Spicy Sausage Linguine in a Rose Sauce

Originally published on October 4, 2014

There are no shortages of food ideas in a restaurant kitchen. From finding different ingredients in the walk-in, to discussing ideas with the chef, to learning different ways to plate and present food to make sure it looks its best, these are the most obvious places in which you’ll find new ideas. But there are other, lesser-known areas around the restaurant to get even more food ideas, such as the server that comes in for lunch with a specific, not-on-the-menu item and asks if you can prepare it. That’s what happened here. When finished, it looked so good I had to come home and see if I could recreate it. I didn’t do such a bad job, if I may say. The only difference between this dish and the one I made that afternoon was the server asked for shrimp instead of sausage. While I can cook shrimp, I certainly can’t eat it.

Ingredients:

1/2 package dried linguine
3 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups Alfredo sauce 
4 hot Italian sausage 
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 – 3 tablespoons Srirarcha  
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil
Salt 

Directions:

1.) Combine the spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, and Srirarcha sauce into a large saucepan. Stir to combine, set over medium heat and warm through. Taste along the way and adjust seasoning if necessary.

2.) While the sauce is warming through, fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. When boiling gently drop in the Italian sausages and lower heat to a simmer. Cook sausages in the water for about 20 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes, but cool enough so that you can handle them. When cooled, thinly slice them on a diagonal.

3.) Bring another large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. When rapidly boiling, drop linguine in, stir, and cook for about 8 minutes, until it’s just al dente and has a bit of bite left to it.

4.) Heat the olive oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced sausage and stir to coat the sausage in the oil. Cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sausage is carmalized and nice and crispy along the edges. Then lower heat and add the rose sauce that has been warming. When linguini is finished cooking, use tongs or a pasta ladle to remove it from the water and add it directly to the pan holding the sauce and sausage. Stir to thoroughly coat the pasta in the sauce.

5.) Add the Parmesan cheese to the pasta and stir again to coat. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

6.) Lay the basil leaves flat on a cutting board and roll up into a cigar. Slice into thin strips to chiffonade the basil, cutting them into ribbons. Plate pasta onto individual plates and garnish each with the chiffonade of basil.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Spinach Boreks

Originally published on October 20, 2014

After perusing through Wayne Gisslen’s Professional Cooking when trying to decide what to make for the pre-dinner spread at Thanksgiving this year, I ended up deciding on Spinach Boreks. I had assumed that they were a Greek dish – perhaps because of the spinach and feta cheese, or maybe because they reminded me so much of Spanakopitas. After eating these golden crispy triangles of deliciousness – and doing some research – I found out that they’re not really Greek at all, but rather Turkish. While it’s phyllo dough that’s used in North America, the Turks have a similar pastry known as yufka, and the term borek refers to any dish in which this particular type of dough is wrapped or twisted around a filling. I will warn you that the process of twisting and wrapping can be a long one, but it’s well worth it, I promise.

Ingredients:

2 pounds spinach 
3 tablespoons butter 
3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped 
1 tablespoon scallion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped 
1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
12 sheets phyllo dough
16 tablespoons melted butter
Salt 
Pepper 

Directions:

1.) Trim, wash, and steam or boil the spinach just until it is thoroughly wilted. Drain, cool under cold running water, and squeeze dry. Chop fine.

2.) Heat the 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet set over low heat. Add the onions and the scallions, stir, and cook just until they are soft.

3.) Remove the skillet from the heat and add the spinach and dill. Stir to mix and coat the spinach with the butter.

4.) Add the cheese, season lightly with salt and pepper, and mix. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

5.) Thaw the phyllo if it is frozen. Unwrap and unfold the stacks of sheets and cut them in half lengthwise. Keep any phyllo you are not working with covered with a moist paper towel or clean tea towel to prevent the dough from drying out.

6.) Taking one sheet at a time, brush it with the melted butter. Fold it in half lengthwise and butter it again.

7.) Place a small amount of the spinach mixture (about 1 tablespoon) at the very end of the buttered strip, and down near the bottom corner. Fold the phyllo under the spinach mixture up so that you encapsulate the spinach mixture within the phyllo and form a triangle at that end. Then fold back down and back up, repeating this pattern until you have folded the entire strip. As each borek is made, place the packets down on a baking sheet with the loose ends of the phyllo on the bottom.

8.) When all boreks have been made and are on the baking sheet, brush the tops of each one with melted butter.

