pasta w/ mussels

The finished product

I'm all about trying new things these days: new ingredients, new techniques, etc. I don't think I've ever cooked a mollusk before. Truth be told, I honestly didn't realize that mussels were alive when you bought them. While storing them in the fridge before cooking, half of them opened up. Which I knew was bad. Opened mussels = bad mussels. However! After running them under cold water, they all closed up again! It was kind of gross, kind of cool. I guess I'll have to deal with it if I ever intend to cook a live lobster (I want to try it, but I SO DO NOT at the same time). Anyways, keep them cool and rinse and scrub them before you proceed with the recipe. Toss any that stay open.

Regardless of your experience with mollusks, you should definitely try out this recipe. It's super delicious and makes for a great dinner party dish. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can chopped or whole tomatoes (you have to chop them anyways, so might as well by them that way) 
• 3 fat garlic cloves; 1 crushed, 2 minced 
• 1 shallot, chopped 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 2 pounds mussels, rinsed, scrubbed and beards removed 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or marjoram, or both 
• Pinch sugar 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 pound linguine or other pasta 
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley 

cherry tomato pizza margherita

I've featured different kinds of pizza on the blog several times, but I've never tried a basic margherita. The recipe I tried is a variation of one I found. It includes a nice kick with the addition of the red pepper. And it's super quick and easy, which is always nice. You could also probably use this recipe to cheat a really simple pasta sauce! Here's what you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• Dozen or so cherry tomatoes, stemmed (do not cut!)
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 
• 1 4 oz. ball fresh mozzarella in water (ovoline), coarsely diced 
• 4 ounces shredded whole-milk mozzarella
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 6" whole wheat pita breads (or you can make the pizza crust from scratch if you wanna be all fancy)

red snapper w/ thyme, tomatoes & olives

Long time! It's been a long, long while. As I think I've said before, and I'm sure I'll say again, after 130 or so recipes, you just run out of new ideas! Plus, I've just been going back through and making the past recipes I've loved. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, as I post updates to old recipes and share photos more regularly. Anyways, to the recipe! PS. This is best over rice. Here's what you'll need:

• 3 large plum tomatoes or a bunch of cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped 
• 1 shallot, chopped 
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme, any ol' thyme will do) 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 2 6-7 ounce red snapper fillets 
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted, halved 

pasta w/ meat sauce

This is an old staple that everyone probably already knows how to make, but I'm sharing because you never know. It's also awesome because this recipe will feed you (as a single person) for literally a week, and it's great reheated. You can play around with the individual ingredients, but here's a basic recipe for you:

• 1 lb. ground beef (I go with the 80/20)
• 2 large cans of San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 2 tiny cans of tomato paste
• 2 cups of arugula
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

chicken w/ tomato herb sauce

I feel like this is very Frenchish. It may not be. I have absolutely no knowledge of French cooking (sorry Julia). Whatever. It's delicious! Definitely make it with rice. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (seriously, go fresh - this makes the dish)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chicken breasts (this makes enough for about 2)
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

asian chicken salad

It seems like lately I've been eating either pasta or chicken salad dishes a lot. No particular reason, I've just been craving them. It helps that both are capable of endless possibilities for variation. Last night I tried my own version of Brokeass Gourmet's Asian chicken salad. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 lb. chicken breast
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• Dash of grated ginger
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 apple, cored and diced (I used a Fuji)
• 1 dozen cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 handful of green beans, ends trimmed
• Dash of black pepper
• Spinach for the salad

cilantro shrimp pasta

Sometimes the random, spur of the moment ideas are the best. I was wandering around the market last night, trying to figure out what kind of mood I was in for dinner. I came across some shrimp and I had vague memories of seeing a shrimp and cilantro recipe, so I decided to wing it. It turned out to be one of the best dinners in quite awhile - and it took under 10 minutes to make. Here's what you'll need:

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Sprinkle of crushed red pepper
• Dash of black pepper and salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• A dozen or so grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 lb. fresh pasta (I used angel hair)
• Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

pasta w/ basil, chicken & diced tomatoes

As the recent wave of warm weather has hit NYC this week, I've found myself less enthusiastic about standing in front of a hot stove for any amount of time. Therefore, I've been playing around with some ways to "cheat" pasta - make it easy to make and still good tasting in even less time that usual. I've had a few misses, which I won't share with you here for obvious reasons. However, I struck a good on last night that I'd like to share. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/3" fresh pasta (you can go with boxed, but for this both tastes WAY better and cooks in under 3 minutes)
• 1/2" chicken breast
• 1 small can diced tomatoes (I used Contadina with Roasted Garlic, low sodium. If you don't go low sodium, that can is more than 100% of your daily intake. Read the labels!)
• Bunch of basil leaves (maybe 10ish)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon EVOO
• Pepper to taste (again, with all that sodium, you don't need salt!)

caprese pizza

When you're working crazy hours and have absolutely no time, sometimes there's nothing better than a 5 minute pizza. This caprese is beyond easy, yet quite tasty. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 large tomato
• 1 ball bufala mozzarella
• A few basil leaves
• 10" whole wheat flatbreads (these came in packs of 5 for $2 at my market) or ready-made pizza crusts

bucatini all'amatriciana

There's seriously nothing better than a spicy pasta in my book. If you follow the blog, you've seen it pop up pretty often. No one does spicy pasta better than the Romans, and last night I tried an easy recipe for one of the quintessential roman sauce - amatriciana. Here's what you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces thinly sliced guanciale (or pancetta ... or prosciutto ... or just bacon if you can't find any of those)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes
• 12 ounces dried bucatini (spaghetti will totally work as well)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino

steak picadillo soft tacos

Confession: I love tacos. I make the chicken tacos featured on the blog awhile back all the time. I'm obsessed. I was craving them again tonight, but I came across a different taco recipe, and decided to give it a whir. Shocker: it was awesome! Here's what you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 12-ounce strip of skirt steak
• 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 1/3 cup halved drained pimiento-stuffed green olives
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 8 corn tortillas

california chicken panini

Like many people, I tend to be a creature of habit. My habit as of late has been being entirely too busy to cook elaborate dinners (not that they're ever really elaborate, but roll with it) and constantly going to the local market for sandwiches for dinner. Granted, they make amazing sandwiches. However, it's recently gotten to the point that they actually know my order when I walk up to the counter. Not good.

What does one do in this situation? You'd think I'd realize how lame I've been and get back to cooking. Not quite. I avoid the sandwich counter out of shame, but I still crave the sandwiches! Here's my attempt to recreate my favorite sandwich of late - the california chicken panini (panini = sandwich. Look it up). Here's what you'll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• 2 whole wheat pita
• 1 tomato
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup grated swiss cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of salt, sugar and pepper

Begin by heating the 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the garlic and simmer until it begin to brown. Add your chicken and lightly salt/pepper. Cook chicken until juices run clear, flipping only once or twice - about 5-6 minutes per side. Slice into 1/2" strips.

Lay out your pita, and cover 1/2 with chicken slices. Top each with 1/2 cup of the swiss and heat under a broiler in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese.

While that goes, mix the remaining 1/4 cup of oil, 1/8 cup of balsamic, salt, sugar and pepper to make a nice little balsamic vinaigrette. (Why isn't that spelled "vinegarette?" English...)

Now you're ready to build the sandwich/panini. Layer tomato and avocado on top of the chicken and drizzle a little vinaigrette over top. Cut the pita in half, and place the empty half on top to finish your sandwich/panini.

Of course if you have a panini press, I'm sure you could use that. I've no experience with those, so I can' say for sure, though I'd think it would work by virtue of the name alone. If you try it out with one and have suggestions, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Bon chappétit!

tuna melts

I love tuna melts. My sister and I got addicted to them many summers ago. We'd eat them practically everyday for lunch. There's a fun story behind our tuna melting adventures actually, but I won't embarrass her by recounting that one again here (...you can email me if you want to know!) I got the craving again the other night, so I whipped up a few. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 can tuna
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• 2 tomato slices
• 4 slices thick cut Italian bread (or any bread of your choice)
• 2 slices American cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• Dash of garlic salt

Begin by mixing the tuna, mayonnaise and garlic salt in a bowl together. Next, melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Lightly brown each side of each slice of bread (just a minute or so per side), then build out two sandwiches (bread-tuna-tomato-cheese-bread). Heat on the skillet until the cheese (not the meat!) begins to melt. Serve immediately.

Is this a ground-breaking recipe? No. But sometimes we all need to be reminded of the simple joys in life. I suppose this is my reminder that tuna melts are delicious.

Bon chappétit!

shrimp & pancetta over polenta

Last night I was in the mood for something different. I've been in the chicken/beef rut lately. I was pondering shrimp, then pork, then I came across this recipe that combine both, so I figured why not? Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup instant polenta
• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (14-ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 pound cleaned large shrimp
• Parsley for garnish

Cook the polenta according to the package instructions in a medium saucepan until thickened and creamy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, then cover and set aside.

Cook the pancetta, garlic and red pepper flakes in 2 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring until the garlic is pale golden and the pancetta begins to crisp a bit, 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes with their juice and simmer until the liquid is reduced, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Spoon polenta into bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, season with pepper and sprinkle with parsley. Done and done.

Bon chappétit!

pizza arrabbiata

Last night I wasn't in the mood to make anything intense, but I didn't want to do take-out either. I'd had a great pizza at Adrienne's this weekend that I was craving again, so I decided to take my own (lazy) stab at it. It was your basic margherita pizza but with pepperoncini added in. In case you didn't know, as my waiter this weekend made abundantly clear, pepperoncini are actually peppers, not pepperoni. Here's what you'll need:

• 10" whole wheat flatbreads (these came in packs of 5 for $2 at my market)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I went for the roasted garlic variety)
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella
• 10 pepperoncini

Begin by toasting your flatbread in the oven n 450 degrees for just a couple minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

Coarsely chop the mozzarella into thin slices. Slice your pepperoncini up as well and drain the liquid from your tomatoes.

Remove the flatbread from the oven and layer the tomatoes, cheese and pepperoncini on each piece. The above ingredients will get you about two 10" pizzas. Bake these for about 10 minutes each (still on 450 degrees) and let cool for a minute. Slice up and serve - delicious and done in under 15 minutes.

Bon chappétit!

bruschetta baked chicken

Tonight I was inspired by a recent post by Fooding with Emily and her bruschetta chicken. I picked up her recipe and tweaked it to my own style. It was a pretty great and easy dish. Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken breasts
• 1 bunch of cherry grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Breadcrumbs (Italian style)
• 1 egg
• 1 ball bufala mozzarella 
• Salt, pepper and oregano to taste

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Coat the chicken breasts in egg then breadcrumb, and place into a glass baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and place them into a bowl along with the basil, oil, salt, pepper and oregano.
After the first 15 minutes in the oven, remove the chicken, add the tomato mixture on top and finish it off with a few slices of mozzarella. Bake for another 15 minutes and serve. Done and done (and delicous).

Bon chappétit!

salmon w/ mango salsa

You know how sometimes you feel super lazy and in the mood to just grab carryout. But then you convince yourself to shut up and cook. Sometimes it's disastrous, and sometimes it's glorious. Tonight was the latter. Absolutely glorious. Better yet, it took less than 15 minutes total to make. Here's what you'll need:

• Salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 sprig fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 mangos, diced

I decided to broil the salmon for this one. I just laid it on a piece of tin foil, put a little oil, salt and pepper and place it under the broiler for about 10-12 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

While that's going, start sautéing the onion in olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat until it starts to soften and turn brown. Next, add in the garlic, tomatoes and cilantro. Cook for just a couple minutes and then remove from heat and add in the mango. Let this warm in the pan for a few minutes more while the salmon finishes broiling.

Once everything's ready, simply serve the salmon with the mango salsa over top and enjoy.

Bon chappétit!

shrimp & avocado ceviche

So ceviche. I've heard a lot about. Never tried it...until now. It's good! It's also more of an appetizer, which Dan and I learned the hard way. Still, yummy. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 pound shrimp - peeled, deveined and chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Place the shrimp and lime juice into a large bowl, and stir to coat. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque (they seriously change color). The lime juice will "cook" them. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro until coated with lime juice as well, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove from the refrigerator, and mix in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, salt and pepper.

That's it. So friggin' simple. Really delicious though. Went great with Saltines. Also note: this probably made enough for 4-8 people.

Bon chappétit!

steak w/ farro, tomato & zucchini salad

Some days I just want a steak. It's just a craving I get that I can't resist. I tried a new recipe tonight that let me have steak over a farro salad. I figured maybe that somehow made up for the slab of juicy meat I was about to have? Probably not, but it was still tasty. Here's what you'll need:

• 1 (8 ounce) filet mignon
• 8 ounces farro
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• A bunch of basil, chopped
• 1 cup Parmesan
• Salt and pepper

Prepare farro by cooking in salted boiling water for 12 minutes and drain.

While the farro is boiling, season the filet with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with just a splash of oil. Once hot, cook the meat about 2-3 minutes per side (this is for a medium steak, for medium-well or well, let it go a few minutes longer on lower heat). Remove from the skillet the meat rest while the farro finishes.

When the farro is ready, mix it with the remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Slice the steak right when you are ready to serve. Serve with the sliced filet on top. Perfection.

Bon chappétit!

PS. Ditch the steak and you have a pretty sweet vegetarian dish. Who said my meals weren't versatile?

PPS. I made this for myself - it could easily feed a family of 4.

green bean & cherry tomato salad

I like salads. Of course, my favorite involve meat and french fries (you can take the boy out of Pittsburgh...), but I'm getting into exploring new and interesting definitions of "salad" (see last week, for example). This past Sunday, Dan and I tried a new salad - not that crazy, but definitely that delicoius - to much fanfare. Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 pound green beans
• 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 basil leave (give or take)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling a pot of salted water and cooking the green beans until they're tender, 5-10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool (we stuck them in the fridge for 10 minutes).

Next, stem and halve the tomatoes. Toss them in a large bowl with the diced shallot, vinegar, olive oil and basil. Just before serving, add the green beans (we chopped them up a bit), salt and pepper to taste.

Super easy, super delicious (Dan had thirds).

Bon chappétit!