Szechuan noodles

One thing you’ll almost always find in my fridge is a jar of tahini. This sesame seed paste is a key ingredient in hummus, which I make on a regular basis. I just bought a new jar and thought it would be fun to use it for something other than hummus. I decided on a recipe for szechuan noodles from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

This recipe is essentially noodles and vegetables in a peanut and sesame sauce. I doubled the amount of peppers, because in my mind the more vegetables, the better. I also used whole wheat pasta to up the nutritional value. The sauce has quite a few ingredients, but can be made days in advance. I just could not understand why this sauce contains so much vegetable oil – isn’t peanut butter, tahini, sesame oil and chili oil enough fat? My only guess is that the vegetable oil serves to thin the sauce out. I decided to omit the vegetable oil and just thin the sauce with some pasta water, which worked well.

Since I made the sauce and cut up the vegetables the night before, I had dinner on the table in about 15 minutes – you can’t beat that! While I waited for the noodles to boil, I cooked some snow peas to serve on the side. I garnished the noodles with green onions, and some black and white sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.

Asparagus and goat cheese pasta

We've been eating a lot of asparagus around here.

I bought a couple of bunches of thin asparagus stalks at the produce market this week. I wanted to make an asparagus pasta, so I looked through a few cookbooks for inspiration. I decided to go with a recipe from the Everyday Food cookbook. The recipe only has six ingredients, it doesn't get much easier than that.

Hot fettuccine is tossed with a combination of goat cheese, grainy mustard and pasta water to make a rich and creamy sauce. Asparagus, fresh dill and toasted pine nuts are added to the mix. The whole thing is seasoned with salt and pepper, then it's ready to serve. Like I said, it's as simple as can be, but also quite delicious.

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used whole wheat pasta. I'm not really a goat cheese person - I like it in certain applications, but sometimes I find it a little overpowering. In this case, the goat cheese was quite mild and was nicely complemented by the mustard and dill.

Penne with kale and walnuts

When I was at the farmer's market looking for inspiration to get me out of my cooking rut, this beautiful bunch of purple kale caught my eye.
I started thinking about what I make with this kale, and pasta was the first thing that came to mind. I started with about a pound of shallots, which I sliced thinly and caramelized in some olive oil. Once the shallots were a deep golden brown, I threw in the kale, which I had torn into small pieces. Meanwhile, I brought some salted water to a boil and cooked the penne. I tend to use whole wheat pasta because of the health factor. As the penne cooked, I sauteed the kale with the shallots until it was wilted. After the pasta was done, I put it into the pan with the kale and added some of the pasta cooking water to loosen up the mixture. I added a drizzle of toasted walnut oil, salt, pepper, toasted walnuts and shavings of ricotta salata.

I really loved this dish - it was a great blend of flavors and textures. If you've never tried toasted walnut oil before, it's definitely worth seeking out.

Penne with sausage, sun dried tomatoes and artichokes

As much as I love to cook, on weeknights I steer towards recipes that aren't very time consuming. This recipe from Giada's Family Dinners fits the bill. I always have sun dried tomatoes, pasta and frozen artichokes on hand, so this ended up being a cheap dish to make too. I browned up a few links of hot turkey italian sausage in a skillet and added in the sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and some crushed garlic. I deglazed the pan with white wine and chicken stock, but I only used about half of the liquid that the recipe calls for. I used whole wheat penne to up the nutritional value of the meal and added a dash of color with purple basil from my garden. Freshly grated cheese (pecorino romano in my case) adds a bit of creaminess and salt.

This was a delicious pasta dish, and ended up being pretty healthy too with my substitutions of turkey sausage, whole wheat penne and dry packed sun dried tomatoes. I served it with a broccoli recipe from the same book.

Pasta with chickpeas, bacon and roasted tomatoes

I got my inspiration for this dish from a recipe that I saw in a recent issue of Family Circle. I started by boiling half a pound of farfalle pasta in salted water. While the pasta was cooking, I prepped the rest of the ingredients. I tossed the cooked pasta with a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), a 14 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes (drained), 4 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled), freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, salt, pepper and chives. This made for a healthy and simple dish that was really quick to put together on a busy weeknight. I served the pasta with a side of shaved zucchini salad.

