Summer Vegetable Pasta

Whenever I'm in a farmer's market, I get a serious case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach. I want to buy everything, and I grossly overestimate how much I'll actually be cooking that week.
 
This past weekend was no exception. Two of my awesome girlfriends spent the weekend, and we hit up the farmer's market before breakfast. Not knowing what we'd wind up cooking that day, I stocked up on everything- peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, fruit, you name it.
 
And as is usually the case with us, we skipped past the vegetables in favor of scrambled eggs with brie, and I found myself with a nice little bounty for the week ahead.
 
Which is where this yummy summer pasta comes in. This is my favorite type of meal to make: an assortment of vegetables, sauteed in oil, deglazed with wine, and finished off with Parmesan and fresh herbs.
 
I'm going to attempt to provide you with a technique, not a recipe, because the beauty of this dish is its flexibility. You can start your saute with onions, garlic, fennel, and any vegetable,  add in anchovies, or tomato paste, or swap the wine for lemon juice, finish with butter.  I don't like to provide exact quantities because you can do whatever you want. If you love eggplant, add a whole one. If zucchini's not your favorite, add a tiny bit.
 
Summer Vegetable Pasta (Serves 2-4)
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 a large eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 a medium sized zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup sliced baby portabello mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped mixed herbs- I used parsley and basil
2 smashed garlic cloves
1/4 dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock (I throw a teaspoon of bouillon in a measuring cup and pour water out of my tea kettle, but you can be fancy
1 box pasta (I used a mix of gemelli and rotelli, was trying to use up those awkward half boxes!)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
 
In a large skillet, saute olive oil and garlic until golden. Add in all your vegetables, and saute about 8 minutes, until golden.

Add white wine to pan and bring to a boil. Let wine reduce by at least  half, and then add chicken stock.  Add pasta to your pot of boiling water, and let vegetable mix simmer and reduce a little while pasta cooks.

Drain pasta and add to sauce. Cook together for one minute, then top with parmesan cheese and herbs.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti alla Checca

One stand at my local farmer's market has the most incredible yellow cherry tomatoes.  They are sweet and delicious and taste like summer.

I wanted a way to use these beauties in an uncooked tomato sauce, so I test drove an old recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' first cookbook- Checca Sauce, an uncooked mix of tomatoes, scallions, and fresh mozzarella. It came together in a few quick pulses in the food processor, and perfectly showcased the taste of summer.

Spaghetti all Checca, from Giada de Laurentiis
The original recipe calls for raw garlic; I hate the taste of that so I modified it slightly by cooking the garlic. 

1 box thin spaghetti
4 scallions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
2 pints cherry tomatoes- use fresh, in-season tomatoes! No plastic packaged grocery store tomatoes here
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

Saute the garlic clove in oil until lightly golden. Toss garlic clove and set oil aside to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add lots of salt and your spaghetti.

In your food processor, pulse scallions, tomatoes, half of the basil, Parmesan, and reserved oil until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Do not puree.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Top pasta with tomato mixture, adding pasta water if it looks a little dry. Toss with remaining basil leaves, salt, pepper, and fresh mozzarella. Serve immediately.

The Best Breakfast Dish

Frittats are my favorite thing to serve for a group brunch.  I’m never satisfied with a weekend breakfast that doesn’t include eggs, but they’re not exactly easy to prepare for a group. I mean, what would Ina say if you stood there and made individual omelets?  A frittata makes things simple, allows for endless combinations of fillings, and is great at room temperature, so you can make it in advance.

I toss all my ingredients in a pie dish and just bake it, skipping the stovetop step- so this is a good recipe if you don’t own an oven-safe pan.  I like the nine inch white pie dish from Wilton, which is under $10.

My favorite frittata is the potato, bacon, and feta frittata from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. I roast the potatoes the night before so I can assemble everything quickly in the morning. Sometimes, I also add fresh arugula.

 

Potato, Bacon, Feta Frittata, from Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman
Serves 6 as part of a brunch buffet, 4 if serving alone
 

5 large Yukon Gold potatoes

2/3 cup crumbled feta

8 large eggs

2 scallions, sliced

5 strips bacon , crumbled (I actually use the precooked kind that you can just microwave)

2 tbsp milk or cream

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.
 

