Tarragon Pasta Salad.

I love the taste of tarragon.  I know some people don't care for it, but if you do, here's a recipe I adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.  The original called for asparagus, but (gasp) I'm kinda tired of asparagus.  Plus my wonderful husband likes "protein" in every meal, so I added some chicken.  This is a great, light and light-tasting pasta salad, not oily at all.   Here's what I did:

• Tarragon Pasta Salad with Prosciutto, Chicken, and Romano
• 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni (I used rotini)
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 2 chicken breasts
• 6 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for chicken
•  Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup packed)
• 
  
• Preparation
• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.
• 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add prosciutto, and cook for 6 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove prosciutto from pan using a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in pan. Drain prosciutto on paper towels. Add the shallots to drippings in pan; cook over medium heat for 1 minute or until shallots are tender, stirring frequently.
• 3.  Add remaining olive oil to skillet.  Flatten chicken breasts to even thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.  Cook chicken about 5 minutes or until browned; turn and cook on other side until brown.  Chicken should be just barely done.  Remove from pan, wrap in aluminum foil and let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove from foil and chop.
• 4. Combine mayonnaise, lemon rind, tarragon, juice, pepper, and salt in a large bowl; stir well. Add pasta, prosciutto, shallots, tomato, chopped chicken, and cheese; toss well to coat. 

Perfect Summer Sunday Supper

Just had this for Sunday supper:  Orecchiette with Peas, Shrimp, and Buttermilk-Herb Dressing.  Delicious!  It's a Cooking Light recipe, from the June issue.

I couldn't find orecchiette, so I substituted campanelle, which looks like a little trumpet flower and is the right size.  Also, I doubled the shrimp.  Next time I may halve the dill, as it was a little much.  But then, I had just picked it from the garden, so maybe it was super-fresh!

Week of January 16 - 22

This was pretty much a Cooking Light week!

Sunday -  Fettucine with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts  This doesn't sound good, but it was fantastic.
Monday - Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers  Also very good.
Tuesday - Had a meeting, so Walter was on his own
Wednesday - Honestly cannot remember what we ate...I just know I didn't fix what was on my list!
Thursday - Mexican Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa
Friday - International Date Night - went to Huey's
Saturday - our favorite Memphis Pizza Cafe pizza

Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts

Pasta of the Month.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture, about 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tablespoon hazelnuts)


1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped blanched hazelnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 (4-ounce) packages presliced exotic mushroom blend
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives


CALORIES 364 ; FAT 16.5g (sat 5.7g,mono 7.6g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 204mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.2g; SODIUM 563mg; PROTEIN 16.8g; FIBER 3.2g; IRON 2.4mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011





Look for blanched hazelnuts, which should have most or all of their skins removed.

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. While water for pasta comes to a boil, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Add oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add garlic and mushrooms to pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Sauté mushroom mixture for 5 minutes; stir in sage. Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; toss well to combine. Remove from heat; top with cheese, toasted hazelnuts, and chives.

Week of Oct 17 - 23

Sunday morning my wonderful husband made Bud's French Toast for breakfast!  We were going to ride our bikes on the Greenline, but my bike's front tire was "flatter than a fritter" so we just took a walk around our neighborhood.

Remember the pizza I made last week with the butternut squash?  Well, the squash showed up again in this bisque that I made for lunch.  I substituted my leftover carmelized onions for the shallots, and I used the leftover bechamel sauce to come up to 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk.  It was very good, but I think I'll add about half again more squash next time.  I also made Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits from a recipe that I got from Smitten Kitchen.  As you may know, I'm on a mission to duplicate the wonderful cheese biscuits that they serve at Kojay's in Blowing Rock.  Kojay's is very stingy with their recipe!  Today's biscuits weren't even close, but they were good just the same.  They have Jalapeno peppers in them, so they have a little kick.

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits

No cooking Sunday night - our homeowners association had our annual fish-fry, yummy!

This was a fairly busy week for me as I had several site visits for the Women's Foundation.  So I fell back on what my family considers "favorites."  These are very quick, very easy, very good, and very inexpensive dishes that they request over and over.  I'll set up a page with links to these recipes so that they're easy to find.  These are the tried and true dinners that get my highest recommendation!

Monday 10-18-10

Summer Sausage Skillet Supper

Boys love this - Walter will even eat leftovers!  I cook this a lot on class nights cause I can fix it before I leave and it's on the stove for Walter when he gets home.

