Spicy Sausage, Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Pizza topped with Sauteed Sage and Garlic

Who doesn't love pizza? I can say with all honesty that I have never yet in my life met a person who has told me, "Ew, I'm not into pizza." There is something about the chewy comfort of the crust, the melty gooeyness of the cheese, and the sweet spiciness of a sprinkling of toppings that really feeds the soul, you know? Furthermore, anyone can feel successful making pizza. If baking is a science, then cooking is an art - and there is no better food to get artistic with than pizza. Layer! Load! Experiment!

Since it is now officially autumn, hard squash has become the new star in my kitchen. Butternut, acorn, pumpkin, delicata - it's all inspiration for fall-flavored dishes. My squash obsession has rendered some pretty interesting entrees in ghosts of kitchen past, but never so interesting as the pizza which I made for this post. Lightly oiled and roasted butternut squash, sweet caramelized onions, spicy sausage, white cheddar cheese, and crispy sage and garlic come together over a beer-flavored crust in this recipe. My husband loved it so much that I had to sneak a piece away so I'd have lunch the next day before he ate it all.

Inspiration for this recipe found at Oh My Veggies. 

Ingredients:

• Premade pizza dough ball (I used Portland Pie Company's Beer Dough-way better than my homemade!)
• 1/2 butternut squash
• 3-4 tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 sausage links (removed from casings)
• Fresh sage
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and halve butternut squash, then chop into small cubes. You will only need half of the squash - I cut up the other half and put it in the fridge for the next night's meal.  Then, put into a  9 x 11" baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Shake to make sure all the squash is evenly coated. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes. 
2. Now it's time to caramelize the onions. Chop the onion in thin slices and cook in 2 tbs olive oil over low heat in a covered saute pan for one hour. Stir occasionally until onions begin to brown, then stir more frequently to avoid burning. 
3. While the onions and squash cook, brown sausage in a small pan over medium-low heat. Set aside.
4. In another small pan, saute the sage and garlic until just crispy. Set aside. 
   
5. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pizza dough over a pizza stone. Brush lightly with olive oil. When the squash and onions are cooked, top the dough with cheese, sausage, onion, and squash. Then add a little more cheese - why the heck not? Cook for 18 - 20 minutes.
6. Before serving, top pizza with the sage and garlic. Then, bon apetit! 
   

This pizza is so good, I think I could eat it at least 3 nights in a row. The roasted squash and caramelized onions are totally worth the extra TLC they require to make this pie truly incredible. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Eat well, always,

Deidre

Home-Grown Tomato Sauce: From Garden to Stovetop to Pantry

This year I grew my very first garden. If you have read the Gourmet Weekday recently, then you have probably seen a photo or two of my highly prized veggies. I have been nurturing these plants since May, first as tiny seedlings which cluttered all of the windowsills inside my home, then as fragile sprouts left to weather the elements outside after I planted them, and finally as fully grown plants which are producing - well, the fruits of my labor. 

If you can't tell, I have become very attached to my garden. Of course, nature happens (so do inexperienced gardeners), and many of the plants have died before their time. I lost most of my zukes and summer squash to a beetle invasion, and an entire row of string beans got eaten by a gopher whose time on this earth is limited, if I have anything to do with it.  And it nearly broke my heart when I went outside after one of last week's violent storms to find two of my tomato plants uprooted, and the tomatoes smushed into the mud with creepy beetles crawling all over them. 

Still, I have been so blessed with a bountiful garden. Despite the tomato plant disaster, I still have an entire row of tomatoes which are growing, growing, growing. Heirlooms, Beefsteak, Cherries, Romas. They are producing faster than this little husband-wife duo can consume! 

 I have given some away to friends and chopped tons up and thrown them into every meal I've made, but I am still swamped with them. I couldn't stand to see a single tomato go to waste. So I did what any self-respecting gardener-in-training would do and I asked my mom how to can stuff.

My mom sent me home with her water-bather, which is used to boil and seal canned goods.

