delectible food with a pinch of fun
My hubby and I recently visited the Round Barn winery in Michigan which we absolutely loved. Here are a few pictures from that winery visit. I have also included some photos from our Saugatuck MI trip below the winery photos. Enjoy. We highly recommend the Round Barn winery it is wonderful and one of the best southwest Michigan wineries.
This was such an easy dish to make, but there are just a number of steps. NOTHING beats fresh pasta – especially tomato pasta – how impressive is that! After you’re done savoring this dish you do not feel heavy or unhealthy. It’s a nice meal that fills you up without holding you down. I highly recommend it to my vegetarian friends and anyone who just appreciates great food – so I guess I recommend it to EVERYONE!
Serves: 2-3 people
Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS:
for PASTA FILLING
5 Roma tomatoes
Basil leaves, fresh
Small “cherry tomato size” fresh mozzarella balls
Slice the tomatoes, add a little olive oil salt and pepper, roast in oven at 375 F for 20 mins. Cut basil into small pieces (about 1″x1″). First place a tomato slice on the rolled out pasta, then a piece of basil on top, then one small mozzarella ball, sprinkle with salt and fold over the dough to form ravioli shape. Place the made raviolis on parchment paper that has been sprinkled with bread crumbs so as not to stick to the surface. Bring water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Fresh pasta will cook in 2 mins then remove the raviolis with a bamboo or stainless steel skimmer and place on plate. Top with left over roasted tomatoes, pesto, and balsamic reduction sauce.
for PASTA DOUGH
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp olive oil
1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
2 extra large eggs
Make a well on a cutting board of the flour and add the eggs, oil, and tomato paste. With a fork mix the ingredients and slowly incorporate all the flour till it becomes a ball of dough. Then continue kneading the dough for 6 minutes. Wrap the dough with plastic and store in a warm place for 30 mins. The using a pasta roller roll out long thin sheets of dough.
2 SAUCES:
balsamic reduction (balsamic simmered in sauce pan till it reduces to syrup consistency – so that it covers the back of a spoon.)
and
Pesto
fresh basil leaves
fresh parsley
3-4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
olive oil
(add all ingredients except for oil in a small food processor. turn on food processor and slowly add as much oil as you want to reach the consistency you want)
I made this recently for my brother’s 30th birthday dinner party I threw him. He loved it! I made the Moussaka with ground turkey, which kept the same flavor of ground beef without the heavy greasy feeling. We all felt light and happy – more than ready for birthday cake! As this dish can be comfort food – and Elliot’s birthday is in the middle of August – I typically suggest making it in fall/winter months. But he likes this dish, as do my husband and I, so, making it with ground turkey meat at least during the summer/spring time works beautifully.
Preparation time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Yield: 6-8 servings
POTS, PANS:
large, heavy-bottomed frying pan or skillet with cover
1 large skillet and 1 saucepan (for béchamel)
1 baking / roasting pan approximately 9″Wx13″Dx3.25″H
INGREDIENTS:
5-6 large eggplants
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
3 pounds total, of ground beef (or lamb or turkey and/or pork — I typically use a combo of beef and pork)
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a small stick (break off around 1 inch long)
1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of dry red wine
1 can tomato paste
basic bechamel (instructions below)
DIRECTIONS:
1. PREPARE THE EGGPLANT
Wash the eggplants and trim off stems. Cut off 1/2-inch wide strips of the skin lengthwise, leaving about an inch in between, all around the eggplant, then cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices.
Put the slices in a large bowl or on a tray, sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry.
Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and run them under the broiler on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned and soft (about 8 minutes). Remove and set aside to cool.
Note: There are two reasons for salting the eggplant: (1) to remove any bitterness, and (2) to absorb some of the natural liquids.
2. PREPARE THE MEAT SAUCE
Preheat the frying pan or skillet over low heat.
When the skillet is hot, saute the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes or until translucent but not browned. Then add the carrot and celery to the onions and cook 2 more minutes in the skillet. Next add the ground meat in your skillet with the vegetables, and brown the meat over medium heat. Add all the spices, salt, pepper, wine, and tomato paste. Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes, (definitely make sure the wine/liquid has cooked off completely).
3. THE BECHAMEL
4 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Begin by scalding the mild in a saucepan. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Lower heat and gradually add the heated milk whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg.
