Turkey Meatloaf with Feta & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

  

 
Meatloaf is an ultimate comfort food, especially with mashed potatoes and gravy.  In that way, it can be a heavy, rib-sticking meal.  It doesn't have to be that way with a turkey meatloaf.  However, new recipes are needed to make turkey meatloaf interesting.  Many times that means additional herbs.  This recipe from Giada's Giada at Home uses sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese to impart a tangy brightness to the meat loaf.  The result is a healthier meatloaf that can fit into a spring or summer meal both in color and taste.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup flat parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey meat
    
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, eggs, olive oil, feta, salt and pepper.  Add the turkey and combine, ideally mixing with your hands.  Form the mixture into a ball-loaf and put in a loaf pan or on a cookie sheet with sides.  Bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F, or approximately 45 minutes.  Slice and serve.
   

Sicilian Tuna Steak with Orange and Capers

    

  
Spring and summer cooking to me mean fresh and light.  Spring conjures up our first vegetables of the season: asparagus and peas for example.  Summer has its traditional vegetables, but it also means citrus flavors: lemon, lime and orange.  A citrus salsa is a great way to brighten up a fish dish.  An alternative is to work the citrus flavor into the sauce.  A recipe with this theme recently appeared in the Food section of the local paper.  It combined the citrus of summer with the Sicilian themes of tuna, onions and capers.  I also used a portion of the sauce to infuse couscous I paired with the dish, mixing some in when the fish was done.  The original recipe also called for adding 4 anchovy filets.  I intended to, but found the cupboard bare of anchovies when I went to make this dish.  The anchovies will impart a savory flavor to the dish.  I'm sure it would be good that way, but it was certainly wonderful without when I went ahead with the rest of the recipe.  Softening the shallots first helped mellow the orange flavor so that it wasn't too acidic.  Best of all, this dish was done in about 15 minutes.  Take that 30 minute meals!  Serves 2.
     
Ingredients:
2 tbsp pistachios, pine nuts or almonds
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp golden raisins
1/2 cup couscous
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tuna steaks
salt/pepper
2 shallots, sliced 
1 tbsp capers
juice of 2 oranges
     
Directions:
Warm a small pan over medium heat and toast the nuts until golden, taking care to watch and not allow to burn.  Add the chicken stock and raisins and bring to a boil.  Add the couscous, stir, cover and turn off the heat.  Heat the oil in a medium saute pan and season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot, add the steaks and brown on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side.  Remove the steaks to a plate, cover and turn the heat down to low.  Add the shallots and soften for a few minutes.  Add the capers and orange juice and bring to a simmer.  Return the tuna steak to the sauce and turn to coat.  If a cooked through steak is desired, cover and simmer a few minutes.  If a rare steak is desired, remove the steaks to their serving plates and with a slotted spoon top with the onions and capers.  Poor half of the sauce over the steaks and the other half into the couscous.  Stir/fluff the couscous with a fork spoon and out alongside the tuna.
     

Shepherd's Pie

  

  
Ahh, Shepherd's Pie, one of the more wonderful comfort foods.  I like comfort food anytime, but certain recipes take full advantage of holiday meal leftovers.  After Thanksgiving, I always make a Turkey Tetrazzini.  After Easter, I prepare a Shepherd's Pie with leftover lamb.  The recipe is quite simple: soften a mirepoix combination of celery, carrots and onion, add the meat, herbs and flour and stock for a gravy and top with mashed potatoes.  The potatoes can cook while you're softening the vegetables and rebrowning the meat.  That means the whole dish can be prepared in 45 minutes.  If you don't have leftover lamb, you can also make this dish with ground beef.  While that stops being a traditional Shepherd's Pie, you should always make a recipe the way you like it.  Consider also adding peas, tomatoes or corn to the vegetables and Worcesteshire sauce to the gravy.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 lbs cooked lamb, diced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
3 tbsp buttter, melted
2 tbsp milk, warmed
     
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a medium pot of cold water, heat the potatoes over high heat until boiling and then simmer for 12 minutes or until soft.  While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, 5 minutes.  Stir in the thyme, rosemary and lamb.  Cook the lamb a few minutes to brown.  Stir in the flour and cook a minute further.  Stir in the beef stock and bring to a simmer, stirring to make the gravy.  When the potatoes are cooked, drain and run through a ricer if desired.  Mix in a bowl the potatoes, 2 tbsp of butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste.  Add more warmed butter and milk if needed to further soften the mashed potatoes.  Pour the lamb mixture into a baking dish.  Spread the mashed potatoes into a layer over the lamb mixture.  Arrange the remaining butter on top of the potatoes to help them brown.  Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, until the potatoes are golden.  Serve.
     

