Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach

Okay, I have to confess that I have been really bad about about posting lately as I'm sure you have noticed. Why you ask? Well, I think I have been lacking that creative spark to write a post that really made sense. Also, I am trying to mix new recipes with some of my old recipes to keep the blog moving. Honestly, I am proud to just get dinner on the table as of late. In addition, I have been making a lot of stuff that I have already talked about on the blog. When that happens, it can be hard to find inspiration and energy to put together a new post. Funny to think that with the billions of recipes and food shows out there that there would be lack of material to talk about. My theory has been if it feels right and makes sense, then post it. Otherwise, don't post it until you are sure it is what discuss on the blog. I am going to try something a little different with this post. It won't have all the usual pictures, but enough that you will get the idea. Also, I am going to try a change in my naming convention too. Don't worry, I'm not going to change the premise or the purpose of the blog for this one post. This is still about me, a home cook, just sharing my passion and some useful tips and tricks. 

Okay, on with the show! This is a super easy, weeknight dish that you could realistically put on your dinner table in about 30 minutes. Here is what the completed dish should look like.

I think what makes this dish is the roasted tomatoes, which is an underutilized technique and very easy, in my opinion. You cut the cherry tomatoes in half, season with salt and pepper, apply heat--400 degrees, wait a few minutes, and consume. That is it! Even better, you can achieve the same affect on the stove top or you can even use your grill.  Like any other vegetable or fruit, you are trying to get the tomatoes to give up their liquid and sweetness. Also, if you broil or grill the tomatoes you can get some of that charred flavor as well. It is amazing and worth the time to treat the tomatoes this way.

Ready to make this little bit of magic? Here we go!!


Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach

Ingredients

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

4 quarts water  

8 ounces uncooked favorite pasta

2 1/2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 1/2 tablespoons spinach

5 sliced button mushrooms

¼ chopped chicken(optional)

3 tablespoons chicken stock

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven.

In large saute pan, on medium high heat with a 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cook the mushrooms until browned on both sides. This should take 4-5 minutes. Once they are done, you can set them aside. *On low heat, in the same pan, let the garlic warm in the pan with a little bit of olive oil and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Pull the garlic out and set it aside with the mushrooms.

Combine first five ingredients and place them in a baking dish, mixing well to coat. Bake mixture at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and lightly charred in places.

While the tomatoes are cooking, season boiling water liberally with salt and add pasta. Cook until your pasta is just slightly under cooked. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.

When you pull the tomatoes out of the oven, add three tablespoons of chicken stock to help loosen brown bits off the bottom baking dish and to help reinforce the tomato sauce. To your pan, add garlic, mushrooms, protein (if you want), tomato mixture, and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes to thicken sauce. 

 
Finally, add pasta and cook another 2 minutes until pasta is warmed through and still al dente. Last but not least, sprinkle in basil and spinach and stir for 30 seconds. Top with cheese, if desired.

Serve and enjoy immediately.

 
Let's talk about a few quick things to help you make this dish count:

Time management. This recipe has one pit fall, which is the timing between the tomatoes and pasta. We want the tomatoes to retain some of their shape and texture while not letting the pasta get overcooked. Start the tomatoes first and after about five minutes you can start your pasta. From my experience, most pastas cook in about 12-15 minutes, and if the tomatoes have to hang a little longer it won't be the end of the world. As I have said before, mistakes happen and we just move forward to fix them. 

