Pork Shish Kebabs

1 large onion
12-16 cherry tomatoes
Green, yellow, or red pepper(s)
Whole mushrooms
2 lbs. your choice of meat, cut into 1" cubes
(chicken, lamb, pork, beef, etc. - we used  BBQ ribs in this recipe)
1 bottle Greek (or Italian) dressing
salt and pepper

Cut vegetables into large chunks (uniformly shaped, for even cooking time).  Place in a large bowl.  Add half a bottle of dressing, salt and pepper, and allow to marinate for several hours in the refrigerator. 

Place meat cubes in a separate bowl.  Add the other half of the dressing.  (With the BBQ boneless pork, I used garlic and ¼ cup olive oil).  Allow to marinate for one hour in the refrigerator.

If using wood skewers, soak in water for an hour, to prevent burning.  In this recipe, metal baskets were used.  Arrange on skewers, alternating vegetables and meat.  Place on hot grill and cook, rotating, until meat and vegetables begin to get charred on all sides.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Veal Piccata

4 veal cutlets
1 c. white wine
Juice from ½ lemon
2 T. lemon rind
2 T. capers
¼ c. finely chopped parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 T. butter
1 c. chicken stock
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Lemon Pepper
Flour (for dredging)
4 c. cooked noodles

Veal cutlets should be pounded thin.

 

In a plastic bag, add 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 tsp. lemon pepper.  Place veal cutlets in bag and shake, to coat with the flour mixture.  In a skillet, add 4 T. olive oil and 4 T. butter over medium heat, until the butter is melted.  Add the veal cutlets.  Fry until they are lightly browned on both sides.  Remove to an oven-proof pan and place in a 275º to stay warm.

In the skillet, add 2 T. butter, 2 T. flour from the plastic bag and stir until the flour is absorbed (about 2 minutes).  Add 1 c. white wine and stir until drippings are loosened from the pan.  Add garlic, lemon rind, lemon juice, and capers.  Add about 1 c. chicken stock, until sauce is desired thickness.  Allow to simmer for about 4-5 minutes, then add parsley.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add veal cutlets back into the sauce to warm and coat them on both sides.  Serve over noodles and add additional sauce, as desired.  Garnish with lemon slices and sprigs of parsley.

Chocolate Tarts

Looking for an easy and decadent dessert?  Try this!

30 Athens frozen mini phyllo cups, thawed
4 1oz. squares Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/3 c. whipping cream

Melt the chocolate and cream together in the microwave oven for 30 seconds, then stir for 30 seconds.  Fill phyllo cups half full.

3/4 c. whipping cream
2 oz. cream cheese
4T sugar

Soften cream cheese with a mixer.  Add whipping cream, and whip until you achieve soft peaks.  Add sugar, and continue beating until you achieve stiff peaks.  Add flavoring (orange, raspberry, mint, etc.) then top tarts with the mixture.  Garnish as desired.

Italian Sausage Calzones

16oz. frozen pizza dough (or your favorite dough recipe)
4 links of fresh Italian sausage (sweet, hot, mild, etc.)*
16oz. jar of sweet hot peppers in sauce
4 slices provolone cheese
grated parmesan cheese
dried basil, oregano, and garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
14oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
6oz. jar basil pesto

If using frozen bread dough, allow to thaw and place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise until it doubles in size.

Place sausage links, poked with a fork, into a saucepan.  Cover with water.  Bring to a boil and poach over medium heat for 5 minutes to extract unwanted grease.  Remove to a plate and allow to cool.  Remove casings with a sharp knife and slice each sausace into 1" slices. 

Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface.  With a sharp knife, divide into four equal pieces, and form into balls.  Keep dough covered with a bowl or plastic wrap until you are ready to roll it out.  Roll out one quarter of the dough into a circle of approximately 6".  Spoon 3T. pesto on dough, and spread to 1" of edges.  Moisten one half of the dough with beaten egg.  Fold over to seal.  Flute edges and poke with a fork.  Place onto a greased cookie sheet.  Roll out and fill remaining dough, repeating the same process.

Using a pastry brush, apply egg wash to each of the four calzones.  Lightly dust with garlic powder, herbs, and parmesan cheese.  Allow to set 10 minutes, to rise.  Preheat oven to 425º.  Place calzones in oven and back for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve with heated sauce for dipping.

*Sausage can be substituted with ham, salami, or pepperoni.

Turkey Tetrazzini

8oz. Mushrooms, coarsely chopped

5 t. unsalted butter

¼ c. all-purpose flour

1 ¾ c. milk

2 c. chicken broth

¼ c. dry white wine

10oz. spaghetti

3 c. coarsely-chopped cooked turkey

2/3 c. parmesan cheese

1/3 c. fine bread crumbs

2oz. pimentos

salt

olive oil

In a large, heavy saucepan, cook the mushrooms in ¼ cup of the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Stir in the flour and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring for 3 minutes.  Add in a stream of milk, broth, and wine, stirring, brining the mixture to a boil.  Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.  In a pot of boiling water, add salt and oil.  Cook the spaghetti until al dente and drain it well.

                                     

In a large bowl, combine the spaghetti, mushroom sauce, turkey, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in 1/3 cup of the parmesan cheese, and then transfer the mixture to a buttered, shallow 3-quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with pimentos.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining parmesan and bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tetrazzini, and dot the top with butter.

                      

Bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 375º for 30-40 minutes, or until it is bubbling and the top is golden.

           

Creamed Chicken/Turkey and Biscuits

Here is an easy dinner you can make for your family and have ready an hour after you get home from work.  You can purchase a roasted chicken from the supermarket, bring it home, and pick the meat off for this dish.



1 stick butter
4 c. chicken broth
½ c. flour
2 T. thyme
2 c. frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained
2 c. diced chicken or turkey

Melt butter in a 2qt. saucepan.  Add flour and slowly stir for several minutes.  Gradually add chicken broth, whisking to avoid lumping.  Cook until thickened.  If sauce is too thick, you can thin with additional broth.  Add thyme, peas, carrots, chicken or turkey, and warm on medium heat until ready to serve.  Serve over biscuits.

Makes 6 servings.

Randy's Eggplant Parmesan

Sauce:
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 jar or home canned tomatoes or a large can of whole tomatoes
In a blender, purée the whole tomatoes and add to the jarred sauce, and add the following:
1 tsp each of garlic powder, basil, and oregano
1-2 T sugar
2 T olive oil

Simmer the above ingredients until the sauce has reduced by about one-third

Preparation:
2-3 medium eggplants washed and sliced into approximately one inch slices

Place eggplant on a rack, on a cookie sheet.  Salt both sides of the eggplant and let stand for 1-2 hours.  This process purges the bitterness out of the eggplant and will not make the dish salty.  After 1-2 hours, rinse the eggplant thoroughly under cold water and place on towels to dry.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil.  Dip eggplant in beaten egg and then into Italian seasoned bread crumbs.  Fry until sides are lightly brown.  In a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam, add a layer of sauce on the bottom and start layering the eggplant.  Once there is a layer in the pan, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and add a layer of sauce and top with shredded mozzarella.  Add another layer of fried eggplant and repeat with parmesan cheese, sauce, and mozzarella.

  
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350º oven for approximately an hour and a half.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  This can be served by itself or over pasta.