Sweet Tomato Pasta

I like to learn. If money and a nagging guilty feeling didn’t create a necessary road block, I could very easily be one of those people who become a permanent student. Therefore, when I come in contact with something new that I like (be it a chemistry fact, music, or person), I become temporarily obsessive. I want to know all that there is to know about it/them [note to self: buy stock in Google]. I try to conceal this fact as best as possible from society (as intensity can freak people out), but it’s true nonetheless. So yes, I confess: my mind is full of trivial knowledge, that I probably locked myself in a room for a day or two to acquire, that means nothing to anyone save me. My latest “kick?”

Jamie Oliver

I’ve been cooking through his “Jamie’s Dinners” cookbook (the “Green One” for those of you who, like me, forget names of things and simple call them the “blue Weezer album” or the “pink Barefoot book”).

This is wonderful aaaaaaand easy:

1 Onion, chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, chopped and peeled

1 t. Dried Oregano

1 Crushed Red Chili

1 T. Butter

Olive Oil

½ lb. Ricotta Cheese

Handful fresh Basil

24oz Can (good) Plum Tomatoes

3 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1 t. Sugar

Salt/Pepper

½ lb. Pasta

Handful Parmesan Cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400F. Place Ricotta in a small baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, and red chili. Bake for 20 min. until firm. While the Ricotta is cooking, fry onions and garlic with the butter till cooked in a med size fry pan (about 4 min). Add tomatoes and cook for 15 min or so, breaking the tomatoes up with the back of a spoon. Add basil, vinegar, and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, bring enough water to a boil in a pot to cook pasta. Add salt to water and cook pasta according to package instructions. When cooked, add Parmesan, drained pasta, and crumble cooked Ricotta mix over. Enjoy the cheesy goodness.

**If you want to add a splash of red wine to the sauce and have some open (like I did last night), go ahead.

Vodka, Removable Noses, and Blustery Days

Here's the key word: Potatoes. Whether they are making Vodka, being the face of a childhood chocking-hazard toy (read: Mr. Potato Head), or being used in a savory soup to complement a blustery day, Potatoes seem to have the chameleon thing down. I thought I would experiment around with a few recipes for Potato-Leek soup I had and see what I could come up with. So here's another offering from this Culinary Pilgrim:

Potato Leek Soup

Chop, Chop, Chop

..and Chop

and sweat...

and simmer...

and puree...

and ENJOY.

2 Large Onions
3 Large Leeks
4 Cloves Garlic
4 lb. Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 t. Cayenne
2 t. Chopped Rosemary
3 Q. Chicken Stock
1 C. half and half
***

Preheat oven to 425F. Chop potatoes and garlic, place in a casserole dish or cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven 30min. Meanwhile, chop onions and leeks and drizzle with a couple tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Cook 10-15min over Medium heat, until onions are translucent. Dump roasted potato mixture into stock pot with other veggies. Add 1 tsp. salt, 2 t. pepper, cayenne, rosemary, and stock. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer 30 min. In a food processor (working in small batches), or if you're lucky enough to have a stick immersion blender, puree the soup. Return soup to pot, add cream, and season to taste.

*** I happened to have a small handful of mushrooms that we going to go bad if I didn't use them, so I chopped them up and threw them in as well. A nice savory touch, but optional.

Simple Salads

I have a confession.... we probably only eat beef a couple of times a year at our house (maybe less). That's not to say we don't eat other red meat (lamb, deer, etc). But even then, meat isn't exactly a house staple. My poor husband, the ultimate carnivore, believes that it isn't a meal unless meat is on the table. For four years I've tried (to no avail) to persuade him otherwise with grilled vegetables, pasta, polenta, and of course, salads.

Last night I had a breakthrough. On the way back to our rental from a long day's work on our newly purchased home, Trevor called and asked me to pick up "dinner." I'm thinking "ug" this probably means pizza...but no. He asked me to swing by Safeway to get the makings of a salad. If I can win him over, the rest of you are a piece of cake.

So, here is the beginning of a new series dedicated to making simple salads that are sure to be a hit side dish or a full meal. The key to a good salad?

Keep it fresh,
Keep it creative,
Keep it simple.


Here is the salad I made last night:

2 Nectarines, chopped
Mixed baby greens
Feta cheese
Toasted Pecans, coarsely chopped

Dressing (way simpler, cheaper, and better than you thought):

1 clove chopped garlic
1 t. good mustard
1 t. salt
1 t. good honey
1/2 t. pepper
3 T. Red wine vinegar
Mix with a fork or whisk in a small bowl and slowly drizzle in Extra Virgin Olive Oil until it is the consistency of a vinaigrette. (taste for seasoning)

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannellini...

Ok, so maybe the famous line from the Godfather was about dessert and not beans. Nevertheless, I believe that these Italian gems could pull off the job as an ambassador of peace just as well. Here they are thrown in Chicken Chili to add a light creamy texture (not to mention fiber and protein).

Enjoy!
(empty bowls: a very good sign)

2 lbs. Chicken (chopped into bit size pieces)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
3 Cans Cannellini Beans, rinsed
32oz Chicken Stock
1 Small Can Green Chilies
1 Jar (or 2 cups) good Salsa
1 Handful Chopped Cilantro (or Parsley)
1 tsp. Cumin
8oz Light Sour Cream
8oz Shredded Cheese (whatever you like...cheddar, jack, or a blend)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Corn Chips

In a large stockpot over med-high heat, cook the chicken and onions in the olive oil for about 5 min. Add the garlic and cook 10 more min. Add the beans, stock, chilies, salsa, cumin, salt, and pepper . Simmer 25 min. Stir in the cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve over crushed corn chips.

Chicken Legs: not just for beer-bellied men and 12yr old girls

Tender and Crisp Chicken legs with Sweet Tomatoes

Thanks to my new best friend in the Kitchen, Jamie Oliver, I was still able to make a few very simple meals while bed ridden this past month. His cookbook Jamie's Dinners* is now among my favorites. The best part is that he writes exactly how I want to cook (a wineglass of this and a handful of that). Unlike so many recipes that pretend to give you such liberty and then result in tasteless mediocrity, Jamie truly sets you free to play with the recipe, sub-out ingredients, and learn to love, and even more importantly, become comfortable in your kitchen.

• 4 chicken legs, preferably free-range or organic, jointed**
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
• 2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
• olive oil

optional:
• 1 x 410g tin of cannellini beans, drained
• 2 handfuls of new potatoes, scrubbed

"Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours***, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

If you fancy, you can add some drained cannellini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan and cook them with the chicken. Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish – remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once."

*Official review to soon follow
**I just use good old drumsticks
***I typically cook this a bit closer to 2 hrs.

Chicken Soup

In January it’s so nice, while slipping on the sliding ice,

To sip hot chicken soup with rice.

Slipping once, sipping twice, sipping chicken soup with rice.

In February it will be my snowman’s anniversary,

With cake for him and soup for me!

Happy once, happy twice, happy chicken soup with rice.

In March the wind blows down the door and spill my soup upon the floor.

It laps it up and roars for more.

Blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice.

In April I will go away, to far-off Spain or old Bombay,

And dream about hot soup all day.

Oh my once, oh my twice, oh my chicken soup with rice....

Visiting my Grandparents as a child, I often remember a collection of books that they had saved out just for us. One of my all time favorites was this little book by Maurice Sendak. Having not thought about it for the past 20 years or so, I was surprised to have the memory come back so vividly while cooking dinner a few nights ago. After I recovered from my nostalgic journey, I sat there trying to think what had rekindled this particular memory. There was the obvious: I was indeed cooking chicken soup that night, but I wondered why it had never come to mind the many times I'd had the soup before. The conclusion? I realized that I had never once made chicken soup. However, as Trevor was starting to come down with the flu, it seemed to be the perfect dish.

1 Whole chicken (quartered)
4-5 Carrots, cut into bit-sized pieces
3 ribs of celery, diced
4-5 tomatoes, diced
3 Cloves garlic, smashed
1 Lemon (squeezed)
handful of parsley
1 t. thyme
1/2t. cayenne pepper (just enough to help with the ol' sinuses for flu victims)
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 lb. pasta, cooked and drained (can sub out rice, barley, or a combo)

In a large stock pot, throw in the chicken, carrots, celery, 'matoes, lemon, and seasonings and cover 2-3" with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the stove to med-low for 1hr 15min. Fish out the chicken (salad tongs work really well), and allow to cool. De-meat the chicken (recommended tool - clean hands), piecing it into strips and return the meat to the pot. Add the pasta, check for seasonings, and you're set to go!***

***Tip: As one of the best times to consume this dish is while under-the-weather, and I never seem to want to do anything while sick, it's really smart to freeze or can this soup for future rainy days.

Shrimp Scampi over Risotto

A surprisingly light dish for possessing so much buttery goodness, Shrimp Scampi is always a household staple. It's delicious, but can also be made in about 15 min (which in my book is a fantastic combination). However, with all that buttery goodness also comes a lot of fat, calories, and everything associated. Although traditionally served over linguine, I found that if I served it over something a little heartier, like Risotto, I could cut back on some of the superfluous calories without any compromise on flavor.

Serves 2-3:
light drizzle of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1C. Arborio Rice
about 32oz. of good, low sodium chicken stock (maybe I'm just a control freak, but I like to
control the saltiness on my own)

1T. Butter
2T. olive oil (extra virgin)
Juice of 2-3 lemons
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
handful of fresh parley
1lb. uncooked, pealed shrimp
fresh ground pepper

Risotto:
In a med. size pot, drizzle oil, and add rice and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, till lightly browned. Adding 1/2 C. of the chicken stock & continue to stir every so often until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add another 1/2C. stock and repeat until the rice is soft, supple, and so creamy you would swear there was dairy in it. If it still needs more liquid, you can add either water (or stock if you have more).

Shrimp Scampi:
Over med. heat in a med. size skillet pan, melt the butter and oil together. Add the garlic and shrimp and cook 1-2 min on each side until pink. Add the lemon juice and season with pepper (or salt) to taste. Sprinkle with parsley.

To Serve: simply pour some of the shrimp mixture over the risotto and enjoy!