SHEPHERD’S PIE ~ ITALIAN STYLE

Recipe adapted from “One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond” by Valerie Bertinelli

SHEPHERDS PIE
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small sweet mini red peppers
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (I have also used a shallot or a shallot and part of a red onion)
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons dry mustard
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into equal size pieces
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • Preheat the oven to 375˚.
  • Chop the carrot, celery and onion into like size pieces.
  • Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Combine the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, onion in the oil and cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Push the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan and add the lamb.
  • Increase the heat to high and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over.
  • Sprinkle with the mustard, 1 teaspoon of the salt and some pepper, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the tomato paste, fennel seeds and tomato puree and stirring again to blend.
  • Cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and stir in the mint and sage.
  • Remove the bay leaf.
  • Add the potatoes to a saucepan and cover by 2 inches of salted water.
  • Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until a knife releases easily from the potatoes when pierced in the center, 12 to 15 minutes.
  • Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the potatoes.
  • In the same pot, combine the milk, butter, and 1/3 cup of the cooking water and stir together over high heat. Bring to a boil.
  • Work the potatoes through a ricer, then slowly drizzle the hot liquid over the potatoes and stir until light and fluffy.
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Spoon the lamb mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch deep-dish pie plate, spreading it evenly over the bottom.
  • Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top, covering completely. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create a swirled pattern in the potatoes.
  • Bake until the topping turns golden, about 30 minutes.

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PAN SEARED GARLIC CREAM CHICKEN

 

PAN SEARED GARLIC CREAM CHICKEN

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced or pounded thin
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Meyer Lemon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 sprigs Lemon thyme, leaves pulled and stems discarded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

  • Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
  • Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
  • Add chicken, cooking until golden on both sides.
  • Remove chicken and keep warm.
  • Add garlic, stirring to brown until aromatic.
  • Add wine, cream, thyme and tarragon.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring sauce to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and add parsley.
  • Add chicken pieces back in and coat with sauce.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes.

 

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

I quit eating stuffed peppers because green peppers just didn’t agree with us anymore.  Then I started making them in red or orange peppers and only giving us each a  large half – plus they look more attractive to serve in halves.  Now we love them again.
EASY STUFFED PEPPERS
2/3 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 slices ham
3/4 cup minute rice, prepared
1 large red or orange pepper
2 slices mild cheddar cheese + 1/4 cup grated (I sometimes use mozzarella for a different taste)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown ground beef with onion and garlic.
  • Drain fat.
  • Add in tomato sauce and rice.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Wash, cut in half and clean out pepper.
  • Layer ham slice on inside.
  • Fill with meat mixture.
  • Top with cheese slice and sprinkle grated over casserole portion.
  • Bake 30 minutes.

BAKED SWEDISH MEATBALLS

One of the things I do when making a new recipe is make it EXACTLY the way it is written the first time.  The next time through I make the changes that appeal to my family’s tastes.  I don’t post them until I’ve tried them the second time and plan to make them yet again.  These meatballs were one of those recipes.

BAKED SWEDISH MEATBALLS

  • 1 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, finely crushed
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 slices white bread, no crusts, torn into crumbles
  • 1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
  • 3/4 pound ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  1. Heat oil over medium high heat.
  2. Add onions, garlic, fennel, salt and pepper sauteing until onion is completely tender.
  3. Add onion mixture to a large mixing bowl and cool completely.
  4. Add bread to onion mixture and blend well.
  5. Add beef and pork, mixing with your hands until the onion mixture is well blended into the meat mixture.
  6. Form into ping pong size balls.  Should make 40 or so. SET ASIDE 2 uncooked meatballs for making your sauce.
  7. Line a jelly roll pan with foil.
  8. Arrange meatballs on foil.  I use a stainless cooling rack inside the jelly roll pan to put the meatballs on so the juices fall below.
  9. Preheat the broiler.
  10. Broil meatballs for 7-10 minutes or until cooked through.
  11. 1 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 teaspoons WONDRA flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar*
  1. Heat oil over medium high heat.
  2. Add your 2 uncooked meatballs, stirring and crumbling.
  3. Add flour and all spice, coating and blending the meat.
  4. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and reduce to 1 cup.
  5. Remove from heat and add sour cream, butter and vinegar.
  6. Spoon over meatballs.
  7. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

NOTE: *This recipe works well with flavored vinegars if you omit the fennel to change the flavor up a bit.

