Aunt Maryann's Macaroni and Peas

I know, I know!  I've been getting facebook messages and emails asking for this recipe and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post it.  It's such a simple recipe so I hope you like it.  It's funny, I can remember the first time I had this.  I was complaining to my mom about the other version of macaroni and peas, the red sauce version.  Although I loved it I was getting bored and I tasted this at my Aunt Maryann's house who just so happened to live two doors away.  So my mom asked her how she made it and from then on it became one of those meals we enjoyed regularly.  Now that I'm living on my own I like to make both versions depending on my mood.  This recipe has a little more liquid than the red sauce version and just by adding some more chicken stock it can be prepared as a soup if you prefer. 

Macaroni and Peas (white version)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cans leseur petite sweet peas
2 cups chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube, optional
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4lb - 1 lb of small pasta such as ditalini
Pecorino Romano Cheese


Directions:

In a medium sauce pan sweat onions and Italian season in oil until onions are soft and tender.  Add pepper to taste.  Add peas with their liquid and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.  If you prefer a stronger flavor dissolve one chicken bouillon cube into the stock.  Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente and drain.  Add ladle of pasta to a bowl and top with peas and stock and stir.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Don't add pasta to pot with peas or the pasta will become too soft if it sits.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Aunt Maryann's Macaroni and Peas

I know, I know!  I've been getting facebook messages and emails asking for this recipe and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post it.  It's such a simple recipe so I hope you like it.  It's funny, I can remember the first time I had this.  I was complaining to my mom about the other version of macaroni and peas, the red sauce version.  Although I loved it I was getting bored and I tasted this at my Aunt Maryann's house who just so happened to live two doors away.  So my mom asked her how she made it and from then on it became one of those meals we enjoyed regularly.  Now that I'm living on my own I like to make both versions depending on my mood.  This recipe has a little more liquid than the red sauce version and just by adding some more chicken stock it can be prepared as a soup if you prefer. 

Macaroni and Peas (white version)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cans leseur petite sweet peas
2 cups chicken stock
1 chicken bouillon cube, optional
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4lb - 1 lb of small pasta such as ditalini
Pecorino Romano Cheese


Directions:

In a medium sauce pan sweat onions and Italian season in oil until onions are soft and tender.  Add pepper to taste.  Add peas with their liquid and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.  If you prefer a stronger flavor dissolve one chicken bouillon cube into the stock.  Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente and drain.  Add ladle of pasta to a bowl and top with peas and stock and stir.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Don't add pasta to pot with peas or the pasta will become too soft if it sits.


Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to do with the two chicken breasts I defrosted for dinner. There is work being done outside our condo so it's a pain to get to the grill right now and it's been so hot that I didn't want to turn on the oven. After a quick peek in my fridge, freezer and pantry I came up with this. It's so simple that I wondered if it was blog worthy. It's basically a chicken and veggie saute served over pasta. Not that impressive but very delicious. If you notice in the photo there are two different types of pasta there. I had a little bit of penne in an open box and a little gemelli in another. So I used the cooking times on the back of the box. I threw the gemelli in first and then a minute or so later added in the penne. It was fine that way and I've done it before. If you just put it in at the same time you may end up with some pasta that's over cooked or some pasta that's not cooked enough. Different shapes have different cooking times.

If you don't like zucchini or artichoke hearts substitute them with something else. Cannelini beans would be great here, chick peas, eggplant too. Use your favorite combo or try something new!



Chicken with Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients:

1 pound of short pasta, penne, ziti, rigatoni, etc.
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, quaretered lenthwise and then cut into chunks
10 frozen artichoke hearts
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful of frozen peas
handful of fresh basil, torn
handful of kalamata olives
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder, saute in mixture of butter and a little oil until brown. Remove and set aside. Add in a little more oil if your pan is dry and saute onion in olive oil, add zucchini and leave it a lone for a minute until it browns a little, add garlic and let cook for a minute or so and then add artichoke hearts. They won't really brown but will soften. (*See Note) Add tomato paste and stir, let it cook for a minute. Deglaze pan with wine and scrape up any browned bits that stuck to the pan. When liquid reduces add chicken broth a little at a time to get the consistency of sauce you want. Add kalamata olives, salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken and peas to the pan and stir. Chicken is already cooked so just let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

While sauce is cooking, boil water for pasta, season well with salt. When sauce is almost ready drop the pasta. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce and serve.

*note - I used some fresh tomatoes but they weren't ripe enough and didn't do anything for the dish so I didn't put it in the recipe. However, if you have beautiful ripe plum tomatoes you could add them here.

Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to do with the two chicken breasts I defrosted for dinner. There is work being done outside our condo so it's a pain to get to the grill right now and it's been so hot that I didn't want to turn on the oven. After a quick peek in my fridge, freezer and pantry I came up with this. It's so simple that I wondered if it was blog worthy. It's basically a chicken and veggie saute served over pasta. Not that impressive but very delicious. If you notice in the photo there are two different types of pasta there. I had a little bit of penne in an open box and a little gemelli in another. So I used the cooking times on the back of the box. I threw the gemelli in first and then a minute or so later added in the penne. It was fine that way and I've done it before. If you just put it in at the same time you may end up with some pasta that's over cooked or some pasta that's not cooked enough. Different shapes have different cooking times.

If you don't like zucchini or artichoke hearts substitute them with something else. Cannelini beans would be great here, chick peas, eggplant too. Use your favorite combo or try something new!



Chicken with Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients:

1 pound of short pasta, penne, ziti, rigatoni, etc.
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, quaretered lenthwise and then cut into chunks
10 frozen artichoke hearts
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful of frozen peas
handful of fresh basil, torn
handful of kalamata olives
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder, saute in mixture of butter and a little oil until brown. Remove and set aside. Add in a little more oil if your pan is dry and saute onion in olive oil, add zucchini and leave it a lone for a minute until it browns a little, add garlic and let cook for a minute or so and then add artichoke hearts. They won't really brown but will soften. (*See Note) Add tomato paste and stir, let it cook for a minute. Deglaze pan with wine and scrape up any browned bits that stuck to the pan. When liquid reduces add chicken broth a little at a time to get the consistency of sauce you want. Add kalamata olives, salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken and peas to the pan and stir. Chicken is already cooked so just let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

While sauce is cooking, boil water for pasta, season well with salt. When sauce is almost ready drop the pasta. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce and serve.

*note - I used some fresh tomatoes but they weren't ripe enough and didn't do anything for the dish so I didn't put it in the recipe. However, if you have beautiful ripe plum tomatoes you could add them here.

Paella for the Sea Fearing - Coast to Coast Challenge 2

It's time for another recipe chosen for Bakespace's Coast to Coast Cooking! This time we chose Paella which can be made in so many ways to please all palates. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that Steve and I are the rare few Italians that do not like seafood. We like fried calamari and sushi and I'll eat tuna salad but that's about it. So my version of paella contains chicken and chorizo. It's very similar to arroz con pollo but the chorizo gives it a totally different and fabulous flavor.



I learned a few things while researching paella recipes and ingredients. There are different types of chorizo, raw which is like Italian sausage, dried which is like soppresatta. They come hot and mild, portugese, spanish, etc. I used dried spanish sausage called Palacios. In my area this can found at Kings Supermarket, Wegmans Supermarket and Fairway Market. I used one package of it which I think was only about 1/2 pound. It's less than the recipe called for but was so flavorful that I don't think I would have needed any more. The rice that should be used is a short grain spanish rice called Bomba or Valencia. I could not find this anywhere so I used Italian short grain rice called Arborio. This rice is usually used for risotto. I'm not really sure why a long grain rice can't be used for this. I think that it would result in a drier rice which is what I was looking for. Next time, I will try it that way,



The recipe that we used is Paella a la Valenciana. This is a traditional paella recipe that we started with. As always in these challenges, we get to make these our own and change them in any way we see fit. I decided to look for another recipe that doesn't contain seafood and found one by Paula Deen. I followed her recipe and then threw in a chicken breast for Steve and some spanish olives at the end. I didn't use the lemon, I just didn't think I'd want to mask the flavor with lemon. I served this to Steve's family and it was a big hit. I'm glad I got to try this out!



Check out how all the other participants' recipes came out! Spryte and Dani even have guest bloggers who participated in the challenge. Click their links to see them all.



Shane from Culinary Alchemy



Spryte of Spryte's Place



Danielle of Cooking for my Peace of Mind



Monica from Alaskan Dermish in the Kitch





Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Paella



by Paula Deen



Ingredients:



1/4 cup olive oil

1 chicken, cut legs, drumsticks and thighs

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1 large onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 pound Spanish style chorizo links, cut into slices on the bias

2 cups short-grain rice (recommended: Valencia or Arborio)

Pinch saffron threads

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas

Lemon wedges, for service





Directions:



Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat.



Cook's note: A large cast iron skillet would work here.



Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until browned all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs.



Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo. Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron. Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid. Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.

Paella for the Sea Fearing - Coast to Coast Challenge 2

It's time for another recipe chosen for Bakespace's Coast to Coast Cooking! This time we chose Paella which can be made in so many ways to please all palates. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that Steve and I are the rare few Italians that do not like seafood. We like fried calamari and sushi and I'll eat tuna salad but that's about it. So my version of paella contains chicken and chorizo. It's very similar to arroz con pollo but the chorizo gives it a totally different and fabulous flavor.

I learned a few things while researching paella recipes and ingredients. There are different types of chorizo, raw which is like Italian sausage, dried which is like soppresatta. They come hot and mild, portugese, spanish, etc. I used dried spanish sausage called Palacios. In my area this can found at Kings Supermarket, Wegmans Supermarket and Fairway Market. I used one package of it which I think was only about 1/2 pound. It's less than the recipe called for but was so flavorful that I don't think I would have needed any more. The rice that should be used is a short grain spanish rice called Bomba or Valencia. I could not find this anywhere so I used Italian short grain rice called Arborio. This rice is usually used for risotto. I'm not really sure why a long grain rice can't be used for this. I think that it would result in a drier rice which is what I was looking for. Next time, I will try it that way,

The recipe that we used is Paella a la Valenciana. This is a traditional paella recipe that we started with. As always in these challenges, we get to make these our own and change them in any way we see fit. I decided to look for another recipe that doesn't contain seafood and found one by Paula Deen. I followed her recipe and then threw in a chicken breast for Steve and some spanish olives at the end. I didn't use the lemon, I just didn't think I'd want to mask the flavor with lemon. I served this to Steve's family and it was a big hit. I'm glad I got to try this out!

Check out how all the other participants' recipes came out! Spryte and Dani even have guest bloggers who participated in the challenge. Click their links to see them all.

Shane from Culinary Alchemy

Spryte of Spryte's Place

Danielle of Cooking for my Peace of Mind

Monica from Alaskan Dermish in the Kitch


Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Paella

by Paula Deen

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 chicken, cut legs, drumsticks and thighs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 large onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 pound Spanish style chorizo links, cut into slices on the bias
2 cups short-grain rice (recommended: Valencia or Arborio)
Pinch saffron threads
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
Lemon wedges, for service


Directions:

Heat a paella pan or very large, shallow skillet or pot, preferably with 2 handles over high heat.

Cook's note: A large cast iron skillet would work here.

Pour in the olive oil and let it heat up. Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear in the olive oil until browned all over. Transfer to a plate with tongs.

Lower the heat to medium and saute the onions and bell pepper until softened. Stir in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and chorizo. Bring the liquid to a boil and then stir in the rice and saffron. Add the browned chicken pieces. The rice should be completely covered with liquid. Cook the paella without stirring for 20 minutes. When the liquid has all been absorbed, pour the peas over the top of the pot, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a kitchen towel. Let stand 5 minutes and then serve with lemon wedges.

Creamed Peas and Southern Style Green Beans

As you already know I made Southern themed dinner for my group The Dinner Diva's on Saturday. I wanted to go traditional with the sides without it being too heavy and hopefully I achieved that. I really liked the peas more than the green beans. The peas are basically cooked in a bechamel sauce which is very tasty. Thank you to my friend Carolyn from bakespace for helping out with this recipe! My issue with the beans are that they are sweet and sour. I like sweet and sour meatballs but not my veggies. I should have remembered that I made spinach this way once before. It just didn't appeal to me but the girls liked it...well, at least they said they did!


Southern Style Green Beans

Courtesy of Rachael Ray

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return skillet to stove and set burner to medium high. Add bacon and brown. When fat begins to render, add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon. Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions. When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar. Allow the vinegar to evaporate and the sugar to combine with pan drippings, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve.


Creamed Peas

Courtesy of Carolyn - posted on bakespace.com

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk*
about 2 cups fresh or frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and salt, stir well until combined add milk and bring to a boil. Stir until slightly thickened. Stir in cooked peas. Serve over mashed potatoes if you wish.


*Michele's Note - If the roux becomes too thick when you add in the peas just add a little more milk and it will thicken up again.

Creamed Peas and Southern Style Green Beans

As you already know I made Southern themed dinner for my group The Dinner Diva's on Saturday. I wanted to go traditional with the sides without it being too heavy and hopefully I achieved that. I really liked the peas more than the green beans. The peas are basically cooked in a bechamel sauce which is very tasty. Thank you to my friend Carolyn from bakespace for helping out with this recipe! My issue with the beans are that they are sweet and sour. I like sweet and sour meatballs but not my veggies. I should have remembered that I made spinach this way once before. It just didn't appeal to me but the girls liked it...well, at least they said they did!


Southern Style Green Beans

Courtesy of Rachael Ray

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return skillet to stove and set burner to medium high. Add bacon and brown. When fat begins to render, add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon. Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions. When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar. Allow the vinegar to evaporate and the sugar to combine with pan drippings, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve.


Creamed Peas

Courtesy of Carolyn - posted on bakespace.com

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk*
about 2 cups fresh or frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and salt, stir well until combined add milk and bring to a boil. Stir until slightly thickened. Stir in cooked peas. Serve over mashed potatoes if you wish.


*Michele's Note - If the roux becomes too thick when you add in the peas just add a little more milk and it will thicken up again.

Mom's Macaroni and Peas

<


Guess what! I am blogging from my couch! Usually I'm blogging from my uncomfortable computer chair in our home office but today I'm not. Today I am blogging from my couch! You see, friday was my 29th birthday and Steve really pays attention. He listens to me when I complain about how uncomfortable I am in the office. He really hears me when I say life would be so much better if I had a laptop so I could blog from our living room. These were not birthday hints mind you. I was 100% complaining! I really didn't expect him to go out and buy me one so you can imagine how excited I was when I opened the perfectly wrapped gift (you should know that Steve is an awesome gift wrapper and often gives in to my begging and wraps all my Christmas gifts!)and saw DELL on the box! So here I am, blogging, from my couch...well club chair. I guess I should get to it already!

When I was a child my mom liked to make this version of Macaroni and Peas. I say this version because my Aunt Maryann taught me how to make a "White" version when I wanted to venture away from recipes involving red sauce. You see, my Mom always was a great cook and she made a mean Sunday Sauce and there was no doubt from her cooking that she liked her red sauce. Her meatloaf was made with a red sauce (it was like a loaf shaped meatball), her stuffed peppers were made with a red sauce (meatball inside a pepper)and her macaroni and peas were made with a red sauce...you get the idea. Well yesterday I got the craving for my mom's version of macaroni and peas. I can't believe that when I was a child I actually complained about this. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I loved it, but I was bit by the culinary bug and I needed a little versatility. I'd like to think that now that I'm all grown up I have taught my mom a thing or two she didn't know about cooking. She taught me all she knew and as I learn I try to teach her. Am I right, Mom? Anyway, I'm really going off topic here. This is a delicious and simple dish. Another one that you can pull right out of the pantry as my mother often did. So thank you mom for teaching me to make something that 15 years I'm still craving.

Mom's Macaroni and Peas

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful fresh basil, torn (use frozen or dried if you don't have fresh)
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can LeSeueur Peas (substitute frozen if you like)
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. romano cheese
1 pound small pasta such as medium shells, ditalini, etc.
extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until soft. Add crushed pepper and dried or frozen basil (if using). Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and sugar. Let cook for about 25 -30 minutes. Add peas. If you're using canned peas use the juice from the can to thin out the sauce. (This should be a loose sauce but not soupy. Use as much or as little liquid as you like. If using frozen peas add some of the starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce.) Let cook for another 10 minutes on low
to combine flavor of peas with sauce. Add romano cheese, taste and adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Toss pasta with sauce adding more pasta water if it's too thick. Top with grated cheese.

Mom's Macaroni and Peas

<


Guess what! I am blogging from my couch! Usually I'm blogging from my uncomfortable computer chair in our home office but today I'm not. Today I am blogging from my couch! You see, friday was my 29th birthday and Steve really pays attention. He listens to me when I complain about how uncomfortable I am in the office. He really hears me when I say life would be so much better if I had a laptop so I could blog from our living room. These were not birthday hints mind you. I was 100% complaining! I really didn't expect him to go out and buy me one so you can imagine how excited I was when I opened the perfectly wrapped gift (you should know that Steve is an awesome gift wrapper and often gives in to my begging and wraps all my Christmas gifts!)and saw DELL on the box! So here I am, blogging, from my couch...well club chair. I guess I should get to it already!

When I was a child my mom liked to make this version of Macaroni and Peas. I say this version because my Aunt Maryann taught me how to make a "White" version when I wanted to venture away from recipes involving red sauce. You see, my Mom always was a great cook and she made a mean Sunday Sauce and there was no doubt from her cooking that she liked her red sauce. Her meatloaf was made with a red sauce (it was like a loaf shaped meatball), her stuffed peppers were made with a red sauce (meatball inside a pepper)and her macaroni and peas were made with a red sauce...you get the idea. Well yesterday I got the craving for my mom's version of macaroni and peas. I can't believe that when I was a child I actually complained about this. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I loved it, but I was bit by the culinary bug and I needed a little versatility. I'd like to think that now that I'm all grown up I have taught my mom a thing or two she didn't know about cooking. She taught me all she knew and as I learn I try to teach her. Am I right, Mom? Anyway, I'm really going off topic here. This is a delicious and simple dish. Another one that you can pull right out of the pantry as my mother often did. So thank you mom for teaching me to make something that 15 years I'm still craving.

Mom's Macaroni and Peas

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful fresh basil, torn (use frozen or dried if you don't have fresh)
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can LeSeueur Peas (substitute frozen if you like)
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. romano cheese
1 pound small pasta such as medium shells, ditalini, etc.
extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until soft. Add crushed pepper and dried or frozen basil (if using). Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and sugar. Let cook for about 25 -30 minutes. Add peas. If you're using canned peas use the juice from the can to thin out the sauce. (This should be a loose sauce but not soupy. Use as much or as little liquid as you like. If using frozen peas add some of the starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce.) Let cook for another 10 minutes on low
to combine flavor of peas with sauce. Add romano cheese, taste and adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Toss pasta with sauce adding more pasta water if it's too thick. Top with grated cheese.

Farfalle with Chicken and Diced Tomatoes

 

Once again I find myself ready to cook dinner but without a plan. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that I planned on seperating and marinating to put on the grill during the week. Key word there is planned. I wanted to do it, I really meant to but it didn't happen. As usual, I found myself looking inside my pantry to see what I could come up with. I know I keep telling you that you need to keep a well-stocked pantry but I haven't filled you in on exactly what I keep in mind. It's coming. I promise. In fact, I have the post all written up and waiting to be published. I just need to take a good picture. At some point next week the post will be up and I'm just giving you fair warning, it's a pretty long one.

Tonight I had chicken defrosted which isn't usually the case when I have to throw something together without a plan and it definitely came in handy. As always, you can substitute pretty much everything. Use whatever pasta you like, fresh tomatoes, diced tomatoes, petite diced, etc. You can change the peas and cannellini beans to artichoke hearts and mushrooms. The key here is use what YOU have in your pantry. Here's what I did.

Farfalle with Chicken and Diced Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb farfalle pasta
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed (I only used half of the can)
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (I used one large)
2 cubes Dorat frozen basil or a handful of fresh basil, torn into pieces
a handful of frozen peas
1/4 cup white wine
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, cracked (to flavor the oil and chicken)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan (I use a "chicken fryer"). Saute chicken and cracked cloves of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Remove chicken to a plate and discard garlic.

2. In same pan add diced onions and sliced garlic and saute until onions are translucent but do not let the garlic burn. Add white wine to deglaze pan while using a wooden spoon to pick up anything the chicken left behind.

3. Add diced tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper and then cover. Let the sauce simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the raw tomato taste is gone.

4. Add beans, peas and cooked chicken with any accumulated juices, until heated through (about 5 minutes).

5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce adding a little pasta water if the sauce is too thick or needs to be stretched. At this time add ricotta to hot pasta and sauce and stir to combine.

 

Farfalle with Chicken and Diced Tomatoes

 

Once again I find myself ready to cook dinner but without a plan. I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that I planned on seperating and marinating to put on the grill during the week. Key word there is planned. I wanted to do it, I really meant to but it didn't happen. As usual, I found myself looking inside my pantry to see what I could come up with. I know I keep telling you that you need to keep a well-stocked pantry but I haven't filled you in on exactly what I keep in mind. It's coming. I promise. In fact, I have the post all written up and waiting to be published. I just need to take a good picture. At some point next week the post will be up and I'm just giving you fair warning, it's a pretty long one.

Tonight I had chicken defrosted which isn't usually the case when I have to throw something together without a plan and it definitely came in handy. As always, you can substitute pretty much everything. Use whatever pasta you like, fresh tomatoes, diced tomatoes, petite diced, etc. You can change the peas and cannellini beans to artichoke hearts and mushrooms. The key here is use what YOU have in your pantry. Here's what I did.

Farfalle with Chicken and Diced Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb farfalle pasta
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed (I only used half of the can)
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (I used one large)
2 cubes Dorat frozen basil or a handful of fresh basil, torn into pieces
a handful of frozen peas
1/4 cup white wine
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, cracked (to flavor the oil and chicken)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup part skim ricotta
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan (I use a "chicken fryer"). Saute chicken and cracked cloves of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Remove chicken to a plate and discard garlic.

2. In same pan add diced onions and sliced garlic and saute until onions are translucent but do not let the garlic burn. Add white wine to deglaze pan while using a wooden spoon to pick up anything the chicken left behind.

3. Add diced tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper and then cover. Let the sauce simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the raw tomato taste is gone.

4. Add beans, peas and cooked chicken with any accumulated juices, until heated through (about 5 minutes).

5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce adding a little pasta water if the sauce is too thick or needs to be stretched. At this time add ricotta to hot pasta and sauce and stir to combine.

 

Pea Soup with Ham

If you make a Ham for the holidays or any day do not throw out the bone. Wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and put in the freezer for soup. I made this soup from the leftover Ham we had at Christmas. Be careful not to salt your soup until it is completely cooked and you taste it for seasoning. Some hams can be very salty. This was a spiral ham and salty enough.

Please pardon my pictures. I didn't notice the air bubbles from my stirring and every photo I took has bubbles in it. You know, now that I think of it, no matter what I do this isn't going to look that great. It is pea soup after all!



Ingredients:

1 leftover meaty ham bone
1 bag split peas
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 small-medium potatoes, diced
6-8 quarts water
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes, optional
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Special Tool – Immersion (stick) Blender

Directions:

Sauté onions, carrots and potatoes in extra virgin olive oil until onions are translucent. Add ham bone to pot with enough water to cover completely. Cover the pot. When water comes to a boil reduce heat to low and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove ham bone and place on a cutting board. Remove ham by pulling with a fork or cutting it with a knife. Using two forks shred ham and set aside. Be careful not to shred any of the fat. Meanwhile, continue to cook peas for another 15-20 minutes or until completely tender. Taste and add bouillon cubes if using. Using an immersion blender, blend until all peas and veggies are smooth. If soup seems thick add a little more water. Add shredded ham to pot and stir.

If reheating this soup you may want to add some chicken stock or water because it thickens up quite a bit.