Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 8 slices of prosciutto
• 8 slices swiss cheese
• 1 cup polenta
• 3-4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 4 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Polenta:

1. Bring milk and 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil and whisk in polenta.
2. Turn down to a simmer and whisk continuously to prevent burning.
3. Cook about 30 minutes stirring constantly, add water if the polenta gets dry.
4. When polenta is finished add cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pork chop:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice pork chop down the side making a pocket for the filling.
3. Stuff each pork chop with 2 slices of prosciutto and swiss cheese.
4. Season pork chop with salt and pepper and sear in a sauté pan over high heat on both side and place in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Podcast Video [ 7:31 ] Download

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes lasagna pasta

Vegetables:

• 1 med eggplant
• 1 med yellow squash
• 1 med green zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper

Cheese Filling:

• 1 large bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 large container of ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• dry parsley

Tomato Sauce:

• See previous “Meatballs and Tomato Sauce” Episode

Method:

Pasta:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add all of the pasta, be sure to stir the pasta to keep it from sticking to one another.
2. When pasta is cooked to al-dente strain some of the water out and add ice to the pot to cool down the pasta.
3. When the pasta is cooled strain and coat with some vegetable oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
4. Place the pasta to the side for later use.

Vegetables:

1. Slice all of the vegetables on a bias about 1/4 inch thick, drizzle with salt and pepper and grill.
2. Be careful not to over cook the vegetables since you will be cooking them in the oven later.

Cheese Filling:

1. In a mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg and dry parsley for color and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix well and set aside.

Putting it all together:

1. Cover the bottom of a large baking pan with tomato sauce, then layer the lasagna pasta, ricotta cheese, grilled vegetables finally the mozzarella cheese.
2. Repeat layering until pan is full.
3. Cover the top of your dish with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes or until hot in the center.
5. When lasagna is almost done remove foil to make cheese on top crispy.

Podcast Video [ 9:52 ] Download

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small onion minced
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Sauce:

• 1 large can tomato puree
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 large onion minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped

Method:

Meatballs:

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, season with salt and pepper.
2. Roll meatballs into desired size, about 1inch in diameter, and set aside.

Sauce:

1. In a large saucepot saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
2. Add the tomato puree and sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer.
3. If the sauce seems thick add a little water, this will help the sauce from burning as well.
4. Mix in the sugar and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add all of the herbs.
6. Now add in the meatballs being careful not to break them up as you put them in.
7. Turn down the heat so as not to burn the sauce, stir occasionally and let cook for about an hour, or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
8. Serve warm.

Podcast Video [ 7:04 ] Download

Ingredients:

Crepes:

• 4 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 pinch salt

Cheese Blintz:

• 8oz farmers cheese
• 8oz cream cheese
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/4tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Sauce:

• 2 baskets fresh strawberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

Suzette:

• 6 oranges
• 1/2 gallon orange juice
• 1 small bottle grand marnier
• 1/2 cup butter

Method:

Crepes:

1. In a blender mix eggs, milk, flour and salt. Be sure to scrape down the sides to incorporate all of the flour.
2. Set aside and let rest for 30 minutes. After rested whisk in melted butter.
3. To cook the crepes coat a warm non-stick pan with cooking spray, and cover your pan with a thin layer of crepe mix.
4. Cook over medium heat till lightly browned, about 30-45 seconds flip crepe over and finish cooking other side about another 30-45 seconds.
5. Place cooked crepes on a plate and stack crepes on top of one another till all crepes are cooked. Reserve till ready to eat.

Cheese Blintz:

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment mix all ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning if needed to your liking.
2. Put mix aside until ready for use.

Strawberry Sauce:

1. Remove stem from strawberries and coarsely chop, place in a medium saucepot with orange juice and sugar.
2. Cook for about 20-25 minutes on medium to low heat, sauce should be thick and chunky.

Putting the crepes together:

1. Fill one crepe at a time with some of the cheese mixture and fold in half and in half again.
2. After all crepes are filled, place on a cookie sheet and place in a 300-degree oven just to warm about 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove from oven cover with sauce and serve.

Crepe Suzette:

1. Cut oranges into segments removing the skin and all of the white part.
2. Place about 6 orange segments into a crepe and fold into ¼’s.
3. In a sauté pan add 1Tbsp butter and ¼ cup orange juice bring to a boil and add the filled crepe.
4. Cook until most of liquid is gone then add 1oz of grand marnier.
5. Continue cooking to cook out the alcohol, take off the heat and serve immediately.

Podcast Video [ 9:23 ] Download