Baked Cavatelli

This was last weeks "new" meal.  My house was turned into an italian eatery while making this. :)  It was yummy and simple!  I halved the recipe as usual.  I feel the need to add a Disclaimer here, so I shall.

Disclaimer: From this point on, unless stated otherwise, the recipes posted on this blog are prepared using only half the ingredients.  The ingredients of the recipes, as posted, are for the full recipe. 

There, now I don't have to keep telling you everytime that "I halved the recipe." :)

Ingredients: 1 package (12 ounces) italian sausage links, 2 1/2 cups dry cavatelli pasta, 1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce, 1 cup shredded mozzerala cheese, 3/4 cup onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Note: I couldn't find cavatelli pasta so I used rotini, it worked great, any small pasta would probably work.  Also, I used 1 garlic cube in place of the fresh garlic (remember I halved the recipe so use 2 if you are making the full recipe).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Basically just add some water to a sauce pan, bring to a boil, salt, and add pasta, cook until it is done.

 

While the pasta is cooking.....

Cut up the sausage into small chunks, In a skillet, cook the sausage, onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.  Drain off any fat. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the sauce, 3/4 of the cheese and the black pepper. 

When the pasta is done cooking, drain, and add to the sauce mixture. 

Add the sausage mixure to the sauce and pasta.  Stir gently to combine.

Spoon the mixture into a baking dish (2 quart for full recipe). 

I used a 10 oz cooking dish for one serving and then divided the remaining mixture into containers to refrigerate for meals for the next few days.  I ended up with about 3 servings.

  Bake, covered, in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until nearly heated through.  Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. 

Note:  I covered mine with foil and baked for about 15-20 minutes.  Uncovered, added the cheese and baked for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. 

ENJOY!

See a written version of this recipe here.

Chicken Kiev (aka Chicken Cordon Bleu - ish)

In keeping up with my cooking a new meal every week, here is last weeks.  The recipe is called Chicken Kiev but I made some adjustments so it turned out more like Chicken Cordon Bleu without the ham/prosciutto.  I guess a more technical name would be cheese stuffed chicken breast or something like that, but I am not a recipe creater or namer (obviously). :) This would also be a good meal to make ahead and cook the next day because it has to chill in the frig for 1-24 hours. 

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dry and it worked ok), 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 egg, beaten, 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, 2-3 skinless chicken breast, salt and black pepper, monterey jack cheese, stick (see note/picture),1 tablespoon butter

Note: Here are the changes I made I only used 1 chicken breast.  It was huge once I pounded it out so I cut the 1 in half to make 2.  The original recipe used a stick of margarine (instead of cheese) cut in half and then cut in half length wise to make a butter stick.  I used monterey jack cheese and did the same concept.  I am assuming the butter is what made it the ""Kiev".  See the picture below for a better description.  I had quite a bit of flour and bread crumbs left over so if you are only using 1-2 chicken breast you can cut back on the measurements of those two ingredients a little bit. 

--->Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

--->Mix together the chopped green onion, parsley (if using fresh) and garlic. Set aside.  Note: I used the "garlic cubes" for the garlic.

--->In a bowl mix the egg and 1 tablespoon water.  Put the flour in another bowl. And yet in another bowl (I know alot of dishes) place the bread crumbs.  Set aside.

--->Place the chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap. I just used one big sheet and folded it over.  Pound chicken until it is about 1/4 inch thick. 

--->Remove from the plastic wrap.  This is where I cut the 1 chicken breast in half to make 2.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Divide the green onion/garlic/parsley mixture between the chicken breast.

---> Place a stick of the cheese in the center of each chicken piece. Fold in the side edges and roll from the bottom to the top.

--->Coat the chicken first in the egg mixture, then the flour mixture, then the bread crumbs.  For a thicker coating after coating once, re-coat with the egg mixture and the bread crumbs.  Note:  Make sure you coat the ends well to help keep the cheese from making an escape. :)

--->Place in a baking dish, cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours. (1 hour minimum) I left mine in overnight and cooked them the next day. 

--->When you are ready to cook the chicken, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, add the chicken rolls to the skillet.  Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn the chicken every few minutes to brown all sides. 

--->Remove from skillet and place back into the backing dish.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.  They should come out looking like this.  Apparently I didn't coat the ends of that one very well and the cheese escaped.

--->EAT!

Note: It might be helpful to wait a few minutes before cutting into the chicken so that the cheese doesn't run out all at once.  I was too excited and cut right into it.  Hence, the cheese running out. 

You can find a written version of this recipe here.