Thanks For A Great 2014!

Posted on December by Passanante's Home Food Service

We wanted to take this time to thank all of you for making 2014 the most successful year in the history of Passanante’s Home Food Service! We have the best customers in the world!

With your help we were able to accomplish so much over the last 12 months:

In February we kicked off our sponsorship with the Baltimore Area Special Hockey team thanks to customers Doug and Amanda Stowell!

March was a BIG month for Passanante’s Home Food Service as we opened an office in North Carolina and began shipping our delicious food into the Tarheel state. Passanante’s was also very proud to promote a new executive when Tom Fahey accepted a role as our Vice President of Sales and Service. Congratulations Tom!

In April we launched the much awaited Passanante’s Food Fans Club.

Our first of two shipments of our delicious mac and cheese went out to the Blue Star mothers and the USO in May. The quick heat and eat products were used at BWI airport to feed a hot meal to our soldiers returning from overseas.

We observed National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and with the help of all of our customers, friends and family we were able to donate $2,500 to the American Cancer Society.

In mid-October the great people at Slicks Graphics outfitted our delivery trucks with awesome new graphics and towards the end of the month we launched our new and improved products section on the website!

In late November we delivered more than 300 holiday sample bags as we wrapped up our Big Holiday Promotion. As a reward for their referrals, Passanante customers were sent certificates totaling more than 225lbs in FREE filet mignon steaks!

And finally, in December Passanante’s was awarded Broich Industries “Dealer of the Year” for the second year in a row. Broich is the exclusive manufacturer of the commercial freezers sold by in-home food service companies throughout all of North America. Their award designates Passanante’s as the fastest-growing home food service company on the entire continent.

Thanks again for trusting Passanante’s with feeding you and your family. We are grateful to have such wonderful customers and it’s truly an honor to serve our community. We appreciate every single customer and staff member who made this year the best yet!

Recipe: Hearty Bison Stew

Posted on November by Passanante's Home Food Service

Time to change it up on the blog and post our first ever BISON recipe! This simple recipe for hearty bison stew is the perfect cold weather dinner and is even better when reheated as leftovers so be sure to make plenty!

Bison and beef can be substituted for one another in most recipes, but while they may have similar tastes there are a few key differences. The LiveStrong Foundation notes that a 3 oz. serving of beef sirloin provides 207 calories, while a 3 oz. serving of bison sirloin contains only 145 calories. Bison is also lower in fat than beef, and boasts higher levels of protein. Like any good stew, this recipe is pretty hearty and can be revised based on your particular palette. We recommend adding some onion, potato, celery and baby carrots.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon flour
1 Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Pounds bison stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 Cups stock (bison, chicken, or vegetable all work just fine)
2-3 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 Whole cloves
¼ Cup chopped fresh parsley.
Preheat the oven to 275F.

How to make Hearty Bison Stew:

Combine flour, ½ tsp. salt, and pepper in big brown paper bag. Add bison cubes and shake to coat.

Put cooking oil in large saucepan and put on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bison cubes. Brown meat on all sides – stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to keep from burning if necessary.

Once the meat is browned remove the pan from heat and transfer meat to a 3-4 quart casserole dish.

Add the stock to the saucepan and return to medium-high burner. Work a whisk along the bottom of the saucepan to blend in any of the browned bits. Whisk in ½ tsp. salt, tomato paste, whole cloves and fresh parsley. Once combined add the saucepan contents to the meat in the casserole dish.

Cover the casserole dish and cook in the oven for 4 hours. Stir stew once after about 2 hours of cooking.

Serve with vegetables of choice and warm rolls.

Pan Seared Salmon

Posted on October by Passanante's Home Food Service

This recipe for Pan-Seared Salmon with Arugula, Beets and Horseradish and Sour Cream is a totally delicious way to prepare your fresh salmon from Passanante’s Home Food Service. Complete with little-known candy stripe beets, this meal offers a clean, earthy and rich take on everyone’s favorite fresh water fish.

2 Salmon fillets
3/4 Cup pearled farro
3 Ounces brussels sprouts
2 Ounces arugula
1 Bunch of baby candy stripe beets
1 Bunch of chives
1 1-Inch piece of fresh horseradish
1 Shallot
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 Cup sour cream

1. Wash and dry all fresh produce. Remove salmon from refrigerator and allow to sit and warm to room temperature.

2. Boil the beets for 20-22 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside until cool enough to touch. Using a paper towel gently rub the skin off each beet before thinly slicing the beets into rounds.

3. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the brussels sprouts and cut each sprout in half length wise and continue to thinly slice.

4. Peel and finely grate the horseradish. In a small bowl whisk together horseradish and sour cream; season with salt and pepper.

5. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot; place in a small bowl with the sherry vinegar. Finely chop the chives.

6. Add farro to a medium pot of boiling water and cook 16-18 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Add the arugula and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper.

7. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and in a medium nonstick pan heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fillets. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

8. Combine brussels sprouts, shallot-vinegar mixture , chives and slices beets. Add a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Top the salmon with the salad and a garnish of horseradish sour cream.

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

Posted on October by Passanante's Home Food Service

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and at Passanante’s Home Food Service we take the call to raise awareness pretty seriously. Each year we look forward to partnering with our incredible customers to spread the word about this horrible disease and raise money for the American Cancer Society.

You may remember last year we ordered 500 pink free food sample cooler bags and pledged to donate $2 for each bag we gave away and $1 for every new Facebook fan we acquired over the month. To no one’s surprise our amazing customers stepped up in a BIG way and after distributing 500 free food sample bags and gaining 228 new likes, we donated $1,228 to the American Cancer Society. It was awesome.

This year, we ordered 750 pink bags and are committed to donating $3 for every free food sample we give away and $1 for each new Facebook fan in hopes of donating $2,500 to the American Cancer Society.*

We have an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of millions of men and women who are affected by breast cancer and hope you will help us reach our goal this year. All you have to do to join the cause is direct your friends and family HERE to request a free food sample and HERE to “like us” on Facebook.

Facts About Breast Cancer In The United States:

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
V and more than 40,000 will die.
Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

What are you waiting for? Refer a couple of friends and be a part of something great this October. We are so excited to support this important cause and hope you are too.

* Some restrictions may apply. Please speak to a Passanante’s Home Food Service representative for additional details.

Recipe: Southern Fried Chicken and Gravy

Posted on September by Passanante's Home Food Service

Up next in our national chicken month tribute to chicken blog series we have this recipe for true southern fried chicken and homemade gravy – absolutely irresistible. For Passanante’s Home Food Service customers this recipe couldn’t be easier – just browse our full product list and in a snap you’ll have plenty of succulent chicken cuts delivered to your door. For the most rave of reviews serve your fried chicken and gravy alongside some mashed potatoes, green beans and warm rolls.

Ingredients

Assorted chicken cuts (estimate two pieces per person)
4 Cups of flour
1 Large can of Crisco
Salt and pepper
1 Paper grocery bag
Milk

How to Prepare Southern Fried Chicken

Wash chicken well.
Empty about 1/2 of the can of Crisco into large skillet and turn on heat.
Toss flour, salt and pepper in the paper bag.
Put 3 or 4 pieces of chicken in the bag at a time and shake very well until coated in flour mixture.
Test the heat of the oil by flicking a small amount of flour into it. It should sizzle.
Remove chicken from the paper bag and place pieces in hot Crisco. The oil should go up a little over halfway on each piece of chicken.
Turn the heat down to medium.
The secret is to not turn the chicken very often – let it brown on one side before turning it to the other. Be careful not to burn it, it cooks quickly when it first hits the oil.

How to Make Your Chicken Gravy

After you fried your chicken pour most of the grease back into the Crisco can to the thrown out. Leave about 1/4 cup of the grease in the skillet along with crispy parts that may be left. Add about 1/2 cups of flour to the grease and make into a paste. Add salt.

Turn the heat to medium-high and add milk quickly – stirring continuously. Add as much milk as you need to prepare enough gravy. It will start to thicken and will thicken even more when you take it off the heat.