Category: Main Courses

Jovina cooks Italian: Grass fed beef steaks and mushrooms

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highland cow.jpeg

Clean Food for Thought: Shrimp with Avocado Salsa

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maxresdefault (3)Shrimp  with Avocado Salsa | Food For Thought
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Shrimp  with Avocado Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Avocado Salsa

  • 2 ripe avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
  • ½ jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 3 tbsp cilantro, minced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Shrimp

  • 24 medium shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh lime juice
  • Optional Toppings: red cabbage

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the shrimp, 1 tbsp olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt and lime juice. Let sit in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before cooking.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the salsa. Set aside.
  3. Heat a small to medium skillet on medium with the rest of the olive oil. Once hot, add in the marinated shrimp. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp is not opaque.
  4. Put some chopped cabbage on a plate, put6 warm shrimps  on top with the salsa on top of this.

Enjoy!

(originally published on cleanfoodforthought and reproduced by kind permission)

 

 

Jovina cooks Italian: Shrimp and tomato salad and Sausage with Peppers

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What To Make For An Outdoor Summer Party | jovinacooksitalian

Salad Course: Grilled Shrimp Tomato Salad

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This is a popular dish, so I often divide the salad onto smaller serving dishes, so I can have them available in several areas.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for the grill
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, basil, mint, and/or chives
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 2 pounds peeled and deveined large raw shrimp
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds tomatoes,  quartered
  • Parsley sprigs for garnish

Directions

Oil the grill grates and preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Whisk together the ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl. Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

Arrange tomatoes on a large serving platter or in a large bowl, and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette.

Mix the shrimp with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

Grill the shrimp, covered with the grill lid, 2 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.

Mix the grilled shrimp with the remaining vinaigrette and arrange over tomatoes. Garnish with the parsley sprigs. Serve at room temperature.

Main Dish: Italian Sausage and Peppers

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This dish is always a big hit with everyone.

Serves 6

For the sausage:

  • 1 ½ lb. Italian sausage

Directions

Prepare an outdoor grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Keep a third of the grill indirect heat. On a charcoal grill, this means spreading the coals over two-thirds of the firebox and leaving one-third coal-free.

On a gas grill, leave one burner off. Sausages should be grilled over indirect heat.

Lightly brush or rub the sausage with olive oil. This prevents sticking and makes them extra crisp. Use tongs and don’t break the sausage skin when turning.

Grill the sausages over the indirect part of the grill until crusty and golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes, turning them over after 15 minutes.

The safe internal temperature for ground meats—sausages included—is 160 degrees F.

Cut the sausages into two-inch lengths and set aside.

For the peppers and onions:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 sweet bell peppers or 20 Italian frying peppers, seeded, sliced into 2 1/2 to 3-inch long strips
  • 2 large sweet onions, halved and sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 teaspoon of fresh oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (chili)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To finish the dish:

  • 2 cups Marinara (tomato) sauce

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, the peppers, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, until crisp tender.

Add the tomato sauce and heat.

Add the grilled sausage links to the skillet with the peppers and onions. Heat until the sausage is warm.

Low carb store: Meatball bombs

kaitiscotland2 Comments

 

meatballs

This recipe makes four bombs and they each have 4g of carbohydrate.  We have meatball recipes separately on this site.

 

Ingredients

  • 120g grated mozzarella
  • 65g almond flour
  • 2 tbsp full fat cream cheese
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/2 tsp dried herbs
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 4 cooked meatballs
  • 8 tbsp passata

Pre-heat the oven to 180c and prepare a baking sheet with a layer of greaseproof paper. Put the mozzarella and cream cheese in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds – stir. Add the egg and almond flour and mix to a dough. Divide into 4 equal parts and flatten out gently with the palm of your hand. Place a meatball in the centre of each circle and top with a good dollop of passata and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Bring the sides up and around the meatball and squeeze together at the top to form a parcel. Crush the garlic clove and melt with the butter. Spoon the butter over each of the bombs and sprinkle with herbs. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Devour immediately.

Jovina cooks Italian: Fresh tomato sauce

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Summer Tomatoes | jovinacooksitalian

Fresh Tomato SauceIMG_0009

Ingredients

  • 4-5 pounds of fresh Roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded retaining as much pulp as possible
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 2 large cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (chili)
  • 1-2 teaspoons honey, if needed

Herbs

Place the following  herbs in a piece of cheesecloth and tie the cheesecloth closed.

  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig of fresh oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs of parsley

Directions

Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.

Add the onions, celery, garlic and carrots.

Saute for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the tomatoes and sea salt.

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Simmer on low heat, covered, for about an hour until the tomatoes cook down.

Remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, process the mixture until smooth.

Return the pot to the heat and add the herb cheesecloth package.

Taste the sauce to see if the tomatoes were too bitter. Add the honey, if needed.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook  until reduced and thick, an hour to an hour and a half more. Remove the cheesecloth package and discard.

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Pour the sauce into a refrigerator container and store the sauce up to 1 week, or freeze in batches.

This sauce can be used with courgette or squash spiralised  “spaghetti” or with chicken and pork.

Low carb store: Steak au poivre

kaitiscotland2 Comments

sirloin steak

 
  • 2 beef steaks
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 60mls Cognac
  • 100ml double cream

 

Preheat oven to 180°c. Season the steaks with sea salt and allow to come to room temperature.Coarsely crush the peppercorns and press into both sides of the steaks evenly.Heat a heavy griddle pan (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until hot,then carefully add the oil. Add the steaks and cook to your liking turning only once. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate to rest. Pour off the fat from the pan then add the shallots and half of the butter and cook over low-medium heat until the shallots are well-browned.Add the Cognac (it may ignite!) and boil, stirring, until the liquid has reduced to a glaze (a few minutes). Add the cream and any meat juices from the steak plate and boil, stirring occasionally for a further 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining butter and cook over a low heat until the butter is incorporated into the sauce. Serve sauce with steaks and lightly cooked vegetables.

Low carb store: Moussaka

kaitiscotland2 Comments

low-carb pizza

 

 Moussaka for two
  • 150g lamb mince
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 100g tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano, cinnamon,thyme
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 aubergine, sliced
  • 1 mozzarella ball, sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and shallot. Lightly fry until they are soft.Add the lamb mince and cook until brown. Add in the oregano, thyme, cinnamon and tomatoes and stir through. Leave to one side. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the aubergine slices cooking until softened on both sides.Take an oven proof dish, layer half the aubergine slices on the bottom of the dish and add half the lamb mixture.Top with mozzarella slices and repeat, layering the same ingredients again. Bake in the oven at 180oC for 30 minutes. Serve with a green salad dressed in olive oil.

Jovina cooks Italian: Swordfish Messina Style

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swordfish messina.pngPesce Spada alla Messinese (Swordfish Messina style)

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 lb (600 gr) swordfish cut into palm-sized pieces slices
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
20 capers (if salted, rinse well first)
10 black olives, chopped
4 anchovy fillets
1 cup white wine
2 cups tomato passata (sauce)
15 oz can chopped tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
A pinch of crushed dried chili pepper
Parsley, chopped

Directions

Brush the swordfish slices with olive oil and set aside.

In a skillet heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the spring onions, garlic, capers, olives, chili pepper and anchovy fillets and cook until the anchovies melt into the oil and the onion is soft.

Put the slices of swordfish in the skillet and add the white wine. Burn off the alcohol and then add the tomatoes. Mix well, cover and cook for 30 minutes on very low heat.

When ready to serve, sprinkle with parsley.

Jovina cooks Italian: Summer eating

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Jovina cooks Italian: Neapolitan Ragu

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Neapolitan ragù is one of the two most famous varieties of Italian meat sauces called ragù. It is a specialty of Naples, as its name indicates. The other variety originated in Bologna.

The Neapolitan type is made with onions, meat and tomato sauce. A major difference is how the meat is used, as well as the amount of tomato in the sauce. Bolognese versions use very finely chopped meat, while the Neapolitan versions use large pieces of meat, taking it from the pot when cooked and served it as a second course. Ingredients also differ.

In Naples, white wine is replaced by red wine, butter is replaced with olive oil and lots of basil leaves are added. Bolognese ragù has no herbs. Milk or cream are not used in Naples. Neapolitan ragù is very similar to and may be ancestral to the Italian-American “Sunday Gravy”; the primary difference being the addition of a greater variety of meat in the American version, including meatballs, sausage and pork chops.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound rump roast
  • 1 large slice of brisket (not too thick)
  • 1 pound veal stew meat
  • 1 pound pork ribs
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup of red wine
  • 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, pureed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil leaves

Directions

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Tie the large pieces with cooking twine to help them keep their shape. In a large pot heat the oil and butter. Add the sliced onions and the meat at the same time.

On medium heat let the meat brown and the onion soften. During this first step you must be vigilant, don’t let the onion dry, stir with a wooden spoon and start adding wine if necessary to keep them moist.

Once the meat has browned, add the tomato paste and a little wine to dissolve it. Stir and combine the ingredients. Let cook slowly for 10 minutes.

Add the pureed tomatoes, season with salt and black pepper and stir. Cover the pot but leave the lid ajar. (You can place a wooden spoon under the lid.)

The sauce must cook very slowly for at least 3-4 hours. After 2 hours add few leaves of basil and continue cooking.

During these 3-4 hours you must keep tending to the ragú, stirring once in a while and making sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Serve with your favorite pasta.