You guys, this pasta is so light, healthy and flavorful, it features so many of my favorite ingredients, AND it's vegetarian!
I'm in love. Eric's in love.
We're all in love.
Today was the perfect fall day. No rain, but blustery so the beautifully colored leaves were blowing off the trees and around the streets. Eric and I were bundled up with hats and scarves and coffees, and spent the day wandering around Ballard and Fremont's Sunday markets and boutiques/shops on each main strip.
This fresh pasta dish was a great way to end a lovely day of walking and shopping. So easy and definitely delicious!
Spinach Linguine with Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
(Inspired by Whole Food Market Recipes, Serves 2-4)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 8oz. package dried spinach linguine, cooked until tender, drained (1/4 cup pasta water reserved)
1/2-3/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to directions.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add artichokes, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until just thickened. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup pasta water, sun-dried tomatoes and thyme then add cooked pasta, salt and pepper and toss well. Transfer pasta to bowls, garnish with cheese and serve.
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tomatoes. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Risotto: Two Ways
Due to my recent confusion/uncertainty/insecurities/what-have-yous about my current job situation and my future job situation, I have been trying to read some inspiring or uplifting literature.
My friend Natasha recommended The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch, to me last week when we got together for dinner and conversation. I quickly checked it out at the library and finished it in two days.
In his last few months of life, Pausch, a Professor at Carnegie Mellon, offers some amazing wisdom and inspiration. While his whole "lecture" speaks to me at great depths, a few sections are screaming at me right now, more than others.
Chapter 28: Dream Big. "Give yourself permission to dream."
Chapter 51: No Job Is Beneath You. "No job should be beneath us. And if you can't (or won't) start at the bottom (like sort mail), where is the proof that you can do anything?"
Chapter 53: Never Give Up. He writes, "If you want something badly enough, never give up (and take a boost when offered). Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them - even if someone has practically had to throw you over - it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it." Never give up. Seems simple enough.
Chapter 55: All You Have to Do Is Ask. "Sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true. Ask those questions. Just ask them. More often than you'd suspect, the answer you'll get is, "Sure.""
In the coming months, especially after I get back from my South America trip, I'm going to take many of Pausch's words of wisdom and advice into action and just dive in. There's no other way.
In other food-related news, I made risotto twice this week. Risotto gets me thinking about another important life lesson, "Patience is a virtue."
If you don't have patience, you can just go ahead and dismiss the following recipes. BUT if you do have even just a little, you'll come out with two ooey gooey, creamy, flavorful dishes. And let's be honest, who can resist ooey gooey? No one.
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Martha Stewart Everyday)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (or garlic powder)
1 teaspoon (or so) oregano
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bunch baby spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
(This risotto is remniscent of pasta/pizza with its flavors, but much more magical. I promise.)
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice), 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage, onion, garlic, and seasonings. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is browned and onion has softened.
Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, then add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed.
Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and tender (you may not have to use all the liquid). This step took me about 45+ minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools).
Sun-dried Tomato Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (or garlic powder)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bunch baby spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
*Next time I would add: seasoned chicken breast and asparagus.
In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion has softened.
Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, then add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed.
Add about 1 cup hot broth to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and tender.
Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, (chicken and cooked asparagus)Parmesan and goat cheese, and butter. Serve immediately!
My friend Natasha recommended The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch, to me last week when we got together for dinner and conversation. I quickly checked it out at the library and finished it in two days.
In his last few months of life, Pausch, a Professor at Carnegie Mellon, offers some amazing wisdom and inspiration. While his whole "lecture" speaks to me at great depths, a few sections are screaming at me right now, more than others.
Chapter 28: Dream Big. "Give yourself permission to dream."
Chapter 51: No Job Is Beneath You. "No job should be beneath us. And if you can't (or won't) start at the bottom (like sort mail), where is the proof that you can do anything?"
Chapter 53: Never Give Up. He writes, "If you want something badly enough, never give up (and take a boost when offered). Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them - even if someone has practically had to throw you over - it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it." Never give up. Seems simple enough.
Chapter 55: All You Have to Do Is Ask. "Sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and it can lead to all your dreams coming true. Ask those questions. Just ask them. More often than you'd suspect, the answer you'll get is, "Sure.""
In the coming months, especially after I get back from my South America trip, I'm going to take many of Pausch's words of wisdom and advice into action and just dive in. There's no other way.
In other food-related news, I made risotto twice this week. Risotto gets me thinking about another important life lesson, "Patience is a virtue."
If you don't have patience, you can just go ahead and dismiss the following recipes. BUT if you do have even just a little, you'll come out with two ooey gooey, creamy, flavorful dishes. And let's be honest, who can resist ooey gooey? No one.
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Martha Stewart Everyday)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (or garlic powder)
1 teaspoon (or so) oregano
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bunch baby spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
(This risotto is remniscent of pasta/pizza with its flavors, but much more magical. I promise.)
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice), 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage, onion, garlic, and seasonings. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is browned and onion has softened.
Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, then add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed.
Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and tender (you may not have to use all the liquid). This step took me about 45+ minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools).
Sun-dried Tomato Risotto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed (or garlic powder)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 bunch baby spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 2-3 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
*Next time I would add: seasoned chicken breast and asparagus.
In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups broth, and 1 cup water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion has softened.
Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, then add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed.
Add about 1 cup hot broth to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and tender.
Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, (chicken and cooked asparagus)Parmesan and goat cheese, and butter. Serve immediately!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Fried Green Tomatoes
I love reading books that evoke true emotion; I love a book that's so funny I laugh out loud, so endearing that I smile, so intense that I lose track of everything that is going on around me, or so powerful and inspiring that I want to get up right then and there and make a change.
This past week I finished reading The Help, a book that takes place in 1960's Jackson Mississippi. The story is narrated by the three principal characters, two black maids and a young white woman who is genuinely concerned about the plight of the maids working for every white family in town, including her own. It was one of those books that I was torn between not wanting to put down, and not wanting to end. It was funny, endearing, sad and powerful. But it was inspiring in a different way; after finishing it I wanted to get up right then and there and cook a southern-style meal. Throughout the book the maids talk of mouth-watering soul food: caramel cakes, grits, pork chops, butter beans and fried green tomatoes. Southern cuisine is just so comforting and hearty, you can't help but feel warm when eating it, or even just reading and thinking about it.
I have been dying to try fried green tomatoes. Finishing The Help, and just having made grandma's potato salad called for a southern celebration!
On the menu: Fried Green Tomatoes, Potato Salad and Sweet Tea.
Unfortunately, the first and probably the biggest misstep was not being able to find green, or unripe, tomatoes. We searched three different grocery stores to no avail. Not wanting to give up on the main entree, we decided to buy the hardest red beefsteak tomatoes we could find. Between that problem, and the stone-ground cornmeal that was far too course and crunchy, the tomatoes just did not turn out. However, our southern-themed night was too much fun to not remember. It's also a good reminder that not all my recipes will be perfect the first time around!
We soaked the tomatoes in buttermilk, then dredged them in a cornmeal, flour, seasoning mixture.
All loaded up and frying in vegetable oil over the stove.
Fried up to a crispy, golden brown!
I will definitely be on the lookout for true green tomatoes and a better recipe. And so it goes - the wait continues until I sink my teeth into this truly soulful southern delicacy.
This past week I finished reading The Help, a book that takes place in 1960's Jackson Mississippi. The story is narrated by the three principal characters, two black maids and a young white woman who is genuinely concerned about the plight of the maids working for every white family in town, including her own. It was one of those books that I was torn between not wanting to put down, and not wanting to end. It was funny, endearing, sad and powerful. But it was inspiring in a different way; after finishing it I wanted to get up right then and there and cook a southern-style meal. Throughout the book the maids talk of mouth-watering soul food: caramel cakes, grits, pork chops, butter beans and fried green tomatoes. Southern cuisine is just so comforting and hearty, you can't help but feel warm when eating it, or even just reading and thinking about it.
I have been dying to try fried green tomatoes. Finishing The Help, and just having made grandma's potato salad called for a southern celebration!
On the menu: Fried Green Tomatoes, Potato Salad and Sweet Tea.
Unfortunately, the first and probably the biggest misstep was not being able to find green, or unripe, tomatoes. We searched three different grocery stores to no avail. Not wanting to give up on the main entree, we decided to buy the hardest red beefsteak tomatoes we could find. Between that problem, and the stone-ground cornmeal that was far too course and crunchy, the tomatoes just did not turn out. However, our southern-themed night was too much fun to not remember. It's also a good reminder that not all my recipes will be perfect the first time around!
We soaked the tomatoes in buttermilk, then dredged them in a cornmeal, flour, seasoning mixture.
All loaded up and frying in vegetable oil over the stove.
Fried up to a crispy, golden brown!
I will definitely be on the lookout for true green tomatoes and a better recipe. And so it goes - the wait continues until I sink my teeth into this truly soulful southern delicacy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
