Food By Franz

Think garden fresh when these flavors hit your taste buds This is a wonderful main dish or a great summer buffet addition. Travels well, best at room temp – healthy use of fresh produce for your table.

Pea Pesto Perfection

16 oz pasta (bowties or farfalle work well)
1 C fresh shelled peas
1/2 C flat leaf parsley
2/3 C basil
1/2 C pecans – partially crushed
1/2 C parmesan cheese – grated
1.5 tsp sea salt
2/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) approximately
1/2 C asparagus, trimmed/steamed
3 oz pancetta, cut into strips and just crisped up (substitute bacon or prosciutto)

Boil your pasta – while its boiling trim and steam or microwave the asparagus tender crisp – set asparagus aside. Slice the pancetta or bacon into strips and crisp up in a fry pan – drain meat on paper towels and set aside. Drain your pasta and keep warm until pesto is ready. For the pesto, place in a food processor the peas, parsley, basil, pecans and salt – pulse to mix roughly, then start drizzling in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil until it develops into a nice paste (some folks prefer their pesto chunky, some prefer a very smooth, creamy texture – its easy to figure out, just keep blending until it gets to where you like it!) Get your serving bowl ready – meanwhile mix the pesto and pasta, fold in the pancetta and asparagus last. Pass more shaved Parmesan cheese for topping. Offer fresh ground pepper. This dish is excellent for supper buffet setting – best at room temperature

This recipe was totally inspired by a recipe in August 2010 Rachel Ray Magazine
Arugula Pesto Pasta with Ricotta and Bacon
Picture on link by Romulo Yanes
Recipe by Melissa Clark

Permission received from RR Mag – All credits given and link to recipe author, photographer and to RR August Issue recipe as requested. Thank you for the permission to reference and to print my version of the recipe!

Think Cool, Crisp and Tasty about this main dish salad. Travels well in individual servings or makes a pretty party salad. This recipe is written for two generous individual portions.

Cool and Tasty for Summer

Pasta of choice (bowties look pretty, elbows travel better)
Salmon – 3 oz per person, cooked and flaked
celery 1/4 C chopped
red onion, 1/4 C chopped
cucumber, approx 1/2 C, sliced thin
peas, 1/8 C (*optional)
lettuce, or napa cabbage
black olives (about 4 per person – quartered)
Baste of soy, sugar & pepper
Dressing of choice – but we suggest the Creamy Cucumber Dressing – Ranch works well also.

To make the salad -
Set your pasta water boiling. Slice the cucumber thinly (about 1/3 C sliced per salad serving) and place in ice water to “crisp up” and mix up your baste for the salmon fillets. Boil your favorite bite size pasta – you want about a generous cup of cooked pasta per portion or about 2.5-3 C for a bowl. Drain and set aside. While it boiling – take your salmon fillets, brush with mix of: 1/3 C soy, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 grinds of pepper – cook (broil, pan, bake or bbq) until just done – flake and set aside You can substitute Canned salmon or smoked salmon if you prefer.
Chop celery, red onion to make 1/2 C, add 1/3 C of peas (I usually use frozen unless I have fresh peas from the garden) Snap or Snow peas are a great fresh addition if available and toss with the pasta when cool.
Tear your choice of greens, lettuce, nappa cabbage, or a mix of green
Quarter the black olives.

To assemble the salad – layer each container or one large bowl with the lettuce or greens of choice
Next layer is the pasta – mixed with the peas, celery, red onion – spread over the lettuce
Next layer is the sliced cucumbers, drain well and layer over the pasta
Then take the flaked salmon and layer over the cucumber layer and top with a few black olives.
Package for travel and take the dressing on the side. Or serve in a pretty glass bowl and dressing in cruet – both need to be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Kabobs – originally from the middle east, but seemingly every culture has some kind of “kebab” – from Asian satay, Greek slovaki, Indian kakori or kalmi, French brochette to Japanese yakatori. Kabobs are a sure sign of summer. Easy to BBQ (or broil) – they will make your “master” of the barbecue shine! Make sure and read the “Tips” at the bottom!

Chicken Kabobs
#1 Herbed Flavor – 1/2 C of chicken broth or white wine with a good dash each of savory, thyme, marjoram, oregano and rosemary

#2 Satay Flavor – marinade in 1/2 C of chicken broth (or beer) with a tsp of curry powder, dash turmeric and coriander

#3 Asian Flavor – marinade in 1/2 C soy, 1/4 C sake or mirin, Tbsp crushed ginger and Tbsp sugar
Chicken can be marinaded from 1 to 4 hours.

Beef Kabobs
#1 Korean Flavor: 5-6 green onions-minced, 1/4 C soy sauce, 3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp pepper, 3 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp sugar. This will marinade up to 4lbs

#2 Teriyaki Flavor – 1/2 C soy, 1/2 sugar, 2 Tbsp ginger, 2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1/8 C mirin, 1 Tbsp sesame oil and a dash of chinese 5 spice. (or use your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce)
Note* – marinade beef no longer than 2 hours

Pork Kabobs
#1 Greek Flavor – 1/2 C beer, lemon zest from half a lemon, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, a good dash of each rosemary, oregano, thyme

#2 Chinese Flavor – 3 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, red food colouring (*optional) and 1/3 C sherry or rice wine
Pork can be marinated up to 8 hours

Pork kabob cooking tip – wrap in foil for first 20 minutes on the grill, then uncover and complete grilling

Tips for Best Kabobs

Tip#1 -Easiest method is to mix the marinade in a large re-sealable baggie, then add your meat, mix and refrigerate until ready to put on the skewers.
Tip #2 -If you are using wooden skewers, make sure to submerge the skewers in water for an hour before use, that way they won’t burn up on the bbq! Metal skewers are well worth the investment – they provide more even cooking, too!
Tip#3 -Cut your meat pieces as close to the same size as possible -this ensures better cooking
Tip#4 -Do not crowd your meat together on the skewers, this allows more even cooking
Tip#5 -Add all vegetable kabobs – onion, tomato, zuchinni, yellow squash, pepper slices all grill well

Let your imagination run wild with kabobs – think shrimp, lamb, scallop, potato – all can be done as kabobs!

Always looking for a money and time saver in the kitchen? This recipe is a real two for one! Purchase a boneless pork roast, doesn’t need to be an expensive cut – just the opposite! Marinade the roast the night before – in the morning toss it in the crockpot and walk away for 8-10 hours! The idea here is to roast the pork and use it in two meals – Carnitas and then Pozole. Carnitas is the pork, shredded and ready for taco’s or burritos. Pozole is a wonderful spicy stew that features the pork and hominy.

As to the roast – couldn’t be any easier – make a rub for the marinade, smash 3-4 garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp of paprika (hot if you have it but regular will do), a dash of coriander, 1/2 tsp of oregano and 1/2 tsp of cumin. If you don’t have coriander, don’t sweat the small stuff – its a forgiving recipe. Put the spice mix in a resealable baggie and drop the roast in, add 1 beer or 8 oz of broth to the baggie and marinade for 8-24 hours – Pull out your crock pot – line the bottom with rough cut celery (include tops) and big onion slices (both are just for flavoring) and a couple of whole peppercorns if you have them – bring the liquid level up to the bottom 1/2 of the roast (use broth or beer to increase if needed). Put it on low for 8 hours for a 4-5 lb roast. The meat should just about fall apart when lifted from the crock. Use the first 1/2 for carnitas and the rest for pozole.

Pork Carnitas taco meat – Shred (two forks work well) half of the pork roast meat. Reserve the other half for Pozole. Put the pork into a skillet and add just enough of the broth from the crock wet the meat – bring to a simmer until the liquid is all absorbed and your ready to make taco’s or burritos’. Serve with shredded cabbage, cilantro, chopped onions, jalapeno’s, salsa – whatever your group likes on their taco’s!

Now the

Pozole Here’s a great “game day” recipe for the other half of that pork roast. This is a wonderfully simple stew with a zippy broth that the savory taste of the corn kernels mellow perfectly. It will really please the hearty eaters and they won’t even realize they are getting a daily quota of ….dare i say it? – vegetables. As with all stews – this recipe is just a general guideline, feel free to add or take away ingredients.

celery-1/3-1/2 C of 1/4″ chunks
carrot – 1/4 C, quartered, 1/4″ chunks
yellow onion, heavy 1/2 C, quartered, 1/4″ slices
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 Tbsp oleo/marg/butter
other half of the roast, rough cut into chunks
2/3 C yellow squash or zucchini – quartered, 1/2″ chunks
2 anaheim peppers – charred, peeled, rough chopped (or 1 can fire roasted diced chili’s)
can of white hominy (15.5 ounce) keep the juice

2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp good chili powder
pinch of cumin
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 C pork or chicken broth with
1 Tbsp of tomato paste dissolved in it

Place the celery, carrot and onion in a large deep skillet or stew pot with the the oleo- over medium heat allow veggies to start to soften -about 3-4 minutes – then add the garlic, flour, chili powder, cumin, white pepper, and oregano. Turn down the heat and allow this mixture to cook for 4-5 minutes stirring often. Add the broth of choice and stir consistently until well mixed – bring the heat back up until this starts to simmer – Add the hominy (with juice),meat, chopped pepper and squash – cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes – stirring just occasionally. If stew is too thick, add additional liquid – additional broth, water or even a part of beer. Like most stews, this is just as good the next day (if not better).
Serving suggestions:
*Ladle each bowl, sprinkle with cheese and broil for a few, just to melt the cheese and stab a couple of tortilla chips in the side
*Or serve the stew table side with cheese quesadilla’s and optional hot sauce, fresh chopped jalapenos, cilantro and/or sour cream
*Easily converted to vegetarian, by omitting the pork completely (use TVP, potato, or turnip for the substitution)

French Leek Pie
Pie pastry to cover standard pie tin
2 C sliced leek whites (about 3 large leeks)
2 Tbsp butter or oleo
Pinch each of salt and black pepper
1 cup half and half
1.25 C shredded Gruyere or Emmental cheese
Place bottom pastry in tin – Clean and slice leeks (thinly) – saute in butter for about 10 min or until soft – add salt, pepper, cream and cheese – allow to warm through and pour into prepared pastry – Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until set.

English Leek Pie

Pie pastry to cover standard pie tin
1.5 C thinly sliced leeks
1/2 pkg bacon, diced – the leaner the better
4 eggs
S & P
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

Oven to 400. Place the thinly sliced leeks of the pastry, then layer the bacon strips and lastly break the 4 eggs on top. Season and cover with another thin layer of pastry. Bake for about 40 minutes. Good warm or cold with chutney.

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken thighs
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
dash rosemary, crushed
dash oregano, crushed
dash powdered thyme
1/3 C Chianti (or other red wine) *Use 1/3 C chicken broth if preferred
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
2/3 C chicken broth
1/3 C green olives, sliced
1/3 C parsley, chopped

*EVOO denotes extra virgin olive oil

In a deep skillet w/a cover – saute your onions in a bit of EVOO or 1 Tbsp oleo/marg until they just start to golden brown – add the garlic and spices – cook an additional 3 minutes. Pour the wine in to “deglaze” the pan – allow this to simmer and reduce for a couple of minutes – then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken broth – allow to come up to simmer. Add the four chicken thighs and olives, spoon some sauce over the chicken – allow this to simmer for 25 minutes – remove lid and baste chicken, allowing the sauce to thicken to your preference. Add a bit of the parsley in as the sauce thickens – the rest for topping when serving.

*If you are serving this over pasta, keep the sauce thinner. I usually serve this with pasta on the side, lightly tossed and dusted with your favorite grated hard cheese. A green or marinated salad will make this a wonderfully balanced meal.

This recipe is for two hearty servings, it is easily adapted for more servings – just add additional chicken thighs, another 1/2 C of liquid with the tomatoes (wine or broth) and adjust seasonings if needed.

Prosciutto and Pea Pasta – It is “Pea Fect” for a cozy couples night dinner.

