Red wine braised short ribs

This is such a powerful yet simple dish. The braising really tenderizes and brings out the flavor of the short ribs, like it does to so many other delicious dishes (e.g. Osso Buco). Serve this on its own, with potatoes, polenta, or, as pictured, risotto. Enjoy!

Red wine braised short ribs

Yield: 1 piece per serving
Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless beef short ribs
• seasoned flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 14 oz. can plum tomatoes, broken up
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried herbs de Provence
• salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Coat the shortribs with seasoned flour and brown in the oil.
3. Remove from the pan and add the onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and carrots.
4. Sauté another 5 minutes, add the wine, and reduce by half.
5. Add the tomatoes, stock, and herbs. Cover and braise covered in the oven for 1 hour at 400 degrees then reduce the heat to 350 F, uncover, and continue cooking for another hour or until tender.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Osso Buco with Beef

Osso Buco is a classic Italian dish that usually uses veal shanks. We wanted to see if we could create the same flavors but with a less expensive meat. Blade steaks were used because they're comparatively inexpensive and are a tough cut. Tough cuts like veal shanks and blade steaks are perfect for braising, which is exactly how osso buco is cooked. By the end, the meat became tender and fell apart easily and soaked up much of the flavor of the braising liquid. It was extremely easy, and I would make it again as-is any time. Enjoy!

Osso Buco with Beef

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds blade steak
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed and diced
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Trim and season the blade steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F.
3. Heat skillet or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil.
4. Drop the steaks in pan and sear it thoroughly, using a pair of tongs to turn it. When a nice brown crust has developed on all sides of the meat, remove it from the pan to a bowl.
5. Pour in most of the wine and scrape the pan to remove the browned bits. Remove to the bowl with the steaks.
6. Add the carrots and onions and cook for 5 minutes or so, or until the onion is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and after 30 seconds, add the rest of the wine and scrape the pan again.
7. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Add the steaks and juice from the bowl. The liquid should cover 3/4 of the steaks.
8. Cover and put in oven at 300 F.
9. After 40 minutes, flip the steaks and cook uncovered for another 40 minutes.
10. Replace cover, reduce heat to 250 F, and cook for 1 hour.
11. Serve with polenta, rice, or risotto. Serve with gremolata if desired.

Vegetarian Moussaka with Sweet Potatoes

A vegetarian version of our original Moussaka. Instead of meat, we chose portobello for its meaty qualities. Plus, how can you not love portobello and eggplant together in one dish? This one also includes a layer of sweet potatoes on the bottom that really goes nicely with the cinnamon and nutmeg spices used throughout the dish.

Moussaka

Yield: 8-12 servings
Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
• 1 sweet potato, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1.5-3 cups parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the portobello, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the mushrooms have lost some of their liquid, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by heating the milk to about boiling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of sweet potato as shingles, then a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the portobello mixture. Cover with remaining eggplant. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Savory Butternut Squash and Kale Bread Pudding

Ingredients

2 lbs peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
7 large eggs
2 1/4 cups half & half
6 tbsp dry white wine
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 sourdough baguette
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large)
2 bunches kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper

Directions

Cut baguette into 1-inch cubes and (if not dry) toast in 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until bread is dry, like day-old bread. Turn oven up to 400 degrees. Toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until squash is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Turn with spatula occasionally.

Whisk eggs in large bowl, add half & half, wine, mustard, and 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Heat about 2 tbsp oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add kale. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes. (I cook mine longer, though, because I like the kale less crunchy.)

Reduce oven temperature to 350. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Spread half of bread cubes in the bottom, topped with half of kale mixture, then half of squash, and sprinkled with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash, and cheese. Pour egg mixture over the bread pudding. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered until custard is set and bread feels springy to the touch, about 20 minutes longer. Broil 2 minutes right before serving until cheese browns slightly.

Notes:
*I don't like soggy bread pudding, so I altered the original recipe a little. Here are the things I did, so you can decide how you like it best.
* The recipe didn't call to toast the bread, just to cut it up, but I like it more stale.
*The recipe said to soak the bread in the egg mixture for 30 minutes before baking, but I completely skipped this step because I didn't want all soggy bread.
* When I did finally pour the egg mixture in the pan right before baking, I made sure not to completely cover the top pieces of bread, making sure they were still dry on top.
* I used more cheese

From the kitchen of Liza Wilson

Disney's Broccolini Aglio Olio

Broccolini Aglio Olio

Wine Country Trattoria

Ingredients

5 T. olive oil, divided
¼ c. chopped garlic
¼ c. chopped shallots
¼ t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 bunch broccolini cut into ½ inch pieces
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
½ t. coarse salt
¼ t. ground black pepper
4 c. cooked short-cut pasta (campanelle, penne, or rotini)
4 generous handfuls fresh arugula
3 generous handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 lemon, juiced
¼ c. dry white wine
¼ t. ground black pepper
¼ to ½ c. grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots, stirring constantly. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Be careful not to burn garlic.

2. Add red pepper flakes and broccolini, stirring to coat in oil. Cook until the broccolini is just tender.

3. Add tomatoes, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to the pan. Add pasta, arugula, spinach, lemon juice, and wine to the pan. Increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing, until spinach and arugula are wilted slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons oil, tossing to combine. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese, if using. Serve immediately.

Disneyland's Tonkatsu Sauce (Chicken Marinade)

Tonkatsu Sauce (Chicken Marinade)

Bengal Barbecue

Ingredients

1 c. Teriyaki Sauce
1 c. Soy Sauce
1 T. Red Wine Vinegar
1 c. Brown Sugar
½ c. Sherry Cooking Wine
2 Whole Bay Leaves
1 T. Ground Black Pepper
3 T. Grated Fresh Ginger Root
2 T. Fresh Garlic, finely minced

Directions

Mix ingredients and marinate chicken overnight in your refrigerator.

Disneyland's Tahitian Sauce (Chicken Dip)

Tahitian Sauce (Chicken Dip)

Bengal Barbecue

Ingredients

4 Whole Cloves
1 T. Red Wine Vinegar
1 c. Ketchup
½ c. Crushed Pineapple
½ c. Pineapple Juice
½ c. Brown Sugar
½ c. Soy Sauce
¼ c. Orange Juice Concentrate
3 T. Water

Directions

Simmer cloves in vinegar for 5-10 minutes. Strain cloves and add other ingredients.
Bring mixture to slow boil over medium heat.

Disneyland's Napa Rose Sea of Cortez Rock Scallops

Napa Rose Sea of Cortez Rock Scallops

Grand Californian Hotel

Yields 6 servings as an appetizer

Ingredients

12 large rock or diver scallops
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons clarified butter
11/2 cups chive potatoes (see following recipe)
11/2 cups lobster sauce (see following recipe)

Directions

Have mashed potatoes ready; they can be held warm and ready to serve.

Make lobster sauce and have it ready as well.

Place scallops on a towel and season with salt. Over medium high heat 2 tablespoons of clarified butter in a large sauté pan. Make sure pan is very hot, then add seasoned scallops.

Sauté for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Using kitchen tongs, turn scallops over and begin browning the opposite side. If they are cooking too quickly reduce the heat to medium. Once scallops are cooked on both sides, serve immediately.

To plate, place the hot chive whipped potatoes in the center of the plate, set two scallops per person on top of the potatoes. Then with a spoon, ladle sauce over the scallops and potatoes.


Napa Rose Sour Cream & Chive Whipped Potatoes

Ingredients

3 Russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup snipped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by at least 3 inches. Place on burner set to medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Smash or pass potatoes through a ricer. Season with salt, chives and add the butter and cream until potatoes are nice and moist. Add lemon, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

These should be made in advance and can be held warm.


Napa Rose Lobster, Lemon & Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients

1 lobster (steamed, cracked and meat removed)
1 tablespoon clarified butter
2 minced shallots
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 vanilla bean or 1/8 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 small pinch saffron
3 tablespoons diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

In a sauce pan, sauté shallots in 1 tablespoon of clarified butter over medium high heat. Add the white wine and reduce by 70 percent. Add the chicken stock, half of one vanilla bean, saffron and reduce by 50 percent. Add tomatoes, lobster, chopped thyme and lemon juice.

Remove sauce pan from heat and slowly whisk in unsalted butter. Mixture should resemble a creamy lobster and saffron stew. Taste sauce and adjust by adding salt or a few drops of lemon juice if necessary.

Disneyland's Hawaiian Ginger Dressing

Hawaiian Ginger Dressing

Tahitian Terrace

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

7 tbsp. red wine vinegar
5 tbsp. canola oil
3 tbsp. cut up, peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. garlic salt
8 tbsp. crushed pineapple
3 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. M.S.G., if desired

Directions

In a blender, combine vinegar, oil and fresh ginger. Blend well on high speed (15 seconds).

Add salt, pineapple, sugar and M.S.G., if used. Blend for another 15 seconds.

Refrigerate any unused portion.

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Blue Bayou Chicken Florentine

Ingredients

4 7oz. chicken breast (with skin)
1 cup Florentine sauce (see below)
3 oz. chopped fresh or frozen spinach
3 oz. grated cheddar cheese
2 oz. cooked and chopped bacon
seasoned salt to taste
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Directions

If fresh spinach is used, it must be blanched. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixing, combine spinach, bacon and cheese; set aside.

Open chicken breast and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Stuff with spinach mixture.

Fold and place seam side down in baking dish. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle outside with seasoned salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Top with Florentine sauce and serve over rice.

Florentine Sauce

Yields 2 cups

Ingredients

2 tsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. flour
3 tsp. unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/2 finely chopped onions
3 sliced medium mushrooms
2/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. diced pimentos
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

Blend together flour and 2 tsp of the butter; set aside.

Saute' onions and mushrooms in 1 tsp. butter (do not allow onions to brown). Add white wine and reduce completely. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and slowly add the flour/butter mixture a little at a time until desired thickness is achieved. Continue cooking at a simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Moussaka

I cannot take credit for this at all whatsoever. Full credit for this elaborate and highly delicious (seriously scrumptious!) goes to my significant other. How she does it I'll never know. Perhaps to her chagrin I've put her in charge of all moussaka from now on. That's what you get for cooking great meals!

Moussaka is kind of like a Greek version of lasagna...except better! Mostly because it lacks the foolish pasta that can get in the way of a really good lasagna. You know what I'm talking about. Since I'm not privy to the details of how this was made, let's just move on to the good stuff (the recipe) and see if you can figure out how to not eat the entire dish at once. Enjoy!

Moussaka

Yield: 8-12 servings
Ingredients

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
• salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• salt, to taste
• white pepper, to taste
• 1.5-3 cups parmesan, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cooking Directions

1. Lay the slices of eggplant on paper towels, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture. Then in a skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. Quickly fry the eggplant until browned. Set aside on paper towels to drain.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the ground beef, salt and pepper to taste, onions, and garlic. After the beef is browned, sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg, herbs and parsley. Pour in the tomato sauce and wine, and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, and then stir in beaten egg.
3. To make the bechamel sauce, begin by heating the milk to about boiling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly until it thickens. Season with salt, and white pepper.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the meat mixture. Cover with remaining eggplant. Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Complete Veggie Dinner + Garlic Bread

The weekend was approaching. We were leaving. And I hate it when good food goes to waste. Absolutely hate it. So many veggies to use and so little time - what's a man to do?

Make a completely vegetarian dinner plus some garlic bread, of course! There were tomatoes, grilled onions, cucumbers, green onions, sweet potatoes, raw mushrooms, and mushrooms cooked in red wine.

I love veggies. I seriously cannot get enough of them, so this was a perfect dinner for me. If I could, I would make 2/3 of my meals more or less completely vegetables/fruit/vegetarian with a huge variety of fresh produce. Magnifique. Enjoy!

Multi-Baked Potatoes and Veggies with Sauteed Garlic Mushroom Blend and Baked Pear

Yes, this title is overly long. Sorry about that. But how do you convey all of the highlights of dinner in one title when everything was a knock out of the park?

So today it's two kinds of potatoes (purple potato and sweet potato) with carrots that were baked to soft, steaming perfection. Then mushrooms, red onions, green onions, and chives were sauteed with garlic over the flaming stove. And finally, as the dessert of the night, an elegant pear baked in its own juices - succulent and sweet. All paired with our favorite chenin blanc. Read on for more. Enjoy!

Healthy Zabaione

Just a quick little blurb about this one. No pictures I'm afraid, so you won't be able to see how this came out.

I can see how this could work - I really can - I just must have done something wrong. It was probably too much of one thing or another. Or perhaps I adjusted the proportions down too much. Next time I'll make the full amount of zabaione instead of 1/4 of it. Since you only use the egg yolk, we made baked meringues out of the egg whites. Mmm!

The good (great) news about this is that it's healthy and low cal. You can't beat that in an Italian dessert. Hopefully, someone will be able to perfect this and share the secret with yours truly. Enjoy!

Asparagus Risotto

It has been 3 years (since last week) that my girlfriend and I have been together. In accordance, I wanted to make her a special dinner, complete with white wine and a little bit of fun. One of the dishes I prepared (and that came out the best) was Asparagus Risotto.

During the cooking process the sauce turns into a creamy, not-too-rich-but-just-rich-enough flavor that had us coming back for more and more. I made so much of it too, that it's lasted us three whole meals.

The only change I am going to make to it next time is to eliminate the cheese since it didn't add much flavor or texture, and besides, I'm not a huge cheese fan anyway. It was delicious, though, and I encourage everyone to try this out. I've also included several substitutions if you don't have all the ingredients on hand. Enjoy!

Pan-Seared Turmeric Rice with Wine Sauce

The other night we made a ton of rice - not sure why exactly, but we did. That's a good thing though because day-old rice can be turned into so many wonderful dishes like fried rice or paella or what have you. The wonderful color of this dish comes from the little turmeric that was added while the flavor comes from the Edna Valley Chardonnay that was left in the fridge. Hardly any oil is used at all, and the rest of the moisture in the rice is from pure, simple water, making this a pretty healthy dish as well.

There's not as much of a need to follow the specific recipe here as this is a flavor-to-taste kind of dish. Enjoy!