*Garlic. Garlic is one of my favorite ingredients and pretty much gets eaten with every meal except when it comes breakfast and cereal. I have yet to find a good combination for that. Anyway, the real point is that garlic can go from delicious to overpowering in a New York second. So, as I was mentioning earlier, if you cook the garlic low and slow you can retain the flavor but will remove the chance of having bitter, burnt garlic. Take it from me, it doesn't make the dish taste good and will take over! If you like a little more intense flavor add it into the pan right before you add the roasted tomatoes and still just let it mellow in the sauce from about 5 minutes. If nothing else, roast the garlic with the tomatoes and just keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

If you are looking for a few ways to take this to the next level, then here are a few ideas for you. If you want a little more heat, you could add a pinch of red chili flake when you are starting to pull the sauce together. Also, you could make your own pasta to make this dish spectacular. Speaking of that, fresh pasta would make time management of this dish a breeze. Since the pasta cooks in less than five minutes you can cook the pasta at the very last second before you serve the dish. Also, you could add some fresh mozzarella chopped up or some goat cheese right when you sprinkle in the basil and spinach. Or, you could do one of my favorites, which is sprinkle in some arugula just until it begins to warm through and wilt. I should mention this would a great vegetarian dish as well! The sauce gives plenty of body and you hardly miss the meat. In addition to the mushrooms, any other vegetables would be a perfect fit into this pasta dish. If you want, you can add a little chopped up meat, your choice, to this dish. Again, you could go either way and it would still be delicious.

Guess what? That is it! We are done! I know, hard to believe right? Well, once in a while even a blind squirrel finds a nut. 

As usual, let me know what you think about this recipe. Comment on the post or send me an email. I would love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!

Keller Burger!

My Dad and I love burgers, especially burgers that are homemade. He began telling me about this burger he made before I went to visit him in preparation for a little road trip. My dad said it was the best burger he had ever had. That is a big statement from coming him because he has been making burgers all his life and he doesn't give high marks for food unless it is really special. So when I arrived and we started talking food, I asked him what was in this burger and he replied with, "The burger uses buffalo meat, gorgonzola cheese, apples, and brown sugar." My jaw just about dropped to the floor and I shot him a sideways look trying to comprehend what I had just heard. "Brown sugar?" I asked. Without batting an eye he nodded and said that I wouldn't be disappointed. Although I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I had to find out about this burger. Let me say this right now, I wasn't disappointed.

Disclosure: Before we go much further,  I just want to say a quick couple of things. First, this is a very rich burger and isn't friendly to the waist. However, this is a specialty burger and it will change the game when you think about burgers all together. Don't worry, this isn't something that I would make every day as my lunch. As much as I would love to do that, this would not be good for anyone. My approach to food is all about moderation. Therefore, it is okay to splurge once in a while and enjoy some crazy food.

Ready to keep reading? Here we go!

With that, he threw a package of ground buffalo into a bowl with some previously sauteed onions. He very gently worked the onions into the meat to avoid the mixture getting tough. This would allow the burgers to be nice and tender once they were cooked. Then he shaped the burgers into patties between a quarter to a half pound. We went big! You can certainly make smaller patties if you choose.

In a saute pan he added a few tablespoons of canola oil, turned the heat to medium heat and waited until the pan was hot. How do you know it the pan is ready? You should see little wisps of smoke rise off the pan. Don't forget to season the burgers with salt and pepper before you put them down in the in the pan. He placed the patties in the pan and didn't touch them! Yes, don't touch the patties. Why? Well, like any other meat, we need to let the meat caramelize and get that beautiful color on the outside. If you are pressing, poking, prodding, and moving the patties you won't allow the crust and flavor to form. Again, don't touch! Okay?

While the patties were sizzling and crackling away, I was tasked with cutting planks off some apples we had around the house. We were using granny smith apples and a sweeter red skinned apple as well. Just use whatever apples you like and that will be just fine.

After the burgers had cooked for a few minutes and formed that crust, we flipped them over, and added the apples to the same pan. He explained we just wanted to soften the apples a bit, but we wanted to have some texture as well. After he had sauteed the apples for a couple of minutes, he sprinkled the apples with a little brown sugar before he flipped them over. Finally, we added some brown sugar to the side of the apple that hadn't had any sugar and just allowed that to caramelize another minute. He pulled the apples out and set them aside.

