Pasta e Fagioli (Aka, Pasta with Beans or Cabinet Pasta)

An accidental discovery which those of you who follow the facebook page may have seen me posting a "Viola!" moment about.  It looks a little weird (and the ingredients don't necessarily scream, "We go well together!") but it is delicious, I promise.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz marinated artichokes, drained and hand torn*
15.5 oz great northern beans, drained and well-rinsed
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
About 1/4 cup of kalamata olives  pitted or pits removed diced or torn
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 box spaghetti
A little mozzarella (optional)

Directions:
In a very large skillet, combine everything but the spaghetti and mozzarella over medium high.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook your spaghetti for 2 minutes less than you would usually cook it.  You want it to be slightly less done than you generally like it.

When the spaghetti timer goes off, transfer the spaghetti in sauce using tongs or a spaghetti spoon.  Don't worry if you get a little water in the sauce: no harm done.

Let cook for another 2-4 minutes, tossing with tongs or spaghetti spoon, until most of the liquid from the sauce is absorbed by noodles.  Serve immediately with mozzarella if desired, stirring in to make the toppings stick to the noodles.

*I chose to tear by hand so I can feel if there are any tough pieces.  Sometimes the outside leafs of artichokes are not very appetizing.  This is a good time to make sure before you end up with one stuck in your teeth.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

So you think you hate Brussels Sprouts.  Have you ever tried them?  (in my best "mom" voice)

Really, though, I think a lot of people have only ever had the majorly over-cooked stewed kind which are nasty.  Try these and I think you'll change your mind.

Ingredients:
About 15-20 Brussels Sprouts, bottoms trimmed and any ugly leaves pulled off
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350.

In a bowl, toss sprouts with olive oil until totally coated.  Sprinkle in brown sugar and pepper and toss.  Pepper and brown sugar will not evenly coat the sprouts: don't worry. (As they cook and you turn them, they picked up a "glaze" off the bottom of the pan)

Pour sprouts into a high-sided glass pan just large enough for them all to fit (I used an 8x8 brownie pan), scraping the bottom of the bowl to get the last of the olive oil/sugar mixture on top of them.

Cook, turning every 10 minutes, for 40 minutes, or until soft.

Serve warm or cold.  Equally delicious.

Elegant Shrimp Pasta

For those of you who are grasping at straws for an easy, attractive dinner to fix for that someone special.

Sorry, I don't have a picture yet.

Ingredients:
1 package of spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine (really just up to preference)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (can adjust to taste)
1/4 cup dry or semi-dry white wine (do not use sweet*)
About 10 shrimp with tails and all other bits removed sliced in half "hotdog style" (aka, lengthwise)

Directions:


Cook your pasta according to package directions.

In a skillet over medium high heat, put in oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and shrimp.  Sautee, pushing shrimp around with a spoon and flipping occasionally, until the shrimp curl up and turn pink.  Add the white wine and reduce to medium heat.  Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, then toss with your drained pasta.

Viola!  Topping and sauce all in one!



*It will make it taste like the shrimp has gone off.  At least it does to me.

Everyday sweet/spicy chickpeas

Chickpeas are ridiculously tasty in my opinion.  Every so often I'll crack open a can and just start nibbling on the little guys, not paying any mind to the fact that I can't (and shouldn't) finish off the can in one sitting.

Here is something relatively quick and easy you can do for snack food for yourself or for a party.  They're also good on top of ice cream or yogurt.

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
1 tbsp butter or olive oil*
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayene pepper

Directions:
Mix brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Line a cookie pan with wax or parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Toss in chickpeas and stir the pan frequently until butter dissolves and chickpeas begin to brown.   Immediately toss warm chickpeas into the brown sugar mixture and toss until chickpeas are evenly coated.  Spread in an even layer on cookie sheet and let cool.

*Main difference here is flavor.  Some people don't mind olive oil flavor in with their sweet stuff, personally I think it's pretty nasty.

Souped-Up Tomato Sauce

You may recall my most recent post, Sasha's Super Simple Tomato Sauce.  This is what I like to do to it when I have more time and some fresh veggies to hand.  It goes great on cheese ravioli (my personal favorite use) or even as a vegetarian soup (hence the lame pun).
Souped-Up Tomato Sauce
One batch of Sasha's Super Simple Tomato Sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1 zuchinni squash, sliced and quartered
1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
Toss all ingredients in already simmering tomato sauce and let simmer until mushrooms appear slightly shriveled and browned.  Chow down with some delicious crusty bread!  (coming up neeext?)

Super basic tomato sauce

Sometimes I want a little sauce for my pasta, but I really hate the canned stuff.  Also I always forget to buy it.

This recipe is best when tomatoes are at their best (Late June-early September.  This year doesn't count.  It's weird.) and with your own or farmer's market tomatoes.  The stuff you get at the store usually ripens on the shelf and just lacks a certain...tomato-ness.

Great with some ricotta and lemon zest on twirly noodles (the name currently escapes me...)

Sasha's Super Basic Tomato Sauce
6 medium tomatoes, roughly diced or 2 quarts of cherry tomatoes, halved or 12 roma/plum tomatoes diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste.  I like more.  LOTS more.)
2 tbsp olive oil

Putting the olive oil in first (so it coats the bottom of a sauce pan), toss everything in all together.  Heat over medium high until the mixture starts to boil, then give it a few good stirs and drop to medium low.  Cook whatever you're having with it, preferably letting it simmer at least 10 minutes to meld the flavors.

That's it!

Pizza Crust for the Fluffies

There are two camps of pizza crust eaters: the crispies and the fluffies.  I'm a fluffy.  I like big, fluffy crusts with chewy centers and crispy outsides.  This is my favorite crust recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet)
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Directions:
 In a small bowl (or measuring cup, if you're like me and hate extra dishes) mix together the warm water, brown sugar, and yeast.  In another, larger, bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour with salt.  As soon as the yeast blooms*, mix the olive oil into the water mixture, then dump everything in on top of the flour and salt.  Mix together as thoroughly as possible, adding more flour if necessary to get the dough to the point where it's thick enough (and not sticky) to knead.  Knead it for 5 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, then coat lightly with olive oil, drop back in the bowl, and cover with a towel or plate.  Let it sit for 1 hour.

 Preheat oven to 425.

VERY lightly oil only the bottom of your pizza pan.  Do not oil the lip of the pan.  Plop your pizza dough down in the middle of the pan and squish and push the dough towards the lip.  Here comes the reason I  told you not to oil the lip of the pan: if you've oiled everything, your dough is going to shrink back towards the middle as soon as you stop pushing it.  Therefore, you want to push the dough up over the lip and curl it slightly down on the sides of the pan so it will stick.  Jab at the parts of the crust that are touching the bottom of the pan with a fork a few times so steam can escape.  Bake for 5 minutes.

Add toppings and cook until cheese/crust/toppings achieve desired brown-ness (for me, about 12 minutes)

*Instead of being  merely murky, you'll see the water/sugar/yeast mixture start to have light "blobs" of color that push out from the center of the bowl.  Fun to watch.

Beef Stew

This is my absolute winter favorite (chubby little bear cub I turn into in winter...)

Ingredients:
Roughly 1 1/2 lbs of beef chunks.*
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 can of dark beer (Guiness or other stouts recommended)
3 cubes beef bullion
2 cups water
1 onion, quatered
1 stick celery sliced
4 large carrots or about 1 cup of baby carrots chopped into small pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup quick-cook barley

Mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Toss the beef in the flour mixture until totally coated.

Heat oil in a soup pot on the oven (I use a spaghetti pot). Toss in beef and extra flour. Brown on all sides. Pour in beer and water. Add bullion and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat.^ If you, like me, like the flavor of celery but not the texture add it now so it can cook to mush.

Let cook for at least 30 minutes. Add carrots. Cook another 15 minutes. Add peas and barley. Let cook for 10 minutes or until a lentil that has been fished out is tender.

OPTIONS!
-Potatoes instead of lentils: add at the same time as carrots
-Rice instead of lentils: add at same point as lentil would be added
-Additional veggies: rule of thumb is that you should add them at the same time as one of the other veggies of similar toughness. For example, corn would go in about the same time as peas (ditto other types of beans) radishes would go in at the same time as carrots.
-Tomatoes: always add last. Even after the lentils. They fall apart quickly.
-Red wine: different sort of flavor. I think the stew needs thyme mixed in with the flour if you use red wine. (About 1/4tsp)


*You can buy a tenderloin or other large pieces of meat if you like and cut it down. Flank steak is often a good choice for price alone
^The longer you cook this the more tender your beef will be. If you don't want to take the time, leave at medium and keep an eye on it (chances are good your pot will be almost full.)

Eggplant Lasagna

This is a great recipe for the vegetarian in your life. Or for making lasagna just a little bit healthier.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 3/4-inch thick (leave peel on!)
Olive Oil
Ground black pepper (fresh if possible)
1 32-oz package of mushrooms sliced at about 1/2 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
1/2 cup grated Romano, divided
1 cup shredded mozarella, divided
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 jar Barilla Spicy Marinara or similar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on 2 oiled sheet pans. Brush on top with olive oil and grind pepper over. Bake slices 15 minutes, then turn gently. Brush tops with olive oil and grind pepper over again. Bake additional 10 minutes or until a fork poked into the thickest part of any of the slices slides in easily. Drop oven temperature to 350.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet tablespoons of oil and the sliced mushrooms. Saute over medium high heat about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped thyme. Cook for another 2 minutes. Mushrooms should be soft. Once the mushrooms are cooked remove and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl add the ricotta, eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup romano, 1/2 cup mozarella, oregano, mushrooms, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Brush an 8-inch baking dish with oil.

Spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay eggplant slices to cover the marinara without overlapping and smooth over with ricotta mixture. Spread another 1/3 of the marinara on top of the ricotta mixture, then another layer of eggplant and ricotta. Top with last of eggplant, then marinara, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake until golden brown, at 350 degrees, for 30 minutes.

If you'd like, you can freeze the casserole before baking. It will keep in the freezer for a few months, then you just bake it for about 10 minutes longer to ensure the middle is cooked through.

I have also noted in making this recipe that you CANNOT put anything else in the oven while this is cooking or it won't get done. Not being a scientist, I couldn't tell you why, but I know it does happen.

Also make sure your eggplant gets done in the first step, or it won't taste right no matter how long you cook it in the last step.

Tips for picking your eggplant

When you go to the grocery store, make sure to pick an eggplant with as close to unblemished skin as you can find. The skin should be the same deep purple all over and the greenery at the head of the plant should look relatively fresh. It should feel heavy, make a hollow "pock" noise if you flick it with your fingernail, and should not be overly soft.

Quite a while back I heard that you should pick "innie" eggplants rather than "outies". I don't know what the wisdom of that was meant to be, but it has served me well. When you're picking your eggplant, check the bottom to see whether the little brown spot (where the flower was) is pushing out or tucked in. Go for the tucked in.