Main Entrees RecipesIn the United States, the main entree is the main dish of a meal and often consisting of meat, poultry, fish or shellfish accompanied by a starch and/or vegetable. Also, subscribe to my blog for more fabulous recipes!
Back to "Favorite Recipes" main page. Check out "Cooking Meats" and "Marinades and Rubs" for many other delicious main entrees. Here are some more of my favorites: Orange Roughy with Tomatoes Mix tomatoes, shallots, parsley, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a large oven-safe skillet. Place orange roughy fillets over the tomato mixture. Add vermouth and water (or clam juice) and bring to a simmer on medium heat on the stove top. Cover skillet with lid or foil. Place skillet in a preheated 375 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until fish is opaque. Remove fish to a serving dish and keep warm. Boil remaining juices on high heat until the mixture has reduced to about one half. Mix butter and flour together and then stir into the juices. Cook on medium-heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, whipping cream, and any juice drained from the fish on the serving dish to the sauce mixture. Stir to combine, then pour sauce over fish to serve.
Mexican Shrimp with Rice
In a hot pan, sauté the shrimp for one minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the pico and continue to cook. Squeeze in the lime juice, then add the cream. When the cream reduces to a sauce consistency, taste for seasonings, serve over rice. Easy Huh? Chicken with Tarragon and Vermouth Chicken and tarragon are a classic French combination. Serve with potatoes or rice pilaf and a green vegetable, such as steamed haricots verts or asparagus. Easy, fresh and delicious! Serves two to three Trim the chicken, removing the tenders, and slice on an angle into 3/4 inch thick pieces, season generously with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add half of the chicken and cook, flipping once, until lightly browned and just barely cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, repeat with the remaining chicken. Cover with foil to keep warm. Return the pan to medium heat and, if it looks dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the shallot and saute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until softened, about 1 minute. Pour in the vermouth and scrape the pan with the spoon to loosen any browned bits. Let the vermouth simmer until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cold butter 2 or 3 pieces at a time, stirring after each addition until completely melted. Stir in the tarragon, taste the sauce, and add salt and pepper as needed. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Crab Cakes with Chardonnay Cream Sauce The secret to the crisp coating in this recipe is the crushed potato chips.
Boil wine and shallots in heavy medium saucepan until mixture is reduced to ½ cup, about 10 minutes. Add cream and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix crabmeat, ½ cup crushed potato chips, breadcrumbs and next 7 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Using ¼ cupful crab mixture for each cake, form mixture into sixteen 2 ½-inch diameter cakes. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover sauce and crab cakes separately and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, before serving). Place remaining potato chips in shallow dish. Press each cake into chips, turning to coat evenly. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add crab cakes to skillet and cook until golden brown and heated through, adding more oil as necessary, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer crab cakes to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Place 2 crab cakes on each plate; spoon sauce around crab cakes and then serve immediately. Chile Rellenos Casserole
Roast poblano peppers in an oven or on top of gas range (until blistery all over). Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside. Brown meat and drain, add tomato sauce, minced garlic, chopped onion, oregano, cumin and salt to the meat along with ½ cup of water and simmer 30 minutes or until all liquids evaporated, set aside and let cool. Peel poblano peppers removing all burn skin, open and remove the seeds and slice into 2 inch long strips. (Taste one strip to see how hot the pepper is. Poblano peppers vary in how hot they are. If they are real hot, use less peppers in the casserole.) In a casserole dish, layer starting with peppers, then meat, then cheese. Make two or three layers ending with the cheese. Whisk together eggs, milk, and flour in a bowl until real smooth. Make sure there are no lumps. Pour evenly over entire casserole. Cover with a layer of Reynolds plastic wrap and cover that with foil. Be sure the foil covers all the plastic. Crimp under the edges. Cook in an oven at 350 F for about 40 to 50 minutes. Take the casserole out of the oven and take off the foil and remove the plastic. Be very careful, there will be a lot of steam. Return the casserole to the oven to brown on top. Approx. 5-10 min. Stuffed Chicken Breast with Prosciutto and Fontina Cheese This is a delicious recipe! When you slice the chicken breast, you have a nice presentation. Brown and golden on the outside, with color from the prosciutto, and all the wonderful cheese oozing out on the inside. Make a pocket on the thicker side of each breast: Using a sharp boning or utility knife, cut into the breast about ½ inch from one end. Create a pocket, slicing all the way down sideways to within about ¼ inch of the other side. Stuff each breast with 1 slice of prosciutto and grated Fontina cheese, distributing it evenly throughout the pocket and to the ends. Press on the top of each breast to close the pocket. Using breading pans, fill the first with the flour. In the second, whisk the eggs and Dijon mustard. In the third, toss the breadcrumbs with the sage and a ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Dredge the breast well in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip it into the egg mixture, turning to coat evenly, and then dredge it in the breadcrumbs, pressing to make the crumbs adhere evenly. Gently shake off any excess. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours. Before cooking, heat the oven to 350 F. Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-heat. When the oil is very hot, carefully add the chicken breast and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the breast to a baking sheet. Bake until the chicken and filling reach 165 F., about 15 minutes. Slice the chicken on the diagonal and serve immediately. Southwestern Beef Stew When it is cold outside, there is nothing better than a big bowl of homemade beef stew!
