Shrimp and White Beans over Angel Hair Pasta

May 8, 2018May 8, 2018 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Tonight I turned to my fridge, freezer, pantry and herb garden for inspiration and made this delicious meal for one. It was so tasty I wanted to share it here.

Shrimp and White Beans over Angel Hair Pasta

serves 1

15-20 cooked shrimp
8 oz white beans
8 oz heirloom grape & cherry tomatoes – halved
4 oz angel hair pasta
1/2 c toasted panko bread crumbs
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves – minced
1 T chopped shallot
1 T olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T dry white wine
2 T butter
1 t oregano
Fresh basil
1 T toasted pine nuts
red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Mix toasted panko bread crumbs with oregano.Chiffonade fresh basil. Cook angel hair pasta as directed on packaging. In a large skillet add olive oil, garlic and shallots and saute for 3-4 minutes at a medium heat, Add red pepper flakes, shrimp and white beans.. After 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes, lemon juice and wine, lower heat and allow to simmer for 3 minutes, add butter, salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl, layer pasta then add shrimp and bean mixture. Top with pine nuts, panko and basil and serve immediately.

Pesto Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb

April 1, 2018April 2, 2018 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment

Mom is joining me for today’s Easter dinner and for the last week I was on the fence about what I’d fix. Mom is easy as she loves everything I cook – and tells me I should be on Chopped (home chef edition), with my inevitable win launching my own Food Network show but I digress.

A few days ago I saw rack of lamb and the decision was made. Mom and I both love lamb chops and I’ve made those many times. I’ve cooked rack of lamb only once and grilled it. It was delicious though my friend Terry had to start my grill as the one time prior that I’d lit it, I blew the lid back and lost all my arm hair. Spence was always my grill master and though Mom would (and could) light my grill I had decided to go a different way.

After scanning cookbooks and Pinterest for ideas I quickly realized that I hadn’t picked up fresh herbs – never a problem from May-October when my herb garden provides more than I need. What’s a girl to do? It was noon, my homemade croutons were done and cooling, our favorite Rhubarb Custard pie is in its final 20 minutes of cook time, sweet potatoes poked and ready for baking, my dijon vinaigrette prepared. I’m still in my jammies and not enough time to shower and run out for fresh herbs before mom arrives. Though dried herbs might work, I knew I could do better.

Then it hit me – make a crust using pesto with its lovely green color and fresh herb flavors mixed with Panko breadcrumbs, both of which were in my gourmet pantry! Brilliant kitchen hack if I don’t say so.

Pesto Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb – serves 2-4

1 rack of lamb
1 c Panko breadcrumbs
2 T pesto
salt & pepper
olive oil

Several hours before dinner mix together the breadcrumbs and pesto. Score the fat side of the rack, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap the bones in foil to prevent burning. Cover all sides of the rack with the breadcrumb mixture using more on the fat side which will be face up when cooking. Pat it down to make the crust. Refrigerate for several hours.

Two hours before you’d like to serve dinner, remove the rack from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for 45-60 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper and place the rack into the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil over the rack.

Cook time will depend on how rare you like your chops – check at 15-18 minutes for rare to medium rare (my preference) by inserting a meat thermometer look for the internal temp of 120 degrees. Remove from oven and tent, the temperature will increase to 125-130 degrees; allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Remove the foil. To preserve the crust for serving and presentation, I cut them 2 bones per chop. I served these with a nice bottle of red wine, spinach salad with homemade croutons and Dijon vinaigrette, the aforementioned baked sweet potatoes with butter and fresh grated nutmeg – and of course the pie.

Prosciutto, Fig & Spinach Pizza

March 20, 2018 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Some nights I imagine I’m on Chopped (perhaps my favorite of all shows on The Food Network) and decide to challenge myself based on featuring four random ingredients and transforming them into something that would delight the Chopped judges – or in this case me. Okay guys, work with me here……

In my Chopped fantasy, Ted Allen asks me to open the basket and announces my four mystery ingredients:

Baby Spinach
Prosciutto
Dried Black Mission Figs
Hazelnuts

If you regularly watch Chopped, you’re likely thinking I got lucky – no gummy worms, eel or headcheese in my basket. Keep in mind, if I were on Chopped (seriously on my bucket list) it would be a home-chef episode. For those shows they typically don’t give the contestants something that would send them running from the studio in tears.

Here’s what I decided to make with my basket ingredients:

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees, place your baking stone in the oven. Mix together a pizza crust mix (add water, olive oil, knead, cover rest for 10 minutes) Place dried figs into boiling water to hydrate – set aside. Prepare the toppings – prosciutto, chopped shallots, spinach, slice the figs in half. Using a cutting board with a dusting of corn meal and garlic powder, manipulate the pizza dough into the desired shape and thickness. Place the prosciutto, spinach, shallots, figs onto the unbaked crust, add red pepper flakes and top with shredded mozzarella and a drizzle of good olive oil. Pull the heated baking stone from the oven and slide the pizza onto the stone. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is nicely browned. Remove from oven, top with chopped hazelnuts and cool for five minutes. Slice and enjoy.

