Bloody Mary with Spicy Pickle Juice

6 oz spicy tomato juice

1 oz spicy pickle juice or juice from good home-style pickles

1 oz vodka

1 tsp horseradish

1 wedge each of lemon and lime

1 stalk celery with leaves on if possible

Fill a tall highball glass with ice.

Add tomato juice, vodka, pickle juice and horseradish.

Lightly squeeze the lemon and lime and drop in glass.

Lightly stir with celery and place celery into glass.

Serve and enjoy.

Fantastic Gin and Tonic

1 - 6.8 oz bottle of Fever Tree Tonic Water
1 1/4 oz Citadelle Gin

1 slice lime

1 slice lemon

1 quarter slice grapefruit

Fill a tall glass with ice.

Add gin and citrus fruits and pour tonic over top.

Stir and serve.

Roasted Duck Bolognese Sauce

Serves Four

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 clove chopped garlic

2 tbsp chopped celery

3 tbsp chopped carrots

1 tsp chopped red or green bell pepper

1 large tomato, peeled and diced

2 oz dry white wine

1 pound cooked duck meat, pulled into small pieces

12 oz seasoned tomato sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

Black or red pepper to taste

1 pound of your favorite pasta (I like to make my Bolognese with Tagliatelle).

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet.

Add onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add remaining vegetables and tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add white wine and reduce until all the liquid is almost evaporated.

Add the tomato and tomato sauce and simmer another 10 minutes.

Add cooked duck meat and simmer 3 minutes.

After draining your cooked pasta, I add one ladle of Bolognese sauce to the cooked pasta and stir in evenly. 

Then plate the pasta and serve one ladle of sauce on top of the pasta.

For added flavor and plate presentation, I sometimes drizzle a small amount of Alfredo sauce around the rim of the plate just before service. 

Note: You will notice in the picture I cooked additional pieces of duck. I like to cook extra duck when making this recipe as we like to eat cold duck for lunch the next day.

Grilled Clams with Garlic-Shallot Butter

1 stick Margarine

4 oz olive oil

1 large shallot, chopped fine

6 cloves garlic, chopped fine

Half a bunch of parsley, chopped fine

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp lemon zest, chopped fine

4 dozen fresh Little Neck clams (discard any that do not open during cooking)

Melt margarine on medium heat.

Add the garlic and shallots and sauté 3-4 minutes. 

Remove from heat and add the oil and remaining ingredients.

Hold on the side in a large bowl.

Wash the clams free of any sand.

Place on a medium high BBQ grill and close top.

Clams will start to open in 3-4 minutes.

Once clams have fully opened, grab with tongs and place directly into the butter mixture. When handling the clams, try to save as much natural juice from the clam as possible.

When all the clams are open and in the butter, toss gently and serve immediately.

Some clams may not open or take longer to open. You can choose to still use them, but they will be a little tougher than the clams that opened quickly.

These clams go well with a crusty bread and chilled white wine.

Roasted Marrow Bones

Appetizer for two

6 Marrow Bones, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 tsp olive oil

1 oz white wine

Pinch sea salt

Pinch ground black pepper (I used Bourbon flavored pepper)

6 small pieces of fresh thyme

6 pieces of fresh rosemary

Lightly oil a small sizzle pan or baking dish.

Add the wine and marrow bones.

Evenly sprinkle the salt and pepper.

Place the fresh herbs on top of each bone.

Place in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes and serve with fresh bread medallions.

Tri-color Bow Tie Pasta with Farmer’s Cheese

Serves Four

9 oz bow tie pasta

8 oz shredded farmer’s cheese

1 oz olive oil

1 oz margarine

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 tsp chopped parsley

1/2 tsp chopped basil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Sauté garlic in oil and margarine for one minute. Add the herbs and spices and hold on the side.

Add the pasta to boiling water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil and cook until tender.

Drain and place in a warm bowl.

Add the oil mix and fold until all pasta is covered.

Add cheese and fold again.

Serve on warm plates with grated cheese and additional crushed pepper as desired.

