Tag: pasta

Hearty chicken stew with potatoes over Couscous

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IMG_2549.jpgI love making one pot meals as you may have noticed from my previous posts and also hearty stews are so comforting.  They are easy to make and soul satisfying to me.

This is a chicken stew I made in a rich tomato sauce with potatoes

Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper and sear on high heat till the chicken is golden brown.  I throw in some fresh thyme while this is happening – you can use rosemary, oregano or almost any herb of your choice.

 

Because I am lazy or very smart – you decide – I make some room at the side of the pan and add a couple of table spoons of flour.  I brown this for a few minutes until the flour is brown and cooked through.  You might have to add a little oil to make sure this happens well.

 

Next, I add a cup or two of wine – red in this case since that’s what I was drinking.  You can add white wine and or stock – even water works, I tell ya.

I also like to add tomato paste along with the flour for a deep rich color but I didn’t have any handy.  The stew still came out well.

And if you get anything from my recipes – just know that they are suggestions and not the gospel – once you master some techniques, you can experiment.  Don’t sweat or worse, not cook just because you don’t have one ingredient.

 

IMG_2535.jpgSticking with the lazy or genius theme. I throw in a chopped onion or two and they will cook down just like you sauteed them in the beginning.  At this time I like to add some more thyme and more salt and pepper.

 

Now for 6-8-10 cloves of garlic, crushed and a can of whole, peeled tomatoes, smushed up.  Yes, that’s a word 🙂

IMG_2545After the garlic and tomatoes, I covered and simmered the chicken for about 30 minutes and then add the potatoes – cooking for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes and chicken is cooked through.

Next, taste the sauce for salt and adjust to taste.

Sometimes, I will add a few tbs. of wine which I don’t cook out – this gives the stew a unique flavor.  Also a couple tbs. of vinegar can be nice in rounding out the flavors.

Serve this in one of many ways – as is with crusty bread, or over rice, pasta, couscous.

I like to make enough t so that I can eat it for a few days in different ways.

I hope you try this and other stews – they basically cook themselves and you get to look like the star in your kitchen.

Until I cook again!

Simple Pasta in a Tomato Sauce with Salmon

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I made a very simple dish for lunch yesterday.

I really like pasta since it is so versatile and can stand up to just about any flavors.

I had a side of salmon that I had baked in the oven the night before and so when I learned that I have guests for lunch,  I decided to make pasta with the salmon and some asparagus that I had blanched.

First for a simple tomato sauce:

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 Tbs. red pepper flakes

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

Salt to taste

1 16 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes.

Heat the oil gently in a pan and add the garlic, fennel and pepper flakes.  Cook on the lowest heat possible for the garlic and other spices to impart their flavor into the oil.

Next add the can of tomatoes and about 2 cups of water.  I crush the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to get a chunky sauce.  Add salt to taste and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

In the meantime, boil the water for the pasta and cook it.

In a separate pan, I crisped the salmon skin that I had removed.  This is an optional step.  I like the flavor that the crispy skin adds to the dish.

Heat through the cooked salmon and the asparagus.

When the pasta is still quite al dente, add it to the tomato sauce and stir well.  Cook till the pasta is cooked to the desired consistency.

I added some chopped fresh spinach because I had it laying about.

Serve the pasta in a large bowl with the salmon and asparagus mixture on top of the pasta.

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Serve with some crusty bread and a good olive oil to dip the bread.

I hope that you try this dish and play around the flavors and ingredients.

Until I cook again!

Meatball fettucine in a creamy dill sauce

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  • I wrote about these meatballs a while ago and made them again last night for my sweet.

    I make extra meatballs, use some with pasta and save others for the week which I use in sandwiches, salads or just for a snack.

    They are simple and versatile – you can use many different seasonings and make them your own.

    For the past few weekends my dad and I have had a standing date watching Homeland – the amazing Showtime show.  We watch several episodes a weekend to get ready for the new season starting October 5th.

    This date sometimes puts a crimp on our dinner style 🙂

    The wine is flowing freely as we watch but this girl can’t live on wine alone.

    The father made a request for pasta with Swedish meatballs.

    In my mind Swedish meatballs means tons of dill in a sour cream sauce and so that’s what I did.

    We took a twenty minute break from our TV watching and I had dinner ready at the end of it.

    I took coarse minced beef (you can use turkey, chicken, pork or a combination of) and added a handful of chopped dill, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

    I browned these in olive oil as the pasta cooked in salted water.

    When the meatballs were browned in about 10 minutes or so, I added a cup of sour cream and a half cup of milk.  I added the pasta to this mixture, more dill and chopped garlic – and then red pepper flakes because that’s what I do.

    Some vinegar or lemon juice for a tang, check for seasoning and dinner is ready.

    Ladle in bowls and we watch as we are mesmerized by Homeland.

    Try this recipe, watching TV or not.

    I promise you will love it.

    Until I eat again!

     

Meatballs in a Creamy Sauce – and a great way to involve your kids in the kitchen

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Just imagine for a moment, tiny hands making tiny meatballs as you sit back and sip a glass of mine.  How heavenly is that?

Well, you could do that with your kids.

Everyone loves meatballs – I know that I do and you can use them in so many ways.

Here I have them in a creamy sauce with Indian flavors but you can flavor them any way that you like and have them with pasta, make mini burgers, as a snack – the sky is really the limit.

For the mix:

Use your choice of meats – mix and match all you like

Use:

beef, pork, chicken, veal or lamb.

Chop up some herbs like cilantro, mint or dill and add to the meat.  Season with salt and pepper and some garlic would be nice.

Now for the secret – how do you make and keep the meatballs soft?

Bread – plain old white bread – moistened in water and then squeezed – trust me, this is waaay better than bread crumbs.

For the sauce, I added some whipped yogurt and a tiny bit of tomato paste for a lovely hue.

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After your kids have formed the balls, just saute them lightly in some oil and then add to the sauce.

If not using a sauce, just finish cooking them and then make mini burgers for your minis.

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This is where I used the same meatballs with pasta, extra dill and red chili flakes.

I urge you to experiment and get your kids involved.  I promise they will eat everything they make and give you a breather.

Until I cook again!

A Very Simple Sunday Pasta with Anchovies, Garlic, Fennel and Tomatoes

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  • Anyone who reads my posts knows that I love pasta.

    I love it for its versatility – it takes on any flavor you are in the mood for.

    It is so simple and quick to make.

    It is also very economical and most importantly, it is delicious and I just love it.

    This dish is a staple in my household.

    By the time your water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, you have a sauce and so a perfectly delicious meal in about 20 minutes.

    Add a generous amount of olive oil to a skillet.  On low heat cook some fennel seeds, a can of anchovies (trust me, you won’t even know they are there and just get this rich umami flavor – please trust me on this one), crushed red pepper and a copious amount of whole garlic.  Cook for about 5 or 7 minutes to perfume the oil and break down the anchovies.  Now add a 16 oz. can of whole, peeled tomatoes.  Crush them with the back of a spoon or sometimes I use a potato masher.

    Add some water to wash out the can or a dash of red wine or nothing at all.

    Add a little salt – careful, since the anchovies are plenty salty.

    Once the pasta is cooked (I like linguine as the sauce clings to it well – use your favorite pasta).

    Mix in the pasta with the sauce and add a little pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce.

    Put in bowls and grate fresh Parmesan generously over the pasta.

    You have dinner.

    Enjoy.

    Until I eat again!