Ruby Red Clam Sauce

So it's the weekend before Thanksgiving and you have lots of family coming in? Maybe the cousins from Detroit or the kids are home from college? Well, they all want to eat and but who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen right before the most labor intensive cooking day of the year?

I learned this fast, little cheat of a recipe from Ruby Menozzi, a Florida friend from Upstate New York. Ruby and her husband Ed come from huge families and they are used to feeding a lot of people, without being stuck behind a stove.

This easy recipe feeds a crowd with little effort because it relies on ingredients such as canned clams, tomato juice, and tomato paste. In fact, Ruby uses garlic from a jar and dried parsley- but even I couldn't go that far! (But it could be done!)  If someone feels that bad about cheating with canned clams, run to Sam's Club or Costco and get some frozen clams. Steam them and stick the shells on the top when it served - but wait - who wants to go to all that trouble!

Ruby Menozzi's Red Clam Sauce - Serves 8

Ingredients:

Several glugs of olive oil - enough to cover the bottom of a large pot to about 1/8 inch
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 whole head of garlic, each clove peeled and put through a press or finely minced
1 (46 oz.) can tomato juice
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (6 oz.) can chopped clams
1 (10 oz.) can whole clams
1 pound of pasta cooked according to package directions

Directions:

Put oil in pan and warm it up over medium heat. Add pepper flakes, oregano and parsley. After they sizzle for 30 seconds, add the garlic and saute for another 30 second.

Pour in the tomato juice. Whisk in the tomato paste. Add the chopped clams along with the juice.

Turn the heat down to low and allow the mixture to simmer for an hour or so.

About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, drain and add the can of whole clams. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit of the liquid from the clams and some water. Simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti, linguine, or even zucchini zoodles.

Decadent Gorgonzola Pasta with Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

This lusciously rich dish is made for self indulgence times when someone, perhaps yourself, really needs a reward!  I was introduced to this luxurious Gorgonzola pasta sauce about five years ago when Roy and I were in Chicago. Chicago is a great town, but the weather is cold and windy if it isn't late spring or summer.  Plus, it always takes longer to get somewhere than the GPS indicates - and even with a GPS, a visitor can get lost. At the end of a day of driving around to different meetings, Roy asked a business acquaintance about good restaurants close by.  He gave Roy the name of a couple of Italian ones and we picked the easiest one to navigate to.  I usually try to avoid too many carbs and typically order just a meat dish, but that night I succumbed to pasta with Gorgonzola sauce because I thought I had earned it!  The sauce in this post is not any harder to make than a regular Alfredo sauce and the beef tenderloin is also super easy to make.  Go ahead - you deserve it!

Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce and Grilled Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

Four Servings

Grilled Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

1 pound beef tenderloin

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

Make a "paste" out of the garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Rub the mixture into all surfaces of the beef.  Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before grilling over medium heat, 10 minutes per side.  Or, bake in a preheated 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  A George Foreman grill could also be used.

After taking it off the grill, let the meat sit for five minutes before slicing it on the bias.

Gorgonzola Pasta Sauce

1 cup cream

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon pepper

(pinch salt only if needed to your taste)

8 oz. linguine or other pasta cooked according to package directions

Melt butter over medium low heat and saute rosemary just until the butter starts to brown.

Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture bubbles. Continue to cook another two minutes, stirring constantly.  Don't let the mixture get to a full - out boil.  Take off the heat and add the Gorgonzola crumbles and grated Parmesan cheese a little at a time, stirring until smooth.

Place the hot cooked pasta on a serving platter or individual plates and pour the Gorgonzola sauce over it.  Arrange the sliced beef tenderloin on top.  Garnish with a bit of rosemary and some additional cheese crumbles if you still have some left.  A simple green salad would round it out.

Savory Pumpkin Stuffed Pasta Shells

     Yesterday, I returned to the Midwest after helping Jenn get settled in Southern California.  It's like a different world out there: palm trees line the streets, the temperature hovers around the 70s, and the sunshine is like liquid gold.  Once in a great while, a rare deciduous tree is seen with changing leaves, but for the most part, the area is void of the sensory sights associated with fall. However, people still decorate their homes and shops with life-like looking colored leaves, burlap, and gourds.  The restaurants were all offering autumn salads that featured roasted squash and pumpkin seeds. It occurred to me that whatever part of the country one is in, people still love to celebrate the change of seasons.  Although "Falling for Fall" is spoofed, I confess I tumble in too!  Right now I'm into dishes that highlight squash and autumn colors like the one in this post.  Although the sauce is rich, it has so much flavor that you can drizzle it sparingly on the stuffed shells and not feel guilty! 