Pot Roast of Beef

Serves Four

One 3 lb roast (Silver tip, chuck of sirloin) 

Two carrots, cut into small pieces

1/2 stalk celery, cut into small pieces

One shallot, diced

Three scallions, diced

One clove garlic, chopped

Two potatoes, peeled and diced

8 oz fresh tomato, diced

1/2 tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp black pepper

8 oz red wine

2 1/2 cups beef stock

1 oz cooking oil

In a cast iron braising pot, heat the oil and add the roast.

Brown on all sides.

Add the onion and garlic and sauté for two minutes.

Add the remaining vegetables and sauté another two minutes.

Add the wine, beef stock, herbs, spices and cover.

Cook over low/medium-low heat for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours until tender, stirring the vegetables and turning the roast every 15-20 minutes.

If the liquid should start to reduce, add a little water.

To test for tenderness, place a two prong meat fork into the roast. The roast should slide off the fork when you gently push.

To finish the gravy, remove the bay leaves and hold the roast on the side.

With a hand blender, puree the vegetables until you have reached a smooth consistency. 

Bone-In Filet Mignon

If you enjoy noshing on a bone after finishing your steak or chop, this is a new way to serve filet mignon with the bone still attached.

Have your butcher follow the attached photos or if you are feeling adventurous, butcher the T-bone steak as shown.

Begin by removing the strip steak from the T-bone. Then cut the bone with a meat saw leaving the filet with bone o

I served the grilled filet with a red-wine béarnaise sauce. 

Tripe with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Serves Four

1 1/4 lb tripe

3 oz olive oil

2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes in sauce

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup sliced or diced carrots

1/2 cup diced scallion

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cloves diced garlic

1 tsp Herbs De Provence 

1 cup white wine

1-2 tbsp Asian garlic-chili paste (depending on how spicy you like your creations)

4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into wedges.

Fill a 4 quart pot halfway with water. Add one bay leaf and half of a fresh lemon.

Wash tripe and place in water.

Simmer for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The tripe should be very tender.

When tender, remove from the water and pat dry.

Place on a cutting board and cut into small 1/2 inch by 2 inch strips.

In a 4 quart sauce pan over medium heat, heat the oil, then add the chopped onion and garlic. 

Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, then add the tripe, chili paste, half the wine, herbs,  and tomato sauce.

Simmer for 30 minutes over low heat.

Add the remaining wine, carrots, celery and potatoes and simmer for about 15-20 minutes longer until the potatoes are tender.

The scallions can be added with the carrots and celery or use as a garnish for serving.

Kale Chips

One bunch Kale

Olive or Vegetable oil to taste

Pepper to taste

Salt (optional)

Remove stem and vein from the kale leaves.

Wash and pat dry or spin dry in a salad tumbler.

Lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a bowl, place the kale leaves and lightly toss in oil. 

The leaves should be lightly coated, not oily.

Season with pepper, salt is optional.

Place in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, until the leaves become crisp.

This is an interesting and healthy snack. Enjoy.

Stromboli and Calzone

Easy items to produce using pizza dough

I purchased the pizza dough pre-made from a local grocery store, however you may follow any pizza dough recipe.

Stromboli: 

Roll out your dough in a rectangle.

Lightly coat with oil or tomato sauce.

Evenly coat with a mixture of thinly cut vegetables and sliced meats like pepperoni or salami. (You may also decide to only use meats or vegetables).

Carefully roll into a cylinder shape, similar to a loaf of French bread.

Place on a pizza stone or baking pan in a 400 degree oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, then lightly paint the top with an egg wash.

Return to the oven at 420 degrees for five minutes.

Remove and let rest for ten minutes before serving.

Calzone: 

Cut the dough in half and roll out two circles about ten inches in diameter. 

Decide on the type of calzone you’d like to make - meatball, sausage and pepper, four cheese, cheese and pepperoni, sautéed spinach and sausage, etc. 

On one half of the circle, place approximately 6 oz. of the filling you choose.

Lightly moisten the edges of the dough with water.

Fold half of the dough over the half topped with your filling and pinch the edges to form a tight half circle.

With a knife, poke one small hole into the top center of the dough.

Place on a hot pizza stone in a 420 degree oven for 17 minutes.

Paint the top of the calzone with an egg wash and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

You may serve this whole or cut in half.

Note: Both the Stromboli and Calzone go well with a side of Marinara sauce as a dipping sauce.

Both items also go well with a chopped salad and your favorite dressing.

Beer Can Chicken

Serves Four

1 can of your favorite light beer

1 - 2 1/2 to 3 pound whole chicken

Chicken seasoning or chicken rub

Assortment of root vegetables, whole onions and fingerling potatoes

Generously rub the seasoning over the inside and outside of the chicken.

Open the can of beer and pour off 1/3 of the can for later use.

Place the can of beer inside the chicken, standing up so you do not lose any beer.

Place the chicken standing up in a roasting pan.

Remove the top rack from your oven and place the chicken in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place your root vegetables in the bottom of the pan with one cup of water and the 1/3 leftover beer you saved earlier.

Place back in the oven for approximately one additional hour.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven.

Spoon the root vegetables in a serving dish and hold.  

Leaving the chicken in the roasting pan, carefully remove the beer can from the chicken. If you loose some beer don’t worry as you will use this for your sauce.

When the can is removed, hold the chicken on the side.

Pour the remaining beer in the pan to loosen any drippings.

Pour all drippings and beer through a strainer in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for 5 minutes and adjust seasoning by adding  one teaspoon each of pepper, chopped parsley and sage.

Carve chicken and serve with the root vegetables and sauce.

Mushroom Quiche

Serves Four

1 pie shell

2 strips diced bacon

1 tbsp diced onion

1 1/4 cup sliced and diced mushroom

1/2 cup diced smoked Gouda cheese

1/2 cup diced Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup diced Mozzarella cheese

10 oz light cream

2 eggs

Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp Parisian spice blend

1/2 tsp Raz El Hanout seasoning or quiche seasoning

Sauté bacon in a non stick fry pan until slightly golden.

Add onion and sauté two minutes.

Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushroom liquid is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.

Evenly add half the cheese to the pie shell.

Then add the mushroom mix, followed by the remaining cheese.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, spice blends and cream until all is blended well. 

Pour the egg mixture over the pie shell and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

To test if the quiche is done, stick a clean knife into the center of the pie and remove. If the knife removes with no egg mixture sticking to the knife, the quiche is done.

If not, cook for another five minutes and test again.

To reduce some saturated fat from the recipe, substitute the cream with regular milk.

Just add one additional egg white to the egg mixture. You can also use a low fat Mozzarella cheese for further fat reduction.

Salt is not necessary in the recipe as the bacon and cheese have enough.

Soup Noodles

Quick and Easy Noodles from Dry Pasta

Take any straight pasta noodle and lay it side by side in a clean cloth towel. Spaghetti, Linguini, Fettucini or Angel Hair work best.

Roll the towel tightly, holding each end of the towel firmly on the edge of a counter or table.

Pressing down, pull the cloth over the corner of the counter. You will hear little pops as the pasta breaks into little pieces.

Open the towel to assure all the pasta is broken. 

If not, repeat the process one more time.

Place the pieces of noodles in your simmering soup and cook until tender.

Baked Stuffed Artichoke

Serves One

1 artichoke

3/8 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 hard boiled egg

1 tsp grated Romano cheese

1 tsp chopped parsley

1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 lemon

Pepper to taste

Cut bottom stem off of artichoke so it can sit straight up in the roasting pan.

Trim off the top 1/2 inch to remove any thorns.

Remove any bruised outside leaves and trim the remaining tips off each leaf.

Open the artichoke by spreading the center open, followed by opening each circular section until the artichoke is about twice its normal size.

Rub the outside leaves and cut leaves with half of a fresh lemon to prevent browning. (Save the lemon for later). 

Place all ingredients (breadcrumbs, oil, egg, cheese, parsley, pepper) in a bowl and mix well, breaking the hard cooked egg into small pearl-like pieces.

Starting from the center of the artichoke, spoon the stuffing into the artichoke, followed by stuffing each leaf until the entire choke is stuffed.

Place in a baking dish with a 1/2 inch of white wine or a mix of wine and water and the lemon half from earlier.

Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about one hour.

Remove foil and spoon any liquid over the top of the choke.

You are now ready to serve.