Peel potatoes and slice very thinly on a mandolin. Arrange in a single layer (fine if a few overlap) on a baking sheet, and coat with olive oil, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 mins, until crispy around edges.  You can do this step the night before, or boil the slices for 7 minutes if you are pressed for time.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, and a little more salt and pepper.

Spray a 9 inch pie dish evenly with nonstick spray, and arrange the potatoes in the bottom.  Top with the bacon, then feta, then scallions, and pour egg mixture over. 

Cover dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until puffed and set in center. Sometimes, I will also carefully broil it for just a minute or so to give it a nice golden look. Be careful- don't overdo that!

**If you want to make this (or any frittata) for a larger group, up to 12 as part of a brunch buffet, use 12 eggs and plan to bake it for 55 minutes at 375.  You’ll need a bigger pie dish- I use a 12" from Emile Henry.  

No Boys Allowed: Pasta with Goat Cheese and Asparagus

I hear one day it will be spring. I'm seeing only evidence to the contrary, as it's been the longest winter ever, but I'm still holding out for some sunshine. And when it's here, the farmer's markets will be packed with the best spring goodies, especially my favorite, skinny green asparagus.

Which are important for this dish that I've dubbed "No Boys Allowed Pasta." It's definitely "girl" food: strands of thin spaghetti, tossed with tangy goat cheese, asparagus, and chopped kalamatas. It's light yet flavorful. I threw it together one night after work and my husband politely declined and actually ordered himself wings.

His loss. This was a delicious, refreshing meal, perfect for a springtime lunch or light dinner with your best girl friends. It comes together in the time it takes to boil water for pasta, making it perfect for an after-work get together.

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Asparagus (adapted from Bon Appetit)
Serves 4

1 box angel hair pasta
1 5 oz log of goat cheese, crumbled
1 lb skinny asparagus, sliced into 1 inch lengths 
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  While water boils, assemble all your ingredients in a large bowl, big enough to hold all the pasta.  Add pasta and asparagus to the pot, and cook until both are al dente, about 3 minutes.

Drain pasta and asparagus, reserving 1/4 cup of cooking liquid.  Add pasta, asparagus, and reserved liquid to bowl, and toss to coat. Add more cooking liquid if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

The Easiest Impressive Appetizer: Fig and Goat Cheese Tarts

Recently, my best friend and her husband came over, and I raided my pantry to come up with a quick appetizer I could serve them before going off to dinner. I came up with a fig and goat cheese tart, made with store-bought phyllo dough shells and prepared fig butter. It was delicious, easy, and elegant, making it a perfect recipe to keep on hand for unexpected company, fancy parties, or just an addition to a holiday buffet.

Fig and Goat Cheese Tarts

1 box store bought phyllo dough tart shells (I use Wegman’s brand)

1 jar fig butter (Found this at Trader Joe’s, they currently have seasonal pumpkin and cranberry versions as well)

1 5oz log goat cheese

Defrost your phyllo shells as necessary according to the package directions. I simply let mine sit out for ten minutes as the oven preheated.

Using a quarter to a half teaspoon measure, drop a small amount of fig butter into each shell. This stuff has a very strong, sweet flavor, so I found that a little goes a long way. Of course, you can adjust this to your taste as necessary.  You will have plenty of fig butter and goat cheese left over.

Crumble off large pieces of goat cheese and place in shell. Again, no exact measurements here- the amount you use will depend on the size of your shell. I use enough to fill the shell, but not to come spilling out over it.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, until the goat cheese is slightly melting and the phyllo shells have turned golden.  Garnish with fresh basil.

You could prepare these up until the baking step and leave in the fridge for a few hours to get them ready before a party. When needed, bake as directed for 10 minutes and serve.

Makes 12 tarts.

This appetizer lends itself to so many variations, beyond just fig and goat cheese. Some ideas:
 

·         Tomatoes and feta

·         Goat cheese and olives

·         Manchego and quince

·         Spinach and artichoke- Whir up some thawed frozen spinach and artichokes with cream cheese in a food processer. Thin with a little cream and bake until golden.

·         Smoked mozzarella and soppresata

·         Mixed sautéed mushrooms

·         Pastry cream and fresh berries, for a dessert variation