39 posts tagged “pasta”
It's actually pretty rare for my grocery store to have tomatillos, which is why I appreciate the canned version I have been able to find at Whole Foods. Last time I went to WF, even they didn't have fresh tomatillos. I don't get it.
Last week, I was grocery shopping when I not only saw tomatillos, but saw them on sale. Now, I am a bit of a planner. I plan our meals out for the week--maybe not by the day, but I make a list of meals and ingredients and shop from that. I *try* not to stray from the list because I want to save money and not waste food. Clearly, though, these sale priced tomatillos were a sign from the food gods--who, incidentally, have NOT been giving me any clear signs as to how to use this southwestern pasta blend that has been sitting in my cupboard forever. So, I threw them in my cart, had Tom grab a poblano pepper for...something, and thought about what to do with them later.
Which, as you have probably guessed, is where the southwestern pasta came in. I never knew how to use this pasta because I was always afraid the sauce would overpower the noodles. I decided to make a relatively mild sauce that is similar to a salsa verde to complement the flavors in the pasta. I threw in some tequila-lime flank steak for protein and there you have it. This was pretty damn delicious and of course it would be great on regular ol' pasta. I am going to submit this over to the lovely Ruth who runs Presto Pasta Night.
On a semi-related note, what do you, dear reader, consider "light?" You see, I tag healthy things in this blog as "light" but I have a really hard time making a judgment call on some things. Like this dish for example. To me, it's pretty low cal for a meal that just needs a salad as a complement. But do you think 14g of fat is too much? Does the carb-o-rificness of this dish negate its healthfulness? I am torn. Please weigh in (no pun intended). But not just on this dish, in general. For now, I am leaving the light tag off this one.
Southwestern Pasta with Flank Steak and Tomatillo-Poblano Sauce
Serves 4
1 poblano pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. tomatillos, cored and quartered
1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp. cumin
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup black beans
4 cups cooked southwestern blend or other pasta
Tequila-lime flank steak (recipe follows)
Cilantro (optional)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Directly over a gas burner or in the broiler, char the poblano on all sides until it blisters. Put it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until it is cool enough to handle. Peel it and dice it.
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent, then add the garlic, poblano, tomatillos, cumin, salt and pepper. Saute for a minute and then stir in the chicken broth. Cover, turn the heat to low or medium-low and let simmer while your steak marinates (about 20 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and add the lime juice. Season to taste if necessary. Then, put the mixture into a food processor, along with the sour cream and pulse process until well combined. Put the sauce back in the pan and add the black beans, stirring to warm them through.
Toss the sauce with the pasta and the flank steak. And that evil cilantro, if you want ;)
Tequila-Lime Flank Steak
1/2 flank steak (about 10 oz.)
2 Tbsp. tequila
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
juice of 1/2 a lime
cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Grill or broil the steak to your desired doneness. Let rest under a foil tent for a few minutes before slicing.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 453 / Fat: 14g / Saturated Fat: 4g / Carbs: 51g / Fiber: 5.6 / Protein: 24.5g
If you use whole wheat pasta (always encouraged!) you will up your fiber and protein.
There are so many dishes that I've heard of frequently, and always mean to try, but somehow never get around to them. As soon as I saw this recipe for Chicken Paprikash in Peter's blog, Kalofagas, I starred it. Paprikash is precisely one of those things--something I always hear about and know I would love, but have never eaten.
I was confident I would love Peter's rendition of this dish because in addition to the delicious smoked paprika, it calls for a bay leaf. I love bay. I'm fairly certain you could simmer a jug of Clorox bleach with a bay leaf and I'd find it tasty.
I did use chicken thighs in this recipe instead of chicken breasts because I like the flavor better and they are a little more tender, but of course you could use breasts. The only thing I was missing from this recipe was the green pepper so rather than go out and buy one, I just used frozen tricolored peppers. Also, I'm sure roasted tomatoes are great in this recipe but I had some leftover canned crushed tomatoes from the day prior, so I used that in place of the cherry tomatoes.
