Tommaso’s Sinful Delights

A friend was asking my suggestion what he should make for dinner.  I thought for a minute about a few things I had a craving for and are in season, combined his suggestion for whole wheat pasta, and put this recipe together.

Fresh Summer Salad

-1/2c olive oil
-1 medium red onion
- 3 ears of sweet corn
-1 pint of grape tomatoes
-1 lemon
-1 cup feta cheese
-2 cups sugar snap peas
-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
-1 tsp herbs de Provence
-1 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp dried oregano
-1lb whole wheat penne pasta
-salt and pepper

Juice one lemon and whisk with 1/4 c olive oil in a small bowl.  In a deep dish, place chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.  Pour lemon mixture over chicken breasts and marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat grill (or you can saute.)  Grill chicken breasts 8-10 min per side. 

While the chicken cooks, boil the corn for about 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.  Prepare the water for the pasta and bring to a rolling boil.  After salting the water, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.  While the pasta boils, preheat a saute pan with 2 TBSP olive oil and saute the red onion for 8 minutes.  When onions are soft and caramelized, place in a large mixing bowl.  Add 2 TBSP olive oil to the same saute pan and saute peas for 3-4 minutes.  Add the peas to the onions in the bowl.

Take each ear of corn and slice off the kernals with a sharp knife.  Add corn to the onions and peas.  When the chicken is done, cut it up into cubes.  Add it to the bowl and combine the grape tomatoes, feta, cooked pasta, oregano and herbs de provence. 

Stir and serve warm or chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

I love chipotle peppers.  So I thought, what a great thing to incorporate into my favorite cornbread recipe. The result is a very light, moist bread, with a slight spicy kick and smoky flavour.   I also use honey in this recipe, rather than refined sugar (which I try to stay away from.)

Chipotle Cornbread

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
6 TBSP honey
1 1/2 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 400° F.  Grease a 9″ cast iron skillet or a 9″ round baking pan with butter*.

In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  Stir with a whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, oil and honey.

Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.  Stir in chopped chipotles.  Pour into greased cast iron skillet and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve warm or room temperature.

*Baking cornbread in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet produces a more flavorful bread.

This is one of my favorite one-pot dishes to make.  It may not be ready in 30 minutes, but its perfectly seasoned without any added sodium.  The smoky, salty sausage gives this dish its flavour.

Caribbean Rice and Peas with Smoked Sausage and Chicken

-2 TBSP olive oil
-2lb smoked sausage (Kielbasa), sliced
-3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 packet sazon (Goya)
1 tsp dried oregano
28 oz tomato sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup brown rice

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium-high.  Brown sausage; remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.  Add cubed chicken and brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside with sausage.  Return pan to heat.

Add onions, pepper and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes.

Stir in chopped cilantro, oregano and tomato sauce and cook for 3 minutes.

Return the browned sausage and chicken to the pan and add  sazon, peas and rice.  Pour in chicken stock to cover all ingredients.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 50-60 minutes, or until ricer is tender.

The purpose of constantly testing and updating recipes is ultimately bettering their outcome.  I had some pork chops at Costco.  If you’ve ever been to Costco, you’ll know nothing comes in petite sizes.  Not only are the packages big, but the individual portions are four times the thickness of what’s considered A portion.  I had to come up with a way to cook the chops on the stove without drying them out and burning the crust.  Butterflying meat works as a last resort if the internal temperature isn’t met, but that method always dries the meat it out.  So, I came up with a way to make perfectly cooked pork chops that are moist on the inside.

Sauteed Breaded Pork Chops

4, boneless pork chops (about 3″ thickness)
1/2c seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. 

While oven preheats, put 1/2c olive oil in a shallow dish and bread crumbs in another dish.  Season both sides of pork chops with thyme, salt and pepper.  Dip pork chops in olive oil and then dredge in bread crumbs.  Repeat for remaining. 

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in an oven proof saute pan on medium heat.  Saute pork chops for about 8-10 minutes per side.  After the second side is sauteed for the allotted time, put the saute pan in the oven and finish cooking the chops until they reach an internal temperature of 170 (approx 20 mins depending on thickness.)

Serve with applesauce.

Tip:  While you saute the chops, you can roast potatoes or brussel sprouts tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Make sure the racks in your oven are in thirds to have room for the chops. 

If you don’t have super-thick chops, sauteing them 10-12 minutes per side on the stove top will cook them thoroughly.

This is a great dish to make when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands or just don’t feel like cooking much.  All of these items should be in your pantry already.  The olives and capers give the sauce a nice tang and salty flavour.  Serve with your favorite pasta and a simple salad as a meal or as a side dish. 

Tip:  The trick to making your sauce stick to pasta is adding a little of the pasta water to your sauce.  Pasta water acts as a thickener and your sauce will bind to the noodles better. 

Puttanesca Sauce

2 TBSP Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives, chopped
2 TBSP capers
1 TBSP anchovy paste
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
28 oz tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package. 

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan.  Saute garlic for 1 minute.  Add olives, capers, anchovy paste and  herbs, and saute for a minute more.  Add tomato puree and simmer for 10 minutes. 

When your pasta is al dente, drain reserving 1/2 of water from the pasta.  Toss pasta and the 1/2 c pasta water in the  sauce.  Stir until pasta is coated.

Serve with fresh parmesaean cheese.

If you’re not in a rush to eat dinner during the week, this is a very satisfying meal.  Don’t be intimidated by shredded beef, it is very easy to make.  It’s just time consuming as the meat needs to slowly cook to become tender. 

Venezuelan Shredded Beef

This is the second time I’ve made empanadas.  The first time I thought I’d make them healthier and bake them.  Even though the filling was delicious, the end product didn’t taste right.  So, as with anything I do in the kitchen, failure is not an option.  I dusted myself off and tried again.  Thanks to a recipe book that Goya puts out, I ended up with a fantastic beef filling and toyed around with the dough, which came out OK.  The empanadas cracked and I believe because my dough was too dry.

Dough
3 cups fine yellow corn meal
1 c hot beef stock
2 1/2 cups hot water
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix corn meal, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Pour hot stock and water and stir to mix and moisten.  Let the dough sit while you make the beef filling.

Ground Beef Filling
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp adobo seasoning (recipe below)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 c pitted spanish olives with pimentos, chopped
1- 8oz can tomato sauce
1 packet sazon

Heat oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Brown ground beef and season with adobo.  Stir in onion, pepper, garlic, olives,  tomato sauce and sazon.  Cook, stirring often until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Cool slightly.

Dough should be very moist, but not stick to your fingers.  Grab a small fistful of dough (about 2-3 TBSP)  and roll it in your hand into a golf ball size.  Flaten it with your hand and place between two sheets of parchment paper.  With a rolling pin, roll into a 4-inch circle.  Spoon about a tablespoon of the beef filling on one half of the disk, then fold the other half over the mixture, using the parchment paper, making a half moon shape.  Seal the edge with your fingers.  Trim any excess dough with a knife.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a moist towel to prevent the patties from drying out. 

Fill a sauté pan with corn oil, about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.  Heat until oil reaches a temperature of 350ºF.  Fry empanadas about 2 minutes per side or until evenly browned.  Drain on paper towels to get rid of excess oil. 

Keep warm in a 200ºF oven on a cookie sheet.  Serve with aji sauce.

Aji Sauce
4 tomatillos, skins removed and washed
5 scallions, chopped
1/2 c cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 limes. juiced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Boil the tomatillos for 10 minutes.  Combine tomatillos, cilantro, scallions and jalapeno in a food processor and pulse until liquefied. 

Place liquid in a bow and stir in lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Serve hot or cold.

Adobo Seasoning
3 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion power
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Mix all spices together and store in an air tight container.

*Beef filling recipe provided by Goya with slight alterations

So, I’ve decided to change the content I post to my blog.  I’m finding it difficult to keep this updated with tested recipes.  Instead, I’m going to do my best to post what I create — no matter what the outcome — on a daily basis.

As I’m sure most of you do, I get sick of eating chicken all the time too.  I’m constantly thinking of new dishes to create using this healthy, lean protein that are quick and easy. 

Chicken Medallions with Tarragon Cream Sauce

1/4 c olive oil
-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced in evenly in half, lengthwise and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
-1/2 c flour, plus 1 TBSP
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1/2 c white wine
-2 cups chicken stock
-1/4 c sour cream
-1 TBSP Dijon mustard
-1 tsp dried tarragon or 1 TBSP fresh tarragon (or more)*
-Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken medallions.  Dredge chicken in 1/2c  flour in a shallow dish and set aside. 

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a sauté pan.  Sauté chicken breasts, 1 batch at a time about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned.  Remove chicken from sauté pan and set aside on a plate.

 Add 2 TBSP olive oil to pan and toss in chopped onions.  Sauté onions for 4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.  Add 1 TBSP flour to coat the onions.  Add wine and deglaze the pan, reduce for 1 minute.  Add chicken stock and tarragon* and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and return the cooked chicken to the pan to finish cooking.  Cook for 5 minutes longer.  Whisk in sour cream and mustard and cook until thickened. 

Season with salt and pepper and serve over a bed of spinach or rice. 

Note: Tarragon is very strong-flavoured herb.  If you don’t like the flavour, you can substitute thyme.  When using fresh tarragon, add at the end of cooking before serving so the herbs don’t wilt.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news lately, there’s been an increased awareness of the negative impacts of consuming large amounts of sodium.  Much of this sodium they’re talking about comes from processed foods.  If you’re familiar with my blog, you’ll know I’m completely against processed-anything.  This is even more of a reason why you should cook your own food.  You can control what goes in it! 

Salt brings out the true flavours of the food you’re cooking, but use it sparingly in your recipe.  There’s no need to have a salt shaker on the table if your recipe is seasoned properly.  Most of my recipes on here call for minimal addition of salt, with emphasis on flavoring with herbs.  Fresh or dried herbs add tremendous flavor your dishes.  

So, refrain from processed foods and over-use of salt and you shouldn’t need worry about unhealthy levels of sodium.  Of course if you have heart disease, diabetes and/or high blood pressure, always go with what your doctor recommends.