Tuesday 10-19-10

Chicken Salad

A couple of weeks ago in needlepoint class, we were comparing what we had brought for lunch and my friend Leslie had chicken salad.  So we started talking about the multitude of recipes for chicken salad and Leslie said one of her favorites was from the 1964 Women's Exchange Cookbook.  The Women's Exchange is a Memphis institution.  They have a tearoom (fabulous food!) and a shop where they sell exquisite handmade items to support the women who make the items and to fund their various charitable projects.  I asked Leslie to send me the recipe and I made it today.  It's very different from the recipe I usually make.  I like pecans and grapes in mine; this one has almonds and capers.  But I have to say it's pretty good.  I coated the chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkled them with kosher salt and pepper, roasted them in a 450 degree oven until the internal temperature was 165, then covered them and let them rest for about 10 minutes.  Usually I flatten the breasts to an even thickness then saute them, but this worked just as well and was not as messy.  I doubled the recipe because I wanted to take some to my neighbor who has just had some surgery. 


Wednesday 10-20-10

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops
Rice
English Peas (yes, from a can!)
Buttery Pecan Rounds & Ice Cream

My former neighbor and soul sister, Tandy Gilliland, was in town and came over for dinner.  She lives in Lexington, KY now but still has ties to Memphis.  It was so good to catch up with her!  One of my PAR buddies, Kay McAdams, brought these cookies to the picnic Saturday and she kindly sent me the recipe.  I served them with ice cream, really frozen vanilla yogurt.  Delish!

By the way, my favorite frozen yogurt is Fresh Market's Homemade brand.  It has just the right flavor and consistency and no yucky aftertaste.


Thursday 10-21-10

Fiesta Enchiladas

First I have to say that I met with my needlepoint group today and took some of the chicken salad and cheddar bisquits for my lunch.  The ladies loved both, but the big hit was the container of Buttery Pecan Rounds.  We even got a lot of stitching done between the eating and talking!  I'm almost finished with my current piece, which is a good thing since we're supposed to start a new piece soon.  I'll post a picture, hopefully in a couple of days.

Fiesta Enchiladas is another family favorite.  Very easy and tasty and quick.

Friday, 10-22-10

Ok, my kitchen is closed for the week.  Friday is International Date Night, you know, and tonight we're going to see Wicked at the Orpheum.  We have dinner reservations at Felicia Suzanne's (no relation, darnit!)  Have a great weekend!

Summer Sausage Skillet Supper

Summer Sausage Skillet Supper (aka SSSS)

This is one of Walter’s favorites.  He’ll even eat leftovers of this!

8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked, drained, and set aside

1 14 oz pkg turkey smoked sausage (e.g. Healthy Choice)

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped celery

1 ½ teaspoon olive oil

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded 2 % cheddar cheese

Hot sauce to taste

1.  Cut sausage into ¼” slices.  In a large, deep skillet, cook sausage, onion, celery & green pepper in oil over medium until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add macaroni, tomatoes, and seasonings; stir well.  Cook uncovered approx 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.

3.  Sprinkle cheddar over mixture and stir to melt cheese and combine.

4.  Add hot sauce to taste.

Makes about 8 cups.

Week of Oct 10-16

Sunday I went to see the Tennessee Shakespeare Company's production of Othello.  It was fantastic!  We're so lucky to have so many Shakespeare resources here.  The TSC has a great program going into local schools to introduce kids to Shakespeare.  Check it out.

I got home around 5:15 and, of course, Walter was starving.  So I made a pasta dish that I'd gotten from a weekly e-newsletter that I get from The Splendid Table.  It came together very quickly, but it was just ok.  It had a sauce that was basically ricotta cheese and we didn't care too much for it.  For a quick dish, I'd probably say do the pasta and the sweet italian sausage part, but use a good bottled marinara sauce instead of the ricotta cheese.  Here's the recipe, Rigatoni alla Pastora, so you can judge for yourself.


I was on my own again Monday night (do I even have a husband?) so just ate leftover salad before I went to class.  Ice cream afterwards, of course!

Tuesday 10/12/10

Chicken Saltimbocca
Orzo
Broccoli

I got the chicken recipe from a weekly email I get from one of my favorite recipe sources, Cook's Illustrated.  You can sign up for their Notes from the Test Kitchen here.  Like Sunday's pasta, it was a little bland for our tastes, but very pretty.  I cooked the orzo al dente, then tossed it with a little olive oil and some grated romano.  It was good.  Broccoli is broccoli.

Wednesday 10/13/10

Butternut, Goat Cheese & Argula Pizza

I cut this recipe out of the Commercial Appeal.  Shelley Baltz writes a cooking column for the paper and also has the blog, Morsels and Moments, which I have listed to the side.  Making this pizza is not for the faint of heart!  IF I do it again, I'll make the bechamel sauce and carmelize the onions ahead of time.  All in all this took me about an hour and a half and I was busy the whole time - and used lots of cookware, so cleanup was a lot.  Was it worth it?  I'm not sure, Walter said he liked it.
The good news is that I have leftover squash, onions & bacon.  Sounds like there's roasted butternut squash soup in our future!

Thursday 10/14/10

Leftover pizza (Walter was out of town again!)  The pizza actually tased better warmed up!

Tonight was the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis' Grants Showcase and Volunteer Recognition Event.   I'm very humbled to have been honored as Volunteer of the Year by this great organization.  Truly, when I think of the hundreds of hours invested by hundreds of volunteers, my contribution is very small.  My friends Becky Boone and Joyce Carter were there to share this honor with me.  Walter couldn't be there, but he arranged for flowers to be presented to me along with the engraved plate.  It was a special night.

I'm excited about this honor!

Joyce & me

Rigatoni alla Pastora

October 6, 2010

This is not only a great fast supper, but it is exactly the sort of dish you'd be digging into if you were sitting down to supper in the home of an Italian friend. A few good ingredients, a little pasta water to help them become a sauce, that's what Italian food is all about. If you double up on this recipe, you could have a second supper by moistening the pasta with some broth and baking it in a covered casserole.  This humble recipe uses the ingredients a Calabrian shepherd might have on hand: fresh, homemade ricotta and a little sausage. An even more austere version calls for ricotta only. I pass the ricotta through a sieve to make it creamier, although most Calabrian cooks don't. They simply beat the ricotta with a fork and thin it with hot pasta water. Be sure to use a ridged pasta shape, such as rigatoni or penne rigate, to hold the creamy sauce, and be generous with the black pepper.

Suggested Wine: Salvatore Moletierri Aglianico "Cinque Querce," Irpinia, Campania, a rustic, medium-bodied red wine with a fragrance of black fruits, mint, and baking spices.

Alternate: Syrah

Rigatoni alla Pastora: Shepherd's-Style Rigatoni with Ricotta and Sausage

Reprinted with permission from My Calabria: Rustic Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South by Rosetta Costantino with Janet Fletcher (W. W. Norton & Company; November 8, 2010). Copyright © 2010 by Rosetta Costantino and Janet Fletcher; wine suggestions copyright © 2010 by Shelly Lindgren; photographs copyright © 2010 by Sara Remington. All rights reserved.

Serves 6 to 8

3/4 pound (350 grams) fresh sweet or hot Italian sausage

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound store-bought whole-milk ricotta

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound (450 grams) rigatoni or penne rigate

Freshly grated pecorino cheese, optional

Ground hot red pepper, optional

Remove the sausage casings. With a table knife, break the sausage up into small chunks about the size of an olive. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned all over, about 2 minutes. Keep warm.

Press the ricotta through a sieve into a large serving bowl. Add salt to taste and several grinds of black pepper.  (Not sure why this is done.)

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Add 1/4 cup kosher salt, then add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Just before the pasta is done, whisk a few tablespoons of the hot pasta water into the ricotta to warm it and make it creamy and saucelike.

Set aside about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet with the sausage and toss over high heat just until hot throughout. Transfer the pasta and sausage to the bowl with the ricotta and mix well, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to moisten the pasta. Add pecorino and hot pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

LYNNE'S TIPS

Pecorino is sheep's milk cheese. Hundreds of different ones are made throughout Italy, but the type I think is being referred to here is an aged style that is a grating cheese. Pecorino Romano, which isn't hard to find, would work. If you can find the Sini Fulvi Sini brand, you'll have a superior example.

Fresh ricotta cheese has soft, nearly melting curds and tastes clean and almost sweet in its creaminess. Most of what we have here is a cow cheese, but in southern Italy it's often done with sheep's milk. Freshness is essential with ricotta. If at all possible, taste the cheese before buying. If premium ricotta isn't unavailable, look for whole-milk Polly-O, available in many supermarkets. A sound sheep's milk ricotta is produced by Old Chatham Sheepherders in Old Chatham, New York.

Come to think of it, making your own ricotta is pretty easy.

Homemade Ricotta

For about 1-1/2 pounds of cheese, pour 3 quarts, plus 3 cups whole milk into a stainless steel pot with 1 cup heavy cream (not ultra pasteurized). If possible make them both organic. Line a large sieve with cheese cloth or a thin towel and set it over a medium bowl.

Bring the milk and cream to a very gentle simmer, stir in 2 teaspoons salt and 1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed). Simmer 1 or 2 minutes or until you have cloud-like clumps floating in almost clear liquid. Don't let them cook until they are hard. Scoop them up and into the sieve. Gently press out excess moisture so the cheese isn't soupy. Put into a storage container and chill.