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video

Thanksgiving Recipes Turkey Recipes

How to roast a turkey with Chef Scott Cutaneo

You can do it, really you can, and it’s not that difficult. If you never cooked a turkey in the past, or perhaps had a subpar turkey experience, this year is different. Chef Scott from Le Petit Chateau guides you through the basics in this easy to follow video recipe for roasting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.

First, brine the turkey. Why brine? Because it adds moisture and flavor to your turkey. Wikipedia has a great explanation of the chemistry here. Mix 2 cups of salt mixed with 2 gallons of hot or boiling water (or an appropriate ratio, 1 cup of salt per gallon of water), making sure the salt is completely dissolved. Let the salt water mixture cool and soak your turkey in the mixture using a large soup stock pot or a large roasting pan, making sure the entire bird is covered. Let the turkey soak for 1 hour per pound of turkey, in the refrigerator. You will to do this the night before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day: Before you are ready to roast, discard the salt water, rinse and dry the turkey. If you wish to try a fancier version of brining, chef Scott has a special version using sugar and bourbon found in this video.

The rest is easy.

You will need, in addition to the brined turkey: onions, carrots, thyme, oil, butter, salt, pepper, and trussing string.

Into your roasting pan, add onions, and carrots, celery, and tyme, place the turkey on top of the veggies and herbs, twine the turkey per chef Scott’s instructions, brush it with an oil and butter mixture, add salt, pepper, and 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pan. Cook as directed for the weight of your bird, basting every hour or so. Check the temperature on the back of the breast with a simple meat thermometer, Scott chooses 155 as the perfect temperature before pulling it out of the oven, as the meat will continue to cook even after it is out of the oven. If you are a directions follower, simply follow the directions per pound for your bird. Dinner is served, take a bow, and relax!

Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast in bed? Serve strawberry Grand Marnier crepes and be adored forever!

Nothing pipes up a chilly fall morning more than breakfast in bed!  We love this decadent video and recipe from Chef Michael Harris of Red Roze Catering, featuring strawberry Grand Marnier crepes topped with whipped cream and a vanilla bean.  The delicious morning aroma of this sweet breakfast cooking surely will wake up sleeping beauty immediately!

“How do they taste? They taste like more.”
H.L. Mencken

[pro-player width=’560′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZpHrRPJT9o[/pro-player]

Grand Marnier Crepes
Chef Mike Harris
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS
For the Strawberries Grand Marnier Liqueur:

15 fresh strawberries, quartered
6 oz sugar
1 shot of Grand Marnier

For the Crepe Batter:

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of lukewarm water
2 eggs
Butter or non-stick cooking spray, and use a good nonstick pan for the crepes.

Preparation
1. Pour sugar over strawberries, mix with Grand Marnier and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. Mix crêpe batter ingredients in a mixing bowl. Batter should be smooth, be sure to remove any lumps.

3. Heat non-stick pan over medium-high heat, use butter to coat pan surface.

4. Pour enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan using a ladle or measuring cup, starting at the center. Cook until golden brown on the bottom and then flip with spatula.

5. Fill crepe center with some strawberries while the crepe is cooking.

6. Add Grand Marnier and flambé until liqueur cooks out and there is no longer a flame. Serve crêpes topped with ripe strawberries and whipped cream.

Culinary Tips Thanksgiving Recipes

The Art of Carving a Turkey

The Art of Carving was a book written in 1791 by Reverend John Trusler, taking us back to an era where manners and etiquette rated highly in society, even while slicing a Thanksgiving turkey! A few amusing excerpts from this historic book are here:

“…manners and etiquette are vital, and the ability to carve with “ease and grace” gains great respect among fellow diners”

“On no account must the carver stand up while doing the deed, but must always have a chair high enough to do the job commandingly.”

“Any attempt to hack at the turkey will end in guests being “bespattered” and so should be avoided.”

“Choice cuts should always be handed out evenly around the table, unless people of a “superior rank” are present. ”

Many times going back to basics is best! Houstonian chef Jeffrey Everts shows us just how quick and easy it can be, in this video demonstration of how to carve a holiday turkey with a carving knife.

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Another “How to carve a turkey” video may be found here, and we found a helpful printable guide at the Eating Well site here.

Appetizer Recipes Italian Recipes

Bruschetta Fusion: A classic recipe with a new twist

Central Italy: Le Marche, Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany, 4 regions of delicious Italian food history. Here the summers are hot and long, and home to Italian delights such as the grain farro, the spice saffron, chestnuts, white beans, and truffles, and the world’s finest olive oils.

And here we find the origins, and fables, of Bruschetta.

The most common bruschetta legend is that olives harvested in November and December were taken to the local central Italian mill for pressing, the mill having a burning fireplace. The presenters to the mill brought local Italian bread, grilled it on the fireplace and rubbed it with garlic. The toasty bread served as a canvas to test, and to show off their prized oils.

Or a less romantic story is from “The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink” by writer John Mariani, stating “”Bruschetta. Toasted bread, often rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. Also schiena d’asino, soma d’aj in the south, and fettunta in Tuscany. Bruschetta has always been a way to salvage bread that was going stale by adding oil and seasonings. Sometimes the bread is entirely immersed in oil, but usually the oil is poured on the top after the bread is rubbed with a garlic clove. In recent years adding toppings, particularly chopped onions and tomatoes, has become popular in restaurants.”

Rumors and legends aside, Bruschetta wins our heart. Tuscan Chef Gabriele Corcos with his beautiful wife Debi Mazar have won our heart as well, with their delicious video version of Bruschetta with a surprising twist!

Check out all of their delicious recipes and fall in love with them here, at Under The Tuscan Gun.

BRUSCHETTA WITH SAUSAGE, BRIE CHEESE AND FRESH HERBS
Gabriele Corcos – Under The Tuscan Gun

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 5
Cooking Time: 15 min. for the sausage sauce + 5 min. in the broiler

Ingredients
6 slices of bread
2 pork sausages (mild or hot according to taste)
¼ Lb of Brie Cheese (or other semi-soft cheese)
¼ Red Onion
1 Handful of Rosemary
1 Handful of Sage
½ Glass of White Wine
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

How to:
-getting ready-
Chop the Onion finely and rinse the herbs thoroughly. Chop the sage finely.
Slice the bread.
Pop the wine open and start sipping!
Cooking your dish
Open the Sausages and sauté the meat with the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes in a medium sized non stick pan, until the meat starts browning.
Add the half glass of wine, the rosemary and the sage.
Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the wine has been completely absorbed, take off the fire and set aside.
Toast your bread on a fire grill, in a toaster or on the barbecue; do not use a sandwich press, otherwise you will make crackers.

Note: the correct pronunciation of bruschetta is “broo-sketta”. If the video was not clear enough, here is a sample sound clip from an Italian female that should help you say it the right way:

French Recipes Soup Recipes

French Onion Soup

Autumn has arrived in full swing and we find ourselves betraying our favorite summer foods like a wicked adulteress. We’ve been ditching salads, ignoring the barbecue, and even walking away from one of our best friends, sushi. Instead, our fickle appetites have found a new love, warm and hearty comfort foods. This week our new love is soup, and today, we have a crush on French onion soup.

Made of beef broth, onions, croutons, and cheese, this ancient soup has enjoyed a rebirth beginning in the 1960’s when French food came into vogue in America (I believe we were late to the party!).

Where did it come from? Although onions have always been a staple among poverty stricken diners since ancient Roman times, ironically French onion soup was presumed to have been invented by French royalty, King Louis the XV. The story is that, in his hunting lodge, alone with only onions, butter, and champagne (poor thing), he created the world’s first French Onion Soup.

We love this version by Chef John in this video, and you may find his full written recipe here.


French Onion Soup from Foodwishes on Vimeo.

Do you have a favorite version of French onion soup? Do tell! Post your link or recipe in the comment section below!

Appetizer Recipes French Recipes

Cheese ambrosia! Chef Jacques Pépin shares a favorite family appetizer

Author and Master Chef Jacques Pépin and his daughter Claudine show us their family French recipe of fromage fort, meaning “strong cheese” in English. This creative appetizer utilizes all of the random small pieces of cheese that you may have stashed in your fridge! Use camembert, swiss cheese, goat cheese, brie, or whatever you happen to have available. Combined with white wine, garlic, and pepper, the end result is a warm cheese blend that may be served on baguette toast or crackers for a heavenly appetizer or snack.

Watch the video for the details, and visit the Food and Wine Magazine site for more delicious recipes.

Fromage Fort
Chef Jacques Pepin

1/2 pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt

Put 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The fromage fort is now ready to use. You may serve it cold or spread on bread and broiled for a few minutes. Broiling will brown the cheese and make it wonderfully fragrant.

Appetizer Recipes Italian Recipes

Penne pasta with pumpkin sauce with Chef Matteo Carboni

October is past the mid month point and you haven’t yet had your dose of pumpkin trivia! Let’s fix that!

Pumpkins are considered a superfood, meaning they have high levels of antioxidant flavonoids and micronutrients, most notably vitamins A, C, potassium, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which contribute to healthy brain function according to recent research from UCLA. Enjoy that fact while munching on your pepitas!

The amber pumpkin flowers are also an edible food, and considered a delicacy in many cultures. I found a few interesting pumpkin flower recipes! The first one is a Bengali dish, Kumro Phool Bhaja which translates to “Pumpkin Flower Fry”, you can see a recipe here. Sopa Mexicana De Flor De Calabaza is a traditional Mexican dish that translates to “pumpkin flower soup” and a recipe from Miguel Angel Castillo can be found here.

Pumpkin seed oil is a viscous, nutty, dark green nutrient packed oil made from roasted pumpkin seeds. It is traditionally used in the Styrian region of Austria as a salad dressing ingredient combined with apple cider vinegar.

Our pumpkin tribute today is concluded with a video by Chef Matteo Carboni from the Academia Barilla Culinary School in Italy, and he prepares penne with a pumpkin and bacon sauce, garnished with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.

Penne pasta with pumpkin sauce
Chef Matteo Carboni
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb pumpkin
3 oz smoked pancetta (or bacon)
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
parsley to taste
rosemary to taste
garlic
few drops of Academia Barilla Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 12 years
½ onion
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb penne rigate

Peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin.

Cut into cubes of about 0.5 inch each side.
Place the rest of the pumpkin, the onion, and a little salt in a pan and cover with water until it boils.

When the vegetable is cooked, whip until you obtain a cream.

First cut the smoked bacon into pieces of about 0.2 inch in length and then cut in Julienne style.
Mince the rosemary, garlic and parsley.

Put a pan on medium heat, add a drop of oil and fry the smoked bacon.
Remove the smoked bacon from the pan, add the pumpkin and cook, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Add garlic, rosemary and the bacon to the pumpkin and after 2 minutes of cooking, add the pumpkin cream. In plenty of salted boiling water cook the pasta, drain and add with the previously prepared sauce.

Add the Parmesan grated, plate the pasta and drizzle with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena before serving.

Ingredient Spotlights

Savory Ingredient Spotlight – All About Asiago Cheese

Welcome to our second edition of the Savory Ingredient spotlight, featuring…drumroll please…Asiago cheese!

If Asiago had human personality traits, I would call it vibrant, outgoing, multifaceted, and cheerful, strong, and sincere. If you don’t know Asiago personally, consider befriending it, you may just fall in love.

Asiago is officially known and certified as Asiago D.O.P, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta, in english, Protected Designation of Origin. By European law, the certified cheese is only produced in specific areas of Italy, which are the provinces of Trento and Vicenza, and the town of Asiago. Asiago is made with cow’s milk, and raw unpasteurized milk is typically preferred among cheese enthusiasts, as it tends to have a deeper, more complex flavor. Asiago is know as a mountain cheese, (as are Emmentaler and Gruyere), and the high alpine meadows upon which the milk cows graze contain specific grasses, plants, and flowers, all which contribute to the distinct flavor of certified Asiago cheese.

Asiago has two main varieties, fresh and ripened. The Asiago “Pressato” is the fresh variety, is made with whole milk, and aged for 20-40 days. Pressato has a softer, sweeter, nuttier taste than its older relative, “d’Allevo”. The more mature, ripened Asiago d’Allevo is produced with skim milk, and aged for up to two years. Asiago d’Allevo is firmer and slightly granular in texture, and has a stronger, more acidic, savory flavor.

When purchasing Asiago, look for the D.O.P designation, and choose cheese that is amber rather than brown in color. The presence of small holes is an indicator of a top quality Asiago.

In the following film clip, Lou DiPalo of DiPalo Selects, an online supplier of Italian specialty foods, visits master cheesemakers in the town of Asiago Italy, and they discuss the qualities of the superior DOP cheeses, and observe the making of Asiago Pressato. Give it a view!

Breakfast Recipes Fusion Recipes

Not just for breakfast, the Frittata!

A frittata is an Italian omelet, which, unlike a traditional omelet, is is served open rather than folded, and is typically started on the stovetop and finished in the broiler. Filled with meats, cheese, or vegetables, frittatas are an excellent avenue for leftover food. In Naples, Italy, frittatas (not surprisingly) typically also contain pasta.

It is thought by devoted food historians that the frittata has origins predating the omelet, and may have gained popularity in Italy during the observation of Lent. Traditional Italian frittata fillings include fontina cheese, garlic, nutmeg, italian sausage or ham, and sweet peppers. The American frittata craze is noted to have began in 1952, when the New York Times published the first frittata English language recipe.

Frittata’s are perfect for using random leftovers when your food stock is slim, and make an excellent impromtu meal.

In this video clip, owner and executive Chef Jay DeLong of Canape Specialty Chef Services in Seattle prepares a hearty cheese and veggie frittata recipe for a perfect anytime entree.

Italian Recipes

Gabriele and Debi are smoking hot in this eggplant parmesan video!

Truly, I think these two are the most adorable couple I have ever seen in a kitchen together, and this may be the sexiest cooking video ever!

Striking beauty and actress Debi Mazar, is well known as her role in the film GoodFellas, and currently stars in the series Entourage on HBO.

Tall and handsome Italian chef Gabriele Corcos is her husband, and together they are Under The Tuscan Gun, preparing delicious authentic Italian food together with an undeniable passion.

In this video, Gabriele and Debi prepare Melanzane alla Parmigiana, otherwise known as Eggplant Parmesan, a dish they recommend you cook “not to impress”, but for someone you love.

Just start to watch the video and I promise you’ll be hooked!

Visit their site here for more love, italian kisses, and the complete written recipe.

Gratzi Debi and Gabriele!

Ingredient Spotlights

Savory Ingredient Spotlight: The Truffle

Savory Tv will always be dedicated to recipes, although our goal is to help you learn about delicious ingredients as well. Savory ingredient spotlights will focus on the origins and history of gourmet foods found in nature, so that you can prepare meals including these ingredients with knowledge and complete confidence.

We are thrilled to honor the delicious truffle in our first ingredient spotlight post.

Known as “the diamond of the kitchen”, the truffle is a highly coveted and sought after gem. They are a subterranean fungi known as a tuber. Because they are difficult to cultivate and are found underground, they are often hunted for with specially trained dogs, and occasionally female pigs. The scent of the truffle has is know to have a compound that is similar to the male pig pheromone’s, hence the female pig attraction. Because pigs tend to eat the truffles, the dogs are a more favored choice.

The highly prized nature of the truffle and labor intensive hunting has driven truffle prices into the sky. The most expensive known truffle sale to date has been the sale of 3.3 lb white truffle found near Pisa in Tuscany, Italy, which sold at auction to a Macau casino owner for $330,000. Another impressive sale involved a 2lb and 10oz Italian white alba truffle, which sold for 95,000 Euros (approximately $140,000) in 2005.

In this video, Australian celebrity chef Benjamin Christie hunts for black truffles with dogs at a truffle farm outside of Camberra, and they find a few diamonds!

Visit Chef Benjamin and watch more of his videos here.

Looking for recipes including truffles or truffle oil? Here are several:

Truffled Egg Toast with Fontina Cheese from Inoteca restaurant in NYC
Truffled Macaroni and Cheese from NYC Chef Patrick Vaccariello
The World’s Most Expensive Grilled Cheese from Gilt Restaurant in the Palace Hotel NYC

Italian Recipes Pizza Recipes

Napoletana pizza recipe with Chef Gino D’Acampo

I admit it, I have a small crush on Gino D’Acampo! He’s talented, authentic, and his recipes are tasty!

You can read a chef bio about Gino here.

Napoletana Pizza, from Naples, Italy, is traditionally cooked in a wood fired oven with a well cured oak. And the Italians take their pizza seriously! There is actually an Italian association of strict requirements found here, that pizza makers must comply with to label their pizza as “Napoletana”.

Although there is no doubt that the association would disapprove, Italian Chef Gino D’Acampo prepares a simpler oven cooked version of Napoletana pizza in this video. It’s worth watching just to see his hand gestures!

Italian Recipes Side Dish Recipes Vegetarian Recipes

Italian Chef Gino D’Acampo makes stuffed roasted tomatoes

Chef Gino D’Acampo is from Napoli, Italy, and began his education at Luigi de Medici Catering College at the age of thirteen! From there he continued his culinary skills in many restaurants in Europe, including Perignon in Nice and as Head Chef at Sylvester Stallone’s Mambo King in Marbella. Currently, Gino is Gino the owner of a leading supplier of Italian ingredients to the UK food industry, Bontà Italia Ltd, and now manufacturing his own pasta sauces and olive oils. Gino is also a celebrity chef who stars regularly on BBC’s Ready, Steady Cook, ITV1’s Daily and Saturday Cooks as well as celebrity food contest Soapstar and Superchef. As if this were not enough, Gino has also published an Italian recipe book titled Fantastico, which won the respectable award of “Gourmet Italian book of the year”.

In this video Gino prepares a tasty treat of goat cheese, mozzarella, and basil stuffed roasted tomatoes.


Find more videos like this on FoodTube.net

Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes
Chef Gino D’Acampo
Serves 6

Ingredients

6 beef tomatoes
2 tablespoons of crushed walnuts
180g goat’s cheese, without the rind and crumbled
150g Galbani Mini Mozzarella
6 thick slices of white bread
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from the bottom of each tomato and discard then cut the top of each tomato and reserve. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the seeds and most of the pulp and discard, keeping the tomato shells whole.

In a bowl, mix together the mozzarella, walnuts, goat’s cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper and spoon into the tomato shells. (3 mini mozzarella balls per tomato).

With the help of an 8cm round pastry cutter, stamp out 6 rounds from the bread slices and toast on both sides. When ready, place the bread in a single layer in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish. Place the tomatoes on top of each toasted piece of bread and cook in the middle of a preheated oven at 190º (375°F, gas mark 5) for approximately 15-20 minutes until the cheese mixture looks melted and golden. (Make sure that the tomatoes are not too soft).

Serve immediately and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top.

For more Gino D’Acampo recipes, visit www.galbani.co.uk

Fusion Recipes

Colorado shepherd’s pie with Chef Jake Linzinmeir

Chef Jake Linzinmeir is Chef/owner of several restaurants in the beautiful ski town of Telluride, Colorado. Jake graduated from Cornell and has studied extensively in Italy, and recently has been featured in numerous Today Show episodes, as well as Bon Appetite. He currently is the featured chef for Amstel Light’s “Living Tastefully” campaign. In this video, rising celebrity Jake shows us how to make a classic comfort food, shepherd’s pie.

This recipe yields 6 large restaurant servings – the recipe has been halved and can easily be doubled for large groups or leftovers!

