3 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions – preferably Vidalia – chopped coarsely
8 cloves of garlic – chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon juice
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon: oregano, thyme, marjoram, savory, sage, and basil
For lamb, add 1/2 cup chopped rosemary (fresh rosemary is best but, dry will do in a pinch).
Instructions
Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust amounts as needed. Best if made at least a day ahead of time to allow flavors to meld. If you have any left over, you can store it in the fridge for quite a long time.
2 1/2 cups cooked Borlotti or Great Northern beans
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, celery stalks, carrots, finely chopped
2 potatoes, 2 cups butternut squash, in 2cm cubes
2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced,
1 zucchini, chopped into 2cm cubes
1/2 cup barley, washed well
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt, pepper to taste
1-2 chicken stock cubes and boiling water as needed
Polish sausage, cut into 5cm pieces, plus a ham hock cut in half
250 grams pasta, spiral, penne or shell
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Instructions
In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, fry onions and celery until soft; add other vegetables. Fry for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add ham hock, garlic, bay leaf, Parmesan cheese crust and water (liquid from the beans can be used), enough to cover the vegetables. Gently simmer for about 30 minutes.
Add beans, barley, herbs, stock cubes and salt, simmer for about 1 hour. Use a blender or potato masher to mash half the vegetables and beans — this adds a thick velvety texture to the Minestrone. Add the Polish sausage and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
Cook the pasta separately and add to the Minestrone. Remove the ham hock, take off the skin and fat and discard. Cut the tender meat into pieces and add to the Minestrone. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
NOTE: If you don’t have a ham hock, add two or three slices of rindless bacon, cut into pieces and fry with the onions — this also adds a nice flavour.
1 tbsp olive oil
8 chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on (thighs, drumsticks, half chicken breast)
2 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp paprika
½ tsp allspice
1 (796mL) can chopped tomatoes
2 ½ cups chicken stock
4 cups diced butternut squash
1 cup pitted green olives
1 cup golden raisins
1 (540 mL) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus extra to serve
Lemon wedges, to serve
Yogurt, to serve
Directions
1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken pieces. Then, brown chicken pieces on all sides, about 3 min., per side. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towel. Drain all but 1 tbsp fat from pan.
2. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 min. Add salt and spices, cook 1 min. Add diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir in butternut squash, green olives and raisins. Add chicken pieces back into pot and make sure they are covered by liquid. Bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 30-40 mins., until chicken pieces are cooked through.
3. Stir in chickpeas and cilantro. Serve with couscous, brown rice or crusty bread. Top with extra cilantro, a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of yogurt to serve.
4 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pitted and peeled
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 tomato, seeds removed and diced
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Tortilla chips, to serve
Preparation Instructions
1. Mash avocados in a large bowl with a fork. Mix with red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.
Here’s a perfect meal for a summery dinner, festive lunch, and it even works for those New-Years-resolution low-fat, low carb diets! Plus, if your kids are like mine (kinda fussy), they’ll eat it! Mine loved wrapping up their chicken in the crunchy lettuce leaves.
Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1″ piece of lemon grass, chopped (or if you find it frozen, 2 tsp)
1″ piece of ginger, chopped or grated
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 c chopped cilantro
4-6 mint leaves, chopped
1-2 chopped thai chilis (optional)
For the garnish:
lime wedges
large leaf lettuce, like boston, or leaf lettuce
diced or sliced cucumber (1/2)
diced or sliced red peppers
sliced chili peppers
hoisin sauce
sriracha
mint leaves
coriander leaves
chopped peanuts (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok. Don’t let it smoke. Add ginger, garlic and lemon grass, and cook 2 minutes, stirring so it doesn’t brown. Add chicken and brown (about 7-10 minutes). Add fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and soy sauce. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes to make sure chicken is cooked throughout. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and mint.
To serve, arrange leaves and vegetables on a platter. Use one large leaf, add sauces (hoisin and sriracha), 1 large scoop of chicken, top with cucumber, peppers, herbs and chopped peanuts. Roll as best you can, and enjoy!
This is a crowd-pleaser, and not just for cinco de mayo! I made it for my sisters birthday this past week-end and it was a big hit. The margarita’s helped….
Ingredients
1 pork shoulder – 5-6 lbs
1 onion, peeled
1 orange, washed, and quartered
1 lime, washed, halved
1 tblsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
3 cups water
Preparation Instructions
Place all ingredients in a slow cooked on high, or in a dutch oven, covered, at 325. Cook 4-5 hours, or until meat is tender and falls apart.
