Roasted Garlic Paste and Oil

Inspired by Michael Chiarello's book Flavored Oils: 50 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils.

I have, rolling around my head, the idea to make a loaf of garlic bread.  Not the bread with garlic spread on it's slices.  Garlic stirred into the dough itself.  Is your mouth watering just thinkin' about it?  But first, I need to roast a few heads of garlic. And while I'm at it, I may as well make garlic olive oil, too. Right?

HERE'S WHAT I DID

• 4 or 5 whole garlic heads
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• a pinch or two Italian seasoning (optional)

Heat the oven to 375ºF.

Peel away the garlic skins and toss the clean cloves into a shallow baking pan.  Get your kids to help, they love to pick things. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper and optional seasonings, then pour the oil over the top.  Cover the pan, loosely, with aluminum foil, allowing for steam to escape.  Bake for 3o to 45 minutes.  (30 minutes produces a fork tender clove, 45 minutes produces a softer spreadable clove.)

Drain off the oil in a tightly covered, sterilized glass jar or bottle and USE WITHIN 1 WEEK.  Makes about 3/4 cup roasted garlic oil.

To make the paste, mash the cloves with a fork or give them a quick spin in a 1 cup food processor.  Makes about 1/2 cup garlic paste.

Last night, I put a dollop of roasted garlic paste on my pasta plate like a condiment; that was good.  I spread it over a fresh slice of Bran-Enriched Bread; that was good.  I stirred it into my homemade tomato sauce; lip smacking smooth.

The roasted garlic oil is said to be wonderful added to vinaigrettes, for sauteing vegetables, or in any recipe calling for roasted garlic oil.

COOK'S NOTES

If you have concerns or questions about storing garlic oil, or have only heard about botulism in homemade garlic oil.

PLEASE visit these links:

GARLIC,Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy, Calaveras County Agriculture Extension

Cook's Illustrated Forum: Garlic oil & botulism

Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Pasta

Fast, healthy and filling!  It will take longer for the pasta to cook than the vegetables.  Don't let the simplicity of the dish trick you, it's loaded with flavor.  Using the freshest vegetables and a GOOD wedge of young Parmesan makes this dish a hit with everyone.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• linguine cooked according to the package directions

• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large zucchini, quartered then cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• salt & fresh ground pepper
  
• 1 small wedge Parmesan, freshly shredded

Go ahead and chop the vegetables while you're waiting for the pasta water to boil.  I recommend start sauting the vegetables after the dried pasta has been added to the boiling pasta water.

For the vegetables
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil then add the chopped onions.  Cook until they begin to soften.  Add the minced garlic, cook 1 to 2 minutes then finally add the zucchini and red bell pepper.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Quickly toss and coat the vegetables, cooking 3 to 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the vegetables with shredded Parmesan, as much as you care to taste.  Add 1/2 cup of pasta water to the sauted vegetables to prevent cheese from sticking.  Cover pan and turn off heat.  Leave in pan until pasta is drained and ready to eat.

After draining the pasta, drizzle it with a little olive oil, top with cooked vegetables then add a little more Parmesan for garnish.  You're Ready to Eat!

Kitchen, I mean Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is super simple to put together and absolutely delicious to eat!

Denise's husband asked Denise to ask me if I had a Chicken Cacciatore recipe. I told her that I had never made it before but after researching how to put it together, I would make it and post about it. So here we are folks. Take a look at that delicious red sauce loaded with garlic, bell peppers, onions, celery, mushroom and capers. It spells over that moist chicken breast that just lays beautifully over macaroni coated in basil olive oil.

I ate this for leftovers, two nights later and it STILL ROCKS!

I made a big batch and now I seriously cannot decide whether to put the extra in the freezer or just keep chowing on it. You just wait. You're gonna make this and be right where I am and you'll know where I'm coming from. This stuff is GREAT!

