Pork Scaloppini

from my peeps

in our Pork Scaloppini, we made our own cutlets with pork tenderloin rather than relying on packaged pork loin cutlets. To vary the flavor, we found we could substitute an equal amount of fresh tarragon, chives, or basil for the parsley. Our recipe for Pork Scaloppini worked equally well served over egg noodles or with rice pilaf.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1large pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into 4 equal pieces and pounded 1/4 inch thick
•  Salt and pepper
• 5tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2tablespoons lemon juice
• 1teaspoon brown sugar
• 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (see Test Kitchen Discoveries)

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook 2 cutlets until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil. Repeat with additional 1 tablespoon butter and remaining cutlets.
• 2. Add garlic and additional 1 tablespoon butter to empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, lemon juice, sugar, and any accumulated pork juices and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in parsley and remaining butter. Pour sauce over cutlets. Serve
  http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Pork-Scaloppini/21113?Extcode=L3CN4AA00

Hearty Italian Meat Sauce (Sunday Gravy)

from my peeps

Serves 8 to 10

We prefer meatloaf mix (a combination of ground beef, pork, and veal) for the meatballs in this recipe. Ground beef may be substituted, but the meatballs won’t be as flavorful. Six tablespoons of plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons of milk can be substituted for the buttermilk. This recipe makes enough to sauce 1½ pounds of pasta. Our preferred brands of crushed tomatoes are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen. The sauce can be prepared through step 4 and then cooled and refrigerated in the Dutch oven for up to 2 days. To reheat, drizzle ½ cup of water over the sauce (do not stir in) and warm on the lower-middle rack of a preheated 325-degree oven for 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1rack baby back ribs (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 2-rib sections
•   Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1pound hot Italian sausage links
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/4teaspoons dried oregano
• 3tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
• 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (see note)
• 2/3cup beef broth
• 1/4cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Meatballs

• 2slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2cup buttermilk (see note)
• 1/4cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1/4teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1pound meatloaf mix (see note)
• 2ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine
• 1ounce Pecorino Romano, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2cup olive oil

Pasta

• 1 1/2pounds spaghetti or linguine
• 2tablespoons table salt
•   Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

• 1. FOR THE SAUCE: Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add half of ribs to pot and brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer ribs to large plate and brown remaining ribs. After transferring second batch of ribs to plate, brown sausages on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer sausages to plate with ribs.
• 2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and oregano; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and sausage to pot; bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until ribs are tender, about 2½ hours.
• 3. FOR THE MEATBALLS: Meanwhile, combine bread cubes, buttermilk, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, salt, and red pepper flakes in medium bowl and mash with fork until no bread chunks remain. Add meatloaf mix, prosciutto, and cheese to bread mixture; mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Divide mixture into 12 pieces; roll into balls, transfer to plate, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• 4. When sauce is 30 minutes from being done, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly. Remove sauce from oven and skim fat from top with large spoon. Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and gently submerge. Cover, return pot to oven, and continue cooking until meatballs are just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• 5. Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 6. TO SERVE: Using tongs, transfer meatballs, ribs, and sausage to serving platter and cut sausages in half. Stir basil into sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss pasta with 1 cup sauce and reserved pasta cooking water so that sauce lightly coats pasta. Serve pasta, passing remaining sauce and meat platter separately.
  
  http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=20291&Extcode=L3CN4AA00

When To Sow

from my peeps

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

from my peeps 

Why this recipe works:
Instead of onions, which imparted a sharp taste to our Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, we switched to shallots, which had a sweeter, milder flavor. Rather than start the soup’s base of shallots and chicken broth on the stovetop, we cooked the two elements in the oven. We started by tossing chopped shallots with oil and the squash. Once the vegetables browned, we added a bit of broth to deglaze the roasting pan and popped it back in the oven to reduce the broth and concentrate the flavor. Only after pureeing the soup in the blender did we turn on the stove and heat everything through.

Serves 4

Because the bulbous end of butternut squash contains the seeds and stringy fibers, purchase squash with a relatively long neck—they have more usable flesh. You can replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version of this soup.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (see related Step by Step)
• 1 1/2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 3 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
•   Salt and pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, apples, shallots, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl, then arrange in single layer in large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and softened, about 45 minutes. Add ½ cup broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Return to oven and cook until liquid has reduced and vegetables are glazed, about 5 minutes.
• 2. Working in 2 batches, puree squash mixture and remaining broth in blender until smooth. Transfer pureed squash mixture to large saucepan and stir in syrup, vinegar, nutmeg, and cream. Bring soup to simmer over medium-low heat, adding ¼ cup water at a time as necessary to adjust consistency. Serve. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)
  http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Roasted-Butternut-Squash-Soup/17436?Extcode=L3BN4BA00

Baked Blueberry & Raspberry Oatmeal

revised by goldfinc

adapted by The Curvy Carrot

from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

via Annie's Eats

makes 6 servings

ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup raw brown sugar
1 cup milk/almond milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas mashed
1 cup blueberries or raspberries fresh/frozen divided

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine. In a another bowl, whisk raw brown sugar and egg, then cooled melted butter, milk and vanilla. Then mash the bananas in the wet ingredients, pour into the dry ingredients and fold lightly

3. Spread half of the oat mixture evenly in the baking dish, top with half of the berries toss in flour, layer the other half of oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer top with the rest of the berries.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

power your brain

Classic Caesar Salad

from my peeps

Classic Caesar Salad 

Serves 4 to 6

If you can't find ciabatta, a similar crusty, rustic loaf of bread can be substituted. A quarter cup of Egg Beaters may be substituted for the egg yolks. Since anchovy fillets vary in size, more than 6 fillets may be necessary to yield 1 tablespoon of minced anchovies. The easiest way to turn garlic cloves into a paste is to grate them on a rasp-style grater.

Ingredients

• Croutons  
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste from 1 medium clove (see note)
• 1/2 - 3/4 loaf ciabatta, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 5 cups) (see note)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salad  
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic paste from 1 large clove (see note)
• 2 - 3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 anchovy fillets, patted dry with paper towels, minced fine, and mashed to paste with fork (1 tablespoon) (see note)
• 2 large egg yolks (see note)
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• Ground black pepper
• 2 - 3 romaine hearts, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices, rinsed, and dried very well (8 to 9 lightly pressed cups)

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE CROUTONS: Combine 1 tablespoon oil and garlic paste in small bowl; set aside. Place bread cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with water and salt. Toss, squeezing gently so bread absorbs water. Place remaining 4 tablespoons oil and soaked bread cubes in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. 2. Remove skillet from heat, push croutons to sides of skillet to clear center, add garlic/oil mixture to clearing and cook with residual heat of pan, 10 seconds. Sprinkle with Parmesan; toss until garlic and Parmesan are evenly distributed. Transfer croutons to bowl; set aside.
3. 3. FOR THE SALAD: Whisk garlic paste and 2 tablespoons lemon juice together in large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. 4. Whisk Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and egg yolks into garlic/lemon juice mixture. While whisking constantly, drizzle canola oil and extra virgin olive oil into bowl in slow, steady stream until fully emulsified. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pepper to taste; whisk until incorporated.
5. 5. Add romaine to dressing and toss to coat. Add croutons and mix gently until evenly distributed. Taste and season with up to additional 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Serve immediately, passing remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan separately.
   
   http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=26820&Extcode=L3AN4AA00