running with tweezers

a savory reprieve

I needed a break. A savory break. Between the cake I just posted about and the Sugar Coma tour I was taking part in Saturday, my taste buds were a little sweet-ed out. Needing a quick lunch and something that would get me through a long day, I put this dish together in about 15 minutes. It's filling but not overly so...and it's so green & (relatively) healthy. Despite the fact that it carried me over easily till dinner, I didn't get that heavy pasta gut bomb sensation. Maybe the good-for-you greenness of it psyched me out!

While I ate this as a quick main course, this would be a great side dish for any type of protein. Dress it up with garlic, other veggies, toasted walnuts or pine nuts - whatever else you have on hand. One note of caution: this pasta doesn't reheat so well without the addition of a little sauce or extra lemon juice so take that into account if you're thinking about next-day leftovers.

Spinach Mascarpone Pasta - serves 4 as a small entree or side dish - inspired by a recipe on bbcgoodfood.com

• 1 16 oz. box dried curly shaped pasta such as fusilli or cavatappi
• 1 6 oz. bag of pre-washed & prepped baby spinach leaves
• 6 oz. Mascarpone cheese 
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
  
• 6 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese + 2 tbsp. for garnish
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for garnish
• salt & pepper, to taste

- Start a large pot of water to boil. When the water is up to a gently rolling boil, add pasta and cook to al dente according to the directions on the box.

- While pasta is cooking, set up a relatively large capacity food processor. To the processor add 3/4 of the bag of prepared baby spinach, Mascarpone cheese, lemon juice and 6 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Puree until smooth and well-incorporated. Set aside.

- When pasta is cooked to desired texture, drain and return pan to the stove and heat on low. Add pasta back to pot and add spinach sauce. At this point, taste your pasta and then salt & pepper to taste - keep in mind the finished dish will get a light sprinkle of the salty Parmesan on top right before serving. Stir in lemon zest and remaining baby spinach leaves and heat until pasta & sauce are warmed through and the spinach is just wilted. Divide into bowls, top with a sprinkle of chives & Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

cravings caused this

This post has been a long time coming. I have been craving peanut noodles for weeks and weeks. Isn't it weird how these random desires just come along with no rhyme or reason? I've been on an Asian inspired food kick since before the new year...and this goes right along with this. It's the perfect base meal. You can eat them on their own or top this with grilled chicken or shrimp. This recipe is so easily adaptable - add or subtract ingredients as you see it. For those folks that can't find Soba noodles where they live, I think whole wheat spaghetti would be an acceptable alternative.  If you're a fan of sesame oil, which I am not, add a teaspoon or so to your dressing if you so choose. I prefer this chilled rather than room temperature but sometimes...when something is super delicious...you can't wait that long.

Spicy Peanut Soba Noodles - serves 4 to 6 side servings

• 1 8 ounce package soba noodles
• 1 cup snow pea pods - ends trimmed & roughly chopped into halves or thirds
• 1 medium red bell pepper - julienned into matchsticks
• 1 small can whole water chestnuts - drained and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts - roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter - creamy or chunky
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
• fresh ground black pepper and salt (to taste if needed)

- Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook soba noodles according to the directions on the package - usually between 6 - 8 minutes. When done, drain immediately and rinse with cool water to stop cooking. Allow to thoroughly drain while putting the rest of the salad together.

- To toast the sesame seeds: Heat a dry, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame seeds and toss around until you start smelling the toasty aroma and the seeds start to become golden brown. You're not looking for dark brown or black - just a gentle toast - which should take 2-3 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey and Sriracha. Taste at this point and adjust to your liking - more spice, more salt, etc. Gently fold in your soba noodles and give them a quick toss - you don't want to overwork these and have them break or get too gummy.

- To add your veggies, peanuts and sesame seeds: you can either sprinkle them over the noodles or quickly fold them in with a large serving spoon or tongs. I prefer the sprinkle method so they retain their crunch but it's all a matter of personal preference.Serve immediately at room temperature or chill & serve later.

Editor's Note: I like mine a little sour, hence the lime garnish. Feel free to try it...or don't.

potent pesto

I'm happy to report that I finally have something in common with Giada from The Food Network. Sadly, it's not the perfect chompers or the even more perfect, umm, cleavage. It's our love of pesto. I have seen her cook with it quite a bit - making her own every time, of course. This time, however, she really took it in a different direction.

