Vegetarian

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

On the menu tonight – Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni! I love Italian food and I’m always looking for something different to make. While searching the internet for inspiration, I came across a picture of this cheesy plate of deliciousness. But I was a little curious about the noodle – cannelloni. It looked like manicotti, so I researched the difference between cannelloni and manicotti.

The two noodles are indeed very similar – the main difference is thickness and texture. The manicotti noodle has ridges, a little thicker and larger than the cannelloni noodle. Every type of pasta has a purpose. Manicotti is usually filled with only with cheese and the sauce will have meat and vegetables. Cannelloni is usually filled with meat or vegetables with cheese inside. The sauce is usually tomato based or a béchamel.

I don’t usually make filled pasta dishes but decided today was the day I start. This dish is filled with a delicious mix of fresh spinach and ricotta mix inside the cannelloni, topped with tomato sauce and cheese.

The next time you’re trying to figure out what to make for dinner, try something different. Try this spinach and cannelloni dish!

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Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6-8

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Ingredients

1 box Cannelloni pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup grated mozzarella
Spinach Ricotta Filling:
8 oz spinach
1 Tbsp butter
2 cup fresh ricotta
1 egg
pinch of nutmeg
Tomato Sauce:
Use your favorite recipe or your favorite jarred sauce.
In this version, I used a jarred sauce.

Instructions

Spinach Ricotta Filling:

Wash and drain spinach, letting some water cling to spinach leaves. In medium pan, melt butter over medium high heat.

Add spinach and cook until leaves are wilted and soft. Season with nutmeg to taste.

Drain cooked spinach in a colander, pressing down firmly to remove excess liquid.

Finely chop drained spinach and gently combine with egg and ricotta.

Season mixture with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta according to package

Tomato Sauce:

Heat olive oil and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Gently heat garlic for a minute; add crushed tomatoes.

Simmer gently about 10 minutes.

Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves.

3. Preheat oven to 375.

Assembly:

Using a piping bag or a small spoon, pipe or spoon about 2 tbsp of spinach filling evenly into each cannelloni.

Spread ¼ cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a medium, oven safe dish.

Arrange filled cannelloni on top and pour tomato sauce over.

Sprinkle Parmesan, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses on top and bake until tomato sauce is bubbling and hot around edges, about 15-20 minutes.

Notes

If you don't have cannelloni noodles on hand, you can use this filling in mannicotti, large shells, you could even use lasagna noodles - either rolled or turn it into a spinach ricotta lasagna.

June 21, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Side Dishes

Baked Beans

It’s summertime, you’re having a cookout with the usual suspects – hamburgers and hotdogs. When it comes to the side dishes you may be tempted to open a can of baked beans. DON’T! You can make your own and they will taste so much better!

There is minimal chopping in preparation of this dish. After that, cook the veggies until soft, add the rest of the ingredients and bake in the oven or put it in your slow cooker. For my version of Baked Beans, I made the BBQ Sauce that goes in the beans and I made the spice rub that goes into the BBQ Sauce. While it was admittedly more work than opening the can, the difference in taste is well worth it.

I hope the next time you have a cookout, you serve homemade Baked Beans. Let me know how your version turns out.

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Baked Beans

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours – Total Time: 2 hrs 15 minutes

Baked Beans

Ingredients

1/2 lb bacon cut into small pieces (Omit if you want to make it vegetarian)
2 16 oz cans Great Northern Beans
2 16 oz cans Cannellini Beans
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 Vidalia onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 bottle of beer
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes (if you omitted the bacon, heat olive oil).

Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.

Add the beer, beans, BBQ sauce, molasses, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Stir to combine well and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 1 hour

June 14, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Chicken

Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli

On the menu tonight – Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli!

I love Chinese food, but it can get expensive going out or ordering take out frequently. Luckily, you can make your own take out favorites in the time it takes to wait on delivery. Chicken and Broccoli is one of my go-to take out meals.

This version only takes about 25 minutes to make. Preparation is key to getting it done quickly. Start by cooking the rice since it will take the most time. You’ll have the meal finished in about the same time as it would take to order and wait for it to arrive.

The next time you’re craving Chinese take out, try making this Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli. Let me know how it turns out.

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Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 25 minutes

Stir Fry Chicken and Broccoli

Ingredients

4 tablespoons soy sauce (I use low sodium)
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
½ tablespoon corn starch
½ tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 tablespoons oil for cooking chicken and veggies (peanut or vegetable oil)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely diced
4 green onions, sliced
4 cups broccoli, pre-cooked
Salt and pepper
1 cup rice

Instructions

Pre-cook the broccoli.

Pre-cook the rice. (see my Cilantro Rice recipe to perfectly cook your rice)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes.

Pre-heat a wok or large pan with oil.

