Tommaso’s Sinful Delights

This is a great dish to make when you’re strapped for time and considering picking up that phone to order Chinese take out.  If you have 30 minutes, and the right ingredients, you’ll save yourself alot of calories and enjoy a much more flavorful dinner.

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry

2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP ginger, minced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package of frozen stir fry vegetables
1 c chicken stock + amount that rice calls for
1 c brown rice (cooked according to instructions)
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted*
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar ginger and garlic in a medium bowl.  Add cubed chicken and marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan.  Remove chicken from marinade, but reserve the liquid for later use.  Sauté chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. 

Add frozen vegetables to chicken and continue cooking until vegetables thaw, for about 3 minutes.  Add reserved liquid to sauté pan and 1c chicken stock.  Cook for 5 minutes longer, or until vegetables are cooked thoroughly and liquid is reduced. 

Serve over rice and top with toasted sesame seeds.

*To toast sesame seeds, place in a frying pan on a medium flame and cook until browned.  Be careful, they will burn easily.

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 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.

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.

A lot of people don’t like beets and I’ve come to the realization that its all in the preparation.  My grandmother used to make them and boil them until all the purple bled out of the bulb.  This is the wrong way and why so many dislike this sweet root vegetable.   Beets should be tender, not mushy and slimy.  Roasting beets concentrates their flavor and the end result is a crisp texture.  Combining them with goat cheese on a bed of sautéed beet greens is a nice side dish to have with your meal.  Beet greens are edible?  Yes!  Besides not wanting to waste anything I cook with, beet greens are indeed edible and highly nutritious. 

Here is an easy recipe that will prove that beets are sweet, savory and delicious when paired with the right ingredients.

Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese with sauteed Beet Greens

-4 TBSP olive oil
-1 bunch of beets with their greens
-4 oz goat cheese
-salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Chop the tops off the beets, leaving 1 inch of the stem and thoroughly wash with a vegetable brush (leave the root intact.)  Toss beets with 2 TBSP olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and roast beets for 1 hour.  When beets are tender, remove from oven.  Leave the skin intact. 

While the beets roast, remove the greens from the beet stalks and wash in cold water.  Dry in a salad spinner or paper towels.   Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a skillet and sauté beet greens until wilted. 

Plate the wilted greens.  Slice the beets and goat cheese and layer them on top of the greens.     

Note:  Beets will stain.  It’s best to cut them on a non porous cutting board such as plastic.  To wash your hands after handling, use orange cleaner or wear gloves while preparing to avoid stains in your nails.

This should be a no brainer, but you’d be amazed at how many people think it’s literally, sausage, peppers and onions smothered in store bought sauce or unflavored tomato sauce.   Blah!  It’s a little more time consuming to make this recipe, but still so easy and (sorry to be cliche) it’ll be done in under 30 minutes.

Sausage Peppers and Onions

4 TBSP olive oil
6 italian sausage links
1 large onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups red sauce (in prior post)
3 TBSP tomato paste
1 cup sweet red wine (such as marsala)
1 tsp dried oregano
bunch of fresh basil, chopped (about 1/2 c)
4 hero rolls

Heat 2 TBSP oil in large sauté pan over a medium flame.  Sauté sausages until browned on all sides.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining 2 TBSP oil  and add the onions, peppers salt, pepper and oregano.  Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and basil and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan.  Add the tomato paste and red sauce and stir.  Bring to a simmer.

Cut the sausage into pieces and add to simmering sauce.  Cook for about 20 minutes.

Serve in the roll, topped with parmesan cheese.

Giada DeLaurentiis’ recipe used as base

I’ve found that you either love garlic or hate it.  If you’re anything like me, I could eat it all day long. Every recipe I make must have extra than what it calls for.  So, if you’re a garlic lover, you’re going to love this recipe.  If you don’t, just use less and the flavour of thyme will be the highlight of the dish. 

Garlic Chicken with a Sherry Sauce

4 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1c flour
4 boneless chicken breasts
10 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c sherry wine
1 1/2 c chicken stock
sprigs of fresh thyme (approx 1 1/2 TBSP) or 1tsp dried thyme
1/4 c your favorite olives, chopped
2 c cooked brown rice

Slice the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise (you’ll have 8 thin slices.)  Preheat sauté pan on medium heat with 2 TBSP olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  In a casserole dish or plate, place the flour and coat each piece of chicken in flour.  Sauté chicken breasts for 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  You won’t be able to cook all 8 pieces at once, so place on a plate and cover with aluminum foil after they’re done.  Repeat with remaining chicken breasts and put on plate.

Turn flame to high.  Deglaze the saute pan with the sherry, scraping the browned bits in the pan (this is essential for a flavorful sauce.)  Add the chicken stock, garlic and thyme and reduce (about 3 minutes.)  Add the chicken back to the sauté pan and cook for about 3 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve chicken over rice with garlic-sherry sauce spooned on top and chopped olives.