At this point, the patties were just about finished and ready to be rested--like what we do with any other meat based protein. He applied gorgonzola cheese to the patties to allow the cheese to melt while the patties rested. You could also add the cheese to the burgers while they are on the heat, but just cover the plan with a lid or foil as the steam will help melt the cheese.

Finally, the time had come to build the burger. We grabbed our buns, which in this case was sandwich bread, but you could use any other bread/bun option you like. You could even omit the bread all together if you wanted.

On the bread goes the condiments of your choosing, but may I recommend some homemade mayo and some good dijon mustard to start? Place 3 to 4 slices of apple on one side of your bun and sprinkle with a little more brown sugar.

Place the patty on top of the apples slices thusly. Add your top bread and eat the extra apple slice. Wait....what? Yes, quality control is always important. So, make sure you taste everything!

 

When you are finished you should have something that looks like this. This is absolutely the best! Enjoy!

Just a minute............you didn't think I was going to leave you with just that did you?? You were right. How about I leave you with this photo instead?

Here you can see all the elements of this burger. There is the mayo, the cheese, the bits of onion running through the meat, and finally, the apple.

As I ate the burger I couldn't believe the amazing flavor that was coming through with every bite. This burger had everything I could have imagined. It was sweet and tart from the apples and sugar, had a little crunch and texture from the onion, some beautiful richness from the cheese and meat, a little zing from the mayo, and a bit of earthiness from the pockets of gorgonzola. All of that formed into a symphony of perfect bites.

I was floored. My Dad just watched me eat for a few minutes as my brain and palate danced with some spectacular flavor. As hard as it was to fathom, this unlikely combination was nothing short of a knock out. However, one question remained. Where did he land on this recipe and why hadn't we known about this before? It turned out that he had seen an article and a recipe by renowned chef, restaurateur, and cook book author, Hubert Keller. Keller is considered by many to be a legend among men when it comes to proper burger basics and techniques. In fact, at one of his restaurants in Las Vegas, the ingredients for one burger are so treasured that the total cost of the burger is about $5,000.00 dollars!!! If  you are curious, follow this link to learn more about Keller, http://www.hubertkeller.com/. My Dad told me had made it a few times before and was never disappointed.

Here a few finals thoughts to help you make this burger a success:

Use ground beef or any other meat if you can't find or don't want the buffalo as your protein. However, the benefit to using the buffalo is that this a much leaner meat than ground beef. Keep in mind, that just means you will have to watch to make sure your burgers don't get over cooked. That is the reason for the onions as they add a little moisture as well as a little flavor.
You could make this a veggie burger option and still would have a spectacular burger.
As usual, feel free to substitute as you see fit. Heck, you could even just cook the apples and melt a little cheese over it and that would make an amazing snack or part of nice end to a meal.

Lastly, I have included the recipe so you can have a little more detail on how to bring this burger together by clicking on this link http://www.hubertkeller.com/recipes/mod/recipe_309SignatureBurgers.html. We made a few changes, but they were related to our choice of herbs and breads we used based on what we had at hand.

There it is. This is the most unique and flavorful burger I have had. I hope you think so too!

Feel free to send me an email about your thoughts on this, or any other recipe that I have shared. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Enjoy!

Ole to Tortilla Soup

I suppose there are lots of problems you can have in the kitchen, but is having too much braised pork one of them? I suppose it could be, but in this case, I'm going to say no. The truth is even after listing all the ways to use the pork in my last post, I felt like something was missing and I needed to find a new way to use my leftovers. Make no mistake, I love tacos and barbecue pork sliders as much as the next person, but this is a chance for me to learn and share new recipes as well.

So, there I am with a tupperware container full of beautifully braised pork and not a clue what to do with it all. I opened the fridge for inspiration and all I saw was chicken broth, cilantro, some tortillas, chili, a little bit of rice, and a few other things. Okay, there is more in my fridge but I needed a setup to share this recipe. So, I closed the fridge and kept saying to myself the only thing in here is soup. It is fall, so maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all. What to make I wondered to myself. It was right there on the tip of tongue for a few minutes when I realized exactly what I should make. More soup, of course! Not just any soup though, but tortilla soup!

