Chef Steve Manfredi on Slow Cooking Meat & Osso Buco Recipe

June 30, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs at 1:00 pm | (1) Comment »

Osso Buco Recipe.jpg

Chef Steve Manfredi tells all on how to cook meat slowly & come out with a great, delectable & succulent product. The hardest thing for most cooks is picking out the right meat to cook slowly as well as the technique & additives to use while you’re trying to get the most out of your meat. The secret to cooking your meat slowly is covered by Manfredi’s 6-step list below. Take a look & jot this important info down!

1. Choose the right cut. Lean meat will turn dry.

2. First, brown the meat in oil. This will add color and flavor.

3. Add aromatic vegetables, a little spice and some herbs.

4. Add body either by lightly flouring the meat before browning and/or adding a rich stock as the braising liquid.

5. Always simmer slowly, don’t boil.

6. Make the dish the day before; it always tastes better.

Slow cooking is good for the following, this is a fantastic list- so keep an eye on this one:

Shanks; brisket; shoulder; oxtail and kangaroo tail; duck, quail and hare legs; pork trotters; pork belly; aromatic vegetables such as carrot, onion, garlic and celery; spices such as clove, ginger, cardamom, bay and pepper; herbs such as parsley, rosemary, sage, coriander and thyme; wine; stock.

The Best Way to Cook Osso Buco

Dust 6 pieces of osso buco (veal shank from the hind leg, cut across the bone, each piece about 4cm thick) with plain flour, heat some olive oil in a skillet and brown the meat lightly.

In a pot large enough to hold all the osso buco, saute 3 chopped onions in a little olive oil, making sure they become transparent but don’t color.

Arrange the osso buco on top of the onions, season a little with salt and pepper, add 5 pureed ripe tomatoes and enough dry white wine so that the meat is almost covered.

Bring this to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. After that time, add half a cup of chopped parsley and 5 minced garlic cloves, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve by itself or with polenta or saffron risotto.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Fourth of July Chocolate Funnel Cake Recipe with Ice Cream

June 30, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Dessert Recipes at 9:34 am | (2) Comments »

Funnel Cake July Fourth Chocolate.jpg So the fourth is just around the corner & I have just the thing to help you celebrate- my famous Fourth of July Chocolate Funnel Cake recipe with Ice Cream. OK, so it might not be the best thing for your waist, but it is the best thing for your tongue. Enjoy making this traditional recipe, a great one for the kids to help! And make sure you check out my 4th of July Grill Meal Menu Recipes post.

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 quart oil, for frying
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1/4 cup chocolate shavings, for topping
Strawberry slices, for garnish
Vanilla bean ice cream, as side

What’s Next:

In a mixing bowl- beat together egg and milk.

Next, beat in flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and white sugar until smooth.

Heat about 1 inch cooking oil in frying pan to 375 F, or 190 C.

Pour 1/2 cup batter through funnel into oil with a circular motion to form a spiral.

Fry until lightly brown; turn over to brown the other side. Cook to golden brown, and remove to drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar while still warm. Add chocolate shavings & strawberry slices & serve with your favorite vanilla bean ice cream.

Eat well & Fourth often!

Muhammad Ali’s Favorite Bread Pudding Recipe

June 29, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Dessert Recipes at 1:00 pm | (2) Comments »

Bread Pudding.jpg I thought we would celebrate Muhammad Ali’s new stance & passion for childhood obesity with one of his favorite recipes. I wish I could have found one a wee bit better for us, but this Muhammad Ali’s Favorite Bread Pudding Recipe will have to do.

You can make this recipe lower in fat by using low-fat butter, skim milk & substituting some of the heavy cream with yogurt- but I have to say, the original is always better, just ask Diet Coke. Enjoy no matter how you decide to cook this delicious bread pudding!

Ingredients:

15 French bread slices, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pats
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
Maple syrup, for topping & dipping

What’s Next:

Go ahead & preheat your oven to 350 degrees, or 175 F.

Arrange half of bread cubes along bottom of buttered 2-quart baking dish. Top with raisins and butter pats. Place remaining bread cubes on top and set aside.

In large mixing bowl- whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon,
and nutmeg until well blended. In medium saucepan, bring cream and milk to a simmer.

Add hot cream mixture very slowly to egg mixture, so that it will not curdle. Pour over
bread cubes and let stand 20 minutes in order to saturate bread.

Place baking dish into roasting pan; add enough water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of baking dish.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until custard sets. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Muhammad Ali & Mars Fight Childhood Obesity

June 29, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Tid Bits & News at 9:44 am | (1) Comment »

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has teamed up with a confectionary giant Mars to fight childhood obesity in the US.

The man who floats like a butterfly & stings like a bee will be marketing a range of low-calorie food & drinks for kids. Since the United States obesity rate for children aged 6 to 19 have tripled since 1980, the veteran boxer is ready to kick those rates back down.

Ali’s new website proclaims, “Eat like champions, walk like kings”. His company, known as the acronym GOAT foods (for Greatest of All Time), plans to have snack foods available in stores early next year.

The snacks will include Shuffle, Jabs & Rumble, a fruit-filled roll shaped like boxing gloves or punch bags, how cute. The goodies will be full of vitamins & fiber and will have less than 150 calories each.

The 64-year-old Muhammad Ali said in a recent statement, “It is time to pass on the values, beliefs and principles that made me a champ to the next generation of champions.”

Although it’s unclear on how involved Ali will be on the project, suffers from Parkinson’s disease, he is quite passionate about his cause. His fourth wife Lonni told the New York Times that he has been concerned about childhood obesity for some time.

“What Muhammad is working on is his legacy. How are people going to remember him? Muhammad says we should all be in a race to do good,” she said.

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Eat well & Butterfly often!

4th of July Grill Meal Menu Recipes

June 28, 2006 | Posted by Allison as For the Grill at 1:55 pm | (1) Comment »

July 4th.jpg Look no further for your 4th of July meal menu. I have the perfect solution for your holiday cooking, yet no solution that it falls on a Tuesday this year- but that just gives us more reasons to grill.

Enjoy these delicious meal ideas from Tennessee grill extraordinaire chef Kent Whitaker. From Grilled Orange Pork Chops to a fantastic BBQ sauce, this is a meal worth celebrating itself! Enjoy!

Grilled Orange Pork Chops Recipe

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork loin chops (¾ inches thick and 5 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cooked brown rice

What’s Next:

Marinate everything together in a zip close bag. Grill up the chops, serve with seasoned rice or just toss on a bun with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Mustard & Pretzel Burgers Recipe

Ingredients: