A Furious Flurry of Flavors. This post is all about RECIPES!

​Let the recipes begin:

I wish I had 6 hands. I would ask for two brains but that's just twice the trouble. (Ladies, you understand...) I need arms and digits to get me where I want to go!

I have been cooking up a storm these last few weeks, busy posting photos to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I have been booking Cooking Classes. I have been working on my cookbook. I have not been hungry.

Don't tell anyone, but I am also the ONLY one doing all of this. Which means not every recipe is going to get its very own blog post if I'm going to keep up with adding them to my website. Sure, they all have a story, but what's important is I get those darned recipes where YOU CAN GET TO THEM!

And by the way, things are growing fast. I have seen a HUGE surge in website traffic this past month. And I am kinda hungry for THAT, too. Perhaps more people seeing and trying my recipes means you're ALSO hungry? If so, let's get you fed, too!

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RECIPE: Tomato Lamb Ragout over Cinnamon Nutmeg Fettuccini

Serves 6 - 8 / Click here for printable version

This recipe was inspired by a flavored dry pasta I bought at The Southern Olive in Indian Land, SC, where I am also doing a cooking class on March 23rd.
​I just kinda want to cook with EVERY DANG THING in that store!

• Ingredients
• Method
• Footnotes

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1 lb ground lamb
5 strips thick bacon, cooked and chopped
¼ C white onion chopped
12 oz package of Cinnamon Nutmeg Fettuccini from Southern Olive
1 28 oz can Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes
¾ C basic béchamel sauce (recipe in method below)
1 t Moroccan spice blend
1 t cinnamon chili rub
1 t dried fennel
1/3 C golden raisins
1 T fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Italian parsley to garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Keep hot and ready for the pasta.
 
In a large saucepan, brown the bacon. Remove and drain. Chop when cooled. Set aside. Drain off most of the bacon grease but keep at least 2 T in the pan and cook the lamb and the onion in it, adding a bit of salt and pepper. Add the Victoria’s Gourmet Moroccan spices 1, and cinnamon chili rub 2, the fennel, thyme and stir. Then add the tomatoes, squishing and smashing the tomatoes in a bowl first, with the juice, before adding to the meat mixture. Let cook for about 15 minutes on a very low simmer. *In a separate saucepan, make the béchamel sauce by combining 2 T flour and 2 T butter to make a roux. Then add about ½ C milk and ½ C heavy cream and whisk over medium high heat until slightly thickened. Add 1 t salt and ¼ t white pepper, stir and set aside. After sauce has simmered, add about ¾ C of the white sauce to the tomato and lamb mixture. Stir to incorporate and heat to bubbling. After cooking the pasta for about 5 minutes to al dente, transfer the pasta to the meat mixture using tongs, (No need to drain pasta. And don’t worry about dripping water. You want it!) then stir in to combine. Serve with a bit of chopped parsley on top.

1. https://www.vgourmet.com/moroccan
2. https://www.vgourmet.com/cinnamon-chile-rub
3. https://www.facebook.com/thesouthernolive%20/

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RECIPE: Cognac Roasted Vegetables with a Dijon Cream Sauce

Serves 4 / Click here for printable version

Can you believe this is the first time I've cooked with Cognac? It will not be the last. Awesome.

• Ingredients
• Method

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​4 hearty garden carrots
Tops of 5 large knob onions
10 large Brussel sprouts
¼ C good Cognac liquor
4 T olive oil
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t allspice
1-2 t kosher salt
½ t white pepper
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 heaping T of Dijon mustard
1 T of a sweet mango hot sauce. I used a mango habanero from Spice Exchange

Cut the carrots into 3 inch long and 1/3 inch diameter sticks, making sure you leave the green top on the carrot. Cut the tops off the onions, trimming just where it starts to get really dark green. Halve them and trim off hard top. Pull the wilted outer leaves off the Brussel sprouts (If you use good quality sprouts you’ll hardly have to remove any leaves at all!), and halve them. Spread out on a large sheet pan, sprinkle with the Cognac and oil and toss to coat well. Then sprinkle with the nutmeg and allspice and toss again. Then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until caramelized but not shriveled. (Check your oven during the cooking time! The size of the vegetables will make a huge difference in roasting time.)
 
In a small bowl combine the yogurt, Dijon mustard and the habanero sauce, with a bit of salt and white pepper. Smear onto plate, top with roasted veggies, and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

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RECIPE: Buttery Balsamic Chicken Medallions with Thyme Veloute, ​Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Parsley Walnut Pistou

Serves 6 / Click here for printable version

I love cooking for friends. Even though they find it strange that my happy place is working furiously to thicken a sauce while hot steam is encircling me, and my wrists are working furiously for just the right consistency. To me? Not WORK AT ALL...

