Category Archives: recipes

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas — Ina

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  • 3/4 pound fusilli pasta
  • 3/4 pound bow tie pasta
  • 1/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups pesto (packaged or see recipe below)
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1/3 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Pesto:

  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup pignoli (pine nuts)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
  • 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.

Yield: 4 cups

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi — Ina

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  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
  • 3/4 pound linguine
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 lemon, zest grated
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
  • 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
  • 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs from Cooking Light

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photo from magazine

Notes from dmv: despite following the directions my cooked lentils were mushy so I decided to serve them over rice and omit the eggs.  Also served with jarred cilantro chutney rather than fresh.  This simple dish was delicious.  Recipe is from one of favorite blogs: http://www.thebittenword.com/

1 cup dried small red lentils
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion–used less
1 cup chopped tomato
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain; discard bay leaf.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and tomato; sauté 8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add curry, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add lentils; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Add vinegar to pan. Break eggs into custard cups. Gently pour eggs into pan; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon. Place about 3/4 cup lentil mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 poached egg. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon yogurt and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro.

Pat-in yogurt and mayonnaise pastry Sherry Golden

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This soft pastry is not rolled out.  It is simply patted onto the bottom and sides of a pie or quiche pan.

1 c. AP flour
6 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
generous 1 tbsp yogurt
generous 1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp (or more) dijion or grainy mustard
a bit of cold water

Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix until it resembles cornmeal.  Add a bit of water if it doesn’t come together.

Pat into pan, dock, line with parchment paper, put in pie weights.  Place in frig.  Set oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 10min, remove weights and parch. paper and bake for 10 min more.

It’s very important to pre-bake pie shells for quiches.

 

Salmon, asparagus and pasta salad

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½ lb un-cooked salmon fillet, I used leftover cooked salmon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 teaspoons olive oil

8 ounces (2 1/2 cups) shell or other short pasta

6 ounces asparagus cut into 2-inch lengths

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 scallions thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoons capers, drained


Sprinkle salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon; cook 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, cool completely, and break into chunks.


Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus during last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Place 1/4 cup oil, vinegar, anchovy paste, garlic, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a jar. Cover and shake vigorously. Combine pasta mixture, salmon, and remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing.

Cranberry orange relish — food & wine

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2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen, 1 12oz bag is enough)

1 medium orange, quartered (ends removed)

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

Slice unpeeled orange into eights and remove any seeds.  Place half of the cranberries and half of the orange in food processor.  Pulse until evenly chopped.  Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the other half of oranges and cranberries.  Stir in sugar to taste and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Spicy Italian Faux Sausages

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DSCF0286

2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp veggie broth mix
2 tbsp granulated onion
1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed, optional
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp dried chili flakes, optional
1 tsp ground smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Braggs
1 tsp flax seeds

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.

Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.

Variation: You can shape the dough into little patties instead of links. If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can wrap the links in damp muslin or tea towel and tie ends with cotton twine

Plum Pudding – Amy Voigt

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31 oz can purple plums, drained, pitted and chopped (2 cups)
16 oz pkg ginger snaps, finely crushed (31/2 cups)
2 cups flour
11/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
3/4 cups milk
3/4 cups melted butter

Make up to 3 weeks ahead. Grease well a 12 cup mold and lid. Using a spoon, mix well all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into mold and cover with lid. Place on rack in deep 8 qt. pot. Add boiling water to half way up mold, not touching lid. Cover and simmer 3 hrs. and 45 min. Remove from water and cool on rack for 30 min, Loosen pudding and invert on platter. Wrap pudding and refrigerate. About 30 min. before serving, place pudding in double boiler, cover and simmer over boiling water until pudding is warm.

Crisp Crab Cakes – Ellie Krieger via Terry

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1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg — lightly beaten
2 tablespoon nonfat milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice — plus lemon wedges for serving
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
several dashes of hot sauce
1 lbs lump crab or crab claw meat — picked over
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive-oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 scallions — thinly sliced–optional
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper–optional

Mix 1/2 cup panko, the egg and milk in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce; fold in the crab meat, panko mixture, scallion, bell pepper mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Shape into 8 patties and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Optional ingredients — I did not use scallions or peppers but here are the directions if you choose to use them.  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/2 cup panko. Place on baking sheet, put a pat of butter on each cake. Bake at 400 for 15 min. Serve with lemon wedges.

Optional method of preparation –Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Mist the crab cakes with cooking spray and cook, sprayed-side down, 3 to 4 minutes. Spray the tops, flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes.

Yield: 6 crab cakes

Serve with Avocado Sauce

Tofu Spread my version

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tofu-1 pkg firm
lemon zest 1 tsp
cilantro a few tbsp minces
aleppo pepper flakes a few shakes
crystal 3 shakes
3 scallions minced
1 carrot grated
1 tbsp miso mixed
2 tbsp tahini
2-3 tbps lemon juice
black pepper to taste

1.Press tofu to remove excess water: Place tofu on a flat surface. Cover with a cutting board, and place an iron skillet or a similarly heavy object on top. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes.

2.Crumble tofu into a medium bowl. Mix in miso and tahini with lemon juice. Stir in onion, carrot, and other ingredients. Refrigerate.