3 cups shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon salt, divided
8 oz. package angel hair pasta, broken into 3-inch pieces
1/2 cup low sodium marinara sauce
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
1 Tbsp. fresh basil
1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. butter
1. Place zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Toss well. Drain for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Press zucchini between paper towels until barely moist.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
3. Bring marinara to a simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm
4. Combine remaining salt, flour and the next 9 ingredients into a large bowl. Add zucchini and pasta to bowl; toss well.
5. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini mixture to pan, pressing down. Cook for 5 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Carefully turn pancake over; cook other side until golden brown.
Cut into wedges and serve with marinara.
Comments Off Posted by Chef Shortcut in Pasta, Tahoe, Vegetables
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Roasted Salsa Verde
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup tomatillos, husked and quartered (about 3)
1 cup poblano, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. jalapeno, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinade
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup local honey
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups queso blanco or Monterey Jack, shredded
1 pkg. flour tortillas (6″)
Directions for Roasted Salsa Verde
1. Place a 2 qt. baking dish inside the oven; preheat to 500 degrees
2. Toss tomatillos, poblano, onion, jalapeño and garlic cloves and oil in a bowl. Transfer to preheated baking dish and roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Pulse vegetables in a food processor with cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to blend; if thick, add water as needed.
Directions for Fajita Chicken
1. Whisk 1/2 cup lime juice, honey, minced garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper together. Pour marinade over chicken in a resealable bag and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to medium. Remove chicken from marinade and grill to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 6 minutes per side, brushing with marinade every few minutes. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
3. While chicken is resting, turn grill heat to low and grill tortillas 1 minute on each side.
Tags: Mexican
Comments Off Posted by Chef Shortcut in Chicken, Main Course, Tahoe
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Shortcake Pie Dough (45 mins + cooling time)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
6 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 c. plain yogurt
Minced zest of 1 orange
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two forks until they pea-sized.
- Stir together the cream, yogurt and zest in another bowl and add to the flour mixture; blend with a fork, just until the mixture comes together.
- Roll our the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thick. Transfer dough to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
- Trim the dough so only 1/2-inch hangs over the edge of the pie plate. Roll the dough under itself and crimp. Firmly press the dough onto the sides of the pie plate.
- Bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. If (when) the crust starts to slide down the side of the pie plate during baking, use a spoon to gently press the crust back up the sides and continue baking.
Vanilla Pastry Cream (15 mins + cooling time)
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp table salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 Tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg and egg yolk in a bowl.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from pan. Slowly ladle half of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the remaining milk in the pan; bring to a boil, whisking constantly until pastry cream is thickened, about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, whisk in the yogurt and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and chill until cold.
Putting It All Together (1 1/2 hours + cooling time)
1 recipe shortcake pie dough
1 recipe vanilla pastry cream
3 lb. strawberries, hulled, divided
1 c. sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
2 tsp unsweetened gelatin
4 Tbsp water, divided
1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Puree 1 pound of strawberries in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Transfer to a large saute pan. Add the sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and salt.
- Sprinkle the gelatin lightly and evenly over 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl; let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and cornstarch; set aside.
- Reduce the strawberry mixture over medium-high heat to 1 1/2 cups, 20-25 minutes.
- Once reduced, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and simmer 1 minute.
- Add the gelatin mixture; whisk to melt and combine. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Quarter the remaining 2 pounds of strawberries (about 6 cups); stir into cooked strawberry mixture.
- Spread the pastry cream into the bottom of the pie crust.
- Top the pastry cream gently with the strawberry mixture so that the strawberries don’t sink into the cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours. Serve with homemade whipped cream, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Homemade Whipped Cream
3/4 c. heavy cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the powdered sugar, plain yogurt and vanilla extract; beat until medium peaks form and serve with pie.
- Enjoy!
Tags: pie, fruit, strawberry, shortcake
Comments Off Posted by Chef Shortcut in Dessert, Tahoe
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound ditalini or small elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/4 pound smoked Gouda cheese, grated
1 cup brocolli florets
1 cup diced prosciutto
Parsley, for garnishing
Serves 4
RECIPE DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the water, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
In a small, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the white pepper and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes.
Remove the white sauce from the heat and stir in the cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese melts.
Lightly grease a 6 1/2 by 10-inch casserole dish with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter. Combine the cheese sauce and macaroni in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add brocolli florets and mix well.
Pour into the prepared casserole and top with diced prosciutto. Bake until lightly golden on top, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Garnish with parsley.
Comments Off Posted by Chef Shortcut in Pasta