Adjust a rack to the lower middle of the oven and heat the oven to 450 F. Pat the beef dry with paper towels, trim away any thick pieces of fat, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heavy-based Dutch oven about 9-11 inches in diameter. As soon as you see smoke rise from the pan, add a quarter of the beef cubes (don't crowd pan). Sear the beef until two sides form a dark-brown crust 8 to 10 min. total. Transfer the beef to bowl and continue searing the remaining beef. Set all the seared beef aside. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic to the pot. If the pan looks dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano and continue cooking, stirring until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flour and then the red wine and water. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Lay a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over the pot and, using a potholder or a thick towel, press it down in the center so that it almost touches the stew and is pressed against the side of the pot. Crimp the foil around the rim for a tight seal. Cover snugly with the lid. Turn the burner to medium high until you hear juices bubble. Put the pot in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the vegetables. I usually steam my veggies, but you can also sauté them if you like. Remove the pot from the oven, carefully remove the foil, and stir in the cooked vegetables. Cover again with the foil and lid. Let stand about 15 minutes so the meat rests and the vegetables marry with the stew. If the stewing juices are too thick, just add ¼ cup water at a time as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently reheat, if necessary, and garnish with parsley. Turkey Meat Loaf Sandwiches with Red Onion Ketchup I serve this sandwich open faced on Texas Toast. Yum!!
Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or skillet set over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes while stirring, or until translucent. Add the thyme, oregano, all-spice, and heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced by one-third and has the consistency of oatmeal. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool. When cool, add the turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, ketchup, salt and pepper, and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a 1 ½ qt. greased loaf pan (measuring 8 ½" X 4 ½" X 2 ½"). Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the meatloaf in the oven for about 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle run a paring knife around the inside of the loaf pan and invert the meatloaf onto a clean platter to unmold. Cover in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Red Onion Ketchup Place the onions in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. Transfer the cooled onion mixture to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the ketchup and pulse several times until thoroughly incorporated. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator. To assemble the sandwich: Reheat the oven to 350 F. Cut four large slices of the meatloaf and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Top each slice with 2 tablespoons of the red onion ketchup and one slice of mozzarella cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 4 minutes or until the meatloaf is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Place the toasted Texas toast (or any thick-sliced bread) in the center of a warm serving plate, top with the meatloaf, and serve open-faced. $50,000 Burger Camilla Saulsbury won $50,000 for this award winning burger. These burgers are expensive to make, but without a doubt, the best gourmet burger I have ever tasted! Serves 6
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. Combine beef, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt in a large bowl, handling as little as possible. Shape into 6 patties to fit the bun size. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside. Grate 2 teaspoons zest from the lemons. Juice the lemons to yield 2 tablespoons juice. Put the fennel rings in a medium-sized bowl and toss with the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to a grill basket and grill, shaking the basket occasionally, until soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the fennel to a sheet of foil, sprinkle with the lemon zest, and wrap to keep warm. Heat a large, heavy nonstick skillet on the grill. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Wrap in foil to keep warm. Drain the bacon fat from the skillet, wipe out the skillet with paper towels and set the skillet back on the grill. Add the walnuts to the skillet and toast until golden and fragrant; set aside. Whisk the vinegar with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a small bowl and season with salt to taste. Combine the figs, arugula and toasted walnuts in a medium bowl. Toss with just enough dressing to coat. When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, until done to preference, 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium. Place the cheese slices on the patties during the last 3 minutes of grilling. Place the buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of the rack to toast lightly during the last 2 minutes of grilling. To assemble the burgers, place equal portions of the warm grilled fennel on each bun bottom, followed by a cheese-topped patty, 2 bacon slices and an equal portion of the fig-arugula topping. Add the bun tops and serve.
Steak Sandwich (Italian Style) I love the roasted pepper mayonnaise with this sandwich! Steak: Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Combine oil, herbs, and pepper flakes for the steak; set aside. Grill steak on both sides to desired doneness (about 7 minutes per side for medium-rare). Remove steak from the grill; let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain. Toss steak strips with oil-herb mixture and season with salt. Brush the cut sides of the rolls with oil and grill until toasted while steak rests.
Mayonnaise:
Puree mayonnaise, peppers, Gorgonzola, and shallots in a food processor until smooth. Add parsley and pulse until chopped. Season with salt and pepper; cover and chill. To assemble: Divide watercress evenly onto bottom halves of rolls; top with slices of the steak. Spoon mayonnaise over steak, then top sandwiches with remaining rolls. Cut sandwiches in half, then serve. Meatball Subs
Saute chopped pepper, onion and garlic in oil in a Dutch oven until tender. Add tomato puree; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until thickened. Combine ground beef and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Shape mixture into 24 (1 ½-inch) meatballs. Broil meatballs on a rack in a broiler pan 5 minutes or until browned, turning once. Add meatballs to tomato sauce, and simmer, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, place 4 meatballs on bottom half of each roll on a baking sheet. Spoon sauce over each sandwich. Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese. Broil sandwiches 6 inches from heat until cheese melts. Cover each sandwich with top half of roll. Serve with remaining tomato sauce. Garnish with oregano, if desired.
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