Pasta With Walnut Sauce and Broccoli Raab

I really liked this recipe. The walnut sauce is very rich and nutty and so easy to make in my food processor. I used orecchiette (hat) pasta which was what was used in the original recipe. The problem with that kind of pasta is that it ends up spooning (for lack of a better word) with itself and the sauce doesn't get into all the nooks and crannies. I would recommend something like a spiral pasta or elbows - basically just something with a lot of surface area.

This is another recipe that was brought to my attention by Laura (GFFy!). She came across it in the NY Times under the Heath/Fitness & Nutrition section back at the end of September. I don't think she even knows that I actually made it!

Ingredients

• 1+ cloves of garlic, halved (depends on how much you like garlic)
• 3/4 C shelled walnuts
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1/3 C ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 1/4 C freshly shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top at the end)
  
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  
• 1 tbsp walnut oil (which I didn't have, so I just used more EVOO)
  
• salt to taste
• 1 bunch broccoli raab, stems removed (can also use regular broccoli florets)
• 1 lb pasta
• ~1/2+ C pasta cooking water

Recipe

1. In a food processor (or blender) first chop up the garlic. After it is finely chopped, scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add the bread crumbs and walnuts and process until paste-like. Add and mix the ricotta, warm water, and parmesan cheese. Finally, add the oils and mix until creamy. Taste and add salt if needed.
2. To cook the broccoli raab, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Also prepare a bowl of ice water on the side. Once boiling, add the broccoli raab to the water and cook 4 - 5 minutes (until cooked, but still retains bright green color). Remove broccoli raab from hot water and place in ice bath until cooled. Drain, dry, and finely chop.
   
3. Bring water to boil again (same pot or a new one). Add pasta and cook until done (according to instructions) while maintaining a 1/2+ C of pasta water before draining. Slowly add pasta water to ricotta/walnut paste until creamy in consistency. Place all ingredients (sauce, broccoli raab, pasta) in a large bowl and mix. Serve with freshly shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Servings 6

Whiskey Crab Soup

I’m brand new to this online recipe blogging and wanted to start with something that will sure be a hit in the coming winter months!

I first tried this soup at a local seafood restaurant in Bellingham, WA and knew at that moment I NEEDED to learn how to make this recipe! After an extensive search on the web, I finally found a base recipe from All Recipes and started modifying and tweaking from there. So I can safely say this is my own near and dear creation…

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Ready: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil or 2 T salted butter
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 - 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
• 1 - 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (or your own canned tomatoes)
• 1 to 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 3 1/2 T flour
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like a little more bit!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 - 6 oz cans of fancy white crab meat, un-drained
• 1/4 cup whiskey (I use Jack Daniels)

1. Heat the olive oil/butter in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until tender.
2. Pour in the chicken broth, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream and flour (to avoid clumping).
4. Stir the mixture into the pot, and continue cooking until the soup is slightly thickened.
5. Season the soup with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Mix in the crab and whiskey, and cook until heated through.

Quinoa and Black Beans

This recipe is courtesy of my wonderful and fabulous friend Laura, aka GFFy, who actually found it on All Recipes. Every week a group of 10 or so of us get together for dinner. The dinner is on a rotating schedule so that each person/household has the opportunity to host and make the main dish. Laura hosted dinner 2 weeks ago and made this dish. I have only made quinoa a handful of times and have had trouble making it with much flavor. This dish has great flavor and is easy to make. Thanks GFFy!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3/4 C uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 C vegetable broth
• 3-4 tsp ground cumin (probably will need to add even more)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1-2 C broccoli, chopped
• 1 C frozen corn
• 1-2 (15 oz) cans black beans
• 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped

Recipe

1. In a med-large pot heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cooked until onions are translucent without burning the garlic.
2. Rinse quinoa under running water.
3. Add remaining ingredients to pot, except corn, black beans, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the frozen corn and keep pot over low heat until heated through.
5. Remove from heat. Add black beans and cilantro.

Servings 6ish

King of the Soup Onions (Leek) and Potato Soup

Potatoes and leeks both in my CSA this week, so this soup was an obvious dinner choice. I started with a recipe from How to Cook Everything and doctored it up a bit. It really is a simple soup though. (A cook book I have informed me that leeks are the "king of the soup onions.")

potatoes - I had about 10 or 12 smallish
leeks - 3 large
apples - 1 or 2 (this was my addition, there are so many apples in my kitchen, they are a required addition to every meal)
butter (or oil) - 2 T
veggie stock - I used 8 C but wished I used about 6 C - warm/hot saves time
cream - 1 C
salt and pepper
savory (I also added this to the recipe, came in my CSA right before I left town a couple weeks ago so I shoved it in the freezer for future soup)

1. Rinse and chop potatoes, leeks (white part only), apples.
2. Melt butter in soup pot.
3. Add chopped veggies from step one, salt and pepper, savory, stir and cook for a few minutes
4. Add stock and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until everything is soft (depends on what kind of potatoes you are using).
5. Remove from heat, add cream.
6. Process in food processor in batches or use immersion blender if you've got one.
7. Return to pot and heat until steamy but not boiling.
8. Serve with salad and crusty bread, yum!

Corn Chowder

I am discovering a new love of corn. The second time we got corn in our CSA there was a corn chowder recipe adapted from Simply Recipes another food blog I love so I decided I had to try it. Conveniently almost all the other needed ingredients were also in the box that week or left over from the week before, I think all I needed to by was a bell pepper. The original recipe calls for bacon or bacon fat which was obviously not used, but I did sprinkle some fake bacon I chopped up to add some smokey flavor, tasty but not necessary, I didn't add to any of the left overs. You could add more or less of the veggies, definitely not a recipe where exact science is needed. Garlic would be good sauteed with the onion/carrot/celery.

recipe adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
  
• 3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs , cobs reserved
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 1/2 cups milk (I used rice milk which I think added a pleasant sweetness)
  
• 1 potato, peeled and diced (I used a few small knobbly potatoes from our CSA - possible Rose Finn)
  
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves

1. in a large sauce pan. saute onion in butter until soft about 5 minutes. add carrots and celery and cook about 5 more minutes.
2. break the evacuated cobs in half and add to sauce pan. add milk and bay leaf and bring to boil.
   
3. reduce heat to a bare simmer. heat should be as low as possible to maintain a gentle simmer but prevent scalding (I don't know if scalding is as big of a concern with rice milk). cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. discard cobs and bay leave. raise heat - add potato, pepper, salt and pepper. lower heat once a low simmer is reached again. simmer 15 minutes or under potatoes are almost fork tender.
5. raise heat - add corn and thyme. lower heat again to maintain a low simmer. simmer for 5 minutes.

makes about 5 servings

Curried Singapore-Style Noodles

Every time I post a blog entry, I feel like I need to have a story to go along with it. This one is short and simple. I asked Jordan to cook something for dinner while I was at gym boot camp one night and this is what he came up with. Its really tasty and delicious. He made it with chicken, but I think it would taste great with shrimp too.

Adapted from Hannaford Fresh (March-April 2009)

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb angel hair pasta
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 C low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 C low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 C carrots, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 medium zucchini, julienned
• 2 medium leeks, white parts only, sliced into thin rings
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp asian-style hot chili sauce

Optional Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 8-oz. packages of super-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cubed
• 1 lb large shrimp (41-50 count), peeled, deveined, tails removed
• 1 lb chicken, cubed

Recipe

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (~4-5 minutes). Drain. Return to pot and toss with sesame oil.
2. In a small bowl, mix vegetable broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar. This will be the sauce to add later.
   
3. Prepare optional ingredients over med-high heat with 2 tsp oil (chicken (~10 mins), tofu (~5 mins), shrimp (~2-3 mins)). Set aside when done and tent with aluminum foil.
4. In same or different pan from chicken, add the leeks, carrots, bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook and continuously stir for 4 minutes.
5. Add remaining ingredients (scallions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, hot chili sauce). Stir in and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add optional ingredients.
7. Pour vegetables over noodles and mix until evenly distributed.
8. Pour sauce over noodles, stirring once again until evenly distributed. Re-heat mixture over med-high heat and serve.

Servings Original recipe says 4, I say 5-6.