Tomato/Basil Salsa

I know its been awhile since I last posted, but the good news is I was able to secure a job and get back in the working world. Thank God, because I realized that my talent or lack of talent to be a food blogger was not going to pay the bills. Also, I was involved with my yearly training and fund raising for the local City to Shore Bike Ride to benefit MS this past September.

During the time of my non-posting, I still followed other food bloggers in Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog Contest. Note the main advertisement under Max's picture and WOW, the passion, dedication, and talent of what these foodies express and put into their blogs as well as expert photography had me floored. I never knew this world that I entered existed to this extreme.

So, I continued to read food blogs in hopes that I would pick up a few things concerning posting, photography, blog site design and the goal of finding my own voice. As you can see, I have added some more side pictures and other propaganda to the blog site. Now, hopefully my food presentation and writing skills will improve to that of my peers, so here goes...

This past summer my trophy wife "Mrs. Cooking with the Dog" and I, established a goal of having a garden with enough plum tomato plants to have tomato sauce for the entire winter months. A third party expert in gardening stated we would need 20 plum tomato plants (my wife always listens to a third parties advice instead of mine.)

We succeeded in growing tomatoes in which we simmered down and blended weekly to yield about 10 gallons of tomato puree. As of the end of October, having fresh tomato sauce on Sundays and through the great generosity of my wife giving sauce away, we are down to about 1 gallon. I guess next year we need to have a bigger garden with more tomato plants.

Even with the abundance of tomatoes for sauce, I was still able to make this simple appetizer. (I bet you thought I was going to talk about my tomato sauce, not this post.)


Being a big fan of chunky salsa and even a bigger fan of fresh tomatoes, during the Summer, I had made this tomato salsa for my family and friends and also serve it as a compliment to seafood entrees. The basic recipe is to dice up 8 plum tomatoes in 1/4" chunks, a 8 leaves of chopped fresh basil, about 2 tablespoons of onion (red or yellow), 2 or 3 chopped garlic cloves, one hot pepper of your choice, salt and pepper to taste. I also have used hot salt and jalapeno sliced olives that I found. Then let sit in the refrigerator to let the flavors blend together. With fresh ingredients, you really can't go wrong with the portioning. Feel free to make this you own by simply adding other of your favorite ingredients.


Okay, the basic recipe I stated of just tomato, basil, garlic, and salt is what you use as part of the bruschetta, and coupled with my previous pesto post. Now the only thing that would be missing is the olive tapenade and eggplant salsa which I will discuss in a future posts so I can complete the my version bruschetta. However the "jacked up" version of Tomato/Basil can be served with with a seafood entree or with chips as an appetizer or snack. People like the freshness and lack of tomatoey liquid that store bought salsas have. Trust me on this, that it will go before any other type of salsas that you may put out.

During this preparation, Max happened to get o hold of a hot pepper and immediately spit it out, then was back out to the yard to chew on grass.

To Food Blog or not to Food Blog

I had posed this question to myself when I realized I had a lot of time on my hands when I became a victim of the economic crisis. In speaking with my sister-in-law, the great Jeanne Benedict, author of food & entertaining books and has appeared on Regis & Kelly, Ellen, and the NBC Today Show, she suggested I should write because she confessed to me that she was envious of my cooking talents in the kitchen and especially on the outdoor grill.

Being raised in an Italian family, we had pasta on Sunday with a Tomato Sauce (I call it Tomato Sauce, shoot me) that simmered for about 5 hours. On the Holidays, we would have homemade Lasagna or Raviolis, and of course the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve. It wasn't till I was an adult that I was surprised when I discovered tomato sauce came in a jar, locatelli cheese can be bought already grated, salad dressing came in a bottle, and pastas could be bought frozen. Apparently, this happened to a lot us of Italian descent. However, my mother warned me about this products as well as going to an Italian Restaurant, stating that it would not taste like what you are used to. She was right.

I can say I was home school trained in cooking from both my mother and father as well as on the job training at the past existed Tiffany Dining Saloon in Center Square, PA. A previously privately owned Steak and Salad Bar establishment that I would not hesitate to recommend and go their as a customer. At the Tiffany Dining Saloon, in addition to cleaning the dumpster area & washing dishes, I was taught food preparation, bread baking and grilling. Grilling at the restaurant was an art, from a clean oiled grill, proper meat selection, and the level of done-ness that went into every steak order.. Besides the weekly bread fights and sneaking beer from the bar, the experience and talents that I learned are still with me today.

Food also played a major part in my social life, instead of taking ladies out to dinner, I simply cooked for them. The dinner that won over "Mrs Cooking with the Dog" was a homemade manicotti, sauteed zucchini with a personal garlic bread. This with a bottle of wine you just can't go wrong.

Now, I continue to do the daily cooking, holiday cooking, and get togethers. Even when I am at someone elses' home, they hand the cooking off to me, especially at the grill. My kids are spoiled because they desire the homemade pastas, sauce, grilled steak and detest the packaged products because my stuff is just better.

To Food Blog to me is for pure enjoyment and to share cooking talents and tastes. At this time I don't see going off unemployment compensation from the revenue this blog is generating any time soon. My objective in "Cooking with Dog" is to present simple food items that are not complicated and that everyone can do them without much effort as well as being able to serve them for dinner on a week night. Since Max is my shadow, it was easy to have him involved instead of keeping him out of the way. Pictures of Max and the food are just great and it sets this blog apart from all other blogs.

The best compliment a food blogger can get is from a person who has read a post and made the item. This has happen to me when the swim team my kids belong to had a covered dish table for the last meet of the season and my Sausage & Rice dish was on the table. Awesome!

Brussel Sprouts

In trying to keep a healthy lifestyle, part of your diet would be vegetables. But bland vegetables just don't cut it. These healthy foods need to be jacked up now and then or we will get bored with them. I have seen a couple of recipes lately on sauteed brussel sprouts and came up with my own variation. In this side dish I make vast use of my French-Asian infused culinary talents.

Start with sauteing a couple cloves of chopped garlic and 1/2 cup of chopped onion in olive oil. Take about a pound of fresh brussel sprouts, wash, cut off the stems and slice them in half. If you wish, you can quarter them or slice them, but in the end they peel apart anyway. Add and saute the brussel sprouts for about 15 to 20 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste test them to see if they are soft and done. Next, add 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce and 1 tablespoon of Grey Poupon, (my extent of French-Asian culinary). Continue to saute for another couple of minutes, then salt and pepper to taste. A little bit of bacon bits won't hurt either. I don't know how healthy this is but it is a great way to eat the Sprouts

Crab Cakes with Tomato/Basil Salsa

I don't know what your favorite Mother got for her Mother's Day Dinner, but the Dog's Mom got this tasty Crab Cake with a Tomato Basil Salsa and a side of Grilled Eggplant. Besides getting Mom a present from the Liquor store, I made this entree for her.

Recipes for crab cakes are very much similar with bread crumbs, egg and seasonings that coincide with the title of the crab cake. For example, Louisiana Crab cakes have Creole Seasoning, Maryland Crab Cakes have Old Bay Seasoning, Italian Crab Cakes have Italian bread crumbs, and I even heard of a Halloween Crab Cake with pumpkin bread crumbs. From my research, it seems crab cakes can be made with just about anything to satisfy any one's particular tastes.

Of course, the Crab Cakes I made are Italian, (go figure.)

I combine 8 oz of Phillips lump crab or fresh King crab if its on sale , 1 egg, 1/4 cup of grated cheese. 1/8 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 1 tbsp of garlic, 1 tbsp of basil, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of salt. Mix ingredients and form two patties, pan fry them in olive oil and finish them off in a 350 degree oven to make sure they are hot in the middle.

The Tomato/Basil Salsa is just dicing up tomatoes and mixing them with chopped basil and salt to taste.

The Grilled Eggplant is prepared by slicing an eggplant in 1/4" pieces, salting them to let sweat for about 15 minutes, brush with olive oil and grill them out on the Weber or in a grill pan. Just a about a minute on each side to form good grill marks.

Pasta & Sausage

"Take me out the the Ball Game," or is it more likely, "Take my kids to the Ball Field" for games and practice everyday. Now, you still have to feed them before they go and you have to think of something to cook. Also, your husband or wife comes right from work to the field and is hungry. You need something that is easy and quick to cook and can be portable. You can't go wrong with this dish, because who doesn't like pasta and sausage and it can be put in plastic-ware to be eaten at the fields.

Start with oil, crushed garlic, one sliced onion, two sliced green peppers and about 1 pound of sausage in one inch pieces and fry up in a large saute pan. You know the one that I got at Acme. While that is cooking, boil off a pound of pasta, any brand will do, I used the ziti type this time. When the sausage and the vegetables are done, just add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, the pasta and season with basil, Italian seasonings, and salt. Cook for a couple of minute to ensure everything is hot and serve or pack it up to go. Don't forget the grated cheese!

Lemon Basil Chicken

This is a quick and easy dish that tastes phenomenal with the combination of lemon and basil. Prepping this ahead of time and then grilling it properly outside will have them coming back for more. They key to this is simple, marinating the chicken for over an hour in enough lemon and basil so that during the grilling the whole neighborhood smells it.

Start by taking skin on or skinless chicken breasts and trim off the excess fat and tenderize by beating the living daylights out of them with the bottom of a frying pan on a cutting board, like they do on Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution." Next, drown the chicken breast in lemon juice in a clear oblong Pyrex pan. Generously sprinkle basil over both sides of the chicken, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least a hour or longer.

Fire up your grill and adjust the burners so you barely see the flames under the baffles. Yes, I have a Weber Spirit Grill and in future posts I will write about the art of grilling. Place and grill the chicken to seal and grill mark both sides. If you are using chicken with the skin left on, grill that side first. Then, turn off the burners , except one and set the chicken on the unlit burners. This is what the Weber people mean when they talk about indirect heat. Close the lid and try to maintain the internal temperature of the grill to about 350 degrees by adjusting the single burner. Continue to cook till the chicken is totally done.

Max just can't control himself around the Lemon Basil Chicken. STAY MAX! EASY BOY!

Frittata

Yes, I love to make and eat the "Frittata" or what is know as the "Italian Omelette." This is the way I get the kids to eat the leftovers next day for breakfast. Leftovers such as pasta, vegetables and meats can easily be an ingredient for the Frittata. Coupled with scrambled eggs and of course, grated cheese, you just can't go wrong.

To start, heat up a deep sauce pan with butter and garlic, (enough butter to coat the entire pan or use a non stick pan.) Then add you leftover meats or vegetables. Cut or dice up the vegetables and meats and saute in the pan. What I used this morning was ziti, red pepper, and some zucchini. I thought I had some leftover bacon or sausage, but they ate it all. Next add the pasta and cook everything until tender or hot if they already have been cooked. Beat about 6 eggs so you are able to get air into those puppies. (the eggs) Pour the eggs into the pan and slowly cook on low heat. Now, add my favorite ingredient grated cheese. I believe that the grated cheese and the pasta make it Italian. Or is it just what we always have on hand to cook with. Also, if desired add basil or Italian seasonings and salt & pepper.

Slowly cook on low heat and try not to burn the bottom. The best thing to do is when it starts to get firm on the sides, place the pan in the oven at about 350 degrees and continue to check and see if it is cooked throughout.

When it is done, take it out of the oven and flip that bad dog (the Frittata) onto a serving plate. That's why you need to use a non-stick or well grease pan for the Frittata. Garnish the top with parsley and more grated cheese.

Max, as usual, stalks around the table waiting for the kids to drop a morsel or when no one is looking, swipes it off the table. Bad Dog!

Zucchini

When I was going up, my father had a vegetable garden. One year he planted a row of zucchini. We eventually found out what everybody else knows, that zucchini grows like a weed and we had zucchini as large as base bats, growing out of our ears. Thus, we ended up having some kind of zucchini every night for dinner that summer. My favorite dish that my father cooked a lot as well as myself over the years is a sauteed zucchini.

Start with oil and chopped garlic in a deep saute pan. Add one sliced onion and three small to medium sized zucchinis cut in to 1/4 to 1/2 slices. The size of the zucchini is about 12" long and about 1 1/2" to 2" in diameter (not baseball bat size.) Fry up the zucchini, onion and season with garlic and Italian seasonings. Let saute uncovered for about 20 minutes until the zucchini is tender and translucent. If you put a lid on, you will end up with zucchini soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

One thing that I never understood is when Italians fry or saute vegetables they always like to add scrambled eggs. If anyone knows why, please comment but maybe the answer is, it just tastes good. So, pull the zucchini to the side of the pan and add two eggs to the other side to be scrambled. Don't pour mixed liquid eggs over the vegetables, cook them to scrambled separately then fold in. Prior to serving, jack it up with grated cheese. Also, a neighbor of mine told me to add fresh mint to the zucchini which adds even more flavor to the dish.

Max is a meataterian, however he loves the grated cheese.

Irish Potatoes

Okay, I'll let the Irish be Irish for this week. Us Italians are Italians all year round.

Irish Potatoes are very simple to make. I assisted my daughter in making a batch. Using a hand blender, mix 4 oz of cream cheese and one stick of butter. Then add a tsp of vanilla extract, 4 cups of confectioners sugar and blend till smooth. Fold in 2 1/2 cups of coconut. Next, form little tiny potatoes and then roll in Cinnamon. Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

I brought 2 dozen of these to our neighborhood poker social and before I even had one they were gone.

To clarify, we did not get a new dog, Max just had his spring shaving. Hopefully it will keep the hair out of the food.

Sausage & Rice

Sausage is a great food that is second only to bacon. Italian Hot Sausage is what I grew up on. After marriage, my wife insisted that I use the sweet sausage for the kids instead of hot. In my opinion , the sweet sausage has no taste. In order to have taste in my meals, I started to use sweet and hot sausage. Eventually, only the sweet sausage was left in the dish. Now, I only cook with the Italian Hot Sausage.

This dish is just a simple type of Paella without the expensive seafood and saffron (I once received saffron as a Christmas Gift.) In a deep saute pan add oil, minced garlic, 1 cup chopped onion, and one cup of red or green pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add to the pan about 1 to 1.5 pounds of Hot Italian Sausage cut into one inch pieces. Continue to saute until the sausage is almost done. Don't drain the juice. Next add 1 cup of rice and saute for a minute then add 2 cups of chicken broth. Yes, I am cooking dinner, note the steam rising. I wish I could share with you the smell of this cooking, but they are still working on that computer technology.

Always use chicken broth when cooking rice, it simply adds more flavor to the dish. Bring to boil then lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Taste the rice to see if it is done, if not add more broth or water. Salt and pepper to taste.

I usually worry about Max getting a hold of the leftovers, but my family will snack on this and there won't be any left for my lunch the next day.

Hamburgers

Hamburgers are an entree usually reserved for picnics and fast food, however a burger in the Winter time needs to be huge, moist and "jacked up." To achieve this ultimate burger, one must start with about 6 to 8 ounces of real ground meat. The lean stuff can be used if desired.

In a bowl mix the ground meat with anything that you usually put on top of the burger and any other liked ingredients. For these burgers, I have used hot sausage, minced pepperoni, ketchup, Romano cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Granted, you can experiment and use items such as salsa, diced tomatoes, pesto, hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce, horseradish, and any seasoning that you may have in the spice rack. The amount of these ingredients can vary depending on what taste you would want you burger to finally be.

Proportion the meat and form the patties making sure the center is thinner than the ends, by doing this the the patty retains it shape during the grilling process. I heard one chef would put a pat of butter in each burger just to guarantee the moistness.

Since the path to the grill on the patio was covered in about 2 foot of snow, I used my pan grill. Just in grilling , one must sear both sides in order to retain the moistness. Once you have lined each side, either turn down the heat in the pan, or place the pan in the oven to completely cook the burger so that the outside does not burn. At this time any type of cheese can be put on the burger for melting.

Don't turn you back on Max because he would eat one of these burgers in one gulp.

Manicotti

When I have a coupon or see Ricotta Cheese on sale, I always buy it. Then, I need to do something with it before it goes bad. Making homemade Manicotti is relatively simple but everyone will think you spent a lot of time and effort. It is broken down to the crepes, ricotta cheese and wrapping it up with tomato sauce. This was the first meal I made for my wife and the rest was history.

For the crepes, mix in a blender 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk and a little oil. Then add 1 cup of flour. Blend and set in the refrigerator for one hour. To make the crepes, heat and spray oil a small sauce pan. Pour a little of the crepe mixture and coat the bottom. Remember, these are thin crepes, not thick pancakes. Cook on one side then flip, it should only take about a minute for each crepe. To flip, I just grab an edge and turn the crepe over. Now the ricotta cheese needs to be jacked up with one egg, parsley, Romano or Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. I usually use about a cup of cheese for 32 ounces of ricotta, tablespoon of parsley, and the rest of the ingredients based on taste. Then take a completed crepe and spoon some of the ricotta filling into the center and roll to form a log.

Place the filled crepes into a baking dish dish in which the bottom has been covered with tomato sauce. Then cover all the filled crepes with sauce so no parts are exposed. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Pesto Sauce

Pesto is that green stuff that us Italians like to use when we get a hold of some fresh basil and we do not have any tomato sauce/gravy around to put on our pasta. (Maybe in another post I will discuss the proper terminology of "tomato sauce" or "tomato gravy.") In reality we always have some tomato sauce or gravy around either in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Pesto is a sauce that adds that great basil aroma and flavor to any pasta dish or seafood. It is also used as one of the three spreads for Bruchetta. We even use it on hamburgers and it is delicious. For the consistency of this sauce, I like using a thin paste for pasta and a thicker paste for Bruchetta or to top fish such as swordfish or tuna. The Basil can be bought at any super market, but I like to get it at the local produce stores (the ones that only take cash) because they are fresher and inexpensive.

Pesto can be made quick and easy with the following basic ingredients: Fresh Basil, Olive Oil, Pine Nuts (Walnuts can be used because they are cheaper), Garlic, Romano or Parmesan Cheese, Salt and Pepper.


Wash the Basil and discard the stems and place the leaves into a blender. Add a little bit of Oil and start to pulse and mash the leaves. Continue to drizzle the Oil while the blender is running to achieve the consistency that you desire. More Oil for a thinner sauce and less Oil for a thicker paste. Then add the about 1 tsp of fresh chopped garlic, 1/4 tsp of salt and a 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Once these ingredients are blended well, the cheese can be added. The amount of Cheese and Oil that is needed is based on the amount of Basil that you are using. For about 2 cups of Basil leaves, I usually use about one cup of Cheese. Thus, a 2 to 1 ratio. To me there is no exact measurement, therefore taste testing is a must if you need to add more of the listed ingredients.

This is the consistency I prefer for pasta.

Max likes his Pesto Sauce with Rotini Pasta, the cork screw type.