Zucchini and Pasta with Wine Flavored Cheese

A great dinner that came together quickly, pasta with zucchini and wine flavored cheese.  I didnt want to forget it.  If you dont  have wine flavored cheese, dont even bother.  It is truly what makes it.  Though, probably, if you boil the pasta in wine and wine to the dish, you may get the same effect... I will have to give that a try.

We started a new thing on Sundays here in our family.  We spend an hour together watching videos from You Tube on things that will help us all grow personally.  My kids pooh paw it, well, one of them does but I think it has been a worth while endeavor and so does my husband.  We will keep going with it despite a few protests now and then.  I wanted to share the line up for this week.








Zucchini and Pasta with Wine Flavored Cheese

4 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
handful of cherry tomatoes, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasonings*
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon flaked hot pepper, optional
8 oz shredded wine flavored cheese
1 pound Boiled pasta, I love Fideo, you can just break up your own spaghetti and get the saem effect.

Saute onion and zucchini in oil until tender. Add seasonings and tomatoes. Toss the cooked pasta into the sauteed vegetables. Remove from heat and add cheese and hot pepper flakes.  Serve and enjoy!

*You can use a combination of 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon oregano if you are in a pinch.

Spinach Lasagna

 

I am not a real big fan of lasagna because I have never been a big fan of cooked ricotta.  Fresh ricotta with a little vanilla and a teaspoon of sugar.  Oh my.  But not cooked.  My husband told me he is not a real big fan of spinach lasagna.

Things change.  He loves this recipe. The kids ate it up.  My oldest daughter, the picky one, managed to pull out a bit of the spinach.  You know she has to keep up her reputation for not eating anything green. I tell  you she was the first to eat the leftovers though, her and her Dad.

Spinach Lasagna

See original recipe here at Serious Eats

For the Spinach:

2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely minced (about 1/2 cup)
6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds fresh flat or curly spinach leaves, washed and dried

For the Ricotta:
2 pounds fresh ricotta cheese
2 eggs
4 ounces finely grated peccorino romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the White Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
12 ounces grated low moisture mozzarella cheese
12 ounces grated Swiss cheese

For Assembly:
1 1/2 pounds (enough sheets to make 12 layers) fresh lasagna noodle

For the Spinach: Saute garlic and shallots in butter and oil until soft.  Add in spinach and cook until it is wilted, having lost its moisture.Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Let spinach drain and cool while you mix up the ricotta.

Combine ricotta with egg, nutmeg and peccorino romano.  Season with salt and pepper.

Squeeze spinach out.  In a food processor (or by hand), chop spinach and short pulses.  You want it chopped, not pureed.  Mix into the ricotta.


To make  your white sauce you will need a large skillet or saucepan.  Heat butter until melted. Add flour and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring butter and flour with a whisk until golden. Be patient.  The golden part is what gives it a really nice flavor. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in milk. Continue to cook, whisking frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and add 3/4 of mozzarella and Swiss cheese. Whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. 

Place a small amount of white sauce at the bottom of the 13 x 9 dish.  Lay a single layer of pasta sheets over that.  I used the ready to use kind, fresh in the Dairy Section of my local grocery store.

Top with a thin layer of spinach/ricotta mixture.  I only had a small amount of pasta sheets so I just did a few layers, dividing it into thirds. Pour a little sauce over that and lay down your next layer of sheets.  Finish with some sauce on top of the pasta sheets.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until bubble and lightly browned, about 20 minutes longer. Let rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Bolognese Sauce

I have never made or tried Bolognese Sauce.  I had to try this.  Delicious.  It's really a lot like a chili... an Italian chili.  A big hit with my daughter and husband.

Now, to give the winner of the Red Pack Tomato Package.

UPDATE


Lisa is the winner!

Sorry Lisa- you are a no reply blogger.  I left a comment on your blog and still have not received an email.  We have moved on to the secondary winner.

Joan Kubes


You have forty eight hours to send me an email so that we have your email address to get in contact with you. Please send me an email at Lorilipsmackerz@gmail.com.

For more chances to win.  Go to the Red Pack Facebook page and like them for a chance to win some major prizes:

Please tell them that I sent you by using this link http://bit.ly/1EMSfCv

Bolognese Sauce

1⁄4 cup dried Shitake mushrooms
3 slices white bread
1 cup whole milk
3 lb. ground beef chuck, at room temperature
2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1⁄2 lb.bacon, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely chopped Baby Bella mushrooms
2 cups finely chopped carrots (about 4 medium)
1 cup finely chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
1 cup finely chopped red onions (about 1 small)
1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 small can Red Pack tomato paste
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine
3⁄4 cup canned Red Pack diced tomatoes, with juice
1⁄2 cup water
2 Tbs. minced rosemary leaves
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked according to the package directions


Add the dried mushrooms to a small bowl and cover with very hot water; let sit for 15 minutes, then drain and finely chop. In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together until a smooth paste forms. Gently knead in the raw beef, salt, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Cook the bacon and sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off the fat, reserving a few tablespoons. Add the meat mixture, and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the drained, dried mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and nutmeg. Sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and flour, and cook until the flour is no longer visible, no more than 1 minute. With the pan off the heat, carefully add the wine. Then return the pan to high heat and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any food bits. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and stock, and cook for another minute. Pour into the slow cooker.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the meat has cooked through and the sauce is aromatic and very flavorful, about 6 hours. Spoon the fat off the surface, stir in the rosemary, break up any large pieces of meat with a fork, and serve with pasta.

Pasta e Fagioli

The kind folks at Red Pack offered to give me this lovely tomato package in exchange for a recipe featuring their tomatoes.  Let, me think about that (no time passage)- Yes! I definitely like their product so that was kind of a no brainer.

I used the tomato paste for my sauce.  I use tomato paste all the time for many things. Making dressings for salads, thickening sauce, add to soup, add to bean dishes...  One of my favorite ways that I use paste is to make pizza sauce. To make the pizza sauce, mix tomato paste with an equal 1 -2 cans of water, along with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar (as my kids and husband like a sweet sauce) and 1 teaspoon oregano. Easy peasy.  The first time I made pizza this way, they said, Wow! Love the sauce. 

Then I made pasta e fagioli- a souped up variety with more veggies that I usually put in.  Amazing! It turned out delicious.

Okay, in my case- just Fagioli.  But for the rest of the clan, they had the combo.

Pasta e Fagioli


1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, quartered then halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (29 ounce) can Red Pack Crushed Tomatoes
1 (29 ounce) can Red Pack Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans
grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese for serving in bowls

1 pound ditalini pasta

Sauté garlic, fennel and onion in olive oil until lightly golden.  Pour into crockpot.  Pour both cans of tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, cannelini beans, garbanzo beans.  Heat on low in crockpot for 4 to six hours.  Right before serving cook pasta in water, drain, then combine with pasta.  Serve in bowls and sprinkle with parmesan or asiago.

Pasta with Roasted Pepper Sauce

Today, while my brother was visiting, we took a ride over in the Finger Lakes region of New York.  I like to go to a few Mennonite stores there.  I buy a few things there that are hard to find in other places.  Like a 50 pound bag of flour.  Yes, I know, you are thinking that is HUGE.  You are right it is, but if you bake bread, you go through it quite quickly.

Since I hear this is going to be a rather cold winter again, I am thinking I will be making bread on a regular basis and may not get back there for a while.  I don't know, I say that, and then I always end up going back in a couple months anyway when there is a break in the weather.  

This pasta is delicious.  A but sweet so it is totally a good idea to sprinkle some Asiago over top to offset the sweetness. We also enjoyed the pasta mixed with tomatoes as the acid offset the sweetness of the pepper sauce as well. 

If you have two components, which I did, this recipe is stinking easy to whip up.  I suppose tomato soup would work in a pinch.  Combined with roasted red peppers.

I roast some peppers every year around this time.  I stash them in the freezer.  Boy, are they good on a sandwich! In the winter time that sure is appreciated by me. I had a jar of them in the refrigerator.

roasted peppers
tomato sauce

You could totally make this with store bought stuff.

If you want to get all domestic though, do this:

Tomato Soup

2 quarts tomatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
1 large onion, diced

Core and peel some tomatoes.  Place them quartered, in a large soup pot.  Cook them down until they are pretty soft.

