The Blue Butterfly: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery
Page 13
4 sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and chopped
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (Food divas all say to use freshly grated. I fudge here and often use cheese I’ve bought that’s already grated.)
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Grated Parmesan cheese to put on the table and let people help themselves.
Freshly ground pepper after plating
Directions:
Microwave the peppers about 3 minutes on medium. Cook the fettuccine according to the package direction in a large pot of boiling water. I like to put enough salt in it that it tastes like the ocean. After you put the pasta in the boiling water, cook the peppers, pea pods, onions, and shallots in butter in a large skillet until the peppers are tender. Remove the vegetables from the skillet.
Add the wine or chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the catfish. Return the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 3 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally. Add the tomatoes and return the vegetables to the skillet, tossing to coat.
Place the cooked fettuccine in a large serving bowl. Add the catfish mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and dill. Stir to mix. Serve with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Enjoy!
CHOCOLATE FILLING OR FROSTING
(Had to put this in, because it brings back wonderful memories of making it with my grandmother when I was a child)
Ingredients:
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels (Might want to get two bags if you’re like me and find that you eat as many as you put in the recipe!)
3 tbsp. hot water
4 eggs, separate yolks and whites (Some people are brilliant at breaking an egg in half and going back and forth between the two halves until only the yolk is left. I’m not. I use a plastic egg separator I’ve had forever.)
½ pint of heavy cream, whipped (Before you whip the cream, put the bowl and the beaters in the freezer. Takes a lot less time when you do this.)
Directions:
Melt the chocolate morsels in the hot water over a very low heat. Remove the pan from the stove and beat the chocolate mixture for 1 minute. Let it cool. Beat the egg whites until they get to a stiff peak stage. (What I do is put another pan and the clean beaters in the freezer while the chocolate mixture is cooling.) Add the egg yolks to the chocolate mixture, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Slowly add the beaten egg whites and then lastly add the whipped cream. Refrigerate until chilled. Enjoy!
NOTE: My grandmother split a white or vanilla cake into two layers and used this both as the filling and the frosting. When I’m running short on time, I’ve also been known to buy a pound cake r angel food cake, split it in half and use the mixture as the filling and frosting. Trust me, this is really good!
ERICK’S SANTA FE BONELESS PORK LOIN
(My husband got this recipe from a friend he visited in Santa Fe and I fell in love with it!)
Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless pork loin
4 tbsp. cooking oil
½ cup raspberry chipotle sauce (I use the Robert Rothschild brand and get it at Costco. If you don’t have a Costco near you, you can buy it online.)
¼ cup barbecue seasoning rub (The one I use is a mixture of salt, sugar, paprika, garlic, & turmeric, and yes, I get it at Costco too, but others will work equally as well.)
Directions:
Using a sharp thin filleting knife, cut and peel off the thin outer membrane of the port loin. (It’s called silver skin and is quite tough.) Rub the barbecue seasoning mix into the pork loin on all 4 sides. Heat the oil on medium-high heat until it’s very hot. (Rather than burning your finger by testing it, just flick a drop of water into it. If it sizzles, it’s hot enough.) Sear the pork on all 4 sides for 1 minute per side. Remove it from pan. (When I’m entertaining, I do this several hours in advance. If you’re doing it ahead of time, after it’s cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Take it out of the refrigerator 1 hour before placing in oven.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the seared pork loin in a glass dish or ovenproof pan. Cook for 23 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 125 degrees. The last minute or so heat the chipotle sauce in a small cream pitcher in the microwave. To serve, slice the meat on the diagonal and put it on a plate. Drizzle the warm chipotle sauce over the pork. Place the pitcher on the table for additional sauce. Enjoy!
TWICE BAKED POTATOES
Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
4 tbsp. butter
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, chopped, green part only, and divided
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing
¼ cup milk
Directions:
Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork and microwave on a high setting for 12 minutes. Turn them every 4 minutes so they cook evenly. (Cooking time depends on the size of the potatoes, so if you’re using large ones, cook until they’re soft to the touch.) Fry the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove from frying pan and set aside. When you can handle the bacon you can either crumble it with your fingers or cut it into small pieces with a pair of scissors. (I’m a crumbler. My husband uses scissors. Both ways work equally well.)
Cool the potatoes for about 10 minutes. (If you go much longer than that, it’s hard to scoop out the insides.) Cut in half lengthwise and spoon out the potato flesh, leaving the skin intact. Place the potato flesh in a large bowl and add the sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, ½ cup cheese, ½ of the chopped green onions, the package of Ranch dressing, ½ of the crumbled bacon, and then slowly add the milk at the end. You may not need to use all of the milk. It depends on the texture of the mixture. You don’t want the mixture to be soupy.
Mash the mixture with a potato masher by hand until creamy and well-blended. (Don’t use an electric mixer, they’ll get mushy.) Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins. Top each one with the remaining bacon, cheese, and green onions. Press the topping down gently with fingers. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. (If the potato skins have separated, you can always fasten them back together with toothpicks. Just be sure and tell people about the toothpicks so no one gets hurt!) Enjoy!
NEOPOLITAN ICE CREAM WITH STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC SAUCE
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberry ice cream
1 pint green tea ice cream (if you can’t find it, substitute pistachio)
1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups strawberries (Remove the stems with a paring knife and quarter them.)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Directions:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer for about 15 minutes to soften it up. Line a 4” x 8” loaf pan with 2 pieces of plastic wrap, 1 going lengthwise, the other crosswise. Put it into the freezer while the ice cream softens.
Spoon out the green tea ice cream into the bottom of the loaf pan and spread it evenly with the back of the spoon. Make another layer with the strawberry ice cream and do the same with the vanilla. Close the plastic over the mixture in both direction and put the pan into the freezer for at least 3 hours before serving. Put serving plates in freezer.
Strawberry Balsamic Sauce Directions:
Put the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle the balsamic vinegar and sugar over them. Toss gently and marinate for 2-3 minutes.
When you’re ready to serve the dessert, remove the plates and the ice cream from the freezer. Unwrap it and put the ice cream on a cutting board. Run a knife under hot water for a moment and slice the ice cream into ¾” slices. Place a slice on a chilled plate and top with ¼ cup strawberry balsamic sauce. (This is really pretty when it’s served.) Enjoy!
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ABOUT DIANNE
Dianne lives in Huntington Beach, California, with her husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, ad her boxer dog, Kelly. Her passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever she a little free time, you can find her in the kitchen, playing with her dog in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book she’s reading.
Her other books are available below:
Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel
Amazon: Coyote in Provence
Amazon: Cornered Coyote
Amazon: Coyote Series
Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop
Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove
Amazon: White Cloud Retreat
Amazon: Marriage and Murder
Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6
Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District
Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy
Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold
Amazon: The Death Card
Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School
Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band
Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast
Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave
Amazon: Murder in Cuba
Please feel free to follow her on these social media sites:
Website: http://www.DianneHarman.com
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Email: dianne@dianneharman.com
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Blue Coyote Motel, an Amazon Kindle Best Seller, was a quarterfinalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and was also a Goodreads Psychological Thriller of the Month Book.