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My mission to to make beautiful food accessible. I believe every table, every plate and every bite can be amazing if you put a little love into it. Doesn't have to be perfect, or even innovative, but you have to want to nourish others. That's the entire reason I FEEL LIKE COOKING!
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THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EMAIL! Now here are your 4 FABULOUS and COMPLETE BLING MEAL RECIPES!
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Baked Maple Balsamic Salmon
with Marinated Zucchini and Lemon Salad over Moroccan Rice Serves 4 / Click here for printable version Note – Moroccan spices are so versatile. They’re a perfect complement to the sweetness of the fish and the maple flavor and will really make the zucchini salad POP. They’re usually available at most grocery stores. However I always recommend that you go for the best ingredients to truly understand and appreciate how all these flavors are meant to work together. That said, make a beeline for a high end grocery store for best success. Or, here is a link to the spices used, courtesy Epicurious.com Enjoy! Baked Maple Balsamic Salmon INGREDIENTS Four 6 oz. salmon filets, fairly square in shape, skin on or off, patted dry 2 T light olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely ¼ C good balsamic vinegar ¼ C maple syrup (the fake makes a better dish but you can use real syrup) 1 t kosher salt ½ t black cracked pepper METHOD – In a shallow baking dish place the salmon filets that have been rubbed with the oil, about a half inch apart. Make sure the pan is not too big. They should fit but not be drowned in a large dish! Sprinkle with the garlic and rub the garlic in to the flesh a little. Whisk the maple and balsamic together well and pour over the salmon. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is opaque a little more than halfway through. Remove and immediately cover with foil letting them sit for about 5 minutes. They will continue to cook and finish beautifully. Don’t peek! Leave the foil on to keep them warm. Marinated Zucchini and Lemon Salad INGREDIENTS: 1 large yellow squash cut into large long cubes, about the size of huge steak fries 1 ½ large zucchini squash cut the same way. You should end up with about 3 ½ C of squash 2/3 C white wine vinegar Zest of 1 lemon 2 t fresh squeezed lemon juice 2 T light olive oil 2 t finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1 t +/- hot chili flakes ½ t ground coriander powder ½ t kosher salt ¼ t black pepper METHOD: Toss all ingredients no more than 5 hours prior to dinner and no less than 1 for best flavor. Best to let marinate in a squatty shallow bowl so all the ingredients can be immerses at one point or another in the vinaigrette to slightly pickle and soften the vegetables. Stir often. Moroccan Rice INGREDIENTS: 1 C good quality jasmine rice 2 C water 1 t kosher salt ½ t white pepper (black is fine, too. It’s just a little stronger.) 2 t Moroccan seasoning blend 2 T unsalted butter 1 t lemon juice 1 T heavy cream METHOD: Bring 2 C of water to boil. Add the rice, and spices, stir and then cover and turn heat to VERY low. I pull my pan halfway off the burner so it never boils over. Set your timer for 20 minutes exactly. When rice is ready stir in the butter and cream and salt and pepper. Then add the lemon juice. ©Camine Pappas, All Rights Reserved. 2017 Butter and White Wine Braised Chicken Breasts
With Curried Corn and Carrots Over Stock-Simmered Quinoa Serves 4 / Click here to download printable version Note – Braising gives the meat a chance to stay very moist and infuses it with lots of extra flavor. You can also thicken the remaining sauce to make a gravy and really amp up this simple, flavorful meal! Butter and White Wine Braised Chicken Breasts INGREDIENTS 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into two pieces each, so you have four 5 oz. portions. 4 T unsalted butter 2 T light olive oil ½ C all-purpose flour 1/8 C fine corn meal 2 t of fresh thyme leaves chopped 2 t of fresh parsley chopped 1 t kosher salt and ½ t black pepper ¼ t poultry seasoning Dash of garlic salt ½ C white wine, preferably a Pinot Grigio or Riesling. Steer away from butter chardonnay wines that will make the dish bitter (Also, have a little more wine on hand if the wine evaporates too quickly. You want the chicken breasts cooking in liquid, not continuing to brown, so watch your pan carefully.) METHOD – In a shallow bowl mix the flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, thyme, salt and pepper, poultry seasoning and garlic salt. Dredge each dried chicken piece in the flour mixture, tapping to remove excess. Bring a large saucepan to high heat and add the oil and 2 T butter. When shimmering, add the chicken pieces and let them sear on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Don’t move them around. Let them sit in one spot with your pan on medium heat so they get nice caramelization. Don’t crowd them either or they’ll steam and not brown, and then they will get rubbery. After you have browned the second side, remove the chicken and put on a plate. Now add the wine and scrape up the browned bits into the wine and let it reduce, while bubbling, for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low, add the chicken back in and let braise for about another 7-10 minutes, until chicken pieces are done. It will depend on the thickness of the pieces for cooking time. Right before serving add the other two T of butter and swirl around. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed to sauce. Perch the chicken on top of the quinoa and drizzle with the buttery wine sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley Curried Corn and Carrots Note – there are two ways to prepare these, roasting or boiling. I find that roasting imparts the best flavors. INGREDIENTS: 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1” angled chunks 1 ½ C frozen white shoe-peg corn thawed and drained and patted dry 1-2 T light olive oil Zest of one lemon ½ t lemon juice ½ t very good quality curry powder like Penzy’s “The Now Curry.” Love this flavor profile. Click to buy! A little salt and white pepper METHOD: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss carrots with the olive oil, juice and curry powder and salt and pepper. Spread out on a shallow metal baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes until carrots are a little soft and caramelization as occurred. Then add the corn and toss again on the sheet so everything gets on the corn, and cook for another 10 minutes. Watch carefully so the corn doesn’t burn. Serve with coarse sea salt. Stock Simmered Quinoa INGREDIENTS: 1 C quinoa 1 ½ C good chicken stock (Don’t settle for any stock. Invest in a good stock – or make your own! – and taste it before you cook with it so you know it is good!) Click here to read what TheKitchn has to say about stock choices! 1 T butter 1 t salt and ½ t pepper METHOD: Melt the butter and add the quinoa, stirring on medium-high heat until you smell a nice toasty flavor. Add the water and stir, then let it come to a boil. Lower heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 + minutes until stock is absorbed. Taste to see how much salt it needs since most stock is salted. Serve! (Can I tell you how good this is with some of that butter white wine sauce from the chicken? Hold me down!!!) ©Camine Pappas, All Rights Reserved. 2017 Baked White Fish with Artichokes and Pancetta
With Golden Puff Pastry Crowns And Lemony Creamed Spinach Quick Pickled Shallots Serves 4 / Click here to download a printable version Anything with pastry on the top is regal, and gives the buttery crunch needed with this light dish. You can either wilt the spinach or make it creamy. And quick pickled shallots will be YOUR NEW GO TO garnish! TO PLATE MEAL: In a shallow wide dish, place a bit of the spinach in the center. Top with the white fish, Ladle with a bit of the artichoke sauce on top and around the outside. Crown each with the pastry crown, and nestle a bit of the pickled shallot next to the base of the fish. I always like a flourish of chopped flat leaf parsley to give some flair! TIP: You can include rice in this dish if you want more starch, but I find that it’s quite satisfying and healthy without it. You can serve with small toast points if you like. Baked White Fish with Artichokes and Pancetta with Pastry Crowns INGREDIENTS Four 5 oz. portions white fish. Cod is amazing but you can also do Flounder. Make sure they’re ample cuts and sit tall and are uniform in shape and size 1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts drained and chopped into quarters 4 oz. pancetta (or bacon will do but isn’t as tender) ½ sheet puff pastry 4 T butter ¼ C plain Greek yogurt 2 T mayonnaise 3 T olive oil Several sprigs of fresh thyme Fresh grated nutmeg (1/4 t ground nutmeg in a container will work as well but you’ll miss the depth of flavor!) 1 egg beaten Kosher salt and pepper METHOD – Bring the sheet of pastry to room temperature. It comes folded in thirds, leave it that way and cut in half. Then roll it out to about double the size. Fold in half and roll out. Fold one more time and then finally roll into a square so you can cut out 4, 4” by 4” squares. YOU WANT THEM THIN. Brush with the egg wash. Trim and shape your 4 fish filets. Pat dry and set aside. In a small saucepan, sauté the pancetta in a little butter until slightly browned but not crisp. Remove and set aside. Chop the artichoke hearts and drain thoroughly. Mix the pancetta, the artichoke hearts, the yogurt and the mayo. Fold together and then add the nutmeg, and about ¼ t salt and a bit of black pepper. In a good square baking dish, rub the bottom with a little oil. Then coat the fish with the oil using your hands, place them in the dish about ½ inch apart. Ladle a dollop of the artichoke mixture atop each chicken piece, spreading it out slightly. Take the puff pastry squares and fold each over the tip of your index finger to create a kind of flower. Flatten the bottom so each one rests atop the fish. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes until fish is opaque and puff pastry is browned but not too crisp. Creamed Spinach One large bag of baby spinach salad mix, about 8 C 3 T butter 2 T flour ½ C 2% milk (add more if thickens too much) Salt and pepper Lemon zest A sprinkling of red pepper flakes METHOD - In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour and whisk well to form a roux. Cook for about 2 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add milk, whisking constantly off the heat. It should begin to make a very thickened sauce. If it get too thick, add a little more milk. Add the salt and pepper. In another pan on medium low heat, add about ¼ C water and lay all the spinach on top. Cover and let the spinach wilt, which only takes about 30 seconds. Remove and slightly press to remove most of the water. Don’t need to pat dry or squeeze. Now add the spinach to the creamy sauce, stir and incorporate the spinach with the cream. Serve with a little of the red pepper flakes and top with the lemon zest. Quick Pickled Shallots INGREDIENTS: 1 shallot peeled and sliced into VERY thin slices ½ C red wine vinegar 2 heaping t sugar ½ t salt METHOD – Mix the vinegar, salt and sugar. Place the slices in a deep bowl so the vinegar mixture, when poured over the top, covers all the shallot. Set aside and stir every 30 minutes or an hour. In 3 hours you will have sweet and tangy and soft shallots to top this dish or anything that needs a mild zing! ©Camine Pappas, All Rights Reserved. 2017 Winning Meatloaf
Garlic Truffle Mashed Yukon Potatoes With White Pepper Gravy and Lemony Mint Peas Serves 4 / Click here to download a printable version! I haven’t served this to anyone who hasn’t moaned when they take the first bite. Comfort food elevated is the best kind of bling. Don’t you think? I like to use white pepper to keep the gravy a little more elegant. It comes together quickly with a roux and a good beef bouillon cube. TO SERVE: If you have enough willpower to keep from sticking your fork in every bit of this before your guests sit down, I applaud you. That means there’s enough left to share! Just arrange as you wish…and then SMOTHER WITH GRAVY!!! Yum!!!! Winning Meatloaf with White Pepper Gravy INGREDIENTS 1 lb. 85% ground beef ½ package Jimmy Dean hot sausage 1 egg ½ small white onion chopped finely, about 1/3 C ¼ C red bell pepper chopped finely, about 1/3 C 2 heaping T plain yogurt About ¼ to 1/3 C plain Italian seasoned breadcrumbs 3 T catsup ½ t fresh dill 1 t salt ¼ t pepper GRAVY: 3 T butter 3 T flour 2 T cream 2 C boiling water with 1 beef bouillon cube dissolved (Knorr is my favorite!) 1-2 t kosher salt 1 t white pepper METHOD – In a large bowl and using your hands, blend all the meatloaf ingredients. Form into a long log or loaf in foil on a sheet pan, forming to keep the size and height uniform. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 40+ minutes or until bubbling and browned on top. In the meantime, melt the butter in a large sauce pan and add the flour, and whisk for about 2-3 minutes to make a roux. Remove from heat and add the bouillon water, salt and pepper and begin whisking. Return to medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken. Add the cream and whisk to incorporate. It will also thicken a bit when you let it sit while waiting for the meatloaf. Garlic Truffle Mashed Yukon Potatoes 3 medium Yukon potatoes cut into 2 inch chunks 1 2 T roasted garlic* 1-2 t truffle oil ¼ C heavy cream 2 T butter Salt and pepper to taste METHOD – Boil the potatoes in a little salted water until soft. Drain and add the roasted garlic, truffle oil, cream, butter and salt and pepper. Using a large fork rough mash the potatoes. They should still be chunky and rustic, and I love the yellow color. Lemon Mint Peas INGREDIENTS: 2 C small frozen peas 1 heaping t chopped fresh mint Zest of one small lemon Juice of one small lemon 2 T butter Salt and pepper METHOD – Cook the peas just until thawed. They’re already cooked so don’t overcook! You just want them HOT. Drain, add lemon zest, lemon juice, butter and salt and pepper. Then right before serving fold in the mint. Otherwise the mint will darken and get bitter if you add it in the hot pan. *To roast garlic, remove the flimsy outer skins, cut the top off to expose the cloves, place in a small square of foil and drizzle with about 1 T good oil. Seal the foil, bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cloves will pop right out when you squeeze each pod. Keep stored in airtight container for about a week. ©Camine Pappas, All Rights Reserved. 2017 |