Cooking with Alison

Archive for the ‘Main Course’ Category

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Roast Brined Turkey Recipe

In Poultry on April 18, 2011 at am

I brined a turkey for the first time for Christmas dinner, 2010.  Brining a turkey infuses the meat with flavour and moisture.  You can flavour the brine with any herbs and spices that you like.  Although frozen turkeys (that have been thawed out) can be used, I prefer to brine fresh turkeys.

I had originally planned on spending my holidays in flannel pyjamas drinking canned mushroom soup and eating cranberry sauce out of the can.  In bed.  But my favourite people, Ed and Krystal, inspired me to host Christmas.  So I invited the family for a few days and made them two [slightly healthier] traditional holiday feasts.  I’m really glad I did, because the food turned out wonderfully and with my surprise (my “new” dog – a first for our family), it turned out to be the best Christmas ever.

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Quick and Easy Chicken Pesto “Pizza” on Bread

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on January 30, 2011 at am

I roast chicken breasts often because they’re a healthy source of protein.  However, I find them bland and boring.  So I’m always looking for flavourful ways to use the leftovers.  One day, I was craving chicken pesto pizza, but didn’t have the time, energy, or the motivation to make pizza dough.  So, I threw together a few things that I had on hand and put them on toast.  It was so delicious that I started roasting chicken breasts just for this.  When I’m really lazy, I use the microwave to melt the cheese so dinner literally takes seconds to make.

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Quick and Easy Salmon and Asparagus Penne

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on January 28, 2011 at am

Since I started taking professional courses outside of work, cooking regularly during the work week has been a challenge.  So I used this as an opportunity to try various foods that I wouldn’t normally buy.  For example, I discovered that I like canned Atlantic salmon.  It’s closer to fresh salmon than canned tuna is to fresh tuna, in my opinion.  I used it in this quick and easy, delicious pasta dish.  Even Ed liked it and he doesn’t usually like cream-based sauces.  Feel free to substitute the asparagus with any vegetables that you like.

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Gourmet Mushroom Risotto Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Pasta, Rice, and Doughs, Sides and Sauces on January 6, 2011 at am

I’ve made butternut squash risotto and pea and prosciutto risotto before, but mushroom risotto is my family’s favourite – so far (I haven’t made them seafood risotto yet).  Since this dish is so simple, the selection of mushrooms is critical to the success of it.  The secret to my mushroom risotto is the use of dried black trumpet mushrooms.  The texture of these mushrooms is thin and leathery, but they lend the most amazing flavour and aroma.  When my mother tasted this, she was so impressed with the mushroom flavour that she thought I had added some processed or artificial flavouring.  For texture and aesthetic appeal, I also used dried porcini and fresh oyster mushrooms.  (I love the dried mushrooms from Marx Foods (review here).  You can taste the quality of their mushrooms from the soaking liquid, which in this case, added tremendous flavour to the rice.)

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Shrimp on Polenta Recipe

In Fish / Seafood on November 18, 2010 at am

This dish was inspired in part by shrimp and grits and in part by gambas al ajillo (recipe here).  I hope you like it as much as Ed and I did.

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Favourite Chicken or Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Poultry on November 8, 2010 at am

I have been making pot pies for years and it is still one of the dishes that Ed requests the most.  I’ve made family style pot pie, individual pot pies and even miniature pot pies (second photo below) for pot lucks and parties.  This is a very forgiving recipe.  You could use half and half instead of cream, and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.  This is a great way to use up left over turkey because you can freeze the pot pies and then bake them from frozen.

If you’re short on time, here are 2 shortcuts:

  • instead of blanching vegetables in a separate step, cook all of the vegetables together with the onions in the first step, prior to adding the flour
  • use store bought puff pastry

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Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese (2 ways)

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on August 25, 2010 at pm

I gave up trying macaroni and cheese recipes years ago.  I never made one that people didn’t like, but I never found one that I could enjoy.  Recently, it occurred to me that maybe it’s because I don’t like what baking does to the texture of this dish.  So I tested that theory and made a stove top macaroni and cheese for the first time.  I liked it a lot more than baked macaroni.  The macaroni and cheese recipe is pretty standard, but I made it better in two ways:  The first was adding a crunchy panko crumb topping and the second was mixing in peas and canned tuna in olive oil.  The texture and flavour of canned tuna in olive oil is by far superior to canned tuna in water, and makes a world of difference in this dish.

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Beer Butt Chicken

In Poultry on August 16, 2010 at pm

Early this year, Ed started taking an interest in cooking, and I love it  🙂  He’s made cupcakes (recipe here) and brownies (recipe here) and more recently, beer butt chicken.  I liked the beer butt chicken so much that I asked him to show me how he made it, so that I could post it on my food blog.  The skin is beautifully crispy, the beer keeps the meat moist, and it’s really easy to make.

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Carbonara

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on July 13, 2010 at pm

Carbonara is a very interesting pasta dish that incorporates separated raw eggs.  When I had pancetta left over from making vinaigrette (recipe here), I decided to make carbonara for the first time.   The sauce is creamy but not runny or overly thick.  This is a simple dish and the flavour is subtle, and I love it.  Despite many of the “carbonara” recipes out there, note that authentic carbonara does Not use cream.

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Crispy Cornflake Baked Chicken

In Poultry on June 29, 2010 at pm

A friend of mine gave me a subscription to Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine.  This cornflake (that’s right, the cereal) crusted chicken was the first recipe that I tried from those magazines.  Ed loves it and I made it regularly for 2 years.  I made it for my parents once and my mom was surprised when I told her that the skin had been removed.  It’s a Very healthy way to make crispy chicken.

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Four Different Sauces for Mushroom Ravioli

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs, Sides and Sauces on May 27, 2010 at pm

I made ravioli from scratch for the first time (recipe here).  For the filling, I used porcini, chanterelle, and lobster mushrooms with ricotta, parmesan and goat cheese.  I wanted to make a sauce that would pair well with mushroom ravioli, but there were so many suitable (and delicious) options, that I couldn’t pick just one or two.  So, I made 4 different sauces.  They are all easy to make and range from simple and comforting to sophisticated and fancy.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #1 is a comforting and hearty tomato sauce.  It is the simplest of the 4 recipes.  The tomato contrasts the creamy mushroom filling nicely.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #2 is a rose sauce.  It is the only cream based sauce and it’s fun to make because it involves setting vodka on fire.  This sauce is very similar to the sauce that I make for my vodka penne (recipe here).

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #3 is a white wine and butter sauce that goes really well with the mushrooms.  I like to serve this sauce over giant raviolis.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #4 is one of the simplest, yet the fanciest sauce that I’ve paired with mushroom ravioli.  If only I could afford white truffles to go with this, because that’s how they serve it in some parts of Italy.  I like to serve this browned butter over giant raviolis.

Photo above:  Giant raviolis in White Wine Sauce

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Wild Mushroom Ravioli (from scratch)

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on May 26, 2010 at pm

I’ve been wanting to make ravioli from scratch for a long time now.  When I received samples of dried mushrooms from Marx Foods (see my review here), I knew that they would be perfect in ravioli and, more importantly, I would finally get to use my brand new fluted pastry wheel.  🙂

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