In a frying pan fry onions in butter.  Continue to saute for about five minutes, just until the onions are transluscent.  Add in flour.  Be patient.  You want the flour to begin to brown.  This is what gives a nice rich flavor.  Once your flour clumps are golden, whisk in milk. Continue to whisk until all the clumps melt.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for one minute.

Meanwhile puree the soup, either in the blender or with an immersion blender. 

Pour the milk mixture into the tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Done!

Roasted Peppers

On a cookie sheet.  Place in oven and broil.  You want the pepper skin charred all the way around.  Check and turn often.  It gets real hot so you have to watch this process pretty close. 

As soon as one pepper gets done place immediately in a pot with a cover or a bowl with a cover.  The steam will help the pepper seperate from the skin.

Once you are all done roasting then you have to peel the skin off.

Yes, it is an exhausting process but worth evey little effort later on.  The flavor is WAY better than the jarred kind in the store.  By the way, do not run it under any water when peeling.  You will lose flavor.  Yes, the little seeds will drive you crazy.

Once you peel it all, cut in strips, season with salt and pepper, a little olive oil and a little red wine vinegar.  Let sit overnight for maximum flavor.  If you can stand waiting that long.

Baked Ziti

All I can say is boy, am I glad I had yesterdays post up and ready to go a few days before it went up.  In the last few days the last thing I felt like doing is writing.  On New Years Eve I found out I had shingles on my face.  Yup, shingles.  I really only thought shingles come around when you are older or immuno compromised.  Nope, according to my doctor it can just happen and they really aren't sure why.  It started last Friday when I had this stinging sensation near my eye.  Couldn't quite figure it out.  I thought it was an allergy of some sort but day by day my bridge of my nose started to become more red and swollen.

Yes, shingles can happen on your face.  I thought only the torso.  I have learned a lot.  Also, if you suspect you might have shingles, go and find out because after day 3 of the onset there is really nothing they can do that will help you.  No drugs. No relief.  Day five is when it peeks.  Of course, when you don't really know what is happening and you try not to run to the doctors too often because it is just too costly...                      

Shingles lesson learned.  I hope I have helped you in some way. 

On to the food.  The glorious food.

I saw this picture, similar to the one above on Pinterest.  Clicked on the link because I was intrigued by a casserole that looked like pizza. Had to make it.  My husband and kids love this kind of stuff.  Here is what it is, looks like pizza but it is really baked ziti in disguise.  Now, you certainly can substitute any kind of pasta here but ziti or rotini or something tubular are my favorites for this type of dish.

Baked Ziti in Disguise
Click here for printable without commentary.

1 pound cooked pasta, such as ziti or rotini, al dente
2 cups mozzarella
1/2 cup peccorino romano or Parmesan (a good parmesan)
2 quarts marinara sauce
1 pound ricotta
pepperoni, sliced thin, what ever amount you like
2 pounds Italian sausage

Cook pasta, mix with marinara, set aside.  Mix the pasta with the marinara in a large pot.  It should be pretty soupy.  The pasta will absorb the marinara as it bakes, so you want enough liquid in there for that.

Cut sausage into small bite sized pieces and fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Set aside. I cut it before frying then there is more areas for browning.

In a large casserole dish... I used this nice disposable tin because I was sending it into my husbands work but certainly if you are having company over, you could put it in a pretty dish (or even two if you dont have one that big).  Clean up is a snap in one of these disposable tins though.   Spoon a layer, about half of the pasta on the bottom of the dish.  Spread half of sausage over pasta, scattered so everyone gets some sausage when they dig in.  Spread half of mozzarella and Parmesan over top. Sprinkle evenly. Spoon glops of ricotta over pasta- again as even as possible.  It does not need to be covered with ricotta though.

Add the next layer of pasta and repeat process but end with the mozzarella. Lay slices of pepperoni all around. Cover and bake in a 350 F oven. Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 or 15 minutes more to brown.  I always forget to do this so mine was not brown.

After you remove it from the oven give it about 10 minutes to set.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Love mushrooms.  Do you?  Do you know how good they are for you?  I remember a time when professional health care people thought there was no benefit to mushrooms.  Nothing really to speak of nutritionally in mushrooms.  Ah, but they just didn't even know yet.  The one great thing about mushrooms is that they can serve as highlighters for cancer cells.  They kind of tag cancer cells so that the body can identify the cancer cells and attack them.  They say one mushroom a day is enough to do this task.  Pretty efficient, huh?  And it doesn't matter whether you eat them fresh, dried or cooked.  Awesome.  So get a little mushroom in your diet.

