Spanish Pork Burgers
From EatingWell.com
This Spanish-themed burger is boldly flavored with sautéed onions (which keep it moist), paprika, garlic, and green olives. The creamy mayonnaise spread is tangy with lemon and a hint of earthy saffron.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cup(s) thinly sliced Spanish onion
- 3/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt, divided
- 1 pound(s) lean ground pork
- 1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped Spanish green olives, such as Manzanilla
- 2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon(s) Pimentón de la Vera , or Hungarian paprika
- 1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
- Saffron
- 1/4 cup(s) shredded Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
- 2 whole jarred Piquillo peppers , or jarred pimientos, halved lengthwise
Directions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Set aside half the onion for topping; finely chop the other half.
- Preheat grill to medium.
- Place the chopped onion in a large bowl; add pork, olives, garlic, paprika, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Gently combine, without over mixing, until evenly incorporated. Form into 4 equal patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
- Combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, and saffron in a small bowl.
- Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the burgers, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes total. Top with cheese and cook until it is melted, about 1 minute more.
- Assemble the burgers on toasted buns with the lemon-saffron mayonnaise, some of the reserved onions and a half a Piquillo (or pimiento) pepper.
Wine: Zinfandel or Syrah.
Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Mustard Sauce.
From Food & Wine
Nutty sautéed chicken dipped in a creamy mustard sauce delivers nicely varied textures and flavors. Using cornstarch rather than flour makes the crust especially crisp.
Melanie Acevedo
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 cup(s) pecans
- 2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon(s) paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
- Cayenne
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon(s) water
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoon(s) cooking oil
- 1 cup(s) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon(s) grainy or Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) white-wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) sugar
- 2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- In a food processor, pulse the pecans with the cornstarch, thyme, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne until the nuts are chopped fine. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
- Whisk together the egg and the water in a small bowl. Dip each chicken breast into the egg mixture and then into the nut mixture.
- In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes longer.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, parsley, a pinch of cayenne and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve the chicken with the mustard dipping sauce.
- Menu Suggestion: The crisp coating on the chicken invites a creamy potato gratin alongside. Green beans, perhaps sautéed in bacon fat, would taste great, too.
- Wine Recommendation: The combination of the sweet pecans and the assertive mustard sauce lends itself to either a crisp sparkling wine or a stainless-steel-fermented sauvignon blanc from California.
Wine: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
Baked Rigatoni with Spinach, Ricotta, and Fontina.
From Food & Wine
A quick take on spinach and ricotta cannelloni, this baked pasta is fast because there’s nothing to stuff. The filling is simply tossed with cooked rigatoni that’s then topped with fontina and baked to a golden brown.
Melanie Acevedo
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound(s) rigatoni
- 3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 1 package(s) (10-ounce) frozen spinach, thawed
- 2 cup(s) (about 1 pound) ricotta
- 5 tablespoon(s) grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) grated nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
- 6 ounce(s) fontina, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Directions
- Heat the oven to 450°F. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach. Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in half the fontina.
- Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta. Top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the top. Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Variation: You can substitute another chunky pasta, such as penne rigate, penne, ziti or fusilli. Boil all of these one or two minutes less.
- Wine Recommendation: A delicately flavored white such as Orvieto will complement the mild ricotta nicely. And, because Orvieto is not oaky, the wine has no bitter tannin to clash with the slightly bitter spinach and nutmeg.
Wine: Pinot Noir or Italian red.
Sautéed Shrimp Cocktail
From Redbook
Give this classic appetizer lots of flavor with a dipping sauce that includes mustard, mayonnaise, turmeric, and maple syrup.
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
By Giada De Laurentiis
Jim Franco
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
- 1 pound(s) jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail-on, deveined
- 1 tablespoon(s) herbs de Provence
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 1/4 cup(s) plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoon(s) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon(s) whole-grain mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon(s) ground turmeric
- 1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh basil
Directions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and herbs de Provence. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp, stirring frequently, until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes each side.
- In a small bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, maple syrup, turmeric, and basil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the yogurt mixture in a dipping bowl. Place bowl on a serving platter along with cooked shrimp.
Wine: Chardonnay.
Vanilla Crème Brulee
From Good Housekeeping
This classic baked custard gets a last-minute broil to create the smooth, crack able sugar crust.
Kate Mathis
Serves: 6
Total Time: 45 min
Oven Temp: 325
Ingredients
1 cup(s) light cream or half-and-half
- 1 cup(s) heavy or whipping cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup(s) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon(s) dark brown sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Into 13" by 9" metal baking pan, pour 3 1/2 cups hot tap water; place in oven.
- In microwave-safe 2-cup liquid measuring cup, heat creams in microwave on Medium (50% power) 5 minutes. Remove from microwave; stir in vanilla.
- Meanwhile, in 4-cup liquid measuring cup (to make pouring easier later) or bowl, whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until well blended. Slowly whisk in warm cream until combined; with spoon, skim off foam.
- Partially pull out oven rack with baking pan. Place six 4-ounce ramekins in water in pan in oven. Pour cream mixture into ramekins. (Mixture should come almost to tops of ramekins for successful broiling later.) Carefully push in rack and bake custards 30 minutes or until just set but centers jiggle slightly. Remove ramekins from water and place on wire rack; cool 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until custards are well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Up to 1 hour before serving, preheat broiler. Place brown sugar in coarse sieve; with spoon, press sugar through sieve to evenly cover tops of chilled custards. Place ramekins in jelly-roll pan for easier handling. With broiler rack at closest position to source of heat, broil custards 2 to 3 minutes or just until brown sugar melts. Refrigerate immediately 1 hour to cool custards and allow sugar to form a crust.
- For Cappuccino Crème Brûlée: Prepare Vanilla Crème Brûlée as above in step 1. In step 2, add 4 teaspoons espresso coffee powder with vanilla to warm cream mixture. Complete recipe as in steps 3, 4, and 5.
Wine: Dessert wine.