Pork chop in a dried fig and shallot sauce, served with Gorgonzola risotto and a baby spinach and basil salad
Ingredients needed:
- Two pork chops
- A cup of rice of your choice (I use Basmati rice)
- 5-8 dried figs
- One medium shallot
- A cup of Marsala wine
- Two cups of white wine
- Five cloves of garlic
- A package of Gorgonzola cheese
- A package of baby spinach
- 6-8 basil leaves
- Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- Salt, pepper, parsley
- Olive oil, butter
Preparation:
Mince the garlic. Heat up a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot where you will cook the rice. Brown the garlic for a few minutes. Add the rice, coat it in the garlic and oil mixture and toast it for a few minutes. Then, add a cup of water and a cup of wine and stir. While the rice is cooking, season the porkchops with salt and pepper. Heat up butter and olive oil in a pan and when the oil gets really hot, place the porkchops in the pan. Cook for five minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked. Go back to the rice, season it with parsley and salt, and add more wine and water whenever the rice runs out of liquid. When you see that it is almost done, crumble up half of the Gorgonzola package and stir it in the rice. Leave it to cool slightly.
Heat up butter and olive oil in another pan, and cut up the shallot. Brown it for a few minutes, and then add the Marsala wine. Cut the figs into small pieces and add them to the sauce. Add a bit of water and salt. Cook until the figs are soft and place over the pork chop when it’s on the plate. Place a handful of baby spinach leaves on the plate, and mix in a few basil leaves. Sprinkle with balsamic vinaigrette.
Serves two people.
Chicken breast stuffed and rolled with prosciutto, mozzarella and basil
Ingredients needed:
- A package of chicken breast boneless and skinless sliced meat
- A package of prosciutto
- A package of fresh mozzarella
- 10-12 medium sized basil leaves
- Half a cup of white wine
- A cup of heavy cream
- Two cloves of garlic
- Salt, pepper, oregano, parsley
- Olive oil, butter
- A third of a cup of Parmesan
- Toothpicks
Preparation:
Spice the chicken breast slices with salt, pepper and oregano and coat them in olive oil. Lay them out. On each chicken breast slice, place half a slice of prosciutto, a thin slice of mozzarella and one or two basil leaves. When finished, roll up each slice and secure with toothpicks so that the stuffing doesn’t fall out. Heat up a tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Brown the chicken rolls until golden brown on both sides. While they are browning, mince the garlic, and add it to the pan. When the chicken is browned add the wine and let it simmer for five minutes. Then, add the heavy cream, and spice with more salt, pepper and parsley. Cook for ten minutes. When the chicken is done, sprinkle Parmesan and parsley on top for decoration.
Serves two to three people. Great with potatoes or rice.
Chicken Parmigiana with mushrooms, served with a medley of roasted young potatoes
Ingredients needed:
- A package of chicken breast boneless and skinless sliced meat
- A package of fresh mozzarella
- A can of tomato sauce
- A package of white champignon mushrooms
- Half a cup of red wine
- Three cloves of garlic
- A cup of bread crumbs
- A few fresh basil leaves
- A third of a cup of Parmesan
- A package of a medley of young potatoes (they come in yellow, red and purple)
- Salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, paprika
- Olive oil and butter
Preparation:
Spice the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and parsley and coat it in olive oil. Set aside. Wash the potatoes and cut into small pieces, spice with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and paprika and coat with olive oil. Place in a pan and roast in the oven on medium for about 30 minutes. While the potatoes are roasting, heat up two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Coat the chicken pieces in bread crumbs and fry them. You will have to do this in a few batches most likely. When the chicken is done, set aside on a plate. While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, cut up the mushrooms into thin slices and mince the garlic. Heat up two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and saute the mushrooms and garlic for 8 minutes. Then, add the red wine and tomato sauce and stir, cook for another 8 minutes and during that time, add salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and cut up fresh basil leaves. When the sauce is done, stir in the Parmesan.
When both the chicken and the sauce are done, place the chicken pieces on a plate. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices and place over the chicken. Microwave for a minute and a half, or until the cheese melts completely. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and mozzarella. Serve the roasted potatoes on the side.
Serves two people.
