Gettin’ Naked!

We have a new chef over at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week. That’s right, its our first date with Jamie Oliver.  I have always enjoyed watching Jamie, and I find his effervescent style very refreshing (pun entirely intended). I’m not sure how well we will get along over the next six months of cooking together though, as so very few of his recipes are “Leach Family” friendly. I adore his simple salads and his lovely pastas, but, as I have found, sometimes his choice of ingredients leaves me floundering in my lack of shopping options.

But, since I things he is absolutely fabulous, I’m going to give it the ol’ college try. Starting now. Our theme this inaugural week is “Let's Get Naked”, which I think is very forward for a first date, but hey, I’m willing to give it a chance!

When the vote was in and it was announced that Jamie was our next chef, naturally I went looking for recipes. I don’t own a single one of his cookbooks (that’s a new concept for me) so I just did some browsing online, and the very first recipe that jumped out and said “Eat Me!” was Jamie’s Fresh Asian Noodle Salad. Conveniently, I had just happened across some little personal-sized packages of bean thread noodles and stashed a few in my pantry. Finding any decent fresh chiles wasn’t easy, though, and the best I could do was some green serranos.

I have to say, This recipe kicks ass! I wasn’t that optimistic about it with its basic ingredients (and no, I didn’t have any prawns, either, so my medium size frozen shrimp had to stand in), but it came together beautifully and I couldn’t keep my chopsticks out of it as I was packing up the leftovers for lunch last night. This one is definitely going to be making regular appearances over the summer when I have my own home-grown fresh chiles on hand!

fresh asian noodle salad

ingredients

• 300g/10½oz cellophane noodles or beanthread noodles
• 200g/7oz minced beef
• 2 teaspoons five-spice
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
• 2 heaped teaspoons of grated fresh ginger
• 100g/5½oz cooked peeled prawns
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 fresh red chilies, deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 handful of fresh mint, chopped
• 2 handfuls of roasted peanuts
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

starter | serves 4
This is one of those salads which tastes so amazing that you have to keep making it! It’s spicy, zingy and really gets your tastebuds going.

Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water until soft, then drain and put back in the bowl. In a hot wok fry the beef and five-spice in the olive oil until brown and crisp, then add the garlic, ginger, prawns and sugar and stir-fry for another 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir the wok mixture into the noodles. Add the spring onions, lime juice, fish sauce, chilies, coriander, mint and peanuts to the bowl. Toss well and correct the seasoning — it wants to be quite zingy with the lime juice. Sprinkle with some extra herb leaves if you like and serve cold.

Try this: You can modify the recipe by using a little wok-fried squid, shellfish or different minced meats.

This is my submission to I Heart Cooking Clubs and Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast this week.

Once Upon a Time....

....In a land far, far away.... Ginny and I made this pasta.

I honestly can’t remember what brought this dish to our roster of culinary delights, except for maybe that it is a Jacques Pepin recipe and Ginny loves to watch Jacques. So, there, that’s probably it.

I have one thing to say about this pasta (okay, you got me, I definitely have more than ONE thing to say, but I’m making a point, so bear with me!).

DRAGON BREATH.

Notice the ingredients list....it calls for an entire CAN of anchovies. On top of that, you also end up using the oil they were packed in. Add garlic and this pasta packs a powerful punch! (say THAT five times fast!)

That being said...it was really, really good. I don’t remember any of the charming repartee from the kitchen that day, so I’m afraid I can’t tickle your funny bone today, but I can share with you one delish dish that you should definitely try the next time you’re in the mood for something really.....FRAGRANT.

Pungent?

Odiferous?

You get the point....but in a good way. It makes its own sauce, which clung to the fresh pasta that we used so that every little scrap of it was coated and not a drop got left on the plate. That’s my kind of pasta. Just don’t plan any dates around this meal....you know, unless you’re BOTH eating it....

Rigatoni with Lettuce and Eggplant

1 Eggplant

¾  pound Rigatoni

5-6 cloves garlic sliced

Pepper flake to taste

1 can anchovies with oil

Lettuce (Escarole or other lettuce) large bunch chopped roughly

Parmesan Cheese enough for in and garnish

Peel and dice the eggplant in 1inch dice and place on a lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olie oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Start the pasta while the eggplant bakes.

In a large skillet place some olive oil and when shimmering add the garlic and pepper flake.  Cook till it is slightly golden and then add the lettuce. Turn the lettuce so that the garlic is on top of the lettuce to prevent burning.  Add the oil from the anchovies and chop the anchovies and sprinkle into the skillet.  Cover the pan and let the lettuce wilt. Turn the burner down to medium low.  The anchovy will melt into the sauce and you won’t really have pieces of anchovy.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and add it to the skillet, tossing to coat.

Drain the pasta reserving some of the water if needed for the sauce. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss.  Add Parmesan to taste.  You will not need to add salt to this, the anchovies and cheese should provide enough salt. 

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights this week, hosted by Claire at Chez Cayenne.

Egg Noodles....They Aren't Just for Soup Anymore

I have a habit of picking up ingredients that interest me, and then hoarding them in my pantry, never to be seen again.

Do you do this?

Am I the only one?

I am constantly finding random ingredients in my pantry that I had forgotten about, and generally, they go right back in, because I don’t have any ideas of what to do with them.

Specialty Pastas, Sauces, Condiments, etc. They all fit in this category.

