Month: November 2014

Reg’s Lasagna

Just realized that one of my favourite go-to recipes has never appeared here! When you get tired of that turkey, my American friends, you might give this dish a try. I’m leaving the kitchen for  a few days but wanted to share this with you before I put all the dishes away…LOL…Buen Provecho as always!!

Reg’s Lasagna (easily feeds 8 people)
1 cup diced white onions
1 cup celery chopped
1 cup carrots sliced
1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef and pork mixed (you could use ground chicken or turkey instead)
1 or 2 garlic cloves minced
14 oz. can cubed tomatoes
5 ½ oz. can tomato puree
1 19 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
½ cup red wine (optional)
2 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. each of basil and oregano
12 lasagna noodles oven ready
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 package fresh spinach stems removed and chopped
1 small package of fresh mushrooms sliced
1 large bag shredded manchego or mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan (don’t use the Kraft powdery stuff!)
In a little olive oil, brown the carrots, celery and onions until tender and slightly browning. Add in the pork and beef mixture and cook until browned and almost no pink visible. Drain off the fat if there is an excess. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, ½ of the tomato sauce, sugar and seasonings. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add in the sliced mushrooms and continue to simmer until they appear softened.

While this has been cooking, mix the ricotta cheese with the chopped spinach in a bowl. Set aside.

In a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish pour a little of the remaining tomato sauce and spread over the bottom. Place four noodles in the bottom of the dish. Add ½ of the meat sauce to cover the noodles. Add 1/3 of the grated manchego or mozzarella cheese.

Cover this with four more lasagna noodles. Add the layer of ricotta and spinach. Add four additional lasagna noodles. Cover with the other half of the meat sauce and 1/3 of the cheese.

Add four more lasagna noodles ( if you have no sauce left, heat the remaining half jar of spaghetti sauce and pour over the top noodle layer. Cover with the remainder of the cheese. Over top of this add the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Cover with foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Test the noodles with a sharp knife to make sure they are softened. Remove from the oven and let sit before cutting into desired portion sizes.

I make this a few hours before company comes and let it cool before refrigerating. 45 minutes before serving remove from refrigerator to let the dish warm to room temp. Return to 350 degree oven for about 15 to 25 minutes.

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Marinated Tuna Steaks

With the medical community and health-conscious Americans becoming more aware of the many benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and low fat proteins, tuna steak is an increasingly popular item on menus and in grocery stores around the country. In addition to its almost “meaty” flavor and texture, tuna steak is highly versatile, lending itself well to many different seasonings and flavor combinations.Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_4740858_tuna-steak.html
Although we do not eat a lot of it, we certainly do enjoy fresh tuna steak (save the canned stuff for tuna noodle casserole). This is the second tuna steak recipe I have posted here. Check out Rachel Ray’s Tuscan tuna steaks for an unmarinated style.
 Marinated Tuna Steaks
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon white pepper
Few drops of sesame oil
Sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon fresh ginger gratedMarinate the tuna steaks for about 30 minutes.
Grill in a hot pan for 5 to 6 minutes per side, basting with remaining sauce.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono)

As my wife and I had Greek neighbours, we often had Greek food with them or at the ethnic festivals each summer. Across the border from us in Detroit there was Greektown with wonderful restaurants (before the casinos moved in)…nothing like flaming cheese and OPA followed by this great soup!

From Wikipedia…Avgolemono or egg-lemon (from Greek: αυγολέμονο or αβγολέμονο), is a family of Mediterranean sauces and soups made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken. In Arabic, it is called tarbiya or beida bi-lemoune ‘egg with lemon’; and in Turkish terbiye. In Sephardic Jewish cuisine, it is called agristada or salsa blanco, and in Italian cuisine, bagna brusca, brodettato, or brodo brusco. It is also widely used in Balkan cuisine.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons shredded carrots
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped celery
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chicken soup base
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cooked white rice
1/4 cup diced, cooked chicken meat
4 slices lemon
2 egg yolks

Preparation
1. In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, carrots, onions, celery, soup base, and white pepper. Bring to a boil on high, then simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Blend the butter and the flour together. Then gradually add it to the soup mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
3. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Return the egg mixture to the soup pot and heat through. Add the rice and chicken. Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with lemon slices.

