Roast Lamb Roman Style

  • Pat meat dry with paper towels. Using a small knife, make slits about 1-inch deep all over the meat and insert slivers of garlic and rosemary.
  • In small bowl, mix together olive oil, salt and pepper; rub all over lamb to coat well. Place lamb in deep dish; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place lamb on rack in roasting pan; pour in wine. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the leg registers internal temperature of 135°F to 140ºF for medium-rare or 160ºF for medium. Baste meat every 15 minutes with pan juices; transfer roast to cutting board. Let cool slightly.
  • Carve lamb into pieces, arrange on serving platter and pour pan juices over meat. Serve immediately.

 

Tips:

  • Use a white wine like Pinot Grigio in this recipe.
  • To make a gravy for the roast, skim fat from pan drippings and place pan over two stovetop burners set on medium heat; stir in 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve on the side.
  • To make this recipe gluten free, omit the gravy.

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

 

Roast Lemon-Parsley Chicken Drumsticks with Fettuccine and Carrots

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Using mister or pastry brush dipped in olive oil, grease 17- x 12-inch metal baking pan. Place drumsticks on pan; season with 1/4 tsp salt. Bake for 20 minutes; remove pan from oven.
  • Add carrots, green onions, parsley, lemon zest, remaining salt and 2 tbsp olive oil to pan; toss well. Bake, turning occasionally, for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender.
  • Meanwhile, in large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine for 3 minutes or until tender; drain and return to pot. Transfer drumsticks to serving platter; toss fettuccine with carrot mixture and any accumulated pan juices.

 

Tips:

  • If you don’t have a 17- x 12-inch baking pan, use two smaller pans.
  • If the chicken skin is not well browned after cooking, broil chicken for 3 minutes or until nicely browned.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Pistachio-Dusted Pork Chops

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly beat together eggs and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Coat pork chops with ground pistachio powder.
  • Heat olive oil in ovenproof sauté pan large enough to hold pork chops without crowding; brown pork chops over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer pan to oven; bake for 35 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork chops reads 160°F.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Pesto Stuffed Burger

  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat; grease grate well. Mix together pork, beef, veal, egg, bread crumbs, onion, mustard, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Divide into 8 balls; flatten into 1/4-inch thick patties. Sandwich 1 pesto puck and 1 cheese cube between 2 patties; pinch and seal to enclose filling. Repeat with remaining patties, pesto pucks and cheese.
  • Grill burgers for about 7 minutes per side or until well marked and meat reaches internal temperature of 160°F. Brush buns with oil; grill for about 1 minute or until lightly toasted. Rub with cut garlic.
  • Assemble burgers in buns with arugula, roasted red peppers and aioli sauce.

HOW TO/TIP/SMARTCUT: How to make Basil Garlic Pesto Pucks:

• In food processor, combine 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup Filippo Berio Olive Oil, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, 4 chopped garlic cloves, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper; pulse until smooth. Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners; divide pesto evenly among liners. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours or until firm. Pop out pucks; place in resealable plastic bag. Freeze until ready to use to add flavor to soups, sauces and pasta.

Penne Pasta with Lamb and Feta Cheese

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large saucepan set over high heat; sear lamb, reserving olive oil.
  • Combine tomatoes, remaining olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in large baking dish. Add lamb, along with about 2 tbsp of reserved olive oil. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes or until lamb is cooked through and tomatoes are tender and juicy. Stir in basil. Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature (can be prepared up to 1 hour in advance.)
  • Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Stir in lamb mixture and olives; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until heated through. Stir in feta cheese; cook for 2 minutes or until melted and creamy. Divide pasta among 6 plates; sprinkle with walnuts.

 

Tip: If desired, you can substitute lamb stew meat for lamb shoulder.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Jim Coleman

Pasta with Tuna Salsa Cruda

  • In large bowl, combine tuna, artichoke hearts, olive oil, olives, parsley, basil, capers, lemon juice and zest, and salt and pepper to taste; refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain well. Add to bowl with tuna mixture; toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Joseph Ciminera

Oven-Roasted Pork Tenderloin Pomegranate Sauce

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind or mince together salt, peppercorns, rosemary and garlic with chef’s knife; spread on large sheet of wax paper. Dry pork well with paper towels; lay over herb mixture, using waxed paper to roll and coat meat evenly with mixture.
  • Heat olive oil in ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add pork, searing quickly on all sides; transfer pan to oven and cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers between 155°F and 165°F, depending on your preference.
  • Transfer pork to cutting board; cover loosely with foil while you prepare sauce. In small saucepan, heat jam with pomegranate juice over low heat until smooth; cook for 4 minutes. Stir in pomegranate seeds; cover and keep warm.
  • Cut pork diagonally into 1-inch-thick medallions; arrange on serving platter. Spoon some of the sauce over top; pass additional sauce on the side.

 

Tip: You can substitute 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper for the peppercorns if desired.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Olive Oil Saltimbocca

  • Pound veal between 2 pieces of waxed paper with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until very thin; cut each piece in half to make 8 small pieces.
  • Heat olive oil in large skillet set over medium heat; cook garlic for 1 minute. Add veal; cook for 3 or 4 minutes or until browned, turning occasionally. Top each piece with slice of prosciutto and sage leaf. Add beef broth and Marsala to skillet; cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes or until veal is tender and cooked through. Transfer veal to warm serving platter with slotted spoon; keep warm.
  • Add half-and-half to skillet; simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, for 5 to 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced and thickened. Remove garlic; spoon sauce over veal. Season with pepper to taste.

 

Tips:

  • If desired, you can substitute thin boneless veal slices cut from the leg for the veal cutlets.
  • A medium sherry can be used instead of Marsala wine if desired.
  • If fresh sage is unavailable, omit it; do not substitute dried sage instead.

Mussels Oregano

  • Heat oil, garlic and oregano in saucepan set over medium-low heat; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is softened. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil for 7 minutes or until alcohol evaporates.
  • Add tomatoes and salt to saucepan; cover and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in mussels; increase heat to high. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until mussels open. (Discard any mussels that do not open.) Spoon into large bowls and ladle broth over top. Serve with bread on the side.

Tip: Most farm-raised mussels need only scrubbing with a stiff brush under cold running water. Some mussels may still have their “beards,” wiry dark ligaments, attached. If so, cut off the beard with scissors and discard, then scrub the mussel well.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Mostaccioli in Fiery Tomato Sauce

  • Heat oil in sauté pan set over medium-low heat; cook prosciutto, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until fat is melted. Remove with slotted spoon; set aside.
  • Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes to pan; cover and cook, crushing some of the tomatoes with back of large spoon, for 5 minutes or until softened.
  • In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water; return pasta to pot. Toss in reserved prosciutto, tomato sauce and parsley, adding some of the reserved cooking water if needed to moisten sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders