Spaghetti with Garlic, Basil and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(serves 3)

I bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes on a lark. They were packed in olive oil and looked interesting. I was planning on saving them for when the supply of fresh juicy tomatoes began to dwindle, but I couldn't help myself and opened the jar.

Those sun-dried tomatoes were delicious; sweet and slightly chewy. I just had to make some pasta!

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti
3 tbsp olive oil, or the oil the sun-dried tomatoes were packed in
8-9 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp anchovy paste (if not using, then add salt to taste instead)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into strips
freshly ground black pepper

freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and saute the garlic until it's golden brown; about 5 minutes. Add the anchovy paste if using and the sun-dried tomatoes and stir well. Then add the basil and stir to combine. Season with the pepper and/or salt if you aren't using the anchovy paste.

Drain the spaghetti and add that to the skillet and toss until it's evenly coated. Divide evenly among three plates and pass around the parmesan cheese.

Olive Hummus

(about 3 cups)

Hummus has got to be one of the easiest things to make at home, and in my opinion it tastes much better than the ready made stuff. I usually intend to make a simple one with just a bit of garlic and lemon juice, but invariably I end up coming across something in my refrigerator or pantry and add that to the mix.

This time it was olives, and the hummus turned out great.

1 25 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olives, I used a combination of kalamata and spanish
1/4 cup water
3-5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
salt, if needed

Place everything, except the salt, into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add the salt if needed.

Serve with pita bread or crackers. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you wish.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

(about 6 - 8 servings)

If there's any leftover, the cooked meatballs and sauce freeze quite well.

meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb pork sausage meat
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
small handful parsley, chopped
2/3 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, (I made these in the food processor)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tbsp oil for frying

Combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and shape into 2" balls.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside.

sauce
1 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 onion, chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced olives or 2-3 tbsp capers, (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or 2-3 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute, then add the onion and continue to cook until the onion softens and turns a light golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, olives or capers, tomato paste, and the red wine or vinegar and oregano. Stir to combine everything well, lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 25 minutes.

Add the meatballs, and continue to cook (uncovered) until the meatballs heat through and are done; about another 15 minutes or so. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

spaghetti
about 1 1/2 lbs dried spaghetti, cooked according the package directions
grated parmesan or romano cheese

Portion out the spaghetti between plates and top with the meatballs and sauce.
Serve with grated cheese.

Beet Tinted Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

(2 servings; double or triple this recipe for more)



I make this when tomatoes are in season. It's one of those weekend type dishes for me where I chop a few things up in the morning and then get back to making the rest of it later in the day.

This dish is fine without cheese and I don't really miss it.  If you'd like to add some cheese though, I do think a bit of crumbled goat cheese might be nice in this.

Don't worry about the beet powder if you can't find any. I happened to notice some in the bulk spice section the other day, and brought some home. I also used yellow and orange tomatoes. What can I say, I love seeing different colours on my plate.

tomato sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1- 1 1/3 cups)
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped, (parsley, chives, mint, dill; anything you have on hand and like)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and allow to sit for a few hours.

beet pasta
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, (or use 50/50 unbleached flour and semolina flour)
1 tbsp beet powder, (optional)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 large egg
1-3 tbsp water

Place 1 1/4 cup flour, beet powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to start. Pulse a few times. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a bit more water over the mixture.

The dough should have the consistency of fresh bread crumbs, and be moist enough to stick together if you gather a small amount and gently squeeze it together. Some people add enough water until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl, but I prefer mine to be somewhat dryer. If I have added too much water and get a ball, I add a bit more flour until the ball breaks up again.

by hand

Gather up the dough and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball. Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll out and cut as desired


with pasta (crank) machine

Gather a small handful of dough and squeeze together. Flatten the piece and run it through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Fold and pass through a few more times, tightening the setting each time. This helps develop the gluten.

When you have the desired thickness, run it through the cutter.

Repeat, until the dough mixture is used up.

Drop the pasta into lightly salted boiling water, and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.

Drain and toss the pasta with the tomato sauce. Serve.

Stuffed Vegetables, Turkish Style

(6 servings)

I love stuffed vegetables. These have a Turkish flavour to them; the mint does it, I think.

These almost didn't get made today. I slept in unintentionally and to make up for lost time decided to shop at a grocery store which is closer to me and is supposed to have a decent organic section. What a disaster! The meat and fish isle stank to high heaven. Some of the chicken actually had a green hue to it. How can anyone shop there and then think about cooking?

I hightailed it out of there and drove the extra way to Whole Foods. I get annoyed by some of their prices, but at least it doesn't stink.

12 small bell pepper, tomatoes, or 6 zucchini ,(I used zucchini and tomatoes; the peppers were too large today)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried mint
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup rice
1 lb ground lamb or beef
1/4 cup dried currants, I  had to use raisins again; does no one in Dallas know what bloody currants are?


Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds, or cut the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the centres or cut the zucchini into 2 pieces (across) and scoop out those. Reserve the scooped out tomato and/or zucchini.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and minced garlic and saute until the onion is soft. Add the mint, dill, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of broth (reserve the other half) and the rice. Add the scooped out tomato and/or zucchini. Lower the heat a bit and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the liquid has absorbed into the rice. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl combine the rice and vegetable mixture with the ground beef or lamb and currants; if you can find the damn things  /cry.

Fill the prepared vegetables with the meat mixture and place them in one layer on the bottom of a casserole dish. Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about an hour.

Hearty Sausage Stew

(6 servings)

I was poking around the bulk food section last weekend at Whole Foods and noticed a dried soup mix was on sale. It contained barley, dried peas, dried veggies and wild rice. I couldn't resist and decided to give it a try. I think it was called Minnesota Wild Rice Soup Mix or something along those lines.

The card suggested a ratio of 1 to 8 parts liquid, and I thought the addition of smoked German sausage would be nice. It also gave me the opportunity to finish up some carrots I had almost completely forgotten about. The resulting stew didn't disappoint one bit. I loved the slightly chewy texture of the wild rice.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb carrots, cut up
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" slices
3/4 cup wild rice soup mix (I imagine any bulk soup mix with a ratio of 1 part to 8 parts liquid would be fine)
1 tbsp paprika
3 cups beef broth
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp Tabasco sauce

small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a heavy dutch oven and add the onions and garlic. Saute until they soften and are light brown in colour.

Add the carrots, sausage, soup mix, paprika, broth, diced tomatoes and Tabasco sauce. Stir until everything is well combined.

Bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and cover tightly. Cook for about 2 hrs.

Stir in the chopped parsley, cook for another 5 minutes or so and serve.

Caramelized Onion Tart

(6 servings)

Whenever I see those large Vidalia onions at the market, I think of this tart. The sweetness of these onions becomes very apparent after a long and slow saute over low heat. It takes a while, but the wait is worth it.

2 tbsp olive oil
3 large Vidalia onions, sliced (about 2 lbs)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg

1 9" unbaked pie shell

2 cups shredded swiss cheese

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and add the onions. Toss them to distribute the oil. Adjust the heat to low and saute these gently until the onions have taken on an amber hue; about 45-60 minutes. Check them every 10 minutes or so and stir them up a bit. Remove from heat.
 
Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a small bowl combine the eggs, sour cream and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and the onions and toss to combine evenly.

Spoon the mixture onto the pie shell and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and bake another 10-15 minutes or  until the pie is puffy and the top is browned.

Cool for 5 minutes before slicing. This tart goes well with a simple green salad.

Almond Jelly with Fruit Cocktail

(6 servings)

This light and refreshing dessert was always one of my favourite dim sum dishes in Toronto. Sadly, I haven't seen it here in Dallas, so I end up making it once in a while.

I imagine it would be very good with fresh fruit, but I get a bit nostalgic for the way it was served at dim sum with the canned fruit. In recent years I have bought the fruit cocktail in the refrigerator section; it seems to be better quality.

This dessert should be made with agar agar, not gelatin as the texture between the two is quite different. I buy agar agar in bars. Every few months I drive to a large asian supermarket (Hong Kong Market) in the northeastern part of Dallas to stock up on stuff, and that's where I'm able to find it.

2 3/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
6 gms agar agar, (this is the easiest measurement because of how it's packaged, bars or powder)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

2 1/2 cups fruit cocktail
3/4 cup evaporated milk

If you are using the bar form of agar agar, then break into several pieces and place them into a bowl. Cover with cold water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. Remove them and squeeze out the excess water. Tear into smaller pieces.

Combine the water, sugar and agar agar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until the agar agar has dissolved; about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the evaporated milk and almond extract.

Pour into a 9" square pan. It will be set by the time it's cooled to room temperature.

Cut into cubes and combine with the fruit cocktail. Serve with evaporated milk.

Yummy Meatloaf

(8 servings)

Hmmm.. meatloaf, one of the ultimate comfort foods. There's lots of variations for this dish and the one below makes good use of the veggies left in your crisper at the end of the week. Most combinations would be fine here; mushrooms, celery, broccoli, green beans and parsnips come to mind.

Leftover meatloaf heats up quite nicely, and makes good sandwiches if you prefer it cold. I often portion what's left and freeze it.

3 slices stale bread, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp horseradish
small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
about 1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
3 carrots, cut up
1 green bell pepper or a small zucchini, cleaned and cut up
1 tbsp oil
2 lbs lean ground beef

2-3 tbsp ketchup

Place the bread into a large bowl and pour the milk over that. Add the mayonnaise, egg, horseradish, parsley,salt, pepper and thyme. Toss the mixture a bit and set aside.

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, green pepper or zucchini into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until all of the vegetables are finely minced. You will have about 2 3/4 to 3 cups.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the minced vegetables and saute for about 10 minutes, or until the raw onion smell is gone. Remove from heat, cool a bit and add to the mixture in the bowl.
Add the ground beef and combine just until everything is evenly distributed, don't over mix, otherwise the meatloaf might become dense. Hands work well here.

Gently pack the meat mixture into a 9"x5" loaf pan. My loaf pan is 8"x4" and I had a large mound over it, which was fine, I placed a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drippings. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top and place into the centre of the oven.

Bake the meatloaf for about 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.