• Ingredients/Chicken
• Ingredients/Other
• Method

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​BALSAMIC CHICKEN and VELOUTE SAUCE:
36 ounces of organic, grass fed boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large equal sized medallions, about 18
4 T dark balsamic divided
3 T olive oil divided
2 T kosher salt divided
1 t white pepper
1 t paprika
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 2 C boiling water
1 T fresh thyme leaves
4 T flour
5 T butter divided

PISTOU:
2 C flat leaf parsley / 1 C cilantro / ½ c walnuts / 3 cloves garlic / 1/3 C grated fresh parmigiana reggiano cheese
1 t kosher salt/1/2 t black pepper / and 1/8 C olive oil. Zest of 1 lemon to garnish – Blend everything except zest in food processor until large chunks but not puréed. Then begin adding more olive oil until a chunky paste is formed, about another 1/3 C.
 
MASHED RUSSETS:
3 large russet potatoes washed and peeled, cut into small chunks, and boiled in some salty water until soft
¼ C heavy cream / 2 T unsalted butter / a head of garlic roasted and all cloves extracted added / 1 t truffle salt / and salt and white pepper to taste.
 
VEGETABLES:
8 large stalks of purple scallions, using the top 6 inches and cut in half lengthwise
1 very large golden beet, cut into long cubes (about 1 ½ C)
4 large carrots peeled and cut into long cubes
12 large stalks of asparagus trimmed of white bottoms halved lengthwise
½ t fresh grated nutmeg
2 t kosher salt
1 t white pepper
2-3 T good olive oil
A few sprigs of rosemary

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the pistou as directed above. Can keep in fridge overnight. Grate the lemon zest right before serving, though. Cook the potatoes as directed above and keep warm.
 
Prep the vegetables and place the beets and carrots all on a baking sheet tossed in the salt, pepper nutmeg and olive oil. Nest a few rosemary sprigs on top. Roast for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then take out, remove the rosemary, add the onion and asparagus, toss to coat with the oil and seasonings on the sheet and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the asparagus is slightly soft and beets are soft through.
 
Cut up the chicken and place in a bowl with the salt and pepper, paprika, 1 T balsamic and 1 T olive oil. Set aside.
 
To make the veloute: In a large saucepan, melt 3 T butter and add the flour. Whisk vigorously until combined on medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Then take off the heat and add about ½ C of the dissolved boullion, and whisk well. It will thicken IMMEDIATELY. Begin adding a little more stock to make smooth. Then add the rest of the stock and put back on the medium heat. Add the fresh thyme, salt and white pepper to taste. Keep whisking until it coats a spoon but it not too thick. Now add the other 2 T balsamic, and stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to plate.
 
Heat a large 12 inch saucepan and add 2 T butter and about 2 T olive oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and dust with a little salt and pepper. Sear well on either side.
 
TO SERVE:
Place mashed potatoes in a circle mold and lift off, place a good portion of the pistou in the center and sprinkle with lemon zest. Then gently arrange the roasted vegetables around the outside of the potatoes, angling then on top. Then stack three medallions of chicken next to the potatoes and cover with the thyme veloute (gravy). Serve!

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RECIPE: Chef John's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits 

Makes 1 dozen biscuits

Even though I have some of my own versions of Southern Biscuits I love scouring the internet and finding new techniques. This one was so easy to duplicate and follow. Can't imagine it not being my new go-to recipe. Download my printed version or click the link in the recipe title to get your copy!

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RECIPE: Spicy Cinnamon Chili Meatballs
​with a Citrus Enchilada Sauce
and Charred Poblano Peppers

Serves 4 / Click here for printable version

Take it from me, you must rebel to be a good cook. For instance whenever you pick up an ingredient that you think has only one use, STOP and think of something that is totally different. That's what I did with this enchilada sauce. #whyalwaysonatortilla? Check it out!

• Ingredients
• Method

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1.25 lbs ground sirloin
½ t chili powder
1 t chili flakes or more if desired
½ t paprika
½ t garlic powder
1 T VGourmet Cinnamon Chili Rub
1 t kosher salt
½ t cracked black pepper
1 large egg
2 T plain bread crumbs
1 T whole milk
1/3 C onion
2 T vegetable oil
4 large poblano peppers, seeded and halved lengthwise
3 T clementine or orange juice
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 T sugar
1 T clementine or orange zest
1 C good chicken stock
1 t corn starch
3 radishes, cut small to top the meatballs
Parlsey to garnish

Place the halves of the poblano on foil on a baking sheet and place under broiler, about 6 inches from heat, turning with tongs when needed, until charred on both sides. Takes about 5 minutes per side or more depending upon your oven. Watch closely!

In a large bowl mix the ground sirloin down to the 1/3 C onion. Combine well and form into 14 large meatballs. Heat the 2 T oil in a large pan, and sear the meatballs on both sides until golden brown but not cooked through. Lower heat, add the stock and let reduce by half. Then add the can of enchilada sauce, the sugar, the clementine juice and let simmer until meatballs are done, about 10 minutes. Then thicken with the cornstarch dissolved in a little water and stirred in to the sauce.

Serve over rice alongside the poblanos, with a sprinkling of salt, with parsley on top along with radishes atop the meatballs!