Green Lentils

This is a traditional dish that we eat on New Years Eve. These green lentils are wonderful, they take a little longer to cook than the regular but are worth it for the taste. My niece gave me lion head bowls for xmas and I immediately had to do something. I really love these bowls.

Ingredients:

1 onion minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

extra virgin olive oil as needed, maybe 2 tablespoons or so

4 tomatoes cut up

1 jalapeno cut up (this is optional)

1 cup French green lentils

1 liter of stock

salt & pepper to taste

In a saucepan combine, the olive oil, onions, garlic, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, add tomatoes, jalapeno, stock, lentils.

Simmer for about 35 to 40 minutes till lentils are tender.

pizzelle

Just finished making pizzelle's for xmas, big job done! Yeah.... I have been making these since I was very young with my Mom and now carrying on the tradition. Love doing them it reminds me of her.

Sorry, can't give out the recipe.

Lime soy flavored flank steak

This is a really easy and fun appetizer, great for the holidays:

Ingredients:

Juice of 4 limes, zest of 2 limes

4 tablespoons of light brown sugar

6 tablespoons of soy sauce

3 to 4 tablespoons of sriracha chili sauce(this is an asian hot sauce, you can find it in asian supermarkets and sometimes your local market), you can add more or less

500 g / 1 lb flank steak

Whisk together the juice of the limes, sugar, soy sauce and sriracha.

Slice the flank think, this will make a difference when you roll them.

Marinate the flank in a glass container for at 1 hour in the refrigerator.

When ready, remove the flank from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Remove the meat from the marinade and save.....

Place the marinade into a pan and reduce to a glaze. Meanwhile cook the steak.

When done, roll the steak and secure with a toothpick and place onto a thin slice of lime and drizzle with the glaze.

chicken pot pie

Perfect night for some great comfort food, so I had left over chicken and decided to do individual chicken pot pies. I didn't feel like going out, so looked into my fridge and decided to make individual chicken pot pies. Had left over chicken, peas, corn and bacon.

I cut up the chicken into bite size pieces, and seasoned it with salt & pepper and wondra flour (this chicken was already cooked). Once the bacon was cooked and I strained off the excess fat, I added the chicken to the bacon, the roux and the peas and corn, and heated through so the roux would thicken. Added this to individual ramekins, rolled out the puff pastry and egg washed the top of the ramekin then cut out the puff pastry and put it onto the ramekin. The puff pastry received a nice brushing of egg wash and place into a 190C /375F oven for about 35 minutes. My puff pastry had been in the freezer for a while so it didn't puff up like I wanted it to. Remember it was cold and I really did not want to go out. Not happy with fotos.....whatever....

Pan Seared Skirt Steak w/ Parsley Salsa

This was a great quick dish and yummy also. I made a Parsley Salsa and pan seared the skirt steak (which has so much flavor, and inexpensive also).

For the Salsa:

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 shallot, minced

1 anchovy, minced (don't tell anyone and they won't even know)

1 tablespoon of capers, minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 seranno chili (remove seeds if you don't like the heat)

1 lemon zest and also the juice

about 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped up

black pepper to taste

about 1/2 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let them meld together, sometimes it's best to let this sit for a few hours or even overnight.

For the Steak:

The skirt steak about 500 g / 1 lb usually comes in a cryovac package, I used one and this used be enough for two people. Sometimes the steaks are a little larger but that's OK.

Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Heat the pan and when hot, add the meat, when browned on one side turn over, be sure the pan is hot. This meat cooks fast, so stay with it.

When the meat is done, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then slice and put the salsa on top.

Serves 2

Let me know how you like it.

Pan Seared Haddock with Broccoli puree (Merluzzo con pure di broccoli)

Here is a great weeknight dinner, pan seared haddock with a broccoli puree, easy and fast.

For the fish:
2 fillets of haddock 110 g (4 oz)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Heat a heavy bottom pan with the butter and olive oil, season the fish with salt & pepper. When the butter starts to melt add the fish and cook about 4 minutes per side. The fish will cook quickly. When the fish is cooked remove to a plate.

For the broccoli:
1 head of broccoli
1/2 leek
salt & peper
lemon & zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Cut up the broccoli and leek and heat a pan of water and bring to a boil, add the salt and broccoli and leek and cook till tender. Drain the broccoli and with a blender or imersion blender puree the broccoli and leek, add a pat of butter and season with salt and pepper.
I added a serrano pepper because I love the heat.

Chicken, Sausages and Potatoes

This is real easy, just put everything into a pan and into the oven for 90 minutes and it's done, great for a Sunday watching football.
8 or so chicken thighs
4 sausage links
500g (1/2 lb) fingerling potatoes
1 red onion
fresh rosemary about 4 good sprigs, more if you want
zest of lemon and juice of one lemon
olive oil
salt & pepper
4 carrots, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Put the oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Put the chicken into the pan and rub it with the olive oil, add salt and pepper. Add the sausages and the potatoes, and carrots into the pan, sprinkle the rosemary. Add the zest and juice of one lemon.
Cook for about 90 minutes, halfway through turn chicken pieces over.
Enjoy!