A Brand New Year

I can't believe that it has been so long since my last post.
Looking back on this past year has been full of many wonderful moments to reflect on.
There have also been some very emotional raw moments that have taken the wind out of my sails on some days.
I've let my sails flap a little too long without direction.
It's time for me to make a move so to speak and take charge, so, I'm back!
I may not post every day, but I would like to make a commitment to post a recipe at least once a week. Hopefully, for those of you who haven't given up on me you will look forward to seeing my posts come every Monday.

As always I love to hear from you. If you would like me to post a recipe that you have seen me post a picture of on pinterest or facebook, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to share the recipe with you!

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

8 Chicken Thighs on the bone with skin on

salt and pepper

rosemary 

2 lemons, juiced

2 tsp capers 

4 cloves garlic, smashed

5 cups baby spinach leaves

1 can of artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup liquid (water or chicken stock)

1/2 cup white wine * optional

In a pan that is large enough to cook all the chicken heat up enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  I cook the chicken on a medium heat level.

Season each piece of chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary leaves.

Place the chicken skin side down in the pan and let the chicken skin get nice and crispy. Let it cook. Do not try to turn it right away.  After about 10 minutes, when it is ready, the chicken will kind of release itself. The skin should be nice and crispy and you should have a beautiful golden brown color on each piece of chicken. Turn each piece of chicken over and continue to cook. Add the smashed garlic to the pan.  Add the juice from the 2 lemons, scraping the bottom of the pan to help it deglaze. Add a little bit of water at this time if needed. Add the capers, wine and artichoke hearts and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through. Depending on the size of the chicken thighs, usually about another 15 minutes.  If you need more liquid add some chicken stock or some water. 

You don't want the chicken to be covered with the liquid, you just want there to be some liquid in the pan.

When the chicken is done, (clear juices runs by the bone) spoon the chicken and it's juices over the spinach. The spinach will wilt, and you will have a delicious tasting dish. It's so easy to make and everyone will enjoy it. 

If you would like to use chicken breasts rather than thighs please adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Buon Appetito

xoxoxo

Lorraine

Veal Chops

I love Veal Chops. I will sometimes make them caprese style, but wanted something a little different. I sent my husband out for mushrooms and he came home with some beautiful Porcini mushrooms. I wanted to make these on the grill, but we were having some very funky weather in New York, severe lightening and thunder storms with heavy rain. I was not going to stand out in the rain with an umbrella!
These were very simply prepared, seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary. They were seared in a very hot pan with an equal amount of olive oil and butter. 3 minutes on each side gave the chop a beautiful color! I finished them in a 375 degree preheated oven, until they reached an internal temperature of 150. I let them rest for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven (this helps the meat stay nice and juicy) and served them with a champagne, mushroom and onion sauce. (Could this be a demi glaze?) Delicious! Recipe for my sauce is below!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Buon Appetito!
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Sauce
4 Tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
2 Tablespoons of flour
veal stock, 1 cup or more
red wine, 1/2 cup
salt, 1 teaspoon
pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
rosemary, a fresh sprig, leaves removed from stem
1 medium onion sliced thin
1/2 cup porcini mushrooms
1 tsp orange zest* optional

Start your sauce by melting the butter and mixing in the flour until you have a little bit of a paste.
In a separate pan saute onions in a little bit of butter until they are golden.
 Add the veal stock to the butter and flour mixture and mix with a wire whisk.  Add the onions and now add the sliced porcini mushrooms.
Add the wine and season with salt, pepper and rosemary. At this time I added the orange zest. Let the sauce reduce, over a low flame.  If it is too thick add more stock. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking. You should not taste the alcohol from the wine, it should have cooked off.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Stuffed Pork Roast

This recipe for a stuffed pork roast will rock your world. It's actually pretty simple, but it is so scrumptious!
This roast was cut in half down the center. If it hadn't been sliced that way I would have made a pocket to stuff the roast. I almost prefer it with a pocket because it holds in more of the stuffing.
For this recipe you will need

one boneless pork roast
fresh rosemary
prosciutto
olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh spinach
bacon
sliced provolone cheese

Start preparing the roast by season all pieces of the meat with salt and pepper. I like to rub the inside of the meat with some olive oil.
On the bottom piece of the roast layer the sliced prosciutto. We like the smokey flavor, so I used about a 1/4 pound.
Next layer some fresh spinach leaves, pile on as much as you can because during the cooking process the spinach will shrink to nothing, and then top that with some sliced provolone. Use as much as you need!  Season with some fresh rosemary.

Now it's time to tie the roast together. We used thread, lots and lots of thread...I forgot to ask the butcher for some string, and besides, my mother always used thread and it always worked for her, so if  there's no string use sewing thread!  Just don't pull a Bridget Jones and use some funky color that will bleed all over everything! lol

Once you have your roast secured, it's time for the bacon. Just lay your strips of bacon across the top of the roast, so that they cover the top and fall on each side.  Bake the roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 degrees, and cook your roast for approximately 20 minutes per pound. 

For the gravy we simply made an au jus with the drippings from the pan. Yummy!

I regret not taking a picture of the roast before we cut it up and put it on the table. It was so scrumptious! If you look at the next picture you can spot the sliced roast on a serving platter on the table. It was enjoyed by all!

Thanks for stopping in. Have a great day and most of all, have fun in the kitchen!

xoxoxo

Lorraine