Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Pasta

This is a fantastic way to use your bounty of cherry tomatoes just coming on right now.  The dish this was inspired by presented this as an appetizer to be scooped onto bread or crackers.  I have no doubt that would be amazing, but when I saw it, all I could imagine was generously pouring the flavors over a simple pasta. It did not disappoint and will be a staple this summer/early fall and many to come.  So easy and absolutely packed with fresh flavors.

 In a strange departure from my typical salt-tooth, I felt that the kalamata olives were too overpowering, but a jury of 3 tasters were equally split so I included them in the recipe as optional.  Notes~ If you want to make an appetizer out of it, I suggest you cut the recipe in half!  And in the picture above, there is pecorino cheese sprinkled on top as well.  Up to you!

Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Pasta (serves 4-6, or 3 in our house.)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Kalmata olives, pitted and chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 8- to 10-ounce block feta, sliced ~1/2” thick


1lb pasta of your choice (I think linguini would be best, but we had it with gluten-free brown rice spaghetti and it was excellent)

Directions
In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, shallot, garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper. 

In the oven: Heat oven to 400°F.  Place the pieces feta in the middle of your dish. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes wilt. (The feta will not melt, just warm and soften.)

While mixture is baking, cook pasta to your taste, then drain and toss with olive oil.

Serve over freshly cooked pasta; eat immediately. As it cools, the feta will firm up again but it can be easily reheated or eaten cold for breakfast.

Adapted from this recipe on Smitten Kitchen.

Spinach Basil Pesto

So this was one of the original recipe ideas behind actually wanting to begin a family food blog over a year ago and only now am I getting to putting it in writing.  Not sure what took so long, but....

The back story to this comes from the lengthy pursuit to figure out just what in the world was wrong with our daughter's immune system.  After about a year and a half (now 3) of nearly continuous respiratory illnesses, coughs, allergies, sleepless nights and general tuberculosisness, we were tired of being offered antibiotics and various other things for her not-infections and found our way to an incredible Pediatric Naturopath (Dr. Molly Gray at West Seattle Natural Medicine).  Dr. Gray offered many great thoughts and ideas, but as any parent of a toddler knows, hearing that your toddler should "eat something green every day" can border on ridiculous.  She suggested making a spinach pesto.... so I did.  And I have never gone back. 

In my kitchen, I basically use pesto as salt anyway.  Really, what can't benefit from some fresh basil, garlic, oil, salt and pepper really?  Eggs? Salads? Sandwiches? Potatoes? Rice? Quinoa? Pasta?  Please. 

Initially it began as a priority in Mia's food, then after a few months we realized that there was no reason not to punch up the nutrients in all of our foods.   We use it in everything.  I typically make up a huge batch, then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it all.  I just put a cube or two in a jar in the fridge when I use the last one and they thaw in an hour or so.  You could even pop out however many cubes you want a few minutes before you need them and you are set to go if they are going in a hot dish. 

As for Mia's health....after a year and half our family eats even healthier and more balanced than before but nothing helped her immune system significantly until we found the enormous mold reservoir crawling its way through all of our walls.  The good news, is she loves pesto.

Basil Spinach Pesto (makes 3-4 cups-a lot!)

• 4 cups basil leaves (top stems OK), rinsed and patted dry
• 1 big bag fresh spinach leaves (organic preferably)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup nuts (pine nuts are traditional but I like almonds, pecans or whatever)
• 1/4c finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan (optional) 
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Splash of something acidic- like vinaigrette dressing or lemon or whatever.  This gives a great zip to the pesto

Directions
Pulse/blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until it is the consistency you are looking for. I prefer it to be fairly smooth, so I let it go for a several seconds after pulsing it several times.  This really will all fit in a standard food processor, but you can do it in batches and then mix them all together before using or freezing.

Optional next step to freeze in 1-2T amounts in ice cube tray for a few hours. You can either store them in the tray, or transfer them to a different container to keep frozen.

You can see I used cashews here.  I have never been accused of being traditional.

