Braciole

This is a big Sunday Italian dinner.  It's so good.  The aroma will fill your house and you won't be able to stand the wait for dinner!
To make this you will need:
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or grated aged provolone cheese
2 tablespoon garlic, chopped finely
2 hard boiled egg, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
Toothpicks or string (butcher’s twine) to secure the rolls
3-4 tablespoon olive oil for browning
Tomato sauce
1.)  Lay the meat out on a board. Pound with a mallet to thin and beat with tenderizer side to further tenderize the meat.
2.)  Rub each slice with olive oil. Follow with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, cheese, garlic, pine nuts,
salt and pepper to taste.
3.)  Begin rolling.  Roll each slice vertically and secure with toothpicks or string.  You can use 2 or 3 strings to secure the smaller ones. If making large ones, use more string or toothpicks.
4.)  Brown the rolls in olive oil. When finished – remove them and put them in the sauce that is in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup red wine

1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes – give them a quick turn or 2 in the blender first

1 tablespoon tomato paste (dilute the paste in 1/2 cup water – stir well until dissolved into the water)

2 tablespoon fresh Flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 Parmigiano-reggiano cheese rind

1.)  Add olive oil to the pan. Add garlic, then the red wine.  Once browned add the beef rolls.

Coconut Ginger Shrimp *Vegan Hint*

First words out of my husbands mouth when he tasted this:  "Can this go into our regular rotation?"  Which was followed with, "I want the leftovers for lunch!"  This dish reminded me of something you could get from a Thai restaurant.  You could use chicken or even scallops in place ofthe shrimp.  *Vegans could try it with  tofu!*  I served it over Basmati rice.  To make this you will need:
4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 inch cube of ginger (about 30 grams), roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 red pepper cut in strips

1 4 oz. package of sugar snap peas (deveined)

1/2 of a large onion, cut in half moons

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 cans coconut milk, not shaken

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 pound large shrimp cleaned and deveined

For the Spice Blend:

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric

1 teaspoon salt

1.)  In a small bow, mix together the spice blend. Set aside.

2.)  In a mini food processor, combine garlic, ginger and onion and pulse until it forms a paste.

3.)  In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and the butter.  Add all the vegetables and start to sauté them (about 5 minutes until they are tender).  Add the garlic/ginger paste and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the spice blend.

4.)  Open the cans of coconut milk and remove the cream from the top using a soup spoon. You should have about 1 cup. Pour the coconut milk over the vegetables.  Mix the cornstarch with the coconut cream.  Add to the mixture to thicken it. 

5.)  Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp have turned pink and are done.

Easy Old Fashioned Popovers (with Garlic and Chives)

Popovers - light, airy, fluffy pillows of dough that are so delicious and super easy to make!  You are guaranteed to enjoy this one. This is for a small batch of popovers (6 to 8).
To make this dish you will need:
1 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1.)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix the flour, salt, and milk in a bowl, then drop in the unbeaten egg. Beat all with an immersion blender (or in a blender) until the mixture is perfectly smooth and free from lumps. AddStir? in the garlic and the chives.






2.)  If you are lucky enough to have them, grease and warm gem irons or popover cups (I use a muffin/cupcake pan). Then fill them about two-thirds full of the popover batter.
3.)  Bake in a oven for about 45 minutes or until the popovers can be lifted from the cups and do not shrink when removed from the oven.  Serve piping hot!

Butternut Squash Ravioli



You will be amazed at how easy this is to make!  And once you make it from scratch you won't want to go back (athough finding butternut squash ravioli around here is impossible anyway).  
To make this you will need:
Filling
1 1/2 cups of cooked butternut squash
1 cup of ricotta cheese
3 tbsp of fresh sage, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp of fresh/coarsely ground black pepper (if using finely ground pepper, start with 1/2 a tsp and adjust to taste)
3/4 tsp nutmeg
Dough
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
olive oil if/as needed
Finish
1 stick butter
4 oz. sugar snap peas, 1/2 grated carrot and a small yellow squash (chopped) cooked for a few minutes in a microwave

1.)  Mix all of the filling ingredients together, reserving ⅓ of the sage for finishing.
2.)  Sift flour into a large bowl or onto a pastry board and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well. Using a fork, beat eggs and begin to pull flour into liquid.
3.)  Once you can no longer mix with a fork, knead dough on a well-floured surface until smooth and elastic (8–10 minutes). (If dough feels a bit dry, add a little bit of olive oil when kneading.) Cover dough with a wet tea towel and let rest for 10 minutes. If you won’t be using it right away, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I’ve read that you can keep fresh pasta dough in the fridge for 2 days.
4.)  On a floured surface, roll one batch of pasta dough out into a large rectangle, until it is thin, but not in danger of tearing (around 1/16 of an inch thick). Drop tablespoons of filling over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch between.
5.)  Roll the second batch of dough out into another rectangle, doing your best to replicate the size/shape of the first. Using a pastry brush (or your fingers), rub a little bit of water on the surface of the first dough between the filling, to ensure a proper seal. Carefully place the second rectangle of dough on top, and press all around to close. Cut ravioli with a knife or pasta wheel. To make sure they’re extra sealed (and extra cute), press all around the edges with a fork.
6.)  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook until they begin to float (this should only take a few minutes). Drain.
7.)  In a medium fry pan, melt the butter and sage and allow it to cook until it turns brown.  Add the vegetables and the ravioli.  Heat through and serve.