Bolognese Sauce — I Did it My Way

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014 / More Time at the Table / 6 Comments

Sometimes you just have to make things the way you want them to be. And that would go for Bolognese sauce. Many American cooks my age, unless they were blessed with an Italian nonna, were raised with red sauce with meat and spaghetti because that’s what there was and it was cheap. Meatballs might show up on a big day. That’s what there still is if you go down to most of the local, inexpensive Italian places across the U.S. They also usually make a pizza the town adores or eats anyway along with a bottle of cheap chianti for date night and American beer on tap for the rest of the time.

Soldiers returning from Italy after World War II brought with them their desire for the foods of a grateful but war-torn nation. Enterprising immigrants opened restaurants providing the soldiers with the foods they had developed a craving for and introduced the soldiers’ families to spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and peppers, ravioli, lasagna, manicotti, baked ziti and pizza.

Throughout the 50s and 60s, Italian food was becoming a part of the American diet and delicatessens offered salami, capocollo, mortadella, pepperoni, mozzarella and provolone, while spumone was a popular dessert, and variations of minestrone abounded. During the 70s and 80s, many Italian-inspired regional dishes became popular in America — Eggplant Parmigiana, Fettuccini Alfredo, Penne alla Vodka, Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Piccata, Chicken Cacciatore, Steak Pizzaiola, Osso Buco, Veal Marsala, Pasta Primavera, Fried Calamari, Saltimbocca, Caponata, Calzone and Stromboli. Grissini, semolina bread, risotto, broccoli rabe, arugula, radicchio, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta, olive oil, pesto, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, pizzelle, cannoli, zeppole, torrone, gianduja, panettone and espresso were common additions to meals.

courtesy lagazzettaitaliana.com

I’ve had a hankering for pasta lately. Last week, Dave and I stopped for lunch at Panino’s –one of our local red sauce joints, albeit with the largest variety of panini I’ve ever seen — and he couldn’t believe I ordered a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce. “What?” I simply craved it. It was absolutely edible, but it didn’t satisfy the hunger for what I really wanted on the menu: bolognese.If I get a hankering for fresh pasta and Bolognese, then I just have to make myself. (Especially if Emily’s coming home for a few days.) I learned to cook sauce in a few places. I had an aunt who learned from the Italian restaurant down below her Chicago apartment and passed a few tidbits onto me. Of course I watched my mom, who made the best Irish spaghetti around with her home-canned tomatoes. I also worked in an Italian restaurant nearly all the way through college, but mostly I read Marcella Hazan. THE CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKBOOK was published in 1973, which was the year before Dave and I married, and it was updated in 1992. Combined at that point with MORE CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING, it then became ESSENTIALS OF CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING. They’re perfect, pleasant, loving, precise, and delicious tomes dedicated to just exactly how to do that Italian thing the way it should be done. Read this NYT article for more info on my talented long-distance, long-time mentor, who by the way never wrote in English. Her dear husband translated all of her work. Continue reading →

One-Pot Pasta with Salmon and Vegetables or Good Friday Supper in a Bowl

April 18, 2014August 23, 2017 / More Time at the Table / 5 Comments

There’s something down-to-earth, cozy, and comfortable about one-pot meals. Particularly one-pot meals that include pasta, vegetables, and protein. The Mexican cooks have it all with their sopas secas, which include the ubiquitous “Mexican Rice,” but also include pots of pasta or even lentils and occasionally beans. Sopa seca means dry soup and, to our ears and cooking hearts, just means you only put enough liquid in the dry rice, pasta, lentils, or beans, to cook the ingredients–no more. In other words, if you cooked pasta in the traditional way, you’d cook it in a large pot of boiling water and drain it. Here, you use just enough liquid (broth or water) to get everything tender and creamy without the addition of cream. Though a scoop of sour cream often wouldn’t go amiss.

For Good Friday — or any night when time is of the essence and meat isn’t on the menu — try this quick and easy one-pot dinner I made using leftover salmon the other night. If you have no leftover protein, you can, while the pasta simmers, quickly cook up a small piece of salmon or even a couple of chicken thighs if you’re indulging in “meat.” Alternately, you could put small fresh pieces of salmon into the pot for the last few minutes. (I haven’t tried this, but I’m guessing it would work.)

