I’ve been trying out a ton of new recipes this week and this was the last one on my menu for the week. Of all the recipes (other than the spinach salad mentioned in the previous post) this was by far the easiest and quickest meal I have made.

While I was able to find just about all of the ingredients at my local grocery store, the only thing I couldn’t find was anchovy paste and I didn’t want to mash up anchovies just to have the teaspoon needed. The next time I make this (and there will be a next time according to my husband who immediately said I needed to make it for others) I will make more of an effort in finding anchovy paste just to see what the ingredient adds to the dish – other than salt.

Speaking of salt. You really don’t need any. Between the olives and the capers the dish has plenty of salt. I salted the pasta water because I always do but I didn’t add any salt – or pepper for that matter – to the dish.

Pasta Puttanesca

Ingriedents:

8 ounces whole-wheat thin spaghetti, vermicelli or angel hair (I used regular spaghetti the first time)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup pitted chopped Spanish or Greek olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably “no salt added”
3/4 cup chopped fresh arugula
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the arugula and simmer for 1 minute more, until the greens wilt slightly.

When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet, tossing it with the sauce to combine. Top with grated cheese.

So yesterday (Wednesday) I made individual pot pies and a spinach salad for my weekly get-together. While the chicken pot pies were good, it was the salad that everyone raved about. It’s a rare thing to hear an entire table say “Wow! This is amazing.” about a salad.

Most times I think of summer when I eat a salad, but the dressing on this one made me think of fall. It must be the apple cider…

It was surprisingly simple to make and very very tasty.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon and Apple Cider Dressing

Ingredients:

10 ounces pre-washed baby spinach
2 slices bacon, finely chopped
3 ounces Canadian bacon, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 pound button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Place spinach into a large bowl. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until it is just crispy. Add Canadian bacon to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove meat from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Drain any remaining fat from the skillet. Add olive oil and onions to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, or until onions soften slightly. Add mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 more minutes. Put onions and mushrooms on top of the spinach. Add apple cider and vinegar to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until cider is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Whisk in mustard, salt and pepper, to taste. Pour warm cider dressing over the mushrooms and spinach and toss until the vegetables are well coated. Sprinkle the bacon on top and serve.

I don’t make chicken salad often – actually, I can’t say that. I’ve never made chicken salad before. Recently my darling husband mentioned that I should try to since he found out that he very much likes it. In the last two days I have made two different types of Chicken salad. The first one, which I will detail in this post, was a fruity type salad complete with almonds and grapes. It was surprisingly easy to make and very yummy. While my husband put the chicken salad on toasted Hoagie rolls, I made lettuce wraps with some butter lettuce leaves.    It feeds upwards of 6 people in my opinion so if you want to make less just cut the ingredients in half.

Fruity Chicken Salad

Fruity Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken, skinless and meat shredded or diced

1/2  small red onion, diced

1 shallot, chopped

2 Tbsp freshly chopped tarragon leaves

1 celery rib, chopped

1 cup slivered almonds

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 cups halved seedless red grapes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

optional : 1 head butter lettuce.

Directions – Mix first ten ingredients. Serve in desired method on rolls, bread, or in lettuce wraps.

My mother came to visit this past weekend on her way to my sisters. Normally when she visits I make one of my standards. This time however I decided to try something new and slightly more healthier.

I’ve never cooked with ‘collard’ greens before and Swiss Chard is definitely in the ‘collard’ greens family. I have watched a couple of shows on FoodNetwork where the chef used Swiss Chard though so sorta knew what to expect.  When you get the Swiss Chard be sure to rinse it a couple of warm baths, draining the water each time. Aside from the particulates the water in the bowl turned a lovely shade of green as I rinsed the Swiss Chard.

There are surprisingly few actual ingredients in this recipe. Most of the flavor comes from the chicken stock and the bacon and pepper (Don’t forget the pepper!) While the recipe calls for you to use the stems I used very few of them. And the next time I make this (I was told this should go into rotation) I think I will cut back on the chicken stock as it seemed to be a bit much.

