Spring pasta

The Livers love asparagus, and have anxiously awaited spring so we could enjoy it in season. Here's the recipe from last night's dinner:

Pasta with asparagus and lemon (from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)
serves 6-- total time: 35 minutes (Mine didn't take that long... but I didn't cook this much asparagus or pasta. I also steamed, rather than boiled the asparagus, and didn't bother to rinse in cold water.)

1 1/2 pounds asparagus
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 c grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
Meanwhile, rinse the asparagus, snap off the tough lower stems, and discard them. Cut of 1 1/2 inches of the asparagus tips and reserve. Chop the rest of the stems. Cook the asparagus tips in boiling water to cover for 3-4 mins, until tender. Remove to a colander with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pot blanch the chopped asparagus stems for 6-7 mins, until tender. Drain, rinse in cold water, and reserve separately.
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. While the pasta cooks, puree the asparagus stems, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth. If necessary, add a little of the hot pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl. Stir inthe asparagus puree, the asparagus tips, and the grated cheese. If the pasta has cooled, stir it in a pot on high heat for 1-2 mins, until hot. Serve immediately.

Shrimp curry

Nick loves Thai food. So, do I , actually. And so does Bella. So, tonight I made a quick shrimp curry. I'm admitting up front that it's probably a far cry from authentic, but it was yummy. There's not really a recipe, so I'll just tell you what I did. I chopped most of a bell pepper in bite-size pieces, then an equal amount of onion in the same size pieces. Stir-fry those in a large skillet over high heat in canola or vegetable oil. Add one drained can of bamboo shoots and one drained can of pineapple chunks. While the vegetables are cooking, season about 1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp with curry powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, salt, pepper, and a little cornstarch. When the vegetables are crisp-tender, add 1 pressed garlic clove, 1 ts of green curry paste and 1 can of coconut milk to the pan. (Lite coconut milk is healthier, but full-fat is tastier.) Reduce heat to medium and stir until the curry paste is mixed in, then add the shrimp. Simmer until shrimp turn pink. You can finish with some chopped fresh basil or cilantro. Serve over your favorite rice. (We really like jasmine or basmati.) One note: The more fresh ingredients you use, the better this tastes. Fresh pineapple, garlic, ginger and herbs to finish really do make a difference. (If you use fresh ginger, add it with the garlic.)

Old favorites

As usual, my menu is a little off this week... which means I'm ahead for next week. However, tonight's dinner was exactly as planned: flounder meuniere with roasted red pepper mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. I've already posted a link for the fish (fancy name for lemon-butter and parsley). The vegetables are two of our old favorites . We had roasted red pepper mashed potatoes the first time we dined at F. Scott's in Nashville. They were so yummy I had to recreate them at home! Nothing fancy, just mashed potatoes with a little garlic and roasted red pepper puree stirred in. The sauteed spinach is a Barefoot Contessa recipe that's been one of our favorites for a long time. I realized after we finished eating that I forgot to add garlic to both vegetables, but they were still delicious!

Sauteed spinach:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-sauteed-spinach-recipe/index.html

Menu

I'm supposed to be cleaning, but feel inspired to menu-plan. Gotta go with inspiration!


M: spanokopita www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spanokopita-recipe/index.html or www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/spanakopitagreek-spinach-pie-recipe/index.html (I actually use puff pastry and my filling is a modified version of these.)

Southwestern Monte Cristos, black bean soup www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/black-bean-stoup-and-southwestern-monte-cristo-sandwiches-recipe/index.html


T: zucchini pancakes, salad

colcannon or rumpledethumps-- Happy St. Patrick's Day! www.foodnetwork.com/videos/irish-colcannon/1345.html or www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#36


W: French onion soup, Caesar salad
slow-cooked squash with herbs (from Local Flavors)


T: deep dish vegetable pizza
cinnamon stewed chicken www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/stewed-chicken-kota-kokinisti-recipe/index.html


F: Italian wedding soup www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/italian-wedding-soup-recipe/index.html

dinner out with friends


S:

fish meuniere, roasted red pepper mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sole-meuniere-recipe/index.html

Budget-friendly menus

I don't normally watch Oprah, but I'd seen commercials for today's episode featuring Cat Cora, Tyler Florence, and Curtis Stone. The idea is that they were helping families (read: moms) learn how to save money on groceries and cook delicious, healthy meals. The featured families were living on frozen processed food, take-out, and junk food. I forget that lots of people don't know how to plan menus and shop for and prepare food. I'm assuming that if you're reading a food blog, you're not part of that group, but I'm going to soapbox for a minute. (Do feel free to pass this along to your friends who may need a little help or encouragement, though.) The professional chefs taught these women what I've learned through experience. Cooking is cheaper and often faster than eating out or preparing frozen dinners. (Okay, it will take longer than heating a Lean Cuisine, but you won't be hungry an hour later.) And cooking isn't hard if you do a little planning first.