I’ll give directions rather than a recipe because you absolutely make this with what you have on hand. Basically you’ll cook about four cups chopped vegetables in oil with garlic, add a pound of broken pasta and a quart of broth, and cook it all until it’s done, stirring in already-cooked salmon right at the end. If you have no salmon, or don’t eat fish, skip it; it’ll be a lovely vegetarian meal. Season the whole pot with lots of fresh chopped parsley or basil or whatever fresh soft herb you have. Leftovers are epic. Here’s a clearer idea as long as you remember the vegetables can be switched out for your own choices:

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Sesame-Shrimp Noodles with Fresh Vegetable Toppings or Lilacs in the Rain

May 22, 2013March 21, 2019 / More Time at the Table / 1 Comment

A cool and rainy spring in Saint Paul keeps me cooking indoors. Typically I’d be raking together a salad while Dave grilled chicken or salmon. Instead, just back from our happy daughter Emily’s graduation from seminary at Princeton, I’m slaving over a hot stove. Well, not really.

Here is Emily with her proud parents. We sang in the choir! Go, Emily!

I will say that once I decided to make and blog some Asian noodles, they were everywhere I looked online. Like this version from FOOD AND WINE. I ignored all that and forged ahead. Hmph; great minds think alike, etc.

If you’re looking for something luscious, filling, and healthy for dinner with plenty leftover for a cold lunch or tomorrow’s dinner, this is your meal. The short story is that you cook up some noodles with snow peas, asparagus, and shrimp. You stir in all kinds of things to make it taste good, and let your family or guests choose their toppings — a variety of chopped vegetables, sesame seeds, lime and nuts– at the table.

OR: Add just the vegetables and “sauce” ingredients (skip the shrimp), along with the peanut topping, and you have a great side for meats you might be grilling for Memorial Day. I picture this with salmon, pork chops, or chicken, perhaps those that have been lolling around in an Asian marinade before grilling.

Try this photo recipe: (Ingredients are in bold type.)

sesame-shrimp noodles with fresh vegetable toppings

4 servings
8 Weight Watcher’s Plus Points per serving

Place 2 tablespoons sesame seeds in a small skillet over low heat and toast, stirring occasionally, for several minutes until light brown. Remove from heat; pour into a small bowl and place on table. Chop 1/4 cup plain peanuts, scoop into another small bowl, and place on table.

Pour 2 tablespoons canola oil into the skillet over low heat and add 1 tablespoon each minced ginger and garlic. Cook a minute or two or just until garlic begins to color. Remove from heat and set aside.

Bring 5-6 quarts of salted and peppered water to boil for the pasta. While it heats, chop 1/2 cup each bok choy, fresh cilantro, scallions (green onions), and cucumber. Chop all of one red bell pepper. Cut a lime into wedges. Place the vegetables and the lime wedges side by side in a large bowl or in separate small bowls and put them on the table by the sesame seeds and peanuts.

To the by now boiling water, add one pound whole wheat linguine (I like Whole Foods 365 brand best) and cook for about 7 minutes. Stir in 3/4 pound (12 ounces) fresh peeled and deveined shrimp, a cup each of stringed+ fresh snow peas and chopped fresh asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes until shrimp is firm and pink and noodles are nearly tender.

Drain pasta, shrimp, asparagus and peas. Pour back into the pot and, while hot, stir in garlic-ginger oil, a generous pinch of crushed red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of Sriracha, and the juice of one lime. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more Sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, or lime, if needed. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold in shallow pasta bowls; pass fresh vegetables, extra lime slices, soy sauce, and chopped peanuts so that guests can add what they’d like at the table.

Cook’s Notes:

+Destringing snow peas If you don’t destring your snow peas, you’ll be flossing (without meaning to) during dinner.

If you have a vegan or vegetarian in your group, cook the shrimp separately and place it in a separate bowl on the table. You could add sauteed tofu, if desired, or 2 -3 tablespoons peanut butter to the soy sauce mixture.

If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can add sliced chicken with the garlic-ginger oil instead of cooking shrimp with the noodles.

Vegetables are very interchangeable; please add what you have or you like. For instance, julienned carrots could be used instead of asparagus or sliced celery in place of the snow peas.

