Author: bhills61

Shrimp in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

4 T olive oil
1/4 C sweet onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t flour
1 t paprika
¼ C marinara sauce
¼ C dry white wine, plus 2 T
¼ C clam juice
½ t red pepper flakes
1 t dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 T minced parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
Pinch of sugar

½ pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Add 2 T of olive oil to a preheated skillet and sauté onion and garlic until softened. Add flour and paprika and stir blending thoroughly into the onion mix. Add marinara, 1/4 C wine, clam juice, red pepper, thyme, bay leaves, parsley, s&p and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Sauce should thicken slightly.

In a separate preheated skillet, add remaining 2 T of olive oil. Add shrimp to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Sauté over medium high heat until just cooked through. Add cooked shrimp to the tomato mixture and deglaze the shrimp pan with 2 T of white wine. Scrape up shrimp bits and cook off alcohol. Add deglazing liquid to tomato/shrimp mix and continue to simmer for 5-6 minutes. Garnish with additional fresh parsley and serve.

The tomato mix can be made ahead. Then, sauté shrimp prior to service and add to warmed tomato sauce.

Serve with lots of crusty bread for sauce sopping.

Potato Salad with Capers and Dill

Serves 6

Salad:

2 pounds new potatoes, boiled and cut into chunks
Zest from one orange
2 T minced parsley
2 T minced fresh dill
1/4 C small capers
½ small red onion cut into slivers
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Boil potatoes (skin on) in salted water until fork tender.
Cool and cut into one inch chunks.
Combine remaining ingredients and homemade mayonnaise with the potato pieces. Use enough mayonnaise to evenly coat potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Allow potato salad to thoroughly chill before serving.

If you are squeamish about raw eggs, regular mayonnaise can be used flavored with lemon juice and Dijon.

Homemade mayonnaise:

1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 t Dijon
1 t salt
2 T fresh lemon juice

1 C olive oil

Combine everything except oil in the bowl of a food processor and blend. While machine is running, slowly pour oil through feed tube until a smooth and creamy consistency forms.

Meatballs in Saffron Sauce

Photos show a doubled recipe.

Serves 4-6

For meatballs:

1/4 C olive oil
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
1 slice bacon, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced parsley
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 slice bread, soaked in water, squeezed dry
1 ½ t salt
2 t pepper

For sauce:

2 T olive oil
2 T minced onion
2 t flour
1 t paprika
½ C mix of beef and chicken broths
2 T white wine
Several strands of saffron

1 T minced parsley for garnish

In a bowl, combine beef, pork, bacon, garlic, parsley, egg, bread, and s&p. Thoroughly combine ingredients forming a smooth sticky consistency. Using an ice cream scoop, shape into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Add olive oil to a preheated non-stick skillet. Brown meatballs completely. Remove meatballs to a paper towel lined plate. Pour off excess oil. Place skillet back onto the stove and proceed with the sauce recipe.

Add remaining 2 T of olive oil to skillet. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add flour and paprika to the skillet. Mix well with pan drippings and onions and cook just a bit. Add broths, wine and saffron strands. Bring to a boil. Lower heat. Return meatballs to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning with s&p. Garnish with parsley just prior to service.

The recipe can be prepared several days in advance and reheated.

Olives and Thyme

1 7-ounce jar of large green Spanish olives

¼ C olive oil

1/2 t red chili flakes

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 T dried thyme

Combine all ingredients in a container and mix well. Cover and keep at room temperature for 24 hours. Then, refrigerate for several days. Bring to room temperature before serving. The olives will keep well for several weeks.

Roasted Peppers in Vinaigrette

Recipe photos show a doubled recipe.

Serves 4-6

3 tri-color sweet peppers whole

½ t paprika
1 T water

3 T EVOO
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced parsley
1 t orange zest
2 bay leaves
1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced

Place peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 17 minutes. Turn peppers over and continue cooking for another 17 minutes or until skin is browned and wrinkled. (See photo) Place cooked peppers in a bowl and cover allowing them to sweat. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin/seeds and coarsely chop.

For vinaigrette, dissolve paprika in water. Add paprika mix to the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour vinaigrette over peppers and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Bring to room temperature before serving.

Pickled Cucumbers

1 English cucumber, peeled and quartered lengthwise

Marinade:

1 C white wine vinegar
2 C filtered water
½ small sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
2-3 bay leaves
Fresh tarragon leaves

Mortar and pestle:

2 t Kosher salt
4-6 peppercorns
1 t fennel seeds
2-3 cloves

Cut each quarter slice into 1 inch chunks. Place cucumbers, onion, bay leaves, tarragon leaves and garlic in a non-reactive container. Add vinegar and water. Place salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and cloves in a mortar/ pestle and grind. Add spice mix to cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate. These are best made a couple of days prior to consumption!

Vegetable Minestrone

(serves 8-10)

1/4 C olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced small
1 leek, rinsed and sliced

4 stalks celery, diced small
4 large carrots, peeled and diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced small
6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C tomato paste
1/2 C white wine

1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 zucchini, diced small
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
8 ounces frozen green peas
1 small head of Napa cabbage, thick spines cut out and discarded, leaves thinly sliced
1 – 15 ounce can of garbanzos drained and rinsed

8-9 C vegetable stock
5 bay leaves
2 T Italian seasoning
1 t red pepper flakes
Juice from one lemon

In a large preheated soup pot, add olive oil. Once oil shimmers, add onion, leek, celery, carrots, red pepper and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well and sauté vegetables until they soften. Add tomato paste to veggies and mix in well. Continue to sauté until vegetables begin to stick and tomato paste darkens in color. (see photo) Add white wine and deglaze. Reduce down until wine has almost evaporated. Add tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, peas, cabbage and garbanzo beans. Mix well. Add vegetable stock, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until vegetable are tender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Guess what, always better the next day! Top with highmade pesto and parmesan toast.

Slice a baguette on the diagonal. Generously brush each side with olive oil and top with shredded parmesan cheese. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes or until golden in color.

BLAB (bacon, lettuce, apple, Brie)

Thick sliced applewood smoked bacon

Brie

Pink Lady apple

Spring mix

Croissants

Mayo

Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette

Fry up bacon. Thinly slice Brie. Tip: spray your slicing knife with some non-stick cooking spray. Brie slices without sticking to the knife. Thinly slice Pink Lady apple. Lightly dress greens with Raspberry Chipotle Vinaigrette. Slice croissant and spread a thin layer of mayo on each half. Mound dressed greens, apple slices, Brie and bacon. Place top on and slice. Perfect with a side of Highmade Pickled Vegetables.

Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée

(7-8 portions, depends on size of ramekins)

4 C heavy cream
1 t vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out

12 egg yolks

1 C sugar

In a saucepan, add cream, vanilla and vanilla bean (seeds and bean) and bring to a simmer. Bubbles around the edges…no need to boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for about 15 minutes.

In a bowl combine egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until smooth ribbons form. Careful not to over beat.

Slowly drizzle cream mix into yolk mix while stirring and carefully blend together. Through a fine mesh strainer, pour the custard mix into a pitcher. Place into the refrigerator for a few hours or until cooled. There will be a film on top. Scrape off the film. Pour custard mix into ramekins for baking.

Ramekins need to be placed in a towel-lined Pyrex baking dish. (13 X 9 or larger) Add enough hot water that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Larger ramekins will yield seven portions. Carefully place into a preheated 300 degree oven and bake for 27 minutes. Carefully rotate the baking vessel and bake for another 27 minutes or until there is a very tight “jiggle”. Remove baking pans to the counter and allow creme brûlée to remain in the water bath. Wait until the water is room temperature before removing ramekins. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and refrigerate. Once the creme brûlée is cooled, cover them with plastic wrap.
These are best made a day or two ahead.

For burning off, follow instructions in the recipe for Maple Pumpkin Creme Brûlée.

Highmade Pickled Veggies

Prepped veggies:

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 large jalapeños, seeded and diced
8 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
4 ounces French green beans
5-6 small sweet peppers, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

Brine:

3 C filtered water
3 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C Kosher salt
6 bay leaves
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C honey
Zest of half a lemon
Zest of half an orange
2 t black peppercorns
2 t coriander seeds

Place prepped vegetables in a large stainless steel bowl. In a large non-reactive pot, add brine ingredients and bring to a boil for about one minute. Careful not to inhale too deeply near the boiling pot. Carefully pour boiling liquid over prepped vegetables. Allow to sit for 15 or so minutes. Place a Pyrex pie pan on top of the veggies making sure that they are completely submerged in the brining liquid. Place the veggies into the refrigerator overnight for marination. They taste better the longer they marinate. These will hold for a couple of weeks, maybe longer.