This Baked Cannelloni recipe is a hearty Italian pasta dish which will satisfy even the largest of appetites.  And it will be extra tasty with the delicious Garlic Bread recipe below.

Ingredients (serves 4… preparation time:  30 minutes)

• half cups olive oil
• 17-1/2 oz ground beef
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• half tsp dried oregano
• half cups white wine
• 2 balls of mozzarella, sliced
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cups (1 pint) milk
• salt and pepper
• 30 oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• half cups white wine
• salt and pepper
• 16 cannelloni shells
• 2 medium saucepans
• 1 whisk (optional)
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 medium cooking pot
• 1 bowl of cold water
• 1 oven dish
• 1 slotted spoon
• 1 ladle
• 1 colander

Directions

Fry the onions

1. Place the cooking pot on a medium heat, add half of the oil and warm through. Once hot, add the meat, onions and oregano.
2. Stir well and leave the meat to brown . This will take approximately five minutes.
3. Add half a cup of white wine, season with salt and pepper, stir and leave to evaporate for roughly 2-3 minutes.

Make the béchamel sauce

1. Place a second pan on a medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, continually stirring.
2. Gradually pour in the milk, while continuing to stir and bring it the boil. When it thickens, remove it from the heat.

Combine meat and sauce

Pour the béchamel sauce into the pan of meat, add the two egg yolks and stir well.

Make the tomato sauce

1. Place another saucepan on a medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Once melted add the onions and let them sweat down until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add half a cup of white wine and leave to evaporate for approximately 3-5 minutes.
3. When the wine has reduced add the chopped tomatoes, sprinkle in a little salt, stir and bring to the boil. Once boiling turn the heat down to a simmer and leave to cook for 15 minutes.

Cook and drain the pasta

1. Add the cannelloni to a pan of lightly oiled, salted, boiling water. Stir and leave to cook for 9 minutes.
2. Once cooked remove from the pan and place immediately into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Leave for 1 minute then drain into a colander, shaking off excess water and set aside.

Preheat oven

Set the oven to 400ºF, 200ºC, or gas mark 6.

Make the cannelloni wraps

1. Place one pasta square onto a flat working surface. Spoon some of the meat mixture into the center and roll lengthwise to form a cylinder shaped log. When completed, transfer to the oven dish.
2. Ladle over the tomato sauce, place the sliced mozzarella on top and season with salt and pepper.

Bake and remove

1. Place the dish in the center of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. When cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes (I’d let it stand for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes) before serving.

Serve the baked cannelloni

Slice into portions, transfer to a serving plate and garnish with a little greenery for that extra splash of color.

Always Enjoy!

Chef Keith Snow from Harvest Eating.com creates a Veggie Sandwich recipe with roasted zucchini, squash, red peppers and fresh mozzarella.  Although he mentions that it’s a “summer” sandwich… this is delicious year-round… just try it!

Ingredients (depending on what’s available during the season)

zucchini squash
summer squash
eggplant
portabella mushrooms
red, green, yellow, orange bell peppers
red onions
fresh basil
fresh mozzarella
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt freshly ground black pepper
Lawry’s seasoning salt
good quality bread

Directions

Place veggies in a bowl and coat with olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and seasoning salt.  Toss to coat.

Place on hot grill and grill for about 2 minutes on each side.

Layer grilled veggies, (don’t forget the basil! ) and sliced mozzarella on your favorite bread making sure to sprinkle some olive oil along with salt and pepper on each layer for flavor.

Slice sandwich and enjoy!

Always Enjoy!

In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make her Sizzling Steak Fajitas recipe.   Betty’s description is perfect… “Marinated in luscious herbs and oil,  sirloin strips are spiced and browned to perfection, and then served with sautéed vegetables and Cheddar cheese in a soft flour tortilla.  Muy Bueno!”

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds top sirloin steak, cut into strips for sautéing
1 large onion, cut in lengthwise wedges for sautéing
1 large green bell pepper, cut into lengthwise wedges for sautéing
1 large red bell pepper, cut into lengthwise wedges for sautéing
juice of one lime (or 2 tablespoons lime juice)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 package fajita seasoning (your favorite brand… I use Lawry’s)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for browning steak)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (for sautéing vegetables)
1 package of 10-inch flour tortillas
shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the juice of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 chopped jalapeno pepper, and 1/2 cup minced cilantro. Place 1 1/4 pounds sirloin steak strips into this mixture and use your hands to rub the mixture into the steak. Cover the steak with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to marinate. (If you do not have this amount of time, you may continue with the recipe.)

Add 1 package fajita seasoning mix to the marinated steak and blend thoroughly.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet. When hot, add all of the steak pieces and stir-fry until done. If the mixture becomes thick, you can add water to thin it to your desired consistency. The steak will cook very quickly—about 6 to 8 minutes.

When the steak is done, remove it from the skillet, and place it on a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep it hot while you prepare the remainder of your dinner.

Place the wedges from 1 onion, 1 green pepper, and 1 red pepper into the skillet that was used to brown the steak. Sauté the vegetables until clear and beginning to brown. Remove them from the skillet, and place them on their serving platter.

Place your flour tortillas on a serving platter and microwave them for a very short amount of time to soften them. To serve a fajita, take one warm flour tortilla and place some browned steak strips in a line near the bottom. Place sautéed vegetables over the steak, and then sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese over the vegetables. Fold the bottom edge of tortilla over the meat, vegetable, and cheese, and tuck in both sides.

Roll the tortilla all the way up and place on a serving plate. Accompany a couple of fajitas with Pico de Gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and a refreshing glass of limeade to drink!

Always Enjoy!

This delicious recipe for Maryland Crab Cakes with Homemade Tartar Sauce by Emma Feigenbaum (she’s a chef on Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” on PBS) is quite simple to prepare once you have measured and assembled your ingredients and utensils.  Although not inexpensive… especially since I prefer fresh-cooked crabmeat from Whole Foods… it will definitely be a special treat for that special occasion.

Ingredients

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
coarse salt, to taste
1 cup fine saltine crumbs (from about 30 crackers)
1 pound smaller-size fresh crabmeat
1 pound larger-size fresh crabmeat, such as jumbo lump
4 tablespoons butter, melted (you can use salted or unsalted)

Directions

Place ingredients into a large bowl and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

Pick through crabmeat very carefully to remove shells and add the smaller-size crabmeat to other ingredients and mix.

Gently fold in the jumbo lump crabmeat and try not to break up the larger pieces.

Using your hands, place 8 crab cakes onto a greased cookie sheet.

Drizzle crab cakes with 4 tablespoons of melted butter.

Broil until golden brown.  Allow to rest for a minute and serve with a slice of lemon and homemade tartar sauce.

Homemade Tartar Sauce Ingredients

1 cup light mayonnaise
4 chopped cornichons
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix ingredients until thoroughly combined, chill, and serve with crab cakes.

NOTE: Cornichons are the French version of American gherkins (small pickles).

Always Enjoy!

I absolutely love Chef David Farrell’s New England Clam Chowder Soup recipe!  It’s so very simple to prepare and and a perfect recipe for this time of year.

This is his version of New England Clam Chowder, from a recipe he learned while serving in the Canadian Navy.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
1/2 cup butter
2-3 ribs celery, diced
1-1/2 cups onion, diced
2-cups unpeeled potatoes, medium cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans baby or minced clams
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp thyme
1-tsp Italian herb seasoning blend
salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook bacon until brown and crispy (not totally crisp) over medium-high heat.

Drain the bacon fat and set aside.  Chop bacon and set aside.

Add butter to the same saucepan that is still over medium-high heat until just melted.

Add the celery and onions to the pan and do not brown.  Stir for about 3 - 5 minutes until a little soft but not mushy.

Add flour to pan and stir for about 3 seconds and remove from heat to stir thoroughly until a paste forms on the vegetables (do not brown).

Place back on the heat and drain both cans of clam juice into the pan.  Stir until it turns into a thick paste.

Add about a cup of water and continue adding until you reach your desired consistency.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add cubed potatoes, evaporated milk, worcestershire sauce, thyme, bacon, and Italian herb seasonings.  Stir until well- incorporated.

Let chowder simmer for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked.  Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan.

When potatoes are cooked, add 2 cans of clams to pan and stir well.

Add more water to thin out chowder.

Turn heat up and bring to a boil… turn down and simmer for about 5-minutes.

Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with crusty sour dough or whole wheat bread.

NOTE: Here’s my personal recipe for New England Clam Chowder soup… it is NOT for dieter’s!

Always Enjoy!

“Check out this classic Texas Chili recipe that’s been cooked up in the States since the mid 1800’s, and for good reason. It tastes real good, is simple to make, and its spicy heat will sure cure what ails you.

This all meat “chili con carne” has Spanish and Mexican roots, but it took the Texas Range Cooks out on the cattle drives to make this style of Chili a legend.

Give it a try. Our BBQ Pit Boys Texas Chili recipe is real easy to do. All you need is some beef ground chuck, some beef brisket (if ya have any left over), onions, garlic, some special spices, bbq sauce, your favorite beer, and just a little bit of your time! Can you smell that? It smells good!” - BBQ Pit Boys

Ingredients

2-4 lbs ground beef chuck
1-2 lbs beef brisket (optional)
large onions
garlic
3-4 jalapeno peppers (with seeds)
2 cups bbq sauce
brown sugar (optional)
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T chili pepper
1/2 T ground cumin
2-3 T paprika
beer or water

Directions

Brown the beef chuck in a black iron pan over the hot coals. When ground beef is nearly cooked add large slices of onion and garlic. Cook another minute or two and then add beef and veggies to large pan. Now cut up large chunks of beef brisket and add to the pan. If you don’t have any Beef Brisket, substitute another 1-2 lbs ground chuck, cooked in the previous step.

Add barbecue sauce, spices, brown sugar (optional), fresh or pickled Jalapeno peppers, and then beer for added moisture. Simmer “indirect” in closed grill for an hour or more, adding beer or water as necessary. Serve with shredded cheese, and corn chips, or fresh quality bread.

Note: Depending on the flavor and heat of your BBQ Sauce the spices and quantities should be adjusted.

Always Enjoy!