Green Chile Pasta

When we were in Mexico a couple of years ago, we had dinner at a little Italian place, twice I think--it was either that or another quesadilla!  They served an avocado pasta sauce that somehow blended the ingredients of the Yucatan with the cuisine of Italy. It was more than memorable, it was unique and special. Unforgettable.

I haven't tried to recreate it, but the idea has lingered in my mind. And the other day I was thinking about those green chiles in my freezer, the avocado sauce, citrus...and a creamy pasta sauce. This was my first attempt, but I think it turned out very well...

Recipe: Green Chile-Avocado Pasta Sauce
The subtle heat and buttery flavor of the Hatch chiles is emphasized by the avocado and lime. Utterly delicious and decadent.

Ingredients
1 lb. bow tie or linguine pasta
6-7 Hatch (Anaheim) green chiles, roasted, seeded and skinned (you should be able to find those in your freezer if you went to all of that trouble earlier in the year.)
1 large avocado, seeded, diced and skinned
Zest and juice of one lime
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. cream cheese (This is what I did with the leftover from the Hot Onion Soufflé!)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro, thick stems removed
1 Serrano pepper, halved and seeded, cut into large pieces
Salt to taste

Directions
Cook pasta according to directions on the package. In a food processor, combine all the other ingredients and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain and stir in sauce. Add pasta water until a smooth, creamy consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I added a can a drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, but you could choose any protein you might like.

Your Lasagna is in My Cupcake! Your Cupcake is in My Lasagna!

I realize I am late to the table (Ahem.) with this one, but I was afraid you were too, so I wanted to share this fantastic, easy and delicious idea with you: lasagna cupcakes! No, no, no...it's not what you're thinking. I would never suggest you bake cupcakes that are flavored like lasagna. These are individual lasagnas baked in a cupcake pan and they are delectable and super simple.

The secret? Won ton wrappers. You can either buy the round ones (some places stock them) or do as I did and buy the square ones, then cut them with a biscuit cutter. What are won ton wrappers? Basically fresh pasta, right? So what you get are little lasagnas layered with thin sheets of pasta and your favorite filling. If you have a pasta roller, you could do the same with it and just cut the pasta into round to fill the tins. In fact, this is perfect for satisfying a variety of taste, because in theory you could make each lasagna a different flavor.

Recipe? I would love to give you one, but in this case, lasgana cupcakes are not an exact science. You need ricotta, sauce, mozzarella and maybe some Parmesan to make them, plus whatever else you would like to add. Thin slices of zucchini? Broccoli? Tomatoes? Whatever. If you are using a firmer vegetable, you may want to cook it a little before using it as filling.

Spray your pan with cooking spray or a light layer of oil, then layer won ton wrapper, ricotta, sauce+any other filling and then cheese. Repeat and for the final layer use a won ton wrapper, sauce to the edge and them a layer or cheese.

In the end, pop these into the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and you are good. Let them rest for five minutes and you're ready to serve. I've made several variations, including a traditional tomato as well as a butternut squash. They are great leftover and are a perfect meal with a salad or any simple vegetable.

Peas, Please

Saturday at the farmer's market was all about the green: asparagus, broccoli and shell peas. I'm not sure what I'll do with the asparagus and broccoli, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the peas: pasta.

Guilano Hazan's new cookbook, Thirty Minute Pasta: 100 quick and easy recipes, is filled with wonderful recipes and ideas for pasta. Think you've made every pasta imaginable? Think you have already tossed everything you can toss with noodles? Think again.

The idea for the peas with pasta is simplicity embodied: cook an onion; add some peas; puree half of the mixture; add back to the peas with some pasta water; and finally toss with the pasta. I made this recipe during the winter with frozen peas and it was delicious, but making it with fresh peas took the pasta to a whole new level.