9.) Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the boreks are golden brown and crisp, about 20 – 25 minutes.

10.) Serve and enjoy!

Breakfast Tostada

Originally published on October 21, 2014

Tostadas are a great dish because they can be whatever you want them to be – breakfast, lunch, dinner, even midnight snack. I’ve mostly seen them made with corn tortillas, an ingredient that for some reason seems very hard to come by in my neck of the woods. Luckily I’ve done the experimenting and am here to say that you can most definitely use flour tortillas in place of their corn counterparts and you’ll still have a crispy delightful treat loaded with the toppings of your choice. And while there is no pretty way to eat these, they’re so good you won’t care about what ends up all over your face.

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas 
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 slices of bacon, chopped 
1 shallot, finely diced 
1 green pepper, diced 
3 eggs 
1 tablespoon heavy cream 
1 tomato, diced 
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese 
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
1/2 of a lime 
Salt
Pepper 

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place tortillas onto a baking sheet and evenly drizzle 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over both sides of each, spreading it over the entire surface with your fingertips as you do. Lightly salt.

2.) When oven is hot, place tortillas in and bake for six minutes, turning halfway through. When finished cooking, remove from oven and set aside, keeping the oven on.

3.) Place the chopped bacon in a skillet set over medium heat and cook until brown and crisp, stirring occasionally. When bacon is crisp, move to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside.

4.) Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in another skillet set over medium heat. Add the diced shallot, stir and cook for just one minute to soften. Add the green pepper and stir. While vegetables cook, lightly beat the eggs with the cream. Add this mixture to the hot pan and allow to cook for one or two minutes, until it begins to set slightly. Then, stir the eggs to scramble, season with salt and pepper, and let the eggs cook for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat, but leave the eggs in it, as they will continue to set further.

5.) Divide the egg mixture between the two tortillas by starting in the centre and spreading outwards towards the edges, leaving at least a 2″ border. Place diced tomato on top of the eggs, and then the cooked chopped bacon. Divide Monterey Jack cheese between the two, and sprinkle this over the bacon.

6.) Place tostadas into the oven and bake for just a few more minutes, until the cheese has melted.

7.) Remove from the oven, sprinkle with cilantro, and squeeze the juice of half a lime over both.

8.) Serve and enjoy!

Low-Carb Stuffed Peppers

Originally published on October 24, 2014

While I tried going low carb for an entire month, it’s definitely not a lifestyle that I can do long-term. Still, sometimes I start to feel a bit heavy and feel as though I need to take a step back from the starches in my life. Quinoa is a great way to do that, as it looks and acts like a grain, while actually being a seed that is packed with protein. It’s also what makes these stuffed peppers even better than the rice-filled ones I usually make, because you can stuff yourself on them and not feel uncomfortably full afterwards.

Ingredients:

6 bell peppers (of any colour,) halved, with seeds and ribs removed 
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 onion, grated 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup marinara sauce, plus 1/2 cup 
1 cup (about one ball) fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large bowl combine quinoa, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, beef, pork, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to completely incorporate all ingredients.

3.) Place a small handful into each pepper half, making sure that the meat mixture is distributed thoroughly among all the peppers.

4.) Spoon a tablespoon of marinara sauce over top of each pepper half, then top with a couple slices of mozzarella cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 45 – 60 minutes, until the meat and quinoa has completely cooked all the way through, and the cheese has melted.

5.) Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Kate’s Scalloped Potatoes

Originally published on October 25, 2014

There are many different spins that can be put on scalloped potatoes, and mine includes caramelizing the onions first, and using chicken stock in place of the heavy cream or milk that’s most often used. While I did this only because I had just run out of the latter, it resulted in scalloped potatoes that were somehow even creamier but tasted much lighter.

Oh, and does anyone know why they’re called scalloped potatoes? I still can’t figure that one out.

6 large potatoes, thinly sliced 
2 onions, thinly sliced 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
3 tablespoons butter, plus 1 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock 
2 tablespoons chives, chopped 
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup Asiago PDO cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper 

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish.

2.) Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan set over medium heat. When hot add onions and stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions have released most of their moisture but are still soft, and are dark brown throughout. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.

3.) In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour over top and whisk together well to make a roux. Cook for about three minutes so that you still have a pale roux but enough that the raw flour is cooked out. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking as you do to break up any lumps. When all stock has been added, add salt and pepper along with the chives and fresh thyme and allow to cook for about five minutes, just until the mixture begins to thicken.