Savory Pumpkin Stuffed Pasta Shells

Ingredients for 12 stuffed shells:

12 jumbo pasta shells

2 cups canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Cook the pasta shells in boiling water according to the package directions.  While they are cooking, combine the pumpkin, shallots, sage, garlic, salt and pepper.  When the pasta shells are ready, drain and rinse with cool water.  Stuff each shell with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture.

Cover a baking sheet with foil and a bit of cooking spray.  Place the stuffed shells on the sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  While they are baking, prepare the parmesan sauce.

Ingredients for sauce

2/3 cup whipping cream

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons white wine

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 cups of arugula for "bed" to rest shells on

Directions:

Place cream, butter, and wine into pan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium low heat for about 2 minutes until well blended and mixture bubbles.  Take off the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

Place the arugula on a serving platter. Arrange the baked stuffed shell on top.  Drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle the nuts and chopped sage on top.  Pass the remaining sauce at the table.



Scallops for Your Sweetie

         This easy but elegant dish has a connection to romance.  The scallop shell is known to be a symbol of the Roman goddess for love - Venus.  Apparently, it's usually part of any painting which portrays her. So what could be better to serve on Valentine's Day than this twist on the classic French dish "Scallops Provencal"? I love mixing it up by adding tomatoes and serving it over pasta. However, this is also very good just on its own - served in a bowl with some warm French bread to dip in the juices.  

Ingredients for four to six people:

3 shallots

2 tablespoons butter

4 garlic cloves

2 to 3 tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 cup dry white wine (or substitute chicken broth)

1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using chicken broth)

2 pounds scallops

1 small bunch fresh parsley

1 lemon

1/2 box (8 oz.) angel hair pasta, cooked according to directions

Directions

Remove the skin and dice the shallots.  Peel the garlic cloves and put them through a press.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the shallots.  Saute the shallots over medium low heat until they are soft.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

While the shallots are cooking, chop enough parsley to fill 1/4 cup and squeeze half of the lemon.  Set these aside and then dice the tomatoes.

When the shallots and garlic have finished cooking, add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and wine (or chicken broth).  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

While tomato mixture is simmering, rinse and drain the scallops.  If they are large sea scallops, cut them in half or quarters.  Then add them to the simmering pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until they are opaque throughout.  Try not to over cook them or they will get rubbery.

When scallops are done, add the juice from half of the lemon and the 1/4 cup chopped parsley.  Serve over hot pasta or in a bowl with some crusty French bread. Slice the remaining half of the lemon and use it along with any leftover parsley as garnishes.

Spinach Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells - Comfort Food!

This has been a favorite family recipe for years.  The savory sauce is light, tangy and just zings when paired with the satisfying ricotta cheese spinach filling of the pasta.  It was a cold and snowy today – just the right night for this comforting yummy dish!

Spinach Cheese Stuffed Shells

You will need a 12 oz. box of jumbo pasta shells – cook half of them according to the package directions.  A good time to do this would be while sauce is simmering and you are mixing up the spinach cheese filling.

Ingredients for the Sauce:

1 pound ground beef (optional)

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves put through a press or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Brown the ground beef and onion or medium low heat and drain the oil.  (This would be a good time to microwave the spinach for the filling – directions are below)  If using fresh garlic add it to beef and cook for 30 seconds before adding the rest of the ingredients.  (If not using ground beef, sauté fresh garlic in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 30 seconds and then add the rest of the ingredients) Simmer about 10 minutes or so while you combine the ingredients for the cheese spinach filling and cook the jumbo pasta shells

Ingredients for Spinach Filling
1 pound (16 oz.) ricotta cheese (I use part skim)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Cook spinach in microwave according to the package directions.  Squeeze/drain the excess water out of the spinach and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Directions for constructing this dish:

Stuff each shell with a heaping tablespoon of the filling.

