Pancetta Asparagus

Who doesn't love pancetta? Maybe not the price tag! But, it's a salted meat that is a gourmet substitute for bacon. Just try to keep telling yourself that the vegetables you are eating equal that part out!

 

2 oz pancetta, diced

1 Tbsp spreadable butter

1 lb fresh asparagus, ends trimmed off

2 cloves garlic, minced

squirt of lemon juice

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tsp orange zest

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

pepper, to taste

 

Recipe Adapted from Food 52

 

Cut asparagus into one inch pieces, diagonally. In a large skillet, saute pancetta until golden. Add the butter to the pan and, once melted, add asparagus.

Cover and let it steam on medium low for 3-4 minutes. Then, mix in the remaining ingredients and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Fig & Goat Cheese Phyllo Cups

Years ago, I took a Greek cooking class with my friend Katie to learn how to use phyllo. This recipe came from this class. Fig and goat cheese sounds admittedly strange. You really need to give it a try though. The taste is very surprising, especially considering the ingredients. I got my cousin Anna hooked on them when I brought leftovers to her house. They are great for appetizers, or even desserts. It's one of those dishes that walks a fine line between food and sweets. And you don't get much more Greek than figs and goat cheese! 

 

Make phyllo cups according to instructions.

 

½ cup dried figs

½ cup water

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 package goat cheese

Cut figs in small pieces. Simmer in a saucepan with water and vinegar until boils. Continue heating until mixture is a syrup, but does not begin to harden. Let cool. Add to phyllo or puff pastry. Top with goat cheese crumbles or a dollop if creamed. Bake for about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

Mashed Cauliflower

I was so happy when restaurants started serving this as an alternative to mashed potatoes. Sadly, as the Atkins craze started to fizzle, most restaurants pulled the side from their menus. I still like to make it though, and have gotten a few people hooked on it. 

The key to this dish is to give it enough spice that it isn't bland. I've tried all kinds of different cheeses in this dish and never had it turn out bad. Feel free to try anything from American cheese slices to diet powdered "Cheese Buds". 

1 medium head cauliflower

1Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp onion powder

1/2 cup shredded cheese

2 Tbsp spreadable butter

Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and boil in a pot of salted water until tender (20-25 minutes). I find that the longer it boils, the better. Drain the cauliflower well in a colander. Transfer to a stand mixer or bowl to mix it with a hand mixer. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 

You can freeze this side dish in freezer bags and defrost on the counter in about an hour or overnight in the fridge. The photo above is defrosted from my freezer, which is why it appears a bit runny. Heat it back up in the oven and give it a good stir, and it will be good as new. 

Mozzarella Stuffed Caprese Chicken Meatballs

Your taste buds will thank you when you cut open one of these and see the oozing cheese! Not to mention they are made from ground chicken and baked! You can certainly make them with ground beef or turkey but I loved the flavors of these. I made them in a Caprese style. They are very impressive to serve to guests. 

1 lb ground chicken

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 egg, beaten

fresh mozzarella balls

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients with the exception of the mozzarella.

Separate the meat mixture into about half a dozen equal parts. I used an overflowing tablespoon for each. Take a mozzarella ball, and evenly wrap your meat mixture around it and then form a ball between your hands. Lay onto a very lightly greased cookie sheet.

 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Rotate the bottom to the top of each meatball and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. Don't bake them too long or the cheese will leak out!

I made a fresh tomato "sauce" to spoon over them.

6 small vine Roma tomatoes

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1 Tsp olive oil

1/2 Tsp sugar

Slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces and heat in a small skillet with the oil. After about 5 minutes, add the wine and sprinkle sugar on top. Cook just until the tomatoes start to get transparent and most of the liquid is soaked up (about 10 minutes). 



Using Phyllo and Making Phyllo Cups

It's really amazing how easy this gets after you've been doing it a while. Phyllo cups are very easy to make once you get the hang of it. 

First of all, phyllo comes in a few different varieties. If you're a newbie, make sure you get the one that is labeled horatiki, or country style. This is thicker and much easier to use than the thinner varieties. If you freeze this, make sure you defrost it the night before, in the fridge. 

