Grilled Eggplant Panini

Panini con Melanzane alla Griglia


A delicate round panini composed of homemade focaccia, grilled eggplant, soft mozzarella, prosciutto and fried sage leaves. All these flavors combined together spell, Italian.


Grilled Eggplant Panini
focaccia bread
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced
mozzarella, thinly sliced
prosciutto
sage leaves, chopped


Make focaccia bread and cut into small circles. Peel eggplant and slice to a 1/4 inch thickness, lay out on paper towels then cover with paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes, this takes out the bitterness. Brush both sides of eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper, grill. Flip over and place 1 slice of mozzarella and 1 slice of prosciutto on top of half the eggplant slices. Sandwich with the remaining eggplant slices. Make panini and top with chopped sage leaves.

Chef Chuck's Lemon Coconut Bars

A refreshing dessert with a buttery short bread crust and a bright lemony filling. Lightly dusted with coconut, gives these bars a little different texture. Always choose organic lemons that are firm.

Lemon Coconut Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

Filling 4 egg yolks
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
coconut

Beat butter and sugar till creamy, slowly add flour and salt, the dough is dry and crumbly. Press into an 8 inch pan covered with parchment paper and buttered. Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile make filling, in a mixer using the whisk attachment, beat yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Add flour, salt and milk. Pour over hot crust and bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour, put in refrigerator for 3 hours, cut and sprinkle coconut over top.

Chef Chuck's Shrimp Diavolo

Gamberi alla Diavola


A spicy hot shrimp recipe served over campanelle pasta ready in less then a half an hour. The fresh succulent shrimps released their wonderful flavor throughout the savory tomato based sauce.


Shrimp Diavolo
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons red hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large can tomato sauce, plus 14oz. can crushed tomato
1 tablespoon oregano
salt to taste
1 pound pasta
1 or 2 ladles of pasta water


Heat a large pot of water, salt well and cook pasta till al dente. Meanwhile in a large frying pan heat olive oil and saute onions about 5 minutes add pepper flakes. Then add roasted red peppers and garlic cook for 30 seconds or so, add tomatoes, oregano, and salt. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, add shrimp cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add cooked pasta to shrimp pan, ladle pasta water on top then toss. Drizzle olive oil over finished dish.

Chef Chuck's Holiday Roll

A holiday roll made with white sponge cake and a chocolate espresso whipped cream. A wonderful treat for the whole family to enjoy. Sprinkle white chocolate to create a snowy
feeling during this festive season.


Holiday Roll


Cake
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon crushed walnuts


Filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons espresso powder,
finely grinded


Ganache
1/2 cup chocolate
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter


white chocolate, grated for topping


Heat oven to 350, in a small bowl combine flour, sugar and cornstarch. In a separate bowl whisk eggs and honey add this to flour. Beat ingredients till smooth, spread in a 10 x 14 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle walnuts over dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or till golden brown. Dust a board or work space with powdered sugar and flip cake onto the sugar, let cool.
Prepare filling using a cold bowl, whip cream 1 minute then add sugar, cocoa and espresso powder, beat till firm peaks. Chill in refrigerator. When cake is cooled spread a thin layer of filling and begin rolling up using parchment paper to help to roll. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Melt chocolate, cream and butter in a double boiler. Place cake on a grill with a baking pan underneath and ladle melted chocolate over the log. Refrigerate again till chocolate hardens, grate white chocolate on top and enjoy!

Chef Chuck's Stuffed Pork Chops

Braciole di Maiale Farcito


A succulent pork chop with focaccia apple stuffing is a heart warming meal. Cooked to perfection this chop remains moist and tender. I brown the chop in butter and olive oil and transfer to a heated oven to finish the cooking.


Stuffed Pork Chops
2 pounds bone in pork chops
2 cups stuffing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste


Wash and make a cut to form a pocket in the pork chop. Bring chop to room temperature about 1 hour. Make your stuffing and gently place in pocket of chop. Heat frying pan add oil and butter and brown both sides of pork chop. Continue cooking in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160, I remove from oven at 155 because it still cooks when out of the oven. Let rest a few minutes and serve with a green vegetable.

Chef Chuck's Lemon Almond Sweet Pastry

Bensone alla Mandorla


A sweet pastry with crushed almonds gently rolled within the soft dough and a hint of fresh lemon is a wonderful dessert. The vanilla lemony icing enhances this pastry and adds a finishing touch to this sweet delight. Tasty anytime of the day with a cup of tea or coffee. Warm out of the oven and the melting icing dripping down I can hardly wait to taste.


Dough
2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
zest of 1 lemon


Filling
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups almonds chopped
1 tablespoon cinnamon
pinch of salt


Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg white for brushing


Heat milk until 105 degrees, in an electric mixer dissolve yeast in the warm milk until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups flour, butter, salt, sugar, egg, and lemon zest, mix using the dough hook until the dough comes together. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour if needed, the dough should form a ball. Turn it out on a floured board and knead until smooth,about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in the bowl and coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubles in size about 1 hour. Turn out dough onto a floured surface roll out to 12x18 inches. Spread the butter all over. In a small bowl mix the cinnamon, sugar, salt and almonds. Spread mixture over buttered dough, roll up gently and place the seam down. Place on a parchment lined baking pan. Using a sharp knife or scissors make cuts every inch cutting only three quarters of the way through. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Brush egg whites on dough. Bake at 375 degrees 20 to 35 minutes, till golden brown. Let cool on rack, when cooled drizzle icing all over the ring.

Chef Chuck's Chicken with Peppers

Pollo con Peperoni


A hearty chicken dinner the whole family will love. The smells are making my mouth water from the roasted peppers to the chicken and onions simmering in the pot. The chicken comes out moist, tender and flavorful. I made this dish with couscous, you can use rice or orzo. A classic Roman dish usually served with rustic bread.


Chicken with Peppers
1 1/2 pounds organic chicken breasts
2 bell peppers, roasted and sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole tomatoes,
cut in large slices
1 cup organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups couscous


Roast peppers over open flame till charred, place in a brown bag for 15 minutes, then peel remove seeds and slice. Wash chicken, cut in large pieces, cover with wrap and pound. Salt and pepper the chicken and toss in a bowl with flour. Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot brown chicken pieces on both sides. Add garlic, peppers, onions and celery. Pour in tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.