Pasta with seasonal veggies

I made a pasta dish inspired by Pioneer Woman's recipe. I received a zucchini and zephyr squash from the CSA this week.


You know those huge, gi-normous zucchinis you can sometimes find? Well, I just read that actually regular sized zucchinis actually have a better flavor. The large ones are spongy and watery.

I chopped these up, and sauteed them in some olive oil. Oh, and meanwhile started a pot to boil water for the pasta.
Here are some of the other prepared ingredients- some really thin, local asparagus I found at John Herr's, red onion, and 3 garlic cloves put through the garlic press.

Next, I cooked some onion and garlic in olive oil and a little butter. I added in some dry white wine to the pan and scraped up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

I added some lemon zest, lemon juice, halved grape tomatoes, and thin asparagus to the pan and cooked a few minutes.

I added my half and half, I might not do this again. PW adds some real cream to her dish, but I didn't have any so I added some half and half. It seemed to not add any creaminess to the dish, so next time I am just going to leave out the dairy or go all out and use the real deal-regular cream!

Also, I made sure to sufficiently salt and pepper the sauce.

I then dumped the sauce over my recently cooked pasta, and added a bunch of fresh herbs and mixed it up. I used basil, dill, parsley and chives. Then I topped each plate with some freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano.

I loved the wine and fresh herb flavor! A great vegetarian dish.

Barefoot Bloggers Budget Challenge!!

I was really intrigued by the new Barefoot Blogger Challenge-take one of Ina Garten's recipes, and overhaul the recipe to make it cost less. The recipe chosen to overhaul was Lobster Cobb Salad Rolls.
And boy, this recipe would have cost a pretty penny had I made it as written. It calls for 1 1/2 lbs lobster meat, which would cost a lot. If I went to Giant, it would cost over $60 dollars to get the amount of lobster meat required. I usually halve the recipes, since it is just for me and my husband but I would still end up spending $30-40 on the lobster meat alone for 3/4 of a pound.
I read a lot of the comments for the recipe on the TV Food Network website. Many people commented that the bacon and blue cheese made it overly salty. I decided to get rid of the blue cheese, since that is also pricey. I used a few shavings or parmesan, which I always have on hand.
Someone also commented that with all the other stuff going on (the vinaigrette, the bacon, etc) you might as well use turkey instead of lobster. So I decided to do that! I used a turkey tenderloin that cost me exactly $3.64! How is that for saving?
I also turned it into a pasta salad, using 100% whole wheat rotini. Other changes include using pancetta instead of bacon, sun-dried tomatoes instead of cherry, (not in season yet!!) and a slightly altered vinaigrette. So you can check out the original recipe here but I recommend my version :) I'm not biased at all!It is very different from the original recipe, but I really really enjoyed it. It is one of the tastiest dishes I have made in a while!
Turkey Cobb Pasta Salad Serves 3
Ingredients:
1/2 lb whole wheat spiral pasta (such as rotini)
about 1 lb turkey tenderloin
6 slices (medium thickness) pancetta
1 small bunch organic arugula
1 organic avocado
lemon juice
1 small handful sun dried tomatoes
Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 tsp honey
juice of 1/2 a large lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. While the water heats up, season the turkey tenderloin with salt and freshly ground pepper on all sides. Put on a tray in a toaster oven at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

The cooked turkey tenderloin. I got this from "The Turkey Lady" at Central Market in Lancat

Cook the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, remove to paper towels to cool.

I just loooooove pancetta. It has a great flavor.

After the pasta is cooked until al dente, drain and rinse in cold water to cool down. Dump in a large bowl.
Rinse the arugula and rip larger leaves in half. Add to bowl.

This organic arugula from market was tender and much better than the supermarket variety nowadays.

Cut the avocado in half, remove pit, and peel off outer skin. Cut into a 3/4 inch dice. Sprinkle with lemon juice, then add to pasta.

This avocado, from the organic produce stand, was also labeled "Fair Trade Certified"!!! It was beautiful and delicious.

Roughly chop sundried tomatoes and add in. Crumble pancetta and also add into the salad.
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Blend the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender, or use a container and an immersion blender (This is what I did, less clean up.) Then add the shallot, garlic and honey and blend until shallot and garlic are incorporated.

This organic lemon was HUGE!

Cut the turkey into bite sized pieces and cool. Add to the pasta mixture, then mix in the vinaigrette. Serve with freshly shaved parmesan on top.

Approximate cost of this dinner: $17.00 (including mostly organic ingredients)
Approximate cost of original recipe (cut in half to serve two): $58.00

Barefoot Bloggers: Chicken Piccata

I love chicken piccata! So a big thanks to Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings for picking this Barefoot Contessa recipe this month.
My deviations from the posted recipe: I added a handful of capers to the sauce.
I used small, chicken breast "tenders" instead of half of a whole breast.
tried to use my own home made bread crumbs, but thought it wouldn't turn out right. So I used panko bread crumbs, seasoned with some dried Italian spices. I tried one tender with the homemade bread crumbs. Since they weren't as fine, it didn't look quite as nice, but tasted good.
Also, I boiled some angel hair pasta to serve this over. I loved the strong lemon flavor!
Oh....and I used a cast iron skillet to flatten the chicken tenders. Worked great!!

Chicken Piccata Ina Garten

• 2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• Good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Sliced lemon, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
• I added about 1/4 cup capers, and half a pound of angel hair pasta.
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Here are the tenders post-flattening.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Here you can see the panko coated pieces, and on the right the homemade bread crumb piece. I felt it didn't coat as well but they pieces did stick on and it was alright. Panko looked better.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes.

Here is where I added some capers in, while the sauce is reducing.

Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Eat and enjoy!

Barefoot Bloggers: Real Spaghetti and Meatballs

Wow, this meal blew me away! Spaghetti and Meatballs is not a meal I make at home or order in restaurants. I think it is because growing up, we had spaghetti sauce from a jar, and I don't think my parents made home-made meatballs (much).
But this was so flavorful. And it makes a LOT of meatballs! I ate 2 and 1/2 and that was enough.
My husband taught me to make better tomato sauce. First, don't buy any can labeled "Tomato Sauce."

Buy this instead, put this on the stove with some wine and spices and it will taste better than any canned tomato sauce.

So here is the recipe, I noted the few changes I made.
Barefoot Contessa's Real Spaghetti and Meatballs
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes
6 ish servings

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

nocoupons

• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• *(I used 1lb pork and no veal, since I didn't see it at the market.)
  
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
• 1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• *(I used panko crumbs mixed with some italian spices)
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 extra-large egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil
• Olive oil

For the sauce:

nocoupons

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork.

Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

v

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels.

Here are the delicious meatballs cooking.

Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Smokey and Spicy "Chile" over Pasta

I think I am channeling Rachel Ray on this recipe I invented of today. It definitely seems like her type of thing.
I used grass fed, free range ground beef available from my farmer's market. If you can get grass fed beef, do it. I just finished reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. The things they do to cows to mass produce beef and milk is horrible and not good for you. This beef is free of bad growth hormones. It has lots and lots of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

Ingredients:
5 pieces bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped,
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 can green chiles
1 can tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes
shredded spicy cheese, to taste (I used habanero cheese! Monterey Jack with jalepeno would work)
handful chopped cilantro
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 lb pasta of choice (I used bucatini since I had it already but I think penne or shorter shapes might work even better)

Fill a large pot with water to cook the pasta bring to a boil.
While the pasta water is heating up, cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp.

Oh boy, bacon. This is free range pork bacon also!

Reserve on paper towels. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease out of the pot. Add in the onion and garlic, cook until softened. Add in the beef and chipotle powder, cook, and drain some of the fat off. (Unless you like to live dangerously).
Add in the green chiles. I think you could also add some bell pepper in here too, or some black beans.
Add in the can of tomatoe sauce or chopped tomatoes, a handful of shredded cheese and the bacon.

Mmm this is winter comfort food for sure.

Once the pasta is done, drain it. Serve in bowls with the chile beef mixture, topped with some more cheese, cilantro, and green onion.

Here are all the toppings!
My husband really enjoyed this.

Rachel Ray: Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli

While checking out Cynthia over at Diary of a Glad Housewife, I noticed she had also received Rachel Ray's Big Orange Book for Christmas. So we are both making a recipe from our new book this week! Check out her recipe.
Rachel Ray, as I have mentioned on here before, makes some of my favorite recipes. I don't watch her show though, her personality can be a little weird-o! But I love her magazine. (I am going to be in her April issue, more about that later!) I think the Big Orange Book is a good addition to my cookbook collection. There are some really yummy sounding vegetarian recipes, holiday and party recipes also. I would definitely reis really nicecommend it.
I went on another expedition to Trader Joe's this week, and I got some basil pesto chicken and turkey sausage. So I chose this recipe from the kosher section of Rachel's new book.
I was excited to try this recipe, the original name is Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I have never cooked with broccoli rabe, so I was excited to try it. Sadly when I went to the grocery store, there was none to be found! So I changed it to regular broccoli, and it was tasty.
There was one great tip in this recipe I'd like to point out- to break up the sausage while browning, use a potato masher. This works much faster than anything else I've tried. Next time I make a meat sauce with sausage I am going to use this tip.
This dish was tastier than I thought. Don't leave out the red pepper, it gives the dish a little KICK.
Ingredients:
salt
1 (12-16 oz.) package fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, stem ends trimmed and chopped OR 2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
4 tablespoons EVOO
1 1/2 pounds Kosher Italian chicken sausage links, casings removed (I used Trader Joe's basil pesto chicken and turkey sausage)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Crusty bread (I bought LaBrea roasted garlic bread)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the gnocchi. Once the water is boiling, add some salt, add the gnocchi and cook according to package directions. Rigt before draining, rmove and reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid (I ALWAYS forget to do this! I used chicken broth)
While the water for the gnocchi is coing to a boil, bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large high-sided skillet. add some salt and the broccoli (rabe) and simmer for 5 minutes, drain and reserve. Return the skillet to the stove and heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO over medium high heat. add the chicken sausage and break it up with the back of a spoon or a potato masher while it cooks and browns, 6-7 minutes.



Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the sausage and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to get tender. Remove the sausage and onion from the skillet and reserve.

Here is the reserved sausage, broccoli and the lemon zest ready to go.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO and heat it up. Add the drained gnocchi to the skillet and brown lightly for a couple of minutes. Return the sausage and onions, broccoli to the pan. Toss to combine and add the reserved pasta water (or chicken broth). Turn the heat up to high and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and zest and serve with the bread.

Baked Macaroni and Goat Cheese with and Roasted Peppers

I got two new cookbooks for Christmas, and I am very excited about this one, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. I'm not a vegetarian, but I like to cook vegetarian meals sometimes and this book sounded too good to pass up.
The first recipe I made from this was the Hot Curry powder, but I haven't used it yet. I hope to tomorrow in a butternut squash recipe.
I made Baked Macaroni and Goat Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers, which is a variation on the standard Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe. That is one of the things I like, they give you a lot of basic recipes, but then give you a lot of ways to make it more exciting or different.
I used my Chevre from a recent excursion to Trader Joe's. It is delicious, and much cheaper than any goat cheese I can buy around here. Trader Joe's, please come to Lancaster. PLEASE?
Here is my paraphrased recipe. The ingredients are the same (I used different pasta and added a little salt)
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups milk
1 lb elbow macaroni (I used Trader Joe's Vegetable Radiatore)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
(1 tsp salt)
1 cup goat cheese
2 red bell peppers
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I used basil I threw into a plastic baggie this summer and tossed in the freezer! It was good.)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

First, you need to roast your peppers. I think the best way is to stick them in a toaster oven on broil for about 20-25 minutes. Turn the temperature all the way up (450 for me) and turn the peppers once. (While the peppers are roasting, I would start the pasta water, butter a 9x13 dish, and get your cheese ready.)

Here is the pepper, roasted and ready to be skinned and chopped.

Then take the peppers, and either wrap them in foil or stick then in a plastic baggie. Then, here is a new tip from the book. To remove the skin and seeds, take them out under running water. This helps!! Chop the peppers.
Put your pine nuts in the toaster oven to toast now. Just be careful not to let them go too long. About 8 minutes on 300 works for me.
When the pasta water is ready, cook the pasta-not too long! Drain the pasta earlier than you normally would, since it will soften more in the oven.
Pre-heat your oven to 400.
In a small pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is foamy, add the flour and whisk. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, until it is light brown. Then add the milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Add the grated cheddar and stir until melted. Add the salt and pepper.

Throw this sauce over the pasta, then the red peppers, basil, pine nuts and goat cheese.

Mix it all up, then pour into your baking dish.

Throw on the bread crumbs. I also added a few little dots of goat cheese on top.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned.

Eat. Then eat some more.

Barefoot Bloggers: Grown-Up Mac and cheese

I just joined the barefoot bloggers, a group of foodie bloggers who all make two Barefoot Contessa recipes each month and post them. I am very excited to join! I like the fact that someone else picks a recipe and you make it. Seems like a great way to try new things and make things you might not pick yourself.
This first recipe (for me) is a delicious mac and cheese with a more grown-up cheese taste. I enjoyed the blue cheese, there wasn't too much to be overpowering. My husband and I both had to have seconds of this. We loved this meal with green beans and a very oaky chardonnay.
The modifications I made were to use panko bread crumbs instead of slices of white bread and I used nitrate-free bacon which unfortunately does not come thick-sliced. I just feel a lot better eating bacon that is more natural.
4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Just out of the oven....ymm
Tada!

Cupcakes, potatoes and pasta: Blog about blogs

I have been reading more food blogs all the time now. I just made these cupcakes
They are blackberry cupcakes with blackberry cream cheese icing from Coconut and Lime. I made her recipe using mini cupcake pans I just got at Apron Strings, a cute cooking store in Lancaster City. One person who tasted these cupcakes said they were the best thing she's ever tasted! An exaggeration? I don't know but they were great. A good blackberry flavor. And cream cheese icing with fresh blackberry juice? You should probably make these soon.

One of my favorite blogs is Pioneer Woman. I found this blog by using Stumbleupon, and it "stumbled" onto a recipe, complete with gorgeous photos, for Crash Hot Potatoes. They looked so darn good I made a meal to go with these potatoes (Chicken legs marinated in spicy Jamaican Jerk sauce and corn on the cob, fyi.) My potatoes didn't get smashed a neatly and separate though. It was a tray full of potato bits and skins and hunks. But despite appearances, it was really good! I think I am in love with potatoes. Seriously. So check out that link if you want some tasty potatoes tonight. I also made her Farfalle with Zuchinni and oh boy, what a tasty pasta dish. I used some zuchinni, and some yellow summer squash. I actually liked the yellow squash better in it. The wine and cream sauce and fresh herbs make this a delicious dish.

Tagliatelle with White Wine and Veggies

I wanted a light pasta dish last night, but couldn't find a recipe I liked anywhere. (Or at least one that didn't require me running out to buy ingredients I didn't have!)
So I made this one up, using the organic tagliatelle pasta I had bought at Wegman's (one of my favorite places!).
I think this dish would be good using whatever summer vegetables you have around. I usually have something to use up, since we get a share from an organic farm. This would also be good with fresh tomato, zuchinni, some basil.....whatever you like!

First, thinly slice one yellow summer squash, about 4-5 cloves of garlic, and chop one red onion. Start a large pot of water for the pasta.

Mmmmm garlic!Heat up some olive oil in a medium pot, and add the onions and garlic. Saute until soft.

Add 3/4 cup of dry white wine (I used Chardonnay) and about 2 TBSP of white wine vinegar, and 1/4 cup chicken broth/stock (or veggie broth if you want a vegetarian meal.) Add a little salt and lots of pepper. Let this simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half.

Meanwhile, saute the squash in a small pan with olive oil.
Cut three TBSP of butter. (Yum)
Add butter to the onion-wine dealy. You can turn the heat off and mix it in until it melts. Taste and add some salt and pepper if needed.
Add a generous handful of arugula (or rocket whatever you call it) to the squash and cook just for a minute, until it wilts a little. I prefer mine to be not very wilty.
Oh yeah don't forget about the pasta! Cook according to package directions, and drain. You could also use different pasta here like linguini.
Put some pasta on a plate, then wine sauce, then squash and arugula, and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese!
Yum....
Mmm

Eat with the rest of the wine.
Improvising pasta dishes is fun.