I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Earlier in the month, my super amazing food blogger friend Peter at Kalofagas posted about his Greco Linguine, a super yummy looking shrimp pasta dish (my favorite) that I wanted to try out. I changed up some of the recipe a bit, but I wanted this super awesome dish to get as much exposure as possible and so I'm submitting it to Presto Pasta Night over at Once Upon A Feast. Super!

Unlike Peter, I don't have patience, especially in the winter, for roasting my own tomatoes. I'm cold and I wanna eat warm foods as quickly as possible. So, I opted for "fire roasted" canned diced tomatoes - whether or not those char marks are real or artificial (god, I hope not), they tasted plenty good with some extra salt and garlic mixed in. Also, there was a lot of juice in the tomatoes, so I let them cook down some with about half a cup of white wine for extra flavor. Lastly, I got some great sheep's milk feta - sooo much better than other fetas - at whole foods and mixed some cut up chunks in. Oh also, I cut the olives cause I hate olives (gasp!). Seriously, try this, its easy, the shrimp get cooked perfectly and its healthy!

My take on Greco Linguine

4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
splash of balsamic vinegar
1 large green zucchini, halved & cut into semi-circle pieces
24 medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup of crumbled feta
1 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1lb. of linguine or other spaghetti-esqu pasta (I prefer thin spaghetti)
some pasta water - I used a ladel-full

Cook up the pasta in well salted water according to instructions - make sure its al dente.

In the meantime, add some olive oil (about 2 tbs) and the garlic in a skillet, letting it cook for a minute on med heat. Before the garlic starts to brown, add the tomatoes and the white wine and cook until it reduces. Then add the splash of balsamic, zucchini and shrimp, and turn off the stove, leaving it on the heat if possible. Add the cooked pasta and some pasta water to the skillet, letting the heat from the pasta finish cooking the shrimp. Add in the parsley and crumbled feta and toss. Voila! Yum, yum yum, I can't wait to make this again. Thanks Peter!

Lemon Meringue Pool

NOTE: I made this again as tartlettes and they came out great. I used a tbsp more cornstarch than the first time and it set beautifully. Also, doing things in a timely manner definitely helped :) 2/7/08

As Georgia mentioned in a previous post, I joined the Daring Bakers at the end of December and was so excited when I got my first DB challenge in early January. I love pie. I love pie maybe more than cake, and I love key lime pie more than any other pie, but as lemon meringue is not far off from key lime, I was psyched. Also, its a pie! I can handle pie! My biggest fear was that my first DB challenge would be a bread, as I'm scared of yeast and totally inexperienced with it. But it was pie, and I felt safe.

Well, you might guess from the title of this post that all did not go as planned. Here's what happened: I start making the pie at 5pm. I thought I would follow the order of the instructions and start with the crust, but unfortunately, I had forgotten to move some sticks of butter, earlier in the day, from the freezer to the refrigerator. So, I took the butter out of the freezer and instead started with the lemon part. Things were going well... the custard thickened up and tasted excellent, and I spooned it into a bowl and covered it, knowing it needed to cool anyway.

Then, stupidly, because the butter still wasn't yet usable, I thought I'd move onto the meringue. Now I've made meringue before, its totally easy, but for some reason I thought the crust wouldn't be a take-forever affair. So, I made the delicious meringue and left it sitting out. Now, you can imagine that after 30 minutes of sitting out in a bowl, the meringue started to fall... not TOO badly, but still... I started to feel concerned.

So, then I made the crust, baked it, and boy, I just couldn't stop myself when it came out of the oven, I tore a piece off the end and it tasted AWESOME. Now I was excited. I had great tasting crust, custard that looked stiff enough and yummy meringue.

So, I waited as patiently as I could for the crust to cool before I assembled the whole package. I put in the custard and it looked perfect. The meringue had kinda deflated a bit, but still held up fine. I popped the thing in the oven and it came out looking great. I was so excited. One challenge down, I thought. Anywho, I cut into this thing after letting it cool for 15 and it was lemon meringue pool inside. I'm not sure if it would have set better if I just let it sit for longer and cool down completely. Or maybe the custard was just wrong and so it was never going to set properly. Also, because the meringue had deflated while waiting, it got liquid-y very quickly. All this didn't stop Georgia and myself scooping out a slice each and eating it right away. It tasted great and I'm sure if I did it in more of a timely fashion and let it cool the appropriate amount I would have done a better job. Oh well, everyone has to start somewhere. :)

A big thanks to Jen at The Canadian Baker for hosting this month. Make sure to check and see how other bloggers did with this challenge at the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

Lemon Meringue Pie
(from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver)
Daring Bakers Challenge #15: January 2008
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Sour Cream-a-licious

Sometimes when I get an idea in my head, I just can't kick it till I do something about it. Especially when it comes to food. And especially when it comes to baking. I'll frequently get ideas for something sweet at 10 or 11pm and feel like I absolutely must make it. I know I'm not the only one out there :P


Anyway, Georgia and I had been debating using the sour cream a recipe called for, or just some plain yogurt, as the yogurt would be cheaper and could be bought in a smaller quantity. Hell no, I said, lets get the sour cream and I'll use the rest in a sour cream cake sometime this week!

Well, that very night after dinner, half way through a movie we were watching, I sprung up to make the sour cream cake. I'm a moron and in my over-zealous baking I didn't grease the pan, so you can guess what happened to the bottom part of the cake. I know that picture looks good, but there's actually like half the cake stuck to the pan that you're not seeing :) Despite this, this turned out moist and yummy and was gone close to 24 hours after I made it.

Ashkenazic Sour Cream Coffee Cake (adapted from the World of Jewish Desserts)

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup granulated or brown sugar, or 1/4 cup each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cloves
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, grated coconut, golden raisins, or chocolate chips, or 1 cup any combination (I used whatever walnuts we had lying around the house - use what your little heart desires)

Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated or brown sugar or 1/2 cup each
4 large egg yolks, or 3 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used a little extra here for moistness, and cause I love sour cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if using a glass pan). Grease one 9-inch square pan,9-inch Bundt or tube pan, or 9-inch springform pan. Line with parchment or waxed paper, grease again, and dust with flour. (You'll actually do this whole step if you're smart)

2. To make the streusel: Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg if using. Cut in the butter to resemble coarse crumbs. If desired, stir in the nuts.

3. To make the batter: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and zest if using. Stir in the flour mixture.

4. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Carefully cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.

5. Bake unitl the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 50-60 minutes. Set on a rack and let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

6. To make the glaze if using: Combine all the glaze ingredients, stirring until smooth and of pouring consistency. Drizzle over the cake and let stand until set.

I definitely suggest making this, even just for a weeknight treat. Well, what are you waiting for!?! I gave you an idea, now make it!

A Shout Out - Cause, Hey, Its MY Blog :)

To all my faithful and unfaithful readers out there - you should check out my boyfriend's new blog. It is dedicated to his pursuit of beautiful imagery...aka...abstract, nature photos that he has taken. Seriously, he is very good and worth a few minutes of your time.

So...

www.fallingleavesphoto.blogspot.com

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I will be back with more food related posting this week.

Georgia

Campanelle with Mushrooms and Artichokes

Last Friday, I was watching Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis - one of my favorite cooking shows - when she made a dish that screamed "COOK ME!!!" It looked absolutely scrumptious and super easy. I made a mental (and physical) note to cook this dish in the not so distant future. I have been getting mad cravings for pasta lately (probably due to the oh so crappy weather in PA) and this dish made my stomach grumble. In fact, just writing this post has got it to grumbling again.

I mean, really...what more could you want? Cheese, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, PASTA. This one had to be a winner!

Nevertheless, when I invited a few friends over for dinner last night, I knew that I had my chance to try it out. It turned out extremely well, even better than I could have hoped for. Everyone loved it. All plates were picked clean and even our "Onion Hating" friends gobbled theirs up. I also submitted this recipe for the weekly Presto Pasta Night roundup.

On a different note, I just had a blood test at the doctor and have high cholesterol - YIKES! Ok, so it is hereditary and I have been eating cheese like its my job lately, but I was still a little taken aback. High cholesterol is no joke and I need to think more about my eating choices. So, in an effort to keep track of these things for myself and my faithful readers, I will be including nutritional information on things I make, yippee :)

Campanelle with Mushrooms and Artichokes
yields 6-8

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 3/4 teaspoon
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 pound campanelle pasta
8 oz artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup light cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes.
2) Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
4) Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions. Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper.

Nutritional Information (per 2 oz serving of pasta):
235 Calories, 21 g carbs, 11 g fat, 9 g protein, 37 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g dietary fiber

New Years Resolution - Blog More!

On New Years Day, I was asked what my resolution was. At the time, I had decided to not make one as I couldn't think of anything that felt resolution worthy. However, a few days later, I realized the answer should have been simple - BLOG MORE!!! Randi has joined Daring Bakers, and my schedule is becoming more stable, so this should be a resolution that I can keep.

Anyway, for my first post of the year, we made a recipe from a new magazine subscription (thanks Christine!!), Cooking Light. This magazine is pretty interesting - there are lots of healthy living articles as well as general nutrition advice. I'm sure you all have heard about Omega-3s, they seem to be the new food hot item. From helping your heart to making you smarter, they are apparently a miracle fatty acid.

Salmon (especially wild) is a major source of Omega-3 fatty acid and is the star of our dish. We chose to substitute wild fresh salmon for the canned that was suggested in the article. This meal was extremely simple (although I have to admit, Randi made it, as I was busy with the boy) and was so so good! And HEALTHY!! After weeks of carbo loading at the holidays, it felt very good to eat a light and healthy meal.

Lemon-Dill Salmon Croquettes with Horseradish Sauce
yields 4 patties

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
pinch ground red pepper
pinch black pepper
pinch chopped dill
pinch lemon zest

Croquette Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound cooked salmon, flaked (we broiled Coho Wild Salmon)
1 egg white
5 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Cooking Spray

Directions:

1) To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Cover and refrigerate.

2) To prepare the croquettes, combine flour and the next six ingredients (through egg white) and 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping into a patty. Refrigerate for one hour. Place remaining breadcrumbs on plate; dredge patties in breadcrumbs.
3) Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 9 minutes on each side or until golden. Serve with sauce.