Tag: tomatoes
Easy and Fast Pasta Recipe: Seafood Pasta
I love pasta- in all forms and in different preparations. I make it all the time, I especially love the one pot meals I come up with. They are so easy to put together and great to serve to a big crowd- all the prep work is done- all you have to do is stick it in the oven. View some of these one pot meals I have made in the past- healthy mac and cheese, penne with tomatoes, spinach and sausage, and a baked vegetable pasta. My all time favorite pasta is the one I make with broccoli rabe and sausage – I make with lots of lemon zest and garlic- it has no marinara sauce. Now, every time I make this pasta, my husband asks, “is there any marinara sauce “? I get very annoyed at the question since I feel the pasta has so much flavor that we don’t really need a ‘sauce’. Also, there are delicious pastas to be had without marinara sauce! – but he loves the red sauce so much that he wants it in every pasta preparation. So, when I made a big batch of marinara sauce last weekend, I made sure to save some for a pasta preparation. I used the rest in the grilled pizzas I made.
School is done and my daughter is home this week before camp starts. We had plans to go into New York City for lunch. We had a great lunch, went to a kid’s bookstore and came back around 3:30. While we were on the train coming home, I started to wonder what I was going to make for dinner. I had the marinara sauce in the fridge and some bucatini in the pantry. I love using bucatini- it is thicker than spaghetti and it is hollow inside. It’s a lot of fun to eat. I decided to stop at the fish store and buy some shrimp and scallops to make a seafood pasta. Once we got home, my daughter insisted on going to the pool- so we did- even though it was supposed to rain- and it did! We got home around 5:30 and that is when I started making dinner. Luckily it was going to be a quick one. I boiled the pasta; started the anchovies in another pan and added the marinara sauce. It took all of 15 minutes to make this dish and it was delicious! My daughter really enjoyed it.
I realize most Italians don’t add any cheese on seafood dishes- but I really like cheese on mine. I added some Pecorino Romano– it was really yummy! I served it with a green salad and a Malbec. My husband was a happy man- he finally got his pasta with marinara sauce!
A Southwestern One Pot Recipe: Roasted Salsa Chicken with Red Beans
This is another one pot meal I am proud of. I love when I come up with something that is enjoyed both by adults and kids. My daughter loved it even though she is not a fan of salsas or any tangy sauces. It started with me having tons of cherry tomatoes in the house. I decided to roast them with an onion and garlic and make a roasted salsa. My husband loves salsa with chips- so I thought we can consume the tomatoes in a tasty way. Once the salsa was made, I realized that it is essentially a sauce, with a lot of flavor- and I can cook with it! So I decided to make a rice dish with chicken and beans. I bought my favorite part of the chicken- thighs- I love cooking with them. They have so much more flavor than chicken breasts and they are a lot more forgiving in terms of cooking. Chicken thighs are perfect for curries, stews or really any dish- you can cook the heck out of them and they still taste delicious.
I sauteed them in some olive oil, salt and pepper. I then added the salsa and sauteed it with the chicken for a few minutes as I wanted the chicken to impart some delicious flavor into the sauce. I then added a can of red kidney beans and basmati rice. The beans added a delicious creaminess to the savory dish. I always cook my rice with chicken broth. I love using it- definitely one of my favorite ingredients to have around all the time. It’s a great way to add extra flavor to rice, sauces or curries. I buy the big case of organic chicken broth boxes from Costco- there are six in one big case and I go through them very quickly- since I use it in almost everything I make. If you are a vegetarian, I would recommend using vegetable broth instead.
The dish is easy to make since the salsa has all the flavor. You can also buy your favorite salsa from the store and cook this dish- definitely a quick ‘go to’ meal. It doesn’t take very long at all- the key is to have the staples at home- rice, chicken broth and some cans of your favorite beans.
The dish was a big success. I gave some leftovers to a friend. We ate as a family with a green salad and of course some wine.
