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This recipe would make a great impression on your guests and would leave the table 100% satisfied.
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INGREDIENTS
* 3 Cornish game hens cut in half
* ½ cup of soy sauce
* ¼ cup of Dijon mustard
* ¼ cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
* 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
* 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
* ¼ cup of sesame seeds |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a bowl, blend soy sauce, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, ginger and sesame oil. Reserve half of the marinade in a separate container and add the Cornish game hens in the bowl.
- Use the marinade to coat the hens and use plastic wrap as cover. Refrigerate for about 4 hours and turn the hens from time to time.
- For cooking, start preheating the oven to 425 degrees F. Set the hens in a baking dish with the skin side facing up. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds before placing it into the oven to cook for about 40 minutes or until done.
- Put hens on a dish and tent with a foil. Add the drippings gathered from the pan and use as marinade. Let it come to a boil and lower heat to allow simmering for about 5 minutes or just until the sauce becomes thick.
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Pumpkins are the best symbol of holidays and they taste better when used in pies, cookies or bread. Try this for a change, pumpkin soup.
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INGREDIENTS
* ¼ stick of butter
* 1 cup of diced onion
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 cups of canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
* 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
* 2 teaspoons of sugar
* ½ teaspoon of allspice
* ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
* 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
* Ground nutmeg as garnish |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a soup pot, melt butter. Put the garlic and onions. Simmer the onions until clear. Put the pumpkin, stock, sugar, allspice, and pepper. Let it come to a boil and lower heat to allow simmering for about 30 minutes.
- Use a stick blender until the soup is puree. You can opt for a blender to puree the soup. Just be careful as the soup would be very hot.
- Reduce heat to bring the soup back to simmer. Mix in the coconut milk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sprinkles of ground nutmeg onto each bowls prior to serving.
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Prepare this recipe a night ahead before Christmas and you’re set to serve a party of four.
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INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup of sour cream
* 6 tablespoons of prepared horseradish
* ¼ teaspoon paprika
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together until smooth.
- Add more heat according to taste.
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Osso Buco uses lamb shanks and marrow of the shanks. If you’re tired of the usual use of fish or birds for festive gatherings, veal would make a great alternative.
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INGREDIENTS * 3 pounds of veal shanks
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 6 cloves of crushed garlic
* 1 small onion, diced
* 1 carrot diced
* 1 celery stalk, diced
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1/3 cup Marsala wine
* 1/3 cup of brandy
* 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
* 3 cups of chicken stock (or veal stock if you can find it)
* 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
* Zest of 1 lemon
* Salt and pepper
For the bouquet garni you will need:
* 1 4-inch by 4-inch square of cheesecloth
* 1 sprig of thyme
* 1 sprig of rosemary
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 whole cloves
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DIRECTIONS
- Put thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and cloves at the center of the cheesecloth. Pull the corners to come together, making a small envelope. Tie the top to secure the herbs from falling out.
- Pat dry the veal shanks. Use butchers twine to tie around the shanks.
- Heat oil in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven. Cook the veal shanks to an even browness.
- Transfer the veal into a plate and tent with foil loosely. Lower heat and add butter. Saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until the onions become clear.
- Add Marsala, balsamic and brandy. Leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and tomato paste. Loosen the paste through stirring and add the veal along with stock into the pot. Set heat to high to allow boiling then lower heat and cover the pot for 90 minutes of simmering or until the meat starts to fall off from the bone.
- Take the veal off the pot and throw out the bouquet garni. Strain the rest of the liquids and use as sauce for the veal.
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For this recipe, you can also use pre-cooked chestnuts or the fresh ones. But for the freshnuts make sure to boil them before roasting.
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INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups of prepared chestnuts
* 1 carrot diced
* 1 celery stalk, diced
* 1 small onion, diced
* 1 cup port or sweet red wine
* 1 sprig thyme
* 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
* ½ cup cream
* ½ stick butter
* Salt and pepper |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a soup pot, melt butter over moderate heat. Saute onion along with celery and carrot. Continue cooking until the onions are clear. Add the chestnuts and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Pour the wine and add the thyme. Cook until the liquid has been reduced by half. Add the stock and increase heat to let the soup come to a boil. Lower heat and leave the soup to simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the thyme.