Zarzuela de Mariscos (Spanish Seafood Stew)

  

    
Tradition says that a good bouillabaisse have at least five kinds of fish.  In Marseille, they might use seven kinds of fish, not including shellfish.  Regardless, a seafood stew is a good way to clean out the odds and ends of fish you might have in your freezer.  Of course, fresh fish is always the best ingredient in any dish, but how many of us live next to the dock or will visit the fish counter except on special occasions.  The next best thing is fish that is flash frozen on the ship within minutes of catch.  I buy individually frozen fish filets and steaks both for their quality, but more importantly because they will keep and be on hand any evening I feel like fish.  To that end, I try to stay stocked with mahi-mahi, tuna, swordfish, cod, tilapia and shrimp, taking advantage of supermarket sales that come along to stock up.  But, unlike lost socks that have lost their mate, lonely pieces of fish can still fund their way into a meal through a dish like seafood stew.  Last night, I chose a Spanish recipe.  Like French bouillabaisse, it relies on a base of fish stock, saffron, spices and aromatics.  However, many Spanish recipes add white wine, which is not so common surprisingly in French seafood recipes.  They also use ground almonds as a thickener.  This combined with a little paprika and red bell pepper give an Iberian feel to this dish.  When I made this dish, I added a potato, which the Spaniards might not do, although they and the Portugese do love their potatoes on the side of most dishes.  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red or orange bell pepper, julienned
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, diced
1 pinch saffron
1 cup dry white wine
1 can basic tomato sauce
1 cup fish stock
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 swordfish steak, cubed
1 tilapia filet, cubed
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled
salt/pepper
2 tbsp parley, chopped
     
Directions:
In a medium sized pot, heat oil and then soften onion and bell pepper, about 5 minutes.  Add paprika, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic and saffron and saute for 1 minute to release some of their flavors. Add the white wine and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes.  Add the fish stock, potato and almonds and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the fish, cover and simmer another 5 minutes.  Add the shrimp and simmer a remaining few minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve and sprinkle with parsley.
     

Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese

    

    
This is the second of promised smoky fall-like recipes I've done this spring.  Really, it's greatness comes from roasting, not smoking.  Roasting is one of my favorite preparations, imparting that caramelized taste I think we are genetically predisposed to like.  This recipe, courtesy of Giada De Laurentis, is sublime in so many additional ways through its combination of flavors and textures.  The roasting of the butternut squash is wonderful.  However, roasting of the onions as well brings out their sweetness.  The parmesan cheese added at the end imparts a salty, nuttiness.  The goat cheese gives a nice tang, and the walnuts a crunch.  The basil provides a freshness and the entire dish is surprisingly light.  As complex as this dish is, it is also very easy to prepare.  As you can see, it's wonderful even outside of the fall time.  Serves 4.
    
Ingredients:
Vegetable or cooking spray
1 smallish butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 onion, diced
olive oil
salt/pepper
1/2 lb penne pasta
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled or cubed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
    
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the squash and onions out on the tray.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 40 minutes until the squash is golden and cooked through.  Meanwhile, after 1/2 an hour of roasting time, boil salted water in a medium pot and cook pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium heat, brown the walnuts taking care not to burn.  Drain the pasta while reserving a cup of pasta cooking water.  In a bowl, add the pasta and stir in the squash, onions, goat cheese, walnuts, and basil.  Mix together, turning over to coat.  Add some of the reserved cooking water if needed to help form a creamy melted sauce.  Sprinkle grated parmesan over top and serve.
     

Chorizo and Shrimp Soup

  

  
I am in a smoky mood.  I don't know if that's true or not, but my next two recipes do contain that smoky roasted flavor.  I don't even really like smoky food, but I do very much like Chorizo. For me, this recipe conjures flavors of Spain with its chorizo and seafood.  I had half a link of chorizo in the fridge, which I decided to use up in this recipe.  Sometimes that's the way it goes.  It may be spring and time for peas and asparagus, but your fridge says time to get rid of that item before it's really gone.  I always keep frozen shrimp and recommend you do too.  With all of these ingredients already in your pantry, this fast and easy recipe from Food & Wine makes a great meal any day of the week or time of the year.  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled with shells reserved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces dry chorizo, peeled and cubed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 can 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp corn starch mixed with 1 tsp water
salt/pepper
    
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, simmer the shrimp shells in the chicken broth, covered, for 10 minutes.  Strain the broth and discard the shells.  In a soup pot, heat the oil and cook the chorizo over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove the chorizo to a plate.  To the pot, add the onion, paprika and garlic cooking until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook a few minutes.  Return the chorizo and add the broth.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir in the corn starch mixture and simmer to thicken.  Add more starch/water in the same proportion if desired to thicken further.  Add the shrimp and cook a few minutes more until the shrimp just turn pink.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.