Not long ago, I bought a package of Oakland Egg Noodles at The Market On The Square in Carlinville, because they came highly recommended by a co-worker. Admittedly, I normally throw egg noodles in a pot of soup.... or maybe a batch of chicken and noodles... but not much else.
I mean, that’s what they are FOR, right?

Right. And wrong.

While chatting up the owners of the Market, I learned that Nathan stir fries his noodles. Well, duh, of COURSE! My all time favorite Thai dish, Pad Sei Yew, is a mélange of chicken, spicy sauce, and rich, thick eggy noodles. Genius!

While rattling around this house this weekend, cleaning for Ty’s birthday party, I began cleaning out the fridge and pulled out a bunch of veggies that needed to be used. Some carrots, scallions, and a bunch of snow peas. Throw in some chicken and noodles and that was a satisfying lunch just waiting to happen!

Five Spice Chicken and Noodle Stir Fry
1/3 cup honey
3 TB soy sauce
1 TB Ginger
2 TB mirin
1-2 TB sriracha
1 TB orange juice concentrate
1-2 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TB minced garlic

Boil water for noodles and start them cooking while preparing the stir fry. (only cook them about half way)
Mix marinade ingredients together and let chicken marinate at least a half hour.
Quickly stir fry the marinated chicken pieces until almost done.

Add in your vegetables, and stir fry another minute, then add in remaining marinade and cooked noodles and cook another minute to finish cooking the chicken and marinade.

Top with cilantro and serve.

**Notes: the noodles add great texture to the stir fry as well as make it more filling for those of us who can’t live on veggies alone! Letting the noodles finish cooking with the marinade helps them soak up a bunch of the yummy flavor of the five spice and sesame.

This is my submission for Presto Pasta Nights #205, hosted by Debbi Does Dinner

Loaf-a-roni

Do you need an easy, weeknight meal? Do you have picky eaters on your house? Is your pantry two days overdue for a trip to the grocery?

I have the meal for you.

I call it....Loaf-a-roni.

Normally I would expound on the virtues of such a wonderful dish....carry on about the ease of preparation....

You know what? There is really no need.

This dish speaks for itself.

Besides.... I am totally exhausted.

I have no words.

Today, Ty and I have been up since 2:30 and we have a long day and big weekend ahead of us.

So I am going to let you use your own imaginations....it won’t be hard.... this is one of those “nuff said” kind of moments.

I was so tired this morning, I even forgot to download the pictures from my camera, so I am including the one I sent to Ginny from my phone.... how lazy is that? Sooooo tired.....
Your mission, if you choose to accept it:

1. Make macaroni and cheese (next time, I’m totally doing pepperjack)
2. Mix up a meatloaf
3. Flatten half the meat mixture on a pan, making a well in the center
4. Fill the well with mac & cheese
5. Top with remaining meat
6. Carefully pull the edges of the bottom meat layer up to seal the top layer, making sure there are no holes
7. Bake at 350 degrees until done (about an hour)
8. Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce (we love Uncle Joe’s Sweet Smoke)
9. Bake 15 more minutes

Now.....Drool.

If you have men or kids in your house, I can guarantee this is going to be a winner. Even MY picky eaters couldn’t deny it.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Sarah at Maison Cupcake.

Presto Pasta Nights #202 Roundup!

Welcome to Presto Pasta Nights!!!

 I want to thank everyone who submitted their lovely dishes for this week's roundup. Each and every one of them had me drooling and making notes on my grocery list!
 So, let's not waste any time getting down to the goodies!

Claire of Chez Cayenne submitted Masala Rice Noodles and Vegetables. Just looks at those gorgeous noodles!

Marie at Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor brings us Julie's Noodle Casserole which she describes as DE-lish-ous! and I couldn't agree more!

Our next offering is from Katerina from Culinary Flavors out of Athens, Greece made a lovely Creamy Pasta with Broccoli, comfort food at its finest!

I worked on my own submission last weekend with Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu.

Michelle at Ms. Enplace had me at "shrimp" with her Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil. Yum!

I was very intrigued by Kankana's dish over at Sunshine & Smile. Her Bruschetta with Spinach Pasta Topping had me drooling! Can't wait to try this at home!

Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours came up with this lovely Fusilli with Romanesco. Romanesco is something I have never tried before, but I'll be sure to be on the lookout for it now!

Next up is Claudia, of Honey From Rock, with her Cold Hiyashi Soba Salad with Tempura. The name alone is making my mouth water!

We have a newcomer to Presto Pasta Nights this week! Anne, from Anne's Kitchen, brings us a Quick and Creamy Tuna Farfalle.

Krista over at The Beet Reporter made some tasty-looking Thai Fried Noodles.

And finally, our very own Ruth of Once Upon a Feast put together this gorgeous Four Taste Pasta with Shrimp.  

I had a great time reading each and every mouth watering post. Thank you all for your participation this week and don't forget that next week is the big Fourth Birthday Bash for Presto Pasta Nights and will be hosted by Ruth, herself, over at Once Upon a Feast. Send your entries for next week's roundup to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by March 3rd! I hope to see some extra special dishes over there next Friday!

Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu

When my husband accepted an invitation to go Boar Hunting in Alabama not long ago, I told him, “You better bring some back for me to cook.” As is typical, he gave me that look. You know, the one that makes you wonder if you accidentally waxed an entire eyebrow off or something. But I persisted. “Dammit, Matt, if you’re going leave us here for a week so you can go hunt Wild Boar, you’re going to bring some back for me so I can cook it and post it on my blog.”

Well, as that left no room for discussion, he arrived home with a cooler containing the iced down haunches of a Wild Boar, as requested.