- Add cream to soup and use a stick blender to puree the soup. Practice caution since the soup would be very hot. Add the cream and leave it to simmer for couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
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Give your friends a delicious herbed olives while waiting for the meal. You can even prepare this recipe a few days in advance.
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INGREDIENTS
* 1 cup of black olives (Kalamata or a similar olive)
* 1 cup of green olives (not the kind with pimentos)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* ¼ teaspoon of oregano
* ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
* ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
* ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
* ¼ teaspoon basil
* ½ teaspoon of salt
* ½ teaspoon of pepper
* Zest of 1 orange
* ¼ bunch parsley chopped
* 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped |
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DIRECTIONS
- Set the oven to preheat settings of 450 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine olives with oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, fennel, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture on a sheet pan or a sided cookie sheet. Leave it to roast for about 15 minutes or just until the olives begin to sizzle.
- Put the olives back into the bowl and toss in the orange zest, parsley, and rosemary.
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INGREDIENTS
* 1 pound of navy beans (or great northern beans)
* 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
* 1 ham bone or ham hock
* 1 large carrot chopped
* 1 small celery stalk, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cups diced ham
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a pot, cover beans with water. Let it boil for about 2 minutes. Secure with a tight cover and take it off the stove top. Leave it to rest for an hour.
- Heat oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Saute garlic along with onions, carrots and celery. Lower heat to medium-low and cook the veggies slowly until the onions are clear. Stir from time to time.
- Put the veggies or chicken stock into the pot, followed by ham bone or hock and diced ham. Add the beans and leave it to simmer for an hour. Take the ham bone out of the soup pot. If using ham hock, take it out of the soup and shred the meat off the bone and add the meat back into the soup.
- Season with salt and pepper. Once the beans are soft, the soup is ready for serving.
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INGREDIENTS
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked
* 3 large carrots
* 4 large potatoes
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 2 1/2 cups rotini pasta
* 2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough |
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DIRECTIONS
- Wash the veggies then peel and slice. Transfer into a pot with water. Let it come to a boil and add the soups. Reduce heat to allow simmering.
- Cut the chicken into bite size portions when cool. Add chicken with the potatoes once the latter has become soft. Add rotini and continue simmering for about 8 minutes or until the pasta is soft.
- Pull dough and divide into 3 chunks. Drop it into the water and leave it to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked and fluffy.
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INGREDIENTS
* 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
* 5 cups water
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes
* 46 ounces chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups preferred style of noodles
* 1/3 cup celery, chopped
* 1/3 cup carrots, chopped |
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DIRECTIONS
- In a slow cooker, pour water and add the bouillon. Let the latter dissolve without heating. Add broth, chicken, seasonings, noodles, and vegetables. Stir to combine the ingredients well. Put cover and leave it to cook over low heat for about 5 hours.
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INGREDIENTS
* 4 12-ounce cans of chicken broth
* 2 12-ounce cans of evaporated milk
* 5 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 3 garlic cloves, diced
* 5 1/2 cups of yellow or white onions, chopped
* 9 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
* 4 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon of celery seeds
* 1 pint of whipping cream
* 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, chopped |
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DIRECTIONS
- Over moderate heat, melt butter then saute garlic and onions. Once the onions are clear, transfer into a large kettle or pan. Add the chicken broth and the evaporated milk. Continue cooking over moderate heat.
- Put the potato pieces, bacon, bay leaves, celery seed and whipping cream into the pan and let it boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes become tender. While cooking, mash the potatoes by pushing it against the side of the pan.
- Add into the soup and stir thoroughly. Sprinkle parsley on top and cook until hot.
- For serving, sprinkle the soup with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced scallions.
- Enjoy with hard rolls or bread.
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