Category: Main Dishes

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Sarah

So, let’s talk about red pasta sauce. Ahh, that oft-neglected component of many Italian dishes [at least in my world]. Funny, red pasta sauce is a staple in my kitchen yet I don’t really think about it. I’m too busy thinking about the layers of cheesy, meaty goodness in lasagna or the fact that spaghetti is a speedy, brainless, and relatively healthy dinner to truly consider what the sauce is made out of and how it tastes. Most of the time, I purchase a decent store-bought jarred pasta sauce and that’s the end of the story.

Things are a-changing now. I’ve moved passed the typical “end of the story” and on into uncharted waters. A sequel, if you will.

This journey takes us into the land where pasta sauce is just veggies and herbs, with a tiny bit of seasonings and oil, but mainly just the good stuff from the ground [and the bush and the tree, I suppose]. But you get my gist, right? It’s all about the flavor and freshness of ripe August tomatoes, nutty yellow summer squash, sweet onions, crisp Carmen peppers, and mellow cloves of garlic.

Not only do the flavor and freshness of these veggies make this sauce stand out, but the cooking method does as well. Slow roasting the vegetables provides extra depth, richness, and sweetness that cooking down on the stove top cannot achieve. Plus, this relatively hands-off cooking method is a breeze! Feel free to add a pinch of sugar or extra seasonings to taste, but we found anything else to be unnecessary.

We love topping hot noodles with Roasted Tomato Sauce, but it’s equally great eaten cold with a spoon in front of an open refrigerator door… or, you know, as a bread dip. Delicious either way. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this wonderful land of veggielicious pasta sauce. Stay with me? And eat cold pasta sauce? You know you want to…

What do you eat cold in front of the refrigerator? Fess up below! 🙂

Roasted Tomato Sauce
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes [I used Roma]
  • 1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 Carmen pepper, halved [or substitute half of a bell pepper]
  • 4 cloves garlic, papery skin removed, and cloves smashed
  • olive oil
  • black pepper
  • salt
  • dried rosemary
  • fresh basil [about 4-5 leaves]
  • fresh oregano [about 2-3 sprigs]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using two baking sheets [preferably jelly roll-style pans with sides at least 1 inch deep], lay out all vegetables [tomatoes, squash, onion, pepper, and garlic] skin side down in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with pepper, salt, and rosemary. Bake for about 60 minutes or until vegetables start to blacken around the edges.

Remove to a deep bowl and add basil and oregano. Use an immersion blender to puree mixture until you reach your desired level of smoothness. Alternatively, a blender or food processor would work too but be careful with using hot food in those appliances. Serve on top of your favorite pasta.

Yield: 4 cups

Time: 70 minutes [10 minutes active]

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

Lunch Date

Sarah

I have one week of summer left. I’m taking the week off work to relax, have fun, and get some things done at home before the busyness of the semester kicks in. Busyness of the semester? Boo.

But I don’t need to dwell on that today.

Not when I had a pretty awesome at-home lunch date with Ben, who left work for a bit to hang out with me!

lunch

No siree. Lunch was pretty great, and so was all that Law & Order: SVU on Netflix this morning. Mhmmm. I’m addicted.

  • The Best Panini Ever = 2 thin slices brown sugar deli ham + 1 thin slice roasted deli turkey + 1 slice provolone + thin layer raspberry jam + a dab of spicy brown mustard + generous sprinkle freshly ground black pepper + Trader Joe’s Pretzel Bread
  • Steamed Garlic Broccoli
  • Oven Fries with CSA red potatoes
  • Apple Slices

Yum.

panini

Oh how I love you, oooey gooey cheese and doughy pretzel bread! <– melted cheese=best part of eating lunch at home. 🙂

Happy Monday!

What did you have for lunch today?

Chorizo, Main Dishes, Recipes

Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Sarah

So, I used to have this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad fear of chorizo. I would drool over yummy, flavorful looking Mexican dishes online or in cookbooks, only to read the recipe list and see that fateful word: “chorizo.” I would sigh and move on, sure that chorizo wasn’t for me. I mean, for one, it was spicy and for two, a sausage taco? Umm, no thanks. So I just bypassed all chorizo recipes and moved on with my life. But one day things changed.

I honestly don’t know what came over me–but in an instant at the grocery store I thought, well, maybe I should just try this chorizo thing. Then I can truthfully say I don’t like it and really move on with life.

When I came home from campus the very next day, I pulled out my trusty Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexican Everyday, found an innocent looking recipe, and got to work. With the exception of yelling for help when it came time to cut the casing off of the chorizo, preparation of these Chorizo and Potato Tacos was a cinch! Twenty minutes later, plate on the table and fork in hand, I closed my eyes, said a prayer, and dug in, expecting the worst.

Well, the worst never came. Instead I had a mouthful of flavorful meat with just a little bit of kick, sauteed fresh vegetables, and creamy potatoes. This isn’t so bad, I thought to myself, looking over at Ben chowing down happily. The spiciness that I had so feared was dulled by some cilantro stirred in at the end and was refreshingly contrasted by the cool, crumbly, mild Queso Fresco that topped the warm filling. In a flash, our plates were cleared and leftovers were nonexistent. Whoa. Talk about a surprise.

I have no idea what my fuss over choirzo was about, but it’s in the past now. Seriously, it’s not scary at all. I certainly will be on a quest to find more ways to enjoy chorizo in the future, and I’ve love your help on that.

If you enjoy chorizo, what’s your favorite way to serve it? If you don’t enjoy it or haven’t had it before, tell me why!

Chorizo and Potato Tacos

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Print

from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

Ingredients:

  • 7 1/2 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed
  • 1 tablespoon oil, if necessary
  • 3/4 cup sliced yellow onion
  • ~1/2 cup chopped green Carmen [or Bell] peppers
  • 3 cups new potatoes, grated through your grater’s largest holes
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
  • sliced tomatoes, for serving
  • Queso Fresco, for serving
  • your choice of tortillas, flour or corn, for serving

Directions:

Place chorizo in a large skillet over medium heat and cook for about four minutes. Stir frequently and break up into clumps, until some of the fat starts to render and sausage is half-cooked. Increase heat to medium-high and add oil if sausage isn’t rendering any.

Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about three minutes.

Place potatoes in the pan over mixture and cook covered until soft, approximately five minutes. Stir every so often and reduce heat if mixture starts to brown long before potatoes are soft.

Transfer mixture to a serving bowl and gently fold in cilantro. Serve with warmed tortillas, tomatoes, and Queso Fresco.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Cinnamon Bacon Carbonara

Sarah

Are you ready for storytime? I hope so, because I have a tale for you.

Many moons ago [or, four years ago this August] I was preparing to move out of my parents’ house and into the real world for the first time. I had moved back in after college graduation in May to raise support for my upcoming internship with Campus Crusade for Christ at Ohio University and once that was complete, I was ready to go! I knew how to cook, but aside from my mom’s tried and true recipes, I didn’t have a lot of expertise since I live in dorms and my sorority house all through college and never had my own kitchen. I didn’t own many cookbooks either. My mom on the other hand had a whole bookshelf full. So, what’s a girl to do?

Aside from stealing cookbooks in the night or spending all of my [non-existent] cold, hard cash on cookbooks [this was in 2007… food blogs and recipe sites were not what they are now], I spent several exciting days photocopying recipes and creating a little food binder for myself. My own cookbook, if you will. One recipe that caught my eye from Giada DeLaurentiis’ repertoire was this little twist on an “easy weeknight Italian supper.” The combination of sweet and salty sounded divine to me, and into the binder it went. It sounded fancy even though it was simple and I vowed to save it for something special.

The first few months of the real world provided zero opportunities for a special meal, but as the new year of 2008 sped along, the perfect occasion arose. Or rather, the perfect person.

Ben and I started dating in February of 2008 and one of the first food-related things I learned about the boy was his love for bacon. One thing we really loved to do together in those early months of togetherness was cook in my house or his apartment together, probably annoying our roommates by taking over the kitchen with ingredients and our love-sick puppy dog eyes. One night while deciding what to make, inspiration struck as I thought of my little cookbook. Cinnamon! Bacon! Pasta! Cheese! Together! A bit odd, but it could work. Right?

With courageous hearts, we quickly gathered up all the necessary components of this dish and gave it a go. I must admit, we made one significant change from Giatta’s version–she uses a 3:1 ratio of pancetta to bacon… but pancetta wasn’t really in our budget at the time so bacon all the way! We also halve the original recipe [our version is noted below] because it isn’t very good reheated–it loses a lot of flavor as the sauce absorbs into the pasta in the refrigerator.

The smell of this pasta simmering away was intoxicating and addicting. It’s what dreams are made of. One bite and we were hooked. Salty, smoky, and sweet, this dinner couldn’t be beat. And, this, my dear friends, is the true story of how Cinnamon Bacon Carbonara came to our household. It’s a recipe that’s spanned our dating, engagement, and marriage, and one that will unwittingly reach into our future.

So tell me: what recipe will reach into your future? I can’t wait to get a glimpse into your culinary life!

Cinnamon Bacon Carbonara [from Giada DeLaurentiis’ Everday Pasta]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more for serving
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 9 ounces fettuccine
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Begin by preparing a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

Then, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until nearly crispy, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and cook for 2 more minutes, or until crisp and golden. Reduce heat to low.

Add the fettuccine to the pot when boiling, reduce heat, and cook for 3 minutes, or until pasta is tender yet still firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, cheese, and egg yolks. Pour into the pan with the bacon and cook at a very low simmer, stirring often with a wooden spoon.

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce mixture along with the pepper. Stir together and cook on low until the sauce coats the pasta, approximately 3 more minutes. Serve topped with fresh chives, and extra cheese if desired.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Seafood and Fish

Salmon with Lemon, Tarragon, and Garlic Sauce

Sarah

I was inspired to try my hand at salmon after a long absence of fish at our house [try September. Seriously! Why??] when two important menu forces collided. First, fresh salmon was on sale for $3.99/pound at my local grocery store, which seems like a great deal to me. Secondly, when picking herbs at a CSA pickup, I tried a bite of fresh French Tarragon and loved it. It had a tiny kick that emerged despite the bittersweet, fresh taste that had hints of mint and licorice. It was like nothing I’ve ever had before–or actually, nothing I’ve ever prepared before, because as I’ve learned from Google, it’s a staple in many French foods I ate on study abroad in Cameroon and while traveling in Europe. But back to the collision.

Salmon with Lemon, Tarragon, and Garlic Sauce via thepajamachef.com

I couldn’t let such coincidences escape from my grasp, particularly during this mid-summer freedom. So I promptly did some internet research after doing my shopping and CSA-gathering, put on my apron, and gave it a whirl… and emerged victorious, queen of the salmon. Wait, that’s Sheba, the kitty who may or may not have weaseled her way into a delectable bite of freshly flaked salmon. But you didn’t hear it from me…

The results were  so easy, so flavorful, so fresh, and so filling that now I’m just craving it all. the. time. The salmon was crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, the  perfect vehicle for the tangy sauce. Composed of the familiar–tart lemon and complex garlic; and the new–gourmet, hearty Dijon mustard and spicy fresh tarragon, a sauce that initially sounds complicated is really quite simple and refreshing. A little goes a long way, though, and it’s a good thing too, because that means more for next time!

What types of food do you always intend to make but rarely do?

Salmon with Lemon, Tarragon, and Garlic Sauce

  • Servings: 4
  • Print

[technique by Peanut Butter Fingers, recipe from Allrecipes.com]

Ingredients:

  • 4, 4-ounce, salmon fillets
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for salmon
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • juice of half a lemon
  • zest of half a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
  • freshly ground lemon pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Set oven to broil. Cover a large baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place salmon on foil and lightly brush with olive oil. Season with freshly ground lemon pepper. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until salmon flakes with a fork.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, tarragon, and a hearty amount of freshly ground lemon pepper. Set aside.

When fish is ready, top each piece with prepared sauce and enjoy!