Category — Recipes

I know that some of your gardens are still over-flowing with basil . . . and if you have a food processor or blender, pesto is so easy to whip up.  Make it in big batches, omit the cheese (for now) and throw it in your freezer for a little hit of sunshine come winter.  Then go beyond pasta and use your pesto in a new way:

• Use as a spread for grilled cheese sandwiches – try some great bread and use provolone cheese
• Top a homemade or prepared pizza crust with pesto, cheese, red bell peppers and/or chicken and enjoy a new twist on a quick old favorite
• Top a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese (or goat cheese) and a dollop of pesto for a gourmet snack
• Spread it under the skin of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts and bake for a moist, savory treat
• Add a spoonful to your favorite tomato or roasted red pepper soup
• Broil up a fillet of mild white fish (think cod, haddock or tilapia) and serve it with a little pesto smeared over the top
• Use as a topping for baked potatoes

What’re your favorite ways to use pesto?

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Now that everyone’s back in school and the temperatures are falling, it really seems like autumn’s upon us.  Cooler temps mean freedom to turn the oven back on at night to prepare dinner, and one sure-fire crowd-pleaser over here is roasted chicken.  L. literally begsme to roast a chicken every week – it’s her favorite meal.  But on a weeknight, who has time?  Enter the parts . . . even a bone-in chicken part will take far less time to cook, yet will yield some of that same juicy, crispy, delectable treat that whole roast chicken delivers.

This recipe is versatile – you can make “plain” chicken for those “selective eaters” in your house, and amp up the flavor with ginger, lime and curry powder for those who prefer a little more zazzle.  Rubbing the spice mixture under the skin ensures that the meat is highly flavored . . . the skin and bone ensure it’s moist.  Whether you indulge in crispy chicken skin is your business (dont’ tell anyone, but I love it) but in any case, this is a 30-45 minute deal.

Crispy Ginger-Lime Chicken (adapted from Everyday Food)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the ginger, lime juice, curry powder, scallions, a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of pepper in a small bowl.  Place chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Gently loosen the skin on each pice of chicken with your fingertips.  Then rub equal amounts of the ginger/lime mixture under the skin of each piece.

Bake until skin is crisp and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

In my Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, this is paired with a quick little side recipe for Couscous with Carrots and Cilantro . . . we ended up with leftover rice with our chicken – not nearly as exciting.  And remember, if you use whole wheat couscous, you’ll up your nutrient and fiber quotient . . . .

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I’m always looking to get more veggies into our diet (heck, if could get any veg aside from baby carrots into L’s body, I’d attempt a cartwheel).  So when I see recipes that offer wiggle room on veggies, I jump at the chance.  Casual dishes that involve sauces can usually be stretched so that you could add, say, double the vegetables called for – helping you on your way to 5-9-a-day.

This delicious looking recipe from the new Everyday Food cookbook called Fresh Flavor Fast caught my eye.  I had an over-abundance of bell peppers in the fridge and a bag of frozen cut green beans on hand – voila!  A veggie-full combo, easy enough for a weeknight and easily convertible to please any vegetarian or vegan palate as well.  I made this to serve 2 generously, but you can easily double either the whole lot, or just the protein portion to suit however many mouths you have to feed.

Thai Green Chicken Curry With Chicken (or Tofu) (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken cutlets or tofu and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes each side.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, add the onion and season with salt and pepper (if you are using tofu in your recipe, you may need to add a bit more olive oil here).  Cook until translucent, then add the green beans and bell pepper strips.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are heated and the bell pepper begins to soften.  Add the curry paste and cook until the paste is slightly darkened, approximately 3 minutes.  Add the chicken or tofu, coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the basil and lime juice.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper accordingly.  Serve over rice.

Serves 2.

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This is going to be quick, ’cause right now, I’m the only one in this house who’s awake.  I’ve got three jet-lagged Madrileños and a 7-year-old all wound up about her school open house tomorrow all snoozing upstairs and it’s only 8:30 p.m.  I’m left up laundering and munching marshmallows, so I thought it’d be a good time to check in and let you in on tonight’s recipe success.

This spinach and cheddar strata is SO easy and it can even be made ahead of time.  I whipped it up this morning while L. had a friend over, covered it, put it in the fridge and pulled it out when I got home from the airport with my sister and her family.  30 min. in the oven and out popped a warm tasty treat – just enough but not too much for anyone who wants a lighter meal.  Like anyone who’s been trapped on a plane for 7 hours with a 9-month-old.  Just a for-instance.  The gang loved this, and I hope you will, too.

Spinach and Cheddar Strata (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add the spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s wilted, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with a spatula until the spinach is as dry as possible.  Transfer to a cutting board and chop coarsely.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 of the cheese, some salt, pepper, the cayenne and the nutmeg. 

In an 8-inch square baking dish, or one of similar capacity, layer the bread cubes and then the spinach.  Pour the egg mixture over the lot and sprinkle it all with the remaining cheese.

Bake at once in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or else cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.  Remove from fridge and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

Serves 4.  This would be great with a nice tossed salad alongside . . . but tonight, I just had to get something in their bellies before they fell asleep – so this was a one-dish meal.

Sweet tip:  I keep odds ‘n’ ends of bread in the freezer for just this sort of purpose.  Sometimes we don’t make it though a whole loaf of good Italian or French, so the next day when it’s less than appealing, I bundle it into a Ziploc, label it, and sock it away.  Great for stratas, croutons, breadcrumbs etc.

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Ahhh, the weather was SO beautiful in Boston on Friday night.  Breezy, not too hot, low humidity – it screamed out for another dinner on the patio.  D. came home early and fired up the charcoal grill, and L. and I got to work in the kitchen. 

That’s where the breakthrough comes in.  Those of you who know me off-blog know that I’ve cooked with L. since she was 2.  It was mostly a labor of love for me – often frustrating, but I kept at it.  She loved “helping” me out in the kitchen, and I was hopeful that someday, it’d start to pay off and we could work together and enjoy each other’s company while cooking at the same time.  After years of waiting (my baby turns 7 in a week) I’m pleased to report that L’s turned a corner in the kitchen – she is now a bona fide sous chef.  Yes, that’s right; she’s now not only willing, but actually helpful in the kitchen! That’s her up there, chopping scallions. 

The other night she suggested we make fettuccine carbonara – and she actually separated eggs all by herself. 

I did other stuff while she prepped, stirred, measured and combined . . . amazing and fun for both of us.  And the results were delicious.

Anyway, back to the Friday night burgers.  These were a snap to throw together and very tasty, unlike some turkey burgers.  Fire up the grill or fry ‘em up in a pan – either way they’ll take you under 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

California Turkey Burgers (adapted from Fitness Magazine)

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix with hands, being careful not to overwork the mixture.  Shape into 6 patties and cook until cooked through the middle, about 5 min. each side.

Serve with:

Serves 6.

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We’re in!  We’ve moved, and are madly rushing about, trying to settle ourselves.  The first hurdle to tackle was unpacking and organizing the kitchen, of course – this family’s had too much takeout.  I’m pleased to announce that mama’s kitchen is open for business, and man, this new kitchen rocks, folks.  I’m a lucky, lucky woman.  I have great space, great tools and lots of inspiration.  Not sure how often I’ll be posting now that we’re here, but I can assure you, it’ll be more often than it has been this summer.  I’m so happy to be back!

Today’s recipe is vegetarian, quick, easy and just might help you use up some of that produce that your garden or CSA is dishing out.  The original recipe is meant to be served cold, and indeed, this is great leftover, but I made this as a warm salad.  Feel free to add more veggies as you please.  Any way you toss it, it’s got a great mix of flavors that’ll prevent a weeknight dinner slump.

Quinoa and Spinach Salad With Chickpeas and Smoked Paprika (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and add the quinoa.  Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat and cover.  Simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the spinach, chickpeas, tomatoes, mint and feta in a big bowl.  Add the quinoa and toss gently to wilt the spinach and blend the ingredients.

Combine the vinegar, smoked paprika and olive oil in a glass jar with a lid, cover and shake until combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed. 

Serves 6.

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Oh my friends, I’ve missed you so . . . and I’m not happy to let you know it’s going to be a bit longer ’til I’m up and running again here on Semi-Sweet.  This moving thing, plus a series of other unfortunate events, have thrown this blogger under the bus.  I am pining for you though, rest assured.  So much so that I wanted to share a little pasta ditty I threw together tonight, just to touch base with you all one more time before I jump off the diving board into the deep end – our actual move day is Tuesday.

So being that we’re moving, I’m clearing the food decks as much as possible.  We’re only moving a mile from our current place, so we certainly can transfer stuff easily, but really, who wants to transport more food than she has to?  And then there’s that pesky (but fabulous) CSA share that just keeps on giving . . . every week the undertow of greens and veggies threatens to suck me down, but I’m keeping my head above water, yes I am.