Prosciutto – it’s the Italian word for ham. It taste is nothing like American ham. Cured for at least months – Prosciutto has a wonderfully spicy and smoky taste that will open your taste buds. This is an easy and economical dinner. The prosciutto is reasonably priced and available locally at any major grocer or Italian deli. Locally, Granatos is my favorite stop, they have multiple types of this ham, that they will slice to order – making it especially economical!

1 3oz pkg of Prosciutto
1/2 onion, sliced thin
garlic clove – minced
1 C frozen peas
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter/oleo
1.5 C milk
Ground Pepper
basil (3 leaves of fresh chopped finely or 1/2 tsp dried)
topping options – parsley and or hard grated cheese – Parmesan, Romano, Asiago
8 oz pasta of your choice (- linguine, penne, any hearty pasta works nicely)

Slice the prosciutto into thin strips, saute In a 10″ pan until slightly crisp (about 4 minutes). Set aside – in the same skillet – saute the thin sliced onions, add the garlic and butter – after the butter is melted – add the flour – mix well and allow the flour/butter to cook for about 3 minutes – add milk and stir thoroughly – this will thicken up in several minutes. Add the prosciutto, peas and pepper back to the pan and allow to heat through. Serve over pasta of your choice. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Romano cheese and/or parsley if they are handy –

This is a hearty meal for two – but if your hubby is like mine – he LOVES his pasta and will finish all of this. Recipe may be doubled, but only use 5oz of prosciutto as it will over flavor the sauce. Notice that there is no salt added to this recipe – the meat provides all.
One note – if you see Prosciutto De Parma or Prosciutto De Angelo – it denotes the area of Italy that it was made!

igourmet 3-oz. Sliced Italian Prosciutto Sliced Italian Prosciutto

Gumbo is a cajun soup/stew that has African origins. There are as many variations of gumbo as you can imagine, some include chicken, ham and or fish chunks. The one thing they all have in common is the okra, its used as a thickening agent. This version serves 3-4 servings with rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter/oleo/vegetable oil
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 C chopped pepper (typically a bell pepper is used, but I prefer an yellow wax or anaheim)
1/2 C chopped celery
1/2 C chopped onion
pinch each of cayenne pepper, black and white pepper (add a pinch of hot paprika if you like it spicy!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C okra (frozen is ok)
1 tomato, peeled & rough chopped
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/2 lb andouille sausage, cooked and crumbled (smoked polish can be substituted)
2 C broth (chicken, vegetable or shrimp)
1 C rice – cook and fluff

Make a roux of the first two ingredients – keep stirring until its a very brown color (2 cautions – Do not get any on you and don’t let it burn) – when the color gets past “peanut butter” – add the pepper, onion, celery, garlic, red and white pepper -allow the veggies to start to soften up – remove from heat. Heat your broth and slowly add to the roux, making sure that it gets thoroughly mixed. Add your okra, sausage, tomato and the rest of the spices. Allow this to simmer for about an hour. Toss in the shrimp about 10 minutes before your ready to eat – adjust seasonings at this point- a dash of salt? Serve gumbo over the rice in bowls.

One note – Locally Sniders Meats sells a wonderful cajun/andouille sausage that is reasonably priced.

I found this cajun/creole cookbook written in 1885 – should be some interesting reading!

La Cuisine Creole: A Collection of Culinary Recipes from Leading Chefs and Noted Creole Housewives No Synopsis Available

Did you know that tamales are a Christmas tradition in many countries? Assembling a mass of tamales for easy holiday dining is usually a family affair. From Argentina to the American southwest, this holiday tradition gets everyone involved in the kitchen.. I like to serve this variation of tamales because it has all the flavors of tamales without all the extra dough. This recipe is for four individual tamales servings
Le Creuset Set of 4 Stoneware Petite Au Gratin Dishes, Cherry

Shopping List – two boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
(1/2 C chopped) peppers – for fresh, use a bell or combo of anaheims and 1 jalapeno – or use canned chili’s with medium heat
(3/4 C, sliced thin)one small onion
cheese of your choice (jack, cheddar or quesa fresca – a white mexican cheese)
**chili powder
**chicken base or bullion
**garlic cloves
**cumin – check the mexican spices – they sell soft packages of spices for much less than the regular spice aisle
**butter, flour
**Eliminate these if you are buying canned enchilada sauce equal to two cups**
Cabbage – check the other “topping options” – add what you need in your shopping list
Masa for tamales – labeled commonly as instant corn masa mix, available in the latin/mexican area of your grocery store.

