Cooking with Linda - Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli rabe is my husband's and my favorite vegetable. We try to eat it about once a week. Our three sons don't like it, though I think they will acquire a taste for rappini as they mature. After all, they eat edamame!

Ingredients:
one head of broccoli rabe
extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
garlic powder
juice of one lemon
iodized salt
white cannellini beans (optional)

Sit down at the kitchen counter to prepare this vitamin-rich green, as it is time-consuming, at least for me. Cut off and discard roughly 2" of the hard, tough stems. Tenderize remaining stems by peeling the tough stem exterior or "skin" with a pairing knife then splitting them lengthwise, twice, so that the ends "flower."  My mother-in-law, a wonderful cook, taught me this trick. For ease of eating and incorporating this green into recipes, cut all stems and large leaves in half.  

Soak greens (split stems, leaves, florettes) in a large pot of water for ten minutes, agitating with tongs to remove any impurities. Drain water; replace with fresh, clean water. Soak again, and drain water in the sink in a large colander. The one featured in this link is my favorite, the one I use several times a week.

Lay out a clean, dry dish towel on the counter top. Place two layers of paper towels on top of dish towel; using tongs, place wet broccoli on top of the toweling to absorb some of the water. Over medium-high heat, saute 3 thinly-sliced garlic cloves in a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.  I cook the broccoli in my favorite large stainless steel saute pan. It comes with a clear, tempered glass lid, which helps me keep an eye on the cooking process.

Place the greens into the sizzling oil and use tongs to turn so that all leaves, stems, and florettes are lightly coated in olive oil. Saute with lid on for about 7-8 minutes or so, until broccoli is tender and bright green. Season to taste with iodized salt, garlic powder, fresh lemon juice, and a teaspoon of "raw" extra-virgin olive oil. The combination of these flavors in unbelievably savory.

Rappini - Tenderized, Ready to Saute

Cooked & Ready to Eat

I use stainless steel tongs  (a favorite cooking and serving tool) for flipping while sauteing as well as for serving (one-handed tongs for buffet service works great...for salads, especially).

A Very Versatile Green One of our favorites is broccoli rabe combined with slices of boiled-then-grilled Italian sausage and orecchiette (little ears) pasta. We also enjoy broccoli rabe with white cannellini beans.  Simply add the canned and drained beans toward the end of the saute process, so the beans become warm and flavorful.

A versatile topper, broccoli rabe is delicious on top of a grilled chicken breast or Italian bread toasted in the oven with a sprinkling of olive oil and salt. Leftover broccoli rabe leaves, tenderized stems, and delicate florettes are delicious and nutritious in a sandwich in lieu of lettuce. Or, simply place it alongside a fresh Italian roll, your favorite cheese (we are fans of Asiago and Dubliner) and (as pictured below) portabella mushrooms with roast red peppers.

Satisfying Vegetarian Lunch Carnival Glass Dish Tip from Mom: Even if it's just for the two of you, always cook the whole head of broccoli...or the whole head of boiled cabbage or cauliflower. Leftover Andy Boy broccoli or broccoli rabe can be warmed up and used as a side dish for next evening's dinner.  Or, you may want to prepare the leftover vegetables in a new way by incorporating them into a favorite recipe. ~ Linda



Cooking with Laura - Chicken Cutlets

Chicken cutlets is a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious meal, and everyone loves them.  Buy boneless breast of chicken.  Rinse the chicken and trim any fat.  Dry the chicken with paper towels.  If the breasts are very thick, I sometimes carefully slice them into two thinner cutlets.  Lightly dip the breasts in a beaten egg. Then coat the cutlets with a thin layer of breadcrumbs - I like non-seasoned breadcrumbs because they don't burn as easily.  Also, I buy natural breadcrumbs with no additives or preservatives.  Pan saute the cutlets in olive oil, which gives them a great taste.  They cook beautifully in a cast iron pan.  Place the cutlets on paper towels to absorb excess oil before serving. Serve with a large tossed salad.  It doesn't get much easier than that. 


Another Tip from Mom: Economizing Key:
If you are low on eggs, no need to run out and pick some up. Instead, dip the breasts in fat free milk. The milk works just as well (even better because the breading won't go on as thick) as egg in holding onto the breadcrumbs, plus now you have an extra egg or two for scrambled eggs for tomorrow's breakfast. 


Economizing Key: Turn leftovers from this dinner into tomorrow's lunch. Nothing my son loves more than for me to pack him this brown bag lunch for school: a chicken cutlet, Romaine lettuce, and light mayo sandwich on a long hero roll for lunch the next day!




Romaine salad with black olives, grape tomatoes, romano cheese, and red onion

  

Cooking With Linda: Grilled Chicken Parmigiana & What We're Reading in the New Year: Giada De Laurentiis Cookbooks

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try even harder to make healthy family meals a priority. This is a big challenge in a busy household packed with school, work, team sports (peak of winter and one of our boys is in a basketball league; the other, baseball training), teen social lives, and the interminable, high-priority 

To-Do List.

This meal was a winner because the whole family - husband, teens, 3-year-old, and myself, enjoyed it.  Satisfying Italian soul food and healthy too, grilled chicken parm starts by making a big pot of fresh tomato sauce: in extra virgin olive oil, saute 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, half a vidalia onion finely sliced, 2-3 leaves of fresh basil. 

Add two cans of whole plum tomatoes (broken up by hand), salt and pepper. We like crushed red pepper for heat.  Let sauce simmer gently for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken by pounding the boneless, skinless cutlets very thin (or you can buy them thinly sliced), sprinkling some olive oil, salt and lemon juice and grilling them until cooked through. Super quick due to its top and bottom grilling function, I use my Wolfgang Puck Panini Duet, which is not only a multipurpose grill but a great panini maker!

Layering (the fun part) begins:  thin layer of tomato sauce at the bottom, then grilled chicken, next part-skim shredded mozzarella, ample slices of savory imported scarmorza (smoked fresh mozzarella), fresh basil, and plenty of parmesan-reggiano grated cheese. The non-traditional part of this preparation is that the chicken breasts are grilled not breaded and pan fried.

In a lasagna pan or a stainless steel roasting pan, bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.

 Cool 15-20 minutes before serving so your sliced portions stay together. Serve with tricolor salad, thin spaghetti, and Italian bread.


My sister, nieces, and I are big fans of Giada De Laurentiis - trying new recipes from her cookbooks Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites and Giada at Home: Family Recipes from Italy and California is on my list of New Year's resolutions.

Buon Appetito!

Economizing Key - Leftovers for Lunch:

My boys enjoy chicken parmesan sandwiches the next day on  Italian hero rolls.  Add slices of roast red bell peppers, tomato, and crisp Romaine lettuce.

Cooking with Laura: Chicken Soup

There's nothing like homemade chicken soup on a cold day, and no better medicine for a cold.  Since everyone in my family has a cold, I put up a delicious pot of chicken soup.  After the soup has been cooking for a while, the house fills with the soothing aroma of chicken soup.  It is delicious and healthy and really makes your cold feel better.  It is also easy to prepare and a one-pot meal so clean up is easy, too.  I like to cook mine in my large All-Clad pot.  


I rinsed five chicken quarters and place in pot with two quarts of College Inn chicken broth and two quarts of water.  I added a large Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered, and about two cups of baby carrots.  The baby carrots are easy to use because you don't have to peel them or chop them.  Also add about four stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into large pieces.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and a sprig of fresh dill if you have it.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour and a half.  Then add 1/2 lb. of small noodles and cook in the soup until the noodles are done - about 6 minutes for thin noodles.  You can add pastina or tubettini or another small pasta.


When the soup is done, remove the chicken, discard the skin, and take the chicken off the bone.  Serve soup with chicken slices in it or serve chicken on the side or in sandwiches. 

Enjoy!


Economizing Key: Peel remaining chicken off of the bones. Make a refreshing, healthful chicken salad for lunch the next day, according to what's available in your refrigerator.  Take out your cutting board and add:  finely chopped celery and/or carrots, diced apples and/or pears, seedless grapes cut in halves, fresh lemon juice, a little mayo, a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. If you happen to have shelled walnuts, you may want to add small pieces of the walnuts as well for an added flavor and crunch.

Delicious served as a scoop on top of a bed of your favorite lettuce or as a sandwich in a toasted sweet roll knot, this homemade chicken salad is easy-to-make with what's handy in your refrigerator.

Cooking with Linda

Oven-baked tilapia is a healtfhul crowd-pleaser in my kitchen.  Top loins with diced carrots, celery, vidalia onion, quartered tomatoes, and capers once you have tossed them in extra virgin olive oil, ground ginger, salt and fresh lemon juice.

Bake in oven-safe clay baking pans, which are my favorite for keeping foods moist and hot when serving, in a preheated 375 degrees oven for about 30 minutes until loins are translucent-whitish and vegetables are tender. Serve with organic brown rice seasoned with chicken bouillion.