opaque around the edges (about 4 minutes), then pour in the wine and reduce it until it becomes syrupy (about 3 minutes). 

7.Set a timer for 18 minutes and start adding the stock, one ladleful at a time. Keep the rice covered with liquid at all times and keep it simmering. 

8.When the rice is done (after 18 minutes, or it may need a couple of minutes more), turn off the heat and stir in the now-cooked butternut squash, butter and grated Comté. 

9.Check the seasoning (add more salt or pepper if needed) and leave to rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving with the shaved Comté scattered on top.

ENJOY!  EAT WELL!

Teriyaki Beef

I'm really into Terriyaki cooking this weekend..I had a recipe for Terriyaki Chicken yesterday and today I have Beef Terriyaki.

INGREDIENTS:

 

Wagyu Style Beef Rib Eye (for Steaks, I used regular rib eyes from Costco) 

 ½ teaspoon Corn Starch (optional) 

 1 teaspoon Water (optional) 

 ½ tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds (I left the out of mine) 

 1 Green Onion (I left it out of mine) 

 4 tablespoons Soy Sauce 

 4 tablespoons Sake 

 4 tablespoons Mirin 

 ½ tablespoon Ginger Juice (I used the spice form of ginger) 

 2 teaspoons Sugar

DIRECTIONS :

1.In a bowl, combine all of your ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce, mix well. 

 2.Trim off any extra fat from the steaks, and stick them in a Ziploc bag. Add 4 Tbsp. of the marinade in the bag. Tightly seal up and stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

 3.In Japan, Teriyaki Sauce is thin but American Teriyaki Sauce is always thick. If you prefer thick Teriyaki Sauce, combine your corn starch and water and whisk in a small bowl. 

 4.Bring the Teriyaki Sauce to a boil in a frying pan to evaporate the alcohol (sake) for 15 seconds. If you prefer thin sauce, remove the pan from the heat and set aside. 

 5.For thicker sauce, stir in the corn starch mix to the sauce and whisk all together so that the corn starch mix is well blended. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

 6.In a cast iron skillet or a frying pan, heat your oil on medium high heat. When your pan is hot, remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel before cooking to prevent steaming. 

 7.Sear the meat for 2 minutes on one side, then 1.5 minutes on the other side. That’s for medium-rare/medium for ½ inch thick steaks. Use your judgement if your steaks are thicker or thinner than this. You can vary the cooking time depending on how thick your steaks are and how you like yours cooked. 

8.Pour 2 Tbsp. of Teriyaki Sauce over each steak. The sauce gets bubbly and gives nice glaze over the steaks. Make sure you do this step as it adds so much flavour to the meat. 

 9.Remove the steaks from the pan and transfer to a plate before the sauce starts to burn. Let the steaks rest to allow juices to distribute for 5-10 minutes before slicing. 

 10.Slice steaks into thin pieces.

Enjoy with a nice red wine.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is a very easy way to make some tasty chicken during the quarrentine that doesn't require you to have that much on hand as far as ingredients...Chicken breasts marinated in teriyaki sauce, lemon, garlic, and sesame oil, then grilled to a tasty finish. Very easy and great for a winter evening.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut in half 

 ¾ cup granulated sugar 

 ¾ cup soy sauce 

 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 

 2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1 Rinse chicken halves, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken cut side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. 

 Step 2 In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, grated ginger and garlic. Mix well, and pour mixture over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

 Step 3 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

 Step 4 Bake chicken uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour, basting frequently. Test for doneness, making sure there is no pink left in the meat. Let cool slightly, then cut into smaller pieces to serve.

enjoy with Ice Tea, wild Rice and a nice Garden Salad

Enjoy! Eat Well My Friends!

Coconut Chicken Tenders with Creamy Carribean Salsa

 

Here is something really nice and tasty for your pallet this winter...Coconut Chicken Tenders with Carribean salsa..

