This week ended up being a very creatively satisfying (no pun intended) week of cooking. Even though it was a week "between checks" and our bank accounts were looking increasingly empty, we managed to come up with fantastic creations every night of the week. Perhaps the need to get creative with minimal ingredients was part of the reason why we were so succesful? Everything about each of these dishes turned out right: the texture, the flavor...and each ingredient was cooked perfectly (or not cooked at all!) We started the week out on a good note with a rich, meaty pasta sauce and ended it with delicious gourmet homemade pizzas that were overflowing with such things as goat cheese, fresh tomato, and caramelized onions.
Monday 09/28
Spaghetti con Ragu e Pomodori Freschi
Ingredients:
- 3/4 box spaghetti
- 1/4 lb ground beef
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Garlic cloves
- Spanish onion- Sliced hot green pepper
- 1/2 cup of cauliflower florets
- Sliced white mushrooms
- 1 fresh beefsteak tomato
- Tuttorosso canned crushed tomatoes (used minimally)
- Light cream
- Nonpareille capers
- SALT- Crushed red pepper
- Black pepper
- Basil leaves
- Goya Sabor a Jamon
- Parmigiano, grated
Our ground beef was cooked in olive oil, garlic, onions, and hot pepper which had been simmering a few minutes on the stove. When the meat was alm
ost cooked through, we added cauliflower florets, mushrooms, some crushed tomatoes, some warm water, capers and caper juice, and all the spices to taste. We covered the sauce and gave it time to cook so that it could thicken. At this point, we added a little cream and some of our parmigiano to bind everything together and make it that much more deliciously rich! We left it covered on a low heat while the pasta cooked in salted water. When the pasta was ready we dished it out into nest-like formations and plopped a hearty ladel-full of the ragu on top. With this dish, the pasta isn't floating around in a sauce, rather, the ragu mixes with and coats the pasta. Then, to contrast with the meaty, warm flavors of the ragu, we topped each dish off with a large handful of extremely fresh, diced tomato that smelled as good as it tasted. Lastly, we gave the pasta a splash of olive oil around the edges to help keep every strand of spaghetti moist and flavorful and then threw on a sprinkling of parmigiano
. We probably ate our meal in less time than it took to make. It was a huge success!
Tuesday 09/29
Whole Wheat Penne with Rosemary Ricotta "Ratatouille"
Ingredients:
- 1 box whole wheat penne
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Garlic cloves
- Spanish onion
- Sliced hot green pepper
- Sliced zucchini- Sliced white mushrooms
- 1 fresh beefsteak tomato
- 1 fresh green tomato
- Handful of garden-fresh grape tomatoes (any variety)
- Tuttorosso canned crushed tomatoes (used minimally)
- 3/4 container of ricotta
- Nonpareille capers- SALT
- Crushed red pepper
- Black pepper
- Basil leaves
- Onion Powder
- Fresh rosemary
We started the dish by simmering in olive oil all of our produce (with the exception of our grape tomatoes) tossing in garlic, onion, and hot pepper first followed by the beefsteak tomato, green tomato, mushroom, and zucchini. As the vegetables cooked down in the olive oil, we threw in our rosemary, which we had just picked fresh that day from our on-campus garden.
We have never cooked with rosemary before so this was a new endeavor. By the time we left the kitchen to go eat in the living room, our entire apartment was filled with the scent of rosemary. After letting our veggies cook a few minutes covered on low heat, we added the 3/4 container of ricotta and mixed it thoroughly. A tiny amount of the crushed
tomatoes and warm water were added to give the thick ricotta a little juicy-ness. At this point we added the capers and all of our spices. Despite our love for salt, and usually our over-use of it, this sauce is served a little less salty - more simple - so that each person can add salt if they choose or enjoy the creamy, slight sweetness of the ricotta and rosemary mixture. At this point our pasta was finished and the sauce was done. This is a perfect example of our mantra: you can make great food extremely quickly and easily. All together, the sauce took about 20 minutes or less. In the 20 minutes it took us to make this delicious meal, dozens of people our age are whipping together Easy Mac and chicken nuggets. We served this dish piping hot and put the creamy mixture on top of the pasta without mixing it in. Our garnish was our grape tomatoes: chopped into smaller pieces and sprinkled on top. Voila! A gourmet creation on a time and money budget? What else can one ask for?
(This recipe dedicated to our dear friend Erin Dwyer. Thank you for enjoying our cooking as much as we do. And for chopping the veggies like a pro!)
Wednesday 09/30
T.J's Chicken Chili Lime Burgers & Rosemary Yam Fries
Ingredients:
- 1 baking sheet
- Trader Joe's Chicken Chili Lime Burgers
- Provolone cheese
- 1 fresh beefsteak tomato
- Sliced white mushrooms
- Spanish onion
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 yam
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt & Pepper
- Crushed red pepper
- Curry powder
- Chili powder
- Cumin
Burgers:
In a frying pan heat olive oil, rosemary, garlic, onion, and mushrooms and let simmer so that the mushroom and onion are soft, the garlic golden brown. At that point push the veggies to the sides of the frying pan. Put the burgers, preferably partially thawed, into the middle of the frying pan and flip occasionally to get each side cooked evenly. Once the burgers seem almost done, put one tomato circle on top of each burger and then cover with one slice of provolone (or two if you like your burgers extra cheesy!) Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover letting the cheese melt over the tomato. At this point, take the burgers out and place one on each plate. Scoop out the veggies (which have still been in the same pan, simmering) and place on top of the burgers.
