pot roast / leftover sandwiches

Sometimes the best meals in life are the simplest. Pot roast is definitely one of the dishes that proves this true to me. It can sound intimidating, as you can certainly get your Julia Child on with a pot roast. Or, you can put in minimal effort for maximum culinary pleasure. Here's my in-sane-ly simple pot roast recipe:

• 1 giant pot roast
• 1 onion
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 4 potatoes, sliced
• Deli rolls
• Provolone

steak picadillo soft tacos

Confession: I love tacos. I make the chicken tacos featured on the blog awhile back all the time. I'm obsessed. I was craving them again tonight, but I came across a different taco recipe, and decided to give it a whir. Shocker: it was awesome! Here's what you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 12-ounce strip of skirt steak
• 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 1/3 cup halved drained pimiento-stuffed green olives
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 8 corn tortillas

chicken w/ fontina & prosciutto

I love a good stuffed chicken. I tried a new one last night with fontina and prosciutto, and I mean, with those ingredients, how could it not turn out to be a simply delicious dish? Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese
• 1/3 cup (packed) soft garlic-herb cheese (such as Boursin)
• 1/3 cup chopped prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• Chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry Marsala

jamaican jerk salmon w/ mango pineapple salsa

Salmon has been a pretty consistent staple on the blog, usually incorporating dijon mustard for some odd reason (not really that odd, I just like it). However, on occasion I like to branch out, try something new. I felt comfortable with this, as even though I've never cooked with a jerk rub (ha!) before, I have served my salmon with a variation of the mango salsa, so it wasn't THAT much of a stretch. Still, it turned out to be really great, especially with the weather (occasionally) turning warmer - the bit of kick and the citrus flavors felt like a giant step into Spring. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/4 pineapple, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• Salmon fillets (5 ounces each), skin on
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

pork loin w/ tarragon cream

Now that I have over 100 recipes (!!!) and counting on the blog, I find myself longing for some past recipes, and totally forgetting about others. One of those I've been thinking about for awhile actually the very first recipe posted - the pork loin Dan and I made about a year ago. That's right: April will be the one year anniversary for Bon Chappétit! Anyways, that pork loin was effing delicious, so I decided recently to go back and try another one, and had another great success. These things are so ridiculously easy it's not even funny. Here's what you'll need:

• 2-3 lb pork loin
• 3 large cloves garlic, slivered
• Salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• Olive oil

eggplant parmesan

Who doesn't love eggplant parm? I mean, seriously. It may be laborious to make, but it's pretty foolproof, and totally delicious. I took advantage of a rainy day recently to make it for the first time in a year or so. Here's how it goes:

• 2  medium Italian eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4" thick slices
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 10-20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I had smaller amounts of Italian style and panko, so I just mixed them)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I KNOW! I'm lazy...)

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 375°F.

Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow bowl, then stir together breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a third shallow bowl.

Heat up the olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat up while you prepare the eggplant.

Working with 1 slice at a time, dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg, letting excess drip off, and dredge in the breadcrumbs, pressing until evenly coated.

Fry eggplant slices a few at a time (fill the skillet, but they shouldn't overlap or anything), turning over once or twice, until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain.

While that's going, heat up your sauce (I actually combined 1/2 jar tomato basil with 1/2 roasted garlic, as that's what I had in the fridge already - turned out well). Coarsely chop the basil leaves and add them to the sauce to simmer while you finish frying the eggplant.

Take a baking dish (I only used a 9x9, as I cook in a toaster over, but you could use a full size one should you have the appliances to accommodate it). Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange about one third of eggplant slices in 1 layer over sauce, overlapping slightly if necessary. Cover the eggplant with about one third of remaining sauce (about 1 cup) and one third of mozzarella slices. Continue layering with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella. Sprinkle top with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I baked covered for about 20 minutes, then uncovered until the cheese is melted and golden and sauce is bubbling, about another 20 minutes.

I like to serve mine over a bowl of pasta, but you could totally eat it as-is. This would easily feed a family of 4, or make some amazing lunches for the following days.

Bon chappétit!

filet mignon w/ pepper cream sauce

When I studied in Rome in college, I indulged in amazing Italian food morning, noon and night. However, every once in awhile I'd get a craving for a really awesome steak. There was a small place in Trastevere that served an amazing filet with this creamy peppercorn sauce. I've tried a bunch of recipes that sounded the same, but nothing's been quite as good - until now! This was super easy to do. Here's what you'll need:

• Coarsely crushed black peppercorns
• 2 (6 ounce) beef tenderloin filets, 1 1/2 inches thick
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Place the peppercorns into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the beef tenderloin filets with salt on both sides, and coat both sides with crushed peppercorns.

Melt the butter with the olive oil over high heat in a non-stick skillet until the foam disappears from the butter. Gently place the steaks in the pan, and cook until they start to become firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to platter, and cover tightly with foil.

Pour the beef broth into the skillet, and use a whisk to stir the broth and scrape up any dissolved brown flavor bits from the skillet. Whisk in the cream, and simmer the sauce until it's reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Place the steaks back in the skillet, turn to coat with sauce, and serve with the remaining sauce.

I made these with roasted red potatoes, and the extra sauce was even amazing on those.

Bon chappétit!

california chicken panini

Like many people, I tend to be a creature of habit. My habit as of late has been being entirely too busy to cook elaborate dinners (not that they're ever really elaborate, but roll with it) and constantly going to the local market for sandwiches for dinner. Granted, they make amazing sandwiches. However, it's recently gotten to the point that they actually know my order when I walk up to the counter. Not good.

What does one do in this situation? You'd think I'd realize how lame I've been and get back to cooking. Not quite. I avoid the sandwich counter out of shame, but I still crave the sandwiches! Here's my attempt to recreate my favorite sandwich of late - the california chicken panini (panini = sandwich. Look it up). Here's what you'll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• 2 whole wheat pita
• 1 tomato
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt, sugar and pepper

Begin by heating the 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the garlic and simmer until it begin to brown. Add your chicken and lightly salt/pepper. Cook chicken until juices run clear, flipping only once or twice - about 5-6 minutes per side. Slice into 1/2" strips.

Lay out your pita, and cover 1/2 with chicken slices. Top each with 1/2 cup of the swiss and heat under a broiler in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese.

While that goes, mix the remaining 1/4 cup of oil, 1/8 cup of balsamic, salt, sugar and pepper to make a nice little balsamic vinaigrette. (Why isn't that spelled "vinegarette?" English...)

Now you're ready to build the sandwich/panini. Layer tomato and avocado on top of the chicken and drizzle a little vinaigrette over top. Cut the pita in half, and place the empty half on top to finish your sandwich/panini.

Of course if you have a panini press, I'm sure you could use that. I've no experience with those, so I can' say for sure, though I'd think it would work by virtue of the name alone. If you try it out with one and have suggestions, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Bon chappétit!

baked farfalle w/ mushrooms, prosciutto & peas

As I've said many times, one of my favorite things about cold weather I enjoy most is a good casserole. They're hot, easy and delicious. Even though my favorite is the classic tuna noodle, I do like to branch out on occasion and try something different. This week I pick up a recipe for a new one with prosciutto. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 lb. farfalle pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• Salt and pepper 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and oil or butter a square baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the farfalle per the box directions.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, warm 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the shallots and sauté for a couple minutes. Stir in the prosciutto and cook for just a minute or so, then remove the prosciutto and shallots and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the same skillet over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms until they start to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Return the prosciutto and shallots to the pan, and add in the pas. All them to cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown. Gradually add the milk while stirring, then cook over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Stir in a dash of salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and add in the other ingredients (mushroom mixture), the pasta and 3/4 cup of cheese.

Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and top for the remaining cheese and butter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and just barely begins to brown.

Bon chappétit!

tuna melts

I love tuna melts. My sister and I got addicted to them many summers ago. We'd eat them practically everyday for lunch. There's a fun story behind our tuna melting adventures actually, but I won't embarrass her by recounting that one again here (...you can email me if you want to know!) I got the craving again the other night, so I whipped up a few. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can tuna
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• 2 tomato slices
• 4 slices thick cut Italian bread (or any bread of your choice)
• 2 slices American cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• Dash of garlic salt

Begin by mixing the tuna, mayonnaise and garlic salt in a bowl together. Next, melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Lightly brown each side of each slice of bread (just a minute or so per side), then build out two sandwiches (bread-tuna-tomato-cheese-bread). Heat on the skillet until the cheese (not the meat!) begins to melt. Serve immediately.

Is this a ground-breaking recipe? No. But sometimes we all need to be reminded of the simple joys in life. I suppose this is my reminder that tuna melts are delicious.

Bon chappétit!