penne with pancetta and peas in lemon cream sauce

After a few very meat-centric meals, I wanted a pasta.

But I was not thinking tomato-based. I wanted a fresher taste.

So I modified a recipe a bit to come up with
penne with pancetta and peas in lemon cream sauce.

For you vegetarians, just skip the pancetta
and use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.

I have no doubt this will still be a winner.

Some other ways to mix it up: Use fresh asparagus
instead of peas; add some grilled chicken pieces;
serve with shrimp or as a base for baked or grilled salmon
or other fish; add bite size pieces of ham instead of pancetta...
really, whatever sounds good. The sauce seems pretty versatile.

This comes together pretty fast once you get the sauce started.
So you want to have all your ingredients ready to go before you start.

penne with pancetta and peas
in lemon cream sauce

10-12 thin slices pancetta

1.5 ounces pine nuts

2 tablespoons butter

3 shallots, halved then sliced thinly

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

12 ounces penne pasta

Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large sautee or frying pan, cook pancetta
until crispy and set aside. This does not have to be done
in perfect strips or circles since it will be crumbled later anyway.
Save this pan, you will use it to make the sauce.
Just drain any excess fat.

RAW PANCETTA

Start water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

In a dry sautee pan toast pine nuts over medium-high
heat until golden brown. Keep an eye on these.
Once they start to brown, they go fast. Remove toasted nuts
from hot pan or they will continue to cook.

TOASTED PINE NUTS

In pan that you cooked pancetta, melt butter over medium heat.

Add shallots and garlic, cooking until soft, about 2-3 minutes.

RAW SHALLOTS

Add broth and wine. Simmer over medium-high
heat until reduced by about half.

Add cream, lemon and orange peels and cayenne pepper.
Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3-4 minutes.

LEMON AND ORANGE ZEST WITH MICRO PLANER

Add peas. Simmer until peas are just
heated through, about 2 minutes.

FROZEN PEAS, THAWED AND ADDED TO SAUCE

CHOPPED FRESH MINT

Stir in mint, lemon juice and pine nuts.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remember, you will be adding the pancetta, which is salty.
I actually did not add any salt, just a touch of pepper.

You can toss the sauce and pasta together
or serve the sauce over the pasta.

I served the sauce over the pasta.

Crumble some pancetta on top
and add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

OK. I think that is it.

Mangia!

YEP, IT WAS TASTY!

Pizza on the grill

I will grill pretty much anything.
Especially when it starts to get warm and I don't want to turn on the oven.
Plus some things just taste better from the grill.

For me, pizza is one of these things.

I don't have the money to build a beautiful stone pizza oven in my back yard.
So I improvise. I make pizza on the gas barbecue.


There is no real recipe for this. Just add what you like.

I have made it right on the grill which works fine. You just have to watch it more to make sure the fireis not too high and the crust is not burning.

I recently got a cast iron grill pan (Emeril brand, bought at Bed Bath and Beyond, in case you are looking for one).
One side is ridged to give meats and veggies great grill marks, but solid so small stuff cannot slip through the grate. One side is solid, like a griddle.
I used the solid side for the pizza.
I made pizza last night. Here's what I used and what I did.

Pizza from the grill

1 package of your favorite pizza dough (if you have Trader Joe's near you, they have great
dough in the refrigerator section near the dips and dressings.)

whatever sauce you like, for this one I chose marinara. (again, I used Trader Joe's.)

I also have made pizza with no sauce and with white sauce, such as alfredo.

toppings: use what you like. What did I use last night?

red onion, thinly sliced

brown Italian mushrooms, sliced

pepperoni

shredded mozzarella cheese

dried oregano

grated Parmesan cheese

OK. The pizza cooks fast.

The trick is to have everything ready to go before you start the crust.

Heat the grill to high and let it warm up.

On a lightly floured surface, work the dough by handto stretch it to the size and shape that works for you.

You can stretch it fairly thin, it will contract a bit when cooking.

Mine are oblong since that is the shape of the griddle pan I have.

Get all your ingredients set up near the grill so assembly is quick and easy.

Put dough on griddle pan or grill (if cooking directly on grill, lower heat to medium).
Close the grill and let crust cook, checking every couple minutes.
Cook until crust is as done as you like it.
Remember, this is all about making the perfect pizza for you.

Flip the crust.

Begin adding your toppings.
I layered in this order:
sauce

a small amount of cheese
(to give toppings something to stick to)
onion
mushrooms

pepperoni
remaining cheese

Close the lid and cook until cheese is melted and bottom crust is as done as you like it.

Once the pizza is done, remove it to a cutting board and let sit for a couple minutes.

Slice and enjoy.

I added a touch of Parmesan and dried oregano to mine.

Some other tips for making pizza on the grill:

Slice the veggies super thin.

I use a ceramic blade slicer to make paper-thin slices.

If you want chunkier veggies but are worried they won't cook quickly, because the pizza does come together in about 10-15 minutes from start to finish, give the veggies a quick sautee to start them softening.

I do prefer the thinly sliced veggies. They keep their freshness and cook just fine in only a few minutes.

Keep everything close at hand. I had the mushrooms, onion, pepperoni and cheese on my cutting board in little piles and the sauce in a little bowl.

I used the same board to stretch and form the dough before cooking and then to remove the pizza when it was done.

The easiest way to get the pizza off the grill and onto the board is to slide it off onto the board using a big spatula.

If you have an extra set of hands to hold the board, even better.

Experiment. Customize. Mostly, have fun.

romaine salad with blue cheese vinaigrette

Yeah, yeah, yeah... It's just salad.

Really almost just lettuce.

Except for the dressing.

I love blue cheese dressing.

And I make a great one using tons of cream
and cheese and sour cream.

This olive oil-based version is lighter and,
even with the oil and cheese, probably at least a little healthier.

And it's easy and looks great.
Oh, and the anchovy paste in here does not make it taste fishy.
It just gives it a little different saltiness than adding salt.
If the idea of anchovy paste skeevs you out, just omit it.
If you think it needs to be saltier, just add a little sea salt to taste.

romaine salad with blue cheese vinaigrette


4-6 servings


1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
(Maytag is nice. I used Salem. Whatever you like would work.)
3 hearts of romaine lettuce
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced


Whisk together olive oil, chives, vinegar,
anchovy paste and garlic in medium bowl.
Whisk in blue cheese crumbles.
Use a fork to smash some of the cheese,
but leave some pieces whole.

Season with pepper to taste.


To compose salad there are many options.

Chop the lettuce, halve the hearts into wedges or pull the leaves off
and layer them on the plate (which is what I did).


Rewhisk dressing just before adding to lettuce.
Drizzle over lettuce and sprinkle with sliced onion.



I think this would also be great with some bacon on it.
I mean, bacon. Duh!

Also some halved grape tomatoes would be tasty.
Maybe some avocado.
Radish.
Whatever you like would work.


I kept this one simple and it was perfect.

I also think you could use feta cheese if you don't like blue.


Me? I love blue.

mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts

It has been quite warm here the past few days.

My plan, since I had four days off work, was to cook up a storm.

But it is almost too hot to even think about cooking.

At least cooking in the house.

But Saturday was manfriend's birthday and he wanted chocolate-rum cake.

I figured since I already had the oven on for that I would try some mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts.

I saw the recipe in the June 2008 issue of Bon Apetit.

I really like goat cheese and these looked easy.

The trick is that you use premade pie crusts for the tart crust.

They were really good.

I think, since I am more likely to have puff pastry than pie crusts in my freezer that I will try them with puff pastry next time.

And I would imagine you can use something other than the zucchini if you don't like that or don't have it.

Maybe red peppers, mushrooms, a bit of sundried tomato... So many possibilities.

Oh, and I did not make as many as this recipe calls for. I just made enough for me and the manfriend. That was four each.

This recipe says it makes six servings, or 24 pieces.

Mini zucchini and goat cheese tarts

1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15 ounce package)

2.5 pounds zucchini (1-inch diameter) cut into 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick slices

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional oil for drizzling

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (lemon or regular)

3 ounces soft, fresh goat cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

black pepper

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place pie crust on floured surface.

Using 1.5 to 1.75 inch cookie or biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out 24 pieces; transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart.

Place in freezer until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss sliced zucchini with salt and let sit 15 minutes.

Drain, rinse and pat dry.

Toss zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil and thyme; sprinkle with pepper.

Spread goat cheese generously over each piece of dough.

Fold 3-4 zucchini slices in half and place on goat cheese, making a flower-like or criss-cross pattern.

Repeat until all pieces are assembled.

Reserve any extra zucchini for another purpose.

Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake until crusts are light golden, about 20 minutes.

Transfer to serving dish.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

The recipe did not call for it, but I had some extra grape tomatoes.

I sliced some up to add to the top of the tarts before serving.

It gave it another flavor and a punch of color.

I barely had them on the plates and garnished before
manfriend was trying to sneak a taste.

red snapper Vera Cruz style

So it's not like I haven't cooked at all in the past month.

I just haven't cooked anything very interesting or blog worthy.

I've grilled some steaks.

I've made some pastas.

I've made various fish and chicken dishes.

All pretty routine.

But since yesterday was Cinco de Mayo,

I wanted to do Mexican food.

But something different than

tacos, enchiladas or burritos.

So I made red snapper Vera Cruz, green rice

and those pickled spicy carrots.

Here I will share the snapper recipe with you.

It's a simple preparation that probably would

work just as well with halibut or tilapia or some other similar white fish.

I think it would even be good with chicken.

Red Snapper Vera Cruz style

4 snapper fillets, 6 ounces each

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (I used a sweet variety), finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 large tomatoes or 4 small tomatoes, chopped

(I used 2 small red tomatoes and 2 small yellow tomatoes)

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

I skipped olives, which also go in this dish.