Ski Country Shepherd’s Pie Dark Beer Lamb Stew Ingredients:
2 pounds American Lamb, 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
11/2 large carrots, diced
1/4 large bunch celery, chopped
1 pounds pearl onions, whole
3 cups dark beer
1/2 cup tomato paste
5 cups lamb stock
6 1/2 cups chicken stock
21/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/8 cup fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Ski Country Shepherd’s Pie Colorado Ranch Potatoes Ingredients:
3 Yukon gold potatoes, rinsed, drained, shredded
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 ounces cream of chicken soup
2 ounces crème fraiche or sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Corn flakes as needed
2 1/2 ounces butter

Instructions for the Lamb:
In large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the lamb and brown, stirring occasionally. Remove lamb and drain.
Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pan; sauté until onions are translucent.
Deglaze the pan with the dark beer.
Stir in the tomato paste, bring to a slow boil.
Add the lamb stock, chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and sugar.
Reduce the heat and simmer, reducing liquid by one-third.

For potatoes:
In bowl mix the potatoes with the cheese, soup, crème fraiche, salt and pepper.
Spread into a 2″ hotel half pan or casserole dish.
Cover with layer of corn flakes and dot with butter.
Bake 35 to 45 minutes at 325ºF.
Cool or reserve warm if using immediately.

To assemble the Shepherd’s Pie:
Heat stew to desired temperature, place in oven-proof bowl.
Cut portion of potatoes to cover dish and place over stew. Put back in oven or place under broiler to warm.
Serve when ready.

Thai Recipes

Vegetarian Pad Thai with Chef Jay

A refreshing vegetarian pad thai video by Chef Jay from his restaurant Thai on the River in London.If you wish to make this with meat, add, shrimp, chicken, or pork. If you like a very peanuty sauce flavor, you can add melted peanut butter, either crunchy or smooth, whichever you prefer, to the sauce.


Main Dish:How To Make Pad Thai Jay

Ingredients:

A lettuce leaf
1/4 red onion
A sprig of parsley
1 carrot
1 tbsp salted peanuts
1 spring onion
100 g or 3.5 oz tofu
2 tbsp or 30 cc vegetable oil
1 egg
500 gm or 18 oz rice noodles
2 tbsp or 30 cc tomato sauce
1.5 tbsp or 23 cc chili sauce
1 tbsp or 15 cc sugar
bean sprouts
1 tbsp of fish oil

Enjoy!

Italian Recipes

Viva Italy! Spinach and ricotta ravioli with mozzarella cheese and tomatoes

Our friends at ItalianFoodNet sent us this mouth watering recipe and video link via email. Oh my.

You must watch this video! It’s in Italian with English subtitles and it’s so fun, and Chef Allesandro is quite handsome we must say :). He makes a mouth watering spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli with buffalo mozzarella cheese, pachino tomatoes, onion, garlic, Parmesan and sage. A simple authentic Italian meal for dinner, what could be better?

Ravioli with Mozzarella Cheese and Tomatoes (Ravioli ricotta e spinaci con mozzarella e pachino)
Courtesy of ItalianFoodNet
Serves 4

Ingredients
500 gr (17.64 oz) Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli (pre prepared ravioli, either packaged or homemade)
200 gr (7.05 oz) Buffalo’s Milk Mozzarella
15 – 20 Pachino Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes
½ Onion
Garlic
Grated Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh sage

Slice the onion, quarter the tomatoes and dice the Buffalo mozzarella
Pour the olive oil into a frying pan, add onion, 1 garlic clove then add some fresh sage leaves and let it brown
Add the tomatoes, season with salt and after 2 – 3 minutes add ½ ladle of cooking water.

Cook ravioli into boiling salted water. Once cooked, using a slotted spoon, drain and transfer them to the pan, add a handful of mozzarella, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and sauté. Transfer ravioli to a serving dish, top with mozzarella, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Photo © ItalianFoodNet

Thai Recipes Vegetarian Recipes

Thai Lettuce Wraps with Chef Renee Loux

Chef Renee Loux, known commonly as “the Queen of Green”, has successfully combined her passions for the environment, sustainable living, and organic food. In the mid 1990’s, she opened one of the nations first raw food restaurants in Maui, Hawaii. Since that time, she has taught culinary arts at the School for Natural Gourmet in NYC, and worked as a green living consultant for hotels, spas, and restaurants. She has authored two cookbooks, The Balanced Plate, and Living Cuisine.

Also an author and activist, Chef Michel Nischan shares a strong dedication in sustainable farming and using pure, local, organic products in his cuisine. He is the chef owner of The Dressing Room, a homegrown restaurant in Westport, CT. Michael has written Taste Pure & Simple, a James Beard award winning cookbook, and recently a cookbook titled Homegrown Pure & Simple.

In this video, Chef Renee Loux shows Michael how to prepare delicious raw vegetarian Thai lettuce wraps with a tamarind dipping sauce! The ingredients are: napa cabbage, almond butter, sesame oil, plum vinegar, agave nectar, maple syrup, ginger, garlic, jicama, carrots, mung bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, shoyu, and tamarind (also known as an Indian date).

Italian Recipes Steak Recipes

Chef Jim’s Delicious Braciole

Chef Jim Gray prepares a delicious braciole, an italian dish consisting of savory thin slices of steak rolled around a spinach parmesean mixture and simmered in a rich tomato sauce.

Kitchen Guy’s Braciole Recipe
Recipe adapted from Chef Sandy Hall

Ingredients
1 large bunch baby spinach
1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves crushed and chopped
3/4 cup panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup dry red wine
1 28 oz. can or jar of tomato sauce
1 1/2 lbs. sirloin steaks pounded thin enough to roll

Preheat oven to 400. Sauté the spinach in the olive oil until the spinach wilts. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste and sauté a bit longer until the spinach is completely softened. Add balsamic vinegar and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool.

Mix in breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan. Pound the beef between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is about 1/4 inch thick and elongated. Remove plastic wrap and lightly salt and pepper the meat. Put a generous heap of the filling in the center of the meat, lift the end closest to you over the filling and roll, sealing with toothpicks or tieing with butcher’s twine. Drizzle olive oil in a glass baking dish and lay the meat rolls in a single layer. Pour wine until it comes about halfway up the sizes of the meat. Spoon tomato sauce over the top, covering completely.
Tightly cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees and continue braising for 4 hours.

Indian Recipes Sandwich Recipes

Deli Wrap with Chef Hari Nayak

Hari Nayak is an internationally renowned chef & the author of “Modern Indian Cooking”.

Here Chef Hari prepares a wonderful combination of the Tandoori chicken and cucumber salad in a delicious deli wrap sandwich. This video is courtesy of ifood.tv.

For the cucumber salad recipe you will need:

1 chopped tomato
1 peeled and diced cucumber
1/2 of a medium chopped red onion
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
a dash of salt
a dash of cumin powder
a handful of chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix the above together in a bowl for the cucumber salad. Adjust ingredients as needed for taste.

You will also need:
leftover tandoori chicken breasts, or any cooked chicken

mint chutney: Options here are to buy in a jar at Whole Foods, or prepare it by mixing the following in a blender until the mixture is smooth
1/2 of a cup of mint
1/4 cup cilantro, Optionally: separated from stems
1 chopped red or green chili
1 and 1/2 tbsp of chopped red onion
3 tbsp of lemon/lime juice (tamarind juice may also be used)
5 tsp of water
salt and pepper, and a touch of sugar if desired

mayonnaise
chopped Romaine lettuce
large whole wheat tortillas

Cut leftover tandoori chicken breasts (or you could use any type of cooked chicken) into thin strips. Take a tortilla wrap and spread with mint chutney and mayo, top with chopped lettuce, chicken, and the cucumber salad. Wrap it up, slice at an angle and voila! Serve with carrot sticks or your favorite side item.

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXTlLyZrNUs[/pro-player]