When the oil shimmers, add the chicken in batches. Don’t crowd the pan.

Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.

Transfer to a plate or bowl and continue with the rest of the chicken.

Once all the chicken is cooked, add a little more oil to the wok or pan and add the ginger, carrot, garlic, and green onions.

Add the chicken back to the pan with the broccoli and stir to combine.

Pour in the sauce and stir until the sauce thickens.

Transfer to a serving dish.

Serve over cooked rice. Check out my Cilantro Lime Rice recipe to make the perfect rice.

June 13, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Sauces

BBQ Sauce – Kansas City-Style

Right after I made the last batch of BBQ Spice Rub, I made a batch of BBQ Sauce! This is another one of those things that is so easy to put together I bet you will start making your version.

There are a bunch of different types of BBQ Sauce, Eastern North Carolina Vinegar Sauce, Piedmont or Lexington-Style Dip, South Carolina-Style Mustard Sauce, Texas-Style Mop or Basting Sauce, Kansas City-Style Sauce, and Alabama White Sauce. There are probably others, so please don’t angry type me if I missed one of your favorites.

My favorite and probably the most popular in grocery stores is the Kansas City-Style sauce. What’s not to love? It’s sweet and spicy, thick and delicious. It’s perfect for ribs, chicken, or pork butt. I hope you will make this recipe and see how easy it is to make your own sauce. It won’t have all the additives the store brands have. Best of all, you can tweak it to your liking.

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BBQ Sauce - Kansas City-Style

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: lots

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes – Cooking Time: 10 - 15 minutes – Total Time: 20 minutes

BBQ Sauce - Kansas City-Style

Ingredients

2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp yellow mustard (it can be any type mustard you like)
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp BBQ Rub, any brand is fine. Check out my recipe.
2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan

Bring to a boil slowly over medium heat

Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes

The sauce should have darkened a bit and gotten thicker

Taste and adjust as needed

Store what you don't use in the refrigerator

Notes

This would be a great item to can in pint or quart jars. Put a pretty label on it for a nice homemade gift.

June 11, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Spice Rubs

BBQ Spice Rub

Everyone should have a go-to BBQ. This is one that I came up with after quite a few iterations. It goes great on chicken, pork, or beef. Once you make your own rub, you won’t buy one pre-made from the store. If you look at the ingredients, it will likely be mostly salt. None of the ingredients are expensive, it comes together in in just a few minutes. In fact, I bet will take longer to gather the ingredients than it will to put it all together.

Try this mix out the next time you decide to fire up your smoker. Feel free to tweak this recipe and make it your own.

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BBQ Spice Rub

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: lots

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: none – Total Time: 15 minutes

BBQ Spice Rub

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup paprika
3 tbsp black pepper
4 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl

Mix the ingredients together with a whisk or your hands

Break up any lumps as you go

That's it!

Store in an airtight container

Notes

I like to keep the recipe for the mix handy so I can duplicate it. I keep this recipe very close to the container I store the mix.

June 11, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Side Dishes

Homemade Guacamole

To go with my South of the Border feast I also made Guacamole. Anytime I’m having Mexican food, I almost always have guacamole to go with those salty chips. Keep it simple when you make this dish. Nice ripe avocados, lime, cilantro and a few spices – that’s it.

As much as they charge for guacamole at restaurants you would think the ingredients are really expensive or that it is difficult to make. Nope. It only takes as long as it takes you to chop the ingredients and mix.

The next time you make a Mexican meal at home, don’t forget to make some guacamole!

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Homemade Guacamole

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: none – Total Time: 10 minutes

Homemade Guacamole

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 of a small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 tomato cored and chopped
kosher salt

Instructions

Cut the avocados in half and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl

add the lime juice and zest to prevent the avocados from oxidizing

add the rest of the ingredients - except the tomato

Stir to combine

Garnish with the tomato

June 7, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Side Dishes/ Vegetarian

Cilantro Lime Rice

I needed something fresh to cut the heat from the Shrimp a la Diabla. Typically, it is served with Mexican rice but I wanted something different. So I made Cilantro Lime Rice!

This couldn’t be easier to make. Cook the rice as you normally would. While the rice is cooking, chop your cilantro. Once the rice is done, add the lime zest, juice, and the cilantro. That’s IT!

I know people get stressed out about making rice but it’s really easy to make if you remember the ratio. 1:2 – 1 cup rice to 2 cups water.

Rinse your rice before you cook it. I put it in a colander and rinse it until the water runs clear.

Add the rinsed rice to your pot of water and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for about 18 minutes. DON’T futz with it! Don’t lift the lid, don’t stir it, let it sit for the 18 minutes.

When the timer goes off, give the rice a stir with a fork and it will be nice and fluffy. I’d say check out the recipe, but I just gave it to you. Now that you know how to make perfect rice (without a rice cooker), you can make any variation, Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Rice, Fried Rice… insert Forrest Gump reference here. Enjoy!

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Cilantro Lime Rice

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 18 minutes – Total Time: 28 minutes

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients

1 cup white long grain rice
2 cups water
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp butter

Instructions

Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with the rinsed rice and butter

Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low

Let it sit for 18 minutes

After timer goes off, add the cilantro, lime juice and zest

Fluff the rice with a fork

June 7, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Seafood/ Vegetarian

Shrimp a la Diabla

This weekend, I decided to go South of the Border and make one of Audrey’s favorite Mexican dishes – Shrimp a la Diabla!

As you might guess, with Diabla in the name there is going to be some heat. I used a combination of Anaheim and Thai chiles for the heat. The recipe calls for guajilo and chile de arbols but my market didn’t have either so I experimented with what I could find. It turned out great!

The sauce is nice and thick which thoroughly coats the shrimp the spicy goodness. Once you make the sauce, you’ve almost completed the dish. The shrimp only take about a minute of cooking on each side and then pour in the sauce to coat the shrimp and warm up the sauce.

I paired the shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice to add some brightness to the dish. It turned out fantastic! But don’t take my word for it, you should make your version and let me know how it turned out.

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Shrimp a la Diabla

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 10 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Shrimp a la Diabla

Ingredients

8 dried guajillo chiles, rinsed, stems and seeds removed
3 dried chile de arbol chiles
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ medium onion, rough chop
1 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a medium bowl or saucepan, add dried guajillo and arbol chiles.

Add very hot or boiling water until chiles are fully submerged.

Cover with a lid or large plate and let sit for 15 minutes, until chiles have softened.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a large blender.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, onion and salt. Puree until completely smooth.

Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. If the sauce is too spicy, add more tomatoes.

Heat a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Add olive oil and shrimp.

Cook shrimp for 1 minute per side, or until shrimp is light pink.

Add the red chile sauce to the pan or skillet and mix together to coat the shrimp.

Lower the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and hot.

Remove the pan or skillet from the heat and serve alone as an appetizer or with Mexican rice as a meal.

June 7, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Salsa/ Vegan/ Vegetarian

Homemade Salsa – Mild

Who doesn’t love Chips and Salsa? The next time you crave it or need a good salsa to go with your meal, try making your own version. Salsa is so easy to make and it tastes so much fresher than what you’ll get out of the jar. The best thing is that you can totally make it your own.

All you need are some ripe tomatoes, red onion, garlic, cilantro and a few spices I’m sure you have in your cabinet. Once made, it will keep in your fridge at least a week but I doubt there will be any left.

Check out the recipe below and make your version. This is a mild version. If you want to make it hotter, you could skip de-seeding the jalapeno. Hotter? Add some Serrano pepper and maybe a little extra cayenne pepper. Still not hot enough? Add some Habanero pepper.

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Homemade Salsa - Mild

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By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: none – Total Time: 30 minutes

Homemade Salsa - Mild

Ingredients

3 ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ - 1 Jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilies, cilantro, lime zest and juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.

Mix well.

Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve with your favorite chips.

June 7, 2020 By patrickdulmage

Chicken

Chicken Marsala

On the menu tonight – Chicken Marsala!

This was another dish on the menu for the cooking class. OMG! It’s SO good! They called for chicken breast, I hardly use chicken breast. I used chicken thighs for this recipe- my favorite. They are more flavorful and don’t dry out like the breast meat. I’m definitely adding this to my easy to make chicken meals. From start to finish I think I was done in about 45 minutes and only because I did the chicken in small batches. Check out the recipe below and make your version!

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Chicken Marsala

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By Unknown – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 45

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast OR 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 oz porcini, portabella or crimini mushroom
½ Cup Marsala Wine
½ Chicken Stock
¼ Cup Basil
2Tbsp Butter
AP Flour, to dredge
Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Heat Large Sauté Pan over Medium High Heat, and add 2 T of olive Oil.

Dredge chicken in Flour, and gently place in to pan and sear on both sides for 4-5 min or until golden brown.

Remove Chicken from pan, and place on tray lined with paper town to absorb extra grease.

Now add mushrooms to pan, add pinch of salt, and sauté until nice and tender 3-4 min.

Deglaze pan with marsala wine, and let cook down until reduced by half of liquid amount.

Add chicken stock to pan and bring up to light simmer.

Add Chicken back to pan, and add butter.

Turn heat off and swirl around.

Garnish with Basil

Notes

For the meat, you can use chicken breast or thighs. I prefer thighs as they have more flavor, in my opinion, and don't dry out as easily as the breast meat.

June 3, 2020 By patrickdulmage

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