Baby Bella Stuffed with Italian Sausage

 

2 lbs. Italian Sausage (Gary made some for me- recipe to follow)

5 cups Challah bread, blended in the food processor to make bread crumbs

1 stick of butter, melted

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

40-50 Bella mushrooms

 

Brown the sausage. Taste for flavor adding salt, black pepper or red pepper flakes if necessary. (You may even want to add some toasted fennel if the sausage is not flavorful enough for you!)

Mix all of the ingredients together making sure that the stuffing holds together.

Cut the stems off each mushroom and a little of the edges. (You can chop these pieces up and put them into the stuffing as well!) Stuff each mushroom and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for ~20-30 minutes or until the tops of the mushrooms brown and the mushrooms are soft. (You can add Panko bread crumbs to the top or more Parmesan cheese.

This recipe can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to cook.



 

 

 

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

 

3 bags of dried Mission Figs

1 (8 oz.) container of Mascarpone cheese

20 slices Prosciutto, thinly sliced

 

This is a GREAT appetizer- very quick and easy AND you can make them a day ahead!!

Cut the stems off the figs. Slice the figs in half, making sure not to cut all the way thru. Scoop about 1/4 tsp. into the center of each fig. Cut each slice of prosciutto into thirds and roll the cheese-stuffed figs into the prosciutto!! That's it. So easy!!



Grilled Chicken

I don't have a good picture of the grilled chicken from last night but it was terrific!! I brine the chicken breasts overnight and then grill them an hour or so before we serve them making for easy entertainment!!

Grilled Chicken

 

10 chicken breasts

1 gallon of cool water

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup Kosher salt

3 sprigs rosemary

20 basil leaves

3 sprigs thyme

20 black peppercorns

2 lemons

2 heads of garlic

 

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken breasts. Cut the lemons in 1/2 and juice them into the water. Cut the garlic in 1/2 and place them in the water. Stir everything around until the salt and sugar dissolve. Place the mixture in the refrigerator, covered for at least 12 hours.

Remove the breasts and discard the brine. Dry the breast completely. (I usually allow them to sit on a cooling rack for ~1 hour with a paper towel on top. This will drain the breasts and bring them up to room temperature.) Coat the breasts in EVOO. Do not try to season the breasts in any way at this point. All the flavors from the brine are sufficient.

Using a very hot grill or cast iron skillet, brown the breasts on both sides. Don't try to cook them thru-just brown them. Remove the breasts, placing them in a bowl or foil container. Cover them for 15-20 minutes (or more if necessary). Cut the breasts into strips. Rewarm them if necessary in chicken broth or butter garlic EVOO sauce for more flavor.

The chicken will not be overcooked but will be completely cooked through. By browning and steaming them the breasts are nice and moist!! This is a great trick for feeding lots of people!! 

 



Anna's Cannelloni

Anna makes homemade pasta and fresh tomato sauce to go with this. It's amazing!! The cannelloni can be make ahead and frozen without damaging the integrity of the dish! Just freeze the cannelloni separately from the sauce.

(This picture was taken before the cannelloni baked...it's beautiful, very impressive!)

The filling:

1 lb. spinach

2 lbs. Italian Ricotta cheese (Anna buys it fresh from a nearby Italian market)

Kraft Italian 5 cheeses (I just use 1 lb. Mozzarella for everything)

Parmesan and Romano cheeses, grated (I use the hard cheeses to top off the cannelloni)

1/4 c. Cream

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. butter

 Melt the butter and stir in the cream. Add the spinach and then the Parmesan. The spinach has to be cooked, drained and chopped through with a knife. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and nutmeg. Place a dap in the center of the prepared noodles. 

 

I use Anna's fresh tomato sauce for this dish....It makes the dish incredibly light!!

Grilled Eggplant

This is an amazing recipe!! It's great as a side dish for any meal OR an appetizer...especially an Italian dinner. My daughter, Jessy and her awesome husband have just adopted our new grandson, Luis. He is 13 years old and an incredible addition to our family!! We love him so much and we are so grateful that the Lord has given him to us!! We are celebrating by having an adoption party this evening. I have made Lasagna, Cannelloni, Grilled Chicken and Grilled Eggplant for the occasion. Here is that inspirational Eggplant recipe!

6 eggplants, washed and cut into 1/4" rounds

6-8 T. Kosher salt

2 cups EVOO

1/3 c. sugar

2/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 head of garlic, minced

4 T. Chili sauce

1/2 c. chopped parsley, chopped

1/3 c. chopped mint, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Salt the eggplant and place in a sieve to drain for 20-30 min. Dry the eggplant completely. Toss the eggplant in 1 cup olive oil and heat the grill.

Meanwhile combine the sugar, vinegars, minced garlic and chili sauce in a small sauce pan and heat. Bring to a simmer and keep the mixture on the burner with the fire off until the eggplant is grilled. Cut each round of eggplant in 1/2 and place in a bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the top and gently stir. Pour 1 cup of the olive oil on top and stir again. Sprinkle with the herbs and pepper and stir again. Serve while its still warm or can. The longer it sits the better it is!!

Don't be intimidated by the amount of eggplant. It cooks down a lot! This will only feed ~20 as a side dish. The best part of this recipe is that you can actually store this by following canning procedures. Just be sure and sterilize the jars properly. I have numerous containers of eggplant in my pantry now and it's great to just pull one out for a party!! One less thing to have to worry about! You can warm it slightly or serve at room temperature. Either way this is a GREAT addition for your personal recipes!!

Pesto Lasagna

These are the Manchengo Cheese wrapped in Serrano Ham with Fig Preserves.

The Pesto Lasagna came next:

Pesto Lasagna

 

For the pesto:

~30-40 large basil leaves

1 1/2 cups of pine nuts

2 cups EVOO

1 cup Parmesan cheese

In a blender combine the nuts, cheese, Basil leaves and 1 cup of the olive oil. Blend and stir until the mixture slowly comes together. Add more olive oil as necessary until the mixture still has a bit of a crunch. Serve over pasta.

For the pasta:

 3 cups flour

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup water

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and eggs. Blend slowly with a paddle attachment until the mixture begins to come together, adding water as necessary. Form into a ball and wrap in Saran Wrap. Let the dough rest. Roll out the dough and cut into lasagna strips.

Wild Mushrooms with Quail Eggs

Mushrooms with Fried Quail Eggs

 

1 lb. trumpet mushrooms, sliced thickly

1/2 lb. portabella mushrooms (baby bellas), sliced thickly

EVOO

Salt

3-4 Quail eggs

Pour a little olive oil into a large skillet to heat. Add the mushrooms and cook completely. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Fry the quail eggs in a little olive oil. Break-up and serve over the top of the mushrooms.