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Archive for February, 2011

Roasted Pork Loin with Spaetzle

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Every year for Tom’s Birthday or when my Dad comes in to town my we end up at local German restaurant. Why do I may mention Tom’s Birthday now since his in October? It is because this week is all about celebrations. Well at least today and Wednesday will definitely be because, Wednesday is the 1 year anniversary of Great Eats with Petes. To celebrate I wanted to share with you a recipe we usually have to celebrate a time in our life.

I also have the pleasure of having my little sister from my sorority currently living in Germany. She was being an awesome little sister when she brought me back some spaetzle from Germany on one of her recent trips back to the states. So I decided to make one of those classic German recipes that we get at our local restaurant. The spaetzle was different then what I make from scratch but just as good. So I say give German food a try and try out this yummy recipe. Enjoy!

Olive Oil

2 pound boneless pork loin

Salt

Pepper

6 slices of bacon

1 Onion thinly sliced

1 tablespoon of water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat approx 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan large enough to fit the pork loin. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper. Sear the pork loin on all sides, until each side is golden brown. Place in oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the pork reaches and internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Make the spatezle from scratch or boil according to the directions on the bag. Meanwhile, slice the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Fry up the bacon until crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Leave approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan and discard any extra bacon grease. Add onions to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium low heat until the onions are translucent. Add in a tablespoon of water and allow to evaporate. Add cooked spatezle to the pan and the bacon. Mix to combine.

Slice up the pork and serve with the spaetzle. Enjoy!

Tags: bacon, boneless pork loin, dinner, entree, german, onions, pork, pork loin, roasted pork loin, spaetzle
Posted in Recipes | 4 Comments »

Mini Calzones

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

You are probably all wondering where I have been for the past week. Well, I was busy eating my way through New Orleans with an amazing group of friends. I can’t wait to share my experience there with all of you but first I have to make my through all the pictures I took.

Now that I am back I want to share some other recipes with you so here is a great snack or appetizer for a large group of people. A couple of weeks ago I was going on a cheese binge. I love cheese and by love I mean really love. My favorite cheese is ricotta cheese. I even, on occasion make my own ricotta cheese. I also love calzones but can’t always get a good one. I was having people over and since I was on a cheese binge I decided to make these great little fingers foods. They are versatile and you can really play around with the fillings. I made some plain, some with sausage and some with pepperoni but you can put in it whatever toppings you hear desires. Get creative and enjoy!

1 round of pizza dough, homemade or store bought

Flour for dusting

2 cups of ricotta cheese

1 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup grated cheese, I use Pecorino Romano

Salt

Pepper

Your favorite toppings i.e. sausage and pepperoni

1 egg, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Dust the pizza round with the flour. Cut in half and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch. Cut out rounds of the dough using a large round cookie cutter. Repeat with second half.

In a large bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella and grated cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then mix to combine.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush a piece of the cut out pizza dough with the egg wash. In the center of the round place 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta. Place your favorite topping on top of the ricotta. Pull over the top half of the round towards the bottom forming a crescent shape. Using a fork close the edges of the calzone. Brush with egg wash. Repeat for the rest of the rounds and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden brown. Serve with some tomato sauce and Enjoy!

Tags: appetizer, calzone, cheese, pepperoni, ricotta, sauce, sausage, snack
Posted in Recipes | 6 Comments »

Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Buttercream

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I have be racking my brain to figure out the perfect dessert recipe to share with all of you. I finally remembered I made this cake and buttercream many moons ago and never posted it. I made this originally back in May. That was pre new Digital Rebel, macro lens, flash, alien bee and Wilton Cake Decorating Classes. If my Wilton Instructor saw this cake I think she would faint. I promise I have gotten much better at icing a cake and decorating a cake. I think part of the reason why I didn’t share this with you all sooner was because I did an awful job of icing this cake. The icing was too soft and that is because the butter was not a room temperature so make sure yours is. Other than that the cake tasted great. One can’t go wrong with chocolate and strawberries for Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!

For the Chocolate Cake

1 stick butter, softened (plus more for greasing)

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

4 oz chocolate

2 eggs

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup brewed hot coffee

For the Strawberry Buttercream

1 stick butter at room temperature

1/2 pint strawberries (1 cup pureed)

1 pound confectioners sugar

If you want to frost the whole cake you will need to double this recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 2 8 inch cake pans with butter. Cut two rounds of parchment paper and place in pans. Butter the parchment paper and sides of cake pan. Dust with flour and set aside.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Over a large bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it becomes pale yellow. Add in the eggs and mix to combine. Then add in the vanilla and chocolate, mix to combine.

Next add in the flour and milk alternating between the two. Remember to scrap down the sides. Finally add in the coffee. Mix to combine.

Pour half the batter into one prepared pan and the other half of the batter into the second pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake is cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling racks. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cakes.

While the cakes are cooling make the buttercream. Remove the stems from the strawberries and cut in half. In a food processor puree the strawberries together.

In a stand mixed mixer together the butter and the powdered sugar. Once combined and fluffy add in strawberry puree. If it is too loose add in more confectioners sugar.

To ice the cake place one the cakes on a decorating turntable or plate lined with parchment paper squares (only on the edges so they can be removed when done). Since I started Wilton classes I now know that you should cut your cakes so they are flat. On the top of that cake place some buttercream as a filling for your cake. Top with the second layer. Now ice the cake with remaining buttercream. Remove the parchment paper and your cake will be all ready!

Cut and Enjoy!

Tags: buttercream, cake, chocolate cake, dessert, strawberries, strawberry, strawberry buttercream, valentine's day
Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Valentine’s Day ( and our anniversary) is quickly approaching and I wanted to share a recipe with you that coupled ingredients together beautifully. I came up with this Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan. I love eggplant. Tom, however does not. He can’t figure out why but he just doesn’t like it. That is until now. Since I fried it, covered it in sauce, cheese and coupled it with something that he did like (chicken Parmesan), he now enjoys it. You can’t go wrong with pairing together two Italian favorites — chicken and eggplant Parmesan. It is easy to do, just a little time consuming if you don’t use a big enough pan. Next time I make this I will use my electric skillet so I can brown the chicken and eggplant quicker. Another short cut is to use, dare I say it, jarred sauce. I hope you make this for your loved one. Enjoy!

1 large eggplant, peeled

Salt

1 lb chicken cutlets (or chicken breasts sliced thin)

Pepper

4 eggs

2 tablespoons water

3 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated cheese (I use Pecorino Romano) plus more for garnishing

Olive Oil (you will need to keep adding it to the pan)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

28 oz tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice eggplant into thick slices lengthwise (not rounds). Season with salt. Place in a colander or on a cooling rack. This draws the excess moisture out the eggplant. Let sit for 30-60 minutes. You will see water come to the surface. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Season eggplant slices with pepper. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a bowl or a deep dish mix the eggs with water. In a second bowl or deep dish mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs. Dip the chicken in the egg, coating both sides. Then dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs, coating on both sides. Do the same with the eggplant.

Heat garlic and enough olive oil in a large pan so that it covers the bottom. Add in chicken and brown on both sides. Set to aside. Do the same with the eggplant.

Layer a 9 x 13 inch pan with some sauce. Next layer the chicken cutlets. Add more sauce over the chicken. Then sprinkle with some grated and mozzarella cheese. Next layer the eggplant over the chicken cutlets. Add sauce, grated cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.