Crunchy Spinach and Artichoke Pesto Pasta

As usual, I made waaay too much pasta for the previous pasta salad. 

There was 2c leftover, which I almost pitched, then decided I'd add play around with ingredients and ended up with yet another pasta salad. This could also be a quick Mac & Cheese or added to soup or chili.

2c al denté cooked pasta - cooled

1c shredded Mexican blend cheese

1/2 small jar, 3-4oz., of basil pesto

1/4 red bell pepper

1/4 med sweet onion

1/4c ± Lemon-EVOO Dressing

garlic salt and black pepper

This happened in no time and was a nice surprise! Good for the meatless people in your life. For additional crunch and protein, add some roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds — AND — it would also be good served warm, or hot. . .Lin

Chicken Stroganoff

Cook 12 oz. of pasta until about half done. Drain in a colander then put it back in the pot. While still hot, stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 8oz. of Pepper Jack Cheese. Let it cool a bit then add 1c sour cream.

Set aside until later.

1# chicken breast meat

1 sm. onion

4 lg. cloves garlic

2-3 oz. single source EVOO

1/2 -to a whole- lg. green pepper

14 oz. mushrooms

1c chicken bone broth

salt, black and red pepper

Sauté the chicken, chopped onion and minced garlic in the olive oil for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Slice the pepper and mushrooms and add them along with the bone broth and seasonings. I also added 1T Better Than Bouillon - chicken flavor. Low simmer this for another 15 minutes. Combine the meat and vegetables with the pasta and cream sauce.

Pour into a 3 quart casserole and bake at 350° uncovered, 30 minutes or until it's bubbly. Serve with a simple salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette to balance the richness of the stroganoff. . .Lin

Meatloaf-Meatball Stroganoff

Meatballs

In a big bowl mix:

1# ground elk

1# ground bison

1# turkey sausage

8oz. crushed crisps

2 lg. pasture raised eggs

1c - 1-1/2c beef broth

Chop the following and add to the bowl:

2 stalks celery

1 med. purple onion

2/3c green part of aSt leek

1 med. carrot - grated

Mix well with a heavy wooden spoon or clean hands. Form into meatballs, place on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake until nicely browned, 30-40 minutes. I made these ahead and froze in a gallon zip-type bag.

Stroganoff

Bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil then add 1# thin spaghetti. Once the pasta boils a few minutes, add 1-2oz. finely chopped curly kale. When the pasta is al denté, drain then put it back into the pot. Add 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup, stirring gently to coat the pasta. Add 2# of frozen meatballs, also stirring them in.

Chop the vegetables:

1/2 lg. purple onion

1/3 green bell pepper

1/3 orange bell pepper

8-10oz. small mushrooms

1oz. EVOO roasted garlic

Sauté these until crisp tender, in 4T of butter, adding the chopped garlic at the very end, then stir them into the pot of pasta and meatballs.

Stir 2c beef broth into 12oz. sour cream and pour over all these ingredients, then toss to mix and coat everything.

Chill several hours, then warm it up again. This changes the pasta making it a resistant starch. This will improve the flavors and also reduces the glycogen level of the pasta making it much healthier than eating it right after the initial cooking. . .Lin

Olive-Mushroom Chicken Piccata

Cook up 6-8 oz. of your favorite thin spaghetti, to al dente. Drain, saving about a cup of the starchy pasta water, rinse in cold water to chill, then drain again, sprinkle on 1T dried parsley, and set aside.

A lot of home cooks and chefs swear the only way to serve pasta is piping hot, fresh drained, just after cooking. However, after reading articles such as ~this~, I now cook, drain and chill it, before reheating to serve it the first time.

Begin by sautéing the following over low-medium heat, for just a few minutes, until the chicken looses its pink color. Usually, truffle-infused EVOO should be only a finishing oil, but if you keep the heat low, definitely well under its smoke point, you can impart wonderful truffle flavor to dishes.

8 oz. small pieces of chicken

~or shrimp~ add these later*

a little of chopped purple shallot

1 clove or so of the sliced garlic

fresh ground black pepper

2-3T truffle-infused EVOO

Next add 8 oz. of mushrooms, continuing to stir and sauté a couple minutes. Add a couple ounces of the pasta water then cover, and let it steam on low heat. When it's sizzled a bit, remove the cover, turn up the heat and let it cook until half the cooking liquid is evaporated. Add the *(shrimp) rest of the chopped shallot, garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon.

After the garlic turns translucent, continue to evaporate the liquid, lightly browning everything. Add a little more of the cooking water and 1/3c of chopped olives and 1/3c of drained capers. Stir, shut off the heat and cover for a few minutes before adding the pasta to the pan and combining it.

Now combine 3-4oz. of hot pasta water with 1T chicken Better Than Bouillon. When that dissolves and cools a bit, stir it together with 1/2c sour cream. Pour this over everything in the pan, bring it to a bubble for just a minute or two, to thicken the sauce, cover and turn off the heat for a minute before serving. Sprinkle with a little half-sharp Hungarian paprika for a little pop of color and spicy-peppery heat.

I have other food for dinner tonight, but made this today since my lemons and mushrooms were starting to look tired.

This will taste much better chilled and reheated tomorrow, when eaten for the first time. . .Lin

Chicken Shrimp Mushroom Piccata

Start by sautéing these vegetables:
2 stalks of celery
1/3 green pepper
1 med. yellow onion
1 med. sweet onion
10 oz. sliced mushrooms
1t fresh ground black pepper
4T butter

Sauté this together, while stirring releasing the liquid, scent and becoming a little translucent, for about 10 minutes. Then add: 2-3c finely chopped dark green kale - leaves only

Cover and simmer 5 minutes then add:

8oz. chicken thigh meat - cut in bite size pieces

4 big garlic cloves - sliced into thin matchsticks

1/3 green pepper - chopped

2 thinly sliced green onions

1/3c rinsed capers

Stir and turn up the heat to medium, allowing some of the liquid to absorb and evaporate, for 20 minutes or so. Add the last ingredients:

1T Better Than Bouillon - lobster

10oz. thawed jumbo shrimp - cut in half

juice of 1/2 lemon

Stir and bring up to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in sour cream, or keep it on the side to be mixed in. Serve over al dente pasta. . .Lin

Mushroom-Shrimp Ajvar Stroganoff

25oz. mixed mushrooms
1 red bell pepper
1 purple onion
5-6 cloves garlic
4T butter

fresh ground black pepper

Slice, chop, or mince everything and combine in a 4 quart pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often.

By now, the juices have been coaxed out of the vegetables by the heat.  Pour or ladle out, and set aside, 8oz. to make the sauce later. Turn up the heat, stir and continue to cook until the liquid is almost gone and everything's nicely brown or translucent.

8oz. of Ajvar-type sauce
10oz. Red Argentinean shrimp - cut in thirds
a nice splash of Fig Balsamic vinegar
8oz. of the cooking liquid
4-8oz. pre-cooked pasta

Add the first 3 ingredients to the pot. Bring to a low simmer and maintain a couple minutes, add the pasta, stir, cover and turn off the heat. I discovered Ajvar in an International Market several years ago. I bought jars from several different sources. Most are more red than mine due to the amount of red bell pepper. I went through those 6 or 7 jars quickly. I then researched and ordered a case of a brand that sounded good, half the jars were hot and the others mild. It wasn't good. I decided I'll make my own. 

Ajvar has an interesting history. It's use and variations can be traced back to many countries. 

At some point, I may try roasting the peppers first, but for now, this was fun, quick and has great flavor combine with all the above. . .Lin

Beef Stroganoff with Vegetables

Marinade:

2T horseradish mustard

2T fig Balsamic vinegar

1-2t fresh ground black pepper

1 LG. clove garlic, sliced-minced 

2oz. whiskey

1T soy sauce

1T honey

1-1/4# lean black Angus beef chuck roast

Mix the marinade in a medium size deep bowl. Slice the beef thin, across the grain and add it to the marinade. Gently stir to coat the meat well then refrigerate. Stir the meat several times over the next 2 hours. While the meat marinates, chop-slice the vegetables shown, putting aside 1/4 of the onion, finely chopped, to add to the meat when it's browning.

In a large non-stick pan, heat 2-4T EVOO then add the marinated meat that's been drained in a strainer. Rinse just a bit if needed, so only a little marinade is left on the meat. Heating will bring out a lot of liquid from the beef.

After it's simmered awhile, add the onion, stir and continue cooking over medium heat to evaporate the liquid. Watch it closely, it'll go from simmering to browning to burnt in no time. Put the finished meat in a bowl. When cooled a bit, stir in the sour cream.

1-2c sour cream

Put the vegetables in the same big, washed non-stick pan. Add 1c cold fresh water, partially cover (I layered 2 splatter screens over the top of the pan) and simmer until about half cooked.

2-3T Beef Better Than Bouillon

Add the soup base to the vegetables, stir and continue to simmer until there's still about 1/4-1/2c of liquid left in the pan.  Cool this a bit then combine it with the beef and sour cream mixture.

8-12oz. al dente cooked spaghetti,

linguini or fettuccini

Spread this over pasta in a 9"x13" (or bigger) baking pan and sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

This makes 6-8 servings. . .Lin

Olive-Zucchini-Pesto Pasta with Chicken

This was fun. . !

I had 12oz. of mushrooms and 4 small zucchini just at their peak or a bit past.  After a long day of cooking and outside plant work in the heat, I still wanted to get this done, so I started it at 10pm.  It's a little after midnight now, so. . .not bad!  Some would call this Puttanesca, but although similar, it doesn't have all the same ingredients.  Start by browning the chicken in the EVOO over med.-high heat:

8oz. boneless, skinless chicken cut in small pieces
2T single source EVOO
seasonings - I used black and cayenne pepper, Himalayan pink salt, and ground rosemary

Once that's cooked, remove it from the pan and add the following vegetables. Add more EVOO if needed to stir-saute' for 10-15 minutes, adding bone broth when needed.

12oz. mushrooms, washed and sliced
4 zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise then sliced
1/2c basil-parmesan-pinenut pesto

Next add the sliced green onions, 1/2 a small jar of drained pimento, 1c± sliced pickled garlic and spicy Sicilian olives, and more broth or pesto if needed. Simmer on a low bubble for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and just bring back to a simmer. Serve over your favorite pasta. I used spicy red pepper spaghetti. . .Lin

Mushroom-Pepper Shrimp and Pasta

3 mini peppers

8oz. mushrooms

4-5 green onions

6 lg. cloves of garlic

2T butter

1/2c Ajvar 

1/2c pasta water

8oz. Argentinian red shrimp

1/2c sour cream

Cook spaghetti or angel hair pasta to al dente stage.

Slice-chop the vegetables then sauté in the butter.

When the mushrooms are getting close to being done add the Ajvar and water.  Bring this to a simmer and add the shrimp, whole or cut in smaller pieces.  Cover and let steam-simmer just a few minutes, then just before serving, stir in the sour cream, bring it back to a simmer then serve over drained, hot pasta.  This made 3 big, delicious servings. . .Lin

Langostino-Trout with Butter Garlic Pepper Pasta

There are times, especially during this pandemic, I've found myself perfectly comfortable just staying at home, for long stretches of time.  As much as I love grocery shopping, that's also been excluded and I've been challenged to create interesting dishes with what I have on hand.

Having just come home a week ago from 10 days in Arizona, with a 400 mile road trip on either end getting to, and bringing my dogs home from, the dog sitter, I have yet to shop, and don't want to for another couple days. It's fun to see what can be created with just things on hand I wouldn't normally put together.

I had that amazing Minnesota Lake Trout yesterday, and I knew I had Langostino in the freezer.  My first instinct would be to make these into a chowder, but I don't have cream or celery, so that option's out.

Lately I've been craving Angel Hair Pasta, so I've decided to run with that for another one-of-a-kind, empty-the-pantry-and-'fridge inspired dish.

1/2 lg. Vidalia onion
6 big cloves of garlic
2 med. carrots
2-4T single source EVOO
1/2c mild & 1/2c hot Ajvar sauce
1/2-1c water
meat from one cooked trout

12-20oz. frozen langostino thawed
2-5T butter
1/2c chopped onion
Old Bay Seasoning

1/4c drained-rinsed capers
10oz. jar mushrooms - drained
2/3c sliced kalamata olives
1-2T fresh chopped dill
juice of 1 lemon
2T lobster flavor Better Than Bouillon
smokey salt  and chipotle seasoning

Chop the onion, garlic and carrots and sauté in the olive oil until slightly brown and the onion is translucent.  Add the Ajvar and water.  Simmer this, covered, for half an hour then add the meat of the trout.  Meanwhile, sauté the langostino in a little of the butter, over medium-high heat. As it simmers, drain off the liquid into the pot of fish sauce.  Add more butter and increase the heat, cooking until the pan is almost dry and the langostino are nicely browned.

Combine these now, with the sauce, over low heat. Bring this to a low simmer and add the last group of ingredients, simmering an additional 5 minutes.  Serve over angel hair, spaghetti or linguini pasta. . .Lin

Fun with a Roasted Chicken

Mushroom Chicken Stroganoff

8-12oz. No Yolk Stir-Fry Noodles

Cook the pasta about half way, so the noodles are still chewy.  Rinse well in cold water, to keep them from sticking together. Drain  in a collander until later.

2 med. chopped carrots

1 med. yellow onion - chopped

¼ lg. green pepper - sliced thin

2-3T minced garlic from a jar

1-2t mild pepper blend

2T butter

8oz. washed, chopped mushrooms

1T mushroom Better Than Bouillon soup base

1c+/- fresh cold water

6oz. sour cream

½c crumbly-powdery Parmesan cheese

12oz. roasted (pre-cooked) dark chicken meat

Sauté the first group of ingredients until they start to brown a little. Add the soup base and the water, a little at a time, only using what you need to keep it from sticking. Cook only until the carrots are still somewhat hard.

When the cooked vegetables cool a bit, gently stir in the sour cream and dry Parmesan. When that's well combined, add the pasta, incorporating everything well. Add the chicken stirring just be sure it's coated with the sour cream mixture and mixed with the other ingredients. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes.

Quick Spicy Chicken Noodle Bowl

This was a quick deviation, for lunch for me, since I didn't need all the pasta. I took a handful of that, some chicken, a little of the partially cooked onion, mushroom, and a little of the cooking juices. In another small bowl, I combined some finely chopped roasted red pepper, Coriander (CILANTRO) Chutney, Basil Pesto, a splash of white balsamic vinegar, and some sour cream.  

Oh my. . .If you've used the Coriander Chutney, you know how spicy it is! That's the Serrano peppers they use. They pack a wallop - so go easy until you're used to cooking with that. Somehow I knew this would be a good combination, and it sure was. I've still got LOTS of chicken, so watch for more chicken recipes. It's still my favorite of all the animal proteins! . . . Lin

Olive-Garlic Chicken and Pasta

12oz. dry pasta - cook al dente'

1# chicken breast strips

2T vinegar and oil salad dressing

¾c sliced kalamata olives

8 lg. stuffed green olives - sliced

1½ med. onion - chopped

½ med. orange pepper - sliced

2c sliced celery + tops

lots of minced garlic (9-12 cloves)

4oz. red roasted pepper in a jar - chopped

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and sauté and stir in the dressing for 10 minutes.  Add olives and a little of the onion and continue to sauté and stir another few minutes.  Add the celery, orange pepper, rest of the onion, cover and simmer a little longer.  Stir in the garlic, red pepper, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook until the celery is crisp tender.

In a 3-4 quart baking pan, combine all the ingredients, add more dressing if needed, cover and bake at 325° for about 15 minutes just to finish the cooking and heat everything through.   This is more like a hot pasta salad, than a traditional hot Italian pasta dish, since I used dressing in place of the usual Alfredo or red sauce.

Try it - See what you think! . .Lin

Mushroom Pesto and Seafood Pasta

4oz. tiny elbow pasta* - cook al dente'

drain, save some of the starchy water

Rinse in cold water in a colander until chilled - set aside

1# sliced mushrooms

4T real butter

1T white balsamic vinegar

your favorite seasonings, salt and pepper

Sauté until most of the liquid disappears.  Add the following:

3 big green onions - sliced

5oz. langostino tails

5oz. raw shrimp cut each in thirds

Simmer and stir until the raw (grey) shrimp turn pink. Stir in the following to create the sauce then the pasta and serve. *Or if you'd rather use spaghetti or angel hair, serve this over the pasta.

½-⅔c sour cream

2-4 T basil or tomato pesto

½c chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

zest of 1 lemon

This turned out really well and made 3-4 servings. . .Lin

Italian Chicken, Beans, Pasta and Greens

15oz. jar of Alfredo sauce

6-8oz. chicken bone broth

6oz. olive tapenade

~ Whisk these together

8oz. dry white beans - cooked

~or~ 2 cans - drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions - chopped

12oz. cooked chicken - chopped

a couple big handfuls of fresh kale - chopped and simmered 8 minutes (these are all shown in the big bowl)

12oz. dry pasta - cooked al dente'

1# zucchini - sliced-diced

3 ribs of celery - chopped

1 skinny sweet orange pepper - sliced

1½oz. packaged sun-dried tomato - diced

~ Drizzle these with EVOO and season with dry rosemary, Himalayan pink salt and a mix of red and black ground peppers.  Roast at 400° for 15 minutes. (shown at the left, above, after roasting)

shredded parmesan cheese

This is a pretty time and labor intensive recipe if you do it all from 'scratch,' start to finish. So pick and choose how, and/or if, you want to cut corners = rotisserie chicken, packaged/canned chicken broth, canned beans, fresh spinach instead of fresh kale (spinach doesn't need pre-cooking) are all examples.

Once everything is assembled as shown in the second picture, put a layer of each in a glass baking pan. First the chicken-kale mixture in the bowl, then the pasta, then the roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the Olive-Alfredo sauce, top with shredded parmesan. Refrigerate or freeze now if you'd like.

When ready to eat, (defrost) then bake at 300°
for 20-25 minutes. . .Lin

A Beef Bolognese Adventure

1-2T butter

1-2T EVOO

1 lg. onion

1 big fat carrot

¼ lg. red pepper

1½ c chopped celery

1t-1T crushed dried oregano

1t-1T Rosemary Seasoning

8oz. sliced mushrooms

2T Fig Balsamic Vinegar

1T BTB soup base

2c beef stock

28oz. stewed tomatoes

9oz. BEAUTIFUL leftover beef roast - sliced-chopped

⅓c full fat sour cream* - optional

Heat the butter to a bubbly light brown in a heavy 4 quart pot.  Add the chopped vegetables and get everything sizzling over med-high heat for a few minutes, turn down the heat, add seasonings, mushrooms, beef stock and BTB soup base.  Simmer a while and add the drained, chopped stewed tomatoes.  Reserve the juice for later.  Add the meat.

Okay, I added the juice from the tomatoes right away and as this all simmered, I thought. . .Well.  What's this?  Looks like I've made Beef Bolognese Soup!  As it simmered, uncovered, the sauce reduced a bit.  I made a little roux and stirred that in which also thickened it well.  I checked the flavor and it was more acidic than I wanted it to be.  Hmmm. . .now what.

Before Sour Cream

After the Sour Cream

Well. . .when in doubt. . .add sour cream*!! I've done that before in several sauce and muffin recipes. Although I rarely buy real half & half, or drink milk, I always have sour cream in the 'fridge. I  know it has an acidic pH, but it was just what this needed! It's been good for me so many times, as a substitution - as well as a quick fix!

So, either add the tomato juice, or. . .pour it into a little glass.  Add a squeeze of fresh lemon and drink it!  You'll love it!  Add Vodka if you're into that.  Serve this chunky, hearty meaty Bolognese over noodles or leftover mashed potatoes.  Remember - When things don't turn out as you hoped, don't give up.  Devise a Plan B, or Plan C.

Be Bold - Be Creative!  Happy Cooking! . .Lin