Scrumptious Springtime

Rotini with eggplant ragu

Truffle flat bread with pancetta, caramelized onion, and spinach

Pork Shumai and Crab Rangoon

Grilled Shrimp kabobs and Pineapple over long grain rice with micro arugula

Fresh linguine with lemon sauce and truffle 

grilled mini romaine with crab meat, homemade Caesar dressing

Lobster Shepherd's Pie

As requested by reader Abby:

Ingredients

1 container frozen lobster meat (Wegmans)

4 large baking potatoes

1 small container plain greek yogurt

5 tablespoons salted butter

4 large shallots, peeled and minced

4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, julienned

1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots

8 cups gourmet blend mushrooms, stemmed and cut into large dice

1 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen baby peas, defrosted

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Preparation

1. Defrost lobster meat in a glass bowl of water. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Boil until soft, drain and mash/use hand mixer to whip. Add entire package of greek yogurt, salt & pepper (to taste), 4 Tbs butter, and ½ cup cream. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute 1 minute. Add the leeks and carrots and saute 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the wine and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and the peas and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper.

3. Stir the lobster into the vegetable mixture. Spoon the lobster mixture into a large, shallow casserole. Spread the potatoes over the top. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Garnish with chives. Serve hot.

 

 

Lay off me, I've been busy!

Between my job change, weddings of friends, holidays, and baby births/parties, I really haven't had time to brainstorm any new recipes. I have some great dishes in store for this week so I hope to post again next week. As always, please post your comments with any recipe requests or questions.

Lobster Shephard's Pie

Pappradelle with salmon roe and poached egg

Leek and Goat cheese Fritatta (with side salad)

Beet Green, Spinach, Egg drop soup with Parmesan

Summer Menu Highlights

Halibut with cherry tomato and mangos, mushroom and asparagus risotto

Orrechette pesto (pistacio, dried date, fresh basil, parmesan and olive oil)



Quinoa stuffed pepper

Lemon dill feta Farro salad

Torched Salmon with roe and sour cream, truffled kale

whole wheat gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach

Spring Menu Highlights



cacio e pepe (tagliatelle) with pan seared brussel sprouts and soft poached egg

Grilled veal rib chop with red wine demi glace, roasted parmesan red bliss potatoes

Pan seared Salmon with beurre blanc, torched jasmine rice, seaweed salad

Pan seared Halibut, slightly stewed tomatos, mango lemon sauce, orzo salad, Arugula with oil and lemon

Tagliatelle with lemon and trout caviar sauce, grana padana, fresh parsley

Marinated grilled sliced skirt steak over arugula and spinach salad with strawberries and feta , grilled naan with parmesan, portabellos, and grilled tomatos

Orzo with Dill, Feta, and Tomato

Orzo with Dill, Feta, and Tomato

Ingredients:

3 tbs olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved longways)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
Zest from 1 lemon
1 package of orzo (cooked to package instructions, drained, and rinsed)
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preparation:

Toss together dill, lemon zest, tomatoes, salt and pepper
Add pasta and mix together
Add Feta and mix in

You can put in fridge to chill or serve still warm from the freshly cooked pasta.

Make it an Entree:

Whisk together the juice of 1 lemon and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add 2 tsp salt. coat chicken breast cutlets in mixture for a few hours if you can. Grill chicken on griddle.

Make same lemon mixture only with 1/2 lemon, 3 Tbs olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Coat a bag of arugula or other greens in mixture.

To plate, lay the coated greens on plate, cover with a scoop or two of orzo, top with a few slices of grilled chicken.

Shrimp & Feta Marinara over Saffron Rice with Caramelize​d Lemony Brussels Sprouts

This dish is a great quick dinner. I am all about using fresh ingredients to make delicious food but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to make everything from scratch. Any acclaimed chef would be embarrassed to admit to using canned veggies or frozen shrimp, but I am no acclaimed chef :) While I can certainly understand the shame in such acts, as a busy girl with a full time career in soemthing other than cooking, I have to come up with delicious healthy meals for not only the nights when I have 3 hours, but the ones where I am lucky to eat my first forkful at 9pm. That being said, when I need to use a "shortcut" ingredient, I always make sure it is delicious, healthy, and works well with the recipe.


So, this one is for you -  10 hour-dayers, soccer moms, gym-goers, and  the plain ol' lazy...

Shrimp & Feta Marinara over Saffron Rice with Caramelize​d Lemony Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
Shrimp & Rice
1 lb frozen or fresh uncooked Shrimp, peeled, deveined, and defrosted
1 jar of Mario Batalli or Rao's Marinara Sauce
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
2 packages of Saffron Risotto - I like the Bello brand at Wegmans in the rice aisle

Brussel Sprouts
12 ounces Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise, or quartered if large
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions:
Shrimp & Feta
Place sautee pan over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and place in the pan. Flip shrimp just as they turn pink.

Add about 1/2 - 3/4 of the jar of marinara sauce and let shrimp simmer for about 2 minutes. Add the feta.

Saffron Risotto
Make according to package. I like to finish it with a pad of butter and about 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan

Brussel Sprouts
In a skillet, combine sprouts and  1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated and sprouts are crisp-tender, 5 to 8 minutes (add 1/4 cup more water if skillet becomes dry before sprouts are done).

Increase heat to medium-high; add oil to skillet. Continue to cook, uncovered, without stirring, until sprouts are golden brown on underside, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place the brussel sprouts on one side of the plate and the risotto on the other. Spoon the shrimp and sauce onto the rice.