Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

There were a few beautiful red bell peppers in my refrigerator, and we were about to go away for the weekend.  I had already had them for several days, and the idea that they might be spoiled by the time we got back from our trip was just too depressing.  I had the genius idea of roasting them, figuring it would buy me a few more days.

Now that we're home, I decided to use the roasted red peppers to make a pasta sauce.  But you need not stop at pasta with this one, my friends.  This sauce is spicy and sassy.  Saucy, if you will.  It would do wonderful things on top of meat, chicken, fish, or yes, pasta.  It could jazz up a platter of grilled vegetables.  It could jazz up your life, in fact.

The diced fire roasted tomatoes I used already had spicy chilies in them, but if you have regular fire roasted tomatoes without chilies, you might want to add red pepper flakes or cayenne, or some other source of heat.  This sauce is velvety smooth, and the heat helps to give it an edge that it craves.  And you will crave it too, I promise.


Home made roasted red peppers are a beautiful thing, but of course you can use the jarred ones, too.  Just drain and rinse them first.

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

makes about 4 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 roasted red bell peppers, chopped

one 14.5 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes with chilies

a pinch of dried oregano

salt

2 teaspoons good quality balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat the oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat.  When it's hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about one minute, until fragrant and starting to turn golden.  

2.  Add the bell peppers and the diced tomatoes with their juices.  Stir to combine, then season with oregano and salt.  Bring to a bubble, then stir in the balsamic.  Reduce to a bare simmer.  

3.  Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes so the flavors can marry and the sauce heats through, and thickens just slightly.  Turn off the heat and let sit for a minute.

4.  Transfer the sauce (carefully) to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Serve hot over pasta, meat, or veggies.

Enjoy!

Potato, Spinach and Bread Soup

Soup doesn't need to be fancy or complicated to be completely delicious.  This recipe is for an extremely humble soup; the kind of thing you'd imagine would have been considered "peasant" fare in a less enlightened time.

Well, peasant fare or not, it's incredibly tasty, easy to prepare, and comforting as any good soup should be.  There are shockingly few ingredients - most of them are already in the name.  This is definitely a meal in a bowl - you don't even need bread for dunking, as it is already in the soup! 

The flavor profile is simple and familiar, but these elements all together are not entirely obvious.  Give it a try and see.

Potato, Spinach and Bread Soup

adapted from Jack Bishop's Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

4 1/2 cups vegetable stock

4 cups packed spinach leaves, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups cubed (1/2 inch) day-old whole grain baguette

extra virgin olive oil for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place the potatoes and vegetable stock in a medium soup pot or Dutch oven.  Turn the heat to high and bring to a rapid boil.  Cook for 15 minutes, uncovered.  

2.  Reduce heat slightly (but keep a bubble going) and add the spinach, pressing it down into the liquid gently.  Salt and pepper to taste, then place a lid on the pot and cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are falling apart and spinach is tender.

3.  Turn off the heat and stir in the bread cubes.  Cover the pot and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the bread to soak up some broth.  The soup will be quite thick.

4.  Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

Shaved Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Did you know you can eat asparagus raw?  I don't know if that necessarily means you'll want to grab a stalk and start gnawing on it, but when you shave it thinly with a vegetable peeler and toss it with a simple lemon vinaigrette, it's pretty divine.  Add parmigiano to the mix, and a bit of sea salt, and you're in business.

This recipe comes from Mario Batali's latest book, and it is a great example of the beauty of simplicity.  When you have excellent produce, you shouldn't mess with it too much.  If you can find a way to eat it raw, all the better. 

Mario includes this in the antipasti section of Molto Gusto, but I think it works great as a salad or a side dish, too.  Try it out and see what you think.  I'll bet you've never had anything quite like it.

Shaved Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano

adapted from Mario Batali's Multo Gusto

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch medium asparagus, tough ends snapped off

1/4 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon warm water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

coarse sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long diagonal shavings.  It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be thin.

2.  Put the cheese in a large bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and warm water.  Whisking constantly, drizzle in the oil slowly to create a loose emulsion.  Add the asparagus and toss everything together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Open Face Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

I try not to post too many recipes of the semi-homemade variety, but this one is just too good to keep to myself.  It's so ridiculously easy, half the work is already done before you even start.  Just buy yourself some good quality items so it doesn't taste like you didn't make it. 

