Mixed seafood scampi

I was in the mood for something different the other night. I’ve been eating a lot of roasts, steaks and chops lately, and I searched through the freezer for a change of pace. I remembered I had a half pound bag of mixed seafood. This consists of shrimp, calamari and scallops. I wasn’t in the mood for a tomato based sauce, so I decided to go with a butter garlic sauce instead.

Now you can make this with all shrimp if you want, or all calamari, or all scallops too. Heck, you can also probably make it with bluegill filets as well. 

This is a simple recipe, nothing fancy. Leave the arbol pepper out if you want, or just use a pinch of red pepper flakes. I can’t believe I am still picking arbol chile peppers out of my garden in late October. While I have them, I’ll use them. 

Here’s how I put this together. This was a single serving portion for me. If I was making this for two, I’d double the recipe … but that’s just the way I am.

1/2 stick of butter

1 tbs. Olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

2 arbol chile peppers, sliced (or red pepper flakes)

1 cup of white wine

1 tsp. fresh oregano leaves, or 1/2 tsp. of dry oregano

1 tsp. fresh ground white pepper

Sprinkle of adobo seasoning

1/2 lb. frozen mixed seafood

Sea salt

1/2 lb. thick spaghetti, cooked and drained

Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

This will cook fast, so start by putting some salted pasta water on to boil, so that the water is boiling when you need it.

Heat a large skillet, and melt the butter. Add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper.  Carefully let that soften, but don’t brown the garlic. You want it to just get sizzling and fragrant. I would remove the skillet from the stove, as it sizzles, return it when it stops, and repeat. 

Once the garlic has softened, add the white wine. Bring that to a boil, reduce the heat so it just simmers, and let it reduce by half. Add the oregano, sprinkle on the white pepper, and a bit of the adobo seasoning. 

If the water isn’t boiling yet, wait until it is, then add the pasta to cook. Once the pasta is simmering, add the frozen seafood to your skillet. Turn up the heat to bring it back to a simmer, and stir. Let that simmer for about five minutes. Taste and adjust for salt. Turn off the heat, if your pasta isn’t ready yet.

Drain the pasta, Place it in a large pasta bowl, and drizzle it with your best olive oil. Pour the seafood sauce over the pasta and toss. You are ready to serve.

Serving

I served my pasta in a big bowl, with a little fresh ground white pepper sprinkled over it. I added a bowl of seared broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and onions, which I sprinkled with a bit of cajun seasoning. 

Now, all you need is fresh baked homemade bread with butter, and open a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and you can ring the dinner bell.

My effort to duplicate Amish wedding bread

Thursday, I attended an Amish wedding. The daughter of one owner of a pallet mill I work with, married the son of the other owner. I’ve worked with the daughter for about ten years over the office phone. 

I’ve never been to an Amish wedding before. First, I’ll say that the Amish wedding service is unlike any I’ve encountered. The scripture selections are about the same for any Christian wedding, but the style of singing and the volume of singing, is unlike anything I’ve experienced. 

The service started at 8:30 AM Eastern time, with three German wedding songs, each was about twenty minutes long. Each started with one minister chanting a line, then the whole congregation started in, with a two part harmony. It almost sounded like an ancient chant, with parts of the song getting very loud. At times it would quiet down, then the minister would chant another line, and the whole congregation would start in again. It was clear that they all knew the words.

Next, there was two sermons and a scripture reading. There was an interpreter for the little non-Amish section. Finally, around 11:00 AM, the wedding vows were exchanged. Then elders of the Church gave comments regarding the sermon and the advice for the newly weds. 

Around noon, we broke for a meal. This was a big meal, as there were over 500 people attending the wedding. Dinner consisted of warm Amish bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, Salisbury steak in a cheese sauce, a fruit salad, a huge mixed salad, and ranch dressing. 

The bowls were passed, one for each side of the table. Just about when you thought you were finished eating, fresh bowls of the whole dinner were passed again. Finally, a dessert of ice cream and chocolate cake was served. My recipe is just a guess, but it comes pretty close to the flavor of the Amish bread they served at the wedding.

4 cups of flour

2 tbs. of brown sugar

1 tbs. molasses

1 tsp. of salt

2 tbs. of room temperature butter

2 tbs. instant yeast

2 cups of water

Preparation

Place the flour, sugar, molasses, salt, butter and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the water and bring the dough together with your dough hooks. Adjust with a little more water or flour, until you have a moist dough that you can just knead with floured hands. Knead it for a minute, and let it rise for about an hour.