Skillet Penne & Sausage Supper (Gluten-Free/Adaptable, Dairy-Free/Adaptable)

Time for some serious home cookin' here in the Great Northwest.  While our family did have one blissful week of sun and BBQ while watching spring baseball and talking endless Physical Therapy with good friends, we are back to what may be the rainiest six months ever in Seattle (somehow, rain just isn't as romantic when I can't leave the house on a whim with my snowboard anymore...).  Gratefully there is the kitchen and my beautiful 2-and-a half-year-old sidekick who is showing lots of interest in being in the kitchen with me. 

This has been one of my friends and my favorite easy meals for several years now and it just occurred to me the other day to adapt it for a gluten/dairy sensitive meal and enjoy it again.  I found that the brown rice pasta I used absorbed less stock than it's semolina cousin, so I would reduce it by a bit from the original next time.  I had to simmer it several minutes longer to absorb/evaporate the extra broth which left the pasta much softer than I would prefer, but Mike loved it ("It's almost like a stroganoff").  Gratefully he doesn't mind a mushy noodle, but I will change the ratio in the list below for others.  I hope you like it!  I further adapted it to suit what I had on hand in the kitchen and strongly encourage you to do the same as it is very forgivable and delicious.  Also, its fast!

Skillet Penne & Sausage Supper

• 1 tbls Olive oil
• 1 Onion minced (I skipped this, I didn't have one)
• 1 lb. Chicken or Turkey sausage, casings removed
• 3 medium Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 C Oil-packed Sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine (canned diced tomatoes will sub in here fine if you don't have SD-toms on hand)
• 8 oz penne (~2.5C) - I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne
• 2 C Low-sodium Chicken broth
• 1/2C Heavy cream (I subbed MimicCream)
• 5oz baby spinach leaves (I used dried wild mushrooms and peas instead tonight)
• 1oz grated Parmesan or Pecorino (~1/2cup)
• salt & pepper

Directions
1.  Heat oil over medium heat in deep sided 12" skillet until shimmering .  Add the onion if using and about 1/2tsp salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2.  Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.
3.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Sprinkle the tomatoes over the sausage.  If you are substituting something instead of the spinach, this is a great time to add it to the mix.  Pour the broth and cream or MimiCream over the pasta.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender.  About 10 minutes for semolina pasta, or about 12-15 minutes for rice pasta.
4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan or Pecorino and season to  taste with salt & pepper.

I added a bit of broth to deglaze the pan before putting the pasta and such in because the bits on the pan are just too good to not scrape up into the sauce!

Baked Ziti (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Adaptable)

Mike's folks are in town this weekend and we made delicious regular and gluten-free pancakes which I will post soon, but we collectively decided that pancakes are not a good Sunday evening recipe to post- who is going to remember them by the end of the week?  On the other hand, Baked Ziti (or penne or rigatoni) is a great weekday dinner.  Furthermore, this recipe in particular lends itself very well to splitting into two batches and freezing for later use, or packing up to give to another family who could use some meal help. This is also a very fast and easy recipe to throw together quickly.  Recently we made a batch for a co-worker's family and were told that their finicky toddler ate it up- serious praise if you know just how discerning a toddler can be!
And while we are talking about toddlers, why not toss in a handful of finely chopped or pureed spinach or zucchini into the sauce when you are making it to boost the goodness?

Ingredients:

• 1lb Ziti, Rigatoni, Penne or other totally tubular pasta*
• 2C Mozzarella cheese, shredded**
• 1/4C Pecorino or Parmesan cheese**
• 5-6C Marinara (See Below) or Roasted Tomato Sauce
• 1lb ground beef, ground turkey breast or chicken/turkey sausage (optional)***

Quick Marinara

• 1T Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2T minced fresh basil or 2T basil pesto
• 1/4t sugar
• salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat to 400deg.  Meanwhile, bring 4qt of salted water to boil in large pot.
~*(see note below regarding using the ground meat)~
2.  If using already made sauce, heat it on the stove on medium heat in small/medium sauce pan.  Otherwise, prepare the Quick Marinara as follows: Heat the olive oil and garlic in a medium sized sauce pan over medium  heat until garlic is fragrant (~1-2 minutes).  Stir in the tomatoes with the juice and bring to simmer, cooking until sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.  Stir in the basil/pesto, sugar and salt/pepper to taste.
3.  Cook the pasta according to directions for 'al dente' and drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
4.  Return pasta to the pot, then add the sauce to the pasta and stir, using the reserved pasta water to loosed the mixture as needed.
5.  Spread half of the pasta mix into an oiled 9x13" pan (or 2 9x9" pans), sprinkle half of the Mozzarella and half of the parm/pec.  Spread the remaining pasta mix and cover with the rest of the cheese.
6.  Bake until cheeses turn golden brown, about 20  minutes.  Let stand ~5min before serving.

*Gluten-Free Note: I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne and it was delicious!  I haven't tried freezing these noodles yet,  but with all leftover GF pasta, I would add some extra liquid during the second heating process.  Please, if anyone tries this, do leave a comment for all of our growth.

**Dairy-Free Note: I used soy-cheese and Pecorino and it was also great for me.  Try any cheese alternative here as long as it melts.  Even a goat Feta would be excellent!

***Meaty Note:  If using ground beef, sausage, turkey or your favorite other choice, add this to the pan and cook it fully prior to adding your Roasted Tomato Sauce.  If using the Quick Marinara, add it in the oil/garlic step and continue as listed once the meat is fully cooked.  Incidentally, in our house we found that half turkey breast and half chix sausage is our favorite mix.  I typically make a boatload of the meat sauce and freeze what I don't use for quick future meals.



Because I was making a standard pasta and GF option,  I didn't mix the noodles with the sauce this time- instead I layered them all in like a lasagna so I could make one sauce, but separate pans of noodles.

Immediate on the L, freezer on the R



This is the GF/DF version- yum!

~Adapted from a recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, revised edition.

Cilantro Pesto

I am what you may call a Cilantrophobe.  While I do think it is beautiful in its leafy green state in the ground, I find the smell, taste and flavor most unpleasant.  I don't totally mind it if a little is in with my salsa, but when I bite into one of those big leafs, it is like having a big bite of soap on my chip or something.  Anyway, when cilantro showed up in my CSA box this week, I was seriously not sure what to do.  I couldn't think of any single thing that I would want to eat that I could make to use it.  However, I very much dislike wasting anything, so I decided to do what I do with parsley (only slightly less offensive than cilantro), which is make a pesto with it.  This way, when I get that recipe that calls for cilantro, I don't have to either skip it and wonder if it really made a difference- or worse yet, go buy some just to get one tablespoon for a recipe or something.  I have to admit, having parsley pesto in my freezer has made for a very handy addition to pasta salads and quinoa salads and fish and .......Anyway, I figured salt and garlic could only help the flavor and wouldn't likely conflict with any recipe I may stumble upon that would ask for the dreaded herb.  Much to my amazement and a mix of delight and shame, I found myself actually eating this out of the food processor with a spoon.  It is delicious!  This recipe is adapted from one out of my favorite cookbook by Mark Bittman called How to Cook Everything.

PS: Here is a link to the usual house fav around here: Spinach Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch cilantro leaves (top stems ok), rinsed and patted dry
• 1 clove garlic
• 3T olive oil
• 1-2T freshly squeezed lime juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
Pulse/blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until it is the consistency you are looking for.  I prefer it to be fairly coarsely chopped up, so I probably pulsed mine 10x at 1-2s pulses.

Optional next step to freeze in 1-2T amounts in ice cube tray for a few hours.  You can either store them in the tray, or transfer them to a different container to keep frozen.

If freezing, simply take a cube out of the freezer 10 minutes or so before use to thaw!

This will be delicious in salads, pasta salads, dressings, on fish or maybe even a marinade for pork, not to mention in salsas.....

Roasted Tomato Sauce

 

This is one of my favorite ways to  use huge quantities of tomatoes.  You can be as creative as you want, add whatever spices you want and it is always amazing.  The roasting process turns the sauce into an intense tomato-y delight.  It is nice to add things like pureed zucchini and whatnot to boost the nutrition as well.  I usually freeze in 1-2c batches and our family enjoys it all winter.  Since it is to dang flavorful and rich, I find we only need about 1c per 1/2 or 3/4lb pasta for serious sauce action.  Adapted from Marcella Rosene's recipe in Pasta and Co. By Request.

(Editors note added 9/24/14: Every batch of this changes with what is available, of course.  I have begun regularly using 2-4 carrots and 1-2 zucchini chopped in the pans to roast as well.  Also delicious and unobtrusive is to toss in a few leaves of kale!)

Preheat oven to 400.

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine:

~3-4# Ripe tomatoes, halved (any tomato you have is great here.  I use a combination of whatever is ripe, including cherry)

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

~1/4c olive oil

1/4 cup chopped basil or 4T pesto

~1/2t each salt and pepper

Toss,  cover with foil, roast for ~2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes to mash up big pieces.  Once it has reduced down to ~1/4-1/2 inch in the pan, remove and puree in blender (skin and all, yum!)

Yields approx 2-3 cups, depending on how many tomatoes and how reduced you go.

Note: all of these amounts are approximate and I encourage you to add whatever you like.  The last few times I have made it I added some red peppers and carrots that needed to be used and it took on more sweetness.

Here are mostly basic reds with a few cherry and heirlooms.  I used a few cubes of frozen broccoli/spinach/basil pesto vs. fresh basil and also a few cubes of pureed zucchini for good measure.





Toms 1hr in

  

Toms after 1.75 hr.  As you drag the spatula through it, it leaves a trail

Ready to go!

Zucchini Pasta (Linguini or Gluten-Free Brown Rice Spaghetti)

I would have to describe this as freakishly delicious.  I have yet to make it with actual linguini, but can only imagine it will be even better.  We are still getting outrageous amounts of fresh zucchini from our garden, so I get to be creative with how much and how often we incorporate it into our every meal.  I originally found this recipe in Parenting Magazine while enjoying some quality reading at the gym.  Few things are more fun than thinking of cooking while working out, unless you are one of my patients and you get to talk about food during your entire treatment.  Anyway, the first time I made this, I couldn't believe how amazingly delicious it was while being gluten-free.  Very easy to make and quick, too.  At first Mia asked "mom get the salad out of the noodles?", but now she asks for "more zuke". 

Makes enough for 2-3 bigs and one little with none left over for lunch.   I can only assume the original printing suggesting that this would serve 8-10 was for hamsters or something, especially since I almost doubled the noodles in this version.

12 oz pasta (linguini or other gluten-free long noodle- I used Trader Joe's Brown Rice Spaghetti)
2 medium zucchini or one large fresh garden zuke
2T olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1-1 1/2 c grated pecorino cheese
1/2 t salt plus more for pasta water

Directions:

1.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to directions.  Reserve 1/2c pasta water out just before draining.
2.  Meanwhile, use mandoline (in our house, that is called a vegetable peeler.... maybe one day) and shave the zucchini into long ribbons.  It may be helpful to cut them length-wise into ~1/2" slices and make your peelings from there.  I tend to have some left-over ends that I cant shave and I just julienne them.
3.  Toss the zucchini in a bowl with the 1/2t salt and set aside. 
4.  Heat olive oil in large skillet (non-stick helps). Add in garlic and cook, stirring, until lightly golden- about 1 minute.  Add zucchini and cook about 4 minutes, tossing continuously (tongs are very helpful here).
5.  Transfer to large bowl and toss together the pasta, zucchini and pecorino.  Adjust the pasta and such as needed with the reserved pasta water in 1-2T increments (should not be saucy, per se, but have a very creamy quality).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Note:  in this house, we minimize all superfluous dish-washing, so unless I am trying to impress someone, I just toss the pasta back into the pan with the sauteed zucchini, add the cheese while tossing, then add S & P and any additional pasta water as needed to loosen the dish.  I'd like to think that this way you get to preserve all of the delicious liquid that the zucchini throws off in the cooking process without losing it in the bowl transfer.  Truly, I haven't even tried it.  Also, consider adding some halved cherry or pear tomatoes step 5 as in the original recipe.  I don't care for hot tomatoes so I haven't done it yet.



Zucchini in the bowl with salt

Zucchini ready to toss with the goods- just barely wilted.







Ready for the plates and garnish pec!



Rice Noodle Quick Stir-Fry

I have had to get pretty creative with my starches now that semolina pasta is generally off the list for me.  Currently in our family's heavy rotation is this rice noodle dish.  Quick and easy and Mia loves it as much as Mike and I do.

1lb Rice noodle sticks (linguini or fettucini shape- I love Trader Joe's brand)
1 clove garlic minced or grated
1-2T olive oil
2-4T Soy sauce or Tamari
2-3T Toasted sesame oil
Toasted black and/or golden sesame seeds for garnish

Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook noodles as directed on package and drain.  These give off a ton of starch, so lots of water is good, even if making a half batch.

Meanwhile, stir-fry the garlic in the olive oil in a large saute pan or wok.  When the noodles are finished, toss them into the pan and coat throughout with garlic and oil.  Drizzle the sesame oil and tamari/soy sauce liberally over the noodles and continue to cook for maybe 4-5 minutes longer. Feel free to add more tamari/soy sauce and sesame oil if it needs more as you taste it in the pan. 

Note:  On occasion, we have had a few noodles left and found that they do not hold up well as left-overs, so I stronorgly recommend just eating them all!

Another Note: to make this more of a main, add some chicken, tofu or other meat and veggies in and cook with the garlic before adding the noodles!

The first recipe! Orzo with Broccoli, Feta and Olives

It was hard to come up with the best recipe to start with, so I went with our household favorite comfort food.  This is what I make when Im really trying to butter Mike up, or it is his birthday, or we just need it. My mom made this dish for Mike and I the first afternoon we drove into town after graduating from Physical Therapy school.  We pulled the U-Haul up to the curb, came in the house and scooped up a big bowl.  This dish takes 10 minutes to prep up, but then pulling it together is a snap when you are ready to.  You can do it all at once or, if you are working around fits and burst of productive time (read: naptimes), you can prep it up in advance and it only takes 10-15 minutes of attention when you are ready.  This recipe was adapted from the one in The Seattle Times in September 1994.

Orzo with Brocolli, Feta and Olives
Makes approximately 4 servings as a main course.

2c   Orzo
1     Bunch Broccoli (about 1lb) cut into florettes

1/4c Olive oil
1/4c Pine nuts
1/2t  Dried crushed red pepper

3/4-1c Feta, crumbled (Sheep's milk has the best flavor here)
3/4c  Kalamato olives, pited and quartered
3/4c  Freshly grated pecorino or parmesan
1/4c  Chopped basil or 3T basil pesto

Cook Orzo in large pot of salted boiling water until tender but still with firm bite, about 8 minutes.  Add broccoli to water and cook 2 minutes more. 

Meanwhile, heat oil in small heavy bottom skillet over medium heat.  Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Add crushed red pepper and stir until aromatic, about 30 sec.  Remove from heat.

Drain orzo/broccoli in colander and transfer to large bowl (or back to the pot if you aren't so worried about presentation!).  Add oil mixture and toss to coat.  Add olives, cheeses and basil (or pesto) and toss.  Season with salt and pepper as you like!

Note:  as  with probably all the recipes I will think to share, this is quite flexible.  I would like to think that more cheese is always equal to more flavor.  Adding sauteed chicken is a nice touch.  Also, a few weeks ago, our broccoli wasn't ready yet, so I used zucchini instead.  I missed the texture of the broccoli, but actually liked the flavor that the zucch added even more.  This time, I used both broccoli and zucchini (but forgot the basil, ouch!)