I had often wondered about tortilla soup as it has such an incredible depth of flavor and was highlighted with that punch of citrus. I quickly realized that I had a great counterpoint to the rich braised pork with that kind of a soup base. When I think about soups like this, I think of broths that simmer for days and days to achieve that perfect balance of flavor. While this can be true, I like the idea of being able to put the dish on the table the same day. Did you know that you can put this recipe on your table in about an hour?? The other thing is that I like pantry friendly recipes. In other words, you likely have the ingredients in your house to make this already. So, I set out to find a recipe that worked.

Here is the base recipe we are using, however, I have made changes. I know, what a shock! Before we talk about mastering this recipe, I wanted to show you what you could be consuming. Ready?

This is absolutely as good as it looks and more!! I am wondering what I should have for lunch? Hmmm...............but I digress. Okay, recipe time!

HOMEMADE TORTILLA SOUP

 Recipe has been halved

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon red chile flake or chili powder

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth store bought or homemade

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

juice of 2 limes

2-4 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-in.-thick strips

1 lb (3-4 oz per serving) pork or chicken chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

cilantro to taste, chopped

sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, additional chopped cilantro, and/or sliced green onions for topping

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, a pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper, and cook about 5 to 7 minutes until softened.

 Stir in two-thirds of the garlic, a  pinch of salt, cumin, chile flake/chili powder, and cook 2 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, and half the lime juice and turn up heat to a gentle simmer and cook about 25 minutes.

Purée soup in batches in a blender or food processor.

 Return soup to pot and resume simmering.

 Here is a bonus photo of what the broth should look like when it is all done.

 
 In a small bowl, toss chicken or pork with remaining lime juice, garlic (optional), and a pinch of salt, if desired. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes, then add to soup and simmer 5 minutes, until chicken or pork is just cooked through.

While your soup finishes simmering and before are ready to serve, add 2 tbsps of olive oil into a small frying pan set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add one-third of the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer strips to a paper towel-lined baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips in two batches. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt while hot. 

Top with tortilla strips, additional toppings, and fresh cilantro.

There it is! Boom! This is so good!

Let's talk about some changes:

Servings for centuries- When I test recipes I am only testing for a couple of people. Even cutting this recipe in half I had a lot of leftovers. That isn't a problem, but keep that in mind unless you plan on freezing some or giving away some amazing tortilla soup. By the way, it is almost the holiday season and this could make a great gift! I'm just saying.

Salt- If you read the reviews and look at the recipe, there is a lot of salt here!! In fact, there is way to much salt in the original recipe from my vantage point as I type this. Here is my take on this issue. You are always better to under season than over season since you can fix that, but going the other way is much more difficult. We add salt to help enhance other flavors and it helps to wake up the palate so we can taste other things better. As you cook, season each layer with a little salt. Also, you are adding more salt right at the end before you serve this to really give some complexity to the the lime juice. So, it is totally okay to ease up on the salt if you are concerned.

Cumin and Chile Flake/Chili Powder- As I discussed in my chili post, these flavors can pack a punch and can easily overpower a dish. You can always add more, but again, less is more. This is especially true if you have someone who is sensitive to those flavors for whatever reason.

Cilantro- Maybe this goes with saying, but sorry, I can't stop myself from talking about it. There are two cilantro camps, either you love it or you hate it. There isn't much love in between. You could certainly leave it out and go with something like parsley, celery tops or even some basil. But, you don't need the cilantro to sell this soup because this soup will sell itself.

Topping takeover- This recipe lists all kinds of topping options and they will compliment the soup perfectly. I opted to keep it super simple with just cilantro and the tortilla strips. For me, that was all the soup needed. You worked hard to make this soup, so make sure you have a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labor without getting lost in the toppings.

