Pasta with Mushrooms, Garlic and Sage

There can be too much of a good thing.  Almost every week I had been making Mushroom Risotto. Ed and I would have some for dinner with a salad, skip a night and have the same menu again, skip a night and have the rest of the risotto with Brussels sprouts and roasted winter squash, more veggies than risotto.  One night I had only enough mushrooms to make half a recipe of risotto and was ready for a change so I used most of the same ingredients but pasta instead of rice. The key ingredient here in addition to the mushrooms is olive oil and garlic, the garlic cooked until it is crunchy golden brown.

Start water for pasta and then cook pasta, according to manufacturer's instructions so pasta and sauce are ready at approximately the same time.  Alternatively for more flexibility sauce can be made and then just rewarmed a bit before serving.

Heat 2 T olive oil (or a mix of olive and truffle oil)

Saute:

4-6 cloves garlic

When garlic is golden brown, add and mix well

6-8 oz shiitake mushrooms
1 T sun dried tomatoes, broken in small pieces (optional)

Saute until soft then add

Several leaves sage, chopped (optional)

I often  serve on a bed of

Arugula or baby spinach

Top with

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional, and I usually don't)

Avocado Toast

I love avocadoes!  When on a three week business trip to Indonesia many years ago, one of the lunch options was a whole avocado, cut in half with a little seafood salad in the pit hole. Ordered it every day.  Love avocado Tacos, Guacamole, and avovado slices in turkey/chicken sandwiches. When having lunch at Forge Baking Company recently, I ordered the pizza slice. No pizza, but if you want something light, the server suggested, order:
AVOCADO TOAST – Avocado topped with salt, pepper, and olive oil on choice of housemade bread .  
Missed this on the menu because it is actually a breakfast offering (thinking now of the avocadoes offered for breakfst during a trip to Costa Rica), but also available for lunch.  Yum! Why didn't I think of this? So delicious and easy to make.  

Recently, I had a box of fresh basil from Chris's indoor garden, a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, which I had bought on reccomendations posted on our town "link", and of course, avocadoes, so I improvised accordingly. 

Serves 1, scale accordingly.

Toast
1 large slice of bread.

While bread is toasting, thinly slice lengthwise 
1/2 avocado

Arrange sliced avocado on toasted bread.
(Looked prettier at Forge.  Avocado was very thinly sliced and  arranged in aperfect line on the toast. Think they must have use a slightly firmer avocado.)

Top with

Olive oil, drizzled
Salt (this is a recipe where salt is important!)
Pepper  

Then sprinkle with (addition to Forge recipe)
Basil, coarsley chopped

Silce in half. Enjoy for breakfast and lunch!

Butternut Squash Enchilladas

Last winter when Ed and I had dinner at Town on recommendation of friends, I ordered "BUTTERNUT SQUASH ENCHILADAS ROASTED TOMATO SALSA, AVOCADO, QUESO FRESCO, TOASTED PEPITAS"  I was not disappointed.  They were excellent and I resolved to try to make them myself soon.  Well soon turned out to be this fall but I have made them quite successfully on several occasions. While I lked the texture of the cubed squash, these would work well with leftover Thanksgiving squash. Serves 2 (4 enchiladas), scale accordingly.

 I first tried them stacked, the way I do traditional Enchiladas (photo at left) but decided I liked them rolled as they were at Town (top photo). I used goat cheese instead of quesco fresco (found with tortillas not other cheeses where I shop) because the quesco fresco blocks were huge. I liked the goat cheese better. I also added chopped sweet onion to the filling

First make the Enchilada Sauce. If you have previously made Version #2 you may have sauce in your freezer.  I use Option #1, which is very quck to make.  Half a recipe is more than enough for two servings. Of course canned enchilada sauce may be used instead.

Preheat ovee to 450 degrees F. Then finely chop:

1/2 small (1#) butternut squash

1/4 large sweet onion

several sprigs of fresh cliantro*

Toss the squash cubes in olive oil and bake  for about 15 minutes until tender.  Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.

