Month: October 2014

Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe is very similar to the one offered in a very popular Italian restaurant which shall remain unnamed. Note that the recipe has been amended to make 9 quarts. What the heck, make it as shown and freeze it for those snowy days ahead…LOL

Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 6 oz. onion, chopped
• 7 oz. carrots, slivered
• 7 oz. celery, diced
• 24 oz. tomatoes: canned, diced
• 1 cup Red kidney beans (I used canned)
• 1 cup white kidney beans (canned)
• 44 oz. beef stock
• 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 24 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. dry pasta shell macaroni
Preparation

Sauté beef in oil in large pot until beef starts to brown.
Add onions, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans to the pot. Add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce and noodles.
Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Makes 4 quarts of soup.
Notes
Original recipe was doubled to make 9 quarts!! This is a great recipe. Leftovers can be frozen in Ziploc bags for later use.

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Ta dah! With the help of my friend, you can now download your own copy of 150 of my favourite recipes to your own computer or tablet, so you can have the recipes wherever you travel without lugging books along…FYI…I have published approx. 175 to date, so you are getting most of them in one place with an easy to follow index and photos from our many travels in PDF format.

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One Dish Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomato and Brie

Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, & Brie

Searching for a pasta dish to use up the rest of my roasted peppers…I came across this one which turned out to be a one pot dinner! Eureka. I hate dishes…LOL. The original concept for the one pot pasta came from Martha Stewart. The recipe I adapted was from www.thekitchn.com With supervision this would be a good recipe for young cooks!

As always, my changes or substitutions are in red.

Serves 2 as large entree, or 4 as first course

12 ounces linguine, broken in half

1 cup packed basil leaves I used arugula…
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted red peppers buy a jar if you are in a hurry
1/2 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes mine turned out to be a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto
3-4 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 1/2 cups water or less

1 small can of green peas
2 tablespoons oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes (or regular olive oil)
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces brie cheese, rind removed and torn into pieces I substituted cubes of feta
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Good quality olive oil, for serving

  • Combine linguine, basil, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic in a 3-quart straight-sided skillet. Add the water, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and a generous amount of black pepper and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat. Using tongs, stir and turn the pasta frequently to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, approximately 9 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. (If there is still a little bit of cooking water pour some, but not all, into a separate bowl.)
    Add the brie and toss with tongs until creamy and melted. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. The sauce will naturally thicken up after a couple of minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan and a swirl of good olive oil. (If the pasta does seem to need liquid, add back a few splashes of reserved cooking liquid.)

NOTE: You can use almost any vegetables you like…

Scalloped Potatoes with Pork Chops

The only recipe I ever knew placed the pork chops on top and they always were too well cooked! This method probably originated when there were all the concerns about pork not being well cooked. Fortunately, I came across three different recipes that changed this arrangement. These turned out very well and the liquid went all the way through to keep the chops moist.

Scalloped Pots with Pork Chops

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 14 oz. chicken broth
  • 6 pork chops not too thin
  • 6 cups thinly sliced potatoes (choose skins on or off)
  • 1/2 cup sliced onions or more
  • dash paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

PREPARATION

Set the oven to 350 degrees

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter, adding salt and pepper, flour, Dijon mustard and thyme. Pour in the broth, cook and stir until it boils. Remove from heat and add the sour cream.

Brown chops in 1 Tablespoon of butter.

Grease cooking dish with butter.

Layer the chops in the bottom of the dish. Layer the potatoes and onions over the chops evenly.

Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to bake 1/2 hour more until starting to golden.

 

Impossible Coconut Macaroon Pie

Impossible Coconut Macaroon Pie
When I was a kid the Philpott’s bread man used to come door to door. My favourite thing to buy were the coconut macaroon cookies. They still are. This recipe combines the memorable flavour with a simple to make pie.
½ cup Bisquick
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 T butter
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a buttered square Pyrex dish.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until it is golden on the top.