Category: Dave’s Blog

Sometimes, all you need for dinner is bread.

Tomato Bruschetta With Prosciutto

16 thin slices of prosciutto

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided

10 fresh sweet basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 large tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

1 large baguette

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On parchment paper-lined baking sheet, lay prosciutto ¼ inch apart and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer crispy prosciutto to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 clove minced garlic, basil, half the olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Warm remaining olive oil in small skillet on medium-low heat. Add leftover minced garlic to warmed olive oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t burn the garlic, it’ll turn bitter. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice baguette on the bias and place slices on baking sheet. Drizzle each slice with olive oil-garlic mixture. Place tray in oven and toast for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Flip baguette slices and transfer to serving platter. Top with tomato mixture and prosciutto. Serve immediately while warm.

You can add all kinds of fun stuff to this, figs or fig jam, olives, goat cheese or ricotta, arugula, etc. Go crazy!

Cajun Shrimp & Pasta with Sausage

2 lbs. med-large shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

4 tablespoons Olive oil

12-16 oz smoked sausage (thinly sliced)

1 lb. fettuccine, or your favorite pasta

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced into half-moons

2 red bell peppers (thinly sliced)

8 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

6 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 cup crushed tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

1 ⅓ cups Grated Parmesan

2 tbsps parsley (chopped)

Cook shrimp

Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Oregano, and coat well. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil.

Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Flip shrimp over and cook another minute or two. Then remove to a plate and set aside. Drizzle pan with a little more olive oil, add sausage and brown until nicely caramelized, about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove to plate, set aside. The same skillet will be used for making sauce.

Boil pasta

Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain, but don’t rinse. Set aside.

Make sauce

Use the same skillet, now empty. Lower heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until onion and pepper have softened a bit, scraping up any browned bits that you can. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer a couple minutes.

Put it all together

Once simmering, add Parmesan and stir into sauce. When Parmesan is blended in, add cooked pasta, and sausage and stir to combine and heat through, 2 – 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and then lastly, add shrimp (to avoid over steaming it in sauce).

Garnish with chopped parsley.

Oven Braised Beer Brats with Caramelized Onions & Apples

6 bratwurst sausages

2 large yellow onions, sliced

2 apples (Honey-crisp or Gala), thinly sliced

1 bottle (12 oz) beer

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Whole grain mustard and rolls, for serving

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.

In a skillet, add olive oil over low-med heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in butter, brown sugar and apples; cook 4 more minutes.

Spread the onion-apple mixture in the foil-lined pan. Nestle bratwursts on top.

Pour beer evenly into the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, flipping brats once until browned and beer is mostly reduced.

Here’s a classic…on steroids! I call it…

French Onion Sloppy Jose Cansecoes

1 pound ground beef

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

4 hamburger buns

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Caramelize onions in olive oil over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Add ground beef, cook until browned.

Stir in garlic, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Simmer for 5-7 minutes until flavors meld.

Toast hamburger buns until golden.

Spoon beef mixture onto buns, top with Swiss cheese.

Optional: broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Happy Wing Wednesday!  

Easy Grilled Buffalo Wings  

1 1/2 cups hot sauce. I like Crystal or Frank’s.

1/2 cup buttermilk Hot wing rub (recipe follows)

3 pounds chicken wings, flats and drums separated, wing tips removed and discarded

Vegetable oil, for oiling the grill

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick),

melted Blue cheese dressing, for serving Celery sticks

Hot Wing Rub

1 T garlic powder

1 t cayenne

1/2 t ground mustard

3/4 t white pepper

3/4 t black pepper

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t dried oregano

1 T paprika

1 T kosher salt  

Place 1 cup of the hot sauce, the buttermilk, and hot wing rub in a large resealable plastic bag and stir to combine. Add the wings and seal the bag, pressing out any excess air. Turn the bag to coat the wings evenly. Let marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. Heat an outdoor grill to medium high. When the grill is ready, use tongs to rub the grate with several layers of paper towels dipped in vegetable oil. Remove the wings from the marinade, letting any excess drip off, and discard the marinade. Place the wings on the grate in a single layer, crowded so they are touching. This will steam them a bit and keep them moist. Cover the grill and cook, flipping the wings occasionally with tongs, until they’re no longer pink at the bone and the skin is slightly charred in spots, about 20 minutes total. Keep an eye on your wings. They’ll catch fire if you ignore them and that’s no Bueno. When the wings are almost ready, combine the remaining 1/2 cup hot sauce and the melted butter in a large stainless steel bowl and set aside. Add the cooked wings to the bowl and toss to coat. Put the sauced wings back on the grill and cook until crisp. Just a minute or two. Serve with the dip and celery sticks.  

Blue Cheese Dip

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons milk

4 ounces blue cheese

Crumbled Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste   In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice. Add in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until reaching desired consistency. Stir in the blue cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve.