Category Archives: Dinner

Seared Eggplant With Whole Shrimp in a Mango Pineapple Sauce

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I made this on the last day I was in Puerto Rico along with a few other things. My mom told me she liked eggplant so I thought I would show her how I do that whole eggplant thing. I’ve seared it before (click for recipe) but I changed the ingredients around to make it work for a nice tropical meal.

Ingredients:

2 small eggplants peeled and sliced an inch thick
1/2 cup mango pineapple sauce   (click for recipe)

Marinade the eggplant with the mango pineapple sauce for 20 or so minutes.  Sear each side on high heat for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat and let rest on plate

Shrimp

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 tsp. salt
fresh oregano
fresh rosemary
1 aji dulce pod or a small sweet pepper pod

In a mortar and pestle pound the grape seed oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, and aji dulce pod then add the shrimp and let marinade for 20 minutes.  Cook the shrimp for 5 minutes on high heat then remove and place over egg plant.  With the remaining juice in the pan pour a little cornstarch in then whisk and serve over eggplant and shrimp. Serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

Dana’s Stuffed Green Peppers

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Tonight I was invited to dinner at my girlfriend Dana’s house, she mentioned she was making her “famous” Stuffed Green Peppers, I was all over it. I explained to her about Guest bloggin for Eric and asked her if she would mine if I could blog about it and of course help out. She was excited to oblige.  I haven’t had a good stuffed green pepper in I don’t know how long, and let me tell you. This made up for it, and simple too, why didn’t I think of this??? Oh I remember, I cook the same things 5 days a week. haha. not anymore!! so help me, haha.

I know! I can read cooking blogs all day everyday, so what’s the deal? Rarely do I utilize them, I’m horrible that way.

Dana’s Stuffed Bell Peppers (serves 8)

2 Jimmy Dean reg. sausage, 1 Uncle Ben’s Long Grain Wild Rice, 2 cans Italian Style Tomatoes- drained, 8 cored green bell peppers, 2 lbs medium or mild cheese shredded and separated 11/2, and 1/2, a big mixing bowl

Preheat oven 425, cook sausage as directed , cook rice as directed on package, drain sausage, combine in big mixing bowl sausage, rice, and 11/2lb shredded cheese. Once mixed stuff peppers full of mixture, and place on cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and stuff lightly and carefully the rest of the shredded cheese evenly among the 8 peppers .  Broil  for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Split pepper in half and eat up!

Optional add ins: olives, mushroom, onions, jalapenos

Also was told by Dana, that they make excellent leftovers, and lucky for her she was able to keep 2 to herself and family. Thank you Dana for a wonderful dinner/recipe, and great company!

Will it blend, pasta sauce? Served with red red wine clams

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Looking for a pasta sauce that goes great with seafood? Look no further!!

Ingredients:

Saute ingredients with roasted garlic chardonnay grape seed oil for 15 minutes in this order then add spices.

4 cloves garlic
1/2 sweet onion
3 carrots
5 celery stalks
2 Heirloom tomatoes
4 grape tomatoes
5 black olives
1 cup shiraz wine

Spices-

1 tsp. grains of paradise
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. tarragon
1 tsp. basil
1 tbsp. poivron rouge
1/2 tsp white peppercorn
1/2 tsp. pink peppercorn

I purchase all my spices from Worldspice.com, blend all the spices together in a spice grinder a.k.a. a coffee grinder

Remove ingredients from pan and place in blender. Take juice from blender and place sauce in a crock pot and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Serve over pappardelle pasta with some red red wine clams (click) and grated manchego cheese.

Enjoy,

Eric

Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti With A Pressed Sauce

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Foodbuzz sent me some Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti and I’ll be honest, I have no idea what  Agnolotti means. It looks like a half moon shaped ravioli to me. Does that change my excitement level??? NOPE! The Agnolotti is amazing and this sauce works so well with this. It’s a match made in heaven without having to pay for a monthly membership fee.