8000 Views as of today!!!

Thanks to all of you out there who have been following Buen Provecho! When I started out I didn’t have any expectations. To date I have had readers from Canada, US, Mexico, Singapore, Austria, Netherlands, India, Switzerland, Hungary, Great Britain, Japan, etc.

Know that every recipe here has been cooked in this house at least once, if not several times over the years. Extended thanks to the contributors from other sites who have been identified in the recipes and/or links on the page.

If you have any favourite recipes of your own I would be pleased to share them here as well (after I have tried them…LOL). With many holidays coming up at this time of year I am already on the lookout for more ways to tempt my palate…

 

BUEN PROVECHO!!

Turkey Divan

With US Thanksgiving fast approaching, as well as Christmas (44 days), thoughts turn to turkey. I have previously posted a great recipe for preparing turkey which originated with Emerill Lagasse — check out Funky Brined Turkey elsewhere on the blog. Its awesome and I have used it for many years. AFTER US Thanksgiving and Christmas, there will undoubtedly be some leftover turkey. You could make pot pies, but who wants to fiddle with a crust? Turkey Divan is the perfect answer for leftovers!! The following recipe was adapted from Anna Olsen, Food Network Canada.

FYI, if you don’t have leftover turkey, just head down to the deli and get a precooked roasted turkey breast and either bring it home to slice or have the butcher cut thick pieces. Don’t use turkey lunch-meat!!! You could also substitute chicken… enuf said…hope you enjoy this one.

Turkey Divan by Anna Olsen Food Network Canada
Ingredients (my changes in red as always)

3 cup fresh broccoli, cut into florets (and peeled stem pieces)
4 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced into ½-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced into ½-inch pieces
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped fresh savory (I could not find any here)
1 tsp each thyme and oregano
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 cup chicken stock
½ cup half-and-half cream
½ cup dry white wine
2 cup Jarlsberg cheese or Manchego if in Mexico
salt & pepper
1 lb. cooked turkey breast meat (not luncheon meat), sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions
1. Blanch broccoli in boiling salted water (or steam) until just tender, then shock in ice water to halt cooking. Drain broccoli and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F.
3. In a large sauté pan with sides melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until almost translucent, about 4 minutes.
4. Add diced pepper and sauté 3 minutes more. Sift flour over vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes, until a faintly nutty aroma is emitted, but flour does not brown.
5. Stir in mustard, savory and zest. Stir in chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, blending well after each addition (this will prevent lumps). Bring liquid up to a simmer, then stir in cream.
6. Return to a simmer and stir in wine. Reduce heat to low and stir in 1 ½ cups Jarlsberg or Manchego cheese until melted. Season to taste.
7. Stir in broccoli and turkey, adjust seasoning if necessary, stir in parsley and pour into an 8-cup casserole dish.

This can be prepared to here and refrigerated until before dinner when you can apply the topping before baking. I usually put the refrigerated dish on the counter to warm it up a little before baking.
8. Sprinkle top with remaining ½ cup cheese mixed with breadcrumbs and olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, until sauce is bubbling along the sides.
9. Serve over cooked rice or buttered noodles.
10. Alternatively, the half-and-half cream can be replaced by ½ cup mascarpone cheese, for a more decadent version.

Serve it with a great Jasmine rice!

 

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Must be the cold weather here (a chilly 23 degrees C) that makes me crave soup…LOL. Was looking for a quick lunch the other day and noticed we had canned pumpkin. Since I love almost all things Thai I thought I would try this one. I loved it but Larry thought it was a little sweet with the brown sugar and coconut milk. Guess next time I’ll cut down on the sugar…and maybe add pieces of real Thai chili…FYI – I skipped the peanut butter option!

Thai Pumpkin Soup
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 4
A tasty Thai inspired pumpkin and coconut soup that that takes less than 15 minutes to make!

ingredients
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin puree or 4 cups homemade pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar (okay Larry I will cut this back!)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (~1 lime)
directions
1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute.
2. Add the broth, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Note: If you want to start with raw pumpkin, get two small 3 pound pumpkins, peel them, seed them, cut them into 1 inch cubes, add to the coconut milk and broth and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15-20 minutes, before pureeing.
Option: Use another sweet winter squash like butternut squash  instead of pumpkin.
Option: Add 1/4 cup peanut butter! Try it, you’ll love it!