Category: Weeknight Supper

Reflections on Summer and Some Summer Favorites

What a long strange trip this has been. This is not the Summer that any of us were looking forward to. Instead of pools, beaches, and barbecues we’ve had social distancing, masks, and cautious outdoor dining. I know that I am not alone when I say, “Please let it be over!” While there is a faint light at the end of the tunnel, the bright light seems pretty far away. We are all trying to make the best of things and figuring out how to responsibly use the little bit of relaxed guidelines to our cautious advantage.

Family time is the best part of summer and we are happy to have more time  together. Since I live in the Kitchen of Love, food has been one of the great comforts. A few new things have been laid upon the table, but many of my Summer Favorites have come to the table like old uncles and aunts that you haven’t seen since last summer. I want to share a few of my favorites with you. They have graced the blog before, some of them on multiple occasions. These three are definitely worth repeating.

First up is a Corn Chowder that showcases fresh corn at its peak. The kernels simmer with onions and peppers in a corn broth that imparts layers of corn flavor and goodness.

Summer Corn Chowder
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Summer Corn Chowder
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Corn Broth
Chowder
Servings:
Instructions
Corn Broth
  1. Put the bare corn cobs and chopped onion in a soup pot. Add 5 cups water (or enough to cover) and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 1 hour. Turn off heat and allow to steep covered for another hour. Remove the cobs and onions and use in soup.
Chowder
  1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon, let it drain on paper towels and reserve. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the pot.
  2. Add the onions, celery, jalapeno, and peppers to the pot and cook about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add the corn kernels and cook another 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and cook 1 minute more.
  3. Add the half and half and corn broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and add the shredded potatoes, green onions and thyme. cook 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and everything is happy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon and grated cheddar.
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Gazpacho is a classic summer dish. Fresh vegetables at their peak blended to your liking. This is a recipe that begs to be played with from the vegetables you use to how spicy (or not) you make it.

Gazpacho with Roasted Corn
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Gazpacho with Roasted Corn
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs and set aside. Save cobs for Vegetable or Corn Stock.
  2. Chop the Cucumber, Tomatoes, Pepper, and onions into 1 inch chunks. Place in food processor bowl or a large deep bowl (if using an immersion blender).
  3. Roughly chop up the Garlic, Parsley, and Cilantro and add to whatever type of bowl you are using. Add the Vegetable Juice to the bowl as well.
  4. Add the Citrus Juice, Vinegar, Smoked Paprika and Cumin to your bowl. Process the veggies and juice until chopped to your liking. Check for seasonings and add more if needed. a little Salt & Pepper is good, too.
  5. Stir in the corn kernels and store covered in the refrigerator for several hours. Serve chilled.
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This is what could happen if you married a pasta salad with a lettuce salad and threw in a little chicken for good measure. The pasta and lettuce are co-stars with a supporting cast of fresh and pantry vegetables.

Italian Salad with Pasta and Chicken
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Pasta salad meets lettuce salad in an easy one dish meal. This serves two very generously. Use the cut whole wheat pasta of your choice. The same goes for the herbs you use in the dressing.
Servings
2
Servings
2
Italian Salad with Pasta and Chicken
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Pasta salad meets lettuce salad in an easy one dish meal. This serves two very generously. Use the cut whole wheat pasta of your choice. The same goes for the herbs you use in the dressing.
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Dressing
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse and put in a large bowl.
  2. Slice the onion lengthwise into narrow strips and add them to the pasta in the bowl.
  3. Slice the peppers into thin strips abut the same size as the onions and add them to the bowl.
  4. Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on the size of the tomatoes and add them to the bowl.
  5. Add the garbanzo beans, drained artichoke hearts, chicken, and olives to the bowl and toss to combine everything.
  6. Dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to blend everything. Pour over the salad ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
  7. When you are ready to serve, add the torn lettuce leaves and toss once more. Divide between two plates and sprinkle with the Romano cheese.
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Here’s hoping that this Summer like no other is filled with good food and lots of love.

Meatloaf – The Italian One

Meatloaf is one of those foods that can be a mundane reminder of childhood or the warm memory of classic comfort food. In the Mid Twentieth Century it was a staple in almost every household. Some have pleasant memories, others would prefer to forget it. I have mixed feelings about my Mother’s Meatloaf. If it were on the table today, I would probably like it very much. Back then, for some reason, I had an aversion to vegetables chopped up and “hidden” in something. I would spend more time picking out the onions, bell peppers and whatever other plant matter it contained, leaving a plate of messy crumbs much to my mother’s chagrin.