Served over some egg noodles (and with a salad), this was a delicious and hearty meal. In fact, it was almost too hearty. This may be the first time neither my husband nor I could finish our dish. We came close. Really close. In fact, I definitely gorged myself because this was good stuff. I absolutely love the way this sauce turned out and this will definitely be made again. Next time, though, I plan to make it when it's cool out because I think the 90 degree weather we were having the day I made this didn't really "go" with this comforting, hearty dish. :)
Chicken Paprikash
adapted from Kalofagas
Serves 2
3-4 chicken thighs, skin removed
flour, for dredging
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 oz. white wine (this is where freezing extra wine in ice cube trays comes in handy!)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1/4 cup sour cream (I use reduced fat)
1 scallion, sliced
salt and pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then lightly dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken to the saute pan with lid/dutch oven and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken.
To the pot, add the onions, bell pepper, bay, & garlic, sauteing until the vegetables are tender. Deglaze with the wine, being sure to scrape up the browned bits and cook the wine off. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Once the sauce is at a boil, add the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pan. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional 10, until the sauce thickens. Take the pot off the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Adjust seasoning, if necessay. Serve over egg noodles and top with the sliced scallion.
My few and far between updates lately have probably clued you into the fact that things around here have been pretty busy. I think we've spent half the month of July out of town and this will probably be my only post this week, too, because we have some dinner plans and also are going to Lollapalooza this weekend. Hopefully if I make it back (I'm getting too old and it's far too hot for me to be going to a 3-day outdoor festival), things will start picking up around here in August.
A torta Giada made inspired me to make this dish because I had all the ingredients on hand. Well, okay, that's not actually true. I discovered just as I was about to throw my spaghetti into the boiling water that I really only had 6 oz. of pasta. And then I realized I just had about 1/3 cup of sundried tomatoes. And I never have parmesan cheese - I always opt for more flavorful romano. And, well, you guessed it. I didn't have fontina, either.
But no matter. This torta or spaghetti frittata or pasta quiche or whatever you want to call it (my husband, who always comes up with really unappealing names for dishes regardless of them being good, has dubbed this "spaghetti frisbee") is a really basic, versatile dish that you can pretty much throw anything you want into.I decided to replace some of the egg with half and half because I needed to use it up before it spoiled. I also added some chicken sausage to bulk this up and add a little protein. And of course I added nutmeg because I personally do not think a white or egg sauce is complete without nutmeg. This was simple and good. A nice crispy outside with a creamy inside. I increased the sundried tomatoes in the recipe below because I do think mine needed a few more. I think some caramelized onions would also be a great addition to this.
Spaghetti Frisbee
Serves 4
6 oz. spaghetti, cooked and cooled
2 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 links (1/2 lb.) Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
1 oz. smoked gouda, grated or shredded
2 oz. pecorino romano, grated
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup half and half or cream
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper (I actually used zero salt - odd for me - because of the cheese & sausage)
Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a pan and then crumble the sausage into the pan, cooking until done. Set aside to cool.
Mix together the cheeses, nutmeg, half and half, eggs & some freshly ground pepper. Toss the mixture with the cooled pasta and then stir in the sausage and the sundried tomatoes.
Preheat the broiler. In a nonstick skillet (mine was 10"), heat the remaining tsp. of olive oil and the butter. Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the skillet, pressing to form an even layer. Cook until the bottom is golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the broiler to finish cooking and crisp up, about 5 more minutes. Allow to cool slighly before inverting onto a platter and slicing into wedges.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (with whole wheat pasta & Trader Joe's chicken sausage): Calories: 389 / Fat: 18.4g / Saturated: 6.5g / Carbs: 36g / Fiber: 5.7g / Protein: 24.1g
I love lo mein. It's one of those things I love to eat at a Chinese restaurant (or for take out), but I've never actually made at home. A few weeks ago, I was doing my usual aimless wandering around Whole Foods when I saw some lo mein noodles. I decided to pick some up and, well, here we are.
