Spanakopita

I wanted to try my hand at using phyllo in a recipe, which I hadn't done before.  Boxes of phyllo are available in the freezer section of grocery stores, not unlike sheets of pastry, with which I also have been experimenting lately. 

I decided to make spanakopita, or spinach pie, which is a traditional Mediterranean dish of layers of phyllo with a spinach and feta filling.  It's not an uncommon dish and I've eaten it several times, but never cooked it myself.  As with most foods I cook, I didn't use a recipe, and instead winged it with what I thought would be good.  Luckliy it turned out great and I'll definitely make it again. 

The only difficult part of this recipe is actually handling the phyllo.  It's very delicate and must be handled gently.  At the same time, it's important to move quickly as even with a damp towel for the phyllo to rest under, it can still dry out.  So, dealing with the phyllo is a mix of needing to go fast and also needing to go slow.  One way to handle this is to make sure everything else is ready before getting out the phyllo at the very last possible second.

I served these as a main dish with stuffed grape leaves and toasted ciabatta bread on the side.  It made for a great Mediterranean-themed vegetarian dinner.

Lairdriin's Spinach Pie
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained extremely well
6 oz feta, crumbled
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 tsp each: oregano, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper
8 sheets of phyllo, thawed
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp water
1/4 c chopped pine nuts

In a bowl, mix together spinach, cheeses, yogurt, and seasonings.  Divide the mixture into four equal portions

Ready phyllo sheets by placing them on a sheet tray covered with a barely damp towel.  On a large clean flat surface, brush the top of one sheet of phyllo with a little bit of melted butter and fold the sheet in half along the long edge so that the butter is inside the fold, and also brush the top of the halved phyllo with butter, and set it aside.  Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets, making stacks of 2 folded sheets each, so that each stack has four layers. 

Place a phyllo stack on a flat surface with a long edge towards you.  Spread a porton of the spinach mixture on the phyllo in a rectangle about 1 inch from the nearest edge and 3 inches from the other three edges.  Fold the edge nearest you about an inch over the filling and the sides 3 inches in towards the center.  Roll the phyllo away from you to make a rectangle a little like a burrito.  Move it to an oiled baking sheet with the seam side down.  Repeat with the other phyllo stacks to make a total of 4 pies.

Brush the top of the pies with a little more butter and bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes.  Remove baking sheet from oven and brush top of pies with a little egg wash.  Sprinkle on the pine nuts.  Return to oven for another 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Serve immediately.

Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels

A few days ago I cooked a big pot of stew with black beans, chard, butternut squash, and roasted tomatoes.  To top that pile of health and wellness I made distinctly unhealthy Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels.  The green chile in the pinwheels mirrored the green chile flavor in the stew, and overall they went together quite well.  The pinwheels were great for dipping in the stew instead of having bread or crackers.  I normally might think of topping a stew like that with sour cream or yogurt, and the goat cheese worked great for that hit of creaminess.  However, these pinwheels would also be great for some other type of stew or soup, or just on their own as an appetizer or snack.  They take a bit of effort to put together but all the work can be done well ahead of time.  Plus they are super delicious!

The key to the pinwheels is the sheets of puff pastry you can buy in your grocer's freezer section.  They make all kinds of dishes much easier.  You might immediately think of sweet foods when you think of puff pastry, but it works just as well for savory dishes.  It's important to thaw the puff pastry for enough time before you plan on using it, but at the same time, not to thaw it out too much.  Warm or even room-temp pastry will be very difficult to work with.  Thawing the pastry in the fridge instead of on the counter can help prevent this, but if you find your pastry is getting too warm to work with, just stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes to firm it up.

Here's what I did.

Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels
4 oz goat cheese (chevre)
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 oz diced green chiles
dash of salt, pepper, and cayenne
1 sheet puff pastry (half a box)
1 egg
2 Tbsp water

Stir together cheese, sour cream, chiles, and seasonings.  In another bowl, whisk together egg and water. 

Lay wax paper out on a flat surface and dust it with about a tsp of flour.  Unfold the pastry on the paper and roll out gently to make a square about 11 inches wide.  Lightly brush the whole square with the egg wash.  Evenly spread cheese mixture over the pastry, leaving about an inch around the edges.  Starting with the side nearest you, roll the pastry away from you, slowly and evenly, using the wax paper to help lift it if necessary.  Pull the far edge up over the roll taught and seal gently.  Wrap the wax paper around the pastry roll and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to a day. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400.  Slice the chilled pastry roll into about 3/4 inch slices, gently moving the slices to a greased baking sheet.  Leave a little space between each pinwheel.  Lightly brush the tops and sides of the pinwheels with the remaining egg wash.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pinwheels are golden brown.  Serve immediately or at room temp.


I hope you give these a try.  Happy eating!

Black Bean and Chard Stew

I get annoyed when Rachael Ray says things like "stewp."  She makes up all these silly words and slang phrases that tend to annoy me.  Stewp is what she calls something that is thicker than a soup, but not quite as thick as a stew.  The first time I heard that I rolled my eyes.  There is not so much space between a soup and a stew, thought I, that there needs to be a third, middle term. 

And yet, here I am, post-dinner, staring down at my giant pot of leftovers and realizing, gosh darn it, it's a stewp.  But I still refuse to say the word.

The brothy, vegetabley pot of goodness which led me to my unpleasant revelation is the result of a) wanting to cook (and eat) swiss chard for the very first time, and b) the food-creativity wheels in my head going into overdrive.  I've been wanting to try chard for a while now.  I'm not well versed in greens in general, being very familiar with spinach but not at all familiar with most everything else.  My idea for my foray into the land of chard was to make a stew, and then I got to thinking what sort of stew, and it grew from there. 

My Black Bean and Chard Stew, as I'm calling it, is chock-full of flavors and colors.  I roasted fresh tomatoes and left them in large chunks so you really notice their sweet taste.  I also added butternut squash which adds lovely color and texture.  Being full up on nutrient-dense veggies and healthy black beans, this stew is extremely healthy, which means I had to balance that by topping it with something much less healthy: I made goat cheese and green chile pinwheels, which absolutely made the nummy quotient of this meal explode right off the top of the chart.  I have to say, I am extremely proud of myself for this one.

The chard I used in this recipe was a striking bunch of Rainbow Chard, but any chard will do.

Black Bean and Chard Stew
veggie oil
3 smallish tomatoes (such as roma)
1 small bunch chard (8-10 stalks)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, 1/2 inch dice (about two cups)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, cumin, black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 oz (1 can) diced green chiles
2 cans black beans (or equivalent amount dried beans, soaked overnight, boiled until tender)
4 c veggie stock
2 c water
2 tsp corn starch

Score the skin of the tomatoes at the base and toss them in a tsp of veggie oil and a dash of salt and pepper.  Roast in a 375 oven for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, and peel skins.  Roughly chop tomatoes, reserving juice.

Prep chard with a thorough washing and completely separating stems from the leaves.  Remove any tough bases and dice the stems.  Chop the leaves into 1/2 inch ribbons.

Heat 2T veg oil in a large pot on low.  Add chard stems and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in onions and cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in squash and cook another 5 minutes.  Finally, add chard leaves and cook 1 minute or until chard is just wilted.  Stir in tomato paste, seasonings, chiles, beans, tomatoes and juice, stock, and water.  Whisk a few spoonfuls of water with the corn starch and stir into the pot.

Simmer the stew for 15-20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.  Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, or with Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels.

I'll share the recipe for the pinwheels in my next post, coming soon.  Happy eating!

Ginger-Tahini Noodles

I'm sure most of you know that tahini is sesame paste, not unlike peanut or almond butter.  I usually use tahini as an ingredient in just two things: hummus, and tahini sauce (for falafel).  Unfortunately, those two recipes just don't use that much of it, and I end up with a mostly-full tub of tahini wasting away in the fridge.  I need something else in which to use it.  I experimented with an idea for a tahini noodle recipe, and enjoyed the results. 

This simple noodle recipe uses vermicelli, but you can use soba noodles, rice noodles, some other regular pasta, or whatever you like.  Limit the ginger and chiles for a milder kick.  As a bonus, it's a one-pot dish.

Ginger-Tahini Noodles
1/2 1b (dry) vermicelli noodles
2 Tbsp veg oil
1 tsp crushed dried red chile
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
1 green onion, sliced thin
1 Tbsp frozen green peas
1/4 c tahini
1 tsp lime juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Cook vermicelli in salted water until about a minute underdone.  Reserve about a cup of the pasta water; drain pasta but do not rinse and leave in the colander.

In the pasta pot, heat veg oil on low heat and add dried chile, ginger, garlic, and a dash each of salt and pepper, cooking for one minute.  Do not let veggies burn.  Stir in onion and peas and cook another minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients and 1/4 c reserved pasta water. 

Add pasta back into pot and toss with tongs to coat.  Add more pasta water if necessary to make a thin sauce.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.  Heat through and serve.

Happy eating!

Aerogarden Update

I posted a few weeks ago about my new Aerogardens that I bought in the hopes I could have freshly grown herbs and veggies despite my black thumb.  I promised an update, and here it is!  Aren't you excited??  I thought so.  Calm down, people.  No autographs, please.

The verdict is:  My Aerogarden is great.  No, really.  I love it.  It was extremely easy to use, and it produced herbs and veggies relatively quickly.  You may remember I got two of the gardens.  The first, I used to plant starter seedlings for transplantation.  The seedlings were ready to transplant much earlier than the instruction book indicated - two weeks instead of four - and the whole thing was quite simple.  Now, once they are transplanted, well, then we're back to my black thumb, but I'm trying my best to keep them alive, I really am.  Most of them are doing well, but I have a hard time remembering to water them.  The fact that the Aerogardens blink lights at me if the water gets low, which is only every couple of weeks, is very helpful.

My second Aerogarden was immediately planted with a combo of herbs and salad greens.  I began using both salad greens and fresh basil about a week and a half - not even kidding - after getting the Aerogardens delivered.  The salad greens were at baby 'spring green' stage at that point and the basil plant was small, but usable.  Now, two weeks later, I have used the salad greens several times for salads and for greens on sandwiches, and have harvested each herb at least once and some several times.  I am very pleased with the production of the Aerogardens and with how easy it is to use.  It's a monetary investment, but for someone with no gardening ability whatsoever, I think it's totally worth it.  I won't have to buy herbs from the grocery store at all this summer. 

A couple of days ago I harvested herbs from the Aerogarden for a brown butter - herb sauce I served with dinner.  Here's what I did:

Brown Butter Herb Sauce
4 Tbsp butter (not margarine)
2 Tbsp mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, mint, chives, whatever you like)
1 tsp capers, roughly chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, heat butter over low heat.  It will bubble and then the bubbles will lessen, and the butter start to get lighly browned.  When the butter starts to change color, let it cook another 10 seconds or so.  There is a fine line between 'brown' and 'burned,' so keep an eye on it.

When the butter is brown, add the herbs, capers, lemon juice, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Stir and remove from the heat.  Serve immediately over boiled potatoes, green beans, fish, or whatever your heart desires.

Happy gardening!

Fried Cheese With Vegetable Relish

Everybody knows I am a cheese lover, and one of the best ways to prepare cheese is by frying it.  Breaded mozzarella sticks have become commonplace on chain-restaurant menus and in your grocery store's freezer section, but all too often they just aren't that great.  Packaged frozen cheese sticks are disappointing, and some restaurants even have the audacity to serve those instead of making them fresh.  The horror!  It's less expensive, almost as easy, and much more satisfying to make your own. 

Here I share a recipe for homemade cheese sticks served with a vegetable relish which takes the deliciousness to a level way past plain marinara (not that there's anything wrong with marinara).  This accompaniment isn't quite a sauce, and the word chutney didn't seem quite right, so I settled on the word 'relish.'  If you can think of a better word for it, let me know.  Whatever you call it, it's a yummy, savory, chunky vegetable topping for the cheese.  It opens the humble fried cheese, which is normally stuck in appetizer land, to the option of being a main-course side. 

It is key to serve the cheese immediately after frying so it is still crispy and gooey (there's a yummy dichotemy, eh?).  Prepare the relish and ready everything else so it can be cooked last minute, and as a failsafe you can keep them warm temporarily in a low oven if you have to.  There are a few options for the garlic: you can use fresh garlic, or instead roast it with the oil to mellow it and really infuse the oil with flavor.  You can also either chop, mince or paste it depending on the punch you want the garlic to have.

