Seriously Delicious Pasta

We experienced our first winter storm the day before Saint Patrick's day. It wasn't a horrible blizzard but it was cold and windy and we'd gotten used to leaving our scarfs, gloves and boots in the closet. Needless to say we weren't eager to walk around Boston, pushing our way through the crowds in an attempt to get to the bar.

Instead, we thought about going out to dinner, feeling a bit pathetic that at 21 and 22 years old we'd celebrate with blockbuster and takeout. Eventually though, we decided that the later was exactly what we wanted to do. So, after picking up The Holiday (I enjoyed it even if the reviews are poor) and The Departed (One of the Top Five Best Movies I've ever seen) at Blockbuster, we started discussing Chinese, Thai, and Indian food. Thankfully, I remembered all the spectacular ingredients I had sitting in our fridge and we instead enjoyed a truly hearty and comforting pasta dish.

Initially I was planning on making a sausage and spinach soup so I had purchased beautiful Italian sausages from wholefoods and a gigantic bag of spinach. I also had creme fraiche left over from the spinach pancakes and some basil and Romano cheese. The end result was honestly one of the best pasta dishes I've ever made (and I make a lot) and as Alex was a fan as well, I know I'll be making it again. I think the biggest success / contributor to this dish is the creme / lemon sauce creation, so if you have different meat or vegetables handy I'm sure they'd taste just as good.

Saint Patrick's Day Pasta

Sauce:
1/4 cup creme fraiche
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup basil
2 tbsp. chicken broth
salt & pepper

Sausage-Spinach-Sun Dried Tomatoes- Pasta:
2 large Italian sausages (could use spicy / sweet - i used regular)
1 large bag of spinach
4 tbsp. garlic, diced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil- diced
1 box dried wheat pasta (I used spirals)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Romano cheese for sprinkling

Preperation:
1.) SAUCE: Place all sauce ingredients into the food processor and blend until creamy, adding more chicken broth if consistency is too thick.
2.) PASTA:
Prepare pasta following box directions.
Slice sausage into bite size pieces (remove casing)
Heat oil in pan and add garlic once hot
After sauteing garlic for 3-4 minutes add sausage and sun dried tomatoes
Once sausage is cooked through add 1/2 a bag of spinach
Cook for five minutes
Drain pasta and add it to the sausage / tomatoes & spinach
Pour food processor sauce over the ingredients
Serve Immediately with cheese and fresh basil

Enjoy!!

Copy Cat, Baked Eggplant

Alex’s mom is a great cook. She makes the best sauces and salads I’ve tasted. I’ve always been scared to try my hand at her dishes because I know that my attempts will never match hers. I’m also afraid that because Alex has developed such a standard for these foods, it’ll be hard to meet his expectations.

There are three things she makes that after having, I simply cannot live without. They are: fatoush, tabouli, and baked eggplant. Fatoush is a delicious salad of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and mint, topped with baked pita bread Tabouli is a chopped herb salad composed of parsley, bulgur, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. She serves it wrapped in lettuce leafs and it is addictive and refreshing. As for the baked eggplant, I do not know what ingredients she uses. But, I do know that I could happily eat the whole pan if no one was watching.

I came across deliciously ripe eggplant and decided to try and recreate her recipe. I knew I would need garlic, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and a substantial amount of time to let it bake.

The result of my attempt was not the dish I love but nonetheless delicious. After this initial test I now know to use vinegar and less red pepper flakes next time. I also think I’ll slice the eggplant in thin strips rather then cube like triangles. Finally, I plan on adding the onions later so that they keep their taste and crispness.