Sadly, those little piggies have been lounging in my freezer ever since. You know, a boar leg is a pretty sizable hunk of meat, which not only takes a lengthy cooking time, but also a lengthy DEFROSTING time.

Being that we live in the country and are a family of hunters, we have a significant amount of freezer space. But, well, my freezers are getting full. And those boar legs are taking up more than their fair share. It became clear that one of them had to go.

I declared that we would be dining on wild boar this past weekend, and the hubs looked at me not with that “look”, but with a mixture of mild surprise and curiosity. I really think he didn’t expect me to ever get around to cooking it. But when I ran across short ribs at the local grocery last week and had a hard time finding a home for them in the aforementioned freezer, well, it was time.

Taking inspiration from The Silver Spoon, in my opinion the end-all and be-all of Italian cookbooks, I started with a soffritto, sautéing carrots, onion, and celery until tender. Then I added some seasonings (a little garlic and red pepper) and deglazed the pan with a hearty helping of red wine. I opted to slow cook the leg, instead of braising it in the oven, so I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and fitted it carefully into my slow cooker. I finished by pouring the soffritto/wine mixture into the cooker and added about four cups of beef stock (another way to free up space in my freezer).

I then let it cook away the afternoon, and when I couldn’t stand the smell anymore (yes, my nose kept leading me back to the kitchen), I rescued the leg from its cooking juices and picked the meat off the bone. Which was no small task. The boar leg is chock full of cartilage, tendons and other fatty bits scattered throughout the meat. While this was going on, I poured the cooking liquids off into a saucepan and turned the heat on high, letting the liquids reduce down by about half.

When the hubs finally got home last night, I put on a pot of water for the pasta (I just love pappardelle, don’t you?) and while it was cooking, I swirled a couple of tablespoons of butter into the sauce to make it just a little silky. A quick shave of fresh parmesan on top, and this was a meal fit for a hunter, for sure. Matt was standing over the counter slurping the noodles out of their saucy bath, and I just stood there, smiling.

One thing I might have done differently, next time I think I will roast it in the oven instead (and there will be a next time, since I still have three legs in the freezer) to get that lovely caramelized color that you can never quite get from a slow cooker. Other than that, I call this meal a roaring success. The flavor of boar meat is a subtle mid-ground between beef and pork. Not gamey, as you might expect, but rich and flavorful.

This is my submission for Presto Pasta Nights #202, which I am hosting this week, and I am also linking it up to the Italian Fest going on this week over at Seaside Simplicity



Don't forget to get me your Presto Pasta Night submissions by midnight on Thursday, and work something good up for the Presto Pasta NIghts fourth birthday bash, hosted by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast next week!

Presto Pasta Nights #202

I am very pleased to announce that I will be hosting Presto Pasta Nights #202 this coming week and I cordially invite all of you to participate!

Presto Pasta Nights is the brainchild of Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast, and obviously it has been a very successful one, as it has now been FOUR YEARS that we have all been cooking, enjoying, and posting our lovely pasta dishes for all the blogosphere to drool over.

If you have never participated before, it is very simple. All you have to do is make a pasta dish, post it during the week of the roundup, and then email me at bethanneleach (at) gmail (dot) com and cc Ruth at ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Midnight on Thursday. The roundup will be posted next Friday, February 25th, right here at The Seventh Level of Boredom.

Some of the rules for participating in this event:

• Cook a dish that includes PASTA.

• Blog about it with a link back to THIS post and to PRESTO PASTA NIGHTS. Use of logo is optional.

• Email your entries to: bethanneleach (at) gmail (dot) com and cc to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com & include:

          ~Your name & the name of your blog

          ~The name of your dish & the permalink to your post

          ~Attach a photo or I will pull one from your post to include in the roundup

          ~in your email, use the subject line: PPN #202 submission

If you have any questions at all, please email me and I'll be happy to answer them for you!

And last, but not least, don’t worry if you can’t decide which recipe to make – NEXT week is the big Fourth Birthday Bash over at Presto Pasta Nights and the special roundup will be hosted by Ruth at her own blog, Once Upon a Feast. We are hoping that next week’s roundup will be extra special (and BIG!) so please join us next week as well.

Now, you have your mission.....get cooking!

Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

Flipping through the latest edition of Bon Appetit after it made its appearance in my mailbox, the first recipe that grabbed my attention was the Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese. There wasn’t even a photo to suck me in, and still it got my attention. Trust me when I say that is unusual. I rarely make a recipe that doesn’t have a picture to inspire me. I was excited when I saw this one, though, as I knew that I had just seen fresh poblanos at the local trading post (aka, Walmart. The only store we have other than the mom-and-pop grocery I prefer to frequent.). So the very next day I acquired the lovely chiles and set to work.

If you want to make this a quicker dish to prepare, char and prep the chiles the day before to save yourself the during the week.

Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese
Bon Appetit December 2010

1 whole fresh poblano chile, plus ¼ cup chopped fresh poblano chile
1 TB corn oil
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup fresh corn kernels or froze, thawed
¾ cup whipping cream
2 cups freshly cooked macaroni (about 2/3 cup dried)
½ cup grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese

Char whole chile directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Transfer to paper bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop chile. Transfer to processor; puree until smooth.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup chopped chile, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add corn; stir 1 minute. Add cream and chile puree; bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cheese; stir until cheese melts and mixture is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

**NOTES: Instead of pureeing part of the chile and reserving some of it, I finely chopped two whole roasted poblanos and added it all to the skillet with the other veggies. I liked the veggies a little chunkier and more substantial.

The result? This macaroni was rich and satisfying with just the right touch of heat. I was absolutely certain my husband would love this dish, as everything ingredient was something he likes. Unfortunately, he tried, but rejected it as “too peppery”. In man-speak, I believe that means I should have pureed the chiles after all, because GOD FORBID he bite into an actual chunk of vegetable...

Oh well – more for me! I know what I’m having for lunch today. I absolutely loved this recipe, and in spite of my finicky husband, I will be making this again.

This is my submission to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted by Rachel over at The Crispy Cook this week!

Zuppa Stracciatella

I do so love Potluck week over at I Heart Cooking Clubs. It always gives me the opportunity to post the recipes that I intended to make during the month, for other themes, and then had the month get away from me before I got them posted. Last week, I had my dish carefully planned out. I've been in the mood for soup, and Giada's Zuppa Stracciatella is a wonderful "Fall Favorite" for me.

Naturally, the days slipped by all too quickly until I suddenly realized that it was Friday, and I was out of the game once again.

Well, that's not stopping me this week! The temperature started bottoming out last night on my way home form work and the first thing on my mind when I got home was soup. This one is so easy to throw together, I can make a batch almost any night of the week, tweaking the recipe based on what I have available at the time. This week I was fresh out of parsley and basil, but I had a bag of gorgeous prosciutto tortellini from a recent trip to The Hill, which I threw in after the eggs cooked.

The idea of this soup isn't uniquely Italian. It is really no more than another version of egg drop soup with an Italian twist. And I love egg drop soup. For the one, the eggs are mixed with Parmesan cheese to thicken the ribbons of cooked egg in the soup. For some reason, mine didn't string out the way they usually do into savory threads (maybe I added too much cheese this time), but that didn't stop them from tasting delicious.

Put a few slices of artisan salume and a mix of marinated olives on the side and you have one fabulous fall meal.

This is my submission to this week's "Potluck" at I Heart Cooking Clubs as well as Presto Pasta Nights, being hosted by Oh Taste N See this week.

Zuppa Stracciatella
6 cups good quality chicken broth or stock
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp grated Parmesan
fresh Italian parsley and basil
1 cup baby spinach, cut in thin strips

In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Meanwhile, mix the cheese, parsley and basil with the beaten eggs. Stirring quickly in a clockwise motion, gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the hot stock, creating thready strips. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
For my variation, I added in a cup of  some lovely prosciutto tortellini and cooked it until the pasta was al dente and hot throughout.
Toss the spinach in just before serving so it doesn't lose its fresh green color.

Serve immediately.

Kid at Heart – Giada’s Sciue Sciue

Our theme over at I Heart Cooking Clubs this week is “Kid at Heart”. When I first started thinking about what I wanted to make, I was steering toward chocolate and other sweets. But then...I remembered.

When I was a kid, I did not care for chocolate. I know....I was a strange little child. And its not like I wouldn’t eat chocolate or didn’t enjoy candy, but it was never the first thing I was drawn to as a kid. (My mom is sitting in her chair, nodding her head and thinking that I was switched at birth.)

Here’s how it would go down at my kitchen table. We’d eat supper. Usually something like a pork roast or spaghetti. Always with a vegetable (or two) on the side; salad and peas, maybe corn.... We didn’t have dessert every night, but it wasn’t unusual, either. But, I digress. We would finish eating supper and move on to dessert...and my Mom and Dad and sister would all move on to the sweet stuff.... and I would reach for the bowl with the rest of the peas in it...or another helping of spaghetti....

My mother sometimes wonders how she gave birth to me.

So, naturally, when I was reminiscing about my childhood dinner table, it occurs to me that the kid inside me wouldn’t automatically pick Giada’s Chocolate Pizza....no. She would ask for pasta. And not just any pasta, not when Giada is in the kitchen with me.

Its gotta be Sciue Sciue.

(Now my mother is truly confused)

This is not a dish I had growing up, but I discovered it years ago when I first became entranced by Everyday Italian. One of the simplest pasta dishes ever, and made with kids in mind (well, except maybe my completely irreverent picky eater of a son) using pastina; any little short cut pasta you have, but in my case, Ditalini.

This is the first pasta dish I ever served to my Little Man. And he loved it (you know, until he was introduced to the Blue Box and its neon orange contents, and never turned back).

And so, for the kid in my heart...and the child OF my heart....Giada’s Sciue Sciue pasta. A quick, light yet hearty, and flavorful bowl of goodness that I can throw together almost any night of the week, just from my fridge and pantry. It just doesn’t get much better than that.

This is my submission for I Heart Cooking Clubs this week, as well as for Presto Pasta Nights.

REMINDER! Don’t forget that you have until November 19 (That’s only a week away, folks!) to submit your dishes to The Bacon Games!

Giada’s Sciue Sciue (Little Thimbles)

1 1/2 cups ditalini (thimble-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup olive oil (I just used a couple of tablespoons. No need to go overboard)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (I add some minced onion or shallot)
5 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 1 pound – I used a container of lovely little grape tomatoes)
8 ounces cold fresh mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 large fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped (straight from my freezer!)

1 Boil up a large saucepan of salted water. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente (firm to the bite), stirring often to prevent sticking. This takes about 8 minutes. Drain.

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn.