Pull meat apart with a fork, and add 1/2 cup cooking liquid and salt to taste.
Serve with corn or flour tortillas, and your fave toppings- guacamole, grated cheese, fresh salsa, coriander, sour cream and cholula hot sauce.
Black bean, corn and coriander salad makes a great side dish.
This is one of those recipes that I often make, but never with an actual recipe! It’s a no-fail favorite with friends and family!
Ingredients
8 oz (1 package) sliced mushrooms- cremini works best!
50g pancetta- diced
10 pearl onions
1 tsp butter
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tbsp butter
9 chicken thighs
1/4 cup flour
1 bottle red wine
Preparation Instructions
Melt 1 tsp butter in a heavy bottom pan. Brown mushrooms, pancetta and pearl onions. Remove from heat. Dredge chicken in flour. Brown in additional butter. Add fresh thyme. Return mushrooms, pancetta and onion to the pan. Add wine. Turn heat down and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through and soft.
Although it’s not the traditional way to serve it, I love serving Coq-au-vin on cheesy egg noodles. I find Gruyere or Emmenthal cheese has the best flavor to accompany the sauce, but swiss cheese works just as well!
My french grandmother made the very best “couscous” in the world. She would work for days preparing everything, slowly steaming the semolina before rubbing it with butter between her fingers. I’m not sure she would approve of my slow cooker adaptation of her recipe! But why spent 10 hours doing something when you can get it done in 30 minutes with equally delicious results?!
Ingredients
1 chicken, cut up into pieces, or two breasts, two legs, bone in
2 lamb shoulder chops
2 tblsp olive oil
1 leek, whites only, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 carrot, peeled cut into large chunks
2 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters
2 zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 small can of chick peas
1 tblsp and 2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cloves
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Brown chicken and lamb and then place in slow cooker.
In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the leeks, garlic, carrots and turnips. Fry for about five minutes. Add spices, continue to cook while stirring 5 minutes.
Add broth, stir, and pour contents into slow cooker.
Set slow cooker on high for 4 hours. After 2 hours, open slow cooker and add zucchini and chick peas.
Serve on a bed of cousous (I prepare it by placing it in a shallow bowl and pouring hot water over top, letting it sit then fluffing it with a fork. A dash of with “Harrissa” spice (if you can find it, otherwise chili powder would work) on top is delicious!
I added red wine and black olives to this stew-like pasta sauce to crank up the fullness of the flavor, but my kids loved it too!
Ingredients
2 large beef or veal shanks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup red wine
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
32 oz or 1 quart of canned crushed tomates (I used the home-made sauce I made this summer in this video!)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions
Roughly chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Brown the onion and garlic, about 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the shanks and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes a side). Add red wine and cook 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and seasoning. Transfer to slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 6 hours. Remove the shanks and shred the meat. Return to sauce.
(I ended up refrigerating the sauce for a couple of days, and it only got more delicious!).
Here’s a lovely dish to make in the early fall or late summer, when those long thin red peppers are in season. They’re easier to barbecue than traditional rounded bell peppers!
Ingredients
6 marconi (the long thin mild bell peppers) peppers
8 roma tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
10 greek olives (optional)
For dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Roast pepper on the bbq, or in the oven, under the broiler, until skins are blackened. Remove from heat and immediately wrap in newspaper or place in a paper or plastic bag. Seal bag and put aside.
Cut tomatoes in half. Remove seeds (run your finger or a spoon inside the tomato to loosen the fleshy pulp and seeds- they will fall right out).
Put 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt in a plastic bag or bowl, add tomatoes, and toss/mix until coated.
Arrange the tomatoes on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and place in a low temperature oven (300 degree Farenheit) for about an hour and a half, turning half way through cooking time.
Peel peppers and remove seeds.
Pull peppers apart with your hands to make long sections of pepper (you can use a knife, but this is so much easier to do while you are seeing the peppers!) Place in bowl. Add the tomatoes, crushed garlic and olives if using. Sprinkle with salt. Add oil and vinegar (balsamic is great if you tend to like a slightly sweeter sauce.) Toss. Serve cold or room temperature.
This salad is best if you can leave it for an hour or two for the flavors to develop.
Ingredient list