As a new bride, I alternated between cooking the way my mom cooked (and buying groceries the way my mom bought groceries) and trying out new recipes (mostly casseroles) in the cookbooks I received as wedding gifts. I worked full time, and Nick and I were both full-time students. I often forgot to take meat out to thaw. I often threw away produce that spoiled before we used it all. And we often went out because I would finally decide what to cook, only to find that I was missing a crucial ingredient. Oh, and it turns out my husband is not wild about casseroles. I realized that the only way to avoid missing and still-frozen ingredients was to plan ahead. I learned to avoid spoiled produce by buying only what I needed for the week, instead of stocking up for the month. (Did I mention that my mom lives 45 minutes from the nearest grocery store?) I also learned that casseroles are not necessarily time-saving, because they usually involve a lot of prep. So... I watched a lot of Food Network, read a lot of cookbooks, and found my cooking style. I like fresh ingredients. I like dishes that look like they took a lot of time and effort, but are actually very quick and easy. And, above all, the food must be delicious. Every recipe must taste better than the amount of effort it took to prepare it. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.

I do my grocery shopping on Monday, so every Sunday I check the fridge and pantry to see what I have to work with. These ingredients are my starting point. I try to plan my menu so that I use what I have, and buy as little as possible. When our CSA is in full swing, I plan the menu around the vegetables we get from Keith and Jill. What if the cupboard is bare? Then I think about what I want to eat, or I flip through cookbooks for inspiration.

For example, the last 2 weeks' menus started with the following inventory: red lentils, basmati rice, no-boil lasagna noodles (I buy 2 or 3 boxes when they're on sale at Kroger), canned black beans, canned tomatoes, a can of cream of mushroom soup (why did I buy that?), wild rice, cornmeal, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, half a jar of marinara, half a pound of turkey sausage, ham (leftover from making muffuletta pizza), baby carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes (the vegetables were left over from a vegetable tray, also on sale, that I bought last week to use for fondue dippers), frozen salmon fillets, frozen butter beans, frozen corn, frozen yellow squash, and frozen grated zucchini (put up this summer). I always have bananas, butter, flour, milk, buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, and lots of spices on hand.

So, here's the menu-- lunches and dinners. Sunday: butterbeans and cornbread; crockpot Cincinnati chili lasagna (an experiment that turned out surprisingly well). Monday: grilled cheese sandwiches on homemade bread (love my bread machine); stewed lentils over rice. Tuesday: eggs in a basket, cheddar biscuits; salmon with tomato jam (canned this summer). Wednesday: black bean soup, Southwestern Monte Cristos; corn cakes with sauteed shrimp. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; zucchini orzo. Friday: slow cooked squash with herbs. Saturday: zucchini pancakes. Sunday: mushroom lasagna. Confession: Somehow the menu got a little off... so some of these meals were moved to the next week. We had Sunday lunch with friends. Spaghetti and meatballs for supper. (Yes, I had to buy all of those ingredients except the breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs. And, yes, I bought a jar of marinara because we're out of Nick's marinara. It's easy to make, though. See link below.) Monday: baked potatoes (planned, but we ended up eating out b/c Bella's dr. appt. took so long); portobello mushroom lasagna. Tuesday: baked potatoes with broccoli; empanadas. Wednesday: leftovers; zucchini pancakes. Thursday: sausage-rice casserole; spanokopita. Friday: squash pizza. We'll be out of town this weekend. That means I've still got recipes and groceries left over to use when we get back! Oh, and in case you're wondering, my grocery list on Monday: orange juice, milk, eggs, bananas, cilantro, onion, broccoli, veggie sausage, and ham (I used it all for the eggs in baskets and had none left for the Monte Cristos).

