Nothing says spring like fresh peas. Unfortunately I don’t have fresh peas but these organic frozen peas sure were sweet. I made a quick and dirty dinner with whole wheat penne pasta. I cooked up some onions and garlic in olive oil, added some chopped chicken breast to it. Once that was almost cooked through in went a bunch of frozen peas. I made a sauce using a couple tablespoons of flour mixed with a cup or so of skim milk. This was added to the chicken and peas along with a half cup of fresh chopped tarragon from the garden. The cooked pasta was tossed with this mixture and topped with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. It was YUMMY.
Tarragon Chicken and Pea Penne
May 29, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Barbie Bonanza
May 25, 2008 by 1 Comment
The weather was perfect this Memorial Day weekend for firing up the grill. We had some friends over last night to share in the BBQ bonanza. On the menu was a kalamata olive and walnut stuffed pork tenderloin, Jamaican jerk chicken kabobs, classic burgers on the grill, grilled asparagus, grilled vidalia onions and grilled potatoes.
First let’s talk pork. I started by brining the whole pork loin in a mixture of salt, sugar, whole bay leaves, whole cardamon, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano and garlic. This was brined for about 3 hours. The pork was then cut open using a roll-cut technique to make a large flat open piece about 1/2 inch think. This was smeared with the kalamata olive and walnut stuffing.
Kalamata Olive and Walnut Stuffing
3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp juice from olives
Juice from half a lemon
3/4 cup walnuts
a handful of cilantro
black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
All the ingredients were blended finely in a food processor.
After the filling was spread evenly over the pork it was rolled up back into a tenderloin shape and tied securely with butcher’s twine. This was rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling.
Now for the chicken. I was inspired by Teresa from Running to Eat. This dish was so simple. I just made a Jamaican jerk inspired marinade and let the chicken soak for a couple hours. These were skewered and thrown on the BBQ.
Jamaican Jerk marinade
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp freshly ground allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp freshly ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
Juice of one small orange
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tsp habanero hot sauce
The pork was grilled over a medium flame turning every so often until the inner temperature reached 165 F. It was taken off the fire and allowed to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
We cooked some burgers for the kids. These are simply flavored with seasoned salt. Asparagus got a quick grill after being tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.
I just LOVE whole onions grilled slow over a fire. These vidalias already started out pretty sweet. They were almost like candy after grilling. The pork was stuffed perfectly.
And here’s a plate all assembled.
Soba Stir Fry
May 14, 2008 by 1 Comment
Nothing like the thought of Asian food to make me start instantly salivating. I made this chicken, broccoli and soba noodle stir fry and it really hit the spot. I first cooked the soba noodles and set it aside. Then I quickly stir-fried some broccoli, garlic and ginger in a mixture of olive oil and sesame oil. Once they were just slightly cooked I removed them from the wok. The chicken was marinated in a mixture of soy, sesame oil, mirin, and a splash of teriyaki sauce. This was added to the hot wok and fried just until cooked. The veggies were added back to the wok and the noodles were tossed in. I did add some more soy, sesame oil, mirin and teriyaki sauce. A quick toss and everything was nicely mixed together.
Spring Green
May 1, 2008 by 2 Comments
Yes, spring is arriving here in the frozen north. I can’t wait to get digging into the dirt and get my garden planted for the season. One thing I grow in abundance every year is basil. I love pesto and can’t wait for the height of summer when the basil comes into my kitchen by the bushel. I can eat pesto on anything from pizza to sandwiches to, of course, pasta. In anticipation of the coming gardening season I made a pesto pasta dish. This is not my usual pesto as the little containers of basil I find at the grocery are way too expensive to make a big batch. So I kicked this one up by combining the basil with baby spinach leaves. So, I guess it’s a basil and spinach pesto. It was nicely flavored with the basil but the spinach tamed it down so it was not so over the top as I usually do it. I also added some chicken, mushrooms, onions and garlic to this dish along with some fresh tomato at the end. Here are more details of the recipe I whipped up for this dish. Oh, I didn’t realize I was out of pine nuts and walnuts so I used almonds instead. Turned out pretty good.
BASIL SPINACH PESTO
1 package of fresh basil leaves (about 1/2 cup loosely packed leaves)
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/4 cup slivered almonds (walnuts or pine nuts are better)
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
extra virgin olive oil, about 1/2 cup (I didn’t measure)
All the ingredients except the oil were added to a blender. The ingredients were processed while drizzling in the olive oil to make a loose sauce or paste. You could add a bit of water too if you want to cut down on the oil. A wooden spoon was carefully used to stir the leaves in the blender while processing. The pesto sauce was set aside until needed.
OTHER SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 pound of sliced boneless skinless chicken breast
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic chopped
5 large button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 chopped fresh tomato
To a hot large pan (I used a wok, actually) was added about a tablespoon of olive oil. The onions and mushrooms were added along with a bit of salt and pepper and sautéed until fully cooked. The garlic was added toward the end of the cooking. The onion and mushroom mixture was removed from the pan and the chicken slices, seasoned with salt and pepper, were added. Once the chicken was cooked through the onion mixture was added back to the pan.
Meanwhile in a large pot of boiling water a 1 pound package of thin whole wheat spaghetti was cooking. Once it was cooked to al dente the paste was drained and added to the chicken and onion mixture. A splash of the pasta water was added to prevent burning in the pan. The pesto sauce and fresh tomatoes were added and the paste was tossed to mix everything well. This was turned out into a serving bowl.
Tasty Little Ears
April 5, 2008 by 3 Comments
Ok, ok. I know the title of this post is scary. Especially after my post about chicken feet which probably has you really worried that I am now cooking up pig ears or something. Don’t worry! I promise you’ll like this. I’m talking about the little ear shaped pasta known as orechiette. I’ve made them for the first time and they turned out pretty good. I threw together some pasta dough using flour, water, salt and egg. This was cut into small pieces and then pressed with my thumb in the palm of my hand to shape the dough into little ears. They are thicker than your typical orrechiette but I like my pasta thick and chewy.
Most orechiette recipes you see are made with broccoli rabe. I made mine with chicken and spinach. It had lots of garlic, of course. A splash of cream and some parmigiano reggiano and that’s all you need for a wholesome, delicious, filling meal.