Pasta

Orzo Summer Salad

June 23, 2015, posted by Gina -The dog days of summer have made it to my neck of the woods. For me, it is so hard to think of a menu for dinner when it is so hot outside. And by hot I mean 90 something degrees with 90% humidity. A rich roast makes me think of fall and winter. Soup in my mind is out of the question. My family has eaten its fair share of chicken lately. What’s a girl to do?

I postponed my shopping until the very last minute which put me at the grocery store at 5:00. When I walked in there were only two carts out of about a million remaining in the cart bin. Why was I there? I had seen a recipe for an orzo salad that looked refreshing and light. Of course, I make changes to most recipes and this one was no different. The original recipe calls for cilantro but I despise cilantro and when I say despise I mean I really hate it. To me it is one of those things that has just been done too much. I realize some of you may love cilantro and if you do, feel free to throw a lot of it in this recipe. I served this salad with a peppercorn pork tenderloin and it was the perfect compliment. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

ORZO SUMMER SALAD

SALAD:
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
12 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
3 green onions, sliced
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

DRESSING:
¼ cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley or fresh parsley or cilantro
Whisk all dressing ingredients and pour over salad ingredients. Mix well. Enjoy!

Do you have any go-to recipes for summer? Do you think you’d like to try this recipe? We’d like to hear from you, so click on the title of this post to expand the comment form and leave us your comments.

Lunch on the Lago

Il Lago Grande surrounded by the Alps, Avigliana, Italy

June 9, 2015, posted by Michelle – On our drive back through the Piedmont region of Northern Italy we stopped for lunch before we crossed the border back into France. There’s a town called Avigliana where we’ve stopped before to eat at a cozy restaurant on one of the two lakes there. They mainly serve traditional dishes of the region. I started with proscuitto and mozzarella which was delicious but I couldn’t finish it. Too bad Le Monsieur doesn’t like cheese or we could have shared this.

Le Monsieur ordered mussels in a rich garlic-butter sauce and there was plenty of crusty bread to soak up all the delicious juices.

We should have stopped there it was so filling but it’s just wrong to be in Italy and not eat fresh pasta. I ordered the agnolotti which are like ravioli but smaller and can be square or crescent shaped. They were stuffed with beef flavored with nutmeg and swimming in a beef based sauce. Delicious.

Le Monsieur had the taglietelle with porcini mushrooms and ate every bit. No way we could eat another bite so we skipped desserts.

Here are a couple of recipes for the pasta dishes:

Agnolotti Recipe & History

Taglietelle with Porcini

What a great time we had and hopefully we’ll be visiting Italy again soon. Do you make your own pasta? Are there special restaurants you’ve come across during your travels? Leave us your comments by clicking on the title of this post to expand the comment form.

Cookbook Club: Cinco de Mayo on the Water

May 6, 2015, posted by Gina – Yesterday, my Cookbook Club met for a Cinco de Mayo lunch. We are currently working our way through the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and you’ll find links for each recipe throughout this post. The hostess set up her boat house so that we could enjoy the day right on the water. It was quite a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, with a slight, pleasant breeze. Idyllic!

We started the festivities with margaritas and what I can only describe as the BEST GUACAMOLE I have ever had. For a start, the super fresh avocados and tomatoes had everything to do with setting it apart. It had a bit of a kick from the 8 dashes of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, rather than lime juice, brightened it up. Combine all that with some minced red onions and garlic and you have the perfect guacamole.

After enjoying the appetizer, we served GAZPACHO topped with homemade parmesean croutons, ROASTED CHICKEN, ORZO with ROASTED VEGETABLES and ZUCCHINI with PARMESEAN. My favorite dish was the orzo with roasted vegetables; the dressing, the feta and the pine nuts married so well with the vegetables.

Gazpacho

Roasted Chicken

For dessert we had FROZEN KEY LIME PIE and CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE. The pie had a great flavor although I think I prefer a regular key lime pie. The ganache on the cake was delicious and while the cake was good, there are other chocolate cakes I like better.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Sugared Flowers

The tables were set with brightly colored plates and napkins and pots of zinnias for centerpieces. The setting, the perfect weather, a delicious lunch and great company made this a very enjoyable day. Do you do anything special for Cinco de Mayo? Maybe you prepare an authentic meal or just head to your favorite Mexican restaurant for margaritas? Do you have a favorite spot on a lake or river where you can get away? We’d like to hear from you, so if you’d like to leave a comment, click on the title of this post and a comment form with unfurl for you at the end of the post.

Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta, cooked (we used fettuccine), save about 3 cups of the pasta water to mix with final dish
6 thinly sliced zucchini, roast on 450° for 15 minutes (drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper first)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of 1/2 lemon (more if you like)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

While zucchini is roasting, saute onions and garlic in the tablespoon of olive oil. Add to cooked pasta along with the Parmesan cheese, olives, and lemon zest. In a small saucepan, melt the two tablespoons of butter. Take off heat and add the bread crumbs and combine. Add to pasta. Once the zucchini is roasted combine with the pasta. Stir all ingredients and serve. Add salt and more Parmesan to taste.