CT Style Making Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad with Ryan & Teresa!
Back on CT Style this week with Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour making the perfect summer picnic dish, Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad, never gets dull with those two! I thoroughly enjoy every second on the WTNH set at Channel 8. There were several groups going on camera this week making it even more exciting then usual, if that’s at all possible.
Not only do I try to offer appropriate seasonal recipes but its important for me to find out what recipes my followers and friends want to see so please feel free to make suggestions always. That’s how I came up with this Asian Shrimp & Noodle Salad… it was the #1 request, a picnic-beach salad that won’t spoil.
You can find the wriiten recipe for this Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad and how I originally got it from my big foodie friends Karen and Ken from Andover, MA by clicking on the hyper-link.
The magic of braising, turning a tough cut of meat into fork tender, is a no brainer for me. Braising these beef short ribs in a combination of stout beer, red wine, beef stock, soy sauce, whole peeled tomatoes, a mirepoix, and creative assortment of spices make for a luscious dish. Then piling the stout braised beef short ribs on top of yukon mashes potatoes made with half & half, heavy cream, butter, paper thin red onions and a healthy drizzle of truffle oil puts it right over the top!
These stout braised beef short ribs came from Firefly Farms in North Stonington, CT. Firefly is one of two farm’s in Connecticut Certified Humane! When you are buying from a farm like Firefly, who’s practices are above and beyond, you know you are getting a product of a different caliber. The beef I used in this stout braised short ribs recipe was moist, tender, and packed full of flavorful.
We all have some idea of the instense amount of work that goes into farming but their practices at Firefly Farm take it way beyond that. Analyzing agricultural charts dating back to World War II to understand and perfect feeds for each of their endandered breeds they raise on their farm is a grand example of that. Getting the animals diets just right to yeild a most natural and high quality product.
The lard that Firefly offers makes the perfect pie crust, as shown in “Death by Chocolate Meringue Pie”. It is unsaturated because of the attention to detail of the mulefoot hogs diet, one without corn or soy. And oh boy, you should try their bacon!
The special stout I got to braise the beef short ribs was creamy and smooth bringing deep luscious flavors to the dish. The stout came from some friends who have made home craft brewing a hobby, and they call themselves The Bilco Boys Brewery. It’s like night and day to taste a fresh homemade-crafted brew. I find the beer much smoother and the flavors really fresh from citrus to notes of chocolate with a creamy mouth finish. Make sure to keep an eye out for another up and coming craft brewing show next week with The Bilco Boys!
I know you will enjoy the ease of these stout braised beef short ribs whether Flanken or English cut. The end product is the easy sell here. You should try my Homemade Caesar Salad to go along with the ribs, or how about Spanakopitafor an appetizer. If you have a little time on your hands one weekend definitely try this amazingPickled Eggplant recipe, perfect for holiday gifts! You will need dessert too so be sure to take a look at the beautiful and delicious Pavlovaor my special Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ingredients for Beef Short Ribs:
5-6 lbs Beef short ribs (Firefly Farms if possible) Flanken Cut if you want to remove the meat as I did in show OR English Cut – 1″ X 3″ pieces
OPTIONAL: Truffle oil – finishing oil to drizzle over stout braised short ribs, yukon mashed potatoes and gravy
Directions for Beef Short Ribs:
Pre-heat oven to 350º
Rub spice mixture all over ribs anf marinate for 4-12 hours or over night
Pat dry ribs without removing all the spices
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven or pan
Begin to sear beef short ribs in pan with olive oil, you will have to probably do this in two batches so you don’t crowd the pan
Sear the ribs 3-4 minutes on each side until browned
Remove 1st batch of ribs, set aside in a lg bowl and brown 2nd batch of beef short ribs
Remove 2nd batch of ribs to bowl
Then add in mirepoix with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to dutch oven
Sauté for 5-8 minutes until softened
Add in 2 bottles stout, 1 cup cabernet, 2 cups beef stock, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 cup whole peeled tomatoes and 1 bay leaf to dutch oven
Add all of the beef short ribs back into the dutch oven making sure the liquid is 3/4 up the side of the meat
Bring to a simmer on the stove for 15 minutes
Cover Dutch oven and place into a pre-heated 350º oven for 3 hours
Every 50-60 minutes check on the ribs to fiip over and make sure you don’t need to add more liquid – it shouldn’t be dry (if it is you can add a splash of water, red wine, or more beef broth…all will work great)
While the beef short ribs are braising in the oven whisk together the glaze
At the 3 hour mark remove beef and place the ribs onto a cookie tray
Put the oven on Broil
Brush a coat of glaze on one side of the ribs and place under the broiler of 2 minutes (only 1 side)
Tilt Dutch oven pan to the side to skim oil off the top of braised veggies
Push all the braised veggies thru a strainer set over a bowl to catch all the juices
Make sure to scrape juices on bottom of the strainer into the bowl too
Add the strained gravy juices to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer on low
Whisk in 1 tsp of Wondra flour into the gravy and simmer for 15 minutes to thicken slightly (if it gets too thick you can add in a splash of red wine or beef broth)
If you have Flanken Cut Short ribs remove meat for bones and place in heat proof pan until you are ready to place on top of pile of mashed potatoes with a drizzle of gravy and truffle oil, and a sprinkle of chives
If you have English Cut short ribs place 2 ribs per person onto a pile of Yukon Mashed Potatoes with a drizzle of thickened gravy, truffle oil and a sprinkle of chopped chives, then serve… mangia, mangia!
