Ossobuco

Ossobuco is a great winter time Italian meal. I love the smell of it cooking as it fills the house up with flavors.

Battuto

Battuto is a mixture of diced onion, celery and carrot and provides a base to start a lot of Italian dishes such as soups, pasta sauces and osso buco.

Sometimes I add chopped basil, garlic, sage, or Italian parsley to the Battuto and sometimes I add diced pancetta or ham depending on what recipe I'm using.

1 large Onion diced
2 large Carrots diced
2 large Celery Stalks diced

Char-Grilled Caribbean Steak

This is so easy to fix that I just love to cook this dish. It only takes ten minutes cooking time and I can put it together the day before so that we have a fast and easy meal cooked after a long days work without much effort.

1 large Flank Stake
6oz KC Masterpiece Fajita Marinade
6oz KC Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk Marinade
4oz Tabasco Garlic Sauce Marinade
4oz Tabasco Caribbean Steak Sauce
Heavy Foil Paper
1 large Zip-Lock plastic bag

Mix all ingredients together in the zip-lock bag and marinate meat over night.

Fire up the grill to medium-high heat and grill steak over hot coals for five minutes on each side making sure not to over cook. What I do is place the steak on the grill and cover with the top and grill for five minutes. I then flip the steak and grill five minutes more. Use tongs to work the steak because if you use a fork you will puncture the meat and let all those great juices run out.

Remove steak from grill and wrap in foil paper and let the steak rest for fifteen minutes. Remove steak from foil and cut across the grain into 1/8 or thinner slices and serve hot.

Roasted Duck

It's December and I can hardly wait for Christmas to get here. I love this time of year and I'm always looking forward to Roasting Duck for our Christmas Eve Party.

This year I think I'll Roast several Ducks along with a Goose. Both can be Roasted this way and both will come out great.

I start this dish out on the BBQ Pit and finish roasting it in the Oven on low heat. It takes most of the day to cook this way but believe me when you bite into the Duck and hit no fat you will love the results.

2 Ducks cleaned and dried
2 cups of Kosher Salt for the dry rub
32oz BBQ Sauce
1 large food grade plastic bag

Rub the Ducks with 2 cups of Kosher Salt and place into the plastic bag and refrigerate for 24 Hours. Remove them from the refrigerator and Wash Well making sure that you remove any remaining Salt then pat dry.

Layout enough Heavy Foil Paper to completely cover the Ducks several times, you need this much to keep them from burning. Place 1 Duck in the center of the Foil Paper and cover with Half the BBQ Sauce. Completely wrap the Duck in Foil Paper making sure to get Several Layers around the Duck, then do the same to the remaining Duck.

Place enough Charcoals in the bottom of your BBQ Pit to cover it and start the fire. Once the coals are hot Move them to the side so that you are Not cooking Under Direct Heat. Place the Ducks onto the Center of the grill and close the lid.

Check them every Hour and add coals as needed, roast them this way for 4 Hours. Remove from your BBQ Pit and place Ducks into pre-heated Oven set at 275 and Roast for 2 Hours more.

Remove Ducks form oven and let rest for 15 Minutes. Remove Ducks from foil and place them on a serving dish along with some Roasted Potatoes and enjoy.

Sautéed Asparagus with Roasted Garlic

Sauteed Asparagus or so easy to fix that I serve them several times a month. They are great with most pasta dishes, grilled chicken and even grilled steak. Sometimes I'll garnish with roasted Sun Flower Seeds to give them a nutty flavor.

1 bunch of Asparagus
2 cloves of Garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano Cheese
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste

Wash then remove the hard bottoms from the Asparagus and let drain.

Slice Garlic Cloves paper thin and set aside. Heat Olive Oil over medium heat in a large skillet and saute sliced Garlic until brown making sure not to burn.

Remove Garlic from heat and drain on some paper towels. Saute Asparagus about 5 Minutes, keep moving. Add Garlic Powder and a pinch of Salt and fresh cracked Black Pepper then saute 2 more Minutes.

Remove Asparagus from heat and place in a serving dish. Garnish with Browned Garlic, Parmagiano Reggiano Cheese and serve.

Crawfish & Crab Stuffer Pasta Shells

This recipe for Crawfish Stuffed Pasta Shells takes a little time and energy to make but it is well worth the effort once you taste it.

1 lb cooked Crawfish Tails
1 lb cooked Crabmeat
1 8oz package Pasta Shells cooked and set aside
2 tablespoons real Butter
3/4 cup chopped Onions
3/4 cup chopped Celery
3/4 cup chopped Bell Pepper
5 cloves chopped Garlic
8oz of Cream Cheese
8oz of Goat Cheese
8oz of Ricotta Cheese
1 tablespoon chopped Basil
1 tablespoon chopped Thyme
1 bunch chopped Green Onions
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste
8oz Mozzarella Cheese
8oz Marinara Sauce
6 Sun Dried Tomatoes diced
1 Egg

In a cast iron skilled, melt Butter over medium heat. Add the Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper, Garlic and half of the Crawfish Tails and saute about Five Minutes, remove from heat and let cool.

Place remaining Crawfish Tails and Egg in a food processor and mix until smooth. Check for Salt and Pepper and add if needed.

In a large bowl, mix well together processed mixture and sauteed Crawfish Tails. Add the Goat Cheese, Cream Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Crabmeat and remaining Seasoning and mix well. Check for Salt and Pepper and adjust if needed.

Stuff the shells with Crawfish mixture and place in a casserole dish with half the Marinara Sauce spooned on the bottom.

Spoon the remaining Marinara Sauce over the stuffed shells and sprinkle with Mozzarella Cheese, Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes, Parsley and cover with foil. Heat oven to 375 and bake for Thirty Five Minutes. Remove foil and bake until brow, about 10 Minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve while still hot with a nice glass of Vino and some Sauteed Asparagus with Roasted Garlic and grated Parmagiano Reggiano Cheese.

Note: You can place the mixture in the refrigerator and let set over night then stuff the shells the next day.

Polo Amanda

This is a great Chicken and Pasta dish that we served at a restaurant my wife and I owned.

4oz Liquid Smoke
1cup Salt
1gal Water
1 large plastic bag, zip loc type

4 large Chicken Breast
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1/2 cup chopped Basil
4 cloves Garlic chopped
16oz can of Stewed Tomatoes
16oz Heavy Whipping Cream
1lb Rotini Pasta cooked and drained
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix water, 1 cup of salt and liquid smoke together in the plastic bag and brine the chicken breast over night. Wash the chicken breast well to remove remaining salt and pat dry. Grill chicken breast for or until cooked then slice into ten minutes1/2" strips and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute bell peppers and onion until wilted, about ten minutes. Add garlic and parsley and saute two more minutes. Add the stewed tomatoes and whipping cream and cook about ten minutes.

Add creole seasoning and basil and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mix cooked spices together with cooked chicken and cooked pasta. Check for salt and pepper and add if needed. Let set for five minutes to infuse flavors then serve while still hot.