  Arrange the shells in a baking dish.  Spoon the sauce over the stuffed shells.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Time Saver for Mexican: Mix Up a Mix

This post shares my all time favorite spice mix and 12 great recipes to use it in!

I love to mix a big batch of this up and put it in jar so I can grab it in a hurry.

Tex/Mex Spice Mix

The basic proportions:

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

I/2 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1.  Mexican Chicken (or pork chops, tenderloin, steak)

Rub the spice mix into chicken breasts and bake (or grill!) at 350 degrees for about an hour. 

Quick thing to do with above meat - Top each piece of cooked meat with a tablespoon of salsa and a tablespoon of shredded cheese and broil until cheese melts.

Hint: I try to double the amount of meat I need so I can put half in a zip lock freezer bag  - then I have frozen cooked meat on hand to use in any of the following recipes – quickly!

2.  Easy Fajitas: 

Bake/broil the chicken above.

Mix together:1/2 cup olive oil1/4 cup white vinegar1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon garlic powder1/4 teaspoon oregano

Slice different colors of peppers (green, red, yellow) in strips – about a large pepper and a half in total.  Thinly slice a large onion.  Put the peppers and onions in microwave safe bowl along with the oil and vinegar mix above and cook in microwave for 5 minutes.

Slice the baked chicken and put in a serving dish along with the micro-waved onion/pepper mix.

Serve as fajitas with tortillas, shredded cheese, drained and rinsed can of black beans that are also heated in microwave for about 4 minutes.  Or serve on salad.

Hint: If I ever see peppers on sale, I double this, throw half in a freezer bag, and freeze so it’s quicker next time.

3. Cheesy Chicken Sonora Pasta - o.k., I know this calls for processed cheese - but this is really yummy - get the 2% Velveeta if you feel guilty!

Bake/broil chicken above

Make Sauce:

 One 15 oz. undrained can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

24 ounces of cubed Velveeta cheese

One 15 oz. can of drained and rinsed black beans

Put in a pan over low heat until cheese melts – stir every now and then and watch the bottom of the pan and make sure sauce is not burning.

Boil penne pasta according to package directions (I use brown or whole grain)

Toss cooked pasta with cheese sauce. Put on serving platter and top with sliced chicken.  Garnish with chopped tomatoes and sliced green onions.

4.  Mexican Chicken (or pork!) with Tomatillo Sauce - Making this sauce takes a little more effort, yet it's not difficult - I just make sure I freeze some in a ziplock bag for next time!

Tomatillo Sauce

      1 pound or about 11 medium fresh tomatillos or 2 (13oz.) cans tomatillosChopped green chilies (2 small serranos or jalapenos) or 2 tablespoons canned green
6 chopped springs cilantro1 small onion chopped1 large clove of minced garlic or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder1 tablespoon of olive oil2 cups chicken or beef broth

Wash and husk tomatillos. Boil in salted water to cover along with green chilies for 10 minutes. (Don’t do this if using canned) Put in food processor (or blender if you don’t have processor) along with cilantro, onion, and garlic. Process but leave some texture.

Heat the oil in skillet over medium high heat until hot. Pour all the tomatillo mixture in at once and stir constantly for 4 minutes.  Then add the broth, return to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes  - stir every so often so it won’t burn.

Put chicken breasts (or pork) prepared in #1 above on plate and top with:

Tomatillo sauce, Some drained/rinsed/heated black beans, Some shredded pepper jack cheese

5.  Arizona Chicken and Rice

Season uncooked chicken (or pork or tenderloin) with spice mix

Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and brown meat on both sides (can skip)

Take meat out of pan for a moment and put aside

To the pan add:

1 minced onion

2 shallots (optional)

2 minced cloves of garlic

2 cups rice (brown quick cook or whatever)

Sauté above in the pan for a moment then add and stir in:

2 cans (15 oz.) of chicken broth

Then place the chicken back in the pan, cover the pan with foil or a lid and cook for about 20 more minutes or until the chicken and rice are completely cooked. Before serving sprinkle a little bit of parsley on top for color.  You could also just throw every thing in an oven safe dish, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until rice is done.

