I know why you’re on this page…
Listen, I was born at night (shoutout to T. Hinder), but not last night. I may be the runt of my litter, but I’m not stone stupid. You’re here for my food. I get it. Trust me I do. While I cannot give all my secrets away, I am here to share a few. My advice, always double the garlic and find YOUR salt.
Angela’s Crab Dip
I was never much of a dip guy, outside of Copenhagen long cut. My roommate/fiancé whipped up a batch of this crab dip though, and let me tell you… I am a convert. The flavor packed into this crab dip is truly amazing. The sherry cuts through the richness and the horseradish adds just the right kick. Make it on a Sunday and you can sleep your way through the Ravens’ anxiety attacks with a full belly.
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic (or 4 if you like it like me)
2 Tablespoons of chopped shallots
3oz of sherry wine (add more to taste- we like a touch more)
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons of horseradish
4 oz of heavy cream
1 lb of crab meat
2 8oz of cream cheese
3 teaspoons of old bay (if in MD, add more to taste)
salt and pepper
Heat your medium sauce pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic, shallots, and sherry to pot and cook for 5-8 or minutes stirring occasionally (or until reduced by half) lightly salt and pepper. Add heavy cream and cook for another 5-8 minutes until reduced. Add softened cream cheese, mix until blended together. next add in dijob, horseradish and Old Bay. Fold in crab meat and serve hot. If you want to get filthy, top with grated gruyere cheese and bake at 450 until bubbly and golden.
Garlicky Shrimp Scampi
I’ve shot up in bed at 2 AM more times than I can count, startled from waking up JUST before I landed in that pool of scampi sauce in my dream. It’s one of my favorite dishes for a few reasons. Obviously I am a garlic warthog and I cannot get enough. It is a perfect excuse to buy and polish off a bottle of Savvy B or Sancerre. It is also insanely quick and easy to make. Take a crack at this well balanced scampi and let me know what you think. P.S. - It is delicious with chicken too…
1.5 Pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp (I prefer tail on)
Juice of half a lemon (or more if you like)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper (I use a little more, but adjust to taste)
6-8 garlic cloves mined
2 tbsp Olive Oil
5 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc or a dry white is ideal)
Fresh chopped parsley to finish
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add in your olive oil and about half the butter. Sauté the garlic until it is tender and your kitchen smells like Nonna’s house (about 1 minute - do not burn it). Add your shrimp, salt and pepper them to taste, and cook for 2 minutes a side. Pour in your wine and sprinkle in the red pepper and allow this to simmer for a few minutes. Toss in the rest of the butter and then finish with the lemon juice and parsley. Taste and season if necessary. Serve hot over pasta or with a loaf of crusty bread. Enjoy!
Crispy Smoked Wings
Chicken wings make a bad day better. They give ranch a purpose. They make boring sports fun and turn any TV program into an event. The problem is that bad wings are really bad. It’s hard to have a crispy wing that’s not fried hard, but if you’re like me and only have so many holes left in the belt… you cannot always have fried wings. Well, trust me, this method is tried and true and will leave you 100% satisfied or your money back. Also, if you don’t have a smoker, fire up the oven!
For the wings:
3-4 lbs of chicken wings (whole or cut, but as a flats guy, cut is always my preference)
For the dry rub:
3 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 tsp white pepper
1.5 tbsp ground mustard
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp onion powder
2.5 tsp garlic powder
4.5 tsp light brown sugar
1 tsp corn starch
Pre heat smoker (or oven if you do not have a smoker) to 265. Mix the ingredients for the dry rub you are using and make sure it’s well blended. Pat the wings VERY dry. Put the wings in a large bowl and coat generously with the dry rub. Place the wings on the smoker and let it go for 45 minutes. Flip the wings and increase temp to 470. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until caramelized and crisp. Flip the wings and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the other side is caramelized and crisp. Serve hot with your favorite sauces!
Diabla Steak Lettuce Wraps
I can’t sit here and lie to you and tell you I am some sort of health freak. I know it’s hard to tell from looking at me, but I appreciate a carbohydrate and the value it brings to my life. However, every now and then you have to mix in something light, something easy, that does not sacrifice any flavor. This is one of my go-to recipes in that vein.
