May 2014 New Recipe Review

12 years ago

I tried a new recipe a couple of weeks ago that was a big hit with the guys so thought I would pass it along. Made only a couple of small changes that are noted in the body of the recipe.

Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
(Source: Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom)

Ingredients:
8 to 12 oz of your favorite pasta shape (follow the serving size on the box, depending how many you are cooking for)
1 to 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken (don't stress if you don't have much chicken, it will still be good)
1 Bunch Asparagus, ends trimmed
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of reserved pasta water
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup half n half, heavy cream or milk
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded (I used Asiago & a few crumbles of Feta)
1 tbs Olive Oil
2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried Oregano (I used only 1/4 tsp.)
a pinch or two (or four) of red pepper flakes - adjust to your families taste
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:
1. Cook pasta as directed on package. Add the asparagus to the water during the last 3 minutes of cooking. (I cut in asparagus in approx 2" sections & cooked it in the microwave instead.) Drain and set aside. Reserve a cup of the pasta water.
2. As the pasta is cooking, saute the minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes. Don't let it burn. (If you are not using precooked chicken, go ahead and cook it with the garlic.)
3. Add chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Saute another 2 minutes.
4. Add the broth, milk/cream, cream cheese and half of the Parmesan to the chicken mixture, stir until well combined.
5. Add the pasta and asparagus to the skillet, stir until combined. If pasta seems dry add reserved cooking liquid a little bit at a time, stirring over med low heat until desired consistency is reached.
6. Top with additional salt, pepper and Parmesan

Featured Answer

Jasdip

12 years ago

Angela, I've made your asparagus a few times since you first posted it. Thanks!

We love Lidia B. and this is from her new Commonsense cookbook. Delicious!

Savoury Potatoes (Lidia's Commonsense Cooking)

1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp salt ( I never use as much salt as recipes call for)
6 tbsp olive oil
1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
3 tbsp grated parmigiano-reggiano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl toss the potatoes onion, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat. Spread in a 10 x 15" baking dish.

Toss tomatoes, remaining tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, and the grated cheese. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle evenly
over the potatoes.

Bake until the potatoes are cooked through and crusty and any liquid has evaporated, 40-45 minutes.

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Comments (6)

angelaid
12 years ago
My most recent addiction:

Crispy Baked Asparagus Fries

Ingredients:

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Dredge the asparagus in the flour, dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place the asparagus on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425 oven until golden brown, about 7-13 minutes.
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I'll continue the Mexican food theme with braised pork tacos I recently made courtesy of Rachel Ray. I made it last week and Chris and I really enjoyed them. I am not usually a huge fan of her 30 minute meals but I searched for braised pork tacos and the recipe sounded good with 5 star reviews. Plus it's not a 30 minute meal. I prepared exactly as directed my only critique is I would have liked a little more heat but I like my food spicy and that can easily be fixed. Oh and I used green jalapenos instead of red chilies because that's what the grocery store had available. Maybe that was my heat problem. I was thinking of not making the pickled onions but I was very happy I did. They really balanced the flavor of the tacos and were super simple to make. INGREDIENTS 1 (4 to 5 pound) boneless pork shoulder Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 onions, cut into wedges, root end attached 4 large cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves, half a palmful 2 red chiles, thinly sliced 4 bay leaves 1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican beer 2 cups chicken stock 4 oranges, juiced about 2 cups 1 chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce 2 limes, juiced 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 2 small red onions, thinly sliced 1 cup drained sliced store-bought pickled jalapenos or banana pepper rings 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or 2 cups shredded Monterey jack 16 corn or flour tortillas, charred over open flame and kept warm in tortilla warmer or towel DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, to taste, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Put the pork in the pot and evenly brown the meat all over, it will take about 10 to 12 minutes; remove the pork to a plate and reserve. Turn heat down to medium-high, and add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot, a couple of turns of the pan. Add the onions and garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, the oregano, 1 sliced chili pepper and 2 bay leaves and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the chicken stock and orange juice. Add the reserved pork back to the pot (the liquid should come about 2/3 the way up the meat) and bring to a simmer. Cover and put the pork in the oven, turning the meat halfway through cooking, until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2-3 hours. Remove the pork from the pot, to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with 2 forks. Simmer the braising liquid over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and the lime juice. Add about 2/3 of the shredded meat and stir. Cool the remaining shredded pork and chill for another use. While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled red onions: in a small saucepot, bring the white wine vinegar, sugar, teaspoon of salt, remaining chili pepper and bay leaves to a simmer over low heat. Put the sliced red onions in a small sealable container. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and give it a shake. You may need to lift the lid to release some of the pressure. Every now and then, give it a good shake. Refrigerate to cool. To serve, put the chipotle pulled pork on a platter and garnish with pickled onions and pickled jalapeno slices. Serve with shredded cabbage, crumbled cheese and tortillas for wrapping.
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ci_lantro
Original Author
11 years ago
I bought some fresh Polish Sausage out of the quick sale bin last week and had to go looking for ideas on how to prepare it. Adapted a recipe from AllRecipes and it was delish.

Sweet Polish Sausage

2 pounds fresh [i.e, raw, not the smoked heat & eat] Polish sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used Klement's brand)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.

Place sausage in a large saucepan. Add water to cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and put the sausage in a casserole dish.

In the same (empty) saucepan combine the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, sugar, hot pepper sauce and water. Bring all to a boil, stirring to combine ingredients. Pour prepared sauce over the sausage and place in preheated oven.

Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes to one hour.

(I served this with plain white rice to ladle the sauce over.)

Edited to specify using raw sausage

This post was edited by ci_lantro on Tue, May 20, 14 at 8:24
Jasdip
11 years ago
This is quick, easy and refreshing. We've never had jicama before, and I've been curious about it. We loved this salad last nite.

Pineapple and Jicama Slaw

1/2 pineapple, cut in thin slices
1 red pepper, cut in thin slices
1 small jicama, peeled and cut in thin slices
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine jicama, red pepper and jicama. Stir lime juice and olive oil together and combine with slaw
angelaid
11 years ago
Added to my "to try" file this morning. Will halve the recipe and add some garlic. My asparagus obsession is about over for the season. LOL

Red Potato and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into chunks
2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
1/3 cup finely chopped chives

Method:

In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon and lemon juice. Drizzle in oil while whisking constantly and then season with salt and cayenne; set dressing aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and simmer until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking; drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Return water to a boil, add potatoes and simmer until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes; drain
well and add to bowl with asparagus. Add dressing, chives and salt and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and serve at room temperature.

Serves 12 to 14
ci_lantro
Original Author
11 years ago
I had a small boneless pork loin roast. Didn't feel like making a roast--the weather was great--so cut it into some thick chops and went looking for a new marinade recipe. The cinnamon in the recipe was a new wrinkle for me as I had never used cinnamon in a marinade before. Turned out quite good. Served some of the reduced sauce on the chops and drizzled a bit over plain white rice.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes

Grilled Pork Loin Chops

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire
sauce
2 teaspoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (6 ounce) thick-cut boneless
pork loin chops

Directions:
1. Mix the garlic, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, ginger, onion powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Pour half the mixture into a large plastic zipper bag, and place the pork chops into the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal the bag. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Refrigerate remaining marinade in the bowl.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Remove the pork chops from the plastic bag, and shake excess droplets of liquid from the chops. Discard the marinade from the plastic bag. Grill chops on the preheated grill, basting with the reserved marinade until meat is browned, no longer pink inside, and shows good grill marks, 8 to 10 minutes per side. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).
4. Pour remaining reserved marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the marinade until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly; serve sauce with chops.

May 2014 New Recipe Review

Jasdip

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angelaid

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May 2014 New Recipe Review

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angelaid

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