My lilac are in bloom–finally. But it’s too cold and rainy to go enjoy them. Hopefully tomorrow!

Sing a new song,
Alyce

One-Pan Salmon with Whole Wheat Pasta and Vegetables–A Picture Recipe

May 13, 2013August 23, 2017 / More Time at the Table / 4 Comments

My friend Jill says, “We’re always looking for something else to do with salmon.” My friend Jim says, “Give me a side that I can make on Monday, but have enough leftover for lunch or dinner; I just want to grill a little fish or chicken each night.” As for me, I like cooking anything in one pan, and while this isn’t exactly in one pan, it could be if you use fresh pasta.

This simple, but filling, healthy, and tasty entree fits the bill for all three of us and I hope for you, too. Serves two with a lot of vegetables and pasta–good hot or cold– leftover for another meal. Adding another two salmon pieces would be no trouble and cold salmon is good salmon. This is meant to be the impetus for improvisation, not an exact recipe; you’ll see why. Ingredients are in bold print. Here’s how in the PHOTO RECIPE:

Begin with bringing a large pot of water to boil (add 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs like thyme) for pasta– unless you have fresh pasta. Cover it so it comes to a boil more easily. When it does, drop in 1/2 pound whole wheat linguine (I like Whole Foods 365 brand best.) and cook for ONLY about four minutes. (Add a couple of minutes if you’re at altitude.) Do not cook until done.

…

Meanwhile, take a large, deep saute pan or skillet, and pour in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil along with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Add and saute about four cups of assorted (your choice) chopped vegetables over medium heat –such as onions, celery, red peppers, thinly sliced carrots, zucchini, summer squash, fennel, asparagus, green beans, etc.– along with 2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary, etc) or 1 teaspoon dried and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let cook about five minutes, stirring regularly. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic during last minute or two.

When pasta has cooked about four minutes, remove it from the water using tongs (or drain in a colander) and add it to the vegetables in the saute pan. (If you have fresh pasta, add it now.) Pour in a 1/4 cup each white wine wine and chicken broth or 1/2 cup pasta water.

Place two salted and peppered salmon filets (4-6 ounces each) on pasta with vegetables and drizzle with olive oil (if desired). Sprinkle with a generous pinch of the herbs you used in the vegetables and cover with lid. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 8-10 minutes until salmon is nearly done–deep pink and very moist at center, firm and pale on the outside. Remove salmon to a plate and let rest two minutes. To serve, use tongs to add pasta and vegetables to a plate or pasta bowl and top with salmon. Garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes and a teaspoon of chopped parsley other fresh herb. Drizzle each serving with fresh lemon juice. Eat while hot or at room temperature. Store remaining pasta and vegetables for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner side.

{printable recipe}

Cook‘s Note: I didn’t try this, but see no reason why you couldn’t do a bit of an Asian twist on this dish. Add chopped fresh ginger with the garlic and vegetables. Stir in a tablespoon of soy sauce with the broth or pasta water (with more at table). Perhaps even a little fish sauce. Top with chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts. If you try it, let me know.

Sing a new song,
Alyce

Linguine Caprese or How I Got My Tomatoes On

September 10, 2012July 7, 2018 / More Time at the Table / 4 Comments

Saute a little garlic and shallots; cook up some pasta. Add fresh tomatoes, chopped mozzerella, parsley and basil. That’s it.

I seem to be spending every waking hour figuring out how to use up the cherry tomatoes and basil that just keep coming. (Was there a little voice whispering, “Fresh pasta?”)

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Alyce’s Tortellini Salad Goes to Denver, but Misses Olivia’s Birthday

August 13, 2012May 18, 2025 / More Time at the Table / 3 Comments

Summer comes and this tortellini salad comes with it. Just ask my family.
Full of tender cheese-filled tortellini and lots of chunky vegetables, it’s held together with a brisk mustard vinaigrette and lots of thin slices of sopressata or hard salami. If I’m going to a family event or a church picnic, I make a big bowl of this salad and bring it along. In Minnesota, it goes in the cooler and makes its way up north to celebrate Joe’s and Olivia’s birthdays. The original recipe was, I think, from the COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE years ago, but it has changed quite a bit over time.

