Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds Russet potatoes

1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp ground rosemary

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup Bellisari’s Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread

2 cups of al dente, small, chopped asparagus spears(optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9"x13" glass baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Toss them in a large bowl with the salt, pepper, and rosemary. In a small bowl, toss together the parmesan cheese and the Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread. Layer half the potatoes in the buttered baking dish with one cup of the asparagus(optional). Sprinkle with half the cheese mixture and top with remaining potatoes and asparagus(optional).  In a bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Bake potatoes for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until browned and completely tender all the way through when poked with a knife. Serve immediately.

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My father lived in South Florida, so growing up I would eat a lot of seafood and learned quickly that you can overcook seafood very easily if you don’t know what you are doing.  Shrimp was one of the first seafood that I learned how to cook on my own.  I remember being so proud of myself.  Yesterday I shared a tip on the correct way to cook, boiled, sautéed or steamed shrimp so be sure to check it out. It can be a little overwhelming when purchasing shrimp for your recipe.  There are over 300 separate species of shrimp, so it can be overwhelming as to which to choose.  Here are a few of the most common selections that you see at the grocery store with cooking suggestions. 

White shrimp: Mild flavor with a slightly salty, shrimpy taste and firm texture. Great for salads and stir-fry.

Pink shrimp: Mild to medium flavor with a medium texture. Perfect for shrimp cocktail.

Brown shrimp: Full, robust flavor with medium texture. Best when used for full-flavor dishes like gumbo or for frying.

Rock Shrimp:  My favorite!! They are called the armadillo of the shrimp world.  They earn their name because their shells are “hard as a rock”.  They are a small shrimp reaching a maximum size of up to six inches.  Rock shrimp has a flavor similar to spiny lobster…firm textured and sweet. Once you decide which shrimp you would like to use in your recipe it is important to know how to cook them. 

Deep Fry

Deep fry shrimp by preheating (canola, vegetable, or peanut) oil to 375 degrees F. Carefully place a small amount of breaded or battered shrimp in cooker. Fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes, depending on size of shrimp, until golden brown outside and opaque in the center.

Stir-fry

Stir-fry or sauté shrimp by preheating a pan over medium-high heat. Add butter, margarine, olive oil, or flavored cooking oil. Carefully place shrimp in pan. Stir-fry large shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes; medium 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes, and small/bay 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.  Here is one of my favorite shrimp pasta recipes that is perfect for a weeknight meal.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta in a Garlic Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-pound shrimp without shells, and deveined

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 Jar of Bellisari’s Calabrian and Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread

1/4 cup water

1/2 cube chicken bouillon

1 tablespoon basil

1/4 teaspoon oregano dried

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz Spaghetti (Sub any pasta you would like)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook on one side for about 1 minute, until shrimp turns pink on that side. While it cooks, sprinkle the top of shrimp with crushed red pepper, paprika and salt to cover every single shrimp. Make sure not to crowd the shrimp in the skillet, otherwise moisture will form, and shrimp won't sear right. And, don't skimp on spices. Using spatula turn shrimp over to the other side and cook for about 2 more minutes.  Remove shrimp to a plate, being careful to leave all the oil in the skillet.

To the same skillet, add minced garlic and cook on medium high heat in the olive oil that will have a nice reddish color from paprika and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, occasionally stirring, until onions soften.

Add Bellisari’s Calabrian and Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread and bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water. Add basil and oregano, mix, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, mixing occasionally and crushing all tomatoes into very small bites, until the sauce reduces just a bit. Season with more red pepper and salt, if needed. In the end, while on simmer, add heavy cream, mix it in, and immediately remove from heat.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta al dente according to the package instructions.  Drain.

Add back the cooked shrimp and cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Mix everything well to combine. Reheat on low simmer, if needed. Do not bring to boil or high heat as it might affect the sauce texture. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

When serving, I like to sprinkle the top of pasta with just a touch of crushed red pepper.

Enjoy this hearty dish that is as much a part of St. Patrick's Day celebrations as shamrocks and wearing green. 