4.) Place an even single layer of potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish and sprinkle carmalized onions over top. Place another layer of potato slices over top of the onions, and then another layer of carmalized onions over that. Continue layering, ending with the potato slices, until there are no potatoes or onions remaining.

5.) Gently pour in the sauce, trying to spread it evenly throughout the dish. Sprinkle Asiago cheese over top, cover with foil, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes then remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes, until the entire dish is bubbling and cheese is melted and just beginning to brown on top.

6.) Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Ree Drummond’s Perfect Pot Roast

There is a lot to love about pot roast, but my favourite thing about it is that you can  pull everything together in the early afternoon, get it in the oven, and then just go about your day, completely forgetting about it, with the exception of course of the occasional whiff of that wonderful aroma that will fill your house. This Perfect Pot Roast from Ree Drummond has become my go-to for this reason, and because it always, always turns out perfectly. When it’s done you can even just shred it apart with two forks – it’s that tender. I used a 3-pound roast so it only needed three hours, but if you’re using one that’s larger you want to give it about an hour per pound, checking on it every half hour or so after the 4-hour mark.

Ingredients:

1 three-pound chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, peeled and halved
6 whole carrots, cut into two-inch pieces
1 cup red wine 
2 – 3 cups beef broth
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt 
Pepper 

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and generously salt and pepper the roast.

2.) Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is very hot, place the onions in and cook for about 2 minutes per side, just until they are brown and soft and charred in some areas. Remove onions to a plate and add carrots. Toss carrots around to coat in the oil and cook for another 2 minutes, until they also start to soften and are charred in some areas. Remove carrots to the same plate as the onions.

3.) If the pot is running a little dry, add another splash of olive oil and allow it to get hot. Then place the roast in and sear on all sides for 1 – 2 minutes, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove roast and set aside on a separate plate.

4.) With the burner still very hot, add the red wine to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits.

5.) Place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the roast. Add the onions and carrots back into the pan and nestle in the fresh herbs.

6.) Place the lid on the pot, or cover with aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven and cook for three hours (or longer.) When done cooking, remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before shredding or slicing.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Spring Mix Salad

Originally published on October 28, 2014

As many of you know, I have an issue with salad. I love them! I love the simplicity of sitting down to a big bowl of refreshing veggies and walking away completely satisfied. But I really don’t like lettuce all that much (especially the mostly-useless Iceberg lettuce.) But, I’ve found a solution. It’s spring mix, and if there’s a shred of actual lettuce in there, I don’t want to know about it. There is baby red chard, baby spinach, and a bunch of other good stuff that’s probably been given a miniature name as well, and I can’t get enough of it. While I’ve liked it for some time, I was reunited with my love of this mix when I returned to the restaurant biz, and the one in which I spend many of my days has a great house salad using spring mix and balsamic vinaigrette. Now, I have yet to make the vinaigrette at work so I had to sort of wing it when making my own, but it all turned out delicious and I’ve been happy to munch on it for the past few days.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

5 cups spring mix
1/2 cup radicchio, thinly sliced 
1/2 cucumber, cut into a large dice
1 tomato, cut into a large dice
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved 

For the salad dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, roughly chopped 
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1.) Place all the ingredients, except for the Parmesan cheese, into a large bowl.

2.) Place all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender and puree until smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and blend again if adding any salt and pepper.

3.) Pour a small amount of dressing over the salad and toss to mix. Add more if the salad doesn’t seem dressed enough, but make sure that the salad isn’t drenched with it. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.

4.) Serve and enjoy!

The Real Deal Alfredo

Originally published on November 1, 2014

In the past I’ve posted a couple of “faux” recipes for Alfredo sauce using sour cream and cream cheese. But what if you want the real deal? Real creamy Alfredo sauce that’s delicious and stays true to the way it’s actually supposed to be made? When that’s the case, you need to follow this recipe. I will tell you that this one includes chicken, which is not absolutely necessary; and that parsley is typically used instead of thyme, but that thyme was all I had (now if only I had more time – haha, such an old kitchen joke!)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced very thinly
1/2 package fettuccine
1/2 cup butter 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 cup heavy cream 
1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved 
3 tablespoons thyme, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. When boiling, add the fettucine, stir, and cook for about 8 minutes just until the pasta is al dente, and drain.