The layers of the tamales or pie consist of:
A bed of masa
Layer of onions and peppers
Large chunks of shredded chicken mixed with the “rojo” or red chili sauce
1 C Shredded Cheese
Toppers of:
shredded cabbage
cilantro sprigs (*optional)
avocado slices or guacamole (*optional)
sour cream (*optional)
olive slices – green or black (*optional)

Have two defrosted, deboned chicken breats. In a 2qt (or larger) pot with a tight fitting lid – Bring water to a roiling boil, add a Tbsp of chix base (or bullion or nothing) – while its boiling hard drop in your two chicken breast halves and cover tightly. As soon as it comes back to a boil (*which should be less than a minute or two) – turn off the heat and let sit undisturbed for 30 minutes. This is a great way to “poach” chicken for dishes where you want the meat precooked or shredded. Eventually pull each breast out and shred the meat – two forks will do this if you do not want to use your hands. Plan on 1/3 lb of meat for each adult. *Shortcut, do this while you are making dinner the night before and store the chicken ready to shred for use tomorrow.

Prepare the Masa – check the package for directions – its easy to make, for four open face in I use 1.5 C of masa with 1+1/3 C of chicken broth and 1/3 C of vegetable shortening. Usually the package will call for lard, but crisco works quite nicely – set aside.5
If you are using fresh peppers, slice finely and brown quickly over hi heat with the sliced onion -set aside *Shortcut – you can substitute canned chilis – just brown the onions

Make the Rojo sauce – *Shortcut – you can substitute canned red enchilada sauce – the real red chili sauce is worth the small effort to make it!
Chop 1/2 onion, fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp butter (oleo)
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chili powder
dash cumin
2 C chicken stock
In a sauce pan, cook the onion in the oleo, then add the garlic – cook 1 more minute. Add the flour, chili powder and cumin. This forms a rue – allow this to cook for a couple of minutes (this takes the flour taste out). Add 2C of stock slowly & stir until sauce is smooth. Let this come to a simmer, thin with additional broth or water if it gets too thick.
****This is an awesome, all around red chili sauce for tamales, enchiladas, eggs, over rice or beans – about anything you want a “mexican” flair to.***
This sauce will keep for an hour or so on the stovetop – just stir it occasionally.

To assemble the open face tamales – spread a layer of masa in your baking container(s). Top the masa with the layer of cooked onions and peppers – spread evenly. Mix 1 Cup of chili sauce with the shredded chicken and spread on top of the onion & pepper layer in a chunky layer. Top this with shredded cheese – Bake for 25 minutes in oven at 325. For individual servings – top with some of the shredded cabbage, and any other toppings you opted for. Serve the additional rojo tableside.

Served with beans, and my chopped guacamole salad – this is a hearty and savory meal.

Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner leftover turkey??? This is your answer – its the easily casserole ever! Its a great way to use left over turkey or chicken works well, too. The rest you probably have on hand. This “best use of leftover” category winner comes together in a snap – minimum time – maximum flavor!

You’ll need -
2 Cups turkey or chicken meat
1 Can “Cream of” Soup – cream of celery or chicken or mushroom (any will work)
1 Cup chicken broth
1 Box of long grain rice (farmhouse, uncle bens, zatarains (as long as its not instant rice)
1/2 Cup sliced mushrooms – either fresh or canned will work
1/4 Cup onion – fresh chopped (yellow, white or red will work)
1/4 Cup celery – fresh chopped

Preheat oven to 350, Coat a 2.5 to 3 quart pyrex like baker dish with a light coat of oil. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients (include any spice packet in the rice) and turn into the prepared dish. Pop into the oven for 45 minutes – Done!
Serving suggestions – warm veggie side – or chilled green salad side.