This certainly is one delicious way to do it. This mushroom cream over pasta.  We loved it.  Even my picky girl said she would eat.  She said of course she would have to pick out the little bits of mushroom in there.  Goodness, gracious.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

6 ounces mushrooms
3/4 cup onion, minced fine
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces of light beer
1 cup milk, your preference, I used a combination of 2% and half and half
1/2 cup pecorino Romano or Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 pound cooked pasta

In a large deep frying pan, saute onions and mushroom in butter until tender.  Add chopped garlic, cook one minute more.  Add in beer and then cream.  Sprinkle flour over mixture and then stir in until absorbed. Toss in cooked pasta.

I like to time it so my pasta finishes about the same time. I ladle (with a slotted spoon) the pasta right into the frying pan. No matter if some of the water gets in there. A little bit anyhow. Once completely tossed, pour into serving bowl and sprinkle with parmesan and  parsley .

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES

This is a real simple salad.  You can find Asian Noodle type salads all over the internet.  I got this idea from Cooking Light.  I never tire of these salads, light, delicious and so versatile.  I made it the other night for dinner and the leftovers were gone the next day.  So I made it for lunch today and packed up the remainder for lunches (no meat today but I used shrimp the other day).  With the price of food rising, we are eating more pasta and rice that is for sure.

SPICY ASIAN NOODLES
Adapted from this recipe at My Recipes, aka Cooking Light

Head of romaine chopped
1/4 cup hoison
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
14 ounces rice noodles

Boil a pot or kettle of water.  Place dry noodles in a heat proof bowl.  Pour boiling water over them.  Cover and let sit for about 7 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

While noodles are draining mix up the sauce: hoison, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar and chili garlic sauce. Whisk together.  Pour over noodles.  Add chopped green onions and cilantro and stir. Spoon noodles over bed of romaine and garnish with toasted peanuts.

Asian Style Noodles with Spring Vegetables and Pineapple Dressing

Summer is off to a flying start.  Lots to do. Tonight we went to my daughter's school play.  I think I had tears in the corner of my eyes the whole time.  It always moves me to see the kids having fun and getting into what they are doing.  They are all so cute in those moments; focused on their roles, having fun and doing their very best.  The play is called, "It's A Jungle Out There".  It's about the lion finding out that happiness can be found through the friendship.  Lots of jungle animals and safari people. My daughter was a bird.  A toucan more specifically. We had a lot of fun putting the costume together.  So many times I wanted to take over painting the beek.  Partly perfectionism and partly my need to create.  I didn't.  I controlled myself.  She did it all.  I think she did a great job.

And speaking of friendship I was able to connect with a friend from high school over the weekend.  I haven't seen her in about 25 years or so.  I was so excited.  So much time has passed but I was still very comfortable with her and it really felt good to make that connection.  Cheers girl, you look great!

I served this cold noodle dish for dinner.  It was refreshing and light.  Really a great meal for a hot summer night.

Asian Style Noodles with Spring Vegetables
greatly adapted from this recipe at Bon Apetit

16 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 8- to 9-ounce package Korean style noodles
2 grilled chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup pineapple dressing(recipe below)
1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

Cook noodles.  While noodles are cooking, steam or boil the sugar snap peas. Immerse in cold water.  Once cooled remove strings.  Place all the ingredients in a bowl.  Flavors have time to develop if left overnight.  Before serving add a little more dressing to the mix to freshen it up.

Pineapple Dressing
adapted from this recipe

3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pineapple preserves*
1 tablepoon finely grated ginger
5 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Whisk together pineapple preserves, ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, dijon and red pepper together.  While whisking slowly drizzle in the canola oil.

*Remember those pineapple preserves?  I put them to good use in this salad.  Why?  because my coveted mango chutney that the recipe calls for went bad. Shame on me (bowing head).  At the risk of sounding boastful, it was a great substitute.