Knead the dough again, and set it into a loaf pan. Let it rise for another half hour, and brush the top with a little melted butter. Bake the loaf for about 45 minutes at 375º, or until it is golden brown, and sounds hollow, when you knock the bottom with your knuckles.

Serving

Friday night, I served my version of that Amish style bread, with lots of butter. I also made homemade chicken and dumplings, along with a salad, and a cold crisp off dry hard cider.

Sautéed chicken and mushrooms over rice

The other night, I made a simple dish of sautéed chicken and mushrooms in a white wine sauce with fresh thyme from my garden. 

This cooks fast, and tastes great. The hot pepper is strictly optional. I have a ton of them in my garden and I’m enjoying them while I still have them. I like a little bite, and the arbol pepper is just the ticket for that. Here’s how I put this together.

1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh

Olive oil

1/2 tsp. white pepper

2 large shallots, sliced razor thin

1 arbol pepper, chopped (optional)

1/4 lb. of shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 cup of white wine

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Wondra gravy flour

1 cup of water

Worcestershire

Sea salt

Preparation

Heat a large cast iron fry pan, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Butterfly the chicken thigh open, and set it in the pan, inside down. Sear that for a minute and turn it over. Give it another minute, and then use a sharp knife to chop it into bite sized chunks. Stir and let that sizzle for a minute, and then move the chicken towards the center of the pan and sprinkle it with the white pepper. Place a saucepan lid, just large enough to cover the chicken, over the chicken, and directly on the cast iron. Let the chicken steam for a couple of minutes.

Remove the cover and add the shallots, red pepper, and the sliced mushrooms. Stir and let that cook until the mushrooms have softened. Add the white wine, and the thyme leaves. Scrape up anything that has stuck to the pan. Stir and let the wine reduce by at least half. Sprinkle the chicken and mushrooms with a heavy dusting of the flour. Stir to absorb the flour, and then add the water. Bring that to a boil, and reduce it to a slow simmer. Sprinkle on some Worcestershire sauce and stir. Simmer until the sauce has a nice gravy thickness. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper, and you are ready to serve.

Serving

I served my sautéed chicken and mushrooms over steamed brown rice. I also set out a bowl of steamed, buttered broccoli, and some homemade dinner rolls. I popped open a medium bodied red wine from Spain, and dinner was perfect. Don’t bother asking about leftovers. They made a great second helping!

A spicy pizza with garden vegetables and sausage

Many people have lots of tomatoes. With the cold weather, the last of them are ripening. This is a great way to use some of them. You can use either overripe tomatoes, underripe tomatoes, or both in the sauce.

If you want, you can substitute a pinch of red pepper flakes for the hot peppers. I have tons of them in my garden, and I like the bite they give the pizza. Here’s how I put this together.

2 cups of flour

1 cup of lukewarm water

1/2 tsp. salt

Olive oil

2 tbs. yeast

2 large (or several small) tomatoes

1 bell pepper

4 tabasco chiles (strictly optional)

1 green onion

2 cloves of garlic

Oregano

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

3 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 Italian sausage

Corn meal

Preparation

Place the flour, salt, yeast, about two tablespoons of olive oil, and the water in your mixing bowl. Use the dough hooks to bring the dough together. Adjust with additional flour or water if necessary. Knead the dough for about a minute, and then set it in a warm place to rest.

Chop the tomatoes, bell pepper, and hot peppers if you want them. Heat a medium skillet, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the tomatoes and peppers. Chop the onion and garlic, and add those as well. Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of oregano. Let that simmer until the tomatoes start to fall apart. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off, and let the sauce cool to a warm room temp.

Use your hands to work the dough into a 17 inch circle, turning it over and flouring it as you do. Slide the dough into a 16 inch pizza pan, that has been sprinkled with corn meal. Roll the edges up to form a crust. 

Spread the sauce evenly on the pizza dough. Sprinkle on the grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on the Mozzarella cheese. Slice the sausage and add that. Sprinkle the top of the pizza with a little extra oregano. 

Bake in a 410º oven until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Remove the pizza to a cutting pan, and drizzle the top with your very best olive oil. Let this sit for five minutes before slicing.

