Italian Scramble

November 24, 2011 by 5 Comments

Italian Scramble

Infused with salty prosciutto, sautéed vegetables and served with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese, our Italian Scramble elevates simple scrambled eggs to a whole new level of deliciousness.

One of the best things about having a day off from work is that we have time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast as a family. Time spent together, whether reading the paper or chatting about the events in our lives, is always made more pleasurable by dishing up something a little extra special to eat. Our Italian Scramble fits the bill, elevating simple scrambled eggs to a whole new level with bright, savory flavors that make our taste buds dance with joy. Infused with bits of salty prosciutto, sautéed vegetables and served with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese, this dish is also a great addition to a brunch with friends. Serve with homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and fresh jam (our Pineapple Jam is shown here) to round out the meal.

PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 slices prosciutto, diced
  • Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it should not cook until golden. Reduce heat to low and remove pan from heat.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pepper until light and frothy. Set aside.
  3. Place pan over low heat, add butter and swirl until melted. Pour egg mixture into the pan, and stir gently to mix vegetables. When eggs begin to congeal on bottom of pan, sprinkle prosciutto over top. Using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, slowly drag eggs toward center of pan until eggs cook through and all liquid is gone, about 5 minutes.
  4. Serve eggs immediately. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top, as desired.

TIPS: For variety, add fresh rosemary and thyme to egg mixture when prosciutto is added. For a slightly stronger flavor, sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese over instead of Parmesan.

YIELDS: 6 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Breakfast, Food, Italian cuisine, Main Dishes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Tamale Pie

November 23, 2011 by 2 Comments

Tamale Pie

We deconstruct flavors found in traditional tamales to create a meal that stretches ground beef, vegetables and spices, then tops them with a cheesy cornbread crust.

One way to stay within your grocery budget is to find ways to stretch inexpensive meats, like a whole chicken or a pound of ground beef, to feed a family. As is often the case, we turn to Mexican inspired recipes to fill the bill, because they have a way of stretching every ingredient for maximum flavor. This is certainly true with our Tamale Pie, which deconstructs the flavors found in traditional tamales and turns them into a one skillet meal where we sauté ground chuck, veggies, and spices to create a filling that is topped by a cheesy cornbread crust. Serve this dish directly from the pan for easy cleanup. Garnish with our Corn, Tomato & Black Bean Salsa, sour cream, and our Chunky Guacamole with Serrano Peppers to complement this yummy dish.

PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 61 minutes + 20 minutes resting time

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 small yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup Chihuahua cheese, grated
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • 1 cup yellow corn kernels

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle position and preheat a 10-inch cast-iron pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Heat oil in pan. When oil shimmers, add onions, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are soft and golden in places, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add black pepper, oregano, cumin, and ground beef to pan and continue cooking just until beef is cooked through, 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and simmer mixture until thickened slightly, 5 minutes.
  4. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in cornmeal and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook until thick and creamy, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, jalapeno, and corn. Spread evenly over beef mixture.
  5. Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden and filling bubbles along the sides of pan, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving.

TIPS: Chihuahua cheese is a great melting cheese and is used in many authentic Mexican restaurants. However, if it is unavailable, Monterey Jack cheese may be used instead.

YIELDS: 8 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Food, Main Dishes, Mexican Cuisine Tagged with , , , , , ,

Creamy Spinach Lasagna

November 22, 2011 by 3 Comments

Creamy Spinach Lasagna

Packed with heart-healthy vegetables and smothered in a surprisingly low-fat cream sauce, our Cream Spinach Lasagna is a hit among carnivores and vegetarians alike.

Although we’re unabashed carnivores in our family, some of our best friends don’t eat any meat. So I’m constantly looking for new recipes that I can add to my repertoire that are hearty and tempting, whether you’re a vegetarian or not. I was thrilled when this Creamy Spinach Lasagna was a big hit among all my friends when I served it at a recent gathering. Filled with heart-healthy vegetables and a surprisingly low-fat béchamel (cream sauce), this lasagna delivers layers of yummy goodness for everyone that eats it. This is best prepared when you have plenty of time on your hands, though, as the multi-step process is somewhat involved and it has a long cook time. But don’t let that prevent you from preparing it! Simply assemble the lasagna, then pop it in the oven, set the timer, and catch up on household chores, watch some shows on your DVR, or enjoy our latest book club pick while it bakes to delicious, bubbly perfection.

PREP: 20 minutes
COOK: 85 minutes + 20 minutes resting time

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 pounds spinach, trimmed and washed in water bath
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 packed cup grated Parmesan (3 ounces)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick planks
  • 8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 1 cup mozzarella, shredded (6 ounces)
  • 1/3 packed cup grated Pecorino Romano (1 ounce)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle position.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 minutes. Add spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, stirring frequently, until all spinach is wilted, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a mesh strainer and press against spinach to remove as much liquid as possible.
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until roux is golden brown, 1 minute. Add milk and continue whisking until milk begins to boil and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cover surface with plastic wrap.
  4. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry zucchini, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  5. Spread 1 cup béchamel along the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Place one-third of noodles over béchamel in a single, overlapping layer. Top with 1 cup béchamel and half of spinach. Repeat with a second layer of noodles, béchamel, and spinach. Top with remaining noodles, remaining béchamel, zucchini, mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is golden in places and lasagna is bubbling along the edges, about 15 minutes.
  6. Remove lasagna from oven and let stand 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

TIPS: This lasagna may be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, bring lasagna back to room temperature before putting it back in the oven at 375°F and cooking until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Serve with a tossed salad and crusty herb bread for a complete meal.

YIELDS: 8 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Food, Italian cuisine, Main Dishes, Pasta, Vegetables Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Roast Turkey Breast

November 16, 2011 by 1 Comment

Roast Turkey Breast

Prepare half a turkey breast any time of year, not just on special occasions.

Turkey is one of those menu items that many people only prepare for the holidays. But there’s no reason not to serve this delicious bird any time of year! By only cooking half a breast, you will have enough to serve sliced turkey for dinner (with pan gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes and peas) or for lunch (diced in salads, shredded in wraps or layered in sandwiches). By preparing the bird yourself, you control the amount of salt used and deliver a fresher product than what you will likely buy at your grocer’s deli counter.

PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 30—45 minutes + 15 minutes rest time

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bone-in, skin-on turkey breast half (about 2 1/2 pounds)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Stir together oil, salt and pepper; brush over turkey.
  2. Roast turkey on a rimmed baking sheet until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140°F and climbing, about 30 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. Slice turkey as needed.

TIPS: If using a boneless turkey breast half, the cook time will increase by about 10 minutes. The pan drippings may be used in any number of ways, from making gravy, to drizzling over sandwich bread for turkey sandwiches, or used in a turkey-corn salad as an extra dollop of flavor.

YIELDS: 6 to 8 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Food, Main Dishes, Poultry Tagged with , , , ,

Big Texan Corn Dogs

November 15, 2011 by Leave a comment

Big Texan Corn Dogs

Hot dogs are skewered, breaded in a cornmeal batter, and fried to golden perfection to create these jumbo-sized Big Texan Corn Dogs, a treat loved by kids of all ages.

When I lived in Dallas, each year I looked forward to the State Fair of Texas. My friends and I would head over to Fair Park to scream on the midway’s thrill rides, watch the pig races, check out the livestock, and of course, eat our way from one end of the park to the other. Granted, the fair’s grub isn’t usually the healthiest fare in the world, particularly when you have choices like deep fried butter, fried beer, fried bubblegum, fried peanut butter sandwiches, fried coke, and… well, you get the picture. If there’s a way to fry it, the Texans will manage to do it! My tastes were never quite that exotic. One of my favorites was and continues to be the Big Texan Corn Dogs, which are hot dogs breaded in a cornmeal batter and fried to golden perfection. Although we really don’t fry many foods these days, once in a while I get a craving that my inner child just won’t let go and I have to whip up a batch of this recipe, which takes me back to my fairground days, munching on tasty treats beneath the watchful eyes of Big Tex, the fair’s mascot.

PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 20—28 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 2/3 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hot dogs
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)
  • 12 hot dogs

    • DIRECTIONS

    1. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir in eggs and milk. (This makes about 5 cups of batter.) Fill a large heavy pot, Dutch oven, or deep fryer with enough oil to submerge hot dogs; heat until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 360°F.
    2. Meanwhile, pat hot dogs dry, and insert a 10-inch bamboo skewer through each lengthwise, roll in flour to coat.
    3. Dip 1 hot dog into batter, turning, until completely coated; let any excess batter drip off, and wipe away extra batter using your fingers so that hot dog is coated evenly. Lower hot dog into hot oil, immediately repeat with 2 hot dogs.
    4. Cook corn dogs, turning to cook evenly, until deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined tray, turning to blot oil. Working in batches of 3, repeat with remaining hot dogs and batter.

    YIELDS: 12 servings

    © 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Food, Main Dishes Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

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