Chef's Original: Zesty Sauce on Farfalle

Now, this was a spur of the moment dish when I was digging through the fridge looking for stuff to cook today. I had all the ingredients and thought that they would make a great sauce for pasta.

Ingredients:
2 LG Tomatoes
1 Sm Tomato
1 cup Basil Leaves
2 White Onions
6 Scallions
5 Carrots
Italian Herb Mix
Ground Cumin/Coriander
Cayenne Chili Powder
Sea Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Fennel Powder
Turmeric Powder
Fenugreek Powder
Dry Sherry
Olive Oil
Teriyaki Sauce
Soy Sauce

This dish began by gathering the ingredients.

Now, I took the Basil Leaves and cut them up into smaller pieces. Along with the Carrots I chopped up into small pieces, go into the deep saucepan.

Step 2 of this was to add in the diced Scallions and diced White Onions. Make sure there is air flow cause the Onions make you tear up and that's no good when you are using a knife.

Step 3 is dicing up the Tomatoes. They don't have to be that small of pieces since everything gets pureed later on.

Now put the saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to MEDIUM. Pour in about a half cup of Olive Oil. Add a good quarter cup of the Teriyaki Sauce and Soy Sauce too.

Then season it. I did a dusting of the Fennel Powder, Fenugreek Powder, Turmeric Powder, and Ground Black Pepper. The Cayenne Chili Powder measured about a 1/3 of a spoonful. Too much of that will make the sauce too spicy, so do that if you dare! I added a couple of pinches of the Italian Herb Mix coupled with 3 spoonfuls of the Ground Cumin/Coriander mix.

Then mix together thoroughly. Add in your 1/4 cup of Dry Sherry as well. Mix again.

Now it should take a good 5 to 7 minutes for it to be done cooking. It should be mostly mushy and soft when it is done cooking. The carrots might still be hard, but that's of little consequence.

Turn the heat off and grab your blender or food processor. Pour the contents you just cooked up into the blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. I used a blender and had to do it in 2 batches. I served on some Farfalle Pasta. I did not include how to cook the Farfalle Pasta here since it's easy to cook. You also might know it as Bowtie Pasta.

I plated the Farfalle Pasta with a healthy serving of this Zesty Sauce on top. A garnish of a pinch of Shredded Asiago Cheese topped it off. Enjoy.

Lentil Soup

I have had my mind on whipping up some Lentil Soup for quite awhile, just never really mustered up the motivation to go through with it. Well, that time came this afternoon while I was food shopping. I needed to pick up just a few more things to make it happen, so I most certainly did just that!




Ingredients:
1 cup Red Lentils
1 cup Brown Lentils (regular)
5 Carrots
2 White Onions
6 Garlic Cloves
1/2 cup Olive Oil
6 cups Water
1/3 cup Cilantro Leaves
6 Basil Leaves
Italian Herb Mix
Fennel Powder
Fenugreek Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Ancho Chili Powder
Sweet Paprika
1 can Tomato Paste

I began by assembling the ingredients.

I then diced the Onions and Carrots. To keep them from investigating the kitchen, I rounded them up into a metal mixing bowl.

Now I also peeled my Garlic Cloves at this point and chopped them up.

Now put a large saucepan or medium to large sauce pot on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. You will pour in your 1/3 cup of Olive Oil at this point.

Once it begins to get hot, grab your trusted mixing bowl and put the diced Onions and Carrots in.

Once the Onions began to caramelize, I added some shredded Basil Leaves, Cilantro Leaves, and the Garlic Cloves. Then I mixed them in.

Now comes the seasoning part. I did the dusting of Italian Herb Mix first.

Then I had pre-mixed the rest of the spices together. Only a pinch or so each.

Then I mixed them in and marveled at how great the food looked.

At this point, add in your 2 cups of Lentils and Water. I started with 4 cups of Water in there until some had boiled away. Then I put in approximately 2 more cups while it cooked. Also, add the Tomato Paste at this point.

