The Author Cooks: Mini frittatas with caramelized onions and bacon

If you've never made caramelized onions before, you haven't lived.  They're very easy to make, but they require time, so make sure you allow plenty of time for them to develop their sweet goodness.  You can also make the onions ahead of time and freeze for later use.

Basic caramelized onions:

1 large sweet onion (or more, if you want some leftovers)
2 tablespoons butter (or you can use slightly less olive oil)
salt
pepper
1-2 tsps. sugar (entirely optional)
water

1. Chop the onion into strips.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and saute until just soft and just beginning to change color.  Reduce heat to low.
3. Add salt, pepper, and sugar (if using), stir to combine, and cover the pan.  You may need to use a little water just to ensure the onions don't stick or fry.
4. Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour, until dark brown.  Stir occasionally.

Mini frittatas:

1 recipe caramelized onions
6 strips of bacon (use really high quality bacon--thick cut, applewood smoked is amazing)
1.5 cups shredded gruyère or Swiss cheese
8 eggs
1/2 cup cream (heavy or light) or milk

1. Prepare bacon and allow to cool slightly.  Crumble bacon.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Coat a muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Divide caramelized onions, bacon, and cheese amongst the 12 cups.
4. Whisk cream or milk and eggs together.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Pour egg mixture into muffin cups, filling to about 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set (poke a toothpick into one of the cups--if it comes out clean, they're done).  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cups to release the frittatas.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  They also make great leftovers.

The Author Cooks: Chicken packets, my new love

Lately, I've fallen in love with cooking chicken in packets.  If you're unfamiliar with this method, it's one of the easiest and tastiest methods for making chicken and fish, and it's open to endless possibilities.  You can use either parchment paper or foil to make the packets, but I've always used foil, so I'm not sure how the cooking temps and time vary when using parchment. 

All you need to do is take your roll of foil and cut off around 10-11 inches.  Spray the foil with nonstick spray and add your seasoned chicken or fish.  Load it up with some fruit and/or veggies, take the edges of the foil and fold them up to make a packet, and throw the packets on the grill or in your oven.  In about 20 minutes, you have dinner.

Here are two versions that I tested and of which my family approved:

Southwestern Packet

2 large bell peppers (I used red and orange, but any color will work), sliced in thin strips

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, sliced in thin strips

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Juice of 1/2 lime

1-2 tbsp chipotle extra virgin olive oil (or regular EVOO and some dried chipotle powder)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Mexican blend cheese

1. Preheat grill over medium high heat. 

2. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.  Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Mix well.

3. Place one 4 oz piece of chicken on foil coated with nonstick spray. (My chicken was one large breast, which I cut in half and then sliced horizontally, creating four thin pieces.)  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Spoon vegetable mixture over the chicken.

5. Top with cheese and fold edges of foil over the mixture to create a packet.  Repeat steps with the remaining chicken.

6.  Grill at around 350-375 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

7. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Tropical Packet

2 mangoes, cubed

1/2 fresh pineapple, cubed

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or leave the seeds in if you want extra heat)

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat grill over medium heat. 

2. Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.

3. Place one 4 oz piece of chicken on foil coated with nonstick spray.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Spoon fruit salsa over chicken and fold foil over mixture to create a packet.  Repeat steps with the remaining chicken.

5. Grill at around 350-375 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Serve with whole wheat couscous prepared with vegetable broth.

Bon appétit!

The Author Cooks: Pasta with tomato mascarpone sauce and bacon

Cooking is something I have only come to love over the past five or so years.  Before that, I could barely be bothered to open up one of those processed skillet deals that you fling in a pan and heat.  Now, I am passionate about trying as many new recipes as possible, using nothing but fresh ingredients.  Trust me, the end results taste far, far better than salty processed foods.  Occasionally, I even invent some of my own.  I have a particular fondness for pasta and risotto, but that's only natural seeing as how I'm half Sicilian!  This was tonight's dish, and my husband proclaimed it "best pasta sauce ever", so I guess it went over pretty well!

Pasta with tomato mascarpone sauce and bacon

Yield: Approximately six servings

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta (I prefer something shaped, like gemelli, but you can use whatever you like)
4 slices center-cut applewood smoked bacon, chopped (buy the best bacon you can--the flavor is worth it)
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste (I use the paste in tubes--you use what you need and put it back in the fridge--no waste!)
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
4 oz mascarpone cheese
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Put large pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Saute the bacon in a large skillet on medium high heat until bacon is crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate covered with paper towel.  Pour all but about a tablespoon of drippings from the pan.
3. Reduce heat to medium.  Add onion to drippings and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened.
4. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
5. Add white wine and saute until wine has almost evaporated, scraping to get any brown bits up from the bottom of the skillet.
6. Add tomato paste, stirring until well combined.
7. Add pasta to boiling water and cook per package directions.  Add tomatoes, juice and all, to skillet, along with oregano and basil.  Simmer briskly until liquid reduces and tomatoes begin to break down, around 8 minutes. 
8. Lower heat and stir in Parmesan and mascarpone until cheese melts.
9. Add salt and pepper to sauce to taste.  Drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing to coat.
10. Crumble bacon and stir into pasta and sauce mixture.

Bon appétit!