Cooking with Summertime Fruits.... Brainy Delicious!

 

 

 

Are you anticipating fresh summer fruits like I am? Whether fresh or dried, cooking with summer fruits bring great flavor to any dish. We don't often think of dried apricots or fresh apricots as a side dish... but they are and deliciously so... just saute, sear and add to any chicken or beef or pork dish.

Mark's Asian chicken with zucchini and apricots or seared flank steak with apricots...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Parppardelle Pasta... One of my Brainy Favorites!

 

Ahh, Italia...

A Quick Delicious Pasta Dish ~ Egg Pappardelle Pasta from Rustichella d'Abruzzo with Capers, Red Peppers and Tomato Garlic Sauce! Yes, even with a long title like that this pasta dish is fast and frugal.

To begin, you will need to buy or take from the pantry a package of wide egg noodles... preferably the 'Egg Pappardelle Pasta from the Italian food product provider ~  Rustichella d'Abruzzo.

Next, using a deep fry pan, gently saute the bacon (thick sliced) and or very mild Italian sausage in olive oil on med. heat until it crumbles. Drain off the extra fat that accumulates to save for future cooking.

Add to the skillet, half a jar of drained capers, and one chopped roasted red pepper, one med can of diced tomatoes, dried herbs: rosemary, mint, sage and oregano along with garlic powder.

As the sauce simmers, start salted water to boil in which you will cook the pasta. Returning to the sauce in progress, add a little less than 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce, and a small pat of butter.

As a colorful and tasty side, fry a few spears of fresh green asparagus in 3 tbs of diced bacon in olive oil until blackened on edges. And, put out the grated Parmesan cheese...

~ Tutti a Tavola! 

 

Celebrate summertime like its 'Brainy Royal' ...

 Oh the Taste, so Regal, so French, so Versailles....

Pork loin cut into medallions in mustard sauce with sun dried tomatoes and dried plums... so yummy. And, tonight's dinner is served with a few left overs. For this dish, you will need: 1 lb of boneless lean pork loin, onion, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes and dried plums - prunes.

To begin, saute one chopped onion in olive oil until browned. Push aside in the skillet and sear the loin which you cut into one inch thick medallions. Once seared, bring back the onion, shake some garlic powder over them, a couple of mills 'grinds' of sea salt and as much dried herbs: rosemary, oregano and mint as you like.

Next, drop in several sun dried tomatoes (jarred is best) and as many dried plums. Then pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3 tbs of Dijon mustard or more depending on your preference. Let simmer while you prepare sides. As I said, this evening we will eat left overs along with the medallions in mustard sauce and a few sliced steamed buttered zucchini.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

BrainyTex Mex Blackbean Meatloaf....

 

The last time I made this Tex Mex 'family' cuisine, black bean meatloaf, I served it with french fries and a savory gravy. Today, I made a creamy thick black bean gravy to top off mashed potatoes.

For this dish you will need: ground beef and or ground lamb (mix them if you like), one med.can of black beans, bread crumbs, dried herbs, Worcestershire (in the mix) and hot sauce(on the table) and potatoes as a side dish.

To begin, heat the oven to 350f. While it warms up to temp, mix 1 lb of ground beef with half the can of black beans (drained). Add to that 1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs, 2 -3 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs to taste, a dash of garlic powder and sea salt. Mix and form into a football sized meatloaf. Place in a glass baking drizzled with olive oil and set in pre-heated (350f) oven with convection on.

If you like, add to the meatloaf baking dish small red potatoes and young carrots or sauteed spinach; be creative. Today, I am serving with a little of both. So, while the meatloaf bakes, wash, peel and boil as many red potatoes as you would like mashed.

Check the meatloaf from time to time, gently drip over the top of the meatloaf Worcestershire sauce and pour in 1/4/ cup of warmed beef stock to the glass dish with the meatloaf to start the gravy process. Pop back in the oven. When the loaf is crisp on top and the carrots and potatoes tender, if you included them, its time to serve. Mash the potatoes with milk and butter and prepare the table.

