Posts filed under 'dinner'
Is the idea of a fall-food flavored pasta weird? If it is, then I love weird pasta.
In an effort to get excited about autumn, I’ve been doing my best to pick up some new ingredients. Goodness knows I’m not looking forward to winter, so food may be the only way I can actually celebrate the changing of the seasons. One of the ingredients I picked up was a little tub of organic pepitas. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, and they are usually sold with the white hull removed, revealing a smooth olive green seed. If you decide to use pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins you carve this year, be sure to wash and dry the seeds throughly and roast them in a low oven for an hour or so until dry and toasty. Don’t worry about removing the white hull.
This pasta is flavored with tamari and maple syrup, but only a little of each. This coats the pasta and gives it a nice, balanced sweet flavor without actually being a full-on sauce. The spinach is sauteed with red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, the cranberries add a pop of sweet tanginess, and the crushed pepitas round the whole thing out. It’s really a lovely meal, and what’s more, it’s super easy to prepare. It should only take as long to make this dish as the pasta takes to cook.
I made it for lunch, so this recipe only serves one. It should be very easy to increasing the servings should you want to make it for more than one person.
Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries
Serves One
Fettucini for One (which, is it just me, or is that 1/2 the box that “serves 8″?)
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Pepitas
1 Tbs Oil
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 Large Handfuls Spinach, torn
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Maple Syrup
2-3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs, optional
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to boil. While the water is heating, run the pepitas around in your food processor until pretty finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, the tamari and maple syrup, and the thyme if you’re using it. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything up really well. Turn heat to low (or just turn it off and cover it until your pasta is cooked).
Drain pasta and add it to your skillet. Add crushed pepitas and toss well until everything is coated. Taste a noodle and see if you need an extra splash of tamari and/or maple syrup. The noodles should look like they don’t have a sauce on them, but they’ll taste like they do.
Serve immediately.
October 11th, 2007
It’s easier than you might think to throw together an elegant, delicious meal without any complicated recipes. I’m even tempted to call this a recipe-less meal, because there are so few ingredients–ingredients you don’t even have to measure. These recipes are safe for “eyeballing” and throwing a little bit of this or that into the mix, even if you’re not the type of person who normally feels comfortable doing that.
This is my favorite type of cooking. Simple, fresh ingredients put together with a minimum of fuss, with results that would please anyone who enjoys their veggies.
Roasted Delicata Squash with Thyme
Roasted squash is nearly impossible to mess up. Your only danger, I think, is undercooking it. Any winter squash will work, but I love delicata squash because they’re pretty, delicious, and not a total pain to cut open.
Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut each piece in half again. Drizzle the squash with olive oil. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and sugar. Top with cracked pepper and fresh thyme sprigs. Bake at 425º for 30 minutes. These will hold well in a warm oven if they finish before you are ready to serve them. If they look dry, you can “refresh” them with a little drizzle of olive oil. Plate them with the roasted thyme sprigs and it’ll look fancy!
Lemon Pepper Broccolini
Broccolini is like baby broccoli. It’s sweet and best eaten lightly cooked. It’s a little more elegant than regular broccoli, but regular broccoli will also work here. An alternative but simiar preparation for sauteed balsamic broccolini can be found here.
In a pan, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil with a pinch of sea salt. Add about 1/2 tsp or so of red pepper flakes and a bit of black pepper. (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.)
Place the pan over medium heat and add the broccolini once it’s hot. Use tongs to coat the broccolini in the oil and spices. If your broccolini has slender, tender stems, you can cook it fully this way. If the stems are a little thicker (like these are), you can add a couple tablespoons of water and cover the pan with a lid. This will quick-steam the veggies, but the water will evaporate off so you won’t have to drain them.
Once the broccolini is bright green and tender crisp, squeeze some lemon juice over the stalks and serve.
I also served some simple mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce that I prepared the other day. I think the key to a meal like this is making sure you actually like the vegetables you’re serving, since they’re not going to be smothered and overpowered by some sauce.
October 4th, 2007
Every year Stewart and I eagerly await the arrival of baby squash. Picked before maturity, these little guys have a crunch and sweetness that is unparalleled in their adult counterparts. I like them best cooked quickly and simply - I’d hate for any dish to overshadow the delicate taste and texture we look forward too all year long. Here are two ideas for preparing them:
This is a garlic scape pesto with pan-seared balsamic squash. Yes. You read that right. Garlic scape. I ate something that came from the garlic plant! It’s a miracle!
Garlic scapes emerge from hardneck varieties of garlic. They are to the garlic bulb what chives are to the onion bulb. They have a definite garlic flavor, but instead of the harsh, almost acidic aftertaste of the bulb, you get a sweeter, greener flavor. They’re picked every June for two reasons - they’re tasty, and removing them drives more energy into the bulb for a better garlic harvest later.
