Eye for a Recipe

Pasta with meatballs is a great dish, but making and browning meatballs from scratch takes time. This recipe from an October 2011 LCBO Food and Drink newspaper insert takes a shortcut by using sliced hot Italian sausages instead of meatballs. The original recipe suggested browning the sausages and then slicing them. Instead, I cooked the sausages in boiling water for 5 minutes to render some of the fat, then sliced them and browned them. I used canned crushed tomatoes, which made a very thick sauce. If you make this recipe, I suggest you use canned whole tomatoes and puree them in your blender or food processor.

Simmer tomato sauce with garlic and basil

Add baby spinach leaves just before tossing with the cooked linguine

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use all-natural sausages and tomatoes, olives and Parmesan that does not contain colour, flavour or other artificial ingredients.

Linguine with Sausages in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

4 hot Italian sausages

1 tbsp chopped garlic

5 cups canned tomatoes pureed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 lb linguine

2 tbsp sliced green olives

2 green peppers, thinly sliced

4 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Boil sausages in water for 5 minutes to render fat. Slice into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil and stir in garlic. Add pureed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season with salt, pepper and basil.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile stir olives green peppers and sliced sausages into sauce. Cook 10 minutes longer or until green peppers are slightly crisp.

Drain pasta when cooked. Add spinach leaves to sauce and toss with pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Adapted from Food and Drink October 2011 newspaper insert

This spicy lamb stew from the October 2011 issue of Bon Appetit is flavoured with Ras-El-Hanout, a combination of coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, paprika, cardamom, ginger and turmeric. Cubed lamb is browned and then simmered with the spices, onion and tomatoes. Chickpeas and dried apricots are added just before serving.

The recipe includes instructions for cooking the chickpeas; I used cooked canned chickpeas, which were fine. If you use canned, you won’t need the cinnamon stick or the two whole garlic cloves. Be sure to trim as much fat as you can from the lamb.

Blend the Ras-El-Hanout in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

Trim the fat from the lamb and brown it well

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, look for all-natural canned tomatoes and stock, such as Imagine brand. It can be difficult to find dried apricots with no sulfites added, but many grocery stores do stock them.

Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

Ingredients:

¾ cup dried chickpeas (or a can of cooked chickpeas)

5 garlic cloves (2 whole, 3 chopped)

1 large cinnamon stick, broken in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds 1″ cubes of lamb shoulder

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, diced

5 teaspoons (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger

1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juices

2½ cups (or more) low-salt chicken stock

½ cup halved dried apricots

Steamed couscous

Chopped fresh cilantro

Ras-el-Hanout

1½ teaspoons coriander seeds

¾ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until aromatic and slightly darkened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill; let cool. Add crushed red pepper flakes. Process until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients; whisk to blend. Can be made 1 month ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Preparation:

If cooking the chickpeas yourself: Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by 2″. Let soak overnight. Drain chickpeas; return to same saucepan. Add 2 whole garlic cloves and cinnamon stick. Add water to cover by 2″. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain; set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch.

Transfer lamb to a medium bowl. Add onion to pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el-Hanout, and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and lamb with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Add 2½ cups stock. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Stir in chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in apricots; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon couscous onto a large, shallow platter, forming a large well in center. Spoon tagine into center. Sprinkle cilantro over. Serves 6–8.

From the October 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

Here’s another new find from the Autumn 2011 issue of Food and Drink. We love curry, and I especially like ones that do not use coconut milk, which I find to be very rich and oily. This recipe uses chicken thighs (another plus in my book) and is ready in about 40 minutes. All you do is throw the sauce ingredients into your food processor, brown the chicken thighs, top with the sauce and a little stock and simmer until done. On my stovetop, the thighs took longer than 4 minutes a side to brown – it was more like 8 minutes a side. I used unsalted cashews to lower the recipe’s sodium content. The recipe suggests trying the same sauce with shrimp, which I think would also be very tasty.

Combine curry paste ingredients in food processor

Cover the browned chicken thighs with the curry paste

Add broth and simmer until the chicken is cooked

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use nuts, yogurt and curry paste with no artificial ingredients. I used Astro Original brand Balkan-style yogurt and Thai Kitchen brand green curry paste.

Garnish with chopped cashews and cilantro and serve with basmati rice and Indian-spiced vegetables

Ingredients:

¾ cup roasted cashews (salted or unsalted)

1/3 cup plain yogurt

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped fresh peeled gingerroot

1 tbsp mild or hot curry paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp canola oil

2 lbs chicken thighs

½ cup chicken broth

Preparation:

In a food processor, blend cashews until finely chopped. Add yogurt, cilantro, gingerroot, curry paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs until very browned, 4-8 minutes a side. Scrape all of the sauce over the chicken with chicken broth. Stir until blended, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve over steamed basmati rice and garnish with chopped roasted cashews and cilantro. Serves 4.

From the Autumn 2011 issue of Food and Drink

Sometimes, you just want roast chicken. Tender, warm, comforting roast chicken. This recipe is from How Easy Is That? the most recent cookbook from Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa). The chicken is stuffed with lemon and garlic and then placed in a small roasting pan with more lemon wedges and sliced onions. When the chicken is done, set it aside to rest and then add wine, stock and flour to the plan to make a luscious sauce that includes the cooked onions. My chicken was closer to 3 lbs. and took a little over an hour, so I expect a larger chicken would take longer than the 1 hour, 15 minutes cited in the recipe. I used only one onion and 1 ½ lemons.

Place chicken in small pan with onions and lemon wedges

Let the cooked chicken rest while you make the sauce

Add wine, stock and flour to the cooked onions and lemons

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use stock with no artificial ingredients and wine with no sulfites added.

