Stuffed Portobella Sandwich

My favorite place to be on a summer Saturday morning is at the Madison, Wisconsin Farmers Market.  I like to go early because the crowd really picks up after 8:00am.  My first stop is Colectivo Coffee for my favorite large triple shot, vanilla latte.  It's such a treat as it's my only latte I'll have all week.
  I never get tired of seeing our beautiful Capitol and what a beautiful morning it was. Just look at that blue sky.  Days like today I say to myself, "this is why I live in Wisconsin"!

For lunch I picked up some beautiful large portobellos and fresh spinach for stuffed portobello sandwiches.  I've made these sandwiches the last two Saturdays.  They are delicious!  

The portobellos are stuffed with sautéed spinach, artichokes and roasted red peppers then topped with  mozzarella and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.  Served on a toasted ciabatta roll.

I first had this sandwich at The Great Dane Restaurant here in Madison.  Easy enough to make at home!

Ingredient:


Portobello Mushroom caps (1 per sandwich) (buy large ones as they will shrink)
Stuffing: (just make enough stuffing for each portobello)
olive oil
Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
Roasted red peppers, chopped
Baby Spinach (Spinach really cooks down so use a lot)
Shredded mozzarella and freshly shredded Parmesan for topping
Ciabatta rolls


Directions
First preheat your oven to 425 or turn on your grill.
Sauté roasted red peppers and spinach in a little olive oil for the stuffing.  Set aside.
Take the stem off the mushrooms and clean the gills off the bottom of the caps. (carefully not to break portobello use a spoon and scrape off gills)
Brush Portobellos lightly with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet (covered with foil for easy cleanup) or grill. Roast or grill for about 15-20 minutes.
When mushrooms are cooked stuff and cover with cheese, put back in oven until cheese is melted.
Serve on a toasted ciabatta bun.

                                                                    

Grilled Oysters with Green Butter

I love oysters.  Growing up in Florida I've had my fill of raw, steamed and grilled oysters.  I've only had them at oyster bars and restaurants, that is, until today.  I picked up fresh oysters at Whole Foods.  The guy at the seafood counter checked each oyster to make sure  they were fresh.  If they're open and won't close they are no good.  A bad oyster can make you very sick.  Just make sure you get them from a reliable vendor because they aren't cheap and you don't want to get home and have to throw some away if they're dead.

No shucking needed, oysters can be cooked in their shells on your grill. The heat from the grill steams the oysters and pops the shells open.  I could of just eaten them steamed but topped with this green butter and parmesan took them over the top. These oysters were a delicious appetizer.  Now that it's finally grilling season I can't wait to make these again! 

Green Butter - butter, parsley, anchovy, garlic and white pepper

Green butter: (2 dozen oysters):

10 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of parsley leaves

3 cloves of garlic

1 anchovy fillet in olive oil

1/4 tsp of ground white pepper
.....................................................................

2 dozen medium-size oysters

freshly grated parmesan cheese (1/2 teaspoon for each oysters)

1 rustic loaf of bread, sliced and lightly grilled

Add all the ingredients for the green butter into a food-processor.  Mix until smooth.  Set aside.

Scrub the oysters with a brush or pad under running water.  If any are opened, discard them, they are dead.

Prepare the grill to high heat.

Carefully arrange the oysters on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes or until they begin to open.

Remove the oysters and place them on a baking sheet.

Using an oven mitt to hold the oysters, pry each open with an oyster knife or butter knife.  Be carefully of the hot liquid inside the oyster. Drain most of the oyster liquid out of the shells and make sure the interior is free from broken shells.  Throw away the top shell.

Fill each shell with a dollop of green butter and a sprinkle of parmesan.  Carefully put the oysters back on the grill in a way that the oysters are not slanting too much that the butter can escape.  Grill for another one to two minutes.

Place the oysters on a platter and serve while hot with the grilled baguette.  It's all about dipping the bread inside the green liquid gold.

Delicious!!

Recipe adapted from:  ladyandpups.com

                                                                      

Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly

It's rhubarb season and I love rhubarb!  I got this recipe from my Grandma Logterman and I make this jelly every year.  It keeps in the freezer all year, that is, if it's last that long.  After having this jelly no other jelly will do.  

     5 cup rhubarb, chopped
     1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, in juice
     1  cups sugar
     1 (3 oz) box strawberry jello

1. Combine rhubarb, pineapple and sugar in a large saucepan and mix well.

2. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring. Add jello and mix well until dissolved. Cool for 30 minutes.

3. Ladle mixture into freezer containers (I use 8 oz. jelly jars (makes 4) but you can use any other glass/plastic containers with lids that can go in the freezer). Refrigerate or freeze. If frozen,  thaw in refrigerator several hours before serving.

                                                                                         

Bruschetta Chicken

We loved this Bruschetta Chicken.  So flavorful, easy and only takes 30 minutes, start to finish.   I've had a package of McCormick Gourmet Bruschetta Chicken spice mix in my pantry for awhile because someone mentioned how good this recipe was.  All you do is mix with olive oil (directions on the package).  Then you baste the chicken and tomatoes (directions call for plum but I used grape tomatoes) with this oil/spice mixture.  Bakes for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Then it's tossed with cooked pasta, balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with Parmesan.  It's that easy. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their sweetness and make a rich flavorful sauce.  Adding the balsamic vinegar makes everything pop.  So delicious!!

I used bucatini pasta for this recipe.  It's like thick spaghetti with a hole running through it.  It really has great texture.  It's one of my favorite pasta shapes.

                                                                                                                      

Poached Egg

My husband Kevin's favorite breakfast is Eggs Benedict.  I never make it at home because I don't like making poached eggs because they never turn out, that is, until I discovered this technique that makes a perfect poached egg, which you'll see in the video.  Now, I just have to work on perfecting hollandaise sauce. 

Straining the egg in a fine mesh strainer gets rid of the watery whites that would just float in the water.
I have the water at a slow boil.  Once you lower the egg into the water, all you have to do is move it around a little so that it cooks evenly.  I cook mine for about 3 to 31/2 minutes.  

Isn't that a beautiful poached egg!  The egg comes out perfect with tender whites and the yolk is liquid gold, according to my husband.

This was Kevin's breakfast this morning, sausage gravy over a biscuit with a poached egg.  He was a very happy man!

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook

Friends of ours, Greg and Cathy, came for a visit and brought me an amazing cookbook, The Tuscan Sun Cookbook.  They have met the author, Frances Mayes, when they were on vacation in Italy.  Frances Mayes just happens to be the author of the bestseller, Under the Tuscan Sun.  I didn't read the book but loved the movie!

Frances Mayes and her husband Edward Mayes also make olive oil.  In the book, it mentions they have an olive grove of 410 trees and each tree yields only a bottle a tree.  Along with the cookbook, they gave me a bottle of olive oil too!  Thanks, Greg and Cathy, I will treasure every drop as it's the best olive oil I've ever had. 

I thought the cookbook was for me but my husband got ahold of it even before I did.  He looks up from the book and my non cooking husbands tells me, "I'm going to make everything in this cookbook".  I laughed to myself but he wasn't kidding, off he went to the grocery store, came home and started cooking.  He made a steak recipe in the book.  The steak was grilled then dipped in an olive oil bath of fresh rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper.   With only a few quality ingredients the steak was delicious.   I'm looking forward to the next recipe he makes but I won't hold my breath.  In the mean time I'll be making a few recipes myself.  I have some rosemary to use up so I may have to make the rosemary focaccia this week.

. 

Fyi, I know these steaks are huge but I didn't eat the whole thing!  Half of it will go on a salad for lunch tomorrow.  I think I have a reputation for eating a lot.  I do like my food but everything in moderation.  Just saying :)

Recipe adapted from The Tuscan cookbook

2 T-Bone steaks (I used ribeye)  

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, plus a want to baste with
1 garlic clove, minced

 
Heat the grill.  In a pan (large enough to hold the steaks), combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and garlic. Place the steak on the hot grill. Grill the steak to your liking.  While the steak is grilling, baste it with a rosemary wand dipped in the olive oil bath. Remove the steak from the grill and quickly dip in the oil bath on both sides, sprinkling on more salt and pepper.  Let the steak rest a few minutes.  

Beet salad

Lately I have been busy cooking/baking trying to come up with an original recipe for the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off.  I've made many recipes and only one has been worth an entry.  A few of my creations sounded good in my head but not so much, they ended up in the trash.  The entry period will end May 8th so I'll keep at it until then trying my best to come up with a winning recipe.  I've eaten more dough in the last few months that I now know how the dough boy feels!  With all this recipe testing I've tried to replace one meal each day with a healthy salad and this salad is so good that it will be on my weekly rotation.

Mixed Greens
Dried Tart Cherries
Orange Segments
Blue Cheese (Hook's)
Walnuts
Roasted Beets*

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 orange
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together vinegar, honey, dijon and orange juice in a small bowl for the vinaigrette.  Drizzle in oil, whisking until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper. Makes enough for dressing for two large or 4 small salads.

*I bought beets that were already roasted.  I found them in the (refrigerated) produce department.   

1. 
   

1.