Rustic Sausage and Potato Bake
Oh wow, this was a fantastic meal- I was inspired by my favorite british chef, Jamie Oliver . I watch his food network show every chance I get- I dvr it! I love his rustic style of cooking. It is very clear how much he loves food and is passionate about what he does. Watching him cook is extremely pleasurable especially since he is quite good looking as well! One of the shows I recently viewed was about tomatoes where he did a sausage and tomato bake. He also has recipe for a chicken thigh and potato bake. I liked both the recipes and decided to combine the two. I bought a bratwurst from Trader Joes and decided to use it in this one pot meal. As long as one is familiar with the technique, any combination of ingredients can be used. Any hearty herbs like rosemary and protein like chicken thighs can be used. Vegetables can also be used like peppers or zucchini. I had bought beautiful plum tomatoes and yukon gold potatoes. The combination of these very simple but fresh and fabulous looking ingredients is just magic!! The fresh whole garlic and the herbs give the dish great aroma and flavor. The pièce de résistance was the drizzle of balsamic vinegar! It brought all the ingredients together in a fabulous way- it was truly delicious! I bought a bake at home baguette which was perfect to soak up the delicious tomato goodness! I made a fresh salad and served a fabulous German Pinot Noir a friend recommended- it was- a Rheingau 2006 Pinot Noir. I never had a German Pinot Noir before- it was unbelievably delicious!!
- 1 pound fresh pork sausage, sliced into 2 inch circles
- ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 bunch fresh thyme- about a tablespoon
- 1 bunch fresh oregano- about a tablespoon
- 5 plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces or 2 pints grape tomatoes cut in half
- 5 yukon gold potatoes, cooked half way and peeled
- 4 garlic cloves, not peeled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven at 400 degree.
In a small frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and sauté for another 5 minutes till the oil becomes aromatic. Pour the pancetta mixture in a 9 X 13 lined baking pan. In the meantime, cook the potatoes about half way and peel them. Place them on a flat surface and give them squeeze with your palm- you are trying to flatten them slightly. Add the potatoes to the baking dish. Add the tomatoes, garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes or till the potatoes are golden brown and the sausage is well cooked. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and bake for another 10 minutes. Check for seasonings. Serve with a crusty baguette and a crisp salad.
Roast Chicken Sandwich
I roasted three pieces of chicken last week out of which I made the sweet corn chicken soup as well as the asparagus and chicken fried rice. I had one piece left in the fridge. We had gone out for a very heavy lunch yesterday and so there were no dinner plans. I decided to skip dinner all together and settle down with a bowl of cereal ( I find it a real treat at night). My husband on the other hand wanted to eat something light- maybe a sandwich he said. I thought of the chicken breast, olive bread, slices of asiago cheese and basil hanging out in the fridge- perfect, I thought! I toasted two thick slices of olive bread with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and spread a thick layer of olive oil mayonnaise- my husband loves mayo! I then added a layer of fresh basil, cut up some delicious looking grape tomatoes and added on top. In the meantime, I sliced the chicken breast into thin slices, placed them on a small cookie sheet and drizzled some salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil and warmed it up in my toaster oven. I then added a slice of asiago on top of the chicken and baked it until the cheese was soft and gooey. I then placed the warm chicken slices with the cheese on top of the tomatoes and basil and the olive bread. It looked so pretty that I didn’t really want to serve it- so I took a picture! He ate the sandwich with some sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar chips and a beer! I had a bite and it was quite delicious!
- 2 slices of olive bread toasted with a drizzle of olive oil (any bread will do)
- 1-2 slices asiago cheese (or any other will do)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 roasted chicken breast, sliced thin
- 5-6 basil leaves
- 3-4 grape tomatoes, sliced
- Salt and pepper
Place the sliced chicken on a small cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil, salt, pepepr and toast till the chicken is warm and soft. Next, add the asiago slice and toast till the cheese has melted. Spread the mayonnaise evenly on both of the toasted slices. Add the basil and tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the cheese is melted, place the chicken on the tomatoes. Place the other slice on top and cut into half before serving.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 limes juiced
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chipotle in adobo
- Salt to taste
Combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, chipotle in adobo and oil in a mixing bowl and season with salt.
Let it sit for an hour or so before serving.
Basic Marinara Sauce
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons oregano chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 28 ounces can of crushed tomatoes (use whole tomatoes if like chunky)
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cup of chopped basil
Saute the onion and garlic in the extra virgin olive oil in a heavy pan till the vegetables are soft. Add the oregano and the crushed tomatoes. Add the salt and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Add some chopped basil.