4. ASSEMBLING THE MOUSSAKA:
Cover the bottom of your baking pan with the breadcrumbs. Add a layer of eggplant (half of the eggplants), they should overlap to not make any empty spaces. Add the entire meat sauce as the next layer. Then add your second layer of eggplant (the other half of eggplants) on top of the meat sauce. Top with the bechamel sauce. Bake in a preheated oven at 350* degrees for 1 hour. You can also keep this in the freezer, just assemble the moussaka but do not bake it – place it directly instead in the freezer. When you are ready to bake it bring it to the fridge the day or night before you wish to eat it, then bake as directed. Once cooked do not cut into it immediately, let it sit for at least 5 minutes to set up, then serve!
This is an excellent vegetarian, light, dish made perfect for those warm humid days when you don’t feel like anything heavy. This recipe is by Mario Batali (my fav chef) from his book “The Babbo Cookbook”.
I will give you his recipe from his book which will make 8 servings, but I changed it while I cooked so that it serves 2.
Ingredients:
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
20 medium asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
1 1/2 cup fresh Ricotta, drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiamo-Reggiano, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 recipe basic pasta dough (i’ll include at the bottom)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
Directions:
1. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt. Set up ice bath nearby. Cook the asparagus spears in the boiling water until very tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and immediately refresh in the ice bath. Once the asparagus spears are cooled, drain and pat dry. Slice each spear very thin on the diagonal, reserving 1/4 cup for garnish.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the asparagus, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, and salt and pepper and stir well to combine.
3. Roll out pasta dough to the thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Cut the pasta sheets into 4 inch rectangles. Place a scant tablespoon of the ricotta filling on one half of each rectangle, then fold them over like a book to enclose the filling. Press the edges of each ravioli with your fingers to seal. The ravioli can now be frozen between sheets of parchment until ready to cook.
4. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
5. In a 14-16 inch sauté pan, heat the butter over high heat until the foam subsides. Add the reserved asparagus adn remove from the heat. Cook the ravioli in the boiling water until they are tender and cooked through (you should taste one to test it), about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli and add them to the pan with the butter. Add 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and toss gently over high heat for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly among eight warmed pasta bowls and serve immediately with the Parmigiano-Reggiano grated over top.
BASIC PASTA DOUGH care of mario batali
makes 1 pound
3 1/2 – 4 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Mound 3 1/2 cups of flour in the center of a large wooden
cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add
the eggs, and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the
eggs and oil, then begin to incorporate the flour, starting with
the inner rim of the well.
As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the
base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will
come together when half of the flour has been incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with the heels of your hands.
Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling or shaping as desired.
Last night I went to Big Jones for dinner and it was quite delightful. The service was excellent, as was the ambiance and food. I highly recommend going for a wonderful dining experience. One unique characteristic is that its been deemed a certified green restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association (http://www.dinegreen.com/). I had a special drink, that was not on the menu, called a “Strawberry Manhattan” made with local Michigan strawberries. I could have drunk these the entire night, it was so good and smooth.
Dinner was exceptional. The crab cakes appetizer was the perfect portion for a starter and very well seasoned. Instead of a bread basket, they give you three pieces of white cornbread with whipped butter. The cornbread was so surprisingly light and fluffy. For my entrée I had the Sweet Tea-Infused Niman Ranch Pork Chop with summer succotash and baked bean puree. I like that they use a local ranch for all their meat and poultry. The pork was good, but it was the summer succotash that was unbelievably tasty. There was one vegetarian option as an entrée which I didn’t try, but it looked good. 
For dessert the Strawberry Short-Cake came strongly recommended so I went with it, and it did not disappoint. Love that.
Andersonville is such a quaint area of Chicago. Next time you are in that area Big Jone is definitely worth the time and money for a wonderful dining experience. Our waiter was so nice. Everyone actually made us feel like royalty. Every time we used a fork/knife it was immediately replaced with a new fresh set for every new course. Our candle was replaced at least twice – all the wait staff is so on top of everything – even when the breeze that kept blowing out the candle seemed like it was prevailing. I can say that they kept it romantic for us the whole time we dined. It was so cute.
Big Jones 5347 N Clark St Chicago IL 60640 773.275.5725http://www.bigjoneschicago.com/index.html
Ingredients:
2 medium sized zucchinis
1 orange, zest and juice
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 shallot, diced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt (kosher) & pepper to taste
Directions:
Peel two (opposite) sides of each zucchini. Trim the ends of each zucchini and cut in thin long equally sized slices. Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a deep baking pan then add the sliced zucchini. Let marinate for about 30 minutes. Grill over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes a side, or until there are grill marks on each side. You can also baste the zucchinis while on the grill with the marinate.
Serves two people, as a side.
This is a great side dish for a BBQ and for the summer. It can be served hot immediately off the grill or at room temperature. You can also adjust the heat of the dish, by increasing or decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes. It is so easy to make ~ and if you don’t have 30 minutes to let it marinate, that’s ok, it still tastes great if it just sits for even 5 minutes!
DEE’s PLACE While walking down Division one Saturday afternoon, my husband and I came across Dee’s Place. Their outdoor seating area was so inviting with its bright red new umbrellas and multicolored flowers that lined the perimeter, we had to have lunch outdoors at this seemingly sweet find. Dee’s features live jazz or blues every Thursday through Sunday evenings. I am so happy that there is a delicious little soul food restaurant that is very near our home! They even serve dinner late, like 12am late on the weekends. The place does not serve alcohol, but is BYOB. The couple next to us brought a bottle of white wine that they seemed to enjoy – of which the smell was wafting over and I was wishing we had of known to bring some of our own. Next time.
I had the jerk chicken with collard greens side. The meals came with jalapeño cornbread. The jerk chicken was cooked to perfection, as were the collards. Hubby ordered the smothered chicken, which was ok. The gravy was a bit much (the ‘smothered’ part meant it was ladled in gravy). He thought the gravy was just ok. The mashed potatoes were his side, and those were delish. For dessert we had the banana pudding – OMG a MUST. This was the best banana pudding ever. Homemade and perfect. Just perfect. I give this place 4 stars (out of 4), my husband gives it 3.25 of 4 stars. It was great – although I doubt he will order the smothered chicken again but is more than willing to try another dish. I cannot wait to walk to Dee’s Place some night to hear the music and eat great food. Lovely place, totally worth while.
INGREDIENTS:
2 white fish fillets, about 6 oz. each (I used cod but you could use halibut, tilapia, grouper, or any mild white fish)
3 Tablespoons pine nuts
2 Tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 tsp. finely minced garlic (1 garlic clove)
1 tsp. basil pesto (I used purchased pesto)
1 1/2 Tablespoons mayo
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (200 degrees Celsius).
Oil individual dishes or oil one large casserole dish if you don’t have individual ones. Remove the fish fillets from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats. (Having the fish at room temperature is important or it won’t cook before the crust topping gets too brown.) Sprinkle each fish piece with salt and pepper.
Using a small food processor chop the pine nuts, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, basil pesto, and mayo.
Use a rubber scraper to spread the crust mixture evenly over the surface of each fish fillet. Pile it on so all the crust mixture is used.
Bake fish 10-15 minutes, until fish is firm to the touch and crust mixture is starting to lightly brown. Serve hot.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Directions
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.
This is another Ina Garten recipe that I made. It is perfect for the summer as it is very light yet full of flavor! Its a must try. I can’t believe how quickly and how simply this dish was executed. Lovely. Thanks Ina!
Panko Covered Drumsticks
Panko Covered Chicken Breasts
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fit a sheet tray with a wire rack and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a pie plate or shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, mustard, honey, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste, together until thoroughly combined.
Add the panko, salt and pepper, to taste, the paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder to another pie plate and whisk to combine.
Dredge the chicken through the wet mixture, then the dry mixture, patting the breading on so it adheres. Arrange on a wire rack lined sheet tray, making sure there is ample space between each piece of chicken. Give the chicken a spritz of the olive cooking spray. This will help brown and crisp up the coating.
Put on the upper rack of the oven and bake until the chicken is golden and crisp. The temperature should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
This recipe was taken from the Neely’s on foodtv.com — I thought it was a brilliant way to have chicken this way. It was so delicious — you simply have to try this out if you want something a little healthier than fried chicken, but retains that very specific taste. LOVE it. Make it.