Gravity of Garlic- This recipe does call for fresh, raw garlic to be used to marinate your choice of protein before it is added to the soup. As much as it provides some additional flavor, I'm not sold that you need the garlic. It could be overpowering and super sharp when you take a bite of the soup. Just be careful if you decide to use the fresh garlic in that application. Also, cuddling and breathing on or near your significant other could be compromised by heavy garlic consumption. Unless your significant other has consumed garlic as well, then party on! Hey, I'm just trying to look out for my readers. 

Ready to make this for meatless Monday?? Yup, you are practically there and you didn't even realize it I bet. Just replace the chicken or pork for things like roasted corn that you have taken off the cob, roasted bell peppers, zucchini or some sweet potatoes that have been grilled or sauteed. This is will make for an an amazing lunch or dinner anytime!

I hope you enjoy this simply delicious, but complex soup. This is perfect for the fall months and it just looks pretty!

As always, be sure to leave a comment or email me and let me know your thoughts about this recipe. I look forward to hearing from you!

The Best Braised Pork Roast

Okay, first let me apologize for the tardiness on this post. I have had a few things come up that have required my full and immediate attention. So, I'm a little bit behind getting this post up, but after a long delay, here it is.

The leaves are turning, the air is a little cooler, and for some, the excitement and anticipation of fall sports has arrived. We now shift gears from barbecues and summer weather cooking to the slow cooking, fall baking, and those irresistible aromas that we all associate with this time of year. Personally, I love this time of year for all those warm, comforting fall classic dishes and this dish is no exception.

A few years ago I was on the hunt for a roast recipe that could deliver some real flavor, but could be executed in a few hours as opposed to a whole day or more. Not that I'm against that or haven't done made roasts like that, but sometimes I really want to be able to make the a roast on the fly. So, the search for a recipe began.

I should back up and say that I had tried a few beef pot roasts, but I always ran into the same problem. Although the meat was well seasoned, it was always a little tough even though I could cut it with a fork. I tried adjusting the cook time, the size of the roast, and the amount of liquid I used, but the results always ended up the same. So, I wanted to see if I could have an easier time with another protein option. I ended up turning my attention to pork to see if I could achieve the desired results.
 
The premise is super simple; season, sear, reinforce flavors, and cook low and slow. After some searching, I found a recipe that was very much what I had in mind and here is how to make it.



Ingredients



1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ( 3 1/2-5lb ) bone-in pork shoulder roast, patted dry
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
4-7 gloves of garlic, peeled
2-3 stems of fresh rosemary
2-3 stems of fresh thyme
1/4 c of balsamic vinegar
1/2-3/4 c of red wine( something you would drink )
Beef stock to cover 2-3 inches of your cooking vessel
1-3 tbsp worcestershire
1 medium red onion chopped into thick half rounds

Instructions 

Season pork liberally with salt and pepper or other seasonings
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Place Dutch oven or heavy cooking vessel over medium heat and add olive oil
Sear pork on all sides until pork is golden brown and crust forms

Remove pork, drain off most of the fat, deglaze with all liquids, scrape bottom of pan to get all those good bits off the bottom of the pan, add remaining ingredients, and return pork to cooking vessel

 


Cover with foil and lid and cook for about 3 hours or until pork breaks apart easily with a fork and
looks like this.

You have probably noticed that a number of the ingredients are in italics. Since I've made this a number of times, I have had a chance to tweak the recipe and create an amazing flavor profile. Feel free to make any changes that you want or use your own seasonings. If you aren't sure how else to season your pork, check out my all purpose rub or coffee rub for additional inspiration.

The best part about this recipe is that it incorporates a lot of the skills and tricks I have shared in some previous posts. Remember, we are trying to build on some skills and add some new techniques to the arsenal. As I have said, sometimes simply prepared food can be the best food.

What I love about this roast is that you can transform it into anything that you want. You could use it for tacos, sliders, pulled pork, french fry toppers, carnitas, hash, frittata, a chili topper, a base for a tortilla soup, and a number of other dishes I haven't even mentioned. The meat is rich, tender, a little floral from the rosemary, some undertones of garlic, and leaves you wanting more. It does tend to go fast, so I would recommend that you make enough to have leftovers. Speaking of leftovers, a little pork, a veggie or two, and a potato makes for a quick meal any night of the week.

There is one very important note I want to talk about before you run off to the store to make this dish. I called this a braise in my title, which is simply searing and cooking slowly in a little bit of flavored liquid. This is the opposite of a standard pot roast cooking method where you cover most of the meat with liquid instead of just a little bit of liquid. They both have their places in the kitchen, but I favor the braise. In addition, like the short ribs, I cover the vessel with foil to hold in all the steam and this helps both to break down the meat and keeps all the moisture in the meat.

This dish does take a little extra time, but as usual, the payoff is huge! Truthfully, I have made this dish more than once in a weeks time. It was well worth it!

I hope you are inspired and will take your roasts to the next level. Let me know what you think by sending me an email or commenting on the post to give me your feedback!

Enjoy!

I'll Make Chili For You

When it comes to cooking, there is nothing better than a dish that simmers away on the stove top for hours. Not only is the smell intoxicating, it provides a nice continuous gentle heat in the house, and lifting the lid on a gently simmering pot of delicious ingredients is the best! That only gets better when you can basically throw a bunch stuff in a pot, walk away for a while, and let it simmer away until it turns to something flavorful, satisfying, and just plain tasty.

I started thinking about this since I am helping with a family member who is very ill and trying to make sure that I can provide the one thing I know, food. But, I wanted to be able to create a few recipes rather quickly with little fuss. I could think of nothing better than homemade chili.

Let's talk chili, I think there is a stigma about chili that hangs around. It is either too spicy, salty, too meat-centric or it just takes too long to long to make. Sounds like a familiar story, right? I am here to tell you that you can have chili ready to eat in about ninety minutes and you can have it your way. Yes, your way. I will tell you that I've never made my own chili until the other day, and it couldn't have been easier!

For those of you who don't like my billion photos, you are in luck, because I made this recipe under a deadline and I only took two photos. As luck would have it, only one photo really turned out the way I wanted. Rest assured, I won't let my photo taking lapse because I would hate to deprive you of that.

Click here for the original chili recipe, which is a recipe I adapted from allrecipes.com. Below is my version.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
• 1/4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons of paprika
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 (16 ounce) can beans, drained such as red, black or navy beans
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium high heat, saute ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Season both ground beef and pepper and onion mixture with a little salt and pepper. Remove ground beef with slotted spoon, drain most of the fat, leaving a little to saute peppers and onions until softened about 5-7 more minutes. 
 

2. Add the remaining ingredients, reserving the beans until near the end of the cooking time. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. With about 15 minutes remaining, stir in beans till they are warmed through and serve.

Below are a few changes I made to this recipe:

I doubled up on the canned beans to give the chili some extra substance and body. This is great way to make it if you want to go the vegetarian route.

*Scaling back on the dried spice is okay. I only used about a 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder and about an 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of cumin. Both of these go a long way and tend to really perfume and flavor the dish. When you "bloom" or cook dried spices in some oil over heat, those spices release a lot of their oil and can intensify in flavor. Make sure to give the spices time to develop so you can accurately adjust your seasoning level if needed. Remember, it is easier to add than have to try to take some of that spice out. Also, I omitted all the jalapeno as well.

*Just a quick follow up related to the spice/heat level of the chili. I was making it for someone who can't really tolerate much spice, but I wanted to give the chili a little undertone of heat. If you want to add more chili powder, jalapeno or something more intense like a fresno chili, then go for it! Remember, it is about knowing your audience and what they can tolerate. We want our family and friends to enjoy what we are cooking, but not make them feel like you are serving a bowl of Mount Vesuvius. Again, unless that is your goal, then let it rip!

