Calamari Steaks - SUPERB!

This recipe provided, hands-down, the most fantastic Calamari steak eating experience of my entire life including all the restaurant recipes I have tried. I would make this again in a heartbeat and the Calamari was even from frozen not fresh. So....here goes!

Makes 2 steaks. Just increase the recipe accordingly for more.

INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP olive oil
6 TBSP all purpose flour
1/2 cup Parmesan (the real stuff...not the "sawdust in a can" stuff)
Black pepper (just a tad)
1 egg (large)
1 TBSP water
2 Calamari Steaks (frozen ok but thaw before using)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in heavy skilled until hot but not smoking (medium-high heat). A good test if the oil is ready is to flick a drop of water on it. If ready, the water will pop. If not, it will sit on the oil.

Stir together flour, cheese, pepper, add some salt if you like, in a bowl (big enough to fit one steak in, flat). In another bowl (also big enough to fit one steak), mix the egg with the water.

Dredge one steak through the flour mixture, gently shake off excess, then dip heavily in egg mixture. Place in hot skillet and saute, turning, about 2 minutes per side or until fish is white and not pink all the way through.

Dredge and cook the second steak the same way.

These steaks were moist and tasty enough to eat with nothing on them. But, if you want a nice, light sauce, add some butter and lemon juice and capers to the skillet after the last steak is cooked. Pour off any fat first. Lower the heat and cook until the butter melts then pour over the steaks. Enjoy!!

Thank you to epicurious.com for the foundation of this recipe...

Bountiful Harvest of Peppers

Today I embarked upon my first ever canning project...to pickle Hungarian Peppers! We have several of these plants that are producing like crazy and I just hate to waste home grown food of any kind. So...I went to the store and bought some canning jars and a big pot then started boiling.

We'll see how they turn out. Takes about two weeks for them to be ready. I made the kind that you don't have to hot bath because I am storing them in the fridge.

Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese

Be sure you work out or find some other way to burn calories before you eat this dish. Yum yum!


INGREDIENTS(Entree size servings for about 6 people):
Sea Salt to taste
Large elbow macaroni pasta
Olive Oil
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP All Purpose flour
3 TBSP unsalted butter
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 cups heavy cream (the good stuff)!
1/2 tsp dried thyme or basil or oregano (or all three!)
Black pepper to taste
1 sweet onion (medium) diced
4 cups white extra sharp cheddar (Tillamook is the best! I buy the chunk and grate my own. Never use pre-grated stuff...way too dry and generally lower quality cheese)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a glass baking dish with butter.

Melt 1 TBSP the butter over low heat then add garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes but do not overcook. Then, add onions and cook until golden, 3 - 4 minutes. Stir often.
When onions are ready, stir in bread crumbs and Italian spices. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Cook macaroni about 1 - 2 minutes less than package directions. Remove from heat, drain, and lightly coat with olive oil. Add to baking dish.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 TBSP of butter. When it melts, whisk in the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream whisking constantly and watch the heat so burning does not occur. Good to let this cook (while whisking) over low heat for 5 - 10 minutes. Then, slowly add the cheese whisking constantly to make sure each batch melts completely.

Once all the cheese is added, pour over the macaroni and mix. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes or until topping is browned. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Enjoy!

Salsa Verde

Check out the photos and instructions for making Salsa Verde from scratch!

Salsa Verde

Making Tomato Sauce from Scratch

Check this Flickr post for a way to make great tomato sauce from scratch!

Making Tomato Sauce from Scratch

Phoenix Restaurants to Check Out

I decided to keep a running list of restaurants to check out in Phoenix. I cannot currently vouch for any of these as I have not eaten there. But, I figured blogging them was better than lots of little sticky notes hanging around. So, here is the list in no particular order:

1) Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe, 914 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix
2) Guanaquito, 1434 E. McDowell, Phoenix
3) Eliana's Restaurant, 1627 N. 24th Street, Phoenix
4) The Fry Bread House, 4140 N. 7th, Phoenix
5) Corbin's Bar and Grill

Linguine with Garlic Sauce

Yum! This is a very nice pasta dish with fresh veggies in the sauce. Excellent!

The base of this recipe was taken from the book Pasta: Sunset Creative Cooking Library.

INGREDIENTS:
3 - 4 large tomatoes
1/4 cup water
fresh basil cut into small pieces
salt
black pepper, red pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
6 - 10 large garlic cloves minced or pressed
Linguine Pasta
Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Peel, seed, and coarsely chop tomatoes. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, water, fresh basil, salt, black and red pepper. Set aside.
Place olive oil and garlic in small pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until oil bubbles gently and garlic is light gold. (Do not brown garlic or it will taste bitter). Add tomato mixture to pan and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Cook linguine, drain, place in serving bowl. Cover with sauce, toss gently then serve. Add Parmesan to taste.

Pork Chops Scarpariello

This recipe provides a great way to cook chops in the summer (over the stove instead of in the oven). Thank you to epicurious.com for the framework for this recipe.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
3 red bell peppers
10-12 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
4 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork chopes
1 medium onion diced
2 small hot peppers finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Roast bell peppers on gas grill or in the oven (broiler) about 10 - 12 minutes (or, in a pinch, just buy roasted bell peppers at the store already made). Transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Peel, cut in half lengthwise, discard stems and seeds, and cut into 1 inch pieces.

While peppers stand, mash half of garlic to paste with salt to taste. Combine with rosemary, 1 tbsp (or a little more) olive oil, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Rub onto chops.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy skillet (cast iron works great!) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Saute pork, turning once, 4 - 6 minutes per side (depending on thickeness) until pale golden in spots and just cooked through. Can divide the pork in half and cook each half separately. Transfer to a plate and keep warm (can put in the oven, covered with foil, on low temp).

After pork chops are cooked, add roasted peppers, onion, remaining garlic, cherry peppers, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened (5 - 6 minutes). Add wine and broth and boil until liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Add meat juices from plate and remove skillet from heat. Add butter, stirring until incorporated. Stir in lemon juice and salt to taste and spoon over chops.

Serve chops covered in sauce and accompany with rice or pasta and a nice veggie! Yummy!