Yam Fries:
First, preheat your oven to 400F. Start by peeling the skin off the yam and cutting it into semi-chunky strips. They can be as big/chunky as you want and will obviously end up being varying sizes which is fine but the key is to not make the strips too thin/small because they tend to get too mushy. On the other hand though, the strips also cannot be too chunky/big because then they tend to stay too crunchy and raw in the middle. Because these fries are so quick to make and such a delicious, healthy alternative for "finger food" we've already made them at least 10 times! With practice, you eventually get the size and crunchiness ratios perfected. Back to the recipe -- once the strips are all cut, lay them out in one flat l
ayer on the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil as evenly as possible over all of the fries. The more olive oil, the softer the fries are so if you like them crunchier, be wary! Sprinkle the fries with a little salt, the fresh rosemary, some crushed red pepper, and a light sprinkling of curry powder, cumin, and chili powder. Note that these spices can be adjusted to whatever flavors you like best. Don't like curry or cumin? Ditch them! Use any spice you like: go simple with just salt and pepper or give it a different kick with old bay seasoning. It goes without saying, put all seasoning on to taste. At this point, hopefully your oven is preheated but if not, no worries, stick 'em in anyway. With your oven at 400F the fries should take no longer than 25-30 minutes to cook but of course you should check them frequently so they're exactly how you want them. About 15-20 minutes in, take the baking sheet out and with a spatula do the best you can to flip the fries and mix them together so the spices and olive oil are cover
ing as many fries as possible. When the fries are done, pour the whole batch into a huge bowl and dig in immediately.
The fun part about these fries is that you really can be as simple or as creative as you want. While I wouldn't reccomend gorgeing oneself on these fries, they are definitely a healthier alternative and make a fantastic side dish or appetizer. Want to get even more creative? Go Pommes Frites style! Whip together your own creative dipping sauces. We've made everything from pesto mayo to light sour cream and cilantro dip. O
ne of our favorites is a direct P.F. rip-off: "mexican ketchup" - half ketchup, half mayo, and a heap of fresh, diced onion.
Thursday 10/01
Sweet Potato & Ricotta Campanelle
Ingredients:
- 1 box Campanelle
- Extra-virgin olive oil- 3 Garlic cloves- Spanish onion
- Sliced hot green pepper
- Sliced white mushrooms
- 1/2 large yam
- 1/4 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/4 cup Tuttorosso canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 container of ricotta
- Light cream
- Salt (used minimally)
- Black pepper
- Crushed red pepper
- Cinammon
- Goya Sabor a Jamon
- Fresh rosemary
The idea for this dish really was born out of desperation; the fact that we had about 10 different ingredients left to choose from. That being said, it ended up being a savory autumnal dish.
Because the yam was left over from our fries the night before, it had already been peeled so before cubing your yam, first peel it! Then, cut into cubes (as small as possible, especially if you have a shitty blender like we do) and throw into the blender. Add olive oil, ricotta, a little light cream, crushed tomatoes, cauliflower florets, and 2 cloves of garlic (chopped or pressed into the mixture). Blend until the sauce is thick and as even as possible. If your blender struggles you might have to help it out a bit by manually pushing the yam/cauliflower chunks down to the bottom. Once the mixture is at the right consistency, pour it out into a large frying pan. Turn the burner up to a medium heat. At this point, we spice the sauce to taste. Start with a very small amount of salt - just enough so that you taste it but it is not overwhelming. With this recipe we had to restrain from our usual salting tendencies. If you are like us and enjoy very salty dishes, refrain with this one. Next put in a few sprinkles of cinnamon, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and the Goya flavoring. The Goya flavoring actually ended up being the key ingredient in this recipe: the rich, savory ham flavor was a great pairing with the sweet of the yam and the cinnamon. It made the flavor much more full-bodied and complex. As with everything though, put it in a little at a time so as not to overwhelm the sauce, especially because a little of the "pig" - as we like to call it - goes a long way. Cover and let the sauce simmer. In the meantime, start the sauteed mushroom, onion, and rosemary mixture which serves as a garnish to the sauce. Let olive oil, rosemary, 1 clove garlic, onion, and hot pepper simmer over medium heat. When it starts to make noise throw the mushrooms in and let cook until they are soft and dark in color. Salt the mushrooms to taste. Feel free to be a little more liberal now with the salt. Once the onion and mushroom are both soft, it's ready!
Assuming your water was boiling while you made the sauce, the pasta should now be ready and you can put all the pieces together in the bowls. Dish out the pasta into each bowl and then cover with a hearty serving of the sauce. On top of that, give each dish a small pile of the veggie mixture - olive oil & juices & all. The mushrooms saltiness and earthy qualities combined with the rosemary and the sauce is a great combo. This dish was probably one of our most creative and delicious dishes so far in our culinary history! We will definitely be going back to it again very soon.
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