WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA WITH LEMONY TOMATOES AND SPINACH

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Every once in a while I read an article that excites me from the very first phrase. This essay on the state of restaurant dishes, from the latest issue of Bon Appetit, is one such piece. It expresses the sense of frustration I sometimes feel when we visit a nice restaurant and have a hard time finding a meal that’s not overly rich. And that includes the salads! 😉 These days the safest option for a meal out – if we want to still feel great 4 hours later – is a Japanese restaurant. But, enough complaining, this pasta typifies the cooking we like the most. Light in fat, full of flavor, and quick to put together!

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA WITH LEMONY TOMATOES AND SPINACH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

Whole-wheat spaghetti (enough for two people)
1 cup red grape tomatoes
1 cup yellow grape tomatoes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
big bunch of baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Cut each tomato in half, place in a large bowl and add the olive oil, shaking the bowl to uniformly coat the tomatoes. Spread them in a large baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 420F for 25-30 minutes, until their skin starts to develop a brown color, and they release liquid. Reserve.

Boil salted water to cook the pasta. When the pasta is almost ready, transfer the roasted tomatoes to a sautée pan on medium-high heat, making sure to include all the liquid released during roasting. Add the spinach, squeeze the juice of the lemon all over, and cover the pan until the spinach starts to wilt.

Reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and add it to the spinach and tomato mixture. Cook everything together for a couple of minutes, if needed add some of the pasta cooking water. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and right before serving add a very generous amount of lemon zest all over it.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We absolutely loved this pasta! The lemon zest is a key ingredient, don’t skip it. You’ll notice I didn’t add any garlic, onions, or herbs. This dish is all about the tomatoes and spinach, with the intense citric tone in the background. Phil and I were talking the other day about how we prefer food prepared in a simpler way. Of course, if I’m making a curry I will need to grab a good number of spices, it’s part of the deal… But, we find something pleasing about allowing the ingredients to shine, rather than the spices. In this case, to savor the tomatoes, the spinach and the pasta itself.

This dish was simultaneously satisfying and light. Next day it made for a wonderful lunch, and I even confess to eating it cold from the refrigerator… Impromptu Pasta Salad!

ONE YEAR AGO: Blood Orange Duck: A work in progress

TWO YEARS AGO: Grilled Mahi-mahi with citrus marinade

THREE YEARS AGO: Memories of Pasteis (and my Dad)

13Mar2013

CELEBRATE WEDNESDAY WITH A SEAFOOD EXTRAVAGANZA

Posted in Celebrate Wednesday, Pasta & Noodles, Seafood by sallybr

Phil came up with this recipe about a year ago, and it quickly became a favorite of ours. The idea is to go to the store and get three kinds of seafood, whatever looks best. Add to that one vegetable: we usually alternate between broccoli, broccolini (love the stuff!) and asparagus. Lately we’ve been adding fresh shiitake mushrooms too. This is a very healthy yet substantial meal, in which the pasta is a minor component to give us just the carbs we need.

SEAFOOD EXTRAVAGANZA PASTA
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

Pick three of the following options:
Sea scallops
Large shrimp
Salmon filets
Lobster tails
Ahi tuna filets

Choose one of these veggies:
Broccoli
Broccolini
Asparagus

Fresh shiitake mushrooms, caps only
Pasta (corkscrew, farfalle, fusilli)
A couple of lemons, juice and zest
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp vermouth
Thyme
salt and pepper

Add the 1/4 cup olive oil to a small bowl, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon, season with salt and pepper, and add the thyme. Whisk well to form an emulsion. Use that to brush the seafood you intend to grill.

Slice the mushroom caps very thin, cut the broccoli in florets, if using asparagus or broccolini cut them in 1 inch pieces. Saute’ the mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil, when they are almost tender season with salt and pepper and add the vermouth and lemon zest. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Keep warm. Cook the veggies either in a little salted water or by steaming. If using broccoli, shock them in cold water to keep the bright green color. Reserve.

Start grilling the seafood (salmon, lobster tail, or ahi tuna). Sautee the shrimp and scallops on 1 Tbsp olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Make sure not to over-cook the scallops and saute’ them in extra-high heat to sear the surface. Cook the pasta to have it ready once all the rest of the food is done. Reserve some of the pasta water in case you need it.

Once the pasta is done, drain it, put it back in the pan, add the mushrooms and broccoli, mix well. If needed, add a little of the pasta water. Transfer to a serving bowl, and add all the seafood on top, cutting the salmon (and lobster tails, if using) in large chunks. Keep the scallops and shrimp whole. A squeeze of lemon juice all over the serving bowl is a nice final touch.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

(click to enlarge)

Comments: I won’t sugar-coat the pill, this dish requires some effort so that all ingredients are ready at the same time for the final assembly. We always like to cook salmon and lobster tail on the grill, whereas the scallops and shrimp are sautéed on the stove. Same for veggies and mushrooms. You get the picture. It is much easier if you and your partner (or friend, parent, sibling, room-mate, neighbor) cook this together. However, usually Superman Phil is adamant about doing it all by himself. I am left watching him dash through the kitchen to the grill and back, spatula in hand, kitchen towel hanging from one shoulder, pasta water furiously boiling, and the dogs hoping that with all that activity some stuff might follow the Law of Gravity all the way to the kitchen floor. Sometimes, it does happen… But, once all is said and done, we are rewarded with a great dinner! See my plate? I go heavy on the scallops. I am not ashamed and will fight for the biggest, juiciest ones. 😉

The pasta plays a completely secondary role. This is a dish centered on seafood and supported by a nice helping of broccoli. Squeeze some more lemon juice right before indulging… And, if that was not enough seafood for a meal, I’ll tell you what we love to have as appetizer before this dinner. All of a sudden, Wednesday evening feels like a party! 😉

Heaven. Pure heaven.

ONE YEAR AGO: A Pearfect Drink

TWO YEARS AGO: Ming Tsai Under Pressure

THREE YEARS AGO: Paris, Je t’aime

16Nov2012

THE MANY FACES OF KALE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

The other day I bought a huge, and I mean HUGE bunch of kale with the firm idea of making a frittata with it. As the afternoon moved along, I changed my mind on our menu, and the kale transmogrified into a light gratin. But I also toyed with the idea of simple kale chips (which I love), only to drop that and settle on a salad. Maybe settle is not quite right. By the time I jumped on dinner preparation, the kale ended up as pesto. Flip-flopper? Who, me? 😉

FARFALLE WITH KALE PESTO
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 big bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 cup of walnuts, toasted
pinch of red pepper flakes
olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup yogurt

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Drop the kale leaves and blanch them for a couple of minutes. Immediately drain, and rinse briefly in cold water. Drain well, then place in a salad spinner to dry the leaves as much as possible.

Add the toasted walnuts and red pepper flakes to the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds. Add the blanched kale and process together with the nuts until a paste forms. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice all over. Close the processor, and add the olive oil as a stream. Once the oil is incorporated, stop to scrape the sides of the bowl, add yogurt and process until everything is smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning, and reserve.

Meanwhile, cook farfalle pasta until al dente, reserving some of the pasta cooking water. When the pasta is cooked, mix with the pesto, and add the reserved cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary. Serve with plenty of parmigiano-reggiano cheese grated on top.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve seen recipes for kale pesto in which the raw leaves are processed with the usual suspects (garlic and olive oil). I decided it would be too harsh for our taste, so I took the extra step of blanching the leaves. If you are a garlic lover, add a couple of cloves together with the walnuts. I loved this version of pesto, and even used some as a spread for a ham sandwich at lunch next day. All amounts are a bit eye-balled, if you like the flavor of olive oil to be more pronounced, use more and omit or reduce the yogurt. Don’t leave the lemon juice out, though – it adds that citric brightness that is a must in this recipe.

For additional kale inspirations, a small sample of recipes from the internet:

Kale Gratin … A nice recipe from Taste Food, she used spinach, but I think kale would be great too

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash… from Eats Well with Others

Kale Frittata... from My Kitchen in the Rockies

Golden Chard Pie… from the early days of my blog

Kale Chips… from not so early days of my blog

and for an interesting twist on this great veggie, take a look at these cute Quinoa and Kale Patties

ONE YEAR AGO: Short and Sweet

TWO YEARS AGO: Ciabatta, a Classic Italian Bread

THREE YEARS AGO: Magical Lamb Stew

19Aug2012

ASPARAGUS PESTO

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

My dear friend and great cook Cindy raved about this recipe during the peak of asparagus season. Full disclosure: the year was 2010. Yes, it takes me a while to get to important stuff, but I finally made it. Better late than never! I am fond of the traditional Genovese pesto, but often find it a bit overwhelming. This version takes just a bit of basil in a sea of asparagus, and I guarantee if you make it even the die-hard asparagus haters (like two of my stepsons ;-)) will fall for it.

ASPARAGUS PESTO WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA
(adapted from Cindy, who adapted it from Michael Chiarello)

1 lb asparagus|
1 cup (lightly packed) basil leaves
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1 clove garlic, sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup low fat yogurt
about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Boil the asparagus in salted water until very tender. Drain, reserving the water, and cool slightly. Put in a food processor with the all of the other ingredients except the oil, and puree well. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Taste and adjust for seasonings and consistency. It should be about the thickness of mayonnaise.

Return the water used for cooking the asparagus to a boil and cook pasta. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Mix the pasta and pesto, thinning with the pasta cooking water as necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

We had this pasta with a juicy, thick salmon steak, cooked to perfection by the master grilling-guru whom I married 12 and a half happy years ago. The pesto was excellent with the whole wheat pasta, but a small amount topping the hot salmon just as it left the grill was mind-blowing delicious! I actually think grilled salmon and asparagus pesto might be the gastronomic discovery of 2012 for me, and I have to thank Cindy for it.

And now, for something completely different, once again. While reading Sawsan’s blog, Chef in Disguise, I learned that she’s got two awards: The Versatile Blogger, and Very Inspiring Blogger. I smiled and told myself “she definitely deserves them both!”. Much to my surprise and delight, she passed them to a few bloggers and there was the Bewitching Kitchen! Now I am the proud receiver of those awards too! Versatile, maybe. Inspiring? Wow, that would be awesome…

Thanks so much, Sawsan!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate and Chestnut Terrine

TWO YEARS AGO: Under the spell of lemongrass

THREE YEARS AGO: Greens + Grapefruit + Shrimp = Great Salad!

6Aug2012

ORZO WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO RELISH

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

I fell in love with heirloom tomatoes this year, and my passion only intensifies the more I use them. Get a bunch of tomatoes, of all colors and shapes you can find. Dice them, keep the skin and the seeds. This is a simple dish. Refreshing, absolutely perfect for a 110 F day (that is 43 C, folks!). Actually, I am not complaining: my Brazilian nature takes the heat with poise, dignity, and uncooked pasta sauces. 😉

ORZO WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO RELISH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 cup uncooked orzo
3-4 heirloom tomatoes, diced
kalamata olives, pitted, coarsely diced
fresh parsley, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
splash of white balsamic vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
crumbled feta cheese
lemon zest to taste (optional)

Start by making the relish: mix in a bowl the diced tomatoes, olives, season with salt and pepper, add the olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Stir occasionally as you boil the water to cook the orzo.

Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Drain, add it to the fresh tomato mixture, mix the parsley, add the crumble feta on top, and mix gently, no need to try to fully incorporate it. Serve with a nice sprinkle of fresh lemon zest on top, if desired.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This dish is all about the contrast between hot orzo and cold relish. I would have added capers if our bottle was not 312 miles away in another kitchen. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of what is where. Often while at a grocery store in Manhattan we are sure to have something already in the fridge, and we sure do, but the fridge in question is in Norman… and vice-versa. The bottom line: if you have capers, add them. Leftovers are great cold too.

And now, for something completely different (great show, BTW)… We are often concerned with the quality of the ingredients we use in our cooking, right? Let me now share with you something equally important: the kind of labor involved in bringing an ingredient to your table. Please jump here for a very informative article published in “Not Without Salt” and learn what may be hiding behind the gorgeous tomatoes you bring home.

ONE YEAR AGO: Headed to Brazil!

TWO YEARS AGO: The Rhubarb Brouhaha: Revelation Compote

THREE YEARS AGO: Love me tender…