Tag: Food

Food

Paella

by laurenrhillLeave a Comment on Paella
Paella

Paella

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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Ingredients

1T Olive Oil

¾lb Chorizo 

1lb Chicken Thighs, cut into cubes

½lb Scallops

½lb Shrimp

1 Yellow Onion, diced

1 Red Bell Pepper, cored and diced

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1C Spanish Paella Rice

¼C White Wine

2C Chicken Stock

1 pinch Saffron Threads

Zest of 1 Lemon

1C Cherry Tomatoes

¼C Frozen Peas 

¼C Cilantro

 

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a paella pan or skillet. Add the chorizo and cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Once the chorizo has crumbled and is cooked through, remove it from the pan, leaving the drippings behind. Add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, then remove from the pan. Add the scallops and sear for 1 minute on each side, then remove from the pan. Add the shrimp to the pan and sear for 30 seconds on each side, then remove from the pan.

In the same pan, reserving all the drippings, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.

Stir in the rice, chicken, and chorizo. Sauté for 1 minute, until the rice is well incorporated with the vegetables and meat. Add the white wine and cook for 1 minute, until the wine is almost absorbed. Add the chicken stock, saffron, lemon zest, and cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the frozen peas, cilantro, scallops, and shrimp. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Food

Braciole

by laurenrhillLeave a Comment on Braciole
Braciole

Braciole

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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Ingredients

2 lb. of flank steak

1/2C of bread crumb

1oz of raisins, soaked in dry red wine

1/2t red pepper

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2C fresh parsley, minced

3/4C Pecorino Romano, freshly grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper Butcher’s twine

Olive Oil

Red Sauce

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, raisins, red pepper, garlic, parsley, and Pecorino Romano. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pound the flank steak out to roughly ¼” thick. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Evenly spread a thin layer of the bread crumb mixture onto the flank steak. Roll each piece tightly and secure with butcher twine.

Heat a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sear the braciole on all sides. Remove from the pan and deglaze with dry red wine. Use the pan to make a red sauce, then return the seared braciole to the sauce and cook for 3 hours or until the meat is tender, turning and basting the braciole periodically.

Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise. Transfer the slices to plates, spoon the sauce over the slices, and sprinkle with cheese.

Food

Spinach Soup

by laurenrhillLeave a Comment on Spinach Soup
Spinach Soup

Spinach Soup

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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Ingredients

1lb Fresh baby spinach

2T  Extra-Virgin olive oil

3 Cloves of garlic, chopped

2 Shallots, chopped

2T Salted butter

1T Brandy

1 Spring of rosemary

4C Water

4T Heavy Cream

Salt

Black Pepper

Shaved Pecorino Romano

Directions

Bring a large soup pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.  

In the same pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and butter and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the brandy and rosemary spring and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer the spinach to the soup pot. Add the water and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove rosemary spring, add cream. Using an immersion blender puree soup until smooth and finely blended.

Serve topped with shaved Pecorino Romano.

Pasta

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

by laurenrhillLeave a Comment on Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara seems fitting as my first post as it was the first pasta dish I ever made. My sister and I decided to try a homemade dinner and it went terribly wrong. We cooked the pasta about an hour before preparing the sauce so when we added the spaghetti to the egg and cheese mixture it wasn’t hot enough to warm the eggs and slightly cook them, creating a cold and inedible dinner. Even worse, we let the pasta sit before serving.  While we knew this dish was easy, we didn’t know how important each detail would be. This is what I’ve learned.

After lots of trial and error, Spaghetti alla Carbonara might be one of my favorite pasta dishes. Not only is it delicious it is also fairly simple, quick and affordable. It is one of my go to pasta dishes after a long workday and although it is quick, it tastes like you worked on it all day!

A few important notes to remember when making this beautiful Spaghetti alla Carbonara:

Season your pasta water so that it tastes like the ocean (don’t be shy) and then add a splash of olive oil so that the spaghetti wont stick. Reserve about a half cup of pasta water before you pour your cooked spaghetti into the colander.

Only use the best quality eggs. This is extremely important as it is what makes this sauce creamy and bright in color; I prefer pasture raised and grass fed. The yolk should be bright orange.

The key to perfect balance and flavor is using the two types of cheese, Parmesan and Romano. I am whole heartedly a Romano girl in almost every instance BUT Parmesan is necessary in this dish. If you really want the best sauce use freshly grated cheese…actually, always use freshly grated cheese in every dish you make.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Rating: ★★★★★
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Ingredients


¾ lbs Spaghetti
8 oz Pancetta
4 T Pecorino Romano
4 T Parmesan
1 Egg
3 Egg yolks
1 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 T Olive Oil
Fresh ground pepper
Sea Salt

Directions


Fill a pot with water, salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add spaghetti and stir occasionally to avoid pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reserve about a half cup of pasta water.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat and sauté pancetta. Right before you are done cooking the pancetta add the finely minced garlic so that it cooks but does not brown.
In your pasta bowl add the two whole eggs and add two additional yolks, Parmesan and Romano cheese, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt. You don’t need a lot of salt because there is already some in the cheese and pancetta. Using a fork, mix well until everything is well incorporated.
Once pasta is cooked to your liking, strain in a colander and gradually add the pasta to the egg and cheese mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly so that the eggs don’t scramble. Add the pancetta and olive oil to pasta. If sauce is dry, add reserved pasta water until desired creaminess. Serve with additional ground pepper on top and sprinkle with Romano. Serve immediately and enjoy this spaghetti with family & friends.