Showing posts with label veal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veal. Show all posts

Friday, August 27, 2010

So Simple, So Good

Here's an easy way to make use of your farmers market finds.  Don't forget, it's still Massachusetts Farmers Market Week and you can help support the market with a donation of any size at http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org, just click on donate. To check out some other great blog posts celebrating the markets visit In Our Grandmothers’ Kitchens.


Now, onto tonight's recipe. I wasn't planning on posting this while I was cooking - I just took a couple pictures with the plan of tweeting them. But my plan changed as soon as I took the first bite.  Tonight's dinner was quick to prepare (thanks to some cooking earlier in the week) and full of great flavor. Even better - it was almost all local!


Last week I picked up some yellow cherry tomatoes from Ward's Berry Farm at the Boston University Farmers Market. On Sunday I roasted them with some olive oil and kosher salt. They made a great topping for pizza bagels and then I put them in the refrigerator and forgot about them until tonight.


After reading about hard neck garlic over at Local in Season today, I picked up two heads from Atlas Farm during my after work trip to the Copley Farmers Market.  Not related to tonight's dinner I also picked up a leek and some local potatoes to turn into soup tomorrow. 






And the BEST part of my visit to the market today - ground cherries are back! These look like baby tomatillos - but have a personality all of their own. A little tart, a little sweet, and so addictive. I can polish off an entire container in one sitting. Even peeling off the little husks doesn't slow me down. Next year I'll have to try growing these in my expanded garden. Until then, I will buy as many as I can before they go out of season.






Now, back to dinner. My basil plants really enjoyed these rainy days and I had a lot to use. This was the finishing touch for dinner. The sauce was spicy from the garlic, but sweet from the tomatoes. The basil was bright and summery. I'm sitting here licking my lips just thinking about it. I might have to go heat up the leftovers for dessert.


Whole Wheat Linguine with Roasted Yellow Tomato Sauce
Serves 2


Roasted Tomatoes
About 20 yellow cherry tomatoes
Olive oil 
Kosher Salt


Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cover a baking sheet with foil
Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet
Drizzle enough olive oil on top to cover the tomatoes and use your hands to toss them in the oil
Sprinkle with kosher salt
Roast for about 15 minutes, until tomatoes split open
I chilled mine in the fridge all week






Sauce
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Roasted tomatoes
1 clove, hard neck garlic
Pinch of kosher salt
1 Tablespoon-ish of fresh basil


When you're ready to make the sauce, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat
When oil is hot, add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant
Add in tomatoes and salt and mix well
Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes (while the noodles cook)
When the sauce has thickened a little, remove from heat and put into a serving bowl






Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss
Top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese


Devour!









Local ingredients: Tomatoes, garlic, basil
Pantry items: Salt, olive oil, pasta, Parmesan cheese

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Pasta pot, colander, cutting board, knife, baking sheet, small skillet, spatula, serving bowl and utensils


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Wiener Schnitzel!



We usually go to the store and check out the weekly specials before we decide what will be on the menu. Tonight's inspiration was veal cutlets. They are quick cooking and can be made in a variety of ways. My grandmother makes delicious breaded veal cutlets (or chops) and serves them with spaghetti. This is my quick version - and I think it rivals any veal entree you can order at a restaurant! It was definitely more budget friendly.

The veal has a basic flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating. It's quickly pan-friend and just needs a little lemon for a kick. On the side I made a quick homemade tomato sauce to serve with spaghetti. I got the veal ready to go in the pan first, then started the pasta water and sauce at the same time. Once those were going, I started cooking the veal.

If you were feeling adventurous, you could turn this basic breaded cutlet into veal parmesan your favorite veal entree. Enjoy!

Breaded Veal Cutlets
Serves 2
2 veal cutlets
About 1/2 cup flour
1 egg + splash of water, beaten
About a 1/2 cup of italian seasoned breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil
Lemon wedges

Heat about 1 - 1.5 inches of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat (about 6 on my stove)
Take out 3 shallow bowls and set up on counter next to the skillet
In the first bowl (farthest from the stove), put in flour
In the next bowl, put in the egg and water and lightly beat
In the bowl closest to the stove, put in the breadcrumbs
Take the veal cutlet, coat both sides in flour and shake off excess
Dip in the egg, coating both sides
Dip in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides
Repeat for the second veal chop
Put veal cutlets into the hot oil, and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove and put on paper towels to drain excess oil
Serve with lemon wedges


Quick Tomato Sauce
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
A few squirts of tomato paste (from a tube)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
A few shakes of dried basil and dried parsley
About 1 tsp. of sugar
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Heat a large skillet over medium heat
Add diced onion and minced garlic, cook until onions are softened, 5-8 minutes
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir
Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the rest of the meal is ready (about 5-10 minutes)

Summary:
Prep Time - 10 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes
2 large skillets, 1 pasta pot, 3 shallow bowls, spoons, cutting board and knives

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