Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

I got the idea for this salad after we went to Stephan Pyles for our anniversary. I had the phenomenal beet salad with a blue cheese mousse and candied pecans. yum!

Serves 2

1 large or 2 small roasted beets (I roast mine wrapped in parchment and foil with evoo and salt and pepper)
soft lettuces, like butter lettuce, arugula, and mesclun mix
1 avocado
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 t Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Plate the lettuces. Slice the beets very thinly, or use a mandolin. Arrange on lettuce. Slice the avocado into sixths.


Mix the vinaigrette in a small jar, adding olive oil, orange juice, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss the avocado with a small amount of the vinaigrette to keep it from turning colors. Add to the salad.

I like the vinaigrette on a mixed vegetable salad or on warm asparagus as well.

Udon and Veg

I've been in a really Asian mood lately, mainly because I've been trying to eat more vegetables and Asian food makes it so easy to incorporate veggies in the diet.



This was a really tasty stir-fry kind of dish that came together really fast on a weeknight. I bought the udon at an Asian market, but I've seen it in the grocery store as well. You can also sub a thick Italian noodle.

1 package (about 1/2 pound) wide noodles
4 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen
2 T soy sauce
2 T chicken broth
2 T cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
salt
pepper

If you are using crunchy vegetables, like carrots, broccoli, snow peas, etc you will want to blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes. You don't want them soft, just softened a little bit so they don't take forever to cook later.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles.

Heat a large skillet to very high heat and add 2 teaspoons light flavored oil, like corn or canola. Add the toughest vegetables first, and start stir-frying each vegetable until tender. Turn the heat down to medium low.

Mix up the sauce in a measuring cup, adding the soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, and vinegar. Whisk with a fork then add to the vegetables. Add the udon when it is just tender to the tooth, not mushy. Add salt and pepper to taste, although you shouldn't need much salt with the soy sauce.

French dinner

One night this week, I made an all French dinner. For the appetizers and dessert, I used choux paste (you may remember this from the cream puffs, before)

For appetizers, I made a savory dough and added gruyere and parmesan cheese, and created gougeres. The savory choux paste has no sugar and more salt and some pepper, and then you fold in the cheeses.

For dessert, I crafted profiteroles, which are sweet choux paste dough split open, with a scoop of ice cream inside and chocolate sauce on top. Yum!



For the main course, we had blue cheese souffle, with a side of baby greens with vinaigrette.



The vinaigrette was awesome! The souffle - meh. I thought it tasted kinda like scrambled eggs. Hubby thought it was tastearrific.

Blue Cheese Souffle

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped (or other blue cheese)
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Green Salad Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Toss the greens with enough dressing to moisten and serve immediately.

The recipes above call for room temperature eggs, which beat easier with more air, and emulsify easier. To bring eggs to room temperature fast, cover them in a cup or bowl with warm water and let sit for about 10-15 minutes.

You can find the profiterole and gougere recipes here and here.

Baby Food

While I *did* make the following 2 recipes into baby food, they are really appropriate for adult eating. I simply made 2 pots and made one w/out seasoning and ground it up in the baby food grinder. The other was perfectly seasoned for grown-ups.

Bree's Lentil Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 cups dried lentils
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
light sour cream (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute for 3 minutes or until tender. Add the turmeric and the next 6 ingredients (turmeric through garlic); saute for 1 minute. Add water and next 4 ingredients (water through diced tomatoes); bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour.

2. Reserve 2 cups lentil mixture. Place half of remaining mixture in blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with other half of remaining mixture. Stir in reserved 2 cups lentil mixture. Garnish with sour cream and cheese if desired.

Sometimes I don't even grind some up if I am lazy. Sometimes I make this less soupy and serve over rice. You can leave out the turmeric if you don't have it, maybe up the cumin.

Conor thought it was great, even though to me his tasted awful since it had no seasoning, not even salt and pepper.

Chicken Stew

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 28-ounce can (or 2 14-ounce cans) diced tomatoes
1-cup (or more) chicken broth
assorted diced veggies, such as carrots, peas, corn
1 can of beans - kidney, pinto, black, cannellini, chickpea
salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. When melted, add the onion and cumin and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side. Add the canned tomatoes, broth, veggies, and beans. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft.

Add enough broth or a combination of broth and water until you get the consistency you desire. You can make it watery and more like soup, or thick. I make it on the thick side and serve over wild rice. (those 90-second stick in the microwave wild rice pouches are really good)

Again, for the baby I made it soupy and without seasoning. Instead of diced carrots, one time I added some carrots I had already pureed for him and he didn't like. It just added to the sauce of the stew. I ground it up in both the food processor and the food mill and he LOVED it.

When I make the variation with cumin and chili powder, kidney beans, and corn, it makes a kind of Southwestern stew. You can take this in any direction you want with the veggies and seasoning - Italian, Indian, etc. Curried with chickpeas over couscous or basmati rice would be really tasty!

Carrot Soup

I whipped this up because I bought an enormous package of baby carrots at Costco. I knew when I bought it that it was too large a bag and I would never eat that many carrots. So after many nights of sauted carrots, steamed carrots, and carrots in salad, I had to make a soup to use up what was left before they went bad.

Carrot Soup
feeds 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a full meal

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 a large onion, diced
1 clove garlic
3 cups diced or baby carrots
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper, if desired
sour cream or creme fraiche for garnishing

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat and add onion. Let sweat for a few minutes, then add garlic. Don't let your heat get too high - we are not looking to caramelize the onion, just sweat and soften it. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the water. Add the cumin and ginger.

After a few minutes, add the carrots and turn heat down to medium low. Put on the lid and let the carrots cook with the onions for a few minutes. Add the chicken brothe. Replace lid and let carrots cook until softenend.

Add the contents to a blender and blend until smooth, adding additional chicken broth if necessary. You can also use an immersion blender in the pan. Return to the pan to heat through and finish with the cream and a teaspoon or 2 of butter if desired. Add more broth until you have your desired consistency and salt and pepper to taste. You can add a dash of cayenne pepper if you want more spice.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.

Quick Roasted Tomato Pasta

Being that I am "with child" and therefore get very hungry, but don't want to spend much time making dinner and certainly very little time around a hot stove, I like dishes that are quick. This was very quick. So quick I was done cooking and had consumed my dinner way before the night's NFL game came on.

I had a bunch of cherry tomatoes getting kinda wrinkly - and while I will eat them wrinkly my husband certainly wouldn't. How to disguise wrinkly tomatoes? Roasting! Roasting always brings out the flavor in anything. I simply tossed them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, put on a baking sheet, and roasted at 375 until the skins had popped and they were releasing their juices. I added some sliced garlic about halfway through to the pan.

2 cups cherry or other small tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, sliced
pasta
garnishes - onions, pesto, parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss tomatoes in a small amount of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Put on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for around 15 minutes. You're looking for them to start looking "oozy". About halfway through add your garlic.

When done, put the whole mess on the cooking sheet into a saucepan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Keep warm.

Boil your pasta in a large pot with plenty of salt. When al dente, add to saucepan. I added a couple tablespoons of basil pesto and a 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese. If I had more ambition, I would have sauteed or roasted some chopped onion along with it.

Pesto Pasta Potluck

Italian Potluck at work - much thanks to my J-dog Joana for giving me the idea. It saved me from slaving over vegetable lasagna - which is good, but dang I didn't want to spend that much time in the kitchen on a summer night.

To me, pasta salad is all about throw together what you have. Pasta, whatever vegetables, and a dressing. Tonight I made use of the basil taking over my tiny garden and in fact, some of the tiny cherry tomatoes we have as well. I added some green onion and red bell pepper. I was going to add defrosted peas but forgot - oh well.

The recipe for the basil pesto can be found here.

Pasta Pesto Salad

2 boxes wheat rotini pasta
1 cup basil pesto
halved cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, chopped
chopped green onion tops
salt and pepper

Boil 2 quarts hot water with enough salt that it's salty to the taste.

Boil the pasta until slightly more al dente than you would serve warm with sauce. Drain and plunge into icy water to stop the cooking. Leave a few minutes to chill if you are serving right away.

Drain and add the pesto. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, red pepper, and onion. Stir together. Taste, then add appropriate salt and pepper.

If I'd had some cheese, say feta or goat cheese, I would have added that. This could be done with boccacini, tomatoes, and julienned basil to make a Caprese pesto salad. Mmm!

Light Pasta Salad

When it's hot and you don't feel like cooking, a pasta salad is right up on my list. The only "cooking" involved here is boiling the pasta. Since the salad is so simple however, it really benefits from the best ingredients. Here, we had some heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil from the garden, and a heavy-for-its-size lemon. Seasoning with salt and pepper is also really important.

Summer Italian Pasta Salad

1 lb whole-wheat rotini pasta
2 heirloom tomatoes
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1 fresh lemon
parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put your water on to boil with plenty of salt in the water. The water should be "salty as the sea". This is the only time to get flavor into your pasta.

Put the pasta in, and while cooking, prep your other ingredients. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized wedges. Roll up the basil leaves into a cigar shape and slice very thinly end to end. This is what is called "chiffonade". Roll the lemon firmly on your counter with the heel of your hand to get the juice flowing.

Cook your pasta to slightly more al dente than you would to pair it with a warm sauce. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the pan over low heat, and add the tomatoes and basil. Grate about 1/4 cup of parmesan over the pasta, and add a couple tablespoons of the cooking water. Stir. Grate the lemon rind onto the pasta, cut the lemon in half, and juice it over the pasta. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to your preference. Stir and serve.

I really like the fresh flavors of the ingredients that came out. Next time I'll add more tomato just because I love it so much.

Basil Pesto

Basil pesto is one of those things that I look forward to all year, and start salivating about as soon as I have my basil in the ground. Last year the basil went crazy, but I didn't freeze any of my pesto, which was a big shame. This year I intend to rectify the sad situation.

My basil reached significant enough growth that I could cut quite a bit. Granted, it looks like a skeleton now, but it will bounce back I'm sure. Pesto is simply a combination of herbs, olive oil, seasonings, usually some nuts. Parsley, mint, cilantro - all make nice pestos.

Basil Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 garlic cloves
5 cups loose-packed basil leaves
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Toast your nuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until lightly brown. Stir halfway through cooking.

In a food processor that is running, add the garlic through the chute. This ensures the garlic will get chopped fine enough. Add the pine nuts, basil, and cheese. Pulse a little bit. You'll notice you need some liquid to get it going. Add olive oil and/or water in a small, steady stream to the running food processor. I don't like to use all olive oil as it becomes to oily for my taste. You can use water or broth even. Add liquid until it reaches desired consistency. Taste before adding salt as the cheese can be quite salty. Add pepper and any other seasonings you desire.

I like this on pasta of course - on crostini - crackers - and even fresh vegetables. Often I will make a batch of pesto, use most of it, then turn the leftovers into alternately dip, then salad dressing, getting thinner and thinner as I use more and more.

Chugga Chugga Couscous

When faced with the need to provide a dish for a work potluck, I always think SWEET first. Not sure why. Am I a baker before a cook? I certainly cook more than I bake, but maybe it is the baking process that really gets my creative juices going.

Regardless, I had a really hard time thinking of a dish for hubby to take for lunch until I remembered the boxes of couscous I bought recently. Most people think couscous is a grain, like rice, but in fact it is a pasta. It cooks up really fast because they are tiny pieces of pasta, and also they are steamed, then dried, before you use it so it's almost like reconstituting it. Couscous is of North African origin and can stand up to really strong flavors. It is a great vehicle for any kind of vegetable.

Today I decided to make it with zucchini and the incredibly sweet grape tomatoes we buy every week. Green onions, spice, toasted pine nuts, and hot boiling water and we are there!

Vegetable Couscous Salad

1/2 cup pine nuts
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups couscous
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 small zucchini, split lengthwise and sliced thinly
4 or 5 green onions, diced
2 handfuls grape tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pine nuts in a round or square baking pan and heat at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 minutes. Shake pan. Heat for about 2 1/2 more minutes. Watch them carefully because they can go from toasted to burned in no time. Remove from oven and pour into a bowl to cool.

Bring water to boil over medium-high heat. Add couscous, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin. Tightly cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Add zucchini, onion, tomato, and pine nuts. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate before serving.

Gnocchi'n on Heaven's Door

Lest you think I was not a proper wife and didn't make something FABULOUS for our 1-year anniversary, I give you dinner, Guns 'n Roses style. Having become the recent owner of a ricer, and having some fingerling potatoes growing sad and forgotten in our veggie basket - gnocchi was to be the new recipe of the evening.

Have you ever had gnocchi? It's pasta. Made from potatoes. And done correctly they are light and airy and wonderful. The best gnocchi I ever had was in London's Notting Hill neighborhood. Since then I've wanted to make them, but didn't have a ricer, and like Alton Brown, I hate uni-taskers. Recently I read you could use a regular box grater to grate the cooked potatoes. Makes total sense. I don't know why it didn't occur to me.

We made gnocchi in cooking class a month or so ago so I felt I had my technique down. Potatoes, eggs, flour - that's all there is to it. The starch in the particular potato matters, and I'd always heard fingerlings were the best but all the recipes I seemed to find involved russets. I'm trying those next time because they sure are easy to find and I think the skin comes off easier as it's thicker.

