Gifts That Last a Lifetime

Is this on a loved one's Bucket List?


A Personal Chef
For a day
a month
a year

“Teach someone how to cook and they can feed their friends and loved ones for a lifetime.” Chef Silvia

Gift Packages for the Foodie You Love

A Cooking Class Party for 8

Celebrate the holidays or any occasion throughout the year by hosting a cooking class party. We all know how fun it is to share a meal with friends - wait until you experience preparing it together. It brings new meaning to entertaining. Chef Silvia will customize a 4 course menu, shop, come to your home and teach you and up to 7 of your friends how to prepare a meal of your choice - course by course - dining all the way. And you all go home with the recipes.   $1000

Family Favorite Restaurant Meals

• Chef Silvia will give you (and 2 others) a private lesson on making 6 favorite restaurant entrees plus all the following
• Sauté basics for 2 side dishes you can make in minutes
• 2 jars of 2 salad dressings customized for your family
• 2 customized salads
• 3 healthy and hearty snacks you can prepare in moment’s notice
• A month of email support for all of your cooking questions
• Recipes
• Shopping
• Shopping lists
• Pantry tips
• A customized gift certificate   $700 (Good for 1 - 3 people)

 “Super Mom Meals” A busy mom’s lifesaver

• A private lesson in which you learn to make 5 freezable meals and 5 variations so you can keep your freezer stocked all month
• 2 jars of 2 salad dressings customized for your family to keep in the frig for weeks
• 2 customized salads
• 3 healthy and hearty snacks you can prepare in moment’s notice
• 1 basic pasta salad with unlimited variations to keep on hand
• A month of email support for all of your cooking questions
• Recipes
• Shopping
• Shopping lists
• Pantry tips
• A customized gift certificate   $ 1000 (Good for 1 - 3 people)

For the Aspiring Young Chef

Does your child love to cook? Has he had enough clowns and magicians at birthday parties. Would cooking with 15 of her best friends be an unforgettable Sweet 16 party? Then gift them a cooking party for the holidays – to be used for birthdays, graduations or just for fun (with a lot of life skills thrown in). Put this gift certificate in their stocking.

A 3 hour cooking class party customized for your child and up to 17 friends. $1000


A Dinner Party a Month for 3 Months

Chef Silvia will come to your home, cook and serve a 5 course gourmet dinner party for up to 12

Can be shared with friends and spread out over the course of a year
$1200/per party; package $3600

Private Cooking School: The Ultimate Luxury Package

Chef Silvia will give you a private 3 hour lesson each month for a year on the dishes you want to make, the cooking techniques you want to learn or the menus you want to create.

Pay for 10 months/2 months free   $8000 (Good for 1 - 3 people)

Eat Healthy/Simplify/Slim Down

• A private lesson for 8 healthy, low fat meals, customized for you that you can make at home to help you slim down and eat right
• 8 meal variations
• 2 low fat customized salad dressings and salad tips
• 3 low fat snacks you can prepare in minutes
• A month of email support for all of your cooking questions
• Recipes
• Shopping
• Shopping Lists
• Pantry Tips   $800 (Good for 1 - 3 people)

Contact: silvia@chefsilvia.com to make arrangements.
http://www.chefsilvia.com/ for catering and other customized classes

All gift certificates good for one year.
All of the above includes groceries (you provide basic pantry items); travel fees beyond a 25 mile radius of New Milford, CT

Servicing CT, New York, New Jersey and Western Mass
50% deposit required at purchase; balance when the class is scheduled

Don’t live in the area? Forward to a friend…

Chef Silvia has been giving cooking classes to individuals, groups and corporate teams since 1995. Her mission is to get people back to the table and realize the delights of cooking and sharing a meal with those you love.

Sausage and Fennel Stuffing

Sausage and Fennel Stuffing

Regardless of who hosts Thanksgiving in my family, I’m always asked to make the stuffing. It’s become a family classic – it’s so flavorful, easy and different. I made this with sweet Italian sausage but you can use hot or a combination. I also spiced it up with a few pinches of crushed red pepper and a diced jalapeno pepper but you can leave that out if you have little ones. This recipe is enough to stuff a small turkey but you can easily double it. Serve it with the mushroom gravy below and this will surely become a family classic in your house too.

Start by removing the center core of the fennel.

Then slice it thin, horizontally.

And set it aside. Do the same with the onion.

Remove the sausage from the casing and set aside.