Paprika makes the world go round. Seriously, it has such a great flavor profile and provides a subtle depth. I added a couple of teaspoons to the chili when I made it. Oh, it also adds an incredible color and that makes it really look like you fussed over it for hours even though you didn't. I will call this a cooking hack to save you some time.


After some stirring, perhaps a beverage or two, and some patience you are rewarded with this.

Serve this in a bowl with some cheese, sour cream, and a little cilantro on top. If you want to step this up, spoon some of this over some chips and top with cheese for some chili cheese nachos. Oh, still not enough hacks? Okay, how about some scrambled eggs topped with a little homemade chili to get your day started? Do it! You won't be disappointed.

Want to make a vegetarian version? As I said, no problem! Take out the ground beef, add a little vegetable stock, add some fresh yellow corn, and toss in some sauteed mushrooms near the end until they are warmed through and have absorbed some of that amazing chili base.

If you end up with tons of leftovers, don't worry! Throw some
pre-portioned containers into the freezer for a quick lunch or dinner anytime you.

Once again, the twists on this are unlimited If you really want to wake this up, add some beer or coffee to really help reinforce some of those great flavors. The limits are your own, so be creative! I promise, nothing will be beat a bowl of this on a cold blustery days around the table with your loved ones.


Enjoy!

Seasoning-Rubbing You The Right Way

I am digging in the pantry to grab my coffee rub and I realize that I barely have enough to season the piece of pork that is destined for the grill. This is not good, I think to myself. In order to fill the gap, I reach for another rub that was the original inspiration for my coffee rub. To my own culinary dismay, I had to scrape and shake out every morsel out of that container so I could get to the barbecue. As soon as the meat was on the grill, I wrote myself a note to get to the store and buy myself some more of this standard seasoning. I finished dinner and announced I needed to go to the store tomorrow so I could buy more. Buy more?? This is five ingredients. Why am I not making some myself? I don't know about you, but it was time to resolve that problem. So what is it?

Before I get into what I made, I have talked about rubs on the blog before, but I can't resist the opportunity to give you another example of the flavor combinations you can achieve. For example, you can check out my coffee rub if you want something that is a little outside the box, but I promise, you can't go wrong.

Alright, let's get back to the main event. Say hello to our honored guests paprika, salt, fresh ground pepper, brown sugar, and dried thyme.
 

Needless to say, when these five get into the room together, you can be certain they will bring amazing flavor that is sure to please any palate.These are guests that I invite to my dinner table time and time again. It is sweet with the brown sugar, spicy with the black pepper, the dried thyme gives it a bit of herbaceous undertone, the salt provides a little bit of punch, and the paprika rounds it out with the earthy, smokiness with just a little a bit of heat on the back end.

This will work for fish, chicken, pork, vegetables, steak, lamb or any other protein you want to cook. You can either use this on the grill or if you are searing in a pan. The possibilities are endless for how to apply it. You could use it for a marinade, low and slow cooking, quick cooking on the barbecue or sprinkle a little on some freshly grilled buttered corn. The corn is one of my favorites!!

How do you make it? It is pretty simple. Mix the following in a bowl.

2 tbsps paprika
1 tbsp kosher salt
3/4tsp-1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried thyme

Combine and store and a container of your choice. Done! As usual, feel free to adjust this mixture if you want more or less of anything. I make a double batch as a single batch goes very quickly in my house.


Enjoy!

Using your Noodle-Veggie Style

As I mentioned before, the food world is changing. We are looking for ways to maximize what we are eating, how we eat it, and why we are eating the things we do. Lots of us are really having to look at the kind of relationship we have with food.  I know this because we are going through a bit of a food revolution in our house. Why you ask? Well, it has to do with how our bodies handle and process certain foods. Simply put, like the allergies that cause you to sneeze during the summer, you can be affected by the foods you eat as well.

