Chocolate Fettuccini

      I have always seen chocolate pasta being made, or included in an interesting recipe. I always wondered what it would taste like and how could something traditionally sweet be considered a savory dish. So I thought, why not give it a try. I thought probably the best way to make this would be with a butter sauce and possibly bacon in it. Bacon and chocolate do make an interesting flavor combo. So here goes, Chocolate Fettuccini. 

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tbs cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 3 strips bacon
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 Sage leaf
• Arugula
• Salt/Pepper

Make the pasta

1. Combine flour and cocoa powder in a large bowl.

 

2. Drop in the 3 eggs and begin to mix together until you have a solid dark brown ball of dough.

 

    Turn out onto floured surface and kneed till firm. Cover in plastic wrap and put into fridge for at least an hour.

 

3. Roll out dough into pasta using pasta machine.

 

4. Cook in boiling water until al dente.

Sauce

1. In large skillet brown bacon. Remove, drain, and chop into small pieces. 

2. In same skillet melt 2 tbs butter and sauté until turning brown.
3. Stir in diced sage leaf. Then toss in arugula and wilt.
4. Toss bacon back in. Toss with freshly cooked pasta. Serve.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2+ 

    This pasta was actually so amazing that I wouldn't really categorize it as a sweet dish. It was definitely a great combination of savory flavors. You will be surprised at how good this is and will definitely give it a second try.  

 

Salmon Cake Sammich

Salmon Cake Sammich

 



     Yes I know sandwich is spelled wrong. It's a fun spin on the dish. Another dish inspired by a memory. Do you remember certain dishes you had as a child? Most still my mother makes and I myself have carried down. Most dishes are traditional to our family or our culture and have been passed down from generation to generation. There are those few that started with my mother and cannot be considered traditional. You know the ones, those simple meals your mother made to come up with a quick meal for the family.  This one in particular is inspired by just one of those dishes. As Irish/Italian and Catholic we grew up almost always having some sort of fish on Fridays. As middle class and trying to feed at least 5 my mother came up with a simple salmon cake dish by utilizing that easy to open red can of pink salmon from the supermarket. This dish is partially inspired by that same salmon cake but twisted and made into a delightful sandwich. Salmon Cake Sammich is what I like to call it.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz can pink salmon
• 3 tbs pimentos
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Breadcrumbs
• Egg
• Arugula
• Mayo
• Lemon juice
• Dill
• Buns
• Pepper

      Once you open the can of salmon people get freaked out by the fact that there are some bones in it. These are perfectly edible. Combine the salmon with the diced onion, pimentos, garlic, and the egg. Mix in some breadcrumbs, (roughly about a 1/3 of a cup), just enough to help combine and bind the mixture. Press out your salmon cakes into patties. This recipe makes roughly about 5-6 salmon patties. Gently fry each patty in a skillet or frying pan in some butter till brown on both sides. Lay across your favorite bun or sandwich bread. Top with a mixture of lemon juice, mayo, black pepper, and some dill. Lay some fresh arugula on top and viola; you have a wonderful ready to eat Salmon Sammich. Play around with this recipe. It’s easy, quick, and full of flavor. I’m sure it will help spice up those boring Friday evening fish meals. Enjoy!



Garden Burger

Garden Burger

     It’s summer time here in the States and what says summer more than grilling out on the grill. Nothing goes better on the grill than a juicy burger. Whether it is BBQ, spicy, lathered in cheese, or just plain, something about that odor of grilled beef wafting through the air just screams summer.

     I have many different recipes for burgers. Some of which I have started showing and posting on here. Who doesn’t love a great burger? Something about them just says a mans meal. I can eat them anyway, whether all dolled up or just a plain piece of beef on a bun. It doesn’t matter to me. They’re great.

     This recipe was inspired by the first nice day that occurs just as summer is about to arrive. You know the one. That day you are itching to go outside, fire up that grill, and hit the garden. Well most of the ingredients in this burger are inspired by just that. A combination of grilled beef with some fresh herbs and produce that remind you of that end of spring beginning of summer day. Please enjoy my Garden Burger.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbs special seasoning
• Onion buns
• Mayo
• Dill
• Black olives
• Red peppers
• Arugula
• Smoked mozzarella or Gouda

 
     My mother taught me a very simple way to make a delicious burger. She never added any egg, no onion, any spices, just simple beef, salt, and pepper. She would press them out with the back of a plate and that was it. Hers always seemed very uniform and so juicy that it was amazing how simple they were.  I decided this time around to just try her simple way of making burgers.  I added my own special seasoning, which I am not going to be giving away at this time. Use any spices you feel will help flavor the meat. Combine the ground beef and seasoning together. Pull out about five equal size balls of the beef mixture. In between two slices of wax paper place the beef patty and gently press down with the backside of a plate. The mixture makes about 5 burger patties. I like to take my thumb and press a little hole into the center of the patties so that when they cook up they do not shrink.  As you are cooking the patties you can take the slices of mozzarella or Gouda and lay on top of each patty to melt.

     Now take a bit of mayo, the dill, and diced up black olives, and diced peppers and combine in a bowl. Take your onion buns and gently grill them. Spread some of the mayo mixture on one side. Lay down some fresh arugula as well. Remove your patty from the grill and position on your buns. There you go! A wonderful garden style burger with all the fresh ingredients and juiciness from the beef. This is definitely a crowd pleasure and people who are even afraid of some of the ingredients will definitely fall in love with this one.

Chicken Club Pizza




Chicken Club Pizza

     It's that time again, when my craving for pizza comes about.  As posted before I have a dough starter that I keep feeding at least once a month, and can use for the rest of my life. So..... getting the inkling to make pizzas is as easy as opening my fridge and quickly making the dough.  For this time around I was inspired by a commercial on television one late night evening.  I saw an ad for Wendy's Chicken Club Sandwich, and thought, that would be great as a pizza.  Little did I know but once I did a Google search people have already been making this type of pizza.  Anyways, I decided to make it my own.

     So here goes.... I thought about what makes the great flavors of a good chicken club sandwich.  The chicken, the bacon, the lettuce, tomato, the tart cheese, and a hint of ranch flavoring in that sauce some place on it.  Whatever it is, it's just an all around good bite to eat.  Why not make it into a pizza.  So here goes.  My take on a Chicken Club Pizza my way.

Chicken Club Pizza

Ingredients:

• **Standard pizza dough recipe
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 4 strips bacon
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded Romano
• 1/2 cup Ricotta
• 1 tbs Ranch seasoning
• Handful of fresh Arugula

** See Pizza Dough recipe this blog

     Place your pizza stone in the bottom of the oven and turn on high at 500 degrees.  Let heat up for about half an hour. Meanwhile in a sauté pan cook the chicken over medium heat in a little olive oil.  Brown on both sides until the chicken is cooked.  Remove and cut up into little bites.  Next cook the bacon in the same pan until browned. Remove and cut up into small bits.  Slice the tomatoes into thin slices.  Roll out your already prepared pizza dough recipe. Mix your ricotta and ranch seasoning in a bowl and spread out on the pizza dough.  Lay out the diced tomatoes.  Cover with the chicken and bacon and finally sprinkle the shredded Romano over top of the pizza.  Place in the oven and bake for about 7-10 minutes until nice and golden brown.  About a minute before you remove the pizza from the oven toss a handful of Arugula on top of the pizza.  Remove from the oven and drizzle some olive oil over the pizza. Serve.  Makes about 8 slices.  This pizza was very fresh and delicious.  Give it a try.