JAZZED up GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

 

 

 On Thanksgiving this year I decided to make a fancier variation of the traditional green bean casserole.  The regular tradition is store-bought cream of mushroom soup, green beans, and French onions.  Different strokes for different folks, but that is boring for my taste, so jazzed it up a bit.  It turned out so yummy.

Here is the recipe if you'd like it.

 

JAZZED up GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

 

HOMEMADE CHCKEN STOCK

 

INGREDIENTS:

5 stalks of celery

1 medium white or yellow onions

5 chicken drumsticks with the bone in

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

water

 

DIRECTIONS:

Dice 5 stalks of celery.  Next cut 1 onion.  Put the cut onion and diced celery in a stock pot.  Add in the chicken drumsticks into the stock pot along with the black pepper and sea salt.  Next, add in water filling the stock pot about 3/4 full.  Bring the pot to a boil for 25 minutes over medium high heat before covering the pot and simmering on low for 7 hours.  I did mine overnight.  Just make sure it is on your stove's lowest setting so it won't burn.  After the super long simmer, turn stove off and let stock cool.  Once cool, strain the liquid.  Voila, healthy homemade chicken stock that you can literally sleep a good nights rest while making.  :)

 

  

 

JAZZED up GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE!

HOMEMADE CREAM of MUSHROOM SOUP 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS

 

32 oz fresh whole green beans

5 medium yellow or white onions

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup cooking red wine

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

24 oz  freshly sliced mushrooms

2 cups chicken broth

6 tbsp. brown rice flour

6 slices of turkey or beef bacon

French fried onions to garnish top

Optional:  grated cheddar cheese for topping

 

DRECTIONS

 

Dice all 5 onions. Put olive oil in a large skillet to coat the bottom of skillet, then put diced onions in the skillet along with the oregano.  Sauté the onions in the oregano until the onions are translucent and then add the mushrooms in.  Cook the mushrooms until they are tender.  Next add in the red cooking wine, the sea salt, and the pepper,  Stir constantly  for about 5  minutes.  Then, add in the brown rice flour to thicken.  Make sure to stir constantly to keep bottom from burning until your soup is thickened. Then add in chicken broth and stir constantly for another 5 minutes or so until desired thickness.  Remove from heat.  Cook turkey or beef bacon, let cook, and then crumble into bits and set aside.  In a baking casserole dish mix together the green beans and soup mixture and distribute it evenly along the bottom, then add the turkey bacon covering the top of the casserole.  If desired, next add the shredded cheddar cheese, and then the French fried onions covering the top of the casserole.  Put oven on 425 and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



  

 

Red Snapper in White Wine Garlic Butter w/ Zucchini, Squash, and Carrot Pasta with Roasted Petite Potatoes

Time for another free recipe!  Culinary Elegance's Red Snapper in White Wine Garlic Butter with Zucchini, Squash, and Carrot Veggie Pasta in White Wine Garlic Butter, and Roasted Petite Potatoes in Garlic Butter.  So delicious!

(Recipe serves 4 people)

Ingredients you will need for the Veggie Pasta

2 Zucchini

2 yellow crook neck squash

3 large carrots

DIRECTIONS:  First off, you will need a Veggetti of some sort.  I used a Veggetti pro as shown below, but any kind of veggie pasta slicer will work.

 It doesn't really matter what order you slice the vegetables in, but I sliced the zucchini first.  Follow the directions of the type of veggie pasta slicer that you have to slice the veggies.

 Then the yellow squash....

 I didn't want the bitter taste of the skin on the carrots to be in my dish, so I skinned the carrots before putting them in the Veggetti Pro.

 ...then sliced the carrots

 Now your Veggie Pasta is ready to be boiled.

 Just like you would for any kind of pasta, you bring the water to a boil....

 ...and then add the veggie pasta to the water and let simmer until the pasta is done.  Be careful not to over cook the veggie pasta.  You don't want it to be a mushy texture.

Strain and set aside.

INGREDIENTS for Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs of petite and/or new potatoes

3/4 cup of garlic butter (see recipe for this further down in this recipe post)

Directions:  Wash potatoes.  I used the small new potatoes and mixed them with petite red potatoes as shown.

 Next place all potatoes in the baking dish that you plan to bake them in, and slice the potatoes like an accordion as shown below making sure not to cut all the way through.  This allows flavor to infuse inside the potato instead of just on the outside, and it makes it easier to eat, and adds a little artistic touch to your plated food presentation.  Set sliced potatoes aside.  Do not put them in the oven yet, just set them aside.

INGREDIENTS to make Garlic Butter

16 oz grass fed butter, unsalted

2 bulbs garlic, minced

1 to 1.5 tbsp sea salt (your taste preference)

2 tbsp dried chives

2 tbsp dried dill

3 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

Mince all garlic

 Add all of the butter.  Melt all of the butter and set aside.

In another skillet lightly coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil, and then add your garlic and saute the garlic.  Make sure to remove it from the heat BEFORE it browns.  Only cook the garlic until it softens. 

Add the sauteed garlic to the butter skillet along with the chives, dill.....

 ...lemon juice....

 ...and sea salt.

 Stir constantly over medium heat.

 Stir the butter all together and scoop out 3/4 of a cup.  Leave all of the rest of the butter in the skillet, so just scoop our 3/4 cup and put in a separate pouring container.

 Pour the 3/4 of the garlic butter over the potatoes.  Make sure that the sliced side of the potatoes are up when pouring so that it can infuse the inside.  Once poured, then turn the potatoes sliced side facing down to keep them from drying out and to soak up more of the garlic butter as they bake.

 Place in oven at bake at 400 F until done and then remove from oven.  Your potatoes are now ready to eat.  Set aside.

INGREDIENTS to make the White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce 

The garlic butter left in the skillet (see above garlic butter recipe)

1 - 1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:  Open a bottle of dry white wine.  I used Pinot Grigio.  It's mellow and dry, oh and super inexpensive.  Chardonnay would work fine as well as a few other dry white wines.  It's your choice!

 Pour 1- 1/2 cup of dry white wine into skillet mixing it in with the Garlic Butter over medium heat for about 2 or 3 minutes stirring constantly until it simmers.

Take a second skillet out, and transfer 3/4 cup of your White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce into the second skillet.  Make sure to mix well and scoop from the bottom to get the garlic in the sauce into the second skillet.  The garlic tends to rest at the bottom of the skillet.  Set that second skillet aside. You'll pan sear the fish in this skillet when ready.

 Go back to the first skillet and continue to stir the butter sauce for another minute still over medium heat.  Then, remove from heat and pour over the veggie pasta.   It's done.

INGREDIENTS to make the Red Snapper

 4 red snapper fillets

3/4 cups white wine garlic butter sauce

capers for garnish

DIRECTIONS:  Take the second skillet that you transferred 3/4 cups of the white wine garlic butter sauce to, and place the red snapper fillets in the skillet.

Over medium heat pan sear the red snapper fillets flipping it to make sure both sides pan sear for a bit in the pan.  Don't cook the fish entirely in the pan.

When the fish is pan seared on both sides, remove it from the skillet and place it in a baking dish.  Pour the leftover juices from the skillet over the fish into the baking dish.  Make sure to brush some of it on top of the fish as shown.  Place in oven at 350 F and bake until done.

Voila!  Here is your delightful dish!  I garnished the plate with capers as shown.  Capers can go so well with fish.  A nice glass of dry white wine goes down well with this dish as a bonus on the side.  So delicious!

Stay tuned for Culinary Elegance's next recipe!.....