She claims that she rarely cooks with jalepenos. That makes sense considering the cuisine she specializes in. Me, however - I like adding a little heat in my recipes. While I tend to find peppers like Serrano a little more complex, the jalepeno works just fine, too. It really gives this arugula pesto a nice, slow heat and a slight burn at the end. I tweaked my recipe a bit and added a smidge of lemon juice and a handful of fresh arugula at the end - I just love fresh, bitter greens in pasta. Keep the seeds in the jalepeno for even more fire.

Spicy Arugula Pesto - recipe originally found here

•   1 cup chopped walnuts
•   2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
•   1 (2-inch long) red or green jalapeno pepper, stemmed and coarsely chopped* see Cook's Note
•   2 cups grated (4 ounces) Asiago cheese
•   2 teaspoons kosher salt
•   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•   3 ounces baby spinach
•   3 ounces arugula
•   1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•   1 pound fusilli pasta
•   3 ounces Asiago cheese, shaved

For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach and arugula and process until blended. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place the cooked pasta and pesto in a large serving bowl. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Asiago cheese shavings and serve.

*Cook's Note: For a milder pesto, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.

green light

I think pasta salad gets a bad wrap. I really do. It's one of those things that sends people in a nostalgic tailspin - thinking about the macaroni salad at family gatherings. The rotini pasta drenched in bottled Italian dressing. Worst of all, do you remember the boxed Suddenly Salad mixes? Oy. If you don't, consider yourself lucky.

Pasta salad - from scratch - allows you to add any sort of herbs and flavors without spending a ton of time with prep work. They are also super economical and have the ability to stretch over several meals and be a great packed lunch.

I have been having a craving for pasta as well as a ridiculous desire to make another batch of Ina's Green Goddess dressing. Using some basic ingredients and leftover herbs that I had in the fridge, I whipped up my own version of that dressing and its delicious. Garlicky, herbaceous, and creamy without being heavy. Toss some chopped up tomatoes and curly pasta and it became an amazing salad recipe.

This is the kind of dressing that loves other vegetables so feel free to add some quickly blanched thin green beans, broccoli or edamame. A handful of fresh spinach leaves stirred through would also be great and would add extra vitamins. I have to say - this pasta salad is screaming to be eaten with grilled foods or a piece of fried chicken (warm or cold) in a picnic lunch.

Green Goddess Pasta Salad - serves 4 as a side dish

•     1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
•     1/4 tsp. dried red chili flakes
•     zest and juice of 1 lemon
•     2 cloves garlic, smashed
•     2 tablespoons mayonnaise - I prefer Duke's or homemade
•     2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
•     2 cups fresh herbs - tough stems removed - I used basil, flat leaf parsley, chives and baby arugula. Use whatever you prefer or have already in your fridge!
•     1/2 pound (dry) tortiglioni, farfalle, campanelle or orcchiette pasta
•     1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
•     kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

- In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water to bring pasta temperature down. Allow to sit in strainer and drain thoroughly.
- Meanwhile, add anchovy paste, red chili flakes, lemon zest and juice, garlic, mayo, yogurt and herbs to a food processor. Puree until smooth and well mixed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper levels - with the addition of the anchovy paste, you may not need the salt.
- Add the cooled pasta and tomatoes - and whatever additional veggies you choose to throw in - to a large salad bowl. and fold in dressing. This recipe makes more dressing than you need to liberally coat the pasta so add it gradually and enjoy the leftover dressing as a dip or on wedge salads! This tastes best if it has at least 4 hours or so to cool and percolate together and would be fabulous overnight.

another taste of yellow...

I know I have already submitted an entry for Barbara's Taste of Yellow event, honoring those who have battled cancer and remembering those who aren't with us anymore. My salad dressing recipe I posted really is quite fabulous - thanks there, Tyler Florence. However, since it didn't have FOOD in it, per se...it didn't feel quite right.

I really love this time of year, particularly for the sake of produce. The bounty of favas and tomatoes and squash - all bursting with color. I came across the recipe and it had all sorts of things I like in it: squash, zucchini, garlic, and pasta. The addition of rosemary was pretty unusual - I tend to only use rosemary when I'm grilling or roasting. Truthfully, I think you could substitute it with basil and be equally as happy. In addition to changing up the type of pasta I used, I amped up the salt & pepper and added some red chili flakes and some lemon zest. The last minute sprinkle of cheese on top really brings the dish together - creamy and buttery with notes of fresh spring veggie taste.

Pasta with Summer Squash and Rosemary - recipe originally found here at Epicurious.com

• 1 pound dried tagliatelle or fettuccine
• 1 pound small zucchini (about 5)
• 1 pound small yellow squash (about 4)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano - optional
  

Fill a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for pasta.

Trim vegetables and cut into 1 1/2 x 1/4-inch sticks. In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet melt butter over moderate heat and cook vegetables with salt and pepper to taste, stirring gently, 2 minutes. Add rosemary and cook, stirring gently, until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente and ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta in a colander and add to sauce with 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and salt and pepper to taste. Heat mixture over low heat, gently tossing (and adding more pasta water as needed if mixture becomes dry), until just heated through.

Serve pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

creature comfort - a post for Apples and Thyme

I've started this blog post about half a dozen times. Every time I get going with it, I go back and erase it because it doesn't do the subject justice. It's trite and isn't saying what I want it to. I've gotten self conscious about it and just scrapped the whole thing. Here I am again trying to put "pen to paper"...and this time, I'm just going to let the words come out how they want to.

As some of you know, I lost my mom about a year and a half ago. To say that I've had a difficult time with it would be an understatement. It's only been recently that I have admitted to myself that some days...the grief I feel is too much to bear...and have started seeking grief counseling. We women think we can do it all - something I know many of us feel. At the end of the day, however...it really is okay to say that you need help, especially when it comes to sorrow, grief and matter of the heart.

In going through all of this - and all of the memories that continue to live on - people speak so often of my mom's cooking. She was quite gifted at it, despite a lack of formal training. She was so good at just winging it - something I wish I had more courage at (both in the kitchen and in real life). She often made up recipes and dishes on the fly. Most of those dishes made their way through one of the kitchens of the restaurants I grew up in. My parents were in the business in one way or another for about 30 years...so that tells you how much winging it she did in addition to raising a daughter, caring for her husband, and trying to live day to day. I look back on it with wonder. I really do.

When I ran across the blog event that Chris at MeleCotte is hosting, I really wanted to take part. It's called Apples and Thyme, and its a tribute to mothers and grandmothers created by Vanielje Kitchen and The Passionate Palate. It's been a while since I spoke about my mom - the soup challenge was really the last time. I have tried to honor her presence in my life and my career in any way I can, so this event gave me the perfect opportunity to do so. I went hunting for a photo of my mom in the kitchen...and tears have welled up so many times at the realization that I don't have one. Most of my fondest times I shared with my mom was over food or cooking - and I don't have one damn photo of it.

In an effort to remedy that, I am taking part in the event and making a recipe that was a favorite in my house growing up - a total comfort food dish. Since there was so much winging it, there aren't a lot of hard copies of recipes from her dishes, either. So...I'm winging it...and trying to create this pasta dish. I can only say that it's sort of a Midwest simple version of Sausage and Orecchiette. She used sliced Italian Sausage and frozen broccoli with shell shaped pasta. My version has crumbled Italian sausage, quickly blanched fresh broccoli, and penne. It's a great dish and a wonderful and easy way to document my mom in the kitchen, even if it's only in spirit.

Sausage and Broccoli Pasta - serves 4 as medium sized entree portions

• 1 lb. bulk roll Italian sausage or link style, removed from casings
  
• 1 16 oz. box penne or shell shaped pasta - I use Dreamfield's Penne
• 12 oz.  fresh broccoli - rinsed, dried and cut into florets
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon to use for zest
• 1 tsp. dried red chili flakes
• fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

- Fill large pasta pot with water and heat until water is at rolling boil. Add pasta to water and cook according to product directions. About 3 minutes before pasta is done, add the broccoli florets. They will blanche quickly in the pasta water. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, crumble sausage in a large skillet into large chunks and begin to brown. Don't break the pieces up too small or they will disintegrate. Let them brown and caramelize in the pan. When thoroughly browned and cooked through, DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT. This is your sauce.
- Pour cooked and drained pasta & broccoli back into the pasta pot and add the sausage, including the oil and such at the bottom of the skillet. Drizzle the mixture with the teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. If the pasta is too dry for your liking, add olive oil as desired. Sprinkle red chili flakes on pasta. Zest lemon over pasta and add salt and pepper to taste then mix all the ingredients together one last time. Grate Parmesan over the pasta before serving. Serve immediately.