Here in Colorado, it travels up I-25 to Denver for a family afternoon by the pool after a visit to a museum.

This year, Bill made a big hunk of brisket he smoked overnight. Sean brewed some beer and I made (of course) the tortellini salad. Occasionally it morphs just a bit; originally it didn’t have many vegetables. I had to amend that. The resulting salad is fine for a whole meal, but it’s also a total one-dish side for any barbequed meat. You know how pasta salad can be pale, insipid, and less than interesting? Perhaps only filling? Easily left on the plate at picnics? That is what this pasta salad is not.

***_{Recipe doubles easily to carry along to a big cookout. Cook the pasta in two pots.}***

Print Recipe

TORTELLINI SALAD FOR OLIVIA’S BIRTHDAY

Years ago, I read a tortellini salad recipe in the newspaper. Where? When? Whose? I don’t know but this is my long-used, changed-up version. A famous Marcella Hazan quote goes something like, “If I had invented pasta salad, I’d hide.” I like to think this might be the exception.

serves 12

Ingredients

Salad:

18-20 oz. fresh cheese tortellini-find in cold case at grocery or you could also use frozen cheese tortellini
2 small zucchini, cut into ¼” half-moon pieces
1 small yellow squash or yellow zucchini, cut into ¼” half-moon pieces
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red sweet pepper, cut into large matchstick pieces (about ½” x 2”)
1 yellow sweet pepper, cut into large matchstick pieces (about ½” x 2”)
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 # hard salami, cut into 1/4″ slices
1/3 cup chiffonade of basil, fresh basil cut into thin ribbons — Reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish
1/2 cup 2 oz freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish
Cherry tomatoes for garnish–optional

Vinaigrette:

3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper.
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

COOK TORTELLINI AND SQUASH: In 8-10 qt. stock pot, bring 5-6 quarts well-salted water to boil. Add fresh tortellini and cook about 8 min or according to package directions (Costco fresh tortellini cooks only 2 minutes.) Tip in zucchini and yellow squash for the last minute or two to just take its crispness away.
DRAIN TORTELLINI AND SQUASH: Carefully pour out the pasta and squash into a large colander. While still hot in colander, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch each salt and pepper. Stir gently. Allow pasta and squash to cool, stirring periodically. Carefully turn pasta and squash out into a large mixing bowl.
IN THE MEANTIME, MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE: In large bowl (or food processor), whisk together red wine vinegar, garlic and Dijon mustard. Add a generous pinch each of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Rest 2 minutes or so. Slowly pour in olive oil and whisk until emulsified (creamy and satiny). Taste and adjust seasonings. Set vinaigrette aside.
MIX PASTA AND SQUASH WITH REST OF INGREDIENTS + VINAIGRETTE/SERVE: To the large mixing bowl with the tortellini and squash, add sliced peppers, red onion, salami, all but 1 tablespoon fresh basil, and all but 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir gently; tortellini can fall apart easily. Drizzle most of dressing onto salad and combine. Taste and adjust seasonings; serve at room temperature, adding a little more vinaigrette if needed. Garnish with reserved basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add cherry tomatoes on top, if using. Store leftovers well-covered in the refrigerator for 3 days. Do not freeze.
TO MAKE AHEAD: This salad is best fresh but… if you must, you can make it ahead: Cook the pasta and cool, chop the vegetables, make the vinaigrette, etc., storing each part separately for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Let everything come at least near to room temperature and then mix, serve, and garnish, slicing and adding basil, as well as the tomatoes (if using) just before serving.

Notes

Sing a new song; make an old tortellini salad,
Alyce

Grilled Eggplant and Sausage Pasta Made on the Grill

July 18, 2012July 5, 2023 / More Time at the Table / 2 Comments

Every summer, I get about half-way through and want…chili. Pot Roast. Lamb shanks. I’m a bit perverse, I’m fond of saying. I can’t wait for the first grilled chicken and tomato salads. I’m nuts about burgers on the patio in May with zin. But there comes a day when salad looks bleh (stick out tongue) and I don’t even much care about that long-awaited burger. I want something real. I want pasta. And I don’t want it in a restaurant.

So last year, in January (way ahead), I experimented with a pasta dish that included grilled vegetables and sausage, but I still made a cooked sauce in a pot. A lot of folks have been interested in that post, so here’s a continuation…

I had the idea then to create a dish totally done on the grill--much fresher– and I’ve now tried it. Even the pasta is cooked on the side burner, if you have one. (If not, buy fresh pasta to cook indoors; it cooks much faster.) I’ll amend that; Dave mostly tried it. I designed, orchestrated, cheer leaded, made fresh cheese, and ate it up. The only true heated cooking I did was to saute some garlic in the microwave and warm the milk to make cheese! (5 minutes) Do you have to make cheese? Of course not. Buy ricotta–fresh if you can get it. But I’d love it you made cheese.

I lately have been encouraging cooks to just try making an easy, quick fresh cheese. There isn’t much simpler to do and the brief instructions are below. I’ll also point out that if you need a lot of ricotta, this is the way to go; you’ll save a bunch of cash. To purists, this isn’t true ricotta, which is made with all milk; here I add some yogurt. My idea actually is a riff (a mistake I made and liked) from a recipe created by dessert guru and Parisian blogger David Lebovitz. See the original here. (See my first attempts and info on how to make a firmer cheese here.)

Imagine pasta in the summer and no hot kitchen? Try this:

grilled eggplant and sausage pasta made on the grill
serves 4

directions: (ingredients below)

1. On the grill’s side burner (or on stove indoors): bring to a boil a kettle of salted water with a couple of springs of fresh basil and several grinds of black pepper. This takes a while outside, so start here. When it boils, add 1# whole wheat linguine. I like Whole Foods 365 brand; it’s luscious. Cook until al dente — where your teeth are stopped just gently as you bite into it. (Read package directions.)
2. Heat oiled grill to medium heat and add 2 sliced unpeeled Japanese eggplant*, 2 sliced medium zucchini, and 2 large onions sliced. Grill, watching closely, until nicely browned grill marks appear on one side and turn. Continue grilling until vegetables are almost tender. Remove to a large pasta bowl or pot. Sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and toss.

3. Grill 4 Italian sausages (buy locally made if you can), turning once or twice, until thoroughly cooked–about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from grill, let rest a couple of minutes, and slice into rounds about 1/3″ thick. (Juices should run clear.) Add to the pasta bowl with the vegetables and toss.
4. Meantime, microwave two minced cloves of garlic with a little olive oil in microwave-safe container on high about 30 seconds. (I use a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Stir into the meat and vegetable mixture.

5. When pasta is done, drain well, and add to the meat and vegetables. Add 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut in half. Toss with 2-3 T extra-virgin olive oil. (Cont’. below)

If you’d like to make your own cheese, here’s how:

6. Stir in 2 cups homemade or store-bought ricotta and 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil. Sprinkle with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper. a pinch of crushed red pepper and stir well. Taste and re-season. Serve hot or at room temperature with grated Parmesan cheese, if you like.

*If using regular eggplant, choose one that’s 1 to 1 1/2 #, firm, with shiny dark purple skin. Unlike the Japanese eggplant, you’ll need to peel the larger one before grilling.

ingredients list

1# whole wheat pasta (I like 365 Whole Foods brand)
sprig of basil for the pasta water, plus 1/4 cup shredded to finish dish
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 Japanese eggplant, unpeeled, and sliced (or 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2″ x 2″ pieces)
2 medium zucchini, unpeeled and sliced 1/4″-1/2″ thick
2 peeled onions, sliced 1/2″ thick
Canola oil to oil grill
4 Italian sausages
2 cloves garlic minced
4 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided (a bit to cook garlic; the rest to toss with pasta toward end)
2 cups chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 cups fresh ricotta, homemade or store-bought
crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

two-dog kitchen and around the ‘hood

Summers in Colorado are hot days and cool (sometimes cold) nights. Wild lightning storms across huge skies. Stacks of summer reading take me to Italy and beyond.

Testing recipes for the soup cookbook keep me in the kitchen mornings before it’s too hot.

