Linguine alle Vongole

This recipe has a thicker sauce that coats the pasta better than traditional recipes.

(Adapted from a recipe found on Epicurious.)

Linguine alle Vongole
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium white (or yellow) onion
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs flour
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
handful of parsley (about 1/4 cup)
1 can white clam sauce (preferable Colavita white clam sauce)
1/2 can veg broth
1 lb. fettuccine (or linguine if you want to be authentic)
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in 1 Tbs butter until translucent (about 5 minutes) over medium high heat. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Slowly add in the 1/2 can veg broth making sure to wisk out any clumps of flour. When sauce starts to thicken, lower heat to medium and add white clam sauce. Stir to combine
   
2. Meanwhile, cook 1 lb of pasta. Slightly undercook pasta.


3. Add juice of one lemon, zest of one lemon, salt and pepper to taste to sauce. Let thicken slightly over low heat. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and parsley. Add a generous handful of Parmesan to help thicken the sauce even more!

General Taos Tofu

This recipe would be equally good if using chicken, shrimp, pork, or beef. The recipe was adapted from a recipe found on VegWeb.

1 box extra firm tofu
1 egg
3/4 cornstarch
vegetable oil
3 green onions, chopped
2 T minced ginger
2 T minced garlic
1.5 cup vegetable broth
4 T soy sauce
5 T sugar
red pepper flakes (can substitute chili garlic sauce)
2 T sherry (optional)
2 T rice wine vinegar
steamed broccoli
rice
1. Drain, dry, and cute tofu into 1 inch cubes. Beat egg in a bowl. Toss tofu with egg, coating each piece. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch on tofu, tossing to coat.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add green onion, ginger, garlic, and cook 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine stock, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, and sherry. Add to green onion/garlic/ginger mixture. Mix 4 T water with 2 T cornstarch in a separate bowl. Pour into stock mixture. Add tofu and coat evenly.

4. Serve with rice and broccoli.

Farfalle with Gorgonzola, Arugula, and Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe is quick and east and great for a hot summer night.

Adapted from a recipe that appeared in the New York Times.

1 cup light cream (can also use heavy cream or half and half)
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other good blue cheese
1 pound farfalle
2 cups of arugula, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes cut in half
salt and pepper
freshly ground Parmesan to taste

1. Cook pasta until just al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, warm the cream and Gorgonzola in a small saucepan just until the cheese melts a bit and mixture becomes thick.

3. Add the Gorgonzola cream mixture, arugula, and cherry tomatoes to the cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

One thing that is great about living in California right now is the abundance of strawberries. The other day while at the store I got 4 pounds of strawberries for $3.99. What better way to use them up then to make some muffins!


Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

(adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup plus 3 T vanilla fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped strawberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture.

3. Combine yogurt, butter, milk, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Add chopped strawberries.

5. Place 12 foil cup liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

6. Bake at 375º for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; place on a wire rack.

Spicy Moroccan Kabobs

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe. This recipe is better if the kabobs are grilled. If not, it can be prepared in the oven.

1 cup plain, fat free yogurt
1 T grated lemon rind
2 T fresh lemon juice
1.5 T grated minced ginger
2 t paprika
1.5 tsp salt
1 T ground coriander
1 T cumin
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 pounds beef sirloin, trimmed and cubed
cooking spray
2 T chopped fresh mint

1. Combine first 11 ingredients in a large zip lock bag. Add beef to bag, seal and marinate in a refrigerator 3 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil coated with cooking spray. Remove beef from bag, discard marinade. Thread meat onto skewers. Cook in oven about 15 minutes until desired doneness.

3. Sprinkle with mint.

Roasted Beet, Pea, and Goat Cheese Risotto

This recipe is a little more time consuming than the other risotto recipe I posted a few days ago, mainly because I needed to roast the beets first. It came out very good and I think I like it better than the other one! This recipe would be perfect around Christmas time because of the colors, bright fuchsia and green.

The other day when I was at the grocery store buying the rice for the risotto I happened to get Carnaroli rice instead of the regular Arborio rice which is frequently used to make risotto and much more common. Come to find out, Carnaroli rice is considered one of the finest rices used to make risotto, sometimes referred to as "the caviar of rice," and is the preferred rice of Italian chefs. Carnaroli rice, like Arborio rice, is an Italian white rice grown in the Piedmonte and Lombardy regions of Italy. Carnaroli and Arborio rices are in the same family but the Carnaroli grain is shorter and plumper. When cooked it has a creamy texture with the inner germ kernel remaining firm.

Ingredients:
3 large beets (probably at least 1 lb), cleaned and chopped-I chopped each beet into 8 equal pieces
thyme
salt and pepper
1.5 cups Carnaroli rice
3 cans vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup Parmesan
4 oz goat cheese
Italian parsley chopped

1. To roast the beets, divide the chopped beets into 2 equal portions. Place 1/2 of the beets in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Fold up the aluminum foil to make a sealed pouch. Repeat the procedure with the other half of the beets. Place pouches on a cookie sheet and cook in the oven at 450 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until cooked (times will depend on the size of the beet chunks). Once the beets are done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Make sure to reserve any beet juice that is with the beets. When you can handle the beets, remove the outer skin and chop into bite size pieces (I think I chopped each piece into one or two pieces). It was at this point that I learned that Oliver likes roasted beets!

Once the beets have been prepared, start making the risotto.