Chicken parmesan is a delicious yet decadent proposition, so I had to try Ellie's healthy version and see what it was like.  To be honest, I don't know that the die-hard chicken parm fans (like my husband) will be fooled, but it covers the biggest criteria in my opinion - the cheese and the marinara sauce.  The spinach is a nice touch to round out the meal.  Bottom line is, it will work in a pinch, and it's tasty.

Open Face Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 whole grain Italian loaf or baguette

1 cup jarred marinara sauce

2 cooked chicken cutlets (I poached mine - grilled would be great)

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat broiler and place foil on the broiler tray.

2.  Slice the bread in half lengthwise to make two pieces.  Scoop out the bread to remove the soft inner portion and save for another use (like breadcrumbs).  Place the bread scooped side up on the broiler tray.

3.  Spoon 1/4 cup of sauce into each piece of bread.  Lay a piece of chicken on top and cover with 1 cup of spinach leaves.  Pour another 1/4 cup of sauce over the spinach, then sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon parmesan.

4.  Broil until spinach is wilted and cheese is bubbly and browned, 4 to 5 minutes.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Drunken Tuscan Pasta

The first time I saw this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it.  Then I proceeded to wait a couple of years to make it.  The fact is, this recipe is controversial, and I couldn't bring myself to give it a try until now.  How can a pasta dish be controversial, you ask?  Well, it involves dumping an entire bottle of wine into a pot, bringing to a boil, and cooking pasta in it.

Wine fanatics, fear not.  The wine doesn't die a pointless death.  It infuses the pasta with an incredibly deep, robust flavor (and color) unlike any pasta you've ever had before.  You might cry a little when you drain the pasta, and watch the boiled wine go down the drain.  But it will be in the name of a delicious dinner.

This dish truly is delicious and note-worthy.  And if it breaks your heart to use a bottle of wine this way, well, perhaps it isn't the dish for you.  But I'm sure two buck chuck would work perfectly fine, so no need to break out the family heirloom from your cellar here. 

The rest of the flavors are gorgeous as well.  Woodsy rosemary and mushrooms; earthy swiss chard with a whisper of nutmeg; garlic and red pepper flakes.  Everything about this meal sings.  Definitely break this one out for a special occasion.  Ask your guests to bring the wine - then you won't feel so bad about the bottle that just sacrificed itself for this incredible meal.

Drunken Tuscan Pasta

adapted from Rachael Ray's Book of 10

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1 bottle red wine (I used Cabernet)

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups sliced baby bella (crimini) mushrooms

1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

pinch red pepper flakes

1 bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed, coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Pour the entire bottle of wine into a medium-sized pot, and top up with water until it's the amount of liquid you would normally use to make pasta.  Bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook to al dente.  Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.

2.  Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of the EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and rosemary and cook until mushrooms are deeply golden, about 5 to 6 minutes.  Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add remaining EVOO to the center of the skillet.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or so, then toss with the mushrooms.

3.  Add the Swiss chard to the skillet and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  When they have wilted down, add the reserved pasta cooking liquid to the skillet and cook for a minute or so to reduce.  Toss the pasta with the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Enjoy!

Home Made Gnocchi

We loooove gnocchi in our house.  I have found a couple of reliable brands that are incredibly tasty, but I've always meant to try my hand at making them from scratch.  I made sweet potato dumplings once before, which were basically gnocchi made with sweet potatoes.    Here is a more traditional potato gnocchi, with hardly any ingredients and not too much skill required.

Once you've made these, you can lay them out on a sheet of wax paper and put them in the freezer (make sure they're not touching one another) until frozen, then put them in a freezer bag to cook later.  (Don't thaw them before cooking.)  Or you can cook them all right away.  I'd recommend lightly sauteeing them after you boil them so they crisp up a bit around the edges - I paired mine with a home made marinara straight after boiling them, and they got a bit mushy.

If you really want them to shine, dress them simply with a little home made pesto after sauteeing, and voila.

Home Made Gnocchi

adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 large russet potato (about 1 pound)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

about 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose is okay too)

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Peel the potato and cut it into evenly sized chunks.  Place in a pot and cover with cold water.  Salt it.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slighly.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potato is very tender.  Drain.