I made this almost exactly like I make my stir fry and I thought it turned out quite tasty. One of the great things about this is that it's a way to curb your craving for Chinese food without all the fat and oil that is typical of restaurant Chinese restaurant food. In fact, one of my favorite places to get lo mein is SO oily that when I reheat the dish the next day, I usually pour out a good 1/4 cup of grease that has accumulated at the bottom of the container. Ick. Any by "ick" I mean "mmmm tasty, but I really shouldn't eat this."
This is meant to be a healthier version of the dish, so I didn't use a lot of oil but you could definitely add more if you'd like. The addition of the sesame oil at the end gives it a nice extra nutty flavor in addition to making it a little more fatty and luxurious without being horrible :) Some fresh ginger would be great in this, but unfortunately I didn't have any around. And, of course, you can use any vegetables you want, have around, or like.
I am submitting this over to Ruth for Presto Pasta Night.
Chicken Lo Mein
Serves 2
4 oz. lo mein noodles
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium chicken breast, cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1/2 small onion, sliced or diced
1 large carrot, cut into coins or matchsticks
1 large celery stalk, sliced
4 oz. mushrooms (I used a combo of shiitake and oyster)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup peapods, whole or sliced
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lo mein noodles and cook, then drain and rinse under cold water. In a bowl, make your sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
Bring canola oil to just under a smoking point in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until done.
Add the vegetables and stir fry until tender-crisp, just a couple minutes. (If you want certain veggies more done, just cook them longer and stagger your vegetable additions; I often add onions around the same time as the chicken because I like my onions to be totally sauted and for their flavor to come through the whole dish).
Add the sauce, and then add the noodles. Mix everything together well. If the veggies need to cook longer, cover and steam until done. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 448 / Fat: 9.4g / Saturated Fat: 1.2g / Carbs: 58g / Fiber: 4g / Protein: 29g
Well, we're back. We had a great time visiting family in Michigan and I ate my weight in Greek desserts (and lamb and potatoes and tzatziki and bread and...). Calorically speaking, the last 5 days didn't happen ;)
As a result of being out of town, we came home to a pretty empty kitchen. We won't be getting groceries until later tonight so in the meantime, I had to make due with what I had around. Frozen shrimp is one of the greatest things for those kinds of nights. You can cook it from frozen or just thaw it under some cold water for a few minutes. And there you go, you have a lean protein that is great in pasta or rice, grilled, in tacos, whatever you want.
A while back I came across two recipes for shrimp baked with feta and below is my version of this dish, made a little more Greek with the use of hilopites. Normally, I would make this with fresh basil and parsley but we didn't have any around. I did have the chopped/frozen basil from Trader Joe's, though, so I actually used a couple cubes of that.
This is a really simple, delicious and healthy dish. Hey, it won't erase the diples from the past weekend, but it will still make you feel great.
Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta
Serves 2
1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup hilopites (or orzo)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried basil (I used 2 of the fresh/frozen TJ's cubes)
1/4 cup white wine
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
salt and pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook hilopites until just al dente (won't take long at all for such a small pasta). Drain.
Meanwhile, in a skillet or a small dutch oven, heat the olive oil until shimmering and then add the onions and cook until transulent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Then, add the white wine and reduce by half. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, basil, and salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavors.
Off the heat, stir in the shrimp and the hilopites. Move the mixture to a small baking dish (unless you are using a dutch oven; if so just keep it like that) and top with the feta. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until the shrimp has cooked through.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 422 / Fat: 11g / Carbs: 46g / Protein: 28g
A few weeks ago, I went to Greektown with my friend for dinner. I was meeting her there and was a little early, so I decided to duck into the Greek market. I hardly ever go there because it's really out of the way and it always seems to be closed when I'm in the area. Whenever I go, I tend to stock up on...well, cheese, primarily. (And, shh, don't tell but I prefer the Bulgarian feta to the Greek kind).
