Let’s cook!

Parmesan Stuffed Chicken Breast

4 bone-in chicken breasts

1 cup parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 lemon, zest

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450. In a small bowl, mix the parsley, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and zest.

Loosen the chicken skin with your fingers. Tuck the parsley mix under the skin.

Season the top of the chicken with herbs de provence, salt and pepper.

Bake until the skin is crispy, and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Time to plate!

Here is a close-up of the chicken:

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Penne Pasta in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

5-6 shallots, sliced

1/2 pound dried Porcini mushrooms

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup port

4oz chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 pound of fresh Italian sausage

12oz box dried penne

fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Start a pot of water for your penne pasta. Melt the butter with olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan on medium heat (I use the dutch oven for this recipe).

In a large skillet at the same time start to brown the sausage.

Add the shallots to butter and olive oil. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook over low heat for an additional 2 – 4 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes.

Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the cream and port.

Return to the heat, add the sun-dried tomatoes, sausage, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to your pot of boiling water and the pasta will cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and the add to the dutch oven with the sauce. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Time to plate. I served this for Jen and her friends in a bowl, added chopped parsley with shaved parmesan cheese.

Here is the close-up:

The ladies enjoyed the meal or at least that is what they told me.

Hope everyone has a great night and have a beer tonight, it is American Beer day so I think I just might enjoy one.

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Shrimp and Fingerlings with Tomato Broth

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (you can use less if you don’t like it spicy)

1 cup Pinot Grigio

1-8oz. bottle clam juice

3 cups of water

8 ounces fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds

1 pound peeled deveined uncooked jumbo shrimp

Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onions and saute until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic and paprika.

Stir for 2 minutes.

Add can of tomatoes with juice.

Cook for 20 minutes and be sure to stir frequently. Add rosemary and crushed red pepper.

Stir well and then add wine. Cook until liquid evaporates completely about 10 minutes.

Add clam juice.

Then 3 cups of water.

Bring both to a high boil. Add potatoes, simmer until almost tender, about 10 mintues.

Add shrimp, simmer until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Time to serve. There is nothing better to me than sourdough bread and a soup like this. Here is how I did the plating:

Here is the close-up:

This might not be a quick meal for a weekday but for me cooking is a great way to remove stress from work. I am looking forward to my lunch tomorrow!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s Cook!

Grilled Veal Loin Chops with Spinach Salad

3 veal loin chops, about 1 inch thick

4 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, cuting each wedge in half

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1 small red onion, sliced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 handfuls fresh spinach, stems removed

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

salt and pepper

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil, red onion, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let the tomatoes sit.

Heat grill on high-heat. Coat the veal chop with olive oil and liberally season both sides with salt and pepper.

Once the grill is hot, add the chops and cook on the first side for 6-8 minutes. DO NOT MOVE THE CHOPS AROUND! ONCE YOU PLACE ON THE GRILL, LEAVE THEM ALONE FOR 6 MINUTES! (ok I hope the all caps got your attention)

Flip the chops and cook for another 6 – 8 minutes.

Remove the chops and let them rest with a tented piece of foil for 5 minutes.

While the chops rest, add the spinach and olives to the bowl of tomatoes and toss to coat well. Time to plate.

I added some of the tomato balsamic juice from the bottom of the salad bowl on top of the chops. Here is a close up:

Here is a close-up of the salad:

So there you have it, a great way of making veal loin chops under 30 minutes!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe long holiday weekend. I am cooking and posting on Saturday and will have a post on Monday from a new restaurant here in Woodstock, GA.

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Roasted Leg of Lamb Marinade

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup dry red wine

3 tablespoons minced  garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons rosemary

6 lb leg of lamb, trim the fat

In a bowl, combine mustard, red wine and garlic.

Whisk and slowly drizzle in olive oil to form an emulsion.

Whisk in the herbs, salt and pepper.

Place the lamb in a large plastic bag and cover with marinade.

Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Be sure to turn the bag occasionally.

Baby Potatoes

2- 3 pounds baby potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper

No hazelnuts – I think I had one too many glasses of wine while I was setting up the picture for Jen to to take.

In a bowl, add all the ingredients above minus the potatoes.

Toss in potatoes and mix well coating them evenly. Set aside and let rest.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the lamb in a large roasting pan and let roast for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spread the potatoes around the lamb. Return to the oven and roast for about one hour.

Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a platter to rest for 15 minutes before you carve it. Return the potatoes to the oven and continue to cook while the meat rest and you finish the rest of the meal.

Garlic and Hazelnut Green Beans

2 cups green beans, trimmed

1 shallot, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

salt and pepper

In a skillet roast the hazelnuts over medium heat.

In a pot combine garlic, shallot, olive oil, and lemon zest.

Add green beans and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in hazelnuts and let rest for 1 – 2 minutes before serving.

Time to serve the complete meal.

Here is how I did the plating:

Here is a close-up of the green beans:

Here is a close-up of the lamb:

This was a great get away for Jen and me. I am still stuffed from all the food we ate and Jen made me AWESOME french toast on Saturday morning (I was even served BACON!).

Time has flown by for us but I am one lucky guy and Jen, I love you!

Happy 1 year Anniversary!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Bone-In Pork Chops with Peach and Mustard Sauce

4 bone-in pork chops

olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 cup whole-grain mustard

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

3/4 cup peach preserves

1 tablespoon bourbon

salt and pepper

Brush the pork chops with olive oil and seaon with salt and pepper. Set aside and pre-heat your grill on high.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the vinegar and boil which will almost completely reduce in about 4 minutes.

Now add whole-grain mustard.

Add Dijon mustard.

Add peach preserves.

Whisk to combine and jam has melted.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in bourbon and teaspoon of salt.

While the sauce is resting time to grill the pork chops.

Grill on each side for 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and brush the peach/mustard sauce on each pork chop.

Baste the sauce on the pork chops every 5 minutes for 15 minutes. Remove the pork chops from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Here is how I plated the chops.

Here is a semi-close up:

And here is the real close-up:

Jen made the salad which I love so it was light dinner but very good. This recipe would go very well with chicken as well.

Now before I close I have had several people ask about the cake. Well, as many of you know I am not a baker fan because I don’t like how everything has to be perfect. I did a cake in the box but did add my own little twist and here is a picture of Jen making her wish (or should I say wishes):

Happy Cooking!

Let’s Cook!

Rosemary Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 package pork tenderloin

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, cracked

4 springs fresh rosemary

kitchen string

kosher salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Trim as much as the silver skin off the tenderloins (if you get it all off ,you need to visit my kitchen as I have some meat in the freezer you can take care of for me). Place the tenderloins on a foil covered cookie sheet and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cut small slits into the meat (about 4 per tenderloin) and disperse chunks of cracked garlic into meat. Next add the sprigs of rosemary.

Fold the other tenderloin on top of the rosemary covered meat. Using the kitchen string tie the tenderloin together.

Coat the outside with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Once the meat is done, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before carving.

For this dinner, I made white rice and a house salad. Here is a picture of the complete meal.

Here is the close-up:

Now one of the things I love about cooking is how you can make a dish better the next time you cook it. I told Jen tonight, “You know this could use a little lemon.” The more I cook the more I am able to combine different flavors to bring out the best in a dish, in this case the pork tenderloin. Tomorrow’s post will be a seafood dish which I have has been requested often. I will also post the Vegas pictures on Thursday evening so be sure to check that out!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon onion, minced

2 Tablespoon butter

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup cold butter, sliced

1 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2-4 chicken breast, boneless and skinless

Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

8 oz Capricho de Cabra or goat cheese

Mince the garlic and onion and add to a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.  Cook until garlic and onions are tender–about 3-5 minutes.

Squeeze juice from one whole lemon (which is approximately 1/4 cup of lemon juice as a general rule of thumb) into a measuring cup and then add 1/2 cup white wine.  I used Chardonnay but just realized I forgot to add it to the ingredients picture, so imagine you saw it in the main picture.

Stir the wine and lemon guice into the skillet, increase the heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce the mixture by half.  Then add the cold butter one slice at a time.  I usually split the butter into to tablespoon servings to add them to the mixture.  Here’s what it looks like once you get most of the butter added:

Time to start the chicken now.  Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, and put on the grill over high heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Time to finish the sauce.  Once you have combined all of the butter slices into the sauce, add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, basil, kosher salt and white pepper. 

Stir the ingredients together and remove from heat.  Set aside.

A few minutes before the chicken is finished grilling, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast and allow about 2 minutes for the cheese to melt slightly.

Now it’s time to finish the meal.  I decided to do my plating with mashed potatoes on the bottom, green beans on top of that, the chicken with cheese above that, and everything is topped off with the sun dried tomato sauce.

And the close up:

Thomas absolutely loved this dish and I would really encourage you to try it.  I love it anytime I am able to re-create a dish we have had in a restaurant at the house.  I hope you enjoy and I promise you won’t be disappointed.  The Cooking Husband will return with another recipe tomorrow, and be on the look out for the pictures of the meals from Vegas later this week.

Happy Cooking!

French Style Chicken in Dutch Oven

1 whole chicken, giblets removed and discarded

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 small celery stalk, chopped

6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pre-heat oven to 250. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

In the dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil until just smoking.  Add the chicken breast-side down. Scatter the onion, celery, garlic, bay lead, and rosemary around the chicken.

Cook until the breast is lightly brown which takes about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon and insert into the cavity of the chicken, flip breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are slightly brown which takes another 5 minutes.

Remove the dutch oven from the heat and place a large sheet of foil over the pot, then cover tightly with the lid and transfer to the oven.

Bake chicken for an hour and half. Once the chicken shows 160 degrees transfer the chicken to a serving plate.

Cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from the pot throught a mesh strainer.

Add lemon juice and pour into a pan and set over low heat.

Time to make the eggplant.

Sauteed Eggplant and Roasted Garlic

1 eggplant

1 onion, sliced

1 head of garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Add garlic to foil

Wrap in foil the garlic and add to the oven (I did this while the chicken was cooking).

Cut the eggplant in slices then, slice the eggplant into 1/4″ slices.

In the saute pan add onions, roasted garlic, and eggplant with olive oil.

Cook until eggplant is cooked.

Time to make this meal complete. Take the jus sauce from the chicken and pour into a serving dish.

Here is the final plating:

This was a great Sunday dinner and even though it took awhile to cook, I did enjoy it.

Happy Cooking!

Blue Cheese Flank Steak In The Crockpot

1 1/2 to 2 lb flank steak

1/4 cup unbleached flour

1 onion, sliced

1/4 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Chianti wine (the rest for when you get home to drink)

1 package of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup blue cheese

kosher salt and pepper to taste

Seaon flank steak with salt and pepper then coat both sides with flour. Place in bottom of the crockpot so the steak lays flat.

Spread onion slices and mushrooms over the top.

Whisk together beef broth and wine in a bowl. Pour over the meat.

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Cook on low for 8 hours. When you get home add blue cheese and stir to the crockpot.

Dinner is done! Here is how I presented the final plate:

The close up:

I really hope you enjoyed crockpot week! I will have to do this again since I have had several request via email. Tomorrow night is date night for Jen and I, but I will be cooking over the weekend! TGIF!!!!

Happy Cooking!