A Pasta Truly More Than a Sum of its Parts

Seriously everyone, I have never eaten a pasta I loved more. It is a MUST try. I basically was trying to use up everything in my fridge, and inadvertently stumbled upon this decadent feast. It actually tastes exactly like a sauce from one of my favourite restaurants (after they accommodate my modifications). Only better!

You may think you don’t need another quick week night pasta dish. You might think that, but you’d be thinking wrong. Don’t deny yourself this pleasure!

                Farfalle Pasta with Creamy Lemon-Dill Tomato Sauce

12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced

Sprinkling of salt and pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cans San Marzano tomatoes

1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes

Couple sprigs fresh oregano

5 ounces cream cheese, cubed and brought to room temperature

Salt and Pepper

Plenty of fresh dill, finely chopped (about half of a large bunch)

1 lemon

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water, just until al dente. Drain the pasta, being sure to reserve 2 cups of the water. Toss the pasta with a bit of olive oil and set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the shallot until just softened. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes for about 30 seconds, or until aromatic.

Add 1 entire can of tomatoes with their juice. Add another 1/2 can of tomatoes without the juice. (Set the remaining tomatoes aside for another use.) Break the tomatoes up with a spoon. Now add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Place the oregano sprigs in the pan and let this concoction simmer for 20 minutes or so.

With the sauce still simmering, stir in the cream cheese cubes. Continue to stir until sauce is completely combined. If it is too thick, add a bit more of the reserved cooking water.

Now hit it with more salt and pepper. Add the dill and the juice of the lemon and stir to combine. Stir in the pasta until just heated through. Add more reserved water if needed. Taste for salt and pepper. 

This dish is truly more than a sum of its parts. I love love love it!!!!!

LOVED-OVERS!

I believe most people, even the least carnivorous of the omnivores, enjoy a nice roast chicken on occasion. Especially after a perfect-poultry-purchase on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the Farmer’s Market. (Delightful company enhances this experience exponentially. Naturally.) 

However, at times the house isn’t brimming with ravenous people ready to devour your every effort. Sometimes it’s the just the two of you, and that chicken isn’t going to eat itself.  It’s much much too large for two people, but you still want your roast chicken, darn it!!

Not a problem. This warm and healthy chicken salad will have you gobbling up the left-overs in an ecstasy of love. So, what’s all the clucking about?

You can have your chick and eat it too.

WARM CHICKEN AND FRESH GREENS SALAD

1 red pepper, sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

2 large sweet onion, cut into eighths

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Roasted chicken leftovers, torn from bone into bite-size pieces (bring to room temperature)

Drippings from chicken, (supplement with chicken stock if necessary)

Large chunks hearty bread brushed with olive oil (for croutons)

Pine nuts

Several handfuls of hearty greens, eg. spinach, baby kale, arugula

Dark olives, pitted and halved

Celery, diced

Dressing: 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large minced garlic clove

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss peppers and onions with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them in a single layer over a large roasting tray. You may need two trays for this.  Roast until a rich brown, about 1/2 hour. Set aside.

Warm the drippings gently in a large skillet. Add the chicken and heat until just barely warmed through. Add chicken stock if it seems too dry. Cover and keep warm.

Place the bread in a baking sheet and bake in the oven until slightly toasty, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Toast the pine nuts in the oven for a 2-5 minutes. Watch very carefully to prevent burning. Set aside.

Whisk dressing ingredients together with a bit of salt and pepper until emulsified.

Toss the greens, olives and celery together in a large bowl with about half the dressing.

Add the peppers and onions and toss again. 

Top with the chicken and drizzle with enough dressing to moisten. 

Top with pine nuts and croutons. 

And THAT is the story of how Left-Overs become Loved-Overs.

Mediterranean Roast Chicken

What happens when wanna-be Mediterranean Mama & Familia meet perfectly roasted lemony chicken? Joyful abandon!! This lovely union of produce-aplenty plus carnivore-delight lights up a family’s eyes like a trip to the Amalfi Coast. Well, maybe not quite that lit up, but close. (Although, I’m not actually sure because I’ve never been to the Amalfi Coast.) (But I want to go, really really badly.)

