Author: stevesacooking

Pepperoni Bread
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Pepperoni Bread

My sister in law makes the best spinach and pepperoni breads you would ever have. I was thinking about that but since she lives in Maine and currently has her hands full so I wasn’t going to ask and decided to do something I really don’t do, bake. Lyn’s the baker in the family to me it’s to specific and I’m a cook from the gut kind of guy.

Ingredient

  • 1 pizza dough, thawed if frozen, I bought Portland Pie beer dough at Big Y this morning.
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Step 2

Roll frozen bread dough out into a rectangle about 15″ long . Brush dough with beaten egg. Arrange pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the dough. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning. Roll up dough like a jelly roll and pinch seam to seal; place, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet. brush egg on the tope and sides outside and sprinkle with some more Italian seasoning

Step 3

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden.

Serve with Lyn’s pasta sauce or a jar of store bought for dipping.

Beef and Butternut Squash Chili
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Beef and Butternut Squash Chili

We’re doing a fast track Dukan diet and today is a beef and veggie day so I used up some stew beef (well trimmed of fat) and a small butternut squash and made some chili.

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 6 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons fine corn meal
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 small butternut squash cut into chunks – have use pinto beans maybe 2 cans

Salt and pepper to taste after cooked and I added a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce

The butternut squash was an after thought instead of beans

Directions

  • Season the beef with salt and pepper. Turn Instant Pot to sauté with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; sear the beef in two batches, adding up to 2 teaspoons more olive oil, until browned on all sides, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the beef to a plate as it browns.
  • Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot; add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cocoa, chili powder, oregano, cumin and coriander; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add butternut squash. Add the corn meal and tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste sticks to bottom and caramelizes, about 2 minutes. Stir in 6 cups water, scraping tomato paste from bottom of pan. Add the reserved beef and turn instant pot to slow cooker about 4 hours


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Celebration Meal

We are doing a low carb thing and once a week we do a celebration meal where you can eat what you want. So tonight Ravs, meatballs, bread and a nice bottle of wine

Chicken with Pineapple
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Chicken with Pineapple

Thought it was time to put one of our old time favorites up the book The Complete Asian Cookbook from 1976 is falling apart.

Ingredients

• Half a small ripe pineapple or one 15 oz can unsweetened in juice
• 8 oz chicken breast – boneless
• 1 TBS corn starch
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground Szechuan pepper or black pepper
• 1 TBS light soy sauce
• 2 Tsp sesame oil
• 1 Clove garlic crushed
• 1 TBS peanut oil
• 6 Spring onions, sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Sauce
• 2 tsp corn starch
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• 1 TBS light soy sauce

How
Skin the pineapple, cut into triangular wedges. trim away the core, then cut across the slices. If using canned just chunk it.
Slice the chicken thinly (I find partial freeze makes it easy to slice)
Place chicken into mixture of salt, pepper, and corn starch
Add soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic to chicken and mix well
Heat peanut oil in wok, add chicken and fry until the color changes.
Add pineapple, reduce heat cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
Sauce: Add Pineapple juice gradually to the corn starch, mixing until smooth. Stir in soy sauce.
Add sauce mixture, stir until thickened, toss in spring onions and mix thoroughly.
Serve with Rice or noodles

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Birthday Dinner Pan Seared Oven Roasted

The Mighty Muffuletta
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The Mighty Muffuletta

My sisters in-law sent me two Muffulettas from Central Grocery for my birthday yhe other day. we were in the middle of a low carb week but i said F that and dove in.

New Orleans is one of the greatest food destinations in the world, I lived there for almost 2 years while working with 20th Century Fox and the muffuletta sandwich is one of the most quintessential foods in New Orleans. Although many imitations exist, there’s nothing better in my book than the original Central Grocery muffuletta recipe. Although my friend Mike a native says he prefers Napoleon House on Chartres Street better.

According to the Times-Picayune, the muffuletta was created by Salvatore Lupo in 1906:

“It was at his store, Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, that Sicilian farmers coming from the French Market would order the main ingredients of the muffuletta and eat them separately. Lupo saw the men trying to balance the large trays of food on their laps and decided to mix all of the ingredients together in a sandwich.”

The muffuletta consists of three integral parts: the muffuletta bread, the Italian meats and cheese, and the venerable olive salad topping.

Boneless Turkey Breast
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Boneless Turkey Breast

We were just in Wholefoods for one thing but just like the Lays commercial you just can’t eat one chip you can’t go to the grocery store and get just one thing. We walked past the meats on sale and they had boneless turkey breast just sitting there saying take me home. I planned on smoking it on the grill but mother nature had other ideas and dumped almost 2 feet of snow so…….

