The Executive Cook

Weeknight Cook ~ Weekend Entertainer

tonmarmor

Montana Skewers

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Ingredients
1 Sweet Potato
6 oz. Beef, Elk or Bison Filet
½ large Red Onion
¼ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 Juniper Berries
½ tsp. Rosemary
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
½ cup Huckleberry Syrup
¼ cup Red Wine

❃❃Makes 20❃❃

Preparation
Cut filet into approximately 20 pieces.  Combine 1 Tbsp. oil, rosemary and crushed juniper berries.  Rub into meat and marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Cut sweet potato into approximately 20 cubes and cut onion into large sections.

Preheat oven to 450, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Roasting Vegetables
Lay sweet potatoes on one end of a sheet pan and the onion on the other end.  Divide 1 ½ Tbsp. oil, salt and pepper between 2 vegetables.  Add pumpkin pie spice to sweet potatoes only.  Toss with your hands to evenly coat each potato and onion.  Spread out in an even layer and roast for 15 – 20 minutes or until potatoes can easily be pierced with a toothpick or skewer.

Making Sauce
Put huckleberry syrup into a saucepan over low heat and begin to warm.

Cooking Meat
Remove meat from marinade and slightly dry with paper towel.  On medium high heat sear each cube of meat on all sides until cooked to medium rare.

Remove meat to a plate and allow juices to set back into meat.

Once meat is removed from pan pour wine in and deglaze scraping up all the bits from the meat.  Add mixture to the huckleberry sauce.

Assembling Skewers
On a skewer or decorative pick put a piece of potato, then a few onion slices and finally the meat.  Stand each skewer up on the serving platter and drizzle huckleberry sauce over each skewer.  Serve immediately or keep warm in a low heat oven. 

Duck Taquitos with Avocado Dipping Sauce

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Ingredients
2 cups Shredded Confit Duck (approximately 4 legs and/or breasts)
16 oz. Duck Fat
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup Dried cranberries
1 Orange zested
4 Sage Leaves minced
2 tsp. Thyme minced
16 Corn Tortillas
6 cups Canola Oil
2 Avocados
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt
Pepper

❃❃Makes 14 – 16❃❃

Preparation
Add the duck fat and duck legs and/or breasts to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 – 6 hours.  Once done remove from slow cooker, cool and once cooled shred with two forks.

Cut and mash two avocados, add juice of 1 lime and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Set aside in refrigerator.

Mince sage and thyme. Soak cranberries in hot water for 5 – 10 minutes.  Shred cheese and zest orange.

Place oil in heavy bottomed Dutch oven to fry taquitos.

Assemble
Combine duck, cheese, plumped cranberries, orange zest, sage, thyme, pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper in a bowl.

Wrap tortillas in a clean cotton towel and warm tortillas in microwave for approximately 30 seconds to soften.

Place 2 Tbsp. of mixture into the center of each tortilla, tightly roll and pierce with 2-3 toothpicks to keep shut.  Place each on a sheet tray, covered with a damp dish towel, so tortillas don’t dry out.

Cook
Heat oil to 350 and when oil reaches temperature place 2 – 3 taquitos in oil with long tongs and cook until tortillas are crisp and slightly brown.  Remove and drain on a cooling rack placed on a baking sheet.  Continue until all taquitos are fried.

If not serving immediately keep warm in the oven at 200 on cooling rack on a cookie sheet.  When ready to serve remove from oven, plate and serve with avocado sauce.

Note: I have also pre-wrapped the taquitos, placed them in a heating tray on low and had a counter-top fryer so guests can have a freshly fried taquito.  Just have a fryer that has a basket and a splatter guard to cover when not in use.

Meatballs & Marinara over Spaghetti Squash

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Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 lb. Ground Veal
1 lb. Ground Pork
1 ½ cups Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Half-and-Half
1/3 cup chopped Parsley
2 tsp. dried Oregano
1/3 cup Pecorino
2 cups Fresh Bread Crumbs
3 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
Marinara Sauce:
1 Onion
6 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. dried Oregano
½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
30 oz. Tomato Puree
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
20 oz. Whole Tomatoes
½ cup chopped Basil
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Squash:
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

❃❃Makes 100 Meatballs with Sauce❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 and line two large and one small baking sheets with foil.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Chop onion, parsley, garlic and basil.  Grate cheese.

Cut squash in half and remove seeds.  Set aside on the small baking sheet.

Meatballs
Add all meatball ingredients to a bowl and gently combine.

Scoop out mixture with a 1 Tbsp. scoop and roll into balls placing 5 across and 8 down on each baking sheet.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool slightly until firm.  Add to sauce and heat on low while squash roasts.

Marinara
In a heavy bottomed pot or a Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.  When olive oil has heated add onion, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes.  Cook until onions are soft and translucent.  Add garlic and cook for 1 -2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add tomato puree and add each whole tomato crushing it in your hand to break it up then add the rest of the sauce.  Cook for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes add basil and meatballs with cooking juices.  Cook until meatballs are heated through or about 10 minutes.

Squash
Cover each side of the squash with 1 Tbsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. Salt and ½ tsp. Pepper.  Roast at 425 for 45 minutes or until squash is easily pulled with a fork.  Remove from oven and pull the squash into strands with a fork.  Serve with sauce and meatballs over the squash.

Duck Confit Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta

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Ingredients
2-4 Duck Legs or 2 legs and 2 Breasts
1 16oz. jar Duck Fat
1 Shallot
1 Carrot
2 tsp chopped Garlic
1 tsp Thyme leaves
1 Bay Leaf
1 slice Bacon
1/3 cup Red Wine
1/3 – 1 cup Chicken Stock
1 ½ Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 14.5oz can Whole Tomatoes
1 tsp Better Than Bullion (beef)
Salt & Pepper
Pappardelle Pasta – Dried, Fresh or Homemade

❃❃ Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Put the duck legs and/or breasts into a slow cooker with 1/2 – 1 jar of the duck fat.  Set to high and let cook for 4 hours or until the duck shreds with two forks.

Dice the shallot, carrot and garlic.  Slice bacon into lardons.  Set aside.

Once duck is done, let cool and then shred duck with two forks.  Set aside to add to ragout.

Making Ragu
Add bacon to a medium high pan until it crisps and renders its fat.  Remove from pan with a slotted spoon onto paper towels and turn heat to medium.

Add shallot and carrot to the pan and begin to soften with a pinch of salt and pepper.  When shallot and carrot begin to soften add garlic, thyme leaves, bay leaf and tomato paste. 

Let cook for a minute or two and crank the heat to high.  Once pan is extremely hot add the wine and it should immediately reduce and thicken.  Add 1/3 cup chicken stock and continue to cook on high to start to reduce the stock.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Begin to add the tomatoes crushing each one with your hand as you add them.  Add the tomato juice as well. 

Add the shredded duck and combine well into mixture.  Let cook on medium high to high heat to continue to reduce.  Add 1 tsp. of better than bouillon and stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to cook until the ragout becomes thick with little to no liquid in the pan. Cook the ragout for around ½ hour on low heat to let flavors infuse.  If ragout starts to get too thick add some chicken stock from the remaining 2/3 cups and let the mixture continue to reduce while you cook the pasta.

Once pasta is done add pasta to ragu and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Guinness Meatloaf

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Ingredients
Meatloaf:
2 lbs. 80/20 Hamburger
1 large Yellow Onion
4 Tbsp. Butter
½ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
1 stalk Celery
1 cup finely chopped Cabbage
1 large Carrot
3 cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp. Sugar
½ bottle Guinness Beer
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 cups Bread crumbs
½ cup Milk
2 Eggs
½ cup Parsley
Gravy:
¼ cup mince Onion
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 cup Beef Stock
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
½ tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Drippings from Meatloaf

❃❃Serves 6-8❃❃

Preparation
Preheat oven for 400 and spray a broiling pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Chop onions for gravy and meatloaf, chop celery, carrot, garlic, parsley, Thyme and cabbage.  Run bread slices through food processor if using fresh breadcrumbs and soak in the ½ cup milk.

Meatloaf
In a skillet, over medium high heat, add butter, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and cabbage.  Cook until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add beer and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 – 2 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and allow to cool. 
In a bowl combine hamburger, cooled vegetables, eggs, parsley and soaked breadcrumbs.  Mix until just combined, transfer to broiling pan and form a loaf.  Bake for 1 hour.
Once cooked remove from oven and transfer the top tray of the broiler pan with meatloaf on it to a cookie sheet and cover with foil.

Gravy
Remove 2 – 3 Tbsp. of fat from the bottom part of the broiler sheet into a saucepan.  Add onion and cook until they soften.  Whisk in 2 Tbsp. flour and allow to cook for a couple minutes.  Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, drippings and beef stock whisking the entire time to avoid lumps.   Set to low to keep gravy warm and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble
Slice meatloaf into desired number of pieces, serve and top with gravy.

Roasted Chicken Breasts

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Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts (3/4 – 1lb. each, bone-in, skin-on)
5 cloves Garlic
Zest 2 Lemons
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. minced Rosemary

❃❃Serves 4❃❃

Preparation
Mince garlic and rosemary and zest lemons.  Combine everything in a large sealable bag, add chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours.

Chicken
Preheat oven to 425, line a cooking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Remove chicken from marinade and roast for 30 – 40 minutes.  Check the temperature with a thermometer to ensure the chicken is at 158-160.  Once chicken is cooked remove from oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes.  After at least 10 minutes serve.