Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Three Citrus Vinaigrette and Chevre

1 lb assorted beets
1 c fresh orange juice
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1/2 c lime juice
1 Tbs fresh herbs (no idea which ones-perhaps thyme, basil, oregano)
2" piece of ginger, sliced
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
3/4 olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb baby arugulaw
fresh chevre

1. Clean, peel, and slice beets. Roast in a 350 degree oven in covered pan for 45 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool.

2. Add juices and ginger to pan and simmer for about 30 minutes until juices are reduced to syrup. Allow to cool. Mix juices with other ingredients (through salt and pepper) to make vinaigrette.

3. Mix beets with some dressing and arrange on individual plates.

4. Mix arugula with some dressing and arrange in the middle of the beets on top. Crumble the chevre (goat cheese) around the salad and drizzle with more dressing.

5. Garnish with additional black pepper.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is the Italian word for dumplings. The word "gnocchi" means "lump" or "knot" and is originally a Germanic word that may describe the distinctive shape of gnocchi.

Gnocchi vary from region to region throughout Italy. The most common way to prepare gnocchi is with potatoes and flour. In Rome, gnocchi are made with semolina flour, milk, and cheese and are known as gnocchi alla romana. In and around Tuscany, the gnocchi are made with spinach and ricotta and are called strozzapreti, or priest stranglers. According to popular legend, a priest choked and died after eating too quickly because the gnocchi were so delicious! In the Lombardy region of Italy, the spinach/ricotta gnocchi are called malfatti meaning "malformed" since these gnocchi are made from leftover ravioli and do not have uniform shape of other varieties. Lastly, gnocchi di pane is a popular version in the Friuli and Trentino-Atlo Adige regions and is made from bread crumbs.

My Gnocchi recipe:
5 lbs (9-10) baking potatoes (i.e. russets)
2 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites
3 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg

1. Pierce potatoes and bake at 400 degrees for an hour. Peel potatoes while warms and press through a potato ricer.

2. Mix potatoes, salt, pepper, baking powder, and egg whites in a large bowl. Add flour (a little at a time) and mix with hands until the mixture forms a rough ball.

3. Knead dough on a dry, lightly floured board until smooth (about 7 minutes). If using 5lbs of potatoes, separate dough at this point and do in two batches. Keep non-working dough covered.

4. With a sharp knife cut a piece of dough and roll into a rope about the thickness of your index finger.

5. Cut rope into 1 inch pieces and form slightly.

6. Boil in gnocchi in batches in salted water.

Small batch
2 lbs potatoes (about 4 lg. baking potatoes)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1-2 egg whites
1 1/2 c flour

Toss gnocchi with sauce (tomato, butter and sage, Gorgonzola, or........)

Moscato d'Asti

Moscato is a lightly sparkling (frizzante) variety of Muscat, made from the Moscato Bianco (Muscato Canelli) grape of the Piedmont region of Italy. This region has a DOCG designation and is known for the production of Barbera d'Asti, Dolcetto d'Asti, and Asti Spumante.

This is one of my all time favorite wines ever!

Prosecco with Basil

Every once and awhile Reed and I get a bottle of Prosecco. I recently found a post on the blog Figs Olives Wine, about adding a sprig of basil to a glass of Prosecco (I actually chopped mine up). You can read the original post here. We tried it the other night and it really is great! Next time though, I think we'll try it in the larger open mouth glasses like suggested in the post instead of the flute-like glasses we used. ****update: we tried it again and Reed bruised the basil instead of chopping it and it came out much better*****

Prosecco is a variety of white grape grown in the Veneto region of Italy.


The grape is grown in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene wine-growing regions north of Venice. Its late ripening has led to its use in dry-sparkling (spumante) and semi-sparkling (frizzante) wines.

Prosecco was the original main ingredient in the Bellini Cocktail (made with sparkling wine and peach puree) which was created at Harry's Bar in Venice.

The name "Prosecco" is now protected under European law and can be used only for wine made from the Prosecco grape in the Conegliano/Valdobbiadene region.

Check out the Prosecco Consortium Web site here for loads more information.

Pasta con crema di Peperoni

Pasta with an Orange Bell Pepper Cream Sauce

I found this recipe off the web site Mestolando. I made a few changes to the recipe, swapping light cream for the heavy cream, and using a blender instead of a food mill since we don't have one. Check out the Mestolando web site if you are looking for simple, easy, Italian dishes.

Recipe:
1 lb pasta (such as rigatoni or penne)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package basil, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup light cream (can use heavy cream)
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

1. Boil pasta according to directions. Slightly under cook the pasta since it will finish cooking in the sauce.

2. Saute the diced red and yellow peppers and garlic in olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook the peppers on medium high heat for about 10 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

3. Put 2 Tbs of cream in a blender. Add the cooked garlic and pepper mixture. Blend until a sauce is formed. Place sauce back in the saute pan and add remaining cream (you can add more cream if the sauce is too thick). Add basil and heat over low heat for a few minutes.

4. Add pasta to sauce and toss. Add a handful of Parmesan to thicken sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

When serving, add more Parmesan and basil if you want.

Tandoori Shrimp

For a taste of India, check out this easy, convenient work night meal.

• 1 pound shrimp (shelled and devained)


• 1.5 cup of plain yogurt (fat free is fine)


• 3 T minced garlic


• 3 T minced ginger


• 3 chipotle peppers


• 2 t of leftover adobe sauce from chipotle peppers


• 2 T fresh lemon juice


• 1 T fresh lime juice


• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley


• 2 T cumin


• 1 T curry powder


• salt and black pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Toss to equally cover all shrimp. Marinade at least one hour

2. Line a cookie sheet with alumninum foil. Spray with cooking spray. Evenly distribute shrimp and marinade on cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes at 350 or until shrimp are pink and done.

3. Serve with naan and basmati rice.

Tagliatelle con Asparagi, Piselli, e Carciofi

Tagliatelle with Asparagus, Peas, and Artichokes

This recipe was adapted from the book Lorenza's Pasta by Lorenza de'Medici. It is a great authentic Italian cookbook. The recipe calls for fresh artichokes, and those should be used if you have the time.

1 can artichokes drained and quartered (or three artichoke hearts, cleaned and quartered)
olive oil
1 lb asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cup peas (can use frozen or fresh-defrost if using frozen)
1 cup light cream
1 lb pasta (if fresh pasta is not available, use egg noodles)
Parmesan cheese

1. Saute asparagus in olive oil until cooked through (you could also steam or roast the asparagus). Toss in artichokes and warm through.

2. Puree 1 cup of peas and cream in blender. When blended, put in a saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup peas, artichokes, and asparagus. Season with salt and better (use white pepper if you have it).

3. Boil pasta. Slightly under cook the pasta. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce mixture.

4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.