Caramelized Vietnamese Pork

After a self-imposed cookbook moratorium for a while, I got a couple new cookbooks this spring.  I have been so thankful I did.  The first one was Ruth Riechl's My Kitchen Year.  Seriously folks, we have loved almost every recipe I've made from here (and I've made a few).

Last night, the recipe was a caramelized pork.  A brief disclaimer.  I ignored the advice Reichl gave at the bottom of the recipe which was to not double the recipe.  However, I had to.  The recipe served two and I have five hearty eaters.  My end product may not have turned out exactly like hers did, but we all still loved it.  At the end of the meal, I had multiple people telling me to make this again.

Serves 4 - 6.

Caramelized Vietnamese Pork
adapted slightly from My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

2 T rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1 medium to large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, halved and cut into half moons
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 - 2 lbs pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (easiest done if pork is at least partially frozen)
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T sugar
1/4 c fish sauce
fresh mint, coarsely chopped (about 2-3 sprigs)
fresh basil, coarsely chopped (about 2 -3 sprigs)
chili garlic sauce or sriracha
crushed peanuts (optional)
lime wedges

cooked rice to serve 4 - 6

Pour rice vinegar in a bowl and add 1 t sugar and a pinch of salt.  Gently stir in cucumber and ginger  Allow to soak while you make the meat.

Heat a wok over medium-high to high heat.  A water droplet should dance on the surface of the wok and then disappear.  Add some grapeseed, peanut or similar oil and toss in onion and garlic.  As soon as the onion and garlic are nice and fragrant, add the pork and 2 T sugar.  Stir-fry, tossing every few minutes for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the pork has crisped into little bits (I never achieved this due to an overfull wok.  After the pork had cooked for a bit, I poured the extra juice off the bottom of the wok to give the pork a chance to brown.  I simply cooked the pork until it began to brown.  We were hungry, I was out of patience, and didn't want to burn the meat).

Take the wok off the heat and stir in fish sauce until it is absorbed.  Season with black pepper.  Remove the ginger slices from the cucumber.  Add the cucumber slices and the marinade to the pork. Stir.

Serve with rice.  Top with mint and basil (necessary for a more Vietnamese taste), chili garlic sauce if desired, lime wedges, and crushed peanuts, if desired.

Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Bake

Every once in a while, I have a random leftover I have to use.  This recipe was made for that exact reason.  I bought fresh mozzarella for homemade pizza and some was leftover.  I was excited to find this recipe to use the fresh mozzarella, because it was easy and also a good make ahead recipe.

This serves 6-8.

Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Bake

adapted from Jamie Oliver.com

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5) cans fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes (or 1.5 kg fresh tomatoes, peeled if desired, and roughly chopped)
1 lg handful basil leaves, torn or coarsely chopped.
1 T red wine vinegar
1 lb orecchiette (or other medium chunky pasta)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb (more or less) fresh mozzarella balls, sliced


Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until softened.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add tomatoes to the onion and garlic along with a 1/2 c of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, food processor, or regular blender, process tomato mixture to make a smoother sauce.  Add the basil and red wine vinegar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions.  Drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and 1/4 c Parmesan.  Spread a layer of pasta in a 9x13" baking pan.  Follow with tomato sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan and 1/3 of the mozzarella.  Repeat these layers three times, ending with a layer of mozzarella on top.

(At this point, you can refrigerate the dish until you are ready to eat.  Add some time to the baking time).

Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes or until topping is golden, crisp and bubbling.

Banh xeo or Vietnamese Crepes

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi continues to please!

I decided this would be a good recipe based on the three daikon radishes that had been sitting in my crisper drawer for 6 months.  I figured it was time they were used, especially since we are due to get fresh daikon in box soon.

Let me start by telling you, I am not a crepe maker.  I've attempted it twice now, and well, both times things haven't gone well.  This time resembled the first time.  My crepes were too thick and sticking to the pan--they ended up as scrambled crepes instead of the real deal.  Thankfully, this time I had someone to bail me out.

As I stood, baffled, over the crepe pan, Curtis walked into the house in his biking clothes.  He had biked home from work and came over to see what I was doing.  "Your batter is too thick," he informed and then moved me out of the way and took over.  Whew.  In no time, he had the batter at the right consistency, heated up a second pan, and cranked up the heat on the first pan.  Before long, he was flipping crepes off the crepe pan (into the air--all fancy like) and pulling beautiful crepes off both the crepe pan and cast iron skillet.

That's one of the great things about being married.  Sometimes, when one of us is floundering, the other one call bail us out.

We learned a few things here:

•The pan temperature needs to be very hot.  The cast iron skillet works better than the crepe pan because it holds the heat better.

•The batter needs to be very thin.

•A single batch is probably plenty, but a double batch worked perfectly because there was a lot of room for trial and error.

•The electric griddle we use for making pancakes would probably work beautifully for this recipe.

Once we got the crepes off the pan in crepe shape, we served them straight the kids.  I was nervous we the filling wouldn't satisfy the kids or the taste of the crepes would throw them off.  Nope!  They loved the crepes.  J ate three and the other two each ate two.  The crepes tasted wonderful and the sauce was fabulous (the boys even ate the sauce.  M boycotts sauces on principal, unless we're talking maple syrup).

This recipes calls for enoki mushrooms.  I tried two stores (HEB and Whole Foods) and couldn't find them.  I finally found a cute bundle of them at our closest Asian grocery store.  I'd like to use them, but need to have the energy and time to go to multiple stores to source them.  If you want to add a meat, you can cooks some shrimp or prawns to add to the fillings.  HEB had the rice flour--which makes the recipe vegetarian (if you substitute sweet soy sauce for the fish sauce) and gluten free.

Serves 4 -5.

Bahn xeo or Vietnamese Crepes with Fresh Vegetables and Herbs
adapted a hair from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Crepes
1 1/3 c rice flour
1 egg
1/2 t salt
1 t ground turmeric
1 3/4 c (1-13.66 oz can) unsweetened coconut milk
a bit of sunflower oil

Sauce
2 1/2 T lime juice
1 1/2 T sesame oil
1 T brown sugar
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T (or more, to taste) fish sauce (nuoc mam) or sweet soy sauce
2 t grated fresh ginger
1/2 t salt
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
1 fresh red chile, finely chopped (optional)

Filling
1- 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly shredded
1 daikon radish, peeled and thinly shredded
4 green onions, sliced on an angle
1 fresh green chile, cut into long thin strips
1 1/2 c snow peas (or more--we love these), cut into long thin strips
1/2 - 1 c cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/3-2/3 c basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), roughly chopped
1/4 c mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 c mung bean sprouts
1 c enoki mushrooms

Blend the rice flour, egg, salt, and turmeric in a large bowl.  Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, whisking well to avoid a lumpy batter.  Add more coconut milk or water (put water in the coconut milk can to get all the coconut milk out) until the batter is the consistency of light cream.  Set aside to rest.

Prepare the filling ingredients if you haven't already done so.  Put each filling in it's own bowl so people can choose what they want.

Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and adjust the flavor adding more red chile if using or fish sauce (if using).  Set aside.

To cook the crepes, add more coconut milk or water to the batter if it has thickened while resting.  Heat up a large nonstick frying pan (or a cast iron skillet or an electric griddle--the electric griddle doesn't let you swirl the crepe batter around though, which is kinda fun).  The pan should be pretty hot.  Add a little sunflower oil.  Put some batter in the pan, if not using an electric griddle, swirl it around to cover the surface.  Once the bottom is golden brown, carefully turn the crepe over.  If the crepe isn't cooked enough or the pan isn't hot enough, the crepe will probably stick and you'll end up with scrambled crepes.  Remove from pan and repeat with remaining batter.

Place a crepe on each plate and top desired fillings in the middle of it (like a taco!).  Drizzle some sauce over top and fold or roll up.  If desired, drizzle some extra sauce over top.

Roasted Chicken with Peaches

There are not many things I make that Curtis complains about while he watches me make them. I think those he does complain about, before trying can be grouped together in one of two categories: shellfish, and fruit in anything but a dessert. Needless to say, when Curtis saw this, he winced and told me that was a waste of perfectly good peaches.

I am pleased to report, that although Curtis complained before trying them, after trying them the complaining ceased. He decided he really liked this recipe. It helped that I substituted chicken breasts for the thighs. While I am usually a thigh girl, in this recipe I actually prefer breasts (we had both when I made it). We served this with crusty bread (you could also serve it with rice).

Everyone liked this and it's a nice dish to make when you just can't enough of the peaches that start showing up in the heat of the summer. You can make part of this ahead of time. Mix together everything but the peaches and refrigerate. Slice and add the peaches just before roasting.

This seves 4 - 6

Roasted Chicken with Peaches

adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1 lb peaches (they can even be hard, any stage of ripeness works), pit removed and sliced 1/2" thick

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips

1/4 T olive oil

1/4 c red wine or chicken broth

1/4 c fresh basil, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1" piece fresh ginger, grated

1 t salt

1 t pepper

crusty bread or rice, for serving

In a 9 x 13" pan, toss together the peaches, chicken, olive oil, red wine, basil, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Roast in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the peaches have softened. Serve with crusty bread for sopping up juices or with rice.

Do ahead: toss together the chicken, olive oil, red wine, basil, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to roast, then toss with the peaches (don't slice the peaches ahead of time, just slice them when ready to roast). Roast as directed.

Pasta alla Norma

Let me just start by saying I haven't touched my camera in two weeks except to take a picture of this dish. Enjoy this picture, it's the only I have of our food lately. :)

That said, I love eggplant. I never thought I would say that. However, eggplant in pasta sauce is just divine. It adds a nice texture and just a slight flavor. Sigh. I loved this dish and am wishing it was still around.

We all liked this pretty well. Curtis and I really enjoyed. Little I loved the eggplant in it. J and M were suspect about its presence. I gleamed some inspiration from Pasta with Robust Summer Sauce I made a couple of weekends ago (or has it been a month already?). The largest inspiration--anchovies. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love anchovies. Anchovies got a bad rap sometime in the 70's/early 80's. Anchovies rock. They provide that last taste needed in dishes--umami. Give anchovies a chance sometime, like in the recipe for instance. They're not terribly expensive and they pack a lot of umpf! for just a small amount used.

Here it is: Pasta alla Norma alla Melani!

Pasta alla Norma
adapted from Gourmet

2 lg eggplants
olive oil
1 T dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
large bunch of basil, leaves thinly sliced (roll up like a cigar and thinly slice into ribbons)
1 t white wine vinegar
2 anchovies, minced
28 oz (1 -28 oz can) diced tomatoes,
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb spaghetti or other long, skinny pasta (I used cappellini)
grated Parmesan cheese


Cut the eggplants into 1/2" cubes (leaving the skin on). Add a little oil to a large skillet and heat. Fry the eggplant in batches, adding just enough oil to prevent the eggplant from sticking. You don't want the eggplant to bathe in oil to prevent them from getting oily tasting later. Fry into the eggplant are tender and starting to brown. Remove from pan and sprinkle with some oregano.

Return all eggplant to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and add a little more oil (as needed, to prevent sticking). Add the garlic and stir. Cook until garlic is fragrant, then add white wine vinegar, anchovies, and tomatoes (you can puree the tomatoes before adding if you wish, but I preferred chunky tomatoes). Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, taste, and adjust seasonings. Add half the basil leaves (about 2 - 4 T).

Meanwhile, cook pasta. Reserve 1/2 c of cooking liquid, drain pasta, and return to cooking pot. Add the tomato sauce to the pasta pot and a little (2 - 4 T) of cooking water and toss together over low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. To serve, sprinkle with remaining basil and Parmesan cheese.

Pasta Aglio e Olio

I've been having a hard time coming up with a week's menu lately. I'm not quite sure why. Periodically this happens though. I feel like cooking nothing and am very uninspired. Last week, this was the case. To illustrate the severity of this, let me tell you about our Labor Day weekend meals. Of the 6 meals we ate (3 lunches and 3 suppers--breakfasts aren't included), 4 of those meals consisted of sandwiches of some sort---salami and cheddar, almond butter and jelly, or roasted eggplant and arugula. Another meal, Curtis cooked steaks and sweet potatoes on The Egg. Yet another, we went to someone else's house for a cookout. That sums it up. I made....an arugula and stone fruit salad and sweet potato biscuits and that was it for 6 meals. Sad, I know.

Now that that confession is out of the way, you understand when I said I've been uninspired. I was pleased to find this recipe that used locally sourced ingredients---Texas extra virgin olive oil and basil and garlic from our CSA (I could have splurged on locally made pasta, but didn't, story of my week). This was the best version of this recipe I've found. Simple, yet very delicious. So much so, that the usual 1/2 lb of pasta I made for our family didn't go nearly far enough.

A full recipe will probably serve 4 - 5 people.

Pasta Aglio e Olio
adapted from Whole Foods Market.com

1 lb spaghetti or other long thin pasta (we used linguini)
5 T extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c fresh parsley or basil, chopped
1/2 c grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 c of pasta cooking water, then drain well.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to lightly brown. Watch carefully so garlic does not burn. Add the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water to the garlic and oil. Add all but 1 T of the basil, half of the cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Transfer to serving bowl and top with remaining basil and cheese. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce

This is another of my tried and true Moosewood recipes. Thanks to green beans in our CSA box a couple of weeks ago, this recipe was resurrected. I then remembered it is also a very good recipe, even if you omit the green beans.

We all enjoyed this. M had to put the ingredients all into separate piles to eat, but she did eat two big servings.

Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

1 c quartered grape or cherry tomatoes
2 T fresh parsley, minced
1 T fresh basil, minced
1/4 c red onions, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 T black olives, sliced or chopped
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 t balsamic vinegar
1/2 lb farfalle or other chunky pasta
1 c green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled (or more, to taste)

Bring a large pot of slated water to boil. When the water boils, stir in the pasta, cover, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. When the water returns to a boil, add the green beans and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the beans are just tender. Drain well.

While the pasta and green beans cook, combine the tomatoes, parsley, basil, onions, garlic, black olives, olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Add the tomato mixture to the cooked pasta and green beans. Gently combine. Top with feta cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Trenette al Pesto

After looking for new recipes for quite a while now, I am finding myself going back to some tried and true recipes that I discovered years ago. Many of these are from Moosewood Restaurant's New Classics. This is one of these.

This recipe is a little funny because it has not just one, but two starches in it. I consider it a complete meal, with maybe just some sliced tomatoes (and fresh mozzarella) as a side.

All but M enjoyed this. For some reason, M is in her, "foods can't be mixed" stage again. Little I loved it. Even with just 1/2 lb of pasta, this still easily serves 4 - 6 people.

Trennete al Pesto
adapted from Moosewood Restaurant's New Classics

Pesto
1 clove garlic
1 c packed fresh basil
2 T pine nuts, toasted
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 t salt, or to taste
3 - 4 T extra virgin olive oil

2 medium potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise into quarters and sliced 1/4" thick (about 2 c)
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths (about 4 c)
1/2 lb pasta (trenette or linguini)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes and pasta. Stir well and cover. After about 2 minutes, add the green beans, stir and cover. When the pasta is al dente (after 5 more minutes), drain, reserving 1 c of cooking liquid.

While pasta cooks, make pesto. Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and puree until it is a rough paste, scraping down sides as necessary. (This makes about 1/2 c).

In a large bowl toss the pasta mixture with the pesto and 1/2 c reserved cooking water. Add more cooking water as necessary to coat the pasta with a moist sauce. Serve immediately

Gnocchi with Tomato, Basil, and Olives

Gnocchi. Oh, be still my beating heart.

I love gnocchi. Some day, I will be bold and attempt to make homemade gnocchi (once I have a potato ricer). Until then, I'll buy the packages of dried gnocchi in the store and be more than content.

I made this recipe in the easiest way possible. I used already made pasta sauce and packaged gnocchi. The recipe went together very quickly and was great, easy weeknight meal. The kids and I really enjoyed it. Curtis doesn't love gnocchi. I do though. He's stuck. This will serve only 3 (maybe 4 at the most) people.

Gnocchi with Tomato, Basil, and Olives
adapted from Lidia's Italian Table

2 T butter
1/2 c large green olives, pitted and just barely chopped
1 1/2 c tomato or pasta sauce
1 package gnocchi (8 oz, I believe)
1/2 c Parmesan, freshly grated
5 basil leaves, shredded
salt and black pepper, to taste

In a lg skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the olives and cook, stirring, until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions in a large pot of boiling water over high heat. Return the sauce to a simmer over low heat. Add the cooked gnocchi and stir gently with a wooden spoon until coated. Stir in the grated cheese and basil. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Rigatoni with Sausage-Tomato Sauce and Arugula

The hunt for arugula recipes continues. So far, I am not complaining, especially when I get led to recipes like this.

We all loved this dish. This sauce makes twice as much as needed for the amount of pasta. I recommend freezing half of the sauce and getting it out next time you want some quick and delicious pasta and sauce.

Rigatoni with Sausage-Tomato Sauce and Arugula
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 T olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 lbs fresh mild sweet Italian sausages, casings removed (can also use hot Italian sausage if you would prefer)
1/2 c dry red wine
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
8 oz rigatoni (a fat penne pasta)
2 c (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed
1/2 c fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain drippings from pot. Add wine, diced tomatoes with juice, and crushed tomatoes. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain. Stir in basil and oregano into sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Put pasta in bottom of large pasta bowl. Top with the arugula. Cover arugula with hot sauce and allow arugula to wilt before serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan

Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout

It was rainy and cold the other day and just the kids and I for supper. I was hankering for Butternut Squash Bisque, but didn't really want to make it without Curtis being here and I didn't know how well the kids would eat it. I searched for something more kid friendly and found this. It was a winner. Both kids loved and even wanted to eat the ragout (pronounced ragu) next day for lunch.

I changed up the recipe a little. The original recipe called for 6 oz of spinach. I don't have spinach. I have lots and lots of arugula in my fridge. Curtis ended up making it home for supper and I experimented with the arugula for our ragout. In the bottom of the bowl, I placed some coarsely torn arugula leaves. I topped it with the hot soup and then tossed it to help wilt the arugula. It was wonderful. I am pleased to have found a soup I can use arugula in. It added to the flavor and used a lot (you can use as much or as little arugula as you want).

Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Ragout
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb mild bulk Italian sausage
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
4 c chicken stock
1 (15-oz) can cannellini beans, drained
1 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped
2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 c elbow macaroni
1/2 - 1 c per serving of coarsely torn arugula
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add sausage and saute until brown, breaking up sausage, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (with juice), broth, beans, 1 c basil, oregano, and dried crushed red pepper. Simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until tender, but still firm to bite, about 10 - 15 more minutes. Mix in 1/3 c cheese and remaining 1/2 c basil. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, put torn arugula leaves in bottom of soup bowl. Ladle ragout into bowls and gently toss with arugula. Top with additional cheese if desired.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula

Mmm....bacon, cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and arugula. Do I really need to say more? I don't think so.

I loved this and Curtis thought it was pretty good. J ate his without complaint. M had to be convinced, but she ate around the green stuff when pushed.

I did tweak this recipe a little. I used half as much pasta as the recipe called for, but the same amount of sauce. I liked it like that. If you want a less rich meal, either also half the sauce or use a whole pound of pasta. The recipe is for my version.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Arugula
adapted from Gourmet

2 slices of thick bacon (or 1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2/3 c heavy cream
1/2 c drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 oz baby arugula, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 T fresh basil, chopped

Cook bacon in a 12" heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning as needed, until browned and crisped. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces when cool enough to handle. Pour off all but 2 T of fat from the skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat, then add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook penne in a pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 c cooking water and drain pasta.

To serve, combine pasta, arugula mixture, and parmesan in a large pasta bowl. Thin with remaining pasta water, if necessary. Stir in basil.

Eggplant Parmesan

In all my cooking with eggplant this summer, I've yet to make the classic eggplant dish. After getting an ample supply of eggplant this week, I decided I didn't want summer to pass me by without making this meal.

With the exception of M, this meal was hit. M is in a "I don't like anything with eggplant in it" phase right now, so that didn't surprise me. (It cracks me up though because her favorite snack is Baba Ganoush!). J ate two servings and Curtis and I both thought it was good---although Curtis did thing I could have fried the eggplant a little longer (he was right. For a change, I actually had my pan too hot instead of too cool, so they got dark on the outside before the inside turned into creamy goodness). This dish is basically just as good as the pasta sauce you use--I used my canned pizza sauce (I am a little nervous how fast I am going through the stuff. There is no way we'll make it to tomato season next summer!) I didn't have a full 2 lbs of eggplant so I just used what I had and adjusted the cheese and sauce as I went. We ate this with an arugula salad.

Eggplant Parmesan
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

2 medium to large eggplants, 2 - 3 pounds total, peeled and cut into 1/2" thick slices
salt
olive oil
flour, for dredging eggplants
2 c tomato or pasta sauce (homemade is best...)
2 c mozzarella cheese, grated
1 c Parmesan cheese, grated
fresh basil leaves

Heat 3 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, dredge the eggplant slices, one at a time, in the flour, until both sides are coated, shaking off the excess flour. Cook in hot olive oil for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and soft on the inside. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as they cook, remove from pan, and drain on paper towels. Repeat process until all eggplant slices are cooked, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.

In a lightly oiled 9 x 9" inch pan (for 1 3/4 lbs of eggplant, if you use more eggplant, you'll either need a bigger pan or more layers) or casserole dish, spoon a little tomato sauce onto the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant, followed by a thin layer of each of the cheeses and a few basil leaves. Repeat layers (sauce, eggplant, cheeses, basil) until all ingredients (except basil) are used up. End with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling. Mince a little bit of basil and sprinkle over top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Thai Beef Basil Stir Fry

I haven't been using all my basil lately and have been wanting a stir fry. I don't like a lot of the summer stir fry's because they are heavy on soggy/mushy summer squash and eggplant. This was about the simplest stir fry I've ever made. It had no soggy summer squash or eggplant. There was only beef, basil, and a little sauce. Absolutely perfect. We had this over rice and had some green beans on the side (needed a little green vegetables).



Thai Beef Basil Stir Fry
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

1 1/2 lbs flank or sirloin steak
1/2 c loosely packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 T oil (peanut is recommended, I used olive)
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T soy sauce or Thai fish sauce (or a mixture of both)
juice of one lime

cooked white rice (enough for 4 - 6 servings)

Slice the beef as thinly as possible (it's easier to slice if it is frozen slightly--either don't thaw completely or if already thawed, freeze for 15 - 30 minutes). Cut the slices into bite-sized pieces. Mix the beef, basil, and a t of peanut (olive) oil in a medium bowl, cover, and marinade in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Heat a large skillet over high heat until it smokes, 3 - 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the T of oil. Swirl it around and add the garlic. Briefly stir fry (15 seconds) and add the beef/basil mixture. Stir frequently and cook until the meat loses its red color (1 - 2 minutes). Add the soy sauce and lime juice, stir, turn off heat and serve over rice.

Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce

After eating rich French foods (I served the ratatouille with a hollandaise type sauce and chicken sauteed in butter) and lots and lots of chicken (the afore mentioned plus barbecue chicken and rotisserie chicken) for several days, I was in need of some simpler, lighter meals. One night we had the Nicoise Salad again (which I still LOVE!!). Last night, I wanted pasta and rediscovered this recipe.

I thought it was fabulous and Curtis liked it pretty well too. M and J wouldn't eat it. I think the raw red onions had a little too much "bite" for them. Next time I make it, I will leave the red onions and I suspect they will eat this just fine. This follows the Nicoise Salad well because any unused (uncooked) green beans and black olives from that dish are used in this dish. Yet it's different enough you don't feel like you are eating the same meal two days in a row. This recipe will serve 4 - 6.

Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce
either from a Moosewood Cookbook or Cooking Light Magazine...

2 c cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c fresh parsley, minced
2 T fresh basil, micned
1/2 c red onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c black olives, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 lb farfalle (or other chunky pasta--I used fusilli)
2 c green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes (just long enough for the water to return to a boil). Add the green beans to the pasta and cook 8 - 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the green beans are tender. Drain well.

While the pasta and beans cook, combine the tomatoes, parsley, basil, red onions, oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar in a large pasta bowl. Add the cooked pasta and green beans to the bowl with the seasoned tomatoes. Sprinkle the feta cheese over top (and gently toss everything together if you would like...I didn't). Serve hot or at room temperature

Summer We-Just-Got-Our-Box and I-Am-Tired Pasta

By Wednesday afternoon, I was exhausted and didn't feel like cooking. I was a little overwhelmed with the monotony of the box and summer produce and just wanted so simple comfort food. I remembered you can't go wrong with tomatoes, basil, and black olives so I went to work making my own pasta, easy for a tired, hot day. I also think of this as my Margharita Pasta (like an Italian Margharita pizza). The family loved it and I suspect I'll make it again and again. (The exhaustion directly contributes to the lack of photos...) When I named this, I thought of the movie Waitress and the wonderful pie names. This pasta follows in that vein (but not nearly as creative as her pies).

Summer We-Just-Got-Our-Box and I-Am-Tired Pasta

8 oz cappellini
2 T olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 -3 Roma (or San Marzano) tomatoes, chopped
2 - 3 T fresh basil, chopped
2 - 3 T black olives, sliced
Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook cappellini in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil until garlic is fragrant. When pasta is al dente, toss with garlic and olive oil. Gently stir in tomatoes, basil, and black olives. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over top.

Summer Pasta with Sausage and Beans

I had a hankering for sausage the other night, but wanted something not too heavy. I also had hopes of using some of my 20 pounds of tomatoes. I found a recipe on epicurious I thought I could adapt to fit the bill.

We all enjoyed it. There were a couple of things I'll tweak for next time. For example, the original recipe called for a roasted head of garlic---I won't do that next time. It heats the kitchen up too much and I didn't really taste the roasted garlic flavor (so I'm also leaving that step out of the recipe I am including). Here's my version.

Summer Pasta with Sausage and Beans
adapted from Gourmet

2 T oil oil
1/2 pound sausage, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 c onions, thinly sliced
2 c fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 c water
1/2 lb chunky pasta (I used farfalle)
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c Parmesan, grated

Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking, then cook sausage until browned. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is tender and lightly browned. Stir in beans and water. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced in half, about 15 - 2o minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Toss pasta with sausage mixture, tomatoes, parsley, and basil. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Ratatouille over Pasta

Last year, I made ratatouille by grilling the vegetables. This year, our gas grill still isn't hooked up and I am charcoal grill challenged, so I adapted my recipe to be made in the oven. The result was great. Curtis said this was his favorite meal I had made all year. The seasonings in the ratatouille are scant--just basil, olive oil, and salt. The vegetables are what really provide all the flavor. That said, use the freshest eggplant and tomatoes possible. We topped it with goat cheese which really complemented the flavor. In the past, I've also used feta in place of the goat cheese. I like the goat cheese much better though. I predict we will be eating lots of ratatouille this summer!

Ratatouille over Pasta
1/2 lb eggplant, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c + 2T olive oil
coarse sea salt
2 tomatoes, pureed
2 T basil, chopped
8 oz chunky pasta
goat cheese, crumbled

Stir together eggplant and onions in a roasting pan. Toss with 1/4 c olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Roast in preheated 450 degrees oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in zucchini and bell pepper with the eggplants and onions. Toss with remaining 2 T olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Roast for an additional 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the vegetables roast, bring pureed tomatoes and basil to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and the pasta and vegetables are ready. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta. Drain. Put the vegetables in the tomato sauce and combine. Place pasta in a serving bowl and pour tomato/vegetable sauce on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with goat cheese and serve.

Grilled Chicken with Bruschetta

I took a shortcut with the chicken marinade and used pre-marinaded chicken (lemon herb marinaded chicken from Central Market). This was an easy meal and everyone liked at least one part of it. The chicken and bruschetta we served over polenta. I have also made this and cut the chicken into strips and mixed it into pasta (and topped with the bruschetta).

Grilled Chicken with Bruschetta
from Cooking Light Magazine

Chicken
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 T Dijon mustard
1 t fresh rosemary, chopped
1 t fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
4 chicken breasts (or two whole chicken breasts)

Bruschetta
2 1/2 c tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c basil, chopped
1 T thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 t salt
1/2 t fresh garlic, minced
1/4 t black pepper

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken to the bag and seal. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for an hour, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine bruschetta ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Remove chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Grill chicken for 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with bruschetta, over pasta, polenta or by itself.

Pasta with Sausage-Tomato Sauce

This was a hit with everyone. I wish I would have had some arugula to throw in, but alas, none. It was just fine without the greens. I am sure you could substitute spinach, chard, or something else for the arugula if you had some. This is adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit.

Pasta with Sausage-Tomato Sauce

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (or hot Italian sausage)
1/2 c dry red wine
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes (I liked the organic fire roasted style for both tomatoes)
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
8 oz rigatoni, fusilli, or other chunky pasta
2 c fresh packed arugula, stemmed
1/2 c basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add sausage, cook until browned, breaking up into pieces, about 5 minutes. Drain grease. Add wine and both cans of tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer), stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain. Stir arugula, basil, and oregano into tomato sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes or until arugula wilts. Place over pasta in a large bowl and top with Parmesan.