Chew And Chat: Recipes From Emeril's New TV Show

If you've not had a chance to catch Emeril's new TV show, "Emeril's Table," here are some of the recipes from past episodes:

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Chef’s Note: I love making this lasagna with fresh sheets of pasta, usually available at upscale Italian groceries. If you cannot find fresh pasta sheets and don’t want to go through the trouble of making them at home, feel free to substitute regular (precooked) lasagna noodles.

Bolognese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

6 strips bacon, diced

¼ pound ham, diced

½ pound ground veal or ground pork, or ¼ pound of each

1 pound ground beef

1½ cups chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped carrot

½ cup finely chopped celery

¼ pound thinly sliced mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of ground allspice

Pinch of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken stock

1 ½ teaspoons salt

4 chicken livers, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/3 to ½ cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh parsley leaves

Lasagna

1 ½ pounds fresh pasta sheets (spinach or regular or a combination of the two), cut to fit your baking dish

Béchamel Sauce

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons flour

4 ½ cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter over medium high heat in a large pot. Add the bacon and ham and sauté until caramelized and light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ground meats and cook over high heat until well browned, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated. Add stock and simmer over medium high heat until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 45 minutes to one hour. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the chicken livers to the pot and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and parsley, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the béchamel:

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and stir in the flour, stirring constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk the milk into the flour, stirring vigorously to blend together. Set over high heat and quickly bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring. Allow to cook another 5 minutes, or until floury taste no longer remains. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.

Butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, then spoon ½ cup of meat sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Cover with sheets of fresh pasta. Top the lasagna with a layer of meat sauce (making certain that pasta is completely covered), a layer of béchamel sauce, then a light dusting of cheese. Repeat layering lasagna, sauces and cheese in this manner until all have been used, ending with a topping of béchamel sauce and cheese.

Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

BIG BOY MEATBALLS AND SPAGHETTI

4 slices white bread, crusts trimmed

¾ cup milk

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

¾ pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

2 ounces (about ½ cup) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano

½ cup chopped white onion

4 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning (1/2 to 1 teaspoon for sauce, depends on tomatoes)

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onions

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

¾ cup dry red wine

One (28-ounce) can tomato puree

One (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 ½ cups water

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

2 tablespoons evaporated milk, optional

Tear or cut the bread into pieces and place in a small bowl along with the milk. Set aside for 10 minutes, then stir with a fork, mashing the bread to form a paste. Place the ground chuck, Italian sausage, Parmesan, white onion, 2 tablespoons of the garlic, parsley, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the bread-milk mixture and mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Shape into large meatballs about ½ cup each and refrigerate briefly while you assemble the remaining ingredients.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, in batches if necessary, and cook until very well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned meatballs to a large pot.

To the oil remaining in the skillet, add the onions and crushed red pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping any browned bits from the pan, until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, water, and bay leaves and bring sauce to a simmer. Carefully transfer the hot tomato sauce to the large pot containing the meatballs. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring sauce to a gentle boil, undisturbed. Reduce the heat so that the sauce just simmers, and cook until sauce is thick and meatballs are tender , 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally once the meatballs have firmed up and have begun floating in the sauce. Stir in the basil and oregano and season the sauce with salt to taste. If the sauce seems too acidic, add the evaporated milk and cook a few minutes longer. Serve the meatballs and sauce ladled over cooked pasta of choice, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield: About 10 large meatballs, 4 to 6 servings

NORTHERN ITALIAN–STYLE CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

1 cup olive oil

1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

One 3- to 31⁄2-pound chicken

2 bricks, completely wrapped in aluminum foil

2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Lemon slices, for garnishing

In a small mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, lemon zest, orange zest, rosemary, thyme, parsley, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper. Mix to combine, and set the marinade aside.

Place the chicken on a cutting board. With a boning knife and/or poultry scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Place the chicken skin side down, and using a paring or small boning knife, cut underneath and around the breastbone on both sides, cutting the cartilage away from the flesh so that you can work your fingers underneath the bone, and then carefully remove the breastbone. The chicken should now lie flat like an open book. Tuck the wing tips behind the wing joint that meets the breast. Cut small slits in the skin that hangs beneath the thighs, and tuck the tips of the drumstick bones inside. Place the chicken in a 13 X 9-inch nonreactive baking dish, and pour the marinade over it. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours, turning the chicken occasionally in the marinade.

Preheat the oven to 500°F, and preheat a grill to medium-low.

Heat the bricks in the oven for 20 minutes. (Alternatively, heat the bricks on the grill for 30 minutes.)

Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade), and season it on both sides with the Original Essence, salt, and white pepper.

Place the chicken, skin side down, on the grill, and set the bricks on top of the chicken to cover it completely and flatten it. Cook until the skin has nice grill marks, about 15 minutes. Then turn the chicken 45 degrees and cook until a second set of grill marks forms, creating a crosshatch pattern, about 15 minutes longer.

Using pot holders or thick kitchen towels, remove the bricks and set them aside. Carefully turn the chicken over so that it is now skin side up. Cook until the juices run clear and an instant-read

Thermometer inserted into the deepest portion of the thigh registers 165°F, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill, place it on a cutting board, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then cut the chicken into quarters, garnish with lemon slices, and serve immediately.

Note: The cooking time may vary slightly, depending on your grill.

4 servings

COOKING WITH YOUR KIDS

Aired Tuesday, October 11

HOMEMADE ALMOND BUTTER

2 cups blanched slivered almonds, toasted

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon raw sugar

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the almonds on a large baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine the almonds, honey, sugar, and salt in the food processor. Slowly add the oil, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Yield: 1 cup

GRILLED ALMOND BUTTER SANDWICHES WITH BANANAS AND SEMI SWEET CHOCOLATE

8 slices country white bread

2 tablespoons butter*

½ cup homemade almond butter

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

4 small bananas cut into ¼ inch rounds

On a clean work surface lay out 4 slices of the bread. Spread butter on the outside of each piece, turn, and spread 2 tablespoons of the almond butter on 4 pieces of bread, place 2 ounces of chocolate on top of the almond buttered slices and then arrange the banana slices on top of the chocolate. Top with the remaining 4 slices of buttered bread, buttered sides facing out. Place 2 sandwiches at a time in a Panini maker or Emeril XL grill or grill pan (if using a grill, top with a sandwich press or heavy plate), and cook for 3 minutes or until crisp and just until the chocolate has melted. Repeat with the 2 remaining sandwiches. Slice sandwiches in half or in quarters and serve immediately.

*Alternately, heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan and when hot and bubbly add 2 sandwiches to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes per side or until the bread is golden brown and the chocolate has melted. Repeat this process with the 2 remaining sandwiches.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Cooks note: The sandwiches can be made with a variety of ingredients. For example, replace the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of honey or add cherry or plum jam instead of the bananas and chocolate.
We have also used almond butter to make almond milk shakes.
Spread on celery or apple slices for a healthy snack.
Almond butter can be substituted anywhere peanut butter or other nut butters are used.

ALMOND BUTTER MILKSHAKE

2 pints vanilla ice cream

2 cups whole milk

½ cup almond butter

In a blender, combine the ice cream, milk, and almond butter. Blend until smooth. Pour into ice cream parlor glasses. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA SANDWICHES WITH SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 loaf French or Italian bread, about 22-inches long

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled

2 cups Emeril’s Kicked Up Tomato sauce, or other marinara sauce

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

8 ounces fontina cheese, grated

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme for serving, optional

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, optional

Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easier clean-up.

Melt the butter in a small pan and combine with the garlic, salt, lemon juice, and parsley.

Cut the bread in half, and then slice the bread horizontally. You will have 4-sections. Using your fingers, gently scoop and discard some of the soft, inner part of the thickest bread, leaving a one-inch-thick shell. Brush the shells with the garlic butter, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring as needed, until browned and fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain and set aside.

Divide the sauce evenly among the bread and spread with a spoon. Divide the mozzarella and fontina evenly among the bread over the sauce. Top the garlic bread with the sausage, then the thyme, red pepper flakes and parmesan, if desired. Place bread in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, if desired.

Yield: 4 pizza sandwiches

EMERIL’S MAC AND CHEESE

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 ¼ cups whole milk

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until tender, according to package directions.

Drain the pasta in a colander and return the pasta back to the pot. Cover and cook over low heat until all the water has evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the milk, salt, pepper, butter, nutmeg, if desired, and the cheese and stir well until all of the cheese has melted. If necessary turn the burner on a very low heat to melt the remaining cheese.

Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Yield: 3 quarts, 6 to 8 servings

Chew And Chat

Monday, October 17, 2011

Recipes From Emeril's New TV Show

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