New England Clam Chowder

New England clam chowder is hands down my favorite soup. And making it on a Sunday, served in a crusty bread bowl  in the fall is just perfection! 

You will need: 

• 4 cans of chopped clams WITH juice

• 4 celery stalks chopped

• 3 russet potatoes diced

• 5 slices of bacon chopped

• 1 onion diced

• 1/2 cup water

• large round loaf bread or regular round rolls 

 

For the roux (to thicken the soup)

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup half and half

• 1 stick of unsalted butter

Grab your pot, ( I always use my trusty cast iron pot). Start by sautéing the bacon on medium heat. 

After the bacon gets brown and crispy, remove from pot and set aside. Then add the diced onion and cook until translucent. 

Add the 4 cans of clams WITH juice. 

Stir. Add the celery, 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper, potatoes and bacon. 

 

Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours.  Be sure to stir at regular intervals to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot. 

1 hour before serving, start to make your roux. A roux is butter, flour and milk whisked together to use as a thickening agent. 

In a sauce pan, start to melt the stick of butter. 

Add the flour and begin whisking. 

Whisk all of the lumps out. Your goal is to get a smooth, shiny consistency. 

Add the milk, keep whisking! 

Add the half and half and keep whisking. 

Slowly pour the roux into the pot of soup and stir to incorporate. 

The soup with thicken and be creamy. 

At this point the soup is done! Sometimes when I make clam chowder I will buy a few fresh clams to cook and garnish on the side. But that's definitely not necessary. 

Take the 2 bread bowls, slice the top off and hollow out the middle. 

Preheat oven to 400 and place the bread in for about 8 minutes until crispy.  Once toasted, fill with chowder and enjoy!!! 

Balsamic Roasted Salmon In Parchment Paper

Using parchment paper packs to cook fish is so easy and delicious. Just pick a fish and vegetables and they cook perfectly together in 25 minutes. No fuss. 

I marinated salmon in balsamic vinegar and cooked over broccolini and red bell pepper. This was a perfect meal for me when the husband works nights and I don't want to cook something involved. Each ingredient is per parchment pack. 

You will need:

• 1 boneless salmon filet (per person)

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

• salt and pepper

• 1 bunch of broccolini 

• 1 red bell pepper

• olive oil 

• parchment paper

• 1 Clive of garlic, minced

In a bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper over the salmon to marinade for 20 minutes. 

Wash and cut the vegetables. 

Cut a large piece of parchment paper. 

Create the packet. Start with the vegetables, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper then top with salmon. 

Pour the marinade over and add the minced garlic. 

Fold over. 

 

Make sure the seal is tight so everything cooks in the steam.  Preheat the oven to 415, and add the baking pan so it preheats with the oven. 

Twist the ends and tuck tightly underneath the packet. 

Cook for 25 minutes. 

I added a drizzle of balsamic after removing from the oven.  Enjoy!!! 

Mozzarella stuffed meatballs and Sunday sauce

There's nothing like a homemade pasta sauce. I'm not italian, (and i refuse to call it GRAVY) but I enjoy doing my "Sunday dinners" making sauce and meatballs. It's become our ritual! There is no right or wrong way  to make sauce and everyone has their own little secrets that make theirs stand out. SO here is my recipe that I've changed many times and finally I am happy with it! 

The meatballs are moist and delicious and I'm never going to make a meatball without stuffing some mozzarella in it again!

For the sauce:

• 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes

• sausage/meat pack to flavor the sauce

• 1 tablespoon dried basil

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• salt and pepper 

• 1 cup grated  Parmesan cheese

• 5 cloves of garlic minced

• olive oil 

• splash of red wine

• 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar 

• half can of water (tomato can)

• half can of tomato paste

• dash of hot pepper flakes

In a sauté pan, on medium heat, start to brown the meat on each side, then remove to a plate. 

***if you can't find this "gravy package" at your local store, you can just buy hot/sweet sausage and use that***

After you remove the meat, lower the heat to low, add a little more olive oil and sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds. 

Add the tomatoes

Then fill half the can with water and add it in. 

Add half can of tomato paste

Add salt, pepper, cheese, pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried basil and brown sugar. Add a splash of red wine. 

Put the meat back in and simmer on very low flame, covered for minimum of 1 hour. 

And now it's time for meatballs!!!!! 

You will need: 

• 1 1/2 lbs of chop meat

• about 3-4 tablespoons chopped parsley 

• 3 cloves of garlic minced

• salt and pepper

• 1 cup Parmesan cheese 

• 1 cup milk

• splash of red wine 

• 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs

• 2 eggs

• small mozzarella balls, halved 

***usually found by the deli counter, or if you can't find them, cubed fresh mozzarella is fine***

**this recipe can make approximately 30 meatballs. I made only 15 and froze the mixture for another day**

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the mozzarella. Use your hands and do not over mix it. 

Form in a ball (a little bigger than a golf ball) and stuff with the mozzarella. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a baking pan/sheet and rub with olive oil. 

Bake the meatballs for about 10 minutes then flip over and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. 

Once cooked, add to the sauce and simmer for about another 40 minutes. 

Serve over pasta of choice and ENJOY!!!