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WHITE CHICKEN LASAGNA

WHITE CHICKEN LASAGNA
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
14 ounces artichoke hearts, drained VERY well and chopped
16 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 box grape tomatoes, sliced in thirds
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, minced fine
salt and pepper, to taste
1 box Barilla oven ready lasagna noodles

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°.
  • In a large bowl combine chicken pieces, artichoke hearts, Parmesan, 4 ounces of the Mozzarella cheese and half of the tomatoes.
  • In another bowl beat together the cream cheese, heavy cream, garlic, salt and pepper until well blended.
  • Divide cream cheese mixture in half and add one half to the chicken mixture.
  • Using a 9×13 baking dish spread some of the non-chicken cream cheese mixture into the bottom.
  • Top with an even layer of lasagna noodles.
  • Top with one third of the chicken mixture.
  • Top with one third of remaining tomato pieces.
  • Repeat these layers two more times.
  • Spread remaining cream cheese mixture on last layer of noodles.
  • Top with remaining non-chicken Mozzarella cheese.
  • Tent with foil.
  • Bake covered 20 minutes.
  • Remove foil.
  • Bake another 10 minutes until noodles are cooked through.

OPTIONAL: If you prefer a more traditional flavoring, add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the cream cheese mixture.

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SLOW COOKER MOO SHU CHICKEN

SLOW COOKER MOO SHU CHICKEN 
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons white wine
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounce package coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
1 bag shredded carrots
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
green onions for garnish

  • Combine Hoisin sauce, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, wine, cornstarch and garlic.
  • In slow cooker place cabbage and carrots on the bottom.
  • Top with chicken pieces.
  • Drizzle 1/4 cup of the Hoisin sauce mixture.
  • Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
  • Stir in remaining Hoisin sauce mixture.
  • Serve over green onion pancakes.
  • Top with green onions for garnish.

GREEN ONION PANCAKES 6 servings
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/4 cups chopped green onions including tops
fresh ground salt and pepper to taste

  • Sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the center.
  • Pour boiling water into the well.
  • Working quickly, use a wooden spoon and work water into the flour to make a stiff, but not dry dough. Knead lightly into a bowl.
  • Remove dough from the bowl and brush with sesame oil.
  • Invert bowl over dough and let cool 5 minutes.
  • Lightly knead dough until smooth and elastic.
  • Brush again with sesame oil and place in plastic bag.
  • Set aside for an hour.

 

  • Roll dough back and forth to form a log about 10 inches long.
  • Cut into 6 equal pieces.
  • Roll each piece into a ball.
  • Roll out each ball to a 7 inch pancake.
  • Brush with sesame oil.
  • Sprinkle with salt.
  • Top each pancake equally with green onions.
  • Roll into a tight coil.
  • Brush with sesame oil.
  • Using a rolling pin flatten into a thin 5 inch pancake trying to keep the onions on the inside.
  • Use enough coconut oil to make 1inch deep in a shallow skillet.
  • When oil is hot, cook pancakes until golden brown, turning once.
  • Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

MARINATED and SEASONED PRIME RIB

My mom and stepdad will be here tomorrow and we are doing the first of 3 Christmas dinners on Saturday.  This will be the most elaborate of the 3 since it is for the most people and my stepdad specifically asked for prime rib.  I went grocery shopping today to one of my very favorite markets and made my menu around their offerings.

Central Market has the most awesome butchers.  I was going to make my life easy and buy a boneless prime rib, but they didn’t have any the right size so I bought a bone in and the sweet man cut the bones off for me and then tied them back on so we will have AWESOME flavor AND the ease of boneless with a BONUS of the bones for a GREAT stew too.

PLUS this market has some great deals and fun new things to try. There was a demonstrator for these salad dressings and I was really hungry so I tried the salad they were offering and it was really good!  I picked up a couple bottles of two different flavors and put them in my cart.  As I began to leave she called out to me not to forget my free items.  Yep, EVERYTHING besides the 2 bottles of dressings was FREE! A retail value of $26.

This is my go to recipe for prime rib.  It never fails!   

MARINATED and SEASONED PRIME RIB
5 pound boneless beef rib roast
3/4 cup Mad Housewife Merlot wine or Velvet Devil Merlot
1 small Vidalia onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Avocado oil
*2 tablespoons  Savory Spice Shop Hidden Cove Lemon Garlic Blend
*2 tablespoons  Penzey’s English Prime Rib Rub 
*1 teaspoon  Penzey’s OR Savory Spice Shop’s Horseradish powder

  • Whisk together the wine, water and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Place roast in a large plastic bag that has been placed in a shallow baking dish.
  • Pour marinade over roast and seal bag.
  • Marinate 6-8 hours, turning bag occasionally.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Place sliced onions in bottom of roaster.
  • Drain roast and discard marinade.
  • Rub roast generously with the avocado oil. Let roast sit on drainboard a moment to allow excess oil to drain off.  At this point wash your hands to remove the excess oil also so the rub will go on better.
  • Stir together the Hidden Cove Lemon Garlic Blend, English Prime Rib Rub and the horseradish powder until well mixed.
  • Sprinkle rub mixture over roast until well coated all the way around.
  • Place roast, fat side up on onion slices.
  • Insert oven thermometer.
  • Roast until desired doneness (we like medium rare which was 135 degrees and about 2 1/4 hours), but no more!
  • Transfer roast to cutting board and immediately tent with foil for 20 minutes before carving. This is the resting phase and mandatory to the perfect prime rib. During this phase your roast will raise another 10 degrees.

