A Magical Morning

It has been a great morning. My little baby bunny let me sleep until 6:20!!!!  Guys, this is a HUGE deal. We woke up had some breakfast and then went on a lovely walk in the park that is near our apartment. I brought her favorite squeaky red football thinking we would ensconce ourselves in the enclosed tennis court and we would play a rousing game of fetch. Much like most of my expectations with Evie, that proved to be false. When we arrived the entire court was covered fat white caterpillars that liked to curl up in a ball when Evie prodded them with her nose. Squirming caterpillars are apparently far superior to whatever mindless game of fetch I could come up with. Not only was there something smaller than her that she could bat around, the school nearby was starting and students were swarming the park.

Is was obvious that the tennis court was not going to hold her interest, so we made it past all the caterpillars only to discover the moths hiding in the grass outside. See the picture above for the bunny like pouncing that ensued.  Next to the tennis court is a large field where local soccer team practice in the evenings. I never knew she could run that fast! I would take off in one direction and she would rocket next to me to catch up. She is already about 6 inches off the ground anyway, but when she runs she gets even closer down and skims that grass. I think she thinks it makes her more aerodynamic. We ran until she could barely walk. She was even too tired to make new friends on the way home. 

I think this is her plan for the rest of the day. 

I am looking forward to a quiet day full of cooking so keep an eye out for new posts! 

Creamy Fig Pasta

Every Summer I wait with baited breath for figs. Figs, in my humble opinion, are purple and pink orbs of sweet perfection that should really be found more readily.
I found this recipe in Southern Living's Fresh Garden Recipes magazine that came out this summer. I highly recommend this magazine, if you can still find it, as it has recipes with simple, healthy ingredients utilizing the best of each season's produce.
So back to this pasta. Let me just tell you that it might just be life changing; yes, I will be so bold. It is creamy, meaty, and rich but the fresh fig and basil really makes it balanced with sweet freshness. Aside from the terrible fact that you can really only find good figs for about a month in the entire year, this recipe is a keeper.

Time: under 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 and gets better the next day for lunch
Skill Level: Beginner

Ingredients:
16 oz. bucatini pasta- a nice and thick spaghetti style pasta that holds the sauce well. Spaghetti works too if you are in a pinch
5 oz. pancetta chopped. I had to ask the deli to slice this for me and I asked for 1/4 lbs cut thickly.
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3/4 c heavy cream
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan. Don't you dare use that nasty stuff that is in a bottle.  Get a nice wedge and grate it yourself.
12 figs, quartered
1/3 c fresh basil leaves, chopped

Have all your ingredients chopped, grated and minced ready to go before you start. Have your SALTED water boiling and ready to go.

1. Cook pasta in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta when it is done and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium. Sauté the pancetta, shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. The fat from the pancetta will be plenty so there is no need to add oil or butter.
3. Add cream and cheese and stir it together until the cheese is incorporated.
4. Add pasta and half the pasta water and stir. The starch from the pasta water will help the sauce adhere to the pasta and make it delicious.
5. Stir occasionally until the sauce is thick.
6. Serve the pasta in bowls and add the figs and basil on top.
Enjoy!

My little sous chef decided to help. 

Sweet Puppy Kisses

For graduation I received the most wonderful and stinky mess of a puppy who occupies most of my time these days. I named her Evanelle from character in a book called 'Garden Spells'. Evanelle was a batty southern old lady who knew what people needed and carried a huge bag of gifts around with her. I really loved naming my dog after a batty woman who gave presents so, that is just what I did.  Like I mentioned, she is a stinky mess but I love her dearly.

Since she occupies most of my time she will be a large presence on this blog and her adventures will just about be equal to mine.

Rustic Eggplant and Goat Cheese Pasta

Ah, back into the favors that I am extremely comfortable with. There are so many things I like about this recipe; it is simple, storable and delicious. One night after work I went to the grocery store and just grabbed a few of my favorite flavors and ended up with something delicious.  I was unable to conjure up the self restraint enough to freeze this for the future it was that yummy. If you do choose to do so, only freeze the vegetable sauce so your pasta does not get overcooked and soggy. Feel free to tweak the recipe to create something that you would enjoy.

TIP: Orecchiette pasta is a wonderful pasta that you should stock up on whenever you get the chance. Each piece of pasta looks like a little bowl which is perfect for a runny sauce or to hold a small morsel of something delicious.

TIP: The most important ingredient when making pasta with a sauce is free and already available. The water that you boiled the pasta in is the perfect glue to keep your sauce on the pasta. Depending on how much pasta you are making save 1-2 cups of the pasta water and add it to your sauce while it is simmering down. The starch in the water from the pasta will help make the sauce adhere to the noodle.


Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1 box orecchiette pasta
1 medium yellow or sweet onion
1 medium firm eggplant
6-8 vine ripe tomatoes
goat cheese
fresh basil (optional but encouraged)
salt and pepper

Serves: 4-6
Time: 45 minutes
Skill Level: Beginner

1. Start boiling the water for your pasta. Depending on your stove top this could take awhile and boiling water won't burn so it is fine if you let it boil for a while while you chop.

2. I recommend chopping everything before you turn on the heat. Though this recipe is very forgiving it is always best to be prepared. I absolutely love how rustic this pasta is so I don't worry much about extremely even chopping and precise methods.
For the onion: Cut your onion in half (top to hairy bottom) and peel off the outer one or two layers so the papery shell is gone leaving the juicy meat of the onion. Chop off the top and bottom bits leaving you with two pretty white half globes. This next part really depends on you. I happen to love onion and like my strips big and chunky. If you think you would enjoy that too cut your onion into 8 chunks that look like thick crescent moons. If you prefer smaller onion pieces feel free to dice the onion or just cut it to whatever manageable size you see fit- again this is rustic, it will be delicious any way you do it. Try to make the pieces as even as possible for cooking purposes. Set aside your onion bits in a bowl.
The eggplant should be next. When choosing an eggplant make sure it is firm to the touch and heavier than it looks like it would feel. I don't mind the skin on the eggplant but if you are opposed to it for some reason feel free to peel it off. Cube your eggplant into 1 inch cubes and try to make the pieces as uniform in size as possible. I realize this will be near impossible given the natural shape of the eggplant but just give it a try.
Chopping tomatoes can be a tricky business. If you were to use a tomato for tomato sauce then I would advise removing the skin and the seeds but this is more of an all in the pot situation and I was lazy so the skins got to stay. First cut the tomato in half and remove the light brown patch at the top where the tomato met with the vine. After that it really does not matter what size or shape you chop your tomato since it will mostly cook down anyway.

3. Heat about 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Stir every so often so the onions start to get soft and translucent about 8-10 minutes. If your onions start to burn turn down the heat.

4. Hopefully your water will be boiling at this point and you can cook your pasta. This may be the most important aspect to the entire recipe make sure to SALT YOUR PASTA WATER!!! This alone will make or break your pasta dish. Don't be scared and dump in at least 2 tbs of salt into your water. It makes all the difference. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to the pasta's package directions. It should take 8-10 minutes. When you are approaching that time sample a piece of pasta to check if it is done. It should still hold its shape and should be a bit firm which you bite in- not crunchy or hard- but firm. If it is overly soggy and mooshy it is ok and you will know for next time to cut back on your cook time.
When the pasta is done reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and strain your pasta. It will heat back up in the skillet again so don't worry if it gets too cold.

5. Next comes the eggplant which will be like the meat of this pasta. Eggplant in general loves to soak up liquid so you will need a fair amount of olive oil to coat the eggplant so it will not burn. Add the eggplant to the skillet with another two table spoons of olive oil. If you feel like you need more then by all means go for it. The eggplant will start to absorb the oil and shrink with the heat. After 2 or 3 minutes of heat add the tomatoes and let it simmer for a while. The juice in the tomatoes will go right into the eggplant and become more flavorful. At this point add about half of your reserved pasta water to create the flavorful sauce. If the eggplant soaks that up, add more water. If the sauce looks too runny let it simmer down a little. In general allow the veggies to cook another 10 minutes adding the pasta water when needed to create a sauce.

6. Add your pasta to the veggies and let it heat up with the sauce to soak in the flavor for 5 minutes. Add salt  and pepper to taste.

7. When you are happy with your pasta serve it in a bowl and add a little goat cheese to make it creamy and give the pasta a zing. If you have fresh basil on hand feel free to chop it up and add it to the top.

Enjoy!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask! I would be happy to help.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I will have to say that it is slightly strange that this happens to be my first post. Left to my own devices I will gladly stay in the culinary world of Italy with a dash of garlic and basil in everything. Because I have been stuck in that rut for a while, I decided it was time to broaden my horizons and move east.

This is an amazing, simple and relatively healthy recipe that will nicely shake up any boring routine. I warn you, if you do not already own most of the spices this recipe can be become quite expensive, but just think of it as an investment in your culinary future. Also, make sure you have enough time to make this recipe. It is delicious and worth the time but it took me about 2.5 hours. To be fair I was watching TV while cooking, but still.

Because I live alone, I try to spread out my cooking as much as possible.  I set aside two servings to freeze for a quick future home cooked meal. I highly recommend doing that whenever you can so you can spread out your culinary creations and ensure you don’t get burned out on one type of food. Not to mention it is a quick meal when you don’t have a lot of time later down the road. Always make sure to freeze only the amount you will need when you reheat it. For example, if you will be feeding two with the frozen meal only freeze two servings so you don’t have to try to cut frozen food.

A better camera is on the way and next time I promise to take pictures as I go so you can see step by step.

Serves 4 to 6


Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken tikka:


1/2 tsp. ground cumin


1/2 tsp. ground coriander


1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper


1 tsp. table salt


2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat


1 cup Fage total yogurt 


2 Tbsp. vegetable oil


3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press


1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

For the masala sauce:


3 Tbsp. vegetable oil


1 medium onion, diced fine


3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed


2 tsp. grated fresh ginger


1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (I promise it does not make it too spicy)


2 Tbsp. tomato paste


1 Tbsp. garam masala (to make your own: combine 3 tsp. ground coriander, 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp. ground black pepper)


1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper


1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes


2 tsp. sugar


1 tsp. table salt


2/3 cup heavy cream


1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Basmati rice for serving

PREPARATION

For the chicken:


1. Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. In large bowl, stir together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce:


2. Make sure everything is chopped and ready to go before you start cooking. It will save you time. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. If your onions start to brown and look like they might burn, turn the heat down. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, cayenne and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. If the mixture starts to burn a little on the bottom that is ok; brown is fine but if it turns black then turn the heat down. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat to 350. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until thickest parts register 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, around 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler to finish cooking and char the outside of the chicken. The outside of the chicken should be evenly dark brown in color, make sure to flip it once.  The chicken should be at an internal temp of 160 for safety.

4. Cook the rice according to the package directions. Boil water, add the rice stir once cover and let it do its thing. If you stir the rice too much it will break up the starch on the rice and create overly sticky and mushy mess. Make sure the heat is medium low so the rice wont burn on the bottom.

5. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce; it may get overcooked). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve with cooked basmati rice.

This is especially good the next day when the flavors get to meld and intensify with time.