I’ve grown up and that “hidden green matter” isn’t much of an issue anymore. With Winter here and comfort food being , well, so comforting, it was time to make some meatloaf. I confess, I do not have a standard meatloaf recipe. I further confess that I have shared meatloaf adventures before. I more or less create meatloaf with what is on hand and how I am feeling. Each one begins as a work in progress using my best guess as to what will work together and just how much of each ingredient is enough. This go round, I was feeling a touch of Italian nostalgia along with the desire to use up some of the partially used condiments in the refrigerator. I also went pantry diving and came out with some treasures.

The meats were about a pound of Ground Chuck and a couple of Hot Italian Sausage Links both of which were lurking in the freezer. I think that meat loaf tastes best when there are a variety of meats involved. To turn this into what I have named the “Italian One”, I used plenty of minced onion and garlic. I chose the dried version of each and reconstituted it with time and water. Note to self: Forget your childhood aversion and use the fresh stuff next time. I had some Sourdough bread cubes that I crushed up and added to the mix along with some finely grated Romano and a couple of eggs. Since I had a started jar of Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade on hand I threw that in as well. If the stars align,  and I have it on hand again, I would use more. Still the flavor it gave to the meatloaf was delightful if a bit subtle. (Another note to self…)

Once everything was mixed together, I let it chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. While that was happening, I made a a tomato sauce to  go on top. Let me tell you how much I love canned Italian Cherry Tomatoes. They are so sweet and tender and just bursting with flavor that they are the perfect addition to almost anything. Given a little time and some garlic, onion, and olive oil, they make a slightly chunky  and flavorful sauce that is anything’s crowning glory. Thankfully, they must be an up and coming new darling in the marketplace, because I can find them in more stores now and I always like to have a can or two on hand.

When it was time to assemble, I opted for making two loaves. One to serve two now, and another to freeze to serve two later. Off they went to the oven for 30 minutes or so. I topped them with my lovely Cherry Tomato Sauce and a little Asiago Cheese and let them bake for another 10 minutes or so.

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Meatloaf _ The Italian One
Course: Main Course
Ingredients
  • 1 Pound Ground Chuck
  • 2 Italian Sausage Links About 12 Ounces total.
  • 1/4 Cup Dried Onion 1/2 cup fresh
  • 1 Tbsp. Dried Garlic 3 Cloves if fresh
  • 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs I used Sourdough
  • 1/3 Cup Grated Romano Cheese
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3-1/2 Cup Roasted Pepper/Artichoke Tapenade Or other savory condiment
  • 1 Cup Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe below
Cherry Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Can Italian Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1/3 Cup Chopped Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic chopped
  • 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes Optional, to taste.
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions

  1. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the onions, Garlic, Bread Crumbs, Cheese, and Tapenade. Mix gently until everything seems blended.

  2. Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the bowl. Mix just until eggs are incorporated. Let mixture chill for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Make Sauce while the meat chills.

Cherry Tomato Sauce

  1. Heat Olive Oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic (and the pepper flakes if you are using them) and cook for a few minutes, until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.

  2. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes begin to burst. Thirty minutes or more is perfectly fine. Set aside.

Assemble and Bake

  1. Form the meat into one large or two small loaves. Pack gently but firmly and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes depending on number of loaves.

  2. Top with the Cherry Tomato Sauce and a sprinkle of Asiago (or any Italian cheese). Return to the oven for another few minutes until the cheese is melted Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

I served this with Linguine that I tossed with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Spinach then sprinkled with more romano cheese. Any side “Starchy” or otherwise would be wonderful, too. Make this meatloaf and as always make it your own…there are no rules here.

 

What’s On Hand Pasta

The dog days of summer seem to have arrived a bit early this year. It is hot and humid and the occasional showers make it all the more hot and humid. Being out in this kind of weather no longer thrills me. At times I find myself “Summer Hibernating.”  Sometimes that means that I won’t leave the house, even for groceries, and that means that I have to delve into my freezer, fridge, and pantry to make dinner. Here’s what happened a few nights ago.

