Summer Sauceless Pasta Salad

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It’s middle of summer here in Seattle and we are trying to enjoy as much outdoor meals as possible. I made this salad for a barbecue party the other day and it was a hit, so I decided to post the recipe here. I wanted to make a pasta salad that would be substantial enough to please vegetarians and meat eaters alike, but didn’t want that kind of mayonnaise-based pasta salad I often see at barbecue tables. I used fresh ingredients and herbs and seasoned it with a simple but always effective combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Nothing complicated. The lemon zest is in my opinion what makes this dish taste especially fresh. This salad is better the day it is made and I like to serve it at room temperature. In fact, this salad is never chilled. It is made and served at room temperature.

You can use fresh mushrooms, sautéed and cooled, instead of the jarred ones. The halloumi cheese can be replaced fresh mozzarella or feta cheese.

 

Summer Pasta Salad Recipe:

serves 8

 

You will need:

1 box of rotini (fusilli) pasta

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

6 fresh, ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cup of halloumi cheese, crumbled or diced

1/4 cup of olives, pitted and chopped

4 oz of jarred button mushrooms, larger ones cut in half

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil

1 generous teaspoon of lemon zest

 

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 6 to 7 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta, season it with half of the salt and pepper and add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well and set aside to cool to room temperature.

While the pasta cools, chop the tomatoes and place them in a large serving bowl. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Add the cheese, olives, mushrooms, parsley and basil. Mix well.

When the pasta is at room temperature, transfer it to the serving bowl, add the lemon zest and toss it well with the other ingredients.

Taste and re-season if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy it!

Chicken Lasagna

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I have been thinking about my grandma a lot lately. She turned 87 last month. She doesn't cook anymore these days, but when she was younger, she was a wonderful cook and I would always look forward to eating her pastas and desserts. I always enjoyed spending time with my grandparents, but I regret not spending as much time with them in the kitchen. I could never imagine, back then, that cooking would be such an important part of my life. Because of that, I never got to see how my grandma prepared her legendary chicken lasagna... Now it's too late to ask, so this is my attempt to recreate it. The most important thing on a lasagna for me is the sauce. It has to be a white sauce, not ricotta cheese. For the filling, a nicely seasoned cooked chicken and tomato sauce will do just fine. Choose your favorite lasagna noodles. I use the "no-boil" ones, it's easier.

Chicken Lasagna Recipe:

makes 1 lasagna (9x13 inches)

You will need:

For the chicken filling:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

For the white sauce:

5 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

4 cups of warm milk

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

For assembling the lasagna:

1 package of lasagna noodles (I use the "no-cook" type)

1 lb of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

Make the chicken filling:

Cook the chicken breasts in water along with the bay leaf until cooked through. Drain and shred the meat. In a large pan, heat the oil and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Mix in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, mix in the chicken and set aside.

Make the white sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium pot or pan. Add the flour and cook it until it's no longer raw, about 3 minutes, stirring. Add the warm milk slowly to the pot, whisking it constantly until all the milk is added and the sauce is smooth. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking until the sauce thickens it up enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the stove and set aside.

To assemble the lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon some of the white sauce on the bottom of a large (9x13 inches) baking dish. Make one layer of lasagna noodles (4 sheets per layer), cover it with some of the chicken filling and top it with some mozzarella, then white sauce. Make sure the white sauce is spread evenly, specially on the sides of the dish, so you won't end up with dry edges. Keep making layers of noodles, chicken mozzarella and white sauce, finishing with the white sauce remaining. Top everything with the grated parmesan. Cover the lasagna dish with foil, being careful not to let the foil touch the sauce. Bake it for 40 minutes, remove foil and let it get golden and bubbly, 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before cutting the lasagna.

* If using the type of lasagna sheets that don't require pre-boiling, like I did, make sure there is enough sauce to cover the entire lasagna, or it will be dry. If you think there is not enough white sauce, thin it out a little bit by adding more milk into it, a tablespoon at the time and whisking well after each addition. Re-season if necessary.

Short Pasta with Zucchini, Peas and Mint

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This is a summer pasta dish, and the best part for me is that it comes together in less than 30 minutes. It's a "sauceless" kind of pasta, just tossed together with sauteed vegetables and fresh herbs. Delicious and healthy. Whenever I make this at home, I start by heating the water for the pasta, then move on to prep the veggies and cook them. By the time the pasta is cooked my vegetables are done and I just scoop them out of the water and drop them in the skillet with the vegetables. It's that easy. I like using  short pasta in this recipe because I cut the zucchini in batons so they all have a similar size. The pasta on the photo is a whole wheat rotini, but you can use any kind of pasta that you like. This recipe makes 2 servings and can be easily doubled.

Short Pasta with Zucchini, Peas and Mint Recipe:

serves 2

You will need:

2 cups of uncooked short pasta (rotini, penne)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 teaspoon of salt

pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small-medium zucchini, cut into batons

1/2 cup of peas, fresh or frozen

1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint

 

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.

While the water heats and the pasta cooks, make the vegetables.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cook for another 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and peas and cook until the zucchini is cooked but still somewhat firm. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and save some of the water. Add the pasta to the vegetables in the skillet and some of the pasta water to make it a bit moist. Add the fresh mint and mix well.

Enjoy it!

 

 

 

Light Lemon Basil and Shrimp Pasta

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This is a super simple and delicious pasta I like to make for Andrew. There is a misconception that pasta is a heavy, fattening dish but what makes a pasta dish caloric is normally the sauce. Here at home, I like to make pastas using fresh and often raw ingredients as well as lots of vegetables and herbs. This makes eating pasta easier on our waist lines... I normally have a bag of cooked frozen shrimps in the freezer. I find it very convenient and it allows me to whip up a meal in minutes, like this one. The touch of lemon is very subtle and brings a freshness to the dish. You can choose to leave the zest in the dish or remove it after it infused the oil.

Lemon Basil and Shrimp Pasta Recipe:

serves 1

The ingredients listed are for a single portion. To serve more, multiply them for as many portions you want to make. *If using fresh or frozen raw shrimps, just adjust the cooking time, it should take a few extra minutes, but remember that shrimps cook quickly and overcooking them may result in tough shrimps.

You will need:

1/4 of a package of spaghetti or linguine

olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, chopped

10 medium frozen (cooked) shrimps * (see note above)

a handful of fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

While pasta cooks, coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Add the lemon zest and let it infuse the oil over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn it. At this point you can strain the oil and discard the zest or keep it in the dish, it is up to your taste. Add the garlic and shrimp, turn the heat to medium and cook until shrimp is pink. Season with salt pepper to taste. Add the pasta along with some of the cooking liquid and stir well. Check the taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add the chopped basil, mix well, transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
I am submitting this recipe for this month's edition of Weekend Wokking, an event created (and also hosted this month) by Wandering Chopsticks, check it out!

Enjoy it!

Whole Wheat Penne with Broccoli and Roasted Pepper Sauce

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The main recipe from this post I wanted to share is the roasted red pepper sauce. It is a no-cook sauce, quick to make and super tasty. It combines ricotta cheese and roasted peppers with olive oil and seasonings. It makes an excellent pizza sauce as well. I can never finish a container of ricotta fast enough, so I am always looking for ways to use it up. You can use jarred roasted peppers or make them yourself. I like to buy red and orange peppers when they are on sale, roast them and keep refrigerated in a jar with some olive oil (sometimes I add a little bit of garlic too).

This dish is as easy and quick to make for one as it is to make it for a group of people. The recipe bellow is for a single serving, just multiply it by as many people you need to feed. If cooking for one, you will have some left over sauce, which keeps well in the fridge for several days.

Pair it with a green salad and a slice of country bread and you have a healthy, satisfying lunch or dinner.

 

Pasta with Broccoli and Roasted Pepper Sauce Recipe:

makes one serving

You will need:

1 cup of whole wheat penne

1 small bunch of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

For the sauce:

1 roasted red pepper (or combine red and orange)

1/3 cup of ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon of salt

ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, or Italian mixed herbs of your choice

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, place all the sauce ingredients in a bender of food processor and mix until all combined. If sauce is too thick, it can be thinned out by adding one of the following: milk, water, liquid from the pepper's jar or some olive oil. Start with a tablespoon and see how it goes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Place about 2 tablespoons of the sauce on the bottom of your serving  or eating bowl.

Add broccoli to the pasta water 2 minutes before it's ready. Drain pasta and broccoli and pour over the sauce in the bowl. Stir well to combine and serve immediately.

 

Enjoy it!

