Bowtie pasta with Broccoli Pesto

I *may* be on a bit of a pesto kick this week. It's not my fault! I have to do something with my overgrown herb garden!

Mats:
1 lb bowtie (farfalle) pasta
2c broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3/4c fresh parsley
3/4c fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 Tb lemon juice
1 1/2tsp capers
1/4c olive oil
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and place in a large bowl

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli to the water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Add the capers, parsley and basil to a food processor and turn it on.

While the processor is running, add the 4 cloves of garlic. Stop the processor, scrape down the sides back into the bowl of the processor.

Turn the processor back on. While the processor is running, add the broccoli through the chute.

Add the lemon juice, continue processing.

Scrape down the sides of the processor again, then turn it back on... again. Now add the oil in a steady stream. Let the processor run for another minute or two to finish up the pesto.

Pour the pesto over the hot pasta and stir really well. Dish into bowls and top with cheese, if you'd like.

Chicken Involtini

An elegant dish for company, this one is well worth the time invested.

Mats:
6 thin-cut chicken cutlets
2 roasted red peppers
12 leaves of fresh basil
6 oz fresh mozzarella
1/4c Nicoise olives
skewers. I use bamboo skewers, you can also use metal shish-kebab skewers or even chopsticks

Lay a sheet of wax paper down on top of a cutting board. Place a chicken cutlet on the wax paper, then put another sheet of wax paper over the chicken. Gently pound the chicken flat(ter) using a rolling pin. Start from the center and work outwards, being careful to not make it so thin it tears. Repeat for all the cutlets.

In another corner of your cutting board, take the roasted red peppers and slice them into 1 inch thick strips.

Take one of your flattened chickens, and lay a pepper strip on top of it.

Cut a 1 oz round of mozzarella and place on top of the pepper

Place 2 basil leaves on top of the cheese.

Now the tricky part: Rolling. Starting from the narrowest part of the chicken cutlet roll the cutlet down to the base. You'll end up making a tube of chicken with the pepper, cheese and basil rolled up in it. It'll kinda look like a cinnamon bun. Secure with a skewer by piercing the chicken breast all the way through and out the other end.

Heat a grill to 350, or a medium temperature if you're using a real grill. I use my panini press. Use about 1/2 tsp olive oil to coat the exterior chicken, then season with salt and pepper.

Grill for 4 minutes (I close my panini lid to squish them and cook both sides at once), then rotate and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Transfer to a plate, remove the skewers and serve.

I matched this dish with a spinach and arugula salad, fresh tomatoes, a bit of my leftover mozzarella and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

To easily remove skewers without wrecking your involtini, rotate them in place first. When they spin freely in their holes, push them through the roll.

Pan-seared salmon with citrus glaze. Also orange green beans

When I cooked this a few nights ago, I hit the jackpot on fish done-ness! Absolute perfection. I hope I can duplicate it in the future.

Fish mats:
2 6oz salmon fillets, skin and pin bones removed
3/4c dry white wine
1/4c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar (I actually used agave nectar, since I have a hard time keeping brown sugar fresh)
2 tsp lemon juice

Green Bean mats:
1/2 lb green beans, ends snapped off and snapped into bite-sized pieces
1 naval orange, peel removed but retained!

For the glaze:
Combine wine and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, then reduce by half. It should take about 4 minutes.
Add the orange juice, sugar and lemon juice and return to a boil. Turn the heat down to super-low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The glaze will turn syrupy - you want to be very careful not to burn it. If you're nervous, just turn the heat off and let it sit in the hot pan.

For the fish:
Heat a saucepan on high heat. You want the pan really, really hot.
Brush all sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil. Just a thin coating, use maybe a teaspoon per side.
Sprinkle the top of the fish with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Place the fish salt-side down in the hot pan.
Season the now-top of the fish with an additional 1/4 tsp salt and pepper.
Sear the salmon for 4 minutes, then flip the fish over and cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes.
Remove from the pan to the plate immediately and let sit for at least 3 minutes (this lets the fish's interior finish cooking from the residual heat without burning the outside)

For the beans:
Take a sharp knife and scrape the white pith off the orange peel. It's somewhat bitter, so try to get as much as you can.
Fill a medium saucepan with 1/2 inch of water, then add the pith-less orange peel to the water. Bring to a boil.
Add the green beans, cover the saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. I like my green beans fairly close to raw; if you prefer yours more cooked, extend the cooking time to 4 or 5 minutes.
Drain the water, remove the green beans to a bowl and discard the orange peels.
Take about half the orange sections and squeeze their juices over the green beans, then toss the juiced husks.
Take the other half of the orange sections, cut them in half horizontally and toss them on top of the beans, stirring well.