2.  Use a potato ricer, or a masher, to finely mash the potato, eliminating any lumps.  Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add about half the flour and stir.  Your goal is to create a dough that is easy to handle.  Add a little more flour if necessary to achieve a dough-like consistency.  Try not to overdo it on the flour.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface a knead a few times to bring it together.

3.  Break off pieces of the dough and roll each one out into a long, thin rope, about 1 inch in diameter.  Use a sharp knife to cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.  Place them on wax paper, not touching, while you continue to work.  Create a gentle indentation with your thumb on each gnoccho, or press against the back of a fork to create lines.  

4.  When you're ready to cook them, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Place the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the boiling water and gently stir.  When they rise to the surface, let them cook a few more seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon.   Sautee them or sauce them as you like, but do so soon, because they don't keep long after being boiled.

Enjoy!

Polenta with Garlicky Greens

If you showed this picture to the me of about ten years ago, before I could cook and before I appreciated both polenta and leafy greens, I would have shaken my head and said no thank you.  Now I see it and I almost drool.  This meal combines two of my favorite things, and I'm sharing it with you.  Don't you feel special?

My sister got me Jack Bishop's Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook for my birthday, and this is my inaugural recipe from it.  It's simple and delicious, just the way I like my food.  Jack's method of cooking polenta is slightly different from any way I've tried it before, and I'll admit I was suspicious of cooking it just in water (as opposed to broth and cream), but I have to say, this is the best polenta I've ever made.  I highly recommend that you try his method.

The greens are a combination of chard and spinach, quickly braised with a garlic and onion combo.  Everything comes together with a remarkably comforting balance of texture and flavor.  This is excellent food for a rainy winter night.

Polenta with Garlicky Greens

adapted from the Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water

1/2 cup medium-grind cornmeal

salt

1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems and ribs removed

2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Start the polenta first, as it will take about 40 minutes.  Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Add a pinch of salt.  Reduce heat slightly and stream in the cornmeal slowly, whisking constantly.  Continue to whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds.  Reduce heat to a bare simmer and put the lid on.  Let cook for about 40 minutes, or until polenta is creamy and smooth, whisking every 10 minutes.

2.  While the polenta cooks, tear up the chard into chunks.  Make sure chard and spinach are thoroughly washed and drained, but don't dry it - you want some moisture still on the leaves. 

3.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until softened and nearly translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Reduce heat to medium and add the greens.  Stir carefully to coat them with the oil.  Season with salt and pepper, and put a lid on the pan.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender and wilted.  Remove lid and cook for an additional 2 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate.

4.  When polenta is done cooking, stir in the butter.   Divide between two bowls and serve the greens over the top.

Enjoy!

Cacio e Pepe with Spinach and White Beans

Cacio e pepe is a very simple, traditional Italian pasta dish.  The main ingredients (apart from the pasta) are cheese and black pepper.  But it's not completely smothered in those key ingredients - there is a delicate balance involved.   The traditional cheese of choice is pecorino romano, but I used parmesan and it came out pretty amazing. 

We all know you shouldn't make an entire meal out of pasta, butter, and cheese, though, right?  So along comes a simple and delicious side dish of wilted spinach and white beans.  This is simple home cooking at its best.  It's so easy and only takes about 15 minutes to make, but you feel remarkably satisfied afterward.  The definitive weeknight recipe.

Cacio e Pepe with Spinach and White Beans

adapted from Rachael Ray's Book of 10

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 pound whole wheat linguine

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper, plus more to taste

salt to taste

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

3 cups tightly packed fresh baby spinach

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 cups cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.  Save about 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking liquid before draining the pasta.  Drain.

2.  While pasta is cooking, heat the butter, one teaspoon of oil, and black pepper in a large skillet over low heat.  Let it hang out while the pasta is cooking.  When pasta is done, add the starchy cooking liquid to the butter mixture, followed by the cooked pasta.  Toss it all together with tongs.  Stir in the cheese until melted, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.  While steps one and two are underway, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add beans and spinach, and stir gently until the spinach wilts and beans are cooked through.  Season with nutmeg and salt. 

