Cold Weather Food

It was a gray and rainy morning on Saturday (and for the better part of the weekend, actually), which made me crave something warm and comforting for breakfast. I had starred some gingerbread pancakes in my Google Reader a while ago and decided it was the perfect morning to make them. Unfortunately, though scrumptious, they weren’t terribly pretty and I didn’t photograph them (we also devoured them rather quickly). Though I hope to make them again before the holiday season is over, it may not happen, so click on over to this recipe on Baking Bites for some fantastic Gingerbread Pancakes (I recommend upping the spices and subbing some whole wheat for white flour). Josh and Eloise would tell you the pancakes were the best idea I had all weekend, much better than my idea to go running in the rain.



I’m not going to leave you without a recipe and a picture of my wet dog. Another yummy comfort food I’ve been making recently is Pasta with Garlic and Oil; if you want to be fancy it’s called “Aglios E Olio”. In our house we refer to the dish as “garlic noodles.” It’s easy, delicious, and inexpensive to make – win-win-win! We won’t bother worrying about the nutritional content. Mondays are often rough for me, so it’s nice to have a simple and satisfying meal like this one at the end of the day. Before you proceed, I will warn you that you must love garlic, ‘cos there’s a lot in this recipe! This recipe received an 8.5 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 4.25.



Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil (Aglio E Olio) from Cook’s Illustrated Italian Favorites
(printable recipe)

1 pound spaghetti or noodles of your choice
Table salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
20 medium garlic cloves from 1-2 heads, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about ¼ cup)
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
1 ounce grated Parmesan, about ½ cup (optional)

Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position, set large heatproof serving bowl on rack and heat oven to 200 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil, covered in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add spaghetti and 1 ½ teaspoons salt to boiling water, stir to separate pasta, cover and cook until al dente; reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta.

While water is heating, combine 3 tablespoons oil, 3 tablespoons garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt or sea salt flakes in heavy-bottomed nonstick 10-inch skillet; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until garlic foams and is sticky and straw-colored, 10 to 12 minutes. Off heat, add remaining tablespoon of garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons pasta cooking water to skillet and stir well to keep garlic from clumping.

Transfer drained pasta to warm serving bowl; add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and remaining reserved pasta water and toss to coat. Add garlic mixture and ¾ teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes to pasta; toss well to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkling individual bowls with Parmesan, if desired.

Recipe notes: I chop half the garlic with a knife and mince the rest with a garlic press, so there are varying size pieces. The recipe recommends sprinkling toasted bread crumbs over the pasta, which I think would be excellent (extra carbs!), but I haven’t had any on hand when preparing this.

Deconstructed Tomato Pesto

Okay, this is not a great photograph, as I made the pasta subsequent to returning from an eight-mile run and we were way too ravenous for a proper photo shoot, but this was a great pasta dish! It’s adapted from a recipe Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver (Aka “The Naked Chef.” Does anyone else remember when that show was on the Food Network all the time? That and one called “Doorknock Dinners” were the first shows I remember watching on Food Network. Good times.). Anyway, the first time I made this, I basically just processed all the ingredients together to make kind of a tomato pesto. It was pretty good that way, but I felt the ingredients overpowered each other, so it was hard to taste the individual components, particularly the nuts. I think this version is closer to how it was meant to be, though I made it after I returned the book to the library, so I’m not sure! I also have no idea what it was originally called, so I’ll just call it Deconstructed Tomato Pesto. I do know that it was very easy and delicious, and I will definitely be making it again.



