Ziti Al Forno

In Italy it is Ziti Al Forno, In Paris it might be Cuit Au Four Ziti but in the good old USA (Memphis, TN) it is purely Neely's Baked Ziti. Bottom line is that it is good. Our Chef's the other night made a few alterations to the basic recipe and experimented with presentation. By their own admission the salad, although good and complimentary to the meal, lacked just a bit of contrasting color. Did it ruin the meal? Heck no! That's why we do this. Experiment, experience, reinvent and enjoy. I was so intrigued by the recipe that I made my own version last night and the good news is I have leftovers for lunch today. The bad news is no photos, but I admit, I did not do a presentation.
It was a modified Ziti casserole with really terrific
Celebrity tomato's that I purchased at a

local Farmers Market. Hurray for home grown,

picked ripe tomato's.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients
• Salt
• 1 pound ziti
• 1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 6 ounces pesto
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 (9-ounce) package washed spinach
• Butter, for baking dish
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add ziti and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute turkey sausage. Add onion and garlic and saute until the sausage is cooked through. Use your spoon to break up the sausage while it cooks. Add the can of diced tomatoes and pesto and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella to a large bowl, and stir to combine.

Butter a 4-quart baking dish, add the cooked pasta, then sausage mixture and cheese mixture. Top with a sprinkling of mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake until completely heated through and golden and crisp on top, about 20 minutes

Chef's Comments

Last night's dinner - it was good, can be made ahead and feeds a crowd.

Needed some of Chef Pete's balsamic reduction on the bottom for color. The
salad was good too, but didn't add much color to the plate. A darker
variety of lettuce would have had some contrast, but I had iceberg on hand.
Might be a good recipe to make and take to the Lake when there are
going to be a few people there. Just a thought.

I will email the recipe from the Food Network site (www.foodnetwork.com)

I sent an email from the food network website with the recipe, but I guess it didn’t come through. It is the Neelys Baked Ziti, but made with pork sausage instead of turkey. Imagine that. The salad was a creamy sour cream cucumber salad from Cooks.com

Another successful dinner at Buck Run

Recently, our hosts, J and D had some family members over for dinner. The meal was a multi task affair.

Chef P' contributed his famous "Farmer Fred" recipe, while Chef Deb contributed Tuscan Chicken and a yummy steamed pudding for dessert. Everything else served in the middle was a joint venture and as tasty as can be. They pull out all the stops.   Enjoy.......

        

Day Lilles grace the table     

     

Broken glass at the start, good omen?

Piece de Resistance

A Man's Feast

This is the time of year when several of my friends slip away, for sometimes weeks, to fish in a remote area of Canada. Chef Shawn has surprised me with a photo presentation that just makes my mouth water. He claims it's not 5 star but I beg to differ. I think a true rating would be at least that amount. Enjoy, I did. Here is Shawn's unedited submission.  Great Shawn, thanks!

V-

I just got back from a fishing trip in Ontario Canada. Had a great time with the guys. Smoking good cigars, drinking good beer, and of course eating fresh fish. Some of the freshest I will ever have. You cannot beat filleting a fish right out of the water and within minutes having it in the hot oil.

 Everything is cooked on an open fire in the Canadian wilderness. With the fish we had some sautéed potatoes, baked beans and onion rings.

I added a little dessert for guys this year, a roasted banana. Which is a great campfire or grill dessert. A little Nutella, some pecans, and mini marshmallows, you will never want a s’more again.

You will have to excuse the presentation, this wasn’t a five star dining experience but rather a man’s meal to be enjoyed in the fresh Canadian air, with a cold beer and the smell of a fire.

Chef Shawn

Envious of a different world

Here is the latest that was shared with me from a recent journey by friends. I'm sure there will be more to follow as I pry various information and photos from my friends. Until then, consider this a teaser, and try to guess where they are. No, not in the Gulf.

V

Had a couple dinners in some of the native's home's. Delightful.
Plenty of fish on the coast.

Interesting, they all have free healthcare and thought we were barbarians w/ our system.

Headline on June 13th..........................
                  Health-insurance help for the newly jobless may have permanently died in Congress. » President's pleas ignored

Shrimp----A dinner staple

I admit, I'm spoiled by fresh shrimp basically right off the boat in Florida. Will the recent oil spill affect that?   I hope not but who knows. In KY I found and have heard from fish mongers that buying frozen and uncooked shrimp is the way to go. Just run them under cold water to defrost and you're ready to go.

Recently we had Shrimp and grits with chiabati garlic bread, tomato wedges and a sample of green pea pizza from an ? unknown foodie. It was awesome and included a nontraditional bordelaise  sauce. The plate looks cluttered but, by golly, it was very good.

On another night, at the last minute when we cancelled other evening  plans, we made Cajun Shrimp with Lobster Ravioli, topped with a Madiera  wine and shrimp sauce. A salad of tomato's, diced black olives and red onion in a garlic dressing was a welcome addition to the mild spice on the shrimp.

When you need to come up with a dinner menu on short notice, it's nice to have staples in the pantry and refrig to help boost your creativity.

Good Food but..................

...............it just lacked a very small bit of presentation.  A few weeks ago we were in Durham, NC and joined my daughter for an evening meal at Vin Rouge. Awesome French Bistro facility with nice outdoor garden patios. Unfortuntely it was raining and the patios were closed. Not to be disappointed, the interior was just as nice and filled with many folks from this college town. The wait staff was fantastic and very attentive. Quite an atmosphere. The only fault I saw was I thought the entrees, although looking good, just needed something on the rim to give it some pizzazz. Especially the Sauteed Calves Liver with carmelized onions, bacon and pommes purees.  My daughters Sauteed Salmon  with Dijon mustard crust and braised lentils was fantastic and served in a cast iron skillet. Nice.   My wife has a special that evening which was sauteed Halibut. It was also excellent.

The evening started with a White Bordeaux  and appetizers for all were the Escargot. A little more bread for sopping up the garlic butter would have been nice. Just visually absent from the presentation. I longed for the Croque-Madame but passed because of the calories.

CHECK OUT THE MENU and ATMOSPHERE

4.5 STARS

http://www.ghgrestaurants.com/vinrouge/vinrouge.html

Holiday in the Country

On the most recent Memorial Day Weekend, we met with friends at their rural  lake home on beautiful Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky. No phone, no TV, no boat. Just a relaxing weekend of socialization. We had a great time, forgot how to take pictures of most of the weekend but we have a few. Our friends, both Chef's in their own right, were terrific hosts. After three days of eating we were wearing down and skipped a few caloric moments. Jim had dessert one night but for the most part we tried to behave.

The weekend began Friday evening with an assortment of tapas, appetizers and hors deouvres. Buffalo chicken dip, Jalepeno cheese squares, mini tacos and a wonderful crab/shrimp/cilantro, avocado, Clamato cold soup. Awesome. The photos would attest to the presentation and flavor if we remembered to take them.

Saturday, the gals had chicken salad, fruit and chips for lunch while the guys had a late breakfest buffet at Patty Sues before going to the golf course.  All of this as a prelude to Sally and Barbs exquisite dinner that included a Greek beef stew served over buttered wide noodles accompanied with garlic bread for sopping up the wonderful sauce. A Spring mix salad topped with cottage cheese was a great side.

Sunday we ventured out to Kattawa Harbor for lunch and feasted  on the famed Rudy Burger, made with sirloin and appropriately dressed. Pommes frites and onion rings were the usual and fantastic sides.  After that it was hard to think about dinner but we persevered. An appetizer made with cheese, flavored with Captain Rodney's Boucan Glaze and topped with bacon was served with toasted crackers. Dinner was a pan seared then baked, Pistachio encrusted chicken, served over noodles and topped with a luscious cream sauce. It smacked of a nice and mildly seasoned flavor. A spinach, red onion, tomato, apricot and goat cheese salad was topped with a delicious homemade dressing.  Most of us passed on dessert but Jim found enough room for a scoop of Kahlua topped ice cream.

Not to bore you anymore but the end was Monday. Lots of coffee early, Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers before a magnificent brunch of baked "Puddin Place" Eggs. Made in individual ramekins, with canadian Bacon, mozzarella cheese, onion, an egg, topped with cream and paprika. Then served on toasted and buttered english muffin halves. Think of a spin on eggs benedict.  A side  offering of assorted fruit was a nice and refreshing side.

After all of this, we had to pack up and leave. So sad to end the journey. But.................A great memory and another weekend to look forward to.

Retirement Celebration

A special time in all of our lives. When we are young and starting our careers we think the day will never come. Then, (poof) all of a sudden you're there, excited, apprehensive, and celebrating. You made it, now you're  hopefully on easy street. This week we join Chef (Teacher-retired) Deb as she and a close grouping of her family and friends enjoy a  gastro indulgence in honor of her special time. Good luck and Congratulations! I wonder what Chef Pete' has planned for your future?  Certainly he gave you the latest version of the "Joy of Cooking"!!!!!!! Or maybe that new set of golf clubs?
                                                                                                      The Honoree on the right
                                                                                                         

The place "Seviche"                                                             Nut encrusted Brie with fruit

The Tenderloin                                                                            A new take on indulgence

You only retire once!                                                          Chef Pete' and his Big (ouch) Sis

                                    Partners in Crime

After dinner undertaking