Tag: fresh thyme
Zucchini Pesto with Thyme
This is a great sauce to make in the spring/summer. I love making different kinds of pestos to use with pastas, on top of fish or any meat, or even as a sauce for pizza. In fact I have made one in the past which I used in numerous dishes.
This one has fresh thyme paired with pistachios. It is a delicious sauce to simply mix with pasta. I served it with brown rice pasta with some simple chicken on the side. The great thing about this pesto is that kids will eat it.. they have no idea what is in there..
As my daughter was finishing her last bite, I asked her to guess the main ingredient in the pesto.. she had no idea and she was very surprised when I revealed it was zucchini…
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Cauliflower and Pancetta Macaroni and Cheese
I had tons of cauliflower in the fridge and I needed to use it up. I could have made an Indian preparation but thought I should do something different. I had also just bought this weird looking pasta from Whole Foods. It was a spirally one and my daughter thought it was great looking.
I decided to make a macaroni and cheese dish. I started with some chopped pancetta and fresh thyme. I added the chopped cauliflower and sauteed for a few minutes. I then added the flour and made a bechamel sauce. I also had an aged Gruyere- it complements the earthy cauliflower beautifully.
The whole dish took no time to cook. My daughter initially had a closed mind when she heard what was in the dish but one she tasted it, she got over it.
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Orcchiette Pasta with Cauliflower and Sausage
This is a different kind of dish I tried the other day. I don’t end up making pasta as often in the summer months. Most meals are grilled and quick to make. As I have mentioned many times before, my husband loves cauliflower in any form and cuisine. I usually end up making it with Indian flavors- but for this meal I decided to pair it with pasta and sausage. I read a recipe in a magazine where the cauliflower was served in an anchovy sauce- I love anchovies and use them anywhere I can.
So, for this dish, I cooked the sausages with the anchovies, garlic and thyme. Somehow I always think of thyme when I cook with cauliflower- the two work really well together. I roasted the cauliflower in the oven and added the florets to the sausage mixture once they were golden brown. I paired it all with some orcchiette pasta (they look like tiny little ears). I love buying different shaped pasta- it makes for an interesting meal.
To add great texture to the dish, I roasted some leftover bread cut into small pieces with a drizzle of olive oil. Once the croutons were golden brown and crispy, I added them on top.
The pasta was delicious- essentially a one pot meal since it had everything in there.
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the florets on to a lined cookie sheet and drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt. Mix well and bake for 45 minutes or till the florets are golden brown and soft. Keep aside.
- 3 to 4 slices of sour dough bread cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Place the bread pieces on a small lined cookie sheet and drizzle the olive oil. Bake in the same oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or till the bread pieces are golden brown and crunchy. Keep aside.
- 1 four pack chicken sausage, taken out of the casings and crumbled
- 3 to 4 anchovy fillets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- ½ pound orcchiette pasta, cooked al dente
- ½ cup spare pasta water
- ½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- Salt
In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and anchovy fillets. Cook on medium heat for a minute or two. Add the crumbled sausage and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Saute for a minute and add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Add the cauliflower and mix well. Next, add the ricotta cheese and mix well. Cook for another minute or two till the cheese is heated through. Add the salt and taste for seasonings. Serve each plate with a sprinkle of crispy croutons on top.
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Savory Applesauce served with Roast Potatoes and Garlicky Broccolini
I made this dinner a few days ago. When I made the applesauce– pork came to mind. So, I went to Trader Joes and purchased myself a pork tenderloin to serve with the sauce.
I cooked the sauce with some shallots and garlic to make it a bit savory. I marinated the pork with a mixture of garlic, rosemary, thyme and salt. It gave it a delicious flavor that complemented the applesauce really well.
I wasn’t sure what to serve with the pork- but then while I was at the store, I saw broccolini. I have used this vegetable before, so I decided to give it a try. It was delicious with the pork and the potatoes.
I had potatoes at home and decided to try a side dish I saw a few years ago- it’s a Jacques Pepin’s recipe. I made it for Christmas couple of years ago and they were delicious. The potatoes are cooked in chicken broth and butter with some herbs. As the potatoes get soft, smash them a bit with the back of a ladle or a small bowl. As the smashed potatoes cook and brown up, they get crispy on the outside. They are out of this world.
These potatoes will be fabulous for Thanksgiving. Easy and really delicious. I will be posting the broccolini recipe soon as well- it will be ideal for a holiday dinner!
Please go through the blog and choose ‘Holiday Ideas’ to get lots of other ideas for your holiday family dinners. Enjoy the festive time with your loved ones, eating some fabulous dishes! It’s a great time of year!
- 1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, excess fat removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have a digital thermometer ready.
Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper to a mortar and pestle. Pound and mix well and add it to the pork tenderloin covering all sides. Keep aside for about an hour.
Place the tenderloin on a lined cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Roast till the internal temperature is about 145 to 150 degrees. Take out and cover to rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Applesauce with Shallots and Garlic
- 1 cup homemade applesauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, sliced thin
- 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper
In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the applesauce, salt and pepper. Saute till everything is heated through. Serve on top of the pork.
Roasted Potatoes
- 4 medium yellow skinned potatoes, peeled and cut in half
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
In a large non-stick frying pan add the chicken or beef broth. Add the potatoes cut side down. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook the potatoes till almost done- about 15-20 minutes. Take the lid off and increase the heat to evaporate the broth. Once most of the broth is gone, take a small bowl and squish the potatoes down with the back part of the bowl. Brown the squished potatoes till both sides are golden brown. Add salt and pepper and serve.
Marinated Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce
I wanted to come up with an easy, quick, reasonably priced but delicious meal idea for Mother’s Day. I am usually not keen on going out for the big day- all restaurants are packed and serve subpar food- oh, and they charge a lot of money. We usually go out the day before for a nice meal and stay in on Sunday. I usually sleep in and get a beautiful home-made card from Sia- my favorite thing in the whole world- I digress! While I was thinking what to make, brunch came to mind- I guess that is the most common meal people go out for Mother’s Day. I wanted to do something different- a steak dinner! I found some tip steaks at Trader Joes. I had never cooked with them before but the steaks looked delicious with lots of marbling and they were very reasonably priced. The balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce marinade give the steaks great flavor and color. I grilled the steaks on my grill pan indoors and got great grill marks on them. I LOVE steaks with blue cheese- but usually the sauce is made out of lots of cheese and heavy cream- quite unhealthy! I decided to buy a yummy stilton and pair it with low fat sour cream and fresh thyme. It’s amazing how much flavor it had- a little bit of cheese and fresh thyme and garlic made a fabulous sauce. It really excites me when I can recreate a dish with lots of flavor but not a lot of fat! I made the dinner with some roasted potatoes with thyme and garlic; and asparagus with pancetta and shallots- recipes to come tomorrow and day after just in time for Mother’s Day. The meal was delicious and not very time consuming. I highly recommend it! We opened a bold French Bordeaux- it stood up to the steak and blue cheese sauce really well!
- 1 pound tip steak- about 3-4 strips
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Mix all the ingredients and add to a zip lock bag with the steaks. Marinate for 2-3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Heat a grill pan on high and add the olive oil. Place the steaks and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or till they reach the desired doneness.
Blue Cheese Sauce
- 1/3 cup Stilton Blue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup light sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Mix the blue cheese and sour cream together in a small bowl. Cook in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix well and add the thyme and minced garlic. Keep aside for the steaks.