Neighbors pop by for a drink on the porch or get together to watch a movie in a cool basement. Friends come for supper to try the soups on the back deck. So far, I like the Corned Beef-Potato with Irish Cheddar best. But I’m far from done and even that one needs working on.

Sing a new song,
Alyce

38 Power Foods — Green Peppers — Alyce’s Ratatouille

July 13, 2012August 18, 2018 / More Time at the Table / 9 Comments

Ah, summer. Here’s my favorite use for green peppers. Right after my mom’s stuffed green peppers, that is.

I loved the movie (Ratatouille).
Also “The Big Night”
And “Babette’s Feast”
Try them. Food movies. Ah.

I love the real deal better. If you become a devoted cook, your world will revolve around the seasons. Stews in winter. Apple pie in the fall. Berries in the spring. And…
High summer: Tons of vegetables at their peak.

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Pasta with Eggplant and Pancetta

September 20, 2011December 22, 2013 / More Time at the Table / Leave a comment

What’s in your frig? Make pasta for a cool fall evening. Pancetta helps.

We lived for four years in Dayton, Ohio. How at home I felt there. The flora and fauna welcomed me warmly (and coldly) as, indeed, the atmosphere felt just like northern Illinois where I grew up. The summers were wilting (and our air conditioning never worked right) and the winters were damned cold. Gray. A long period of waiting for spring was how some approached it. I felt differently. I adore late fall; Thanksgiving is my favorite season. I’m entranced with Advent and greet it positively every year, knowing my walk to the stable will be a new one. Again.

But, in Ohio, summer seemed to disappear without a trace one wet day in October. It happened in such a way that a week or two later, you wondered what had happened. There were weeks of cool, sunny times and God’s great leaves flying. Lovely Saturdays at the farm watching cider being pressed. Nights on hayrides with bonfires later for hot dogs. A morning you dug out the sweaters. Any time, though, an 80 degree day could still pop up. Really. And then, one day on the way to work, you knew that day wasn’t appearing. At all. Anymore. It had been raining for a week or two, getting colder all the time. It just rained itself right into winter. And gray it was.

We’re on the edge of that here. Mostly the days are still perfect. A light sweater or short jacket needed sometimes. Flowers still in bloom—somewhat. The yard is drooping mightily, though, and the window boxes have definitely seen better days. I broke down and bought mums and pansies, but haven’t gotten them all out yet. And, truthfully, taking care of the yard (and watering) is beginning to seem like yesterday’s diapers. But today it’s rainy and there’s no sun. At all. Gabby still has her head hanging out by the window in case that German Shepherd or Black Lab has the nerve to walk by on the sidewalk. But soon she gives up and puts her head down on the rug near my chair. The other doggies are staying home more these days.

The oven can stay on for bread now.

What will I do with these?

Why does it have to rain, Mom?

Droop.

A bunch of green tomatoes appeared on the back porch from the gardening neighbor. We won’t have enough sun or heat to ripen them. I go around turning lights on during the day. Think of making a big pot of beef vegetable soup. Planned activities are a girls’ night at Scusi and then out to a movie. Not a picnic or outdoor concert or backyard cook-out. This morning I ordered a long down coat and tall, warm boots. I’m looking for a freezer so I can make Christmas cookies ahead for Drop in and Decorate. We’re getting our floors redone before snow flies. That’s what time it is.

Oh, we’re not at the point of storing the patio furniture. Or of skipping Saturday breakfast on the porch. But it’s coming. And I’ve just woken up to it. I still get up and put on capris and flip flops. Sometimes I change. Not always.

Last night, it was cold enough for a filling and warm dinner of whatever’s in frig for pasta. I occasionally blog these instant meals (and lately I’m doing it often) because that’s how so many of us have to eat. If we can even get THAT much cooked. I have friends who are happy to have time to pull out cheese, apples, and crackers because that’s all there’s time or energy for. But listen, 15-20 minutes will give you this admirable and filling meal. You’ll be busy the whole time, but you can put on Vivaldi while you do it and you’ll definitely have time to set the table in a welcoming way.

Well maybe not quite like this, but why not set an attractive table?

If you must (and who knows?), throw all of the vegetables in the food processor (except the tomatoes) and get it done even faster. (Note: I keep chopped pancetta on my freezer door all of the time. There’s almost nothing it won’t do. And, yes, a bit of American bacon will work.)