 

Lasagne Verdi with Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce - Daring Bakers

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The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

This month's challenge was to make lasagna from scratch. I had never made any pasta from scratch before so I was both nervous and excited about it. The idea was to bring back the simplicity of an authentic Italian lasagna, which is made with three components: the lasagna sheets, a simple béchamel sauce and the meat ragu. Vegetarians were given the option of making a vegetarian ragu. I chose to make a "bolognese" sauce using Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP),  something I've made before and pleases vegetarians and meat eater alike.

The lasagna tasted GREAT, it reminded me of the lasagnas my grandma used to make, only she used chicken instead of meat. This is really how a lasagna should be. Making the pasta was ok, I thought it was going to be harder specially because I made it by hand, no machine. I had fun doing it - once. I don't think I will do it again, it's just too much time consuming, but for a challenge purpose it was fun to channel my inner Nona for a day!

Regarding the recipe: the original recipes for the pasta, béchamel and meat ragu can be found on this moth's hosts blogs named at the beginning of the post. I made the béchamel sauce without any changes, for the lasagna I decided to half the recipe, using 2 eggs.

The recipe for the original lasagne verdi can be found at Mary's blog, including an awesome how-to video that really helps you get an idea of the pasta hand-rolling process (believe me, it is a process...)

 

 

I included here my recipe for the vegetarian bolognese which can be used anywhere you use a regular meat sauce. Since the TVP doesn't have much flavour, be sure to add lots of fresh herbs, vegetables and season it very well.

 

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce Recipe:

makes one large pot of sauce, enough for a lasagna plus 2 cups pf left overs

 

You will need:

 

8 oz of textured vegetable protein (TVP)

12 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of my herb seasoning salt (or use 1 onion, chopped and 2 garlic gloves, mashed)

2 teaspoon of tomato paste

celery stalk, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

8 oz of sliced white mushrooms (or anyone you like best)

1/4 cup of white wine

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons of fresh oregano, chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped

8 oz of vegetable stock

2 teaspoons of salt

 

First re-hydrate the TVP in triple amount of very hot water, on this case, 24 oz. Let stand in a bowl for about 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess water by pushing it through a sieve, it should yield about 3 cups of the TVP. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

If using the herb seasoning salt: Add the seasoning salt and cook it for about a minute, add the tomato paste and cook them together for about 2 minutes more, stirring often.

If using onion and garlic: Cook the onions until translucent, add chopped garlic and cook for a minute more, stirring. Add the tomato paste and cook it, stirring it around the pot for about 2 minutes.

Add the celery, carrot and mushroom and cook it until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add the wine and let it evaporate, scraping down the brown spots form the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes, herbs, vegetable stock and the hydrated TVP. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and taste, re-season if necessary.

 

Before & After...

 

Whole Wheat Penne with Caramelized Onions and Cauliflower

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Sounds healthy doesn't it? You bet it is, and it is also very tasty, if I may say so. I am not sure why cauliflower is not more popular. I think it is a wonderful vegetable and after making a crunchy salad the other day I had about a half of  a cauliflower head left in the fridge. If I was cooking only for myself, I could easily have used only cauliflowers, olive oil, garlic and lots of good cheese. But since this was meant to be a meal for both of us (and Andrew is not a huge cauliflower fan) I decided to add some more flavour by adding browned onions. The result is a very flavorful yet simple pasta dish.

 

Whole Wheat Penne with Caramelized Onions and Cauliflower Recipe:

serves 2 people generously

1/2 package of whole wheat penne ( use regular if you prefer)

1/2 head of cauliflower

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1 tablespoon of garlic

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of white whine (or use some of the pasta cooking liquid instead)

1/4 cup of panko or  breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

salt and pepper

 

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a full boil. Salt it well and cook the entire piece of cauliflower in it for about 5 minutes, tops. Remove the cauliflower and shock it by placing it in some iced water. Once it's cold, dry it and cut into bite-size florets. Set aside.

Cook the penne in the same water you cooked the cauliflower. Drain and set aside, reserving some of the cooking liquid, if using.

Heat a large skillet over medium-heat. Add olive oil and melt the butter in it. Cook the onions along with the thyme until the onions are browned and caramelized. Add the wine or cooking liquid and scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove the brown bits. Let if boil off, add the cauliflower and cook it for another couple of minutes until the cauliflower is warm again. Add the panko or breadcrumbs, stir it. Add the chopped parsley and serve.

 

Enjoy it!

 

Baked Stuffed Rigatoni

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Before I start, I must warn you: Do not plan on making this dish on a day that:

a- you are tired

b- your family is hungry and anxiously waiting for dinner

c- you want a quick meal

d- all of the above

 

This dish is quite nice, and it is something different too. It is kind of unexpected to find cheese and sun-dried-tomatoes inside your rigatoni.  The catch here is that it is quite labor-intensive to prepare the noodles. First they are par boiled, then cooled, then stuffed and then placed in a baking dish. But if you are like me ( a little coo coo), you might find that spending time cutting cheese into matchsticks or slicing sun-dried-tomatoes can be some what relaxing. I call it kitchen therapy...

The dishes pictures here were topped with breadcrumbs and sliced fresh mozzarella, but that is not really relevant. What is important is what is inside the pasta, not on top. I have made this pasta using only cheese for stuffing, other times I divided half cheese and half sun-dried-tomatoes. Keep in mind that not everyone likes sun-dried-tomatoes, so if that is the case, just go with cheese. Any sturdy cheese is fine, mozzarella, cheddar, gruyere.

 

The basics of the dish:

Rigatoni

Cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gruyere)

Sun-dried-tomatoes (optional)

Tomato sauce (homemade or store bough)

Parmesan cheese, grated

Bread crumbs (optional)

 

Cook  the rigatoni for half the time asked on the package. Drain well and run under cold water. Set aside.

If using sun-dried-tomatoes, slice them so they will fit inside the rigatoni pieces (or use already julienne-sliced ones sold in jars). Set aside.

Cut the cheese into matchsticks that are small enough to fit inside the rigatoni.

Stuff the cooled pasta with the pieces of cheese and tomatoes (if using).

Place the stuffed pasta in a baking dish, toss it with the marinara sauce ad top it with grated parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake it for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer until the cheese is melted.

You can top everything with breadcrumbs and parmesan for a crispy texture.

 

 

Stuffing tiny rigatoni with cheese: my kitchen therapy

 

Individual, free-form lasagna. A way to use left over noodles

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Again, more an idea rather than a recipe itself. Here at home I sometimes end up with a few sheets of lasagna noodles left uncooked in the box. I can't really explain how and why that happens. I guess it's because since it's just the two of us I try to make a smaller lasagna and there is usually a few sheets that don't fit in our (small) baking dish.

So what to do with just a few lasagna sheets left over? More lasagna, of course. Just make it smaller. I cook the noodles as usual, drain and drizzle a little (very little) olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Place cooked noodles one at a time on a plate, alternating with the filling. Think of the filling as a pasta sauce, rather then lasagna layers. You will scoop some filling in between the sheets of pasta. On this post I show one that I made with some white sauce with mushrooms (that also needed to be used up). But it can be made with marinara, bolognese, anything you want to. A little grated cheese on top and lunch is served. Lasagna in no time.

You can opt to quickly broil the dish and melt the cheese, but be careful not to dry up the edges of the noodle sheets.

 

For an individual, free-form lasagna:

4 loose sheets of lasagna noodles, cooked

3/4 cup of your favourite sauce (marinara, bolognese, béchamel, mushroom)

grated cheese

parsley of chives to sprinkle over top

 

Make layers with noodles and sauce (filling). Top with cheese and herbs. Enjoy it!

Shitake and Soba Soup - a Holiday Detox

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I don't know about you, but I am feeling the need for some healthier, lighter food. I have been eating so much sweets, baked goods, pastries, chocolates, I actually cannot remember when was the last time I had a salad for lunch . It seems like the Holiday Season is a great excuse to eat anything you normally wouldn't on a daily basis... and not feel really guilty about it, after all, it is the Holiday Season....

So I decided to make something that didn't call for half a stick of butter, heavy cream or melted chocolate in the ingredient's list... I settled for this soup which is easy to make, satisfying (as most soups are) and the ingredients are most likely to be pantry/fridge staples, at least here at home. I really like Asian soups, they are so warming and healthy, and making them at home gives me the freedom to adapt to my vegetarian needs.

I used dried shitake mushrooms that I re-hydrated by soaking in warm water, but fresh ones would have been great too. This recipe makes enough for two people, or two bowls of soup.