First stop was the freezer. It was time to get all those bags of vegetable scraps out of the cold and into the pot to make some vegetable stock. Click on this link to learn what that’s all about. I also found two links of Turkey Italian Sausage while I was rearranging things. Pasta came to mind because I knew it would make Papa D’s heart sing to dig into a bowl of pasta no matter what it was mixed with. I decided to use my soon to be wonderful vegetable stock for the base of a lighter sauce, it being summer and all. Now I needed to round out the flavors.

In the pantry I found a started bag of fancy fettuccini, more than enough for two. I also came upon a jar of Artichoke Salad. I bought it on a whim one day and knew that I could use it for something eventually. If you haven’t seen this before; it is marinated artichoke hearts with roasted red peppers, olives, and some fairly decent seasonings. Quick sauce in a jar. Of course I couldn’t just leave it at that. Onions and garlic had to come along, and I added a few more marinated artichokes (also in the pantry) to fill in the spaces a bit.

A thorough search of the fridge turned up two grilled chicken thighs topped with pesto and a small container of mozzarella pearls and of course my trusty wedge of Pecorino Romano. I looked at them and thought…Why not? Let the creative process begin!

I used some of the marinade to saute the sausage and once it was cooked, I added the onions and garlic and let everything get acquainted for a few minutes. I drained the artichoke salad well and added it to the pan. Around the same time I sliced up the chicken thighs and added them in as well. Once everything was getting some color, I added about a cup of vegetable stock. The mozzarella pearls went in next. This required a lot of stirring but they finally kind of melted leaving just a few intriguing stringy ribbons that I think added some texture and interest to the sauce (sticking to that story).

While all of this was happening in the skillet, the pasta was boiling up to al fente perfection in a pot nearby. Finally the kitchen planets aligned and it was time to put everything together. A few more minutes and it was show time.

This qualifies as a “Non-Recipe, Recipe” that will most likely never be exactly the same each time it is prepared, it all depends on what’s “On Hand.” Here are a few guidelines based on how I did it this time:

  1. I used about 8 ounces of pasta which was enough for two servings with a lunch portion left over. I used fettuccini but it would be just as good with a cut pasta…maybe better.
  2. I used a 12 ounce jar of Artichoke Salad and maybe a quarter of a jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts. Everything was drained well and I did use about 1 tablespoon of the marinade to get things going in the skillet.
  3. I removed the casings from the sausages and browned it in the skillet. I used cooked chicken, but you could use more sausage or all chicken or something else.
  4. Onions and garlic were added because this is Mama D’s Kitchen after all. Add any other veggies you would like. Mushrooms and/or zucchini would be good.
  5. Use vegetable or chicken stock as you wish. About a cup is enough. You will also want to add a good ladle of the water from the pot before you drain the pasta.
  6. Cheese is up to the cook. I used Mozz, but it wasn’t easy. Provolone, Asiago, or Fontina would work or just go with a generous grating of the Romano.
  7. Serve it up and enjoy.

 

 

Smoked Shrimp Tacos

Well, here in the Midwest we are anxiously awaiting something that resembles Summer. We have had a few brief interludes which have then been followed by rain, wind, and other assorted weather mayhem. I honestly don’t remember the last day that it didn’t rain at some point. However, neither rain, nor wind, nor other mayhem will keep a Midwestern Griller from grilling.

I love shrimp, and I declare that my favorite way to prepare these little crustaceans is on the “barbie.” Because they cook in a matter of minutes, weather is not a problem. Grilling gives them wonderful flavor that works well in many dishes. Pasta is always at the top of my list followed by serving them on their own as a scrumptious finger food. For something entirely different this time, we decided to have them in tacos. Then, because we were feeling a little adventurous, we thought that having them spend  some time in the Smoking Cloche would be an interesting touch.

A Smoking Cloche is  exactly what the name intends. It is a smoke gun that is attached to a clear glass cloche. The smoke is created by lighting a pinch of fine wood chips, in this case Mesquite, on the smoke gun. This creates a smoking chamber that is ideal for drinks, cheese, and other small items. Here’s what it looks like in action.

Yes, there peeking out of the swirling smoke, are our lovely grilled shrimp.

This is a cold smoking process that takes about 5 -8 minutes. The result is a subtle smokiness that adds just enough flavor to make anything a little more interesting. Shrimp were no exception. I did give them a little help by marinating them in a mixture of garlic, chili flakes, smoked paprika, cumin, and a touch of lime.

