Recipes

Ingredients
¹⁄₃ cup pine nuts
1 pound pasta (I used rotini.)
1 pound green tomatoes, roughly chopped
¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic
¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
2 dozen basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Instructions
1. Place pine nuts in small skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and just starting to brown. 

2.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add pasta and cook following package instructions.  Drain well. 

3. Place pine nuts, tomatoes, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes into food processor bowl and process just until sauce is chunky.  (You can prepare the sauce 1 to 2 hours ahead of time and keep at room temperature.) 

4. Season sauce with salt and pepper.  Add basil.  Toss pasta with sauce and serve. 

Comments
I’d never had a green tomato before last year and was less than thrilled with the typical fried treatment.  I also didn’t have much luck finding other ways to cook them, so I was left feeling like green tomatoes were a loss.  This year I was looking through Fresh from the Farmers’ Market and I found this recipe.  It seemed like it might be worth trying and since I had the green tomatoes I needed to use them somehow, right? 

I was very pleasantly surprised by this dish!  The green tomatoes worked very well to give the sauce a fruity kind of taste.  The red pepper flakes added heat and the garlic brought along quite a bit of flavor.  This pasta was tasty enough to make me think that green tomatoes might deserve a few more chances – it’s just a matter of finding the right (recipes! 

Shown here with Baked Italian Chicken.

Fresh from the Farmers’ Market

Ingredients
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced, about 1 to 2 cups
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¹⁄₄ cup mirin
¹⁄₄ cup plus 3 tablespoons sake
¹⁄₄ cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets

Instructions
1. Combine cucumber, onion, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let sit 30 minutes. 

2. Combine mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and let cool. 

3. Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Heat remaining tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat.  Cook salmon 3 to 4 minutes on each side until salmon is done and flakes easily.   Brush glaze over salmon during last 2 minutes of cooking.  Serve salmon topped with extra glaze and relish. 

Comments
I think this dish is one of the best and tastiest that I’ve made in a while.  I loved the glaze with the salmon but the cucumber-green onion relish was just perfect.  I think I ended up with 1 cup or so of green onions and 1 to 2 cups of cucumbers.  The relish tasted fresh and summery.  This recipe is from Bobby Flay and I served it with brown rice.   When heating up leftovers, if you have them, make to just heat the salmon and not the relish.

Internet - Bobby Flay

Ingredients
1 bottle Italian salad dressing (I used Marie’s Creamy Italian Garlic since it has no HFCS.)
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup panko bread crumbs (Or regular bread crumbs, or a mixture of both.)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. 

2. Place chicken in a large ziptop bag or sealable plastic container.  Add salad dressing and marinate chicken in refrigerator for 8 hours.

3. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in shallow dish.  Season with salt and pepper.   Press each piece of chicken into bread crumb mixture to adhere. 

4. Place chicken on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 45-60 minutes or until done.

Note: Not all of Marie’s dressings are HFCS-free.  In fact, I’ve found that salad dressing is one of the hardest things to find HFCS-free.  ²⁰⁄₂₀ hindsight, I could have always made my own.. but any Italian dressing you like will work for this.

Comments
I was looking for something to serve with a pasta dish and remembered a something a friend of mine had said the other day about super simple chicken marinated in Italian salad dressing.  I thought might work well breaded and then baked so that’s what I did.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, although I probably did overcook it by a few minutes.  I like the way the cheese melted with the breadcrumbs and formed a great crust around the chicken. 

Shown here with Pasta with Sicilian Green Tomato Sauce.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
Corn on the cob, husks and silks removed
Butter, softened

Instructions
1. Rub ¹⁄₂ tablespoon butter over each ear of corn and then tightly wrap each ear of corn in a piece of aluminum foil. 

2. Place foil-wrapped corn in heated grill and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally.  

Comments
I love corn on the cob, it’s one of the things I look forward to all winter.  I’m the only corn lover in the house, though, so I try to only get it to supplement an otherwise full meal.  Corn was new at the market this week and, since I was already planning a grilled dinner, it seemed like an easy thing to do to get 6 ears of corn to grill along with the meat.  So that’s what I did and it was delicious.  I would only grill for only 30 minutes next time since it was a bit too done after 45 minutes. 

Shown here with Marinated and Grilled London Broil and Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Herb Sauce.

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Ingredients
For gnocchi
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt

For sauce
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ pound bacon, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, chopped
1 cup half and half
¹⁄₃ cup chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add potatoes.  Boil for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain and cool 15-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill the pot with water again and bring to boil. 

