Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki

Posted on January 25, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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The slider trend is still hot—almost all bars have a signature version.  Max & Dylan’s actually has an entire portion of the menu devoted to sliders!  From BBQ pork to Buffalo Chicken, sliders are ubiquitous.  I hadn’t ever thought about having sliders anywhere but in a bar until today when I was flipping through my Sunday Night Football Cookbook and saw these lamb sliders.  Sliders for dinner?!  What a fun idea!  What better way to kill the Sunday blues than with  tasty little bites of Greek heaven!

These burgers were a big hit!  The patties were small so the lamb stayed moist and delicious.  And the tzatziki is fresh, cool, and crisp.  It is a wonderful contrast to the lamb.  There was something so fun about eating sliders at our own dining room table!  I will definitely make these again—I think they would be the perfect component of a Superbowl spread!

Tzatziki

  • 1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt (I prefer Chobani)j
  • 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons grated cucumbers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Lamb Sliders

  • 2 pounds lean ground lamb
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Bread

  • 10 small round rolls, split

In a large bowl combine all burger ingredients and mix together with your hands.  Form the mixture into 10 small thin patties.  

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Spray the grill pan with non-stick spray.  Heat the pan over high heat.  Add the lamb burgers and cook for about 2 minutes on each side—or until done.  Place a burger in each roll and top with tzatziki.  Serve immediately.

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Adapted from The Sunday Night Football Cookbook.

Filed under: Appetizer, lamb, Main Dish | 5 Comments »

Chicken Marsala over Macaroni

Posted on January 20, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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I have been a major blog-delinquent—I apologize!  I made this meal for my sweetheart’s birthday at the start of the month and I am just now posting it!  Tsk tsk tsk! 

Enough chastising, however, and on to the grub!

My husband really enjoys Chicken Marsala and orders it fairly regularly at restaurants.  I hadn’t ever really thought about making it until I received The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2008 as a holiday gift which features a straightforward and simple recipe for the dish.  This recipe was easy and yielded delicious, flavorful, and juicy chicken.  And the sauce is so tasty!  (I made extra to serve over the macaroni.)  I think this is a great special occasion dish and the best part is you won’t be shackled to the kitchen.  I don’t think it took more than an hour to make!  (Don’t hold me to that estimate, though—it could be skewed.   The reason: well, let’s just say the chicken wasn’t the only one in the kitchen soaking up the wine!!!) 

This is one of those dishes that made me really excited—for some reason I didn’t expect it to be as great as it was!   

One note before I get into the recipe: I served this over Bucatini because that is what I had on hand.  I would suggest that you use a smaller shaped macaroni, like penne or rigatoni.  The long noodles were too slippery for such a light sauce.   

Chicken Marsala over Macaroni:

  • 8 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces white mushroom, quartered*
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup sweet Marsala wine**
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth***
  • the juice of one lemon
  • fresh parsley to taste

Get your water boiling.

Tenderize the chicken breasts in a plastic bag (or pressed between two pieces of saran wrap) by hitting with a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin.   (You will want to pound them down to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.)

Pat them dry and season both sides of each with salt and pepper.  Coat them in flour and shake off the excess.

Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet.  Place four cutlets/breasts into the skillet and cook until golden brown–about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Set aside and cook the remaining four cutlets in the same manner.

Boil your pasta.

Melt one tablespoon of butter in the now empty skillet.  Cook the onion and mushroom over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the mushroom are brown.   Add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes.   Transfer this mushroom mixture to a bowl.

Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine and broth, by adding it to the empty skillet and scraping the pan (using a wooden spoon) to get all of the brown tasty bits into the sauce.  Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until sauce reduces by about half. 

Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken (and any accompanying juices) to the skillet and heat until the chicken is warmed through.  Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the remaining two tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, parsley, and mushroom mixture.     

Place macaroni in serving bowl.  Top with chicken.  Pour sauce over the top. 

 

 

*I used two containers of pre-sliced white mushroom from the produce department.

**I used double (maybe even triple this amount) in order to have enough sauce for the pasta.

***I used an entire medium size carton of chicken broth.

 

Recipe adapted from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2008.  You should buy it!