4.  Serve the pasta with the spinach and white beans on the side. 

Enjoy!

Green Beans Marinara

 

Green bean season has begun early in this part of the world apparently, because I found beautiful green beans at the farmers market this morning.  I made this different sort of side dish with them, as we had an Italian themed potluck this afternoon.  A simple marinara sauce combined with fresh green beans - it's pretty hard to mess up, folks.  And it's yummy.

This would go well with a simple Italian chicken or pasta dish, or even just some crusty bread. 

Green Beans Marinara

adapted from Food Network Magazine

serves 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed

extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat side of a knife

one 28 ounce can no salt added diced tomatoes

salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil.  Cook green beans until just tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a large skillet with a thin film of olive oil.  Add red pepper flakes and garlic cloves and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.  Drain some of the juices off the canned tomatoes, but not all, and add the tomatoes to the skillet.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.

3.  Add the drained green beans to the tomato sauce and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Salt to taste. Remove the garlic cloves before serving.

Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Pie

Once in a while, we come upon a recipe that we want to mentally bookmark, dogear, put a gold star on, or somehow put a permanent reminder to come back to it.  Again, and again, and again.  This is one of those recipes.  It is easy, delicious, and would please just about anyone.  This is one that I want to remember to make for my kids some day.  It's going to be one of those go-to Friday night family dinner recipes. 

Okay, have I sold it enough?  My husband described this as a cross between chicken parmigiana and deep dish pizza.  Only guess what?  It's not nearly as unhealthy as either of those things.  It has all the yummy flavors you associate with Italian food - tomato, garlic, oregano, basil - plus cheese and chicken, and a tender crust.  Yum!

I reduced the recipe, as I often do, but if you double it for a larger group, make it in a 9-inch pie dish and get the whole pie experience. 

Italian Chicken Pie

adapted from The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 cup of canned diced tomatoes with their juice

1/4 cup whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1 large egg

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Coat a small baking dish (size isn't that important - go with a fairly shallow rectangular one if you have it, or divide among ramekins) with cooking spray.  Sprinkle the parmesan cheese in the bottom of the dish.

2.  Scatter chicken over the parmesan.  Top with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella, the oregano, and basil.  Mix garlic with diced tomatoes and juice, and spread evenly over all. 

3.  Make the topping: in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add oil, milk, and egg, and continue whisking until the mixture is smooth like pancake batter.  Pour over the chicken mixture in the pan.

4.  Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, until set and golden brown.  Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Winter Vegetables over Polenta

I realize my blog is starting to look like the What-to-Serve-Over-Polenta blog.  I can't help it.  Polenta is just that good.  It's kind of like pasta - a great bed to host any delectable topping you choose to accompany it. 

I am cheating a little bit in calling these "winter" vegetables, since green beans are not really a winter vegetable.  But I wanted something green to provide some color contrast, and they are delicious little beasts.  Halved brussels sprouts would be magical in this dish.  The original recipe called for cauliflower, but I'm still having trouble getting out of the "meh" camp when it comes to cauliflower.  Forgive me. 

You can cook the polenta whatever way you like - the stovetop method is probably best here, since you have to roast the vegetables at such a high temperature that the polenta would cook too fast if you had it in the oven, too.   But experiment and see what you like. 

Here it is, then, another lovely and simple meal with lovely, versatile polenta as the base.

Roasted Winter Vegetables over Polenta

adapted from Eating Well in Season

serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cubed butternut squash

2 cups halved brussels sprouts, or green beans

1 leek, white and light green parts, chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper

pinch of garlic powder

1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1/4 cup cream or milk

1/2 cup polenta, or coarsely ground cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 475.  Toss the veggies with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl.  Lay out on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and brown in spots.

2.  Meanwhile, combine broth and cream in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, whisk in polenta, rosemary, and a bit of freshly ground pepper.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in cheese; remove from heat. 

3.  Serve vegetables over polenta.

Enjoy!

Toasted Ravioli with Red Pepper Sauce

I'll admit I was a little skeptical about how this recipe would turn out.  Even right up to the point of plating it, I was not so sure.  My husband called and asked what I was making, and I said I'd have to get back to him.

