Great Cook Books I Cook (and live) by

  • Big Orange Book by Rachael Ray
  • Giada at Home
  • Jamie at Home
  • Look and Cook by Rachael Ray

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pasta with mushroom marsala sauce

Oh my gosh people!!!! This one I saw in a Rachael Ray magazine - I tweaked it a little bit - it is fantastic!!!! One of my favourites by far! Try it and give me some feed back K?

Ingredients:

1 hand full dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot broth until softened. Keep the broth!
1 lb package cremini mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 white onion, chopped
a bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tblsp flour
1/4 cup marsala
1/4 cup cream
Tagliatelle pasta, 300 g or so for 4 people
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

In a pot of boiling, well salted water, cook pasta until al dente. In the mean time, bring a large saute pan to medium high heat. Add a splash of oil, and a pat of butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent. At this time add the mushrooms (both the cremini and the porcini). When the mushrooms have caramelized add the garlic. Stir until fragrant. Sprinkle the mushrooms with about a Tblsp flour and stir. Gradually add the marsala, and the broth you soaked the porcini in, being careful not to add the whole thing as there is always some grit on the bottom of the pot. Do not add the grit! Once the sauce has thickened, add the cream - as little or much as you like. Add a generous amount of pepper and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta to the sauce and the fresh parsley. Mix well. Add as much cheese as you desire...I add A LOT!

Play with it! As all my followers know, I do not measure when cooking, so, all my measurements are rough - add more, add less of any of the ingredients - and then, add your own touch! Then, let me know how it goes!

Cheers!


Friday, June 3, 2011

Greek Vegetarian Flat Bread Pizzas

Hello all! I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather, and getting ready for dinner, perhaps? Don't know what to make? Or don't feel like doing a lot of cooking. I had one of those nights last night. I opened my cupboards and looked around for something to make for dinner when I really didn't feel like cooking one bit! I noticed I had lots of ingredients which could be used to top my Naan bread I had sitting in the bread basket.....YUM! It was soo good that I had to share! So, here it is - my version of a greek flat bread pizza - it is vegetarian but you could add some chicken to it to it if you wish:)

Ingredients:

1 package of Naan bread (there are usually two naan breads in one package)
1 small roll of goat cheese
1 Tblsp or so of milk
nutmeg
salt pepper
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped into large pieces (I like the ones in olive oil, but you may use the ones in water)
1 jar kalamata olives, chopped
1 small jar sun dried tomatoes, chopped into strips (soaked in oil)
feta cheese
greek seasoning (I, of course use Epicure's greek seasoning)
drizzle of olive oil

Method:

In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese with the milk. Whisk together until a thick mixture forms. If you need to add more milk. Add some grated nutmeg and salt and pepper. This is your pizza "sauce". Spread the mixture on the naan breads evenly.

Top with the artichoke pieces, the olives, and sun dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with the feta cheese, and then with the greek seasoning. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil all over the pizza. Bake in the oven (350 degrees F) for about 15-20 minutes, or place on a grill or on the bar be cue for 5-10 minutes. Serve as an appetizer or an a great dinner with some green salad.

I love your feed back so please keep emailing me and letting me know how the recipes turn out!

Have a great week end everyone!

Cheers!