THAI BRAISED SEAFOOD IN SWEET CHILI SAUCE

• 1 lb. shrimp cleaned and deveined

• 1 lb. small scallops

• 1 lb. squid rings or squid flowers

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or more as needed

• 1 tablespoon garlic minced

• 1 teaspoon ginger minced

• ½ cup Onion sliced

• ½ cup savoy cabbage shredded

• 1 cup red bell peppers sliced

• ½ cup sliced carrots

• 1 cup portabella mushrooms, rough chopped

• ½ cup Thai sweet chili sauce or more to taste

• 2 tablespoon soy sauce

• ½ cup scallion onion cut 1-inch pieces 

• salt & pepper per taste

 

Prep the veggies. Sauté garlic & ginger – Add the remaining oil i.e. 1 tablespoon that is left to the pan. Heat until you see smoke. Add the carrots and the peppers to the pan and sauté until softened. Add the reset of the veggies to the pan except the scallion. Sauté until the onion has just softened 4- 5 minutes and there is no raw smell from ginger and garlic. The veggies should be crisp yet cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

 

Sear the shrimps on each side for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. The shrimps would have a light pink color on them. Keep the fried shrimps aside. Repeat the process with the rest of the seafood.

 

Add the all of the ingredients back into the pad and toss until well combined. Then add soy sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce and green onion Toss them until all the seafood and veggies are coated with the sauce. This should take 2 – 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your choice of rice or noodles.

Suzie's Bolognese Sauce

▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil

▢ 4 garlic cloves crushed

▢ 1 onion finely diced

▢ 1 carrot finely diced

▢ 1 rib celery finely diced

▢ 1 pound extra lean ground beef

▢ 1/2 cup diced cooked ham

▢ 1/2 cup red wine

▢ 1/2 cup beef broth or 1 beef stock cube

▢ 28 ounces whole tomatoes with juice

▢ 4 tablespoons tomato paste

▢ 1 teaspoon parsley

▢ 1 teaspoon basil

▢ 1/2 teaspoon oregano

▢ 1 bay leaf

▢ ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste

▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper or more to taste

▢ 1 lb. Pappardelle

In a large pot with a lid, cook onion in oil over medium heat until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, carrot, and celery, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef and diced ham cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no pink remains.  

Add the wine and simmer uncovered until evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, seasonings, tomatoes with juice, and bay leaf. Break tomatoes up with a spoon. 

Cover and simmer on medium heat for 30-50 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 ½ cups of pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water to thin it out if needed. 

Serve hot with parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi with Caramelized Onion and Mushrooms

• 16 oz. Potato Gnocchi with Truffle or plain
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, sliced into about 1/4" thick
• 4 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 16 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp Kosher salt (for the pasta water)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Freshly grated parmesan, for serving
• Additional salted butter for finishing
• Cook gnocchi according to package instructions, drain and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the onions begin to caramelize. Stir in the honey and baking soda and cook another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms and paprika. Cook until mushrooms are well browned, stirring often. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Pour in wine, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Once wine has reduced by half, add gnocchi and fold together. Add additonal salted butter for finishing.

Adjust seasoning and let cook for a few more minutes. To serve, add a scoop of pasta to a serving dish and garnish with parmesan.

SUPER EASY ZUCCHINI FRITTATA IN THE OVEN

Preheat oven to 350° F.

2 large zucchini, sliced into rounds (leave skin on)

1 flat tsp. spicy mustard

salt and pepper to taste

pinch onion powder

pinch garlic powder

8 eggs

1/2 cup half & half

1/2 cup or more grated parmesan

2/3 cup or more shredded cheddar cheese

cooking spray 

Make sure to slice the zucchini into uniform rounds for even cooking. You may want to pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, as zucchini can release water during cooking. Layer them in a spray grease  a 9x12 pan with salt pepper, parmesan cheese in between the layers. Mix the eggs with half & half, mustard, salt and pepper, and you pour it gently over the zucchini. Sprinkle cheddar on top and bake it at 350° until it fluffs up and gets a little golden, about 45 min.

Susan's Gochujang BB Sauce - Yields about 2 cups

 

Greek Green Bean and Meat Stew (Fasolakia Me Kréas)

Greek Green Bean and Meat Stew (Fasolakia Me Kréas) also known as Fasolia is a wonderful all-in-one meal where the meat and been beans are cooked slowly in a tomato-based sauce. It is also made vegetarian style without meat. It is a traditional Greek family dish that everyone makes slightly different and how it was passed down from generation to generation. It is clearly one of our families favorite thing to eat!

• 2 1/2 Pounds boneless beef suitable for stewing
• 1.5 to 2 Pounds fresh green beans cleaned and trimmed
• 2 Cups diced onion, 1/2” dice
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 3 Cloves garlic rough chopped
• 1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 Cup chopped fresh dill
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 28 Oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 Cup beef or vegetable stock
• 1/2 Cup dry red wine
• 1/3 Cup olive oil
• 1 Bag of petite potatoes

Place the meat, green beans and onions in the bowl of the slow cooker and stir in all seasonings along with salt and pepper. Pour the prepared crushed tomatoes over the contents. Next pour in the wine and vegetable stock and then drizzle the olive oil on top. Top off with some dill sprigs and chopped garlic.

Cook on low for 7 ½ to 8 hours or high for 3½ to 4 hours, until the potatoes are softened and the meat fork tender.

PASTA E FAGIOLI

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces Pancetta or bacon, cubed
• 2 small carrots, cut into a 1/4 inch dice
• 1 medium onion, cut into a 1/4 inch dice
• 2 celery stalks, cut into a 1/4 inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 can Canellini Beans (Do not drain)
• 1 can Chickpeas (Do not drain)
• 1 28 oz can Bush’s original baked beans 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces dried Ditalini pasta or elbows
• Parmigiano-Reggiano

 

Pan fry the bacon. Remove and set aside. Cook the onion, celery and carrots in the pan drippings until onions are slightly caramelized and other vegetables are tender. Throw in one 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Set aside.

 

In a large pot boil 6 cups of chicken broth and add 8 oz of pasta. Cook to al dente. Add the other can of diced tomatoes, the vegetables and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 teaspoon sugar. 

 

Pour all beans into the pasta and vegetable soup mixture including the liquid. Add the rest of the seasonings (salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf).

 

Bring to a boil and then put on a simmer. The soup will thicken a bit by the time the pasta is cooked. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.

 

Remove the soup from heat and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. If the soup seems too thick, gradually add 1 to 2 cups of chicken broth and thin to the desired consistency.