Shitake and Soba Noodles Soup Recipe:

Adapted from here

What I used:

5 dried shitake mushrooms

soba noodles

1/4 cup of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, finely chopped (or shredded if you don't like the pieces on your soup)

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks (or shredded if it's easier for you)

1 green onion, sliced

Soak mushrooms in warm water for about 30 minutes. Remove stems and slice caps in half. Set aside.

Cook soba noodles according to the package directions and run under cold water. Set aside.

In a medium size pot, combine soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic and mushrooms. Add about 1 cup of water, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and cooked.

Place some noodles on the bottom of two soup bowls, pour half of the broth (make sure it is very hot). Top it with carrots and green onions.

	The stems from shitake mushrooms are very tough and can be hard to remove. Try using a pair of kitchen scissors to help you with the task.

I am submitting this recipe to this month's Weekend Wokking hosted this month by Palachinka.

The round-up is January 4th and the secret ingredient is Mushrooms.

Penne with fresh, instant sauce for a solo eater

Pin It Why is it so hard to cook for one? For me, it's not about the cooking, since I am used to cooking single size portions. It's the eating alone... Andrew is taking a week course and so I find myself alone and having to feed myself. It should be an opportunity for me to do loads of vegetarian food, but I find myself rather demotivated to cook for myself only. Is it that bad to go a week on Wasa toasts and coffee?

Today I really tried to be good girl and decided to cook a proper lunch, sit down at the dining table and eat at the proper lunch time, even though nobody else was here.

This dish was ready by the time the pasta was cooked. All I did was sauteing some chopped onions in olive oil, add 1 garlic clove, 2 tomatoes seeded and chopped and 2 purple olives, pitted and chopped.

When the pasta (1 cup of penne) was done, I added some of the pasta water to the sauce along with the penne. Stirred in some chopped fresh basil from my window box and seasoned.

Not bad at all! It was very tasty, specially with the addition of grated cheese. And I even made a little basil garnish!

Spaghetti with Zucchini Blossoms

Pin It I looked in the market for zucchini blossoms all summer long, didn't find it. Now that it's already fall, I see a basket full of them! It doesn't matter, they are always welcome in my kitchen. I've never really seen them with the zucchini still attached to it (as I see in some pictures), every time I see the blossoms they have already been separated from the vegetable.
Most of the time when I see a recipe for zucchini flowers they are deep fried. I didn't want to do that. I think they are too delicate for that. So I decided to pair it with some good old spaghetti. It was really good. Here is how I did it:

Spaghetti with Zucchini Blossoms Recipe:

You will need:
Spaghetti
Zucchini Blossoms (as many as you like)
Zucchini ( I used one small for one portion)
Chopped onion (about 1/4 of an onion for 1 portion)
Olive oil


Gently clean the flowers with a soft paper towel and remove the insides (the part that contains the pollen). Cut off the bottom and make a cut along the flower, so you can open . If you see a lot of pollen still in the insides, you can clean it with the paper as well. Cut in strips, not too small, it will wilt later.
With a vegetable peeler, make ribbons from a small zucchini.
Cook chopped onions in olive oil until clear, add zucchini ribbons and flowers. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat.
Add cooked and drained pasta to the pan and gently toss to combine. Top it with Parmesan shavings.

Pasta with Sage and Almond Pesto

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This is a lovely dish I found at Ilva’s equally lovely blog. I really like cooking with sage, its aroma is so fragrant and fresh. Although very tasty, this pasta is a little bit strong in flavour, so I find it’s best served as a side dish. The dish comes together really quickly and I think leftovers are delicious eaten cold, straight out of the fridge.

Pasta with Sage and Almond Pesto Recipe

slightly adapted from here

makes 1 lb of pasta

You will need:

1 lb (500g) of pasta of your choice

20 small sage leaves

7 oz (200g) blanched almonds

Olive oil, as needed

salt to taste

2 tablespoons half-and-half or cream

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

Parmesan cheese, to serve

Cook the past in plenty of well-salted water.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a food processor, blend the sage leaves with the almonds until all chopped. With the processor running, slowly add olive oil through the feeder until it comes to a pesto-like consistency. Season with salt to taste.

In a large pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Place the crushed garlic bulb and cook it until golden and fragrant, be careful not to burn it. Remove and discard garlic. This step will flavour the oil with garlic without making it overpowering.

Add sage mix to the pan and the cream, stir well. Add cooked pasta along with some of the pasta water. Stir to combine and serve hot with Parmesan cheese.