Well, my doubts were unfounded.  This is a slightly messy, extremely delicious meal.  I'm glad I stuck it through to the end to see how it would end up, instead of taking it in a completely other direction.  These are fresh ravioli, coated with seasoned bread crumbs and pan-fried in olive oil.  Not exciting enough already?  Then how about adding a gorgeous roasted red pepper dipping sauce?

We had ours over a bed of arugula, but these could easily be finger food, dunked into the sauce instead of slathered in it.  Decide for yourself.  The bottom line is that this is an easy meal that comes together quickly and has a fantastic reward waiting for you at the end.

Toasted Ravioli with Red Pepper Sauce

adapted from Rachael Ray's Book of 10

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

a splash of milk

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

a handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

12 large fresh ravioli (I used 4-cheese; spinach would work)

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

a pinch of red pepper flakes

3 roasted red peppers, drained

1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Beat eggs and the splash of milk in a shallow bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Combine bread crumbs with cheese and parsley in a second dish.  Dip the ravioli into the eggs, then coat with bread crumbs (you may find they don't stick too well - just do your best to make sure some kind of coating happens).

2.  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large skillet, and toast the ravioli until deep golden, about 4 minutes per side.

3.  In a small saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat.  Grind the roasted red peppers in a food processor and add them to the pot after cooking the garlic for a couple of minutes (be careful not to burn it).  Stir in the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Heat through.

4.  Serve toasted ravioli with the dipping sauce, either on the side or on top.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Potato-Kale Stew

Today I did something questionable in the kitchen, and it actually turned out pretty great.  I took a fairly elegant soup recipe and turned it into a chunky, hearty stew.  It doesn't look gorgeous, admittedly, but it tasted wonderful, and it was a remarkably satisfying bowl of yumminess.

This is a healthy, easy way to get a load of flavor into a bowl.  Potatoes, kale, and sausage are the three musketeers of soup, and everything that is good about them joins together to form a wonderful meal.  A little spicy, a little creamy, with earthy dark greens throughout - this is a winner.  And perfect for a cold evening.

Tuscan Potato-Kale Stew

adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 hot Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed

handful of sage leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

1 bunch of kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat oil in a medium-large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  Add sausage and sage leaves, and use a wooden implement to break up the sausage as it cooks.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage browns and sage leaves get slightly crispy, about 4 minutes.  Scoop out the sausage and sage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2.  Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until onion softens and garlic becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 2 minutes, then add chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3.  Puree the mixture carefully, using a food mill or immersion blender, or your preferred method.  Be sure to leave a good deal of texture - we don't want completely whipped potatoes here.   The mixture will be quite thick.  Return to low heat and stir in the milk and parmesan.

4.  Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and blanch the kale until bright green and somewhat tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain well, reserving about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.  Add the kale to the soup pot and stir.  If the soup is too thick, add the reserved kale cooking water.  Stir in reserved sausage and sage, and serve.

Enjoy!

Tomato-Basil Chicken over Polenta

This is a similar concept to a recipe I posted fairly recently, but trust me.  It's quite different.  My love affair with polenta continues, and I went back to making it the old-fashioned way just for kicks.  If you want to make it the brilliant oven-baked way (see link above), please be my guest. 

This is a simple, comforting and tasty meal that should please just about any palate.  Traditional Italian flavors of tomato, basil, and garlic rest atop a slightly spicy chicken breast, on a bed of creamy polenta.  What's not to love?

Also, a note - when I say two chicken breast cutlets, I mean one large chicken breast butterflied through the middle and then cut into two pieces, creating two thinner pieces of chicken breast.  I just want to be clear, here.

Tomato-Basil Chicken over Polenta

adapted from Rachael Ray's Book of 10

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 chicken breast cutlets

salt and pepper

pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 pint red grape tomatoes

handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a small pot, whisk together 1 1/2 cups broth with the polenta and butter.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.  Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, whisking occasionally, until polenta is a thick porridge-y texture.   Season with salt and pepper just before serving.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Season chicken cutlets with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.   Add to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes each side, until lightly browned.  Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 2 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.

3.  Add remaining chicken broth to the skillet and cook until reduced by about half, approximately 3 minutes.  Turn the chicken occasionally.   Add tomatoes and cook about one minutes, or until they are heated through and just starting to burst.  Stir in basil, and serve chicken with tomatoes and sauce over a bed of polenta.

Enjoy!

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera is a generic sort of term for pasta with fresh vegetables.  This variation fits that definition, but is anything but generic.  It's a light and yet hearty meal full of vibrant colors and flavors, with a delicate sauce and a ton of nutrients.  In short, it's a great recovering-from-Thanksgiving meal.

The original recipe called for button mushrooms to be added to the mix, and if you like mushrooms, I'd recommend including them.  We are a mushroom-free household due to my husband's preference, so I left them out.  Either way, this is anything but your standard old pasta and veggies.

So get out your good knife and before you know it, dinner will be on the table.

Pasta Primavera

adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti or linguine

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon white whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour

1/2 cup low sodium chicken (or veggie) broth

1/4 cup nonfat milk

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 small carrot, sliced into thin strips with a peeler

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup chopped chives

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Cook pasta until just al dente, according to package directions.  Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute.  Add bell peppers and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add asparagus and tomatoes, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.

3.  Stir flour into the veggies and cook for one minute.  Add broth, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly (it won't get super thick), about 5 minutes.  Stir in the carrots.

4.  Add cooked pasta to the veggies and toss everything together.  Serve garnished with parmesan and chives.

Enjoy!

Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes over Polenta

There is nothing wrong with simplicity.  In fact, it is a magnificently beautiful concept that gives rise to dishes like this one.  I have been craving polenta for weeks, and I finally decided to partake this evening in a rustic, hearty and comforting dish with beautiful Italian flavors.  There are very few ingredients, but they are good quality ones.   This is a perfect meal for a cool fall evening, with a glass of wine and some good music in the background.  Bliss, my friends.  Bliss.

The other fantastic aspect of this meal is that it gave me a chance to try out a different way of making polenta, and I am officially a convert.  I had heard about this method many times before, and finally got around to trying it.  Why would I ever go back?  You'll see in the instructions below that your days of whisking almost constantly on the stovetop are behind you.

Please try this.  If you have a hunk of crusty bread nearby, even better.

Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes over Polenta

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons quality balsamic vinegar

handful basil leaves, torn

3 large garlic cloves, crushed with the flat edge of a knife

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  In an 8 x 8 baking dish or similar sized casserole, combine polenta, water, broth, milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until polenta thickens and has a porridge-y consistency.

2.  While the polenta is baking, place the tomatoes in a single layer in a small baking dish.  Drizzle with EVOO and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.  Add garlic cloves and basil, and toss everything together.  When the polenta has been baking for about 15 minutes, add the tomato dish to the oven.   Each time you open the oven to stir the polenta, stir up the tomatoes, too.

3.  When there are about 5 minutes left in the baking time, stir parmesan into the polenta.  When everything is done (tomatoes are mostly burst, polenta has thickened), serve tomatoes and juices over the polenta.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Summer may be over, but the tomato season isn't quite. I had some gorgeous golden-colored tomatoes in my CSA bag this week, and this recipe was the perfect way to showcase them. You can use any tomatoes you like to make this sauce, but I'd recommend really high quality, preferably heirloom, varieties. This is the sauce for the tomato you can't bring yourself to cook for fear of sullying its reputation.

This sauce is sweet and slightly tangy, with a bit of an underlying edge from the garlic oil. It's easy, quick, and refreshing. Equally great for a quick weeknight meal or a lazy weekend lunch.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce 
adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray  
serves 3 

INGREDIENTS:  
1 large garlic clove, crushed  
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil  
salt  
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta (any cut you like) 
3 medium sized good quality tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped  
freshly ground pepper  
1 teaspoon lemon zest  
a few leaves of basil, finely chopped  

DIRECTIONS:  

1. Place the olive oil and garlic clove in a small cup or bowl. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain. 
 
3. While pasta is cooking, crush the tomatoes with your hands in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon zest, basil, and the oil from step one (discard the garlic clove). Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce and serve.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Braised Kale

In honor of World Vegetarian Day (yes, that's a real thing, apparently), I made a delicious, meatless pasta dinner tonight. It features our good old friend kale, braised for about twenty minutes with onion and garlic, doused with lemon juice at the last moment, and tossed with pasta. It's simple, wholesome, and yum.

This is a great introduction to kale, for those of you who haven't tried it yet, or just haven't introduced it to your diners yet. It's much more approachable when tender and mixed with everyone's favorite starchy food.

Pasta with Braised Kale
adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine
serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
salt
1 bunch kale, large stems removed, torn into chunks and rinsed
1/3 pound whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon finely grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

2. Add kale (still wet from rinsing) and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and toss until just wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, and adding a little bit of water now and then if it becomes dry, until kale is very tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water before draining the pasta. Add drained pasta to the kale pot.

4. Add lemon juice and a tablespoon of the pasta cooking water and toss everything together. If it's too dry, add more pasta water (you probably won't need to). Serve topped with a little bit of parmesan.

Enjoy!

Chard Risotto

I'm sure I've said it before, but risotto is the ultimate comfort food for me. It's relaxing to make, and incredibly satisfying to eat. Even a very basic risotto with no meat or vegetables is tasty, but I love bumping it up to a full meal by adding things to it.

I had a gorgeous bunch of rainbow chard, and decided to try my hand at incorporating it into a risotto. The result was magnificent. Incredibly hearty and comforting, and absolutely packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to make me feel good about eating it.

This is a bit more brothy than your typical risotto, but it's not quite a soup. Something about it just felt like if I were coming down with a cold, this would be the recipe to help knock it out of the park.

If you haven't experimented much with chard, I encourage you to let this be your gateway recipe. I think it may have trumped kale as my favorite leafy green. It's softer, like spinach, but it doesn't get mushy when it wilts. I think we'll be seeing it a bit more in this blog, just so you know!

Chard Risotto
adapted from Bon Appetit's Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook
serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3/4 cups arborio rice
3 cups coarsely chopped rainbow or red chard leaves
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt and pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring broth to a simmer in a small pot, and keep warm.

2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in arborio rice to coat with the oil, and then add the chard. It will fill up the pot completely, but be patient and stir carefully until it starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add wine and stir. Cook until mostly absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the broth and stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the broth is almost completely absorbed and the rice is starchy and creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with the scallions.

Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

I took the day off from work today to reward myself for a particularly grueling trial that is now OVER, thank goodness. I decided to treat myself further by going to visit my parents in their new home, and commandeering their beautiful new kitchen to cook us all lunch. I had recently seen an episode of Cooking for Real on the Food Network where Sunny Anderson made a gorgeous looking pasta with a "pesto" made out of garlic infused oil and roasted cherry tomatoes. It had to be mine, my friends.

The garlic infused oil can be made a few ways. The idea is to roast the peeled cloves from an entire head of garlic in extra virgin olive oil, and then make use of both the roasted garlic cloves and the oil in this recipe. I ended up discarding the garlic cloves because I burned them and they became bitter. I would not recommend burning them, folks. Just in case you were considering it. Still, I made use of the oil and it was lovely. If you want to take a shortcut, you can buy garlic-infused oil at the grocery store.

The sauce has a deliciously creamy texture without any cream whatsoever - it's the genius of the puree function on your blender or food processor. My mother loved the sauce, even though she despises all things creamy, and said if she hadn't watched me make it she would have sworn there was cream in there.

We all know by now that when you roast things, they become sweeter. This recipe is a wonderful celebration of that fact.

Roasted Tomato Pasta with Shrimp
adapted from Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint of sweet cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
salt and pepper
12 oz. whole wheat penne or other short-cut pasta
1/4 cup garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (see discussion above)
2 cups pre-cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
pinch red pepper flakes
handful fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400. On a baking sheet, lay out the cherry tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes are starting to wrinkle and burst. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

3. While the pasta is cooking, put about half of the garlic-infused oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until warmed through.

4. Puree remaining garlic-infused oil, tomatoes and their juices, and basil in a food processor or blender. Toss the pasta with the pureed sauce, and serve topped with the shrimp.

A little bit different, but still easy! If you are making use of the roasted garlic cloves in this recipe, puree them with the oil, tomatoes, and basil.

Enjoy!