81: Lamb & Veal "Bolognese" / Fresh Spinach, Beet & Egg Fettucine

It’s starting to feel a lot like the holidays! I wanted to make something that looked seasonal, and I also wanted to continue my winter tradition of slow cooking. Even though I made this in the "holiday spirit," this is really just a great cold weather meal.

I knew exactly what I was making when I saw the tri color fresh pasta at the grocery store. I mean, fresh pasta says it all. I’ve made a lamb or veal bolognese many times before, but I had never combined the two meats into one. The result: An incredibly tender and flavorful meat sauce that dances on the palate with the different types of pasta. The beet pasta was by far my favorite of the bunch. Any meat or Italian food lover will enjoy this dinner.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 pound ground veal

Will’s Holy Trinity

--1 leek, thinly sliced

--1 medium carrot, diced

--1 small fennel bulb, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 cup dry red wine

1.5 cup chicken broth

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

Tomato paste, 1 good large spoonful

Bouquet garni of rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley

1 pound fresh tri color fettuccine pasta

Parmigiano-reggiano, large shred for garnish

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley, minced for garnish

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a Dutch oven, and sauté the Holy Trinity for about 10-12 minutes with good bit of salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and add veal and lamb to cook until browned, somewhere between 5-10 minutes. Stir to break up clumps.  Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, bouquet garni, and wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. Discard bouquet garni.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 2 minutes; drain. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

75: Orzo / Shrimp & Bacon / Roasted Tomoatoes & Broccoli / Pecorino Romano

I opened the refrigerator, and this recipe is what I created. I make a shrimp stock on the fly to serve as the sauce. This dinner comes out light and flavorful. The bacon adds a rich, crisp flavor, while the tomatoes add acidity and broccoli another layer of crunch and complexity, made complete with a little pecorino romano to round out the dish.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 cup (uncooked) orzo

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup shallots, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Handful of broccoli florets, chopped

Pecorino romano, grated

Fresh basil , chopped

Olive oil

Salt + pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions, without salt or olive oil. There will be plenty in the rest of the cooking.

While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. There should be a thin layer of water from the shrimp counteracting the oil. This is your shrimp stock. Saute shrimp for about 4-5 minutes. Strain shrimp into a bowl, reserving the shrimp stock.

Add olive oil to the same pan. Add onion, garlic, and salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, so the mixture doesn’t burn in the pan. Add tomatoes and broccoli now, and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.

Now stir in the orzo, shrimp, and basil until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately, and use additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Enjoy!!

48: Steamed Mussels / White Wine Garlic Broth / Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes / Capellini Pasta

Yum. You may notice that I cook back-to-back meals with mussels when I do cook mussels. This happens because I can’t turn down the affordability of fresh PEI mussels at $3/lb at Eastern Market. I usually pick up two pounds, and you must use mussels within a couple days before they lose flavor. Everybody must be in the mood for mussels because all three of my previous mussels recipes were viewed this weekend. You can't go wrong with mussels, especially when the weather warms up.

Tonight’s dinner features slow roasted cherry tomatoes with an elegantly simple white wine broth with butter and garlic. I steamed the mussels ahead of time in water, and then I removed them from their shells to make an easy-to-eat meal. Prep goes pretty quick with two people. The roasting of cherry tomatoes brings out their bright flavor and adds a distinct flavor. Plus, they help with texture. I roasted the tomatoes after breakfast because I knew I had a couple hours to kill. Capellini pasta is all I had on hand, and the lighter nature of the pasta pairs well with the overall delicate nature of the dish. Capellini also cooks rather quickly once in the water, about 3-4 minutes for al dente texture.

We drank a soave from Italy with dinner. Soave is an excellent warm weather white wine with its vibrant and citrusy appeal with a crisp finish.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb pound of mussels

Enough pasta for two people

1/4 cup shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved and insides removed

2 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 stick of butter

Olive oil

1 lemon wedge

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly toss tomatoes in olive oil, and then lay them out in a single layer in a baking dish with the open part facing up. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast in oven for 2-2.5 hours. You want them to be really wrinkled looking but not burnt. Let cool and store at room temperature until ready for us. You could make a huge batch of these for future use as they keep incredibly well.

Soak mussels in cold water for 10 minutes, rinse and repeat. Discard open mussels as these are dead. Quick tip: Tap mussels to see if they will close. They are still alive and good to use if they close. Yes, the living mussels with close their shells when tapped. Pretty cool, I know. Anyways, boil 1 cup of water in a pan to steam the mussels. Drain mussels and add to pan when water is boiling, and then place the cover on for 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, start water for pasta, and cook according to package. Remove mussels from heat, and then remove them from their shells, set aside. Discard shells. Dump out the water from the pan, but don’t wipe it clean.

Add butter to the pan you cooked the mussels in and cook over medium heat. Let butter melt and cook for additional minute. Now add the garlic and onion, and sauté until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by half, about 5 minutes, by cooking on high heat. Zest the lemon wedge into the white wine. Add mussels and cherry tomatoes to this broth and cook for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Plate your food and garnish with fresh basil and fresh squeezed lemon from the wedge.

Enjoy!

41: Veal "Bolognese" / Spinach Fettuccine / Pecorino

I was wrong when I said the braised short ribs would probably be my last slow cooked meal of the season. We got a rude shot of winter this past week, even a dusting of snow overnight. None of that stopped me from cooking veal bolognese tonight, however.

Veal is a tender meat and low in fat. I didn’t get all five hour on it this time because veal doesn’t need to cook that long. I picked up some fresh pasta from the market. Spinach’s slightly bitter flavor blends well with flour, almost sweetens it, and the nutty pecorino cheese brings it all together.

This dinner pairs well with a sangiovese, so we drank a multipulciano d’abruzzo with it – match made in heaven.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 pound ground veal

1/3 pound pancetta, diced

Will’s Holy Trinity

--1 leek, thinly sliced

--1 medium carrot, diced

--1 small fennel bulb, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry red wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

Tomato paste, 1 good large spoonful

Bouquet garni of rosemary, thyme, parsley, mint, thyme

1 pound spinach fettuccine pasta

Pecorino cheese, grated

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parsley, minced for garnish

Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven like you would bacon for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove pancetta bits and set aside. Add oil to the pancetta grease and sauté the Holy Trinity about 10 minutes, or until tender. Increase heat to high and add veal and pancetta to cook until browned, somewhere between 5-10 minutes. Stir to break up clumps.  Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, bouquet garni, and wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, but go light on the salt since the pancetta and cheese will lend saltiness. Discard bouquet garni.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 2 minutes; drain. Plate pasta with sauce over it and add cheese with garnish.

Enjoy!

18: Steamed Mussels / Herbed-Champagne Broth with Smoked Sausage & Fennel / Squid Ink Linguine

You might recognize this recipe as similar to the mussels dinner last night, but the flavor profiles of the broth are completely different. Tonight’s broth was champagne-based, which makes for a lighter sauce. I substitute smoked sausage and mushrooms for the tomatoes and saffron, creating a less acidic and more savory sauce. Additionally, the bread is replaced with fresh squid ink linguine I bought from a local farmer through my Arganica Farm Club membership. Squid ink gives the pasta a subtle sea flavor. I think you’ll like both styles, and, really, it’s just a matter of preference. You could always make both, even on the same night, and let me know which style you like better.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1/3 cup diced onion

-3 minced cloves of garlic

-1 cup champagne

-1 cup seafood/fish stock

-half of a medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

-mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (important - google it!)

-1 smoked sausage, diced

-3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

-1 big handful of pasta

-olive oil

-parsley and basil, chopped

You'll want to de-beard your mussels before you do anything else, if necessary.

You’re going to need a pan deep enough to hold two cups of liquid, plus veggies. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sauté the onions on medium heat until soft, just a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or so. It should start smelling really good now. Now add the fennel, and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Start pasta water while fennel cooks (You may need to start the water sooner if you’re cooking dry pasta). Add the mushrooms and sausage, and cook for two minutes more. Turn the heat to high, add the champagne, fish stock, and herbs. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat back to high on the sauce, and add the mussels. Cover the pan, bring the heat down to medium, and cook for about five minutes. Drop fresh pasta in water for two minutes, drain. Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.

Serve in a bowl with the broth and all and enjoy!

17: Steamed Mussels / Saffron Tomato Broth with Fennel / Toasted Whole Grain Baguette

Amber got me a membership to Arganica Farm Club for Christmas, and fresh mussels from Rhode Island were one of the options to choose from. This is a delicate dinner, and we chose to have it with a toasted whole grain baguette. You could easily have this with pasta as well.

We paired this dinner with J Vineyards Chardonnay from California, but I found it to be a little too full bodied for this meal. A sauvignon blanc or lighter chardonnay would go well here. Please enjoy this treat from Southern France.

Ingredients and Directions:

-1 diced shallot

-2 minced cloves of garlic

-1 large diced tomato

-1 pinch of saffron

-1 cup white wine

-1 cup seafood/fish stock

-1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

-mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (important - google it!)

-1 baguette cut into four pieces

-olive oil

-parsley for garnish

You'll want to de-beard your mussels before you do anything else, if necessary.

You’re going to need a pan deep enough to hold two cups of liquid, plus tomatoes and mussels. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sauté the shallots on medium-high heat until soft, just a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or so. It should start smelling really good now. Turn the heat to high, and add the tomatoes, wine, fish stock, and saffron. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while the sauce comes to a boil to simmer. Brush the baguette with olive oil on both sides with a pinch of salt over each piece. Add the bread to the oven until golden brown, probably 8-10 minutes.

Turn the heat back to high on the sauce after the bread has been in the oven for a couple minutes, and add the fennel and the mussels. Cover the pan, bring the heat down to medium, and cook. The mussels should be done in about five minutes. Turn off the heat, and leave the pan covered if the bread isn’t ready yet.  Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.

Serve in a bowl with the broth and all, garnish, and enjoy!

15: Balsamic/Thyme-Glazed Pork Chop / Olive Oil-coated Whole Wheat Pasta / Broccoli / Mushrooms / Tomatoes

Ahh, yes, a savory and sauce-less pasta accompaniment to slightly sweetened pork chop. Not much hype here, but I should warn you that I didn’t use exact measurements on anything.

We paired this light and lovely dish with Fabbioli Cellars Chambourcin 2006 from Virginia. The chambourchin is a lighter style red with good red berry and currant flavor, nicely set against soft tannins and a lush mouth feel.

Ingredients and Directions:

-2 pork chops

-2 cloves minced garlic

-2 tbs chopped thyme

-balsamic vinegar

-whole wheat pasta

-small diced tomatoes

-sliced broccoli florets

-sliced baby bellas

-olive oil

-butter (optional)

-chopped sage and parsley

-salt and pepper to taste

First you’ll need to marinade the pork chops. In a bowl, combine the balsamic (enough to coat pork but not soak), garlic, and thyme. Be sure to use a flat surface container to refrigerate the marinade-covered pork chops. I refrigerated the pork for four hours, turning once midway through.

The key here is to cook the veggies to be done a couple minutes after the pasta is drained, all the while sautéing the pork. Everything should be done at the same time.

Boil your pasta water while you prep the veggies and herbs (sage and parsley). Cook your pasta while you sauté the veggies and herbs. Heat pan on medium heat with olive oil and butter. Add half the sage and rosemary to the heated butter and oil – let cook for one minute. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and sauté for 5-6 minutes with salt and pepper.  You should be cooking the pork chops at the same time on medium heat, using minimal salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta, tomatoes, and remaining sage and parsley to the veggie mixture. Cook for a couple minutes to warm the tomatoes and pasta.

Serve the pasta with a little olive oil drizzled over the mixture. Add the pork chop to the plate.

Enjoy!

4: Dinner With My Neighbors

After making this homemade pesto sauce I sat down for dinner with my neighbors to catch up.  I have lived next door to them April 2009. They have become good friends, and it had been awhile since we all enjoyed a meal together. The homemade pesto sauce was the highlight of our meal, so of course I had I had to blog about it with a picture.

They cooked fresh pasta to toss in the pesto as well as a butter-coated biscuit loaf, and a salad of fresh arugula and broccoli from the farmer’s market and a balsamic/olive oil vin to top the salad. I paired a trebbiano d’abruzzo with this meal. The floral essence, pear and apple flavors, and crisp nature of this wine cut through the creaminess of the meal quite nicely.

I’ll be adding some of my favorite recipes over the course of the next couple weeks. Some personal highlights include bolognese, silky cauliflower soup, and branzino. Stay tuned!

1: Scallops & Shrimp / Champange Sauce with Mushrooms & Broccoli / Whole Wheat Penne

Welcome to my food blog! I started this food blog to share my experiences with food, wine, and people. The act of sitting down to share a meal with great company is a centerpiece of many cultures. It allows time for family and friends to catch up, discuss current issues, laugh, and strengthen any bond. A good meal is an amazing experience, and I hope you will enjoy the recipes and stories shared within. I love hearing feedback and trading recipes, so don't be shy in the comments section.

This inaugural post includes a dinner I made for the first time tonight, and it is inspired by my love of classical French cooking, with a New World twist of course. This is nice well-balanced meal. The tender and sweet nature of the bay scallops is wonderfully contrasted against the rich sauce that is surprisingly light. The mushrooms help ground the flavor while the broccoli brightens up the dish, with a dash of fresh chopped thyme and lemon zest rounding out the flavor profile quite well. We drank a New Zealand sauvignon blanc with this dinner, but you may consider a pinot grigio if you prefer a cleaner, crisper finish to your wine. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be tweaked in so many ways, but give it a try this way first!

Ingredients and Directions:

-whole wheat penne pasta

-3/4 pound of fresh bay scallops

-1/4 pound of fresh shrimp, deveined and peeled

-1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

-1 cup broccoli cut in small pieces

-2 tablespoons minced white onion

-2 garlic cloves minced

-1 cup dry champagne

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1 cup water

-3 tablespoons butter

-2 tablespoons all purpose flour

-sea salt and pepper to taste

-fresh thyme chopped for garnish

-lemon juice or fresh lemon zest for garnish

Choose a 12-14 inch pan. Coat the cold pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, onion, garlic, champagne, water and salt and pepper to the cold skillet. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Create a paste with the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter while waiting for sauce to boil. This is also a good time to begin cooking the pasta according to directions on package. Reduce heat to low once the sauce is boiling and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove ingredients from the sauce and keep at room temperature.

Return the sauce to stove top and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce sauce by about half, about 10 minutes, and add the paste and cream to thicken. Return to a rolling boil, making sure to continuously whisk until all of the paste is dissolved. Steam the broccoli while waiting for the stock to boil again. When broccoli is done steaming, add the seafood and all vegetables to the sauce. Bring to a boil one final time and serve immediately over a plate of pasta. Garnish with chopped thyme and a dash of lemon juice or fresh lemon zest.

Enjoy!