Asparagus and Lemon Risotto with Artichoke Hearts

Asparagus and

Lemon Risotto with Artichoke Hearts

 

This Microwave Recipe was taken from the Cooking Light magazine issue May 2013 with a couple of alterations I made for adding more Arborio rice and the artichoke hearts.

This risotto is not covered while microwaving. Be sure you are using at least a 2-quart bowl to allow plenty of room for the liquid to boil

 

 

¾ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 oz bag of uncooked Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice*

3 ¼ cups unsalted chicken stock*

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

3 or 4 Vigo Artichoke hearts chopped*
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ ounces shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1/3 cup), divided (I substituted ‘Finely Shredded – Parmesan cheese.

Step:

1.       Combine first 4 ingredients in a 2-quart microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at HIGH 3 minutes.
2.       Stir in rice; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes.
3.       Stir in stock and wine; microwave at HIGH stirring the rice for 30 seconds at 4 minute intervals for a total of 16 minutes.
4.       Add asparagus and artichoke hearts; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes
5.       Stir in lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and half of cheese. Top with remaining cheese 

Serves 4 

Note: * I altered the recipe

 

 

Tomato Pie

   

     Have you ever eaten a “Tomato Pie”? Well I hadn’t. Until Syd, our closest friend in Florida and a fabulous cook herself, told Katie about this delicious dish.  Boy, I’m glad she did. The other night Katie made this creamy rich tomato pie which brought out the sweetness of the tomatoes with a crispy pie crust and lots of cheese. So, if you love tomatoes you need to try making this for dinner.

Here’s the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Tomato Pie

1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, thawed

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 large (or 6 small) tomatoes sliced, seeded and pressed dry between paper towels (the better you dry the tomatoes, the better your pie will hold together when sliced)
½ yellow onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
1 can sweet corn drained
1 cup of shredded cheese that melts well (can be a mix of cheddar & Swiss or Monterrey jack)
1 cup of mayonnaise

Place thawed piecrust in well greased pie plate and bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees then set aside to cool. Meanwhile sauté sliced onions in 1 Tbsp of butter until soft (I added a sprinkle of sugar during this step).

Spread in layers- tomatoes, basil, onions, corn and half of cheese.

Repeat layers but add the mayo to the last half of cheese before spreading it over the top.
 

Bake 12 – 15 minutes at 425 degrees until top is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let pie rest 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.

Options – May use refrigerator biscuits (not buttermilk) pressed together instead of pie crust.

                May substitute sour cream for mayonnaise.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

     If you love baked macaroni and cheese,  Rocky & Carlos’ Restaurant & Bar is the place to go.  This family restaurant, located in Chalmette, Louisiana has been making this dish since the restaurant opened in 1965. Many orders are drenched in flavorful  roast-beef or tomato gravy. It is believed this tradition of pouring gravy over the pasta came from customers.

     This dish inspired Alphonse to create his own Mexican style variation on this bake macaroni and cheese dish.

Alphonse’s Mexican Style Baked Macaroni & Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni

½ stick unsalted butter

1 - 14.5 oz can – Fire Roasted diced tomatoes, drained

1 - 4.5 oz can – Green Chiles, drained and chopped

1 cup milk, warmed with 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups shredded Mexican Style Cheddar Pepper Jack Cheese

2 cups finely shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2  cups of Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs Italian Style

2 tsp. salt or sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1tsp. olive oil

 

1.      Boil macaroni in covered pot for 10 minutes (water must be at rolling boil before you add macaroni). Season water with salt & olive oil.

2.      In a small bowl mixed all the cups of cheese.

3.      Strain off water from macaroni. Place macaroni back into pot

4.      Stir in butter, milk and pepper. Stir in 4 cups of mixed cheese. This should all melt and produce a creamy sauce. Season to taste.

5.      Add Green Chiles and tomatoes to macaroni, mix well.

6.      Place macaroni mixture in a 9 x 13 baking pan.

7.      Cover generously with remaining 2 cups of cheese.

8.      Top with Panko for browning.

Bake at 300° for 45 minutes, then brown top under broiler until golden brown.

Number of Servings 4 to 6

Roasted Pork and Butternut Squash

Roasted Pork with Butternut Squash

Roasted Pork:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 ½ pound)

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
½ tsp lemon pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika

 1.      Preheat the oven to 400°.

2.      Mix brown sugar, lemon pepper and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
3.      Rub both sides of the pork with this mixture.
4.      Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
5.      Add the pork and sear until browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes (brown sugar tends to burn quickly so watch closely while searing pork).
6.      Place seared pork in a roasting pan.
7.      Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°, about 18 minutes.
8.      Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Butternut Squash:

 2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp parmesan & Romano cheese, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp green onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies, drained
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup chicken broth

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine first 3 ingredients.
2. In a medium skillet heat the oil and add the garlic and green onions and cook until garlic is tender.
3. Add the chicken broth, mixed ingredients and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until squash is tender.

 

Number of Servings 4

Shrimp Mold and Shrimp Dip

Louisiana Brown Shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico

     The next time you buy shrimp, take a closer look at the label and you’ll notice a set of numbers divided by a slash, like this: 21/25.  This number, called the “count”, tells you the size of the shrimp.  The count refers to the number of individual shrimp in 1 pound. For instance, when you but 1 pound of 21/25 count shrimp, that means you can expect to get 21 to 25 shrimp. The smaller the numbers, the bigger the shrimp. Sometimes on big shrimp you’ll see a count that looks like this: U/15 to U/10. This means there are fewer than 15 or fewer than 10 shrimp per pound.

Two of my favorite recipes for parties are my Shrimp Mold and mom’s Shrimp Dip.

Shrimp Mold 

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

2 envelopes Knox brand unflavored gelatine

½ cup cool water

½ cup green onions chopped fine

1 cup celery chopped fine

1 pound cooked shrimp chopped

2 (10oz) packages of  cream cheese, softened

1 cup of mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon lemon pepper 

1. Heat soup in a small saucepan
2. In a medium bowl stir gelatine into cool water until dissolved. Mix hot soup into the gelatine liquid.  
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and mayonnaise together. 
4. Add soup mixture to the cream cheese and mayonnaise. Mix well.
5. Add green onions, celery, shrimp, and lemon pepper.
6. After mixing, place in greased mold and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably refrigerate overernight.

Shrimp Dip

 3 bricks of cream cheese (softened)

1/3 cup of cream (or milk)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Dash or two of Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup of cooked shrimp chopped up

1.      In a blender add the cream cheese and gradually add the cream and blend until smooth.

2.      Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

3.      Chill for about an hour (Best served next day). 

Tip: Substitute crab or lobster meat in place of shrimp.

Italian Herb Crusted Chicken Rolls

Italian Herb Crusted Chicken Rolls

1 can (14 ½ ounces) Basil, Garlic and Oregano diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon Basil Pesto

2 pound thinly-slices boneless, skinless chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 1/3 cup Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs Italian Style

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix tomatoes, cheese, basil pesto and pinch of salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Place about 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture in the center of each piece of chicken. Roll up chicken to enclose filling and brush with oil. Coat with Panko. Place chicken rolls seam side down in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Sprinkle any remaining Panko on top of chicken rolls.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Serves 8

Vegetarian Mexican Casserole

½ medium yellow onion chopped fine

1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix dissolved into 2/3 cup of water
2 - 15 oz cans of Black Beans (DRAINED)
1 TBS of cumin or to your taste

1 can of yellow corn (DRAINED)
1 can of Del Monte chopped tomatoes with green chilies (DRAINED)
1 bag of 10 minute Brown Rice (cook rice as directed on box)
1 box of frozen spinach (cook as directed and drained)
1 cup of shredded carrots (Tip: buy packaged pre- shredded carrots)
8 to 10 Mozzarella sticks diced into 1-inch pieces
2 eggs beaten

TOPPING:

 2 Roma tomatoes sliced

 1 cup of shredded Mexican 4 cheese mix

1. In a large frying pan, sauté chopped onion over low heat until transparent.
2. Add drained black beans to above pan. Add the Taco seasoning and water mixture.
3. Add cumin into the beans
4. Cover beans and let cook on low heat for about 10 minutes
5. Stir beans once or twice while heating
6. In a large bowl mix black beans mixture, yellow corn, Del Monte tomatoes, brown rice, spinach, carrots, mozzarella sticks, and the eggs.

Place mixture in a 2 QT glass casserole dish.  Cover top of mixture with the sliced tomatoes and the Mexican 4 cheese mix. 

Bake in 350 degrees oven for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Serving suggestions:

Casserole may be served as entrée in a bowl or wrapped in a tortilla, burrito style.