Tag: Signature Dishes
Val’s Antipasti Salad
Val’s Antipasti Salad
In Italian cuisine, antipasto is looked as an appetizer to prepare the stomach for a meal; dating back to medieval times. Cured meats, seafood, olives, cheeses, and pickled vegetables are some of the many forms of antipasti. Moving forward to modern times, Italian Americans combined these ingredients in pasta salad form with a vinegar-based Italian dressing as the sauce. This particular recipe is my sweetie Val’s personal recipe, which is quite delicious. Other additions you could add to this salad include cherry tomatoes, artichokes, marinated mushrooms, salami, mozzarella, basil; just to name a few.
Ingredients
- 16 oz tri-color rotini or fusilli pasta cooked al dente
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese cut into 1/2” cubes
- 8 oz cheddar cut into 1/2” cubes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 6 oz pepperoni cut into half moon slices
- 1 cup pepperoncini peppers chopped
- 1 cup black olives sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Smothered Pork Tenderloin
Smothered Pork Tenderloin
This dish is rich and decadent. Medallions of pork tenderloin are seared, then simmered in a creamy mushroom gravy. You can serve this over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. If you aren’t a fan of pork, you can substitute either chicken breasts or thighs.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 1” medallions
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp herbs de Provence
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cut the pork tenderloin into 1” thick medallions. Season with salt and pepper.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the olive oil. Place the medallions in the pan in a single layer.
- Sear for 60-90 seconds a side. Remove from the pan.
- Add the rest of the butter to the pan. Sauté the mushrooms for 8 minutes until they are cooked down.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Add in the dijon mustard, herb de Provence. Reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the heavy cream.
- Add the pork tenderloin back in and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the gravy has thickened.
Blueberry Tillamook Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Blueberry Tillamook Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
This is stuffed French toast on another level. I used whipped Tillamook cream cheese with sugar, vanilla, and mashed blueberries for the filling. The Tillamook cream cheese is richer and creamier than your regular Philadelphia cream cheese. I also used a nice French bread loaf for the toast instead of traditional white bread.
Ingredients
- 4 slices French bread sliced about 1” thick
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter
- maple syrup for serving
- powdered sugar for serving
- chopped pecans for serving
Blueberry Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz Tillamook Crean Cheese or regular cream cheese; softened
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup blueberries mashed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Whip the cream cheese in a food processor with the sugar and vanilla.
- Stir in the mashed blueberries. Set aside.
- Beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture on 2 slices of French bread. Make a sandwich with the other 2 pieces.
- Dredge the stuffed French toast in the egg mixture on all sides.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place the stuffed French toast in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
- Add in the other tbsp of butter. Flip the French toast, pressing down on top of them with a spatula. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and chopped pecans.