This dish is a fun change of pace. The salsa's tropical flavor makes the dish fresh and bright.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained 

1 medium jicama, peeled and chopped 

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped 

1 medium mango, peeled and chopped 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and quartered 

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro 

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot 

1 teaspoon grated lime zest 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes 

2 cups buttermilk 

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

4 large egg whites 

1/4 cup water 

3 cups panko bread crumbs 

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

2 tablespoons sesame seeds 

2 teaspoons paprika 

Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Place the first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not pureed, 5 to 6 times. Transfer to a bowl; fold in sour cream. Cover and refrigerate until serving. In a shallow dish, combine chicken and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. 

 Preheat oven to 400°. In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. In another shallow dish, whisk together egg whites and water. In a third shallow dish, stir together panko, coconut, sesame seeds and paprika. Drain chicken. Dip chicken, a few pieces at a time, in flour mixture to coat; shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture, then in panko mixture, patting to help coating adhere. 

Place chicken on lightly greased baking sheets; spritz with cooking spray. Bake until chicken is no longer pink, 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking and spritzing with additional cooking spray. Serve with salsa.

Enjoy!  Eat Well My friends

Pasta With Blistered Cherry Tomato Sauce

 

There's a recipe for every mood. Sure, sometimes I want to spend hours lingering over a perfect slow-cooked red sauce or hearty lasagna Napoletana, but there are also days when I get home late and just need to get a filling dinner on the table, fast. 

 Pasta is a natural solution on those occasions, and luckily, we have lots of pasta recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, from Italian classics like cacio e pepe and spaghetti puttanesca to stovetop baked ziti and a fresh take on tuna noodle casserole. 

For a delicious pasta dinner that's doable on a weeknight, check out 27 of our favorite quick and easy pasta recipes, below. Here's a pro tip for those who want to get the job done even sooner: You don't have to heat up a huge pot of water. 

Using a skillet and just enough water to cover the noodles is a better way to get water boiling fast, while the extra starchiness in a smaller volume of pasta water will help you achieve a more emulsified sauce.

Cherry tomatoes are almost always sweeter, riper, and higher in pectin than larger tomatoes at the supermarket. All of these factors mean that cherry tomatoes are fantastic for making a rich, thick, flavorful pasta sauce. 

Even better: It takes only four ingredients and about 10 minutes, start to finish—less time than it takes to cook the pasta you're gonna serve it with.

Cherry tomatoes are extra sweet and have plenty of pectin, making them great for a fast and easy sauce. The sauce cooks down in the same amount of time it takes to boil pasta, for a quick and easy fresh meal.

INGREDIENTS:

For the blistered cherry tomatoes 

 12 cups tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes, such as Sun Gold 

6 cloves garlic, lightly smashed 

Extra-virgin olive oil, for roasting 

 Coarse salt to taste 

For the pasta 

 1 lb penne pasta 

2 generous cups Blistered Cherry Tomatoes 

6 cobs corn 

Handful torn fresh basil leaves Grated Parmesan, for serving.

DIRECTIONS:

For the blistered cherry tomatoes 

 1 Heat the oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes onto two heavy rimmed baking sheets or roasting pans; they should fit in a single layer (if not, add a third pan). Add the garlic. Pour a generous layer of olive oil over the tomatoes, enough so that a thin layer of oil pools in the baking sheet. Season generously with salt. Bake until the tomatoes are blistered and deflated and release their juices, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard the garlic, and let cool. Make sure to save all the oily juices! Store in a container in the fridge for up to 10 days. 

 Makes: 4 to 6 cups 

 For the pasta 

 1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the penne until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the Blistered Cherry Tomatoes over medium heat in a saucepan, then pour them into a large serving bowl. Cut the corn from the cobs and add it to the tomatoes. 

 2. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water, and add it to the tomatoes and corn. Fold it all together – the heat of the pasta should soften the corn, and the tomato juices should blanket the pasta like a salad dressing. If it’s at all dry, add a little oil and some pasta water. Stir in the basil. Serve the pasta in wide, shallow bowls and pass the Parmesan at the table. 

 Serves: 4

ENJOY!