*If you want a thicker rub add more spices making sure to keep these proportions.

DO NOT SKIP THE RESTING PHASE!!

BUFFALO CHICKEN PULL-APART BREAD

I found this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pull-Apart Bread on Facebook, you know one of those that they show you in video form in 30 seconds or less AND looks really scrumptious?  I was thinking of making it as an appetizer when our son and family are here at Christmas time, but needed to test it first.

Well, this recipe did not disappoint.  I made some of my homemade Farmhouse Buttermilk Dressing to go with it and the combination was addicting! Instead of an appetizer we added a salad and made it a meal.

BUFFALO CHICKEN PULL-APART BREAD
2 packages Pillsbury pizza dough (I used 1 recipe of my homemade pizza dough)
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (I used original recipe Costco Rotisserie chicken)
1 cup Buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Original Hot Sauce)
1/4 cup scallions, chopped (I used more, about double – we like onions)
2 1/2 cups grated pepper jack cheese (I used regular jack cheese)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 jalapeno, sliced (OPTIONAL – I didn’t use)
Ranch dressing for dipping (I used a batch of Farmhouse Buttermilk Dressing)

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • In a bowl toss together the chicken, buffalo sauce, green onions and half the cheese.
  • Roll out dough and cut into 3×3 inch squares (about 30 squares total). **SEE NOTE
  • Brush each square with the melted butter.
  • Top each square with a spoonful of chicken mixtures and then a sprinkling of the remaining cheese.
  • Brush loaf pan with butter.
  • Stack each square on top of each other in your loaf pan with the chicken side up.
  • Brush top of bread with remaining butter.
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake 40-50 minutes until golden and set.

NOTE:  The original recipe had you doing each square one at a time, but I found it much easier to do them all at once and then stack them in the loaf pan while it was standing on end for a more even and less messy build.

RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN

I ALWAYS make a recipe as written the first time. You have to see what they were aiming for after all.  The next time through I make changes to appeal to my family’s taste as well as my ease and anything I feel will make the recipe MORE flavorful and/or MORE healthy.

I originally found this one on facebook and it was delicious, but hubby hated the bones so I now make it with boneless breasts. He also is NOT fond of wilted spinach so I cut back on the spinach and increased the parsley.  I also increased the garlic – A LOT!

RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN
4 chicken thighs, bone-in & skin-on  skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Wondra flour

2 teaspoons fresh ground Pink Himalayan sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon oil
3 6 cloves garlic, chopped minced
1 LARGE shallot, diced
½ Vidalia onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2/3 1/2 cup grated powdered Parmesan
1/2 cup 2 tablespoons FLAT LEAF parsley, chopped

  • Generously season chicken with the salt and pepper.
  • Dredge in Flour until VERY well coated.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.
  • Sear chicken well on both sides. Move the chicken around from time to time to ensure it cooks evenly.
  • Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm.
  • Add garlic, shallot and onion, stirring until onions are translucent.
  • Add the heavy cream, salt, and pepper, bringing to a boil.
  • Stir in the tomatoes and spinach until the spinach is wilted.
  • Add the Parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring until the sauce has thickened slightly.
  • Place the chicken back in the pan, spooning the sauce on top of the chicken.
  • Serve with pasta!

CHEESY ITALIAN CHICKEN PASTA

I love this recipe because it is quick, simple and only uses a single pan!

CHEESY ITALIAN CHICKEN PASTA
8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1-8 ounce jar Classico Sun-dried tomato pesto
1 medium large yellow onion, chopped
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite size pieces
6 garlic cloves,minced
1 pound dry linguine**
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning*
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup Chardonnay wine
5 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

  • In a 5 quart large saute/stock pan arrange half the spinach, tomato pesto, garlic, onion, chicken and linguine on the bottom of te pan.
  • Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
  • Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil over a medium high heat.
  • Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente.  Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
  • There will still be liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking and that’s perfect as it will be the base for the cheese sauce.
  • Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. 
  • Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. 
  • Toss in remaining spinach. 
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!

*If you don’t have any dried Italian Seasoning just make your own by combining 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

**My pot is just a bit smaller than the length of linguine so I halve mine before putting it into the pot.

CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN

This started out as Chicken Francaise from Recipe 30.  Then I realized I had forgotten to purchase one ingredient (a lemon so I used a lime) and accidentally purchased something different (cilantro) from what the recipe actually called for which was parsley.  So I did what I always do, I substituted the most likely ingredients and voile’, we have a new recipe. I also don’t like olive oil so I substituted avocado oil. I used significantly more garlic also.  When the chicken was gone I poured the remaining sauce over the carrots and they were really good.

CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN
4 chicken steaks or 2 large breasts, halved
WONDRA flour for dredging
2 JUMBO eggs
1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped fine
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 cup Moscato white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
4 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to warm.
  • Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, half of the cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Pour into a shallow dish large enough to fit a chicken breast.
  • Season eggs with salt and pepper, give them a light beat.
  • In another shallow dish, add the flour and a little more salt and pepper.
  • Heat the Avocado oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat. 
  • Dredge the chicken thoroughly in the flour followed by the egg wash, coating to cover well.
  • Cook on each side about 4-5 minutes (depending on thickness) until golden and cooked through.
  • Remove chicken to warm plate in oven and let rest.
  • Turn the heat up under the same pan and add your wine whisking well.
  • Add the crushed garlic.
  • Add the lime juice.
  • Add the chicken stock.
  • Add the remainder of chopped cilantro.
  • Add the remainder of butter and reduce the sauce for 2 minutes on full heat until it starts to thicken.
  • Return the chicken to the sauce and turn to coat in sauce.
  • Plate chicken immediately and top with sauce.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with CHILE LIME GRAVY & THREE CHEESE BLOOMING POTATO

I’ve been binge watching Junk Food Flip and The Great British Baking Show lately at night trying to play catch up and clean out the DVR list.  I was so happy when Nadiya won The Great British Baking Show this year!  She was so cute and sweet and won so many of the technical challenges and star baker that it was only fitting.  I really liked Flora too, but in the end she just tried too hard to do too much when she should have been focusing more on the specific challenges.

It was an episode of Junk Food Flip that inspired this dish for us.  Bobby Deen was making a piece of fried chicken for a sandwich and to lessen the fat and carbohydrates he used a rice flour and then only the egg whites whisked with hot sauce. It looked and sounded so good that I just had to try something similar.

I was also seeing these blooming potatoes all over Facebook and wondered what they were all about so had to give it a try too – only seemed reasonable with an experimental meal. I used 1 really LARGE potato for the both of us and then split in half after the baking.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with CHILE LIME GRAVY 
          & THREE CHEESE BLOOMING POTATO & SWEET and SOUR TOMATOES

4 chicken steaks (think cut breasts)
1/3 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons Frank’s Chile Lime Hot Sauce
fresh ground Salt & Pepper, to taste
1-3 tablespoons butter**

  • Whisk together the flours in a shallow dish for dredging.
  • Whisk egg whites and Frank’s Chile Lime Hot Sauce in another shallow dish.
  • Heat pan with butter or oil over medium high.
  • Pat dry chicken breasts.
  • Generously salt and pepper each breast.
  • Dredge each breast in flour mixture, then egg mixture and then flour mixture again shaking off the excess.
  • Place chicken in heated pan searing the first side for about 5 minutes.
  • Turn chicken and sear other side until cooked through.

CHILE LIME GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons rice flour
1 small can green chile sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream

  • Melt butter over medium high heat.
  • Whisk in rice flour until smooth and golden.
  • Add chicken broth and green chile sauce alternately, whisking until well blended.
  • Bring to a SLOW boil, backing off to a simmer as soon as it begins to boil.
  • Add heavy cream whisking until well blended and smooth.

BLOOMING POTATO adapted from The Gunny Sack
1 potato per person
avocado oil
butter
salt and pepper
grated medium cheddar
grated Parmesan
grated smoke Gruyere

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Cut the top off of the potatoes.
  • Use a small, thin, flexible knife to cut rings around the inside of the potato.
  • Flip the potato over and make cuts all the way around the potato, leaving a small space at the top uncut. I also put my thumb on the top of the potato and made the cuts around it leaving a small strip of uncut skin. These cuts go all the way through to the center of the potato.
  • Carefully flip the potato back over and place in baking dish.
  • Brush the whole potato with avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake for 30 minutes of baking. 
  • Pour melted butter into potatoes and brush all around the top.
  • Sprinkle with more sea salt. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. 
  • Add cheeses and return them to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt and toast the cheese.

SWEET & SOUR TOMATOES
1 box cherry tomatoes, halved or cut into thirds if they are large
fresh ground salt & pepper, taste
1 tablespoon sugar
splash avocado oil
1 tablespoon STAR golden balsamic vinegar

  • Toss tomatoes with all the ingredients.
  • Chill.
  • Enjoy.

NOTE: **I use a copper non-stick pan and don’t need much oil at all so adjust for your cooking pan.