NOTE: For a finishing oil drizzle Truffle oil all over dish for an extra wow!
NOTE: If you are not eating ribs right away, and want to re-heat add to a heat proof dish, add 1/4-1/2 cup of red wine and beef stock and re-heat on a 350º oven for 30-40 minutes
Spice Rub Ingredients:
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp garlic granuales
1 tsp onion granuales
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp five spice
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp blk pepper
Glaze:
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp kethcup
1 tbsp soy
1 tsp “seasoned” rice wine vinegar
a few dashes of favorite hot sauce (Siracha)
Whisk in a medium bowl until combined and brush on ribs
This homemade pasta fagioli dish is a traditional Italian soup where the recipe differs from family to family and region to region. Every single version is different which makes it nice because it’s very personal that way. It’s what ever you were used to having in your own home or at your relatives growing up. Originally, pasta fagioli was made without meat, then there were versions that started the dish off by sauteing pancetta and now there are so many different recipes floating around. It’s what ever floats your boat really! It’s supposed to be easy gourmet…what ever you have in the pantry and refrigerator will work.
Pasta fagioli is a savory comfort food that I just love. It consist of several universal ingredients like ditalini pasta, cannellini beans, some kind of tomato base and a liquid of either chicken, or vegetable and I have even seen water used. It’s been considered a soup which is perfect for dunking that crusty bread but there are versions that make it more like a thick saucy “pasta” dish. The liquids do evaporate quickly after the pasta is added to the pot and cooked through so you have to be careful at this point to keep an eye on that if you want it to have a looser soup-like consistency.
INGREDIENTS For Pasta Fagioli (makes enough for many…10-15 side dishes):
2 cans cannellini beans
1/2 -3/4 cup ditalini pasta ( 1/2 if you want it looser soup-like consistencey …remember it just keeps getting thicker even after you take it off the stove as the liquid evaporates)
1 qt. (4 cups) chicken stock
1 cup white wine-pinot grigio or what ever you are drinking -(1/2 to deglaze pancetta and veggies and 1/2 when you add stock
1/3 cup each diced carrots, celery and onion
3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 cups whole peeled tomatoes with some juice, broken up with your hands – NOTE: USE 3 cups if you are not using a cup of “leftover pork & sauce”
1 cup pork in tomato sauce OR 1 lb. sausage taken out of the casing ready to sauté OR omit all together
2 1/4″ sliced of pancetta diced up or bacon
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 2 of fresh thyme tied in up with string
Fresh basil -julienne to add at the end
grated Reggiano Parmigiano and some to shave for decoration
good olive oil to drizzle at the end
1/2 tsp salt -add 1/4 tsp at the addition of sauteing veggies and 1/4 tsp when you add beans and broth
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you like a pinch of HEAT
DIRECTIONS:
Add diced pancetta to a large pan and begin to sauté for 8 minutes on med heat
Add in broken up sausage to brown with the pancetta If you do not have “pork in sauce”
On med/low heat add diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic with 1/4 tsp salt (along with 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little heat) to the same pot with 1 tbsp olive oil extra – sauté til veggies are tender 10 minutes
De-glaze with 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 5 minutes
Add in beans, pork-sauce, whole peeled tomatoes, herb bouquet, chicken stock, 1/4 salt, 1/4 pepper and simmer for 30 minutes
Remove herb bouquet from soup
Take 4-5 ladles of beans out of the soup to puree for a little creamier then adding back in
Simmer 5 minutes and add in 1/2 cup ditalini pasta
Cook til pasta is cooked – approx 7 minutes
Plate up and drizzle olive oil, sprinkle parmigiano cheese and fresh basil and mangia mangia!
Yes, I am giving up the good’s on this one and I know you will appreciate it because this is one of my very favorite secret recipes that has been in our family for generations! My mother Maria taught me how to make these homemade gourmet manicotti when I was young and now I am thrilled to pass this very special dish on to you.
These are the BEST homemade manicotti I have EVER tasted and I know you will love them too. They are a poured pasta, a crêpe so to speak and are light and fluffy. I’m partial to Liuzzi’s homemade whole milk ricotta, and I user a mix of mozzarella’s from Scamorza, which is a slightly salted/dryer mozzarella to whole milk and skim milk mozzarella. I start off with either mytomato-basil pasta sauceor mypasta sauce 101 for the homemade manicotti. These are an especially festive and a special dish to make for the holidays.
This manicotti batter is poured like a crêpe. It’s light and airy like a crepe but definitely different in texture. The texture of the crêpe is a pasta texture, creamy and soft. These manicotti shells (crêpes) are truly gourmet and you’ll will appreciate how delicate a dish this really is when you make them for your own family and friends. My turkey meatballs would go great with this holiday dish also. A spread of spiral ham or roasted lamb with gourmet manicotti and turkey meatballs …who’s better than you?!
3 lbs. Liuzzi whole milk or “fina style” (a finer ricotta), or your favorite
5 0z. shredded whole milk, 5 oz. park skim and 5 oz. Scamorza mozzarella mixed together
(you can also do 8 oz. whole milk and 8 oz. part skim shedded and mixed)
5″ cast iron pan or 5″ non-stick pan
Baking pan approx. 11″ x 16″
Recipe forTomato-Basil Pasta Sauce Recipestarting the sauce off by sautéing pork chops with or with out the bone…bone adds more flavor. (Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce recipe is a 20-30 minute simmer but for manicotti simmer sauce for 1-2 hours if possible)
You could also use my slow cooked Pasta Sauce 101 recipe instead
Directions:
In a large bowl whisk 1 cup flour, 1/4 Tsp salt with 1 cup water (approx. 20 whisks)
Add in 1 egg at a time and whisk about 5 whisks per egg
Put cast iron pan on stove on medium/high heat (a 7 out of an 11)
Put a couple of Tbsp of olive oil in a bowl with a paper towel
Rub pan with olive oil-saturated paper towel in between cooking poured pasta batter
Pour in a ladle of batter into hot pan, approx. a little less than 1/4 cup laddle
Pick up pan and swirl around 3 times and place back down onto stove
Wait about 25 seconds and flip pasta crepe over, you can use a flexible pastry knife to help you get under it…it will be easy to flip and will not ever be stuck
You never want the pasta crepe to be golden on the edges-that would be over cooking them…they should look like the photo above light in color
Immediately flip over onto floured board and flip a couple of times to cool a little
Repeat dredging saturated paper towel into pan to coat and then pour another 1/4 cup ladle of batter into pan.
Repeat this over and over until you run out of batter…this amount will make 16 manicotti
When you are done lay out a work board to roll manicotti’s on
Put ricotta in a bowl so it’s easy to work with
Pour about 2 cup of tomato sauce into the baking pan
Lay out manicotti crepe and scoop 1/4 cup ricotta going across the center of the circle as shown in the photo
Lay a piece of mozzarella in the center and roll up manicotti
Place rolled manicotti on top of sauce in pan and continue on until all the pasta crepes are done
Pour another 2-2 1/2 cups of sauce on top of roll manicotti’s, sprinkle with parmesan and cover with foil
Place in frig until you are ready to bake
Or cover with saran and then foil and put into the freezer until your event is near and then pull out two nights before and put into the frig to thaw
When you are ready to bake your manicotti put into a 350º oven and bake for 45 minutes
The manicotti will be bubbly when you take it out of the oven and need to rest for 5 minutes before serving
This homemade gourmet bolognese Sauce is like no other that I have ever had. Over the years I have worked hard to perfect this recipe to match a dish I used to have in Urbino, Italy. So all the hard work is done for you and now all you have to do is follow my recipe and savour over the most amazing and unique Bolognese sauce you’ll ever have.
During my college years I had the opportunity to go school in Urbino, Italy for a summer and fall semester. Urbino is a little Renaissance town located in the Marche region of Italy. It was two hours East of Florence (near the town of Pesaro on the east coast). It’s where black and white truffles are prevalent. The picture above is of Urbino, The Palazzo Ducale which now houses part of The Marche National Gallery. This renaissance town of Urbino is also where the great artist Raffaello was born in 1483. I had the opportunity to study renaissance art, restoration and language in Italy at the University of Urbino …being an art major and all I was in heaven living here!
Urbino was a magnificent place to be for all those months (which never seemed long enough) allowing me to fall in love with their art, their culture and the people there in Italy and what it’s really all about …big kinds hearts with a passion for enjoying life, and an amazing culinary appreciation!
The tender Prosciutto di Parma to mouth watering homemade pasta dishes found most places in Italy is to die for but there’s one bolognese dish in particular that I had in a restaurant in Urbino made with “strozzapreti” pasta which really stood out for me. The sauce was made with sautéed ground veal, ground pork, veal stock, heavy cream, red wine and fresh rosemary where the aromas alone will knock your socks off! This is the dish, the bolognese sauce, in which I have derived my recipe from and the one in which I wish to share with you. You should note that homemade gourmet bolognese recipe is NOT to be made with BEEF because it completely changes the flavors and does not taste at all like the oringinal bolognese recipe from Urbino.
I recently found this uniquely shaped pasta that they served the bolognese sauce with in Urbino called “StrozzaPreti” at one of my favorite local specialty shops, a gourmet cheese shop called Fromage right here in Old Saybrook, CT. See, you can make my bolognese sauce and have it with the original pasta it was meant to be with. And while you are there you should pick up some white truffle oil to drizzle over the pasta sauce.
If you want this recipe to be gluten free you could always substitute out the pasta or gnocchi with a rice noodle and if you can’t have heavy cream you can substitute that with coconut cream and it would be just as delicious.
INGREDIENTS: Serves 10-12 people or more if for appetizers.
NOTE: THIS SAUCE FREEZES AMAZINGLY WELL so if you have sauce left over freeze in a container right away and all the hard work is DONE!
NOTE: DO NOT USE BEEF …this recipe will NOT have the right flavors if you use beef
1 lb. ground veal
1 lb. ground pork
1/3 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup grated celery
1 cup grated Vadalia Onion
2 extra lg garlic cloves
2 cups whole peeled tomatoes and juice
2 slices applewood smoked or plain bacon cooked and finely chopped (approx 3 Tbsp finely chopped)
1 1/2 cups good red wine
2 cups heavy cream (or 2 cups coconut cream)
approx. 1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesano cheese and more to finish
1 tsp and 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
White Truffle Oil (Optional)
1 lb. dried Egg fettuccine or Strozzapreti pasta found at Fromage
Directions:
Add 3 tbsp olive oil to lg pan on medium/low
Add grated carrots, celery, onion and smashed garlic cloves to olive oil and sauté for 12 minutes til light golden and soft
Deglaze by adding 1/4 cup red wine, stir, add 1/2 tsp salt and continue to sauté until wine evaporates
Add these cooked veggies to food processor with 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes and juice
Pureé and set aside
Add 3 tbsp olive oil to same pan and bring to med/high temp and then add 1 lb. only of veal/pork (1/2 veal, 1/2 pork)
Keep on med/high temp and brown meat
Deglaze first batch of meat with 1/4 cup red wine, stir, reduce and set aside in a med bowl
Add 3 tbsp more olive oil back to same pan to brown next 1 lb. of ground veal/pork
Repeating steps 6-9
Put all browned meat back into pan and add in 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, pureed tomato/veggie mixture, and 1/4 cup red wine, 3 tbsp finely chopped crispy bacon, and 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
Cover (leave small opening for steam to evaporate) and simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. stirring every 20 minutes making sure to let steam from inside cover drain out of pan when you lift it off to stir
Add in 2 cups heavy cream, 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, 1/2 cup red wine and s&p to taste and simmer for 5-8 minutes …just need to warm thru
Boil 1 lb. pasta and add to bolognese sauce …mangia mangia!
Homemade gourmet pasta sauce isn’t quick and easy when you spend hours sautéing sausages and simmering for 3 hours. We don’t always have the time for that especially around the busy holidays. Yet, you always seem to have unexpected family or friends dropping in. So here is a quick and easy homemade tomato-basil pasta sauce that you are going to love! Yes, a tomato basil pasta sauce that only takes about 30 minutes to make and stills fills your kitchen with those comforting aromas of tomatoes, garlic and basil that make you want to rip off a piece of crusty bread and dunk it right in.
The whole point of this recipe is quick and delicious…no chopping, just grating and only using one pan. We are still getting layers of gourmet flavors with the carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, red wine, dried and fresh herbs! This sauce also comes out with a thick consistency. If you want a chunkier sauce you would just puree the first can with the sauteed vegetables until smooth, and with the other can of tomatoes you would pulse only a couple of times in the food processor keeping the tomatoes chunky then adding into the pan. Make it this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE! If you are using it for making pizza just puree everything and you are ready to go… you don’t even need to simmer the sauce at all just spread the raw sauce onto the raw dough and into the oven (the carrots, onions, and garlic were sauteed of course before you pureed them with the tomatoes. This homemade gourmet tomato basil pasta sauce will definitely help make your life a little easier while getting you rave reviews! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
2 – 28.oz cans whole peeled tomatoes – NOTE: If you want a chunkier sauce puree til smooth ONLY 1 can with the sauteed vegetables and then other can pulse only a couple of times. Make It this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE!
1 carrot peeled
1/2 lg onion grated
2 lg garlic cloves thru garlic press
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground Italian seasonings
1 tbsp sugar
4-6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup of red wine, cabernet, pinot noir what ever you are drinking 🙂
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and the grated 1 carrot in sauce pan
Cut lg onion in 1/2 peel and grate into same sauce pan
Smash 2 lg clove of garlic and put thru garlic press and into same sauce pan
Add 2 tbsp olive oil and put on med./low heat and begin to sauté
Sauté for about 10 minutes on med/low til soften (you don’t want it to brown or burn)
Deglaze by adding in 1/4 cup red wine (or white if you don’t have red)
Simmer for 2 minutes and then add to food processor with 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
Puree til a smooth consistency and then add to same pan.
Puree the other can of whole peeled and add to pan as well…..NOTE: If you want a chunkier sauce puree til smooth ONLY 1 can with the sauteed vegetables and then other can pulse only a couple of times. Make It this way also if you like a chunkierVODKA SAUCE!
Add 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp finely ground Italian seasonings, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste and 5 fresh basil leaves
Simmer for 20 minutes and serve with you favorite pasta, or chicken cutlet or ciabatta bread and sprinkle with some freshly grated Reggiano Parmeseano or Pecorino Romano and mangia!
This is definitely not a boring old cole slaw. It has 2 cabbages, sweet and green onion, carrots, crunchy peanut butter, ginger, soy, fresh lime juice, and a few other seasonings. I have used both napa cabbage for this slaw and regular green cabbage and I have to tell you that the green cabbage holds up so much better while the napa gets mushy quickly. This Thai slaw is packed with flavor so you may want to pair this with something on the more simple side of things like grilled salmon, or steak, sautéed chickenor sea bass. Then a chocolate-avocado mousse or pavlova with fresh pineapple & berries could do the trick to end the meal well.
Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup thinly sliced Spanish onion or Vidalia onion
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup thinly diced green onions (6 of them)
3 Tbsp fresh zested ginger (on micro planer)
1/2 cup Helman’s mayo
3 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp rice wine
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp reduced sodium Kikoman soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 dashes tabasco
juice from 2 limes
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus 1 Tsp for the garnish
Directions:
Toast sesame seeds on medium heat in a small pan shaking the pan periodically back and forth
This happens quickly once they heat up…it will only take about 3-4 minutes so it’s best not to leave the pan or the stove so they turn golden evenly
Once the sesame seeds are golden remove from the pan, place in a ramekin and set aside
Add sliced green cabbage, red cabbage, Spanish onion, green onions, shredded carrot and zested ginger to a large mixing bowl
Then add in peanut butter, mayo, soy, vinegar’s, oils, fresh lime juice, sugar, Tabasco, sesame seeds and toss together to mix thoroughly
Serve in a large bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds
Back on CT Style this week with Ryan Kristafer and Teresa Dufour making the perfect summer picnic dish, Asian Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad, never gets dull with those two! I thoroughly enjoy every second on the WTNH set at Channel 8. There were several groups going on camera this week making it even more exciting then usual, if that’s at all possible.
important for me to find out what recipes my followers and friends want to see so please feel free to make suggestions always. That’s how I came up with this Asian Shrimp & Noodle Salad… it was the #1 request, a picnic-beach salad that won’t spoil.
Here are some other summer dishes you may enjoy like my 2 minute Homemade PESTO on crostini with roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, EGGPLANT BALLS, ZUCCHINI TORTA, Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs, or Dreamy Cream & Fresh Berries.
