Published by mel on February 23, 2010 in entree and recipe.
For the past couple of months, Tom and I have been training for the A1A (Beach-front avenue!) Half Marathon and Sunday was the Big Day. For me, training was both exhilarating – you feel so accomplished when you’ve run a 10K before breakfast – and painful – patellar tendinitis isn’t particularly fun. Training made me hungry, made me hobble around like an old lady, made me stop drinking beer and wine on Saturday nights (the worst part by far) and made me actually stop wearing heels.
On the Big Day, we woke up at 3:30AM and had some homemade power bars and bananas and were on our way. The weather was great – 60 degrees – and we started our run heading east toward the most beautiful sunrise over the ocean. I didn’t have my best run, but Tom ran with me (almost) the whole way and my official time was 2:05:15. We crossed the finish line with our families cheering us on and then celebrated with a nice, big breakfast of French Toast, Eggs, Bacon and Bloody Marys. All in all, a wonderful, completely exhausting day.
So, what does all that have to do with Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta? Well, it was all part of our pre-race meal. This dish is one of those things my mom made all the time when I was growing up and my brother and I loved like crazy. It’s a super simple recipe: sauteed chicken with lots of garlic, olive oil, spinach and white wine all tossed with pasta, covered with cheese and baked. Delicious. So, I made a batch and my mother-in-law made Tom’s favorite spaghetti and meat sauce and we all carbo-loaded on Saturday night before the Big Day. Perfect pre-marathon food, but good pretty much all the time.
And now, I’ll happily return to beer and wine on Saturday nights, heels at work and a lot less pasta recipes on the site.
Continue reading ‘Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta’
Published by mel on February 2, 2010 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
This is one of those weeknight meals that I’m always a little hesitant about posting. Caramelized onion and mushroom pasta – isn’t that too easy? Are people going to roll their eyes at this? They might. Yes, it’s a very simple recipe, but everyone needs simple recipes to add to the weeknight repertoire, so I’m posting it anyway.
This pasta is just easy enough to make after work, but still interesting enough to make a Tuesday a little more exciting. It starts off with some onions caramelized in butter. Once they start to melt into sweet deliciousness, add some shiitake mushrooms and cook until everything browns and melts together. To brighten it up, make a quick pesto-like sauce with Italian Parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.
Toss some pasta with the mushrooms and onions, top with some parsley pesto and dust with Parmesan cheese. The pasta gets a nice, deep brown flavor from the shiitakes and an herby lift from the parsley. It’s a really simple, really delicious dish any night of the week.
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Published by mel on January 20, 2010 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
We’re in the throes of winter! Actually, we’re not here in Miami. After the ridiculous cold last week, it’s been a crisp and beautiful 70 degrees every day. This is why I live here! But enough bragging. For most of you, it’s still freezing outside and that makes salads really unappealing. Cold vegetables? No thanks. You want something warm and rich, like a lasagna. Or like this warm winter vegetable salad.
You start with rutabaga (or potatoes), carrots, leeks and brussel sprouts. Those get roasted with some olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh herbs and just a little bit of applewood smoked bacon. You know, because it’s winter and you need bacon in the wintertime. Once they’re caramelized and delicious-looking, you toss everything with some whole wheat orzo and drizzle with a balsamic reduction.
This salad doesn’t mess around – it’s bold and rich from the roasted vegetables, woodsy from the herbs and a little smoky from of the bacon. It’s everything you could ever ask for in a salad – except for lettuce.
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Published by mel on November 6, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Hello blog! I’ve missed you so very much this week! Silly things like traffic and being sick have kept me away, but I’m back and I want to tell you about this pasta I made. It’s got roasted delicata squash, lots of spicy Spanish chorizo, toasted hazelnuts and sage. It’s smoky and nutty, a little sweet and just right for fall.
If you think nuts and pasta are a kind of weird together, you shouldn’t. Hazelnuts add a nice toasty flavor and some textural contrast to the squash. Without them, this pasta would be missing something. Some might even accuse it of being mushy. Go ahead, add the hazelnuts. (unless you’re allergic, of course. Then, please skip the nuts!)
It’s a simple meal that hits the spot.
Continue reading ‘Squash, Chorizo & Hazelnut Pasta’
Published by mel on October 7, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
They tell me it’s fall. Actually, I know it’s fall because the ice cream shop was serving pumpkin and chocolate pecan pie flavors. I know it’s fall because of college football and baseball playoffs and Octoberfest. But it actually feels nothing like fall down here. It’s all record highs and stifling humidity. And mosquitos. Sigh. At least we have the beach. I’ll always be happy at the beach.
But just because it’s hot, that doesn’t mean that I’m not in the mood for fall flavors like squash and pumpkin and cranberries. And I’m always in the mood for soup, so this week I made a simple white bean soup with mini lamb meatballs. This is definitely a soup that’s a meal. White beans, dark green Lacinato kale, whole wheat pasta and ricotta lamb meatballs. Very hearty. Very fall-like. I’ll just close my eyes and pretend the leaves are changing…
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Published by mel on September 29, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Whew! It’s been a really hectic couple of weeks traveling for work and leisure. Tom turned 30 and we had a weekend-long celebration in Las Vegas. For the record, Burger Bar might just be my favorite place on earth. They let you add jalapeno bacon to your burger. Have you ever even heard of jalapeño bacon? It was astounding. Wonderful. Magnificent. Almost brought tears to my eyes. I’m already planning my trip back just so I can have another taste of that jalapeño bacon.