Spaghetti with chorizo and almonds

This recipe is unique, delicious, and best of all, comes together in about half an hour. I found spanish chorizo at my local upscale grocery store - it was expensive, but worth it. The smoky flavor of the chorizo goes really well with the chickpeas and toasted almonds. I used angel hair pasta for this dish, which I broke up into smaller pieces. I skipped all the oil and butter that the recipe called for, and instead sauteed the onions in the fat rendered from the chorizo. I also didn't have parsley, so I used cilantro instead.

If you can't find chorizo, I would recommend substituting a different kind of precooked sausage. Next time I make this, I may add some sliced piquillo peppers for color and more of that smoky flavor.

Toasted israeli couscous with vegetables

I wanted to make something different that involved grilled vegetables, and this recipe seemed like just the thing. Grilled vegetables are combined with toasted israeli couscous and olives and tossed in a lemon balsamic vinaigrette. I did make a few changes to the recipe. I used pastina instead of israeli couscous because I already had it in the house. Also, the original recipe calls for grilled asparagus, but when I went to the store this week, asparagus was extremely expensive. I used extra zucchini instead. Also, I cut the amount of olive oil in the dressing way back, and used parsley instead of basil. This was really delicious - the grilled vegetables added a touch of smokiness, and the use of lemon zest in the dressing gives it a bright flavor. I bet other vegetables would be good in this too, like grilled eggplant or corn.

Pastina with green olives, mint and garlic

This is another adapted recipe from Vegetable Harvest. The original recipe calls for spaghetti, but I wanted this to be a side dish, so I used pastina. Pastina is bigger than couscous, but smaller than orzo. The sauce is almost like a coarse green olive and mint pesto - the olives and mint are pulsed a few times in the in the food processor with olive oil, garlic and parmigiano reggiano. The sauce is tossed with the cooked pasta, and finished with freshly ground pepper and more parmigiano reggiano. I also added a pinch of lemon zest. This was really delicious, the mint gives it a very fresh taste. I served this alongside a pork tenderloin that I had crusted in fennel pollen, grey salt, and white pepper. The two dishes went really well together.

Penne with salmon and peas

Yet another recipe from my favorite cookbook of the moment, Everyday Food. The recipe actually calls for farfalle, but I already had penne in the house so I used that instead. Cooked salmon is combined with pasta, peas, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter and mint. The lemon zest really adds a lot of flavor. I used wild sockeye salmon and roasted it instead of the steaming method suggested in the recipe. Don't chop the mint until the last second, it discolors very quickly.

Everyday Food - pasta with lentils and arugula

I just got the new Everyday Food cookbook and I really love it! This is the first recipe I've tried from the book. Orecchiette pasta is tossed with cooked lentils, caramelized onions, arugula and tomatoes. The lentils and pasta go really well together. I used a small brown italian lentil.

Fettuccine with broccoli, lemon and walnuts.

I had some fresh fettuccine in the freezer, and a head of broccoli in the fridge, so I combined the two ingredients to make this dish. I chopped the broccoli into 1 inch florets, and sauteed it in a little olive oil. Once the broccoli was cooked through, I added a splash of chicken broth, about 2 teaspoons of walnut oil, the juice and zest from half of a lemon, salt, pepper, chopped toasted walnuts and parmigiano reggiano. I tossed the broccoli mixture with about 2 cups of cooked pasta. Dried pasta would also work in this dish.

Everyday Food - Acorn squash lasagna

I saw this recipe on Everyday Food. I don't usually think to use acorn squash in my cooking. I find that butternut or kabocha squashes generally have more flavor. However, the acorn squash worked really well in this recipe. In fact, the puree that I made was so good that I'd make it again as a side dish in the future. I made a few changes to the lasagna recipe:

- Instead of using dried rubbed sage, I put a few springs of fresh sage into the cavity of each squash half before roasting. This infused the squash with the flavor of the sage.

- In the squash puree, I omitted the butter and added pepper.

- I made fresh lasagna noodles with my pasta roller and used those in lieu of no bake noodles.

- I ran the ricotta through the food processor to create a smoother texture.

- I topped the lasagna with shredded mozzarella cheese in addition to the parmesan.

The result is a really delicious and unique dish.

Bobby Flay's oven roasted lamb shanks with roasted tomatoes and toasted orzo

A few months ago, I saw Bobby Flay make these lamb shanks on Boy Meets Grill. I just got around to trying the recipe, and it is fantastic. While the recipe isn't very labor intensive, the cooking time is fairly long for each of the components. Since I was making this on a weeknight, I roasted the tomatoes and garlic a day in advance. I ended up roasting the tomatoes and garlic at 300 degrees instead of 200 degrees - the tomatoes cooked for about 3 hours instead of 4.

While the sauce for the lamb shanks was reducing, I put the tomatoes back in the oven to warm them through. The orzo is delicious - toasting the orzo creates a complex flavor.

I used less oil than the recipe called for. I roasted the tomatoes and garlic with a coating of olive oil cooking spray, and browned the lamb shanks in a dry pan. I also didn't add the butter to finish the orzo - I meant to, but when I tasted the orzo I thought it was so good that it didn't need the butter. I also skimmed some of the fat and impurities from the sauce while it was reducing.

I highly recommend this recipe, just plan to make it on a day when you know you'll be at home. The results are worth the effort!

Pepper fettuccine with chicken and bacon

I made pepper fettuccine with my new pasta roller - I used a regular egg dough recipe and added in cracked pepper. Other types of pasta can be substituted in this recipe - try dried fettuccine, linguine, or a tubular pasta like penne or rigatoni.

Pepper fettuccine with chicken and bacon
Serves 2

6 oz pasta (I used pepper fettuccine, but feel free to substitute another fresh or dried pasta)
1 and 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I used dark meat, white meat will work too)
4 slices of thick cut bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Heat a medium sized pan over high heat. Add bacon and turn heat down to medium. Cook the bacon until it's slightly crispy. Drain off all but 1-2 teaspoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the red bell pepper to the pan, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook until the bell peppers are tender and chicken is heated through. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock, cook for a 3 minutes. Take the chicken mixture off the heat, stir in parmigiano reggiano cheese and cooked pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley.

Lemon pasta with shrimp, feta and piquillo peppers

I just got a pasta rollerfor my Kitchenaid stand mixer, so I used it for the first time yesterday. I made Meyer lemon pasta by adding about a tablespoon of lemon zest to the dough recipe provided by Kitchenaid. However, I'm assuming that most people don't have access to a pasta maker, so I'm writing this recipe to be used with dried pasta. But feel free to use fresh.

Lemon pasta with shrimp, feta and piquillo peppers
Serves 4

3/4 lb linguine
2 cups large shrimp (I used 21-25 per lb count)
3/4 cup roasted piquillo peppers (or you can use roasted red bell peppers)
2 tsp lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
2 T white wine
1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
2 T chopped fresh dill (parsley, oregano or basil would be good too)
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta as directed on the package.

If you're using jarred peppers, drain and rinse them. Heat up a large pan and add the olive oil. Turn heat down to medium-high. Salt and pepper the shrimp and add them to the pan. Cook for a minute or two on one side, then turn the shrimp to cook the other side. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and add it to the pan with the shrimp. Toss the shrimp and pasta with the lemon juice, lemon zest and roasted peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to a large platter and top with feta cheese and dill.

Giada's family dinners - fresh fettucine with roasted chicken and broccoli rabe (beet greens for me)

This week I'm featuring food from Giada's Family Dinners

This was very good, and also very versatile. I had beet greens on hand, so I used those in lieu of the broccoli rabe. I think that most varieties of greens would work in this recipe. I found that I didn't need to use as much chicken broth as the recipe called for. The lemon zest adds a lot of flavor.

Fresh fettucine with roasted chicken and beet greens

My first truffle

I bought a truffle today:


When I was in the mushroom section at the Monterey Market in Berkeley, one of the employees came by with a box filled with little plastic containers - it was this morning's truffle shipment! I picked one out and brought it home. We had it shaved over fresh egg fettucine. I tossed the pasta with some plugra butter and fleur de sel before I sprinkled the truffle over the top.

Eclectic Dinner

Tonight's dinner was a little eclectic, but good.

Shaved raw gold beets with mixed greens, walnuts and walnut oil vinaigrette

Meyer lemon pappardelle with chanterelles, trumpet mushrooms and black truffle oil

Black and white sesame seed crusted ahi with a squeeze of yuzu on a bed of watermelon radish

Neon Orzo

This orzo is very green.


It sure was delicious though! I had a lot of peas left over after Thanksgiving, so I decided to turn them into a sauce. I pureed cooked peas with a little bit of chicken stock, olive oil, salt, pepper, chives and mint (I briefly blanched the herbs so that they'd retain their color). Then I froze the sauce. I had a meeting tonight and little time to cook, so all I had to do was toss some cooked orzo with the defrosted sauce for an instant dinner.