*The Dinner Menu* - "ENTREES"

In some usages, the term dinner has continued to refer to the largest meal of the day, even when this meal is eaten at the end of the day and is preceded by two other meals. In this terminology, the preceding meals are usually referred to as breakfast and lunch. In some areas, this leads to a variable name for meals depending on the combination of their size and the time of day, while in others meal names are fixed based on the time they are consumed. However, even in systems in which dinner is the meal usually eaten at the end of the day, an individual dinner may still refer to a main or more sophisticated meal at any time in the day, such as a banquet, feast, or a special meal eaten on a Sunday.

*Sirloin Steak w/Mushroom Gravy*

Toasting the flour to a light tan color gives this gravy a rich taste and thickness, without overloading on fat. The gravy is thick and can be thinned to taste with additional broth.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 beef top sirloin steak (1-1/4 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sherry or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir flour for 4-5 minutes or until light tan in color. Immediately transfer to a small bowl; whisk in broth until smooth. Set aside.
• Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, cook beef in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Remove and keep warm.
• In the same skillet, saute mushrooms until tender. Add the garlic, rosemary and salt; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the sherry. Stir flour mixture; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in butter until melted. Serve with steak. Yield: 4 servings.

” Seafood Medley*

 Rich, creamy and delicious with flaky and tender orange roughy, this dish is perfect for company.

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds orange roughy fillets
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 pound bay scallops
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Dash pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• Hot cooked pasta

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, bring the water, lemon juice and salt to a boil. Reduce heat; carefully add fillets and cook, uncovered, for 4 minutes. Add shrimp; cook for 3 minutes. Add scallops; cook 3-4 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork, shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque. Strain, reserving 1-1/2 cups cooking liquid.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, bouillon, mustard and pepper until smooth. Gradually add cream and reserved liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese and seafood mixture; heat through. Serve with pasta. Yield: 6 servings.

*Beef Stroganoff*

After the fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels and restaurants of China before the start of the Second World War. Russian and Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in pre-Communist China, brought several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for its popularity during the 1950s. It came to Hong Kong in the late fifties, with Russian restaurants and hotels serving the dish with rice, but not sour cream. In the version often prepared in the USA today in restaurants and hotels, it consists of strips of beef filet with a mushroom, onion, and sour cream sauce, and is served over rice or pasta.
This is a fairly lean version, as most similar recipes call for more cream to create a larger volume of sauce. This is something you can easily adjust to your tastes. I like a little thicker version, with just enough sauce to coat the meat and noodles.

*Apple-Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops*

Apple, Cheddar cheese, and dried cranberries give this pork chop stuffing its sweet and salty personality.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/3 cup finely chopped dried cranberries

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (14-ounce) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Flour, for dusting

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard with honey

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

1 Granny Smith apple

6 (5-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (1 inch thick)

1 1/2 cup apple juice

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, cranberries, sage, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add apple and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt; cook 4 minutes. Cool mixture; stir in cheese. Remove mixture to a bowl. Wipe skillet clean.

With a sharp knife held parallel to a cutting board, cut a pocket in each pork chop, leaving three sides intact. Stuff each chop with apple-cranberry mixture; skewer pockets closed with toothpicks.

Season chops with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and sprinkle with pepper; dust chops in flour. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet and heat over medium heat. Add chops; cook 8 minutes, turning once, or until just cooked through. Pour broth around chops; continue to cook 4 minutes, turning chops, or until cooked through. Remove chops to a platter; cover loosely with foil.

Add apple juice to liquid in skillet; whisk in mustard. Bring to a boil; cook until sauce is reduced by half. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Remove toothpicks from pork; pour sauce over chops. Serve with sugar snap peas and mashed potatoes.

*Trippa alla Romana*

(Roman-Style Tripe)

Let’s just get this out of the way now – tripe is the lining of a cow’s stomach. Not sure which one, as I remember from grade school that cows have a bunch of them. You could always Google for more info, but really, what else do you need to know?

*Fettuccini Alfredo w/ Asparagus*

Ready to go at a moment's notice, this asparagus-embellished classic is not only creamy, quick and delicious, but it dirties only one pot.

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus

3/4 pound fettuccine

4 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

1 cup heavy cream

1 pinch grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettuccine until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook until it and the pasta are just done, about 4 minutes longer.
2. Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with the butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.