Pesto stuffed pork with herby potato salad

There are some who say it’s a bad idea to try new recipes when you’re entertaining. I almost never follow that advice. I like to try out new recipes on my friends because it’s the only way I know if something is actually good or if I just liked it.

I had a friend and colleague over for dinner and wanted to try something different. I had some pesto in the fridge that needed to get used up and decided to turn it into a stuffing (one of my favourite ways to use pesto). The idea steamrolled from there. I also crusted the pork with a panko and Parmesean combination so you get a creamy inside and crispy outside. It was a hit and I forgot to take a picture.

The potatoes are simple. I love a creamy potato salad, but I feel like it’s a waste of fresh potatoes from the market, so I kept the dressing light with fresh herbs.

Pesto Stuffed Pork

Serves 4

2 medium pork tenderloins

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup + a Tbsp goat cheese

2 Tbsp pesto

1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped

1/4 onion chopped

1/2 red pepper chopped

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt/pepper

cooking spray

Lightly saute the red pepper and onion with a little oil until soft. Once soft and lightly browned, add the balsamic and allow to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, pesto, parsley, a little salt/pepper and the cooled peppers and onions.

Cut the pork lengthwise so it opens in the middle, but is still attached. Season lightly with salt/pepper.

Put the cheese mixture into the pocket in the pork. Use enough so it’s full, but so you can almost close it.

(You can put the stuffed pork in the fridge for a couple hours if you want to get this out of the way early)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. And put an oven-safe skillet on the stove on medium-high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

In a shallow bowl combine the panko, parm and salt/pepper. Carefully roll the pork in the panko mixture. Put the meat in the pan stuffing side UP. Cook on the stovetop for 3-5 minutes. Lightly spray the top with cooking spray (or brush with oil) then transfer to the oven for about 20 minutes until the pork is cooked.

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve.

NOTE: You may have more cheese filing than you need. If you didn’t contaminate it with raw pork, you can use it as a dip, on a pasta, sandwich etc.

Herby potato salad

1/2 pound potatoes in 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped flat-leave parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 lemon – zest and juice

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Approx. 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (adjust to your taste)

salt/pepper

Cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and season lightly with salt. (potatoes love salt)

Combine the parsley, lemon, basil, mustard, honey and vinegar with salt/pepper. Then add the olive oil. Toss with the potatoes while they’re still slightly warm.

Let sit for about 30 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This same dressing also works really well with fresh dill in place of the basil.

Chorizo, chicken and saffron potatoes

Having friends come for dinner on a weekday always sounds like a great idea, but then comes the challenge of finding something to cook. On the rare occasion I entertain during the week I try to approach it the same way I approach weekday cooking for myself (but eliminate the microwaved leftover option). I want something I can make in advance and doesn’t need a lot of work for the actual cooking.

This has several make-ahead options, which I’ll outline in the recipe. This may appear to have a lot of steps, but it’s very easy and making even some of it in advance keeps this from being overly time consuming.

It should also be stated, that my friends who I made this for loved it so you’re not just taking my word for it.

Chorizo, chicken and saffron potatoes seems fancy, but is an easy make ahead dinner.

Chorizo, chicken and saffron potatoes

Serves 4

Chicken

1 package (approx 1 lb) chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts

1 Tbsp paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 lemon juiced

1 Tbsp capers + 1 tsp of the liquid

1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust for your spice preference)

2 tsp mustard powder

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper

-Cut chicken into 1/2 inch chunks, mix with all ingredients and marinate overnight. OR put chicken in marinade in the freezer and freeze until the day of cooking.

Saffron Potatoes

4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

1 lemon – zest and juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp mustard powder

pinch saffron

1/4 cup potato cooking water

1 tsp paprika

salt/pepper

-Cut potatoes into big chunks, about 1.5 inches, and put in large pot with water, bring to boil and cook until potatoes are almost cooked. About 10-15 minutes. (If you overcook the potatoes they will fall apart in the marinating liquid).

-While potatoes cook, mix spices, lemon, oil together in a bowl.

-Drain potatoes, saving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Let cooking water cool slightly and add to the spice mixture.

-Put potatoes in the mixture, let marinate for 10 minutes, or overnight.

Assembly

1 package (approx 500 g) Spanish chorizo – chopped in to 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 cup grated manchego or iberico cheese grated

1/2 cup chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley for garnish (optional)

-Heat oven to 400 degrees

-In a 9″ by 13″ (lasagna) pan combine the chicken, potatoes and chorizo with a little bit of the potato marinade. You don’t want the mixture to swim in liquid, but enough to meld flavours and keep things moist.

-Cook for 10 minutes, stir and increase temperature to 425 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

-Garnish with a sprinkle of cheese and parsley.

Serve with a simple green salad.

NOTES: If you don’t eat pork, you could use a turkey sausage instead of chorizo…. If some of your guests eat pork and others don’t, you can split into two pans – one with chorizo and one without.

A great wine find

I tried this wine a few years ago at a food and wine festival. It was a different vintage and not available at the LCBO. A couple of weeks back, At Toronto’s Gourmet Food and Wine Expo I discovered that this awesome wine is now available in the LCBO.

The Grinder is from South Africa and is hiding in the Vintages section, but don’t let that scare you because it’s only $13.95.

I’m a fan of Pinotages in general and this one shows why. It’s a great big red. As the label suggests, there is a definite coffee undertone, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s rich and bold with a touch of sweetness – but is definitely not sweet.

I’d recommend picking up a few bottles to keep around over the holidays. It would be fantastic with a roast, a pasta feast or with a charcuterie and cheese platter.

And, since it’s not too pricey you won’t feel guilty drinking any leftovers in your sweatpants with a Christmas movie.

Simple and speedy appetizers

Whenever I’m entertaining, I like to have some form of snack waiting for my guests. It’s always nice to have something to nibble on while people stroll in the door, pour a drink and settle in for the night. It also puts less pressure on me to rush to put dinner on the table and everyone can relax a little bit.

As much as I love making and serving appetizers, I rarely want to put a lot of effort into making them. I don’t want it to take much time away from the meal prep.

I came up with this one based on similar things I’d read in a magazine or online somewhere. I used puff pastry squares as a base, but you could easily use crackers or flatbread or thinly sliced baguette.

I’m not going to use amounts here because the “recipe” is that easy, just adjust to the number of people you’re serving.

Fruit + prosciutto + honey and you’re done. Easiest appetizer ever.

Plum and Prosciutto squares

Prosciutto pieces, cut to fit your base

Thinly sliced black plums (pears would be good too)

Puff pastry squares, crackers, flatbread, baguette

Honey

Black pepper

Put prosciutto and plums on the squares, season lightly with fresh ground pepper, drizzle with honey. Serve at room temperature.

TIPS: I made the puff pastry squares from leftover pastry. I rolled out the dough, cut into squares, lightly brushed with egg wash and baked until puff and gold. They keep well for 5 days (ish) in a zip-top bag.

-If you wanted to go a little more complicated, you could also bake the the topping IN puff pastry. It would take a few extra minutes but would be delicious too. And could be made a day ahead.

Seafood in Marsala cream sauce

Because I had company for dinner, I figured I’d get a picture of me on here, but don’t get used to it.

I had a long overdue dinner date with my best friend over the weekend. She requested either shrimp or scallops, so I made both – I’m crazy like that. Scallops aren’t the cheapest fish in the sea, but for a special occasion it’s worth the splurge and still way cheaper than they’ll be in a restaurant.

For those of you who don’t know, Marsala is a fortified Italian wine, similar to port, dry and sweet versions are available. For cooking you want dry Marsala.

Marsala sauces can be made with or without cream, the wine itself has a lot of richness and tons of flavour when reduced, the cream adds a really nice balance and makes the sauce like velvet. This sounds (and tastes) fancy, but really isn’t difficult. The hardest part is waiting for the sauce to reduce.

Because the main dish was rich I wanted to make sure the side was simple, so oricchiette with kale and lemon was a perfect accompaniment.

A rich seafood marsala main dish calls for a simple, bright side.

Seafood and Marsala Cream Sauce

*serve two people

6 large sea scallops (not the tiny bay scallops)

10 raw shrimp, peeled (I used the 31-40 variety)

3 cups mushrooms, finely sliced (these are optional, but a traditional element in a marsala sauce)

1 cup Dry Marsala wine

2 Tbsp cream

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/4 onion finely chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

salt/pepper

-Dry the scallops and shrimp with paper towel. Use a knife to lightly score the top and bottom of the scallops. Season with salt and pepper.

-Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a heavy skillet or frying pan. When hot add the scallops. Cook on one side – don’t move them!- for about three minutes until golden brown. Turn over and brown on the other side. Remove from heat and set aside. Scallops will finish cooking in the sauce later.

-In the same hot pan, cook the shrimp until partly cooked and brown. Set aside.

Golden brown scallops and shrimp waiting for sauce.

-Let the pan cool slightly, add in 1 Tbsp oil, the garlic and onions. Saute until a little brown and soften, be careful not the burn the garlic. Then add the mushrooms.

-When the mushrooms are nearly cooked, season with salt/pepper, reduce heat to medium-low and add in the marsala. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the cream.

-Reduce over low heat for about 20 minutes. Sauce won’t be super thick, but should reduce to about half. Taste for seasoning.

-When sauce is almost done, add in the shrimp, scallops along with any juices.

-Just before serving add in the butter to make the sauce shiny and help with thickening.

Waiting for the sauce to reduce is the hardest part. This is about 5-10 minutes before sauce was done.

Oricchiette lemon and kale

Approx. 2 cups dried Oricchiette (or other short pasta)

1/2 large bunch of kale (roughly 4 cups), core removed, thinly sliced

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Approx. 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Pinch of dried red chili flakes (optional)

1 cup chicken/veggie stock

1 large lemon – zest and juice

Approx 1 Tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper

-boil water to cook pasta – cook according to directions.

-In a large pan, saute the garlic, onion, chili and lemon zest with the oil over low-medium heat until onion is soft and slightly brown.

-Add kale, stir to combine. Add about 1/2 the stock and the lemon juice. Season with salt/pepper

-Just before serving add the pasta and more stock – you may not need/want the whole cup depending on preference.

Messy chicken verde tacos

A dear friend of mine had been raving about this recipe for taco filling for a few months and I finally had the chance to get the recipe and make it.

This Beer-Braised Chicken Verde from Better Homes and Garden is, quite frankly, just plain delicious. It was so delicious I forgot to take any photos.

I only made a couple of tweaks, which were based on ingredient availability. I couldn’t find canned tomatillos at my usual grocery stores and substituted with a jar of tomatillo salsa and eliminated one can of green chilies. This recipe definitely has some kick to it, so you may want to adjust accordingly depending on your spice tolerance. I recommend serving with guacamole and sour cream.

I found the finished product to have a lot of sauce, which made for very messy tacos, not that there’s anything wrong with that. A great alternative, which I’m going to try next time, is to turn them into enchiladas by wrapping the filling in soft tortillas, with some cheese and beans, topping with more sauce and a cheese and baking for 10 or so minutes. 

BONUS – I made this recipe the night before and just reheated it when it was time to serve, which makes this great for any weeknight meal. The filling would also freeze really well. Two of my favourite things in one recipe!

 

 

Mixed mushroom risotto

A lot of people are intimidated by risotto, because they think it’s really time consuming and/or complicated. Neither of this are the case. Yes, it’s not something you can whip up in 15 minutes, but it doesn’t take hours either. It just needs your mostly undivided attention for about 30-40 minutes.

Risotto is traditionally not a “main course,” but is typically served as a small “secondi” as an alternative to a pasta course in an Italian multi-course meal. This is a tradition I don’t follow. I often make it as a standalone dish or as a side dish, although in all honestly I could eat it right from the pan.

I like to make it for a dinner party because I can do most of the prep work ahead of time and it’s easy to stir while chatting with guests, and I still have one hand free to drink wine.

Risotto really isn’t that complicated, it just needs a little time and some attention.

1 cup arborio rice (see note at bottom)

Approximately 4 cups stock (chicken or veg)

1/4 cup of white wine (optional, or you can replace with juice from 1/2 a lemon)

1 medium onion, finely chopped and split into two portions

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped and split into two portions

Approximately 3 cups mushrooms (whatever you like and can find)

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese

roughly 3 tbsp of butter

salt/pepper to taste

-Put the stock on to heat up, then leave it at a simmer while you cook (cold stock will just shock the rice, and take longer to cook).

-In a large saucepan (not a big frying pan) saute one portion of onions and garlic in about a tbsp of butter, soften the onions and then add the mushrooms with the dried basil and a little salt/pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they’ve reduced in size, have a little colour on them and are soft. Put aside.

-In the same pan, add another tablespoon of butter (roughly) and the other onions and garlic, slowly cook them until onions are translucent and soft. Add the rice. Combine the rice with the onions and garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add the wine and stir. Once the wine is absorbed, start adding the stock. Use about 1/3 of a cup at a time (I use a small ladle), waiting until it’s absorbed each time.

-Stir when the stock is added, you don’t have to stir constantly. Just don’t let it sit too long or it will stick.

-Once you can see the rice is getting close to being done, (the rice will change colour, get fatter and you’ll start to see the “sauce” that comes from starch), taste the rice to see how cooked it is so you know how much longer it should cook. This is also a good time to adjust for salt/pepper. You don’t want the rice to be crunchy or mushy, it should have a little texture. 

-Right before the rice is done add the mushrooms back in. I add it when there’s maybe two or three rounds of stock to go.

-Once it’s done, remove it from the heat and add in about a tablespoon of butter and most of the parmesean cheese (save some to sprinkle on top).

SOME TIPS

– Arborio rice goes bad (I just learned this), which is why it’s often vacuum packaged. So store it in an airtight container and DON’T buy it at the bulk food store. I’ve tried this (I love a bulk food store) and it really does make a difference.

– Use good stock. The liquid is absorbed into every bite, so this don’t use the cheapest stock you can find, use the best stock you can. Homemade stock is best, but there are good brands out there, just pick your favourite (I’m a fan of this one made by Knorr). If you think you’re running low on stock (the amount absorbed can change depending on the rice and the weather) add a little more wine, or even water down the stock a bit. 

-If you can, don’t use only one kind of mushroom. Fancy mushrooms (Oyster, shitake, chanterelle, lobster etc.) aren’t cheap, but you don’t need a large amount to get the flavour. Use a small amount of fancy mushrooms and stretch out the rest with cheaper varieties. You can also add the woody stalks of the mushrooms to the stock to increase the flavour bang for your buck.

Leftovers

Risotto isn’t the world’s greatest leftover, BUT it’s not a lost cause. I often make what I call a cheater’s arancini (rice ball) by heating a non-stick pan with a little oil or butter, adding a spoonfull of risotto and let it cook until crispy on one side, flip it and do the same on the other.

If you have to use the microwave, which most of us do at some point, heat it on a lower heat setting for a longer time and stir it occasionally with a little additional liquid.