Creamy Pasta Primavera

Sooooo, this is an exercise in finding/creating balance... fresh from the farmers market veggies, herbs, lemon juice, light chicken breast... and pasta, cream and Parmesan. I imagine Lady Justice looking skeptically at my theory of balance. Regardless, it was a gorgeous dinner, and totally comfort food. We needed it after a lovely weekend with my mom for company, a thunder storm and lots of getting business done sorts of thing. 

I based a lot of this recipe on how I make the cream sauce for this Chicken Tequila Fettuccine. It's creamy enough to make for all that satisfying comfort, but not so thick that the meal is overwhelming or too heavy. I wanted a different flavor though, so I added sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh peas, and loads of asparagus. In place of the cilantro used in the original, I used Italian parsley. No booze in this one at all, but a splash of lemon juice at the end was a nice burst and a good tang. The chicken browns up and then poaches all the way through so it stays super tender. YUM!

Creamy Parsley Primavera
Serves 6 in a hearty way

1 pound dry pasta - I used Fettuccini
1/2 an onion, sliced - about 1/2 a cup
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh peas
1 pound asparagus, tips and tender tops, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped parsley, more for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 pound chopped chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh lemon

In a large pot, start water to boil for noodles. As water boils, heat oil in a large pan (the pan needs to be large enough to fit all the sauce and all the pasta - I used a 10" high sided skillet) and add onions, parsley and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions start to loosen up and edges become translucent. Take care not to burn the garlic.

Add chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and brown a bit. Add all of the chicken broth, and cook uncovered until chicken cooks through. Add in all of the asparagus and let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp. 

Add in all of the cream, tomatoes and peas and heat through. Add in drained pasta. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and dish up into bowls, spooning more sauce over pasta. Top with more Parmesan, more chopped parsley, and fresh ground pepper. Squeeze lemon over pasta and enjoy!!

This pasta is totally enjoyed by the whole fam-bam, toddler included. It's not part of the regular rotation, but saved for a night we need something special and comforting. It's awesome as leftovers and reheats really well in a skillet over medium heat.

Things made this time last year...

Strawberry Mint Lemonade
 

Mango Guacamole and Homemade Salsa

Tangy Parmesan Salmon and Roasted Root Veggies

This is one of the easiest, fastest ways I like to make salmon... or chicken! It's a little more rich and than a lot of the other salmon recipes Antoinette and I have posted on this blog, but it's delicious and served with a bunch of veggies, it's a great dinner - especially for a chilly evening, or a night that just needs some comfort food. 

As for the root veggies - oh my goodness. This is another thing that I came to love especially after I moved from southern California (land of the never ending farmer's market) to the Pacific North West. When tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, or other seasonings and roasted in a hot oven, root veggies get super sweet, soft and amazing in all ways. We heart the root veggies. 

Tangy Parmesan Salmon
Serves 2
Preheat oven to 400

2 salmon filets
1 tablespoon mustard - regular yellow mustard or Dijon
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mayonaise
Salt and Pepper

In a small bowl mix together mustard, Parmesan cheese, mayo, zest and salt and pepper. Place salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread in a thick layer on salmon and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until the thickest part of the salmon is cooked to your liking. It may need a few more minutes. I like nice browned spots on the top of my salmon and usually flip the broiler onto low for about 2 minutes towards the end of the cooking. 

Roasted Root Veggies
Serves 2 a lot of veggies
Preheat oven to 400

1 bunch of beets - I used beautiful stripy chioggia beets
3 carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and Pepper - about a 1/4 teaspoon of each

Peel beets and carrots and chop into equal sized pieces. Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 35-40 minutes.

That's it. We ate this with carrot and zucchini fritters. It was wonderful and perfect for a chilly night!

A few things about this recipe...
This topping is great on salmon or chicken! I tend to cook chicken in a shallow baking dish with this topping, rather than on a baking pan. I also bake the chicken at 375 for 25-30 minutes instead of the hotter, shorter time I bake the salmon. 

The root veggies are especially wonderful with some fresh rosemary! We like onions, bell peppers, all kinds of squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips, anything!

Things made this time last year...
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

 

Cabbage Soup

Chicken Parmesan with Quick Marinara

Chicken Parm. It's like the Club Sandwich - it's everywhere, it's on every room service menu in the USA, and I never order it. But, I know it like the back of my hand, and I love it. There is nothing wrong with cheese melted into and then on top of chicken. That's like chocolate on chocolate - awesome. 

Recently, Cooking Light had a remake of Chicken Parmesan and basically it was a portion controlled edition of what is generally a huge meal. I made a few tweaks, and a few changes (non-fat cheese and I are divorced) but the great parts are still great and the portions are filling, but not coma inducing. This is a great dinner, quick to get on the table and loved by the whole family, including our toddler. 

A while back, Antoinette made a delicious Chicken Milanese. Chicken Milanese and Chicken Parmesan are quite similar, just a few swapped seasonings and quantities, but the technique is the same. This is just a great way to cook chicken!

So for this recipe, I made the chicken, and I made a very quick and easy marinara sauce to toss over pasta and to spoon over the chicken. I started the sauce first, and it needs to cook longest, so here's that recipe first:

Quick Marinara
1 26 ounce container strained tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small sauce pan, combine onion, garlic, butter and tomatoes. Stir in seasonings and set to simmer while you make the rest of the meal. This needs about 30 minutes to soften all of the onions, so I like to start it a few minutes before I even start the chicken.

Here's the recipe for the chicken... 

Chicken Parmesan - adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 6 servings
Preheat oven to broil

1/2 pound spaghetti (1/2 a regular box)
1 pound of thin cut chicken breasts, or about 3 breasts cut in half lengthwise
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

Start a large pot of salted water to boil. While this bowls, set the chicken breading station - this is a quick assembly line for chicken breading...
Station 1 plate: seasoned flour. Combine flour, garlic powder and salt
Station 2 shallow bowl: beaten eggs
Station 3 plate: Panko crumbs. Combine Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

First, dip chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Then dip chicken in beaten egg. Next toss chicken in bread crumb mixture, pressing the bread crumbs in so they stick well. 

Once all of the chicken is coated in bread crumbs, start a non-stick skillet to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. I was able to cook these in batches of only 2. The chicken needs some room to brown well rather than steaming and getting soggy. Don't worry about it cooling down, it goes back in the oven in just a sec.

OK, so cook chicken in batches, about 4 - 5 minutes on each side or until thoroughly cooked and nicely browned. 

I had three batches of chicken. On batch 3, start the noodles - they'll be nicely cooked by the time all the chicken has been cooked.

Once the chicken is cooked, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and top with a slice of mozzarella. Broil for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned in places. 

Toss the cooked spaghetti with the tomato sauce - there will be extra sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. We ate this with broccoli and green beans. Delicious!

Things made this time last year...

Lemon and Caper Salmon en Papillote

Chicken with Melted Lemons - my husband's last birthday meal!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Stuffed Peppers and Mushrooms - and Cupcakes!!

Sweet Potato Gratin

So "gratin" just means dish cooked with a browned crust, often with cheese. Therefore gratins are good. Like really good. The last recipe I posted, the Collard Greens Gratin, is my new favorite gratin... this is my long-time fave gratin. These sweet potatoes (both colors are sweet potatoes, but sometimes they are called yams by color) are cooked in cream with a browned topping made from Parmesan cheese and spiced with simple ground peppers. The recipe is VERY simple, but super delicious, very rich and very amazing. My dear friend Betsy gave me this recipe a few years ago, and I make it for special occasions and, of course - THANKSGIVING!

Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 8-10
Preheat oven to 400

2 tablespoons butter - divided
4 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rings
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

With 1 tablespoon of butter, butter a 9x13 inch glass dish, or other shallow baking dish.

Arrange potato slices in a single layer and top with 1/4 cup of cheese. Repeat with a second layer or until all of the potatoes are used. Hold putting on the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

I like to make alternating rows, or concentric circles, alternating colors so this dish is really pretty when it bakes up. 

In a measuring cup, combine cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle on the last quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Cover the dish with foil - dull side out - and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. Cool a bit and ENJOY!!

A few things about this recipe...
You can use all one color potatoes if you have a preference.
This dish will take a few different temperature variations... I've cooked this with a turkey in the oven cooking at 350. Just increase the time cooked with the tin foil on.
Don't use milk or half and half. Use heavy cream. It's worth it. 

Next up on the Thanksgiving round up - Sage Rubbed Turkey Breast with Apple Cider Pan Gravy. 

Things made this time last year...

