Chicken Marsala

I made Chicken Marsala for Fred and Tammy Cerrone last night. Fred and I met 16 years ago playing baseball in Florida and we have played together ever since. He his from Toledo Ohio and a huge Notre Dame football fan. This recipe is one of my favorites, so I ressurected it from the archives....Enjoy, Gandy
PS to cook the alchohol out of the wine, you must boil for at least 3 minutes.

Get yourself the biggest frying pan with a lid you can find.Cover the bottom of the pan with 1/4 inch of olive oil. Add 1/2 stick of butter and let it melt over medium heat.

Take a boneless skinless chicken breast and dredge it in a mixture of 1 cup flour, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. (Dredging means to lightly coat the meat all over.) This will help big time with the gravy later.

Place meat in frying pan and sear on one side for 5 minutes. The meat should be lightly browned. Carefully flip the meat over and sear for 3 minutes on side two. This process will seal the flavor of the meat.

Take 16 oz of fresh sliced mushroooms and spead them all over the pan and the meat. Take 1 cup marsala wine and 1/2 cup dry sherry wine; pour over contents of pan. Add chicken stock until meat is just about covered in liquid. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Check meat for your desired finish.

Set meat aside in a covered dish to keep hot. Drain mushrooms [SAVE LIQUID in pan] and place mushrooms over the top of the meat for presentation.

There should have been some reduction in the amount of liquid. Add more chicken stock to desired level of gravy that you want. Bring to slow boil. In a sepatate small bowl combine 1/2 cup corn starch to 1 cup COLD water. Mix well.

Slowly pour corn starch mixture into slowly boiling frying pan. Mix well. Add 1 Tbsp each granulated garlic and granulated onion. Salt and pepper to taste. This mixture, once it comes to a slow boil, will thicken quickly. DO NOT BURN. Stir constantly and once it thickens remove from heat.

The combination of flavors from the meat drippings, the wine, the stock, the spices...YUM!

   Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta....awesome. My favorite thing here is to chop up fresh carrots and potaoes with skins on, boil until done in salted water; drain and pour gravy right on top. Maybe some green beans? Dinner!

When in Florida.....Eat a Cuban Sandwich

I have come down to Florida to play baseball for 14 years now and I love this place. A couple of years ago a good friend introduced me to authentic Cuban food. Chicken, rice, beans plantains...YUM. Well, of all the Cuban fare, the "Cuban" sandwich is my favorite. It's easy to make if you have the right ingredients. Enjoy......Gandy.

Ingredients
1 lb thinly sliced roast pork (*recipe on bottom)
1 lb thinly sliced ham
1 lb sliced Swiss cheese (has to be Swiss- once you go Swiss you will never miss)
1 cup Dijonaise  (3/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup Gulden's spicy brown mustard)
6 dill pickle spears, cut into 3 thin slices each
celery salt to taste

You can use sliced sour dough or even rye if you like, but a real Cuban is made on a sweet roll.  Take your roll, cut in half and put a generous amount of Dijonaise on both sides. Add the pork, ham and Swiss in the amount that you like. (I like mine with alot of everything.) Place pickles on top and sprinkle with celery salt. Place the whole thing in a panini press or George Foreman grill for 3-4 minutes. Slice and enjoy. YUM!

*Roast pork-buy a nice small pork roast, place in pan with a little water, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and seasoning salt. Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes per pound. Let cool, slice thinly.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

OK, whenever you come to NY you have to eat as much Pizza as possible. As mentioned L&B Spumoni Gardens was also featured on "Man v. Food" So of course I just had to go. I met John there and he graciously allowed me to take pictures and answered all of my questions.
The signature lunch staple at L&B is their Sicilian-style square pizza. It is also one of my absolute favorite kinds of pizza. When I was in high school I used to slip away and grab two slices of this thick pizza at least three times a week. Michelangelo's was the hot spot in Eastport and still is.
Sicilian pizza is made a little differently than the more traditional styles. With a regular pizza, the dough is covered in sauce, then cheese and finally the toppings. Real Sicilian pizza has the mozzarella under the sauce, and the sauce is fresh, not cooked. This means the flavor is to die for. A small sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top finishes the awesome square delicacy!
I had my traditional 2 slices, a diet Pepsi.....well let's just say I was extremely satisfied! Gandy

AHHHHHHH! I should not be having this much fun. Started the day buying the Jets hoodie I wanted so badly. At least its not orange and blue - that should make Clarence happy! I cruised over to Brooklyn and met the owner of Brennan & Carr, famous for roast beef and now I know why! Yum! They even gave me a free shirt. To top it off, the guy’s name is Ed Sullivan.....really.

So I got the Gargiulo special, a half-pound homemade burger with cheese, sautéed onions, and a generous helping of their world famous Roast beef all piled high on an awesome roll. Then the whole thing, including roll, is dipped into the best au jus ever. WOW. Thanks Ed and every time I’m in town I am there. Gandy

In NYC ready to eat!

Landed at JFK tonight and ready for my feast though the city tomorrow....
I am heading to two places - Adam Richman of Man vs. Food highlighted 2 weeks ago, L&B Spumoni for some authentic Sicilian Pizza, and Brennan and Carr for their famous roast beef topped cheeseburger.
Stay tuned. Gandy

Gandy is Heading To The Big Apple!

Well, tomorrow morning I fly home to NY for a couple of days. I will be eating the best food in the world (I'm a little biased!) and I can't wait. Look for recipes from the road. I never know when a crazy fantastic idea will smack me upside the tastebuds.   To be continued......

I'm Coming Fredo....keep it hot for me!!!

Rocco's Meatballs

Here is a fast, easy way to make great meatballs that everyone will love. I find crazy idea's everywhere. Once at a Christmas party I tasted a Swedish meatball made by a great friend from Denmark. The meat was so moist yet held it's form. In the past I have tried many times to "soften" the meatball, but they always fell apart. I asked my friend what the secret was and she told me, "oatmeal." So, here is an Italian meatball recipe from Sweden by way of Denmark. Enjoy, Gandy

2 lbs   80/20 ground beef. (Notice on the package what % is fat, 20% makes a great meatball.)
1 lb ground Italian pork sausage
4 eggs
1/2 cup marinara sauce
16 oz oats (NOT instant)
4 oz fresh spinach, chopped fine
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground fennel

Put all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. The eggs will hold everything together. Roll the meatballs into 2 inch balls; place on greased baking tray. Cook at 325° for 30 minutes. If you want to really have the best possible meatball, take them straight from the oven and place them right into a simmering marinara sauce. The sauce just soaks right in. Make sure that you drain the grease from the pan before "saucing." Serve right away with your favorite pasta.

                                                            We want moist not CHEWY!

Seafood Soup.....YUM!

Today started like any other Saturday morning: Two hours of basketball followed by my very own Gandy-created baseball pitching workout. I load the Iron Mike (automatic pitching mchine) with 150 baseballs, squat like a catcher to snatch each ball coming in at about 80mph, pop up to work my legs and pitch the ball to work my arm and shoulder. Sounds like work but to tell the truth I enjoy every second.

So here I am. It's lunchtime and I want something delicious and nutritious at the same time. Its cold and rainy today so soup was a given, but with no chicken or beef in the house I went with what I had.

   I had two pieces of frozen talapia, a can of salmon, a pound of frozen shrimp and 8 ounces of imitation crab meat. I went to work....here you go. Enjoy, Gandy

6 potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cups chopped celery with leaves

2 quarts chicken stock

2 chicken bullion cubes
1 cup cream soup base (Walmart bulk food aisle)

2 cups shrimp with tails removed

2 cups fish (whatever you have or like)

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 stick butter

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp cajun seasoning

1 Tbsp creole seasoning

1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning

2 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp granulated onion

salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, place chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, onion, 1 tsp salt and celery. Boil for 20 minutes until veggies are cooked. Mix in cream soup base. Mix well until all lumps are gone. Take 2 cups of liquid from the pot, two cups of the veggies and the bullion cubes. Blend until pureed; add back into stock pot.

In a skillet, place olive oil, butter and garlic on medium heat. When garlic starts to sizzle and butter is melted, add the shrimp and fish. Add cajun and creole seasonings; cook while mixing until everything is hot and covered. Add fish mixture into stock pot. Mix in garlic and onion. Salt and pepper to your liking.  This soup will burn if left on the stove. Place in double boiler or remove from heat.

Great FOOD TV

If you are looking to watch some awesome TV about great food check out these shows. I am a foodie big time. One show that I love is Man vs. Food. Adam Richman is the host and he scours the nation looking for the best of the best. At the end of the show he does a food challenge that's fun to watch. Imagine eating a 7 lb. breakfast burrito in 1 hour! This show can be found on the travel channel. Another good show is "Guys Big Bite" on the Food network with Guy Fieri, the host of "minute to win it." Sunny Anderson does a great job on "Cooking for Real," also on the food network.

Pumpkin Squash soup

This is absolutely incredible. Trust me, you will love it. It just screams "Fall Harvest" and "Halloween."

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large butternut squash (produce section)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground Italian sausage (sweet if they have it, if not mild)
2 medium potatoes
2 medium carrots
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
2 quarts chicken stock
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp nutmeg
2 tsp margoram
1 tsp thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the sausage, drain grease and set meat aside.

Cut squash into 4 long quarters. Remove and discard the seeds. Place squash in baking pan, drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle with salt and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

In large pot cut up potatoes, carrots, onion and celery; add 2 quarts of chicken stock and cook for 30 minutes or until veggies are soft. Remove veggies from pot. (Set 2 cups stock aside to use later.) Put veggies in blender or food processor with additional 2 cups of stock from pot. (Leave remainder of stock in pot.) Puree veggies and stock; place the puree mix back into the pot with the stock. Bring to a boil.

Empty can of pumpkin into the pot and stir. Remove squash from oven, let cool for 10 minutes and spoon out squash from the rind. Place squash in the blender with 2 cups of stock you set aside; puree. Add this to stock pot. Add spices and salt and pepper to your taste. Add sausage and cook until hot. DO NOT BURN. This wil be a thicker soup so once hot, remove from the burner. A double boiler is perfect here.

Serve in bowl with a swirl of heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon if you like. Enjoy. Gandy

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Todays soup du Rocco is chicken noodle

Soup du Rocco.........Tomato Basil

Many restaurants use a tomato basil soup as there signature soup. There used to be an Italian Restaurant down the street called Ottavio's. They made the best version of Tomato Basil I have ever had. This recipe is inspired by that recipe. I hope you enjoy this. Have it with a sandwich and find a quiet spot to lick the bowl without interuption....Enjoy.

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes.
6 tomatoes, cut in wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
1 can tomato sauce
32 oz of your homemade chicken broth (find recipe on this blog)
1 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves.
1 Tbsp sugar or splenda
2 cups heavy cream
1 package Philadelphia cream cheese
1 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste



In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil. (DO NOT BURN) When hot, add tomato wedges, sugar and salt to taste. Cook this on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes start getting soft. The smell is incredible. Place contents of skillet in blender or food processor, add cream cheese and blend until smooth.

In a soup pot, boil the chicken stock. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add blended tomato mix and bring to a slow boil. Add basil leaves, heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste. Yum. If you find the soup too thin for your liking, take 2 Tbsp corn starch and mix in small bowl with 3 Tbsp COLD water and add to soup. If the soup is too thick for you, add more chicken stock until you reach desired consistency. This soup is silky smooth and just perfect for Winnie-The-Pooh on a cold, blustery fall afternoon.
Enjoy, Gandy.

Soup is on.......Chicken stock

I often mention chicken stock in my recipes. Here is a quick way to make your own homemade stock the old fashioned way. I am all about soup right now and the rainy fall weather plus soup is a winner. Next time you are at the store buy yourself a whole uncooked chicken. We buy boneless skinless breasts so many times we forget that chickens have a whole body they willingly give up for our nourishment.

Put chicken in a large pot and cover with water; add 2 tsp salt and boil the entire bird for about 35 minutes until fully cooked. Take the chicken out of the pot while saving every drop of the water/drippings left behind. Let the bird cool, than remove the skin and peel off all the meat you can. Set the meat aside for soups, casseroles whatever you like. Throw all bones and the carcass of the chicken back into the pot with the drippings. Add the following...

2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped in 1 inch pieces
2 potatoes, skins on, chopped in 2 inch pieces
1/2 stalk celery, chopped with leaves included
1 small onion, peeled and chopped

Let this caldron of flavor boil for 45 minutes. Your entire house will smell wonderful. When done, strain the liquid into another pot or large bowl. DO NOT throw away any juice. The juice is the stock. From the colander, pick out the chicken bones and any skin left behind-throw these away. Take the veggies and save them, they play a very important role in any of my soups (a thickening agent that is to die for.)

You now have the single best homemade chicken stock known to mankind. (In my circle at least) You can use this anywhere you need chicken stock or broth. Gravy made from this mix is simply the best gravy you have ever had. I let the stock cool and divide it up into quarts that I poor into large ziplock bags and freeze. This way you take out what you want when you need it.

I will be posting soup recipes in the next few days. Chicken Tortilla, Chicken Noodle, Tomato Basil, Pumpkin Squash, Beef veggie.....I love this time of year. Gandy

Conference Frittata or Strata

For those of you who are not LDS (Mormon) the whole conference idea might be foreign to you. Let me explain. Twice a year in spring and fall, the leadership of the church comes together from all over the globe and conducts a "General Conference." This conference is televised via satellite to pretty much every corner of the globe. It is a time for LDS families to stay home and "watch" church on Saturday and Sunday those weekends. I personally love this time as we cook, eat, and enrich our lives with spiritual things. I always take this time to create something delicious. After recieving an idea from a reader, I introduce to you the "Conference Frittata" enjoy. Gandy

My new favorite "pan" is this large cast iron skillet pictured above.
I cook everything in it.

Start out by turning the broiler in your oven on high. In a bowl, mix a dozen eggs very well. (Mix them more than you normally would, as you want as much air in this dish as you can.) Spray the pan generously with cooking spray. You will not "flip" this dish so the spray is vital to removing the dish from the pan after cooking. Pour the egg mixture into the pre-heated pan on medium to low heat. Throw in whatever makes you happy. Or try this "Gandy" original:

2 tomatoes, diced
2 Italian sausage links, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup broccoli, chopped small
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup fresh spinach, rough chopped
3 stalks scallions or 'green onions', chopped small
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pepperjack cheese, shedded
Spead the above evenly over the bubbling egg mixture until the bottom of the eggs are cooked. Do not burn the bottom, check frequently. With the right temperature, you should be cooking for about 5 minutes. This should ensure that all but the very top is cooked. Once the bottom is cooked, move the entire pan into the oven broiler and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the top is cooked. Slice it like a pizza and serve right away. Yum!

                                                    Be Happy.....Cook with the proper tools!

A Breakfast Strata is actually delicious as well and very easy to make. Preheat your oven to 350° and spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the following: 6 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 full stick of butter (melted), 1 lb ricotta cheese, 1/2 lb shredded pepperjack cheese, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon, 1 cup chopped fresh spinach and 1 cup dry buttermilk baking mix. Mix well and pour into the baking pan. Bake 35-40 minutes; cut into squares and serve.  YUM!