FOR (BUSY) PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOOD FOOD
Category: Main Dishes
Some hours later, when the sun had set, we moved indoors to enjoy the rest of the meal. Our pasta course was Penne with Vodka Sauce. The original recipe called for capicola as well, but I left it out since we were serving this after antipasto.
The recipe was very easy to follow and everyone enjoyed the dish, but it was more like a rich tomato sauce than vodka sauce. I think it needed more vodka and more half and half. I will give this one another try someday with modifications.
It’s hard for me to visit a farmer’s market without purchasing zucchini. This weekend was no exception. I sliced the zucchini thinly and tossed the slices in olive oil, salt, and pepper and then layered them on whole wheat dough. I added some chopped basil and fresh mozzarella, and baked the pizza for about 25 minutes at 375F.
This weekend, my Mom and I visited the South Kingston/URI Farmer’s Market and made quite a few purchases. We actually had to go back to the car to get another reusable grocery bag. But I’ll start with the first local tomatoes of the year, which were destined for this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
Zucchini season is here, so get ready because you are probably going to see a lot of it! This recipe from Real Simple made a very quick and easy dinner. I used whole wheat penne which I had on hand, and I’ve also found that kind of pasta is easier to pack for lunches. I cut back on the amount of walnuts to make it just a little bit lighter. Be sure to cut the zucchini slices thin so that they cook more quickly, and enjoy!
Within about two bites, my family declared that this recipe was a contender for best summer dish of 2010. With a flaky crust, sliced zucchini, three different cheeses and fresh basil, it has a certain summer elegance. I found the dough to be a bit tricky, perhaps because of the intense heat in the kitchen, but ultimately it was forgiving. My version came out much more like a square than a circle, but the crust was so lovely that no one noticed. So go put your flour in the freezer to let it chill, and let me know how this goes for you.
My cooking club theme this month was Scandanavian food, and I decided to make this smorgastarta. Really, I had absolutely no clue what this was going to look or taste like. It was the fresh herbs that drew me in. It was meant to be a layered dish with thin slices of bread and three different fillings: egg salad, herbed cream cheese, and smoked salmon. Since some members of the group are fish averse, I left out the smoked salmon layer and focused instead on the other two.
The egg salad consisted of diced hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, scallions, salt, and pepper. The herbed cream cheese was made with whipped cream cheese, a few tablespoons of butter, chives, dill, and parsley. I used thinly sliced rye bread, and layered in this order: bread, egg salad, bread, herbed cream cheese, bread, egg salad. I put additional chives, dill, and parsley on top.
The end result was pretty good, similar to finger sandwiches, although you need a fork for this dish. The herbs really do contribute a lot. This isn’t necessarily a recipe I would make on a regular basis, but I am glad I gave it a try.
This recipe is an instant classic. I would tell you how it freezes, but there won’t be any left in a few days. It looks a bit like meatloaf, but tastes so much better, with a little crunch from the walnuts. I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I skipped the flax/water combo in favor of 2 eggs, and baked it in an 8″ square dish for more crispy surface area. Oh, and of course there was just a little more ketchup added after the photo….
Trust me, Domino’s does not deliver anything like this! If you cut the eggplant slices nice and thick, they are almost, dare I say, “meaty”. And putting fresh basil leaves in the sauce made this just a little fancy, in a good way.
My sister and brother in law and I took turns cooking dinner this weekend for everyone, which worked out pretty well. My family does not typically eat Indian food, so I was a little nervous, but they devoured the Chicken Saagwala, Chana Masala, Indian Spiced Vegetables, and brown rice. In fact, the leftovers were even served for lunch the next day.
I got more cooking inspiration from Real Simple, with this recipe for Pasta with Leeks, Corn, and Arugula. I followed the instructions, but substituted non fat plain yogurt for the heavy cream to lighten it up a bit. I didn’t love this one though – the arugula was too bitter, and there weren’t enough vegetables overall in the dish. Next time I’ll use more leeks since they are really the star of the dish, and I could always substitute spinach for arugula.
Recipes that Fit 