Tag: main course
The Best Italian Sausage Meat Sauce
The Best Italian Sausage Meat Sauce
I love me a good meat sauce; whether it’s ground beef or in this case, Italian sausage. Once you try this sauce, there will be no reason to buy jarred pasta sauce again. This meat sauce is obviously great over any pasta of your liking; mine being linguine; but is also a great base for lasagna and even pizza.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb pork Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 head garlic minced
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms sliced; optional
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 2 lbs roma tomatoes diced
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano chopped
- 1/2 cup Italian basil chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper optional
- 1 lb linguine prepared according to box directions
- parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Brown your Italian sausage in olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 8 minutes. Remove the Italian sausage from the pan.
- Add in the onions, garlic, and optional mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and optional crushed red pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the Italian sausage.
- Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes.
Chili Lime Almond Encrusted Chicken Thighs
Chili Lime Almond Encrusted Chicken Thighs
I came up with this recipe from having the largest bag ever of chili lime almonds from Costco that I needed to use up. I’ve seen pecan encrusted chicken, so why not use these almonds instead. Like breading anything, you dredge the chicken in flour, then egg, then the almond breadcrumb mix. I decided to bake the chicken instead of frying to be “healthier.” Either way you go, the chicken turns out damn tasty.
Equipment
- food processor
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup chili lime almonds
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Pulse the chili lime almonds in a food processor until finely ground.
- Mix the ground almonds with the panko breadcrumbs.
- Dredge the chicken thighs in flour, then the egg, then the almond breadcrumb mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the thighs on the baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken thighs for 30-35 minutes, flipping half way through.
Steak Frites with Maitre D Butter
Put a tbsp of the maitre d butter on the steak and serve with your favorite fries.
Sicilian-Style Grilled Swordfish
Sicilian-Style Grilled Swordfish
Swordfish steaks are my absolute favorite fish to cook. They’re meaty, oily, firm fleshed, and holds up great on the grill. Swordfish is a type of fish that can be tricky, since you want it cooked all the way through without overcooking and drying it out. The secret is to get a steak that it 1” – 1 1/4” thick. Any thinner, you risk cooking it to a piece of leather. This recipe is a simple Sicilian-style preparation, with olive oil, lemon, garlic, basil, and Italian oregano for the marinade. If you change out the Italian oregano for Greek oregano, you will have a Greek marinade. 5-6 minutes a side over the charcoal is all it takes.
Equipment
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb swordfish steak 1” thick
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp basil finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Italian oregano finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the swordfish steak for 8 hours. Save the remaining marinade.
- Start the charcoal in a chimney starter until gray. Poor into the grill and place on the grate. Place the swordfish over the charcoal.
- Grill for 5-6 minutes a side; casually basting the swordfish. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Whole Smoked Bone-In Beef Short Rib Plate
Serve with your favorite sides. Turn the leftovers into short rib tacos.