Baked Eggplant

2 eggplants
15-20 pearl onions
½ cup Italian parsley, divided
5 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tbsp. tomato paste (I used sun dried)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (I used tomato-basil but I think anything would work.)
1 cup water
2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Rice to serve ( I like Bastami or Jasmine )

Prepare onions: slice in half and sauté in olive oil until browned. Remove from pan.
Drizzle more olive oil in pan, add garlic and sauté for three minutes.
Add eggplant to garlic and drizzle with olive oil, coating all slices.
Cover eggplant and cook for 5 minutes, toss twice.
Add tomato paste to eggplant and distribute evenly.
Place Eggplant mixture and onions in baking pan.
Pour crushed tomatoes over eggplant and onions, add water and ½ the parsley.
Stir in spices then cover in aluminum and bake at 375 degrees for two hours.
Uncover and place under broiler for five minutes until browned on top. Serve on top of rice and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Margarita Pasta

It was dinnertime and I hadn’t any idea what we were going to eat. I know, this a dilemma many people face on a daily basis. However, for me, it’s not something I’m accustomed to. Usually I devote my Sunday mornings to writing out our weekly grocery list including what we’ll eat for dinner each night. For whatever reason a day escaped without preparation and the 6:30 bell rang with growling stomachs.

Our fridge was not empty, so luckily this is not a nightmare tale of greasy food we were forced to order in. We had plenty of ingredients on hand and it was just a matter of whipping something together quickly. We had a bunch of basil from Russo’s and some fresh mozzarella. I crossed my fingers that I hadn’t eaten all the cherry tomatoes and was ecstatic when I finally found them hiding behind the cranberry juice.

I was in the mood for something hearty so a simple salad would not suffice. I decided instead on pasta. The impromptu recipe that follows is delightful and the balsamic dressing finishes it off perfectly. While it was such a simple and easy dish it is still pretty enough to serve when company comes.

Margarita Pasta

1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh basil, divided
¼ cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
½ cup balsamic viniger
2 tbsp. tomato pasta ( I used sun-dried )
¼ cup oil
1 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Linguini / pasta of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

1.) Prepare Pasta according to box directions.
2.) Slice cherry tomatoes in half, place on baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle on salt. Roast for at least twenty minutes.
3.) Place Roasted cherry tomatoes and their juices in sauté pain, add ½ the basil, the tomato paste, the balsamic, the red pepper and the oil. Saute over low heat for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces.
4.) Add pasta to sauté pan, turn off heat.
5.) Toss in the mozzarella and remaining basil.
6.) Add Salt and Pepper to taste
7.) Enjoy!

The Man of my Kitchen

I was treated like a queen last weekend. After our visit to Russo’s (which I still have every intention of writing about but need to set aside enough time to sufficiently give it justice) Alex not only offered but insisted on making dinner with no assistance “from the peanut gallery”!!!!

He had been raving about a stir fried spinach and garlic that he made for his sister and I wanted to try it. This suggestion seemed to suffice his desire for menu direction and the sirloin at Russo’s gave him another push. He decided on scallops, steak, and spinach- a bit of a twist on the traditional surf and turf but one that I happily embrace. I’ve written before about my “take it or leave it” attitude towards lobster.

I don’t love steak; in fact I hardly even like it unless slathered in a gorgonzola or blue cheese sauce. If I do eat steak it’s usually when I’m visiting my parents and it’s ALWAYS done on a charcoal grill.

Since we have an apartment in Boston there is no option of charcoal grilling, in fact I believe it’s illegal. Therefore, I never make red meats since I know I can’t make them “the right way.” Without a grill, what’s a steak?

Alex isn’t quite so pessimistic and as it turns out he has every reason not to be. The sirloin he prepared exceeded any sort of expectation I may have had. It was juicy and peppery and the Montreal seasoning made it taste like home. Surprisingly it was not the broiler he used but a frying pan. I would never have chosen that route when faced with a challenging ingredient such as sirloin. However, his decision was right and his steak was perfect.

Ginger-Lime-Soy Sauce; the scallop marinade may sound questionable, but I assure you- all the flavors work beautifully. I think he is more of a foodie then he admits to me. I don’t know where he came up with the idea but what I do know is that we’ll be making it again and I suggest you give it a go as well:

Ginger, Lime & Soy Scallops:

1/3 cup lime juice
Zest from 2 limes
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
Pepper & salt
8 jumbo / 12 regular sized scallops

1.) Place scallops in Zip-log bag
2.) Mix remaining ingredients
3.) Pour marinade over scallops and distribute evenly
4.) Refrigerate for at least one hour
5.) Saute scallops with marinade until browned on both sides.
6.) Serve (to your giddy girlfriend who sits waiting with her feet propped happily on the coffee table!)

