Homemade Ravioli

Ingredients

• 6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 eggs
• ¾ cup water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

SAUCE:

• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups tomato puree
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅓ cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

FILLING:

• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Place 6 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, water and oil; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a sauce pot, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Divide pasta dough into fourths; roll one portion to 1/16-in. thickness. Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1 in. apart over half of pasta sheet. Brush around filling with water to moisten. Fold sheet over; press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook for 1-2 minutes or until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain. Spoon sauce over ravioli.

Read More

Grilled Fish

INGREDIENTS

1 fresh fish, cleaned

1 lemon, juiced

6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Generous sprinkle of Maldon salt

To stuff the belly cavity

fresh bay leaves

fennel fronds

rosemary sprigs

flatleaf parsley

1 lemon, sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Season fish inside and out with lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Finish with salt.

Stuff all herbs and lemon slices inside fish’s belly cavity.

Transfer fish to an oiled grilling basket (as shown in photos) or use skewers to close belly for grilling.

Grill over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until fish is cooked through.

Garnish with additional flatleaf parsley, baby octopus and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Read More

Green Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, loosely packed
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt to taste.

Instructions

1. Add it all to a small blender and blend until smooth.

Read More

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 22-24 medium sized button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 8 ounces crab meat
• 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1. Wipe mushrooms with a dry paper towel to clean. Remove stems from mushrooms and cut ends off. Chop stems and saute with garlic in butter in a small pan until mushroom stems are tender. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
2. Combine cream cheese, chives, parsley, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Add in crab meat and cooked stems.
3. Fill mushroom caps with rounded tablespoons of the filling, enough to create a dome of filling.
4. Place bread crumbs in a small bowl. Roll tops of stuffed mushrooms in the bread crumbs to coat. Place mushrooms in a large baking pan. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray.
5. bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until tops are golden.

Read More

Low Carb Chicken

3-4 servings

Ingredients:

salt and pepper to season the chicken
4 large skinless chicken breasts
2 onions, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed (or chopped)
1 tbsp anchovy paste (or you can use anchovy fillets)
1x400g | 14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
3 bunches cherry tomatoes, on the vine (optional)
3 tbsp black pitted olives
3 tbsp mini capers
1 tbsp large capers (optional)
pinch ground cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp crushed chillies
olive oil to fry
splash sweet vermouth (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry with kitchen towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and then sear the chicken breasts on both sides until nicely coloured. Set aside.
2. Add a small splash of vermouth (or water) to the hot pan to deglaze – scrape any bits of chicken that may have stuck on the bottom. Lower the heat and add the garlic, anchovy paste and chopped onions. Cook until the onions are translucent and soft – 5-10 minutes.
3. Turn the heat up and add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch cinnamon. Fill the empty can with water and add to the pan. Stir in the the olives and capers and bring to the boil.
4. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the chicken breasts into the pan. Nestle the cherry tomatoes on the vine among them. Sprinkle with the crushed chillies.
5. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the chicken breasts are thoroughly cooked and sauce is slightly thickened.
6. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve either with spaghetti (toss them in with the sauce) or with courgette (zucchini) noodles.

* Add a little sugar if the tomatoes are not very sweet. Add a little lemon juice to the sauce if you prefer it sharper. The courgette noodles don't need any cooking – they will soften once covered with the hot sauce.

 

Enjoy!

Read More

Albanian Dish (Fergese)

INGREDIENTS

3-4 large long roasted peppers 

450g chopped tomato

4 Tbsp cottage cheese (or ricotta )

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp parsley

~ 50ml olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

It should be prepared with homemade roasted peppers, but you can buy ready made, it saves time. In a medium size pot add chopped onion, fry for 3 minutes then add chopped garlic and fry for additional minute. Add finely chopped roasted peppers, chopped tomato, sugar, parsley, paprika, chili, oregano and cook for 7-10 minutes. Liquid should evaporate.  In a small pot heat butter, when it melts add flour and fry for 2 minutes, remove from the heat and add cheese, mix well.  Now add cheese and a cup of water to the tomato and pepper mixture, stir and leave it to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Grease a small oven tray and pour the sauce and add roasted peppers on top. Grill it for about 5 minutes.

 At the end, add some chopped parsley.

Read More

Grilled shrimp with garlic butter

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb medium-large shrimp

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped basil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

skewers

 INSTRUCTIONS

Start by melting butter in a small sauce pan and add garlic to it just long enough enough so it gets a little brown,maybe a minute or so. Transfer to a shallow dish. Place deveined and shelled shrimp on skewers and coat well with the butter garlic mix. Sprinkle coated shrimp skewers with paprika, parsley, basil and pepper.

Spray cooking spray on your Grill and preheat with the lid closed for at least 5 minutes. Use high setting if you have it. Just prior to placing shrimp skewers on grill, spritz them with some lemon juice. Not too much though.

Place shrimp skewers on grill, close lid, and let cook for approximately 3-5 minutes. Give the skewers a turn after 2 minutes to assure even grilling.

When shrimp are done it will be firm to the touch with an opaque color. Serve immediately.

Read More

Bulgur Salad

3-5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup bulgur or light bulgur
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1-2 lemons
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the bulgur in a large bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1-1/4 cups boiling water. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap and let sit for 25-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, to soften the bite of the raw onions, place them in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let them sit for ten minutes, and then drain. (Combine the cooked bulgur with the red onions, remaining teaspoon of salt and all of the other ingredients. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, sugar or lemon if desired. Serve cold.

Read More

Chicken Breasts with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

·         2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·         kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         2 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced

·         2 tablespoons minced shallots

·         4 tablespoons butter, divided

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         ½ cup white wine

·         ½ cup chicken broth

·         2 tablespoons whipping cream

·         2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

·         ½ lemon, zested

·         Chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1.    Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally. Pound the chicken breasts lightly with a meat mallet until about ½ inch thick. Season the breasts with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper then melt the butter in a large skillet with half of the olive oil. Add 2 of the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the rest of the olive oil to the pan then repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Cook and transfer to the plate with the other breasts, then cover to keep warm.

2.    Add 1 more tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened, stirring often.

3.    Add the wine and chicken broth to the skillet, bring to a boil, and reduce to half. Add the whipping cream, thyme leaves and the last tablespoon of butter. Stir to combine and add the lemon zest.

4.    Serve the mushroom sauce over the chicken breasts. Garnish with chopped parsley, more fresh thyme leaves and additional lemon zest if desired.

Read More