Cranberry Apple Upside Down Cake

Oh my goodness - that's a good cake!!

Collard Greens Gratin with Prosciutto and Parmesan

Most important things first... Antoinette had a perfect and gorgeous baby early this morning! Mama and baby are doing well! Yay!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

Thanksgiving is coming!! I can't wait!! It's totally my fave holiday. Last year I posted my favorite stuffing (dressing?) This year I thought I would do a larger Thanksgiving round-up of recipes new, old and loved. My mom came to town early and we had a pre-Thanksgiving... I got to cook with my mama, which is such a treat. So fun! The new standout recipe this year was Collard Greens Gratin with a creamy Parmesan béchamel and a crunchy prosciutto topping. Oh my goodness. This is THE BEST. 

Bon Appetite crafted this wonderful recipe, but in my opinion it was super fussy. I knew I wouldn't make it twice if I had to switch pans and use up that much time, so I worked through revamping it to be a bit simpler in execution, but keeping all of the elements. I didn't make my own breadcrumbs or ice down some boiled greens just to bake them again. Nope. Not gonna do it. Those are the sorts of things I stripped out. The GREAT stuff is all still in here.

Collard Greens Gratin - adapted from Bon Appitite
Preheat oven to 400. Serves 6-8 as a side dish

FOR THE GREENS
2 bunches of collard greens (~1 pound) ribs and stems removed and leafs roughly chopped
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper

FOR THE TOPPING
4oz prosciutto roughly chopped
1 cup panko bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided (1/4c and 3/4c measures)

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Start a very large pot of salted water to boil. Roughly chop the prosciutto and with one tablespoon of olive oil, crisp the ham in a cast iron skillet. Remove the crisped ham and in a small bowl add it to the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and thyme. Set aside.

In the same pan saute sliced onions and garlic until onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir occationally.

While the onions are cooking, add ribbed and chopped collard greens to the salted and boiling water. Boil greens for 5 minutes.

When onions and collards are done cooking, add drained collards to the hot skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

Let the greens and onions sit in the hot skillet while the béchamel cooks. To make the béchamel melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook until bubbling and very slightly browned. Add in the milk, by 1/2 cup-fulls, whisking all the time. Add in the ground nutmeg. Cook until milk has tiny bubbles at the edges of the pan, then add in the Parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes. 

Pour béchamel over the greens and onions and toss lightly in the cast iron skillet until the sauce is distributed over the greens. Scatter the bread crumb and prosciutto topping over the greens and bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and topping has browned in spots.

Cool slightly and enjoy! Oh my goodness - this is fantastic!

A few things about this recipe...
This would also be good with Swiss Chard or kale.
I could eat this day in and day out. It was delicious.

I will keep posting Thanksgiving faves until The Big Day!

Things made this time last year...
My Favorite Thanksgiving Dressing (Stuffing?)

Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Turkey Sausage

Chicken Marsala and Lightened Up Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

The authors of the No Pressure Cooker blog are BIG fans of Cooking Light magazine. We both like to eat well, but eat healthy. A lot of our recipes start with or are inspired by CL mag. Once and a while, I want to cook everything in the whole mag and October 2013 issue is one of those. Oh, and it started to rain in the Pacific Northwest again, so bring on the comfort food! 

I used to work in a restaurant (well, I sold art and books in the front, and wasn't really wanted in the kitchen, but "helped out" every once and a while.) Anyway, this restaurant served Chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes once a week and it was a lovely, comforting, FILLING meal. This meal is a lighter version, with tons of flavor that didn't leave me needing a nap.

Chicken Marsala - adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 4

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms - I found a 1 cup package at Whole Foods for $4.99
2 cups boiling water
4 chicken breast halves - I found thin-sliced chicken breasts and avoided pounding the chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil - divided
1 cup chopped onion
5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
3 cups sliced mushrooms - any combo is great, I used crimini and button
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place porcini mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain mushrooms, but reserve liquid, this recipe calls for it again. Thinly slice the soft mushrooms. 

Chop onions, garlic, and oregano - set aside. 

The chicken breasts need to be thin, so if you don't have thin-sliced chicken, place breasts between plastic wrap and pound with a heavy skillet until thinned to 1/2 thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet (I initially used a 10" skillet and traded up after cooking the chicken and used my 12" diameter cast iron skillet) heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side - they will be just under done. Remove from the skillet, cover and keep warm. 

Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and heat to medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Crank up the heat to high and add in the sliced porcini mushrooms and the fresh mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and oregano. Saute until mushrooms darken and start to release moisture - about 8 minutes. 

Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 more minute stirring constantly. Stir in the stock, wine and mushroom soaking liquid. While whisking, cook 3 minutes or until thickened. Add in the chicken breasts and cook about 4 more minutes to finish cooking chicken. Turn chicken once. Sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

Cooking Light said be sure to serve the Chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes to soak up all that wonderful sauce, well OK, Cooking Light, you got it! (They were right.)

Lightened Up Cheesy Mashed Potatoes - Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 350

2 pounds baking potatoes cut into 1/2 slices
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
4 ounces 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup half and half, or milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch discs. Boil potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. In a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and set aside. 

In a mixing bowl add 1/4 cup half and half, salt and softened cream cheese. Add drained potatoes to the mixture and mix to combine. We used a pastry blender, but a ricer, or a potato masher would work just as well. 

Spread the potato mixture into a shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray or coated in butter. I used a 10" ceramic tart pan and it was the perfect size. Sprinkle the Parm/breadcrumbs over the top of the potatoes and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and browned on top.

A few things about these recipes...
The Chicken Marsala was great - I really wouldn't change a thing. Great amount of sauce and great flavor!
The potatoes were really good, but I will reduce the amount of breadcrumbs in the topping by half next time. The topping was a little thick in my opinion.

Things made this time last year...
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage

 

Rosemary Honey Spiced Almonds and Parmesan Crackers - A Busted Picnic

Possibly the longest blog post in our history: Rosemary Honey Spiced Almonds and Parmesan Crackers - A Busted Picnic. The weather in the Pacific Northwest is a fickle and manipulative beast sometimes. Just when you think you're IN THERE and it's going to be a great weekend, it pours. Just when you think you're going to start growing moss in your hair, the rain stops and it's gorgeous. Lesson #1 for living in or visiting the Pacific Northwest - HAVE A PLAN B. 

SO, as you may have gathered from the title, we were going to have a picnic, and from paragraph one, you may have also gathered, the weather mixed things up. Luckily in our almost 9 years up here, we've learned. Living room picnic it was.
 

For our picnic, I'd made Rosemary Honey Spiced Almonds and Parmesan Crackers (I also made No Knead Bread and Mango Chili Chicken Salad, and those are already posted.)

Rosemary Honey Spiced Almonds - from Recipes Interrupted
Preheat oven to 325
Makes 1 cup

1 cup unsalted almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 

Mix honey, oil, rosemary and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until the honey and oil are well mixed. Stir in the almonds and toss until the nuts are all very well coated.

  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour nuts and all of the honey mixture onto the paper. Spread out nuts so they have lots of space. Bake at 325 until nuts are well toasted and the honey mixture has set, about 15-20 minutes (I pulled these out at 17 minutes.) Turn the pan once in the middle of baking for even cooking. 

Let the nuts cool completely on the pan and then break up any clusters. DELICIOUS. Maybe my new faves, even over these Spiced Nuts. Oh man, I don't know... very different flavors... I will make both again and again!

Parmesan Crackers - from Ina Garten

Preheat oven to 350

Makes about 2 dozen crackers

 

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup shredded Parmesan 

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 heaping teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

 

In a stand mixer, or with awesome arm muscles, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add in the cheese, flour and spices and blend until all ingredients are combined. Dough will be very crumbly.

 

Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough starts to stick together. In a sheet of plastic wrap start to form a log about 12-14 inches long, like making a sushi roll. 

Once the log is formed, place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove when the log is firm and slice into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. These crackers keep their shape well, so you can place them pretty close together. 

 

Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until crackers are very lightly browned. Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While our outdoor picnic was a bust, the indoor picnic was almost as good... but par for the course, as soon as we had cancelled our plans and set out the food on the coffee table, out came the sun. We shook our heads and grabbed some wine. Sometimes its all you can do.

A few things about these recipes... 

I love making crackers. For some reason it makes me really feel like I'm cooking. These are great too!

I think these crackers would be GREAT with sage in place of the thyme. 

These nuts were insanely easy. Great for an impromptu visit.

Made this time last year...

Lasagna Rolls

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

Zucchini Fritters