Cioppino

Cioppino is a fish stew derived from the various regional fish soups and stews of Italian cuisine. Cioppino is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in the dish's place of origin is typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and white fish with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce, often served over spaghetti or other long pasta and toasted buttered bread, either sourdough or baguette. This dish was developed in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach section of San Francisco.  Originally it was made on the boats while out at sea and later became a staple as Italian restaurants proliferated in San Francisco. The name comes from ciuppin, a word in the Ligurian dialect of the port city of Genoa, meaning "to chop" or "chopped" which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch.  At least one restaurant in San Francisco, the eponymous Cioppino's, uses the bogus story in which the name derived from the heavily Italian-accented cry of the wharf cooks for the fishermen to "chip in" some of their catch to the collective soup pot.

So, there’s your history lesson for the day. What I love about Cioppino is that you can alter this dish in many ways.  Change it up by using potatoes, chorizo, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, crab, halibut, sea bass, or snapper.  Add a little heat with red pepper.  You can do practically anything to personalize this delicious dish.

Ingredients

1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil

1/2  cup chopped onion

1 1/2  teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

8 ounces sea scallops

8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1/2 cup clam juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to pan; sauté for 2 minutes. Add mussels, scallops, and shrimp to pan; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup clam juice, parsley, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until mussels open, and discard any unopened shells.

Serve with toasted garlic bread.

St. Louis Style Pork Ribs

My first attempt at spare ribs couldn't have been easier. I made let the ribs sit overnight with the rub.  This recipe can be cooked on the grill or in the oven.  I cooked these in the oven for 3 hours. They were easy and very flavorful. 

This is a "Down Home with the Neely's" recipe.  If you haven't seen them on the Food Network then you are missing out.  I made several of their recipes and the continually come out great.

Ingredients

2 slabs pork spare ribs, 3 pounds each

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce, recipe follows

Dry Rub:

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup dry mustard

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Remove the thin white membrane off of the bone-side of the ribs. Mix together the brown sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Massage the rub into the ribs and let sit for 1 hour or up to overnight.

If cooking on the grill, place the ribs meat-side down next to medium-hot coals that are about 225 degrees F. The indirect heat will cook them slower, making them tender. Allow to cook for 1 hour. Turn ribs every half hour and baste with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce. Cook until the ribs are tender, about 3 to 4 hours.

If cooking indoors, place in a roasting pan with a rack. Slather the ribs with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce and tent a piece of aluminum foil over them. In a preheated 350 degrees F. oven, place the ribs, basting with the sauce every 30 minutes and removing the foil for the last 30 minutes and cooking until fork tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (about 2/3 cup)small onion, finely diced

3 cups water

1 cup (2 (6-ounce) cans) tomato paste

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small sauce pot on medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, cooking until translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Add to sauce pan and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Use to baste the pork spare ribs.

Yield: 3 cups

White Sangria

What's better on a hot summer day then sipping on a cool fruity glass of Sangria?

1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine, like chardonnay

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup light rum

1/2 cup Triple Sec

1 (15.25 ounce) can pineapple tidbits packed in juices

1 large apple, cut into chunks

Cherries, orange and lime slices or anything you'd like to use as garnish.

2 cups of lemon lime soda

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher, except for the soda, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.  When your first guests start to arrive then you can add the soda.  If you like a less sweet drink, use club soda instead of Sprite.  

Mediterranean Veggie Panini

What else can I do with the zucchini I get from my friends garden, seemed to be a question I had last year.  I can only make so much zucchini bread and my husband is not a big fan of it for a side dish.  Since I was also given a small eggplant I started thinking Mediterranean.  Hmm,  I love hummus... 

Ingredients:

2 zucchini (cut into thin slices)

1 eggplant (cut into thin slices)

* olive oil

oregano, salt and pepper to taste

4 roasted red pepers

1 cup feta (crumbled)

4 tablespoons hummus

8 slices of bread

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Lightly brush the zucchini and eggplant in olive oil and season with oregano, salt and pepper.

Grill the vegetables until tender and nice and golden brown.

Assemble sandwich including a slash of balsamic vinegar.

Lightly brush the bread in olive oil and grill until golden brown on both sides.

Crawfish Etouffe

Wow, is this good!  Ok now, don't say eeww about Crawfish it tastes like little lobsters.  I buy mine at Whole Foods and it comes in frozen 1 pound packages (well I live in Colorado so it has to get here.).  If you like a little spice and want to kick dinner up a notch, this is an easy recipe that you really can't mess up.  If you don't want it too spicy then add a little less cayenne pepper, but it's perfect.

This recipe comes from a friend of my husband. They have it every year during their fantasy football draft. So ladies, men love it!

Ingredients

6 Tbsp butter

2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 Tbsp chopped bell pepper (red or green)

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 lb crawfish meat 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp chopped green onion (green part only)

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 packet brown gravy mix

Directions:

In large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions, pepper, garlic, and celery until onions are translucent.  

Add 1/8 cup of water. 

Cover pan and let simmer until vegetables are cooked (about 15 minutes).

Add crawfish, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  Cover pan and cook for 15 minutes.

Add green onions and parsley. Sprinkle a little brown gravy mix to thicken.  Stir and continue cook 5 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Hanshe Bars

My friend Dawn requested that I post this recipe because she just loves them and misplaced the recipe.  These are amazing and they are very rich so you only need a small piece. This is one of my favorite desserts to make because of the rave reviews.  They are sinful! I've made them for several different fund raisers and be careful, if you turn around they'll be gone.  Tip: line the pan with foil before you put the brownie mix in.  Then remove brownies from the pan to cool. I find it's easier to assemble and cut brownies outside of cake pan.  Just make sure you remove the foil!!!

1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

1 container (1 lb) vanilla frosting

3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

3 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.)

Make and bake brownies as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Frost brownies with frosting. Sprinkle with peanuts; refrigerate while making cereal mixture.

Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. In 1-quart saucepan, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Spread over frosted brownies. Cool completely before cutting, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Chicken Pesto Panini

This is my very favorite sandwich. The havarti is such a delicious mild cheese that melts so nicely. For a change, replace the tomato slices with roasted red peppers.



Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced horizontally to make 4 portions or 1 (16-ounce) package chicken tenders, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (16-ounce) loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half horizontally
4 slices pre-sliced havarti cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
15 fresh basil leaves (optional)

Directions
In a plastic bag, combine chicken tenders and 1/4 cup of pesto, set aside and let sit for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup pesto and mayonnaise. Spread mixture on both sides of ciabatta; set aside.

Preheat an oiled grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill chicken tenders 5 minutes per side. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and re-oil the grill pan.

Place cheese on both halves of bread. Add arugula, then tomato, then basil leaves, then pesto chicken to bottom piece. Top with top half of bread. Place onto the grill pan and place a heavy pan on top of the sandwich. Grill for 3 minutes per side or until cheese starts to melt.

Cut into 4 portions and serve.