Category: Lunch

Recipes, Salads and Appetizers, Lunch

Tomato Soup Caprese

by Jenn MandellLeave a Comment on Tomato Soup Caprese
Tomato Soup Caprese

Pureed Tomato Soup with Fresh Mozzarella Crostini

All you need for delicious homemade tomato soup

Tomato Soup pairs so perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich. I thought it would be a great idea to come up with a new version of this combo so I decided to float a toasted slice of Italian bread with melted mozzarella on top of the soup. I also added fresh basil to the soup which I feel is much better than dried. I do recommend using Muir Glen or San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes. I think that these brands use the best tomatoes. I always remove the tomatoes from the juice and rinse the seeds out before adding them (and the juice) to the pot. This step is not absolutely necessary but my mom always told me that it is better for your stomach to remove the seeds so that’s what I do. The addition of a carrot also creates a brighter, beautiful soup. This soup is not difficult to make and you can make it in advance and warm it up when it’s time to serve. Great for lunch or dinner. It’s starting to get cold out so I think soup definitely needs to be on the menu. Let me know what you think.

Tomato Soup
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5 from 1 vote
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Tomato Soup Caprese

Pureed Tomato Soup with Mozzarella Crostini
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Italian, American
Keyword: Soup, tomato
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 348kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1 carrot peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped (about 3 large leaves)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Mozzarella Crostini

  • 6 slices Italian or French bread
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 6 oz fresh mozzarella

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven
  • Add onion and saute until translucent – about 5 min
  • Add carrot and garlic and saute for another 2 minutes
  • Add tomatoes with the juice
  • Add vegetable broth
  • Add salt, pepper,sugar, basil and cream
  • Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to simmer for ½ hour
  • Puree soup in batches in a food processor or blender
  • Brush bread with olive oil and toast in oven
  • When bread is light brown place a slice of mozzarella on top and melt in oven
  • Serve Soup in bowl and top with Mozzarella crostini and a basil leaf

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 998mg | Potassium: 406mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2325IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 3mg

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Recipes, Salads and Appetizers, Lunch, Dinner

Roasted Maitake Mushroom

by Jenn Mandell1 Comment on Roasted Maitake Mushroom
Roasted Maitake Mushroom

With Garlic Aioli

Raw Maitake or Hen of the Wood Mushroom

Maitake mushrooms are also known as Hen of the Wood mushrooms. I absolutely love the large floral shape of these mushrooms. It has a very earthy flavor. The word ‘Maitake’ means dancing in Japanese. It is said that the mushroom got this name because people started dancing around it when it was first discovered. This mushroom is typically found in the Fall months and it not only tastes great but is also very healthy for you. The Maitake or Hen of the Wood mushroom is considered a medicinal mushroom because it is full of antioxidants, vitamin B and C, potassium and fiber. The mushroom is being tested to see its effectiveness in regulating cholesterol. A 2013 study found that the Maitake mushroom reduced cholesterol levels in mice which lead researchers to believe that there are benefits to eating these mushrooms. The mushroom is best used the same day you buy it but if you need to store it you should put it in a paper bag in the refrigerator. They are very delicate and crisp up on the edges when roasted or fried. I have tried this recipe by frying the mushroom in oil and of course it is delicious but I really wanted to keep this recipe a little healthier so I think roasting the mushroom is equally as good. Ok, maybe not equally, but definitely a close second. If you want to try frying the Maitake you will need to put it on a skewer so you can gently place it in the vegetable oil. Fry the mushroom until crispy and then sprinkle with salt and pepper after you remove it from the oil and place it on a paper towel to drain. Remove the skewer and serve with the garlic aioli. The garlic aioli adds a lot of flavor to this dish and works well with the earthy flavor of the mushroom. It’s simple to prepare and can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Making it ahead of time will give the flavors time to blend. Always use fresh lemon juice and garlic when making the aioli. I like to put the aioli on the side so people can use as much as they want.

A fresh squeeze of lemon is essential to brighten the aioli and give it a little zing. Regular lemon is fine but use Meyer if you can find it.

This Maitake mushroom recipe is super easy to prepare and pairs well with many main dishes. Serve it with seafood, chicken or meat. It makes a great side dish to serve family style or you can serve it as an appetizer before dinner.

