Some good ideas for the New Year's dinner

Beef Carpaccio
Ingredients:
1 pound beef sirloin, bright red
2 cups fresh, washed and dried arugula leaves
a wedge of parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and cracked black pepper
lemon wedges

Preparation:
If slicing yourself, use an electric carving knife and cut the beef into paper thin slices. Arrange the arugula leaves on individual plates, and lay the beef on top.
Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Shave some of the parmesan cheese over the dish, and serve with a lemon wedge.

Penne With Artichokes And Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
4 medium artichokes, cleaned, choke removed, cut into quarters and dropped in a lemon water bath
1 lemon
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
16 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
16 to 20 ripe cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes as desired

Preparation:
Place the artichokes in a pot, and cover with enough of the lemon water to just cover them. Bring this to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook just until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Heat half the oil in a saucepan, and add the garlic. Heat for a minute or two until sizzling, but do not burn. Add the artichokes with half of the fresh, chopped herbs, and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, shrimp, salt and pepper to season.
Add a small amount of red pepper flakes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the tomatoes begin to soften, and the shrimp turn pink. Taste and add additional pepper flakes if you would like more heat.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, and return to the pot, keeping a small cup of the pasta water aside. Add the sauce ingredients, the olive oil, and a few teaspoons of pasta water if needed to moisten to the pot and cook a minute or two until combined.
Add the rest of the fresh herbs, and serve, topping each serving with some of the remaining sauce.

Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients:
4 links turkey sausage (spicy or mild)
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 strips of bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
2 to 3 cups of chopped kale
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups chicken broth
parmesan cheese to serve

Preparation:
Cook the bacon in a heavy pan until crisp. Remove to another dish, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the sausage links, and cook over medium heat until browned well on all sides.
Add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook another 10 minutes over medium low heat or until completely cooked. Remove the sausages to a plate, and cook the onions in the same pan until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook another minute or two.
In a large soup or stockpot, add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cut the sausage links into 1/2 inch slices, and then add these to the stockpot. Cook for 10 minutes and then add the kale and bacon. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer another 10 minutes.
Remove a little of the potato from the pot, and place it in a bowl. Mash the potato together with the cream, and then add this mixture to the pot, mixing well. Serve hot, offering a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Chicken Marsala
Ingredients:
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
8 oz. fresh white mushrooms
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
flour for dredging
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup dry marsala wine
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preparation:
Re-hydrate the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup warm water for about 30 minutes. Remove from the water, pat dry with paper towels, and chop coarsely.
Strain the porcini water, and set aside to use later. Slice the fresh mushrooms thinly. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour seasoned lightly with salt and pepper, and then brown in a skillet with the oil over medium heat. Once well browned, remove the chicken and set aside.
Cook the sliced mushrooms in the same pan until tender and golden brown. If the pan becomes too dry, use a little of the porcini liquid to moisten it. Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the mushrooms, and add the porcini, the Marsala wine and 1/4 cup of the porcini liquid.
Taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed. Turn down to medium low heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes. If the juices begin to evaporate too much while cooking, add a few tablespoons of the porcini water.
When completed, the sauce should be thick and creamy. To serve, place chicken pieces on a platter, spoon over the juices, and sprinkle with the fresh parsley.

Fried Calamari
Ingredients:
2 pounds cleaned squid (instructions below)
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
vegetable oil for frying
Suggestions for dipping Sauce:
quick tomato sauce, or garlic mayonnaise

Preparation:
Cleaning Squid: To clean the squid, first pull out the tentacles and head. Set these aside. Remove the cartilage that runs down the back, and anything that is inside the tube.
Run under cold water. Pull off the two wing pieces, and remove the skin. Slice the cleaned tube into 1 inch rings.
Take the tentacles and cut off the head just below the eyes, and discard this. Remove the hard beak inside.
Place the cleaned calamari in the freezer for 5 minutes before cooking. Put 2 inches of oil into a pot, and heat to 375 degrees F.
Mix the flour, cornmeal and spices together in a plastic bag. Drop in the calamari and shake well to cover with the coating. Drop the calamari into the hot oil, and cook for just under a minute, until they are golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

Creme Brulee
Ingredrients:
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
7 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/2 cup sugar, with extra for the topping

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Bring the cream and milk to a boil with the vanilla bean.
Remove from the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar. Begin to add some of the milk mixture to the bowl, mixing well. Continue until all the milk has been combined with the egg mixture.
Pour this mixture through a fine strainer, and into 4 individual ramekin dishes. Place these dishes carefully on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes until almost firm.
Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle some additional sugar on top, and either broil or use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. Serve.
Note: The surface will crisp up as the sugar cools.

Buon appetito!

 

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