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.
Continue reading ‘Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta’
Published by mel on June 16, 2009 in entree and recipe.
Now that is an alliterative title! Moving on…
I’m really not a big fan of store-bought or even most restaurant pesto. Something about it tastes stale or old…just not fresh. Maybe they make it too far in advance, maybe they heat it up too long before they use it. I’m not really sure – there’s just something off about it.
I’m lucky enough to live in a place where I can get fresh, local basil all year long. But most of you have likely been on a fresh basil hiatus for a few months. There’s no better way to welcome it’s arrival at the farmers market than fresh, homemade pesto.
Instead of the usual pasta, I dressed some garlic-sauteed shrimp in the fresh pesto. Nestled on creamy Parmesan polenta and topped with crisp pancetta, this is one of my new favorite recipes. It’s bright and fresh and summery, but still hearty. It’s like a fancy-pants shrimp and grits. I love it!
Continue reading ‘Pesto Shrimp w/Pancetta & Parmesan Polenta’
Published by mel on June 4, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I’m not usually a fan of pesto. I never order it, and avoid fancy sandwiches that are adorned with the stuff. It’s usually so oily that I can’t taste anything else. And who wants to taste pesto instead of mozzarella or Gouda or prosciutto? Not me!
But I had all of this lovely, purple-tipped asparagus and I am just a bit bored of roasted asparagus. Since the pantry and fridge were devoid of anything other than grains, beans and fire-roasted tomatoes, I didn’t have many options about what to do with my asparagus. So, I roasted it and made a pesto, figuring that I could go lighter on the oil because the juicy asparagus would compensate. I also used pistachios instead of pine nuts because it’s what I had, and I threw some roasted mushrooms in for texture.
The dish was much less greasy that its traditional cousin. The asparagus was almost creamy and the pistachios added a nice crunch. Lemon and garlic brightened it up and added a nice bite. I’m not even sure I can call this pesto, but it was darn tasty. It would also make a fabulous sandwich spread or even a dip for crackers. I skipped the meat this time, but I suspect this would be a nice side to grilled steak, chicken or sausage. Or even just a light sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs or chopped black olives or a poached egg. Endless possibilities…
Continue reading ‘roasted asparagus & pistachio pesto over fettuccine’
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