New Year, new priorities. I am going to TRY to post a recipe here every two weeks.
Starting it off with an easy quiche that's a perfect choice for a work night - ham, swiss, spinach, mushroom, and cheese. Prep time MAYBE 20 minutes tops.
Ingredients:
1 Pet-Ritz frozen pie crust, deep dish
1/4 lb deli swiss cheese slices (thin) - really, you only need about 4 slices.
1/4 lb deli ham slices (go low-sodium if you can)
1/2 cup bagged spinach
1/2 cup pre-sliced baby bellas (Joe's has them CHEAP)
4 eggs
3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
4-5 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
plus 1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar/swiss for garnish
Preheat oven to 375.
Do NOT pre-bake the crust. Just take it straight out of the freezer.
Cover the bottom of the crust with swiss slices - keeps it from getting soggy.
Slice the ham and mushrooms into small cubes.
Slice the spinach into strips.
Put the mushrooms and spinach on the bottom of the quiche.
Whisk the eggs, then mix in the cream, milk, flour, cayenne, mustard, salt and pepper. (Easy on the salt - the cheese, spinach, and ham also contain salt.)
Pour the egg mixture into the crust.
Scatter the ham on top, then cover with shredded cheese. (A mix of swiss and cheddar is nice, but use whatever you have.)
Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Put the finished quiche on it (you'll thank me later when you're not scraping melted cheese off your oven floor).
Bake for 45-50 min., or until the cheese is browned and a knife comes out clean.
Serve with a green salad.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 22, 2012
We're back with an easy one - Fish Provencal
I've been remiss about posting here, and I'm resolving to do better - partly because it's fun to share recipes, but even more so because this is becoming our online cookbook and I am WAY behind at keeping it up to date! :)
Here's an easy, quick way to make fish that even non-fish-lovers will like. You can use whatever mild white fish you can find on sale, and the acids in the tomato cut any fishiness WAY down. Easy, cheap, quick, and good.
Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia/flounder/whatever (I'd avoid cod, though - too oily)
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
6-7 kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 - 1 tsp herbes de provence (don't skip this. You can buy it at Food Lion for cryin' out loud.)
salt and pepper
parmesan to garnish
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat
2. Saute shallot for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and saute for another minute or less
4. Add tomatoes, herbes de provence and olives, and cook down
5. When it starts to look dry, pour the wine in, then cover and lower the heat.
6. Once it looks like crushed tomatoes, put the fish in, and move the sauce on top of the fish
7. Cook 3-4 min on medium heat (longer if your fillets are thicker. A good rule of thumb is four minutes medium heat per side per inch of fish)
8. Flip fish - when it flakes, it's done.
9. Plate and garnish with parmesan.
You can put this over rice or orzo or Israeli couscous, or you can just serve it with a good bread, plus a green salad and a nice Sauvignon Blanc.
Here's an easy, quick way to make fish that even non-fish-lovers will like. You can use whatever mild white fish you can find on sale, and the acids in the tomato cut any fishiness WAY down. Easy, cheap, quick, and good.
Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia/flounder/whatever (I'd avoid cod, though - too oily)
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
6-7 kalamata olives, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 - 1 tsp herbes de provence (don't skip this. You can buy it at Food Lion for cryin' out loud.)
salt and pepper
parmesan to garnish
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium heat
2. Saute shallot for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and saute for another minute or less
4. Add tomatoes, herbes de provence and olives, and cook down
5. When it starts to look dry, pour the wine in, then cover and lower the heat.
6. Once it looks like crushed tomatoes, put the fish in, and move the sauce on top of the fish
7. Cook 3-4 min on medium heat (longer if your fillets are thicker. A good rule of thumb is four minutes medium heat per side per inch of fish)
8. Flip fish - when it flakes, it's done.
9. Plate and garnish with parmesan.
You can put this over rice or orzo or Israeli couscous, or you can just serve it with a good bread, plus a green salad and a nice Sauvignon Blanc.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Two-way tomato farfalle
If, like us, you're looking for something to do with the quarts of cherry tomatoes your plants are producing right now, here's an easy pasta that showcases their flavor.
1 quart cherry tomatoes (or more, to taste), cut in half
10 sundried tomatoes in oil, cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed, cut into strips
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
5 cloves garlic, minced (keep one separate)
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 chicken breast, diced small
1 16-oz package farfalle
Shredded parmesan
black pepper
olive oil
Boil water with salt and oil for package of farfalle. Cook according to directions.
Saute 4 cloves garlic and the pepper in a little olive oil in a big frying pan over medium heat, 1-2 minutes.
Add in sundried tomatoes on medium for 1 minute.
Add cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add in the spinach and basil. Wilt. Remove from heat and pour into bowl.
Put the pan back on the stove, add more olive oil, the last clove of garlic, and the diced chicken breast. Turn heat up and brown, adding a little white wine if you want.
When the chicken is browned and the pasta's done, add the pasta to the chicken in the frying pan and brown a little. Throw in the bowl of tomato mix and heat through.
Serve with shredded parmesan and cracked black pepper, with a green salad, a nice bread, and a good chardonnay.
1 quart cherry tomatoes (or more, to taste), cut in half
10 sundried tomatoes in oil, cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed, cut into strips
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
5 cloves garlic, minced (keep one separate)
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 chicken breast, diced small
1 16-oz package farfalle
Shredded parmesan
black pepper
olive oil
Boil water with salt and oil for package of farfalle. Cook according to directions.
Saute 4 cloves garlic and the pepper in a little olive oil in a big frying pan over medium heat, 1-2 minutes.
Add in sundried tomatoes on medium for 1 minute.
Add cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add in the spinach and basil. Wilt. Remove from heat and pour into bowl.
Put the pan back on the stove, add more olive oil, the last clove of garlic, and the diced chicken breast. Turn heat up and brown, adding a little white wine if you want.
When the chicken is browned and the pasta's done, add the pasta to the chicken in the frying pan and brown a little. Throw in the bowl of tomato mix and heat through.
Serve with shredded parmesan and cracked black pepper, with a green salad, a nice bread, and a good chardonnay.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Easiest Pesto EVER
If, like us, you're struggling to figure out what to do with your rampant basil plants this time of year, here's the easiest pesto recipe ever. This is a no-miss favorite.
It's the rule of threes, in alphabetical order:
3 cups of basil, tightly-packed
3 (at least) cloves of garlic (I like 4 large or 5 small, but that's up to you)
1/3 cup pine nuts, roasted over heat (do NOT overcook - they get bitter)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan, shredded
Get out your blender. Add the first two ingredients first, and pulse till it's a sauced. Then add the last 3 ingredients in order, with a healthy helping of cracked black pepper added with the parmesan.
Don't salt it till you've tried it with the parmesan, which has a lot of salt on its own.
Empty out the blender over your cooked pasta (TJoe's farfalle is perfect) and mix well. For a full dinner, add some protein (we like TJoe's chardonnay sausage), some green salad, and a rustic bread.
Best with a full-bodied white, like a chard.
(Note: my Facebook friends recommend replacing the pine nuts with walnuts, pistachios, or almonds, which are all cheaper and easier to find than pine nuts.)
It's the rule of threes, in alphabetical order:
3 cups of basil, tightly-packed
3 (at least) cloves of garlic (I like 4 large or 5 small, but that's up to you)
1/3 cup pine nuts, roasted over heat (do NOT overcook - they get bitter)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan, shredded
Get out your blender. Add the first two ingredients first, and pulse till it's a sauced. Then add the last 3 ingredients in order, with a healthy helping of cracked black pepper added with the parmesan.
Don't salt it till you've tried it with the parmesan, which has a lot of salt on its own.
Empty out the blender over your cooked pasta (TJoe's farfalle is perfect) and mix well. For a full dinner, add some protein (we like TJoe's chardonnay sausage), some green salad, and a rustic bread.
Best with a full-bodied white, like a chard.
(Note: my Facebook friends recommend replacing the pine nuts with walnuts, pistachios, or almonds, which are all cheaper and easier to find than pine nuts.)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Greek Sloppy Joes
Looking for a new twist on a satisfying ground meat & seasoning sandwich? Look no further. Quick, super-easy, and really tasty.
Greek Sloppy Joes (serves 4)
1 lb ground lamb (Whole foods has some good stuff)
1 med yellow onion
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
2-3 big cloves garlic
1/4 cup red wine (we used merlot)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed mint
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole wheat pitas (minis are good - Trader Joe's has 'em cheap)
low-fat plain yogurt
red onion slivers for garnish
Dice the yellow onion and brown in olive oil in a big skillet.
Mince and add the garlic. Brown lightly.
Add the lamb. Brown.
Add the stewed tomatoes and spices. Simmer 5 min.
Add chickpeas.
Cover and let it simmer for 20-30 min over low heat.
Cut the pitas in half and fill. Top with yogurt and thinly sliced red onion. (Cucumbers would be good too, but we forgot them.)
Serve with a side salad of field greens and a nice Zin. :)
(Next time, I'll add a pinch of cinnamon to the lamb.)
Greek Sloppy Joes (serves 4)
1 lb ground lamb (Whole foods has some good stuff)
1 med yellow onion
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
2-3 big cloves garlic
1/4 cup red wine (we used merlot)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed mint
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole wheat pitas (minis are good - Trader Joe's has 'em cheap)
low-fat plain yogurt
red onion slivers for garnish
Dice the yellow onion and brown in olive oil in a big skillet.
Mince and add the garlic. Brown lightly.
Add the lamb. Brown.
Add the stewed tomatoes and spices. Simmer 5 min.
Add chickpeas.
Cover and let it simmer for 20-30 min over low heat.
Cut the pitas in half and fill. Top with yogurt and thinly sliced red onion. (Cucumbers would be good too, but we forgot them.)
Serve with a side salad of field greens and a nice Zin. :)
(Next time, I'll add a pinch of cinnamon to the lamb.)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Poblanos Enchiladas
Someone asked me for the recipe for this, and when I checked this blog, I couldn't believe I hadn't posted it already!
This is essentially like Mexican lasagna, but with tortillas. No rolling, low effort, high reward. Sooooo good. And it makes great leftovers, too!
The recipe calls for chicken, but turkey is actually even better. Great way to get rid of Thanksgiving leftovers! (Plus, starting with cooked bird lets you skip step 3 entirely.)
Ingredients:
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast
garlic salt (or garlic powder and salt) to taste
24 oz low-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 poblano peppers (the big green ones)
1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is good, or you can make your own if you're inclined. I'm not.)
1 jalapeno
half bunch cilantro
1-2 tsp lemon juice
22 fresh corn tortillas, cut in quarters. (A small package should cover it.)
16 oz shredded cheese - Colby/Monterey Jack is good.
Directions:
1. Roast poblanos on foil-covered cookie sheet under broiler. 10-15 min, turning once, till they blister. Cool and peel, and remove stems.
2. Preheat over to 350. Grease large casserole.
3. Chop raw chicken into chunks. Brown with a little olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder.
4. Rough-chop cilantro and jalapeno. Add to food processor with the lemon juice and the can of enchilada sauce. Blend till smooth-ish.
5. Chop browned chicken into tiny pieces. Add to bowl with 8-12 oz sour cream, cayenne, and a little more garlic powder and salt to taste. Mix well.
6. Dice cooked poblanos.
7. Cut tortillas in quarters.
8. Dip tortilla pieces in sauce and line bottom of pan. Add 1/2 chicken, 1/2 poblanos, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 sauce.
9. Add another layer of the tortilla quarters (don't need to dip), other half chicken, other half poblanos, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sauce.
10. Finish with layer of tortillas dipped in sauce. Cover with remaining cheese and whatever's left of the sauce (shouldn't be much).
11. Cover with foil and cook 45-55 min at 350. Remove foil to brown for last 10 min.
12. Let it set for a few minutes, then serve with dab of remaining sour cream.
This is GREAT with a side of refried beans. Here's an easy way to make them taste less canned, too: Heat a can of fat-free beans slowly, adding in skim milk till creamy. Throw in 1/2 tsp or so of either red chile flakes or cayenne. Not as good as fresh-made, but a lot easier. Serve with a little sour cream and some of the remaining cilantro.
This is essentially like Mexican lasagna, but with tortillas. No rolling, low effort, high reward. Sooooo good. And it makes great leftovers, too!
The recipe calls for chicken, but turkey is actually even better. Great way to get rid of Thanksgiving leftovers! (Plus, starting with cooked bird lets you skip step 3 entirely.)
Ingredients:
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast
garlic salt (or garlic powder and salt) to taste
24 oz low-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3-4 poblano peppers (the big green ones)
1 28 oz can green enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is good, or you can make your own if you're inclined. I'm not.)
1 jalapeno
half bunch cilantro
1-2 tsp lemon juice
22 fresh corn tortillas, cut in quarters. (A small package should cover it.)
16 oz shredded cheese - Colby/Monterey Jack is good.
Directions:
1. Roast poblanos on foil-covered cookie sheet under broiler. 10-15 min, turning once, till they blister. Cool and peel, and remove stems.
2. Preheat over to 350. Grease large casserole.
3. Chop raw chicken into chunks. Brown with a little olive oil and a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder.
4. Rough-chop cilantro and jalapeno. Add to food processor with the lemon juice and the can of enchilada sauce. Blend till smooth-ish.
5. Chop browned chicken into tiny pieces. Add to bowl with 8-12 oz sour cream, cayenne, and a little more garlic powder and salt to taste. Mix well.
6. Dice cooked poblanos.
7. Cut tortillas in quarters.
8. Dip tortilla pieces in sauce and line bottom of pan. Add 1/2 chicken, 1/2 poblanos, 1/3 cheese, and 1/3 sauce.
9. Add another layer of the tortilla quarters (don't need to dip), other half chicken, other half poblanos, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sauce.
10. Finish with layer of tortillas dipped in sauce. Cover with remaining cheese and whatever's left of the sauce (shouldn't be much).
11. Cover with foil and cook 45-55 min at 350. Remove foil to brown for last 10 min.
12. Let it set for a few minutes, then serve with dab of remaining sour cream.
This is GREAT with a side of refried beans. Here's an easy way to make them taste less canned, too: Heat a can of fat-free beans slowly, adding in skim milk till creamy. Throw in 1/2 tsp or so of either red chile flakes or cayenne. Not as good as fresh-made, but a lot easier. Serve with a little sour cream and some of the remaining cilantro.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Updating an old favorite
Made an old favorite tonight - my dad's Rum Chicken.
A little background: Dad was a Scotsman who didn't discover "cooking" till he came to the US. Even then, it was pretty much limited to Julia Child on PBS, where this recipe might well have originated. And the original recipe tastes like the 70s, too - low on spices, heavy on salt and fats.
Still, it's really easy, and really good. And it's a family heirloom. So here's the makeover:
One fryer, cut up
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup orange juice (see below)
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 tsp orange rind zest (consider juicing the orange for your 1/4 cup)
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over low heat. Mix in garlic, ginger, zest, salt and pepper. Move off heat.
Add in the rum and OJ, and whisk.
Put the chicken in as small a baking dish as you can.
Pour the rum/orange/spice mix over the chicken.
Bake for 1 hr to 1:15, basting twice. Then increase the temp to 400 degrees for 15 minutes more to brown the skin.
Serve over rice, dressed with the pan juices/sauce. Acorn squash is also great on the side with this - ladle some sauce into each.
A little background: Dad was a Scotsman who didn't discover "cooking" till he came to the US. Even then, it was pretty much limited to Julia Child on PBS, where this recipe might well have originated. And the original recipe tastes like the 70s, too - low on spices, heavy on salt and fats.
Still, it's really easy, and really good. And it's a family heirloom. So here's the makeover:
One fryer, cut up
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup orange juice (see below)
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 tsp orange rind zest (consider juicing the orange for your 1/4 cup)
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over low heat. Mix in garlic, ginger, zest, salt and pepper. Move off heat.
Add in the rum and OJ, and whisk.
Put the chicken in as small a baking dish as you can.
Pour the rum/orange/spice mix over the chicken.
Bake for 1 hr to 1:15, basting twice. Then increase the temp to 400 degrees for 15 minutes more to brown the skin.
Serve over rice, dressed with the pan juices/sauce. Acorn squash is also great on the side with this - ladle some sauce into each.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Quick, easy sweet potato pie
If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd be making pies out of sweet potatoes one day, I'd have said you were nuts. But as it turns out, I like sweet potato pie a lot better than the pumpkin pies I was raised on.
SP pie tastes a lot like pumpkin pie, but with more texture, more color, and more flavor (and it's WAY easier to roast a couple of potatoes than a pumpkin).
Here's a really simple, really good recipe for an easy sweet potato pie:
3 good-sized (or 2 really big) sweet potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract (REAL, please, not the fake stuff)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 frozen pie crust
Stab the sweet potatoes with a fork (a lot - let it all out, people), then put them on a foil-covered cookie sheet and roast at 400 for about 50 minutes - maybe 55 - till squishy.
Let them cool for an hour, then strip off the skins (easy to do if they're fully roasted) and break them up in a big bowl. Preheat oven to 350.
Add the softened butter, break out the mixer, and beat till close to smooth.
Add everything else - sugar, milk, eggs, spices, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat till it's a little fluffy.
Take your frozen crust out of the bag and put it on the foil-lined cookie sheet you just used to roast the potatoes. Spatula the mix into it.
Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. When a knife or toothpick comes out clean, you're done.
Notes:
- Yes, it'll rise like a souffle. Don't worry. This is why you put it on a foiled cookie sheet. It'll sink when it cools.
- Do NOT roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time and then refrigerate - they get grainy. Also, don't boil instead of roasting - they get stringy. Just put them in the oven. Roasted sweet potatoes taste richer, blend better, and make a prettier pie. (And for God's sake, if you live in NC, don't use canned. Sweet potatoes are cheap and plentiful here, so there's no excuse.)
- Some people like it a little sweeter, some less so. I'm not a big fan of supersweet pies, so this isn't one. If you're not concerned about a little raw egg, taste the batter - you may want to throw in some honey or maple syrup.
- If you're really picky about plating, you might want to throw in a tablespoon or two of flour to make it cut better. But if you're okay with sloppy slices, it's really better without it.
- It's really good with whipped cream, but avoid Cool Whip - it drowns out the spices.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Green on the grill
We did burgers on the grill tonight, along with grilled zukes and crooknecks - a quintessential summer dinner with a little twist.
When I lived in Sacramento, summers were brutal. 105 wasn't at all unusual. Nights cooled off quick, what with the low humidity and river breezes, but before sunset, you really didn't want to turn on the stove if there was some way to avoid it.
That's where I learned about grilling veggies.
Like most folks of my pre-bagged-salad-and-farmers-markets generation, I grew up eating vegetables out of either cans or freezer bags. They were always nutritious -- thanks, Mom! -- but also always waterlogged, soggy, and lifeless. For 20 years, I actually believed I hated spinach and asparagus. Now I can't imagine going a week without either.
Since then, I've come to understand that the best way to cook most of my favorite veggies involves no water whatsoever. Just heat, a little olive oil, and a sprinkle of spice.
Most veggies grill well, either in foil packets or a basket, but the best candidates are those with some natural sugars. When grilled, those sugars come to the surface along with the water they emit, letting them caramelize beautifully. Also, it's fast, and it doesn't heat up your house, and hell, you've got the grill on anyway, right?
I try to cook the ones with the most sugar (yellow squash, potato, tomato, corn, red peppers) in a basket over open flame to take advantage of that caramelization. Corn's actually best directly on the grill, sans shuck - just brush it generously with olive oil and watch it constantly, since it goes zero to blackened in about 30 seconds.
Veggies with a little less native sugar - asparagus, zucchini, even broccoli - are great wrapped up in foil packets. Start them on the top shelf of the grill a good 5-10 min before you start your meat or fish.
Whichever way you do it, make sure you
When I lived in Sacramento, summers were brutal. 105 wasn't at all unusual. Nights cooled off quick, what with the low humidity and river breezes, but before sunset, you really didn't want to turn on the stove if there was some way to avoid it.
That's where I learned about grilling veggies.
Like most folks of my pre-bagged-salad-and-farmers-markets generation, I grew up eating vegetables out of either cans or freezer bags. They were always nutritious -- thanks, Mom! -- but also always waterlogged, soggy, and lifeless. For 20 years, I actually believed I hated spinach and asparagus. Now I can't imagine going a week without either.
Since then, I've come to understand that the best way to cook most of my favorite veggies involves no water whatsoever. Just heat, a little olive oil, and a sprinkle of spice.
Most veggies grill well, either in foil packets or a basket, but the best candidates are those with some natural sugars. When grilled, those sugars come to the surface along with the water they emit, letting them caramelize beautifully. Also, it's fast, and it doesn't heat up your house, and hell, you've got the grill on anyway, right?
I try to cook the ones with the most sugar (yellow squash, potato, tomato, corn, red peppers) in a basket over open flame to take advantage of that caramelization. Corn's actually best directly on the grill, sans shuck - just brush it generously with olive oil and watch it constantly, since it goes zero to blackened in about 30 seconds.
Veggies with a little less native sugar - asparagus, zucchini, even broccoli - are great wrapped up in foil packets. Start them on the top shelf of the grill a good 5-10 min before you start your meat or fish.
Whichever way you do it, make sure you
- Take the veggies out ahead of time so they can come to room temp (they cook faster), and cut them so they're all about the same size. Smaller cooks faster.
- Dress them generously with an oil of some kind. Some folks like Italian dressing. I prefer olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, and some herb that works with the entree. Dill or rosemary is always good.
- Don't overcrowd. If you go the foil packet route, keep them no more than two layers deep. More than that, and you're looking at 20-30 minutes. If you're grilling a lot of veggies, it's better to divide them into several smaller packets than one big packet so huge you can't even flip it over.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday: Taco Salad, sans quinoa
Okay, all you quinoa haters. You know who you are. Here's a non-quinoa taco salad just for you.
Seriously, we love this one. Grilled shrimp, roasted corn, fresh romaine - what's not to love?
Here's the recipe from a reader of Cooking Light. It's really good exactly as written -- although if you're making it for two instead of four, you may want to hold out some of the romaine so it doesn't get soggy with the dressing as leftovers.
Also -- do NOT skip the maple syrup. We very nearly did -- it sounded too weird. But seriously, it's so good. Just add it. Trust me.
Seriously, we love this one. Grilled shrimp, roasted corn, fresh romaine - what's not to love?
Here's the recipe from a reader of Cooking Light. It's really good exactly as written -- although if you're making it for two instead of four, you may want to hold out some of the romaine so it doesn't get soggy with the dressing as leftovers.
Also -- do NOT skip the maple syrup. We very nearly did -- it sounded too weird. But seriously, it's so good. Just add it. Trust me.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Out of the box
I'm no fan of processed foods... but when I'm cooking for one, I'm a little more amenable to the idea. Especially with yummy options like Trader Joe's Salmon Belle Mer.
TJ's makes scrumptious little salmon roulades, stuffed with crab, whitefish, and cheese. They're in the freezer section for $2.99 each. They may look small, but trust me - one's plenty. They're really rich. (Also, the fat count is kind of appalling. But they're soooo good.)
I made one tonight with fresh asparagus (Food Lion has beautiful bundles on sale right now for a song) and one of my favorite sides-in-a-box, Near East's Parmesan Couscous. You can find it anywhere, and it goes with anything - I kid you not. (The Pine Nut variety is also really good.)
Total prep time: Almost none.
Salmon: 25 min to cook, plus :30 to oil a pan and get the fish out of the bag. NOTE: These are terrible in the microwave, so suck it up and turn the oven on. You'll be glad you did.
Asparagus: 2 minutes to clean, 5 minutes in the microwave (glass dish, covered in plastic wrap, with 1/4 cup water), then 2 minutes to sit and steam.
Couscous: 2 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to sit.
I put the whole thing together while talking to my Mom on the phone. Now that's the kind of dinner I can get behind.
TJ's makes scrumptious little salmon roulades, stuffed with crab, whitefish, and cheese. They're in the freezer section for $2.99 each. They may look small, but trust me - one's plenty. They're really rich. (Also, the fat count is kind of appalling. But they're soooo good.)
I made one tonight with fresh asparagus (Food Lion has beautiful bundles on sale right now for a song) and one of my favorite sides-in-a-box, Near East's Parmesan Couscous. You can find it anywhere, and it goes with anything - I kid you not. (The Pine Nut variety is also really good.)
Total prep time: Almost none.
Salmon: 25 min to cook, plus :30 to oil a pan and get the fish out of the bag. NOTE: These are terrible in the microwave, so suck it up and turn the oven on. You'll be glad you did.
Asparagus: 2 minutes to clean, 5 minutes in the microwave (glass dish, covered in plastic wrap, with 1/4 cup water), then 2 minutes to sit and steam.