3 Add the tomatoes and saute just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked, drained pasta.

4 Remove skillet from heat. Add the cheese and basil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.

**Notes: when I make this, just after sautéing the tomatoes, I add about a half a cup of white wine to the pan and let it cook down a bit. This is best served straight from the pan while the cheese still has some body to it. I made this last night while Daddy was out hunting, and put the leftovers in the fridge for another use. This weekend Ginny is coming out for our annual Holiday Candy making fest, and the rest of this pasta will make a fabulous frittata for breakfast Saturday morning! Stay tuned for that post!

I Stand Corrected - Tomato Almond Pesto

I knew in the back of my head that I was wrong. Even as I typed it in a sweet missive to you, my readers, I knew I was lying...or at least stretching the truth.....could have been a lie of omission. The truth is, I was in a hurry, and aiming not to complicate the issue.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m referring to my post about Asparagus Pesto. In that post, I came right out and said that when you want pesto, you just start with anything green, and add nuts, oil, parmesan and other ingredients.

That much is, indeed, true. But I was keeping something from you.

The truth is.....it doesn’t have to be green. And I knew that. But. I didn’t tell you that.

Well I’m telling you now!!!

One of the recipes Ginny brought with her was one for a Tomato Almond Pesto. This one originally comes to us from America’s Test Kitchen (of which Ginny is a big fan), although we have made significant modifications (since we started cooking before we had the recipe fully in hand) to the recipe, so I will give you our abbreviated version, although I plan to go back at a later date and try my hand at the spicier original, too.

For our purposes, we started with a clean food processor and added a couple of cups of sweet grape tomatoes. Then we added a handful of slivered almonds that we toasted in a dry pan with a few cloves of garlic. And the garlic. Then a good handful of fresh basil leaves, some parmesan cheese and enough olive oil to make a nice smooth paste.

As with any pesto, the amounts may vary depending on what you have on hand, but the result is always the same, a huge flavor punch that makes a wonderful complement to pasta and any number of other things. But, we had pasta on the brain that day, so that's where this particular pesto ended up. Pure tomato yumminess.

Mixing it Up - Bittman Style!

Even as much as I adore grilling in the summer, I still manage to get in a rut for ideas on what to make. I mean, really, how many different ways can you grill a chicken breast, right? I do love the larger cuts like brisket and ribs, and so forth, but those time-consuming items are reserved for Sundays when time is generally not a concern.

So, when I was making my grocery list last week, as usual, I asked the hubs if he had any suggestions. And, as usual, I got bupkus for a response. So, I fell into my usual routine of browsing the local grocer’s meat case, appealing to it to produce something new and attractive. On this occasion, I did actually find a small bit of inspiration. Nothing dramatic, but for some reason there was a glut of various sausages available during my weekly visit.

I grabbed up a package of Garlic Italian, one of Andouille, and a third of a local Bockwurst. Can you say “mixed grill”? I knew you could. I froze half of it for another day, and we grilled the three sausages, plus some sweet corn and farmers market asparagus for a nice, easy weeknight meal.
Pretty, no?

So here’s the twist. I was searching for a dish to make for I Heart Cooking Clubs this week (this being our monthly ‘Pot Luck’ theme) and was inspired yet again when I ran across Mark Bittman’s recipe for Asparagus Pesto.

Asparagus. Pesto. Yum! I love pesto. I love asparagus. I never would have dreamed to put the two together even though I have made a number of variations on pesto in the past.

Bittman’s recipe calls for boiling a pound of asparagus until tender but not mushy. Well, I had used up all my nice asparagus on the grill (and, in a skillet, when the propane bottle ran out halfway through the cooking process) the night before (and anyway, I’m not a fan of boiling vegetables) so I ran to the Wednesday night farmer’s market hoping to purchase another bundle.

Um, no. Its gone. Apparently the season is really over. So sad. But, undeterred, I had a brainstorm. I had the leftover asparagus in the fridge....and I had made quite a bit of it, so there was plenty for a half batch of Bittman’s pesto. Which is more than enough for me for dinner.

Excited, I ran home (ok, yes, I drove) got the food processor out (lucky me, it was still out from being used for something yet to be posted, and had been washed) and started chucking ingredients in the bowl.

Pestos are so easy, people. Really. I mean, its an herb or vegetable, oil, nuts, cheese, and maybe some acid. No recipe required (although I will post Bittman’s below, just for reference) just keep adding until it looks right.

Start with something green, in this case, about a half pound of leftover grilled/sautéed asparagus.
Toss in a handful of pine nuts (or almonds, hazelnuts, etc. Preferably toasted, but I was lazy last night and just tossed them right in).
Add a handful of grated parmesan.
(Normally I add garlic, but I was afraid in this case it would overwhelm the flavor of the asparagus, so I skipped it.)
Salt and pepper.
A good squeeze of lemon juice (about a half a lemon).
Put the top on the mixer, press ‘ON’, and drizzle olive oil through the top until the mixture forms a nice smooth paste.
My one tip is start small on the other ingredients, as you want your asparagus to be the center of attention. If you add too much cheese, and you are out of asparagus, you’re also out of luck, so add a little at a time if you’re a novice pesto maker.

And....PESTO!Lovely, lovely....now. What to do with it? I thought smearing it on crusty bread would be nice...if I had some. Which I didn’t. Crackers? Yeah, the saltines in my pantry weren’t exactly worthy of such a topping. A layer on a nice Panini with mozzarella and ham would be delish. I had the ham and cheese...again, no bread.

PASTA! I am usually hesitant to make a pesto pasta because it seems like the pesto just disappears on the noodles and becomes too subtle. This asparagus pesto was springy and pungent and I didn’t want to give up the lovely chunkiness of it. So what do I do? Make orzo.

Yep, I boiled up about a cup of orzo, and just mixed enough of it into the pesto to get the consistency I wanted, and VOILA! Fabulous. A lovely summertime dinner I couldn’t wait to dig my spoon into. This turned out so creamy and luscious, it wasn’t much different than a risotto in texture.The whole thing went together in about 15 minutes since I used leftover asparagus and I scarfed it down just as fast.

Thanks again, Mark Bittman, for a fabulous idea! I usually only cook as much asparagus as I intend to eat for that meal, but I’ll be grilling extra from now on, just so I can make pesto with the leftovers! This is my submission for I Heart Cooking Clubs and Presto Pasta Nights (check for the roundup later this week at http://www.kirstenlindquist.blogspot.com/) this week!

Now, here’s the original recipe:
Asparagus Pesto
Kosher salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup olive oil, or more as desired
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and shock with ice water to stop the cooking. Reserve some of the cooking liquid.
Transfer the cooled asparagus pieces to a food processor and add the garlic, hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time to finish mixing.
Serve over pasta, fish or chicken. Top with chopped hazelnuts and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto. Keeps, covered and refrigerated for a day or two.

I Never Promised You an HERB Garden.... I Heart Cooking Clubs

Can you tell I grew up listening to soft rock on my parents' radio?

I couldn’t have been more pleased with this week’s theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs, and for two reasons.

1. I totally flaked on it last week because I am so crazy busy getting ready for this weekend’s wedding. However, I did have a recipe picked out for last week’s Garlic Breath theme, and it turned out that it fits perfectly into this week’s Herb Garden theme as well! SO, bonus for me!
2. My herb garden is just producing fantastically, so I got to use some of my lovely aromatics.
3. My chosen recipe was a perfect side dish for the grilled stuff pork chops the hubs whipped up the other night.
Yes, that’s right, the hubs cooked. He’s been spending more time at home lately since he’s been laid off and caught an episode of some Bobby Flay trainwreck of a show (sorry, I can’t help it, I think Bobby Flay is the char-broiled spawn of the devil) and thought his grilled stuffed pork chops sounded like good eatin’. WHAT. EV.

Anyway, the chops are basically a pork-cordon-bleu type thing where you take a really thick pork chop and butterfly it, then pound it out flat, then stuff it with ham

and swiss,fold the sucker back up,season and grill.Actually, it didn’t turn out too bad. The heat of the grill was a bit much for the pork and it got a bit dry, but it gave us some inspiration for a different rendition to try at a later date. SO keep an eye out for that one! I also had him throw on some lovely asparagus I picked up at the farmers market this weekend.As for the Herb Garden I never promised you..... how about some Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil.....and herbs!This recipe has a variation listed that calls for A CUP of chopped fresh herbs of your choice. I promptly attacked my herb garden with a gusto that may have frightened the hubs’ friend who was hanging out with us in the front yard, but hey, no one can say I’m not an enthusiastic cook.

I also happened to have a package of Sweet Red Onion Linguine from Papparedelle’s pasta that I had been looking for an excuse to use. For the dressing, you basically warm up a half cup of olive oil in a pan (while the pasta is cooking) and simmer some garlic until it is soft (Bittman says 2 cloves, I say at least four), then add in your herbs and more olive oil, if necessary.Drain the pasta and toss! Fantastic.....That’s my submission for I Heart Cooking Clubs this week!

Neck Bones and Gravy

As much as I aspire to live up to my Italian heritage, I have to admit that as a child, I did not have a great deal of exposure to Italian cooking. So, when I run across a recipe like this, that just has "Italian Comfort Food" written all over it, I suffer a combination of food lust, and dismay that I didn't have an Italian grandmother coaching me in the kitchen during my youth. No disrespect to my mom, trust me, its just not how I grew up.

Well, I'm making up for all of that now! I ran across this recipe over at Proud Italian Cook and couldn't wait to give it a try. Growing up in the city, I was never exposed to the more...ahem....rustic cuts of meat. Since moving to the country, I have learned all about buying meat in quantity. And by this, I mean when we buy pork, we buy a whole hog. Literally. Right down to the oink. That's right, we work with a farmer, who delivers a hog to the butcher for us, where it is processed and packaged for us. Admittedly, there are always a number of mysterious brown packages left in our freezer after about a year. Pork Heart, Liver...and, yes, neck bones. People have told me to use them in soup, but really, they are more fat than they are meat, so I was kind of grossed out by the idea of putting that in my soup. And so, without fail, these "parts" inevitably go to the dogs (yes, really, our dogs get them for treats.)

No more! The poor dogs are going to have to settle for the hearts and livers (which I still refuse to cook or eat), because the neck bones are all mine. The hubs may not even be lucky enough to share with me. I emailed Marie of Proud Italian Cook, and she graciously sent me some guidance on making this dish, which I am thrilled to be able to pass along to you (with my own modifications, naturally!).

Start with some neck bones. I am estimating I had about 6-8 pounds (I found 4 brown paper packages of them in my freezer), but you can use however much you have available to you. Keep in mind that there is very little meat on these babies, so you may want to err on the heavy side.

In the largest pan you have, pour a little oil, then salt and pepper the bones generously, and caramelize them until they are nice and golden. This caramelization gives the gravy an amazing flavor. You will have to do this in batches if you are using more than a couple of pounds. Set the browned bones aside.In the same pan (you want all those yummy brown bits in the gravy!) saute some chopped onion (I used about 2 small onions), plenty of fresh minced garlic (about 6 cloves for me), and cook until soft. Then toss in a bunch of basil. You know I can't resist throwing some red wine in any sauce I make (and its a really good excuse to open a bottle, as if I need an excuse), so I poured in about a cup of a nice local Norton to deglaze the pan.

Toss your caramelized bones back in the pan, and cover with tomatoes. Marie says to only use San Marzano tomatoes, and I would have loved to, but they are just simply unavailable here unless you have the time to drive to St Louis, which I did not. So, sorry Marie, but I got the best crushed tomatoes I could get my hands on, and I threw in a can of fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.Let that concoction simmer until the meat is falling off the bone. I let mine go for about 3 hours, which may have been overkill, but the little buggers just didn't want to let go. When you are getting close, boil some of your favorite pasta (In my case, I boiled up a package of bucatini, which is by far my favorite cut of pasta. It just grabs the sauce and drinks it in like a straw.) and get ready for food porn (yes, my parents just read that).Yes, that's right, it is beautiful, and messy, and you will make sounds you didn't know could come from a person while you are eating. You should either eat this dish while no one else is around, or make sure you have a partner in crime so that you have someone to share your dirty little secret. Oh, and lots of napkins. And bibs wouldn't hurt either. Damn. I mean, really, there are just no words. Try and take these from me and you might just get stabbed in the hand with a fork. After I was done, the kitchen table looked like the scene of a homicide investigation.

I know what you are thinking. Neck bones? I've had more than one friend be unable to process the appeal. You've got to be open minded, but trust me, it is worth it. I didn't even tell my friend Susan about this because it would probably make her semi-vegetarian stomach heave just thinking about it. But I have a few girls who are with me...my Memphian friend Whit was so proud of me for taking on the pork parts previously unknown. Between her and Ginny, we're gonna throw down on this another time. You can, too. I promise I won't tell.....but send me pictures.....

TFF - Pasta Carbonara (Tolan’s Pregnancy Pasta)

Its always so sad to see a good thing come to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed posting recipes for Tyler Florence Fridays, and was even lucky enough to get one of my posts featured on Tyler's own blog because of it. But, alas, nothing lasts forever. Tyler Florence Fridays is wrapping up at the end of this month, and although I will miss it, I am really looking forward to participating in the new spin off, I Heart Cooking Clubs.

So, I thought that this would be a fitting post for my last submission to Tyler Florence Fridays. Although I was a stealth reader for quite some time before actually submitting a recipe, my very first post for TFF was Tolan's Pregnancy Pasta. Since that time, I have been telling Ginny how amazing it was, so when she came out for a visit recently, we made it again. As we always do, we changed it up a bit, using some fresh bucatini instead of spaghetti, and made a few other minor tweaks. We also toasted up some little slices of baguette to mop up the sauce with. It did turn out slightly different, but every bit as tasty.

Here are some shots of my versions of Tyler's Carbonara, then and now. This recipe was both my first and last post for TFF, and it made for a great beginning AND end. I can't wait to start with some new cookbooks, and get some more great new recipes out there for you all to drool over!

Then:
Now:Adios, TFF! Next week I'll do a roundup of all my TFF posts, just for fun!

Caramelized Onion Focaccia

Wow! I just realized it has been an entire week since i posted....what's up with that??? Its not that I haven't been doing stuff, really, I guess I've just been otherwise occupied.

Well, I have been wanting to share this with you since I made it this weekend, so I guess now is as good a time as any! See, my girl Tracy came to see me Saturday. She only lives about a half hour from me, but with our schedules, we don't see very much of each other. I did get to see more of her than usual this time, though, considering she is six months pregnant!
There is always one sure fire way to get a pregnant woman to come see you. Yep, that's right, I promised to feed her. Ok, so I've used that bribe with her for years and it has nothing to do with her being pregnant, but I used it anyway. And, I always follow through. Mama-to-be has been in the mood for pasta, so I got a bag of raw shrimp out of the freezer, and started some water to boil for spaghetti. Once the water comes to a boil, toss in the dried spaghetti and start your sauce:
In a skillet, I sauteed up some diced shallot and fresh garlic in a little bit of oil. When that started to soften, I added just a little white wine (don't freak out on me, you all know the alcohol cooks out!) and let it cook down just a touch.
Then I turned up the heat a bit, added some red pepper flakes, and the shrimp, just for a couple of minutes until the shrimp was opaque.
Add in one can of diced, fire roasted tomatoes, and you have a lovely sauce.
Pull the pasta out of the water and toss it in the pan with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and caramelized onion focaccia, a la Tyler Florence.
I caramelized the onions earlier in the day and set them aside so that I could just pop this in the oven when I started the sauce. I had had a beautiful vidalia onion on standby, but with the summer heat, it was starting to go soft on me. I didn't realize that until I was ready to start cooking, though, so I ended up using 2 red onions instead, and it worked out just fine. I also cheated in a few more ways! I used a pizza dough mix that I had in the pantry (It was a bad day for staples in my kitchen...I also had 3 tubes of Pillsbury pizza dough in the fridge, but apparently I bought them longer ago than I thought, and they were all too old, too.) and since I've been out of fresh rosemary for a while (and we all know I don't like thyme) I used some fresh oregano from my garden. All in all this turned out fabulously! I made so many substitutions that I'm not going to submit it to Tyler Florence Fridays this week, but I'm going to try doing it again sometime and actually FOLLOW the recipe! Instead of posting Tyler's recipe, I'm just going to tell you what I did.
In a large skillet, cook thinly sliced onions over medium heat, stirring only occasionally until they are caramelized. I mean it, don't over-stir it or they'll never caramelize. If you're using red onions like I did, toss in a tablespoon of sugar to help the process along.
Roll out a tube or package of pizza dough and brush it with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, some chopped herbs, and then spread the onions over the top, pushing down gently into the dough. Bake at 350 or until the crust turns golden. Cut and serve with a little more parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!

TFF - Penne with spicy Italian sausage, cream, tomatoes and.....tomatoes!

I give up. No, really, I do. For the past three weeks (since I received my new Tyler Florence cookbooks) I have been cooking up a storm, picking exciting, new, and complicated recipes. You know what? My little buddy Friedrich the lobster wore me out last week!


I decided I wasn't going to make an entry for Tyler Florence Fridays this week. With the renovation of our house, being on baby watch (any time now!) and just dealing with the life and times of a 4 year old bully (yep, apparently that is my son's new role at school), I didn't think I had it in me.


Don't believe me? Yeah, neither do I. There is one recipe in Dinner at My Place that I keep going back to, but I keep putting it on the back burner because, well, its too easy. I mean, c'mon, I'm Italian. You think I haven't paired pasta with sausage and tomatoes before? But every time I picked up the book, it would just flop open to that page....beckoning me.Yes, you know I did, I gave in. I mean, after all, my garden is thriving right now. The basil and tomatoes are beautiful. Gotta use them before the heat of summer fries them to shriveled little bits, right?

Right.

But you also know I can't just make a recipe. I can rarely resist making some alterations to any recipe I try, even Tyler's.

What's funny, is I have been talking about TFF for ages now and my husband, who previously thought I was crazy, is now gradually coming over to the dark side. He just shook his head at me when I was putting together the light box. But then, after the meal was complete, he was making suggestions, "You need a place mat under the dish." "Put a glass of wine next to the bowl" "wait to put the cheese on top until you get it in there or it'll melt before you get the shot."Silly man....like I hadn't already thought of all that.

Now that I have his attention, however, I have a new problem. My husband has always been competitive. Its why we don't have "game night" at our house. A simple game of Trivial Pursuit can be grounds for divorce. But.....trying to get him more involved and make him feel like a part of things, I asked him to pick the next dish I make. That may have been my first mistake.

He has now proclaimed it a competition. He is going to pick a dish, alright. But, its going to be for HIM to make. He wants to make a dish and do a guest post on my blog so HE can enter it to TFF and beat me to getting picked to be on Tyler's blog.

I'm gonna have to kill him. I can't say 'no'. That wouldn't be fair.....I may just have to step it up a notch though....I can't let him win. There would be no peace in our house again.....ever.

That being said, he watched very carefully while I was preparing Tyler's Penne last night. Asking all kinds of questions....and actually not complaining about the ingredients. The torn basil, the tomatoes....normally things he would frown at, his response was simply, "No, if you need to put it in to make the recipe right, go ahead." I did make some changes though (big shock, here). I know the hubs isn't a big fan of tomatoes. He likes tomato sauce, but not biting into a big chunk, so instead of crushed tomatoes, I used an Italian seasoned tomato sauce. But I also took a bunch of yellow tear drop tomatoes from my garden and sliced them in half to toss in. I figured the were big enough that he couldn't miss them and would be able to pick them out, but it would still make a pretty addition to the pasta, in place of the peas (which the hubs also doesn't like). What I didn't foresee is that they would disintegrate into the sauce, never to be seen again, except for the occasional sweet surprise on my fork.

Now, the tomato sauce combined with the cream was positively decadent. There was not a bit of pasta that was not thoroughly coated in the silky stuff, and before I knew what had happened, my dish was empty! There must have been a hole in it somewhere. I didn't miss the peas a bit, and the torn basil melded into the texture of the sauce so well that the hubs didn't even pick it out....and trust me, that IS a shock! Roasting the sausage in the oven was such a nice twist. It gave the casing a nice bite, and freed up my stovetop. So many times I feel like I'm running a short order line at a diner with a million skillets going at once, but the oven saved me a step, which was great! It did take a bit longer to roast than estimated in the book, however, almost double the time, actually, before the sausage was done. I assumed that I was meant to toss the whole thing together at the end instead of plating the sausage and sauce on top of the pasta, although the directions in the book did not specify.

I have to admit, I wasn't hoping for anything special from this dish, but it went miles and miles above my expectations. I will definitely be trying this again....maybe with some crispy pancetta crumbled on top....mmmm that DOES sounds like a winner!

The hubs cleaned his plate and took an extra serving to work today for his welding partner, and I was lucky to have some pasta leftover for my own lunch today!

Here is Tyler's recipe, as it reads in the book. Put your own twist on it, or make it as is. Either way, it is a keeper!
Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes and Peas
"Dinner at My Place" by Tyler Florence
Yield: Serves 4-6. Time: 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS
• 4 links spicy Italian sausage
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb penne
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups peas
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for top of plate
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the sausage links on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes until slightly golden and just cooked. Cut on the angle into bite-size pieces. Cook pasta in salted water until just tender but still has a bite to it — “al dente.”
Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat and add a 2-count of olive oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant for about 3 minutes. Add San Marzano tomatoes, torn basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy. Add blanched peas, sausage, and grated Parmesan. Fold together and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve topped with a shower of grated Parmesan and fresh basil.