Steakhouse Style Sautéed Mushrooms

 

INGREDIENTS

·         2 Tablespoons butter

·         1-1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms including stems, brushed clean and ends trimmed  ( I used the bagged trader joes crimini mushrooms already sliced)

·         6 cloves garlic sliced thin

·         1/2 medium sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch slices

·         3/4 cup sweet red wine

·         1/4 cup beef consume

·         Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Place a large, deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, melt the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and sweet onions. Toss gently to coat the vegetables in the butter. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes.

Continue to sauté until the liquid has almost, but not quite, evaporated.

Add the red wine and beef consume. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about another 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed. (Mushrooms tend to like a lot of salt.)

Creamed Spinach

 

INGREDIENTS

o    2 pounds fresh spinach, tough stems removed and washed

o    1/4 cup heavy cream

o    4 tablespoons unsalted butter

o    1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots

o    1 teaspoon minced garlic

o    6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

o    1 1/4 cups whole milk

o    1 teaspoon salt

o    1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

o    1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

o    1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

o    1/4 cup grated Parmesan

 

DIRECTIONS

·         Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing with a large spoon to release as much water as possible. Finely chop and set aside.

·         Bring the cream to a low boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat.

·         Melt the butter in medium-heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, and then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, until a light blond roux forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly, and cook until thick and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the salt, white pepper and nutmeg and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the hot cream, whisking constantly, and cook for 1 minute. Fold in the Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, and mix until smooth. Add the spinach, mix well and cook until completely warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

·         Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Pork Tenderloins with Cassis and Currants

Pork Tenderloins with Cassis and Currants

                                                                                Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

¼ cup dried currants      

1 cup canned chicken broth

1 cup canned beef broth

5 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 10- ounce pork tenderloin, trimmed of all fat

All purpose four

½ cup crème de cassis liqueur

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt & Pepper

 

Directions

Place currants in small bowl. Pour enough warm water over to cover by 1 inch. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Set aside. Combine both broths in medium saucepan and boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and then coat with flour; shake off excess. Add to skillet. Cook until brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer tenderloin to small baking pan (do not clean skillet). Bake pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 155°F, about 15 minutes, tent with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, pour fat from skillet. Add currants, cassis, and vinegar to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced by half scraping up any browned bits, stirring 5 minutes. Add reduced broth mixture and boil until liquid is reduced to scant ½ cup and mixture is slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, whisking, until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut pork crosswise into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange pork on plates and spoon sauce over.

 

Chicken Marsala

This is my favorite recipe that I've made so far of Chicken Marsala. I like to pair it with risotto, and a nice salad. A good hearty bread is also a great addition to get any of the extra sauce left on the plate.

 

Enjoy!

 

Chicken Marsala

Emeril's Style

Ingredients

•             1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•             1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

•             2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

•             1 tablespoon olive oil

•             4 tablespoons butter

•             3 cups sliced mushrooms ( cremini, oyster, shiitake)

•             3/4 cup Marsala

•             1 cup chicken stock

•             Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•             Chopped chives, for garnish

 

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

•             2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

•             2 tablespoons salt

•             2 tablespoons garlic powder

•             1 tablespoon black pepper

•             1 tablespoon onion powder

•             1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

•             1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

•             1 tablespoon dried thyme

 

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container

Lantello Family Italian Recipes – Lasagna

Lantello Family Italian Recipes – Lasagna

 

***** This has been transcribed from my mom’s notes*****

If you cannot find certain brands, please try to find the best quality ones you can or can afford too. Quality products really make a difference.

 

Pot Cheese (which serves as the filling for the lasagna)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Ricotta cheese (buy either Polly O WHOLE MILK or Gardenia WHOLE MILK or Sierra WHOLE MILK)

3 eggs

1 bunch of mint sprigs- remove them from the sprigs and coarsely chop them up

1 bunch of fresh ITALIAN parsley (coarsely chop them up)

1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese

Unknown amount of previously made sauce.

 

Directions:

Lightly beat the eggs. Add in everything else and mix well. If it seems too thick to spread easily, you can add about ½ cup of milk or half and half to thin the mixture a bit. This may or may not be needed, you be the judge.

 

Lasagna Noodles:

Ingredients

2 lb. BARILLA Lasagna pasta. Should say “No Bake” on the box.

Directions:

Follow directions on box to cook them

 

Ingredients for the Lasagna

The above pot cheese

Prepared lasagna noodles

½ lb. of Mozzarella cheese which has been coarsely grated

1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese

Unknown amount of sauce

 

Directions for the Lasagna

Spread a layer of sauce that is approximately ¼” thick on the bottom of your lasagna tray. This should just be enough sauce to cover.

Place a layer of the lasagna pasta on top of the sauce. You cand and should butt them up edge to edge, but be careful not to overlap the pasta as it may not cook properly if they are overlapped.

Spread a layer of the pot cheese on top of the pasta

Spread a layer of the sauce on top of the pot cheese

Sprinkle mozzarella over the sauce

Sprinkle Romano cheese over the mozzarella

You should have enough to do 4 layers which should go like this FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP:

 

 

Sauce (Bottom Layer)

Lasagna pasta

Pot cheese

Mozzarella

Romano

 

 

Sauce

Lasagna pasta

Pot cheese

Mozzarella

Romano

 

Sauce

Lasagna pasta

Pot cheese

Mozzarella

Romano

 

 

Sauce

Lasagna pasta

Sauce

Mozzarella

Romano (Top layer)

 

So, in effect, you need to use 1/3rd of the pot cheese for each of the FIRST THREE layers. The top layer does not have the pot cheese on top. You will use ¼ of the mozzarella for each of the FOUR layers. Use the Romano for each of the 4 layers but use it SPARSELY. You’ll probably wind up using between 1 and 2 boxes of lasagna pasta.

Once the tray is complete, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it at 375 degrees for one hour to one hour and 10 minutes. You can remove the foil in the last 10 minutes of baking. Let it rest about 20 minutes before you cut it and dish it out.

Have a bowl of Romano cheese available for your or your guests to sprinkle on top and also extra sauce from them to ladle over the lasagna.

Lantello Family Italian Recipes - Meatballs

Lantello Family Italian Recipes - Meatballs

 

***** This has been transcribed from my mom’s notes*****

If you cannot find certain brands, please try to find the best quality ones you can or can afford too. Quality products really make a difference.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 lb. ground veal

1/3 lb. ground pork

1/3 lb. ground beef

(most of the time, I just use all ground sirloin, but when I want to make them authentic and extra special, I use the combination veal, pork & beef.)

3 eggs, beaten with a fork

½ cup of Italian style bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Romano or parmesan cheese, but use the decent imported stuff-definitely  DO NOT USE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES THE KRAFT PRE-GRATED STUFF THAT COMES IN A CAN OR ANY OTHER CHEESE LIKE THAT

5 cloves of garlic, chopped (or more!)

Salt and Pepper

 

I just guessed the amount of the parsley and the cheese, but the figures should be about what I throw in. The more important ratio is the eggs to bread crumbs ratio. 3 eggs plus ½ cup bread crumbs per each pound of ground meat works every time! The above should make about a dozen meatballs. Mine are usually somewhere around 1 – ½ in. diameter.

Throw everything in a bowl and mix it all up. Chop another couple of cloves of garlic and throw them into the bottom of your pot (my sauce pot is a 10 Qt. pot) and add enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom of the pot. Roll the meatballs up and brown them in the oil over medium heat. I usually put them in the pot, then cover the pot and let them fry over medium heat for about 5 or 6 minutes. Then I remove the cover and use a large stainless spoon (the serving spoon that usually comes with a set of flatware) and I use the spoon to gently loosen the meatball from the pan and turn it over. I make sure that they are nice and brown on that side before I turn them over. If they’re not there yet, I cover and let them cook another minute or two and then check again.

Once they are all turned over, I cover the pot and let them cook another 5 or 6 minutes.  Then I remove them from my pot and make my sauce.

Lantello Family Italian Recipes - Sauce

Lantello Family Italian Recipes - Sauce

 

***** This has been transcribed from my mom’s notes*****

If making sauce after making the meatballs I brown up any other meat I plan to add (usually Italian sausage and also pork or beef bones of some variety—neck bones and/or short ribs are my favorite to use). Once all the meat is browned, I take it all out and get my sauce going.

If you cannot find certain brands, please try to find the best quality ones you can or can afford too. Quality products really make a difference.

 

Ingredients:

1 – 32 oz. can of Progresso (or real imported Italian and supposedly San Marsano are the best) chopped tomatoes

2 or 3 -12 oz. cans of tomato paste (again, imported tastes the best, but I’ll use Contadina if I am in a bind)

1 full 12 oz. (tomato paste can) of water for EACH can of paste

½ tsp. of salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Gobs of fresh basil leaves (I usually use a full bunch of fresh basil)

1 ½ tsp. dried oregano

Enough DRIED basil (in addition to the fresh) to cover the top of the sauce (I never measure… I just use enough to cover it somewhere between a sparse layer and so dense of a layer that you can’t see the sauce)

Approximately 1 ½ tbsp. sugar (this supposedly kills the acid)

Directions:

I add all of this to the olive oil/garlic/bits of meatball mixture that was left in the pot after all of the meat was browned. Then, I stir it all up and it will probably still be really, really thick. I add somewhere between ½ and a full can of water using the 32 oz. can that the chopped tomatoes came in. I add a little at a time and stir as I go and then stop adding when it seems a bit thicker than where I want it. Once you add the meat back in , the sauce will thin out a bit more from all of the meat juices. After it’s cooked for a couple of hours, if it still seems too thick, you can add a little more water. It’s better to initially add too little than too much as you can always add more.

After the sauce has cooked about 20 or 30 minutes add all of the meat back into the pot and turn the sauce down to a simmer on the lowest setting my burner will go. I let the sauce simmer COVERED for 3 or 4 hours and I give it a good stir every 20 minutes or so making sure to get the bottom of the pot so it doesn’t burn.

I actually prefer to make my sauce the day before I want to use it. Once it’s done cooking, I let it cool and then I stick it in the fridge for the night. The next day when you heat it up, the flavor will have changed dramatically!