Fiddleheads, Eggs and Pasta

I picked up some fiddleheads at the market last Saturday. What I really wanted to do was get some from the woods myself. Last year I didn't buy them. I refused to pay five dollars a pound for something I could forage myself. But alas I never made it to the woods in time and the moment passed me by. This year I broke down and bought some- just a half a pound so we could get a taste. People say it tastes like asparagus and it pretty much does but it tastes a little more fresh, a little more green.  We enjoyed it but I think I would find it more irresistable if I could forage it myself.

Fiddleheads, Egg and Pasta

1/2 pound fiddleheads
2 cloves garlic
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/4 cup peccorino romano cheese
two tablespoons olive oil, some for frying and some for drizzling
pasta cooked, about two cups of cooked pasta
one egg per serving- for us that was two as this was our dinner

While boiling the pasta, saute garlic and onion in a frying pan. Add the fiddleheads when the onions become soft. Saute until tender. Ladle in a some pasta water- about 3/4 of a cup and continue to cook the fiddleheads. When they are tender, place pasta in pan and mix all together. Spoon into a serving bowl or individual bowls. In the same frying pan cook the eggs, over easy. Slide the egg onto the serving bowl. Each person can stir in their own egg. This is absolutely creamy. A little drizzle of olive oil and light sprinkling of peccorino romano.

Penne Vodka

The title of this post isnt really true is it? Its more like Farfalle Vodka. Its just the shape that has changed though because it has all the goodness of the penne vodka. The cream, the vodka, the tomatoes... and from there everyone's penne vodka is a little different. The recipes are as varied as the proposed origins of this dish. Some say it came out of Italy, some say America and some say the vodka company, which is in, oh, I dunno, Russia?! (Read more about it here.) It's a good thing, so of course everyone wants to say it was their idea. No disrespect but it really doesn't matter as long as I can make it in my kitchen. Not only can you make it in your kitchen but like most pasta dishes, it's a snap to prepare.

Lori's Farfalle Vodka
interpreted from my friend "D" who got us all hooked on the stuff.
filled with lots of commentary, cause I am part Italian

pasta, any shape, your choice, after all it will be your dish when all is said and done.
1/4 - 3/4 cup vodka (depending on what a lush you are)
4 cups tomato sauce (fresh tomatoes in the summer totally rock this dish)
2 cups chopped ham
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup half and half
3 - 6 tablespoons tomato paste (depending on how thick you like your sauce)
1 1/2 cups peas
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil or a spoonful of pesto
parsley, if you are feeling fancy- decorate it

In a large pot boil your pasta. This sauce will cover about a pound of cooked pasta.

In a large skillet, saute onions until soft. Add minced garlic and cook one minute more. Pour in your tomato sauce, ham and vodka and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the peas, basil and half and half and let the sauce get warm again. Stir in your pasta and it's ready to serve. Sprinkle with more basil (if you have fresh) and parsley.

Paper Chef: August

Bloggersville is just filled with all kinds of cooking and baking groups. I like that. With many choices you can pick a group that is perfect for you or you can start your own. Which is what Temperance and I did for Recipes to Rival. While I love our group, Paper Chef offers a unique experience than a lot of the other baking groups. Basically, you just stop by for any given month, see what the ingredients are for that month and create a dish with those ingredients. You can participate as little or as much as you like.

I haven't done Paper Chef in quite some time. I was glad to see this months pick- couscous, chilies, peaches and rosemary. Good choice Javaholic. I am very pleased with how this dish came out. Very tastey and I actually would make it again.

Rosemary Scented Toasted Israeli Cous Cous Timbales with Chili Peach Sauce
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness

1/2 pound Israeli Cous Cous
2 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs rosemary
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
s and p
3 ounces Empire Jack cheese or some other nice melting cheese, grated
1 egg
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped small

Sauce:
1/2 heavy cream
1 cup peach puree
1/2 of an anaheim chili
s and p

In a saucepan melt butter and let brown, add cous cous and rosemary and cook in butter until the cous cous is toasted. Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth. Add the chicken broth and salt and pepper when the cous cous has become a little toasted. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the cous cous becomes tender. Drain. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk egg a little- add cheese, parsley and green onion. Mix in couscous and broccoli. Pour into sprayed muffin tins or ramekins. Bake at 350F for about fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on the size of your pan. You want to see it pulling away from the sides a little. Remove and let cool.

