Category Archives: Entrees

Pasta with Peas and Pancetta

1 T salt
1 small carrot
1 stalk celery
3 T olive oil
6 oz chopped pancetta
6 cloves garlic, sliced thickly
¼ c chopped fresh basil
2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ t red pepper flakes
12 oz canned Italian style tomatoes, drained, peeled, and chopped, juice reserved
1 c white wine
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 c peas
1 lb penne pasta
6 T freshly grated romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water with the salt to a boil over high heat. Make a mirepoix with the carrot, celery, and onion by finely chopping or gently whirling them in a food processor until just blended. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the pancetta; sauté until it starts to brown, 2-3 minutes.  Add the prepared mirepoix, garlic, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes and sauté until tender, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook until their water has evaporated, 7 minutes or so. Deglaze the pan with wine and continue cooking to reduce liquid by half. Add the reserved tomato juice, the ½ t salt, and ¼ t pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer until thickened to a sauce-like consistency, 10-12 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes.

Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and simmer over a low heat, stirring constantly until the pasta is well coated, about three minutes. Turn the pasta out onto a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve immediately.

Chicken Pandora

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil, plus 1 T
1/2 c fresh oregano
1 head fresh garlic, peeled and pureed
salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
1 c black olives, halved
5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
3/4 c brown sugar
1 c red wine
8 shallots
1 T butter
1 c sun-dried tomatoes, halved
1 can artichoke hearts, drained

In a 9×13 baking dish, mis the vinegar, 1/2 c olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and olives. Add the chicken breasts and marinate, covered with foil, in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, sprinkle the brown sugar and red wine over the top and bake, covered, for one hour in a 350 oven.

Cool. Remove the chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized chunks and return to the baking dish.

In a frying pan, saute the shallots in butter and remaining 1T of olive oil over med-high heat. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the artichoke hearts. Pour this mixture over the chicken and reheat in a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with saffron rice (Carolina brand is great), a green salad, and a good bottle of red wine.

Chicken Rigatoni

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, in pieces
olive oil
garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 jar alfredo sauce, Five Brothers brand
1 chicken bouillon cube
6 hot cherry pepper slices
1 lb rigatoni, cooked
Romano cheese, grated

Saute the chicken in olive oil and garlic. Be generous with the garlic. When chicken is done, pour in the spaghetti sauce and alfredo sauce, chicken bouillon cube, chopped cherry pepper slices (or 1 1/2 to 2 whole hot cherry peppers, cut up, seeds removed). Simmer 1/2 hour. Add the sauce to cooked rigatoni, coating pasta well. Pour into a large baking pan and top with grated Romano cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chicken Breasts with Basil Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c dry white wine
2 egg yolks
1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 t salt
1 T chopped parsley
1 t basil
1 T lemon juice

Place chicken in skillet with wine. Cover and cook over medium heat until done (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside, reserving liquid. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks, cream, salt, 1/4 c of the cooking liquid, parsley, and basil. Pour egg yolk mixture into a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Remove breasts from pan using slotted spoon and place on warmed serving platter. Pour sauce over breasts and serve immediately.

Vegetable Pizza

1 package crescent roll dough
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Dry ranch dressing mix
Chopped veggies

Spread dough on sheet, pressing seams closed. Bake approximately five minutes at 375, until light brown. Mix cream cheese with a little milk to soften it. Add ranch dressing mix and spread on the warm dough. Sprinkle with chopped veggies of your choice. Cut and serve.

Pan-Fried Walleye with Capers

½ c flour
Salt and pepper
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
4 6-oz walleye pike fillets
¼ c capers, drained
1 lemon

Combine flour and salt and pepper to taste. Dredge fish. Heat butter and oil until sizzling, sauté fish three minutes. Turn fillets and top with capers. Cook 2-3 minutes longer, until firm. Remove from heat. Serve with lemon juice to taste.

Notes: The Plain Dealer published this as a favorite recipe of Mrs. Voinovich, wife of our former governor. Makes a great meal with home fries and slaw.

Mini Crab Cakes

½ c butter, softened
1 ½ t mayonnaise
1 can crab meat, flaked and drained
1 jar processed American cheese spread, old English style
1 ½ t garlic powder
6 english muffins

Combine first five ingredients until creamy and spread on muffins. Freeze on cookie sheet until hard and then cut into fourths. Can keep them frozen in ziplocks until needed. Broil until golden brown.

Deep Fried Seafood

Flour
1 egg
2 Tbsp half and half
Cracker meal

Beat together the egg and half and half. Dredge the meat lightly in flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Drop into a bag of cracker meal to coat, shake off excess. Fry clams or oysters for about two minutes, crabs or fish until golden brown.

Herb Salad Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Spring Rolls
2 oz cellophane noodles (bean thread noodles)
1 ½ T rice vinegar
2 large Boston lettuce leaves, washed and dried
8 8” rounds rice paper, plus additional in case of tearing
2 T peanuts, dry roasted, crushed
1 scallion, julienned in 2” strips
¼ c carrot, finely shredded
1/3 c cabbage or cucumber, finely shredded
¼ c fresh basil leaves, Thai basil preferable, washed and dried
¼ c fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
¼ c fresh coriander leaves, washed and dried

Sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ t dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 T vegetable oil
1 T tomato paste
3 T creamy peanut butter
3 T hoisin sauce
½ t sugar
¾ c water

In a bowl, soak noodles in very hot water to cover for fifteen minutes. Drain well in a colander. Reserve half of the noodles for another use. With scissors, cut remaining noodles into 3- to 4-inch lengths, and, in a small bowl, toss with vinegar and salt to taste.

Cut out and discard ribs from lettuce leaves, halving each leaf.

In a shallow baking pan or cake pan, soak two rounds rice paper in hot water to cover until very pliable, 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Carefully spread 1 soaked round on a paper towel, leaving remaining round in water, and blot with paper towels. Arrange 1 piece of lettuce leaf on bottom half of sheet, leaving a 1” border along the edge. Top lettuce with about ¼ of peanuts and ¼ of noodles, arranging them in a line across the lettuce. Top noodles with ¼ each of scallion, carrot, cabbage, and herbs. Roll up filling tightly in rice paper, folding insides after first roll to completely enclose filling, and continue rolling.

Spread remaining soaked rice paper round on paper towel and blot with another paper towel. Wrap rice paper around spring roll in the same manner. (Double wrapping covers and years and makes roll more stable and easier to eat.) Wrap spring roll in rinsed and squeezed paper towel and put in a resealable plastic bag. Make three more rolls with remaining ingredients in the same manner. Rolls may be made one day ahead and chilled, wrapped in wet paper towels in sealed plastic bag. Before serving, bring rolls to room temperature.

Discard paper towels. Halve rolls diagonally and serve with peanut sauce.

For sauce: In a small saucepan, cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden. Whisk in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer sauce, whisking, until thickened, about one minute. Sauce mave be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered. Serve warm or at room temperature.

JP’s Salmon

Clam juice
Soy sauce
White wine
Salmon
Ginger (fresh)
Green onion

Use equal parts clam juice, soy sauce, and a little more than equal white wine. Combine and pour over salmon and bring to a boil on the stove top.

Add fresh ginger and green onion and bake in a 350 oven until done.

Notes: JP’s is one of our favorite restaurants here on the Cape, and we often order the salmon.