 The thing is huge. After I was done using it, I had to have my husband put it in the bathtub to cool so I could use the stovetop to cook supper!  Now, this was my first time ever canning something, and I haven't tried out the canned sauce yet, so for this blog's purposes, let's just focus on the making the sauce part. 

An American in Sicily wrote a wonderfully simple recipe for homemade tomato sauce, and this is the one which I followed to make my sauce. The entire process took about 2 1/2 hours, but once you make a big batch of homemade sauce (skip the whole canning process altogether if you'd rather and just freeze it), you will have it on hand for pastas, pizzas, and dipping for weeknights to come. This is a good Sunday afternoon project, and it will make your entire kitchen smell incredible. 

So let's get started!

Ingredients

• TONS of fresh tomatoes. I hear Romas make a great sauce, but I just used a mixture of whatever I had on hand from my garden. I also didn't weigh the amount of tomatoes I used - just eyeball it, people :)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/3 dried herbs. I used basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
• 4-6 dried bay leaves
• 6-7 minced garlic cloves
• Salt

Directions

1. First thing's first: you have to chop up all of those tomatoes. In retrospect, I realized that it would have made much more sense to peel the tomatoes and also remove their seeds to avoid unwanted chunkiness that was difficult to strain. So do that, and then chop. Throw the chopped tomatoes into a large stockpot. 
2. Next, add all the other ingredients to the pot.
   
   
   
3. Mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Then, use a potato masher to mash up the large tomato chunks.
   
   
4. Cover, then bring the mixture to a boil.  Once the sauce is boiling, reduce heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover for last 20-30 minutes, which allows the sauce to thicken some. 
5. For this next step, a tomato strainer would come in very helpful. However, as an amateur sauce-maker, the best I could come up with was a strainer in a bowl. I say do what you gotta do. Carefully pour the sauce into strainer and, using a spatula, push the sauce through the strainer.                                                                                                                              
   
                                                                                                                                                         This will remove some of the large peels from the sauce. Straining for me was difficult, both because I didn't have a tomato strainer and because I didn't peel my tomatoes. Luckily my husband and I like our tomato sauce chunky!
   
6. Once you strain your sauce, taste test it. Does it need salt? More garlic? More wine? Maybe you'd like to add some onions before you add it to tonight's meal? Make these changes, and reserve what sauce you need for the meal at hand. Jar up the rest, and freeze or can it. 
   

I served my home-grown tomato sauce over a place of linguine with baked meatballs and a side of no-knead whole wheat bread. It was delizioso! How will you serve your sauce? Share your ideas and comments below!

Happy Saucing,

Deidre

Summer Steak Tip Salad with Dijon Dressing

Honesty is the best policy, so I think it's only right that I be straight up and tell you that this post was actually supposed to be for a different salad.  This salad included chunks of caramelized pears and pecans, crumbles of Gorgonzola, and spicy little baby arugula (my new favorite green!). It looked incredible and super gourmet but the fact is - I destroyed it. My husband forgot to bring home the arugula, so I replaced the green with spinach. He also could not find pecans - but I had a few almonds shoved in the back of my cupboard that I salvaged. Most horrifyingly, I burnt the caramel for the pears and discovered this fact only after I dropped all of the pears into the concoction, said, "What is that vile smell?" and tasted a chunk, only to feel like vomiting. 

So... there it is. I was forced to be a little innovative last night, like we all sometimes must. Luckily, my fridge was jam-packed with fresh fruit and berries, and I was still able to make the delicious dressing that the original salad called for. 

I have found in my first year of marriage that the only sure-fire way to ensure that my husband will eat a salad without complaint is to throw some meat on top of it. This rule especially applies when the salad is the main course. For this reason, steak tips have become my best friend. They are quick-cooking, blend well with a vast variety of flavors, and are reliably delicious.  And let me tell you, I was glad to have them to hold my salad all together last night.

So here's the recipe for my new, spur-of-the-moment Summer Steak Tip Salad. Serve with the homemade Dijon dressing (original recipe here) or a light raspberry vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped spinach
• 1 chopped red delicious apple
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup almonds, pecans, or walnuts
• 3/4 lb steak tips, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil

For the dressing

• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 3 tbs red wine or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat until sizzling. Add steak to pan and saute 2-3 minutes on each side, or until it has reached desired temperature. My husband the Spicemaster helped here, and added a secret variety of spices which he never revealed.  My advice here is to just add lots of cracked black pepper, and then anything else you love to give it a juicy flavor kick.
2. Meanwhile, chop spinach, apple, and strawberries and layer ingredients in a large bowl. Top with the blueberries.
   
   
   
3. When steak is cooked, remove from pan with tongs and transfer onto the salad. Sprinkle with feta cheese and almonds.
4. The dressing can be made in advance, but I prefer it fresh as can be, and it's easy to whip up. Just add all the ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste test before serving - I decided to go a little heavier on the wine (surprise, surprise) to make sure the Dijon was not too overpowering. Serve on the side or drizzle over the top of the salad. 
   

Much to my delight, after I served my husband a large plate of this salad (which I overloaded with steak in an effort to ease the pain of having salad for dinner), he reached back into the bowl with the tongs and gave himself a hearty helping of spinach and said, "What? I gotta get my greens." 

Despite the original salad recipe being a flop, I was pleased with the way this one turned out. The sweet and savory combination of flavors made it satisfying and summery. And my husband finished it off after devouring his first serving, scooping out every last bit of healthiness out of the bowl. And so there you have it - men can eat just salad for dinner. 

Happy cooking,

Deidre

Spiced Beef Tenderloin with Mango Hot Pepper Salsa - HELLO flavor!

I need to come forward with a couple of confessions before we get this recipe rolling. Confession #1: My husband brought this meat home for me from Shield's Meats in Kennebunk (best meat in the world, by the way). I asked him to get me a small beef tenderloin, which I have cooked once before and felt quite comfortable doing again. Well, just after the moments I had prepared it and popped it in the oven to roast, my husband walked inside the house. The dialogue that followed went a little something like this:

"Is that apple pie I smell?" he asked in delight.

"No, that's the beef tenderloin."

"The beef tenderloin? What did you put on it?"

 I proceeded to describe the spice rub in glowing excitement. "I know, I know - it's a little different, but - I thought I would experiment a little."

"Wow baby... I don't know if I would choose filet mignon to experiment with."

"WHAT?! THAT'S FILET MIGNON?!!"

So there it is.  I cooked an entire meal not knowing that I was using the choicest of cuts of beef, not to mention the fact that beef tenderloin and filet mignon are from the same part of the cow. Some Gourmet I am. And at that point, panic set in - I felt a new desperation for the meal to be delicious.

Confession #2: My husband and I had differing feelings about the meal. He loved it - devoured his and then finished off mine, as a matter of fact. I, however, felt it was a little funky. The cinnamon with the beef created a flavor that my taste buds had never before experienced, and I spent the whole time trying to decide if I loved it or hated it.

Confession #3: I hate cilantro. I shouldn't have used it, and you shouldn't either if you don't like the flavor. That's all.

This meal is what I would call controversial, which I believe gives it some glamour. My charge to you is this: Know that you will be cooking with some expensive beef, and if your taste buds are timid, proceed with caution. Or try this recipe on grilled chicken. If you are feeling daring, innovative, and are truly ready for a Gourmet Weekday experience, then by golly, full steam ahead.

*This recipe is loosely interpreted from Fairchild's The Bon Apetit Fast, Easy, Fresh Cookbook (2008).

