tonmarmor

Ingredients
2 – 1.15 lb. Pork Loins
2 Russet Potatoes
1 Head Fennel
1 medium sized White Onion
2 Tbsp. Fennel Seeds
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

❃❃ Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Grind fennel seeds with coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle.

Slice potatoes, onions and fennel into ¼ inch slices.  Keep some of the fennel fronds and set aside.

Pork
Mix ground fennel, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper together in a small bowl.  Brush 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil on pork loins and rub fennel mixture all over each of the pork loins.

Vegetables
In a large bowl mix vegetables with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper.  Lay vegetables on sheet pan.

Cook
Lay pork loins over the vegetables and cook for around 45 minutes or until the inside of the pork loins register 160 – 170 degrees.  Remove from oven and cover with oil letting the meat rest and come up to an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Once meat has rested and come to temperature slice into even slices, move vegetables to a platter, top with sliced meat and garnish with some fennel fronds.

Ingredients    
6 cloves Garlic
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
1 cup Milk
½ cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Salt
¾ tsp. Pepper
Store bought Raw Pizza Crust from the deli
1/2 lb. Shrimp (uncooked, shelled, deveined, 21-25 count)
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
8oz. fresh Mozzarella Cheese
½ cup chopped Spinach

❃❃Serves 6❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Remove shells and devein shrimp, chop garlic and chop spinach.

Sauce
In a non-stick skillet, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, butter and garlic.  Allow the garlic to cook for a couple minutes until it starts to soften.  Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until flour taste cooks out.  Whisk in milk and heavy cream along with salt and pepper.  Allow to thicken, remove from heat and set aside.

Pizza
Roll out or stretch pizza dough to desired size to fill the cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes to start and cook the dough before toppings are added.

Allow to cool slightly and evenly spread sauce on the crust.  Top with shrimp and spinach first and then the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until shrimp are cooked, the cheese melts and begins to brown.  If cheese has not browned turn on the broiler for a few minutes.

Remove, allow to cool slightly, cut and serve.

Ingredients
Filling:
1 lb. ground Lamb
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup chopped Onion
1 large Carrot
2 stalks Celery
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Salt
¾ tsp. Pepper
187 ml. Red Wine
1 ½ cups Beef Stock
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 cup Peas
Mashed Potatoes:
1 ½ lbs. Yellow Potatoes
3 Tbsp. soft Margarine
¾ tsp. Salt
¾ tsp. Pepper
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup grated White Cheddar Cheese

❃❃Serves 4 – 6❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400, spray a 9”x13” pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Peel potatoes and cut into bite size pieces.  Fill a large pot with cold water and place potatoes into the water.  Chop onion, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme.  Shred cheese.

Potatoes
Boil the potatoes until soft, drain and return to pot.  Mash potatoes with potato masher adding butter, salt and pepper.  Add heavy cream and with a whisk, whisk the potatoes and cream until smooth.  Stir in cheese and set aside.

Filling
In a skillet over medium high heat add olive oil.  Once heated add onion, celery, salt, pepper and carrot.  Cook until vegetables begin to soften and add lamb, thyme and garlic.  Cook lamb until no pink remains.  Add tomato paste and cook until all meat and vegetables are coated and some of the tomato taste cooks out.  Add flour and cook for 1- 2 minutes to cook out flour taste.  Add red wine and beef stock and allow to cook until the mixture is bubbling and thickens.  Add peas and cook for 1 minute.

Assembly
Add the lamb mixture to the baking dish, evenly top with potatoes and run a fork through the potatoes making small ridges. Bake, covered with foil, for half an hour, remove foil and switch oven to broil.  Broil dish until potatoes are slightly golden brown on the top.  Remove from oven and let cool about 5 minute and then serve.

Ingredients
Ravioli:
40 Wonton Wrappers
½ cup Cornmeal
1 Egg
2 cups Spinach, chopped
1 cup Ricotta
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Thyme
4 cloves Garlic
Zest of 1 Lemon
Sauce:
2 Leeks
2 Tbsp. chopped Garlic
2  14oz. cans Artichokes
¾ cups Milk
2 Rotisserie Chicken Breasts
¾ cups shredded Gruyere Cheese
2 oz. Goat Cheese
2 cups Spinach
¾ cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp. Thyme
1/3 cup White Wine
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lemon

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Chop spinach, thyme and garlic for ravioli and for sauce setting aside in separate bowls.  Drain artichokes and remove stems.  Chop leeks, grate cheese, zest lemon, shred chicken and whisk egg.  In a blender add the milk and drained artichokes.  Blend until smooth.  Cover a cookie sheet with cornmeal and spray another cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Ravioli
In a bowl mix together chopped spinach, ricotta, lemon zest, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic.

Lay out 10 wonton wrappers, brush the edges with the whisked egg, drop approximately 1 Tbsp. of mixture in the middle of each, top with another wonton and seal edges together with a fork.  Place on the cookie sheet with the cornmeal.  Do the same with the next 10 raviolis and set aside until ready to boil. 

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and begin to boil the raviolis in batches when sauce is warming.  Remove from water with slotted spoon to the cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Sauce
Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add leeks, salt, pepper and thyme and cook until leeks become tender.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add wine and let the wine reduce out until there is no liquid left in the pan.  Add chicken stock, artichoke mixture and chicken. 

Reduce sauce to lowest setting to keep warm while the ravioli cooks.

When last batch of ravioli is done turn heat up to medium high, add spinach and let it cook until wilted.  Turn heat off and add cheeses and lemon zest.  Stir until cheeses melt.

Assemble
Place 4 – 5 raviolis on each plate and top with a quarter of the sauce. 

                               

Ingredients
30 Cherries – Fresh or Frozen
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water – use less water if using frozen cherries
4 Chicken Breasts
2 ½ cups Pecans, fine chop
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Water
½ cup Flour
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Chop pecans in a food processor and pound chicken to an even thickness between a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.

Set up a dredging station with flour combined with salt and pepper in one pie plate, an egg beaten with a couple of teaspoons of water in a second pie plate and the chopped pecans in a third plate.

Make Cherry Sauce
In a small saucepan combine the cherries, ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water.  On medium high heat cook for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and transfer to a blender.  Blend but leave some texture in the sauce.  Return sauce to pan and keep warm as chicken cooks.

Make Chicken
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour until lightly coated, transfer to the egg mixture until coated and excess is shaken off and then transfer to the pecans until well coated pressing the pecans in a bit to ensure they coat and hold well.

After all the chicken is coated preheat an oven safe skillet over medium high heat with the olive oil.  Place each chicken breast in the pan and lightly sear but ensure that the pecans do not burn.  Turn chicken after a couple of minutes and place into the oven to finish cooking.  This should take about 20 minutes.

Serve chicken with cherry sauce over the top of each piece.

Ingredients
1 Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry
1 lb. Center Cut Filet
1 ½ tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
4 Tbsp. Mushroom & Chestnut Topping (see appetizers – Buckwheat Blinis with Mushroom & Chestnut Topper)
¼ tsp. Sea Salt
1 Egg
 

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Defrost puff pastry in the refrigerator.  Preheat oven to 400, line a baking sheet with foil and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.   Whisk egg in a small bowl.

Filet
Dry the filet well with paper towels.  Over high heat, in a heavy bottomed skillet, sear the filet on all sides.  Remove and set aside to cool.
Brush the filet with the Dijon mustard and evenly coat with salt and pepper.  On a lightly floured counter or board roll puff pastry to a size that will easily wrap around the filet.  Place the mushroom and chestnut topping evenly on the puff pastry in a square the same size as the filet.  Place the filet on the top of the mushroom mixture, brush the puff pastry edges with egg wash and bring sides up around the meat sealing the puff pastry together.  Turn the encompassed filet over so that the sealed edges are on the bottom and the top is flat. 
Place the filet on the baking sheet, evenly brush with egg and evenly sprinkle the sea salt over the top of the filet and puff pastry.
Bake for 45 minutes for a rare middle in the filet.  If you prefer more well-done filet add approximately 10 minutes cooking time for each interval avoiding burning the puff pastry.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.