Since there is no butter, cheese, citrus or other flavors, the sweet, green essence of the peas really sings a magnificent solo. The only thing you need is salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, which provides the perfect contrast to the peas. A drizzle of olive oil over the finished dish? Delizioso!

If You Gonna Fry

A couple of weeks ago, a friend dropped off a box of treasure: baby artichokes! She wondered what I would do with them, and I wondered too. Honestly, I don't mess with artichokes very often. I think the frozen hearts you can buy have a wonderful green flavor and are perfect for most dishes. I will use the canned ones as well in recipes like my artichoke dip and they work perfectly.

But baby artichokes? Okay, lest you call the People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables on me, these are not real baby artichokes that are raised in crates and only fed milk. These are the smaller globes which appear around the base of the plant. In addition to being smaller in size and more delicate, they don't have a choke and are completely edible. What does completely edible mean? Once you get off the tough outer leaves, you can enjoy all of what's left!

So, what to do with the 'baby' artichokes? I did some research and the most common preparation is to fry them. Simple, easy and delicious. So, that's exactly what I did. Since lemon goes so nicely with artichokes, I created a lemon salt to finish them by combining lemon zest and coarse Kosher salt.

But, fry one thing? For me, frying is a big deal. I don't do it very often because, although delicious, cleaning up after frying is a pain. What do you do with oil? How do you keep you entire house from smelling like McDonald's? So, if I am going to fill a pan (my grandmother's cast iron that she used for frying chicken) with oil and go to all of the trouble of frying, I am going to be frying more than one thing.

Arancini! Qu'est-ce que c'est what?

Arancini are one of my favorite things to make and to eat. What are they? Small balls of leftover risotto that can be stuffed with a variety of things (or left plain), rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. Arancini is from the Sicilian dialect and means 'little orange' for the shape and color of the balls after they are fried. People always say, 'risotto has to be eaten hot off of the stove,' or, 'risotto isn't good leftover.' They're crazy and wrong. While I love risotto, I must admit that my primary motivation is to have enough leftovers to make the arancini.

So, I made a big Italian meal for friends:

Fried baby artichokes (recipe from Giada is here)
Arancini
Olives and other pickly things
Grissini

Dama Bianca

Gratineed gnocchi
Roasted winter squash with balsamic reduction

Panna cotta with pomegranate molasses and seeds
(I'm working on perfecting this recipe and will have for you very soon!)

It was very yummy and we had a fun (and fried!) evening!

Recipe: Dama Bianca

For Halloween, we had friends over for an Italian dinner. Yes, there is no connection, but it was a fun evening to entertain and we had a great time. Of course, I love deciding what china to use and put the table together. The idea was kind of fall, but not in an obvious sort of way. And the menu was also inspired by fall, with cheesy, hearty items to match the cooler weather.

To start:
Gnocchi alla Romana (Roman gnocchi is made from semolina, not potatoes, which is cooked in milk then blended with eggs, butter and cheese. After it thickens, it's cut into circles, then baked in the oven with a little more cheese and butter.)
Unstuffed artichokes
Grissini, olives and pickled okra (I have about two cases of pickled okra in the closet, so it is served regardless of the cuisine.)

First course:
Dama Bianca (This white lady is a simple salad made with thinly sliced fennel, celery, fresh mozzarella and a delicious citrus vinaigrette. Recipe below.)

Main course:
Potato gnocchi gratin
Roasted butternut squash with balsamic reduction
Tuscan beans and onions with skillet roasted cherry tomatoes and basil

Dessert:
Chocolate cake with frozen gianduia mousse
Coffee

David sent me four sets of these super cute copper-colored mushroom salt and peppers from West Elm, so I used them for the first time and placed a set between every other place setting.

Recipe: Dama Bianca
This is a great salad for fall, with crunch and a light flavor. Everyone loved it at dinner--perhaps their favorite thing that I served. It's simple and can be done ahead of time.

For the salad:
2 medium fennel bulbs, stalks discarded
6 pale inner (white) celery stalks, leaves discarded and stalks thinly sliced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (optional), roughly torn

For the dressing:
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest (preferably from an unwaxed organic lemon)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons good-quality fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
White pepper to taste

Discard the stalks from the fennel and slice the bulb in half. To me, it important to cut the tiny triangular heart at the base of the bulb. Some people don't, but I think it's usually a little tough. and easily removed. Then, use a mandoline and slice into thin pieces. Combine with the celery and mozzarella in a large bowl or platter. You can make the salad to this point and refrigerate for several hours.

For the dressing, whisk together zest, juice, sea salt and white pepper to taste. Slowly add the olive oil and whisk until it's emulsified. Drizzle over salad, toss to combine and serve.

Mangez!

Worldview: Spaghetti

The Family, 1974 from left

Barbara, Eric, Sam and Brian

When you're young, you understand the entire world to be just like your family. Good or bad, strange or benign, it seems impossible to think that your small universe isn't reflected in the international ideal. I was no different.

Born into a typical, suburban family, we lived on a street with two large maple trees grounding the front yard of every house. I walked with my friends and neighbors to a small school named for, and celebrating, Christopher Columbus. (Go Explorers!) We all knew one another and spent hours playing in each others homes and yards.

My mother is an amazing cook who learned from her mother, an amazing cook, who learned from her mother, who I assume was an amazing cook (my great-grandmother's jam cake is here), and so on and so on. Both she and my father were (and are) passionate about fresh fruit (especially blackberries) and vegetables. Dad had a small plot in the backyard where he raised all kinds of wonderful things. He also helped tend my grandparent's larger plot behind their house. At my Mam-ma's, I remember the peach tree, green beans, mustard seed (for pickling), at the far end of the garden and crowns of asparagus like an army marching to battle. And okra for days. Lots of okra, that I was born to eat. But that is another story.

Food was important to us. Mom and dad would "put up" vegetables in the summer that we would eat all winter long. My favorite were the pickled beets to which no store bought brand can ever compare. Mom made the best dumplings, as mentioned before. But her spaghetti sauce was like nothing else. It's actually my Great-Aunt Viola's recipe, one of my grandfather's six sisters. My grandmother made this sauce and it was apparently the traditional Christmas Eve meal for her non-Italian family--a tradition we have revived. Needless to say, I never had Prego or Ragu until I was in college and fending for myself, but this sauce, while delicious, is completely unorthodox. It is simple in nature, yet complex in flavor. Some have called it "a sweet and sour" spaghetti sauce. It is superb.

At some point in elementary school I befriended a new boy named Alex who was from England. We became best friends and did everything together, bonding over a mutual love of and obsession for all things Egyptian. One afternoon, playing at his house, his mother (a skinny, peculiar woman with those stereotypically bad English teeth) said "We're having spaghetti, would you like to stay for dinner?" Spaghetti? Of course! It's one of my favorite foods: simmered for hours, filling the house with it strong perfume! Served with a crisp salad and lots of garlic bread? Count me in.

Imagine my surprise, as I sat at their welcoming table and was served: a giant bowl of cooked spaghetti, ultra-crisp bacon to crumble over it and a bottle of ketchup. Yes, ketchup. At that point, I had an instant revelation that my family and the rest of the world, whether from England or elsewhere, were not exactly alike. It was a revelation. And as Brillat-Savarin said, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Ketchup on spaghetti? Definitely British.

But a rude awakening via strange spaghetti isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's good to realize the world is a big place and even better to realize said world is filled with different ideas about food, taste, how things are served, flavors, foods that are important to health and a myriad of other ideas about cuisine. It's good to see how other people eat; it's better to eat with them. Open mouth and open mind. Because of that, I am always onto something else: an obsession with curries lasts for only few fiery week; a gratin prepared in a myriad of ways is returned to occasionally; and how many hot sauces are in your refrigerator door? There are very few staple meals in my kitchen, but always a new pile of recipes to try.

And to Alex and his family, wherever you are, I hope you met someone who served you a better spaghetti sauce and inspired you to make a switch! (Sorry, I couldn't help it. Spaghetti and ketchup just isn't a good idea. I tried it, therefore I can say that.)

Ingredients: Barilla No Cook Lasagna Noodles

I think one of the first things I learned to make from my mother was lasagna. It was a great skill to find and very empowering: with lasagna you can feed a crowd and if you keep the flavors basic, it's usually something everyone enjoys. Some bread and salad, a little something for dessert: instant dinner party. It couldn't be easier, could it? In fact, I remember my first 'dinner party' in my apartment in Norman, OK when I was at OU and I'm sure I served lasagna. I know it's not the same lasagna I make today, and imagine it was probably filled with a meaty sauce, but the principles remain the same.

But, I eventually figured out it could be easier. One way in which I have varied my recipe from the method Barbara taught me is the no-cook method I've been using for years. It's pretty simple, you use conventional noodles, but don't boil them, adding extra liquid to the sauce. They cook as the lasagna bakes and its comes out perfectly. I can put together a lasagna in less that thirty minutes and have it out of the oven in an hour, resting and ready to go while salad is being passed.

So you are probably wondering why I would mess with success? Why alter a recipe/process that's served me for almost twenty years? I read somewhere that the oven ready noodles Barilla produces have a superior flavor and texture than conventional noodles, but were just as easy to use. The difference? Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles are made with egg, so the pasta is lighter, more delicate and great for baking.

I tried it. I even did four layers of lasagna instead of three. And what I read was correct, the Barilla noodles are light and taste almost like fresh pasta sheets rolled out at home. It's easy to do, but according to Barilla you need about eight cups of sauce to accomplish the four-layer version. So, if you're trying to think of something to serve for dinner for your family or friends, throw together a simple lasagna using Barilla noodles that will please everyone.

My other lasagna tip: toasted, slivered almonds in each layer. A surprising ingredient, they add texture and their wonderful nutty flavor to the classic Italian melange. I'll provide my full recipe for lasagna using the Barilla noodles later, but I'm sure you have one you enjoy that could be adapted easily using this product. From my kitchen to yours...

Primizie! Grazie!

Last week, I entertained some guests of the museum at Primizie, a new Italian eatery on east 11th street. Primizie has been running a successful catering company in the city for several years and I guess decided to try their hand at a storefront location.

The decor is modern and simple, but made very warm with the inclusion of wood and other natural materials in the mix. It's slightly cavernous, and while it wasn't busy the evening we were there, I can imagine that it would get rather loud if the space were full. They don't take reservations, but we didn't have any problems with our party of six on a Thursday night. They have a very relaxed 'sit anywhere' policy with the hostess, which always seems to add a little pressure to the diner, especially if you haven't been to the space before. Service was attentive and good for the most part, but our waiter didn't relay the specials (written on a chalkboard far too small for our table to read) until we had been seated for quite a while. They have an interesting wine list and a very full menu.

To start, I had the roasted vegetable salad which was deliciously dressed in a light, but flavorful mixture of oils, vinegars and herbs. It was far more than one person could eat, so I suggest sharing. I especially enjoyed the addition of cauliflower to the mix, and the eggplant was the perfect texture.

For my main course, I was torn between the gnocchi with chanterelles, sweet corn and brown butter sauce and the goat cheese and chive stuffed ravioli in an olive butter. Ultimately, I chose the ravioli and it was delicious. All of their pasta is house made, so the raviolis were large, loosely shaped with a toothy, fresh texture complementary to the filling. The bread they serve on the side is slightly strange, but garlicky with a little crunch of salt--kind of like thick, Italian tortillas.

I didn't stay for dessert, but the offerings were certainly tempting.

Primizie Osteria – Italian Café and Wine Bar
1000 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX 78702
512.236.0088