Ingredients
Mango Hot Pepper Jelly

• 1/3 cup hot pepper jelly
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2 cups chopped mango (about 2 mangoes)
• 1 3/4 cup chopped red onion
• Fresh cilantro (more or less depending on personal taste)

Spiced Beef Tenderloin

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed sea salt
• Olive Oil
• 2 (more if serving more than 2 people) 6-ounce beef tenderloin cuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Meanwhile, mix cinnamon, sugar, paprika and sea salt in a small bowl to create the spice rub for the beef. Brush beef with olive oil, then cover in the rub. Once the oven has preheated, place in small roasting pan (I like to line mine with tinfoil for easy clean-up), pop spiced beef in for 25 - 30 minutes, checking for doneness. * This is easy to overcook. Use a meat thermometer and check regularly to make sure you achieve the temperature you want. *

2. While the meat cooks, whip up the salsa. Whisk the jelly and lime juice together in a large bowl, then add the rest of the salsa ingredients and mix. 

3. When the meat is nearly done cooking, top with mango hot pepper salsa and pop back in the oven to warm it up. When the meat is cooked perfectly to your tastes, pull out of the oven and serve.

While this meal looks fancy, it is surprisingly easy. The part I had the most trouble with was simply peeling and chopping the dang mango. I hear you can buy it like that in the grocery store. What a concept. I served this with a pile of mashed potatoes sprinkled with green onion and roasted broccoli and summer squash. The summer squash is pictured below because, well - it's from my garden and I think it's just the most beautiful sight. Isn't it magnificent? 

I could go on and on about the splendors of eating veggies from your own garden, but I will spare you this time. I hope that you enjoy this recipe, and would love to hear your feedback and/or adaptations! What worked for you? What should we all try? 

Eat well, friends! 

- Deidre

York Community Food Pantry to Receive First Foodprint Donation from Maine Companies Maine Manufacturing, Cole Harrison

This morning, we here at the Fresh Food Frenzy Project are gearing up for our next donation to the community, and this time it will be even bigger than our first. Biannually, we offer the companies who receive our weekly fruit4theoffice fruit delivery service an opportunity to choose a local food pantry to be the recipient of all of the foodprints they have accumulated over the six-month period in an effort to show our customers appreciation. Companies collect these foodprints with each fruit box they receive. 

Two of the companies which we work with - Maine Manufacturing and Cole Harrison Insurance - have elected the York Community Food Pantry to be the recipient of their foodprints. The York Community Food Pantry is located in York, Maine and is a branch of the YCSA - York County Service Association - which also offers family services and runs a community thrift shop. Their mission is simple: "To extend hospitality to every York resident who turns to us in need" (YCSA, 2013). The food pantry is open for distribution and to volunteers on Thursdays from 12:30 pm -3:00 pm.  Donations and volunteers are welcomed.

Maine Manufacturing is located in Sanford, Maine and has been in operation since 2007. The company is responsible for the production and supplementation of various products which utilize GVS Filter Technology (GVS Group, 2014). Maine Manufacturing is donating a total of 210 servings of fruit to the York Community Food Pantry.

Cole Harrison Insurance is an independent insurance provider located in Kennebunk, Maine. The company was founded in 1882 and is a Trusted Choice Agent, and is one of the most reputable insurance providers in all of Southern Maine (Cole Harrison, 2014). Cole Harrison is donating a total of 105 servings of fruit to the York Community Food Pantry. 

It is because of our loyal customers like Maine Manufacturing and Cole Harrison Insurance that we were able to found the Fresh Food Frenzy Project this Spring. We hope to see this project continue to grow and make an impact in our surrounding Southern Maine communities. If you are interested in learning more about the Fresh Food Frenzy Project or signing your company up for weekly fruit4theoffice deliveries, visit our website at freshfruitfrenzy.com.

First Foodprint Donation Destination: Relay for Life of York County

We are happy to announce that our very first fruit donation for the Fresh Food Frenzy Project will be given to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of York County in Kennebunk, Maine on Saturday, June 21, 2014. The fruit donated will be used to help energize participants as the teams and individuals walk through the night around the Kennebunk High School track (4:00 PM to 6:00 AM!!) to honor, remember and raise money for all those people who have had, are now battling, or will be diagnosed with cancer. Special laps will include the Sun Savvy Sunsations, Colors of Hope (cancer colors), Survivor and Caregiver Victory Lap, Team Theme and Banner, Favorite Holiday, New England Sports Team, Duck Dynasty Camo and Hunter Orange, 70's Hippies and 80's Neon, Mr. and Mrs. Contest, Crazy Hat/Crazy Hair, Geeks and Nerds, Dance Party, and the final Pack the Track/Thank You/High Five! lap. 

The accumulation of all the foodprints of all people who have ordered fruit4me, veggies4u, or maine-ly4u boxes during the months of April or May will be donated at this event. We would like to specially thank the following people for their donations to the Fresh Food Frenzy Project and the Relay for Life:

Susan Hillman

Beth Gillepsie

Jeanne Martin

Erin Cannon

Nicole Rossics

Amanda Ruel

Rebecca Morse

A total of 155 foodprints - or servings of fresh fruit - will be donated to the cause thanks to these extremely wonderful people! 

Donations to the American Cancer Society support cancer research, support, and programs. There is still time to donate to the Relay for Life of York County. Visit

http://www.relayforlife.org/getinvolved/donate/index to sponsor a team, event, or to simply give to the cause. Also, participants could always use your encouragement - feel free to drop by the Kennebunk High School Track to cheer on these heroes! 

We are now taking suggestions for charities to donate to for the month of June. Comment below with your requests and ideas! 

Spinach Tortellini Soup with Zucchini Curls

Spring is in the air.  I know this because when I woke up this morning at 6 AM, the sun was already starting to peep up from the east.  There were robins in the yards poking in the mud looking for worms. The air had that fresh, muddy aroma that can only mean one thing: warmer weather.

I don't know about you, but I am more than ready for the sweet excitement that spring brings.  It signals us to have a fresh start, to try something new, to reassess where we are going and how much butter we are adding to our recipes. Something about a bikini looming in the near future makes me think that maybe my bedtime ritual of ice cream indulgence on the couch needs to be retired.

One thing that I am not ready to retire yet, however, is my repertoire of homemade soups. Now, I promise that as we move into spring and summer I will deliver all the light, fresh recipes you will surely crave; HOWEVER, I could not let the season slip away without sharing this one final favorite soup with you all.

I adapted this soup recipe from Prevention Magazine, which did an entire feature on four-ingredient soups.  I added an ingredient to their Spinach and Tortellini Soup - the zuke curls - but this soup is still amazingly simple and snappy. Give it a try and savor the final moments of being caught between soup and bikini weather.

What you'll need:

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 9 oz fresh cheese tortellini - I used tri-colored :)
• 6 oz fresh baby spinach
• 1 zuke
• Fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese

What to do:

1. Bring the chicken stock and 1 cup of water to a boil in a large pot.  
2. Meanwhile, peel zucchini and then make slender ribbons (they should resemble noodles) using a peeler.
3. Reduce heat and add zucchini and tortellini to liquid, simmering for about 6 minutes or until the pasta is tender. 
   
4. Stir in spinach and let it cook just until it is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and whatever else you find in the pantry. 
   
5. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley. Voila!
   

Now, I loved this soup and thought it was absolutely charming.  I added the zuke curls to beef up the stew (without using actual beef) and to sneak in some extra veggie value.  Despite it being jam-packed with goodness, my husband had still hoped for something creamier.  So, if you are like him and would like a creamier soup, you can combine cream or milk with the chicken stock.  Give it a try and tell me how it turns out!

Much love,

Deidre

Roasted Cauliflower, Pecan, and Sage Risotto

Oh my dear.  I had never tasted risotto before my experience with this recipe from Donna Hay's blog.  I cannot believe how outrageously good it is.  There is something about roasting things that brings out their soul-warming flavor and fills you up with good thoughts.  I broke what my mother described as "The Cardinal Rule of Hostessing" with this risotto: I made a recipe I had never tried before (ok, a food I had never even tried before) and served it to a guest.  Luckily I cater to lovely guests who would tell me my cooking was delicious even if they were choking it down.  But I think this time, it was definitely the real deal!

Rice isn't exactly my friend.  I am surprised how long it takes to reach al dente every single time I cook it.  It boils and simmers and I stir and stir, and the liquid evaporates and I add more and the rice is STILL all stubborn and crunchy.  The recipe I used suggests aborio rice. To be honest, I still don't know what aborio is but I do know that I used brown and, although it was delicious, it took nearly a lifetime to cook.  So if you know what aborio rice is and you have some, for goodness sake, use it!

Besides the rice mystery, this risotto is quick, easy, and - as my grandmother always used to say - scrumpt-diddly-umptious.  I really think she said it best.

What you'll need:

• 1/2 crown of cauliflower
• 2 tbs olive oil
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cupped chopped pecans
• 1 bunch sage
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups aborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry sherry (or any red wine you find in the cupboard, really)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 

What to do: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together oil, salt, pepper, and cauliflower until evenly coated and then lie flat on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, and then add the pecans and half of your sage and cook another 5-8 minutes or until everything is golden-brown and crispy. Set aside. 
   
2. Pour chicken stock into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  In another, large saucepan, melt butter and saute chopped onion until soft. Then, add the rest of the sage, the rice, and the sherry and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sherry is absorbed.  You'll know it's absorbed when your onions turn red and there is no liquid left in the pan. 
   
3. Next, using a ladle, scoop a cup of chicken stock at a time and gradually stir it into the rice mixture until you have added all of the chicken stock.  Stir continuously - about 25-30 minutes is you have the quick-cooking stuff, and a painstaking lifetime if you are like me with the brown rice - until the stock is absorbed and the rice is soft.  
4. Mix in the Parmesan and top with roasted cauliflower, pecan, and sage mixture. Voila!  A beautiful, gourmet side dish for your weeknight meal!
   

I served my risotto with pork chops roasted in a honey glaze and a crisp Caprese salad to invigorate the taste buds with a fresh snap on top of all that savory yumminess.  Add a little meat to this risotto and you've got yourself a main dish. Enjoy!

Much love,

Deidre

Savory Shrimp with Lemon Garlic Butter and Fresh Mint

I am always writing, "Create something colorful!" and, "Go crazy and make your own flavor pairings!" and, "Spice it up!" This week I decided to take my own advice and, balancing way out on the limb of my comfort zone, not only came up with some flavor pairings of my own but also de-skinned and de-veined some extremely raw shrimp with my bare hands. Yes, I know - it is utterly shocking.

While we are on the subject, let's have a little conversation about shrimp.  When you are given the option of buying shrimp that is all ready to go - cooked, peeled and deveined, I mean - and buying shrimp that looks like it just hopped out of the sea, wisely choose the first option. I chose poorly.  I was under the impression that buying raw shrimp would be fresher and more erm- culinary- than buying the ready-to-rumble shrimp.  It made me feel less guilty about buying it frozen.  After watching a terrifying tutorial on how to peel shrimp and hurriedly trying to pick off the crustacean legs plastered to my arm before my husband walked through the door, however, I concluded that while my experience very well may have made me into more of a woman, it also was not one I ever intend to relive. 

I was hesitant to post my recipe because I have not perfected it. I hemmed and hawed over it all week long.  But then I realized that, much the same as many things in life, if you wait forever for something to be perfect well... you'll be waiting forever.  I expect you'll be seeing a second edition of this recipe on The Gourmet Weekday in the future, but it will likely be a month or so before I recover enough from my shrimping trauma to give it another try. 

P.s. I wanted to use white wine as a base for my sauce, but all I could seem to rustle up was butter. If anyone has a chance to make it with wine, please share how it turns out!

What you'll need:

• 1/2 lb shrimp 
• 2 - 2 1/2 cup milk
• Crushed red pepper 
• 2 garlic cloves
• Juice and zest of an entire lemon
• 1/2 lb asparagus
• 1/4 sugar snap peas
• 4-5 tbs butter
• Black pepper and sea salt to taste
• 3 sage leaves
• Linguine, cooked al dente
• Fresh mint to garnish

What to do:

1.  Melt butter over medium-low heat in dutch oven (reserve 1-2 tbs for later). Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both sides in with the butter. Add shrimp to lemon-butter mixture.  Sprinkle sparingly with crushed red pepper, mix in chopped garlic, then allow shrimp to fully turn pink. 

2.   Add 1 1/2 cups of milk to pot and bring to a boil, being sure to stir regularly.  Turn heat down to low and allow sauce to simmer.

  

3.   Meanwhile, chop your asparagus into thirds.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté asparagus and sugar snap peas over medium heat until golden and crispy.  Then, set aside.

4.   Keep an eye on your scampi.  As it simmers, you will notice the sauce will thicken and reduce. When this happens, add the remainder of the milk and butter and stir frequently to be sure it does not burn. When your sauce is the consistency you want (shorter cook time if you like it to be thinner, longer cook time if you are looking for creamy), add asparagus, sugar snap peas, and sage.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

5.   Add linguine to pot and mix with scampi.  Allow to simmer 2 minutes, then remove from heat. 

6.  Place scampi on plate and garnish with lemon zest, fresh mint, and a twist of lemon. Serve and prepare to awe!

This dish was lighter than I imagined it would be.  I went a little crazy on the red pepper, which left my husband and I panting by the time the meal was over, but the mint and lemon left a refreshing snap on the palette.  This meals takes less than 20 minutes to whip together (if you don't have shrimp to de-leg, that is) and it is rich in protein and veggie-full nutrients! Give it a try and feel free to try to help me perfect it - comments are appreciated! 

Much love,

Deidre

Baked Potato Soup, Skinny Style

Baked potato soup is a beautiful thing.  The flavors of hearty russet potatoes, creamy milk and cheese, and crunchy bacon commingle in perfect harmony on your soup spoon.  But one of the drawbacks of this oh-so-good combinations is that it's, well.... it's super high in calories and fat.  Oh, the tastiest foods always are.

But I have a solution: Cauliflower.  Yep, that white broccoli copycat that you never quite know how to prepare will become the creamy base for your baked potato soup.  And trust me friends, you will love it. And you needn't even feel guilty after indulging.

I thank Skinnytaste for the delightful recipe I am about to share with you.  P.S. it's SO simple!

What you need:

• 2 large russet potatoes
• 1 small cauliflower crown, cut into florets
• 1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth (low sodium if you're feeling really health-nutty)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 10 tbsp reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar, but I think next time I'll try yellow for a more colorful pop!)
• 6 tbsp chopped chives (Scallions for me - shame on me for not knowing the difference)
• 3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (Turkey bacon would be healthier, but I used regular old bacon to avoid my husband starting a revolt)

What to do:

1. Bake those potatoes. Pop 'em in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour or so, or if you're in a hurry, you can microwave them by piercing a couple holes in each with a fork, wrapping them in a damp paper towel, and cooking for 7-10 minutes. After the potatoes cool, peel them.
2. While your potatoes cook, steam the cauliflower.  This should take about 15-20 minutes. Drain water out of pot, and then return the cauliflower to it.
   
3. Add the chicken broth, milk, and potatoes to the pot with the cauliflower and bring to a boil over medium heat.  If you have an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it is smooth.  If you don't, you can do what I did and pile it into your blender. It'll get the job done.
   
   
4. Return to the pot.  Add sour cream, half of the chopped chives (or scallions), and salt and pepper and cook on low for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove soup from heat and dish it out. Top each bowl with cheese, chives, and bacon, and serve! (Telling your family the soup has cauliflower? Optional.)

Yum, yum, yum.  Let me tell you something unbelievable: my husband knew there was cauliflower in this soup, and he still went back for seconds and THIRDS.  Who needs cream when you can have cauliflower?

Much love,

Deidre

Bold. Hearty. Comforting: French Beef Bourguignon Stew

* If you enjoy this recipe and would like to continue finding more wonderful, weekly recipes at the Gourmet Weekday, please support our local business and pick up your very own veggies4u box, which is stuffed with the fresh vegetable ingredients you need to make the recipes you find here into reality. 

