Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last year I tried making these slow roasted tomatoes after seeing them on blogs everywhere. They were simple, easy and fantastic. I put them on sandwiches, on antipasto platters and in pasta salad. I wanted to make them again and found it intriguing when my friend Marie said that her husband's gradmother added chopped garlic and basil to it. The idea sounded fantastic however I never asked any questions and didn't really think it through. Turns out Marie and I completely misunderstood each other. We discovered this when she and her hubby came over for dinner. I showed them to her and told her that they were good but the garlic was a little bitter. I liked them much better plain. She asked what I did and I told her that I did what she told me. We ended up laughing all day about it because I had TONS of these tomatoes and adding garlic to them while roasted was not at all what she meant. The tomatoes weren't bad but the garlic did not taste great after being roasted in the oven for 2 hours. I need to clarify exactly what she did mean.  Next year I say she makes them for me, what do you think?

Wondering why I'm posting this? Well I still think that slow roasting  is a fantastic way to cook plum tomatoes.  They aren't dried out like sun-dried tomatoes.  They are sweet and still a little plum and have an incredible flavor.  Next time I just won't put anything other than oil, salt and pepper on them. They are still salvageable though. I took off the garlic from some of the tomatoes, chopped them up and made a sauce with them. They were still delicious! I will post that soon. 

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded
salt, pepper, olive oil

Toss tomatoes with oil, salt and pepper.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchement paper or foil.  Lay the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet.  Bake at 250 for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last year I tried making these slow roasted tomatoes after seeing them on blogs everywhere. They were simple, easy and fantastic. I put them on sandwiches, on antipasto platters and in pasta salad. I wanted to make them again and found it intriguing when my friend Marie said that her husband's gradmother added chopped garlic and basil to it. The idea sounded fantastic however I never asked any questions and didn't really think it through. Turns out Marie and I completely misunderstood each other. We discovered this when she and her hubby came over for dinner. I showed them to her and told her that they were good but the garlic was a little bitter. I liked them much better plain. She asked what I did and I told her that I did what she told me. We ended up laughing all day about it because I had TONS of these tomatoes and adding garlic to them while roasted was not at all what she meant. The tomatoes weren't bad but the garlic did not taste great after being roasted in the oven for 2 hours. I need to clarify exactly what she did mean.  Next year I say she makes them for me, what do you think?

Wondering why I'm posting this? Well I still think that slow roasting  is a fantastic way to cook plum tomatoes.  They aren't dried out like sun-dried tomatoes.  They are sweet and still a little plum and have an incredible flavor.  Next time I just won't put anything other than oil, salt and pepper on them. They are still salvageable though. I took off the garlic from some of the tomatoes, chopped them up and made a sauce with them. They were still delicious! I will post that soon. 

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded
salt, pepper, olive oil

Toss tomatoes with oil, salt and pepper.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchement paper or foil.  Lay the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet.  Bake at 250 for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Spaghetti with Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Shrimp

I knew this dish was going to be good but I didn't realize how good!  I made it in the beginning of September when I could still find heirloom tomatoes.  They are so sweet and full of flavor!  The recipe calls for cherry or grape tomatoes so this can be made any time of the year.  I bet it would be delicious with winter squash as well!

If you like veggies I would definitley double up on the zucchini and the yellow squash.  We definitely lost some pieces before they got tossed with the pasta.  That bowl of roasted veggies was hard to resist!

This is a great dish to make when you are having company.  The recipe can easily be doubled, the shrimp can be marinated ahead of time and the veggies can be cooked ahead of time.  They will heat up again when tossed with the hot pasta.

Spaghetti with Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Shrimp

Adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds

1 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds

1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup arugula leaves
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese, plus more for serving
Grilled Shrimp, recipe follows

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the spaghetti.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the squashes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and give it all a good toss. Dump that out onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until the squash is tender and caramelized. Scrape the vegetables into a large pasta bowl and cover with a plate to keep everything warm.

The pasta water should be boiling by now. Add the spaghetti and stir to separate the strands. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente.

To finish, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and toss gently with the roasted vegetables and Grilled Shrimp. Add the pasta water if needed.

Grilled Shrimp:

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
16 large head-on Jumbo shrimp in the shell, shells split down the back
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix garlic, lemon, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and add shrimp.  Marinate for 1 hour or more. Heat a large outdoor grill and wipe down with oiled paper towel to create a nonstick surface. Add shirmp and  grill for 3 minutes per side baste with marinade as you go.

Click here for a printable recipe.

Spaghetti with Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Shrimp

I knew this dish was going to be good but I didn't realize how good!  I made it in the beginning of September when I could still find heirloom tomatoes.  They are so sweet and full of flavor!  The recipe calls for cherry or grape tomatoes so this can be made any time of the year.  I bet it would be delicious with winter squash as well!

If you like veggies I would definitley double up on the zucchini and the yellow squash.  We definitely lost some pieces before they got tossed with the pasta.  That bowl of roasted veggies was hard to resist!

This is a great dish to make when you are having company.  The recipe can easily be doubled, the shrimp can be marinated ahead of time and the veggies can be cooked ahead of time.  They will heat up again when tossed with the hot pasta.

Spaghetti with Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Shrimp

Adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds

1 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds

1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup arugula leaves
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese, plus more for serving
Grilled Shrimp, recipe follows

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the spaghetti.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the squashes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and give it all a good toss. Dump that out onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until the squash is tender and caramelized. Scrape the vegetables into a large pasta bowl and cover with a plate to keep everything warm.

The pasta water should be boiling by now. Add the spaghetti and stir to separate the strands. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente.

To finish, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and toss gently with the roasted vegetables and Grilled Shrimp. Add the pasta water if needed.

Grilled Shrimp:

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
16 large head-on Jumbo shrimp in the shell, shells split down the back
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix garlic, lemon, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and add shrimp.  Marinate for 1 hour or more. Heat a large outdoor grill and wipe down with oiled paper towel to create a nonstick surface. Add shirmp and  grill for 3 minutes per side baste with marinade as you go.

Click here for a printable recipe.

Gazpacho

This past weekend I hosted the September dinner for my dinner group.  As the years go on it's harder and harder to come up with new themes without repeating some.  I am still going to keep trying to find something unique each time!  My theme was "California Cuisine".  I know it really seems vague but what I found through my research is that "California Cuisine" is basically fresh local ingredients that are cooked simply.  Some of the foods that are commonly found in this type of cuisine are avocados, artichokes, almonds, citrus fruits, figs, seafood, etc.

Since it's the end of summer and there are still quite a bit of heirloom tomatoes I thought a great dish that would embody fresh and simple cuisine would be gazpacho.  I haven't had a ton of cold soups and I never had gazpacho before deciding to make it for this dinner.  I wasn't sure what to expect so I tried this out a week before the dinner.  I found from following the recipe that 1) only 1 clove of garlic is needed.  As this soup sits (as suggested) the garlic can really overpower the other flavors and be quite unpleasant.  2) As great as this is I can't imagine 4 people consuming that much cold soup.  2 pounds of tomatoes is way too much.  3) I can understand why this often served in shot sized glasses.  A little goes a long way.

All that being said I really did enjoy this and so did my guests.  I cut down the tomatoes to 1 pound, used only 2 slices of bread, 1 clove of garlic, half of an onion., used 2/3 of a yellow pepper.  I served diced avocado, yellow pepper and cucumber for toppings.  The ladies enjoyed the crunch it added to the soup.

Gazpacho

Anne Burrell

Total Time:    1 hr 30 min Prep    30 min Inactive  1 hr 0 min

Yield:    4 servings

Ingredients:

    8 slices white bread, crusts removed, bread broken into big chunks

    2 pounds tomatoes, seeded

    1 English cucumber, peeled

    1 large white onion

    1 green bell pepper, seeds and pith removed

    2 garlic cloves, smashed

    Kosher salt

    High quality extra-virgin olive oil

    2 to 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

    1/2 cup to 1 cup tomato juice, if needed

Directions:

For the soup:

Soak the bread, in a medium bowl of water to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, 2/3 of the cucumber, 1/2 the onion, and 1/2 the pepper and add to the bread. Add the garlic, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to combine and let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and to let the salt pull some moisture out of the tomatoes.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, dice the remaining cucumber, onion and green pepper into perfect 1/4-inch dice and reserve.

Working in batches, puree the tomato/bread mixture in a blender with the vinegar. Blend in tomato juice to loosen the mixture, if needed. Remove soup to a large bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of high quality olive oil. Taste for salt and add more, if needed.

Chill. Serve cold garnished with the diced cucumber, pepper and onion. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Gazpacho

This past weekend I hosted the September dinner for my dinner group.  As the years go on it's harder and harder to come up with new themes without repeating some.  I am still going to keep trying to find something unique each time!  My theme was "California Cuisine".  I know it really seems vague but what I found through my research is that "California Cuisine" is basically fresh local ingredients that are cooked simply.  Some of the foods that are commonly found in this type of cuisine are avocados, artichokes, almonds, citrus fruits, figs, seafood, etc.

Since it's the end of summer and there are still quite a bit of heirloom tomatoes I thought a great dish that would embody fresh and simple cuisine would be gazpacho.  I haven't had a ton of cold soups and I never had gazpacho before deciding to make it for this dinner.  I wasn't sure what to expect so I tried this out a week before the dinner.  I found from following the recipe that 1) only 1 clove of garlic is needed.  As this soup sits (as suggested) the garlic can really overpower the other flavors and be quite unpleasant.  2) As great as this is I can't imagine 4 people consuming that much cold soup.  2 pounds of tomatoes is way too much.  3) I can understand why this often served in shot sized glasses.  A little goes a long way.

All that being said I really did enjoy this and so did my guests.  I cut down the tomatoes to 1 pound, used only 2 slices of bread, 1 clove of garlic, half of an onion., used 2/3 of a yellow pepper.  I served diced avocado, yellow pepper and cucumber for toppings.  The ladies enjoyed the crunch it added to the soup.

Gazpacho

Anne Burrell

Total Time:    1 hr 30 min Prep    30 min Inactive  1 hr 0 min

Yield:    4 servings

Ingredients:

    8 slices white bread, crusts removed, bread broken into big chunks

    2 pounds tomatoes, seeded

    1 English cucumber, peeled

    1 large white onion

    1 green bell pepper, seeds and pith removed

    2 garlic cloves, smashed

    Kosher salt

    High quality extra-virgin olive oil

    2 to 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

    1/2 cup to 1 cup tomato juice, if needed

Directions:

For the soup:

Soak the bread, in a medium bowl of water to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop the tomatoes, 2/3 of the cucumber, 1/2 the onion, and 1/2 the pepper and add to the bread. Add the garlic, season with salt, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix to combine and let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and to let the salt pull some moisture out of the tomatoes.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, dice the remaining cucumber, onion and green pepper into perfect 1/4-inch dice and reserve.

Working in batches, puree the tomato/bread mixture in a blender with the vinegar. Blend in tomato juice to loosen the mixture, if needed. Remove soup to a large bowl and stir in about 1/2 cup of high quality olive oil. Taste for salt and add more, if needed.

Chill. Serve cold garnished with the diced cucumber, pepper and onion. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, if desired.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My mom had about 30 green tomatoes that weren't ripening this week and she had no idea what to do with them. I told her I would take them and look up a recipe and figure out how to use them. I decided to make Fried Green Tomatoes although I never tasted a green tomato before. I found a recipe online and then posted it on facebook for all my southern friends to take a look at before I went ahead and used the recipe. I got some yeses and deicded to give it a try. I found this recipe on all recipes and in the commnets section someone suggested a dipping sauce. So I made that with a little smoked paprika added for an extra kick. The recipe calls for a quart of oil, I certainly did not use that much.  Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan by about an inch.  The tomatoes and the sauce were both a big hit with Steve's family. I'm so glad I tried them! Thanks Mom next time I'll make them for you!



Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

	Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
	Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
	In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup mayo
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tsp smoked paprika
dash of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Serve with fried green tomatoes.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

My mom had about 30 green tomatoes that weren't ripening this week and she had no idea what to do with them. I told her I would take them and look up a recipe and figure out how to use them. I decided to make Fried Green Tomatoes although I never tasted a green tomato before. I found a recipe online and then posted it on facebook for all my southern friends to take a look at before I went ahead and used the recipe. I got some yeses and deicded to give it a try. I found this recipe on all recipes and in the commnets section someone suggested a dipping sauce. So I made that with a little smoked paprika added for an extra kick. The recipe calls for a quart of oil, I certainly did not use that much.  Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan by about an inch.  The tomatoes and the sauce were both a big hit with Steve's family. I'm so glad I tried them! Thanks Mom next time I'll make them for you!



Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

	Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
	Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
	In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup mayo
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tsp smoked paprika
dash of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Serve with fried green tomatoes.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe. 

Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce

If you are a reader of this blog you know that when Steve isn't home for dinner I try to make something that I know I can't make when he's around.  Steve is not a fan of eggplant andI had some from the farmer's market along with some tomatoes from my parents' garden. I remembered a recipe from Rachael Ray.  She made a pasta sauce from pureed eggplant.  She puts her eggplant in the oven whole and scoops it out but I wanted more caramelized flavor on the eggplant so I roasted it in cubes.  I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  Probably one of my favorite eggplant recipes of all time! I debated about posting this recipe because the picture was lacking some color.  I posted it on my facebook page and I was assured the photo was good enough to post so hope you all think so too.  The only problem is I don't have an exact recipe to follow here.  I am going to have to make it again to perfect it and write down the measurements.  So this recipe is an approximation.  Give it a try and use your own judgement (more or less tomatoes, onion, etc) otherwise  wait for me to try this once again.  One thing I did realize is that it would be much better to roast the tomatoes on a seperate cookie sheet since they give off too much water and prevent the eggplant from browning well. 


Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce


Ingredients:


2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice 
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated


Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


2.  Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  

3.  Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed.  Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there.  (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.) 


4.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready.  The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard.  Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready.   Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.


5.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin.  It will come right out.  When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended).  If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add torn basil.  


6.  Cook pasta until al dente and reserve some pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and toss in eggplant mixture.  If it looks like it's too thick add a little bit of the pasta water.  Toss with romano cheese and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce

If you are a reader of this blog you know that when Steve isn't home for dinner I try to make something that I know I can't make when he's around.  Steve is not a fan of eggplant andI had some from the farmer's market along with some tomatoes from my parents' garden. I remembered a recipe from Rachael Ray.  She made a pasta sauce from pureed eggplant.  She puts her eggplant in the oven whole and scoops it out but I wanted more caramelized flavor on the eggplant so I roasted it in cubes.  I absolutely LOVED this recipe.  Probably one of my favorite eggplant recipes of all time! I debated about posting this recipe because the picture was lacking some color.  I posted it on my facebook page and I was assured the photo was good enough to post so hope you all think so too.  The only problem is I don't have an exact recipe to follow here.  I am going to have to make it again to perfect it and write down the measurements.  So this recipe is an approximation.  Give it a try and use your own judgement (more or less tomatoes, onion, etc) otherwise  wait for me to try this once again.  One thing I did realize is that it would be much better to roast the tomatoes on a seperate cookie sheet since they give off too much water and prevent the eggplant from browning well. 


Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Eggplant Sauce


Ingredients:


2 eggplants, partially peeled (peel every other section so it looks striped), cut into large dice
4-5 tomatoes, cut into large dice 
1 large vidalia onion, cut into large dice
1 head of garlic
Fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
pecorino romano cheese, grated


Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


2.  Prepare 3 sheet pans with parchment paper (makes clean up a lot easier) and spread out eggplant and onion over 2 cookie sheets and put the tomatoes on the 3rd.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  

3.  Slice top off of the head of garlic so garlic is exposed.  Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap well in foil and place in a small oven safe bowl or if you have space on your cookie sheet put it there.  (Do not put it directly in oven as the oil make leak out and onto your oven.) 


4.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and toss and flip so all sides get color. Cook veggies until soft and browned. Tomatoes may come out sooner than the eggplant. Check on the garlic - when a knife can easily pierce the garlic it is ready.  The garlic can easily over cook and become burnt and hard.  Check every 5 mins afterward if it's not yet ready.   Remove everything from the oven and allow to cool.


5.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out of the papery skin.  It will come right out.  When veggies have cooled down add them and garlic to a food processor (you may have to do this in batches and just add to a bowl to combine when it's all blended).  If it's very thick drizzle in some oil while the food processor is on.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add torn basil.  


6.  Cook pasta until al dente and reserve some pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and toss in eggplant mixture.  If it looks like it's too thick add a little bit of the pasta water.  Toss with romano cheese and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

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.

 

Another Pantry Meal - Ziti Picchi Pacchi

 

Last week I went to my friend Gina's house and showed her how to throw together a pantry meal. Her pantry is well stocked and it was easy to come up with a quick dish. Gina and I like a lot of the same foods and like me she has kalamata olives in her fridge. I realize that I use them a lot and you all must be tired of seeing them in my recipes. If you don't like them leave them out and put in whatever you like, maybe some artichoke hearts! Yum! I call this picchi pacchi because it's made with diced tomatoes and basil and I've seen variations of this but they all contain diced tomatoes.

Gina and I have different preferences when it comes to pasta. I will always choose lined pasta such as penne over ziti. I just feel like the sauce sticks better because it fills up the the ridges. It really doesn't matter though, this dish was delicious!

Ziti with Pantry Sauce


Ingredients:

1 lb pasta
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (Dorat frozen cubes from Trader Joes)
2 teaspoons of chopped basil (Dorat frozen cubes from Trader Joes)
2 - 16 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
Splash of white wine
extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:


In a medium saucepan saute onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and basil and stir (frozen cubes will melt and cook quickly). Add a spalsh of white wine and let the alcohol cook out (about a minute or so). Add tomatoes, capers and olives, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 20- 30 minutes. About halfway into cooking time, add pasta to boiling salted water. When pasta is al dente combine it in the pan with sauce. Toss to combine sauce with pasta.



 

Another Pantry Meal - Ziti Picchi Pacchi

 

Last week I went to my friend Gina's house and showed her how to throw together a pantry meal. Her pantry is well stocked and it was easy to come up with a quick dish. Gina and I like a lot of the same foods and like me she has kalamata olives in her fridge. I realize that I use them a lot and you all must be tired of seeing them in my recipes. If you don't like them leave them out and put in whatever you like, maybe some artichoke hearts! Yum! I call this picchi pacchi because it's made with diced tomatoes and basil and I've seen variations of this but they all contain diced tomatoes.

Gina and I have different preferences when it comes to pasta. I will always choose lined pasta such as penne over ziti. I just feel like the sauce sticks better because it fills up the the ridges. It really doesn't matter though, this dish was delicious!

Ziti with Pantry Sauce


Ingredients:

1 lb pasta
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (Dorat frozen cubes from Trader Joes)
2 teaspoons of chopped basil (Dorat frozen cubes from Trader Joes)
2 - 16 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
Splash of white wine
extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:


In a medium saucepan saute onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and basil and stir (frozen cubes will melt and cook quickly). Add a spalsh of white wine and let the alcohol cook out (about a minute or so). Add tomatoes, capers and olives, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 20- 30 minutes. About halfway into cooking time, add pasta to boiling salted water. When pasta is al dente combine it in the pan with sauce. Toss to combine sauce with pasta.



 

Italian Chicken with Couscous

Steve and I love olives...a lot...kalamatas are our favorites. I try to keep them on hand all the time and we either eat them out of the container or I cook with them. This is a great recipe for using kalamatas. You dont have to make couscous with it but I think it goes so well. I usually put a lot of the sauce on top of the cousous and it's so good like that. I even eat the couscous cold the next morning for breakfast. I know, it's weird but I really love it.

I find myself saying this often...you do not need to follow this recipe exactly. I came up with this to use what I had on hand but I've substitued diced tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes when I don't have fresh. Sometimes I don't use capers. One thing you should keep in mind is that if the sauce is thick you may not need to add the cornstarch. If it's too watery from fresh tomatoes and you want it thicker then add a little or if you like it loose that's fine too. :-)

I tried a new technique with my camera. I shut off the flash and adjusted the lighting through the computer. I'm not sure if it's better or not. I'm new to this and I also have a new camera so any advice would be lovely!


Italian Chicken with Couscous


Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp capers, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup chardonnay or any dry white wine
1 can chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1 box Near East toasted pine nut couscous

Directions:

Rinse chicken, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp butter and a little oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from pan and keep warm on a plate tented with foil.

In same pan add remaining butter and oil (if needed), onion and garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes or until onions are soft. Add tomatoes and a little chicken broth while scraping browned bits from pan. Add olives, capers, salt and pepper to skillet. Let it come to a boil, reduce heat and cover pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions and substitute chicken broth for water. (May be a little short on broth so add water if needed) Stir together wine and cornstarch; add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add chicken to pan and any juices that accumulated in the dish. Stir in basil. Let cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve sauce over chicken and couscous.

Italian Chicken with Couscous

Steve and I love olives...a lot...kalamatas are our favorites. I try to keep them on hand all the time and we either eat them out of the container or I cook with them. This is a great recipe for using kalamatas. You dont have to make couscous with it but I think it goes so well. I usually put a lot of the sauce on top of the cousous and it's so good like that. I even eat the couscous cold the next morning for breakfast. I know, it's weird but I really love it.

I find myself saying this often...you do not need to follow this recipe exactly. I came up with this to use what I had on hand but I've substitued diced tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes when I don't have fresh. Sometimes I don't use capers. One thing you should keep in mind is that if the sauce is thick you may not need to add the cornstarch. If it's too watery from fresh tomatoes and you want it thicker then add a little or if you like it loose that's fine too. :-)

I tried a new technique with my camera. I shut off the flash and adjusted the lighting through the computer. I'm not sure if it's better or not. I'm new to this and I also have a new camera so any advice would be lovely!


Italian Chicken with Couscous


Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp capers, drained
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup chardonnay or any dry white wine
1 can chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1 box Near East toasted pine nut couscous

Directions:

Rinse chicken, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp butter and a little oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from pan and keep warm on a plate tented with foil.

In same pan add remaining butter and oil (if needed), onion and garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes or until onions are soft. Add tomatoes and a little chicken broth while scraping browned bits from pan. Add olives, capers, salt and pepper to skillet. Let it come to a boil, reduce heat and cover pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions and substitute chicken broth for water. (May be a little short on broth so add water if needed) Stir together wine and cornstarch; add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add chicken to pan and any juices that accumulated in the dish. Stir in basil. Let cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve sauce over chicken and couscous.