The Art of Food

Roasted Veggies with Roast Chicken Thighs

Matzo Ball Soup

…for when you’re feeling low.

Ravioli and Gnocchi with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

• Favorite ravioli - 1/2 package
• Favorite gnocchi - 1 package
• Bunch of baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Olive oil
• Small bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• Few leaves of fresh sage, chopped
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup half & half
• A handful of grated Parmesan cheese

To Make:

1. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to boil for the pasta. Add in the ravioli first, cook for 1 minute, and then add the gnocchi. You want them to finish at the same time. Drain.
2. In a large skillet, heat up the butter with a splash of olive oil on medium heat. 
3. Add in the shallot and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until softened. 
4. Add in the mushrooms and allow to brown. Do not stir as much so they can brown on both sides. Should take a few minutes.
5. Add in the sage and stir. Add in the chicken stock and half & half, and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add in half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally until thick and creamy. 
6. Season with salt and pepper. 
7. In large serving bowls, divide the pasta and pour the mushroom sauce over and sprinkle with parsley and the rest of the Parmesan cheese. 
8. Enjoy!

Parsnip and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 lbs parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 3/4 quarts chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• Olive oil
• Cilantro
• Salt and pepper

To Make:

1. Chop up all your veggies.
2. Boil broth in a medium pot.
3. In a large soup pot, add some olive oil to the bottom and heat up.
4. Once hot, add all the chopped veg and stir.
5. With a lid on at an angle, cook everything for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and everything has softened. 
6. Add boiling broth to the veggies and bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 more minutes with the lid on. 
8. Season with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, pulse the soup until it is smooth and creamy. 
9. Garnish with cilantro leaves and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve with some nice pieces of fresh bread.
10. Enjoy!

Pasta With Northern Italian Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pints cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 lb fresh lasagna or 1 lb linguine pasta (I cheated and used whole wheat spaghetti) 
• Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 oz Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil
• Salt and pepper

To Make:

1. Cut tomatoes into halves.
2. Peel and slice the garlic.
3. Pick off the basil leaves and set aside. 
4. If using lasagna sheets, cut them into 3 or 4 long strips.
5. Grate Parmesan cheese.
6. Boil large pot of salted water for the pasta. 
7. In a large frying pan, heat up some olive oil and the butter. Add in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add in a bit of chopped basil. Add the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. 
8. Drop your pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. 3 minutes if using lasagna sheets or follow the package instructions for linguine. Drain when done and reserve a bit of cooking water.
9. Add pasta to frying pan and give it a good toss. Add a splash of pasta water and half the Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 
10. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and the basil leaves. 
11. Enjoy!

Crispy Sticky Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skins on, bones in 
• 12 oz fresh cherry tomatoes or 1 12 oz can of stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 lb new potatoes
• 1 parsnip
• 1 carrot
• Fresh oregano
• Olive oil
• 1 lemon
• Red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Boil the new potatoes (unpeeled) in salted water until cooked. 
3. Prick the cherry tomatoes with a sharp knife and put in a bowl. Boil enough water in a teapot to cover the tomatoes. Let them sit in the hot water for a few minutes. 
4. Drain the tomatoes and remove the skins. They should come right off after sitting in the hot water. 
5. On a cutting board, salt and pepper the skin side of the chicken a decent amount and rub in with your fingers. Salt and pepper the other side a bit lighter. 
6. In a large pan, preferably a cast iron pan, heat up some olive oil and the tablespoon of butter on high heat. Once hot, place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Cook on high heat for around 10 minutes and do not touch or move. The skins should get brown and crispy. 
7. Once potatoes are done, drain them and gently “smash” them with the palm of your hand. 
8. Peel and dice your parsnip and carrot. 
9. Arrange in a baking dish, the potatoes, tomatoes, parsnip, carrot, and put the chicken on top, skin side up. You can add all the juices from the chicken pan right over it! 
10. In a mortar and pestal (or a magic bullet), grind together a bunch of fresh oregano, some salt, some pepper, a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. 
11. Pour the mixture over the chicken and veg. You can also add in a few fresh leaves of oregano throughout the dish. 
12. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. 
13. When it’s done, the chicken should be crispy on top and sticky from all the tomato juices. 
14. Enjoy!

This is a great chicken dish that incorporates a lot of veggies and comes out moist and delicious. No more dry chicken! 

Sauteed Rainbow Chard with Turmeric Rice and Steamed Artichoke

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup rice
• 2 artichokes
• 1 head rainbow chard
• Pinch of turmeric
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 small red onion
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• A good handful of grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

To Make:

1. Combine in a small pot, 1 cup chicken stock with 1 cup rice. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of turmeric. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer with lid on for 15 minutes. 
2. In a large pot with a steamer insert (Or you can use a colander over a pot. Just remember to cover the colander with tin foil), heat up enough water on the bottom so it doesn’t reach the steamer’s bottom. You don’t want the artichokes to touch the water, the water is just to create steam. 
3. Cut off the steams of the artichoke bottoms and discard any tougher outer leaves. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the leaves of the artichokes an inch from the tip, just to remove the spiky ends. Repeat on all leaves. 
4. Use your fingertips to gently pry open the artichoke a bit. 
5. Cut 1 tablespoon of butter into little chunks and stick them into the artichoke leaves throughout. Slice 4 cloves of garlic and disperse the slices into the artichoke leaves as well. Season the chokes with salt and pepper.
6. Place the artichokes into the steamer, bottoms facing down and cover. Steam for 10 minutes or until softened. 
7. Mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Cut stems away from chard leaves and chop up the steams and roughly chop the leaves. Chop up the red onion. Cut the lemon in half.
8. In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. 
9. On medium heat, add the garlic, red onion, and chard stems. Saute for a few minutes until everything is softened. 
10. Add in the leaves and white wine. Saute another few minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. 
11. The rice should be done now, so add it all to the pan. Stir. 
12. Take it off the heat and add in the Parmesan cheese and the juice of half the lemon. 
13. Season with salt and pepper if needed. 
14. Serve with artichoke and the rest of your white wine! 
15. Enjoy!

Current Reality: A sad truth

Roasted White Fish with Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 fillets white fish, de-boned and de-scaled
• 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes
• 2 lemons
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh parsley

To Make:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange fish, skin down. Season with salt and pepper. Chop up some fresh thyme and rub into the fish. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the fish. Drizzle with olive oil. Using the remaining half of the lemon, slice it up and put one on each fish fillet.
3. Bake the fish for 15 minutes, or until flaky. 
4. While the fish is cooking, boil the potatoes whole, with their skins on. About 20 minutes, until tender.
5. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow them to cool.
6. Gently press the flat part of your knife into the garlic so they get slightly “smashed.”
7. In a large skillet, heat up some olive oil and add in the whole garlic cloves. Saute for a minute or two so the oil is infused with garlic. Remove the garlic.
8. Take the potatoes and gently “smash” them with the palm of your hand. Make sure to do it slowly and carefully because you don’t want them to fall apart.
9. Fry the potatoes in the garlic infused oil for a few minutes on each side. Repeat until you fry all the potatoes in this way. If you’re running out of oil in the pan, just add a bit more olive oil, no need to do the garlic step again. 
10. For the dressing for the potatoes combine, 3 tablespoons olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, zest of same lemon, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, and salt and pepper. Whisk it up and drizzle over potatoes.
11. You can also use the dressing for a simple arugula salad. 
12. Serve with fish.
13. Enjoy!

Russian Galluptzi (Stuffed Cabbage Leaves) 

Ingredients:

• 1 cabbage
• 1 lb ground meat - can be pork, beef, lamb, or any combination you like
• 1 cup cooked rice
• Favorite tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Sour cream
• Optional: melting cheese - I really like smoked mozzarella for this dish