Category Archives: Recipes

béchamel sauce …

March 11, 2010

Béchamel Sauce, (pronounced bay-shah-mel) or white sauce is one of the mother sauces of French and some Italian cuisine. It is typically used as a base for other sauces, and is traditionally made whisking scalded milk into a roux, or butter and flour mixture.

The origins of the sauce can be sketchy, but as far as we can tell it was invented by Louis de Béchameil, and it was an improvement of a sauce imported from Italy to France during the reign of the queen of France, Italian Catherine de Medici.

I love using a basic Béchamel Sauce as a base for many dishes. The possibilities are endless, really.

A great basic Béchamel Sauce can be found here, from Mario Batali of the Food Network.

Here’s a recipe I made using a basic Béchamel Sauce. I opted to skip the butter and make it a little healthier.

{ Penne Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Asparagus in a White Sauce }

Serves 4-6

1 12oz box of Penne Pasta, cooked according to package directions
10 medium to large baby bella mushrooms, sliced
15-20 medium stems asparagus, sliced 1 inch long on an angle
2 large chicken breasts, cooked, cut in small pieces [I boiled mine in water]
1-2 tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

directions
In a large skilled heat olive oil over medium heat. add asparagus, onions, and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add cooked chicken. Mix, and remove from heat and set aside.

Place flour in a medium saucepan. In a separate saucepan, heat milk until it is just about to boil. Add milk one cup at a time to the flour whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let bubble for about two minutes or until sauce thickens and is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Add the white sauce to the asparagus and mushroom mixture. Stir well, then serve over cooked pasta immediately.

enjoy!

labeled : Recipes | 5 COMMENTS

polenta …

March 5, 2010

Previously known as a peasant food, polenta is now a premium product and is even served in high-end restaurants.

Polenta is most commonly made using ground cornmeal, and is ground coarse or fine, depending on the preference of the region. It is most popular among the Northern Italians, where polenta is a household must.

Polenta is a slowly cooked dish that commonly takes almost an hour to cook, stirring often. It is served creamy, or set, as in the picture above. Now a days, it is common to see pre-cooked polenta tubes sold at your local grocer for around $4 for an 18 ounce tube. I have even purchased it at Wal-mart, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

I enjoy eating polenta along side my salmon with veggies, or with a nice topping of meat and vegetables. It is also great, because it is gluten free!

Here is a great recipe for Polenta with kale, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes. Click here.
I added sliced Chicken Sausage, and red pepper flakes to the recipe, and it turned out great!

Now, to make your own polenta. I suggest giving it a try. You’ll save money, and there is always something about making things at home. You can control exactly what is going into it.

{Basic Polenta}

recipe found here

Serves 6 to 8 (makes 24 set pieces)

FOR THE POLENTA
10 cups cold water
1 heaping tablespoon coarse salt {I put a little less..}
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups coarse-ground polenta meal
Freshly ground pepper
FOR SERVING SOFT POLENTA
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Put 6 cups cold water, the salt, and bay leaf into a Dutch oven or a heavy stockpot, and bring to a boil. Bring remaining 4 cups cold water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Add polenta to large pot in handfuls, separating your fingers to let the grains slip through and whisking constantly until combined. Reduce heat until only a couple of large bubbles appear at a time.
Whisk 2 ladlefuls of simmering water into polenta, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Continue to add 2 ladlefuls of water every 5 minutes, stirring often and waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more, until polenta is creamy and just pulls away from sides of pot, about 45 minutes. (It may be necessary to adjust heat.)
If not serving immediately, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover pot, and keep warm until ready to serve (up to 1 hour). Remove bay leaf. Season with pepper.
For soft polenta only: Stir in butter. Use a damp spoon to serve. Top each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
For set polenta only: Pour into a slightly damp or a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Let stand until no longer steaming, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold and set, about 1 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 2 days). Turn out polenta. Using plain dental floss, cut horizontally in half, pulling string toward you. Cut in half crosswise, pressing string downward. Cut each half lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch-wide strips, cut strips crosswise into thirds, and then into triangles or squares if desired. Alternatively, cut polenta with a knife.

Enjoy!

couscous ….

February 26, 2010

If you have never tried couscous, you are truly missing out.

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. It is a staple in many North African countries, parts of Europe, and the Middle East. It has popped up on American menus and dinner tables as of late, and is a nice replacement for your regular old potatoes or pasta.

Traditional couscous requires considerable time to prepare. But, the parboiled couscous is now available in most grocery stores and only takes minutes to make; usually just adding water or broth, olive oil, a little salt bring to a boil, then add the couscous, then remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. It’s as simple as that.

Couscous is traditionally served under meat and vegetable stew or as a part of a salad. But, really you can use it any way you prefer.

Here is a great recipe I made with couscous. It would also be great over a bed of linguine pasta, but hey, why not try something new.

{Couscous with Garlic Shrimp, Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Sun Dried Tomatoes}

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/2 bunch asparagus, [about 15-20 stems], sliced in one inch pieces on a diagonal
6-8 medium to large baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1 tbs fresh lemon juice

11/4 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cup chicken broth/stock
pinch of salt
1 tbs fresh parsley, minced [or 1/2 tbs dried parsley flakes]

2 tbs parmigiano reggiano cheese, shredded
Directions

prepare couscous:
in a medium saucepan, boil broth, salt, and parsley. when it comes to a boil remove from heat and add uncooked couscous and stir. cover for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

meanwhile, in a large skillet heat 1 tbs of the olive oil, and 1 tbs butter over medium high heat. add 3 of the minced garlic cloves and all of the minced shallots. fry for 1 minute, then add the shrimp. sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. cook shrimp for 2 1/2 minutes on each side.
squeeze fresh lemon juice over the shrimp, then stir, and remove from heat and place shrimp and sauce onto a plate to rest.

wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, then return back to heat with the remaining 1 tbs olive oil.
add asparagus, mushrooms, and saute, stirring for 5-7 minutes or until soft. add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, cook for 2 more minutes. return the shrimp along with any sauce to the pan and mix well, stir for 1 minute. then, remove from heat and serve immediately over couscous, and sprinkle with a little parmigiano reggiano.

enjoy!

labeled : Armelle - Recipes | 2 COMMENTS