OH! I almost forgot. It only takes one pan and one pot to pull this meal together. How's that for easy clean up?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE A BIG BATCH (To Eat Now & Later)

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup flour for dredging
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• enough oil for lightly frying, 3 to 4 tablespoons

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 1 pint mushrooms, cleaned & quartered

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 (15oz) can petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (15oz) can Italian-style tomatoes with juice
• 4 tablespoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

• 2 cups elbow macaroni or your favorite pasta, cooked, drained & drizzled with your favorite olive oil

Get all the vegetables chopped first.

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Dredge the chicken boobs in flour, salt & pepper, then set aside.

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Heat a large nonstick pan with oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and saute for 2 minutes on each side or until chicken is lightly browned.

Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Add all the chopped vegetables EXCEPT the mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, saute until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Add in the red wine vinegar and cook for 3 minutes. (This helps remove the strong vinegar aroma.) Take this time to scrap the tasty crispy bits from the pan with your spatula. Then, it's time to add in the chicken broth, both cans of tomatoes WITH their juices, capers and oregano.

Return the chicken boobs, too. Make sure they are practically submerged. Now you see them...

.Now you don't.

Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue to simmer over MEDIUM LOW heat, UNCOVERED until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the mushrooms.

TIME IT JUST RIGHT
15-20 minutes before the chicken cacciatore is finished, preheat the oven for baking a loaf of garlic bread. And start the water for boiling the pasta.

In the last 10 minutes, pop the garlic bread in the oven and pour the uncooked pasta in the boiling water. Everything will finish at the same time. So, turn off the heat from the Chicken Cacciatore, turn off the oven, then drain the pasta and drizzle with your favorite olive oil. Remove the bread from the oven and carefully cut into serving slices.

YOU ARE READY TO EAT!!!

Creamy Spinach and Ravioli

This simple recipe was a BIG HIT with my 8 year old son! My 5 year old daughter loved it too, only without the spinach.

This recipe is very close to the Creamy Penne Pasta and Chicken dinner, except I was completely out of garlic and chicken broth. I improvised with yellow onion and vegetable broth cubes. As for the spinach, I quickly cooked it up with thinly sliced onions while I waited for the pasta water to boil. I had the creamy sauce finished before the pasta was tender. When I prep all my ingredients before cooking (give or take 15 minutes), this meal is cooked in 10 minutes. That's including the heat-n-eat garlic bread on the side.

THIS IS ALL IT TAKES

• 1 (10 oz.) bag of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons oil
• salt & pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 vegetable broth cube
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup lite sour cream
• 1 family size package of fresh, ready to cook, four cheese ravioli
• 1 loaf of frozen heat and eat garlic bread
• shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven according to directions on garlic bread package.

Prep the garlic bread loaf on the cookie sheet. Prep spinach and onions, measure out the butter, flour, water and sour cream. Mince up the broth cube so it will dissolve better. Fill a large pot with hot water for cooking the pasta and set on high heat. Use a medium sauce pan for making the cream sauce and a small fry pan to saute the onions and spinach.

Start by adding 3 tablespoons of oil to the fry pan and heating it over medium to medium high heat. Add all BUT a 1/4 cup of onions and cook until softened. Add spinach, stir together and cook until heated through. Cover with a lid and remove from heat.

Next comes the cream sauce. Is the pasta water boiling yet? Yes? Good. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and pop the garlic loaf in the oven and set timer for 9 minutes. Lower the heat to medium on the pasta, and give the raviolis a gentle stir occasionally to keep them from sticking together.

Fully melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the 1/ 4 cup sliced onions and cook until softened. Add the flour. Stirring continuously, cook the flour up to two minutes. Stir in the minced broth cube and 2 cups of water, until sauce is smooth and thickens a bit, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, gently whisk in sour cream until fully melted. Remove saucepan completely from electric burner.

If everyone in your family loves spinach then add it to the cream sauce now. Otherwise, when the ravioli is cooked and drained, pour the cream sauce over the pasta and allow to set. The sauce will thicken up and stick to the pasta...yummm. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Oh and don't forget about the garlic bread in the oven!

Spinach Tortellini

A quick, easy, dinner that works for the whole family.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED FOR DINNER TONIGHT

• 1 package of Cheese filled Spinach Tortellini
• 1 package of Cheese filled Tortellini
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 fresh loaf of French bread
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• 1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
• 3 to 5 pepperoncini peppers, 2 finely chopped
• salt & pepper
• shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 400F degrees. Slice & butter as many French bread slices as needed and place on cookie sheet.
Start with getting a large pot filled with water on high heat to prepare pasta.
Next, heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat, add in garlic, onions and dried oregano and cook until onions begin to soften.
Meanwhile, heat up spaghetti sauce either in microwave safe bowl or in a saucepan over medium heat.
Back to the pan with onions & garlic, Add spinach, chopped pepperoncini peppers, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stir until spinach is hot, 5-10 minutes. Cover and remove from heat.
Add both packages of tortellini pasta to boiling pasta water and cook according to package.
In the same cooking time, place bread in oven and toast 8 minutes or so, until lightly golden.

Serve pasta and spinach with or without spaghetti sauce on top. It's delicious either way. If you leave off the red sauce, try adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil when top the spinach with Parmesan. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

FOR THE KIDS
If they don't like spinach, leave it off. The pepperoncini peppers may be too spicy for them. Simply serve the pasta with sauce and Parmesan sprinkled on top. My kids really like the cheesey tortellini and buttered French bread slices. Who wouldn't?

Spicy Zucchini and Pasta

This is a quick and easy dinner that my husband and I scarfed down with pure glee. My kids wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole; my son takes his pasta with a traditional red sauce. And my daughter, well, let's not go there.

This recipe was created only to bring two distinctly different pastas together. I'm talking about traditional semolina pasta and whole wheat pasta. If you haven't tried the whole wheat variety, yet, it's worth a go. I found it to be chewier than I'm accustomed to eating. It's good! but different. So I thought, why not combine the two and get the best of both pastas.

PURE GENIUS! and Delicious too! That song went through my mind, "I-CAN'T-SEE-ME-LOVIN-NOBODY-BUT-YOU.....So Happy Together!" Mark my words, the big pasta makers will catch onto this and start making combo packages. You watch and see.

NOW ONTO THIS AWESOME PASTA DINNER

• 1 package of semolina spaghetti
• 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti
• olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 zucchinis, grated
• 3 hot Greek salad peppers (pepperoncini), chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan cheese for topping

Prepare enough pasta to make 4 servings, equal amounts of semolina and whole wheat spaghetti. Cook according to directions on package.

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, prep the garlic and vegetables for cooking. Heat a medium pan on medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in it. Right after you put the pasta in the boiling water, start cooking the garlic, onions and bell pepper, add dried oregano, parsley and season with salt and pepper. When the vegetables begin to soften, stir in the zucchini and salad peppers, continue to cook 3-5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Drain off pasta and move to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt & pepper, and toss for a good even coating. Pour sauteed vegetables on top of pasta, toss together and top with Parmesan.

YOU ARE READY TO EAT!

I titled this next photo, So Happy Together!

Creamy Penne Pasta and Chicken

This creamy penne pasta and chicken was a HUGE HIT with the family, particularly my picky daughter.  After two bites, my son asked if there was enough for leftovers.  That should count for extra points, right?

The picture above shows the adult dinner; topped with sliced grape tomatoes and sprinkled with red pepper flakes.  Naturally, I left them off the kiddo's plates.  The cream sauce is flavored with onion slices and minced garlic cooked in butter.  It's mild and flavorful.  Instead of using milk, sour cream was the dairy of choice.  This ingredient alone had us ALL going back for a second serving.

It took longer to cook the penne than to make the sauce.  The roasted chicken was already cooked from the other day of cooking ahead.  I highly recommend making a habit of roasting chicken ahead of time.  You will save yourself SO much time and it opens up opportunities to try other recipes or just relax more.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• 2 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked as directed

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/3 cup onion, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• red pepper flakes, optional
• grape tomatoes, sliced, optional

While the penne is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan.  Cook garlic and onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt, over medium heat, until onions have softened.  Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth, stirring frequently until sauce comes to simmer.  Remove from heat.