There are many things you can do with garlic scapes. You can toss them into your tofu scramble, add them in your stir fries, mix them into mashed potatoes… but perhaps everyone’s favorite preparation is pesto. Many recipes call for raw scapes for making pesto, but given my garlic issues, I decided to saute them first to make sure they were as mild as possible before I ate them.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Serves Two
1/2 lb Fresh Garlic Scapes
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Large Pinch Salt
Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Pine Nuts (or other nut)
2 Tbs Oil
Lemon Juice, to taste
Chop the scapes into 1 inch long pieces. Add 2 tbs oil to a heated pan and add the scapes. Add salt, pepper, and pine nuts and saute for a few minutes over medium high heat until the scapes begin to soften and the nuts turn golden brown. Add immediately to the work bowl of a food processor and add remaining oil. Blend well until a smooth paste forms. Taste and add more salt or some lemon juice to brighten. This will coat 1/2 lb. of pasta.
Pan-Seared Balsamic Baby Squash
Makes 12 pieces
6 Fresh Summer Squash, 4-5″ long and 1″ in diameter
Olive Oil
1 Pinch Salt
Balsamic Vinegar
Gently wash and halve squash. Heat a small amount of oil, just enough to make your pan shiny, over high heat. When very hot, add squash cut side down. Press on each one to help sear. Sprinkle with salt. After several minutes (do not move squash), the squash should be golden brown on their cut side. When all squash are browned toss a bit to coat in remaining oil and salt in the pan (add a bit if needed). Splash with a small amount of vinegar (1/2 tsp or so, more if you like). It will bubble up and reduce, lightly coating the squash. Serve immediately.
And for good measure, remember that you don’t need a recipe or fancy garlic scapes to make these little squashes shine. Here I tossed similarly cooked squash with into pasta with sundried tomatoes and spinach wilted in a hot pan with some lemon juice. Add whatever italian herbs you have on hand, season with salt and balsamic vinegar, and you have an easy but delightful meal without much fuss.
June 25th, 2007
This meal kind of blew up on me. At first I was like, oh, we have some okra! I should make fried okra. Then, gee, wouldn’t mashed potatoes be nice with that? And then I had to make gravy, too. What about cornbread? That sounds nice! But, oh, I need more greens. I guess I need to make collards, as well!
See what I mean? Blew right up.
While not one of my healthier meals, it was downright delicious. The fried okra was really fun, especially because I had never had it before. It was quite easy to make, but boy did it fry for much longer than I expected! I thought it’d be done in 3-4 minutes, but I left it in for probably 10, maybe 15, and it was perfect that way.
Fried Okra
Serves 3-4 side dishes
3 Cups Chopped Okra, frozen or fresh (I used frozen)
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Cornmeal
2 tsp Old Bay
2 tsp Soymilk
All Purpose Flour
Peanut Oil for frying (or other high heat oil)
Heat 1/4″ to 1/2″ oil in a large skillet, I used my cast-iron pan. Mix cornmeal and Old Bay together. Defrost or slice your okra (1/2″ pieces) and place in a large bowl. Toss with soymilk. The okra should get kind of sticky, but the you shouldn’t have a pool of soymilk at the bottom. Drain it out if you do.
Add cornmeal mixture to okra and toss. If still moist, add all purpose flour by the tablespoon full until each piece is coated and relatively dry. Remove one piece of okra and put it in the oil to test the temperature. It should bubble up immediately, but not go totally crazy and begin to scorch. Adjust heat accordingly.
CAREFULLY dump all the okra into your oil, being careful not to splatter hot oil everywhere. DO NOT TOUCH or mix it for a few minutes. Then, gently turn over the pieces. All sides should be brown, and it should be very crispy. You can test the okra by removing one piece. Mine took about 10-15 minutes.
Remove and drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately, with ketchup if desired!
May 9th, 2007
Everywhere we went in Belize, people were eating a red-colored chicken dish. One of our guides told me that red color comes from a spice mixture called recado, which contains red annatto seeds. The powder (or paste) is sometimes called achiote, which is the name of the tree that produces the annatto. Annatto is tangy and is mixed with oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, pepper, allspice and garlic to spice chicken in Belize and other parts of the Yucatan.
Since I couldn’t try it while I was there, I picked up a jar of recado powder at a grocery store so I could try it on some seitan when I got home. A lot of recipes call for recado rojo, or paste, instead of powder. I’m not sure if there is any substantial difference in taste between the two. The powder seemed like it’d be easier for me to transport, so I went with that. It has a beautiful red color, and I’m excited in experimenting with it more.
Obviously I have no way of comparing this to the original dish to see if it’s close, but I can tell you it’s pretty tasty, if not authentic. I’m sure traditional recipes don’t ask for tamari, but I prefer it’s flavor to salt in many dishes, so I’ve included it here. The first time I made it I found the lime juice to be overwhelming, so this recipe calls for a reduced amount. It’s delicious served with some salty black beans, lettuce, shredded carrots, and wrapped up in a tortilla.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Yucatan Seitan
Serves four
1 8oz Package of Seitan
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
2 Tbs Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Cloves Garlic
1 1/2 tsp Recado Powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 Clove, crushed
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 Tbs Tamari
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Slice the seitan into wide but thin strips. Place all other ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place seitan into a small baking dish, so it is roughly in one layer, overlappng some. Pour over marinade and cover tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes, but give it a shake at 15. Don’t peek! You don’t want to let the moisture escape. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes if it’s too liquidy. Serve immediately.
May 5th, 2007
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