Meatball Sliders

Jun 25, 2012 by Lindsey

Hi, readers! Well, this is awkward. I feel like the boy who didn’t call you back after things were going so well on your dates. Can you forgive me for not posting a blog post in nearly a month? I promise, its me… not you. I’d like to try things again now. You are very special to me… let’s have dinner sometime.

Really, this last month has been pretty crazy. Work took over my weekends,  then summer vacations, and now.. I have two broken ribs to remind me that I really do need to slow down and take care of myself. So, in the spirit of “resting” and trying to heal my little broken bones, I have been laying around watching terrible movies and thinking of what to cook for you tonight. I came to two conclusions during my sofa meditations:  (1) It turns out that “Big Miracle” starring Drew Barrymore and three humpback whales is quite the tear jerker, and (2) meatball sliders need to be in your life, like,  right now.

These sliders were well worth the trouble I went through to prepare them. The recipe is quite simple, but going to the grocery store with two broken ribs is not a piece of cake. I would do anything for these sliders, though. They are that good!

Enough about me, though. Let’s talk about you. I think you are going to love these meatball sliders that are easy enough for a weeknight meal, but cute enough for a casual weekend get together. You can eat two or six, depending on your appetite. I promise that after trying these buttery, cheesy, tomatoey, meatbally little sliders, you will want more than just one! Here’s how you do it, dear readers. I hope you enjoy!

Meatball Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a dash of pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jar of marinara sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 package of butter hawaiian rolls
• 6 slices of provolone cheese, cut into quarters
• serve with pasta or a fresh side salad

Instructions

Begin preheating your oven to broil.

First, prepare the meatballs by mixing the ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl with a fork. Using your hands, roll them into tiny meatballs about the size of one tablespoon each. You will have between 12-18 meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet and brown the meatballs over medium heat.

While those are browning, I took a minute to slice my provolone cheese into quarters. This was fun to do. You will enjoy this step if you, too, are amused by strange things.

Ok. The meatballs should be brown, so pour in the whole jar of marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Cover for 20 minutes and go do something fun.

It turns out that my idea of “fun” was preparing a little side salad. When I came back, these meatballs smelled amazing and were perfectly cooked.

Start assembling the sliders. Place one-quarter of provolone cheese on the bottom half of the roll then the meatball, then another provolone piece, then top it off with the other half of the roll. You might need to squish them down so the meatballs don’t roll off onto your counter. That is a mess, trust me. Finally, put your finished sliders under the broiler for no more than 1 minute. Just long enough to melt the cheese and warm the bread.

I served these sliders with a simple side salad dressed with some EVOO, honey, and balsamic vinegarette. Jason and I were happy campers at the end of this meal. And, guess what? Tomorrow night’s dinner of spaghetti and meatballs is already halfway ready!

 

Enjoy, everyone! See you next week!

Lindsey

 

 

 

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Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce (aka “Mac-a-Lindsey”)

Oct 31, 2011 by Lindsey

Do you like pasta? If yes, please keep reading.

Do you like cheese? If yes, please keep reading.

(If your answer is no, who are you??)

Do you like making elegant dishes that are easier than they sound? If yes, keep reading.

Because I have the recipe for you!!

I am in a neighborhood “Gourmet Club” that regularly meets for theme dinners. Our most recent theme was Giada de Laurentis and I prepared her most amazing recipe for Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce. I hate to toot my own horn, but I think it was the best dish of the night! I have made this pasta again and again and cannot stop thinking about it. I consider it a “grown-up” version of Macaroni and Cheese, which is why Jason lovingly calls it “Mac-A-Lindsey.” I’ve made a few alterations to Giada’s original recipe to call it my own and encourage you to stop what you’re doing and try this recipe! “Bechamel sauce” is a fancy name for butter, flour, and milk whisked together to form a thick, creamy sauce. Add some fontina cheese, prosciutto, and truffle oil, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a side dish.

Here’s how I make it.

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 quart whole milk
• Pinch fresh nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 cup grated fontina
• 4 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
• 1 pound dry rigatoni
• 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (if you have it!)

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 425. In a large pot, boil your rigatoni until it is al dente.

In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the 1/2 cup of flour until it is thick and coats the bottom of the pan.

Pour the milk in, slowly, and whisk to prevent sticking or burning. Continue to whisk until the sauce is simmering and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It took me about ten minutes at medium-high heat. This is when you have “Bechamel Sauce.”

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the fontina, prosciutto, truffle oil, salt, and pepper.

The pasta should be done by now. Drain in a collander and stir into the sauce while it is still steaming hot.

Pour the pasta into a small casserole dish and bake for approximately 25 minutes at 425 degrees. I let my pasta cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

I served my “Mac-A-Lindsey” with a side of pan-fried italian turkey sausage for protein. But really, I only ate the pasta for dinner. It is really an amazing recipe - soft, cheesy, and full of decadent flavors. I love how the large rigatoni noodles have the sauce both inside of the shells and outside. What a great texture!

Oh, Giada, she doesn’t look like she’s ever eaten this in her skinny life…

But, you should! This is a great side dish or main course for any occasion.  It only uses a few ingredients so you can feel good about including it in your weekly grocery budget. Recipes like this are truly hard to find. It  uses “grown up” ingredients to create a classic dish we are all familiar with – cheesy pasta. Anyone, from picky eaters to real “foodies,” can enjoy this meal.

Hope you enjoy it! HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Lindsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ina Garten’s Turkey Lasagna

Sep 21, 2011 by Lindsey

For all of you Food Network fans out there, let me announce my love for the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes are always amazing and she is one of the few celebrity chefs without an annoying personality. I made her turkey lasagna recipe for friends last weekend, and what a crowd-pleaser it was! We all ate in the formal dining room, drank plenty of wine, and discussed everything that is wrong with Toddlers and Tiaras. It was a lovely night and this lasagna was just the perfect dinner for us.

Here is the turkey lasagna I made for friends. It creates a whopping 8-10 servings, so keep your tupperware handy after you’re through. Ina’s calls for uncased turkey sausage, but I winged it with ground turkey and extra italian seasoning. It still turned out beautifully! The addition of goat cheese was brilliant – it gave the dish a subtle flavor which put extra “wow” in every bite. That just reminds you that this was not made by Stouffer’s.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (or 2 lb ground turkey sausage mixed with italian seasoning)
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water until you need them, then drain.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

I served the lasagna with a pinot noir, simple side salad, and garlic bread. It was the centerpiece for a deligtful Sunday evening!

Lots of love,

Lindsey

 

 

 

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Baked Tortellini with Garlic Pesto Bread

Aug 12, 2011 by Lindsey

Disclaimer: Don’t show my blog to your culinary school professor. Although he or she would be truly impressed with what I can do with a bag of pre-made frozen tortellini, I don’t think we need to brag about it to anyone. There, I said it.

This week I have been the busiest bee in the hive:planning a wedding, starting a new job, getting ready for classes, and more. It’s been a whirlwind! Too drained to cook, I opted for the usual tortellini-for-supper routine on Wednesday night. Tortellini is the fast food of our house – boil it, add some butter, parm, and maybe some frozen veggies, and you’re good to go. But, this time I made a few subtle changes to transform our usual boiled pasta dinner to something totally different: Baked Cheese Tortellini with Pesto Garlic Bread.

Voila! A completely different dish. The pasta developed a more dense texture in the oven, and the sauce added an extra richness to this normally bland noodle dish. Add a slice of soft-in-the-middle pesto garlic bread on the side to soak up the leftover sauce, and I was pretty delighted at how this made-up recipe turned out.

You will love it, too. Here is how I made it:

Baked Tortellini

1 box or bag of pre-made cheese tortellini (I love Bertolli or Whole Foods Brand)

1 jar of marinara sauce

About half a cup of heavy cream

A little parmesan and mozzarella cheese

Pesto Garlic Bread

1 French baguette

Minced Garlic

Basil Pesto

Butter

A little Parmesan

 

Instructions

For the garlic bread, preheat to 350. Slice the baguette in half and layer the butter, garlic, pesto, and parmesan on one side. Place the other side on top, like a sandwich. Wrap in foil and bake for 20 minutes. I like to prepare this first so we can snack on the bread while everything else is cooking.

For the tortellini, boil the noodles for about 3-4 minutes. You don’t need to cook them all the way because they will finish cooking in the oven. While the noodles are cooking, prepare the sauce. Pour a jar of marinara sauce into a large bowl. Fill the jar halfway with heavy cream and add that to the bowl. This is about half a cup of cream.

Add a few scoops of shredded parmesan cheese and stir.

When the noodles are done, pour them in a casserole dish and top with the sauce.

 

Drizzle a little mozzarella and parmesan on top of the dish, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

It cools pretty quickly, so go ahead and serve with a slice or two of garlic bread. This was just a simple way to jazz up my normal tortellini-for-supper routine. I have fun thinking of new ways to cook “ordinary” foods in my pantry. Now, you can go try it, love it, and thank me later.

