Lemon Sausage with Artichokes

This weekend I went to Bisbee, Arizona with some friends. For dinner we made lemon sausage, fried potatoes and onions and a great salad with a lemon vinaigrette. We bought groceries from the local Bisbee farmer's market, so all of our ingredients were fresh, locally-grown and delicious! In the future, I want to add artichokes and sage to this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)

1 lemon, halved

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

Salt and pepper

4 whole artichokes

Extra virgin olive oil

4 pork sausages

4 fresh sage leaves

2 minced shallots

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Parsley to garnish

Directions:

Steam the artichokes in the broth, add parsley, garlic, wine and lemon halves. Season with salt and pepper

Take the artichokes out and run them under cold water

Using a paring knife, trim the bottom end of each artichoke stem and shave the stem down to expose the tender flesh underneath

Snap or cut off the outer petals until you reach the soft, pale green leaves in the center

Simmer the artichokes in the broth, cover the pan and cook at medium-low heat for 20 min or until the base of the each artichoke is soft

Remove the artichokes from the broth and carefully removing the choke at the center of each artichoke, keeping the artichoke in tact for presentation. Discard the chokes.

Put a skillet over medium heat and cover the bottom with olive oil

Cut the sausage into small rounds and cook for 7-10 minutes until browned over

Take the sausages out of the pan and set aside

Add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Add sage leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes to add the sage's flavor to the oil

Add in the shallots, garlic and thinly cut lemon slices. Cook for 2 minutes

Add the broth to the pan, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until reduced and thickened

Return the artichokes to the pan and cook over low heat

Serve the sausage with artichokes and the lemon, sage, shallots, and garlic reduction.

Bisbee, AZ

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

Hi internet! Hope everyone had a great holiday! I made Christmas Eve dinner since our favorite Italian family-owned restaurant closed. Here's a favorite of mine that is so easy to cook.

The tenderloin is quite lean and can easily become dry when overcooked. Wrapping the tenderloin in bacon solves this problem and adds a great deal of flavor.

Ingredients:

Salt & Pepper

5-8 oz. beef tenderloin cuts, 1 inch thick

Olive oil

2 pieces of bacon/tenderloin

2 tablespoons minced shallots

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Rub steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper, and any other seasoning you prefer (onions and garlic are recommended)

Wrap two wide pieces of bacon around the steak, making sure there are few gaps

Weave a toothpick through the bacon and steak to secure the bacon in place

Place the steak presentation side down on a medium-high stove top--melt either a half-stick of butter or use olive oil

Don't crowd the pan. There should be enough space as the meat.

Cook the steaks on both sides for about 5 minutes or until the sides brown

Once all the steaks are cooked, turn off the stove and put the steaks on the pan.

Place the pan in the oven and cook the steaks to your preference, using a meat thermometer: 120-125 degrees for rare meat, 140-150 degrees for medium, and around 160-170 degrees for well-done.

Garnish with shallots and remove the toothpicks (mushrooms, sauteed onions, and bleu cheese would also be good to add)

Sicilian Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Olives, and Goat Cheese

So I took a break from my single-life and made dinner with a boy! Such a great date, and we watched SNL's Best of Will Ferrell. We didn't make this pasta dish, but this is a favorite of mine so I'll share! My family is Sicilian, so I'm a huge fan of Mediterranean-influenced cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced (I'd recommend less garlic if you are with your honey)
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup chopped drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (about 1/4 pound)
• 1/4 cup sliced pitted Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 pound medium-sized pasta shells
• 3 ounces mild goat cheese such as Montrachet, crumbled (about 1 cup), plus additional for sprinkling over the pasta (if you don't like goat cheese, you can substitute feta)

Directions:

In a small skillet bring the stock to a boil and reduce by about one third.

Cook the garlic, the onion, and salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is soft, add the sun-dried tomatoes and simmer the mixture.

Stir in the olives, the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste and keep the mixture warm.

Boil salted water cook the pasta until it is al dente and drain it well, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. In a serving bowl whisk 3 ounces of the goat cheese with the reserved cooking water until the cheese is melted and the mixture the smooth, add the pasta and the tomato mixture, and toss the mixture well. Sprinkle the pasta with the additional goat cheese.

Enjoy! :) Buon Appetito!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower with Lemon Juice and Garlic

I love to roast vegetables because roasting retains much of the flavor, and the lemon juice in this recipe gives the veggies a bit of a zing. I like to roast veggies while studying (it is finals week after all) and after they are done, I get a nice reward. I used cauliflower and asparagus (one of the most nutritionally balanced vegetables) but any veggies really would work. I used green and purple asparagus, which added a little color, different nutritional and health values, and new flavors (purple asparagus is sweet and nutty). Purple asparagus is also less stringy and more tender when sauteed.

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets
• 5 to 6 cups asapargus
  
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish (can substitute for dill or parsley)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

Place the cauliflower florets and asparagus in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

Enjoy this healthy mid-day snack! :)

Rice Stuffing with Apples, Herbs and Bacon

I'm on a new cooking kick. I love to add fruit to my meals (especially sour green apples). Here is a good gluten-free stuffing alternative I made last night. I adapted a recipe from Allrecipes.com and added in different fruit and veggies that I like. It turned out really delicious, and it's gluten-free (make sure you check the yeast on the chicken broth) and healthy!

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 1/2 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1/3 pound bacon
• 3 cups diced onions
• 3 cups diced celery
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 3/4 cup dried cherries
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup green olives
• 1 tablespoon capers
  
• 1 cup diced, unpeeled apples
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 6 tablespoons dried mixed herbs

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 1/2 cups water and the chicken broth to a boil. Stir in wild rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Reserving drippings, drain bacon, crumble, and set aside.
3. In the skillet with the reserved bacon drippings, saute onions and celery with 1 tablespoon water. Cook until very soft, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir remaining water, white rice, cherries, cranberries, apricots, apples, olives, and capers into the wild rice. Continue cooking 20 minutes, or until wild rice and white rice are tender.
5. In a large bowl, mix the bacon and the onion mixture into the rice mixture. Season with the Italian parsley and dried mixed herbs.

Chicken Piccata

This week I was asked to be a guest chef for GWBites a microenterpise started by Cristina Roman. GWBites delivers home-cooked meals to college students and has a new menu every week! This week I decided to make chicken piccata, one of my all-time favorites.

Chicken piccata is a comfort food everyone should know how to cook well! I substituted dill for parsley and would recommend adding a few capers and a touch more of salt at the end if it's a bit lacking.

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup flour

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup capers

1/3 cup dill

Directions

1. cut the chicken breasts horizontally, butterflying them. Place the chicken pieces in plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer until they are 1/4 in. in thickness.

2. Mix together flour, salt, pepper and grated parmesan. Rinse the chicken in water. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture until they are thoroughly coated.

3. Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet on medium high. Add half the chicken pieces, making sure there is plenty of room in the pan. Brown well on each side (about 3 minutes/side). Remove the chicken. Cook the other breasts in the same manner.

4. Put the chicken in the oven for about twenty minutes at 350 degrees to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked through.

5. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits! Reduce the sauce by half and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over it. Sprinkle with dill and garnish with lemon slices.