Before you get overwhelmed, I normally plan just one week at a time. It just so happens that this week and last are a little different for me. Monday and Thursday evenings and Wednesday lunch are crazy for me right now, so I try to plan leftovers or meals that I can prepare ahead of time and Nick can heat or finish while I'm gone. Other than that, the days are more a check to make sure I plan enough meals. I usually leave at least one meal a week open, in case we get a craving for something different or we decide to eat out with friends.

This is a long, rambling post, but it boils down to this: Check your pantry and fridge. Work with what you've got. Make a plan and shop accordingly. You'll be amazed at how much easier and more enjoyable preparing meals can be!

Oh, back to Oprah-- each of the celebrity chefs has posted a week's worth of menus at http://www.oprah.com/ . The dishes they showed looked yummy, and I can personally vouch for Cat Cora's cinnamon stewed chicken. It sounds weird, but is beyond cheat-worthy. Seriously, it's incredible. In fact, I'm putting it on the menu for next week. Below are links for a few of the things I've fixed this week and last.

And what am I serving for dinner tonight? That's a good question... maybe spanokopita... Then again, maybe not, since I haven't taken the spinach out to thaw.


Recipe links:
spaghetti and meatballs: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

eggs in a cup: www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Breakfast/story?id=6947204

tangy tomato jam: www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10685?section

I promise to post the recipe for stewed lentils soon. It's super yummy, and super easy.

Empanadas

I couldn't decide which empanadas to fix for supper tonight, so I made 2 different kinds. Don't skip the chimichurri-- it really makes the meal! Recipes follow...

Empanada with Chimichurri Sauce (from Edible Memphis/Summer 2008)
Crust:
2 c all-purpose flour
1 ts salt
generous pinch of baking soda
1/2 canola oil
ice water
Measure flour, baking soda, and salt in food processor. Mix and then alternate oil and ice water and mix again. Dough should easily form a ball in processor. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill.
Filling:
1/2 c hot sliced peppers in vinegar (I omit these)
olive oil
2 small potatoes, peeled
one small white onion
2 large vegetarian sausage links (Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages or Tofurkey kielbasas are best)(I like Veggie Patch Jalapeno Cheddar)
Preheat oven to 350. Dice potatoes and place in a frying pan with olive oil at medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook for 6 minutes until brown. Add the onion, cooking until translucent, and then add the sausage. (I add the onion and sausage at the same time because I like my sausage browned.) Remove from heat and ad chopped hot peppers. Set aside to cool.
Divide dough into 6 parts. Roll each into circles. Fill one half of circle of dough with 1/6 of the filling and fold over dough to cover. Crimp edges tightly with a fork. Transfer empanadas to an oiled non-stick baking sheet. Brush each with olive oil. Bake 15-25 minutes until crust is golden.
Chimichurri:
1 c parsley
2 cloves garlic
juice from 2 lemons
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
Place all ingredients into small food processor to mix throroughly.

Banana and Black Bean Empanadas (from March 2009 Vegetarian Times)
There's a whole wheat, vegan crust recipe, but I like the one above. If you're interested in the vegan one, let me know.
Filling:
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 c)
1 c cooked black beans
1 clove garlic, minced (1 ts)
2 bananas, peeled and dice (1 c)
1 ts ground cumin
1/4 ts cayenne pepper
1/4 ts ground coriander
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 ts Tabasco

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion 4-5 mins until translucent. Add beans and garlic, reduce heat to medium, and cook 3 mins. Stir in bananas, cumin, cayenne, and coriander, and cook 2 mins or until bananas begin to break down and spices are fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and Tabasco.

Fill and bake as in recipe above. Cool 5 mins before serving.

Mushroom lasagna

I'm so proud of myself. This afternoon I assembled a portobello mushroom lasagna that Nick could bake while I was running. It worked out perfectly-- dinner was ready when I got home. Don't let the simple ingredient list fool you or the multiple steps intimidate you. It's surprisingly quick to put together and surprisingly delicous!

Recipe link and notes:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/portobello-mushroom-lasagna-recipe/index.html

I used one package of "baby portobellos", and coarsely chopped them before sauteing. I use Barilla no-boil noodles. (One box makes 2-3 lasagnas, unless, of course, you make yours really thick.) And I combined the mushrooms and bechamel, so my layering went like this: mushroom sauce, noodles, more sauce, Parmesan, noodles, sauce. Before topping the final layer with cheese, I decided I need another layer of noodles, so I just slid them into the sauce and pressed everything down a little and spread the sauce back over the top.