Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

This meatloaf is moist and flavorful with simple ingredients. A delicious weeknight dinner - freeze the second loaf after baking for a future dinner. Adapted from "Angie's Grandma's Meatloaf", a recipe from Angie Curtis, a Personal/Private Chef in Michigan.

Meatloaf:
2 pounds ground chuck
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup finely minced onion
5 ounces (small can) evaporated milk
2/3 cup ketchup
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Mix meatloaf ingredients together well and shape into 2 freeform loaves on prepared baking sheet. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and cover loaves evenly. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through (160°). Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 4-6.

Tropical Baked Chicken

Perfect for spring and summer, this easy dish combines the tropical flavors of pineapple, lime, rum and coconut. Look for the small cans of pineapple and limeade - no measuring required.

Tropical Baked Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - about 1 1/2 pounds
8 ounces crushed pineapple with juice
6 ounces frozen limeade, thawed
1/4 cup dark rum
1/8 teaspoon 5-spice powder
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease an 8 x 11-inch baking dish.

Combine pineapple with juice, limeade, rum and 5-spice powder in a medium bowl.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish and mix well. Dip chicken breasts in flour mixture, coating well.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add chicken and saute until well browned and just cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish, spoon pineaple mixture evenly over chicken and top with coconut. Bake, uncovered, for 25-35 minutes, until hot throughout and sauce is bubbling and has thickened. Serve chicken over rice, topped with sauce. Serves 4.

Chicken coated with flour

 

Well browned after 5 minutes in the skillet

 

Ready to bake

 

Sauce has thickened, coconut is toasted

 

Served over brown rice

Orecchietti with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Gina Stipo was at The Cooking School this week for 2 sold out classes. Gina owns Ecco La Cucina, a cooking school and culinary adventure company in Siena, Italy. A few years ago, she led a group from our cooking school through the Tuscan countryside, visiting local wineries, restaurants and regional artisan specialty shops - while teaching us classes in Italian cuisine. It was fun to catch up with Gina while she was here, and our students enjoyed delicious food while learning about Italian culture and cuisine. As promised, Gina left us another recipe to try - this pasta is delicious!



Orecchietti con Salsicce e Cime di Rape
(“little ears” pasta with sausage and rapini)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes, or to taste
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, broken up
1 bunch rapini, cleaned and chopped (also called cimi di rape or broccoli rabe)
1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
8 ounces Orecchiette pasta, cooked and drained

Sauté sausage in a large sauté pan, using a small amount of the olive oil. Remove from pan and, adding additional olive oil, sauté garlic and pepper flakes until soft but not browned, just a minute. Add rapini and continue to cook until rapini is cooked through and soft, adding ½ cup water to help steam it. Return the meat to the pan and allow to cook together a couple minutes. Toss with cooked orecchietti and olive oil, tossing with a good amount of grated pecorino romano cheese. Serves 4.

Cajun BBQ Shrimp

This spicy appetizer comes together quickly and can be doubled to serve a crowd. Be sure to serve this with crusty bread to dip in the sauce!

Cajun BBQ Shrimp

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon powdered rosemary
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon medium or hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat butter and oil together in a cast iron or heavy skillet over low heat until butter melts. Add spices and seasonings and simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add shrimp and cook 4-5 minutes, turning once, until shrimp is just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook. Serve with French bread. Serves 4 as an appetizer.

Spices and seasonings added to melted butter and oil

 

Mixture has simmered 3-4 minutes

 

Shrimp added to skillet

 

Shrimp is just cooked through and ready to serve

 

Served in a shallow bowl with French bread

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Always popular with our students, Paul Dagenbach, Executive Chef at DeSha's, recently taught a Dinner Party class at the school. Paul brought this dip with him from the restaurant and promised the students he would send us the recipe. This dip is easy and delicious!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Recipe courtesy of Paul Dagenbach, DeSha's Restaurant

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces Parmesan cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces fresh spinach, julienne
12 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

In a medium pan, on low heat, add oil, when hot add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add heavy cream and turn heat to medium. Add Parmesan cheese gradually until melted. Add cream cheese, stir to incorporate. When warmed add spinach to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add drained chopped artichoke hearts and mix well. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Serve warm with toasted pita chips.

 

Penne with Shrimp, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

Simple, yet decadent and elegant - this pasta is special enough for guests. Look for shrimp that are already deveined to make this recipe as easy as possible.

Penne with Shrimp, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 small shallot, minced
1¼ cup dry white wine
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces large shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces penne pasta, cooked al dente and drained

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and edges are browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add shallot and cook 2 minutes, until softened. Add wine and tomatoes to the skillet and simmer until liquid is reduced to ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Add shrimp, return mixture to a simmer, and cook until sauce has thickened, shrimp curls and is just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in parsley and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper and simmer for an additional minute to thicken sauce. Serve sauce over pasta in warmed bowls and garnish with additional Parmesan. Serves 2.

Note shrimp at bottom right that are halved lengthwise

 

Mushrooms are cooked until edges are browned

 

Sauce ingredients simmer together

 

Sauce served over pasta and garnished with Parmesan

 

Standing Rib Roast

Usually reserved for special occasions and dinner with guests, a standing rib roast also makes a relaxing weekend dinner. The roast featured here was relatively small, but the roasting time is all that needs to be adjusted for a larger piece of meat. Always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature - preferably one that can stay in the meat while roasting. I like to serve this with a sauce made from sour cream, prepared horseradish, salt and pepper.

Standing Rib Roast
1 (1-rib) beef rib roast, about 3.25 pounds
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Remove roast from refrigerator 1 hour before roasting and let stand at room temperature. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a rack on top. Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine flour, dry mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Coat the top and sides of the roast with the flour mixture. Place the meat, rib-side down, on the prepared rack.

Roast until internal temperature reaches desired degree of doneness: 120-125° for medium-rare, 130-135° for medium and 140° for well done. **This roast took 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach 125°. Remove roast from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 -10 minutes before slicing. Serves 2-3.

Roast is sitting rib-side down

 

Coated with flour mixture and oven-safe thermometer in place

 

Roasting with temperature monitor outside of oven

 

Resting after reaching 125°

 

Medium-rare and ready to eat!