Penne with Zucchini Pistou

Cooking Light, July 2010
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr

This was a great recipe for a bunch of basil and zucchinis from the garden. It was a little heavy on the garlic, but other than that was delicious.


Pistou is to the French what pesto is to Italians. A touch of cream enriches the sauce in this hearty dish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 1 large)
6 quarts water
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.

2. Place 1/4 cup cooked zucchini, basil, 1/4 cup cheese, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Return remaining cooked zucchini to pan. Remove from heat.

4. Combine 6 quarts water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to vegetables.

5. With processor on, add reserved liquid to basil mixture; process until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese.

Spaghetti with Zucchini, Walnuts, and Raisins

Real Simple, July 2010
photo: Romulo Yanes

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 ounces spaghetti (3⁄4 box)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds small zucchini (4 to 5), cut into thin half-moons

3/4 cup raisins

kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.

3. Add the zucchini and raisins to the skillet, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the zucchini is just tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the Parmesan before serving.

Tex-Mex Gazpacho

Real Simple, July 2010

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

2 cucumbers (about 1/2 pound), peeled and chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small poblano pepper, chopped

1/2 small red onion, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pper

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup pepitas (roasted, hulled pumpkin seeds)

cilantro sprigs

warm flour tortillas, for serving

1. In blender, puree tomatoes, cucumbers, bell and poblano peppers, and onion. Transfer to bowl.

2. Stir in lime juice, oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and refrigerate until chilled, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Divide among bowls and top with sour cream, pepitas, and cilantro. Serve with tortillas.

Spinach Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, and Avocado

Joy of Cooking, p. 213

The recipe called for 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, which I didn't have, so I used roasted pumpkin seeds instead. It also included a recipe for homemade Tangerine Shallot Dressing, which sounded delicious, but my store bought Orange-Cranberry Vinagerette made this easier to prepare on a Monday night. We had this salad with grilled chicken, a great dinner for a hot summer evening.


Toss together in a salad bowl
3 generous handfuls (about 6 cups) baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 to 3 pinches salt
3 to 4 tablespoons Tangerine Shallot Dressing
Divide the spinach among salad plates and arrange on top:
1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Sprinkle with
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
ground black pepper to taste
Serve immediately.

Strawberry Sorbet with Fresh Whipped Cream

Martha Stewart Living, July 2010

Made this for dessert last night, holy moly it was delicious. I used strawberries instead of raspberries. It's so sugary any fruit would work.


Using frozen raspberries makes this vibrant sorbet a snap to prepare. (No ice cream maker necessary!)

Serves 4

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 bag (12 oz) frozen raspberries or 3 cups fresh raspberries, frozen
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Stir together water and 1/4 cup sugar until sugar dissolves.

2. Pulse raspberries in food processor until coarsely chopped. With machine running, pour in sugar-water; pulse until mixture is smooth. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Whisk cream and remaining tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form.

4. Scoop sorbet into 4 glasses, and top with whipped cream.

Orange-Cranberry-Chocolate Oatmeal Scones

a combination of a few recipes from Joy of Cooking, p. 792

Makes 12 scones

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Have ready a large ungreased baking sheet. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir in, using your fingers if necessary to separate the fruit:
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3-4 teaspoons orange zest

Whisk together, then add all at once:
1 large egg
10 tablespoons warm melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk

Mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be quite sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured fingers, pat the dough into an 8 inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 12 wedges. Place the wedges 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on a rack or serve warm.

White Pizza with Potatoes and Sage

Joy of Cooking, All About Vegetarian Cooking, p. 47

I previously posted the recipe for the dough. This was the first meal with fresh sage from the garden! The recipe is pretty simple but it was actually very flavorful!

Two 12-inch pizzas

According to American labeling laws, if it does not have tomato sauce, you cannot call it pizza. This would astonish some Italians, who requently eat their pizza with just a touch of tomato or even none at all.

Prepare as directed:
Basic pizza dough
Brush each generously with:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Top each with:
8 oz potatoes, boiled and very thinly sliced while still warm
2 teaspoons dried or 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Slide the pizza off the baker's peel onto the baking stone in the preheated oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven, slice, and serve at once.

Chili-Rubbed Shrimp with Soft Tacos and Salsa

Grill Every Day, by Diane Morgan, p. 101

Lew made these tacos for dinner last night. He used Zatarans Creole Seasoning as the spice rub which was quite delicious. Grilling the tortillas added some good variety to our usual tacos.

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
2 Tablespoons chili spice rub
1 lime, quartered
2 cups shredded lettuce
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 large, ripe tomato, cored, halved crosswise, seeded, and chopped
2 large Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into thin wedges
1 to 1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa
8 8-inch flour tortillas

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium-high.

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the spice rub until well coated.

Arrange the lime, lettuce, cilantro, tomato, avocados, and salsa in separate small serving bowls and have them ready for assembling the tacos.

Oil the grill grate. Arrange the shrimp directly over the medium-hot fire and grill, turning once, until the shrimp turn pink on the outside and are just opaque on the inside, about 2 minutes per side. While the shrimp are cooking, grill the tortillas. Depending on the size of the grill, lay 1 or 2 tortillas on the grill at a time, warming them over direct heat for about 15 seconds per side. Stack them on a plate and keep warm. Transfer the shrimp to a serving bowl.

Let diners assemble their own tacos. To assemble, place 2 or 3 shrimp in a tortilla, squeeze a bit of lime juice over the shrimp, and mound lettuce, cilantro, tomato, and avocado on top. Finally, add a spoonful of salsa. Serve with plenty of napkins!