1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
Splash of water (just so the sauce does not thicken too much)
2 eggs (if you would like more, you should add more sauce)
Pinch of dried or fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp parmesan cheese
The Carnivorous Herbivore |
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Growing up in my grandmother's Italian kitchen, my mother had this often, but never really made it for us. Eggs baked in tomato sauce is an easy breakfast, lunch or snack that is wonderful with homemade tomato sauce (or tomato gravy, as my grandmother called it!). In a pinch, however, this is also delicious with a prepared jarred sauce. I love it because it's low-carb, and, as a soon-to-be bride, I am trying to tighten my figure! You don't have to keep this low-carb, however. This is delicious with toast, baguette, roll, or any other type of bread that you can dip into the yummy sauce. I cook my eggs to the over-hard stage, but cook yours to taste. You'll need: 1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce Splash of water (just so the sauce does not thicken too much) 2 eggs (if you would like more, you should add more sauce) Pinch of dried or fresh chopped parsley 2 tsp parmesan cheese Place the tomato sauce and splash of water in a saucepan or small frying pan with a lid. Mix to combine. Set over medium heat until it boils. Lower the heat, and add the eggs. Cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with the parsley and the parmesan. Cover to melt the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
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When my friend Danny suggested we try a rabbit sauce, I was skeptical. Before this, the only rabbits I've eaten were made out of chocolate. But, being an adventurous eater, I said, "let's go for it!" Buying the rabbit was a bit interesting. After shopping around, a great butcher in Astoria both defrosted ours and chopped it into the required number of pieces. Other than taking the meat off the bone, this is an easy and straightforward recipe. Yes, it is time-consuming, but it's worth it to at least try something new. I was surprised at the taste of the rabbit meat. It was definitely chicken-like, but there was a woodsy, almost sweet flavor as well that went perfectly with the sage and cinnamon--what a great Fall dish! Recipe is from the Dean & DeLuca Cookbook For 1 lb. pasta, you'll need: 1/4 cup olive oil 3/4 cup diced onion 3/4 cup diced celery 3/4 cup diced carrots 1/4 lb. bacon, also diced 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 3lb. rabbit, cut into 8 pieces 1 cup dry white wine 5 cups of chicken stock 1 cup water 2 tbs tomato paste 1 tbs chopped fresh sage 1 cinnamon stick Optional: 1/4 lb grated Pecorino Romano cheese 1) Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until soft, about five minutes. Add bacon. Cook until bacon is soft but not crispy, five to seven minutes. Remove bacon vegetable mixture and reserve, leaving the oil and rendered bacon fat in the pot. 2) Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Rinse and dry meat and coat with the flour. Brown rabbit well, a few pieces at a time, and reserve. Drain excess fat from pan. 3) Add wine to pan and boil for two minutes, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom. Return rabbit to pan with the vegetable mixture. Add the chicken stock, water, tomato paste, sage and cinnamon stick. Stir well. Partially cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Remove meat from pot, and, when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Shred meat coarsely and return to pan. 4) Simmer uncovered for an additional 45 minutes, or until the sauce is nicely thickened and the meat is stringy and tender. Remove cinnamon stick from pot. 5) Toss with hot pasta and serve with cheese. With the onset of cooler weather, I have been yearning for recipes from my youth. Comforting foods to keep me warm and cozy. My mom sent me this recipe, which she says is from the magazine Women's Day from around 1970! What a classic! The original recipe called for canned mushrooms, but since fresh mushrooms are so readily available, I used a pint of fresh button mushrooms instead. Some of the ingredients seemed interesting on paper, but everything came together perfectly and was just the way I remember! For the noodles, I used No Yolks Egg Noodles in the dumpling size--perfect to hold all that delicious sauce! To serve four, you'll need: 3 tbs Vegetable oil 1 medium yellow onion, sliced in half-moons 1 pint button or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced 1 pound ground beef (my mom would use strips of tender meat, but ground was easier for me) 3 beef bullion cubes 1 cup hot water 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbs ketchup 1 tsp dry mustard 2 tblsp flour 1/2 cup cold water 2 tblsp dry sherry (optional--I used dry vermouth) 1 cup Sour cream 1 package wide egg noodles, tossed in a little butter or margarine Heat oil in skillet or wok over moderate heat; add onions and cook for two minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for three minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add meat and brown on all sides. Add bullion, water salt, ketchup and mustard. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with some butter or margarine. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, water and sherry (or vermouth) and stir until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture to meat mixture while stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and cook 1 minute longer. Lower the heat, add the sour cream and cook until just heated through, but do not boil. Serve over noodles. Enjoy! Last Friday's Not Easy Being Green cocktail was inspired by the perfect way the peas and mint meld in this simple dish! This is a great meal for leftovers and for a weeknight, as it is simple to make; and it's a definite crowd-pleaser. Jamie Oliver came up with this recipe, and he says he makes it for his kids a lot. I used an American adaptation from the New York Times (it was just easier to measure this way). I love this recipe with a small side salad and an oaky chardonnay. Perfect to eat with friends and family, but also fancy enough for a date night in. Next time I plan to try it with pancetta and real crème fraîche. You'll need: Salt and pepper 10 slices smoked bacon or pancetta 1 pound dried mini-shell or other small pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter Freshly ground black pepper 2 cups frozen peas 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves Juice of 1 lemon 6 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese Set a large pot of lightly salted water to boil on a back burner. Meanwhile, cut sliced bacon crosswise into thin slivers. Add pasta to boiling water and cook to taste. While pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. Add bacon or pancetta and a sprinkling of pepper, and fry until golden and crisp. Note: there was a lot of oil in the pan, so I drained some. I don't think it changed the recipe too much. Immediately add frozen peas and stir for a minute or two. Add crème fraîche or heavy cream and chopped mint. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta. Add pasta to the skillet and stir. Add lemon juice, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. The mixture should be thick; if desired, a splash of the pasta water may be added to the sauce to thin it slightly. Add Parmesan and stir to mix. Serve immediately with extra cheese on top. Enjoy! I love salad for dinner. Although I am a frequent eater of pastas, stews, or another comfort food at suppertime, I love taking tons of vegetables, adding a grilled or roasted meat, and cheese. So delicious and so easy (plus, eating a bit healthier makes me feel better about my dinner!)! This time, I just took a classic salad with romaine, tomatoes, carrots and radishes and went steakhouse with sirloin steaks (about 1/2 inch thick), and feta cheese. Even though I usually add some good bread as well, this dinner was filling on its own and still great for you. Feel free to substitute spinach or baby greens, if you like them better. You'll need: 1 lb steak--sirloin, tenderloin, or another boneless cut Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped 3 thinly-sliced radishes 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1 carrot, sliced thinly 1/4 cup diced red onion Feta Cheese For the dressing: Red wine vinegar Olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Wash and slice your lettuce and place it in your serving bowls. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or grill pan to high heat. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and season the meat. Cook for three minutes, flip, cook for another three minutes. Set aside to rest while you chop the rest of your vegetables. Thinly slice your meat, and add over the vegetables on your plates. Crumble over the cheese, and lightly dress with a bit of vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy! I recently had a lot of pesto to go through, and I thought, why not try it as a marinade? There is a part of me that feels using pesto as a marinade is a bit sacrilegious (it is meant to be served fresh), but all that raw garlic was begging to get into my chicken! I marinated overnight, then roasted. Added cooked broccoli, pasta, and more pesto, and you've got a weeknight meal that everyone will love. I love the cooked pesto mixed with the fresh--it really adds layers and depth of flavor. Perfect with some white wine and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top! What an easy crowd-pleaser! You'll need: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb) 1 head of broccoli, floretes cut and stalk peeled and sliced 1/2 package rotini pasta 1/2 cup or more of pesto, pre-made or fresh Optional: Parmesan Cheese to serve Marinate the chicken in one third of the pesto at least an hour, or overnight. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place your chicken in a lightly greased baking pan, and roast for about 25-30 minutes, depending on how big the breasts are. Meanwhile, set a pot of salted water on the stove to boil. When the chicken comes out of the oven, add the pasta to the water and cook according to the package directions for "al dente," adding the broccoli for the last three minutes of cooking. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, slice it into cubes. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot with the chicken and broccoli. Toss all with the rest of the pesto, and serve immediately with some extra Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy! Deer in the backyard. While I was at my Grandpa's, my Aunt, Cousin, and her two children spent the day with us. My mom decided on this dish, a family favorite of ours, for dinner. My mom found this recipe in the Boston Globe Magazine; it was the winner of a recipe contest, so you know it's good! We ate on the back porch, and the deer ate with us. My grandpa feeds the deer, as so many people fence them out nowadays, they can't move around to get to where they can eat. This dish is super-plentiful, though! Cooking the spaghetti in chicken broth creates this delicious creamy sauce, and this one-pot-meal is perfectly well-rounded. Share this dish with family and friends, as it's a real crowd-pleaser! You'll need: 2 lbs Italian Sausage, I like a mix of spicy and sweet, halved lengthwise and sliced in 1-in pieces (or use pre-cooked chicken sausage and cook the onion first in olive oil) 1 large yellow onion, chopped 5-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 lb thin spaghetti, halved or in thirds 2 10 oz bags baby spinach 1 cup half and half 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese Optional: Side salad of greens, tomatoes and cucumber with balsamic vinaigrette Baguette with butter Note: This makes a lot of food. We had six adults eating this, and still had leftovers! But if you're making this for a large party, it's great to not worry about guests going hungry! Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add the sausage. Once the sausage has begun to release oil (2 minutes), add the onion and cook until the sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Spoon or drain off fat if needed, then add 5 cups of broth and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. The spaghetti will soak up the broth as it cooks, but that is what you want. If it looks too dry, add more broth. Add the spinach and cover to wilt, in batches if you need to. Stir in the half and half and the parmesan cheese and stir until the sauce thickens. Serve with optional salad and bread. Enjoy with family! I have a confession to make. I did not cook this dish, but it doesn't mean I don't plan to!! My friend Maya is an amazing cook. She is adventurous, and always finds the best recipes in cook books and online, and she finds one flavor to add that really makes the meal pop. I went to her house for a party a while ago, and was completely wowed. We started with some cheese and crackers, and fresh cherry tomatoes for a summery flavor. Then we all sat down to this. It is a Rachel Ray recipe, but Maya served it with a simple baby arugula salad, some fresh bread, and perfect sauteed shrimp for a fancy touch. It was a delicious meal, and a wonderful time was had by all! All you need to make this a meal is to add some friends, great conversation, and a good glass of crisp white wine! You'll need: Olive oil, 2-4 tbs 2 cloves chopped garlic 2 15 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp tumeric 1/4-1/2 tsp ground chipotle salt and pepper 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 28oz can fire-roasted tomatoes Greek yogurt and fresh bread, to serve Optional: 1 lb shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined Baby arugula with a white balsamic, lemon juice and olive oil dressing (recipe follows) Get a pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and stir, cooking for another minute or two. Add the chickpeas. Season with the cumin, cardamom, tumeric, chipotle, salt and pepper. Stir in the stock, then the tomatoes. Simmer the soup for ten minutes to marry the flavors. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute the shrimp for about four minutes, or until they have turned pink and are just cooked through. Now, using an immersion blender, blend the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully (and in small batches) blend the soup with a towel held over the lid. Serve the soup with a dollop of yogurt, a few shrimp over the top, and a good bread on the side. For the baby arugula salad, you'll need: Baby arugula 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice Salt and pepper 1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tsp honey Combine the vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil while you whisk to emulsify. Whisk in the honey. Lightly dress the arugula with the dressing, reserving any extra dressing in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator for future use. Enjoy! Whenever I'm feeling uninspired in the meal department, I sometimes just go to the store and let whatever is on sale dictate what we eat. Sometimes I probably should have had a plan, but often it comes out delicious and exciting, a lot like when we play the chopped game. This was one of those times. I was bored, I was (already) hungry, and I just went to the store. Then I saw this package of pork "sliced for stir fry," and I knew what I wanted. I got a green pepper, some fajita-sized tortillas, and cheese, and I was on my way to delicious fajitas. A quick marinade, then stir fry with onions and peppers, and we were in business! You'll need: 3/4 lb pork, sliced in strips 1 tbs grill Spice (I used Cruz Bay) Dash of ground chipotle Olive oil 1/2 large onion, sliced in half moons 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced in strips To serve: Fajita-sized tortillas Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, shredded Optional: Hot sauce or salsa Sour cream First, place the meat in a plastic bag, add the spices and the olive oil, and seal. Mix the spices around so that the meat is evenly coated. Marinate for an hour or two (up to overnight) in the refrigerator. Get the vegetables all sliced, and set a large skillet to high heat. spray with cooking spray and add the meat. When the meat is starting to brown, add the onions. Once the onions are getting some color add the peppers. Lower the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Let rest for a minute while you heat up your tortillas. Wrap a few tortillas in paper towels and heat for 30 seconds on medium heat in the microwave. Serve the meat mixture on the tortillas with the cheese and optional salsa and sour cream. Enjoy! This was the casserole my friend served at that Stepford Wives Party that I was telling you about yesterday. He knew it had to be a classic casserole, but we decided to shake things up a bit. Alton Brown's recipe calls for lamb, but we used beef, and added sweet potatoes for great color and flavor. We needed to make the potatoes vegetarian, as we used a cup of mash to make a mini pie out of extra veggies. It was great to be able to have dinner ready before dinnertime, so if you get a chance to make this ahead, you should! On the whole, this was pretty easy, and it came out delicious. Make extra; everyone wanted seconds! This dish is also perfect to bring to a new neighbor... You'll need: 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes 1 tbs olive oil Splash of vegetable broth Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tbs brown sugar For the meat: 2 tbs olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 lbs ground beef 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tbs all-purpose flour 2 tsp tomato paste 1 cup chicken broth 1 tsp worcestershire sauce 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas Peel and chop your potatoes into chunks. Place them in a pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until a knife easily slices through them. Drain, and place the cooked potatoes back into the hot pot to let dry a bit. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, and start mashing. Drizzle in the vegetable broth just to moisten, and mix in the brown sugar. Meanwhile, in a hot wok or large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to take on color. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the meat, salt and pepper, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Sprinkle the meat mixture with the flour and stir to combine, cooking for a minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, worcestershire, rosemary and thyme and stir to combine. Bring to the boil and lower the heat to a simmer, cooking for about ten minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Add the corn and peas and stir. Spray a 7x11 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray, take the meat mixture off heat, and spread it into the prepared dish. Working from the edges, smooth the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat. Here's where you stop if you make this ahead. Let it cool on the stovetop, and refrigerate. When you're ready to cook dinner, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet (to prevent mishaps if it bubbles over), and cook for 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! |
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