Assemble the enchiladas:

Microwave on high for 30 seconds, two at a time

4 corn tortillas

Place two tortillas on two ovenproof plates that have been lightly greased with olive oil. Spread enchilada sauce on each tortilla, then 1/4 of the chopped onion and 1/4 of the cubed squash.
Roll the tortillas, then turn them 180 degrees so that the seam where the edges of the tortilla meet is on the bottom

Top with more enchilada sauce and

1 1/2 - 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese, divided 4 ways.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with

1 avacado, silced thin, divided two ways, chopped cilantro

1 T toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), divided two ways (optional, I sometimes omit)

* I keep chopped cilantro in the freezer.  The frozen cilantro sprinkled directly on the enchiladas also works well.

Reviewed 7/11/2017

Asparagus Stock / Pasta with Asparagus Stock

June 2019: Asparagus "Stock" Revisited

Asparagus Stock/Pasta with Asparagus Stock has never been one of my favorite recipes, rather thrifty use of a spring gift come winter.  This spring there is still a lingering quart in our freezer.  Then as I was making still another batch of stock, I realized why. A friend of mine professed not to like asparagus, then I discovered her mother had cooked it until it was almost gray!  That's exactly what I was doing with this recipe, no wonder it was not my favorite (sorry edible Aspen).  How to cook shorter but get tender?  I shredded the stalks with a steel blade in my food processor, put the mixture in a small pan just barely covered with water and cooked, like I cook whole asparagus (small stalks) for three minutes.  The result was a bright green mixture that looked and smelled great.  To get it finer I used the immersion blender and for some reason this was a messy and additional process. Next time I chopped much finer in the food processor and then microwaved. Voila:

Put in food processor

12 oz*

Blend until quite fine, then add

3 T water

Blend again until mixture is pureed.

Put mixture in a glass bowl and heat, stirring frequently to just boiling about 3 minutes on high,

* I don't like to keep asparagus ends in the refrigerator for more that 5 days, and amount varies each time. adding about a tablespoon of water per 4 oz of asparagus makes for a good puree.  Stay tuned for recipes using this or try your own adaption (more water and some additional cooking may be required) of the pasta recipe below.

Long before the current trend to use the whole animal or the whole plant, I saved the tough ends of my local asparagus stems.  Local asparagus is so spectacular I could not bear to assign the less tender portions to the compost pile.  I made stock from these stems and turned the resultant stock into soup.  The soup cried for cream and since this was a weekday staple, I did not answer the call.  Pasta cooked in asparagus stock is a great dinner on its own, no cry for cream and could only be improved by perhaps a bit of chopped parsley or grated Parmesean.

After several years of this practice, I find I have company.  Headline from a May 22, 2015 article in the Wall Street Journal:

Vegetable Scraps Go Haute: How to Cook Root to Stalk

Save those stems! Across the country, chefs are getting very good eating from parts of our produce we typically trim away. Here are their tips for using every part of the vegetable, plus recipes mindful of making the most of your market haul*

And an article in the Spring 2015 issue of edible Aspen, "The Skinny on Asparagus", included a recipe for asparagus stock and directions on how to cook pasta in stock.  

With the asparagus season fast approaching some asparagus stock still left in my freezer, I remembered the pasta recipe.  I used whole wheat linguini fini with excellent results.  The whole wheat pasta makes a heartier, less delicate but healthier offering than white pasta.   

ASPARAGUS STOCK

The edible Aspen asparagus stock recipe is pretty close to the one I have been using for several years, except it finishes the stock using a food processor and then a food mill.  I find the food processor or even easier an immersion blender sufficent.  I collect the asparagus trimmings over the course of a few meals. Often I cook for only two but we eat a lot of asparagus so it does not take long to fill the quart container I keep in the refrigerator during asparagus season.

Place the asparagus stem pieces (I do a quart of 1 -2 inch stems at a time) in a medium pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover and gently boil until the asparagus is very soft, about 45 minutes.  Add more water if necessary to keep stems covered.  Let cool and then puree with a food processor or immersion blender.

I freeze and save for use after asparagus is no longer in season.

PASTA COOKED IN ASPARAGUS STOCK

"Cooking pasta in stock is a fabulous alternative to using your stock for soup. The pasta absorbs the flavors from the stock and leaches out starch, which thickens the sauce to create a savory sauce.."**

Serves 3

Heat until boiling: 

1 quart asparagus stock 

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add

8 ounces pasta, linguini fini or spaghettini works best

The pasta will be stiff and probably not all fit in the stock initially. Gently push down on the pasta until it softens and collapses into the stock.  Stir constantly to avoid strands from sticking together. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Time on box/bag will not be accurate as pasta is being cooked in a significantly reduced amount of liquid and not water.  You will have to taste for doneness. During cooking, stock will thicken. Add a little water if sauce gets too sticky.  Divide into bowls and serve immediately.

This combination stands well on its own but could be garnished with 

finely chopped parsley 

and/or

grated Parmesean

* I don't subscribe to the WSJ so only saw the headline, not recipes.

**  edible Aspen, No. 30 Spring 2015, page15.

May 2017: It's asparagus season again, and I still have stock left in the freezer. Why not pasta cooked in asparagus stock garnished with fresh asparagus. Yum!









Reviewed 5/30/2017
Revised : 6/6/2019  - note at top of post

Spaghetti-Spinach-Cashew Cream Bake

Usually I would post this recipe as a "Variation" to Spaghetti-Ricotta Bake, but since that recipe was posted 7 years ago, I decided to give this a separate post.

The last time Chris came to dinner, at my request for ideas, he suggested Spaghetti-Ricotta Bake. Thinking of all the cholesterol Ed had consumed lately, I asked Chris how he felt about a cashew cream filling instead of ricotta. He said sure, and I substituted Vegan Cream Sauce for the ricotta. All three of us liked the results but agreed it was hard to choose the "cashew" version over the ricotta version and visa versa; they are both good in their own way. While the ricotta version has 183 mg of cholesterol (whole recipe), the cashew cream has no cholesterol and about half the saturated fat.  However, the ricotta verson has about half the calories as the cashew cream version.  Calories, of course, could be reduced by using less of the cashew cream.

Make the Filling 

Make 1 recipe Vegan Cream Sauce
When chopping the cashews, chop a few tabelspoons extra and set aside.

Sautee, until spinach is just barely wilted:

1 T olive oil
4 c (5 oz) fresh baby spinach

Cook Spaghetti and Assemble the Dish

Cook:

1 pound linguine or spaghetti (I use whole wheat)

until just barely al dente (see package for time and cook about one minute less than minimum).

While pasta is cooking, combine in a large bowl:

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 T olive oil
1 T Italian herbs

When pasta is cooked, drain well and toss with oil and garlic mixture. Lightly brush the bottom of a 9” x 9” (or equivalent area) baking dish with olive oil .  Put about 2/3 of the seasoned pasta in the baking dish and level the pasta. Spread:

1 recipe (or less) of Vegan Cream Sauce over the spaghetti, sprinkle with

Ground nutmeg

then top with

spinach mixture

(A package of frozen chopped spinach may be used instead.  When using frozen spinach, thaw completely and  remove as much moisture as possible; a good way to do this is to actually wring the spinach in your (clean) hand.)

Spread remaining pasta mix evenly over the ricotta/spinach.

For a vegan dish, spray the top of the pasta with a light coating of olive oil and then sprinkle the reserved chopped cashews evenly over the surface.

If vegan or zero cholesterol is not a goal, an alternative is to top with

Parmesan cheese, grated  (photo left)

and the reserved chopped cashews (optional - photo at top)

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until top is browned and crispy.

Reviewed 5/30/2017

Savory Baked Tofu

Happy New Year!  I now have my own copy of Terry Romero's "Vegan Eats World"  and can finish what I started several months ago. Finishing a long over due project is always a good way to start a new year. Here is the recipe for Savory Baked Tofu as called for in the Green Curry recipe I posted in July.

If using super-firm tofu (a great, fairly new product), pressing is not necessary.  If using extra-firm tofu press for 20 minutes to one hour. Slice tofu in half, then slice each half again. Then again, slice each piece in half resulting in a total of eight pieces of tofu.  Place the pieces on a dishtowel laid on a counter or cutting board, cover with the same or an additional dishtowel. Place weight(s) on top to squeeze out excess moisture. I use  brick covered with aluminum foil, heavy cans/cutting boards work too.

20 minutes prior to baking the tofu, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  
Combine in a 9 x 13 pan:

3 T soy sauce
2 T canola or vegetable oil
1 T agave nectar or maple syrup [I use syrup]
2 t lemon juice
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper

Place the tofu in a single layer in the marinade and turn until each side is well coated with the marinade.  Bake for 20 minutes, then remove pan from the oven and flip each piece of tofu.  Bake for an additional 20 to 24 minutes or until almost all of the marinade is absorbed and the tofu is browned.  Try keep most of  extra marinade under tofu pieces. (Pan looks awful, but after a short soak it cleaned easily.)

Ms. Romero notes, "...these lightly seasoned cutlets slide into sandwiches and, when diced, into stir fries, stews and even salads.  ...stored in a tightly covered container it can last 10 days or more." * One-half a recipe is called for in her "It's Easy Being Green Curry" (photo left).

* Page 50



Reviewed 7/11/2017

Israeli (pearl) Couscous with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Until recently the only place I had had Israeli couscous was at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. The MRL couscous was mixed with an assortment of veggies and was delicious, so much better than the smaller almost sawdust-like couscous with which I was familiar. Last month when I saw boxes of Israeli couscous at Trader Joe's, thinking of past dinners at Moosilauke, I impulsively put a box in my basket.  My first attempt to cook it with pistachios and apricots was okay. I got more couscous in Whole Foods bulk food and tried this. Superb first try.

This dish is a variation of Linguine with Fresh Tomatoes. The sauce, (tomatoes, basil and garlic) is pretty much the same, but the pasta and pasta preparation is different. Yes, pasta,. Though its shape and texture suggest grain-like qualities, couscous is made from semolina and part of the pasta family.






Combine in bowl, mix and marinate for about an hour:

1 pint (~ 3/4 pound) cherry tomatoes, preferably multi-colored, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil

Warm a medium sauce pan, drizzle ~ 2 t olive oil over the bottom, heat then add:

1 c (~5.5 ounces) Israeli couscous

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until couscous is browned, about 4 minutes.  Then add:

1 1/2 c chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian)

Bring to simmer then cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes.  Stir and set aside, covered.

Add to tomato mixture:

~3/4 ounce basil leaves, slivered

Mix well,  then toss with couscous and serve.  When using this sauce with other pasta (linguine, gemelli, etc) I top with grated Parmesan. This dish, however, perhaps due to the richness of the broth and the robust flavor of the couscous, seems complete as is.

Reviewed 5/30/2017

Green Curry / Green Curry Paste

Though some may consider it "quaint", I still use the library, especially for cookbooks.  I had waited quite a while for Terry Romero's Vegan Eats World.  When I went to pick it up, the librarian said, "This book looks really good."  I replied it would probably be good, but I would still probably be disappointed as in my experience subsequent cookbooks are rarely as good as the author's first. Wrong. This is one of the few cookbooks I have borrowed from the library that I actually purchased.


The first recipe I tried, still trying to re-create Phat Thai's green curry, was "It's Easy Being Green Curry".  It has a lot of ingredients but the author notes, "The curry paste can be made days ahead, even frozen, making this a relatively fast weeknight meal."* This recipe, like Chicken Curry (Devaka), is a made-from-scratch, not "curry-powder-curry".   In the recipe below,  loosely adapted from Romero's, I took some short cuts. I used prepared ground coriander and cumin seeds, rather than toasting and grinding the seeds myself. I used powdered galangal root, rather than the 1/2-inch-wide piece called for (though optional) and prepared lemon grass. I did not have Thai or Serrano chili so I used a jalapeno and 2 scallions instead of shallots.  Finally, since I had returned the book to the library and my copy has not yet arrived, I did not have Romero's recipe for Savory Baked Tofu, so not being a strict vegan substituted chicken. Because I used chicken breast instead of dark meat as used in Deveka's Curry, I overcooked the chicken, but the sauce itself was excellent. I've since made this with dark meat with excellent results. Looking forward to trying with tofu.**

THE PASTE

Combine in a food processor:

2 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t ground pepper
1 c lightly packed cilantro sprigs with stems
Green chili to taste, coarsely chopped
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped in half
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped in half

4 t prepared lemon grass (dried) or 1 stalk fresh, outer leaves removed and chopped

1/2 t galangal root (ground/powder)
1-inch peeled ginger, coarsely chopped
1/2 t sea salt

Pulse into a smooth thick paste, using spatula to frequently scrape the sides of the bowl.

THE SAUCE

In a 2 quart pot or wok, over medium heat, melt

2 t coconut or vegetable oil

Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add and stir-fry for 2 minutes:

1/2 recipe Savory Baked Tofu or 8 oz purchased baked or fried tofu sliced into 1/4 inch strips (photo with 8 oz chicken breast - if using chicken, use skinless boneless second joints)
 .

Stir in:

1 14-oz can coconut milk (I use light)
1 1/2 c mild vegetable broth or water (I omitted first time but have since added 3/4 c chicken/vegetable stock)
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 T lime juice
2 t brown sugar
1 T Thai thin soy sauce


Increase heat to medium-high, simmer for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium low.

Add:

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into 1/2-strip slices (omitted in photo at left)

2 small slender zucchini ***  (I used 2 medium-small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced)

1/2 c lightly packed Thai basil leaves - yum, from my garden!

Simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender but still have a bit of firmness to them.  Serve with rice.

*   Page 146

** December 2013 made with Savory Baked Tofu:

*** Romero also suggests as alternative to zucchini, 6 Thai apple eggplants, stems removed and sliced into quarters.  If using Thai eggplant, add to the curry just two minutes before curry is done (or sooner - see below).

January 2015:  Found some Thai eggplant at the new Market Basket near us.  Either I sliced the eggplant too thick (photo left) or the eggplant was tougher and/or bigger than the kind Ms. Romero uses.  I added it late as directed but found I needed to cook it  almost long as zucchini of copmparable thickness.

Reviewed 7/11/2017

Vegan Cream Sauce

Following up on our vegan dinner at True Bistro and the subsequent promise in my last post, I have been working on a basic sauce that will replace (or mostly replace) the decadent Fettuccini Alfredo which I like so much. Based on several sources, the key seems to be nuts and water combined in a food processor and blended until smooth:

1 1/4 c cashews
1 1/2 t lemon juice
3/4 c water

Initially focused on a vegan (no cholesterol) version of  Fettuccine Alfredo, I added just a pinch of nutmeg and freshly ground pepper to taste. However, this sauce lends itself to so many variations;  add a clove or two of garlic and/or fresh herbs to the blender bowl, mix fresh, coarsely chopped herbs into the sauce, the possibilities are limitless.... I intend to try a lot of variations in the months ahead as this sauce becomes a staple in my dinner repertoire.

For two servings, I tossed about half of this sauce with 6 ounces of Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta and topped with Vegan "Parmesean" and fresh chives from my garden (photo at left). The remaining sauce kept well in the fridge until Ed and I had a similar meal several nights later.

January 2014:  Tossed some Cream Sauce with Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta and topped with a mixture of the zest of one lemon, several fresh sage leaves, slivered and a couple of tablespoons of cashew,s coarsely chopped. Excellent.


January 2015:  Used this to make Spaghetti-Spinach-Cashew Cream Bake with excellent results.


June 2017:  Guess I've been lucky, but I was told by a chef friend this winter that this mixture will expand when left in the refrigerator and warned that I should be sure to put it in a container that allows for this expansion!

Reviewed 6/20/2017