Serving

You want a big tossed salad to go with your pizza. Pick out a good red wine and ring the dinner bell!

Roman style broiled pork chops

On Saturday, I made the mistake of going to the grocery store while I was hungry. I bought steaks, chops, roasts, pasta, and even some Italian pesto sauce. I should know by now, to eat before going. 

On Saturday night, I decided to do a version of Roman style pork chops, that I first saw in a recipe from in Saveur Magazine back about five years ago. I didn’t have all of the ingredients, and didn’t want to light the grill for just two chops, so I kind of changed it. If you want to try the original, you can find it here. Otherwise, here’s my version.

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tbs. butter

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 bone in pork chops, at least an inch thick

Olive oil

Sea salt 

Fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce to a small sauce pan. Bring that to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer to reduce it by half. Stir in the butter and the rosemary sprigs. Turn off the heat, and set it aside.

Place the chops on a cast iron pan on the counter. Drizzle lots of your best olive oil over the tops of the chops, and then season them heavily with the sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Let them rest for about an hour.

Heat the broiler. Set the rack, so the chops are not right up next to the flame. You want it down a notch or two, so it takes a little longer, and the center of the chops will cook without burning the outside. Set the chops under the broiler. The exact time will depend on the distance of the flame, and the heat the broiler puts out. 

I suggest turning the chops over after five minutes. Give this side enough time to char nicely. Remove the pan to the stove. Turn the chops over and pour the reduced vinegar mixture over both chops. Return the pan to the broiler, and broil until this side is nicely charred as well, and you are ready to serve.

Serving

I served these chops, with plenty of the sauce in the pan, next to a thick slice of sausage bread. We also had a big bowl of my version of a tortellini soup, with lots of Italian Parmesan grated into it. Pick out a nice Italian red, and ring the dinner bell.

Parmesan sausage bread

On Saturday, I was in the mood for some sausage bread. I haven’t made this much recently. I used to make sausage bread a lot around the holidays, but I’ve seemed to have forgotten about it. 

On Saturday, I kicked it up with the addition of lots of imported Italian Parmesan cheese. This is easy to make. You just need a clean counter to roll it out. Other than that, there isn’t much more work, than normal bread. Here’s how I put this together.

3 cups of unbleached flour

1 cup of white whole wheat flour

1 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of sugar

2 tbs. of olive oil

2 tbs. of instant yeast

2 cups of lukewarm water

1 cup of grated Italian Parmesan

1 lb. of Italian sausage

1 clove of garlic

1 cup of shaved Italian Parmesan

Corn meal

Preparation

Place the flours, salt, sugar, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, and yeast in a mixing bowl. Add the water and bring the dough together with dough hooks. You may have to adjust with a little extra flour or water; I never measure this stuff. Knead the dough for about a minute, and set it aside in a warm place, to let it rise. 

While that is rising, heat a small skillet, and brown the Italian sausages. As they start to brown, break them up. Smash and mince the garlic, and add that to the sausage. Once it is browned nicely, turn off the heat. Relax with your book, while the dough rises.

After about forty five minutes, knead the dough again. Set it on a clean, floured counter. Using your hands first, then a rolling pin, work the dough into a sheet, almost three feet long, and about a foot and a half wide. Add the browned sausage and garlic to the dough, but leave the outer two inches uncovered. Sprinkle on the shaved Parmesan cheese.

Now, comes the fun part. Fold the outer two inch edge of dough over the sausage, on each side. Next, start at the end closest to you, and gently roll the dough up like it was a carpet. Sprinkle a baking sheet with corn meal, and carefully set the rolled up dough on it, seam side down. Brush the loaf with the fat from the sausage pan. Let it rise for twenty minutes.

Bake your loaf at 380º for about forty five minutes. If you aren’t sure, give it five or ten minutes more. When I took mine out, and looked at the bottom, I put it back in for another ten minutes. Place the bread on a rack to cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Serving

We served our sausage bread, with lots of butter, next to Roman style broiled pork chops. We also had some tortellini sausage soup, and lots of beer to round out the dinner.

Tortellini and sausage soup

I was in the mood to make some soup Saturday. At first I wasn’t sure what I was going to make, but I had a big pot of stock on the stove, made with a couple bones from pork roasts from the freezer. the bones were simmering with some onion flakes, bay leaves and adobo seasoning.