Please, please, PLEASE do not ask me how to pronounce "Bourguignon." While this stew tastes authentic, my French pronunciation is not. Still, something about cooking with a deep red wine makes me want to tie my apron on tight and twirl around the kitchen, speaking in boisterous French (aka gibberish) and slathering goat cheese on a crusty baguette.  On second thought, maybe that's what drinking a deep red wine does to me.  Either way, making this meal was a delight.

There is something I must tell you up front: this Beef Bourguignon has to simmer for about 3 hours.  This fact is both beautiful and a pain in the butt - beautiful in that the long, slow simmer combines the flavors from the beef, broth, and vegetables into one magnificent creation, a pain in the butt in that who has 3 hours to make dinner? To ensure that no one is scared away by the lengthy cook time, I have also included a link to a slow cooker version that is similar to this one. Set it and forget it, if that's your style! 

I found the recipe for this stew on Beyond Wonderful. I adapted it a bit to fit my own kitchen and the ingredients that I rustled up, and also tried to make a healthier version.  I'm trying to ease out of my whole-stick-a-butter syndrome that I mentioned in my last post, and am having some success but haven't quite been able to quit cold turkey.

  Above: These cuts of meat are simple beef
stew meat, which I bought from
Shield's Meat and Produce
 for its great quality.
Plus it doesn't hurt that they cut it up for me!
Below: Instead of Burgundy, I used a Portuguese
 vinho tinto that had a slightly milder flavor.  

  

 What you need to feed 2: 

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 lb stew beef, cut into small pieces
• 2 cups egg noodles
• Ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups Burgundy (or another quality red drinking wine)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (or a dash of tomato pasta sauce will do!)
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 carrots, cut in half, and then quartered
• 2 tbs flour
• 1/2 lb brown mushrooms, halved
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 2 tbsp butter
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh parsley, to garnish

What to do:

1. First thing first: fry up that bacon! Use a large skillet so the grease does not splatter everywhere, and be sure to reserve a couple of tablespoons of the grease. Set your bacon aside and break into small pieces when it cools.
2. Sprinkle meat with ground black pepper, and salt if you wish.  I usually try to leave out the salt, especially when cooking with any type of broth, which is high in sodium. Add a little bit of olive oil to the same skillet with the bacon grease in it and brown the beef, making sure it is evenly cooked on all sides.  Then, put the beef aside into a dutch oven.
3. This part is fun: deglaze the greasy skillet with a half cup of the wine.  Scrape the brown bits from the sides and let that yumminess mix together with the wine. Pour the deglaze over the beef in the dutch oven.
4. Then, add bacon, the rest of the wine, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaf to the beef and deglaze liquid and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 2 1/2 hours. 
   
5. Go relax - you have about 2 hours to kick back and enjoy that cheese and French baguette.
6. Now that you are back, it is time to sauté your vegetables.  Heat olive oil on your original skillet and cook carrots until they are golden brown.  I somehow forgot the carrots while shopping for this Gourmet Weekday, so I used fresh green beans instead! Same process, different flavor.  
7. Set carrots aside and do the same for the mushrooms.  Let them soak in a little more red wine, if you like. 
8. Next, sauté your peeled pearl onions in just a tad of butter.  It will give them a nice glow. Sprinkle a little of the flour over the onions and continue cooking until the flour disappears.
   
    
9. Add all of your vegetables to the stew, and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat and veggies are nice and tender. * Tip: if your stew is not as thick as you would like it to be, add flour in small measurements and mix until you reach the consistency you are looking for.
10. Meanwhile, cook 2 cups egg noodles and set aside.  
11. Once your stew is finished cooking, add fresh thyme and use it to top the egg noodles.
12. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!

 Making this recipe may not improve your French skills, but it will give you a warm, contented feeling deep in your belly and impress whoever you're cooking for.  Until next time - 

Much love,

Deidre 

* Link to slow cooker recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-slow-cooker-boeuf-bourguignon-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196361​