Don't forget the gravy... use the remaining half can of black beans, brown in a sauce pan with drippings from the meatloaf adding a 1/4 cup beef stock mixed with either 2tbs of flour or corn starch to make the gravy.  Once it is creamy and bubbling, pour the either over the top of the meatloaf or into a gravy boat and set it out on the table.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Pub Style Lamb Cutlet Patties from Down Under...

 

 

In the land down under, lamb cutlets are served pub style... Here's my take on that!

For this dish, you will need to buy ground lamb to make as many ground cutlet patties as per dinner guest. To that, as sides, potatoes and baked squash.Take from your pantry: sea salt,  olive oil, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes and dried herb seasonings: rosemary, oregano, mint and sage or thyme.

Grab a covered skillet and add 4 tbs of olive oil. When the oil is just hot enough, lay in hand patted ground lamb cutlets, shake over the top the listed seasoning to taste. Fry on med/high heat both sides of the cutlet patties until browned, then reduce the heat and add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce over each cutlet patty. Cook until the meat if fully cooked but yet a bit pink on the inside.

In the meantime, turn on the oven and when hot enough, bake your potatoes and squash wrapped in foil. 

Serve the lamb patties in the au jus that remains in the skillet and a short pour of olive oil to dress them up. A snip of fresh mint or rosemary is a lovely garnish.

*traditional cutlets use a breading but you can make without...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Eggplant served Sicilian or just Brainy Gourmet Style...

 

Eggplant is served in Sicily. The eggplant is actually considered a fruit because it is related to tomatoes and peppers. And, it is a species of nightshade plants. It has been cultivated in southern and eastern Asia since prehistory. And, just maybe Marco Polo had something to do with it coming into Europe, Italy.

For this dish you will need: chicken breasts - boneless, skinless. Canned tomato sauce and or diced tomatoes as well as onion, and as many eggplants as you like. To begin, saute one whole onion in olive oil and dried herbs. Once browned, push aside and lay in filkkleted chicken breasts which have been dipped in egg wash and laid in dried bread crumbs, adding olive oil as you go when needed.

Brown the chicken breasts on both sides. Add to the skillet, the juice from any leftover olive jar and or liquid from a jar of roasted red pepper. If you don't have either, a squeeze of lemon or some white wine or even some chicken stock for extra liquid.

Next, add your small can of either diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. Let this simmer while you prepare the eggplant and angel hair pasta. As for the eggplant, wash, slice in half and score. Squeeze lemon juice over the open halves and sprinkle with dried herbs. Flash fry in olive oil until tender and slightly blackened on edges... if you prefer.

Boil the pasta until tender. Just before serving, top the chicken with grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Meatballs with Lamb... Not, because it has to be Greek!

Whether you like the Greek version or Moroccan (north African) version of meatballs, either or are delicious. But, what's the key the difference? Well Greek's tend to us beef or pork; but, of course they do use lamb. For this dish, Moroccan's more strictly use beef or lamb...which I happen to prefer.

Greeks love mint for a added special flavor and serve with tzatziki (salted cucumber yogurt dip); whereas, Moroccan's like a more stew version of this dish and to spice it up with curry, ginger and red pepper. Also, the Moroccan meatball can be flavored with carrots, onion, tomatoes, and even raisins...and to be really exotic, try cumin, cinnamon and dried chilies. 

And, as with all recipes, follow your own taste buds. The basic 'brainy' mix is 1-2 lbs of ground meat (depending on number of guests), dried bread crumbs, heavy cream (or one egg as substitute) diced onion, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, and seasonings depending on the version you're making.  

Gently pan fry the meatballs in olive oil and a bit of coconut oil (or not). For the Moroccan version, add diced tomatoes in sauce (1 large can). If you like a thicker sauce, you can also add about 2-3 tbs of rich tomato paste. 

To that tomato sauce, when making the Moroccan version, you can go as crazy as you like with hot and spicy seasonings. If you are making the Greek version meatball mix, add in garlic paste and dried mint; but, skip the tomatoes and just add beef stock to simmer until cooked.

*For a more traditional Greek version, serve with pita bread and traditional tzatziki..

 

~ Tutti a Tavola!