June 18: Turkey Cutlets with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Balsamic Vinegar

2 teaspoons dried sage
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
   Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds turkey breast cutlets
6 slices pancetta, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pints Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a shallow dish, combine the sage, half of the parsley, the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey cutlets, coat thoroughly, and marinate for 5 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes.

Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the sliced Brussels sprouts, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, and the balsamic vinegar, stir to combine, and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender.

While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the turkey cutlets and brown on each side.

Transfer the cutlets to a shallow baking dish and add 1 cup of the chicken stock to keep the meat moist.

Transfer the cutlets to the oven, loosely tented with foil, for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. To the skillet that you browned the cutlets in, add the butter and melt it over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock and allow it to thicken up, 3 to 4 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and finish with the remaining parsley.

Serve the turkey cutlets with the gravy and the sauteed Brussels sprouts.

4 SERVINGS

This meal was much better than I thought it would be. The turkey was actually moist and flavorful, and the Brussels sprouts were very tasty. They had a slight bitter aftertaste, but they were indeed the best Brussels sprouts I've ever had (that's not saying much, though :). I did undercook the turkey on accident (I forgot to set the timer). I had to put my piece (it was the thickest) in the microwave, which did dry it out, but that was my own fault. Also, I have no idea why, but I couldn't get the gravy to thicken. Any thoughts? It still tasted good.

I changed the 10 thinly sliced fresh sage leaves to 2 teaspoons dried sage. That's the only thing I changed about this recipe.

June 19: Creamy Broccoli Soup with Cheddar and Chive Toast

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
   A couple of dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped broccoli, defrosted
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
8 slices baguette
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
   Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the crispy bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender.

Add the broccoli and continue to cook until the broccoli is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the onions and broccoli to a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and puree until smooth.

Add the pureed broccoli back to the soup pot and stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the cream, bring up to a simmer, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, toast the baguette slices until golden brown in the broiler or toaster oven. In a bowl, mix the Cheddar with the reserved crispy bacon and the chives. Once the toast is nice and golden, sprinkle the bacon-Cheddar mixture over the bread and return to the broiler or toaster oven to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

To finish the soup, add the lemon zest and juice, stir to combine, and transfer the soup to serving bowls. Float 2 Parmesan toasts on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.

4 SERVINGS

I made this meal today for the potluck at church. Instead of making the toasts, I ended up putting the bacon and the Cheddar into the soup. It tasted great, but didn't look very good, so it didn't go over very well.

You don't need to cook bacon in 2 tablespoons of oil, so I changed it to 1 teaspoon. I changed the fresh thyme (1 tablespoon) to dried (1 teaspoon).

June 17: Creamy Spinach Soup with Fontina Toast

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoons dried thyme

   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

   A couple of dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

3 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed out dry in a kitchen towel

1 quart chicken stock or broth

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

8 slices baguette

1 cup Fontina cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

   Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the crispy bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel.

Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the spinach and continue to cook until the spinach is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the onions and spinach to a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and puree until smooth. Add the pureed spinach back to the soup pot and stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the cream, bring up to a simmer, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, toast the baguette slices until golden brown in the broiler or toaster oven. In a bowl, mix the Fontina with the reserved crispy bacon and the parsley. Once the toast is nice and golden, sprinkle the bacon-Fontina mixture over the bread and return to the broiler or toaster oven to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

To finish the soup, add the lemon zest and juice, stir to combine, and transfer the soup to serving bowls. Float 2 Fontina toasts on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.

6 SERVINGS

This is the first variation on the Sweet Pea Soup. It is so much better than the original. I might use 1 box less spinach next time, because it was a little more like creamed spinach than soup. And it came out to be way more than 4 servings. The Fontina toast was delicious. I just layered the parsley and bacon and then cheese, because it came in slices. It turned out so good. I didn't float the toasts in the soup, because I didn't want soggy bread.

June 16: Cumin and Lime Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Creamed Corn

2 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin (sometimes sold 2 tenderloins per package)
   Juice of 2 limes
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, 4 cloves cracked and 2 cloves chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 10-ounce boxes frozen corn kernels, or kernels cut from 5 ears of fresh corn
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Trim the silver skin or connective tissue off the tenderloins with a very sharp, thin knife.

Place the tenderloins on a rimmed nonstick cookie sheet and coat them with the lime juice, rubbing the juice into the meat. Drizzle EVOO over the tenderloins, just enough to coat, about 2 tablespoons. Season the meat with the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cut small slits into the meat and disperse chunks of the cracked garlic cloves into the slits.

Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes, tented loosely with foil.

While the pork is cooking, preheat a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO and the butter. Add the onions, jalapenos, bell peppers, chopped garlic, corn kernels, salt, and pepper.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Sprinkle with the flour, and continue to cook for 1 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock and heavy cream.

Bring the corn up to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium low and cook until it is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Finish the spicy creamed corn with the parsley and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Slice the rested roasted pork and serve alongside the spicy creamed corn.

4 SERVINGS

I liked this meal. The tenderloin had a mouthful of dry spices in every bite, but other than that it was good.

RR's tidbit is "If you like the heat, only remove the seeds from half of the jalapenos." We removed all of them.

For the corn I used fresh corn, and next time I would cut the amount of stock in half. It was very runny.

June 15: Sweet Pea Soup with Parmigiano Toast

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoons dried thyme
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
   A couple of dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
2 10-ounce boxes frozen peas
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
8 slices baguette
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
   Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove the crispy bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon to drain on a paper towel. Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook until the peas are defrosted and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the onions and peas to a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and puree until smooth.

Add the pureed peas back to the soup pot and stir in the remaining 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock and the cream, bring up to a simmer, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, toast the baguette slices until golden brown in the broiler or toaster oven. In a bowl, mix the Parmesan with the reserved crispy bacon and the parsley.

Once the toast is nice and golden, sprinkle the bacon-Parmesan mixture over the bread and return to the broiler or toaster oven to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

To finish the soup, add the lemon zest and juice, stir to combine, and transfer the soup to serving bowls. Float 2 Parmesan toasts on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.

4 SERVINGS

This meal is kinda weird. First of all, the soup is a little raw tasting. The toasts in the soup are weird too, because they get soggy right away, and then you can't eat them. The cheese didn't melt, so I just scraped the cheese mixture off into my soup. That way it had a nice bacony flavor. This is the master recipe, so I really hope the spinach and the broccoli soup will be a little better. I switched the Parmigiano to Parmesan, but that's the only thing I changed.

June 14: Pan-Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts with Chopped Salad and Creamy Caper Dressing

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

   Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 6- to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

4 tablespoons mayonnaise, plain yogurt, or sour cream

3 tablespoons capers, drained, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 teaspoons dried dill

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 pint red cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 head of lettuce, thinly sliced

6 scallions, thinly sliced

1 seedless cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise, then sliced into bite-size pieces

   Crusty bread, sliced and toasted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a shallow dish, combine the garlic, parsley, hot sauce, 3 tablespoons of the EVOO, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and coat in the mixture; marinate for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, in a bowl combine the mayonnaise with the capers, red wine vinegar, dill, mustard, and some pepper. In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of the EVOO.

Preheat a large nonstick oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the hot pan and brown on each side for 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for about 15 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

While the chicken is roasting, in a salad bowl combine the cherry tomatoes, radicchio, scallions, and cucumbers. Pour the creamy caper dressing over the chopped veggies and toss to combine.

Serve the chicken breasts whole or sliced with some of the dressed chopped salad and the toasted bread.

4 SERVINGS

This meal was delicious. I really liked how moist the chicken was, and I love creamy dressing. I changed the fresh dill to dried, I changed the radicchio to lettuce, and I changed the yellow tomatoes to red. I used mayonnaise.

June 13: London Broil with Mushroom Vinaigrette

2-pound boneless shoulder steak or top round steak
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 10-ounce package cremini mushrooms, brushed clean, quartered
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
   Baby spinach salad with oil and vinegar or blue cheese dressing

Preheat the broiler on high and set the rack closest to the flame.

Coat the steak with the Worcestershire sauce, a drizzle of EVOO, salt, and pepper.

Marinate the steak for 5 minutes. Transfer the marinated steak to a broiler pan and broil for 6 minutes per side. Remove from the broiler and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes, tented loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.

While the steak is working, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO. Add the mushrooms and brown for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, garlic, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions become tender and translucent.

Add the sherry vinegar and mustard and stir to combine. Turn off the heat. Some liquid will evaporate. Whisk in about 3 tablespoons more of EVOO, add the parsley, and reserve the vinaigrette while you slice the steak.

Slice the rested steak very thin, against the grain and on an angle. Serve the sliced meat topped with some of the mushroom vinaigrette alongside the salad.

4 SERVINGS

This meal's pretty good. I don't have much to say about it. I ran out of EVOO, so I used vegetable oil and I used red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar. And I halved the recipe. I liked the vinaigrette. I changed the fresh thyme to dried. I added the salad to the ingredient list. RR's tidbit is: "Shoulder steak is often labeled as 'London Broil' in the meat case."