Tag: red wine
Chicken and Mushroom with Tomato Sauce
This is a great dish to enjoy either with spaghetti or crusty bread… it almost like a stew and this weather it is perfect with a yummy glass of red wine…
- 6 to 8 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 10 ounces packs of Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups tomato sauce (homemade preferable)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- Cooked spaghetti
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, salt and pepper mixture. Keep aside. Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil on medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes each. Take the pieces out and add the mushrooms. Saute on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until wilted and golden brown. Add the onions, garlic and rosemary. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook for 30 minutes. Take lid off and bring to a boil once more and cook till the desired consistency is reached. Taste for seasonings and garnish with parsley. Serve on top of whole wheat spaghetti.
Lamb Loin Chops with Smoked Paprika and Wine Sauce
This is a very flavorful and delicious dish. I decided to mix the flavors of a typical wine sauce with smoked paprika. I marinated the lamb in a mixture of garlic, cilantro and smoked paprika. The meal was simply scrumptious. I served the chops with some creamed spinach and sweet potato fries.
- 6 to 8 lamb loin chops
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Add the garlic cloves into a mortar and pestle. Add the salt, smoked paprika and cilantro and pound down to a paste. Add the oil till emulsified.
Rub the chops with the garlic mixture and marinate for 4 to 5 hours. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup orange juice
- Salt
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Brown the chops on both sides on high heat for 2 minutes each. Take out of pan and add the tomato paste and cook for a minute on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Deglaze with red wine and pickup the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and orange juice- whisk to make smooth. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Add the lamb chops and cook till desired. Add salt to taste. Serve with creamed spinach and sweet potatoes.
Sausage Ragu with Red Wine
I haven’t posted a pasta dish in a while. So, here is one…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic, chopped
- 4 to 5 links chicken sausage, casing off and crumbled
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ cup red wine (something you are drinking)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- Salt
- 2 to 3 cups cooked pasta, al dente
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and sauté on medium high heat, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rosemary and red wine to deglaze the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer on lower heat and cover with lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve on pasta.
Beef Stew with Orange and Cinnamon
Delicious, delicious- one of my favorite stew recipes. Orange and cinnamon are synonymous with cold weather. I had some stew meat in the freezer. I took it out the night before and made the stew in no time. All you need is some chicken broth and red wine. I always have mushrooms in the fridge- my daughter loves them and they are super versatile. I decided to add them to the mix. I zested and juiced an orange and added a cinnamon stick. It is amazing what those flavors put together do to any dish- whether it is a sweet or savory dish.
The stew took no time to put together. It cooked on the stove for a good half an hour, forty minutes. You can cook it even longer, depending on the meat.
Everyone loved it- the only problem was that it finished in one sitting. Everyone wanted it the next day.
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Chinese Style Beef Stew with Chinese Broccoli
This dish is delicious. I had some lovely stew beef pieces in my freezer which I bought from Eataly in NYC. If you haven’t been to this huge space filled with delicious food- you must go. I admit, it is overpriced but there is a certain thrill about being in a place surrounded with amazing cooked food and ingredients to cook delicious foods. I love spending a few hours in there and buy fresh pasta, meat and cheese from there. A while ago I bought Prosecco jelly to be served with cheese. I was very curious to try it and it was delicious…
Anyway, I wanted to make a stew and decided on an Asian style dish. I started thinking of the spices and came up with Chinese five spice powder, a cinnamon stick and tamari for the savory component. I also chose shitake mushrooms, green onions and ginger- and also mirin. It is used in Japanese cuisine and is a sweet rice wine- it has a very distinct flavor- perfect for what I was looking for. Well, the stew was amazing. I decided to serve it with some soba noodles and sauteed Chinese broccoli.
Try this different kind of stew- you may never make your old one…
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Chicken Sausage Ragu with Red Pepper Gnocchi
I hardly ever make gnocchi. I do always notice it in Whole Foods- in there fresh pasta section. I have had it a few times before in restaurants and also during our trip to Italy last summer. It obviously depends on how well the gnocchi is made- if it is well made, it can be fluffy and light. If it is not made properly, it tends to be tough and heavy.
A friend had tried the gnocchi at Whole Foods and told me it was really good. I was browsing, and the red pepper gnocchi caught my eye. I bought it not knowing what to do with the pasta- but I was sure I could come up with something delicious.
The day after turned out to be a cold and rainy day- perfect for a sausage ragu, I thought- hmm, with lots of red wine- yum! I also decided to utilize the red pepper gnocchi. So, that is where this recipe came from. I took the sausages out of their casings and cooked them with onion, garlic, rosemary and wine, of course…
It was so nice to smell the lovely aromas in the house while sipping some wine and enjoying the evening. My daughter was at a play date and my husband wasn’t home from work yet. It is my favorite thing to do- being in the kitchen, cooking while enjoying a glass of wine.
Anyway, the meal turned out delicious. The gnocchi was excellent- although- my daughter didn’t care for it much. She liked the ragu part but didn’t like the smoky red pepper flavor as well as the gnocchi texture. The adults thought the gnocchi and the ragu complemented each other really well- especially with a glass of wine.
Try this dish- it is perfect for a weekday since it doesn’t take very long. Serve it with a salad and some delicious wine, of course.
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Third Day: A Visit To Perugia
I am not sure where the chocolates were in Perugia- we didn’t find them. Actually we didn’t really look for them- we were so busy eating pizza and gelato and it kind of slipped our minds. We headed off to Perugia around 11 in the morning after a delicious breakfast of eggs, cheese, bread and fresh fruit. I love having eggs in Europe- the yolk is bright mustard and the taste is amazing.
About 40 minutes later our car was climbing steep hills to get to this picturesque town. It is a lot bigger than Spello and definitely more of a city- it reminded us of Florence and Barcelona but it had it’s own charming winding, hilly, narrow streets.
We stopped for pizza and white wine. The wine was delicious and the potato and rosemary foccacia wasn’t so shabby either.
We found something called a cafe crema- which was similar to a soft serve coffee ice cream but not as cold and a lot lighter. It was served in a shot glass with a spoon- absolutely delicious!
We headed back to Spello to find a dinner place. We desperately wanted to eat pasta. We found a place called, ‘Drinking Wine’ and sat outside under a huge umbrella.
Dinner started with a bottle of white wine and a platter of smoked salmon and tuna as well as a fennel and orange salad. We were eating family style and were looking forward to sharing everything. Soon our table was full of pasta witha wild boar ragu, classic lasagna, lamb chops and a pesto and zucchini lasagna. All dishes were unbelievably delicious. We were also munching on fresh bread dipped in the yummiest olive oil I have ever had the privelage to taste.
Some red wine came and later and so did dessert. A coffee semi-freddo and a pear and cinnamon cake. All was good, relaxing and absolutely perfect!
Today, I will be meeting a local Italian woman who will be teaching me some local cuisine. I am extremely excited and look forward to learning and sharing- so stay tuned.