Seared Rainbow Chard

I was having braised lamb chops today and I wanted a vegetable to pair with them that was green. Not the usual broccoli, asparagus and blah blah. As I'm out shopping walking through the produce section I came across the beautiful rainbow chard. When I seen all those beautiful colors I just had to have them. So here we go!!


Ingredients:

2- bunches rainbow chard or red and green Swiss chard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion 1/4-inch diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 slices of turkey bacon or your choice
3 large garlic bulbs minced

Preparation

Cut stems from chard, then cut stems crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.  Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders.  Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch strips of leaves.

Next cook your bacon and save the drippings for flavorings .

In the same skillet as the bacon was cooked in with bacon drippings add the butter and olive oil over moderately high heat, saute chard stems, garlic and onion.  Season with salt and pepper stirring occasionally until soft 4 to 5 minutes

Add the chard leaves and continue to saute, stirring frequently until wilted.

Enjoy!!!

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Black eyed peas Simply DT

Family and food goes hand and hand.  Its the love and the passion that has the connection. I mentioned before that I will feature inspired chefs.  Well lets welcome Simply DT and his show piece, Black Eyed Peas. These are best black eyed peas I have ever had!  No lie!  I dont even like them but his I will definitely eat.  Simply DT the kitchen is all yours!  Welll... here we go!
Ingredients
       1lb black-eyed-peas
       2 turkey tails or any smoked meat
       6 cups of water
       andouille sausage    
       seasoning of your choice
Alright this Simply DT's black-eyed-peas.
Step 1. black-eyed-peas 1lb rinse

Step 2. boil turkey tails or any smoked meats boil until water is flavored

Step 3. once water is flavored with meats and seasonings of your choice add peas.
Step 4. cut andouille sausage

Step 5. boil beans for an hour and a half add sausage and seasoning blend.
Step 6. cook peas for another hour.
Step 7. dig in and enjoy Simply DT's black-eyed-peas

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Steak with a stout reduction sauce

Well food is #1 in my foodietopia world.  Microcraft beer is #2 by far.  Today's recipe features a Guinness extra stout reduction sauce.  Fellas, if you want to impress your girl and cook her a good meal check this out. New York strip steak with extra stout reduction pan sauce, baby red ranch potatoes and bacon wrapped asparagus.  Welll here we go!!
Ingredients: 
    1 new york strip steak
    5 tsp stone ground mustard
    2 tsp olive oil
    1 Tbl butter room temp
    2 tsp all purpose flour
    3 garlic cloves diced fine
    1 shallot finely chopped
    1/2 cup beef broth
    1/2 cup extra stout beer (Guinness)
    1/2 Tbl packed brown sugar
    1 Tbl soy sauce
    6 small baby reds quartered
    1 Tbl ranch dressing seasoning
    1 tsp mice garlic
     chopped chives
     salt pepper
     8 asparagus stalks cut in half ( wooden skewers cut in half)
     2 to 4 bacon slabs
Spread 1 teaspoon mustard over steaks; sprinkle with Montreal seasoning.  Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick pan skillet over medium high heat.  Cook about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Transfer to cutting board and let it rest.  Cut across the grain at an angle into thin slices and place on plate.

Take the asparagus and put on skewers, and then wrap with bacon and season with black pepper.  Cook on each side till bacon is nice and crisp.

Take baby reds and wash and cut in half, then quarters.  Place in a pot with 2 Tbl of olive oil and boil till soft, try not to over cook.

When done take the ranch dressing seasoning, salt, pepper, 1/4 stick of butter, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss in bowl and garnish with chopped chives

Mash butter and flour in a small bowl; set aside.  Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium.  Add garlic and shallots;  saute 1 minute.  Add beef broth, and bring to a boil.  Whisk in stout, brown sugar, soy sauce, 3 teaspoons of the mustard, and butter mixture. Boil until it reduces, about to 2 to 3 minutes.

Now put your plate together nice and neat garnish and enjoy with your girl!

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Arugula Marinated Artichoke Salad

Well here we go! I chose this salad because I had marinated artichoke hearts in the frig that I needed to use.  But I also chose this salad because it is perfect on a hot day when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven and heat up the house even more.  The dressing is a salty tangy vinaigrette using pesto I already had in the refrigerator.  You can of course make your own pesto should you have the ingredients, but one of the best things I like about this salad is that it is a good way to use up ingredients that you might have just lying around because its really the dressing that makes this salad.  And if you want to be really unique, like me, instead of just placing the vegetables on top of the salad, mix them in the dressing prior to putting them on the arugula to really give them that added flavor. You can use this salad as a complimentary side to your main meal, or make this the main meal by added some grilled chicken marinated in the dressing, or any other meat or vegetable you might have on hand.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
                  4 oz of arugula
                  1/2 tomato
                  1/2 onion             
                  2 oz marinated artichoke hearts
                  2 Tbs pesto sauce
                  1 oz red wine vinegar
                  1 tsp minced garlic  
                  salt and pepper        
                                              
To make the dressing :
          Take the pesto sauce, red wine vinegar and minced garlic and combine it in small bowl and whisk it together.

For the salad:
          Next slice the onions.  Cut the tomatoes in wedges, and then quarter the wedges.  Chop the marinated artichokes.  Place arugula in a bowl and pour the dressing over the salad and mix together making sure the is arugula well coated.  Then take the arugula and divide it into two serving bowls.  Next take the onions and tomatoes and artichokes and place them in the same bowl the arugula was in, season with salt and pepper and toss.  Place on top of arugula in serving bowl and enjoy.

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