Put a timer to 60 minutes and let it start the final countdown. You should simmer it for the majority of this time, however I had it just above simmer so it would cook quicker. I was hungry, what can I say? Well, it finished about 10 minutes early.

This is what it looked like when done.

Then all you have left to do is plate and serve it. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushrooms with an Onion Brandy Sauce

I picked up some Portobello Mushrooms since they were on sale this past week and today they needed to be cooked. I decided to use some Boiler Onions and Basil as well. Enjoy this recipe, I know I enjoyed the cooking of it!












Ingredients:
Mushrooms:
4 Portobello Mushrooms
1/2 cup Port
Soy Sauce
Apple Cider Vinegar
Ground Black Pepper
Italian Herb Mix

Sauce:
5 Boiler Onions
1/2 cup Basil Leaves
1 shot Sherry
3 shot Brandy
Lime Juice
Soy Sauce
Apple Cider Vinegar
Ground Black Pepper
Sweet Paprika
Fennel Powder
Ground Allspice
Ground Cloves

I began by gathering my materials.

Then I got a small sauce pot put on the stove and shredded the Basil Leaves into it.

Second, I sliced the Boiler Onions after peeling them. Into the same pot they went.

I then poured in some Brandy. Just to be clear, I meant the liquor not the R&B singer.

Then I poured in some Sherry. Turn the heat to medium or so.

Now I added in about 2 spoonfuls of Lime Juice and a good 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. I also added in all the spices. I was going for a more even amount of everything, but by accident I put in a little more Ground Cloves and Allspice. Turns out it worked pretty well.

Now let it cook at just below medium for awhile, stirring occasionally.

Turn your attention to your Portobello Mushrooms. In a large saucepan I poured in about a 1/2 cup of Port and the same for Apple Cider Vinegar. To this I added a splash of Soy Sauce. In went the Mushrooms, gill side down, once it started to boil.

On top of the Mushrooms I sprinkled Ground Black Pepper and a dash of Italian Herb Mix.

Oooo! Look at that sauce cook! Stir it some more!

Flip your Mushrooms over about 3 minutes after you start them cooking.

They should cook for a few more minutes, or until they are spongey which means they are done. Turn to your sauce now and turn it off. Put the sauce mix into a food processor and take a bad photo like me.

Puree it until somewhat smooth. Now cut your Portobello Mushrooms into strips and plate. Add the sauce however you want it. I added a pinch of Italian Herb Mix to it. Enjoy.

Eggs in a Boat

Last week I posted on my personal facebook an amazing recipe I had found by perusing the Foodie Blogroll(Check it out!) and decided that I should try to make it. Boy was I smart in making that decision! I did not make the exact recipe I found, however I did make it delicious.










Ingredients:
1 loaf of French Bread/Baguette
Cheese
5 Eggs
5 Garlic Cloves
Basil Leaves
Sea Salt
Pepper
Italian Herb Mix

First get your ingredients together. I have some butter in there, but I ended up not using it. Same for the block of mozzarella cheese.

Make sure your oven is empty and turn it on. Bake @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now start by peeling your Garlic Cloves. I used a Garlic Masher to reduce then to an almost paste. I whisked the 5 Eggs into a smooth consistency and added the Garlic to that. Mix together some.

Now grab your Basil Leaves and shred them or cut them into small pieces. I used about 15 Leaves, mostly large. In the mix they went and stirred together. Make sure it's an even consistency.

Now grab your loaf of bread and cut a V into it from the top. This is where you will be putting your egg mixture so make sure not to create a hole on the side or bottom.

Then add in your mixture. It already looks delicious!

On top of this add a sprinkling of Salt and Pepper. Add as much as you want to, it's you who'll be eating it after all!

Now I added the first of the three cheeses I used. Blue Cheese. A nice start since it is so very tasty.

Then Asiago Cheese and a Parmesan/Romano mix generally used for salads.

Then some Italian Herb Mix on top.

Now, into the oven.

I had a sheet of non-stick cooking paper under it, but then read the tube it came in and saw 'not for conventional ovens' so out that came.

It should be in there for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese topping turns a golden brown.

Then you take it out and serve. Enjoy.