When I went to the store, I saw some imported Italian pesto sauce, and that reminded me of the tortellini soup my former housemate used to make. I bought a package of frozen cheese tortellini, and other things for dinner. After the stock simmered for about three hours, I started on the soup. My neighbor raved about this. Here’s how I put this together.

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 very ripe cucumber, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 thin red pepper, chopped

8 basil leaves, torn

1 gallon of stock (chicken broth is ok)

8 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 2 inch rind from Italian Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, browned, and broken up

6-1/2 oz. jar of imported Italian pesto sauce

1 lb. cheese tortellini

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation

This soup doesn’t need a lot of actual kitchen work, just time on the stove. If possible, make your own stock for this, but four quarts of unsalted chicken stock will work fine. When your stock is ready, start on the soup. 

Heat a large soup pot, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the chopped onion, turnip, carrot, cucumber, tomato, jalapeño, and red pepper. Let that gently sweat down for about ten minutes, until everything has softened a bit. Add the basil leaves and the garlic. Stir and let that cook another five minutes.

Add the stock, and bring that to a boil. Reduce the heat so it just gently simmers when covered. Let that simmer for two hours. Break up and brown the Italian sausage. Add that to the soup. Let it gently simmer for a half hour. Stir in the jar of pesto sauce, and let that simmer for a half hour. Finally, add the pound of tortellini, bring the soup to a boil, and simmer it for about fifteen minutes, and you are ready to serve.

Serving

I served my tortellini soup, sprinkled with grated Italian Parmesan cheese, with Roman style broiled pork chops and Parmesan sausage bread. Any medium bodied Italian red is good.

Chicken with shallots and shiitake mushrooms

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was traveling in Upper Peninsula Michigan, and camping in the Hiawatha National Forest. Once I returned, I had a lot to catch up on. I made this for dinner the other night, and if I may say so, it turned out pretty good.

There is something special about the combination of butter, shallots, shiitake mushrooms and chicken. It is very simple, but also very satisfying. Even without the garlic, this has sort of a French flavor to it. The flavors just seem to be a made for each other.

What made this extra good, is the little broth I made from barbecued rib bones, left after a big meal. I took a handful of bones out of the freezer and I added a half teaspoon of onion flakes, some water, and I simmered it for about fifteen minutes. Strain the broth, and it is ready to use. 

If you don’t have any bones in the freezer, use chicken stock, but you’ll be missing some depth in the flavor. Here’s how I put this together.

1 large chicken breast

2 tbs. butter

1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 large shallots, sliced razor thin

1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 small red hot peppers (or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes)

Adobo seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt)

Fresh ground white pepper

Wondra gravy flour

2 cups of barbecued rib bone broth (or chicken stock)

(6 rib bones, water, 1/2 tsp. onion flakes)

1/4 lb. whole wheat bowtie pasta, cooked and drained

Preparation

Place the rib bones in a small sauce pan, add about 3 cups of water, season it with adobo seasoning, and add the onion flakes. Simmer for fifteen minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron pan, and melt the butter. Add the olive oil, and then add the whole chicken breast. Sauté the chicken for a minute, and turn it over. Take a very sharp knife, and butterfly the chicken open by slicing through the center of it, horizontally. Let that cook for about two minutes, turn it over and give it another two minutes. Now take your knife and slice it into strips, then cut the strips in half. Push the chicken towards the center of the pan, and cover with a lid that is too small for the cast iron pan, but big enough to cover the chicken. Sauté for a few minutes.

Add the shallots, and chopped red pepper. Stir and let the shallots soften, then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms. Place the lid back over the chicken and mushrooms. Let that cook gently for another five minutes. Remove the lid, and sprinkle enough flour over the chicken to absorb most of the butter. Stir to blend it in. Add the barbecued rib bone broth (or your chicken broth) and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce to a gentle simmer, and let that simmer for about ten minutes to thicken it. Taste and adjust the seasoning with adobo and fresh ground white pepper.

Serving

Place a mound of the pasta on one side of your plate, cover it with lots of chicken and mushrooms. Get lots of the sauce on too. Now add some broccoli that was sautéed in butter, and sprinkle both with some shaved Parmesan cheese. 

Pick out a good Merlot, place some butter, and warm homemade bread on the table, and ring the dinner bell!