Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells January 8, 2010
Posted by elly in italian, pasta, vegetarian.17 comments
Let’s take a break…at least for a while…from all the sweets. I swear, just looking at this blog lately makes my teeth ache, and as for actually eating all the things posted, well, that hasn’t really helped any other part of my body.
One thing I’d like to do more of this year (much to Tom’s dismay) is eat a few more vegetarian meals here and there. Although I do think of pasta as the cliché vegetarian main dish, you have to work in somewhat clichéd ways in order to trick your husband. Not that Tom was fooled by the lack of meat in this dish, but with the mushrooms, spinach, and cheese all in his favorite carb ever–pasta–he certainly didn’t complain.
I don’t really make stuffed shells often because I have never been able to find whole wheat shells (at least, not large ones) at the store. If anyone knows where to find this very elusive whole wheat product, please let me know. I think this will just have to be one pasta product that I eat enriched, albeit infrequently. For the record, the other is orzo. There is something distinctly bizarre and horribly gummy about whole wheat orzo–at least the couple varieties I have tried–so there will be no more of that for a while, either.
I really loved these shells, as I love anything with mushrooms. I think a smoky mozzarella or fontina would add another layer of flavor that would make these even better. I’m submitting these over to Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen, who is hosting Presto Pasta Night. As I’m sure you all know by now, Ruth from Once Upon a Feast is the creator of PPN and I always look forward to the round-ups!
Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Serves 4
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6 oz. large pasta shells (about 20-22 shells)
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
10 oz. (about 3 cups) cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 large shallots or half a medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
16 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta (I use part-skim)
2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (about 1.5 oz.), divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I use part-skim)
2 cups pasta sauce, jarred or homemade
Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the shells in salted water to al dente.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the mushrooms and cook until they have released most of their juices. Stir in the shallots, garlic, and salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the moisture from the mushrooms has been evaporated and the shallots are tender. Scoop into a large bowl. After it’s cooled slightly, add the thyme, oregano, basil, spinach, egg, ricotta and 1/3 cup of the parmesan. Mix to combine all the ingredients well.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1-2 Tbsp. of the stuffing and place in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 more until the cheese starts to brown.
Arni Youvetsi/Giouvetsi aka Lamb Baked with Orzo and Tomatoes aka My Favorite Dinner December 18, 2009
Posted by elly in greek, lamb, pasta.16 comments
I’ve mentioned before that, despite being a lover of food and an, erm, taster of all things, I can boil my favorite dinners down to two things: lahanodolmades and this dish, arni giouvetsi (you-vet-see). Neither of them are particularly fancy or complicated. They aren’t terribly exotic or packed with unique ingredients. But they are good. Really good. And part of the reason I love them so much, no doubt, is because of all the nostalgia and comfort that is associated with both dishes. I ate both quite frequently growing up and, even to this day, when I travel to Michigan to see family, somebody makes one of these two dishes for me because it’s well known how much I love them. Some things never change. (I won’t get into the time when my grandma sent up a batch of lahanodolmades with my dad and stepmom who, after getting stuck in traffic, finally made it to my place with a casserole dish of some really funky smelling stuffed cabbage.)
Giovetsi is basically a dish made with meat and orzo, cooked together in the oven. Arni means lamb, so you can have different forms of giouvetsi, like chicken and beef. But as I mentioned in that other post, I don’t make arni giouvetsi very often. I make variations of this dish (with chicken, with beef stew meat, etc.) more often because of the whole only-two-people-living-here-thing. And I typically do it on the stove top (which actually negates the whole “giouvetsi” thing). This dish is often made with a shoulder or leg of lamb, which I probably don’t have to tell you are quite large. Perfectly enough, though, the people at Lava Lake Lamb (who also sent me the ground lamb I used to make my spiced meatballs), sent me a piece of top round lamb and right away, I knew I had to make this dish. Now, it’s true that top round is quite a bit more tender (and cooks for less time) than the pieces usually used in this long-cooking dish, but I just had to make it. And it turned out great! Comfort on a plate!
Arni Giouvetsi/Baked Lamb and Orzo
Serves 4
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1.5 lbs. top round (or stewing) lamb
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 cup (about half a can) diced tomatoes
3 cups broth (or water)
8 oz. orzo
plenty of freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt
myzithra or good romano for serving
Preheat the oven to 300.
Rub the lamb with olive oil and season very liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Remember this is a big hunk of meat, so don’t be shy with the seasoning. Sear the lamb in a heavy bottomed skillet/dutch oven/what have you on all sides. Remove from the pan and place in a casserole dish (or set aside until you are ready to put it back in a Dutch oven, if that’s what you’re using).