I really enjoyed the dish. Within 30 minutes I had a meal that would feed 6 people. I had the left overs the next day for lunch and it held up very well.

Spagghetti with Swiss Chard & Bacon

Ingredients:

6 strips thin sliced bacon

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 lb spaghetti

2 cups chicken broth (from box or cubes)

1 1/4 lb red Swiss Chard, stems cut in 1 inch lengths, leaves coarsely chopped

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Leave roughly 1 Tbsp of rendered fat in the skillet.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil.

3. Add onions to fat in skillet. Cook over medium low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

4. Stir Spaghetti into boiling water, cook until firm-tender (aldente).

5. When onions are browned, turn heat to medium and stir in broth and chard stems. Cover; cook 2 minutes. Stir in leaves; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until stems are tender and leaves are wilted.

6. Drain pasta, return to pot. Add vegetables, broth and pepper; toss to mix and coat. Pour into serving bowl; crumble bacon on top. Serve with cheese.

This past week I attempted and succeeded in making my first Indian dish. It went over really well at my weekly Wednesday night dinner with friends.  The dish is a chicken dish that is accentuated with a creamy butter sauce. I even got to use my blender!

A word of warning when you coat the chicken – your fingers will turn yellow from the turmeric.

I let the chicken marinate for about 4 hours before putting it in the oven and it took on the flavors wonderfully. The dish has a kick of spice due to the red pepper-if you don’t want the heat substitute the red pepper with chili powder.

I served it over basmati rice.

Chicken In Butter Sauce

For the Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup minced garlic
• 1/4 cup minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
• 2 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken thighs

For the Butter Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In large saute pan, over medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic and ginger and slowly cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, turmeric, Garam Masala and pomegranate juice. Let cool slightly. Rub chicken well with mixture and bake in a shallow baking pan for 25 minutes. Chicken will be three-quarters of the way cooked. When chicken is cool to the touch, remove bones and shred meat into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.

Meanwhile to make Butter Sauce: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute onions, ginger and garlic until light brown, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue sauteing until tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 5 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return puree back to pan and add cream and butter. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and saute for 6 minutes more until chicken is cooked through. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with basmati rice, if desired.

I live in a state where it could concievably be considered a cardinal sin not to like bbq. While my husband adores bbq. I truely do not care for it. Which is why it is rather surprising to me that I really really like this particular recipe.  I like it so much that I have used the rub on chicken as well as porkchops.

Initially, the recipe came to me via a magazine-Real Simple. A magazine that already gave me my all-time favorite recipe. (see: Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce ) When I saw it I mentioned it to my husband and he merely said “Cool.”

A month or so after that, my husband decided that he wanted to bbq some Baby-back pork ribs. Naturally images of meat slathered in bbq sauce filled my mind and I really wasn’t looking forward to it. Then I remembered this recipe. I suggested that he try a dry-rub instead of a sauce.  He looked the recipe over and decided-because we had everything in the pantry-that he would. While I chopped the garlic, he gathered everything else.

He baked them instead of grilled because we don’t actually have a grill other than our little George Foreman grill. The house smelled quite nice while they were in the oven.

Again, I remind you that I am not a bbq person. I swear I ate more ribs than my husband did. This rub is bold, just as promised:

“Big and bold, Texas is a region unto itself, and its flavorful barbecue is unique, too…” -Real Simple, July 2008

But Lordy there was some heat to this, and just a hint of sweetness. I honestly couldn’t eat enough. [It seems as if after several years of living in the actual state of Texas my tolerance for 'hot' things has increased.]

This recipe calls for two racks…we originally only used one and that may have contributed to the amount of heat. I’ve also used the same amount of rub for chicken tenders/chicken breast/pork chops (portions for two people and then some leftovers for lunch)

Dry-Rubbed Baby-back ribs

adapted from Real Simple Magazine

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper,

2 tsp kosher salt

3/4 tsp pepper

3 pounds baby-back ribs (2 racks)

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper (essentially everything). Rub on ribs and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat grill to medium.

Grill the ribs covered, turning occassionally, until cooked through, 25-30 minutes.

I mentioned in my previous post that I had a pork and rice dish that I absolutely adore. Well now it’s a pork and Soba noodle dish that I absolutely adore. My idea for this recipe came from having quite a bit of left over pork roast and coming up with interesting ways to have the leftovers. The second time I made this pork dish I substituted the rice with Soba Noodles (which I have come to realize that I love love love them) which I stir fried with the pork once they were softened. If you don’t have any leftover pork roast you can always use pork stew meat.

This dish doesn’t really have precise measurements as it’s very much a “to taste” kind of thing.  I used Sambal Oelek to give it just a touch of heat to go with the sweetness of the apricots. And while I didn’t have any vegetables in it, I think that some broccoli would work really well with it…

Apricot Pork with Soba Noodles

Apricot Pork with Rice Or Soba Noodles

Leftover pork roast OR stew pork meat

Rice ( I recommend Calrose) or Soba Noodles

Apricot preserves

Soy sauce

Fish sauce

pepper

Sambal Oelek (optional)

1. If using leftover roast, slice and cut into bite sized pieces and set aside for a moment. If using stew meat cut into bite sized pieces,  sprinkle with some pepper and fry it until just done then set aside.

2. In a bowl mix arpricot preserve, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper and Sambal Oelek to taste (you must have enough of the mixture to coat the pork. Quantity will depened on how much pork you have.) The fish sauce will help thin the mixture, but don’t use too much.

3. Cook rice/soba noodles per instructions. Set aside.

4. In frying pan heat a small amount of oil (I used peanut oil or seasame oil but vegetable oil would work as well. Heat pork in the oil. Pour the sauce over the pork and stir until everything is coated.

5. At this step you can either plate it by putting it over the rice or you add the Soba Noodles to the frying pan to fry the noodles a little.

6. Serve and Enjoy.

This last weekend I picked up a pork loin at the market.  I searched and searched for a pork loin recipe that wasn’t Bavarian in style and came across this Italian version.

I was skeptical at first, as I normally don’t make roasts this large for just two people. (It was a 4 lb pork loin) But it was surprisingly easy to prepare. I prepped the roast in the morning and left it in the fridge to chill until I needed to put it in the oven.

Now I will say right now that I didn’t have any sage on hand-I think my husband may have given my lone spice jar to a friend not too long ago and never went to retrieve it. (There is a hole in my spice rack where it should be.) And while I had rosemary I decided to substitute both the rosemary and sage  with 1 1/2 Tbsp of “Savory” spice blend.

I think I may have baked it a little too long (keeping it warm for my husband-who had decided that day to come home late from work and didn’t tell me ahead of time) and I felt it was a little on the dry side. And this roast has no reason to be dry with the method of cooking used. But the flavor was phenomenal. I really liked the way the potatoes turned out and the next time I make this I am going to increase the amount simply because I enjoyed them.

*Side Note- While the “white” meat portions of the roast were somewhat dry, the “dark” meat portions were amazingly moist, something I found out the next day when I cut some of the roast up for a quick “Apricot Pork and Rice” dish [Recipe will appear once I remember what the measurements were - hazards of not writing things down as you concoct stuff]

Roast Pork Loin With Potatoes

Roast Pork Loin and Potatoes

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves,

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon fresh minced sage, can use ground use less

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary

4 lbs center-cut bone-in pork loin roast (rib)

4 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

1. Preheat oven 375°.
2. Whisk 1/4 cup oil, garlic, butter, sage and rosemary in a small bowl to blend.
3. Place pork in large roast pan.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Rub herb mixture over pork (can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill).
6. Cover pork loosely with foil and roast 2 hours.
7. Divide remaining 1/4 cup oil between 2 heavy skillets.
8. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
9. Divide potatoes between skillets.
10. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
11. Sauté until potatoes are golden brown but not tender, about 15 minutes.
12. Transfer potatoes to roasting pan with pork.
13. Toss potatoes in pan juices.
14. Continue roasting, uncovered, until pork browns, potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.
15. Place pork in center of platter, surround with potatoes.
16. Pour pan juices into glass measuring cup.
17. Spoon off fat.
18. Pour juices over pork and potatoes.

I really enjoy soups. I’m one of those people who believe that you can have soup any time of the year. It doesn’t matter if it’s ridiculously hot outside. If you want soup have some! This past week I decided I wanted some potato soup. This is by far one my favorite soup recipes. It’s simple. Unlike most potato soups I’ve had this one has a really nice flavor to it, more than any other recipe I have tried in the past. It heats up wonderfully the next day as well, which is a bonus for my husband who tends to take left-overs to work the next day.

Roasted Potato Soup

Roasted Potato Soup

6 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 leek bulbs, whit and light green parts only, chopped

2 onions chopped (I only used 1 onion)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 carrot, sliced (I used 2 as my carrots were on the smallish side-plus I like carrots)

1 medium stalk celery, chopped

4 chicken bullion cubes

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley

5 cups of water

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (light coat only) Place potatoes, leeksm and onions on prepared baking sheet; spray vegetables lightly with cooking spray. ( I omitted the cooking spray and opted to drizzle the vegetables with a little olive oil instead)

2. Roast vegetables turning frequently; until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Place in a large pot. Add garlic, carrot, celery, bullion cubes and water.

3. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat. Simmer stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Add butter and evaporated milk to the pot, stir. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls.

Optional garnish- I fried up some bacon and crumbled it into the soup.

Look at this! Some new recipes! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, on the contrary, I have been cooking quite a bit. A lot of the same ol’ same ol’ actually. I tried something different last night. Noticing a lack of vegetables with out meals recently (somehow I tend to forget them when I cook…) I made a conscious effort to make certain veggies were included in last nights meal.

It was requested that I make Chicken Fingers (Anyone know why-other than the fact that they are like strips-that we call them ‘fingers’? ) They turned out really well for being as simple as they were. The Timbales were more work than the chicken…

The Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales were easy to make, I was actually quite surprised by this. I wasn’t what I was actually making until they were done. I’d made Parmesan-Broccoli Quiches…just without the crust. It’s the closet thing I know of to compare it to.

I admit that the idea of eating chicken fingers and ‘quiche’ was a little odd at first, but the combination was pretty good.

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales and Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales

1 Tbsp Butter

1 small onion, minced

2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 cup half & half

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease four small baking cups (I used little ramekins) Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until tender-about 5 minutes

2. Drain broccoli and pat dry. Place in medium bowl Heat half & half almost to boiling (keep a careful eye on it, it is hard to tell). Add half & half, onion, salt, pepper, nutmeg, pepper and Parmesan to broccoli; mix well.

3. Add eggs to broccoli mixture; mix with a fork until smooth. Pour into prepared baking cups. Place cups in a baking dish.

4. Pour enough water into dish to cover cups half way. Bake until custard is barely set., about 35 minutes. Let cool; run a knife around each cup to loosen timbale. Invert to serve. (I simply left them in the cups the presentation was rather pretty…)

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I simply used a package of chicken tenderloins)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup of milk

1 cup of vegetable oil for frying

Honey Mustard:

1/2 cup of Honey

1/4 cup of Dijon mustard

1. Cut chicken into 1/2×2 in strips. For Honey mustard sauce, blend honey and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in milk. Roll in flour mixture to coat well. Place chicken on waxed paper (I just used a plate)

3. Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 350F or until a cube of while bread dropped in oil browns evenly for 1 minute. (easiest to just use a kitchen thermometer)

4. Divide chicken into batches. Place chicken in an even layer in hot oil. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and serve with sauce.