Filed under: chicken, Main Dish, pasta | 1 Comment »

Papparadelle with Cabbage, Prosciutto, and Sage

Posted on December 12, 2008 by kitchenbelle

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My husband and I have really been enjoying macaroni lately–especially the shapes with lots of chewy texture goodness.  When I saw this recipe in Real Simple, I quickly pegged it as an easy, fresh, and delicious weeknight meal.  (Plus, have you seen all of the articles boasting the cancer-killing properties of cabbage?)  I knew I wanted to make this!  And it really was a winner! 

I made some adjustments: I used two cups of broth instead of one, and I cooked some of the prosciutto with the onions to infuse some flavor as opposed to just adding it all at the end.  Unfortunately, our grocer was out of Savoy cabbage so I had to substitute plain green cabbage.  In the end, we both really enjoyed this.  The prosciutto was the star (shocking, I know!) but the cabbage held its own.  These three wonderful flavors and the fabulous texture of the pasta really worked well together.

Papparadelle with Cabbage, Prosciutto and Sage:

  • 8 ounces papparadelle
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 head cabbage (Savoy preferably), quartered and sliced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 pound prosciutto cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

Cook the pasta according to package directions or until done. 

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Here are the Delverde papparadelle nests just before I tossed them into the boiling water. 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil.  Cook the onions and half of the prosciutto together until the onions are translucent and tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cabbage and broth, stirring occasionaly.  Cover and let simmer until the cabbage just begins to wilt.  Stir in the remaining prosciutto and sage.  Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage mixture.  Stir quickly, coating pasta with sauce and serve immediately.

Adapted from recipe found in Real Simple December 2008 issue.

Filed under: cabbage, Main Dish, pasta | 1 Comment »

Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken, and Olive Polenta

Posted on November 23, 2008 by kitchenbelle

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I’ve had this bag of polenta on my counter for a few months now and I finally decided to go ahead and do something with it.  I opted to make the recipe right there on the back of the bag, with a few modifications.  This is a perfect side dish but also, it stands up well on its own. This recipe is so flexible!  You can add more veggies, different veggies or omit the chicken.  You can experiment with different cheeses or just use whatever you have on hand.  Add fresh herbs or dried herbs!  The possibilities are endless!  Have fun with it and enjoy! 

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing: sundried tomatoes, green olives, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, pimentos, caramelized onions…

Make it yours!

Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken, and Olive Polenta:

  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups polenta
  • 2 red peppers, roasted and cut into 1/4-inch strips
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 1 small can sliced black olives
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large pan.  Add polenta and stir continuously about 10-13 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese, peppers, black olives, and chicken until evenly distributed.  Pour into the round pan.  Use a rubber spatula (sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking) press polenta into the pan.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Bake (in pan) for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit about ten minutes.  Invert onto serving dish and top with fresh grated cheese.  Slice into wedges to serve.

Adapted from recipe found on the back of Pastene Polenta bag.

Filed under: Main Dish, polenta, Side | 4 Comments »

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

Posted on November 17, 2008 by kitchenbelle

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 I always have my eye out for recipes that can be made ahead then easily reheated in single portions without compromising taste or texture,  so when I saw this recipe  at A Taste of Home Cooking  (which The Home Cook found in the  Serious Eats newsletter) I knew I would try it out.  Without a doubt, this is an easy and quick dinner to make.  I would definitely classify it as a ‘weeknight supper.’  The flavor is good–it is fresh and delicious but it is simple and straightforward.  I see this as a perfect “go-to” after a long day, when you come home hungry and want to eat something fresh, yet don’t exactly feel like cooking.  Pour yourself a glass of red wine and whip this up.  You’ll be eating a delicious bowl of pasta in no time.

(The day I made this, my cousin gave me some fresh parsley from his garden–score!!!  It really added to the freshness factor!) 

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes:

  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 pound orzo
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 sweet Italian chicken sausages, casings removed
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 roasted red peppers, cut into 1/4 inch strips
  • 6 plum tomatoes (I used canned)
  • red pepper flakes to taste
  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a large saucepan, boil the chicken broth plus three cups of water.  Add the orzo and cook about 8-10 minutes, or according to package directions. 

Heat oil in a large skillet and add sausage and cook until done.  Add the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and red pepper until all are heated through. 

Drain the orzo, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Pour the orzo into your serving bowl then pour the 1 cup of reserved liquid over it.  (This will keep it moist and prevent sticking.) Top with the sausage mixture and toss gently to combine.  Top with freshly grated cheese and fresh parsley.

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’s recipe found here on SeriousEats.com

 

 

 

Filed under: Main Dish, orzo, sausage | 2 Comments »

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