PAPPARDELLE WITH SCALLOPS AND ROASTED ARTICHOKES

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Seafood by sallybr

Since I’ve found out you can get a jar of artichokes hearts, drain it and roast the pieces until brown at the edges, I cannot stop using them. As topping for pizza, addition to pasta, even salads. In this recipe, it joins lemons and scallops. A wonderful dinner for a Saturday night…

PAPPARDELLE WITH SCALLOPS AND ROASTED ARTICHOKES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 or 2 bottles of artichoke hearts, in brine, oil or water, drained
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound pappardelle
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
¼ cup torn basil leaves
12 large scallops seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently pat the artichoke hearts with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. If they were packed in oil, simply roast them as they are. If they were in brine or water, drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil all over the pieces and proceed to roasting for 20 minutes in a single layer. Flip the pieces and roast for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until edges are turning golden. Reserve. You can do this step in advance.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes or according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, in a serving dish large enough to accommodate it, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, whisk to combine.

Cook the scallops. Dry them very well, season with salt and pepper. Add the tablespoon of oil and butter to a skillet, once very hot, cook the scallops, 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Reserve.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and add to the bowl with lemon, seasonings and olive oil. Toss well, adjust consistency with the reserved pasta water, add fresh basil and serve with the scallops and the roasted artichokes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Pappardelle is pretty substantial, so this is by no means a light pasta dish. But everything worked well together. I am pretty addicted to roasting artichoke hearts. If they are packed in brine, the roasted artichokes get almost like a little hint of capers and olives, which of course is just the brine speaking. I love it. But you can also use frozen artichoke hearts and add herbs of your liking.

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10Jan2025

PASTA WITH SHRIMP IN CASHEW CREAM SAUCE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Seafood by sallybr

Alfredo sauce is luscious, absolutely delicious but a real saturated fat bomb, which we tend to avoid when cooking at home. Going to a restaurant is a different thing, sometimes excesses while eating out are part of the equation. Embrace it and move on. But this is a great option for a meal that will have the same type of vibe, but is considerably lighter. If you want to make it vegetarian, omit the shrimp, add another veggie, maybe a little butternut squash or mushrooms.

PASTA WITH SHRIMP IN CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

For the sauce:
1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight and drained
¾ cup water
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

For the pasta:
pasta of your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups broccoli florets (or amount to taste)
1 (12 oz) bag shrimp peeled and deveined
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Set aside.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave with just a sprinkle of water for 2 minutes. Reserve. Start cooking the pasta in salted boiling water.

To a skillet, add the olive oil, once hot add the shrimp and sautee until opaque, season with salt and pepper. When the shrimp is almost fully cooked, add the steamed broccoli. Keep covered at a low-simmer. When the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and add to the skillet with the shrimp and broccoli. Pour most of the reserved water, stir, and add the amount of cashew cream you like, if needed thin the sauce with additional water until you are happy with the consistency. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: For this meal, I chose a pasta shape we had never had before, called “Rustiche”. Phil found it at Marshall’s and it was perfect for this type of cream sauce with the bits of broccoli and the shrimp. I did not use the whole amount of the sauce made but it sits in the fridge for a few days without problem and also freezes quite well. Cashew cream is a definite keeper!

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18Apr2024

BICOLOR RAVIOLI

Posted in Pasta & Noodles by sallybr

My cookie ravioli fiasco left me staring at the mold and wondering if that impulse buy was going to sit in a drawer neglected for ~~eternity~~ months. No, that could not possibly happen. To counteract the bad taste in my mouth, I jumped on another crazy adventure right away: making ravioli from scratch, but adding a little twist to the whole thing. The pasta dough would have two colors. I’ve made pasta from scratch a few times, it is a messy process but quite gratifying. I am overjoyed to report that my mental sanity was not badly affected and we had a very delicious dinner that Saturday night…

BICOLOR RAVIOLI WITH MUSHROOM-ALMOND FILLING
(from The Bewitching Kitchen, filling inspired by this post)

white dough:
125g all-purpose flour
75g semolina flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt

red dough:
125g all-purpose flour
75g semolina flour
50g cooked beets (I used canned, slivered)
2 tsp paprika
2 eggs

for the filling:
8 ounces (226g) mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (142g) almonds
½ cup (112g) water
1 teaspoon (6g) sea salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice

The day before you want to make ravioli, prepare the filling.

Fill a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup (142g) of almonds and enough water to cover the almonds. Turn the heat to high. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down, boil the almonds for 15 minutes, then pour the almonds and water into a colander. Rinse them well. Sauté chopped mushrooms in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until all the liquid has cooked out.

Blend the boiled almonds, salt, lemon juice and water in a blender or food processor until a paste forms. Add the mushrooms and blend a few more times so that they are in very small pieces. Transfer the filling to a colander sitting on a bowl and let it drain for several hours in the fridge, then cover and store it in the fridge until needed. You can do this a couple of days in advance.

Make the white pasta. Add both flours and salt to the food processor, mix for a few seconds. Add the 2 eggs and process until a dough ball forms. If too dry, add water. If too loose, add flour. Remove the dough from the processor, form into a disc, wrap in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Make the red dough. Add the eggs, beets and paprika to the food processor and process until smooth. Add the flours and salt, process until a dough ball forms. You will probably need to add more flour to this dough. Reserve at room temperature like you did for the white dough.

Cut the pasta dough in three equal parts, and roll them several times in the widest setting of your roller. Try to go for a nice rectangle shape. Do the same for the colored dough. Cut stripes in both colors or just one if you prefer to use the second method. Carefully roll the bicolor dough to the desired level, I stopped at setting #3. Lay the pasta on the mold, add the filling and close the ravioli. Once they are made, sprinkle a little flour and freeze until cooking time.

Simmer them gently for about 4 minutes then add the sauce of your choice to serve. I used just a little olive oil, lemon, parsley and water from cooking the ravioli. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These are the tips I consider most important. First, make the filling one day before, so that it is super cold and you do take the time to cook most of the moisture out. That will avoid minimize risks of failure when you form and cook the ravioli. Second, be ready to either cook the ravioli right after you make it, or freeze them right away with a light coating of flour. Considering that making pasta from scratch it is a bit of a messy process, I rather make them earlier in the day, clean the kitchen, and cook them later.

There are two different ways to make the striped pattern. You can roll the pasta through the widest setting of your roller, then cut strips and join them side by side. That is shown in the photo below, to the left. The problem with that method, is that sometimes the strands will not join tightly enough and when you pass the sheet through the roller to make it thinner, they will separate. It is maddening. It worked well on the first set I made, but the second one was almost totally ruined. I had enough pasta dough to try one more time, and used the second method. In this case, one sheet of pasta is kept whole, and the other used to make stripes, that are laid on top of the first. It is shown below, on the right side of the panel.

I really favor the second method, which is also nice to make other patterns. Think polka dots, stars, squares… So many possibilities! Once you have the striped sheet ready, it will go through the thinner settings of the roller. You should end up with a beautiful concoction waiting for the filling… I was afraid to roll it too thin and have it burst with the filling, maybe next time I can take it through one more setting.

The mold worked super well to fill and form the ravioli…

The ravioli must be cooked in water that is brought to a full boil but kept simmering because fresh pasta is so delicate…

For my next adventure, my goal is to get a darker red pasta, so I will use more beets and maybe also add beet powder. Or maybe I will go for green with spinach, black with charcoal powder. Whatever color combination, I intend to make the strips thinner so that I will have more stripes per ravioli. Stay tuned!

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18Aug2023

KAREN’S SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH CAPERS AND OLIVES

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

If you need a great dinner that will be ready in less than 30 minutes, look no further… I have actually made this recipe several times after Karen published it in her blog, and I bet it will become a favorite with your family too. Something about capers and black olives together makes my mouth water.

SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH CAPERS AND OLIVES
(slightly modified from Karen Kitchen Stories)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped, pitted black olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 + 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined extra large or jumbo shrimp
1 (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the olives and capers, and cook for another minute or two.Add the shrimp and tomatoes to the pan, and sauté until the shrimp turns pink, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I really think the best way to serve this seafood preparation is over pasta, in this case just a simple spaghetti with fresh lemon and olive oil. Normally I brine the shrimp before sautéing but this time I skipped that step and just made sure not to cook it for too long. It is ready super fast, and all flavors go wonderfully together. Give it a try and then go thank Karen for it!

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25May2018

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TIMES FOUR: MAY 2018

Posted in Air-Frying, Breakfast & Brunch, Incredibly simple, Pasta & Noodles, Small Dishes by sallybr

Time to showcase recipes that are so simple they hardly qualify as such.

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE #1

CACIO E PEPE

Hard to believe I had never made this dish until now. It is such a classic, but for one reason or another I only had it in restaurants and not even that often. Guess what? After inaugurating it, I enjoyed it three more times over the following month. It is so simple and so delicious! You must make it. I tried it with zoodles a couple of times, works wonders too. I was inspired by Geoffrey Zakarian in a recent Kitchen episode.

CACIO E PEPE

pasta of your choice
Kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground (coarse) pepper (or to taste)
grated Pecorino-Romano cheese to taste
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Two genius touches: first, you will cook the pasta in a pan just large enough to hold it, with about 1 inch water from the bottom. Add a little salt to the water. Cook without closing the pan until al dente.

Second: toast the pepper in a small skillet until fragrant, just a minute or so.

The pasta will be cooked with just a little water left, a water full of starch from the pasta. Turn off the heat, add the pepper and cheese. Stir well, adjust seasoning with salt.

Serve and enjoy!

to print the recipe, click here

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE #2

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH RICOTTA, TURMERIC & ZA’TAR

Another non-recipe for you. This simple concoction was my lunch more often than I care to admit. I tend to have these “phases” in which I might enjoy the exact same recipe over and over and over, not getting tired of it. Amazing what a little ricotta does to add creaminess to a simple scrambled egg. Add a couple of crackers, and I am a happy camper. For those who eat breakfast, this is a must-try. In a way, it’s my breakfast too, I just happen to “break-my-fast” a lot later than most people…

Heat some oil or butter in a non-stick pan. Don’t let it heat too much, add 2 eggs, slightly beaten, immediately drop in the center about 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, season with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tsp of turmeric. Cook, stirring gently over low-heat to your liking. Sprinkle za’tar when it’s almost ready to serve. Enjoy with bread or crackers.

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE #3

AIR-FRIED NEW POTATOES

Cut new potatoes in half. Add to a pan with a little cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, cook for about 8 minutes. Drain. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and Herbes de Provence. Place in the air-fryer, cook at 390 F (or as high as your machine will go) until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes maximum. Shake occasionally. The pan, not necessarily yourself, but depending on what’s playing I say go for it.

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE #4

RICE WITH TURMERIC AND CARDAMON

We eat rice often, usually plain. But every once in a while it’s nice to guild the lily a bit. I love the color of turmeric and the flavor of cardamon. Together they make a simple bowl of rice shine. Literally. Inspiration came from the newest book by Nigella Lawson, At My Table.

RICE WITH TURMERIC AND CARDAMON

1.5 cups of rice, rinsed and drained
2.5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp turmeric
3 cardamon pods, crushed

Add all ingredients to a pan. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat close tightly the lid.

Simmer for 20 minutes without opening the pan. Turn off the heat, open the lid, add a tea towel on the surface of the rice, close the lid again.

Let it rest for 10 to 30 minutes if you have the time, but it’s still nice if served right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I hope you enjoyed these simple recipes. It’s nice to have a bunch of quick choices that you can make without even thinking too much. The scrambled egg, for instance, I don’t even measure anything. I sprinkle some turmeric, I add ricotta until I feel it’s going to be creamy enough, sometimes I add za’tar, sometimes Herbes de Provence, it’s never exactly the same twice in a row, but whatever you do it will be delicious.

New Potatoes: if you don’t have an air-fryer, you can still do the same on top of the stove or even roasting them in a super hot oven. The texture I get with the air-fryer is pretty unique, though, and allows that fried aura without too much fat. Love it.