Italian Shepherd's Pie

Sauteed fresh zucchini + turkey bolognese sauce + leftover mashed potatoes = My made-up Italian Shepherd's Pie = awesome yumminess.

I've never made an actual Shepherd's Pie, nor have I ordered it from a restaurant. It seems that whenever I see it on a menu, there is a myriad of reasons that prevent me from ordering it......I've had a big lunch that day or it's 100 degrees out or I'm having a hankering instead for some fish n' chips with my Guinness. And because of this, I don't really feel like making it with an Italian flair is altogether blasphemous. I don't know what its supposed to taste like, so it's not confusing to me and my tiny little brain.

Anyway, this is really an attempt to stretch out ingredients from a previous meal....instead of using all 1.25 lbs of the turkey package the night before, I saved about a half pound to whip up this quick bolognese sauce.

Quick Turkey Bolognese

1T. light olive oil

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/2 diced onion

2 diced carrots

1 diced red bell

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 small jar TJ's marinara sauce

Brown the turkey with the onion, carrots, bell and garlic until done. Add marinara and parm. Simmer for about half hour, stirring occasionally, until thick.

Alright, so throw this bad boy together. Saute those zucchini (I used 5 small ones) on high heat to get some color and add to bottom of large pie pan. Top with the bolognese and then the leftover mashed potatoes. I added a bit of parmesan on top of the pie. Cook at 375 for 45 minutes and if the top is not brown enough, crank up the broiler for a minute.

If your pie pan is loaded to the brim like mine, please put a cookie sheet underneath. Please? Oh, and next time I'm adding mushrooms..mmmmmmmmmm.

Gnocchi Bake with Red Pepper Sauce

Not sure what possessed me to make this yesterday, especially since it is not the simplest of meals. It could have been a subliminal message from the Curious George cartoon, where George's cat friend is named "Gnocchi"....or it could have been a recent Food TV show on pasta making. Anyhow, my intention was to make a brown butter sage sauce, but realized that I was out of butter (gasp) and margarine simply won't do when you are going to the effort to make your own gnocchi. Here is what I did:

For the gnocchi:
2 russett potatoes: peeled, cubed, boiled and mashed
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten

Mix all ingredients until it forms a dough that you can work with. Add more flour, if necessary. Roll into logs about 1/2 inch thick and then cut into small pieces, about 1/2 inch long. Roll each piece in between the tines of two forks to get the classic shape. This was tricky and awkward for me...maybe there is some video tutorial out there? Let them sit in the fridge for at least a half hour covered with a napkin. Boil in salted water for 3 minutes or until they float to the top.

For the sauce: In the blender, toss about a cup of roasted peppers from a jar with 1 cup milk, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp. parsley and salt/pepper to taste. I also added about 1/4 cup of marinara from a jar that I had in the fridge. Put half of the sauce in a baking dish, add the gnocchi, top with the remaining sauce and cover with parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 oven. Yum!

I suppose you could do the same thing with store bought gnocchi, and it would still be awesome and much easier than this. However, if you are looking for a real homemade indulgence, there is nothing like the fluffy and fresh version.

Happy weekend everyone!

P.S. I found a video for you: http://www.imcooked.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3bb12d203f45a912eeaf

Chicken Piccata

Did you catch the season premiere of Top Chef last week? It seems that the producers are trying hard to create drama by picking contestants that are completely wacky. This guy Andrew is a loudmouth whiner drops the F bomb every chance he gets. And there is the obligatory heavily tatooed bald guy with a scowl. Don't forget the chemist chef who brings all kinds of gizmos and prefers to cook with liquid nitrogen. There are also 4 contestants from San Francisco, two of whom are a lesbian couple (Jen and Zoi). Again, drama.

Anyways, my point was that their first elimination challenge was to prepare a classic dish, two people each doing one of 8 dishes. The person who made the better classic dish was exempt from elimination. Their choices were Lasagne, Duck ala Orange, Crab Cakes, Chicken Piccata, Eggs Benedict, Steak Au Poivre, Shrimp Scampi, Souffle.

Ryan, who claims to have started cooking in a restaurant at age 11 is chosen to do the Chicken Piccata and on his shopping spree, he loses his notebook and picks up breadcrumbs and tomatoes!! He gets harped upon by the judges for making Chicken Milanese, and they are amazed that he doesn't even know how to make the Piccata. In my mind, I was like...haha haaa, even little ole me can cook up that dish. Now, if I had to do a souffle, that would be a different story!

Anyways, here is my tried and true recipe, which I got out of a magazine called "Cuisine at Home" a couple years ago. I also use their Italian meatball recipe, which I will post some other time.

Chicken Piccata

Season:

4 chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dust with flour

Saute in:

2T. oil, 2-3 min per side. Remove from pan and

Deglaze with:

1/4 c. white wine and 1 clove minced garlic

Add:

1/2 cup chicken broth

2T fresh lemon juice

1T capers

Sauteed cutlets

Finish with:

1 T. butter and fresh lemon slices

Garnish with:

Chopped fresh parsley

Spaghetti Pie

I decided to use up some leftovers for dinner tonight and made spaghetti pie. I think the kids will like it. I mixed up cooked spaghetti (with a little sauce on), 2 cut up meatballs, 2 diced mozarella sticks and those yummy roasted peppers with 2 eggs and some milk. In a pan I cooked up some garlic and onion and added the spaghetti mixture to it, and popped in a 400 oven for 25 minutes. Here is the result:

Testing...Hello World

Hello there. It's official. I've given in to the extreme gravity pull that is blogging. I don't expect anyone to read this, but what the heck? My inspiration for this blog will be cooking, photography and things that tickle my funny bone.

I've been perusing blogs lately such as "Fat free Vegan Kitchen" and reading up a little on food photography and food styling. It is a field that I am extremely intrigued by. While I have a Nikon D80 on my wish list, right now I am making do with an Olympus point and shoot. This is the best I can do.


Here is a photo of Bean Soup with Kale that we had for dinner tonight, along with an english muffin. This was a simple soup, yet satisfying and tasty. I have to say that when my darling husband saw me setting up the shoot on our counter, he really thought I was nuts.

This was my first venture with kale. A Wikipedia search informed me that this is the most nutrient-rich veggie around, high in anti-oxidents, beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, lutein and reasonably rich in calcium. My new goal is to try one new fruit, veggie or grain every week. Should be interesting.....

Bean Soup With Kale

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
8 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups chopped raw kale
4 cups low-fat, low-sodium
chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15 ounce) cans any type of beans

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

2 carrots, chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted. Add broth, beans, and all of the tomato, carrots, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.