2.) While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When melted, add the heavy cream, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the Parmesan cheese, thyme, and chicken. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

3.) When pasta has finished cooking and has been drained, add the noodles to the sauce and stir to combine.

4.) Serve and enjoy!

Is Your Asiago Cheese Authentic?

Originally published on November 2, 2014

I first fell in love with Asiago cheese at the very first restaurant I cooked in. It was quite posh posh and we served a cheese plate that included Asiago cheese. I don’t know if I had ever tasted it before then, but I remember loving the distinct taste it had without being overpowering. When I was recently contacted by Ivan at the Asiago Cheese Consortium, who asked me if I would like some samples, I was thrilled over the idea of sampling some of the best Asiago cheese on this planet. And the best it is. This Asiago cheese wan’t just any. It had come all the way from Italy.

The cheese I received is known as “Asiago PDO cheese.” This is cheese that has come straight from the Asiago plateau in Italy and “PDO” stands for “Protected Destination of Origin.” Buying this specific type of Asiago cheese ensures that you are getting the best Asiago cheese there is, and that it’s the real deal. Pictured above is the sample I received, with the aged Asiago resting on top of the fresh, because that’s just one more thing to love about this cheese – you can enjoy it in different ways, knowing that it all comes straight from the actual source.

Just from the picture above you can see some distinctive characteristics that show that this is Asiago PDO. The markings on the side of the cheese, along the outside of the rind, include the name “Asiago” along with quality seals and the name of the dairy from which it came. If you were to turn the cheese over, you’d also see that each wheel of Asiago PDO cheese features a Casein stamp with the identification number of the cheese in its entirety. All of these stamps help to trace the cheese to where its come from, and where its going.

So, how do you choose between fresh or aged? It all depends on what you’re looking for.

Fresh Asiago PDO is a very soft cheese with a delicate milky flavour. While it is soft, it won’t stick to your fingers and doesn’t leave behind a greasy feel. The taste is very mild, making it a great subtle cheese for cheese platters, or to serve as a garnish or even alongside some types of desserts. My sample was white in colour but it can also sometimes take on a very pale yellow shade, like straw. The eyes, or “holes,” in the cheese are small and scattered.

Aged, or seasoned, Asiago PDO is much firmer in texture and can be likened to Parmesan cheese. It’s also got a bit more colour than the fresh; mine was kind of a beigey-yellow. Its definitely got a stronger taste than the fresh, but is still quite mild in its nutty saltiness. The circle of the eyes are a bit more perfect than you’ll find in the fresh, and they are also a bit larger. It’s the firm aged Asiago PDO that I used in my Scalloped Potatoes and Stuffed Acorn Squash.

I’m so excited that I still have lots of Asiago PDO cheese to use and try in different dishes (as well as just for snacking!) I’ve always known this was one of my favourite cheeses, but even I didn’t know it could be so good!

Pan Roasted Potatoes

Originally published on November 3, 2014

I love potatoes. They used to be the bane of my existence because Brent will only eat them certain ways, and I quickly tired of making them over and over. But he took a few steps out of his box, and I started figuring out that just by changing a few things, I could switch up the technique enough to keep me entertained, and keep Brent eating his dinner. And while small new potatoes in this house are typically reserved for Ree’s Crash Hot Potatoes, this time I threw them into a pan with lots of butter and salt, tossed them around a bit, and fried up fresh sage leaves to go along with them at the very end. Delicious.

Ingredients:

1 bag (2 or 3 pounds) new potatoes, red or white 
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 
10 – 12 fresh sage leaves, whole
A couple of generous pinches of salt
A small pinch of ground black pepper

Directions:

1.) Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the potatoes and roll them around to coat them in the fat. Cook for a few minutes, tossing and rolling them, before turning heat to medium and partially covering with a lid. Cook for about 20 minutes, until you can just pierce them with a fork. You don’t want them to be super tender inside just yet, as you’ll be cooking them a bit longer.

2.) Remove lid and turn heat back up to medium high. Sprinkle parsley over top and shake again to coat. Push the potatoes to one side of the skillet and tilt so that the fat collects on the other side. If needed, add another tablespoon of olive oil and allow to heat before tilting. When the fat is hot, drop the sage leaves in and toss gently to separate and fry evenly. When they begin to crisp and turn a darker green, even out the pan and gently toss them to distribute them among the potatoes.

3.) Remove the skillet from the heat and mound the potatoes into a bowl or serving platter.

4.) Serve and enjoy!