Italian Style Brisket and Zucchini Stackers

A modified take on Tyler Florence’s brisket recipe and a side dish to complement any entree…
Italian Style Brisket
Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, halved
8 springs fresh thyme
1 garlic cloves, smashed and finely minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb brisket
Fresh cracked black pepper
6 basil leaves, shredded
2 cups carrots, rough cut
2 celery stalks, rough cut
2 small white onion, quartered
1 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300­°. Half Roma tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and place thyme stems directly over each half. Drizzle with olive oil and oven roast for about 25-30 minutes or until edges brown lightly.
Kick the heat up on oven to 325°. Combine the chopped rosemary leaves with 1/8 cup olive oil, finely minced garlic, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and about 1/8 tsp fresh cracked black pepper to make a thick paste. In a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed large pot, add olive oil to coat bottom. Season all sides of the brisket with salt and pepper and add to hot oil to brown.

Once a good color has formed on all sides, cut the heat and evenly coat the top of the brisket with the rosemary paste mixture. Next add roasted tomatoes (with thyme stems), basil, carrots, celery, onion, canned tomatoes, wine, bay and top with parsley and more rosemary if you have it.

Top dutch oven with a lid or wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to oven for 3-4 hours cooking time, baste with sauce every 30 minutes. If liquid drops too low, add beef stock or water in small increments to keep the brisket mostly covered.
Once cooked, transfer the brisket to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Return pot to stove top, set the heat to low and use a hand blender to blend all ingredients thoroughly (remove bay leaves and herb stems first).  Add 1/4 tsp fresh red pepper flakes for a spicy kick (optional).

Serve sauce along side sliced brisket and use it in the side dish…
Zucchini Stacks
Ingredients:
1 ‘One Ball’  zucchini, 1/4″ slices
1 red pepper, sliced in rings
1 green pepper, sliced in rings
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Season the sliced vegetables with olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Grill them on medium-hi until grill marks form, flipping once.

Next, transfer to an oiled baking dish by stacking the vegetables – zucchini on the bottom, topped with the pepper rings. Cover each stack with tomato sauce, top evenly with cheeses and bake until the brown and bubbly.

Given the current power outage due to Irene, I cooked mine covered with foil on the grill and it took about 20 minutes.
The braised brisket becomes very tender after hours of cooking and absorbs a punch of flavor from the wine and roasted tomatoes. They really work together, the sauce and the brisket, each lending their flavors to the other.  Even when topped with the rich tomato sauce, the veggies hold their own earthy flavors.  The zucchini resembles a pumpkin in looks, taste and seeds which can be removed if you are not a fan.  I think I’ll pick up a few more next week at the Farmer’s Market, stuff them with a bacon and grain combination and roast them…

Lean Chicken Meatloaf

Winter is rounding out her days but we try not to complain and just enjoy the quiet comforts of cold, dark days. The upside to the dreary days of February definitely is the hearty foods that beckon from the kitchen and it doesn't get much heartier than meatloaf.  Always looking for a healthier version, I used my old staple - ground chicken - and added lots of fresh veggies to 'beef' it up. Remember the Eddie Murphy skit about his mom's homemade burgers?  Yep, it looked just like that...green bell peppers and red onion chunks popping out all over the place. 

The vegetables gave it great flavor and texture and I threw in a little chipotle pepper to add some smoky heat to the loaf.  Served alongside canellini beans sauted in sundried tomato oil and finished with arugula, this meal was fit for the darkest of winter nights.

Lean Chicken Meatloaf


Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4-6

1/2 medium green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
4 baby bella mushrooms, small dice
2 sundried tomatoes (in oil), small dice
1/2 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, small dice
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup marinara
3 slices thick cut bacon, halved

Preheat the oven to 400°.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients, reserving the marinara and the bacon for the top.  Combine by gently 'folding' the vegetables, spices and egg into the ground chicken so as not to overwork the meat.  Once combined, form into a loaf in a baking dish with raised sides.  Cover the loaf with the marinara and arrange the 6 slices of bacon over the top.  Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to bake.  At 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes for the bacon to crisp.  Finish on a low broil for approximately 2 minutes if the bacon doesn't cook through.

Transfer to a serving dish, slice at each strip of bacon for the perfect serving size and enjoy!

Fettucini Pie

Football is back and so is the need for comfort food! This one fits the bill and is an easy use of ingredients you have in your pantry and fresh market finds. We picked up fresh made pasta from the Bombolini stand this past Saturday and Roasted Red Pepper Flake and Parmesan bread from The Norwood Cottage, both of which are the stars in this week’s dish, Fettuccini Pie. Here’s how I put it together:

1 bundle Bombolini Roasted Red Pepper Fettucini noodles*
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
½ medium white onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 package frozen spinach
10 eggs
3 tbsp whole milk
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 thick cut slice (about 2”) slice of Norwood Cottage Red Pepper Flake and Parmesan bread, cubed*
2 tbsp parmesan/asiago/reggiano blend
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° and start by slightly cooking the pasta. Since it’s fresh it should only take a little over 1 minute in salted boiling water. Be sure to not overcook since it will be baked in the oven also. While the water is coming up to a boil for the pasta, heat the olive oil and butter in a cast iron skillet or one that can be transferred to the oven. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet to sauté until translucent (it helps to add the garlic a little later than the onion because it can burn easily). If using frozen spinach like I did, defrost in the microwave, and drain in a clean kitchen towel by adding to the center of the towel, folding over and twisting until all the liquid runs out. Add to skillet and stir into the onion garlic mixture. If using fresh, add right into skillet and let wilt down.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 10 eggs with 3 tbsp whole milk, a pinch of salt and a few cracks of fresh ground black pepper. Add in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the drained pasta. Mix together until all noodles are coated. Transfer to the skillet and toss the mixture together with the spinach, onion and garlic until equally distributed.

Top with the cubed bread and the remaining blended, shredded cheese. Cover with foil to bake for the first 15 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the center is set but still moist. Let set for 5 minutes before slicing.

The bread will give it a little extra zing and crunch when baked on top and the ‘pie’ resembles a fresh frittata with a great texture added from the pasta. We served it up alongside a grilled sausage we’d purchased on a previous Farmer’s Market visit and a salad but it is hearty enough to be served on its own while watching a good ole football game, of course!

*For those of you not in the area, a prepackaged fettucini noodle (cooked as instructed for al denté) and a store bought french bread can be used as a substitute. I would also add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the egg mixture to get it a little heat.