Lemon-Ricotta Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans

This is something else I made a few weeks ago: SO light and delicious, the perfect summer pasta! Recipe was inspired by a Giada de Laurentiis recipe, but I know I made some changes (I used regular linguine instead of whole wheat, for one).

Whole-Wheat Linguine with Green Beans, Ricotta, and Lemon by Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole-wheat linguine
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound French green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 lemon, zested

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the pasta with ricotta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Transfer to a serving plate and top with lemon zest. Serve.

Squash-Tomato Tart

I made this a few weeks ago and totally winged it with the recipe, so bear with me as I attempt to recreate what I did…mostly based on the pictures I have. It’s worth doing because it turned out so delicious. Baking temperature/time is what I’m most iffy on…if you decide to make this, make sure to keep an eye on it!

Squash-Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 summer squash, sliced very thin
• 1 tomato, sliced
• pesto
• goat cheese
• parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Roll out the puff pastry until it is 12″x 12″ or so. Transfer to parchment paper on a baking sheet. Score the puff pastry about an inch from the edge with a sharp knife. Inside this square you’ve drawn, prick the puff pastry several times with a fork.
3. Spread with pesto–if the pesto is too thick and not spreading easily, add olive oil. Arrange the squash slices in one layer atop the pesto.
4. Arrange tomato slices atop the squash, and dollop each slice with some pesto.
5. Crumble goat cheese over the top, and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Hummus

For my World Music class, I (of course) selected to do the project that involved me cooking a dish that related to one of the cultures we studied. I chose to make hummus…it’s something my parents have made for years and I’ve wanted to try making it myself. Plus, it isn’t very complicated and makes a great finals week snack. As part of my assignment, I needed to prove to my Professor that I actually made the dish–what better way to do this than linking him up to my blog? Welcome, Tony!

Without further ado:

Hummus (recipe from The New Best Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz. can chickpeas (aka “Garbanzo Beans”), drained and rinsed
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tahini (hulled sesame paste)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

Process all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 40 seconds. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until the flavors meld, at least 30 minutes; serve cold. (The hummus can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).

I topped mine with an extra drizzle of olive oil, some chopped parsley and dry-toasted pine nuts, and sprinkled cayenne pepper on top. Eat it with pita!

 

Tomato-Egg Sandwich

This was one of those meals that was created out of necessity, not of creativity or boredom…I was starving and studying and this is what I came up with for a quick dinner with what I had lying around.

Tomato-Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• sliced tomatoes
• Fontina cheese
• 2 slices sourdough
• chopped parsley
• butter
• salt and pepper

1. Make the eggs however you like ‘em. Poached is probably ideal but I made over easy since it’s simpler and I love a good runny yolk.
2. Toast bread in a toaster oven. When it is almost done, put slices of fontina on one slice and broil until nice and melty.
3. Butter the other slice of toast and top with tomatoes.
4. Place the eggs atop the cheese and get chopped parsley allll over it. And salt and pepper!

Vegetable Frittata

Frittatas are a lot like quiches but lack the pastry crust. I hardly miss the crust–frittatas are so delicious, really easy to make and a great use for those rogue vegetables that you can’t find another use for. Plus you can make ‘em for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This is a recipe I created after reading several others…just use whatever vegetables you have on hand!

 

Vegetable Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• mushrooms, sliced
• asparagus (about 8oz.), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 strawberry tomatoes, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 4-5 oz. fontina cheese, diced
• salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

1. Warm the oil and butter in an oven-safe pan with high sides. Saute the leek, shallot, mushrooms, and asparagus for about 7 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes longer. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with salt and pepper and the whipping cream. Pour into the pan and cook on medium low for about 12 minutes, no stirring (it should start to set, but still be runny on top).
4. Top with the diced fontina and broil for about 7 minutes, til cheese is browned and bubbly and it is set throughout.
5. Slice into wedges and serve …perhaps with chopped fresh parsley??

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup is apparently a delicious and light meatball soup with spinach and dill and really tasty herbed chicken meatballs. Ina bakes them for simplicity…and since I’m such a huge oven fan, I was fully on board. This takes some time because you have to prepare and shape the meatballs, bake them, and then make the soup. But well worth it! I ate this for days and never got tired of it.

Italian Wedding Soup (recipe by Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

-For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

-For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Spring Green Risotto

I’m honestly shocked I haven’t posted this recipe before…it is utterly divine and I’ve made it several times. Make it for the next potluck you’re invited to, it’s impressive and SO GOOD (I could eat it every day).

Spring Green Risotto (recipe by Ina Garten, of course)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1 cup chopped fennel
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 pound thin asparagus
• 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.