As this is more a method than a recipe, I write it in steps. Read it through to understand the process and then make it yourself. Boil the pasta, fry the pancetta (or bacon or ham), add vegetables, garlic and herbs, put it together and serve with cheese. So there. Maybe you need read no further. But go on.

Pasta with Eggplant and Pancetta serves 2 generously with a bit leftover for someone’s lunch

1. Put a covered 10 quart stockpot 3/4 full of salted and peppered water on to boil. Sprinkle with a pinch of crushed red pepper and dried oregano. Add 1/2 # whole wheat pasta when the water is boiling and cook about 10-11 minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve.
2. Meantime, in a large, deep skillet, brown about 1/4 cup of chopped pancetta or bacon. When it’s crisp, remove it to a plate lined with paper towels. Leave fat from pancetta in the pan.
3. Into that same pan, add 1 large chopped onion, 1 large chopped carrot, 1 chopped medium yellow squash or zucchini, 1/2 cup chopped, peeled eggplant, 1/2 sliced or whole fresh spinach leaves, and 1/2 cup chopped red or yellow pepper. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste) and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Vegetables can be changed to suit what’s in your crisper. I do think you need onions, garlic, something for bulk like squash or eggplant, and fresh herbs of some sort.
4. Cook vegetables until they’re softened and add 3 cloves garlic, minced. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 chopped ripe tomatoes (or a cup of cherry tomatoes) and 1/4 cup chopped parsley and/or basil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Return pancetta to the pan and stir well.
5. Add drained pasta to skillet. Mix and toss well, using tongs, and taste for seasoning.
6. Serve in pasta bowls with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese at the table.

Wine: We had a little Barbera leftover from burgers on the grill, so we drank that. A big Chardonnay would work, as would Zinfandel or even a Cabernet Sauvignon. While we think of big reds as the province of big meats, they stand up and support a hearty, vegetable-filled pasta–especially if it’s topped with a strong cheese like Parmesan or flavored with a warm, deep meat like pancetta.

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the ‘Hood

The singing fellowship:

Choir came to lunch Saturday. Chicken chili, sangria, brownies.

Good bud Kim all but moved in to the kitchen to keep things going. Love you, Kim!

Nope, we didn’t sing. Just visited and ate. Rested our pipes.

Fall–Time for Grooming. Didn’t much like it. But they looked good for the choir.

Exhausted after their baths and trims. What did we have to do that for? And what’s with the bandanas?

My life is currently full of playing catch-up at work. Reading all the fall lectionary texts so I can choose appropriate music. Off and on for a couple of weeks, the dining room table is full of music, bibles, notes, computer, etc. I run back and forth trying to familiarize myself with the music library at church. What’s there? What’s possible to learn (and do well) with only two rehearsals? Listening to anthems online. Listening to the choir. Attending one lectionary study at Cabrini Catholic church and one Bible Study with the neighborhood women. Praying for a co-worker, who had to undergo emergency surgery. Looking at a choir retreat in November. Dreaming of the cantata much later than I typically do. And I’m sooo excited and…

I’m so busy … Being grateful, grateful, grateful for the opportunity. Thanks, God.

Sing a new song,
Alyce

Pesto, Pistou — Presto!

August 16, 2011December 22, 2013 / More Time at the Table / Leave a comment

Whirr, whirr, done. Talk about no cook. It’s done PRESTO!

If it’s mid – late summer, I’m gunning for basil. (If it’s earlier, I’m planting it and watering it.) I’ve got pots full myself, but I also have to hit the farmer’s market for more. At a buck for a big bunch, I get arm fulls.

My piano teacher and I hit the farmer’s market.

Here it is taking a bath in my kitchen sink with the Japanese eggplant and yellow zucchini I’m cleaning for the ratatouille I blogged on the Dinner Place blog (The Solo Cook.) They really like to get in the tub together. I loved looking at this gorgeous mix of veg. Could the colors get any better?

What is pesto? Lots of you DO know. But! If you don’t:
Take the basil, whirr it in the food processor (traditionally mortar and pestle) with lots of garlic, pine nuts and/or walnuts, olive oil, Parmesan, and you have saucy green love. In Italy, it’s pesto. In France, pistou. And it’s Presto! (Very quick, indeed, in the language of music) wherever you make it.