The manfriend is not a fan of olives.

But if you like them, throw in

1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped.

Salt and pepper the fish on both sides.

Heat olive oil in a non-corrosive saute pan over high heat,

add fish and cook a few minutes on each side.

I tried to build up a crunchiness to it, hence the high heat.

Once fish is done, remove from pan and cover.

Reduce heat on pan to medium-high

and add onions and garlic. Cook until soft.

Add the wine and cook until it is reduced.

Add the tomatoes, capers and pepper

(and olives if you like 'em) and bring to a boil.

Cook until reduced and it starts to thicken.

Reduce heat and add fish. Cook for 2 minutes.

Serve fish with the onion/tomato mixture on top.

Garnish with lemon or lime wedges.

This came out nice. It was pretty light.

The sauce is meant to be redder than mine was.

But I used red and yellow tomatoes.

It still tasted good and I wanted to experiment with the yellows.

For the green rice, just make your favorite type of white rice.

When it is done, add in some of your favorite green salsa.

I just do this to taste.

I will post the carrot recipe separately in the next day or so.

Tomato tart (on phyllo dough crust)

This recipe was passed along from my friend, Jennifer. She made it for the main course at our last stampers gathering.

I used it as a savory bite to go along with the tea sandwiches and cake at a little luncheon I had at my house over the weekend.

It is very easy to make and has a beautiful presentation.

I had a lot of the ingredients left over, so I made another tart this morning and took it to work.

I was very popular today.

Tomato tart

6 sheets phyllo (may also be spelled fillo or filo) dough, thawed

(Look for it in the freezer section near the puff pastry)

6 tbsp. butter, melted

6 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 medium onion, very thinly sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/8-in thick slices

1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp. fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lay 1 sheet phyllo on paper and brush lightly with a little melted butter.

Sprinkle all over with 1 tbsp Parmesan.

Repeat layering 5 more times (with phyllo, butter and Parmesan), pressing each layer firmly so it sticks to the sheet below.

Lay the last phyllo sheet on top, brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp Parmesan.

Scatter onion across top, sprinkle with mozzarella and arrange tomato slices in a single layer.

Sprinkle with thyme and basil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until phyllo is golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes, then serve.

Makes about 20 3-in squares.

Note: cut tomatoes very thinly so juice evaporates while baking, or dough will be soggy.

I pretty much followed this to a T. But I did not add salt. I figured Parmesan is usually salty enough.

Oh and the original recipe only called for thyme.

I like a little more herb, so I added the basil.

The second time I made it I used oregano and basil instead of thyme and basil.

I think pretty much any combo of thyme, basil and oregano would be fine.

I think dill or tarragon or sage might not be the right flavor with the tomato and cheeses though.

And when I cut it, I cut it into smaller pieces. It ended up being one lovely Roma slice in the middle of each piece of tart. I got 30 pieces out of it.

The dough, which is very fragile when you are handling it, holds up really well to the tomato. I think the Parmesan acts as a good binder in there.

Next time I make this I want to experiment with some different veggies. Maybe toss some red and yellow peppers on there or some mushrooms.

The key with the veggies will be to make sure they are sliced thin enough so they don't sog down the dough. And if juicy Romas work, a pepper should be just fine.

Walnut-pear sour cream cake

This is one of my go-to cakes.

I have made it for teas and baby showers.

I have made it for potlucks and sit-down dinner parties.

I have made it for stamping brunches and just to take to work and share.

I like the pears. They are a bit unexpected. Most people would expect apple, I think.

Usually I get whatever pears look best. This time I used Bartletts.

Oh, and my recipe is modified from the BH&G one. I like more nuts and more topping. So I upped the amounts of those.

My modified version is below.

If you don't want it so nutty, click here for the non-modified version.

Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Cake

(based on Better Homes and Gardens Magazine - October 1999)

(topping and filling)

2 cups broken walnuts

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

(cake)

2-3 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced (about 2 cups)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 8-oz. carton dairy sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9x9x2-inch baking pan.
(I like a springform because it looks so pretty on the plate when you take it out of the pan.)

Combine the nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon.

For topping, cut the 1/2 cup butter into 2/3 cup flour to make coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the nut mixture.

Set nut mixture and the topping aside.

For cake:

Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl beat 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar and vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to batter. Beat on low speed after each addition until combined.

Spread two-thirds of the batter batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved nut mixture.

Layer pears over top.

Gently spread remaining batter over pears.

Sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.

Remove side of springform pan, if using.

Cool at least 1 hour.

Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 12.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Now, I like the whipped cream idea just fine.

But even better is to take some extra sour cream, mix in a bit of milk to make it more like a sauce and add a bit of brown sugar.

It should be a bit sweet, just to take the edge off the sour cream. But not too sweet. The cake is sweet enough.

Then I drizzle that over the cake.

Yummmmm!