Fried Cheese with Vegetable Relish
Vegetable Relish
2 cloves garlic (*see above)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sweet onion, minced
2 inches of zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 peeled whole tomatoes (canned or fresh), chopped
2 Tbsp liquid from the can of tomatoes (or juice from fresh)
crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, dried oregano

Fried Cheese 
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut to make 12 half-inch sticks
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup flour, divided
1/4 cup (dry) breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, dried parsley
veggie oil

In a small skillet, cook onion in the oil over medium-low heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes for two minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic and cook one more minute; add mushrooms and cook another minute; lastly add tomatoes and liquid.  Season with a pinch of dried oregano, salt and pepper, and simmer one minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare the assembly line for the cheese sticks using three shallow bowls: one with 1/4 c of flour, and one with a gently beaten egg.  In the third bowl, mix 1/4 c flour, 1/4 c breadcrumbs, and a dash each of salt, pepper, and parsley.  Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Coat each mozzarella stick in flour, then egg, then breadcrumb mixture.  Fry sticks about 30 seconds or until golden brown, flipping halfway through with tongs.  Drain on paper towels.

Reheat vegetable relish if necessary.  Serve cheese sticks immediately, topped with a scoop of the veggies.
mmmmmmmgooeycheese.   Happy eating!

Pasta Aglio Arrostito e Olio

I'm done with my Summer Salads run, but if anybody has any great summer sides, please tell me all about them.  Any post anywhere will do.

Most of us are familiar with Pasta Aglio e Olio. It is a well-known, traditional Italian pasta dish served simply with an olive oil (olio) and garlic (aglio) sauce. I have found that it is even more delicious when made with roasted garlic. I have been calling it Roasted Garlic Aglio e Olio, but that's redundant, so I looked up what it would be in Italian, and it turns out that the word for roasted is arrostito. No matter how you say it, though, it's extremely delicious.

I can't think of Pasta Aglio e Olio without thinking of a story my family has told for decades about a time when my mother ordered it at a restaurant. The table was across the room from the kitchen door, but nevertheless, as soon as the waiter opened the door carrying my mother's Aglio e Olio, everybody got hit in the face with it. There was so much garlic on that plate, the whole restaurant could smell it. We still talk about it all these years later -- that was a lot of garlic.

My roasted-garlic version doesn't have quite that much garlic, plus it's mellowed by the roasting, which makes it sweet and mouth-watering. Since there are few ingredients, it is important that they are good -- use a fruity extra-virgin olive oil and be sure not to overcook the pasta. I like penne for this dish, but spaghetti is fine also.

This recipe makes two servings, so multiply it as necessary. Serve it with bread and a salad as the star of a light meal, or have it as a side dish.

Pasta Arrosto All'Aglio e Olio
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp good olive oil, plus extra
4oz penne pasta
2 Tbsp yellow or white onion, minced
1 Tbsp shaved parmesan
1 tsp fresh basil, chiffonade
coarse salt
fresh-ground pepper

About an hour before cooking, roast the garlic: Heat oven to 300F. Place garlic cloves, 2T olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper, in garlic roaster or wrap in aluminum foil. Place in center rack of oven and roast until soft and lightly golden brown, at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Don't let the garlic burn. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reserve the flavored oil. Paste the garlic by scraping it on a flat surface with coarse salt with the flat edge of a knife.

Cook pasta in salted water until just under al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water. Drain pasta but do not rinse and return to pot to keep warm.

In large skillet, heat flavored oil over low heat and add minced onion. Cook onion a few minutes until just translucent. Add garlic paste, a few grinds of black pepper, and 2 Tbsp of pasta water, and mix with fork or whisk to help garlic dissolve. Stir in penne and cook 1-2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, oil, or pasta water as necessary.

Serve pasta topped with parmesan shavings and fresh basil.

I hope you like my twist on traditonal Aglio e Olio. Happy eating!

Summer Salads IV: Antipasto Pasta Salad

This salad is a play on words, as obviously antipasto means "before the pasta."  I came up with this dish when, after satisfying a craving for peperoncini on a (veggie) burger, I wanted to come up with something to utilize the jar of peperoncini I had left over.  This pasta salad is tangy and flavorful, and the colors are striking. 
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2Tbsp peperoncini jar liquid
1 Tbsp dijon or brown mustard
salt and pepper
1/3 c fruity olive oil

Salad:
2 cups (cooked) pasta
4-5 peperoncini, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 c red and/or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp sliced black or kalamata olives
2 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into very small cubes

Make the vinaigrette as you normally would: whisk together vinegar, peperoncini juice, mustard, a dash of salt and several grinds of black pepper, until emulsified.  Drizzle in olive oil while whisking. 

