Busy, busy, busy........

Sorry for the delay in recent post, but it has been a busy, busy, week. I will hopefully be back on track starting today with my latest recipe. The post today is what is commonly referred to as a Polish peasant dish. Very filling, it contains pasta, cabbage and a little meat and is a fairly simple 1 pan recipe. I also added the usual wine and beer pairings, which kind of takes away from the "peasant" part, but also adds something to this very "simple" meal. You can serve it by itself or with your favorite vegetable or a salad as a side dish. Instead of using the bacon, you can also use diced pork or even a kielbasa sausage or if you prefer with no meat at all. As always I hope you enjoy.

Haluski
Cook Time: About 1 hour

1 Each sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 Each medium head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 12oz package egg noodles
1 Lb bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 Stick butter(can use olive oil to reduce fat content)
3 TBSP minced garlic
   Salt to taste
   Pepper to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
   Sour cream(optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the noodles.

In a large fry pan add 1 TBSP butter and fry chopped bacon until crisp. About 12-14 minutes. Remove to paper towel to drain, set aside. Reserve 1 TBSP bacon fat, dump the rest and wipe out inside of fry pan.

Return 1 TBSP of bacon fat and 2 TBSP butter to fry pan. Add sliced onion and sliced cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until cabbage is slightly tender and  wilted, about 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until cabbage is very tender, about another 10 minutes.

While the cabbage is cooking add the pasta to boiling water and cook, following the directions on the package.

Increase the heat of fry pan to high and stir until the onions and cabbage are a golden brown. About 10-12 minutes. Add minced garlic and 2 TBSP butter, stirring constantly to make sure everything is evenly coated in butter. Add in 3/4 of diced cooked bacon, combine and remove from heat.

Drain the cooked pasta, add to fry pan with remaining 3 TBSP butter, stirring well to make sure all ingredients are well combined. Stir in remaining bacon, taste add more salt and pepper if desired.

Serve immediately while hot topped with the sour cream(optional) and the fresh chopped parsley. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Beer Pairing: Pilsner.

Flatbread(no yeast)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes(frying) 15 minutes(baking)
Other Time 8 hours/overnight

5 Cups all-purpose flour
2 TBSP Baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Cups milk
1 1/2 TBSP butter(melted)
3 tsp Rosemary
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Olive oil(EVOO) as needed for frying

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES IF BAKING IN OVEN

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.

Slowly add milk and melted butter to the flour, while kneading the dough. It should end up stiff and workable. If sticky add more flour, if it falls apart  add more milk

After dough is ready, flatten into rectangular shape. Sprinkle with garlic powder and rosemary. Rework dough to incorporate spices evenly throughout. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest for a minimum 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator

• If frying divide dough into small balls, then flatten into patties about 1/8 inch thick. This will allow them to cook evenly and quickly. Heat oil in fry pan over medium heat and cook on each side until golden brown and they puff up like pancakes. About 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside on paper towel to drain.
• If baking, divide dough into four even balls and flatten with a rolling pin about 1/8 inch thick. Dough should be a rectangle roughly 9x4. Bake in 425 degree oven on a pizza stone or cookie sheet roughly 6-7 minutes then turn over and cook the other side 6-7 minutes.

Top with your favorite toppings and sauces and return to oven to heat through and to melt cheese. Remove from oven and cut in half at an angle for entree serving or cut into smaller amounts for appetizer servings.

PICTURE SHOWN IS A BBQ CHICKEN FLATBREAD-Simple BBQ sauce(recipe follows below) 16 oz cooked chicken breast diced and divided evenly, 1/2 red onion diced and caramelized, shredded cheddar cheese and fresh chopped cilantro. Wine Pairing: Zinfandel or Shiraz. Beer Pairing: IPA, Bock or Porter. 

Simple BBQ Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 TBSP Vegetable oil
3/4 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Onion diced
2 TBSP Fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP Prepared mustard
1/8 tsp Hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp Liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients together in medium saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Stirring often.

Cool before serving.

It's that time of year again to bring out one of my all-time favorite salads. The caprese salad is very simple to make, is very light and packs lots of flavor. It can be served as an appetizer, or as a main course with some fresh crusty bread from your local store. Enjoy.

Caprese Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes

1 LB fresh mozzarella cheese
4 Each large, fresh tomatoes
1/2 Cup loose packed fresh basil(torn)
Sea Salt
Fresh cracked pepper or peppercorns
1 1/2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
4 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO)

Slice tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick and spread out on a plate.

Slice thin rounds of the mozzarella cheese and place on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Combine balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Pour over the top of the mozzarella cheese and tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. Serves 6. Wine Pairing: Chardonnay, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

Easter Dinner......

With Easter fast approaching I was kind of curious to see what everyone else is doing for their Easter dinner. Do you do something traditional every year like most people do for Thanksgiving and Christmas or is something different all the time? This year for Easter with my folks I am doing a pork loin, with fresh asparagus and mashed potatoes with an old family gravy recipe that I haven't had in years(in fact I can't remember the last time) and have never made before, but am excited to tryout. Anyway send me a note about what you are having(I am always looking for ideas) or just check back and maybe pick up a few ideas of your own. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Listed below is my recipe for "crustless quiche". For those of you that enjoy the family brunch and want to add something a little different than just plain old scrambled eggs.