Ingredients:

Sauce

2 tbsp. roasted chardonnay grape seed oil
2 tbsp. diced onions
12 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 aji mirasol pepper, ground
1 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon, ground
1 tsp. Italian Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Turkish Oregano
2 Turkish Bay Leaves
1 tomato, diced
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 fresh basil leaves

Heat up the oil then saute the onions, garlic, and carrot. Once the onion is clear add the rest of the ingredients. Then simmer, covered for 45 minutes. Remove from heat then strain. Pour juice over Agnolotti

Pasta:

1 package Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti

Cook with 2 quarts of water and add 1 tbsp. grape seed oil then add a pinch of salt and use a soft boil to cook for 4-5 minutes. Serve

The meat in the middle of the plate is thinly sliced Iberico Ham.

Enjoy,

eric (mr. pasta, thanks for the name Greg)

Two Sauce Lasagna

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Two sauces are better than one.

Ingredients:

White Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. cream cheese
1 tbsp. yellow mustard seed, finely ground into a dust
1 ounce vodka
3 cups fresh spinach
1 bone-less skin-less chicken breast, baked without seasonings and diced
4 shitake mushrooms with stems removed, sliced thin
1 1/2 tsp. ground green peppercorn
Pinch of Italian Sea Salt

In a large skillet on low heat stir in the heavy cream, cream cheese, and yellow mustard seed.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Raise heat to medium and stir in the vodka, spinach, mushrooms. Once the spinach is wilted add the chicken, green peppercorn, and sea salt.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Red Sauce

1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. sun-dried tomato pesto                       (Use my recipe)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tsp. fresh basil
Pinch of ground tarragon
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

In a medium sauce pan pour in 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots. Once the onion is clear add the stewed tomatoes, garlic, sun-dried tomato pesto, rosemary, thyme, basil, tarragon, and red pepper. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes

Cheese

1 lb. mozzarella and parmesan mix

Pasta

Fresh lasagna pasta, it is important to get this fresh or make it yourself, otherwise this will ruin this recipe. RUIN!!!!

Topping

1 cup panko bread crust
1 tsp. dried rosemary, thyme, basil, and salt blend
1 tbsp. butter

Melt the butter and stir in the panko and seasonings.

Bring it all together

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Take the fresh lasagna and brush each sheet with olive oil.  Alternate each sauce as you build the lasagna and make sure you place cheese on top of each layer.  Use all of the cheese and sauce!!! Once you get to the top layer spread the panko breading on top. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and cook for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven, let rest for 7 minutes then serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

4 Pepper Spiced New York Steak with Sound Bites Chimichurri

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This is all sorts of indulgent. It’s a great capper for a long week. It’s a great start to the weekend!!!!

Ingredients:

12 ounce New York Steak, rubbed with salt and pepper and left in the refrigerator, covered for 2 days
Butter
Sound Bites Chimichurri         (Sound Bites) You can’t buy it online yet…..I’ll let you know when you can!

I used banana leaf baked vegetables underneath the steak.   Click for recipe

Cooking the Steak:

Let the steak sit out and get to room temperature.   Set oven to broil and place a broil pan inside the oven on the top rack.  After 5 minutes of heating up place the steak on the broil pan.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Flip.  Cook for 2 minutes then add a little butter on top of the steak then cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove from the oven then let rest for 5-7 minutes. The last step is the most important. Serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

Banana Leaf Baked Vegetables

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A little love for the vegetarians that visit this blog.

Ingredients:

Red Spice Blend:

1 stick o’ butter, melted
2 tbsp. annatto seeds, ground
1 tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt.

Mix together and pour over vegetables

Vegetables used:

Yuca Root, peeled and cut into medallions then soaked in water for an hour
Green Bell Pepper
2 jalapenos
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 cup Shitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
1 sweet onion, cut into large slices

Cover a 9×9 baking dish with banana leaves, add all your vegetables, wrap with banana leaves, wrap with aluminum foil, cook for an hour at 350F.  Serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

Sauteed Sofrito On A Bed Of Baked Plantains

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Great colors, aromas, and tastes.

