Broccolini with Parmesan

Sometimes less is more.

This is a very simple dish but that's because broccolini doesn't need any gussying up to be delicious. However, the vegetable does go by many names including broccoli raab, rapini and broccoletto.

This was a cause for pause at the checkout time at Wallyworld (I know, I was surprised to see it there too and just couldn't resist bringing it home). The cashier said "This isn't parsley." I nodded and said, "I call it broccoli raab, but I think the sign said broccolini." She checked her illustrated produce guide to no avail and finally, with the line behind me growing restless, she asked if she could look inside of the clear plastic produce bag to see the label on my not-parsley. It said rapini.

Ah well, all that confusion for a vegetable that here, is prepared very simply. Read more about broccolini, its heritage and health benefits here and here.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and trim the tough ends off of the broccolini.

Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling. Blanche the broccolini by submerging it into the salty boiling water until it turns a beautiful emerald green. Immediately remove broccolini from the water and dunk it into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

When cooled (just a few minutes) drain thoroughly, toss with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with grated cheese and bake in a 400 degree oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Tortellini w Chicken Portabello & Spinach

/>This is a leftover makeover! Yay!
After my Spinach Pecan Stuffed Portabello Caps I had mushrooms and spinach left (hey, bagged spinach was BOGO at Publix) so this became dinner shortly thereafter. Another quick and easy meal whipped up for the blink of an eye that the baby wasn't in either arm.

Tortellini with Chicken, Mushrooms & Spinach

1 9 oz package of fresh cheese filled tortellini
1 6 oz bag of pre-washed baby spinach
2 large portabello mushroom caps, cut into batons
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 6oz chicken breasts, cooked
2-3 Tbsp basil pesto, prepared or homemade
1/2 cup shredded cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, reduce heat slightly and gently cook the tortellini until tender. If you boil them, they will break and spill their contents as well as cook unevenly. When plump and tender, drain the water and set aside.

Meanwhile in a skillet, heat 2 tbs of olive oil and saute the mushrooms and garlic until the garlic just begins to brown.

Stir together the stock/water with the pesto and pour into the mushroom mixture. Add the cooked chicken, spinach and the cooked pasta and gently stir to incorporate. The dish should be well covered in pesto but not soupy or saucy.

Transfer to a serving platter and top with shredded cheese and toasted pecan pieces.

Spinach Pecan Stuffed Portabello Caps

This dish is quick and easy and has a lot of flavors for so few ingredients. The toasted pecans are delicious and were compliments of my mother-in-law who brought them with her from south Georgia last weekend when she came to visit her new grandbaby. These days I rarely have two empty hands so dishes like this are vital! Also the addition of protein from nuts and cheese help make this vegetarian side dish worthy of entree status. I served it with a little yellow rice on the side.


Spinach Pecan Stuffed Portabello Caps

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bag pre-washed baby spinach leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/4 cup each shredded parmesan and asiago cheeses
2 large portabello mushroom caps, stemmed and de-gilled
salt, pepper
splash of sherry vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a saute pan and quickly saute the spinach with the garlic powder until spinach is wilted (5 minutes, max). Drain off any excess liquid (I didn't have any) and stir in the nuts, cheese and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Remove the stems from the portabello caps, and use a spoon to scoop out and discard the black gills from the underside. Place on a foil lined sheet tray and season with salt and pepper.

Stuff each cap with half of the spinach mixture. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until the mushroom cap is tender and the cheese is golden.

NOTE: This dish is gluten free if the cheese is procured from reliable gluten-free brands. This dish is easily made vegan by substituting your favorite dairy-free cheese product.

Oxtail Stew

Oh the weather outside is frightful... I think it's been raining in Atlanta for 40 days and 40 nights. And now the temperatures are falling as we ease into Autumn. There's nothing better than soups and stews during this kind of weather to help knock the damp and chill out of your system.

This is a very hearty stew, with Souther/Caribbean/African roots -- anyplace you find oxtail in the regular grocery store. Apparently in some cities you have to request oxtail or visit specialty butchers, but here it's commonplace. In fact, I can remember a few years ago when oxtail was CHEAP meat, but it's come en vogue since then and chefs were braising them and using them like mini-ossu bucco and stuffing handmade raviolis with pulled oxtail and all kinds of marvelous stuff. One thing has outlasted the oxtail trend, and that's the oxtail price tag. Still, here in the south the meat is common enough that you can catch it on sale, or buy it in bulk and for me, it's a child-hood nostalgia related comfort food.

This version is more vegetable laden and "lighter" than the stewed oxtail in gravy that I grew up with, but it's delicious and satisfying any day the weather isn't cooperating. If you're pressed for time, just throw everything in the crock pot in the morning before you got to work and dinner will be waiting for you when you get home. The results won't be identical, but you'll still have a yummy oxtail stew.


Rinse and pat dry your oxtail pieces. Don't season yet because you're going to get a good browning on them.


Brown the oxtails on all sides by cooking in about 1-2 Tbsp of oil over medium high heat in a large, uncrowded pot (crowding causes steaming and prevents carmelization). Take your time to do this because you're developing texture and flavor that you won't get if you just threw all the ingredients together in a crock pot.


Add onion chopped onion, carrot and garlic and saute until you get some light caramelization (browning) on the vegetables as well. This will help add depth of flavor to the overall dish.

Deglaze the pan by adding one can of diced tomatoes, or the equivalent of fresh chopped tomatoes if they're juicy and in season. Using a wooden spoon scrape all of the yummy brown bits (called the "fond") from the bottom of your pot. This will add beefy flavor to your stew.



Stir in bell pepper, 2-3 bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.



Allow the stew to come up to a simmer, then add 1 Tbsp each of turmeric, cayenne and Hungarian paprika. If you prefer a smoky flavor substitute smoked Spanish paprika for the Hungarian paprika and consider using about half the amount.



Cover the pot and cook over a low simmer, medium to medium-low heat, for about 2 hours or until the oxtails are tender and the meat is falling off the bone. Alternatively, you can prepare this dish in a dutch oven, and transfer it to a pre-heated 375 degree oven and allow to cook, covered in there for at least two hours as well.

Serve over cooked brown rice with some hot sauce on the side.

WHY THE LONG COOKING TIME?
Well, oxtail has a lot of connective tissue. It's part of what makes it so good. It also has marrow and cartilage, all of which have nutritional value IF you can break them down, and that takes two things: heat over time and acid. The acid is present in the form of our tomatoes, however the real force at work here is heat over time. The longer they cook, the more the tissues are broken down (and the more the meat absorbs flavor) which results in something tender and oh-so-yummy.