Aaanyway. The point is, make this chicken. Especially if it’s a rainy Sunday. You wouldn’t want to go to the coast then anyway.

                         MEDITERRANEAN ROAST CHICKEN

3 lb. chicken

20 whole garlic clove, peeled and smashed 

3 whole lemons, zested and quartered

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

2 cups pearl onions, parboiled for about 5 minutes and then peeled

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1 cup marinated artichoke quarters

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Rub the chicken all over with 1 of the lemon quarters. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees,

Pat the chicken dry again. Slide a couple of garlic cloves under the skin of each thigh and each breast. Repeat with a few sprigs of the rosemary and thyme, and about 1/2 the lemon zest. Rub some of the olive oil over the outside of the chicken. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, thyme and the remainder of the lemon zest.

Stuff the cavity of the bird with 3 of the lemon quarters, about 6 of the garlic cloves.

Lay the chicken on a preheated roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and place the remaining lemon quarters, the remaining garlic cloves, the pearl onions, the olives, and artichokes hearts around the chicken. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

Roast for about 30 minutes more, or until the thigh meat is no longer pink.

Remove the chicken to a carving board and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, skim off the fat from the vegetables in the pan and discard. Use a large spoon to press on the lemons to release all the liquid. Give everything in the pan a swirl.

Discard the lemon, garlic and rosemary from the cavity of the chicken. Cut the chicken into eighths. Serve with vegetables and pan juices drizzled over top. 

I served this over buttered egg noodles. The pairing was perfection. However, perhaps some orzo, or even a nice whole grain such a wheatberries next time?

KALE & HEARTY

So; kale is now sexy. It’s cool. It’s the cruciferous kid with the swagger; the one all the other plants can only dream of being. Who could have seen this coming? I mean, kale has always been so green and geeky.

We shouldn’t be that surprised.  Other vibrant greens brimming with unlocked personality have had their time with the in-crowd. (Think of George H. Bush proclaiming he HATED broccoli. Love it or hate it, suddenly broccoli was HIP!) Why shouldn’t kale, this power-plant, be prom king for a day?

KALE, CAESAR!

(My adaptation inspired by Bon Appetit. So you know it’s gotta be good.)

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

8 anchovy fillets

2 large garlic cloves

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 scant cup good quality, extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano, divided

Dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large bunch kale, thinly sliced (about 9-10 cups) 

1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and finely chopped

(A note about anchovies: Even if you’re a die-hard “never touch the stuff” anchovy hater, I strongly encourage you to try them here. Their briny umami blends in so completely with the dressing, that it takes this dish over the top. If you truly can’t stomach the thought of anchovies, add a tablespoon of Worcestershire and a another couple tablespoons of the Pecorino-Romano.)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor (I love my mini-processor for this). Blend until smooth. Add the olive oil, a bit at a time, and blend until emulsified. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Chill. (This will keep for a couple of days.)

Toss the kale and dressing together, top with remaining cheese and the chopped egg. 

ALL HAIL THE KALE!

HOME, SWEET HEALTHY HOME

This a a great post-vacation boost. (You know that lethargic, bloated, more-fatigued-than ever feeling? Even though you’re back from your get-a-way and supposed to feel rested!) So, here to nourish overstuffed, under exercised bodies is this nutrient dense, meal-in-a-bowl salad!  And best of all, it doesn’t seem like a punishment! It’s absolutely scrumptious. Even more so the following day. So rest up and eat up.

 

It will be like you never said good-bye.

WHEAT BERRY SALAD

• 21/2 cups wheat berries
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, julienned
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

DRESSING:

• 1/3 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar (I used a combination)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/4 cup caper berries, rough chop
• 1/2 cup olive oil ( I happened to have a blood orange flavoured olive oil, which worked perfectly. But a touch of citrus zest would do the trick.)
• Dash of sea salt
• Hit of freshly ground pepper

Cover wheat berries with water and add a little salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. It will take the wheat berries about 11/2 or 2 hours to soften. Drain any water that may remain. (You could soak the wheat berries overnight to reduce cooking time.)

 Cool the wheat berries slightly, place in a salad bowl with remaining ingredients (up to the dressing) and toss together gently until the wheat berries have “de-clumped”.

Add the salad dressing, toss again. Let the salad hang out for a few hours or overnight to let the flavours get to know each other. Take the salad out of the fridge in plenty of time to come to room temperature. Much better than refrigerator cold.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE.....

WRITTEN ON AN OLD OVEN MITT?

by Shelley Kary

When my good friend (and superb hostess!), Theresa, had the girls over for dinner, much oohing and aahing occurred over a particularly tasty fresh bread she served. We were, of course, doubly impressed when Theresa revealed she had baked it herself. I mean, who does that anymore?! When I asked her to please share the recipe she happily obliged. BY PRODUCING THIS OVEN MITT! As you can see, this mitt is mature and much loved (a fate we can all only hope to achieve), which only makes me more grateful to Theresa for sharing (both the bread and the recipe). I feel I’ve been let in on a glimpse of her Irish family history and in so doing, managed to glean a little “insider information”. 

I’ll take it. And then I’ll bake it. I’m hoping you will too. The mitt stops here. 

Theresa’s Oven Mitt Real Irish Soda Bread

(It has since been revealed to me that Theresa substituted her own variations to the original recipe. Since this is the deliciousness I experienced, the modified version appears below.) 

2 cups wholewheat flour

1 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup ground flax seed

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet or cover it with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg a bit and mix into the olive oil and the buttermilk.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir gently with a wooden spoon. Lightly knead with your hands. Don’t overdo this part! 

Form dough into a round and place on a baking sheet. (Theresa likes to cut a cross on the top, just because!)

Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

THE GANG'S ALL HERE. OR NOT

You know how weekends can be. How to predict who’s popping in when? How many? How few? What level of hunger?

For this reason I’ve grown extremely attached to “one pot make-aheads”. When I have something lovely bubbling away on the stove,  my entire nervous system gently unwinds. The aroma, the sense of accomplishment, the absence of fear. The whole gang can show up, or part of the gang, or none of the gang. I have adequate sustenance for any  scenario. Of course, if NO ONE shows, we could be eating salmon chowder until, well, until next weekend. When the process begins again. 

CRABBY SALMON CHOWDER

1/2 pound bacon, cut into bite size pieces

2 large onions, chopped 

A couple stalks of celery, with leaves, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 

A pinch of red pepper flakes

4 large cloves garlic  minced

 A couple sprigs of thyme

A couple sprigs of rosemary

A couple of medium sized potatoes (about 1/2 pound), cubed (about inch cubes)

1 cup broth, (chicken or vegetable)

2 cups whole milk 

3/4 whipping cream

1 28 oz can tomatoes, drained (San Marzano preferably)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1pound fresh or frozen wild salmon, skin removed, cubed (if you happen to have Bay Seasoning, sprinkle a little of this on and let it sit on the salmon while you prepare the rest of the chowder. It adds another depth of flavour) 

1cup crabmeat

1/2 cup fresh minced dill

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Sauté bacon. Transfer with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels.

Discard all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Sauté onions and celery in the bacon fat until very brown. Add  corn, pepper flakes, a little salt and pepper, and let it all brown on medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add garlic and herbs and sauté for another couple of minutes, until fragrant.

Add the potatoes, sprinkle with a little salt and sauté with the other vegetables for a couple of minutes.  Add the liquids, tomatoes and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  

(At this point, everything can just hang out for a good long time on low heat. But save the following steps until just before serving)

Add the salmon and reserved bacon. 

Cook just until salmon turns pink. 

Remove the sprig of thyme and rosemary

Add lemon juice and dill. Taste for salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with a bit more dill and serve!