Roast chicken with onion-lemon sauce

Ingredients:

1 (4-5 lb) roasting chicken

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 lemons, quartered

1 whole head of garlic, cut in half cross-wise olive oil

2 Spanish onions, peeling and thickly sliced

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove and discard the giblets. Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Place two lemon quarters inside the cavity along with the garlic. Brush the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Place the chicken in a small (11×14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too big the onions will burn.) Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Place the pan on top of the stove over medium-high heat. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stocks and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect on the platter under the chicken and taste for seasoning. Carve the chicken onto the platter and spoon the onions and sauce over it. If the lemons are tender enough to eat, serve them, too. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot or warm.

From “How Easy Is That?” by Ina Garten

The Autumn 2011 issue of the LCBO’s Food and Drink is now out, and, as usual, it contains several recipes I want to try. The first was this Pan-roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Cranberries. It is great. In fact, this method of roasting yielded the most tender pork tenderloin we have ever had. It is important not to overcook the pork – after 12 minutes, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. When I roasted the pork, the smaller section was done in 12 minutes and the thicker half took another three minutes. The cranberries are flavoured with star anise and cinnamon – we found the sauce a bit tart, so you may want to add some honey.

Cut pork in half crosswise so it will fit into the skillet

You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries - save the rest of the bag for Thanksgiving!

Bloom the spices in the same skillet while the pork is resting

Simmer the berries and juice until the sauce is slightly thickened

Pan-roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Cranberries

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use all-natural stock and cranberry juice.

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb. each

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long

1 star anise

½ cup beef stock or broth (I used chicken stock)

1 cup cranberry juice

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Sprigs of fresh thyme

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim tenderloin of any fat and silver skins that may be partially covering them. Use a small sharp knife to remove these thin white membranes. Slice tenderloins in half crosswise.

Sprinkle pork generously with salt and pepper. Rub into the meat. Sprinkle with thyme. Heat a wide ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and coat the bottom. Place pork in pan and turn often until lightly browned on all sides and the ends, 3 to 4 minutes.

Place skillet in oven and roast, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre of the meat reads 150 degrees, about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Turn pork several times during this roasting. Remove to cutting board and tent loosely with foil.

Return skillet to burner. Break cinnamon stick in half and add with star anise. To toast spices, stir about 2 minutes over medium heat. Then add the broth and scrape up the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the cranberry juice and add berries. Boil gently until cranberries break down a little and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Slice the pork and arrange on serving plates. Spoon berries and juice overtop. Scatter with a few fresh thyme sprigs. Serves 4 to 6.

From the Autumn 2011 issue of Food and Drink.

This grilled chicken dish from the July 2011 issue of Everyday Food makes a great late-summer lunch or dinner. It calls for chicken cutlets, but I used skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to an even ½-inch thickness. The grilled chicken and vegetables are drizzled with a tasty vinaigrette of vinegar, oil, currants, marinated artichoke hearts and parsley, which looks great on a platter.

If you don’t want to char the peppers over a flame, use the broiler instead. To do this, cut the top and bottom off the pepper. Cut down one side of the pepper so that you are left with a long, unbroken piece. Remove the seeds and ribs. Place the top, bottom and long piece of pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet, skin side up. Place under the broiler and broil under the skin turns black – this can take 10-20 minutes, depending on how close the pepper is to the broiler. Remove from oven and fold the foil up from the baking sheet to cover the peppers. Let steam for 10 minutes. Peel the skin from the peppers and continue with the recipe.

Cut top and bottom from pepper and then down one side. Seed and place on foil-wrapped baking sheet

Broil until the skin turns black

Remove blackened skin and slice into strips

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use red wine vinegar without sulfites, such as Eden Organic brand and marinated artichoke hearts without artificial ingredients, such as Unico brand.

The vinaigrette includes currants, marinated artichoke hearts and parsley

Grilled chicken and vegetables with parsely vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 red or orange bell peppers

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch strips

Coarse salt and ground pepper

4 chicken cutlets (1 pound total)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons dried currants or raisins

1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts, coarsley chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Over a high gas flame, roast peppers until charred, 16 minutes, turning frequently. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam for 20 minutes. To char peppers under the broiler, see directions above.

Meanwhile heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Toss zucchini with 1½ teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill zucchini until browned, about 4 minutes, flipping once. Drizzle chicken with ½ teaspoon oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until cooked through, about 6 minutes, flipping once.

Rub peppers with paper towels to remove skin. Stem, seed and slice into ½-inch strips. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and 2 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper. Stir in currants or raisins, artichokes and parsley. Arrange chicken and vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.

From the July 2011 issue of Everyday Food

The garden is teeming with zucchini right now, so it’s time to get creative. This new find from the September issue of Food and Wine threads paper-thin ribbons of zucchini, summer squash and prosciutto onto kebabs. The kebabs are quickly grilled and served with a mint-lime sauce. This is a tasty and attractive dish that would also work well as hors d’oeuvre.

Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to thinly slice the zucchini and summer squash

Use two skewers for each kebab

Grill until lightly charred

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lime juice and prosciutto that is preserved with salt only.

Grilled Squash Ribbons and Prosciutto with Mint Dressing

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped mint

2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler

2 medium yellow squash, very thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline or with a vegetable peeler

6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

Preparation:

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. In a small bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with the mint, garlic and the ¼ cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Alternately thread the zucchini, yellow squash and prosciutto onto 4 pairs of 12-inch bamboo skewers. Lightly brush the vegetables and prosciutto with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Grill the skewers over high heat until the zucchini and yellow squash are lightly charred, about 1 ½ minutes per side. Serve with the mint dressing on the side. Serves 4.

From the September 2011 issue of Food and Wine