Deconstructed Tomato Pesto, adapted from a recipe in Jamie’s Italy
1 pound fettuccine
½ cup toasted pine nuts (or almonds, which is what the original recipe called for)
Leaves from one large bunch of basil
2 cloves garlic
½ cup grated parmesan-romano cheese
Olive oil (approximately 2-3 tablespoons)
3 medium tomatoes, stems removed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the instructions on package or your preference.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pulse the pine nuts in food processor until coarsely ground, then set the ground nuts aside in a small bowl. Wipe out the food processor (you don’t need to be too fastidious, it will all be going the same place eventually) and process the basil, garlic, cheese, olive oil, and salt and pepper together until well blended. Scrape the basil mixture into a serving bowl. Rinse the food processor bowl again. Cut the tomatoes in quarters in pulse in food processor several times; you should still have some puree and also some good chunks of tomato.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and transfer to the serving bowl containing the pesto. Mix the pasta with the pesto, add the tomatoes and mix. Toss the ground pine nuts over the pasta and serve.

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

I sometimes feel like this blog makes me look like a really unhealthy eater. I mainly post desserts and most of the dinner dishes that have actually made it up here have been pasta. I think it’s a combination of various factors. We eat dinner quite late, after we go running, so I am usually too tired and ravenous to fuss around taking pictures, and also, a lot of my dinners are kind of boring. I mean, cake and pasta are a lot more fun and photogenic than grilled meat and vegetables. I do greatly appreciate all of the blogs out there that do make them look and sound exciting; I have poached many outstanding dinner ideas, which I will do a round-up of one of these days.

So here I am with another pasta dish: Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs. You can find the recipe HERE. This was one of the very first dishes I made upon acquiring Giada’s Kitchen last fall and subsequently became one of Mr. Penpen’s most requested dinners. Pasta with meatballs, cherry tomatoes, basil, and LOTS of cheese is not a hard sell. This dish happens to be from the “(Not) Just for Kids” section of the cookbook, and in the recipe notes, Giada encourages you to have your kids make the meatballs. I don’t have children, but the idea of children sticking their fingers in raw meat (with raw eggs!) kind of grosses me out; the potential of salmonella and cleanup of gooey kiddy smearings? Yuck. However, since the meatballs are mini, which is what works with the size of the cheese, tomatoes, and pasta, I do encourage you to have a sous chef, as making them can be tedious. The recipe also does not specify to use flour for rolling the meatballs, but I always use a generous amount.

This is a simple recipe and an incredibly satisfying meal. It’s hearty, and the tomatoes and basil contribute a nice, fresh taste. I read some reviews of it on the Food Network website, and one aptly describes the meatballs as tasting like chicken parmesan. And it makes tons: we both ate it for dinner last Sunday and Mr. Penpen had it for lunch four days last week! I would probably fall asleep at my desk if I ate pasta for lunch, but he does okay. This recipe gets a 10 for Delciousness and a 3 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.33.

Carbing Up

Last year I set a goal to run a race a month. I managed to run eleven, and then, between the holidays and the acquisition of Ms. Ears in December, I was suddenly incapable of accomplishing anything. I actually wasn’t too bothered about not completing my goal; eleven races plus all the miles run in preparation is pretty good for someone who couldn’t run a mile two years ago. This year I do not have such lofty aspirations, as my primary focus is making sure Ms. Ears gets enough exercise. Fortunately, I still have been able to get plenty of mileage in this year, with and without my dog, so I have a good base if I decide I want to run a road race. And it finally happened today, after several attempts thwarted by rainy weather and other unnatural causes. And it felt fantastic! And not just because I beat Mr. Penpen in a race for the very first time.

One of the best parts about running races is that it gives me an excuse to carbo-load on pasta the night before. And since it’s asparagus season, I decided to make Giada De Laurentiis’s Carbonara, which is one of our favorite pasta dishes. Actually, it’s so good I’ve even bought out-of-season asparagus to make it before. Here’s the recipe, with my slight modifications and short cuts; the original can be found in here, and also in the fabulous book, Giada’s Kitchen.

For the Basil Aioli
1-2 garlic cloves (I like 2)
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons mustard (the recipe calls for Dijon, but I used Hot and Sweet last time and it was fine)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup basil leaves
salt (to taste)
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the rest of the recipe
1 bunch of asparagus (about a pound and a half)
1 pound linguine
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
eggs (1 per serving)
butter to fry eggs
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Remove asparagus with a set of tongs and place in a colander in the sink; rinse with cool water. When the asparagus are cool, chop them in 1-inch pieces. Add the pasta to the same pot of water and cook to your liking. (Or your boyfriend’s. I’m not picky, but I call Mr. Penpen “Mr. No Dente.”)

While the water, asparagus, and pasta are boiling, you’ll have time to make the Basil Aioli. Roughly chop the basil and garlic, then toss in the food processor and pulse until both are finely chopped. Then add the salt, pepper (black and cayenne), lemon juice, egg yolks, and, mustard to the processor and blend. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oils. I have made the mistake – twice – of not drizzling slowly and ended up with a greasy mess rather than nice fluffy aioli.

When the pasta is ready, drain it in the same colander you used for the asparagus, and mix in a bowl (or the pot) with the aioli, cheese, and asparagus. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs, sprinkle with salt and pepper, reduce the heat slightly, cover the pan, and cook the eggs to you liking. Alternatively, if you want to be a little healthier, poach your eggs.

Dish out the pasta, place an egg on top of each helping, and serve.

This recipe gets a 3 for Effort and a 10 for Deliciousness, giving it an EDR of 3.33. I highly recommend it before you run a 10K race or if you’re craving a delicious and satisfying pasta dish.

Pea Shoots!

Before pea shoots, which are the leaves of the pea plant, arrived in my CSA box several weeks ago, it never would have occurred to me to cook with them. I had the same reaction to kale, though, and it grew to be one of my favorite vegetables this winter. In fact, I often crave it. The first time the pea shoots appeared, I did what I always do with strange vegetables: sautéed them with olive oil and garlic. I decided I could do a little better with the second round, so I looked for inspiration on the web. I found an article on Bay Area Bites that had some great ideas and two delicious-sounding recipes. I decided to go for the pasta recipe, Pea Shoot Pasta Sautéed with Bacon and Lemon Zest, in order to make a complete meal.

You can find the recipe (and read more about pea shoots) here. The recipe called for a pound of pasta, but I only used 12 ounces of fresh pasta, and it made two healthy dinner portions for people who had just run, plus another lunch serving. This was an incredibly quick dinner to prepare, and it was a very tasty and light-ish pasta dish. I give this recipe a 7 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.5. I definitely recommend celebrating spring with pea shoots on your plate. They quite possibly could be the new kale.

Hobo Monday: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

From Thursday Night Smackdown, the fine site that hosted First Thursdays and got me to cook duck and oysters, we have a new blog event: Hobo Mondays. First Thursdays were about cooking recipes from cookbooks or magazines; Hobo Mondays are about cooking our own recipes - with a budget of $5 for two people. Pantry staples are not factored into the meal cost, and participants are permitted to determine what constitutes a pantry staple in their household. The $5 challenge daunted me. Although I have cut back on certain expenditures in this dismal economy, food is not one of them. I have always considered myself a fairly practical grocery-shopper and I try very hard not to waste food. Also, since we’re not eating out as often these days, I figure we should eat well at home. I actually did casually mention we make a food budget once, but Mr. Penpen nixed the idea immediately and I did not give much protest.

I made some delicious ricotta gnocchi a couple months ago, and it consisted of mainly pantry staples, so I decided that I would try making gnocchi with a vegetable. I had seen butternut squash at Trader Joe’s for less than three dollars for an entire squash; I figured I would only need about half a squash for the gnocchi, use the rest another day, and stay way under budget. Sadly, Trader Joe’s did not have butternut squash (fresh, anyway – there was canned). I went across the street to Whole Foods, and again there was no butternut squash. I decided a large sweet potato would be a good substitute. And yes, I know Whole Foods is pricey, but it was a rainy day and I wanted to get home, not trek to every grocery store in the county. I used the same recipe I used last time as a guideline and started making the gnocchi on Sunday, as there are two chilling periods and time is often tight on weeknights. The first step was pureeing and chilling the sweet potato. The next was to mix the dough, which is where things started to go wrong: it was incredibly sticky. I kept adding more flour, hoping the dough would come together. Finally I gave up; as I was worried all the extra flour would render the pasta to be tasteless gummy blobs. I put the dough in the refrigerator to chill with the optimistic expectation that it would be cohesive after resting. This is what I got:

A huge glutenous mess! There was absolutely no way I would be able to form this glob into pasta. I was about ready to throw in the towel and call this “Waste of Money Monday.” However, I do not admit defeat in the kitchen that easily. I scraped the mess into a bowl and back into the refrigerator. I went straight to the kitchen when I returned home on Monday evening, and with an ample amount of flour on the cutting board and my hands, I was able to shape the pasta. I put it back in the refrigerator for the final chilling phase (one hour or up to a day) and went for a run. The gnocchi seemed firm enough when I took them out a couple hours later, so I boiled some water and cooked them. They turned out fine, but not great, you could tell there was too much flour. I served them with some butter and crumbled blue cheese, which, of course, makes any bland food taste better. Since I try to have something green on my dinner plate, I sautéed some about-to-go-bad pea shoots in garlic and olive oil.



Okay, I guess it’s time to break down the cost of this meal. The only thing I purchased for this meal was the sweet potato, which was $3.24 – I guess I should have gone with the canned squash for $2.29. The pantry staples I used were salt, pepper, butter, garlic, olive oil, flour, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg. I probably used about one dollar’s worth of blue cheese, and the pea shoots came from my CSA box. Apparently they are very inexpensive, about $1 to $2 per bunch, so I’ll say $1.50 for pea shoots, which brings my grand total to $5.74. A little over the $5 allotment, but there was a good amount of pasta left over. Unfortunately, the gnocchi doesn’t stand much of chance next to the other leftovers in our refrigerator.

This meal received a 5 for Deliciousness and a 4 for Effort, giving it and EDR of 1.25. If you would like to see how other people fared with a meal budget of $5, there will be a round-up on the Thursday Night Smackdown site on Saturday, where you can also find more detailed information about Hobo Mondays if you would like to participate next month.

Ricotta Gnocchi and Pear Sorbet

The January issue of Bon Appetit featured ricotta cheese as the “ingredient of the year” in the “Cooking Class” section of the magazine. The article included this recipe, entitled Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Marjoram. I’d had this recipe in the back of my mind for a while, but was not inspired to make it until I invited vegetarians over for dinner last week. I felt a little sheepish cooking a cheesy pasta dish, since that, at least in my opinion, is always the easiest solution to vegetarian cooking. I think I get a pass for making my own pasta, though.

This was an excellent recipe to make for company since the gnocchi can be made up to a day ahead of time (and must be made at least an hour ahead of time to chill) and the mushroom sauce cooks up very quickly – seriously, less than ten minutes. I knew from past experiences making gnocchi that the dough can be very sticky, but I did not have a problem with this recipe. I attribute this success to using nice, firm ricotta - from Whole Foods, I didn’t go as far as to make it myself; the maximum amount of flour the recipe recommended (3/4 cup); and a generous amount of extra flour when shaping the dough. I give this recipe an 8 for D and a 3 for E, giving it an EDR of 2.66.

I had some ripe pears and homemade ice cream seems to be back in the dessert rotation at our house, so I decided to make pear sorbet for dessert. I also made ginger cookies, ‘cos pear and ginger are nice together and I just never know when to stop! I used the pear sorbet recipe from David Lebovitz’s fabulous ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop. David generously puts a lot of his awesome dessert recipes on his website; I checked to see if this particular one was there so I could link it. The pear sorbet recipe was not on his site, but he had just posted this recipe for ginger cookies, which was inspired by Ina Garten’s Ultimate Ginger Cookies, which was the recipe I used! The ginger cookie recipe I used was from Barefoot Contessa at Home, and I found it a little disappointing. It is possible that I may have been trying to do too many things at once and not concentrating enough on the cookies, but they weren’t nice and soft like I was expecting. I think next time I will make them smaller and call them gingersnaps, or try the recipe on David’s site.