October 2011

Basic Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary

October 30, 2011

Considered a superfood, sweet potatoes are a powerhouse vegetable packed with flavor and nutrition. Skip the marshmallows, brown sugar or maple syrup. They don’t need it. Simply simmer until tender, then drain, mash and add a little butter or olive oil. Fresh chopped rosemary is a nice addition. Mashed sweet potatoes make a healthy side dish any time of the year and are a good basic to have in your file.

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Italian Chicken Marsala

October 24, 2011

When I want to serve a special chicken dish that I know everyone will love, I make Chicken Marsala. Richly flavored with a reduction of Marsala wine, mushrooms and pancetta, Chicken Marsala is a classic Italian dish. It offers enough flair for entertaining and is easy enough for cooking during the week. Start with golden chicken cutlets, then make your sauce in the same pan. Cook baby green beans in five minutes, whip up a salad, and make it a meal.

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Golden Chicken Cutlets: A Quick Dinner

October 18, 2011

Need a fast dinner? Here’s a recipe, really more of a technique, that will help you succeed. And if you make extra, you’ll have lunch for the next day. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, create cutlets by slicing them in half horizontally. The cutlets cook in just a few minutes to a crisp, golden brown. Eat them as is or add your choice of a sauce or toppings. These chicken cutlets are incredibly versatile and the perfect solution to what’s for dinner.

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Moules Mariniere: Mussels in White Wine and Pernod

October 10, 2011

Cooking with liqueurs brings unique flavors and flair to dishes. Adding Pernod, the famed 200-year-old French liqueur flavored with star anise and herbs, to traditional French steamed mussels gives them a lovely soft, sweet licorice flavor. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up the aromatic broth. And have a soupspoon handy. No one can resist slurping up every last bit of the juices.

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Risotto Milanese with Peas

October 3, 2011

Making risotto is like therapy in a pan. When the day has left you frazzled and wondering what to do for dinner, make risotto and let the day fade away. Slowly stir hot broth into rice until the grains are tender and creamy, the steamy fragrance drifting up into your nose. A little wine for the pan, a little wine for you.  And then you get to eat it. This version uses saffron for a Risotto Milanese, to which I add peas. Simply heaven.

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