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
4 lbs. flat cut corned beef brisket
1 jar Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce
1 (12 oz.) bottle Guinness draught (make sure you use Guinness draught, not stout as it will turn it bitter!)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄8-1⁄4 tsp. ground cloves (to taste)
1⁄4 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄4 tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. coriander
1 head cabbage, cut into wedges, rinsed and drained
6 medium red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 2 lb. carrot, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

Directions:
Rinse corned beef under cold water, and pat dry. In a Dutch oven, or other large pot with a cover, brown corned beef well on all sides over high heat. Pour Guinness over the meat, and add enough water to just cover the brisket. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander and pepper to the pot. Bring pot to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer for 3 hours.

Add carrots, then potatoes and then the cabbage wedges to the pot. Cover pot, and continue cooking until meat and vegetables are tender (about 20-30 minutes). Remove meat and vegetables to warm serving platter/dishes, leaving the cooking liquid/sauce in the pot. Over high heat, bring the cooking liquid to a boil, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half (about 10 minutes). Slice the corned beef; serve with the vegetables and the Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce on the side.

Note: Corned beef should always be sliced across the grain.

I love having that smoky flavor in my food- even in the winter.   A subtle hint of woodsy smoke is one of my absolute favorite flavors in a dish - meat-based or vegetarian. Of course, cooking food on a charcoal grill will give us the flavor we crave, but we can think of a few more ways that we can use inside the house during these long winter months.  One way is to make an indoor smoker: It's not as hard as you might think and can be done quite easily on your stove top using a wok and a grilling grate. Fill a wok with wood chips, set a round grate on top, and voila, you have a miniature, indoor smoker.  In the past I have tented the pan with foil to minimize smoke in the house but don't forget to take the battery out of your smoke alarm!

A second way to increase that smoky flavor is to add a strip or two of bacon: Cut the bacon into pieces and render out the fat before any other cooking. Use the rendered bacon fat to cook the rest of the ingredients and then add the bacon back in at the end for a subtle smokiness. Smoked chorizo, tasso, and other cured meats also work very well here.  Cook with a Dark Smoky Beer: Used in a marinade or substituted for some of the broth, dark beers will add a very nice undertone to the dish. Look for porters and stouts and ask the sales person for help with flavor profiles. Last but definitely not least, use Liquid Smoke: Some people consider this cheating, but we think it makes sense when grilling isn't possible. Liquid smoke is actually an all-natural product and adds great smoky flavor to slow-cooked braises and stews. Here is one of my favorite smoked polenta recipes.

Calabrian Smoked Polenta Squares with Leeks and Sage Brown Butter

Ingredients

1/3 cup apple or cherry wood chips

 5 ounces whole-grain cornmeal (about 1 cup)

1 Jar of Calabrian Pepper & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread

2 cups water

2 cups 1% low-fat milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons butter

¼ cup of minced leeks(optional)

16 small sage leaves

Directions:

Pierce 10 holes on one side of the bottom of a 13 x 9–inch heavy-duty disposable aluminum foil pan. Arrange wood chips over holes inside pan. Spread cornmeal onto far opposite side of pan. Place hole side of pan over stovetop burner. Turn burner on high. When wood chips start to smoke, carefully cover pan with foil. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; uncover pan, reserving foil. Carefully remove wood chips with tongs; place on foil. Wipe any wood fragments out with a damp paper towel. Pour cornmeal into a bowl.

Bring 2 cups water, milk, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Gradually add cornmeal, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Cover and keep warm.

Place butter and sage in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until sage crisps and butter turns brown and smells very toasty-fragrant. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled, shallow baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 2 days in advance.

Run a knife around the edge of the baking dish and unmold the polenta onto a cutting board. Cut into 3-inch by 3-inch squares and keep cool, wrapped, until ready serve.  Top each serving with sage leaves and butter and a spoonful of warmed Bellisari’s Calabrian & Sweet Tomato Fennel Spread.

Adapted from a CookingLight recipe