I finished off this dinner with a half-cup of wild rice, plated the salmon on top of the rice and drizzled the glaze over top the whole shebang.

Banh Mi Sandwich

Summertime, summertime. Time of cool salads and light sandwiches. This sandwich was just the thing for a hot day like today, even though I did take out pretty much all the spicy spices.

Mats
1 bread loaf. I used a nice sourdough loaf, because my husband likes soft crusts. Cibatta or a baguette would work as well
1/4c brown rice vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
[1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - optional]
1/4c shredded carrot
1/4c shredded daikon radish. I couldn't find daikon, so I used jicama instead. I do love jicama, it's so sweet and crunchy.
1/2c cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced. I used my mandolin.
1c grape tomatoes, sliced
2 lettuce leaves, ripped into bite-sized chunks
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp tamari (soy sauce)
[1 tsp siracha - optional]
8 oz extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1cm cubes. Firmer is better

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey, [red pepper flakes], carrot and daikon/jicama. toss well so all veggies are well-coated. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the tofu and stir-fry for 8-10 minutes until the tofu is golden brown.
Slice the bread in half along the 'equator' so you have a top an bottom. Gouge out the center of the bread so you have a nice hollow in which to place the sandwich fixings.
Spread the mayonnaise  on both halves of the bread. This helps keep the bread from getting soggy.
Pour the tamari over the top half of the bread. Try to spread it over the whole piece as evenly as you can. [Pour the siracha over the top of the bread too]
On the bottom half of the bread, spread the cucumber slices neatly.
Take the marinated daikon/jicama and carrot, squeeze out the liquid, and place by handfuls over the cucumber.
Add the torn lettuce leaves and fried tofu.
Squish the top of the bread over your sandwich pile, cut into fourths and enjoy.

Salmon with Mustard Glaze

Baking the glaze really mellows the flavor of the mustards and takes away a bit of the garlic's kick. Good accompaniments to the fish are broccoli and wild rice. The leftover glaze makes a good topping to the broccoli as well.

Mats:
2 6oz salmon fillets, skin off
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp regular mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine

Set your oven to broil. Take your broiling tray, cover it with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), and coat it lightly with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, thyme, both mustards, olive oil and red wine together. Mix thoroughly.
Place your salmon fillets on the broiling sheet and sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp coarse-ground black pepper.
Broil the seasoned fillets for 3 minutes.
Daub the mustard glaze over the fillets so they're evenly covered with the mustard glaze. Don't be stingy!
Broil the fillets for a further 5 minuets, then remove and serve.

Mulligatawny Soup

This soup got an immediate thumbs-up from my husband! It's a bit high calorie, so very likely to be a special occasion soup, not a regular thing. Mulligatawny is technically a South Indian soup; its name rightly translates to "pepper water". I highly doubt someone familiar with Indian cuisine would recognize this as Indian food at all... but 'tis tasty regardless.

Mats

1 cup diced onions
4 to 6 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons red curry powder
8 cups chicken stock
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c short-grain white rice, unwashed
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup room-temperature light cream

 

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the flour and red curry powder, stir well so all the veggies are covered with, you guessed it, a roux. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the rice and stir well, cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Add the diced apple and thyme, boil for 15 more minutes. You'll want to keep an eye on the soup at this point, as it will have reduced quite a bit and you don't want to burn the bottom.

Take the soup off of heat, stir in cream and serve.

Pad Thai

This is a good recipe for a fast dinner on a weeknight.

Mats
½ lb. noodles. I used fresh Chinese noodles, but dry rice noodles would be good too.
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. hot chile sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4c peanut butter
3 cloves garlic,crushed
1 Tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, sliced thin
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into narrow strips
8 to 10 scallions, halved lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup mung bean sprouts
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles for 2 1/2 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter with 1/3c water. Next time I want to try mixing it with lite coconut milk instead of water, to get that creamy consistency.

In a wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds or until brown.

Add the carrot, scallions and bean sprouts and stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add the cooked noodles and peanut sauce, stir and heat through, about 2 minutes.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro.