Kathy's Kitchen

Giada’s Nonna’s Lemon Almond Muffins

April 19, 2020Leave a comment

Simple to make these light, fluffy muffins.

SERVING SIZE:

Makes 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS:

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Level: beginner

Resurrection Rolls

April 12, 2020Leave a comment

It’s Easter! The perfect morning for Resurrection Rolls – super simple to make.

Ingredients

16 large marshmallows
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 (8-oz.) cans crescent roll dough

How to Make It

Step 1

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Step 2

Unroll crescent roll dough, and separate each roll along perforations.

Step 3

Roll marshmallows in melted butter, and then in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place one coated marshmallow in the middle of an unrolled crescent dough segment, and roll the marshmallow until completely covered by the dough, pushing in sides as you go. Pinch seams on either end to seal each roll.

Step 4

Place rolls on a jellyroll pan, and bake at 350˚ for about 12 minutes.

Step 5

Immediately after removing rolls from the oven, brush with remaining melted butter and then sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Basic Cannellini Beans

March 30, 2020Leave a comment

Ingredients:

2 cups (14 oz) dried cannellini beans

6 garlic cloves

1 tomato, cored and halved

salt and freshly ground pepper

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 fresh Italian sausages, about 2 1/2 oz each

2 cups (12 oz) crushed canned plum (Roma) tomatoes with juice

8 fresh sage leaves (optional)

Instructions:

*Pick over the beans, discarding any grit or mis-shapen beans. Rinse well and place in a bowl. Add water to cover generously (enough for beans to expand but still be covered in water when it’s time to drain them) and let soak overnight.

*The next day, drain the beans and place in a large saucepan with 7 cups (56 oz) water. Bring to a boil and add 2 of the garlic cloves, 4 of the sage leaves (optional) and the tomato halves to the saucepan. DO NOT add salt at this point – it will make the beans tough. Reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender, 1 1/2- 2 hours. Season with salt, then drain the beans. Discard the garlic cloves, sage and tomato.

*Crush the remaining 4 garlic cloves. In a large frying pan, warm together the olive oil, salt, remaining sage leaves and the 4 crushed garlic cloves. Add the sausages and brown lights on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and crushed tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, stirring gently every so often, for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. I rarely need to adjust the seasoning, at this point. You want to get the salt added earlier so that it brings out the best flavor of the beans with the tomatoes. Adding salt at the end of a cooking process means that your meal tastes salty because it doesn’t have time to absorb into the ingredients.

*Spoon the beans onto a warmed oval platter. Lay the sausages on top and serve.

Mangia!

Baked Halibut

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020Leave a comment

Preparation:

-Preheat your oven to 450°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

-In a small bowl, prepare the marinade/seasoning by combining the minced garlic cloves, Dijon, lemon juice and zest, the paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper with a fork; add in the olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and blend that in until combined.

-Place the halibut fillets onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush each fillet with the seasoning mixture (or pour it directly over), and if you have a few minutes, allow it the fillets to marinate for 10-20 minutes.

-Place the seasoned fillets into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn the broiler on, and allow the fish to broil for 2-3 minutes until it has a bit of color, and is tender, flaky and cooked through.

-To finish, sprinkle over some fresh dill, add lemon slices or wedges, and serve with your choice of sides: steamed broccoli, rice, roasted carrots…..

This marinade also is delicious on sea bass.

Pasta with Red and Yellow Peppers

August 13, 2019Leave a comment

SERVING SIZE:

Serves 4 to 6

3 large red bell peppers
3 large yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb. spaghetti
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bell peppers on the baking sheet and broil until the skins brown and blister, turning the peppers occasionally, about 20 minutes. Enclose the peppers in a resealable plastic bag and set aside until cooled to room temperature. Peel and seed the cooled peppers and cut them into strips.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the pepper strips, salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the wine and chicken broth and continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are very soft.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Add the pasta, parsley and Parmesan cheese to the pepper sauce; stir to combine and coat the pasta. Serve.

Total time to prepare this dinner is about 1 hour.