Ingredients

  • boneless turkey breast
  • 1 large onion – coarsely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks – coarsely chopped
  • 1 large carrot – peeled, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. herbs de Provence
  • 1/2 tsp, kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp. butter – sliced
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • Brine: in large plastic bag 1 cup of buttermilk big pinch of dried rosemary or 4-5 springs of chopped fresh and maybe 1-2 TBS kosher salt. I keep the powdered buttermilk in the frig so always have on hand.

How

  • Brine the Turkey in buttermilk, salt and crushed rosemary or chopped if fresh for at least 2 hours mine was over night.
  • Use large foil 10*12″ roasting pan or wrap your roasting pan with foil for easy clean-up.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160C).
  • Place turkey breast on cutting board and pat dry and Sprinkle seasonings over entire roast and rub it in. Now put in center of pan with skin side up (no rack).
  • Toss chopped vegetables around the breast, top with butter and olive oil. Then pour orange juice around the breast.
  • Transfer it to the center rack in the oven.
  • Roast, uncovered, for approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound,. The breast should be golden, brown. If the skin begins to become too dark, you may tent with foil during roasting.
  • Remove from oven and cover with foil. This will keep the roast warm, and moist before slicing.
  • Allow the breast to rest, covered, and for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Todd’s Winter Squash
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Todd’s Winter Squash

I’m taking a class at the senior center called Mindful Steps, we start of with some meditation and then walk when the winter weather is to cold or the path has not been plowed we do laps around the inside of the building and exercise in between each lap. Anyway my friend Todd brought in some of the squash bars he talked about last week and they were really good, no great! He used butternut squash on this batch.

Todd wanted to give credit where credit is due.
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Roast With Peach Sauce
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Bacon-Wrapped Pork Roast With Peach Sauce

Another Lyn find and this one gets two heads bobbing in agreement.

The peach sauce was worth all the effort.

INGREDIENTS

How

  • Combine 4 teaspoons salt and sugar in bowl. (Note: I will cut salt in half next time) Remove fat cap and silverskin from roast. Rub roast with salt-sugar mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  • Bring peaches, 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup vinegar, thyme sprigs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook at strong simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups and spatula leaves trail when dragged through sauce, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and discard thyme sprigs. Reserve 2 tablespoons of liquid portion of sauce (without peach segments) in small bowl for glazing. Cover and set aside remaining sauce. Note: I forgot to chop up the peaches so I took scissors to them in the pot then after a little cooking time I took a wide slotted potato masher to them that worked well.
  • Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Unwrap roast and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon pepper.
  • Arrange bacon slices on cutting board parallel to counter’s edge, overlapping them slightly to match length of roast. Place roast in center of bacon, perpendicular to slices. Bring ends of bacon up and around sides of roast, overlapping ends of slices as needed.
  • Place bacon-wrapped roast, seam side down, in center of prepared sheet. Roast until center of pork registers 90 degrees, 30 – 40 minutes. Remove roast from oven and increase oven temperature to 475 degrees.
  • Brush top and sides of roast with reserved 2 tablespoons sauce. Once oven reaches temperature, return pork to oven and roast until bacon is well browned and meat registers 130 degrees, 15 – 20 minutes longer. Transfer roast to wire rack and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Stir mustard into sauce and rewarm over low heat. Transfer roast to carving board and cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Serve with peach sauce.
Make-Ahead Potato Leek Egg Bake
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Make-Ahead Potato Leek Egg Bake

Fortunately last Tuesday after my mindful steps class at the senior center there were eggs and bread out for the taking each egg package had 10 eggs so this dish was sent by the universe. That same morning Lyn found this in the Globe and asked if I would make it, it was well worth it the little effort it took.

Butter for dish
2 medium (1 pound) Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced and well rinsed
1 package (5.2 ounces) Boursin cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh chives Note: For some reason no one had fresh chives so I used scallion greens
10 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ cup panko or other unflavored dry white breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  1. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the potatoes and a generous pinch of salt with cold water to cover by at least 1-inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat slightly, and simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander and transfer to a bowl.
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, or until the leeks are becoming translucent. Remove from the heat.
  4. Add the leeks to the potatoes with the Boursin and chives. Stir gently.
  5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, cream, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
  6. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.
  7. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
  8. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, Parmesan, panko or dry breadcrumbs, and thyme. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the eggs.
  9. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the center. Turn on the broiler. Broil the dish for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown. Watch the dish carefully so it does not burn.
  10. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 5 minutes. Cut into squares for serving.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick