Most of the time, I make dinner for Matt and myself. Once in a while, I get lazy and he does it. But sometimes...sometimes we tag-team dinner, and that is almost always the best idea ever.
Tag-team dinners usually involve the grill, because I've never grilled anything in my life, Matt loves grilling and our kitchen is just way too small for two people to cook in it. So yesterday afternoon, when I suggested we pick up some steaks to go with a ravioli recipe I wanted to try, Matt was pretty excited. Ok, I'll be honest, we both were. Steak is awesome.
It was an unconventional pairing, I'll admit, but I really wanted to make that ravioli because I had a TON of fresh sage that a neighbor gave us. And frankly, chicken just sounded boring.
About halfway through making the recipe, I decided photography was in order. I mean, seriously:
For real though. Straight-up mouth-watering, amiright?
The full recipe for the ravioli is over on the Food Network website, but here's a little rundown:
As a sidenote, I used frozen ravioli when the recipe called for refrigerated pasta. Frozen was fine, but I have no doubt that refrigerated would be even better.
So basically you just bring some balsamic vinegar, honey and a bay leaf to a boil in a small saucepot, let it boil for four to five minutes, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover it. It'll thicken and just become this gorgeous glaze that's totally drool-worthy. Protip: Use the back burner, and definitely DON'T lean over the pot while the vinegar is reducing. Trust me. It hurts.
While the balsamic vinegar stuff is happening, melt some butter in a skillet and bring large pot of water to a boil for the ravioli. When the butter's melted, add in lots of fresh sage and some chopped walnuts. The walnuts will toast up in about three minutes, which is likely how long the ravioli will take, too. (Or at least, that's how long my frozen stuff took.)
Add about a cup of the pasta water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a couple minutes, until it's reduced by half. Reserve another half-cup of pasta water, then drain. Add the drained ravioli to the skillet, tossing to coat and adding some of the reserved water if needed to loosen. Then stir in a whole bunch of Parmesan — my favorite part, natch. Stir to combine well.
Then you're ready to go! Just dish out the ravioli and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. To help pair the steak, we brushed it with butter on the grill and topped it with more fresh-grated Parmesan. (My friend Emily got me a Parm grater a while back and let me tell you, it has been amazing. I highly recommend getting one!)
What can I say? Matt and I make a great team :)
Have you made anything delicious lately? Tell me about it in the comments! I've been looking for some new recipes lately...
Alrighty then, like I said yesterday, this is among my favorite meals. I freaking love prosciutto. And snap peas/spinach are both on the very, very short list of veggies that I willingly eat. Plus, it's a pretty easy, one-pan (plus the spaghetti pot, obvs) meal. I will say this, however: you really have to do all the prep work before you start cooking. I usually don't, and not pre-prepping makes this recipe super stressful to make. So prep it up! Also, this makes enough for four, and it's kind of hard to cut in half because of the measurements. So...yeah. Okay, enough chatting, here's the recipe. I slightly adapted it from Food Network magazine.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 1/3 cup cooking sherry
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 wide strips of lemon peel (I usually use about half of the lemon's worth of peel)
- 5 tbsp butter, sliced into seven or so thin pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 bunch spinach (about 6 cups), roughly torn/chopped
- 2 cups sugar snap peas (I always use fresh, frozen doesn't really work with this)
- 1/4 pound prosciutto, torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Parmesan-Romano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt liberally and add the pasta. Keep an eye on it; you'll cook it to just al dente.
While that's happening, bring the wine, garlic and lemon peel to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's simmering, add the butter one or two slices at a time, whisking as it melts. Keep whisking until all the butter's melted, then add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time. (While still whisking. I know, it's a lot of whisking. Bear with me.)
Add about a teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Add the snap peas and cook for about three minutes, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, another couple of minutes. Discard the lemon and garlic. (I usually do this before I add the spinach, actually, because it's kind of hard to pick out once the spinach is all up in there.)
When the pasta's ready, ladle out about 1/4 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Throw the spaghetti into the skillet, adding a tablespoon or two of the water. Sprinkle another teaspoon of salt over everything and toss, adding more water as needed to loosen. Sprinkle with a bit of the Parmesan-Romano (which you can find at the grocery store, right next to the regular Parmesan in one of those shelf-safe plastic shakers) and toss some more.
Divide the pasta/veggie mix up among four plates, then top with the prosciutto, parsley and more cheese. And don't worry; this reheats pretty well...just refrigerate the prosciutto separately and don't microwave it. So, dinner for two after all? Sure. I also make this recipe with the same amount of sauce stuff and slightly less pasta, and it works well for Matt and I. We're both pretty voracious eaters :)
So I recently decided to go back on the rotating-menu plan for dinners each week, mostly because I was getting sick of the "What do you feel like tonight?" "I don't know, what do you want?" "I don't know, wanna just get take out?" routine. So a few weekends ago, I took several hours and planned out six weeks' worth of menus with some new recipes to try and, of course, some new favorites. One of the new recipes is this penne dish, from a junk mailer I got once called Fine Cooking Magazine. And oh-my-freaking-gosh you guys. This dish. Is. The. Bomb.
Best of all, it re-heats really, really well. So I can make this full four-serving recipe, then have enough leftover to eat for lunch the next day. Score!
Ingredients:
- kosher salt, pepper
- 8 oz. fresh baby spinach (about 10 lightly packed cups)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (adjust according to taste)
- 12 oz uncooked penne (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Make sure there's a rack positioned in the center of your oven, then preheat to 350 degrees. While it's heating, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Put the spinach in a colander in the sink.
Spread the walnuts out evenly on a baking sheet and toast until dark golden-brown, about six to eight minutes. You'll be able to smell them when they're ready. Oh man. I just started drooling. When they're done, set aside to cool.
Cook the penne to al dente. Reserve about half a cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta in the colander over the spinach. This, and the hot pasta lying on top of the spinach for the next few minutes, actually cooks the greens. How cool is that?
Add the gorgonzola and cream to a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Add pepper to taste, as well as a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened and the gorgonzola is mostly melted. It should take about two to three minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the pasta and spinach, and stir to coat. Add half of the walnuts and chives and stir again to combine. Cook until the pasta absorbs some of the sause, about two minutes more. If the mixture gets too thick, add some of the reserved cooking water to loosen it up. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Dish out into serving bowls and top with the remaining walnuts and chives, and try not to wolf it down like a starved person. (Trust me, it's harder than it sounds!)
This is by far one of my favorite quick-dinners, because I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, and it's easy, and it's delicious. Once again, I've adapted a Rachael Ray recipe to include fewer of her crazy ingredients. And I added chicken and veggies to make this a more filling meal.
Ingredients (makes enough for four):
- 1/3 package of bacon
- 1/2 pound chicken breast, diced
- garlic powder
- 16-oz box of spaghetti or linguine
- about 4-6 stalks of asparagus
- olive oil (I like to use an arbequina oil, but extra virgin works too)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine, cooking sherry or chicken stock
- 2 large egg yolks (keep the whites for omelets!)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)
Start with a large stock pot of water. Set it over high heat and bring it up to a hard boil. While the water's heating, cook the bacon in the biggest skillet you have until it's good and crispy. When it's done, set the bacon on paper towels to drain, and drain out most of the bacon grease. Leave about a tablespoon or so. Add the diced chicken to the pan, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cook through. When it's done, remove the chicken from the pan and onto a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the oven and add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using. Add a little olive oil if the pan needs it.
By now your water should be boiling. Add a small palmful of salt, then add the noodles. While those are cooking, crumble the bacon you set aside and add it and the chicken pieces back to the skillet with the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the wine/sherry/chicken stock and let it reduce by half, which should take about a minute or two over medium-high heat.
Drop the asparagus into the pasta water and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove it, chop it into pieces about an inch long, and add to the skillet with everything else. (Note: Frozen peas also work well for this. Just let them thaw a little first, then boil for a few minutes with the pasta then add to the skillet to finish cooking.)
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. While you're whisking, add a small ladle-full (about 1/4 cup or so) of the boiling pasta water.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Remove from heat. Drizzle the egg mixture over everything, then add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat for about two minutes to let the pasta soak up all the sauce. (I usually like to pour everything into the big stock pot to toss it, but if you can manage in your skillet that works too.) Serve with extra cheese and sprinkle with some chopped parsley, if you like.
Before I get into today's actual post, a quick question: Would any of my bloggy friends out there be interested in doing a clothes swap? Joanne of Fabulously Average mentioned it on Twitter on Friday, and I thought it sounded like fun. Leave a comment or just email me if you think you'd be interested!Now. On to the main event. It's been a looooong time since I posted a recipe, and I friend of mine recently mentioned on Twitter that she was missing a certain soup from our alma mater, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here's my attempt at recreating the creamy tomato tortellini soup that the student center at OU sometimes served!
Ingredients:
(Note that since I kind of just made this up as I went along, not all the measurements are precise. I tried. I promise.)
- about half (maybe a little more) of a 20 oz bag of frozen tortellini
- 14 oz can of chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 bay leaf
- about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup milk (for a thicker soup, use heavy cream instead)
- dash each of onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and basil
- fresh basil and shredded mozzarella for garnish (optional)Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. While that's heating, set another medium pot over medium-high heat and add the chicken broth, tomato juice and bay leaf, bringing it to a low simmer. Once your pot of water hits a hard boil, add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain when done and set aside.After the broth/juice mixture has simmered for a few minutes (again, no exact science here), add the Parmesan and milk (or cream). Return to a low simmer and add the dried seasonings. Simmer for a few minutes more, then add the tortellini back in and simmer until the pasta is heated through.Spoon into two bowls and top with the mozzarella and basil. Serve with French bread or enjoy all by itself!So what do you think, OU folks? Pretty close to the student union's version? Something missing? Let me know! And don't forget to contact me Joanne if you're interested in the clothes swap :)
Like many of the recipes I infrequently post here, this is an adaptation of a Rachael Ray dish. (Note to Rach: Maybe if your recipes didn't have eight billion ingredients, I wouldn't need to adapt every dang one of them. Just saying.) I've simplified it and adjusted it to my tastes, so there's definitely a lot of wiggle room for you guys to adapt freely as well!
This is one of my favorite lazy-night dishes because it takes about 20-30 minutes to make, it's super easy and it's sooooo delicious! No lie...for just being some spaghetti with stuff in it, this dish is absolutely awesome.
Ingredients:
- small fistful of spaghetti (what you'd normally make for two people; a little less than an inch in diameter)
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 slices bacon (I like to use applewood smoked), chopped into small pieces
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
- 1 large egg yolk
- ladleful (less than 1/4 cup) boiling pasta water
- Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley, chopped
- pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a liberal (read: lots and lots) of salt. Add the pasta and cook it until it's just slightly underdone. I'm talking a hair below al dente. Should take about 7 or 8 minutes, according to Rach.
In the meantime, drizzle a little olive oil in the biggest skillet you have and cook the chopped bacon until it's nice and crispy. Add more oil, if needed, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes if using. Sauté for about 2 minutes, then add the wine/chicken stock and let it simmer until it reduces a bit.
Beat the egg yolk and while you're whisking it, add the boiling pasta water. This starchy water will actually cook the yolk a bit and make a nice binding sauce for the dish.
Drain the pasta, keeping some of the water reserved, and add it to the skillet (told you you'd need a big one) and remove from heat. Add the egg sauce, a heart sprinkle of Parmesan (no more than 1/4 cup, I'd say), some salt and pepper and the parsley. Toss until the pasta soaks up all that sauce (add a little more pasta water if the mixture gets too thick). Top with extra Parm, if you want, and serve immediately. Sit back and enjoy basking in the glow of your significan't other's praise at how awesome the food is.
I'm so excited to stop by our apartment complex's pool after lunch today! It opened this weekend of course, and the high for today is supposed to hit the lower 90s, so it couldn't be more perfect. I still have a bit of work to do, but that can wait till this evening. It's a pool day!
For dinner, I think I might do this recipe from a few weeks ago. I adapted it from one of Rachael Ray's cookbooks, and it's just fantastic. I season it with some applewood-smoked sea salt from a shop in the North Market here in Columbus. It really adds some depth to the dish!
Tilapia with Balsamic Brown Butter and Creamy Tomato Farfalle
Ingredients:
- extra virgin olive oil
- 5 slices bacon (I like to use applewood smoked), chopped
- 2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 6-oz cans plain tomato sauce
- 4 tilapia filets
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 box farfalle bow-tie pasta
- about 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1/4 cup cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- fresh basil (optional)
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. While that's heating, heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper, cooking until tender but not quite browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes so all the flavors mix together.
Season the fish with salt and pepper, dust with the flour and shake off any excess. Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until it flakes easily with a fork. Remove to a separate plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
While the fish is cooking, salt the pasta water (here's where I use the applewood smoked salt) and add the pasta, cooking to al dente. Also, stir the frozen peas into the tomato sauce. Bring it back up to a low simmer and add the cream. Season with salt and pepper if needed. (Again, I throw in some of the applewood smoked salt if I think the dish needs a bit more smokey flavor. I use regular salt if the bacon has done its job.)
Add the 3 tablespoons butter to the pan the fish cooked in. Brown over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the balsamic vinegar and simmer until it reduces by half, about a minute or two. Pour over the fish.
Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce and wilt the basil into the sauce if using. Serve together.
Once, when I was in college, a friend had a bunch of people over for a dinner party. The only thing, and I do mean the only thing, I remember about this party is that she served pasta with made-from-scratch vodka sauce. And it was delicious.
I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine and (as usual) tweaked it to suit my needs and ability. The original recipe calls for whole tomatoes for a true from-scratch sauce, but I prefer to use canned, unflavored tomato sauce. It's just...easier.
Ingredients:
- 1 box penne noodles- 2 tbsp butter, separated- 2 shallots, minced (or 1 small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)- 16 oz plain tomato sauce (the Kroger brand comes in 8 oz cans)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 cup vodka (I used the super cheap-o stuff and it tasted fine, but nice vodka would obvi taste better)
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/2 pound bay scallops
- salt
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Add penne and cook according to package directions. While that's cooking, melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a large skillet. Add the minced shallots or onion and cook about three minutes, until soft. Add garlic and red pepper flake, if using, and cook for about a minute.
Add the tomato sauce, basil and vodka (don't spill on the burner or on the gas flame or you'll have a fireball). Salt to taste. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off. This will take about seven minutes or so.
A note on the pasta: it will probably finish cooking somewhere around here. Before you drain it, reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy water. Also, start on the scallops. Melt the other 1 tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and cook until opaque, only a couple minutes. Finish the sauce while the scallops are cooking.
After the alcohol has cooked out of the sauce, add the cream, cooking for about three minutes. Stir in the Parmesan. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss. For some reason, I decided not to toss the pasta in the sauce, as you can see in the photo. Just realized I skipped that bit. Anyway, if the sauce is too thick, you can add some of the reserved pasta water (I didn't have this problem though, likely because I used canned tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes). Season with salt, if needed. Top with scallops and more Parmesan cheese.
This recipe is great because you'll have a bit of leftover pasta (this is a recipe for two, but it makes enough pasta and sauce for four). It's really great reheated for lunch at work the next day :)
I worked in a dining hall in college. You won’t be surprised to hear that most of the food was just not good—mass-produced food rarely is. But there was one dish that I really liked. Loved. So much so that I actually went to the head cook and asked her how she made it. So I scaled down the recipe (hey, no one’s cooking for 150 here) and voila! Springtime spaghetti. (Perfect timing, too; it just started heating up here!)
Ingredients:
- 1 box of spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 whole carrots
- fresh dill
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 pint heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you’re waiting for that, julienne the carrot(s), bell pepper and zucchini. (Note: cucumber also works for this, as I discovered when Matt--aka Boyfriend, he said he doesn't mind if I use his name--accidentally bought the wrong produce. I think I like it better with cucumbers, in fact.) I like to use my mandolin to julienne the carrot and zucchini/cucumber to ensure equal cuts, but I usually do the bell pepper by hand.
Also, chop up your dill. How much you use is up to you; I usually use an entire pre-packaged container from Kroger (minus the stems), which is about a quarter of a cup. Or something like that. I could be entirely wrong. I love dill though, so for me, the more the better.
By now, your pot of water should be hot, but not quite boiling. Grab a very large frying pan and melt the butter in it over medium heat. I usually use more than two tablespoons, but I’m a sucker for butter. I can’t get enough. It’s really not healthy.
Mince the garlic while the butter is melting. I use a knock-off SlapChop that my grandma gave me for Christmas one year. It’s so easy! I wish I had the knife skills to mince garlic evenly by hand, but I'm kind of a klutz. Fake-SlapChop seems safer.
When your water comes to a boil, add a big helping of salt to flavor it. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, minus a minute or two so it's al dente. Drain it and return to the pot.
While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic to the pan with the butter and sauté for about a minute. Then add the carrots and dill (set a little extra aside for garnishing), sautéing for about three to four minutes. Then add the red pepper and zucchini/cucumber, sautéing for another two or three minutes. Add the cream and let it come up to a simmer (you may need to increase the heat if your pasta is done cooking at this point).
Once the mix is bubbling gently, add the Parmesan. Again, I don’t measure and I love parm, so I use way more than is probably necessary. I’m guessing that about one-third of a cup should do it. Maybe half a cup. Stir everything together, and turn the heat down or off altogether. Then add the pasta and let it finish cooking in the creamy, dilly deliciousness. Garnish with extra dill and Parmesan as desired. Makes enough for about four people.
Best news? This dish is great as leftovers. Just make sure you reheat it relatively soon after you cook it, within a few days, or that cream will get really, really gross. Trust me.