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4.67 from 6 votes
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Roasted Maitake Mushroom

Roasted Maitake Mushroom with Garlic Aioli
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Japanese, American
Keyword: vegetable, Hen of the Wood mushroom
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Garlic Aioli

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1½ tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat Oven to 325
  • gently brush off any dirt from mushroom with a paper towel
  • Trim stem a little. It's ok if the mushroom breaks into large pieces.
  • Place mushrooms on baking sheet and spray with olive oil
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper
  • Roast for 45-50 minutes until edges are crispy

Make the Aioli

  • mix mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper together
  • Serve the mushroom with aioli and some lemon wedges

Notes

To clean the mushroom just brush the dirt off with a paper towel and trim the stem. Do not submerge the mushroom into water because it will absorb the water like a sponge and be soggy.
Recipes, Lunch, Dinner

Simple Tomato Sauce

by Jenn MandellLeave a Comment on Simple Tomato Sauce

This is a very easy, classic tomato sauce recipe that I refer to in many recipes. You can double or triple the recipe and freeze what you don’t use for up to a month. I don’t like it to be frozen for longer than that so write the date you made it on a piece of tape and put that on the container before you put it in the freezer. Consider this tomato sauce a base for many dishes. This is an easy tomato sauce to make. You can add more heat to it by increasing the amount of red pepper flakes. I do this when I am making an arrabbiata sauce or Shrimp Fra Diavalo.

Tomato Sauce
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Simple Tomato Sauce

Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Sauces and Dips
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pasta Sauce, Sauce, Tomato Sauce
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 124kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 16 oz can of Peeled Plum Tomatoes in their juice
  • 1 small onion chopped finely
  • 1 tsp garlic finely chopped
  • 5 leaves fresh Basil chopped
  • ¼ tsp oregano (fresh or dried)
  • 1 Pinch red pepper flakes
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions

  • Remove tomatoes from can but keep the juice
  • Rinse tomatoes under cold water to remove seeds and put tomatoes back in juice
  • Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onion
  • Cook until translucent. Around 5 minutes.
  • Stir in garlic and saute for 2 minutes
  • Add tomatoes, red pepper, oregano and basil
  • Simmer on low for 30 minutes
  • Puree in food processor

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipes, Lunch, Dinner, Holiday and Special Occasion

Truffle Season

by Jenn MandellLeave a Comment on Truffle Season

I have mentioned before that I have an annual Truffle lunch tradition with my friend Elysa. Each year in November or early December we select a restaurant to have decadent White Truffles. White Truffles are typically served over risotto or simple buttered pasta. You do not want to mask the flavors of the Truffles. You can also shave truffles over fish or eggs but white truffles are so exquisite and such a delicacy that I think they should take the starring role in the dish. Elysa and I both love the truffles shaved over risotto.

White truffles are from Northern Italy. They are pale golden in color and look like a potato. White truffles have a distinctive, pungent flavor that is unlike any other flavor. Many companies sell white truffle oil but oftentimes the oil is not made with truffles and the flavor is created with chemicals. This is why you need to eat fresh white truffles when they are in season to really experience the true flavor. Truffles grow underground near the roots of hardwood trees. White truffle season runs from late September until December. The truffles grow wild and professionally trained truffle hunting dogs sniff out their location. The dogs are able to sniff out the distinct scent of the truffle. The truffles are then dug out and cleaned. Truffles were once hunted by trained pigs but the pigs often liked to eat them so now dogs are mostly used. Truffles are delicate and susceptible to the weather and can only grow in certain conditions.

Truffles are shipped twice a week from Italy to the United States. They have a very short shelf life. Ideally the truffle should be eaten within three days. It is best to store them in rice in a cool dark place. After about three days the truffle will start to lose flavor so you really want to consume it as fresh as possible. At my restaurant we ordered our white truffles through Urbani Truffles located in New York City. Urbani sources the freshest, highest quality of white truffle. You can order online to be shipped to you. If preparing them at home you will need to buy a truffle peeler so that you can slice the truffle very thin. Serve several slices over simple buttered fettuccini or risotto. Enjoy.

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Recipes, Food and Beverage, Lunch, Dinner

Handmade Orecchiette

by Jenn Mandell1 Comment on Handmade Orecchiette
Handmade Orecchiette

With Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella

The orecchiette shape literally translates to ‘little ear’ and originated in Southern Italy . This pasta is perfect for catching sauce in its cup-like shape . Making the pasta fresh, by hand, is a fun activity to do alone or with friends and family. The dough is mixed together in a matter of minutes and only requires a half hour of rest time before you can start making the pasta. The result is also infinitely better than boxed pasta. The recipe listed below was one of the most popular pasta dishes at my restaurant. There was a time when I tried to remove it from the menu in order to make room for a new dish and I had to put it right back on due to popular demand. I mix hot and sweet Italian sausage together but you can absolutely use one or the other depending on how spicy you like your food. This pasta shape will also work well with my Simple Tomato Sauce.

