Sak's
Centredale Liquors &
Wine Cellar

Recipes

Here are some great recipes for your enjoyment.  All recipes are kitchen tested.

Spaghetti Squash
A fantastic harvest treat.

    Cut a Spaghetti squash lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and loose strands.  Rub vegetable oil on the cut surfaces and place cut side down on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees in the oven between 45 and 70 minutes depending on the size of the squash.  To see if it's cooked, pierce with a pointy knife to check for softness.  Slightly over-cooked is better than under-cooked.
    When cool enough to handle, scrape the meat out of the shell with a fork.  It will look like spaghetti.

Serving suggestions:
    1.  Plain with a little salt, or
    2.  Add butter, salt, nutmeg, etc., or
    3.  In a skillet sauté a little onion and garlic in oil and then add squash, or
    4.  Put in a bowl and add prepared tomato sauce.

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Braised pork with pickled peppers

2-3 lb. Boneless country style pork (thick)
1 Small onion (sliced)
2 or 3 Cloves of garlic (chopped)
½ cup Dry white wine or chicken broth
3 Tbs. of Olive oil
¾ cup of sliced Pastene sweet vinegar peppers
¼ cup of the peppers’ vinegar from the bottle
Large skillet with cover

    Season pork on both sides with salt & pepper. On medium-high heat, brown the pork 2 minutes on both sides in the olive oil. Remove the meat and set aside.
   
    Add the onions and garlic to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 2 minutes on medium-low, add more oil if necessary. Add the wine or broth and sauté for another minute while scraping the bottom of the pan. Then add the meat to the pan and cover. The meat should be covered about half-way with the liquid, add more broth if necessary.

    Cook on low simmer for about 1¼ to 1½ hours. Check every 30 minutes to make sure the liquid hasn’t evaporated. Add more broth if necessary. Turn the meat once after it cooks for 45 minutes. The meat is done when it is very tender and can be pulled apart with a fork.

    Just before shutting off the heat, add the peppers and the peppers’ vinegar. Cover and let cook for only 3 or 4 more minutes, just to soften the peppers a bit..

Serve with, or over rice.

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Pumpkin Soup

This is a great harvest-time soup.  The texture will be chowder-like with flavors of summer squash.

        1 pumpkin approx. 5 LB, seeded, peeled, and cubed
        3 or 4 stalks celery, sliced thin
        1 medium vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
        4 tbls corn oil
        4 medium-large potatoes, peeled and cubed
        1/2 stick of butter
        1 48 ounce can, College Inn chicken broth

In a soup pan, cook the onion and celery in the oil until soft, not browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, then add the pumpkin on top of the potatoes. Do not mix them together, you will want to cook them that way, with the pumpkin on top of the potatoes. Add half the chicken broth and cover. Simmer over medium heat for about 1 hour or until the potatoes and pumpkin are soft.

Remove almost all of the cooked pumpkin, putting it in a food processor with the rest of the chicken broth and puree until smooth. Then put the pureed mixture back into the soup, add the butter and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick you can add water.

If you don’t have time to make this now, or would like to make it for Thanksgiving...your pumpkin might not stay fresh. Seed, peel, and cube your pumpkin, put in freezer bags and freeze for later.

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Apricots Poached in Red Wine

    2 cups dry red wine                      1/4 cup honey                             1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
    1 cup Port                                    1 cinnamon stick                         1 pint vanilla ice cream
    1/4 cup sugar                               3 pounds large apricots             

    In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the red wine, Port, sugar, honey and cinnamon stick to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Cut a small "x" into one end of each apricot with a paring knife. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Poach the apricots for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander and slip the skins from the fruit. Add the apricots, adding more wine as necessary to cover the apricots, and simmer covered,turning occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and divide the apricots among 4 bowls. (If desired, cut in half first and discard seed.) Bring the poaching liquid to boil and reduce by half. Discard the cinnamon stick. Let the syrup cool slightly. Place 1 scoop of ice cream over each apricot serving, and top with poaching liquid. Sprinkle toasted almond slivers over each serving, and serve immediately.

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Chicken and Onions
(This is another one of my Grandmothers "peasant food" recipes. )

12 - Chicken Drumsticks  (or your favorite chicken parts)
1 - Medium/large Yellow Onion
2 - Dashes of Soy Sauce or Balsamic vinegar
2 - Pinches of Tarragon (optional)
Salt & Pepper

You will need a skillet or frying pan with a cover.
If you don’t have a cover use aluminum foil.

    Slice the onion into eighths put them in the bottom of a large frying pan or skillet. Pull the skin off and rinse the chicken. Discard the skins. Place the chicken on the bed of onions. Add about 1/8 cup of water in the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan. Cook on medium heat until the chicken is done, approximately 15- 20 minutes.

When the chicken is done remove from the pan. Cook the onions down adding 2 pinches of Tarragon (optional), 2 dashes of soy sauce or balsamic vinegar. Pour sauteed onions over the chicken or serve on the side.

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Mom’s Baked Fish and Vegetables
   The great thing about this recipe, besides it being healthy, is that there is no oil or butter used, yet there is tremendous natural flavors from the vegetables.

        1&1/2 Lbs. Scrod (thick)
        1 Green or Red Bell Pepper, diced
        5 Celery stalks, chopped
        1 Medium Tomato, diced
        1 Medium Onion, chopped
        4 ounces of Chicken broth
        2 Tbs. of tomato sauce (mix with the broth)
        1 Tbs. parsley
        Salt & Pepper
        Paprika

    Put all the vegetables and broth/tomato sauce in a glass baking dish, season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 375º oven for 20 minutes.

    Remove from oven, stir everything well and taste the vegetables for seasoning, they will probably need more salt.

    Put the fish on the vegetables in the baking dish, season with salt and paprika and bake uncovered at 375º for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes. Baste once or twice with the juices and vegetables during the cooking process. Serve with white rice. Serves 3.

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Broiled Salmon Steaks  (simple & delicious)
        4-10 ounce Salmon Steaks
       1/4  cup olive oil
       1/4  tsp. dried dill
       1/8  cup light soy sauce
       1  tbls. lemon juice
       Ground Clove

Mix the olive oil, light soy sauce, dill, lemon juice and a pinch of  clove.   Mix well and brush over the salmon steaks.   Place on a cookie sheet.  Broil on both sides until lightly browned and tender.  Be careful not to overcook, it doesn't take long, so be very watchful.  Serve with a baked potato and a salad.

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Tom's Vegetarian Caviar  (Olive Paste)
          2/3  cup pitted Italian oil-cured black olives
        1/3  cup pitted Greek Kalamata olives
        1/3  cup chopped yellow onions
        2  cloves of garlic
        3/4  cup vegetable or corn oil
        1/2  tsp. sugar
        Juice of 1/2 a lemon
        Parsley

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and grind until the texture of chunky pesto (Don't grind it too fine).  For best results, refrigerate overnight to give the ingredients time to mesh.  If kept refrigerated, this mixture will last for a couple of weeks.  More oil can be added as this mixture is used over time.

Serving Suggestions:  This is one of those creations that as many uses as your imagination will allow.  Here are some I have tried:

  1. In a fry-pan, heat a little olive oil and a couple tablespoons of the mixture -- put over white linguine (aglio e olio style).

  2. On crackers with provolone or cheddar as an appetizer.

  3. Great on sandwiches as a spread, especially with salami or Italian ham.

  4. Mixed in tuna fish.

  5. On salads.

  6. On pizza (homemade or nor).

  7. In a red marinara sauce.

  8. With roasted peppers.

  9. Atop plain Italian bread.


      

                                                        - Tom Saccoccia