2. Place potatoes in large bowl and mash.  Add flour, egg, and salt and combine with a rubber spatula or your hands until completely incorporated.  Knead mixture by hand until a compact ball forms.  Dough will not be very smooth, so don’t worry or add more flour. 

3. Place dough on a very well floured surface.  Using a sharp knife, cut dough into eight pieces.  Form a ball from each piece and then roll each ball into a long, skinny log.  Using the sharp knife, cut the log into ¹⁄₂-inch pieces.  Continue until all of your dough is cut.  (You might find that tossing the pieces in flour at this point helps to keep them separate.)

4. Drop about 20 pieces of gnocchi into boiling water. Gently stir the gnocchi once to ensure they do not stick to the pot.  Once gnocchi float to the top of the water allow to cook for additional 20-30 seconds. 

5.  Remove gnocchi from water with slotted spoon and place in lightly oiled bowl.  Toss gnocchi in bowl to coat with oil and prevent sticking.  Repeat for remaining gnocchi, adding more oil to bowl if necessary. 

6. To make sauce, add mushrooms, garlic, onion and bacon to a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until bacon is cooked through and vegetables are soft.  Add parsley, half and half, and broth.  Continue to cook, stirring, for 5-10 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss with gnocchi. 

Comments
I’ve never made gnocchi by hand before and Top Chef made me think that it would be difficult.  It was a bit complicated to attempt to do everything at once, so I was very glad to have Art’s help in the kitchen with this one!  It was, however, a lot simpler than I feared it would be!  I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce, but the gnocchi themselves were scrumptious.  I will make one change the next time I make gnocchi.  After completing step 5 I would sauté the gnocchi in a skillet just to get some colour and a bit of firmness on the sides.  In fact, I can’t wait to make gnocchi again just so I can try this out.  This recipe is from the blog Zoom Yummy.

Internet - Zoom Yummy

Ingredients
1 (2 ¹⁄₂ pound) London Broil
¹⁄₄ cup red wine vinegar
¹⁄₄ cup red wine
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (I used McCormick’s Montreal Steak.)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, smashed

Instructions
1. Place London Broil in a large plastic container or ziptop bag. 

2. In a large measuring cup, combine remaining ingredients.  Pour marinade over steak, seal container or bag, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours. 

3. Preheat gas or charcoal grill to high heat.  Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place steak on grill and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side.  (I went for 130*F.)  Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.  Slice across the drain into thin diagonal slices. 

Note: London Broil can be broiled instead of grilled if desired or raining. 

Comments
This is an Emeril recipe and I used it for a delicious London Broil from the Zekiah Farms.  The marinade was quick to bring together and it worked well enough with a 6 hour marinade since I forgot to put it all together the night before.  The meat was tender and full of wonderful flavor, just the way a piece of quality steak should be! 

Shown here with Grilled Corn and Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Herb Sauce.

Internet - Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
For Chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup plain yogurt, whole or low-fat
Juice of 2 limes, divided
2 teaspoons salt
5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For Butter Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1-inch stick cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the pod (If not available, use extra green cardamom pods)
5 to 7 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the pod
10 whole cloves
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
6-8 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1-3 fresh green chili peppers, such as Serrano or jalapeño, coarsely chopped
5 large tomatoes (about 2 ¹⁄₂ pounds), coarsely chopped OR 2 15-ounce cans of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon ground paprika
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 ¹⁄₂-3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup half and half

For Assembly
1 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
2-4 fresh green chili peppers, such as Serrano or jalapeño, split into eights
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions
To cook chicken:
1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garam masala, cumin, and chili powder; continue to cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds longer. Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl; stir in yogurt, juice of 1 lime, and set aside.

2. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture, juice from remaining lime, and salt. Using sharp knife, lightly score the smoother side of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts; transfer to bowl. Using hands, gently massage salt-spice mixture into chicken until all pieces are evenly coated; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325*F. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer. Arrange chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125*F, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to plate as they reach correct temperature.)

4. After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes. Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165*F, 8 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest 5 minutes. 

To cook cream sauce:
1. Heat the butter in a large nonstick wok, skillet or saucepan over medium heat and cook the cinnamon, bay leaves, black and green cardamom pods, cloves, garlic, ginger, and green chili peppers, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes (or tomato sauce), paprika, nutmeg, and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very soft and the volume reduces by about half, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Let cool and pass through a food mill or fine-mesh strainer and discard the fibers. (Add an additional ¹⁄₂ cup water to extract maximum pulp.) Return to the pan, add the salt, and cook, stirring as needed, over medium-high heat about 10 minutes. If there is too much spluttering, cover the pan, reduce the heat, and cook an extra 5 to 7 minutes.

4. Add the half-and-half and simmer over low heat another 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

To assemble Butter Chicken Curry:
1. Cut or shred chicken into bite size pieces. 

2. Add chicken to the butter cream sauce and stir to coat.  Cover the pan and simmer about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.  Transfer to a serving dish. 

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the ginger and green chili peppers, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the chicken and swirl lightly to mix. Serve hot.

Comments
This recipe is a combination of two (recipes – my favorite butter chicken recipe and a newer recipe for tandoori chicken that I tried out earlier in the year.  While I love my standard butter chicken recipe the idea of being able to make butter chicken all in the same day was an appealing one. 

The combination turned out very well!  It is worth noting that this chicken turns out a tidge saltier than the chicken for the original recipe, so be careful with the salt in the sauce.  If I ever need butter chicken without the overnight wait, this is the way I’ll do it.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
1 pound penne pasta
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
¹⁄₂ teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons flour
2 ²⁄₃ cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
8 ounces cream cheese
12 ounces shredded cheese (Cheddar, Mexican blend, Colby, jack, or some mixture.)
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F and spray 9- by 12-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directs.  Drain well and place in large bowl. 

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and cook chicken cubes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add chicken to bowl with pasta. 

4. Heat remaining oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add cumin, coriander, and salt.  Cook until spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes. 

5. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Gradually add milk and stir until smooth.  Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until thickened.  Turn off heat and add cream cheese and 8 ounces of shredded cheese, stirring until melted.  Stir in Ro-Tel tomatoes. 

6. Add cheese mixture to bowl with pasta and chicken.  Stir well until fully incorporated then pour into baking dish.  Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Comments
When I saw this recipe on the blog Evil Shenanigans, I knew that I needed to make it when Art was home. He loves chicken, pasta, and queso, so this would be a clear winner.  Art did, indeed, love the dish!  So did Lance and I!  Everything came together quickly which would make this an easy meal for a busy weeknight or a night when I’m not feeling too thrilled with cooking.  I modified the recipe a bit to take into account that I greatly dislike using partial containers of ingredients.  I believe that the only change I might make next time is to use green onions instead of yellow onions, and maybe to reduce the cooking time in the beginning of step 4 so that the green onions would retain more of their rawness.  I will definitely be making this again in the future.

Internet - Evil Shenanigans

Ingredients
²⁄₃ cup steel-cut oats
1 ³⁄₄ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions
1. Place the oats, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup in the rice cooker bowl; stir gently to combine. Close the cover and set for the Porridge cycle.

2. At the end of the cycle, the cereal will be thick and will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour. Spoon into bowls and serve hot. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook.  It makes enough to serve two people, so be sure to increase the amounts if you’re serving more people or using a large rice cooker.  Due to the milk, it’s not suitable for use with the delay timer. 

I thought the flavor from the cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup was fantastic.  The texture was a little different than steel-cut oats made on the stovetop, but I think that I liked it.  The Porridge cycle didn’t take that long, maybe 30-45 minutes, so this would be easy to set up when you get out of bed in the morning in order to have a hot bowl of oatmeal waiting for you after you finish waking up and getting ready for the day.  The leftovers reheat very well too, which is always a bonus.

The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
4 large turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium potato, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning.)
¹⁄₂ cup chicken broth
¹⁄₂ cup half and half

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. 

2. Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over low heat.  Add turnips, potatoes, garlic, cheese, and spices to the skillet and stir to thoroughly mix.  Add broth and half and half to the turnip mixture.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until top is browned and root vegetables are tender. 

Comments
This is inspired by a recipe from Pioneer Woman with a few modifications since I was feeling too lazy to neatly layer the vegetables.  A friend of mine made the recipe not that long ago and felt it needed more spice, so I added the seasoned salt and felt that it worked well. 

I think that this recipe was much too liquidy and, well, greasy.  If I made it again I would use less butter and maybe a bit less half and half as well.  I think turnip gratin has potential, but this didn’t work too well. 

Shown here with Sautéed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing.

Internet - Pioneer Woman