Simple Tomato Sauce
Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce
Check out this recipe
Tomato Sauce
Hand-Made Orecchiette
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5 from 2 votes
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Handmade Orecchiette

Easy Handmade Pasta
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 265kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semolina flour
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • extra flour for surface

Instructions

  • mix flours and salt together
  • add water
  • mix together then remove from bowl and knead until dough is elastic (about 5 min)
  • Place dough in a bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap
  • allow to rest for 30 minutes

Make the shape

  • flour a working space on counter
    Pasta dough
  • cut dough into 8 pieces
  • roll each piece with your hand into a ½ inch rod
  • cut each log into ½ inch pieces
  • use your thumb to press and swirl dough into small cup shape
  • place pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil
    Pasta

Cooking method

  • add ½ tbsp of salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil
  • drop orecchiette in pot
  • when orrecchiette rises to top allow to cook for another minute
  • Total cooking time should be around 5 minutes

Notes

Please don’t worry about every piece of orecchiette looking exactly the same. This is homemade pasta. You will get the hang of it as you go along. Some people like to use a measuring spoon to help push the pasta into a cup shape.

Nutrition

Serving: 4people | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 582mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 3mg
Pasta with Sausage
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5 from 2 votes
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Orecchiette with Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

Sausage, Spinach, Chopped Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Sauces and Dips, lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pasta Sauce, sausage
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 575kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • ½ pound Sweet Italian Sausage – casing removed
  • ½ pound Hot Italian Sausage – casing removed
  • 4 cups Baby Spinach
  • 1 pint Yellow and Red Grape Tomatoes – cut in half
  • 1½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • ½ cup Pasta cooking water – from cooking orecchiette
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese- grated
  • 6 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – chopped
  • 1 lb Orecchiette – cooked al dente (firm)

Instructions

  • Add 1 tbsp of oil to pan
  • Mix hot and sweet sausage together and add to pan
  • Use a spoon to break up the meat while it begins to brown – around 5 min.
  • Remove sausage from pan and set aside
  • Add the remaining tbsp of oil to pan
  • Add sliced garlic and cook until light brown on both sides
    Garlic
  • Return sausage to pan
  • Add tomatoes and cook for 5 min.
  • Add spinach, chicken broth and pasta water
  • When spinach is wilted add cooked orecchiette and butter allow to simmer in broth for a few minutes
  • Add grated parmesan
  • Turn off stove and toss in chopped fresh mozzarella

Notes

Serve with extra grated parmesan on the side and some crusty Italian bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 575kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 901mg | Potassium: 612mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2796IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 290mg | Iron: 3mg

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Recipes, Salads and Appetizers, Lunch, Dinner

Life can be difficult, cooking doesn’t have to be…

by Jenn Mandell2 Comments on Life can be difficult, cooking doesn’t have to be…
Life can be difficult, cooking doesn’t have to be…

Chicken Milanese topped with Arugula, Tomatoes and Shaved Parmesan

So last night I was feeling tired. It had been a long rainy day training my puppy and waiting on line to vote. Let me rephrase this…Waiting on a very LONG line to vote in the rain. So when I got home I wanted to make something for dinner that would be delicious, easy and quick.

I realized that I hadn’t shared my Chicken Milanese recipe yet. This is my go-to prep for chicken any time of year. Meaning, it works just as good on a cold winter night as it does in the heat of summer. Learning to properly bread chicken, fish and vegetables is the foundation for anyone learning to cook. You can build many delicious recipes off of the classic breading method.

I chose to serve my thin sliced chicken breast Milanese with a simple arugula salad on top. I like the way the peppery arugula freshens the lightly fried chicken. I toss the arugula with Balsamic Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and a touch of Dry Mustard.

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5 from 2 votes
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Chicken Milanese

Panko Breaded Chicken Breast
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian, American
Keyword: chicken, Breaded Chicken
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs thin sliced chicken breast
  • 1 cup flour-for dredging
  • 2 eggs
  • 1.5 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

  • Mix Panko with onion flakes, salt, pepper, oregano
  • dredge each chicken breast into flour first, then egg, then panko mix
  • Fill frying pan with 1/2 inch vegetable oil and heat over medium heat
  • When oil is warm add chicken and cook until golden brown on each side
  • Place on paper towel to absorb the extra oil

Notes

This recipe is a base for many dishes. Serve the chicken with a salad on top or top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to make delicious chicken parmigiana. You do not need to deep fry the chicken, you need enough oil to wet the breadcrumbs. I like to place the chicken on a paper towel after frying to remove extra oil.
This recipe can be made in advance and reheated in the oven.
arugula salad
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Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Arugula, Tomatoes, Parmesan and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: Italian, American
Keyword: Salad
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 6 cups baby arugula
  • 1 pint yellow and red tomatoes cut in half
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ tsp dry mustard
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp pepper
  • pinch sugar
  • shaved Parmigiana Reggiano for topping

Instructions

  • Place arugula and tomatoes in a bowl
  • In another bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar
  • Pour dressing over salad and top with shaved Parmigiana