Cook the fennel, onion and garlic (and a bit of crushed red pepper and/or diced jalapeno for a little heat if you like) in olive oil over medium heat just until the vegetables are softened and golden. Then add the sausage and cook until browned. Make sure to keep the meat in bit sized pieces. This gives them more bite rather than when broken into tiny pieces like chop meat.

Next you'll need the stuffing and the broth.



Add the corn meal (or bread stuffing if you prefer) along with the broth (a bit at a time) and stir until the whole mixture is moistened. Add more or less broth as needed.

Finally you'll end with a mixture that looks like this. Finnish with fresh chopped parsley and stuff your turkey. My family can't get enough of this. I think your family will feel the same.

As an extra bonus I've included my recipe for mushroom gravy. It will make your turkey and mash potatoes

something to be remembered...not to mention what it'll do for your leftovers. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving. 

 



Recipe

1 lb. Italian Sausage

14 oz package of corn bread stuffing (or bread stuffing if you prefer)

1 fresh fennel bulb (sliced thinly)

1 large sweet onion (medium dice)

¼ cup of olive oil

1 large fresh garlic clove (medium dice)

2 cups chicken broth

Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

1 diced jalapeno pepper (medium dice)

Finish with a about ¼ cup of fresh chopped Italian parsley


In a large sauté pan over medium heat add about ¼ cup of olive oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Heat until hot but not smoking and add the onion and the fennel (and the jalapeno pepper).

Cook for about 5 minutes or just until the vegetables are soft and golden.

Add the garlic (and the crushed pepper) and cook for about 15 seconds followed by the sausage.

Cook for about 10 minutes until the meat browns. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl if your pan isn’t large enough to accommodate the stuffing.

Add the stuffing followed by the broth (a little at a time) and stir until all of the mixture is moistened. Finnish with the parsley and that’s it. Stuff your turkey.



Mushroom Gravy

I like to use a mixture of baby bella and shitake mushrooms but fell free to use your favorites

Wipe the mushrooms clean of any dirt with a moist towel. Slice the baby bellas into quarters and the shitake into ¼ inch slices.

In a curved bottom sauté pan over medium/high heat cook the mushrooms until golden and slightly softened. Add a bit of chopped fresh garlic if you like, the last few seconds of cooking to prevent it from burning. If you find the pan too hot, remove immediately from the heat and splash with a bit of chicken broth or water. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan combine about ½ cup of turkey drippings with ½ cup of flour. Cook over medium heat stirring until it makes a golden/brown paste. Continue cooking in order to cook off the raw flour for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

In the meantime, gather a pitcher of pan dripping from the turkey and another with chicken broth. Add a splash of each to the paste and stir. Continue stirring and adding the broth and drippings until to get a gravy with the consistency you like. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about another 10-15 minutes or until you can no longer taste the flour. Add more broth if it gets too thick. Add the mushrooms to the gravy and keep warm



Split Pea and Tomato Soup with Sausage

Every autumn, as the weather begins to get nippy and the air is crisp, I’m delighted because now I can begin to make soup. And if there’s any recipe that is open to countless variations, it’s soup. To inspire you, take a look at what I made as a variation of split pea soup.

1 lb of split peas (rinsed and any small stones removed)

¼ cup of olive oil

1 lb. of your favorite sausage (cut into bite sized pieces)

Half a small onion (or shallot) medium diced

1 fresh garlic clove (fine diced)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Half of a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

Tablespoon or two of chicken base (or bouillon)

8 cups water

Season to taste

Finish with chopped fresh parsley

In a medium/large saucepan, over medium/high heat add ¼ cup of olive oil or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the sausage and brown on all sides. Add onion and cook until softened. Add the pepper flakes and the garlic. Cook for a few seconds, quickly followed by the tomatoes (this will prevent the garlic from burning). Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes and then add the water. Bring to a boil and add the chicken base. Stir. Lower the heat to a gentle boil and cook for an hour or so or until the peas arrive at your desired level of doneness. Add more chicken base or water if needed and season to taste. Serve in individual bowls and finish with parsley.

Calamari Salad and Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

    Calamari Salad


1 lb calamari (sliced in ¼ inch tubes or strips)
1 red or yellow bell pepper (roasted, cleaned and filleted)
1 jalapeno pepper (small dice)
1 large clove garlic (finely chopped)
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (or just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan)
Splash of white wine
Sprig of fresh flat leaf parsley (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste


Place a medium sauté pan over medium/high heat. Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the calamari and cook until opaque and no longer translucent
(about 2 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté for a few moments until golden. Add a splash of white wine. Cook for a minute more and remove from the heat.


Transfer the contents of the pan to a serving bowl. Add the roasted peppers, and the jalapeno. Chill, season, add the parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if needed.

To roast the peppers


Place a large bell pepper (red, yellow or orange) on the grill over medium/high heat until the outer skin is blackened on all sides and the pepper collapses. Or roast in a 400 degree oven until the skin blackens and the pepper collapses. Place in a paper bag or in a covered bowl until it cools and the skin pulls away from the pepper. Remove the blackened skin and seeds. Tear the pepper into strips and season with sea salt.



   Grilled Eggplant Parmesan


Okay, so this is not as tasty as fried eggplant but it’s very good and not as fattening. Try it. I personally like leaving the skin on but if you prefer, peal the skin before slicing.

3 medium, slim, firm eggplants (large ones tend to be seedy)
1 batch tomato sauce (see below)
9 ¼ inch slices of fresh mozzarella
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan (or pecorino Romano) cheese
¼ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs (or panko)


Cut the eggplant in ¼ inch circles. Salt and place on paper towel for about half hour or so. This will help drain any of the bitter juices. Place on a hot grill and cook on both sides until the eggplant is soft to the touch (about 5 minutes on each side).

In an oblong baking pan, layer the eggplant as follows: sauce, eggplant, sprinkle of bread crumbs, mozzarella, Parmesan. Repeat. Bake (covered) in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and the middle is hot. Finish with fresh parsley or basil

Perfect Basic Tomato Sauce




1 can crushed tomatoes (one with no added garlic or herbs) *

2 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to just cover the bottom of the pan
1 clove fresh garlic--finely chopped

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 chicken broth
 (this is optional, however it adds flavor and liquid to a sauce that may be too thick.
1 sprig of fresh basil (one with multiple attached leaves) or parsley

Salt and pepper to taste



In a medium saucepan over medium heat add oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds or until golden. Follow quickly with the tomatoes and then the broth. Add the basil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes until the sauce is cooked (no raw tomato taste) and sweet. 



*Note: Experiment with different brands of crushed tomatoes. Try ones that have no added puree, garlic or herbs. These will change the taste of purely delicious tomatoes. It is best to add these fresh when you make the sauce. 
Use this sauce in every dish that calls for a tomato sauce. Use it over pasta of course or make it in a large sauté pan and use it as the foundation for poaching a filet of fish, shrimp, chicken, or other meat or even eggs and you have a low fat, delicious dish that is so satisfying and always open to variations.

Simple Tomato Salads

 Summer Salad

The summer salad we served most often from my childhood garden was randomly diced tomatoes (core and imperfections removed – bite sized pieces) mixed with thinly sliced red onions and basil, seasoned and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. We ate it along with a hunk of rustic bread to lap up the juices. It’s still my favorite. However, after eating tomatoes this way a few times, I decided to add a few things. I had a container of red and yellow bell peppers I roasted the other day so I pulled out a few filets of yellow peppers along with a few kalamata olives that I tore in small bits as well as a thinly sliced raw jalapeno. I mixed all this together, let them mingle a bit while I poured myself a glass of shiraz and sliced a hunk of fresh bread, which is a treat in itself but mandatory as an accompaniment to a tomato salad.

 Warm Penne Salad

This flavorful dish was a customer favorite at my former Connecticut restaurant, Biscotti. The reason it tasted so good was because it married two classic dishes, pasta with butter and cheese and a brushetta topping, melding the heat of one with the coolness of the other. For this dish, opposites do attract. You can customize it to your liking but this is how I make it.

For the Topping

3 – 4 “ugly tomatoes” (depending on size)

½ cup seedless kalamata olives – cut in half

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella (medium dice)

4 – 6 large fresh basil leaves – slivered

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (about ¼ cup or to taste)

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Pasta

 

1 lb penne (use small shapes like a mini penne or other small cut so the pasta doesn’t overwhelm the “sauce”)

¼ cup olive oil + 1 stick butter

1 clove fresh garlic – finely chopped

Freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese (to taste)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)


Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

In the meantime, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil and garlic. Sauté for a few moments until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the cold butter in pats (this will prevent the garlic from burning and ruining the sauce). Once the butter has melted remove from the heat, and mix with the penne. You can add the pasta to the pan if it’s large enough (this is best) or pour the sauce over the pasta in a separate bowl. Add in freshly grated cheese according to taste, finish with fresh chopped parsley if you like, toss and spoon onto individual plates. Top with the tomato mixture and

Spaghetti Marinara with Arugula Pesto and Goat Cheese

This recipe is a reworking of one of my favorite sauces, tomato pesto. Here however I don’t mix the pesto with the tomato sauce but rather top it with dollops of it. Then when you twirl the pasta with your fork it gathers a small burst of fragrant herbs mixed with oil, parmesan and nuts. Add to that the dollops of goat cheese, melting over the warm pasta and you have a truly memorable and amazing dish.

1 lb spaghetti or linguine
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup pesto
¼ cup goat cheese

Cook linguine according to package directions, making sure it is al dente (cooked but still firm). Drain pasta and toss with half the sauce. Divide pasta onto individual plates. Top with additional sauce, and dollops of the pesto. Finnish with sprinkled goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Marinara Sauce

1 can crushed tomatoes (with no added puree – look for brands that use only vine ripened tomatoes) 

2 tablespoons olive oil (or enough to just cover the bottom of the pan
1 clove fresh garlic--finely chopped

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 chicken broth
 (this is optional, however it adds flavor and liquid to a sauce that may be too thick.
1 sprig of fresh basil (stem attached)

Salt and pepper to taste




In a medium saucepan over medium heat add oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds or until golden. Follow quickly with the tomatoes. Add the basil, lower the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes until the sauce is cooked (no raw tomato taste) and sweet.


Arugula Pesto

You can make a pesto with almost any herb, not just basil. In fact I feel using basil alone makes it too intense so I usually use basil and parsley for a basic pesto. Using arugula gives this pesto the richly aromatic peppery flavor that is distinctive.

2 cups baby arugula
1 cup basil (stems removed)
1 cup flat leaf Italian parsley (stems removed)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
2 medium cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the basil, parsley, pine nuts, and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor and process until it becomes a paste. Add the oil slowly and process until incorporated. Pour the sauce into a bowl, stir in the cheese, and season.

A Note From the Chef

The Scents of Summer

July 2011

The scents of summer are all around…in full bloom, ready to greet me: the smell of freshly cut grass or sliced watermelon; smoke from the barbeque or nearby fireworks; Coppertone and salt air; strawberries and peaches; tomato plants and roses. These are the smells of my childhood and they’re still with me. All summer long familiar whiffs are everywhere; in the garden, the beach, the local fair, or on city streets, and for a moment I am a child again. After years of noticing the beneficial effects of indulging my youthful memories, it has become a part of my daily routine…if I remember. And nothing else can trigger my memory as quickly as a comforting smell…yummm.

I carry that small capsule of bliss inside me, its content spilling out when I least expect it. In the kitchen I become an alchemist mixing a sprinkle or two in with the mayonnaise for the potato salad. Or sometimes a dusting gets into the Vidalia onions I’m sautéing for an omelet. Somehow the marinara sauce for tonight’s dinner tastes that much sweeter if I can take in and appreciate how the sun felt on my face that afternoon. And how can I not feel joy when the kitchen fills with the aroma of blueberries and apples from the cobbler baking in the oven and my friends are standing around ready to top it with ice cream?

I’m in heaven and I want to feed it to everyone at the table. I know the food I prepare doesn’t have to be fancy to be memorable. Some of the best meals I’ve served have been the simplest. I think it has something to do with the purity of the dish. It’s savored but doesn’t get in the way of the conversation. The food is fine with knowing it plays a supporting role to the diners. I think – and this is funny coming from a chef – that an unforgetable meal is not primarily about the food, but rather the company.

The memory of good food stays with me but the scent of a shared summer meal lingers longer. Who remembers what they ate at an exquisitely prepared banquet if everyone was fighting at the table? But who wouldn’t be nourished by a simple slice of warm, freshly baked bread if it was prepared and offered with love…just when you needed it?

For me the scents of summer are most potent when I snip the stalks of basil growing in my garden and slice it in ribbons, topping the pasta at the last minute before serving. Or when I take a bite of a ripe tomato plucked from the plant and the fragrance of its leaves lingers on my hands. I can practically smell the sun. So I take the feeling with me and spread it around.

It doesn’t matter that this summer – the first time in years – I don’t have a vegetable garden and I have to buy most of my produce from the supermarket…I can still enjoy the shopping and dream of a time when I will have a garden again. In the meantime I can boost the nutrients in the lettuce simply by having fun making the salad. My joy gets tossed along with the greens then makes its way to the risotto I’m still stirring on the stove until it’s ready to blend with the fragrant summer pesto I made from the basil, parsley and arugula growing in pots on my deck. Aha….the smells of summer…

Enjoy them,

Chef Silvia