My Recipes

14 posts

Baby Porchetta

From YouTube’s Chef John

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:


1 boneless pork tenderloin roast, about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
about 8 strips bacon or enough to wrap
For the spice rub:
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
3 cloves sliced garlic
1 tablespoon finely sliced sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
zest from one lemon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil

– Roast at 450 F. about 25 minutes, or until 134 F. internal temp, which should get you a finished, rested temp of 140-145 F.

Lighthouse Inn Potatoes

Original recipe from Ashley Moore and Cook’s Country magazine, December/January 2017


Serves 8-10
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 6 tablespoons cut into 6 pieces
Salt and pepper
2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups light cream, divided (may substitute heavy cream but not half-and-half, which tends to
break)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda (for stability and silkiness)
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small
bowl, combine Parmesan, panko, 4 tablespoons melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the potato chunks, 2½ cups light cream, 1/8 teaspoon baking
soda, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
(You’ll think that this is too much salt. You’ll be tempted to use less. Don’t do it. Follow the
recipe. The sauce will be salty, but in the end the potatoes will be perfection.)
Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. The potatoes will want to stick, so stir them
frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer, still stirring often, until a paring
knife slides easily into several potato chunks without the potatoes crumbling apart, 20 to 25
minutes.
You don’t want the potatoes mushy. As soon as the biggest chunks yield easily to the knife, get
them off the heat and stir in the remaining ½ cup of cream and the remaining 6 tablespoons of
unsalted butter. Keep stirring until the butter has melted, about 1 minute.
Pour the creamy potato mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. (You’ll want to butter the dish,
but you don’t have to.)
If you’re making the potatoes ahead, proceed below. If you are cooking them immediately,
sprinkle the Parmesan-panko mixture evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes
are bubbling and the crumb topping is nicely browned, around 15-20 minutes. Let the potatoes
cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
To make ahead and bake later: After the potato mixture has been transferred to the baking dish,
let it cool completely, then cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready, before applying the Parmesan-panko topping, bake the potatoes at 375
degrees, covered, until they’re heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove the dish from the
oven and apply the topping evenly. Bake again, now uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes until
the top is nicely browned.

Cheaters (Clam)Chowder

1 567 gram can Clams with juice (This is a food service size. If you can’t get it substitute with same approx. amount of retail size cans )

1 can Cream of Bacon soup 284ml

1 can Cream of Celery 284ml

2 cans Cream of Potato Soup 284 ml

1 packet Knorr Cream of Leek Dry Soup (diluted with 1/2- 3/4 cup boiling water.

1 liter of Dairy ( I prefer half and half)

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and warm until hot. For best results let cool to room temp and refrigerate as this soup is better the next day.

This makes a large batch, enough for multiple meals. Great to share with others!

Update April 2023: For an alternative recipe that is easy to make and equally as good see this YouTube video How to Make Award-Winning New England Clam Chowder – YouTube

Brown Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix the lard/shortening, brown sugar, eggs, milk, baking soda, and salt together . Add flour and stir until combined add dates and walnuts. Chill 1/2 hour. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until light browned.

Pork Rolls

Thin slices of pork, salted. (beef can be substituted here)

Filling:

1 lb of ground pork (traditionally pork fat is used so a high fat grind is best)

Parsley a large amount. (Spinach can be used as well)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt, Pepper

Combine ingredients to ground pork and then spread onto thin pork slices. Roll pork slices, seal with tooth pick and fry until done.

Broccoli Casserole

2 packs of frozen chopped broccoli or 2 bunches of fresh broccoli chopped, cooked and drained.

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

1 can golden mushroom soup

2 eggs, well beaten

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbsp of poultry seasoning

Combine soup, mayonnaise, eggs, onion, and add to cooked broccoli. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with the cheese. Combine melted butter with seasoned bread crumbs and put on top of the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

Pasta with Pesto and Sausage

For the pesto: ( Inspired by Marcella Hazan )

In a food processor add 2 cups tightly packed fresh Basil leaves

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tbls of Blanched Almonds ( Pine Nuts are traditional)

2 roasted garlic cloves (raw garlic is traditional)

1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tbls of butter softened to room temp.

Salt ( optional as the cheese is salty)

Blend until mixture resembles smooth paste.

This can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, however it must be a room temperature when added to the pasta.

For the pasta:

Sautee one Italian ( I prefer sweet) sausage for each person, casing removed and crumbled until browned. Add cooked pasta and combine. Add pesto and combine. Serve immediately.

Bar-B Barn Sauce

The Bar-B-Barn is a legendary Rib Joint in Montreal. This my take on their Sauce.

I Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Apple Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

3 Tsp Lemon Juice

1/4 Tsp Salt ( or smoked salt )

1/4 Tsp Pepper

1/4 Tsp Garlic powder

1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp Liquid Smoke

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and heat until combined and brown sugar dissolved stirring frequently. Let cool and refrigerate. Use on spare ribs.

Curry Wurst Sauce


1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp yellow curry powder + more for dusting
1 cup organic ketchup

1/2 cup apple sauce
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard powder 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a deep sauce pan heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and saute the diced onion for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
  2. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and curry powder, stir and cook for another minute.
  3. Add the ketchup, stir and cook until it is heated through and gently simmers. Use a splatter guard to minimize mess from the simmering sauce.
  4. Add the apple sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic,salt, paprika and mustard. Mix well and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.
  5. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients. Alternatively transfer to a blender. The curry ketchup should be quite thick.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Chickpeas

In this recipe the Chickpeas are optional. It was adapted from a recipe by Paul Prudhomme.

Ingredients

  • Eight pieces boneless chicken (preferably thighs)
  • 1 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
  • 1 1/2 c.  chickpeas
  • One large onion
  • 5 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 3 1/2 c. cups chicken stock

Seasoning mix   ( This mix can be used as a standard Chicken spice)

  • 1 tbsp. dried sweet basil
  • 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
  • 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 3/4 tsp. white pepper
  • 2 tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  •   1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle all surfaces of the chicken with 2 tbsp. of the seasoning mix and rub it in well.  Place pieces of chicken in a  deep frying pan and cook until they are brown on all sides.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the smaller pieces of chicken to the pan.  Place them around the perimeter of the pan, leaving the center open.  Add the  onions and all the chickpeas to the center of the pan, letting them cook while you brown the smaller pieces of chicken on both sides.  When the small pieces are brown remove them and set them aside.

Return the heat to high and add 2 c. of the mushrooms and 1/2 c. stock, scrape the bottom clear and cook ten to twelve minutes.  Add the remaining seasoning mix, onions, stock, and mushrooms, the garlic and chicken and cook until the chicken is completely done approximately 20 minutes.

When the chicken is done thicken the juice in the pan to make a light gravy.