New dish concept

Hi.
    About a week ago, I opened a large can of plum tomatoes. I only used a small portion and have had the remainder sitting in the refrigerator. I would usually just turn them into a sauce and use it over pasta. Since I'm trying to eat healthier these days, my plan was to make a new dish that could be served without the pasta.
    I wanted to use it with some kind of a protein, so the standard go to for me is chicken. In the past, I have used the tomatoes as a braising or stewing liquid, with great results, so I'll go with that again. I'm sure that not everyone will like this concept because of the anchovies, all you have to do is leave them out if they are not to your liking.
    I haven't made this dish yet, but this is how it's probably going to go.

   1 Chicken (skin removed and cut into about 12 pieces )
    olive oil
    1/4 cup Pancetta chopped
    1- 2 oz. can anchovies with oil
    1 small yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
    4-6 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
    Canned plum tomatoes with juice just coarsely broken up by hand
    1 cup red wine
    1/2 cup Kalamata olives pitted and halved
    2 tablespoons capers
    1/4 cup chopped parsley
    S + P to taste

    Brown the chicken pieces in about 2 Tbs. olive oil and set aside.In whats left of the oil, start browning the Pancetta. When it's almost crisp add the anchovies and mash thoroughly with a fork. After a minute add the onion, cook for a minute and add the garlic. After another minute, add the tomatoes and red wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 min. Add the chicken pieces and simmer about  25 min.. Add the olives and capers and simmer another 5 min.. Finish with the parsley just before serving.
    Now, what to serve this dish with. Of course pasta is certainly an option, but, here are some ideas to use as alternatives. Risotto, plain rice, polenta, potatoes, beans, such as canelinni, navy, great northern white, are all possibilities to use as a starch, or maybe pureed cauliflour and a side of greens. It just seems like you'll want something to sop up the sauce. So, I leave it up to you.

      Buon Appetito, CIAO for now Garlichut

Farmers market dish

    I went to the farmers market last Saturday and Came home with sweet potatoes,  kale, granola, and beets A few weeks ago, I made a very nice dish with roasted new potatoes , onion, pepper, garlic, pancetta, romano cheese, a little monterey jack cheese, and kale. As I was on my way home, I was trying to come up with a way to combine the sweet potatoes and the kale.
    This is the dish I came up with. I cooked the kale in some sauteed onion and garlic and water till tender. (about 10 min.) In a glass baking dish, I tossed chunks of peeled carrot and sweet potato in a little olive oil to coat, and put it in a 400 degree oven. 30 min. later I added an onion, cut into large chunks, and about 8 whole peeled garlic cloves. 20 min. later I added 1/4 cup diced pancetta. About 15 min. later I added s+p, some romano cheese and topped it all with some well drained kale. then all I did was heat it through for another 5 min,
    The result was a great fall dish. Nice earthy flavors that would pair well with any of a number of main courses. Meat, pork, a roasted chicken, maybe as a side to go with some sort of stew, would all be good candidates to go with this dish.
       Ciao for now, Garlichut

Big Pizza weekend

Hey,
   I had a big pizza weekend. I made pizza for a party at Jeff's house. (15 people) Had enough toppings left over to make pizza for 6  for Lynns' birthday yesterday.
   There were many interesting pies, but I think my favorite was the clam pie. I made a clam sauce and reduced it till most of the moisture was gone. I precooked the crust slightly, topped it with a little tomato sauce, put the clam sauce on, and then added some romano and a little mozzarella.
Very enjoyable
   Ciao for now, Garlichut

It's been a while

   Hi,
I made a dandelion salad recently that was notable. I had planted dandelions this year, now I've got to use them up. Because they are so bitter, they're not on my list of favorites. So, I was trying to figure out how to counteract the bitterness and came up with this solution. Along with the dandelion greens, I added red onion, cucumber, avocado a little romano cheese, and some hot pepper from the garden. Dressed with a red wine viniagrette, it was a really good salad.

New food venture

Hi All,
  I've got a new food adventure coming up soon. I'll be helping some people open a new restaurant here in Oriental.
   The name of the new restaurant is The Sea Shanty. Leo and Marcel Cormier are the owners. Dean, Leo's son will be part of the kitchen crew. I will be also helping in the kitchen. As the name suggests, the restaurant will be featuring seafood. Leo and Marcels' background as commercial fishermen will ensure a steady supply of the freshest fish available. That alone is reason for great optimism on my and many other peoples part. There is a fantastic anticipation around town. People are very excited about a new place to eat. On a daily basis there is a steady flow of people stopping in to see how things are coming along and to wish us well.
   We'll be working with a basic menu and feature quite a few daily specials. We've been listening to public input and will try to accommodate some of the many requests.
   I'll be trying to keep you supplied with a steady stream of recipes that come along as we go. So, check in on occasion or make a requests if you'd like.
     Ciao for now. Garlichut

Bean Dip

Hey,
  I had made some pinto beans earlier in the week. As is always the case, I usually have more than I can eat. So, I made some bean dip. It really is a treat, so here it is.
   About 3 cups cooked pinto beans ( cooked soft and mashed )
   1/2 small onion chopped
   1 Roma tomato diced
   1-4.5 oz. can diced green chills
   3 diced chipotle peppers
   2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
   1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
   salt to taste
  Put all ingredients into a  mixing bowl and stir till well mixed. Place in a microwaveable dish and microwave till thoroughly heated through. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy

What more sausage?

   So it was sausage on Sunday, sausage on Monday, and with this new kick on my mind I had to try sausage poached in white wine, then cut into bite sized pieces and used in risotto with shrimp and basil and parsley. Pretty good, though not quite as full flavored as sausage poached in red wine.
   Just so you don't think one can live on sausage alone, Monday evening we had some chicken breast sauteed with garlic, rosemary, sliced green olives, capers, some lemon and white wine. That was a very enjoyable dish.
    Ciao for now,  Garlichut