Once you open the plastic package, it needs to stay covered at all times and not left open to the air. Phyllo will pretty much turn to crunchy paper incredibly fast if you don't keep it stored properly when working with it. Get two dish towels, one for the bottom and one for the top of the dough and run them under warm water. Then, ring them out pretty well. They should just be damp, but too wet will also cause the sheets to stick together. You will know pretty quickly if you've messed this up or not once you position the dough between the towels and start using it. 

Heat up some butter on a pan on low, and by some I mean at least a stick. These dishes are not very diet friendly. The thing to remember is that butter must be brushed between EVERY layer! You will need a brush with bristles, those plastic basting brushes will do you no good here. You need the really cheap one that the bristles sometimes fall out of, you just have to watch out for that. 

For cups, cut the dough in strips. You will cook them in a muffin pan. For regular sized, cut about 2-3 inch strips, for the mini size, about 1 1/2 inches. Pull out one sheet of cut phyllo at a time and brush one whole side with melted butter on a clean, dry surface. I love my glass cooktop for this! Fold it into a square and then quickly press it into the pan. When you have filled the pan, brush the edges with more butter and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. They should just start to turn golden on the edges. If they brown quickly, you used too much butter. 

They are much easier to handle after this. You can transfer them to a baking sheet at this point and then easily fill them. They can be stored in the fridge until right before you want to serve them, and just heated up in the oven. Just don't try to stack trays unless you are sure you won't crush your cups, they are still fragile. 

You can go crazy filling these with anything! Try spinach, cheeses, fruit compotes, meats, even Nutella or peanut butter! The possibilities are endless! Have fun with them. The more you make them, the better you will get at it. 

Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Pork

Anytime is a good time for these great fall flavors. It's a great recipe to increase and make a bunch to freeze, so then you have a great dinner anytime you need it in a pinch. 

I used a box of stuffing mix just to save time. Somehow, that's still okay in my book. You can certainly break up bread and make your own. I do it all the time but I enjoy the simplicity of making this dish quickly. I'm not exactly sure why some things are okay and others are not for me. If I ever use a cake or brownie mix though, you can call me a traitor!

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp dried cranberries

1 package stuffing mix

(and ingredients according to package)

2 celery stalks

1 shallot, chopped

6 center cut boneless pork chops

Pound your pork chops flat with a mallet and lay out on cutting board or counter. 

Heat water or chicken broth for stuffing. You will cook according to package directions, except add the celery and shallot to the pan before it boils. 

When your stuffing is done, scoop about 1/3 cup of it into a mixing bowl. Add walnuts and cranberries and mix with a fork. Spoon out about 2 Tbsp of filling running down the center of each pork chop. Roll them up and stick a toothpick in them to keep closed. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

I lined a casserole dish with the remaining stuffing and placed the pork on top to bake. 

These also freeze great. Lay them in a covered casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray and freeze. Then, you can pop them into freezer bags and just pull out however many you need when you want them.

Rosemary Infused Potatoes

A few years ago I added rosemary to my signature Greek potatoes. I used to just season them and cook them with my lamb or whatever meat I was cooking. Then I discovered browning them first. 

 

I heat up some olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and throw in tons of rosemary (fresh or dried). Then scrub red bliss potatoes under water and cut into bite sized pieces. Season with mixed up pepper. CAREFULLY, add the potatoes to the skillet. The water on the potatoes will cause the oil to splash up so be safe not to get burned. Brown the potatoes, heating them on medium high. Flip them a few times to brown easily on all sides. Do not cook them all the way through, you are just searing them. 

Then empty them into a casserole dish or the bottom of your roasting pan if you will place meat on top of them to cook.

 

I cooked a leg of lamb on top of them. (No, I'm not sharing that recipe!)

Add a package of Lipton onion soup mix and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning and 1/8 Tsp lemon pepper. Fill the pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Add your meat if desired and cook meat according to recipe, or if you are cooking just the potatoes, bake for about 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven until tender.