When I decided to blog pesto, I almost didn’t. Pesto isn’t something new. It may be four hundred years old in Europe and it’s certainly no culinary upstart in the United States.

The first time I ran across pesto was in the late ’70s in THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK (by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin. Workman, 1979; 362p). This was a life-changing cookbook not only for me, but for women everywhere who cooked. If you want to know why, check out the cookbooks that were written and printed before this one. It’s so important in my life that I have nearly worn out my paperback copy and, while I still use it, bought a hardback copy for a back-up and for my kids later on.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided to just go ahead and put pesto on my roster of blog posts. How could something I love so much not be here?

I still basically make pesto from that recipe, though I use others, too–the one from THE GOURMET COOKBOOK (edited by Ruth Reichl and published in 2004 by Houghlin Mifflin) comes to mind. By this time, I’ve adjusted any and all of them to my own tastes (as should you) and am purely and simply summer-happy whenever it’s time to use all that basil.

Pasta with Pesto….the most popular use, I’ll guess:


Here with 365 (Whole Foods brand) whole wheat pasta

Other ways to use pesto:

on/in an omelet
as a veggie dip
on grilled chops
as a sauce for fish or chicken
on pizza
with crackers
on grilled vegetables
topping lamb chops
gracing grilled baguette
dribbled on sliced tomatoes or sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzerella in place of basil leaves.

Or… well, you go next. How about in a spoon in your mouth– or mine?

In Italy, pesto often has cheese in it; in France, not so often. The French version, pistou, is often used as a condiment at table to, well, to create a different or simply more engaging vegetable soup. A simple bowl of fresh vegetable soup and a big bowl of pistou on the table. Everyone helps themselves and no one would deny the pistou makes the meal. Some folks want a teensy bit and others want a big dollop. Just for fun, here’s a recipe for Wolfgang Puck’s Soupe au Pistou; this one happens to have tomatoes in the pistou, which also sounds lovely.

By the way, there are those even in the Italian mode that leave the cheese out of the pesto (to keep it bright green) and grate it on top. There are other purists who only make the pesto from tiny, fresh basil plants with just six or so leaves and use much less basil. Si place; do as you like! (I use the big plants that I love to grow in the garden all summer.) The addition of pine nuts to Italian pesto is a fairly new thing; people couldn’t afford them in years past and used walnuts–as did many Americans. I use a combination of the two as pine nuts are nearly $30. a pound.

No matter how you make it or with what (and you can make it with all kinds of herbs or greens besides basil), enjoy the bounty. And, by the way, pesto freezes. So, if you can, buy extra basil, make copious amounts of pesto (freeze lots) and take some out for New Year’s Day for a quick whiff of summer.

By the way, you can buy ready-made pesto. It’s pricey, though, and it’s not as good. Nor does it keep. So if you buy a quart at Costco, you better plan on eating a quart right quick. Better to make it. Yourself. In July or August. And be….happy. Here’s how:

Pesto a la Alyce, The Silver Palate, and The Gourmet Cookbook makes 2 cups

2 cups fresh basil leaves, clean and very dry (pat carefully with light weight cotton or paper towels)
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1/2 c pine nuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the basil, garlic, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor (if using a blender, do half at a time) and pulse til well chopped and combined. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. Shut the machine off and add the cheese. Stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir again.

I never told you this: if the pesto seems a tad tame, dot in a few drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce, but don’t tell anyone. Definitely not in the regular pesto regime. Don’t over do it; just give it a bit of body.

Keeps in frig (cover with plastic wrap right on the surface of the pesto) 2-3 days if not using immediately. Freeze for up to six months.

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the ‘Hood

Long beans grown by our local farmers: saute or use in stir fry.


The babies.

Above: Minnesota summer wildflowers.

Coming up soon….ratatouille a la Minnesota

Sing a new song, Alyce


In 2 qt saucepan, heat 2 c whole milk, 1 c plain yogurt, 1 t salt, 2t vinegar for a few minutes. When curds form, pour the mixture through a colander or sieve lined with 2 layers of cheese cloth.