While the cous cous timbales are baking make the sauce. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan heat cream with a chunk of chili until it is just about to boil. Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Remove the chile after the mixture has cooled. In a blender, puree about two or three peaches. Add the heavy cream.

Spinach Cous Cous with Fava Beans and Zucchini

It takes a whole lot of pods to make a dish of favas. So after all that work, you want it to be something special. Well, for me, this dish was something special. It was tastey, quick and light. It tasted even better the next day when I reheated it.
Have you ever heard of favism? I don't know where the heck I learn these little factoids. A friend of my friends in AZ use to call me Cliff, as in the trivia man on Cheers (watch him here). Ah, was that a nice thing to say? Anyway favism is a "a hereditary disorder involving an allergic-like reaction to the broad, or fava, bean (Vicia faba). Susceptible persons may develop a blood disorder (hemolytic anemia) by eating the beans, or even by walking through a field where the plants are in flower." Encyclopedia of Brittanica.

Spinach Cous Cous with Fava Beans and Zucchini

4 cups diced zucchini
2 1/2 cups fava beans shelled and peeled (can substitute frozen lima beans)
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup mint chopped
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
s and p to taste
1 cup cous cous ( I used spinach cous cous)
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Place cous cous in a large bowl. Add boiling water, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile saute onion, and zucchini in butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cook until lightly golden. Add garlic cook one minute more and add favas. Remove from heat and add remaining tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.


*Next time I make this I think I will add some toasted pine nuts.

Singapore Noodles

I have been seeing Singapore noodles all over blogville. First, I saw them at One Perfect Bite, then on Tastespotting, then on Chow and Chatter. This and the cold Japanese noodles have been speaking to me. I did some recipe searches for the Singapore Noodles and there are as many ways to make them as there are noodles. As far as authenticity I don't know how close mine comes to the real thing but we did enjoy it anyway- authentic or not.

Singapore Noodles

3 celery ribs, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1-2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
2-4 cups noodles, I used longevity noodles

Cook noodles and drain.

Combine spices and set aside. In a large fry pan, saute celery, carrot and pepper in olive oil until soft. Add minced garic, cook one minute more. Add spices and oyster sauce. Finally add shrimp and cook until pink. Then add noodles.

Pastina: Comfort in a Bowl

This is a "souped" up version of an Italian comfort soup. When you are sick it is the most comforting. We had it quite a bit growing up. When we were sick and when we were not. It was always a welcome food. When I made this, my husband came home and saw it on the table. He said, "that's not what I think it is, is it?" It had been way too long since I made it. Usually it does not have carrots or green onions but I wanted a little color.

Ancini de Pepe Soup or Pastina

1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup ancini de pepe
1 carrot shredded
2 green onions sliced
2 eggs, beaten

Saute garlic in oil in a soup pot. Add broth when garlic softens. Bring to a boil. Add ancini de pepe. Boil until the pasta is tender. Add carrots, cook a couple minutes more. When it is boiling again use a fork, stir the soup, adding the egg in a steady, thin stream. The egg will form ribbons. Serve with pecorino romano or parmesan cheese grated over top and if you so desire a sprinkling of green onions or chives.

Daring Cooks, yup, I'm a Daring Cook indeed.

I love being a part of the Daring Bakers, I know, I sing their praises all the time but it is the truth. It's the camaraderie, the challenge, the learning, the togetherness, that I enjoy so much. So I joined the Daring Cooks. I was rewarded with a recipe that I wanted to try anyway. I had seen a video of this on Epicurious and have wanted to make it since. I didnt have the nerve. Enter the Daring Cooks and voila, courage abounds.

Courage does not mean success as you can see. While they were a bit mushy they did hold together. I blame my failure on not draining the ricotta long enough. I did about seven hours. Next time I will go for the 24 hours. Even though they don't look stellar, they sure taste stellar. Light, despite the thousands of calories within.

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.

Tips:

- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it.
- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.
- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.
- If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky.

For the gnocchi:

1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)
2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)
½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)
about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)
all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi

For the gnocchi sauce:

8 tablespoons (227 grams/1/4 pound/4 ounces) butter, sliced
2 teaspoons water

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.

If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.

To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.

Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.

Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.

Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.

Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.

In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.

With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.

At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.

Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.

