Spring In A Bowl

I'm embarrassed to say it but I am proud of this dish.
For years I have shied away from homemade pasta. I'm not sure why. I make pie crusts and biscuits and breads but pasta seems out of reach. Maybe it's all that rolling. In any case, with a tub of beautiful sheep's milk ricotta nearing it's expiration date I pulled up a recipe I have been considering from Bon Appetit Magazine, Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus, Peas and Morels, boasting a technique for no knead gnocchi, little pillowy dumplings.
Now to be fair, across the internet and probably across Italy there seems to be debate as to what qualifies as gnocchi and what recipes should be classified as the gnoccho's (singular) Florentine cousin gnudi. Maybe this quick, wet dough with equal parts flour and parmesan cheese, and 4 parts fresh ricotta is more the naked ravioli filling described as gnudi than the more heavily floured potato dumplings we know as gnocchi. In any case these dumplings went together quickly and waited in the fridge until I was ready to cook them in simmering salted water. Pan fried in rich butter with peas and favas whatever you may call them, these little pillows made a special springtime dinner.
The recipe called for asparagus, morels and peas. Though asparagus are in season, oddly enough there was none at our local market which gave me the chance to improvise. Searching my brain for another springtime specialty I remembered the freezer bag full of fava beans waiting to be shelled. Perfect . . . and a great flavor combination with peas. Instead of morels I found beautiful local trumpet mushrooms which I sautéed with finely chopped red onion.
With the gnocchi cooked I followed the recipe's instructions tossing the dumplings, peas, favas, a splash of pasta cooking water and ample butter into the pan with the mushrooms and simmered until the vegetables were warmed through and creamy sauce coated the gnocchi. To complete our springtime dish I topped the warm dumplings with chopped chives, pea shoots, lemon zest, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
No knead or not, I still can't believe I made them myself.

Mini Easter

I'm trying to stay somewhat on the diet so James had a mini-Easter for one. A single serving potato gratin delicately scented with lemon thyme, brown sugar - mustard glazed ham steak, and fresh buttered peas.

I meant to make an Easter bread but got all involved weeding a garden patch in front of the house and settled for a pan of biscuits. Pretty nice with salty ham.

For dessert, a single serving lemon pudding cake. Fresh and light and a pretty low calorie treat.

Happy Easter 2012

Pasta and Peas

A simple dinner.

Start with salted boiling water. Pour in pasta. Two minutes before the pasta is cooked pour a bag of fresh peas into the same water. Drain the noodles and vegetable saving about a cup of the cooking water. In the same pot heat some olive oil with lots of chopped garlic, crushed red peppers, and oregano. Dump the pasta and peas back in along with about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of cooking water and give it a few good turns in the oil. Toss in a handful or arugula and let it just barely wilt from the heat. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Easy one pot to clean twenty minute dinner.

Green Mashed Potatoes

A simple dish for a weekday dinner. Pork chops sautéed in a skillet with onions, garlic, crushed red peppers, and oregano topped with a quick pan sauce of white wine, dijon mustard and butter. For sides I braised some kale (a new house favorite) and boiled some peeled potatoes. Just about three minutes before the spuds were fully tender I dropped in a package of fresh peas. I smashed those potatoes with milk and butter. Cozy, warm, all-American dinner.

Soup and Salad

I love fresh peas. I love any peas, but bags of fresh peas at Trader Joe's seemed like a good excuse for a simple fresh soup for dinner, along with a hearty salad.

I sautéed about 1 cup each cups of chopped onions, shallots and leeks in 2 TB of butter until the onions were soft but not colored (about 8 minutes over medium - medium low heat). Next I added in 4 cups of chicken broth and brought the pot to a boil. In went 2 16 oz bags of peas which bubbled and boiled for about 5 minutes. I puréed the soup with about 1/2 cup of loosely packed mint leaves. I had a little extra time before dinner so I passed the soup through a fine mesh strainer for a silky velvety texture. As I re-heated the soup, with a little milk stirred in, I fried up some bread cubes in olive oil with a garlic clove for crunchy croutons.

"That was delicious," James said.

Lighter dinners for easy summer nights.

Vegetables For Dinner

I tend to buy artichokes, and despite how much I love them, "forget" to cook them. I dread the preparation . . . snipping, tearing, peeling, scooping. And all that rubbing with lemon juice. But today I found a recipe so appealing (Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil) I dove right in. The artichokes are braised in a flavorful broth with shallots, garlic, carrots, fennel and coriander seeds, then lightly crisped in olive oil. The braising liquid adds to a savory olive oil and lemon dressing. You can braise the artichokes in advance to spread out the work and the dish can be served room temperature. No reason to shy away.

"These are the best cooked artichokes I've ever had," James declared.

Worth the effort.
As a follow up I roasted the remainder of last week's potato harvest with some fresh shallots from our garden dressed simply with olive oil, salt and pepper.
I love fresh peas. It's a little late in the season here in sunny LA but I could still round up enough for this fresh springy salad, with snap peas, pea shoots, radishes, and goat cheese in a light mustard vinaigrette. Beautiful and light.

Pesto Spaghetti

Every now and then (more often than not) I wake up in the middle of the night and flip around for something to watch on TV. Last night I caught Chef Sara Foster of Foster's Market, a cook I have long admired, showing Martha Stewart how to make a green bean salad with arugula pesto.

Through the day I couldn't stop thinking about that pesto. I had all the ingredients in the house. I just wasn't sure how James feels about pesto -- whether an uncooked sauce on his pasta would be a disappointment.

None the less I loaded the food processor with 4 cups of arugula, 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of slivered almonds, juice of one lemon, 4 peeled cloves of garlic, S&P, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. I pulsed a couple times along the way adding ingredients and gave everything a final whirl to arrive at a chunky texture. I cooked green beans and peas in boiling water and tossed them, along with the drained pasta and a good sized dollop of the sauce for James' dinner.

This pesto is so delicious I may forget all about basil. I will certainly make it again, and I may conveniently forget it is not my recipe. It would be perfect as a dressing for summer salads, spread onto a grilled sandwich, or as a topping for house appetizer favorite caprese salad. It is light and rich and playful all a once.

James went back for seconds.

Spaghetti With Peas, Cream and Ham

Same ingredients, different day, different dinner.

James must have liked last night's dinner because when I asked what he wanted tonight he opted for spaghetti with a "simple sauce. " "Maybe prosciutto and peas," he said. Pork and peas were on the table last night too.

Tonight I sautéed a chopped onion in butter until soft and added in fresh peas (not even our own, packaged from Trader Joe's and delicious) and a bit of water and let the peas cook. Next went in some chopped Leoncini rosemary ham (one of the many spoils of my trip to Epicure Imports), followed by a good dose of cream. I let the cream simmer for a bit and added the drained pasta to the sauce along with a large handful or parmesan cheese.

Simple spring sauce, Italian style.

Buttermilk Pork Chops

I saved a recipe somewhere that just described soaking pork chops in buttermilk for a couple hours (or even overnight) before pan frying to keep the chops moist. Since I had both chops and buttermilk I decided to give it a try. James' chops soaked for about 12 hours and then I patted them dry, seasoned each side with salt and pepper and laid them in a hot skillet coated with olive oil for 4 minutes. I turned the chops and put the skillet into a 425º oven for 10 minutes. After resting for another 5 minutes the pork was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy.

To go with his chops I stirred up some fresh peas with bacon and cream sauce topped with fried, crispy leeks and some buttermilk biscuits to share the hot oven. A perfect Sunday dinner.

A Sign Of Spring

I'm still trying to make dinner all week right from the garden. Tonight, spaghetti with fresh peas, lettuce, and prosciutto.

First I cooked strips of prosciutto (well Jamon Serrano -- that's what we had) in a bit of olive oil until crisp and set them aside. Next I added in a bit more oil and 2 TB of butter and sautéed 1 finely chopped red onion with salt and pepper until tender. I added in shelled fresh peas, roughly chopped butter lettuce, white wine and chicken broth and allowed the mixture to cook for about 5 minute until the lettuce was wilted and the peas were bright green and tender.

I added the vegetables to the cooked, drained pasta (back in the cooking pot) and mixed in a large handful of parmesan cheese, a knob of butter, a splash of the pasta cooking water, and half of the crisped prosciutto. I gave everything a good stir until the pasta was coated with a smooth creamy sauce and served James' dinner garnished with the remaining prosciutto.

James had seconds. I'm holding onto this recipe -- a perfect spring garden dish.