And yes, in my Chopped fantasy – the judges not only rave about my culinary skills but I’m offered my own show on The Food Network on the spot. Of course, I humbly accept their accolades and realize I’m going to have to come out of retirement to do my show but this is a tradeoff I must make to follow my passion….

Fontina & Prosciutto Flatbread with Figs & Balsamic Reduction

June 2, 2017March 29, 2018 ~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

This is the second post in my new series, Cooking for One. Since losing Spence almost three months ago, it’s taken time to regain my appetite and rediscover my passion for cooking. Thankfully the desire to create and savor delicious meals has slowly returned. In sharing these ideas, I hope that even when it’s just you, you’ll feel inspired to make something special – you’re worth it!

Fontina & Prosciutto Flatbread with Figs & Balsamic Reduction

1 piece of Naan
olive oil
fresh cracked black pepper
red pepper flakes
sliced Fontina cheese
thin sliced prosciutto, torn into smaller pieces
chopped or sliced figs
thin sliced red onion
chopped pistachios
fresh baby spinach
balsamic reduction

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a cast iron skillet (or baking stone) with olive oil and place into the oven for five minutes. While the skillet heats, brush the top of the Naan with olive oil, add cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes, then add slices of fontina covering the top. Next add the proscuitto, figs, red onion and chopped pistachios. Place the flatbread into the skillet and return to the oven for ten minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and immediately top with a handful of spinach then a good drizzle of balsamic reduction. I enjoyed this with a lovely glass of Prosecco.

Note: Naan is such a quick and delicious product to use for a quick flatbread or pizza – try any combination of fun toppings – there’s simply no limit!

Salsa Red Snapper with White Beans & Gremolata Topping

February 3, 2017July 25, 2018 ~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Last night I invited Mom to join me for dinner. I surprised her by making a recipe she’d discovered a few years back. It’s a showy dish that’s perfect for easy entertaining and chock full of flavor. Loaded with healthy ingredients, this is only 4 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving. I sent Mom home with a to-go box and have an ample serving left for myself. (If you can’t find red snapper, tilapia may be substituted). I tweaked the original recipe ever so slightly, using only one can of beans, a bit more salsa and made more gremolata because it’s that topping that makes this dish over- the-top delicious. If you have gremolata left it would be great with chicken, salmon or even tossed in with pasta, couscous or rice!

Salsa Red Snapper with White Beans & Gremolata Topping serves 4

4 1/2 Weight Watchers points per serving

18 oz salsa
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 small green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 lb red snapper
1/4 c green onions

Gremolata topping:

1/2 c chopped flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 t orange zest
1 1/2 t lime zest
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine 12 oz of the salsa with the beans and green pepper and place in a casserole dish.

Cut the red snapper into several servings and place over the salsa mixture.

Top the fish with the remaining 6 oz of salsa, followed by the green onions. Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Mix together the ingredients for the gremolata and set aside.

Remove the casserole from oven and allow to rest uncovered for five minutes before serving. Top each serving with gremolata and prepare to fall in love with this flavorful, healthy dish.

I served this with roasted garlic crostini, a fresh spinach salad with dijon vinaigrette with a lovely bottle of wine and lemon bars for dessert.

Walleye Picatta

January 7, 2017January 15, 2017 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 4 Comments

As another bitter cold wintry Michigan day unfolded, I realized that I just didn’t want to to leave the house for any reason. With a household of goodies between pantry, fridge and the chest freezer I came up with a delicious entree.

A fishing buddy of Spence’s used to cook Lake Trout, Bass and Whitefish in foil packets with lemons, butter, green onions, garlic, salt and pepper – then place the packets on the grill. It was so simple and absolutely delicious. I decided to adopt the foil packet idea for this recipe using a Walleye Fillet.

Walleye Picatta Serves 1-2

1 Walleye Fillet (1/2 – 3/4 lb)
1 lemon
2 T butter
1 large clove of garlic – minced
1 large shallot – chopped
lemon pepper
coarse sea salt
red pepper flake (optional)
1 T capers
2 T Extra Dry Vermouth (or other dry white wine)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Rub about 1 tablespoon of butter on the foil, add the Walleye Fillet (skin side down). Zest a lemon, set the zest aside. Cut the lemon in half placing it on either side of the fillet then top the fish with another tablespoon of butter cut into 4 pieces placed on top of the fish.

Sprinkle sea salt, zest, red pepper flakes and coarse ground lemon pepper over the top, to taste.

Next add the garlic and shallot over the top and around the fillet. Top with the capers followed with the extra dry vermouth around the fillet.

Seal the foil tightly allowing for a pocket of air above the fillet. Bake for 10 minutes, allowing it to rest for five minutes and then opening with care to avoid burns from the steam.

Pork Fried Rice

December 14, 2016January 15, 2017 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

Let me start by saying, I love fried rice and I love to cook. That said, I’ve never made fried rice…until last night – with great success. I even dreamt about it. I had leftover baby back ribs from Sunday’s dinner which inspired me to do Pork Fried Rice. If you want, this recipe would be equally delicious with shrimp, chicken or amp up the veggies and make it a veggie fried rice as well.

Pork Fried Rice serves 3-4

2 c uncooked white rice
2 eggs – beaten with a fork
1 1/2 – 2 c cooked, chopped pork
3/4 c diced white onion
1/2 c diced carrot
1/3 c diced peppers
1 c frozen peas – thawed
sesame & peanut oil
liquid aminos or soy sauce
1/4 c Rice Wine vinegar

Start by cooking your rice (using a little less water than called for), early in the day or the night before. Spread it out and cool it on a sheet pan, allowing it to dry out a bit.

Compile your ingredients and heat your wok to medium high heat, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of peanut oil.

Add the eggs to the pan, allow them to start cooking then break up with your spatula into soft scramble egg bites. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Add the same amount of oils to the wok as for the eggs then add the carrots allowing them to cook for several minutes. Now add the onions and peppers, cook for a few minutes more, then remove them from the wok and set aside.

Add the same amount of oils as in previous steps, then add the pork allowing it to crisp up a bit. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Add 2 T sesame oil and 2 T peanut oil to the wok, add the rice spreading it out to cover as much of the wok surface as possible. Let it brown for a couple of minutes, then move it around allowing it to continue to brown, repeating this step until it’s nicely golden. Stir in the Rice Wine vinegar and the liquid amigos/soy sauce to taste. Add the veggies and pork into the rice, stir to combine. Now add the peas, then the scrambled egg, stir to combine and it’s ready to serve!

Taco Fiesta Casserole

November 20, 2016January 15, 2017 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 5 Comments

Taco Fiesta Casserole serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 package pillsbury grand biscuits (10 count)
Taco seasoning – 2 T Pampered Chef Fiesta Seasoning, 1 T Cumin, 1 T chili powder (you can use packaged taco seasoning)
1 1/2 cup salsa
1 chopped chipoltle in adobo, chopped
1 c black beans (rinsed)
2 cup diced peppers – green, red, yellow & orange
1 cup diced red onion
2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
3 chopped green onions
Sour cream for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown ground beef, stirring in taco seasoning mix, salsa and chipotle. Set aside.
Cut the biscuits into quarters, then into eighths. Place half the biscuits in the bottom of a 9 x 13 in pan. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture, then all of the pepper, onion and black bean mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the top. Now add the remaining biscuit pieces, meat mix and 1 cup of cheese followed by the chopped green onion.

Place in oven, tented with foil for 35 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven for 15 minutes more. Remove and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top servings with sour cream if desired.

After removing the foil tent, bake uncovered for another 15 minutes…

Absolutely delicious!

Sesame-Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna

November 8, 2016 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

On Election Day after many contentious and negativity filled months, I determined that tonight Spence and I would come home after casting our vote and enjoy a quiet dinner while sharing a great bottle of Proscecco. And the “Best of Earth, Wind and Fire” on the stereo…

When I saw Sashimi-grade Ahi Tuna at my favorite market, I devised a recipe after combing Pinteres; the result was outstanding. Here is the recipe, served with buttered garlic crostini and a spinach salad.

Sesame-Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna

Crust:

1 T sesame seeds
1 T whole peppercorns (I used a black/pink/green/white melange)
1/2 t sea salt

Place ingredients into a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle.

2 ahi tuna steaks (about 1 lb)

Coat the tuna with the sesame-pepper mixture. Using a cast iron skillet, pour peanut oil onto a paper towel and wipe over the skillet surface. Turn the burner onto a medium high heat and then place the tuna into the skillet to sear for 1 1/2 minutes, turn and sear for another 1 – 1 1/2 minutes for rare tuna. Remove and serve.

Salmon with Puff Pastry & Pesto

October 12, 2016June 5, 2017 ~ Spence's Girl ~ 2 Comments

I LOVE SALMON!

Thought I’d get that out of the way. Though I prepare salmon in various ways there are two recipes that are my “go-to” favorites, whether for company or just for me. I can’t take credit for coming up with this recipe – it is from Giada De Laurentiis, is super easy and absolutely delicious. I assemble mine a bit differently than she does and I’m showing the recipe for one serving.

Salmon with Puff Pastry & Pesto 1 serving

puff pastry – cut just large than the piece of salmon
4-6 oz piece of salmon
1 T sliced almonds – toasted
2 T pesto
sliced tomato

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the puff pastry on one side, the salmon on the other (not touching). Bake for 10 minutes.

To serve, place the puff pastry on the plate, top with the pesto – as shown below: