Baked Rigatoni with Mushrooms

If there's anything positive about the short Chicago summer melting into fall, it's that it's easier to plan meals around cheese melting into pasta.


These past few days have felt particularly autumnal, and since tonight was a lazy night in, a baked pasta dish sounded perfect. I basically took the idea of baked ziti - which I used to eat, in a very rudimentary form, in college, all the time - and twisted it a little bit.


Using whole wheat pasta and adding mushrooms boosts the nutrition (as does serving it with a big green salad, which I did), and, while tons of melty cheese isn't exactly health food, it does add protein (and, obviously, it's ridiculously delicious).


This dish takes awhile to make, especially if you make the sauce from scratch, but on a Sunday, when you have plenty of time, it's totally worth it. It was soooo delicious. Ross, against his better judgment, ate two huge platefuls, then moaned in pain afterward. Still - totally worth it.


Happy Fall, everyone!

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can whole fire-roasted tomatoes and all juices
fresh chopped parsley
fresh chopped basil
sprinkle dried oregano
~1/3 cup half and half

1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 container baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
~1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

~10 oz. whole wheat (or regular) rigatoni
1 baseball-sized ball mozzarella, torn into large pieces
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano for sprinkling on top

STEP 1:
Make the tomato sauce [note: if you're in a hurry, you could skip this and use any jarred marinara sauce you like]: heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery until browning in some places. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and chopped fresh herbs and oregano. Stir, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon every now and again, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce has reduced a little. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce (or skip this). Turn off the heat and stir in the half and half. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and set aside, off the heat.

STEP 2:
Boil the noodles until slightly less cooked than al dente (they'll continue to cook while baking). Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms, and allow to cook without stirring or shaking the pan for about 5 minutes. Then stir and continue to cook for a few more minutes, until some of their water has cooked off. Pour in the balsamic and stir until it evaporates a bit. Add salt and pepper and continue to cook until many of the mushrooms have dark edges. Remove from heat and stir into the marinara sauce.

STEP 3:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the noodles are done, stir them into the pot with the marinara and mushrooms. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle a little salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until edges look bubbly. Switch the oven mode to broil and cook for another few minutes, until the cheese has a lot of brown crispy spots. Serve and enjoy!

Pesto Cavatappi for Carnivores, Omnivores & Cats

It's time for Adventures in Food Processing, Part 2!


I basically don't want to make anything now unless it requires using my amazing new machine, and luckily I've been accumulating mental notes - for literally years now - on things I'd like to make but really couldn't (not properly, anyway). Pesto was one such thing.

I love pesto. I love this pesto. And if Rachel Zoe had joined us for dinner (were she to ever do something as silly as eat), I feel sure she'd think this pesto is BUH-NAH-NAS. I sure did. The boys for whom I was cooking had lovely chicken chunks in theirs, while I stuck to a monokini-friendly vegetable medley mixed into mine.


Speaking of bananas, you know what else is bananas? Cat playdates. Lest you think that my life consists of dressing fabulously and flitting around from photo shoot to client dinner to chic speakeasys (admit it, this is what you think), I can assure you much more of my time is spent doing things almost-but-not-quite as dorky as staging a real life feline Match.com encounter.

Explanation: Ross and I will be in Mexico all next week [pause to allow jealousy to soak in], and our beloved Sascha Fierce will be traveling north to Edgewater to stay with her Uncle Joshua and (hopefully future life partner) Ernest. (See picture below for evidence of adorability.)


As far as cat playdates go, this one went shockingly well! It was more like a three-hour staring contest between the cats while the humans enjoyed a delicious pesto pasta concoction. Sascha is veritably trembling with excitement to reunite with her new friend Ernest for a whole week of barely-civil staring! Thanks so much to Joshua, Colin, and Ernest for being such gracious hosts, and for watching over Mommy's little angel as she rings in her 28th year by drinking her weight in margaritas.



INGREDIENTS

1 bag whole wheat cavatappi pasta (or any short pasta, like penne or shells)
1 red bell pepper, in large chunks
1 red onion, in chunks
1 yellow squash, in chunks
1 zucchini, in chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper and red pepper flakes
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, in large chunks

Pesto:

1 large bunch basil
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 c. pine nuts, lightly toasted
big handful walnuts, lightly toasted
big chunk parmegiano reggiano, in 1-inch chunks
olive oil
flax oil
salt to taste
juice of half a lemon

STEP 1:

Make the pesto: put all ingredients except oils into food processor and process until close to smooth. While the processor is on, drizzle in the oil until pesto reaches desired consistency (I'm quite sure I used much less oil than you'd find in commercially made pestos, and it was delicious - I probably used a half cup at most, and it made A LOT of pesto).

STEP 2:

Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium high heat. Add a little olive oil, then cook the onion/bell pepper/squash/zucchini until tender, seasoning to taste.

STEP 3:

In another pan on medium high heat, heat a little more olive oil, and cook the chicken until done all the way through, seasoning as you go. Add the pasta and pesto to the pot you cooked the pasta in. Toss in the veggies (and chicken, if everyone is eating chicken), serve, and enjoy!

The Old College Try: a Pasta Party

Glory, glory to old Georgia!


Yes, friends, I'm thrilled to share one of my most exciting blogs to date - guest-wise if not menu-wise. My old college friend Raj was in town for the Men's Health Urbanathlon, with two friends in tow. I was hugely flattered when Raj wrote to tell me that he's a huge fan of my blog, and wanted to spend one of his few nights in Chicago having dinner with me. And even better, I had guests on my hands that needed to carbo-load, and I think we all know at this point how I feel about pasta (Pasta, will you marry me?).


To mix things up, I decided to invite my also-new-to-Chicago friend Ryan, and of course, Ross was on hand to eat up and weigh in. It was a funny, interesting, smart, eclectic group of people gathered in my little shoebox, and I for one had a fantastic time.

For backstory: Raj and I met [WARNING: shameless plug in 3...2...1...] on an Alternative Spring Break program my junior year at Georgia. My friend Amy and I led a trip to Alabama to work at a home for people living with HIV and AIDS. Like the other ASB trips I went on or led, it was life-affirming and outlook-changing. Raj followed in my footsteps, not only leading trips, but also helping to lead the entire program - eventually doubling the number of trips (there is even a trip that comes to Chicago!).


As far as conversation goes, you couldn't ask for a more accomplished, more interesting group of people - as far as dinner goes...well, I know I'm my harshest critic, but I think it may have left something to be desired. Everything tasted good, but as Ross ended up admitting, it wasn't my most creative meals to date. Additionally, I mistimed quite a bit of the action, and we didn't get as much time to eat as I would've liked. Despite these criticisms, my guests seemed to like everything, and hopefully they were well-fueled and well-rested for the race.


The turkey bolognese, I thought, was pretty tasty - I actually really like the flavor that the turkey, as opposed to a traditional sausage and beef blend, lent to the sauce. And the veggie sauce actually turned out to be quite a hit, even among the omnivores! I was sure I'd ruined it when I let the carrot-onion-celery mixture burn, but it actually really deepened the flavor of the sauce, giving regular old canned tomatoes a more fire-roasted flavor.


It was great to catch up with a fellow Bulldog (he's still in school - Law - by the way), and meet new friends with the same zest for life and good-natured Southern charm that Raj is known for.

TURKEY BOLOGNESE

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 lb. ground lean turkey meat
2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1/3 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack spaghetti


VEGGIELISCIOUS SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
2 cloves garlic
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1 small head broccoli, chopped into small florets
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 pack spaghetti


STEP 1:

In a nonstick skillet, brown the turkey meat with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

STEP 2:

In both pots, heat the olive oil. Cook the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until they start to get some color. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, wine and garlic and some more salt and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot that will be the meat sauce.

STEP 3:

Cook all this for awhile, covered, stirring occasionally and breaking up the big tomato pieces with a wooden spoon. As the sauces cook, keep an eye on how liquid-y they are, and add some more wine as needed if they're getting too thick/dry.

STEP 4:

Add the broccoli and zucchini to the veggie sauce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Add the fresh basil to the sauces. Turn the heat down on the turkey sauce and add the cream. Stir and cook a little more. Taste the sauces and adjust seasonings. When the spaghetti is al dente, drain it and set aside. Serve and enjoy!

JUDGES' VERDICTS:

Raj: I liked the spicy tang to the veggie sauce - it wasn't too sweet or too creamy. And the salad dressing was excellent.

Patrick: Very good. I actually liked the vegetarian sauce more than the meat sauce.

Ryan (male): I'd want to try the sauce over angel hair, since I like thin pasta. I was worried about the sauce's spice, but it was fine. And the music was good.*

Ryan (female): I liked the spicy kick to the veggie sauce. It was good, although I did have to pick out the visible tomato chunks. By the way, your cat is psycho.

Ross: This was ok, but not very creative. I expect more from you at this point.

*Ross put on our perennial favorite dinner mix of classic Sinatra tunes. Always a hit.

So it appears that the Veggie Sauce was the winner. Who knew? And all that time, I thought I'd burnt it.

Catching up with an old friend and making news ones was the real highlight of the meal, though. Thanks so much to my guests for spending a night in Chicago with little ol' me! And....GOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF....

Meyer-Lemon Poached Halibut with Tuscan Bean Salad & Chard

I'm on a little bit of a chard kick right now. It's in season, and it's just divine everywhere I go looking for it. The bunches at the farmer's market yesterday were so lusciously green and leafy, I bought two different varieties. In this dish, I chose to use the classic Swiss variety.


My good friend Colleen, who "doesn't eat quadripeds," challenged me to make a meal with fish. Since I've really been dialing back the bipedal and quadripedal animals myself lately, I was all too excited to make it work. I decided on halibut, which is a notoriously not-overly-fishy fish. Only after I bought a gorgeous filet did Colleen tell me that apparently, halibut is also one of the most difficult fishes to cook.

Undaunted, I decided that cooking the halibut in a sauce on low heat would keep it moist and prevent it from overcooking. My instincts were correct, and we found ourselves with a couple of delicious, quadriped-free dinners.


MEYER-LEMON POACHED HALBUT WITH TUSCAN BEAN SALAD & CHARD

INGREDIENTS

Tuscan Bean Salad:

~1 c. cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
~1/2 c. cooked cannellini beans (canned is fine)
~ 1 c. cooked wheatberries
glug of good olive oil
zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
chopped fresh rosemary
chopped fresh oregano
chopped fresh dill (or you could use parsley)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Chard:

1 large bunch fresh Swiss chard, tough stems removed, chopped into pieces
a little olive oil
salt and pepper

Halibut and sauce:

1 shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
3 T. butter
Two fresh halibut filets
1/2 c. dry white wine
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of 3 on-the-vine tomatoes (use a sieve to prevent any seeds from getting through)

STEP ONE:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Tuscan Bean Salad. Toss to combine. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.


STEP TWO:

Blanch the chard (dunk for about a minute into boiling water, then drain and rinse with cold water). Set aside.

STEP TWO:

Heat the olive oil and butter and in large, semi-deep skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Cook the shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

STEP THREE:

Add the white wine, lemon juice, and tomato juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season the broth with a little salt and pepper and add the fish fillets to the broth. Cover and cook until halibut is just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove halibut and set aside. Cook the sauce on high heat for another few minutes until it reduces a bit.


STEP FOUR:

While the fish is cooking, in another skillet, heat a little olive oil for the chard. Saute the chard quickly until it is hot and just a tad more tender than it was from blanching. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP FIVE:

On two plates, spoon some Tuscan Bean Salad. Place some sauteed chard on top of the salad. Top off each with a halibut filet, then pour the poaching liquid over everything. Serve and enjoy!


If you wanted to make this salad more quickly, using canned beans would be fine. I really liked the texture of the beans I cooked myself, although I came perilously close to oversalting the bean salad - I just dialed back the salt elsewhere and the overall dish came out fine...whew!

The bitterness of the chard was a nice astringent complement to the creaminess of the beans and the succulent, tender fish. I thought the sauce was pretty strongly lemony, but being a lover of all things lemon, it certainly wasn't too lemony for me!

Overall, I thought the meal felt really indulgent when it was actually really light and healthy. Here's what Colleen thought:

"Basically this is my ideal summer meal - light lemony fish, a bed of greens, and magic chickpea melangé. I'm still not quite sure what makes Meyer lemons so amazing, but I swear I could taste a difference in the sauce. Next time I would not brine the beans (though I enjoyed the salt a great deal) - I think it's easy to just add seasoning later on. Maybe we (you) could try an iteration of this dish again for the wintertime and create a more hearty, brothy sauce and winter greens? Mmmm, broth."

Not too shabby! (And I totally agree about brining the beans - a very salty oops. I had no idea the beans would soak up the salt from the water the way they did.)

It was a successful, laid back dinner at home followed by a tour de Ukie-village bars - deliciousness followed by friends and chatter! Saturday night, perfected.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Red Pepper & White Bean Sauce & Whole Wheat Rigatoni

Combining beans and pasta has always seemed like a really great idea to me. Like the timeless combination that is beans and rice, beans and pasta strikes a great balance between carbs and protein - and, as are most things that have their roots in rustic Italian tradition, it's delicious.


This is sort of a not-very-saucy sauce, so those of you who like a higher proportion of sauce to pasta might want to double the diced tomatoes in this recipe, or even substitute a jar of store-bought marinara. It would still be great. This recipe makes quite a lot of pasta, too (see below), so I'd recommend halving it if you're not a big leftovers eater.


Otherwise, it's a great summer pasta recipe - fresh, healthy, not too heavy, and simple to make. I hope you experiment with it and come up with your own unique twist on this old world-inspired dish. (As always, you fans of meat would love this with grilled chicken or a host of other products from the farm.)


RED PEPPER & WHITE BEAN SAUCE AND WHOLE WHEAT RIGATONI

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 hot red chile pepper, seeded and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, in big chunks
1 can cannellini beans, drained and well rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
1 small head broccoli, cut into smallish florets
juice of one lemon
fresh chopped basil
dash or two of balsamic vinegar
12 oz. whole wheat rigatoni
freshly grated parmagiano reggiano
more basil to garnish
salt and pepper

STEP ONE:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and red chile pepper until tender, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Add the red bell pepper and saute a few more minutes, until beginning to soften. Stir in the lemon juice and the balsamic vinegar.

STEP TWO:

Meanwhile, boil the rigatoni until almost al dente, reserving about a 1/3 c. cooking liquid.

STEP THREE:

Add the tomatoes with all juices, the beans, the broccoli, and the basil. Cover and cook until the broccoli is tender and the mixture is hot. Drain the noodles. Add the cooking water and noodles to the mixture. Cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Top with parmesan and more basil if desired. Enjoy!


Thanks for reading! More soon...

Vegetarian Lasagne & Chicken Piccata

I just couldn't go to San Diego without treating my best friend (and her very gracious roommates) to a home-cooked meal. After a really taxing day of reading, lunch, and sitting on the beach, we hit up the grocery store to prepare for our feast. We had a ton of fun cooking (and I tried to impart what little knowledge of the culinary world I have to Alisha, who was a capable sous chef as well as kitchen DJ), and the meal turned out to be quite a success!


We had several bottles of wine to sample (all wonderful), and both vegetarians and omnivores to please. It was a lot of hands-on time in a typically cramped apartment kitchen, but it was a great night with new friends in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.


INGREDIENTS

LASAGNE

(makes 12 servings)

12 lasagne noodles
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 medium yellow onion
1 jar roasted red bell pepper, drained and patted dry
2 T. olive oil
1/2 head broccoli
2 T. butter
2-3 T. flour
2-3 c. skim milk (or any kind you have)
3/4 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 jar marinara sauce
fresh chopped basil
fresh thyme, leaves only
salt and pepper

CHICKEN PICCATA

(makes 8 servings - you might want to cut this recipe in half)

4 large chicken breasts
juice of 2 large lemons
1 large bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
3 T. capers
2 c. dry white wine
4 T. butter
3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. flour

STEP ONE:

Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook the lasagne noodles until they are al dente. Drain, then return to the pot, and fill with cold water and ice cubes (this is a patented method by yours truly). Get a 9 X 12 casserole dish ready by spreading a few spoonfuls of marinara sauce in the bottom of it. Pick up a noodle, and holding it by the top, carefully run the index and middle finger of your other hand down the noodle, getting rid of excess water. Place it lengthwise in the dish. Do this with two more noodles.

STEP TWO:

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Boil the broccoli for just a few minutes, until it is bright green and a little tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the ricotta and about half the mozzarella, the basil and thyme, and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well-combined. Using a spoon and your fingers, spread 1/4 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles until they are covered. Drain the broccoli and chop it into little pieces. Spread the broccoli over the ricotta mixture. Pour about 1/2 the marinara over the broccoli.

STEP THREE:

Go ahead and get the next layer ready: drain and place three more noodles over the broccoli layer, then top those with another 1/4 of the ricotta mixture. Chop the onion and the roasted red pepper. In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the onions until they're golden brown, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

STEP FOUR:

Get the bechamel sauce ready: in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. When it forms a roux, cook for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper, and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. You may have to reduce the heat a bit, but make sure to bring it to a boil first. Spread the onions and red bell pepper over the ricotta. Top with the bechamel sauce (just enough to cover the surface of that layer).


STEP FOUR:

Lay three more drained noodles on top. Spread with another 1/4 of the lasagna mixture. Top that with the spinach.*** Top with the rest of the marinara sauce. Preheat the oven to 375.

STEP FIVE:

Lay the last three noodles on top, spread the remaining ricotta mixture over them, then top with enough mozzarella cheese to cover it all. Bake the lasagne for 30-45 minutes, until cheese is melted and beginning to brown, and edges are melty. Remove from oven and allow to "rest" for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

STEP SIX:

While the lasagne is baking, make the chicken piccata: slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise (or skip this step by buying thin-cut chicken breasts). Spread the flour out on a plate, mixing in some salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast in flour and set aside. In a large frying pan, heat half the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken on each side until browned, seasoning a little more as you go; add more olive oil and butter to the pan as needed. Set chicken aside, or if the chicken is thicker and not cooked through in the middle, place in the oven for 10-15 minutes with the lasagne to finish cooking.

STEP SEVEN:

Turn the heat down to medium, and add a little more olive oil. Add the shallots, and cook until lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Add the lemon juice, and turn up the heat. Add the parsley and capers and cook until reduced/a little thickened. Remove from heat and stir in a chunk of butter. Serve alongside the chicken, drizzling it over the chicken on the serving platter if desired. Serve with the lasagne and a fresh green salad. Enjoy!

***The best way to deal with the spinach is to microwave it with a little water until it's room temperature, then thoroughly drain it by pushing on it with the back of a spoon until it is very dry.


This was, admittedly, quite an involved meal, considering I was serving 8 people. I was trying to please both the vegetarians and the meat-eaters, hence the two dishes that are really more of main courses on their own. The good news is, it came out really great! The chicken was moist and flavorful, and the piccata sauce was the perfect astringent complement to the creamy, cheesiness of the lasagne. The lasagne, interestingly, tasted almost exactly like Stouffer's veggie lasagne, except much fresher, less salty, and with no chemical-ish aftertaste. Lasagne is always a lot of work, but it's always worth it, and it's definitely a crowd-pleaser.

One of the best things about lasagna is that you can put whatever you want in it: I've made sausage lasagna, butternut squash lasagna, beef lasagna, mushroom lasagna, and probably a whole lot of other ones I can't remember. The bechamel sauce is a traditional touch - we certainly never had that at home growing up. I've also made them with vodka sauce, which is amazing. I particularly like the combination of the bechamel and the tomato sauce - it gives it a subtle creaminess that doesn't overpower the delicate flavors of the vegetables.

Thanks so much to my fabulous host Alisha, my wonderful dinner guests, and to my readers! More soon...