Beef Bourguignon (Beef Stew) by Barefoot Contessa

I am a tremendous Barefoot Contessa fan. She is such a talented cook and entertainer. I make this stew many times a year and leave out this or that ingredient depending on what I have. You can serve it over a mound of mashed potatoes or use the whole ones. I almost always make it without the mushrooms and the bacon. Everything else is a necessity for just the right combination of rich flavors. A good quality wine is a must. This time I used a bottle of good Tuscan wine that we received for a gift. The flavor that a good wine puts into the meat is unbeatable!

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 1 hr 15 min

Total: 1 hr 45 min

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil

8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced

2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)

1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir

1 can (2 cups) beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound frozen whole onions

1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside. Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

***To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over slice of bread sprinkle with parsley.

Shortbread Cookies dipped in Chocolate

3 STICKS BUTTER AT ROOM TEMP
1 CUP SUGAR
1TESASPOON VANILLA
3 ½ CUPS FLOUR
¼ TSP KOSHER SALT

*OPTIONAL*
1/2 BAG SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS

(I MADE HALF OF THE BATCH WITH NO CHOCOLATE AND THEY WERE STILL A BIG HIT! CRUNCHY AND NOT TOO SWEET! )

MIX INGREDIENTS ON LOW UNTIL IT ALL COMES TOGETHER. TAKE IT OUT AND WORK THE DOUGH A MIN OR TWO ON A CUTTING BOARD AND THEN SHAPE INTO A LARGE FLAT DISK…WRAP IN PLASTIC WRAP AND CHILL FOR HALF HOUR. ROLL OUT TO HALF INCH THIHK, CUT OUT SHAPES OF YOUR CHOICE, SPRINKLE WITH A LITTLE SUGAR, THEN BAKE ON AN UNGREASED COOKIE SHEET AT 350 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 20 MINS. MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CHIPS AT 30 SEC INTERVALS, STIRRING IN BETWEEN AND KEEP REPEATING UNTIL THE CHOCOLATE IS THIN ENOUGH TO SPREAD OR DIP THE COOKIE IN. DIP HALF A COOKIE IN THE CHOCOLATE OR SPREAD IT ON WITH THE BACK OF A SPOON, PUT BACK ONTO COOLED COOKIE SHEET TO DRY,

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Servings: 4

*NOTE*
I added the ingredients and directions if you want to make it with sauce on top.

INGREDIENTS:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs


SAUCE:
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.

3. Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast, let melt, remove toothpicks and serve with sauce and parsely over top.

TO MAKE SAUCE:
In a 1-qt. microwave-safe dish, heat the butter on high for 30 seconds; stir in the flour until smooth. Cook, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds. Add milk and salt. Cook 3-4 minutes longer or until thickened. Stir in cheese until smooth. Add the wine or broth. Serve over chicken.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:
•Alfredo Sauce
•8 ounces butter
•1 1/2 cup whipping cream
•freshly ground white pepper
•1 1/2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese
•.•18 slices mozzarella cheese
•.
•Ricotta Mixture:
•2 cups ricotta cheese
•1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
•2 tablespoons sliced green onions
•2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/8 teaspoon black pepper
•1/4 each teaspoon dried leaf basil and oregano
•1 1/2 cups prepared Alfredo sauce
•.
•Vegetables
•2 cups chopped carrots
•4 cups sliced mushrooms
•1 cup chopped onion
•1 tablespoon butter
•2 cups chopped or sliced red bell peppers
•1 cup chopped or sliced green bell pepper
•2 cups sliced zucchini
•4 cups broccoli florets
•lasagna strips

Preparation:
Lay out enough dry lasagna strips in a 9x13 pan to ensure you have enough to make 3 full layers, with very little overlap on each layer. Remove the dry strips and cook according to package instructions until just tender; drain.
Alfredo Sauce
Heat water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Add butter, cream and pepper to the top pan and heat until butter is completely melted; stir in Parmesan until melted and blended in. Turn off heat and remove top pan and set aside to cool. Measure 1 1/4 cups of the sauce; store remaining sauce in the refrigerator until nearly serving time.

Combine ricotta cheese, the 1/3 cup Parmesan, 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella, the 2 tablespoons green onions, 2 teaspoon minced parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon each basil and oregano, and the cooled prepared Alfredo sauce. Blend well. Set aside at room temp.


In a heavy skillet, sauté mushrooms, carrots, and onions in 1 tablespoon butter until just tender, about 6 to 10 minutes. Combine all vegetables; mix well.

Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Lay out 4 cooked lasagna strips to cover entire bottom of baking pan. Spread 1 1/4 cups of the Ricotta mixture evenly over the strips. Top with half of vegetable mixture and spread out evenly. Cover the vegetable layer with 9 slices of Mozzarella cheese. Repeat this layering. Top the second layer of mozzarella slices with lasagna strips and spread them evenly with 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture to finish.

Grease or spray a sheet of foil with vegetable spray and cover the baking dish tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for about an hour or, until the internal temp registers 165° on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, covered, before cutting and serving. Heat reserved Alfredo sauce and spoon a little over each serving.
Serves 8.

Carmella's Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Olives

OK, ladies - the chicken with sundried tomatoes and olives

I used 4 thin cut cutlets. seasoned with salt and pepper, just browned in a non-stick frying pan in a little olive oil and put aside
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion chopped

browned in 2 tablespoons of olive oil
add a little salt and fresh ground pepper
add a cup of white wine (use whatever is opened!)
let that reduce down a bit.
I used 10 sundried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped roughly
one small can of sliced black olives drained.
to thicken the sauce I use a little bit of Wondra flour - about a tablespoon (I swear by it for gravies)....don't mix it with water, just sprinkle a little bit over the wine and wisk it to keep it from getting lumpy. If it gets too think add a litte water. When it's thick enough, add the tomatoes and olives and put the chicken back in the pan. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. I serve it over either saffron rice or rice with herbs de provence and either a salad or green veggie.
Just a note....if you want to use chicken broth instead of the wine, don't add any salt to the chicken or the dish itself. I did it once and it was WAY too salty.

Tracy's Stuffed Cabbage

Tracy's STUFFED CABBAGE

Make the stuffing just like meatballs, but with rice too, boil the cabbage until soft & put filling in the middle (but don't overstuff, you dont want it falling out.) roll it up and put tooth picks through to keep them together. I cook mine on stove top in a nice big pot of tomato sauce. Simmer it just like meatballs for about the same amount of time. (Can also be put in a bake dish with a little Olive Oil on the bottom and cooked at 375 for about 45-1 hour)Comes out really good. Let me know how it goes or if you need more info.

Chicken Scarpiello

INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1.Cut chicken breasts into 1 x 3 inch strips, and dredge in flour.
2.In 10 inch skillet, heat oil and butter. Add chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (3 to 4 minutes). Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet. Set aside and keep warm.
3.To same skillet, add shallots and garlic. Saute until softened (1 minute). Add water, wine, broth mix, and seasonings. Mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced by 1/2 (3 to 4 minutes). Return chicken to skillet, and cook until sauce is thick and chicken is heated through (2 to 3 minutes

Serap's Patlican Salatasi (Eggplant Salad)

Patlican Salatasi (Eggplant Salad)


Ingredients

1 eggplant
1 green bell pepper, sliced fine
1 large garlic clove, crushed
salt and ground black pepper
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large fresh tomato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
juice of 1 lemon





Directions

1 Wash the eggplant and prick all over with a fork. Place on the grill (before the meat as it takes longer to cook). To make sure it cooks evenly, turn it occasionally using the stem as a handle. When the skin of the eggplant looks quite burnt, make sure the flesh is soft right through by testing it with a fork.
2 Hold the eggplant under cold running water to cool, then peel the skin, leaving the soft flesh. Slice it into a serving dish and add the tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic.
3 Place the onion in a separate dish and rub with a good pinch of salt, then wash and drain. Add to the salad along with the parsley.
4 To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the salad and serve.