Tacos always need something else inside to create a handful of flavor. I wanted to keep it simple so that the shrimp would truly be the star attraction. I opted for pickled red onions for some acidic kick and perfectly ripe avocado chunks for a creamy component. The finishing touch was a drizzle of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. I would have no objections to adding hot sauce, salsa, or pico de gallo.

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Smoked Shrimp Tacos
Course: Main Course
Servings: 2
Author: Mama D
Ingredients
  • 1 Pound Jumbo Shrimp Peeled & deveined
  • 2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
  • 1 Tsp. Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 Tsp. Chili Flakes
  • 1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
  • 2-3 Cloves Garlic Chopped
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 1/2 Tsp. Salt Or to taste
  • 6 Corn Tortillas 6 inch
Instructions

  1. Combine the shrimp with all the ingredients, except the tortillas. Marinate for 4-6 hours.

  2. Grill the shrimp over medium heat using a grill basket, tossing occasionally until the shrimp are just turning pink. About 5 -7 minutes.

  3. Use a Smoke Gun (or cloche) if available or desired.

  4. Soften the tortillas over low heat and place on serving plates. Divide the shrimp between the tortillas.

  5. Top with pickled onions and avocado (or whatever toppings you enjoy).

    Drizzle with Ranch Dressing or the sauce of your choice and serve.

A quick ( pretty much open and dump) Black Bean and Corn Salsa rounded out the plate.  

Print
Quick Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Author: Mama D
Ingredients
  • 1 Can Black Beans Drained and rinsed
  • 1 Cup Corn Kernels Thawed if frozen
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Red Onions
  • 1 Cup Pico De Gallo
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro More or less to taste
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder or Cayenne To taste.
  • 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder To Taste
Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients. Refrigerate Covered for at least 1 hour. The longer the better

These were wonderful! We ate every last bite and we will have them again in the very near future.

 

 

 

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese, Again.

Disclaimer: I confess that I have shared various recipes for Cauliflower Mac & Cheese over the years. That is because I really, really like it. This, as with the other versions, takes a slightly different path. You can check these and lots of other recipes out on my website: mamadskitchen.net.

Even though spring is here, a casserole of comfort food love is a welcome weeknight supper once in a while.  Nothing says comfort food love like homemade Macaroni and Cheese, full of comfort and unfortunately, fat and calories. This is my attempt to take away some of the bad and keep most of the good intact.

Enter everyone’s (well, most everyone’s) favorite chameleon vegetable, cauliflower. Cauliflower is everywhere these days, often under the radar, in pizza crust, mashed potatoes, and of course as the low carb rice substitute.

One of the best things about cauliflower is how well it plays with others. That’s how it came to have a starring role in this dish. Cut into florets and cooked to al dente, it blends with cut pasta seamlessly. This dish is equal parts of cauliflower and pasta. Since cauliflower shrinks and pasta grows when cooked, I measured accordingly.

We all know that a delicious Mac & Cheese is only as good as the cheese used, so I chose a combination of Aged Cheddar and Smoked Gouda. They both provide big flavor, and that means that you need less to get that big cheese bang for the buck. Any cheese(s) that you love will work, however.

I used 2% milk because I think it gives enough creaminess without as much fat as cream, half & half, or whole milk would.  Smoked paprika and cayenne add a bit of heat and color, but you could add whatever flavors you would like.

Now, about the prosciutto. It added a saltiness and texture the dish. You could substitute ham or bacon or leave the pork products out completely. Remember this is going to be your recipe.

Finally, a word about the topping. French Fried Onions out of the can are one of my guilty pleasures. They are delicious on a green bean casserole, as a crunchy salad topping, or all by themselves as a crunchy salty snack.

So here is your Cauliflower Mac & Cheese springboard waiting for you to take the plunge.

Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just al dente. Add the cauliflower and cook 2 minutes more. Drain and set aside.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. continue to cook stirring constantly until the sauce comes to a gentle bubble and thickens.
  4. Remove from the heat and add in the cheese, stirring until it is melted. Add the paprika and cayenne and taste for seasoning. Add what it needs.
  5. Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta, cauliflower, and prosciutto (if using). Pour into a 2 quart casserole that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.
  6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
  7. Sprinkle with the fried onions and bake uncovered another 5 - 7 minutes until the onions are golden brown. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
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