Cook pasta in salted water to al dente, drain but do not rinse, and allow to cool to room temp.  Stir pasta with peperoncini, bell pepper, olives, mozzarella, and vinaigrette.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until cooled and enjoy.

For a variation, try adding minced sundried tomatoes, or artichoke hearts.
Happy eating!

Summer Salads III: Southwest Orzo Salad

I created this zingy pasta salad for my parents when they visited this past winter.  It turned out to be a tasty addition to our Tex-Mex Super Bowl meal.  Orzo is a small pasta that resembles rice.  It works great in this salad, but other pasta types would be ok.  Boxes of orzo always look tiny, but it's deceptive - a small amount of uncooked orzo results in a much larger cooked amount.

Roasting your own peppers and corn really adds great flavor to this side.  In a pinch you can go without roasting them, but I highly recommend doing it if you can.  The spice in this dish can be raised or lowered according to your tastes by raising or lowering the amount of chipotle, or by using a different chile. 
Southwest Orzo Salad
1 cup (uncooked) orzo
1 green bell pepper
1 ear sweet corn
2 green onions, minced
1/4 c sour cream
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp chipotle powder (or other chile powder, such as ancho or cayenne)
salt and pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions in salted water.  Drain well but do not rinse, and allow to cool.

Roast green pepper by grilling over gas burner, or under broiler.  Rotate pepper to char all sides.  When all sides are roasted, place pepper in a sealed plastic bag for the steam to loosen the skin.  When pepper is cool enough to handle, wipe off the charred skin with a paper towel.  Remove the stem and seeds, and chop the flesh of the pepper into small pieces.

Grill or roast the corn on a grill, over a gas burner, in the oven, or in a cast iron skillet.  Allow to cool somewhat before slicing the kernels off of the corn. 

Allow ingredients to cool to room temp before mixing.  Stir orzo, chopped pepper, corn, green onions, and cilantro.  Mix sour cream with lime juice and chipotle, and stir into salad.  Use more sour cream or lime juice if needed to achieve desired sauciness.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until chilled and serve.

For a heartier variation, try adding black beans or crumbled queso fresco.  Happy eating!

Summer Salads II: Kidney Bean Salad

My Kidney Bean Salad is so simple it's barely a recipe.  It is one of my favorite warm-weather side dishes.  It's relatively healthy, and a nice change of pace from potato or pasta salads.  Despite the deceptively few ingredients, it really is delicious.  The lemon juice is absolutely key - sometimes I add more than listed here.  The citrus tang with the beans is just perfect.

Lairdriin's Kidney Bean Salad
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything well.  Refrigerate for an hour.  Enjoy!

Happy eating!

Summer Salads I: Apple-Carrot Salad

Summertime is just around the corner, and that means picnics, barbeques, pot lucks, and lots of summer salads.  Every time warm weather comes around I start to get cravings for fresh, cold side dishes.  For the next few posts I'm going to highlight some of my favorites.

To kick it off I'm going to share my recipe for Apple-Carrot Salad.  Don't think it sounds weird - it is really quite delicious.  You can use regular or golden raisins in this recipe, or for a treat substitute dried cranberries instead.  Seriously, give this salad a try, it's great.

Lairdriin's Apple-Carrot Salad
2 apples, any type, same or mixed, chopped into smallish bite-size pieces
1/4 c grated carrot
2 Tbsp raisins
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash salt

Mix yogurt and lemon juice.  Mix other ingredients and pour dressing over the top; stir.  Enjoy immediately or let marinate for an hour to meld flavors. 

Happy eating!

Potato Gratin

Gratins are delicious and use relatively cheap ingredients, but they do take a little bit of time to put together and bake.  The result is ooey, gooey, cheesy goodness, though, so I do like going through the process from time to time. 

These days with all the boxed side dishes available at the store, it's rare to see an actually homemade potato gratin.  The boxed, neon-orange ones are admittedly easier and aren't completely awful, but they just aren't like the real thing.  Here's how I do it.

Potato Gratin

4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)
1/2 small onion, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 c milk or half-and-half
3 Tbsp flour
6-8 oz cheese, grated
2 Tbsp bread crumbs (dry)
salt, pepper, paprika, parsley

Heat oven to 400F.  Rub a large casserole dish with the butter to coat.  Reserve 1T butter for topping later; cut remaining butter into very small pieces.  Whisk flour into milk with a dash of salt and pepper.

Layer the gratin in 4-5 layers.  For each later, evenly spread:: a thin layer of potatoes, about a half cup of milk mixture, several bits of butter, a sprinkling of onions and celery, dash of salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley, and an ounce of cheese.  After the final layer, the milk should come just barely up to the top of the potatoes.  Reserve 2-3 oz of cheese for topping later.

Bake gratin in 400 oven about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, melt reserved 1T butter and stir into breadcrumbs, mixing well.  After gratin has baked 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with remaining cheese, and then breadcrumb mixture.  Continue baking about 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown.  Let rest 5 minutes and serve.

Happy eating!

Soup's On, Part VIII: Yummy Minestrone

Actually, I don't officially call my minestrone soup "Yummy Minestrone," but it is yummy.  A very hearty Italian-style vegetable soup, minestrone is quite easy to make. 

Minestrone soup has many variations, because in Italy it is the soup that has a little bit of whatever you have in the house or leftover.  I don't make it exactly the same every time, often varying the veggies, but there are a few ingredients that I think are almost essential.  If I make this type of soup without the pasta and beans, I call it Italian Vegetable Soup instead of minestrone, because it just doesn't feel like minestrone to me.  The other ingredient I think of as essential is zucchini. 

Here's my recipe for this classic soup.  I make smallish batches, but you can see the recipe is easily doubled to make a larger batch.

Lairdriin's Minestrone
vegetable oil
a pinch crushed red pepper
1/4 c chopped sweet onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 small zucchini squash, sliced or chopped
1/2 c kidney beans
1/2 c garbanzo beans
1 c pasta, cooked until just under al dente
4 c good veggie stock
4 c water
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp each: black pepper, dried oregano
a pinch each: dried marjoram, granulated garlic
salt to taste
parmesan cheese for garnish

In a soup pot, heat a little vegetable oil.  Add crushed red pepper, onions, carrots, and celery, and cook for a few minutes.  Add zucchini and cook until veggies are just cooked through.  Add remaining ingredients (except parmesan).  Be sure to fully incorporate the tomato paste. 

Heat soup to simmer and add salt to taste.  Simmer a few minutes.  Serve soup hot with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan on top. 

Crusty bread for dipping is great with this soup.  Happy eating!

Zucchini And Mushroom Pasta With Crispy Garlic

I have seen crispy garlic made on a couple of cooking shows, and have wanted to try my hand at it for a while.  Today, after a successful trip to the produce department of my favorite Asian market (I love that place!), I was trying to think of something to cook that would utilize the mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic that we got there.  This pasta is the result. 

I say this all the time, but this really is super easy to make.  It is also very light, and relatively healthy, considering the use of olive oil, and half-and-half instead of full cream.  I served it with a simple Caesar Salad and it made a great lunch.  One nice thing about making the crispy garlic is that it also seasons the oil to flavor the sauce.  This recipe serves 2 or 3 people, so multiply it as necessary.

Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta With Crispy Garlic
2 small or 1 large clove garlic, sliced very thin
3 Tbsp olive oil
dash each: crushed red pepper, black pepper, and salt
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
4 button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp flour
1/2 c half-and-half
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c cooked pasta, just under aldente
fresh basil

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Use a slice of garlic to test: when the garlic just starts to sizzle, add the other slices of garlic one at a time so they don't stick together.  The garlic will burn quickly; begin to remove the garlic almost immediately.  The edges should be golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and set aside. 

To the remaining oil, add the zucchini slices, crushed red pepper,  salt, and black pepper, and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add the mushroom slices and cook another 2 minutes.  Sprinkle flour into pan, stir, and cook 1 minute.  Stir in half-and-half, parmesan, and pasta.  Let simmer about a minute to thicken.

Add more salt if needed to taste.  Serve, and sprinkle crispy garlic and chopped fresh basil on top.

Happy eating!