Carmella's Bourbon or Rum Balls

3 cups finely crushed Nabisco chocolate wafers (about 60 cookies)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup finely chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts

½ cup bourbon

¼ cup light corn syrup

Granulated sugar, powdered sugar or baking cocoa

Mix crushed wafers, powdered sugar and nuts in a large bowl. Stir in bourbon and corn syrup.

Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar (or powdered sugar or baking cocoa).

Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 3 days before serving to blend flavors.

Bourbon can be substituted by ½ cup of brandy or ½ cup of rum.

Carmella's Rice Pudding

by Carmella Dellaporte

Ingredients:

½ gallon milk

1 cup long grain white rice

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon anisette (optional)

1 teaspoon Orange zest (optional)

½ cup Raisins (optional)

Nutmeg

Directions:

In large pot, add milk and rice. On low heat, cover and simmer. Stir every 5 minutes.

When pudding starts to thicken, add sugar & vanilla and optional ingredients.

Cover and continue to stir every 5 minutes.

When rice is still somewhat soupy, add beaten egg and remove from heat.

Carmella's Fruit Pizza

Recipe courtesy of  Carmella Dellaporte.

As I said, I usually make this in the summer, so you can actually use any seasonal fruit you want. I've seen it done with all berries and with orange segments. This is one that gets asked for whenever there is a party!

1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie dough

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

8 oz. Cool Whip

¼ cup sugar

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved

sliced banana, strawberry, kiwi, grapes, etc. (dipped in pineapple juice)

coconut (optional)

slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease pizza pan. Cut cookie dough as directed and place on pizza pan and flatten. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Let cool thoroughly.

Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and sugar together until Cool Whip is all mixed in and mixture is smooth. Spread on cooled cookie. Spread pineapple on top. Place sliced fruits on top. Sprinkle with coconut and almonds. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Lesley's Parsnip and Garlic and Parsip and Apple Soup

1. Gingered Parsnip and Garlic Soup

450g parsnips, peeled and chopped
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp coriander seeds
a walnut sized lump of ginger, peeled and chopped
15g butter
1 small bulb garlic, peeled
1 ltr milk
salt
cayenne pepper
150ml soured cream
1/2 bunch spring onions, trimmed and chopped

Crush the ginger and seeds from the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar to make a paste.
Melt butter in large pan, add garlic and fry for a few moments to soften. Stir in ginger paste and fry for a minute. Add parsnips and milk, season with salt and cayenne and simmer for 30-40 mins until parsnips are soft.
Puree. Add soured cream and reheat (DO NOT BOIL). season to taste and stir through spring onion.




2. Parsnip and Apple Soup - I knew I'd made this

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
170g cooking apple (I found this a bit much and would reduce slightly)
450g parsnips
170g potato
75ml dry white wine (don't use Chardonnay, it's just wrong - I'd recommend Sauvignon Blanc for this one)
570m light stock
150ml milk
2 tbsp creme fraiche
chopped chives

Heat oil, add onion and garlic and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes - do not allow them to brown or they will discolour your soup.
Peel and chop apple, parsnip and potato. Add apple and parsnip to the pan and cook for 5 mins.
Add the wine, boil and reduce by half, ass the stock and potato. Season and bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 mins or until veg is very soft.
Puree, add enough milk to achieve consistency of thick cream.
Adjust seasoning, add creme fraiche and serve sprinkled with chives.

Carmella's Holiday Biscotti

I made these last year without the white chocolate (YUCK!). I got the recipe from Food Netowork - they were a big hit!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.

Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Carmella's Grilled and Marinated Swordfish

Ingredients:
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (Bell's)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 swordfish steaks
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
4 slices lemon, for garnish (optional)

In a glass baking dish, combine the garlic, white wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix just to blend. Place swordfish steaks in the the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning frequently.

Preheat grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Grill swordfish steaks for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Garnish with parsley & lemon wedges