But, moving on… Since I’ve had zero time to cook, I had a really bizarre assortment of ingredients in the fridge. Turkey kielbasa, one egg, savoy cabbage, some onions, peanut butter, piquillo peppers, condiments galore and way too much beer. But don’t worry – I didn’t just combine everything for this dish. Instead, I translated German Currywurst into a noodle dish.
I sauteed some onions, turkey kielbasa and thinly sliced cabbage, then made a simple sauce with some white wine, deli mustard, tomato paste and hot curry powder. The result was a really comforting bowl of noodles. Reminiscent of German street food, but not so much that it was weird. One of those pantry meals that ends up being a total winner and something I’ll actually make again. At least, my husband hopes I will.
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Published by mel on September 3, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Can I tell you that my pressure cooker is one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten? My mom gave it to me last Christmas when she saw me coveting hers and the speediness in which she could make a stew or a pot of beans. I’ve been happily saving time ever since. I grew up with the sound of a pressure cooker chug-chug-chugging away like a steam engine on my grandmothers’ stoves, so I never thought to be afraid of them. Recently, someone posted about their Pressure Cooker Phobia on the Serious Eats message boards. I quickly chimed in with reassurance and recipes, but it got me thinking that some people don’t quite “get” why a pressure cooker is any better than a pot.
Sure, you can cook your food in record time, but I think there’s more to it than that. A pressure cooker traps heat and steam, regulated by a small valve so that it won’t explode. Because the steam recirculates, the liquid and everything inside reaches much higher temperatures than it would in a regular pot. Not only does this cook your food faster, but it also allows the flavors to meld and intensify without drying out.
So, even though it’s still hot down in my part of the country, I’ve been craving a thick, hearty ragu and decided to give it a go in the pressure cooker. Normally, my ragu takes at least 3 hours on low heat until the meat is tender and falling apart enough for me claim success. This ragu took 30 minutes, start to finish. I kid you not. Thirty minutes. And boy was it good!
Instead of the usual lamb, I used pork center loin because it’s what I had. A quick sear, then add the rest of the ingredients, seal the pot and 25 minutes later, a deliciously rich and intense ragu for my rigatoni. I may never make ragu the slow way again.
Related: Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
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Published by mel on August 7, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I don’t want to get into a whole thing about girly foods versus manly foods. As a woman, I do love my salads, dainty cheese tarts and chocolate. But not any more than I love big, beefy burgers, buffalo wings and nachos. Food is delicious and I will not take sides!
Even after all that, I have to say, this pasta salad is a manly salad. It’s hearty and bold and full of freshly grilled steak. It is not a side dish. It’s an aggressive, filling entree. The first time I made this, I tossed everything with a little vinaigrette and topped it with diced avocado and crumbled blue cheese. It was good, but it was missing something to tie it together.
I tried again, this time making a creamy dressing with the avocado and blue cheese and … success! The dressing pulled everything together like mayonnaise usually does. The rest of the ingredients – pasta, tomatoes, red onion and steak – completed the salad.
I loved it, Tom loved it. This is a salad for all the sexes.
Continue reading ‘Pasta Salad w/Steak & Blue Cheese Avocado Dressing’
Published by mel on May 28, 2009 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Now that Memorial Day is over, I assume it’s fair to say that summer’s here. I know, I know. Summer’s not officially here until June 21st, but it’s hot, humid and I’m at the beach every weekend. To me, that means Summer is Here. And with summer comes cookout season. That means you’ll most likely be asked to bring a side dish or two to a backyard BBQ soon.
Pasta salad has long since been a favorite potluck dish. It’s easy, you can make it well ahead of time and needs nothing more than a spoon to serve. It’s perfect.
And of course, everyone has their favorite version. Some are dressed with mayo and some with vinaigrette. Some are tossed with fruit, some with veggies and many with both. I was really craving cold soba noodles, but wanted to translate those flavors into something a little less…slurpy. Something that would be great on a buffet table.
I made this simple pasta salad with whole wheat shells, shredded carrots, green beans, green onions, cashews and a delicious tahini dressing. Topped with fresh herbs, this is going to be the pasta salad I bring everywhere this summer. It’s light and refreshing, but still unique and addicting. Best of all, it would be great with all manner of seasonal vegetables. Hello summer!
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Published by mel on April 28, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Around here everyone dresses their skirt steaks with a dollop of Chimichurri. If you’ve never had it, you’re definitely missing out. Chimichurri is a steak condiment originally from Argentina and made from parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. It’s rich and herbal, tangy and a little spicy. It’s the perfect accompaniment for grilled beef.
Since Chimichurri also resembles pesto, I figured it would make a great pasta sauce. And I was right. I grilled a skirt steak and some big, purple asparagus and tossed them with Rigatoni and a fresh batch of Chimichurri. I loved the grilled flavors with the pasta and garlicky sauce.
This is the perfect meal to eat outdoors when the weather is nice and you have a big frosty beer or chilly glass of wine. Is it the weekend yet?
Continue reading ‘Steak, Asparagus & Chimichurri Pasta’
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