Head of iceberg lettuce (or taco shells, or rice, however you want to serve it)
1.5 lbs (or more if you want) of sirloin steak (skirt steak is good too) sliced in thin strips - pro tip, Trader Joe’s has a killer carne asada marinated steak that I love for this
.5 lb ground chorizo (optional)
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 can of chipotles in adobo sauce
5 slices of pickled habaneros
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp hot honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Cilantro for garnish
In a blender or in immersion blender cup combine 1/2 onion, the whole garlic cloves, 5-6 chipotles, the habaneros, honey, and the white balsamic. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Hear Dutch oven over medium high heat and add a tbsp of oil. Once hot, toss in the steak strips (and chorizo if using), salt and pepper to taste. Turn after 3-4 minutes. Slice the other half of the onion thin and toss into the mix. Continue stirring occasionally, and after 5 minutes or so, add some of the sauce. I would start with 1/4 cup or so, stir in and taste. Add more if desired. Cook until the sauce is well coated on the meat and turn off heat.
Serve over rice, in tacos, or in the iceberg lettuce wraps garnish with cilantro and enjoy.
Lobster Risotto
The best part about risotto is it’s flexible. Cooked properly, you could toss sliced hotdogs into it and probably end up with a dish worth drooling over. This one is going to take a little more prep and monopoly money than hot dogs, but I can assure you its worth it. Lobster Risotto.
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock or lobster stock
.5 cup dry white wine
4 Lobster tails (feel free to use a mix of tail and claws if you are getting whole lobsters. - save the shells after cooked)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tbsp butter
Tsp saffron threads (split in half)
Chives for garnish
2 tsp red pepper flake
3 tsp dried parsley
2.5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp crème fraiche
For the Lobster Tails:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the shell of the tails down the center, and pull the tail meat out of the shell, leaving just the backend attached and the tail meat on top of the split shell. In a ramekin, add 4 tbsp butter, salt and pepper to taste, the pepper flakes, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, and dried parsley. Microwave until melted, stir and brush VERY liberally over each tail. Pop in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the tails are bright orange. Remove the meat, chop into desired size, and put the shells aside.
For the Risotto:
Heat olive oil and butter in a deep pan or Dutch over on medium heat. Add in onion and garlic, sauté until soft. Add in salt and pepper.
Meanwhile heat chicken stock on high, add in saffron and lobster shells, bring to a boil, keep over low heat to retain temp. Remove lobster tails.
Add Arborio rice to onion mixture and toast 5-6 minutes , should be fragrant and translucent. Deglaze with white wine, cook for 3 minutes until alcohol scent dies down. Begin ladling in the stock , one ladle full at a time. Stir risotto constantly and do not add another ladle until all liquid from prior is absorbed. Should take about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat. Add in 1 tbsp of crème fraiche, remaining butter, and most of the lobster meat (save some to garnish each bowl).
Serve immediately, top with remaining lobster, a tbsp dallop of crème fraiche, chives and a small pinch of saffron .
Beef Bourguignon
Have you ever felt like you needed to eat a hug? Something that would make your soul feel like it took a whiskey shot? Well me too. This is that dish. This dish is simple to put together, truly, but the flavor becomes so rich you’ll think you liquidated your 401K.
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Olive oil
8 ounces diced pancetta
3 lbs chuck steak cut into large cubes (1.5-2 inches)
8 garlic cloves minced
4 carrots cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
2 white or yellow onions diced
2 tbsp flour
1 bottle of pinot noir or similar
3 cups beef stock
1 beef bouillon cube
2.5 tbsp tomato paste
1lb white mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch thyme
3tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
Fire up your dutch oven on medium, add in about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Preheat oven to 350. In the Dutch oven, toss in your pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove the pancetta and begin searing your beef cubes on all sides in batches. Once browned, remove the beef and add in the carrots, onions, and HALF the garlic - cook until they begin to soften (about 3-5 minutes). Bring all of the beef and pancetta back into the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. add in the flour, stir to coat, and cook for another 5 minutes. stir in the tomato paste until well distributed. Now, add in the wine, stock, crushed bouillon cube, 5-6 sprigs of thyme, and your bay leaves. Stir until combined. Bring the dutch oven to a simmer, pop the lid on and cook covered for 3 hours.
In a small saucepan or skillet, heat butter on medium. Add in the remaining garlic, mushrooms, a sprinkle of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can do this ahead of time or just at the end of cooking). After 3 hours remove your dutch oven and smell that goodness. You can add the mushrooms in now and stir (or if you prefer to top each bowl go for it). Serve in a bowl garnished with thyme - goes great with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, orzo and rice.
Coconut Curry Chicken
Baby it’s cold outside, and this recipe will warm your bones. This is a dish my mom would make and sit on the stove all day when it was snowy. My brothers were more steak and taters only kinda guys, so I got to reap the benefits. She used to toss in some hunks of potato, but I do mine without. Give this one a try and enjoy the cold weather.
6-8 chicken thighs or drums
2 medium onion, sliced
olive oil (1-2 tbsp)
3 tsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp red curry paste
4 plum tomatoes chopped
1 can whole unsweetened coconut milk
1.5 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp light brown sugar
cilantro (chopped to finish)
salt to taste
Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven on medium high heat. Toss in your onion, reduce heat to medium low and cook until lightly browned. Mix in salt, curry, turmeric, and chili paste. Cook for another minute or two, toss in tomatoes, and cook them down about another minute. Add in the coconut milk, fill the can up with water after and dump that in. Cook and stir until smooth broth forms, add in sugar and fish sauce.
Salt and pepper your chicken, and add them directly into your sauce, make sure they are coated. Preheat your oven to 400 F and place the pan in the oven uncovered for about an hour. Top with cilantro and serve over fluffy white rice.
Saffron and Crab Clotted Cream Risotto
It’s sounds like a busy dish, trust me I get it. Lot of words in that title. Let me tell you though, you will be hard pressed to find a tastier combination of flavors. I am not saying this is an every week dish either, with the crab and saffron, but lets say you hit a scratch off or just want to treat yourself… this is the one. For those who don’t know, clotted cream is also a delight, think somewhere between whipped cream and butter in terms of texture. Try it, enjoy it, thank me.
1.5 cups Arborio rice
5 cups chicken stock
2 pinch saffron
3/4 cup shredded parm
2 medium onion diced
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry white (Sancerre)
2tsp Salt (or to taste)
3tspPepper (or to taste)
1tspChili flake (to taste)
White pepper (pinch)
3 tbsp Clotted cream
1 lb jumbo lump crab
Chives for garnish
1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Heat olive oil and butter in a deep pan or Dutch over on medium heat. Add in onion and garlic, sauté until soft. Add in chili flake , half salt and half black and white pepper
Meanwhile heat chicken stock on high, add in saffron and bring to a boil, keep over low heat to retain temp.
Add Arborio rice to onion mixture and toast 5-6 minutes , should be fragrant and translucent. Deglaze with white wine, cook for 3 minutes until alcohol scent dies down. Begin ladling in the stock , one ladle full at a time. Stir risotto constantly and do not add another ladle until all liquid from prior is absorbed. Should take about 30 minutes. Add remaining salt and pepper. Add in clotted cream, Parmesan, and half the crabmeat.
Serve immediately, top with remaining lump crab, chives for garnish and a small pinch of saffron
Shrimp Parm Bites
Now, I know what you are thinking: “shrimp parm, Jack you are a mad man.” Well that may be so, but I also just might be a genius. In fact, this may just be the appetizer that makes your in-laws finally respect you as a man (or woman). This recipe is simple, effective and a crowd pleaser. Please send all thank you cards to my office address. Also, note that the measurements below are estimates based on my eyeballs after a full bottle of red. You may need to bump up in some areas, you may have extra in others. This is a low pressure recipe and you will figure it out, I believe in you.
12 Jumbo shrimp (tail on, peeled and deveined)
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cups panko
1.5 cups grated parm (the good stuff)
2 cups grated low moisture mozz
4 eggs
2 cups fresh red sauce (or get crazy like me and use vodka sauce)
Vegetable oil for frying (enough to come up halfway to 3/4 on the shrimp in the pot
Salt and pepper to taste.
Using a pairing knife, butterfly your shrimp. Insert the knife at the base of the tail shell about 3/4 of the way through the shrimp and slide it up towards the head (or where the head was). Prepare your breading station: get a bowl for the flour, panko and eggs. Beat the eggs up, season your flour with salt and pepper and add half the grated parm to the panko.
Heat your oil on medium high in a dutch oven or deep frying pan. Preheat the oven to 485. Thoroughly coat each shrimp in the flour, then egg, and panko. Set aside as the oil heats. Once ready, fry each shrimp about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Put the shrimp on a baking sheet and sprinkle parm on each, then a generous spoonful of sauce, then a little more parm and finally a shower of mozz. Bake them about 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Serve hot with the remaining (if there is any) sauce on the side for dunking.
Rollatini, an Italian Doobie
I find eggplant rollatini to be my favorite rolled meal. Eggplant cutlets make the perfect vessel for ooey, gooey cheese and tangy sauce. It is like an individual eggplant parm doughnut, filled with ricotta. And that, fires me up. Check out the recipe below and let me know if you need any help.
2 sliced eggplants (sliced about 1/4 inch thin)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
Olive oil
2 bay leaves
1tbsp dried oregano
1tbsp dried basil
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper (to taste)
6 fresh basil leaves chopped thin
1tbsp red pepper flakes
2 block whole milk mozzarella
1 cup grated parm
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
2 cups flour
5 eggs
1 container whole Milk ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped basil
12-14 fresh basil leaves
For sauce:
Add olive oil to a sauce pan on medium heat , add in diced onions and garlic, sauté until soft and fragrant about 4 minutes. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, oregano , dried basil and pepper flakes. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add in can of tomatoes , tomato paste and bay leaves and fresh basil. Salt and pepper to taste , bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Remove bay leaves and immersion blend if desired
For filling:
In a large bowl combine ricotta, zest, chopped parsley, grated parm, 1 block of grated low moisture mozz (or less if you don’t want it as cheesy), 1 egg, salt and pepper to taste.
For eggplant:
Preheat your oven to 425. Slice eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices and lay them on a baking sheet. Salt them to remove excess moisture. After they have set for about 10 minutes wipe them with a paper towel to remove salt and moisture. Set up a breading station (1 container with flour , another with the beaten eggs, and a third with the breadcrumbs). Cost each slice fully in flour, dip in egg mixture and then breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a frying pan or Dutch oven to around 350 and fry eggplant on each side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Grab a deep baking dish and grate a bunch more parm as well as the second block of mozz. Ladle some sauce in the bottom of the dish to cover and sprinkle in some parm. Spoon the ricotta mixture onto a slice of eggplant, add a fresh basil leaf on top, roll and place in the dish. Repeat until dish is full. Ladle sauce on top, add more fresh parm, sprinkle grated mozz on top to your liking. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes , or until cheese is golden brown. Finish with more parm and a drizzle of GOOD olive oil. Enjoy.
Saffron and Scallop Risotto
Risotto is like a hot tub for your mouth. Relaxing, comforting, dare I say… arousing? It is absolutely phenomenal. One of my favorite dishes, but it is, indeed, a labor of love that requires practice to nail the texture. This dish, however, is a symphony of texture and flavor. And the scallops, seared perfectly, will add a velvety and salty pop to a rich, buttery risotto. Let me know if you need any help!
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock
.5 cup dry white wine
.75 lb scallops
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 tbsp butter
Tsp saffron threads (split in half)
Chopped parsley for garnish
2.5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup grated parm
6 slices prosciutto
Heat stock on medium heat with half of the saffron threads
Heat 1tbsp olive oil on medium , add onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add rice and cook until fragrant about 5-7 minutes. Add wine to deglaze. Begin adding stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and not adding more until fully absorbed. Once cooked, add butter and parm, stir and keep warm.
In a sauté pan on medium high heat, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, add 6 slices of prosciutto and fry until crispy. Chop into small pieces and set aside. And half to risotto directly.
Heat 1tbsp olive oil in cast iron pan on medium high , oil should be glossy and pan hot before searing. Make sure scallops are dry. Salt and pepper to taste. Sear untouched for 2-3 minutes each side. After flipped add 1tbsp of butter and sprinkle of parsley and baste for 1 minute.
Serve risotto, top with scallops, drizzle with remaining butter from pan. Sprinkle Remaining prosciutto on top, garnish with remaining saffron threads and parsley.
Mac and Cheese - Plain and Simple
I love cheese. My cheese monger and I love to chat curds and rinds. I love nothing more than tasting new, stinky quesos. Mac and cheese is the perfect vessel to mix, match, and experiment with cheeses. Consider my cheese recs below a guide, and feel free to add, subtract and substitute until you find the right combo for you.
1 box Cavatappi (or whatever nood shape you like)
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1.5 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1.5 sticks of butter
1/3 cup flour
3.5 cups good, sharp cheddar
2 cups Gruyere
.5 cup shredded mimolette (if you cant find it or dont like it, just use more cheddar)
.5 cups grated parm
1.5 cups panko
Get a pot of water boiling and salt it. Cook the pasta just under al dente (subtract 1 minute). Drain the pasta, transfer to a bowl and toss with a little drizzle of olive oil.
Get all of the cheese grated (lot of work, but easier upfront) and mix the cheddar mimolette and gruyere together (leave the parm seperate), preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and find a good baking/casserole dish.
Heat a dutch oven to medium heat and melt 6 Tbsp of butter. Once the butter starts to get bubbly whisk in the flour. Keep the mixture moving and do not let it burn. Whisk until it gets golden in color and begins to smell nutty (should take just a couple minutes). Next, slowly whisk in the milk and cream. whisk until well combined with the butter and flour mixture. salt and pepper this mixture to taste, and continue to cook and whisk until you see bubbles and the mixture begins to thicken. Add in 4 cups of the mixed cheese and mix until it is smooth. Add in the pasta and mix well.
Melt the remaining butter in a bowl and mix the parm, panko and butter together. In your baking dish, pour half the pasta mixture, sprinkle the remaining cheese mix in, then add the other half of the pasta. Top generously with the panko mix, and bake until the topping is golden brow and cheese is bubbly - should be about 25 minutes.
Chicky-Chicky Parm-Parm
This right here is a recipe you need to be careful with. This recipe is as powerful a love potion as any bottle of Burnett’s vodka in a field party. Chicken parm has been a staple of my arsenal for a long time, and will forever be one of my favorite dishes. Please enjoy and let me know if you need any assistance.
3-4 Chicken breasts (pounded about 1/4 inch thin)
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
Olive oil
2 bay leaves
1tbsp dried oregano
1tbsp dried basil
2tsp garlic powder
2tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper (to taste)
6 fresh basil leaves chopped thin
1tbsp red pepper flakes (use half or less if you don’t like spice)
1 block whole milk mozzarella
1 cup grated parm
2 cups panko
2 cups flour
4 eggs
For sauce:
Add olive oil to a sauce pan on medium heat , add in diced onions and garlic, sauté until soft and fragrant about 4 minutes. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, oregano , dried basil and pepper flakes. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add in can of tomatoes , tomato paste and bay leaves and fresh basil. Salt and pepper to taste , bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Remove bay leaves and immersion blend if desired
For Chicken:
In a large Dutch oven, bring vegetable oil to 335 F . In large bowls , season the panko (salt and pepper ) , season the flour , and beat the eggs (add a little water). Dredge the breasts in flour, shaking off excess. Then egg wash, followed by panko. Be sure to pat the panko on and cover every surface. Fry until golden (about 3-4 minutes) and flip. Once done. Remove and put on a drying rack top with flaky salt. Repeat for all breasts.
Preheat oven to 470, put chicken on baking sheet, sprinkle each generously with parm, then the sauce, followed by more parm. Top with chunked or grated mozzarella and bake until bubbly and golden (about 15 minutes) if necessary broil for a minute or two until golden.
Send Noods
I’m not sure how I have come this far, and I have not shared my pasta recipe with you yet. There is something cathartic about rolling out those yellow sheets of elastic love that just makes you want to drink a whole box of chillable red. Use your hands, pretend you are a nonna, and make your own sauce.
3 Cups flour (all purpose is just fine- feel free to sub in 00, semolina, or whatever you prefer)
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Pinch of salt
Dump the flour into a pile (on the counter if you do not have OCD, but in a large bowl is much less messy). Create a well in the middle and bust open the eggs and dump them along with the extra yolk right in the middle. Add in the salt and oil. Use a fork to whisk the eggs, and slowly begin incorporating flour. Keep adding flour to the middle and mixing until your eggs are fully incorporated. Now get your hands in there and knead the dough until the dough is uniform and combined. The dough should be slightly sticky, but not stick to your hands. It should be elastic, so when you press your thumb into it, the dough bounces back. Now, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it vibe in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until you are ready to cut and cook it. Depending on how hungry you are this should be about 4-5 servings. Cook for about 3 minutes (if you roll VERY thin, reduce this to 2.5).
What Even is Marsala?
I’m glad you asked. Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily that is used primarily for making DANK sauces (and low key high alcohol content for something you can get at your local grocery store with no I.D. required - don’t get any ideas kids). My favorite application is using it to deglaze sexy little golden bits from my Dutch oven while preparing the classic Chicken Marsala. Check out below for my recipe and drop a line if you need help.
3 Chicken breasts
1/4 Cup flour
1/2 stick of butter
Couple glugs of olive oil (about 1-1.5 tbsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
16 oz mushrooms (I’m a bella shroom guys for this) sliced
3 cloves of garlic minced up (use the real thing no cheater’s garlic)
1 shallot (diced or chopped fine)
3/4 cup each of heavy cream, Marsala, and chicken broth
package of thyme
Pop the chicken in a bag or between some sheets of plastic wrap and beat it up until it is uniform in thickness. Toss all the chicken in a ziploc bag with the flour and some salt and pepper (I like to add a little white pepper along with the black pepper if you have it). shake em’ up and rub that flour in all the creases. Get a dutch oven or or large pan and crank the heat to medium high. Glug in the oil and half the butter. once hot, place the chicken in, but do not overcrowd the pan. Fry one by one if you have to. Should be about 4 minutes a side to get them nice and golden (always go by color not time). Remove the chicken, add the butter and once melted dump in the shrooms. Cook the mushrooms down for about 5 minutes, stirring them along the way. Next, add in the garlic and shallots. Salt and pepper this mixture taste. keep it spiced up right. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala, scrape off those sexy bits of fried chicken. then add in broth and heavy cream and bring that pot to a boil. Once bubbly and happy, reduce the heat to medium and start adding in thyme (leaves only ditch the stem) to simmer in the sauce while it reduces. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until desired thickness and add the chicken back into the pan to warm up and soak in the sauce. Serve with plenty of saucy mushrooms and enjoy.
Tight Lids and Flaky Crust
When I’m talkin’ pot pie, I’m always talkin’ tight lids and flaky crust. Nothing sexier than a nice tight, flaky crust with that gravy peeking out. I’m not sleeping on the insides, but I’m just sayin’ I am a visual guy. Anyways, check out the recipe below and you know where to find me if you need help. PS- you don’t HAVE to make the chicken yourself, but I’ll judge you…
For the crust:
1.5 cups flour
1 stick butter - cold and cubed
.5 tsp salt
.25 cup ice water
Add flour, salt, and butter to food processor- pulse like 8 times just until clumpy. Turn on and slowly stream in ice water. Form into a ball, wrap it up tight and put in fridge for an hour.
For the chicken-
3lb broiler chicken
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
dried rosemary, salt and pepper to taste
drizzle of olive oil
Smash and mince 4 cloves of garlic, put two inside the chicken and 2 under breast skin- get your hands dirty. Break up 2 tbsp of butter and put 1 under the skin and cover the outside with the rest. Cover the chicken in rosemary salt and pepper , season then inside as well. Drizzle the skin with olive oil and roast at 425 for 1.5 hours (165 internal) - enjoy the smell
For the filling-
3 carrots , chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 8 0z (go more if you want) container of mushrooms , chopped
2 medium onions diced.
2 cloves garlic diced
Heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup of flour
1.5 cups frozen peas
Put 1 whole stick of butter in your pot, at medium heat. Add carrots , celery and onions and 2 cloves garlic sauté until soft about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms, sauté for a couple minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/3 cup of flour and stir for 2 minutes while cooking. Add in pan dripping from chicken, 2 cups chicken stock and half cup of heavy cream. Simmer until thick. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Add 1.5 cups of frozen peas , and pulled chicken from earlier.
Dump contents into casserole dish, roll out dough , seal edges, brush with egg wash and cut vents. Bake at 425 for about 35 minutes
Lets Talk Balls, Big Balls
This is one of my more requested recipes, and something that I am passionate about. Meatballs are delicious, but one has never been enough. And nobody wants to admit they ate 7 meatballs, so I set out to create a ball, a ball that satisfied with just one. I’m not Willy Wonka, but these bad boys are scrump-dilly-umptious. I hate recipes with a ton of words before, so see below, this one is REALLY easy. Hit my line if you need help.
1lb each pork, veal and beef
3 eggs
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
1.5 cups FRESH grated parm
1 large grated onion
5 cloves minced garlic
.5 tbsp chili flake
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp flaky salt
Combine all by hand (get those paws dirty), make into 6 BIG balls bake at 400 until 160ish, simmer in a massive pot of sauce (ill upload my basic sauce recipe soon) until they’re tender and you cannot wait any longer.