After this triumphant royal therapy I have begun to question my role in the kitchen as well as my boyfriend’s true calling. Is it possible that he is a foodie like me? Maybe he flips through cookbooks and is enthralled by food blogs. Maybe when I’m away he browses through magazine clippings, mixing the ingredients and interpreting the suggestions. I don’t know how else to explain his expertise in the kitchen as I know he did not cook much growing up. (Why would he when his mother makes the meanest sauce dishes I’ve ever had?) I also know he doesn’t cook much now since I have our menu’s planned six months in advance. (But all that’s about to change.)

I guess it doesn’t matter how he learned. Either way, I am grateful of his talent and proud to have him be the man in my kitchen. I eagerly await his next urge to queen-ify me!

Comforting Spaghetti Sauce

After class on Friday Alex told me his friends were coming in for dinner. I love cooking for people and usually these impromptu chances to entertain are happily welcomed. However, Friday happened to be numbingly cold and the high winds left me dreading the trip to the grocery store.

Having no idea what to make and very few ingredients on hand I looked to my cookbooks for help. Since our apartment and kitchen are small, I don’t like to separate myself from the group by being tied to the stove with a complicated recipe. I also get claustrophobic when people crowd into the space. You know what they say, “too many cooks spoil the broth.” Therefore, I always opt for meals that I can create beforehand and then throw into the oven once everyone’s hungry.

On Friday, I was initially drawn to the lasagna recipes but ultimately decided that a hearty pasta dish would be easier and equally satisfying. Normally when I make red sauce I make a spicy Bolognese with chunks of tomatoes floating throughout. I wanted to do something different this time- something smoother and more comforting. I decided to create a pureed red sauce with vegetables and heavy cream thrown in at the end. Rather then mixing the meat throughout the dish like in a Bolognese, I made meatballs. I figured this way they’d be easy to remove if someone should prefer their pasta meatless.

The recipe that I referenced to create this sauce is from Cooking Light’s new “Annual Recipe” book. They suggest that you puree the vegetables in a food processor but our processor is tiny and it would have been far too time consuming to keep transferring the sauce in batches. Instead, I pureed the vegetables before putting them in the pot and then used an immersion blender to create consistency. (Alex was not too happy about this immersion blender idea since we didn’t own one and he had to bear the cold windy weather and make a trip to Economy Hardware to buy one for me.)

For the meatballs we used ground lamb and ground beef. If I made this recipe again I would use ground chicken and turkey instead. I think that the lighter mixture of meat would better compliment the sauce. One thing I ALWAYS make sure to do when creating meatballs is to add a slice of bread that has soaked in milk. This trick is one of my favorites but it must be followed by a frying in olive oil. This way, the meatballs have a crispy brown outside and a soft center. They are truly delicious.

If I made this dish again I’d also be sure to throw in some red pepper flakes and Tabasco sauce. It was homey and comforting as is but I like when there’s a bit more bite. There is nothing better then a thick pasta sauce that makes your nose run!

Creamy Spaghetti Sauce:

2 16-ounce cans of diced tomatoes pureed in the food processor (I used one plain and one fire roasted as I like a bit of Smokey flavor.)
2 carrots, cleaned & pureed
6 stalks of celery, cleaned & pureed
3 cloves of garlic, pureed
1 medium white onion, pureed
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
¼ cup of heavy cream / half & half

Puree all vegetables and mix in pot. Place pot over medium heat and add spices. Cover and let simmer for at least thirty minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves then add heavy cream and mix with an immersion blender until a smooth consistency is reached. Serve over thin pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Mini Meatballs:

½ pound ground lamb
½ pound ground beef (93% lean)
1 egg
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 slice of bread soaked in 3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coriander seed
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix meats together. Beat egg and add to meat mixture along with the cheese, spices, and sauce. Mix completely. Roll mixture into ¼ inch wide balls and fry in oil until brown. Place meatballs in oven safe dish and bake at 350 degrees for at least forty minutes. Serve plain or transfer to spaghetti sauce.