Pasta with Pistachios Tomatoes and Mint

Pasta with Pistachios, Tomatoes, and Mint

Ingredients

12 ounces short pasta

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios, finely chopped

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint

Grated Parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese, to serve

Cook the Pasta

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the pasta and 2 tablespoons salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al denté. Reserve about 2 cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Cook the Sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1-pint cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped, kosher salt, and ground pepper.

In a 12” skillet over medium heat, combine the oil and the tomatoes. Cook, stirring only once or twice, until the tomatoes have softened and the oil has taken on a reddish hue, 4-6 minutes.

Stir in ½ the pistachios, 1½ cups of the reserved cooking water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly reduced and the tomatoes are completely softened, about 2 minutes.

Toss the Pasta with the Sauce

1 Tablespoon grated Lemon Zest

2 Tablespoon Roughly Chopped Fresh Mint

Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese to serve

Add the Pasta and Lemon Zest, then cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al denté and has absorbed most of the liquid but is still quite saucy, 2-4 minutes.

Off heat, stir in the mint, then taste and season with salt and pepper. If the pasta is dry, add more cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer to a serving bowl, then sprinkle with the remaining pistachios and drizzle with additional oil. Serve with cheese

Campanelle Pasta with Sweet Corn Tomatoes and Basil

Campanelle Pasta with Sweet Corn Tomatoes and Basil

Ingredients:

1 Pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper

4 Ears Corn, Husked

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) Salted Butter, Divided

2 Medium Shallots, Minced

1 Habanero Chili, Stemmed, Seeded, and Minced

12 Ounces Campanelle, or other Short Pasta

1 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

Directions:

1.    In a small bowl, stir together the tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt; set aside. Set a box grater in a large bowl or pie plate. Using the grater’s large holes, grate the corn down to the cobs.

2.    In a large pot, bring 2 ½ quarts water to a boil. Add the corn cobs and 1 tablespoon salt, reduce to medium and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard the cobs, then remove the pot from the heat.

3.    In a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the grated corn, shallots, chili, and one teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ cups cooking water. Cook over medium-low, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened ( a spatula should leave a brief trail when drawn through the mixture), 10-15 minutes.

4.    Meanwhile, return the remaining corn-infused water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pasta is coated and the sauce is creamy, about two minutes; if needed, add the reserved cooking water, 2 tablespoons at a time to reach proper consistency.

5.    Off heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the tomatoes with their juices, and the basil, then toss until the butter has melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

** Don’t be afraid of the habanero pepper. It does add a little heat (removing the seeds removes much of the burn), but it’s mostly here to add fruity notes to complement the corn, tomatoes, and basil.

Perfect Popovers

Perfect Popovers

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, warmed in a cup of hot water before cracking

1 ½ cups milk, lukewarm

½ to ¾ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (no substitutes!)

3 Tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

1.    Preheat the oven to 450°F. Position a rack on a lower shelf. The top of the fully risen popovers should be about midway up the oven. What you don't want is for the tops of the popping popovers to be too close to the top of the oven, as they'll burn.

2.    Use a standard 12-cup metal muffin tin, one whose cups are close to 2 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" deep. (Want to use a popover pan? See "tips," below.) Grease the pan thoroughly, covering the area between the cups as well as the cups themselves. Make sure the oven is up to temperature before you begin to make the popover batter.

3.    Use a wire whisk to beat together the eggs, milk, and salt. Whisk till the egg and milk are well combined, with no streaks of yolk showing.

4.    Add the flour all at once, and beat with a wire whisk till frothy; there shouldn't be any large lumps in the batter, but smaller lumps are OK. OR, if you're using a stand mixer equipped with the whisk attachment, whisk at high speed for 20 seconds. Stop, scrape the sides of the bowl, and whisk for an additional 20 to 30 seconds at high speed, till frothy.

5.    Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full.

6.    Make absolutely certain your oven is at 450°F. Place the pan on a lower shelf of the oven .

7.    Bake the popovers for 20 minutes without opening the oven door. Reduce the heat to 350°F (again without opening the door), and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown. If the popovers seem to be browning too quickly, position an oven rack at the very top of the oven, and put a cookie sheet on it, to shield the popovers' tops from direct heat.

8.    If you plan on serving the popovers immediately, remove them from the oven, and stick the tip of a knife into the top of each, to release steam and help prevent sogginess. Slip them out of the pan, and serve.

Mozzarella and Eggplant Patties

 Mozzarella and Eggplant Patties

Ingredients:

Makes about 8 medium size patties1 large eggplant (or 2 medium), peeled and diced

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 small onion (or 2 scallions), diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 egg

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup  breadcrumbs

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large (preferable non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and salt and saute’ for 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and saute’ for 1 further minute, until fragrant.
Finally add eggplant cubes and saute’ – stirring every now and then – until browned and soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and puree/mash with an immersion blender (you can also use a food processor or a blender to do this).
Add cheese, parsley, egg, black pepper and stir until well combined.
Add breadcrumbs ¼ cup at a time and mix with your hands until it reaches a firm consistency and will hold up as patties.
Transfer mixture to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the breadcrumbs to suck up some of the moisture.
Take the bowl out of the refrigerator and with dampened hands form 8 medium size patties.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet you used before over medium-high heat.
When sizzling, add patties (I did 4 at a time) and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until browned.
Serve warm with some marinara sauce on the side, or eat them plain. Either way they’re delicious.

Sweet Potato Puffs

Sweet Potato Puffs

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup leftover mashed sweet potato

3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, chilled


1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

All-purpose flour, for dusting

2 puff pastry sheets (One 17.2 ounce package), thawed according to package directions


1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

Directions:

Special equipment: a 3- inch round cutter (I use a cup)

1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a

rimmed baking sheet with
nonstick cooking spray and set aside

2 Mix mashed sweet potatoes, mascarpone, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla using a rubber spatula. Set aside.

3 On a lightly floured surface, roll out a sheet of puff pastry to 10- by-13 inches. Using a 3- inch round cutter, cut out 12 rounds from the first sheet of puff pastry. Working one at a time, use your fingers to slightly flatten and widen each round. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the mashed potato filling into the middle of the round, brush a small amount of egg on one edge and stretch the pastry over the filling to make a half moon. Crimp the edges with your fingers to seal and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining rounds and half the filling, leaving 1 inch between puffs, and then cut and fill 12 rounds from the second sheet of puff pastry.

4 Brush the tops of each pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with some cinnamon-sugar. Use the tip of a knife to poke a hole

in the center of each of the puff. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Jo-Jo's Classic Chili

Jo-Jo’s Classic Chili

*JoAnn made this and it came out so good I had to publish it!!

Ingredients

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       1 medium yellow onion -diced

·       1 pound 90% lean ground beef

·       2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

·       2 tablespoons ground cumin

·       2 tablespoons granulated sugar

·       2 tablespoons tomato paste

·       1 tablespoon garlic powder

·       1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·       1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

·       1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

·       1 1/2 cups beef broth

·       2 (15 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes

·       1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·       1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Instructions

1.              Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.     Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.

3.     Add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. Stir until well combined.

4.     Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), drained beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well.

5.     Bring the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat (low to medium-low) to gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.     Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.