Sunday Brunch

Took a fun girls' trip to the Natick, MA Wegman's yesterday. Among the loot I came home with were all the fixings for a perfect rainy Sunday brunch!

Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Lime Rice

Happy Monday! It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, for myriad reasons. I'm trying to get back on track and appreciate those of you who've stuck around.

This pork dish is completely addictive - from the time you start chopping the produce until it all comes together and hits the plate. Waiting the hour for it to simmer can be like torture if you're really  hungry. You must love cilantro, though. Parsley might work as a substitute, but I haven't and won't ever try it that way because we love it as-is so I can't guarantee it'll be any where near as good as the original.
Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin, approx. 1 lb., cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp. pepper, divided
• 2 tsp. canola oil, divided
• 10-12 tomatillos (about 1 lb.), peeled, rinsed and chopped into quarters
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 med green pepper, coarsely chopped
• ½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, divided
• Zest of 3 limes, divided
• Juice of 3 limes
• Sour cream and additional cilantro for serving, optional

Method:

1. Combine pork, cumin, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. oil.
2. Preheat large stock pot on med-high 2-3 min. Place pork mix in pan; cook 2-3 min to brown.
3. Place remaining 1 tsp. oil in pan, then add onions, tomatillos, and garlic; cook 3-4 min or until onions softened
4. Stir in zest of two limes and all of juice. Cover and reduce heat to med-low; simmer 60-65 min or until pork is tender.
5. Stir into pork: bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and ½ cup cilantro. Cook 4-5 more min or until peppers are tender.
6. Prepare rice following package instructions. Stir in remaining ½ cup cilantro, remaining ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper, and remaining zest of one lime.
7. Serve pork chili over rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream and additional fresh cilantro.

Mini Pesto Lasagna Stacks

Who knew you could use wonton wrappers to make lasagna? Well, you can and with a few minor tweaks, I will again for sure.

The stacks were easy to assemble and make it possible to throw together a "lasagna" on a week night. I worried that there would be too much liquid by using both the sauce and the pesto, but it actually could have used a little more. Next time I'll put some sauce down on the bottom of the dish first.

Since there is no such thing as a meatless any-day-of-the-week in our house, I grilled up some hot sausages to go along with these. Much to Brian's dismay (and he knew it IMMEDIATELY), they were chicken sausages, but they were delicious regardless.

Delicious and easy: what more can you ask for?

Ingredients:

• 1 package of wonton wrappers (like the original recipe recommended, my grocery store also carries Nasoya - they come 50 to a  package)
• ¾ C pesto (if using prepared, make sure you drain off some of the excess oil)
• 1-1/2 C marinara sauce
• 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• freshly ground pepper 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Prepare either a baking dish or four small gratin dishes by spraying with a little nonstick cooking spray. 
2. Layer the four lasagna stacks by starting with a square of pasta, spreading about a teaspoon of marinara sauce on top and then about a teaspoon of pesto on that.  
3. Add another square of pasta and repeat.  I did every other layer after that - pesto then marinara, etc. Repeat layers until you have used 12 squares for each stack.  
4. Top with marinara, some pesto and a sprinkling of the mozzarella.  Add a few pine nuts on top of each stack and then a pinch of the oregano and some freshly ground pepper. Cover tightly with foil.
5. If using individual gratin dishes, place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the lasagna for about 20 minutes and then remove foil. Bake for an additional 7 -10 minutes, or until cheese on top has melted to your liking. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to set up a little before serving.

Source: The Italian Dish

Portabello Stroganoff with Goat Cheese

When I first saw this recipe prepared on TV, it was presented as a meat-free alternative to beef stroganoff. While it sounded delicious to me, I couldn't really see it being "the" meal, so I halved the recipe - thank god, otherwise we'd have eaten it for an entire week - and served it along side pork schnitzel.

It turned out just as I expected. And, it heated up beautifully the next day for lunch. The only thing I'd change: I would have liked just a little more sauce - easy enough to remedy next time with a bit more stock and an extra dollop of goat cheese.

We both really like how this turned out and I'll definitely be making it again!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced and white bottoms and green tops separated
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 14 ounces beef stock
• 8 ounces plain fat free Greek yogurt
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute until they darken in color, soften and give off their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Add the white bottoms of the green onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour disappears and the bottom of the pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with the beef stock.
5. Bring to a simmer and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add the yogurt, cheese, and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Drain the noodles, add to the pan and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Source: Food Network

Antipasti Stuffed Chicken

Antipasti plates always seem so...messy...  Or something. Finger food is great, but when it's a little oil and vinegar-y, it's drippy. Messy.

So, while I love every single thing on the plate, I have never ordered one. So when I saw this recipe, with all of the things that make an antipasti plate delicious chopped up and stuffed into baked chicken, I had to try it. The pepperoncini give it a nice bite and cheese gets nice and melty. The dressing is an Italian dressing-like compliment and I basted the chicken with it while it was baking. Juicy and delicious.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 slices Genoa salami (2 ounces), chopped
• 4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped
• 4 slices provolone cheese (4 ounces), chopped
• 4 large pepperoncini, stemmed, chopped
• 1 whole roasted red peppers, chopped
• Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kitchen twine

Method:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.
2. For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar, oregano, fennel seed, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Gradually whisk in the oil.
3. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the salami, pepperoncini, prosciutto, provolone and peppers with 1/4 cup of the dressing; toss to blend evenly.
4. Butterfly chicken and pound to about 1/4" thick. (There are explicit instructions in the original recipe.) Lay over 3 pieces of kitchen twine.
5. Mound a fourth of the stuffing onto the chicken then roll firmly. Tie with twine.
6. Place the chicken breasts on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the dressing.Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook the chicken. Don't ask how I know that.) Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a sheet of foil. Let rest 5 minutes.

Bad day at work?  Nothing like cooking and a glass of wine.

Pound chicken to 1/4" thickness and lay over three pieces of kitchen twine.
(This exercise helps with the really bad day, too.)

Mound each piece of chicken with a quarter of the stuffing.

Roll and tie, then trim the excess twine.

Don't forget the wine!

Source: Food Network