Add a little olive oil to the pan and then add the onions. Once the onions are tender, stir in the garlic and tomato paste until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has started to cook off a bit and become incorporated with the onions. Add the diced tomatoes and broth and scrape up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the liquid around the lamb in the casserole dish. Cover and bake until the lamb is very tender, about 1.5-2 hours (or more).
Increase the heat in the oven to 350, and stir in the orzo. Continue to bake, this time uncovered, until the orzo is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve pieces of the lamb alongside the orzo and top generously with myzithra or romano cheese.
Bulk up your pasta with some zucchini (and goat cheese, of course) August 6, 2009
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, goat cheese, healthy, pasta, vegetables.18 comments
Zucchini ribbons.
FINALLY. A reason to dust off my mandoline. I’m the first person to tell you not to buy a kitchen gadget you won’t use very often and yet, I’m also the person who has to stash half my kitchen gadgets in the guest bedroom closet. I got this mandoline…umm, about 2 years ago. I think one time I took it out of the box and pretended like I was going to use it but then…I didn’t.
And I’m not going to lie…using it was kind of a pain. The zucchini did not exactly stay attached to that gripper/slider thing they give you. I think it’s meant more for potatoes and tomatoes than zucchini. So I ended up using my hand and then throwing away part of the zucchini for fear I would grate half my hand into the mix. But I will certainly say that the ribbons were much nicer and more uniform than when I have made similar dishes to this before and I’m going to try to keep the dust off the mandoline.
Zucchini ribbons (or other vegetables sliced thinly) are a great way to bulk up pasta. You can fool yourself into thinking you are eating more pasta, and of course there are the added health benefits. Combined with some chicken sausage for protein and some sundried tomatoes and goat cheese (because both are awesome), this is a great, easy pasta dish. This pasta is done in the time it takes the spaghetti to cook, so it’s perfect for a weeknight, too.
I’m going to submit this over to Ruth from Once Upon a Feast, the lovely creator of Presto Pasta Night!
Zucchini Spaghetti with Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
Serves 2
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4 oz. spaghetti (I use whole wheat) with a scant 1/4 cup of cooking liquid reserved
1 Tbsp. olive oil or oil from sundried tomatoes
2 links spicy Italian sausage (I use Trader Joe’s chicken sausage), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup sliced sundried tomatoes, drained
1 medium to large zucchini, sliced thin julienne
2 oz. goat cheese
fresh basil, to taste, torn or chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a hefty pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a scant 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and add the sausage. Cook for a couple minutes to brown (I use fully cooked sausage; if you don’t you’ll obviously want to cook until it’s done) and then stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper until garlic is fragrant.
Add the sundried tomatoes and zucchini, tossing and cooking for another minute or two. Add the pasta, goat cheese, reserved cooking liquid, and ground pepper to taste. Toss until everything has combined and the goat cheese and water have made a sauce for the pasta. Scatter the basil over the pasta and serve.
Farfalle with Chicken, Mushrooms, Spinach and Ricotta June 7, 2009
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, healthy, pasta.24 comments
I had some ricotta leftover from the orange-ricotta pancakes, and, rather than overthink it, I decided to pair it with what came naturally–pasta, of course. This type of dish pretty much exemplifies the whole cooking-from-your-pantry idea. I was low on groceries so I used dried herbs, canned tomatoes, and vermouth (you’ll remember I keep it around to use in place of dry whites because of its shelf-stability). There’s fresh spinach in this, but you can certainly use frozen instead. I don’t really recommend canned mushrooms (’cause I think they’re kinda icky) but if you like them, by all means, use those in place of fresh.
This is a nice, light pasta. The sauce isn’t heavy (or, really, very saucy at all) and the ricotta makes it just a touch creamy. It’s also quite healthy. Rather than overdo the pasta (and I use whole wheat, anyway), I’ve bulked this up with veggies and lean chicken breast. Now that I eat an actual serving size of pasta (and get full from it, too), it’s scary to think how much pasta I used to eat in one sitting.
It’s been a while since I’ve participated in a Presto Pasta Night, so I’m happy to share this recipe with Ruth, as well as Katie of Thyme for Cooking, who’s hosting this week’s PPN. This recipe is pretty “presto” with the use of things I had in the kitchen.
Farfalle with Chicken, Mushrooms, Spinach, and Ricotta
Serves 4
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1/2 lb. whole wheat farfalle or other pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. b/s chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine (or broth)
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, partially drained but some liquid reserved
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1.5 tsp. dried basil
1 (3 oz) package baby spinach (or a package of frozen spinach, thawed & drained)
1/2 cup lowfat ricotta cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, and then add the farfalle. Cook until al dente. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and, once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Brown on all sides, and then add the onions and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and some salt and pepper. Sauté until all vegetables are tender.
Increase the heat to medium high and add the vermouth. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, and then stir in the diced tomatoes (and a few tablespoons of juice), red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, basil, and salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until the flavors have developed (and chicken has cooked through). Add the spinach and cook until wilted down, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste.
Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Off the heat, stir in the ricotta cheese.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (this count uses vermouth, which has a few more calories than white wine): Calories: 477 / Fat: 8.6g / Saturated Fat: 1.9g / Carbs: 52.6g / Fiber: 7.1g / Protein: 41g
Pastitsio (slightly revamped) February 25, 2009
Posted by elly in beef, greek, pasta.18 comments
I’d venture to say that pastitsio is one of the most popular Greek dishes. It’s right up there with spanakopita as my most requested recipe, or the dish others tell me they order in Greek restaurants. Pastitsio is basically the Greek’s version of lasagna. It’s a layered dish of pasta (traditionally, bucatini/good ol’ Misko No. 2), slightly spicy meat sauce, and a cheesy bechamel. My yiayia usually added a few breadcrumbs on top (in addition to more cheese), so I do that, too.
If you’ve followed my blog long enough, you may remember the first time I posted pastitsio based on my grandma’s “recipe.” I’ve modified this recipe a bit since then (but if you want to see the original source, my yiayia, click here :-P). I noticed my friend Peter was asked to be on the judging panel for a “Taste of the Mediterranean,” sponsored by igourmet. The Greek dish for this event is pastitsio, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to make it (I’d been craving it, anyway) and update the version in my blog. If you would like to make your own version of pastitsio and participate in this event, you can see the details in Peter’s blog, as well as Tony’s, but hurry up because you only have a few more days!
Every version of pastitsio I’ve had has had an aromatic, spicy meatsauce, and mine is no different. I think without the spice, this turns into your standard lasagna with bechamel on top. I make the meatsauce very similarly to the way I make the kima for pasta. It’s a very thick, flavorful sauce and holds up well against the creaminess of the bechamel. Sometimes I have whole cloves around, sometimes I have allspice berries, sometimes I only have ground…this is really about what you have and how you want it to taste. Play around with the amount to suit your tastes. To someone not used to cinnamony/clovey meatsauce, you may want to reduce the amounts. Who am I to school you on your tastebuds? After all, this blog is about learning both for me and for you – why do you think I have adapted my own version over the last two years?!
Tom and I both love pastitsio. To me, it’s comforting not only because it’s pasta, slow cooked meatsauce and creamy bechamel, but because it reminds me of home.
If you can’t find kefalotyri or myzithra, just use a good salty cheese like pecorino romano or parmesan. Just please no green can! :)
Now, I will say that pastitsio should be a little taller that the pics you see here. I decided to make mine in a larger pan (too large) because I wanted to get more pieces out of it. The pan I used was about 14.5×12″ so I’d recommend a smaller pan if you want to make a higher pastitsio, with a thicker layers. I’d recommend the larger pan if you’re like me and like to make yourself think you’re eating more food than you really are because it takes up more surface area on your plate. :)
I did freeze a few pieces of this for easy access when I don’t feel like cooking, but want something delicious, anyway.
Pastitsio
1 lb. bucatini pasta (use penne or something similar if you can’t find it)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup grated myzithra cheese
1 batch Greek meatsauce (recipe follows)
1 batch bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 cup kefalotyri cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Cook the bucatini until barely al dente in a large pot of lightly salted water. Drain, and then mix well with the beaten egg, butter, and the myzithra cheese.
Lightly grease your baking dish, and pour half the pasta mixture into the pan. Layer the entire meatsauce mixture over that, followed by the remaining pasta. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over the noodles, and spread the mixture evenly. Top with the kefalotyri cheese and the breadcrumbs.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly. Let it sit for about 15 minutes or so before slicing into it.
Greek Meatsauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 cups water (or broth)
1 cinnamon stick
5 or 6 whole cloves or allspice berries, or about 3/4 tsp. ground
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, or about 1.5T dried
1 or 2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat your olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender. Add the beef and onion, cooking until browned. Stir in the tomato paste and cook off for a minute or two before adding the water, cinnamon stick, cloves/allspice, parsley, bay, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Bechamel
6 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup flour
1 qt. milk (at least 2%, warm or at least room temp)
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup kefalotyri
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and make a roux, cooking for a few minutes until golden brown. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly with a whisk to combine well and avoid lumps. Bring the mixture up to just barely a boil. Continue cooking (and stirring) until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add the nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Off the heat, whisk in the cheese, eggs, and egg yolk.
A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater: January’s Bolognese January 27, 2009
Posted by elly in beef, italian, nigel slater, pasta.24 comments
I had The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater
I decided it would be fun to feature one recipe per month on my blog–a recipe that Nigel also made that same month, or some sort of dish inspired by his year in the kitchen. The book is a diary, after all, so not everything is a recipe so much as a log of what he ate.
Everything Nigel ate in January sounded pretty mouth-watering, but I decided to go with a bolognese to kick off my year with Nigel—well, “a really good bolognese” according to him. I’ve only made bolognese once before (I tend to stick to Greek kima, or meatsauces with less veggies), but I love how comforting dishes like this are. I don’t normally indulge in things like pancetta and cream during the week (nor do I normally make things that have to simmer for two hours on a Monday…), but what the hell. I even bought some fresh pasta to make this even better, since I haven’t made my own pasta yet.
Nigel is right. This is a really good bolognese. The flavor of the wine, tomatoes and bay cook down and marry so well together. The cream at the end makes this even more indulgent, and pairs so well with the nutmeg.
I did lighten it up a tad by using less butter and very lean ground beef. We also got six servings of this instead of four, which means a couple of great lunches for work!
I’m submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Erin, The Skinny Gourmet.
A Really Good (Linguine) Bolognese
Adapted from Nigel Slater
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 oz. pancetta, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 large portobello mushroom caps, diced
2 bay leaves
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup crushed tomato
3/4 cup beef broth (and I probably added close to 1/4 cup later after it simmered a bit)
3/4 cup red wine
a nutmeg (I grated about 1/3 of it in)
3/4 cup half and half
Melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat and add the pancetta. Allow the pancetta to cook for 4-5 minutes, without coloring much. Stir the onion and garlic into the pancetta, and then the carrots and celery. Finally, add the mushrooms to the pan and then tuck in the two bay leaves. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Turn the heat up a little and then add the beef . Let it brown (about 3-4 minutes) without moving it. Flip it over, breaking it up some more and let it brown.
Mix in the tomatoes, wine, broth, a few grates of nutmeg (I used about 1/3 of the nutmeg), and salt and pepper. Let it come to a boil and then reduce the heat down so everything barely bubbles. Partially cover the pan, and let it simmer for 1 or 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary.
Pour in the half and half and stir. Continue to cook for 20 minutes. Season to taste and serve with your favorite pasta and fresh parmesan.
Quick Rigatoni for Two December 22, 2008
Posted by elly in pasta.15 comments
I’m currently on a flight layover…in my apartment. We went to my in-laws’ on Friday afternoon and just got back today. We’ll sleep in our bed tonight and then tomorrow morning we are off to Michigan to visit my family for Christmas. It’s exhausting just thinking about it, isn’t it? But, it’s always nice to spend some time with family. I’m not sure I will be able to blog in the next week or not, so I wanted to wish all my readers happy holidays!
I still have a couple more sweets to blog, but I thought I’d take a quick break and go back to something savory. I’ve eaten so much sugar in the past week (and, I won’t lie, I’ll continue to eat more this upcoming week) that I probably shouldn’t be spending the time I’m not eating sweets looking at more sweets.
This is one of those dinners that came together very quickly from some ingredients I had to use up. I had a small cube of smoked mozzarella, a little half and half, half a can of diced tomatoes and a few stems of sage. Of course I always have pasta around and I like keeping some chicken sausage around, too, because it’s a little different than your standard chicken breast and it thaws really quickly. I figured the sage would go well with the smoky mozzrella and the sausage, and it did. You could use fresh basil, or any dried herbs you would like to incorporate instead, though.
Rigatoni with Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella
Serves 2
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4 oz. rigatoni (I use whole wheat)
1 tsp. olive oil
2 (3 oz.) spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed (I use chicken)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes (including the juice)
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage or 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
Preheat the broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook the rigatoni until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large broiler-proof pan over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with your spoon/paddle. Stir in the garlic and cook until sausage has browned and garlic is fragrant.
Add the diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the half and half and the sage. Bring to a gentle simmer to thicken and season to taste again, if necessary.
Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Top with the smoked mozzarella. Put the pan under the broiler until cheese is browned and bubbly.
Pasta with tomatillo-poblano sauce September 10, 2008
Posted by elly in beef, healthy, mexican/tex-mex, pasta.1 comment so far
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 fresh 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).
Southwestern Pasta with Flank Steak and Tomatillo-Poblano Sauce
Serves 4
Printer Friendly Recipe
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 / Carbs: 51g / Fiber: 5.6 / Protein: 24.5g
Chicken Paprikash August 24, 2008
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, pasta.add a comment
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 2-4
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
egg noodles, for serving
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 necessary. Serve over egg noodles and top with the sliced scallion.
Spaghetti Frisbee July 29, 2008
Posted by elly in chicken/poultry, italian, pasta.add a comment
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
Printer Friendly Recipe
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 slightly 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
elly says opa! 