If you have read any of my blog, you know that one of the most popular dishes in my house is pasta. However, traditional pasta contains gluten and not everyone can tolerate gluten. So, the question becomes how can we make pasta delicious, fast, and easy without giving up on any flavor? I have a perfect solution.

The first option is more obvious, which is gluten free pasta. You can find it in most grocery stores these day and it is very tasty. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic solution and one that I would go to more often than not. In fact, I am still recipe testing homemade gluten free pasta which I hope to share with you. However, I am working through a few snags at the moment. That should do it, right? No, not exactly. I think we should shake noodles up a little bit.

What if I told you that some of the vegetables in your house right now could be turned into healthy, super easy noodles? No, I am not kidding. Do you have carrots, zucchini or sweet potatoes in your fridge or pantry right now? Check, I can wait.............got them? Guess what? You have an amazing substitute for regular pasta that you can use for any application. It is truly that simple.

So, what are we making? We are making zucchini fettuccine with my ground turkey bolognese. Don't remember how to make bolognese? No problem, just click here for a refresher.

That leaves us with how to make the noodles. Okay, you have a couple of options. If you have a vegetable peeler or a wire cheese slicer then you are good to go. These will come out looking more like ribbons, but the effect will be the same.

 The noodles on the left are various sizes that I made from a vegetable peeler. I was able to create a spaghetti, fettuccine, and a wide noodle with the peeler. On the right are the noodles I made with my "Zoodle" maker. Yes, it is an actual thing. It is too much fun to say to not have it be true. If you want these fancy zoodles then head to your favorite online kitchen store and look for a "zoodler." Again, the gadget name is too good to make up. Having done my own research, I know you can find a basic one on Amazon for about 10 dollars, but there are plenty of options if you want to up your zoodle game. You can't go wrong either way, in my opinion.

Okay, time to fire it up! Follow the directions to make my bolognese. While  the bolognese is cooking down, you will have plenty of time to prep your noodles.To get the zucchini ready, trim off the ends and follow the directions of your zoodle maker. If you are using your vegetable peeler, remove the the zucchini skin and form a large pile of the strips. If you notice your noodles are too long just cut them down to a desirable size or cut it in half before you make your noodles. Once you have reached your desired thickness of the sauce, pile some noodles into a bowl, and top thusly with bolognese. Make sure to cover the noodles fairly well. The heat of the bolognese will soften the noodles and provide that cooked sensation.

 

Even I have to remind myself that these are zoodles because this bolognese sells it! If you want to take this dish to the next level, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on the finished dish. Honestly, I didn't miss the cheese and I ate the whole bowl full!

If you want to take this dish totally vegetarian or vegan, you can omit both the ground turkey and the cheese. Of course, if you have any other restrictions feel free to make any changes that are necessary. You could also throw in some mushrooms or a number of other vegetables to bulk this dish up a little bit.

A couple of things to keep in mind here. You may find that you need to season the bolognese a little more than normal. The regular pasta releases starch and holds some salt from the boiling water, so there is a little less salt in the dish. That is totally okay if you feel like that is needed. However, you can certainly add other seasonings or herbs such as basil, oregano, pepper, thyme, and wine as well. If you add more wine, make sure you allow time for the alcohol to cook out of the sauce. Again, make sure you use you wine you would drink, because as wine cooks down those flavors are concentrated. Feel free to add vegetable or chicken stock to help reinforce those flavors as well. Oh, yes, I just used the word cooking, so let me talk about that before I forget. Zucchini has a high water content, so we don't want to cook it in the classic sense. So leave the noodles raw if you can so you can retain some texture and don't end up with mushy noodles.

This is only the beginning of the possibilities with veggies noodles. So, be creative!

Congratulations we have taken this dish to a whole new level! We did it! Let me know what you think by commenting on the recipe or sending me an email. I know this dish will surprise you as it did for me.

Enjoy!