Pasta Salad with Walnut-Sage Pesto and Butternut Squash

10 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Farmers' Market, Lunch, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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I first discovered the wonderful pasta recipe in Cooking Light Magazine in October 2005. I’ve been making it at least once a year, since. This recipe includes my adaptations. Serve with fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and a side salad, or in this case sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. while the vibrant green pesto darkens with age, the pasta tastes great the next day for lunch, too.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (1/4 inch)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 1 cup  fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
  • 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • 4  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
  • 2  garlic cloves
  • 1/3  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
  • 16 oz uncooked pasta (such as cavatappi or corkscrew)
  • 4  cups  torn arugula
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Arrange squash in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool squash slightly.
  3. Meanwhile bring 4-5 quarts water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta according to directions.
  4. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, parsley, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until finely chopped, scraping sides. With processor on, slowly pour broth through food chute, processing until well blended.
  5. Combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, squash, pasta, and pesto in a large bowl, and toss well to coat. Add arugula, shallots, and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately.

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

29 Tuesday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Farmers' Market, Lunch, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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This simple, yet colorful recipe, combines the savory flavors of sweet potatoes and cumin with peanut butter. Delicious served over whole wheat couscous. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light. (*Indicates farmers’ market ingredients.)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2  cups  chopped, organic red onion*
  • 4  garlic cloves, minced*
  • 4  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled organic orange and white sweet potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
  • 1 1/2  cups  cooked small red beans (try organic adzuki beans)
  • 1 1/2  cups  organic vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1  cup  chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2  cup  water
  • 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
  • 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1  (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
  • 3  tablespoons  all-natural, organic creamy peanut butter
  • 3  tablespoons  chopped dry-roasted peanuts
  • 6  lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
  2. Add sweet potato and next 10 ingredients (through chiles). Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
  3. Spoon 1 cup cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add peanut butter; stir well with a whisk. Stir peanut butter mixture into stew. Top with peanuts; serve with lime wedges.

Greek Dinner Menu

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dessert, Dinner, Entree, Menu, Recipe, Sauce, Side, Soup

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This past Friday, before snowpocalypse 2k9, Greg and I had Kim, Rex, John and Sutton over for our monthly dinner party.  After making lamb meatballs and tzatsiki as an appetizer for our christmas cocktail the week prior, I had Greek food on the brain, and devised the following menu:

Chilled and Dilled Avgolemono Soup
Simple Greek Salad
Grilled Lamb Skewers
Tzatsiki
Orzo with Feta, Tomatoes, and Dill
Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Garlic and Swiss Chard
Semolina and Ground Almond Cake

I was able to use a lot of the items from our final CSA box that Kim and Rex picked up for us last week.  Red wine and good conversation flowed, and before we knew it, there was a few inches of snow on the ground.

Orzo with Feta, Tomatoes, and Dill

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Recipe, Side, Vegetarian

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This recipe from Gourmet was my favorite side of the night.  It was simple, fresh, and satisfying.  I will definitely be bringing this to summer picnics next year.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup chopped dill
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)

Preparation

Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Let stand at least ten minutes

Meanwhile, cook orzo in a pasta pott of boiling salted water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until al dente

Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Garlic with Rainbow Chard

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Side, Vegan, Vegetarian

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A very easy recipe, from Bon Apetit, and a good way to use up the greens that come so often in the CSA.  I’m sure this would be great with spinach, bok choy, kale, or any other leafy-green.  I used Rainbow Chard.  The garbanzo beans can be made a day ahead, which saved time on Friday.

Ingredients:

Garbanzo Beans:

  • 2 15.5-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (about 3 cups)
  • 10 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 large shallots
  • 3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Chard:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
  • 3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 2 bunches Rainbow chard, center stems cut out, leaves coarsely torn
  • 2 cups low-salt chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

Preparation

Garbanzo beans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour oil over; cover dish with foil. Roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.

Chard:
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bay leaves, and shallots. Cover; cook until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover; add half of chard. Toss until chard wilts and volume is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add remaining chard. Toss until chard wilts, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season chard with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large sieve set over bowl and drain. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Drain garbanzos and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine garbanzos and chard in large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons oil reserved from garbanzos. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, moistening with more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Grilled Lamb Skewers

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dinner, Entree, Meat, Recipe

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This recipe, from Cookie, was such a hit at the christmas cocktail, that I had to make it again.  During the christmas party, I made tiny meatballs.  They all went so fast that I barely had time to eat one.  For the dinner party, I formed the meat on a skewer, and grilled it on a Krups panini press (thanks, Grandma!).  The resulting product was moist inside, with a crisp, grilled outside – the flavor and texture was spot-on both times.  I was particular about where I got the meat from, so I got naturally-raised ground lamb from Whole Foods.   I am looking for any excuse to make these again.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 2 heaping tablespoons dry bulgur, soaked in 1 cup water until soft (about 30 minutes), then drained
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small onion, grated and drained
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Mix together everything but the oil with your hands. Form the mixture into ovals about the size and thickness of small hamburger patties.

2. Put the meat on skewers (as shown) and brush it with the oil. Grill or broil the patties for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

3. Serve with tzatsiki, if desired.

Chilled and Dilled Avgolemono Soup

21 Monday Dec 2009

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This recipe comes straight from Gourmet.  I was skeptical at first, but it is actually a light, creamy soup that made a nice starter.  I added a bit more lemon juice than it called for because I thought it needed some brightening.  This would probably be very refreshing in the summer, though I don’t think it will enter my heavy rotation.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chicken stock, or 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth plus 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup medium-or long-grain white rice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 scallion green, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill

Instructions

Simmer stock and rice in a heavy medium saucepan, covered, until rice is very tender, about 30 minutes. Purée mixture in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Whisk eggs together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot stock mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soup registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Stir in lemon juice, then quick-chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold. Stir in scallion, dill, and salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Tzatsiki

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Recipe, Side

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This sauce is a must have to accompany the lamb kebobs.  I found a recipe from epicurious and doctored it quite a bit to get the flavors closer to what I like from the Greek restaurants I’m fond of.

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber, peeled
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • Dash cumin

Preparation

Quarter the cucumber and remove the seeds.  Chop into a fine dice.  Add all ingredients to the greek yogurt and stir.  Refrigerate before serving to let the flavors blend.

Simple Greek Salad

21 Monday Dec 2009

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A simple recipe from Bon Apetit, I also added some tomatoes, white onion and olives to this.  To remove the sharpness of the onion, I soaked it in ice water for 5 minutes before adding it to the salad.  A nice, light side to go along with some of the heavier items.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 16 cups torn romaine lettuce (about 1 large head)
  • 1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into 2 1/2×1/4×1/4-inch strips
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small jar kalamata olives, drained

Preparation

Whisk oil, juice and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine lettuce; cucumber, green onions and dill in large bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Semolina and Ground Almond Cake

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by in Dessert, Recipe, Sauce

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Originally from The Glorious Foods of Greece, this is a different and elegant desert that I would highly recommend as a sweet end to a Greek feast.  It’s not overly sweet like Baklavah, and the texture is unique and satisfying.  I paired it with some apples from the farmer’s market and drizzled those with some of the leftover cinnamon clove simple syrup.  The recipe calls for these to be baked in a cake pan, but I decided to make individual servings and it worked out just fine!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups coarse semolina
  • 2 scant teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup finely ground blanched almonds
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 4 to 5 whole cloves, to taste
  • One 1-inch strip lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons brandy

Preparation

1. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, whip the cup of butter until soft. Add the confectioners’ sugar a little at a time and whip until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and continue whipping for about 5 minutes.

2. Combine the semolina, baking powder, almonds, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Slowly add the semolina mixture to the butter and sugar, beating to combine thoroughly.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degees. Butter a 12- by 18-inch glass baking pan. In a medium metal bowl, place the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the meringue into the semolina mixture, working fast to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.

4. About 15 minutes before the cake is finished baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the spices, zest, and brandy. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the syrup is viscous, about 10 minutes.

5. When the samali is baked, pull it out of the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Score it into 3-inch square pieces with a sharp paring knife. Pour the warm syrup over the hot cake and place back in the oven. Bake until the syrup is absorbed, another 5 to 7 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let cool and serve.

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