Tonight I used up the delicious fresh tomatoes we got on Wednesday, along with a log of goat cheese I had in the fridge and some nice Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese.  You can alter the proportions of this to your liking, and if I’d had it, I’d have used whole wheat pasta for more flavor and nutrition.

Whatever you’re doing or cooking this summer, enjoy yourself for me, will you?  Moving’s exciting, but not so much fun.  I’m SO looking forward to cooking and blogging more in September . . . stick with me friends, the best is yet to come!

Cavatappi with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Spinach

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients except for the spinach in a large bowl and stir to combine – you want this to look saucy – the goat cheese will become smooth and the liquid of the tomatoes will help this.  Don’t be afraid of using a couple good glugs of olive oil – it’ll smooth out your sauce and add great flavor.  Dump the spinach leaves on top of this mixture.  Drain the pasta and while it’s still piping hot (don’t worry about extra moisture, it’ll help make your sauce more spreadable), pour it over the spinach and sauce mixture.  Stir to combine and to wilt the spinach leaves.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Serves 4-6, easily.  Pass the crushed red pepper for the heat-seekers at your dinner table.

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Wednesdays are CSA share distribution days for us, and therefore Tuesdays are the days I freak about the stuff that’s still hanging around my fridge(s).  This week, there was a lot – we went away for the weekend and so I didn’t cook for a few nights.  I didn’t want to waste the precious bounty, so – here came this kitchen-sink green soup to the rescue . . . this soup will help you get your frugalista on, big-time.

My mother was poking around at the library and found a great cookbook called Love Soup by Anna Thomas, the author of the roundly praised Vegetarian Epicure.  Only after she’d begun to photocopy her favorites (um, mother of an intellectual property litigator) did my mother realize it’d be better to just buy the book . . . so many looked so good.  I received the photocopies (she’s not one to waste anything!) and this one caught my eye.

This isn’t so much a recipe as a method.  You can put anything in this soup – sky’s the limit.  Only a few things remain the same – you caramelize an onion to start.  You add some garlic part-way through, you garnish it with some lovely olive oil and perhaps a sprinkle of cheese.  But which veggies you choose is entirely up to you.

I used:

• a bunch of flat leaf parsley
• a half-bunch of cilantro
• a bunch of lacinato kale
• 3 bulbs (is that what they’re called?) kohlrabi
• 2 bunches of scallions
• 1 medium yellow onion

Get yourself a large stockpot or a big Le Creuset – I used my 7 1/4 qt. Le Creuset for this.  Thinly slice the yellow onion, and cook it with a sprinkle of salt, in about 2 T. of extra-virgin olive oil.  Cook it on low heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown and soft - you’re letting the onion’s delicious sweet flavor develop here.  Don’t rush it! This will take about 1/2 hour, but you’re going to be chopping while you do this . . . .

Meanwhile, clean and chop all your various veggies – you can use stems of things here, too, ’cause you’re cooking it ’til it’s soft. 

When your onion is sufficiently caramelized, de-glaze the pan with a little vegetable or low-sodium chicken broth.  Then add all those greens, along with approximately 3 cups of whichever broth you’re using.  Toss the veggies in the broth until they cook down a bit (my pot was practically over-flowing to start).  Also add 3-4 T. of arborio rice – this will add starch and will result in a velvety soup when it’s finished.

Once the broth begins to boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer for approximately 1/2 hour.  Add more broth to completely cover the cooked-down vegetables, and add 2-4 cloves of garlic, depending on your taste (for all those veggies, I added the equivalent of 4 cloves of crushed garlic).

Once everything is sufficiently mushy (more or less time, depending on what you’ve got in there), remove the vat from the heat and use either an immersion blender or a regular blender (for goodness sake, be careful blending hot liquids, OK?) to puree the soup.  Return it to the heat, bring it back to simmer, and add the juice of one lemon, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste.  Voila!

Garnishes – a little extra-good extra-virgin drizzled on top adds a delicious richness.  Also good is some fresh white cheese – I used some ricotta salata, but Thomas suggests that feta or Cotija would be good.  You could also make up some croutons to throw on top.  If it hadn’t been 50-gagillion degrees out, I’d have hacked up a stale loaf of rosemary focaccia I have in the fridge and toasted that up.  Maybe tomorrow?

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