6.  Clean and Healthy Tostadas (Adapted from The Family Chef by Jewels and Jennifer Elmore)

Rub chicken breasts with above spice mix. Broil, bake, or grill chicken.

Spray foil lined cookie sheet with Pam and put corn tortillas on it.  Lightly spray the top of the tortillas also. Lightly sprinkle tops with chili powder for a little color if you want to.  Carefully bake at 350 for about 10 minutes to crisp them up – might have to turn them over at some point. They can burn pretty fast.

Rinse and drain 15 oz. can of black beans. Put in microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and 2 teapsoons of Tex/Mex spice mix from above. Microwave 4 minutes.

Make salad:

¼ head cabbage¼ head lettuce1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped2 chopped tomatoes1 sliced avocado (I dip the slices in the vinegar from the onions below so they don’t get brown)Pickled red onion 

To make pickled red onions place following ingredients in a bowl and let sit at least 10 minutes:1 red onion thinly sliced¾ cup vinegar (addition of 1/4 teaspoon each salt & sugar optional)

To make dressing for salad mix ¼ cup of vinegar used for red onions with ½ cup of olive oil

To assemble: place crisped tortilla on plate top with salad, beans, sliced chicken, pickled red onion, shredded Mexican cheese blend, and sprinkle with some salad dressing.

7.   White Bean Chili:

                                        

Two 15 oz. cans of chicken brothOne 15 oz. can butter beans, rinsed and draiOne 15 oz. can great northern beans, rinsed and drained2 cooked and diced chicken breastOne diced onion2 diced stalks of celery2 tablespoons of Tex/Mex seasoning mixture from above

Using about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté onion and celery until tender. (Sometimes I just put the onion, celery and a little olive oil in a microwave safe bowl covered by a plate or wax paper and microwave it for about 4 or 5 minutes)   Add everything else, bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so.                 

Serve with shredded pepper jack  cheese  on top.

8.  Chicken  Soup: 

At the lake - Some of Alli's buddies enjoying Mexican soup

2 cooked and diced chicken breasts

2 (15 oz.) cans of chicken broth

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1(15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz. can diced tomatoes with the juice

1 medium sized yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons Tex/Mex seasoning from above 

Using about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté onion, celery, and carrots until tender. (See the microwave trick in #7 above)

Add everything else to sauted veggies above, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes or so.

Serve with tortilla chips, diced up avocado.  You can also add cooked rice to this if you want.

9.  Chili:

  One pound of hamburger 

 1 diced onion

 One 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes 

 One 15 oz. can of tomato sauce  

 One 15 oz. can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

 1 tablespoon of Tex/Mex seasoning

Brown a pound of hamburger along with some diced onions. (Leave some diced onions out to serve on top of finished chili.) Drain the grease.  Add everything else and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, fritos, oyster crackers, sour cream for toppings

10.  Taco Meat:  (When you forgot to buy that easy little taco seasoning packet at the store!)

1 pound of hamburger,browned and drained

One 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of Tex/Mex seasoning from above

Serve with taco shells, shredded cheese, diced tomato, shredded lettuce etc.

11.  Enchiladas

Combine and let simmer for 10 minutes:

                                          Two 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce

                                      2 tablespoons olive oil

                                      2 tablespoons Tex/Mex Seasoning

 

Measure out 1 ½ cups of the above sauce and set aside.  To the sauce that is left add:

            2 diced cooked chicken breasts

            1 diced tomato

            2 tablespoons canned green chilies (1 small can has 4 tablespoons)

            1 pound of shredded cheddar jack cheese

           One 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes drained and cut up.

Mix the sauce that was set aside with another 15 oz can of drained stewed tomatoes and another 2 tablespoons of canned greened chilies.   

Put some sauce mixture on bottom of baking dish.  Put filling in flour tortillas and place in pan.  Cover with the rest of the sauce. Bake 350 for about an hour.  Put some shredded cheddar jack cheese on top the last 5 minutes of baking time.

12. Uncle Michael’s Guacamole:               

  2 or 3 avocados

  ¼ cup salsa

 2/3 teaspoons of Tex/Mex spice mix

  2 teaspoons lemon Juice

 (Jenn adds 1 tablespoon finely diced onions and diced tomato)

I like to use  the bottom of a wide glass and smash the above all together in a bowl.