PLEASE STAND BY FOR A KID FRIENDLY TIP
If you have one on hand, use an immersion blender to puree onions into sauce for a smoother texture.  Or, carefully move sauce to a blender with the lid secured, and pulse the sauce until smooth.  Move sauce back to pan and stir in sour cream until it has melted.  The kiddos will never know about the onions and garlic.

If you don't have to worry about kids, then simply stir in the sour cream until it has melted.  Be sure the pasta is well drained, then move to a large serving bowl.  Top pasta with chicken pieces.  Pour sauce over hot pasta, tossing well to get all that creamy sauce inside the pasta.  Allow to stand a few minutes before serving, so sauce can thicken. Garnish individual plates with grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes.

Rich & Meaty Lasagna

If you have a real butcher shop in your town, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy from them.  Ever since my friend shared her batch of fresh, ground beef with me, I have been amazed at the difference in flavor compared to the meat at the large chain grocer.

My son, Max, asked me to make a lasagna dinner just like Garfield the cat eats. Last week was his birthday week, so I made his favorite meals for dinner all week long.  Around the McKeever home, it's tradition to celebrate one's birthday ALL WEEK LONG!

HERE'S HOW I MADE THIS AWESOME LASAGNA

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 9 Oven Ready lasagna noodles
• 1 (26 oz.) can Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce
• 1 (16 oz.) low fat cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Kraft Italian blend shredded cheese, or 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Romano, 1/4 cup Mozzarella, & 1/4 cup Provolone all finely shredded.

Preheat oven 375F degrees.

Brown the meat, seasoned with 3/4 teaspoon salt, on medium high heat; add onions, garlic, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Remove from heat, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, oregano, pepper and 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese; set aside.

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Layering the Lasagna

1. Spray lasagna pan (13x9x2 inch) with nonstick spray.
2. Cover bottom with 1/2 cup tomato sauce
3. Lay down 3 pasta rectangles
4. Add meat layer, spreading evenly
5. Dollop cottage cheese mixture, as seen in picture above.
6. Lay down 3 pasta rectangles
7. Cover pasta with 3/4 cup tomato sauce
8. Pour on all cottage cheese mix, spread evenly
9. Top with last 3 pasta rectangles
10. Pour remaining tomato sauce, spreading evenly
11. Top with remaining Italian cheese blend

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HANDY KITCHEN TRICK

Instead of using foil to cover the 13x9 inch baking dish, use a small baking sheet pan!  Simply turn it upside to cover the dish. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes.

Serve a side salad with baby lettuce, grape tomatoes, shredded Parmesan cheese and a Briannas Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Lasagna is perfect for making a day ahead.  Assemble the lasagna, cover and store in the refrigerator.  When you're ready, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 40 minutes.  You can freeze leftovers in serving size portions for lunch later in the week.  That is, if you have enough leftover.

Saturday Night Lasagna & Sunday’s Lunch

I'm sorry there's not a photo of this simple, money-saving recipe.  Hungry families sometimes forget to wait for their dinners to be photographed.

Let me begin by saying that my daughter is not a tomato sauce fan.  I usually prepare something different for her when we have Italian food night.  Yes, I know there are white sauces, but that's a different recipe, another post.  ANYWAYS, my daughter loves this lasagna recipe!  Honestly, I don't quite understand why, but who cares!  She loves it and that's good enough for me.

HERE'S A DELICIOUS LASAGNA RECIPE

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 3 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano

• 1 (26 oz.) can Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce
• 9 Oven Ready lasagna noodles
• 1 (16 oz.) low fat cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven 375ºF degrees.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture in 13x9 inch baking dish.  Layer 3 noodles, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup sauce mixture in dish.  Repeat layers.  Top should have noodles and remaining sauce mixture.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  Uncover; top with remaining cup of cheese.  Bake, uncovered, another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I highly recommend cooking this up for Saturday night dinner and making enough to eat the next day for Sunday's lunch.  Double your salad and garlic bread servings, too.  Why go out for lunch after church?  Save your money and enjoy this meal twice in a row.

Check out my Aunt Deb's Layered Salad recipe for an awesome side that can be made ahead and GREAT to take to potluck dinners of any theme.