Spicy Bean and Chipotle Dip

Not all bean dips are the same. Some are mostly beans. Some are not very spicy. Most have little cheese. Until now - spicy, cheesy and beany. How about that !!




INGREDIENTS
4 slices thick bacon or equivalent salt pork, cut to 1/2 inch pieces
1 small white onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar ELKI Chipotle Bean Dip (about 11 ounces, 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup Hot Pepper Cheese (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons Garlic Survival Garlic Salsa
1-2 pinches cayenne pepper

METHOD
In a small skillet, brown the chopped bacon until crisp but not thoroughly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain, reserving one tablespoon of the oil. (Discard the rest into the garbage, not down the drain.) Pat the bacon dry and put into a blender or food processor and chop into bacon crumbs. Reserve.

In a medium sauce pan, using 1 tablespoon of the bacon oil and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, bring to heat on medium and add the onion. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add the garlic. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the reserved bacon crumbs, stirring as you add items. Simmer over low heat, continuing to stir, until all the cheese is absorbed and melted. Remove to a serving dish and serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, pita chips.or bread rounds.

Pasta with Radicchio and Bacon

A great recipe from the folks at Royal Rose LLC, Salinas, California, growers of Radicchio, Treviso and Castelfranco. They supplied the Radicchio for this recipe and have inspired me to generate my own recipes using their products elsewhere in this blog.



INGREDIENTS
4    strips of lean bacon, cut into small strips
2    tablespoons olive oil
1    head Royal Rose Radicchio or Treviso
3    cloves garlic, minced
¾   pound dry pasta such as penne, fusilli, or others
¼   cup chopped flat leaf parsley for garni

METHOD

Before doing anything else, soak the Radicchio in cold water for 15 minutes, drain and coarsely chop. In a large sauce pan, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil for the pasta. In a large skillet on medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the skillet. (Do not pour the remainder of the drippings down the sink – dispose of in some other manner.)

Pour the olive oil into the skillet and add the Radicchio and the garlic. Saute over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the 5 quarts of boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Drain the pasta and toss into the skillet with the Radicchio and garlic. Add the bacon bits and flat leaf parsley, season to taste and serve immediately.

OPTION

If opposed to bacon, skip that step, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to cook the Radicchio, and add ¼ teaspoon aged Balsamic vinegar when mixing the pasta and Radicchio together.
 

Pasta Alfredo

A simple white sauce made from Parmesan cheese that can be the base for many additives such as clams or shrimp or used by itself. Shown here with a touch of paprika to add a bit of color.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup half and half or cream (4 ounces)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour

METHOD\
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to low and add the cream and stir until the cream thickens slightly. Add both cheeses and the nutmeg, stirring until the cheese melts completely. If the sauce is still not thick enough, add small mounts of the flour and stir in. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes before adding any more flour.

When done, remove from the heat and stir into cooked pasta; serve immediately. Enough for 4 to 6 servings. Pair with a light red wine such as TRE Merlot or TRE Cabernet or Private Reserve Sangiovese or with a Private Reserve Chardonnay.

Green Beans with Nuts

Use what ever nuts you wish with this recipe, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, etc. While I haven't tried them all, I'm sure they all will work and taste great.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound green beans, washed, trimmed and cut to 2 to 3 inches
4 strips of lean bacon, cut into small strips
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small white onion, chopped small
1/2 cup dry roasted, salt free peanuts or slivered almonds
1/4 cup chicken stock salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
In a large sauce pan, steam the green beans for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and cover with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and reserve.

 In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain and reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the skillet. (Do not pour the remainder of the drippings down the sink - dispose of in the garbage.) Pour the olive oil into the skillet and add the chopped onions. Saute over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent.

 Add the nuts, the reserved green beans and the chicken stock. Reduced the heat to medium low and continue to cook until the chicken stock is absorbed, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat into a serving dish. Crush the bacon to small bits and use to garnish the beans in the serving dish. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6

Blueberry Steak Sauce

WHAT ??? Blueberries on steak ?? Yep, that's what it is and, boy, is it good. But of course, you have to have the right kind of steak. No rib-eye here, or porterhouse. We are talking Chateaubriand, London Broil, Tri Tip, Filet Mignon roast. Steaks you have to slice to serve. Really.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup Guglielmo Private Reserve Petite Sirah
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter or butter substitute
1 pinch ground allspice
1 1/2 to 3 pounds of steak, cooked medium rare to medium, sliced.

METHOD In a small sauce pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 to 40 seconds until you can smell the garlic. Add the wine, reduce the heat to medium low and cook until half of the wine has been absorbed. Add the blueberries, allspice and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Add the butter and whisk vigorously to break up any remaining whole berries. Remove from the heat and serve either on the side or drizzled over the slices of steak. Serve with Guglielmo Estate Petite Sirah.

I wanted some mushrooms with the steak, so I sliced a Portobello mushroom thinly (3/8 inch) and sauteed it in a little olive oil until the slices were limp. A little of the blueberry sauce snuck onto the mushrooms, followed by a LOT of the sauce. Add some steamed asparagus on the side for a truly heavenly meal

Pasta Con Sarde

Pasta with Sardines is traditionally served on March 19^th in Sicily as part of the festival of Saint Joseph (San Giuseppe) along with many other traditional foods. He was the patron saint of carpenters; the bread crumbs represent the saw dust always found around carpenters.

You’ll have to trust me on this one – it does NOT taste fishy, even with the amount of fish included in the recipe. It does taste great with a lighter style red wine like TRE Cabernet or with a heavy Estate Petite Sirah

 
INGREDIENTS
1          cup greens from a fennel plant, chopped fine
1          white onion, minced
2          tablespoons olive oil
4-5       cloves garlic, minced
1          2 ounce can anchovy fillets, drained and chopped fine
1/3       cup golden raisins
1/3       cup pine nuts
2          tablespoons fennel seeds
½         box POMI crushed tomatoes (15 to 16 ounces)
2          4 ounce cans sardines in oil or water, drained
2          tablespoons bread crumbs
            Salt and pepper to taste
1          pound Angel Hair or thin spaghetti pasta

METHOD
In a large sauce pan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add the fennel greens. Boil for about 15 minutes, drain and reserve, saving the water to cook the pasta.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and onion and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and continue for another minute. Add the anchovies and cook another minute, mixing well. Add the raisins, pine nuts, fennel seeds, tomatoes and reserved fennel greens. Lower the heat and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. If the sauce looks dry, add water or pasta water by tablespoons.  Crush the sardines and add to the sauce.

Meanwhile, add water to the fennel water and cook the pasta according to package directions until it is al dente. When the sauce is done, season to taste, toss with the pasta and serve on individual plates, sprinkling some of the bread crumbs over the pasta..

Serves  4 to 6

Cheese and Olive Toast

A quick and easy and very good appetizer for those times when you just don't have time.

INGREDIENTS

1    tub (7 ounces) Spreadable Cheese

1    jar (10 ounce) Black or Green Olive Tapenade

     Baguette rounds, either toasted or not

METHOD

Place a paper towel into a fine sieve and place the tapenade into that to drain some of the liquid. If you wish to, place the baguette rounds on a baking sheet and lightly toast them under the broiler. Spread some of the cheese on each baguette round, pressing it slightly into the bread. Add a spoonful of the tapenade from the sieve, distributing it evenly on the bread and pressing it slightly into the cheese. Place it onto a serving platter and do another.