Thai-inspired Pasta

I would call this Pad Thai, but I know better!

This simple dish takes no time at all and is light and healthful!

Ingrédients

Fistful of angel hair pasta
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water Or You can use coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp garlic, minced or powder
1/2 lime
Rd pepper flakes, if you desire
Tbsp brown sugar
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped finely
Drained and pressed firm tofu, cut into small cubes
 Chopped peanuts, to taste
 Cilantro, chopped

Bring pasta to a boil.  Mix together peanut butter, water, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, squeeze lime juice into mix, pepper flakes, sugar.  Mix until peanut butter is completely dissolved. Meanwhile, chop veggies, and add broccoli to boiling pasta. When done, drain pasta, and add celery, tofu and sauce.  Stir to mix well, top with peanut and cilantro, and serve.

Serves 2.

Summery Pasta Salad

I’ve been making this throughout the quarantine - it’s light, crunchy and full of flavor!

2/3 C pasta (I prefer shells, but you can use any)
1/4 C peas
1/2 C marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 C diced yellow onion
1/4 C edemame, cooked and chilled
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/4 green pepper, diced
Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
Dash of garlic salt
1 tsp vegan mayo
Tsp of mixed Italian spices
1/4 C feta cheese
2 sprigs green onion, sliced

Cook pasta, add peas towards end of cooking time. Cook thoroughly, then drain and rinse with cold water.  Add all ingredients together and mix well.  Chill and serve.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Kudo's to Bon Appetit on this one... I make the recipe pretty much verbatim. My modifications are as follows:

1) I add a ½ teaspoon of dried thyme (fresh if I have it on hand).

2) I exchange the Greek yogurt for whole fat organic plain yogurt. I always have that on hand for breakfast and for sauces (and please just buy whole fat yogurt... it's so much better). 
3) I use what potatoes I have on hand, which is usually yukon golds or red-skinned. For the substitution, 4-5 potatoes work. 

3) I use half white cheddar and half sharp yellow cheddar. 
4) I love a nice hearty grain bread for the croutons.

I have to say, this recipe is a home run. 

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

cutting board

chef's knife

potato peeler

stock pot

blender or immersion blender

And, the recipe is here:https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/broccoli-cheddar-soup

Vegetarian and Hearty Spanish Onion Soup

Developed sometime around 2010

This is my take on a vegetarian version of French onion soup, and at least as hearty. Creating a vegetarian version of this classic beef-broth based soup takes finesse and time, but is well-worth the effort. Especially if you make your own broth. As a cooks hint: I save stems from herbs like parsley and cilantro in the freezer for making broths. 

MAKE YOUR BROTH
(or if using store bought, purchase the vegetarian choice that has onion as the first ingredient)

2T extra virgin olive oil

Mirepoix (one chopped onion plus half the amount each of celery and carrots) 

2 bay leaves

1t salt

2 cloves garlic

1T whole peppercorns

Stems of one bunch of parsley, about ½ cup

1 8-oz package button mushrooms

10 cups water

1-2 T black bean paste or miso 

½ cup whiskey (optional)

Heat a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium high heat.  Rough chop the mirepoix and garlic. (For the mirepoix, the volume of carrots and celery together should equal that of the onions for good balance.) Add the olive oil, bay leaf and mirepoix to the pot. Stir occasionally but leave the heat up as the onions begin to brown, but not burn. 

Once the onions are starting to brown, reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, mushrooms and salt. Allow the mixture to cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. It’s okay if material sticks to the bottom of the pot, as long as things aren’t burning. Add the remainder of the ingredients, being sure to release any stuck vegetables from the bottom of the pot. While the whiskey and black bean paste are not necessary, they add quite a bit of nuance to the broth that is really fantastic.

Increase the heat to high, bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Allow the soup to cool and then strain through a mesh strainer or colander into a bowl or large measuring cup. (We do not need a clear broth in this case, so straining with a cheesecloth is not necessary). Set aside.

SOUP INGREDIENTS

1-oz package of dried shitake (or other) mushrooms

3 cups boiling water

2T unsalted butter

1T extra virgin olive oil

5 Vidalia or sweet onions, peeled, halved, and very thinly sliced

1 t sea salt

½ T turbinado sugar

4 oz thinly sliced button mushrooms (about half a package) (optional) 

2 cups of fresh spinach, rinsed, destemmed and cut into thin strips or chiffonade  

2 quarts of homemade broth or 1 quart of store-bought plus 1 quart of water

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

zest of 1 lemon

(optional) ½ cup dry red wine (I use Malbec)

1 t freshly ground black pepper

½ t dried oregano

½ t thyme, stems removed

Oven-toasted cubes of toasted bread 

Gruyere cheese

RECIPE
Place the dried mushrooms in a heat proof bowl. Pour 3 cups of boiling water over the mushrooms, ensuring all are covered. Set aside.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over a low flame. When the pot is hot, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the salt and sugar. Cook the onions over very low heat, stirring occasionally until they are caramelized (medium dark brown). This will take an hour or longer, depending on your pot. 

Once Once the onions are nicely caramelized, add the diced apples, sliced mushrooms and spinach to the pot and cook gently for 5 minutes. 

Strain the liquid from the dried mushrooms into the pot. Chop the remaining mushroom

into bite-sized pieces (about ¾”) and add to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients,

including the broth you made. If you are using store-bought broth add the broth and water.

Raise the heat to medium high to bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a nice simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. 

Serve topped with croutons and shredded gruyere cheese. If you have oven-proof bowls, you can throw the soup under the broiler to melt the cheese and make it nice and bubbly. Broil on low for about 3 minutes and enjoy!

Red Pepper Sauce (fresher than roasted)

Developed Summer 2019

About 30 years ago, I first learned about spaghetti squash, and though it was fun, thought it was a horrible substitution for pasta with a traditional marinara. Everyone raved about it as a “healthier” substitute, and I thought I was crazy. Then, about 10 years ago, I had zucchini squash thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler and topped with roasted red pepper sauce and thought, “Ah, that is good and would be good with all kinds of mild squash.” 

Last summer I was inundated with squashes from my community farm share and decided to do some research on good red pepper sauces, borrowed from many, and finally settled on this. It is very forgiving and quite delicious. I’ve used it as a sauce for squash and regular pastas, drizzled on homemade hummus, as a base for red pepper soup, and with curries.  My favorite pasta with red pepper sauce combination follows the recipe. 

This recipe is very forgiving and can be modified without loss of deliciousness.

EQUIPMENT

Cutting board

Chef’s knife

Measuring cup

Zester, such as a microplane

Food Processor (or blender)

Rubber spatula or spoon

INGREDIENTS

3-4 roasted red peppers (about 2 cups) 

2-3 non-roasted jarred red peppers (about 1.5 cups)

1 fresh red pepper, seeded and cored

2T shallot or mild white onion

2 cloves garlic

1T capers

1 lemon, zest and juice

2T fresh basil or ½ T dried basil

½ t sea salt; ¼ t black pepper

____

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

 RECIPE

1.    Shake off the brine from the roasted and regular red peppers, rough chop them and toss them in the blender or food processor. (Rough chopping the ingredients helps ensure they are evenly distributed in your sauce.) 

2.    Peel and rough chop the onion and garlic then add to the peppers. 

3.    If you are using dried herbs, pulverize them by rubbing them between your palms as you add them to the peppers. This helps release their essential oils. 

4.    Add the remaining ingredients aside from the olive oil to the food processor. Blend until smooth. You may need to open the blender and scrape ingredients off the side of the container with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Once the ingredients are fairly smooth, turn on the processor again and slowly blend in the olive oil.
The sauce is ready for use. It keeps well refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for 5 days or longer. 

My favorite pasta for this sauce:

Rigatoni with red pepper sauce and garlic, parsley, zucchini, mushrooms, capers, green olives, feta cheese. Any or all of these ingredients are optional; any hearty pasta will work. 

(serves 4-6 people)

·      Prepare the rigatoni as the package indicates while you make the sauce.

·      Quarter 8 oz (the standard package) of button mushrooms, cut the zucchini into ½ inch rounds and then in half-moons, mince ¼ cup of parsley leaves, and thinly slice 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic. 

·      Bring a sauté pan to temperature over medium heat. Once, it is hot, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Then pop in 2-3 thinly sliced cloves of garlic. 

·      When the garlic begins to slightly brown, add the mushrooms and zucchini, a pinch of salt, and bring the temperature to low, stirring frequently until mushrooms and zucchini are cooked, about 5 minutes. 

·      Pour about 3 cups of the roasted red pepper sauce into the pot with the veggies and increase the heat to medium. Use more sauce if you feel like you need it. Add about a tablespoon of capers and ½ cup of olives sliced in half. If they have pimento, you can leave it – that is actually red pepper. The feta cheese can be crumbled and added now which will make the sauce creamy or as a garnish later.  Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, then take it off the heat.