Couscous: 2 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to sit.
I put the whole thing together while talking to my Mom on the phone. Now that's the kind of dinner I can get behind.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Hot beans
I'm on my own this weekend. I find it hard to get too excited about cooking for just me, especially since I'll eat pretty much whatever I can catch. But one of my favorite solo weekend foods is Pindi Chane, or Chole.
It's a pretty simple dish, but there are a ton of variations on it. Essentially, it's chickpeas, onion, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, coriander, and garam masala, served over basmati rice. It's "peasant food, " like most of the Indian dishes I love best (including dall, aloo gobi, and paneer), but done right, it's quick, easy, and cheap, and really, really good.
Laura's Chole for non-Desis
2 cans chickpeas (aka garbanzos)
1 medium red onion, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced
3 tbsps veggie oil (think canola, not olive)
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red (cayenne) pepper
1 cup water, give or take
Dash salt
Non-fat plain yogurt
Na'an
Chop the onion and serrano fine.
Put the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Heat on the higher end of medium heat. (Purists say don't add the paste till the oil's hot, but that kicks up a hot oil splashback, and it doesn't taste any better. So take the easy way out here.) STIR.
After a minute to brown the paste, add the onion. Stir well.
Cook for seven minutes.
Push the onions aside and tilt the pan to get some oil in the clear.
Drop the serrano in the oil. Let it simmer for a minute.
Add the spices. Let them simmer for a minute, too, then stir into the onions.
Add the two cans of beans and 1 cup water. Stir well. Simmer for *at least* fifteen minutes.
Near the end, use a spoon to mash some beans against the side of the pan to thicken up the sauce.
Notes:
I usually make it with na'an (yummy Indian bread you can buy at your local Indian grocery or Trader Joes) and a spinach side salad, and a crisp white wine.
It's a pretty simple dish, but there are a ton of variations on it. Essentially, it's chickpeas, onion, garlic, ginger, hot pepper, coriander, and garam masala, served over basmati rice. It's "peasant food, " like most of the Indian dishes I love best (including dall, aloo gobi, and paneer), but done right, it's quick, easy, and cheap, and really, really good.
Laura's Chole for non-Desis
2 cans chickpeas (aka garbanzos)
1 medium red onion, minced
1 serrano pepper, minced
3 tbsps veggie oil (think canola, not olive)
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red (cayenne) pepper
1 cup water, give or take
Dash salt
Non-fat plain yogurt
Na'an
Chop the onion and serrano fine.
Put the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and ginger paste. Heat on the higher end of medium heat. (Purists say don't add the paste till the oil's hot, but that kicks up a hot oil splashback, and it doesn't taste any better. So take the easy way out here.) STIR.
After a minute to brown the paste, add the onion. Stir well.
Cook for seven minutes.
Push the onions aside and tilt the pan to get some oil in the clear.
Drop the serrano in the oil. Let it simmer for a minute.
Add the spices. Let them simmer for a minute, too, then stir into the onions.
Add the two cans of beans and 1 cup water. Stir well. Simmer for *at least* fifteen minutes.
Near the end, use a spoon to mash some beans against the side of the pan to thicken up the sauce.
Notes:
- If you don't have paste, you can chop fresh ginger and garlic instead. But paste is fast, cheap, and keeps a long time. Recommended.
- There are a lot of boxed spice mixes in your local Indian grocery for this particular dish. You can always throw some in if you have it.
- A whole clove or two adds a nice touch - but don't break a tooth on it later.
- I like to simmer this for at least a half-hour at the end, stirring frequently. When it starts looking low or sticking to the bottom, add a little more water.
- This is pretty spicy. If you like milder food, you may want to seed the serrano or leave it out entirely, or cut back on the cayenne.
I usually make it with na'an (yummy Indian bread you can buy at your local Indian grocery or Trader Joes) and a spinach side salad, and a crisp white wine.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pistachio Tuna and The Grain
We had some leftover pistachios and some tuna in the freezer, so tonight's challenge was to find a way to make then work together. We *almost* succeeded.
I found this recipe - Pistachio-Crusted Tuna Steaks. We followed the recipe to the letter. It wasn't bad, but it could've been a lot better.
Recipe notes
The Grains
The side dish was the redeeming factor tonight. Trader Joe's sells a couscous/orzo/quinoa/garbanzo mix called the "Harvest Grains Blend." I call it The Grain, a fact that never fails to amuse Maria, as there's really very little actual grain involved.
Whatever you call it, it's really good.
I found this recipe - Pistachio-Crusted Tuna Steaks. We followed the recipe to the letter. It wasn't bad, but it could've been a lot better.
Recipe notes
- We can't figure out why this recipe even calls for pistachios. You can't taste them. So why bother? Bread crumbs will do just fine.
- The recipe tells you to dredge the tuna in the breadcrumb mix. You're going to need to give the mix something to stick to. You can always use egg, but we tried soy sauce and mirin -- not sticky enough to work. Next time, I'll add a dash of honey.
- Make sure you reduce the wine WAY down. Otherwise, it makes an already-not-that-interesting sauce watery. If I had to do this over again, I'd throw half a serrano into the saute pan with the wine, dill, and bay leaf, just to give it a little kick.
The Grains
The side dish was the redeeming factor tonight. Trader Joe's sells a couscous/orzo/quinoa/garbanzo mix called the "Harvest Grains Blend." I call it The Grain, a fact that never fails to amuse Maria, as there's really very little actual grain involved.
Whatever you call it, it's really good.
- You bring 1 3/4 cups chicken stock to a boil, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 1/4 cup of The Grain.
- Bring it back to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
- In the meantime, chop one-half of a pepper (we like red, but whatever) and a couple of green onions.
- Add to the Grain just before serving, so it stays crunchy.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Hooray Leftovers! and Easy Zucchini
It was Maria's staff meeting night, so we heated up some leftover BBQ'd chicken from Sunday, along with some box noodles (Pasta-Roni white cheddar and broccoli, my weakness, and not all that bad for you, either) and some fresh-off-the-stove dilled lemon zucchini.
The zucchini is a recipe I've had for years, and seriously, you cannot go wrong.
Two zucchini, sliced in spears
Two tbsp EVOO
One handful dried dill
Half a lemon, split
Zucchini, like beer, is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. It's plentiful, versatile, and SO easy to cook.
Warm the oil in a big saute pan
Throw in the zucchini spears.
Dust with half the dill. Stir.
Give it 2 minutes.
Flip the zucchini.
Dust with the rest of the dill.
Give it 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat and squeeze the lemon quarters over it. Serve ASAP.
Note - don't squeeze the lemon till you're just about ready to eat. It gets bitter if it's on the heat too long.
The zucchini is a recipe I've had for years, and seriously, you cannot go wrong.
Two zucchini, sliced in spears
Two tbsp EVOO
One handful dried dill
Half a lemon, split
Zucchini, like beer, is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. It's plentiful, versatile, and SO easy to cook.
Warm the oil in a big saute pan
Throw in the zucchini spears.
Dust with half the dill. Stir.
Give it 2 minutes.
Flip the zucchini.
Dust with the rest of the dill.
Give it 2 more minutes, then turn off the heat and squeeze the lemon quarters over it. Serve ASAP.
Note - don't squeeze the lemon till you're just about ready to eat. It gets bitter if it's on the heat too long.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Pistachio Pesto?
I made this recipe - Penne with Pistachio Pesto and Cannellini - for dinner tonight. Highly recommended.
As I've said here, we try to go meatless 2-3 nights a week. But I don't like pasta recipes that don't involve some kind of protein. The white beans in this one fit the bill nicely, adding body and taking the flavor of pesto without too much conflict.
If you think pistachio pesto sounds odd, price pine nuts these days and then reconsider. I bought an 8 oz pack of roasted shelled pistachios and an 8 oz bag of pignoles at Trader Joe's today. The pine nuts were literally twice the price of the pistachios, but the pesto I made with the latter tasted pretty much the same. And I didn't even have to roast them first. WIN.
Recipe notes:
- You can buy the pistachios whole and shell them if you really want to. But if you're familiar with them, you already know the nut meat is really small, and you'll need a quarter cup, so you're going to be at it for a while. You can get them shelled and roasted, salted or not, for $3.99/bag at T-Joes. It's a buck or two well spent. (I went with unsalted, but this dish could probably handle salted without being overwhelmed.)
- The recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic. Even as a garlic lover, I thought that was a bit much. But keep in mind you're going to saute it for 2 minutes, which helps take the edge off the garlic. I did 5 good sized cloves, which turned out just about right for a garlic lover. You may want to go a little lower.
- You're going to need more EVOO than the 2 tbsp the recipe calls for. I know "light" food magazines do their best to cut calories and fat content, but sorry -- that's just not enough oil to keep the pesto from burning onto the bottom of the saute pan. Add a splash more and assuage your guilt by telling yourself it's "good fat," which it is.
- I served it with a parmesan-garlic baguette and a lightly-oaked chardonnay, which worked very nicely with the arugula.
Try it - it's good stuff.
As I've said here, we try to go meatless 2-3 nights a week. But I don't like pasta recipes that don't involve some kind of protein. The white beans in this one fit the bill nicely, adding body and taking the flavor of pesto without too much conflict.
If you think pistachio pesto sounds odd, price pine nuts these days and then reconsider. I bought an 8 oz pack of roasted shelled pistachios and an 8 oz bag of pignoles at Trader Joe's today. The pine nuts were literally twice the price of the pistachios, but the pesto I made with the latter tasted pretty much the same. And I didn't even have to roast them first. WIN.
Recipe notes:
- You can buy the pistachios whole and shell them if you really want to. But if you're familiar with them, you already know the nut meat is really small, and you'll need a quarter cup, so you're going to be at it for a while. You can get them shelled and roasted, salted or not, for $3.99/bag at T-Joes. It's a buck or two well spent. (I went with unsalted, but this dish could probably handle salted without being overwhelmed.)
- The recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic. Even as a garlic lover, I thought that was a bit much. But keep in mind you're going to saute it for 2 minutes, which helps take the edge off the garlic. I did 5 good sized cloves, which turned out just about right for a garlic lover. You may want to go a little lower.
- You're going to need more EVOO than the 2 tbsp the recipe calls for. I know "light" food magazines do their best to cut calories and fat content, but sorry -- that's just not enough oil to keep the pesto from burning onto the bottom of the saute pan. Add a splash more and assuage your guilt by telling yourself it's "good fat," which it is.
- I served it with a parmesan-garlic baguette and a lightly-oaked chardonnay, which worked very nicely with the arugula.
Try it - it's good stuff.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Hey, I'm back...with a frittata
I had every intention of keeping this up on a daily basis, but last week was the last week of the legislative session - days of working till 3am, culminating in a 19-hour session that wrapped up just before dawn Saturday.
Much as I love to write about food, you gotta sleep sometime. Hence the hiatus.
But I'm happy to report that the Hons have now gone back to whence they came. Which means I can write about food more, and that makes me happy.
For brunch today, Maria surprised me with a fabulous on-the-fly frittata.
If you're not familiar with frittata, it's Italian for "fried" - basically, it's an egg casserole to which you add whatever you've got laying around that doesn't clash with eggs. (Garlic, for example, is not recommended.) You can bake it or make it on the stove-top. Baking takes out more of the water, but stove-top is faster.
I have a few recipes for frittata, but it really doesn't require too much planning, as today's brunch proves.
Maria's Garden Frittata
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup basil, loosely packed, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp white wine
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup cheddar
*Note - get your chopping and mixing done before you start.
Scramble the eggs in a bowl with the milk.
Melt the butter in a big saute pan over medium-high heat.
Saute the shallots for about 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini - 2-3 min or till soft
Add the tomato and just warm it up.
Add the wine and let it cook off for a a minute.
Add the eggs-and-milk mixture to the pan.
Sprinkle the basil on top.
Lower the heat to medium, cover it, and let it cook till it starts to set around the edges.
Add shredded cheddar, replace lid, and let it cook a couple more minutes.
When the cheese is melted and the middle of the pan doesn't jiggle any more, you're done.
Serve with toasted english muffins and margarine/butter.
*Note - this is a really delicate taste, so be careful what you add. We used some lemon basil along with sweet (regular) basil. Not recommended. Also, go easy on the cheese - it can easily dominate, and you won't taste the veggies at all. You can throw a *little* black pepper in during cooking, but go light on the salt. And do NOT add garlic. Or vanilla. (Maria tried that once. Ick.)
Much as I love to write about food, you gotta sleep sometime. Hence the hiatus.
But I'm happy to report that the Hons have now gone back to whence they came. Which means I can write about food more, and that makes me happy.
For brunch today, Maria surprised me with a fabulous on-the-fly frittata.
If you're not familiar with frittata, it's Italian for "fried" - basically, it's an egg casserole to which you add whatever you've got laying around that doesn't clash with eggs. (Garlic, for example, is not recommended.) You can bake it or make it on the stove-top. Baking takes out more of the water, but stove-top is faster.
I have a few recipes for frittata, but it really doesn't require too much planning, as today's brunch proves.
Maria's Garden Frittata
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 small shallots, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup basil, loosely packed, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp white wine
1 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup cheddar
*Note - get your chopping and mixing done before you start.
Scramble the eggs in a bowl with the milk.
Melt the butter in a big saute pan over medium-high heat.
Saute the shallots for about 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini - 2-3 min or till soft
Add the tomato and just warm it up.
Add the wine and let it cook off for a a minute.
Add the eggs-and-milk mixture to the pan.
Sprinkle the basil on top.
Lower the heat to medium, cover it, and let it cook till it starts to set around the edges.
Add shredded cheddar, replace lid, and let it cook a couple more minutes.
When the cheese is melted and the middle of the pan doesn't jiggle any more, you're done.
Serve with toasted english muffins and margarine/butter.
*Note - this is a really delicate taste, so be careful what you add. We used some lemon basil along with sweet (regular) basil. Not recommended. Also, go easy on the cheese - it can easily dominate, and you won't taste the veggies at all. You can throw a *little* black pepper in during cooking, but go light on the salt. And do NOT add garlic. Or vanilla. (Maria tried that once. Ick.)
Monday, July 5, 2010
Black bean, corn, and avocado salad on quinoa
I normally wouldn't look for taste sensations on the back of a quinoa box. Yes, okay, it's a protein-high grain that's really good for you. But that's exactly what it tastes like. I always say I want to eat more quinoa and less meat, but it's hard to get excited about a main course of highly nutritious wallpaper paste. That's a level of virtue I lack.
But we did find this really good recipe on the back of a box of red quinoa from Trader Joes.
The recipe:
1 cup red quinoa, cooked with 2 cups chicken or veggie broth (that's the bed for the salad)
1 15-oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups roasted corn kernels (about 2 good-sized ears - more on that below)
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
3/4 cup cilantro salad dressing
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lime
salt and pepper
Changes we make:
We use 1.5 - 2 avocados instead of 1.
Skip the cilantro dressing, and substitute the juice of the lime along with the zest.
Roasted corn kernels
This step is SO worth the trouble. Roasted corn is sweeter, better, and doesn't add as much water to the recipe as canned or frozen or boiled corn.
You can roast corn a lot of ways - you can soak the whole ears with husks in water for 30 min and then grill on high, which is essentially steaming the corn in its shuck. Very tender, but takes forever. Or you can strip it bare, paint with olive oil, and then commit to standing over it to turn it every thirty seconds - it burns fast.
We take the middle road: Shuck the ears, paint with EVOO, and then wrap them tightly in foil. Grill on medium for about 15 minutes, turning a quarter every 3 min or so. They won't be as blackened as if you'd grilled them bare, but they won't be as likely to burn, either. After 15 minutes, strip off the foil and grill bare for 3-5 more minutes, bumping up the heat a bit and turning every minute or so. When you start seeing a little black on the ears, they're done.
Let them cool, then slice off the kernels.
Meantime, get the quinoa going. which takes about 20 minutes start to finish, and start chopping. Mix the corn kernels, the beans, and everything else BUT the quinoa in a big bowl. Toss to coat with the oil.
Put the quinoa down as a bed on the plate, add the salad on top, and mix. Salt and pepper on the plate (the quinoa brings some salt, too, especially if you used salty broth.) You'll never notice the healthy stuff.
But we did find this really good recipe on the back of a box of red quinoa from Trader Joes.
The recipe:
1 cup red quinoa, cooked with 2 cups chicken or veggie broth (that's the bed for the salad)
1 15-oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups roasted corn kernels (about 2 good-sized ears - more on that below)
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
3/4 cup cilantro salad dressing
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lime
salt and pepper
Changes we make:
We use 1.5 - 2 avocados instead of 1.
Skip the cilantro dressing, and substitute the juice of the lime along with the zest.
Roasted corn kernels
This step is SO worth the trouble. Roasted corn is sweeter, better, and doesn't add as much water to the recipe as canned or frozen or boiled corn.
You can roast corn a lot of ways - you can soak the whole ears with husks in water for 30 min and then grill on high, which is essentially steaming the corn in its shuck. Very tender, but takes forever. Or you can strip it bare, paint with olive oil, and then commit to standing over it to turn it every thirty seconds - it burns fast.
We take the middle road: Shuck the ears, paint with EVOO, and then wrap them tightly in foil. Grill on medium for about 15 minutes, turning a quarter every 3 min or so. They won't be as blackened as if you'd grilled them bare, but they won't be as likely to burn, either. After 15 minutes, strip off the foil and grill bare for 3-5 more minutes, bumping up the heat a bit and turning every minute or so. When you start seeing a little black on the ears, they're done.
Let them cool, then slice off the kernels.
Meantime, get the quinoa going. which takes about 20 minutes start to finish, and start chopping. Mix the corn kernels, the beans, and everything else BUT the quinoa in a big bowl. Toss to coat with the oil.
Put the quinoa down as a bed on the plate, add the salad on top, and mix. Salt and pepper on the plate (the quinoa brings some salt, too, especially if you used salty broth.) You'll never notice the healthy stuff.
Fourth of July: Rosemary Potato Salad
We were fortunate enough to be invited to a cook-out with our friends Don and Nancy, no mean overworked foodies themselves. Don is the master of the marinade, and did some really great slow-cooked pork chops with a smoky rub.
When we asked what we could bring, they said a "starch." So after reviewing a few options, we settled on this recipe - a"Danish potato salad" (whatever that means) from Epicurious.
We made a few changes, though. First, we nixed the capers. You either love them or hate them, and we weren't sure how the rest of the guests at the barbecue would feel about them, so a caper-less version seemed safer.
But one thing capers contribute to a recipe is salt. So to replace it, Maria added 8 oz of bacon, under the logic that there isn't much that isn't better for having a half-pound of bacon added to it.
Other changes: per the advice in the reviews, she sliced the potatoes before cooking, not after (it goes much faster that way). We added 5 whole green onions, not just the tops. And we skipped the parsley just because we were running short on time.
It turned out well, I think. Personally, I'm of a fan of creamy potato salad, so I was a little skeptical, and I don't think I can honestly say this recipe converted me. But it was good stuff, went fast, and worked really well with grilled pork.
When we asked what we could bring, they said a "starch." So after reviewing a few options, we settled on this recipe - a"Danish potato salad" (whatever that means) from Epicurious.
We made a few changes, though. First, we nixed the capers. You either love them or hate them, and we weren't sure how the rest of the guests at the barbecue would feel about them, so a caper-less version seemed safer.
But one thing capers contribute to a recipe is salt. So to replace it, Maria added 8 oz of bacon, under the logic that there isn't much that isn't better for having a half-pound of bacon added to it.
Other changes: per the advice in the reviews, she sliced the potatoes before cooking, not after (it goes much faster that way). We added 5 whole green onions, not just the tops. And we skipped the parsley just because we were running short on time.
It turned out well, I think. Personally, I'm of a fan of creamy potato salad, so I was a little skeptical, and I don't think I can honestly say this recipe converted me. But it was good stuff, went fast, and worked really well with grilled pork.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Sat: Pesto
The basil was just too big and bushy to ignore today, so it was time for a haircut, aka pesto.
Easy Pesto
This is as simple as it gets, but easily customizable. 3, 3, 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3, in alphabetical order - basil, garlic, nuts, oil, parmesan
3 cups basil leaves, rinsed and tightly packed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (4 if they're small)
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (low-med heat, no oil, 15 minutes)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 parmesan, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
Blend the basil and garlic till it's almost (but not quite) a paste
Add the nuts, then the oil, and last the parmesan, blending in short bursts.
Taste, then salt and pepper.
We make it with penne or farfalle, but any sturdy pasta will do.
I also like to add a chicken breast per person - cut into bite-sized pieces and sauteed with one clove garlic, olive oil, and a hearty splash of white wine. Brown well and mix into pan with pesto and pasta before serving.
Top with more shredded parmesan, and serve with good bread, salad, and a chardonnay.
Easy Pesto
This is as simple as it gets, but easily customizable. 3, 3, 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3, in alphabetical order - basil, garlic, nuts, oil, parmesan
3 cups basil leaves, rinsed and tightly packed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (4 if they're small)
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted (low-med heat, no oil, 15 minutes)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 parmesan, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
Blend the basil and garlic till it's almost (but not quite) a paste
Add the nuts, then the oil, and last the parmesan, blending in short bursts.
Taste, then salt and pepper.
We make it with penne or farfalle, but any sturdy pasta will do.
I also like to add a chicken breast per person - cut into bite-sized pieces and sauteed with one clove garlic, olive oil, and a hearty splash of white wine. Brown well and mix into pan with pesto and pasta before serving.
Top with more shredded parmesan, and serve with good bread, salad, and a chardonnay.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Catching up - Wed/Thurs
Wed night
Salmon steaks
We took the easy route -- wild caught Alaskan salmon from Trader Joe's, frozen skinless fillets, 5.99/lb.
I have a long list of good but complicated ways to make salmon on the grill. But it was a late night for us both, so we went with a simpler prep.
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp lemon zest, plus wedges for serving
Mix it all together, and rub into fillets. Grill in a fish basket (I learned this the hard way - no skin means your fillets will disintegrate on the grill) for maybe 2-3 minutes a side. They're done when you can pull off flakes with a fork without trying too hard.
Lemon Orzo
We made a recipe that was a total waste of time, one I won't compound by documenting it here. Let's just say that "orzo" is a kind of rice-shaped pasta with all the presence of beige wallpaper.
We made it because it sounded like a nice light side for fish. If by "light" you mean "tasteless," it was a huge success. Any future orzo recipe I make will damn well include more compelling additions than lemon juice or green onion. FAIL.
We had it with a nice herb salad, which was way better than the orzo.
Thurs night
Chipotle chicken hoagies
We found this recipe in Cooking Light, and I gotta say, it's really good. But do NOT make the mistake we made.
The recipe centers on chipotles in adobo. Maria had never had adobo before. After tasting it, she understandably fell in love with it. But less understandably, she decided to TRIPLE the amount of pepper and adobo in the recipe.
This is not recommended, even for people like us who like spicier food than most people do. Adding some sour cream on top on the mixture helped cut the burn a little, but it also made the sandwich fall apart.
Learn from our mistake. : ) But make this recipe anyway. It's really easy and so, so good.
Salmon steaks
We took the easy route -- wild caught Alaskan salmon from Trader Joe's, frozen skinless fillets, 5.99/lb.
I have a long list of good but complicated ways to make salmon on the grill. But it was a late night for us both, so we went with a simpler prep.
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp lemon zest, plus wedges for serving
Mix it all together, and rub into fillets. Grill in a fish basket (I learned this the hard way - no skin means your fillets will disintegrate on the grill) for maybe 2-3 minutes a side. They're done when you can pull off flakes with a fork without trying too hard.
Lemon Orzo
We made a recipe that was a total waste of time, one I won't compound by documenting it here. Let's just say that "orzo" is a kind of rice-shaped pasta with all the presence of beige wallpaper.
We made it because it sounded like a nice light side for fish. If by "light" you mean "tasteless," it was a huge success. Any future orzo recipe I make will damn well include more compelling additions than lemon juice or green onion. FAIL.
We had it with a nice herb salad, which was way better than the orzo.
Thurs night
Chipotle chicken hoagies
We found this recipe in Cooking Light, and I gotta say, it's really good. But do NOT make the mistake we made.
The recipe centers on chipotles in adobo. Maria had never had adobo before. After tasting it, she understandably fell in love with it. But less understandably, she decided to TRIPLE the amount of pepper and adobo in the recipe.
This is not recommended, even for people like us who like spicier food than most people do. Adding some sour cream on top on the mixture helped cut the burn a little, but it also made the sandwich fall apart.
Learn from our mistake. : ) But make this recipe anyway. It's really easy and so, so good.
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