Fresh salad with chicken breast
Ingredients needed:
- A head of Boston lettuce
- Half a head of radicchio
- A package of chicken breast boneless and skinless sliced meat
- Half a yellow bell pepper
- Half a red bell pepper
- Half a red onion
- 6-8 stuffed olives
- Half a cup of crumbled feta cheese
- One third of a cup of Parmesan
- Half a cup of croutons
- Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- A cup of flour
- Salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley, paprika
- Olive oil and butter
Preparation:
Cut the chicken breast slices into bite sized pieces. Place them in a bowl, spice them with the spices listed above, and coat in olive oil. Heat up three tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a pan. Coat the chicken pieces in flour, and fry them until they are brown on both sides. While the chicken is cooking, wash and cut up the Boston lettuce, radicchio, bell peppers and red onion and divide them on two plates. Cut each olive into three slices and place them on both plates. Drizzle each plate with feta, Parmesan, and cover them in croutons. Add the balsamic vinaigrette to the salad, the amount depends on how much dressing you enjoy. Place the chicken pieces on top.
Serves two people.
Steamed asparagus with mustard sauce
Ingredients needed:
- 10-15 asparagus shoots
- Half a cup of mustard
- A few tablespoons of white vinegar
- Salt, pepper
- Two tablespoons of butter
Preparation:
Prepare a pot with boiling water, add the asparagus shoots to it. Steam for 8-10 minutes. When they are done, place them on a plate, and drizzle with a little bit of butter and salt. In a separate bowl, place the mustard, white vinegar, and pepper. Stir well and then place the sauce over the asparagus shoots.
Serves two people. Makes a great and refreshing snack or appetizer.
Fall Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients needed:
- One package of portobello mushrooms
- One package of white champignon mushrooms
- A cup and a half of the rice of your choice
- Two cups of white wine
- Three cloves of garlic
- Half a yellow onion (or a few shallots, I prefer shallots myself)
- Two cups of chicken stock
- One third of a cup of Parmesan
- Salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil
- Olive oil, butter
Preparation:
Wash the mushrooms and separate the stems from the caps. Set the caps aside, and cut the stems into small pieces. Cut up the yellow onion and mince the garlic. Heat up a few table spoons of olive oil and butter in a pot that is good for cooking rice. Place the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the pot, and brown them for about five minutes. Add the rice, and coat it evenly in the oil and vegetable mixture. After a few minutes, add a cup of wine and stir. Spice with salt, pepper, parsley, oregano and basil to taste. Whenever the rice is close to running out of liquid - add more, and switch the liquids that you keep adding. Add a cup of wine, then a cup of chicken stock, then a cup of water, and so on. The rice should be cooked in 40 minutes at the most. When the rice is done, stir in the Parmesan and two tablespoons of butter. Place the rice in a baking pan and place the mushrooms caps on top of it. Bake in the oven on medium for about 20 minutes.
Serves two people, goes well as a side or as a main dish with a salad and garlic bread.
Rib-eye steaks in a red wine and shiitake mushroom sauce, served with potatoes au gratin
Ingredients needed for the steaks:
- Two rib-eye steaks, or another steak of your choice
- Two cups of red wine of your choice
- A handful of shiitake mushrooms
- Three medium sized shallots
- Three cloves of garlic
- Half a cup of heavy cream
- Half a green bell pepper
- Salt, pepper, parsley
- Olive oil, butter
Preparation:
Salt and pepper the steaks liberally and set them aside. Clean the steams off the shiitake mushrooms and cut the edible parts into small pieces. Heat up two tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Place the shiitake mushrooms in the pan. While they are sauteing, clean and cut the shallots into smaller squares and mince the garlic. Place the garlic and the shallots into the pan with the mushrooms. Sautee until the garlic starts to brown, which should be 5-8 minutes. Then, add a cup of red wine and let the sauce simmer on low heat for another five minytes. Add the heavy cream, and season with parsley to taste. While the sauce is simmering, heat up olive oil in additional two pans. When it is hot enough, place the steaks in the pans. Cook them for about 5 minutes on each side, or more if you prefer the steak more well done. While the steaks are cooking, go back to the sauce, add the rest of the wine and stir. Simmer it on low for another few minutes and set aside. Heat up two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Cut up the green bell pepper into small squares and fry it for about five minutes. When the steaks are done, cover them in sauce, and the place the green bell peppers on top of them
Ingredients needed for the potatoes au gratin:
- A bag of young potatoes
- A cup of heavy cream
- Four cloves of garlic
- Half a cup of grated Parmesan
- Salt, pepper, paprika, parsley
- Olive oil
Preparation:
Cut up the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Season them with salt, pepper, paprika and parsley and coat them in olive oil. Place them in a baking pan and spread them out evenly. Mince the garlic cloves and sprinkle the garlic over the potatoes. Cover the potato and garlic mixture with heavy cream, and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, the Parmesan on top should turn brown.
Serves two people.