2. Combine 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Let cook 2-3 minutes. Add rice and toss to coat each grain with oil. Once you have "toasted" the rice, add the reserved beet juice and the wine. Let the alcohol cook off for 1-2 minutes.

3. Start adding the broth ladle by ladle (probably in 1/2 cup increments) to the risotto making sure to allow the liquid to be mostly absorbed before adding more (I used all three cans of vegetable broth in total and it came out perfect). Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, add the peas, chopped beets, and Parmesan. Toss gently. Crumble the goat cheese on top of individual servings and garnish with chopped parsley.

Garlicky Pan-Roasted with Parmesan and Green Pea Risotto

This sounds like it would be really complicated but it is not at all. Risotto is easy because it is just a method. Once you have mastered the method, you can make any type of risotto you like. I based the shrimp recipe off of a recipe I found on Epicurious. According to Epicurious, this method of cooking shrimp is popular in Italy and throughout the Mediterranean. In American-Italian cuisine, this recipe would be referred to as "Shrimp Scampi," an interesting title since scampi means shrimp, which means the name, literally translated is "Shrimp Shrimp." I suppose my recipe might not qualify as authentic scampi since I added tomatoes. Either way, it is very good.

As a note, this recipe could be made in many quantities. I happened to make extra so I could have leftovers. Either way, for every 1/2 pound of shrimp you use, you should use 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and 5 good size garlic cloves.

If you are making the shrimp with the risotto, make sure to start the risotto first, which takes about 25 minutes. The shrimp take less than 10 minutes to prepare and should only be started when the risotto is nearly done.

Garlicky Shrimp
1.5 pounds shrimp (peeled and devained)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
15 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion or 1/2 a large onion, chopped
2-3 t of crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
1/4 dry white wine
2 cans diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Season shrimp in a bowl with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, and crushed red pepper flakes being careful not to burn the garlic. Season with salt. Add shrimp. Cook 2-3 minutes until just pink. Do not cook thoroughly since you will finish cooking the shrimp later. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

3. Add the wine to the oil mixture. Let the alcohol cook off for a few minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

4. Add the shrimp back to the tomato mixture and cook until the shrimp are fully cooked (1 to 2 minutes). Toss in the chopped spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley and serve.

Risotto
1.5 cups arborio rice
3 cans vegetable broth, warmed slightly in a sauce pan
1/2 medium onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn garlic. Add the rice and toss to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and let cook 2-3 minutes.

2. Start adding the broth ladle by ladle (probably in 1/2 cup increments) to the risotto making sure to allow the liquid to be mostly absorbed before adding more (I used all three cans of vegetable broth in total and it came out perfect). Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, add the peas and Parmesan. Mix well and enjoy.

The Epicurious recipe suggests serving the shrimp with some bread for "sopping up the good garlicky sauce."

Eggplant Parmesan

With a little help from Epicurious

• 1 eggplant (slightly larger than 1 pound)- I tried to get one that was about the same diameter the whole length
• 1 zucchini
• 2 eggs (whisked with 2 T water)
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)
• fresh basil (about 1/4 cup) chopped
• 4-5 oz goat cheese
• mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic minced (more if making your own sauce)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Start by making a simple tomato sauce (otherwise substitute with store bought tomato sauce). If buying the sauce, buy two large jars.

2. To make the eggplant start by slicing it into an even number of slices (about 1/2 an inch thick). When I made it, I got 16 slices out of one eggplant.

3. Dip the eggplant slices into egg mixture and then breadcrumbs. Place slices on a cookie spray coated with foil and cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. Meanwhile thinly slice the zucchini and toss with a small amount of oil, salt, and pepper. Cook zucchini about 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Set aside.

5. To make the filling mix garlic, goat cheese, small handful of mozzarella, and fresh basil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Once eggplant has cooled slightly (about 5 minutes) try to match the slices by size. Place a layer of sauce in a 13x9 dish with sides. Lay the bottom 8 slices of eggplant on the sauce. Evenly divide the goat cheese on all slices. Top with zucchini and Parmesan cheese. Top with the remaining 8 slices. Cover with sauce and mozzarella. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until cheese is brown.

7. Enjoy!

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler

This is a great recipe inspired by Simply Recipes:

Fruit Mixture:

• 4.5 cups rhubarb stalks (about 1.5 lbs by my estimate) cut into 1 inch pieces (Make sure to trim outside stringy layer of stalks); discard all leaves which are poisonous
• 1.5 cups strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar (white)
• 2 Tbs of quick cooking tapioca
• 1 tsp grated orange peel

Cobbler Crust:

• 2 Tbs white sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 egg, lightly beater

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix the rhubarb and the strawberries along with the sugar, tapioca, and orange zest. Let sit to macerate for 30 minutes to one hour.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the 2T of sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter in with a fork until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

4. Pour fruit into a 2 quart casserole dish. Drop the batter on the fruit. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Serves 6

Pasta di Pomodoro, Basilico, Aglio e Feta

Reed's Tomato, Basil, Garlic and Feta Pasta

1 lb pasta (such as penne)
1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes diced (reserve all tomato juice)
1 package fresh basil (about 1/2 cup chopped)
6 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1.5 cups feta (or to taste)
salt and pepper

1. Combine chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, chopped basil, and chopped garlic in a bowl. Mix. Add 2 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper. Let sit at least one hour.

2. Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain.

3. Add tomato mixture to drained pasta. Mix in feta.