Ingredients:

Annatto infused oil

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. annatto seed

Plantain

1 plantain sliced in half horizontally then sliced about a quarter of an inch thick, as shown in pictures
Olive oil
Salt

Sofrito

1/2 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
4 ounces sliced salted cured pork
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp. fresh oregano, broken apart with your hands
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
1 tsp. cumin

6 ounces beer

In a small bowl stir together the annatto seed and olive oil, cover then place in a cupboard for two days. In a large skillet on medium heat pour in the annatto infused oil. Stir for 3-4 minutes then remove seeds from pan. Turn the heat up to high heat then add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.  Saute for 2-3 minutes then add pork and cover, reduce heat to medium then cook for 7 minutes.  Add tomato, oregano, cilantro, and cumin. Remove pork from pan and place in another large skillet on high heat. Brown the pork then remove and place back in the sofrito mix, turn the heat down for the sofrito mix to low.  Pre-heat oven to 400F. De-glaze the pan you cooked the pork in with beer then place the plantains in. Cook one side for 3 minutes then flip plantain, and place entire pan in the oven for 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven then place plantains on a plate and pour sofrito mix over. Serve

Enjoy,

Eric

Penne and Cheese (Macaroni and Cheese for snobs, hahahaha)

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I’m lactose intolerant. I ate half of this by myself. It’s good, I’m willing to take the risks!

Ingredients:

-1 lb. sharp cheddar, grated               I used Tillamook cheese
-3 cups milk
-2 tbsp. butter
-1 tbsp. dried tarragon
-2 tbsp. arrowroot
-1 tbsp. paprika
-1 tbsp. dijon mustard
-1/2 cup cured pork, cooked in a small sauce pan on high heat then chopped into smaller pieces.
-1 tbsp. green peppercorn, ground
-1 tsp. salt

2 cups cooked penne pasta

Topping

-1 cup panko bread crumbs
-1/2 tsp. rosemary
-1/2 tsp. basil
-1/2 tsp. thyme
-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Take one sauce pan and melt butter on medium heat. Stir in the milk and cheese. Once the cheese is completely melted add the tarragon, arrowroot, paprika, and dijon.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently. Stir in the pork, peppercorn, and salt.  Fold in the penne pasta then place mixture in a 9×9 baking dish. Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a small sauce pan on medium heat pour in the olive oil then add the bread crumbs, rosemary, basil, and thyme. Stir very quickly and make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed in the topping. Remove from heat then place over penne and cheese that is in the 9×9 baking dish. Cover 9×9, then place in oven and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

Crispy Chicken Thigh With Pomegranate Cream Sauce

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An evening with three peppercorns.  Red (cream sauce), Green (mashed potatoes), and Black Peppercorns  with Pomegranate, Chicken, and Pasta equals crazy delicious.

Ingredients:

-Crispy Chicken   CLICK FOR MY RECIPE
-Pomegranate Cream Sauce  CLICK FOR MY RECIPE
-cooked spaghetti

Pour the pomegranate cream sauce over the chicken and pasta.  Enjoy.

Eric

Thanks again to Diana at Pom Wonderful for the case of Pomegranate Juice.  I have one more recipe using pomegranate juice so stay tuned!

Merengue (Puerto Rican Pastry)

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I haven’t been to Puerto Rico since I was 12 years old. I’m 27 now so it’s been a while.  I remember exactly how these taste and feel to the touch. I’m ramping up for my visit to Puerto Rico soon so I decided I would give it a shot to try to make these diabetic coma inducing pastries. I’ve never made these before and I couldn’t find a recipe to help me out so it took me about 3 hours, 2 batches, and a little patience to figure it out. I’m still not completely happy with it but Mindy (my wife) gave it a thumbs up.

Ingredients:

-4 egg whites
-1 1/2 cup sugar               If you have finely cut sugar then use it
-1/2 tbsp. cream of tartar
-1 tsp. vanilla extract           Next time I’ll use actual vanilla bean
-dark chocolate cocoa powder            In Puerto Rico this is not used.

Mix the egg whites until they are fluffy.  Slowly mix in cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and sugar.  Mix until it is fluffy like a marshmallow.  Take a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper.  Pre-heat oven to 250F.  Spoon about 1/4 cup of mixture onto the parchment paper leaving about 2 inches between each merengue, they will expand.  Cook for 30 minutes then turn pan and cook  for an additional 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and lest rest. Sift a little bit of the cocoa powder over the merengue. You will notice the outside will be hard and the inside will be a little creamy. Serve it!

Enjoy,

Eric

Yes, I know it’s spelled meringue in English.   I’ll be doing a few variations of this in the future (fruit fillings, different shapes, and other stuff).

Sloppy Joes with Ancho Pepper Chips

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Let’s keep things simple before things get too crazy.

Ingredients:

Sloppy Joe

-2 strips bacon
-1 pound very lean ground beef
-1 Italian sausage, casing removed
-1  10 ounce can tomato sauce
-1/2  8 ounce can tomato paste
-1 tbsp. molasses
-1 tbsp. chopped dried onion
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-3 chipotle pepper pods, ground                    (world spice)
-1 tsp. basil
-1 tsp. rosemary
-Hamburger buns

Ancho Blend for chips

-1 large dried  Ancho chili pod                    (world spice)
 -1 tsp. dried tarragon                                     (world spice)
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. dried oregano
Grind all these ingredients together in a spice grinder

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat place the bacon, ground meat, and sausage in the pan, cook for 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, paste, molasses, onion, garlic, chipotle, basil and rosemary. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.  Serve in a hamburger bun and prepare to use a few napkins.

I used yukon gold potatoes that were cut thin and deep fried for the chips.

Enjoy,
Eric

Carne Asada with Spicy Sour Cream Sauce

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Needs to be sliced thinner and placed on a BBQ.  It was too cold outside for all that.

Ingredients:

-2 lbs. flank steak, sliced very thin.  Ask your butcher to slice it very thin or this will lead to frustration

Marinade

-2 limes juiced
-3 jalapenos, diced
-3 green onion stalks, chopped thin
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 Corona
-1 tbsp. sugar

Sour Cream Sauce

-2 tbsp. sour cream
-2 tsp. Tapatio          http://www.tapatiohotsauce.com/
-2 tbsp. fresh cilantro chopped
-1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Corn tortillas cut into squares and deep fried
Grated sharp cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl work the marinade into the meat with your hands. Cover container then place in refrigerator for an hour.   Remove meat from refrigerator and let rest for 20 minutes then place on BBQ or a really hot pan. Cook for about 7-10 minutes or until you get a nice char on the edges (this is what I was looking for but the meat was too thick).   Serve the meat over tortilla squares then spoon on the sour cream sauce and grated cheese. Serve.

Enjoy,

Eric

I will be revisiting this during the summer time……damn you cold spring!

Mango Tangelo Chutney and Bacon Topped Polenta

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Two different toppings that compliment each other.

Ingredients:

MANGO CHUTNEY TOPPED

-1 large mango, diced
-2 Minneola tangelo’s, peeled with skin off  (what is a Minneola tangelo?)
-1 cup sugar
-1 tbsp. white vinegar
-1/2 tsp. all spice
-1/2 tsp. chili powder
-1/2 tsp. ground red pepper flake
-1/2 tsp. curry powder
-1/2 tsp. salt

BACON TOPPED

-2 strips bacon chopped and cooked
-bacon grease                        (all you do with this one is pour it over the polenta)

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat pour in the vinegar and salt and stir frequently as the sugar caramelizes, careful not to burn it just get a nice light brown color.  In a separate sauce pan on medium heat dump in the mango and tangelo and cook until the fruit starts to get softer. Mix in the caramelized sugar, all spice, chili powder, red pepper flake, curry powder, and salt. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes then pour over some polenta.

I used my polenta recipe (click) and molded the polenta in a muffin baking sheet that was buttered to allow the polenta to fall out easily.

Polenta

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Here is a basic recipe for polenta. I like cooking with this because you can eat it plain or top it with whatever you like.

Ingredients:

-3 cups corn meal
-6 cups chicken broth
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. black pepper
-1 clove garlic minced and sauteed
-3 tbsp. butter

In a medium stock pot on high heat pour in the chicken broth and slowly stir in the corn meal a little bit at a time. Once the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook for about 35-40 minutes, stir every 5 minutes or so so you don’t get lumps.  Once the polenta starts to jiggle it is ready for the butter to be stirred in.   At this point you can serve it or you can place the mixture in a buttered cake pan or buttered muffin trays then place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to let it stiffen.