Potato Gnocchi
(serves 4)

1 pound russet potatoes
3-4 egg yolks
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

You can bake the potatoes in the oven, or boil them in water. Cook until they are tender when pierced with a skewer. You don't want to overcook them or the flesh will soak up more water, and more water equals more flour. A light hand with the flour is the key here - more flour equals a less tender gnocchi. Don't overwork the dough.

Let the cooked potatoes stand just long enough so that they are cool enough to handle. The hotter the potato when you rice them, the fluffier.

Scrape the peels off the potatoes and rice or grate the potatoes. Spread the riced potatoes out in a thin layer to expose as much of their surface as possible to the air. You should have about 2 cups of potatoes. In a large bowl whisk together 3 egg yolks, the cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the potatoes and mix well. Sprinkle half cup of the flour over the potatoes and using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes. Fold the mass over on itself and press down again. Sprinkle on more flour, little by little, folding and pressing the dough until it just holds together. If the mixture is too dry, add another yolk or a little water. The dough should give under slight pressure. It will feel firm but yielding. To test if the dough is the correct consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter. If the dough holds together, it is ready. If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times, and test again.

To form, cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces. Roll out each piece into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces and lightly flour any sticky sides. You'll now form them into dumplings with the ridges that are familiar to gnocchi. The ridges are what helps sauce stick. I doubt you have a gnocchi board - the tines of a form work just as well. Rest the fork upside down and at a 45 degree angle. Hold the gnocchi to the fork with your thumb and with light pressure press down and away from you. The gnocchi will roll away down the fork and get the impression from the tines. It will be slightly curved. Don't worry, it will take practice to get the right force and motion.






Rope for cutting








At this point you can lightly dust the gnocchi, place on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and freeze for later use. Simply move them to a ziptop bag when they are frozen through. Or you can bring a large pot of salted water to boil to cook them. They only need about 90 seconds to cook. Place them in the boiling water and when they float to the top, they are done. Use a skimmer or strainer to fish them out and dump into prepared sauce.

Frozen gnocchi can be placed in boiling water for cooking and remove when they have floated to the top - slightly longer than fresh gnocchi.

Sauces should be prepared and kept barely warm to simply coat the gnocchi and heat them through. I did a very simple brown butter coating with another grating of Parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of kosher salt. A simple cheese cream sauce, a light marinara, or a pesto would also be excellent. Next time I'll be doing the basil pesto when the basil in the garden gets mature enough.

These took a long time from start to finish (being about an hour or so) but were well worth it considering how long I've waited to make them myself. They had a really strong potato taste plain, but I think switching to russets will help. Next time I'll watch the flour content more to try and make them even lighter. They were really good and went well as a side dish to our pork loin and Italian squash.

I'm Gonna Be a Weiner

Above is my entry in a recipe contest. I've never done anything like this before, but spurred on by all those contest shows they have on Food TV "America's National Crabapple Jelly in Pastry Competition up next! Don't change that dial!" and how simple the rules SEEMED, I decided to take a recipe I make all the time, dress it up, get the particulars, and send it off.

What I realized is that those rules are NOT simple. They have all kinds of hidden details and ingredients you must use and formats the recipe must be in. I'm sure this narrows the pool down to a nice sizable amount that can be actually tested and eaten. Still, I figure this is good experience, plus now a family recipe is down on paper and can be shared with the world. THE WORLD I tell you! It's really good alongside grilled steak or chicken. My husband loves it and he's not the biggest squash fan. It's also good on top of pasta. I personally eat it cold leftover out of the fridge all the time.

Italian Skillet Squash, from my Mama

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups sliced yellow squash (about 2 small)
2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, with basil and garlic flavor (or other Italian flavor)
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped oion and saute until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic and dried oregano. Saute for another minute. Add salt and pepper.

Add the squash and zucchini and continue to saute until the squash soften. Add the diced tomatoes and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Sprinkle with grated parmesan. Garnish with fresh chopped basil, if desired.

Yield: 6 cups (serving size about 3/4 cup)

Potluck Dinner

Last weekend we had a lovely afternoon at a friend's house. We were attending a matinee of her most recent dramatic endeavor, and afterwards we had a nice potluck dinner. I volunteered to make the entree and a vegetable side dish. Both dishes made use of a "bechamel" - one of the 4 classic French sauces from which all others originate.

My entree was a macaroni and cheese casserole reminiscent of tuna noodle casserole. Instead of tuna I used chicken, and instead of noodles we used wheat penne pasta.

First, I poached the chicken breasts in a combination of cool water, a splash of whiskey (bourbon, whisky or brandy would be fine), some peppercorns, and a couple bay leaves. Just barely let the water come up to a simmer, and simmer about 8-10 minutes. Be careful because over-cooking will make the chicken tough and dry.



Once cooked, let the chicken breasts cool and then shred or cube into bite-sized pieces.



Every bechamel begins in the same way - savory vegetables or garlic sauteed in a fat to a certain point of brown, and then flour added to help thicken the eventual sauce. Here, I've sauteed the onions in butter until soft, then added flour. You want to cook the flour a bit to cook the pasty taste out but not too long such that it browns. When you have a mostly white sauce, it is considered "blonde". You may realize this is the same process for making a "roux". Many Cajun dishes begin with a roux that is browned deeply to a deep rich brown color.

The next step in a bechamel is to add a liquid to make it saucy. Usually this is a broth, milk or cream, or a combination. Here I've used a combination of broth and milk. Usually you are heating the milk or cream while cooking the roux so that when you add it to the flour mixture the temperature doesn't drop suddenly.



The sauce will thicken, based on what ratio flour to liquid you use. Adding nutmeg to the bechamel is very traditional, along with salt and pepper to taste.

You'll want to cook your pasta or noodles more al dente than normal as you'll be cooking it in the oven. Along with the pasta and sauce, I used frozen peas that had been blanched and cooled, cheddar cheese, the pre-cooked chicken, and some breadcrumbs for the top.

Chicken Pasta Cheese Bake, adapted from Macaroni and Cheese by Marlena Spieler

4 chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
5-6 peppercorns
2 tablespoons whiskey, brandy, or bourbon
6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups hot, not boiling milk
grating of fresh nutmeg
12 oz pasta or noodles
6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
3-4 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Cover chicken breasts in a large saucepan with water and bring to a slow simmer with the bay leaves, peppercorns, and whiskey. Let simmer 8-10 minutes until there is no pink left in the breasts. Do not overcook. You'll want to skim off any foam that develops as they cook. Cool and chop or shred into bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the peas in hot water for 2 minutes, then cool in ice water. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter, add the onion and cook until softened. Raise the heat slightly and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes to cook out the flour taste, and take off the heat. Stir in the broth and hot milk and return to the heat. Cook the sauce over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes or until thick. Use a whisk to beat out any lumps. Add salt and pepper to taste along with the nutmeg. Set aside.

Cook pasta or noodles until al dente but less cooked than normal and drain.

Butter a large shallow caserrole pan. Add 1/4 of the sauce to the bottom of the pan along with 1/4 of the cheese. Add 1/3 of the chicken, peas, and noodles, in layers. Repeat the layers 2 more times and end with the sauce and cheese. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and dot with 2 tablespoons butter.

Bake about 30 minutes until brown and crisped in places.



The vegetable side dish I made was Creamed Spinach. It begins the same way, with a bechamel of onions, butter, and flour. I added only milk, and a lot less, as you want this sauce to be thicker than that for the pasta dish. Add 2 defrosted and drained packages frozen spinach to the bechamel. Add salt, pepper, and a dash of grated nutmeg to taste.



Creamed Spinach

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
2 boxes frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add onions. Cook until softened. Add flour and cook a few minutes to cook out floury taste. Add milk and cook until incorporated and thickened. Add spinach, breaking up strands. Cook until heated through.

Give Peas a Chance

I had been seeing a lot of blogs lately with peas. Spring peas. They had been on my mind a lot since I used them in a casserole on the weekend. So today, when I had leftover pasta and a quick weeknight supper to make I decided to do a pasta with spring pea puree.

I decided I wanted a creaminess, and some herbs. I had chives, that would be good. I was out of cream...so I used sour cream. Definitely need some parmesan... I whirred it all up in the food processor but the flavor was way sweeter than I would have imagined, so I decided I needed some onions for earthiness and spice (really a shallot would have been perfectly delicate). Heated it up with the pasta and more chives and cheese on top and voila!

Spring Pea Pasta

1/2 - 1 bag frozen spring peas, or fresh (remember, no fancy farmer's markets here)
a creamy ingredient - cream, sour cream, or ricotta cheese
olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 an onion or 1 shallot
herbs - chives or something similarly delicate - mint perhaps

Blanch the peas in boiling water for just a few minutes, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Whirr them up in the food processor or blender with the creamy ingredient, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Chop the onion or shallot and soften in some olive oil and the butter. Add the peas and heat. Here I wish I could have added more cream. You can add another tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce too. Add leftover pasta or add pasta you've just boiled up. Garnish with parmesan cheese, herbs, or a dollop of ricotta. mmmm.

I am the captain of my suburban food domain.