At any rate, when I was browsing the aisles for long, tubular noodles for making pastitsio, I came across hilopites and just about ran up to the clerk to hug him. I had never seen them there before, and I have been wanting (and searching for) hilopites for a while now. Hilopites are small, square egg noodles. When I was young, about 90% of my diet consisted of things with hilopites and soups made with fithe (or is it fide? Or...I can never type Greek words in English. But, it's similar to vermicelli.)
Hilopites are just one of those things that are so nostalgic for me. To be honest, more than anything, they bring back memories of what a picky eater I was. I remember visiting Greece and begging my great aunt to make me plain broth with fide or hilopites every day I was there. I probably haven't eaten them in a good 15 years. So maybe now you understand why I was SO excited to find them!
This recipe is really nothing new. It's similar to my manestra but with a little added spice. I make something like this very often, both with beef and with chicken (dark meat). Sometimes I just serve the sauce over spaghetti instead of cooking pasta along with the meat. Sometimes I use allspice and bay instead of cinnamon and cloves. But I always top it with myzithra :)
You'll have to excuse the monotone picture, here. I forgot to put the extra parsley on before photographing!
Beef with Hilopites
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. beef, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried or about 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 cups water
1/4 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 lb. hilopites
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a deep saute pan. Season the beef with salt and pepper and then add to the oil to brown, in batches if necessary. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and parsley (if you are using dried) and saute an additional minute before adding the tomato paste. Cook off the tomato paste for about 30 seconds, and then add the water. Be sure to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then add the beef back in. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour or really as long as you'd like (the longer you simmer, the more tender the beef gets).
Add the hilopites and simmer, uncovered, until done, stirring occasionally. If you are using fresh parsley add it around the same time as you add the hilopites.
Originally, I had wanted to make a really simple pasta with some grilled steak, goat cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil. But, as I find way too often, the basil at my grocery store looked horrible and Trader Joe's was all out (Seriously? I don't think I have seen basil at TJ's in 8 or 9 months). So, onto Plan B.
In the event that I find basil that doesn't look awful, it inevitably comes in a large amount that Tom and I just never get through. So, I make a batch of pesto, which I freeze in small portions. Pesto freezes beautifully, and it's a great thing to have around for adding some oomph to anything from fish, to potatoes, and of course pasta.
That said, this isn't really much of a recipe so I debated whether or not to even include it in my blog. But hey, why not? If anything, maybe it will give someone a simple pasta idea or convince them to freeze some pesto. :)
For this dish, I took a pint of grape tomatoes and sauteed them in just a little olive oil (with salt and pepper) until they started to burst. I tossed those with some whole wheat penne, the pesto, and a steak I cooked and thinly sliced.
Voila!
I'm also submitting this to Ruth over at Presto Pasta Night.
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Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast has been hosting Presto Pasta Nights for a whole year now. Thanks, Ruth! I really wanted to participate in this week's roundup--the big PPN birthday--so hopefully I am not too late!
Speaking of events, for those of you who have posted your entry to Eat to the Beat, thanks for participating! I have seen some really delicious and really creative things. If you haven't emailed me your info, please do that. I am using my emails to do the round-up so I don't want to accidentally forget anyone. If you emailed me your info and you didn't hear back from me that either means I didn't get your email or I did, but you didn't get mine. The interwebs is crazy like that! So either way, please email me again. Thanks!
Anywho, like any "presto" kind of dish, this meal came together with ingredients I always manage to have on hand (OK, I did have a minor panic attack on Monday when I made pizzas and realized, to my horror, that I was out of goat cheese but I have since remedied that situation). It's a dish that's easy to prepare but definitely not lacking in flavor. The goat cheese gives this pasta a creamy consistency (and makes it a pretty color!) and is a *little* better for you than heavy cream. Plus, it just gives that little tang of extra flavor. I'm really glad I made enough to take leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Penne with Goat Cheese-Tomato Sauce (and peas, mushrooms, and chicken sausage...)
Serves 4
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 (4-5 oz) hot Italian sausages, casings removed (I use chicken sausage)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
a few tbsp of wine or broth (not necessary but it's good for deglazing)
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp. fresh basil (more for garnish if desired)
1 small (4oz) log goat cheese
salt and pepper
10-12 oz. penne, cooked
Heat a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. When shimmering, crumble in the sausage and saute until browned. Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms and garlic. Once the mushrooms and onions are tender, add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute before adding a few splashes of broth/wine to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the browned bits.
Add the crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer to combine the flavors, 10 or 15 minutes. Add the peas and heat through for a minute or two. Stir in the basil and the goat cheese. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the goat cheese has melted into the sauce. Season to taste if necessary and combine with the cooked pasta.
I had every intention of making lasagna rolls yesterday. Aren't these supposed to be the "easier" alternative to lasagna? Me thinks not. I boiled my noodles to al dente (with some oil so that they wouldn't stick together), stirred them around as they cooked. Guess what? Half the noodles stuck together. When I tried to pry them apart from one another, I ended up with some interesting noodle shapes, definitely not suitable for the pretty lasagna rolls I had envisioned.
So, onto Plan B. A regular ol' lasagna (with the torn pieces hidden in the middle layer, of course). I decided to make a healthier-than-usual lasagna, and it turned out really well, even if it wasn't as pretty to photograph as rolls would have been. I wanted to make a vodka sauce with this, but I was out of cream, and after the noodle fiasco, I just decided to use some jarred sauce. I'm just going to say this is pretty healthful and leave it at that (without posting nutritional information), since so many things can vary that based on what you use. I personally used 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, 2% mozzarella (full fat goat & romano cheeses) and about half a jar of jarred pasta sauce. I cut my lasagna into 6 servings, at 370 calories a piece.
Whole Wheat Chicken Lasagna
1/2 box whole wheat lasagna noodles; cooked al dente (this could vary based on size of the noodles; mine were shorter than regular)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded or diced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
oregano and basil, to taste
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsley chopped
4 oz. (1 small log) goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
1.5 cups pasta sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded or grated romano cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in the cooked chicken, garlic, oregano, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and saute for a few minutes to develop the flavors and wilt the spinach. Put the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the goat cheese and then the beaten egg.
Spray a baking dish with some cooking oil and then pour about 1/2 cup of pasta sauce over the bottom. Layer 1/3 of the noodles over the sauce, and then pour half the chicken mixture over the noodles. Repeat layering (sauce, noodles, chicken). Add a final layer of noodles, followed by the last 1/2 cup of sauce. Top with the shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.
On Saturday, Tom and I ventured outside in the freezing cold. It turns out this was not the best idea for me since I tend to fall when there is even a tiny bit of ice out, and there was more than a tiny bit on Saturday. Ah, it was a sight to see; me clinging for dear life to the fences along the sidewalk. But I still fell. Sigh. Luckily, it was for a good cause because we were headed to the meat market to buy something for dinner. I debated between lamb and veal and eventually landed on veal stew meat because it sounded good and it was much more cost effective (not that this mattered, of course, because we bought other things and ended up spending too much, anyway).
I debated between a veal stew or some sort of veal pasta sauce and landed somewhere in between, with what I guess I could (and will) call a veal ragout. The meat stewed for an hour so it was extremely tender and stew-like, and then I added some small pasta (ditalini) in at the end, so it was a great one-pot meal and extremely comforting on a blistering cold Saturday.
Ragout of Veal with Ditalini
Serves about 4
3-4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. veal, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 bay leaf
2 cups ditalini pasta
3 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
Heat a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until it begins to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of the bacon fat.
Season the veal with salt and pepper. Add to the dutch oven and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and saute until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
Add the marsala to the dutch oven and cook until it's reduced by half. Stir in the mushrooms, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, marjoam, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Bring to a light boil and then add the veal back in. Cover and simmer for an hour (or as long as you want).
Stir in the ditalini and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is cooked. During the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the spinach so that it wilts. Add the bacon back in to warm through.