 

Lots of love!

Lindsey

 

 

 

 

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Blackened Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Jul 26, 2011 by Lindsey

Every few months, I get an e-mail that looks something like this:

“Dear Overcooked,

I am cooking for [relative/friend/date/etc] tomorrow and I need a good recipe. I don’t know anyone’s food preferences. I only have one hour to cook and my budget is $25. I want to impress [said person] although I almost never turn on the stove.

Love the blog!

Your friend”

Though it’s tempting to respond with a quick, ”You’re SOL. Just go to Whole Foods Premade Counter and hide the bags” I always know the perfect solution. All they need is  this recipe for blackened chicken fettucini alfredo. It’s exactly what this person needs since its a classic dish, uses no veggies (picky eaters rejoice), is cheap, and can be made by anyone. Guy Fieri is one of my favorite Food Network chefs. His recipes are interesting and exciting, but aren’t bogged down by what I call “fluff,” which is unnecessary steps or ingredients. Emeril, Batali, and even Bobby Flay are all in “fluff” land, if you ask me.

But back to chicken alfredo. The universal response to this particular recipe is”Wow! That was fantastic! Everyone was so impressed! You are the best food blogger ever! You should do this full-time and become the host of your own food network show!”

OK, I may be exaggerating, but you get the point.

Here’s my interpretation of Guy Fieri’s already great recipe. I measure the ingredients slightly different and omit a few characters, like sun-dried tomatoes and onions. The flavors of a classic chicken alfredo are all there- sweet and salty parmesan cheese, buttery noodles, tender chicken– but the blackening spice gives it an edge that leaves you wanting more. Put this one in your cooking repertoire, whether you are a beginner cook or a more advanced culinarian, you need to try this recipe out now!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

 

 

One whole chicken breast, split and butterflied (If I’m at the butcher, I request a full 1/2 lb breast)

1/4 Cup of Blackening Spice (Found in your grocier’s self-serve spice aisle, can also be substituted for cajun seasoning)

1 package of Fettucini noodles

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 Cup of white wine

1 Cup of Heavy Cream

1 Cup of shredded parmesean cheese

Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes, and extra Parmesan for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.

For the chicken, dredge the chicken breast in the blackening spice. Discard the rest of the spice and brown the chicken breast on a hot skillet until the sides are firm and the blackening spice begins to caramelize. I recommend a cast-iron skillet for this because it keeps the temerature very hot and adds a nice grilled flavor to the dish. Anything you have is fine, though. Place in the browned chicken in the oven for 15 minutes with a little olive oil or butter on top.

While the chicken is in the oven, start boiling the pasta . When I make nice pasta dishes, I use imported pasta from Abruzzo, Italy. I know that sounds so snobby but Food & Wine Magazine told me that pasta from Abruzzo is the best in the world. I believe them! The pasta is delicate, flavorful, has a velvety texture. I know that I can find this brand in Central Market.

Now that the chicken and pasta are underway, you can start the alfredo sauce. In a large, deep skillet, sautee the garlic in a little olive oil. When it gets brown, add the white wine and listen to it sizzle. You can pour a glass for yourself, too.

Wait about 30-60 seconds for the garlic, oil, and wine to really get to know each other. Then, add the cup of heavy cream and reduce the heat to a medium-low. For the next five minutes, stir the cream slowly to prevent it from curdling or boiling. Over time, it will thicken and lose its viscosity enough where you can draw paths through it with a spoon without it pouring back in (see photo). This is the right consistency for alfredo. When this happens, you can reduce the heat to low and wait to add the other ingredients.

By now, the chicken and/or pasta should be ready. Chop up the chicken and drain the pasta when ready. Add both to the heavy cream.

Increase the heat and let the chicken, pasta, and sauce hang out for about two or three minutes. Turn off the heat and add a cup of parmesan cheese.

Stir the cheese and let the dish “set” for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. It should stay hot, but the sauce tastes best after it’s thickened and cooled a little bit.

Serve and let the compliments come rollin’ in! A side salad or garlic bread would be nice accompaniments to this recipe if you have guests over. Next time you are in a recipe rut and are searching for that perfect dish, try this one. If blackening spice isn’t your thing, then leave it out! Just coat the chicken in some simple salt and pepper and enjoy the traditional alfredo. I believe the blackening spice gives it a zest that I never get anywhere else. It’s great!

Hope you enjoy. Do you have a “go-to” emergency recipe, like this, that you resort to on occasion? What is it?

Lots of love,

Lindsey

 

“I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.” -W.C. Field

 

 

 

 

 

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