If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.

Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them.

Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour.

You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.

In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.

Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.

Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).

When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking.

Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.

With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently drop into the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

Freezing the gnocchi: If you don’t want to cook your gnocchi right away or if you don’t want to cook all of them, you can make them and freeze them. Once they are formed and resting on the flour-dusted, lined tray, place them uncovered in the freezer. Leave them for several hours to freeze. Once frozen, place them in a plastic bag. Remove the air and seal the bag. Return to the freezer. To cook frozen gnocchi, remove them from the bag and place individually on a plate or on a tray. Place in the refrigerator to thaw completely. Cook as directed for fresh gnocchi.

Here's what I made for the sauce.

Lemon Wine Sauce

juice of half of a lemon
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup ap flour

Saute onions in butter over medium high heat until onions begin to turn golden. Whisk in flour and let cook until it becomes golden. Whisk in broth and wine. Add salt to taste. Add lemon. Let mixture boil for a few minutes to thicken.

I spooned the sauce over the gnocchi and then sprinkled with chopped fresh tarragon, oregano and chives.

SPAGHETTI PIE

I came down the stairs today and saw a pile of dishes to put away in the drainboard. We were at a party last night, a wedding party and I was just too tired to put them away. I was hoping they would magically disappear this morning. Ahem, oh hubbie... They were there, in the drainboard, waiting patiently for me to put them away. I was a little disappointed that my DH did not help me out here. But then I took a step back as I put them away and thought to myself. Geez, I am really being silly here. So what? They are dishes. I resolved that today no matter what my jobs are I will, am grateful to have a loving and devoted husband and two beautiful children.

I am almost too embarassed to post that little blurb because it sounds so childish and selfish. I will post it for humilities sake.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothering, nurturing and kind women out there! To all of you who toil and recieve little thanks. To those of you who are single and do not have anyone by your side to help. To those of you who work from sun up to sun down. To those of you who sacrifice yourself for others. To those of you who nurture others selflessly. To those of you who bite your lip when you want to scream. To those of you who aren't even mothers but always manage to spread love, kindness and nurturing to others... Celebrate yourself today!

SPAGHETTI PIE
Do not underestimate the amazing qualities of this simplistic pie. Use the right cheese and fresh ingredients and you will be rewarded with deliciousness.

1 lb of spaghetti, cooked and drained
1/2 of a pound of gruyere or a really sharp cheddar
1 cup of roasted red peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cups of onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup milk
4 eggs, whole
2 egg whites
s and p to taste
lots 'o' fresh basil... like a half of a cup, chiffonade
1/4 cup parsely
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil

Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain and set aside.

In a large pot melt butter and add olive oil. Add carrots and onions and saute until soft. Add minced garlic and cook one minute more. Set aside.

Finely chop parsley and add to vegetable mixture. Add basil, paprika salt and pepper, green onion. roasted peppers. Mix in spaghetti to the vegetables. Combine thoroughly. Pour into two prepared, nine inch pie plates or a large tube pan. (The tube pan helps the mixture cook thoroughly. If you do not have a tube pan, pour into pie plates.)

In a bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk. Whisk. Pour evenly over the mixture in the pans. Place grated cheese over top and mix in a little with your fingers or a fork.

Place the uncovered pans in the oven and turn on the oven to 400F. Bake until golden about thirty minutes. Remove from oven and let set up for about ten minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

Rainbow Pasta, aka Pasta Primavera

First, I wanted to let you know that I wrote an article for Daring Bakers on growing your own herbs. You can check it out by clicking here. I was so excited to write for this group. Besides being a great group of people with lots of fun challenges, they now have new features to their site, including articles.

My inspiration for this lovely dish came from blog hunting. I saw some Pasta Primavera on HoneyB's site The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch. It was one of those things where I knew I had to make it right away. So I threw together some fresh and frozen vegetables to create a Pasta Primavera. I usually have whole grain pasta but this time I figured with the dish being mostly vegetables it would be okay to have some white pasta. A girls gotta splurge once in a while, right?

Pasta Primavera

1 pound of asparagus
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 pound pasta ( I used 2 cups cooked to add to the dish)
3/4 cup peas
1 carrot, matchstick sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
s and p to taste
freshly grated peccorino romano or something similar

Cook pasta and set aside. While pasta is cooking chop up all your vegetables. In a large frying pan, cook asparagus in some water. Cover and cook to al dente. Remove asparagus and set aside. Drain water. Dry pan with a paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute peppers and carrots until tender. Add garlic cook one minute more. Stir in peas and pasta and reserved asparagus. Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Serve in large bowl with freshly grated cheese.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Garlic Sauce

Drum roll, please. I lost five pounds this week. This is unheard of for me in the fifth week of any weight loss program. I nearly fell off the scale this morning. From the beginning, I have rid myself of 26 unwanted pounds! Woooooohoooo!

I recently changed up my routine. I am doing less machine exercise and more classes like Step Aerobics and Zumba. That probably is the reason for the bigger drop this week!

I know, a lot of people would say you are going too fast. Quite honestly, I have never lost weight fast in my life. I am not a fad dieter. I am simply willing and able to put the time in to do the work and it is paying off! I am not starving either. I eat about 1600 calories a day, give or take 100. Which actually is pretty much on target with a Weight Watchers suggestion for my weight and level of activity.

The bottom line is that everyone has to find their own way of doing things. EVERYONE has advice for weight loss. That's good, I like to hear it, but I have learned recently to trust my judgement and expertise about what I like and what my body can do.

Now on to the food. I make sweet potato fries often, I love them. When I make them, I always put oregano and garlic powder on them. There is something about the flavors together that I really like. When I decided to do sweet potato gnocchi, I had to add these other components.

Gnocchi can be a bit tricky getting the dough right but once you have that down you can whip these babies up very quickly. They are one easy pasta to make!

First start with the dough. Do not go by the recipe as much as you should be going by the feel of the dough. You want a dough that is not sticky but not hard either. You want it to be smooth, supple and tender.
Depending on how much you have, divide it into workable amounts. Squeeze it into a long tube and roll it. Cut it into small pieces, about the size of a nickel. Take a fork and run the tines of the fork over the piece of the dough in one swift swoop. You should end up with a piece that is oblong, with markings on the side and a dent in the middle. This will serve you well later when it holds the sauce for you. Yum!
Those happy little pieces of dough, get placed on a flour sheet or plate so you can transport them to the boiling water.

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI with Garlic Sauce

12 ounces sweet potato (I passed them through a ricer)
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten

Pass the sweet potato through a ricer or mash thoroughly. Add the salt and egg, combine. Add the flour a half of a cup at a time. Adding less towards the end. Take it out of the bowl and knead a little. Let it rest for fifteen minutes.

This recipe made about 89 gnocchi, 13.37 calories per gnocchi.


Garlic Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon oregano
s and p to taste
12 garlic cloves, roasted
1 cup skim milk

Peel garlic and wrap in aluminum foil. Toast in oven at 425F until golden. Saute onions in butter until softened. Add flour and stir often until flour becomes toasted, turning a light brown color. Add the milk, stirring often to incorporate the milk into the flour mixture. Add oregano, s and p. Mash the roasted garlic with a little salt, into a paste. Add to the milky mixture.

210 calories for entire recipe. We divided it into four.

CINCINNATI STYLE CHILI

If you are a Cincinnati Style Chili purist, leave now and do not come back until a couple days have passed and I have a new post up. If you are curious about different flavors in your chili that will "WOW" your tastebuds, then listen up. This here chili is yum, the flavor is a kin to chorizo. If you like chorizo then you will like this.

A few years ago I made this for my friend and her husband. Little did I know that my friend's DH was so traditional. He just kept saying, "it's different". To this day, this happened over a decade ago, he still teases me about the day I tried to serve him this chili. Having said that, don't be frightened away. It is so good. Be forewarned that your tastebuds will be dancing with a lot of flavors.


Cincinnatti Style Chili
Recipe based on Epicurious

2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef chuck
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried orégano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1 bay leaf
1 cups water
a 16-ounce jar stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons cocoa
cooked spaghetti and grated Cheddar

Cook meat until the pink is gone. Add spices and cook for one minute. Place in large pot with tomatoes. Saute onions in olive oild until golden. Add garlic, saute one minute more and add to pot. Cook for a couple hours. The longer the better. Crock pot works very nicely as well.

Spoon over spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese.