Pasta alla Nerano - Magical Zucchini pasta that is creamy without cream

 

This amazing pasta dish is creamy, without cream, and so satisfying.  I used garlic and zucchini, from Heart Acres Farm CSA.  I used a good amount of Pecorino and Parmesan Regianno cheeses.

Pasta alla Nerano

1-2 zucchini, sliced in rounds

1 -2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup, or a good amount, of grated Percorino and Parmesan cheeses

Olive Oil, for sautéeing

salt, and white pepper, to tastes

Spaghetti, and some pasta water

Have your ingredients prepared and ready for the complete dish, aka, mise en place.  

Sauté garlic in olive oil until it starts to turn golden.  Place garlic and olive oil in a small blender container.

Sauté zucchini slices until they turn light brown on both sides.  Set aside and place 1/3 or sautéed zucchini into the blender container.

Cook pasta and reserve up to one cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta from the cooking pot but keep water hot in the pot, and set aside.  Blend the zucchini with 1/4 cup pasta water, salt, and white pepper.  Add pasta to the hot pan with a little olive oil and add the blended zucchini.  Put the remaining cooked zucchini in the pasta water and cook for a few seconds before draining and adding back to the pasta pan.  Add the grated cheese and cook down until creamy.  Add pasta water as needed.  

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Easy elegance - Moroccan roast chicken and Korean Zucchini

Roast chicken is not a usual Tuesday dish, but it is so easy, why not?  It matched perfectly with the also easy side dishes of Korean zucchini and roasted sweet potatoes.  Blood Oranges are in season right now, so it added a wonderful colour and flavour to the dish.  Chicken stock is now simmering from the

Moroccan Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken
Dijon Mustard
Ras el Hanout
1 onion, sliced
1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
5-10 cloves garlic
1-2 sliced blood oranges (other oranges will do)
salt
olive oil
water

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  You will roast the chicken for at least 20 minutes/lb.

Clean the chicken of any bands, plastic, or gizzards.  The neck can be used in the roasting pan and for stock. 

Coat the chicken with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and then the Ras el Hanout (available through me or at D. A. Niels, Pollock's Hardware Coop, and Old Church Bakery).  Fill with garlic cloves, whole or chopped.  Season with salt and let chill in the refrigerator until needed.

In the roasting pan, place the sliced onions, some garlic cloves, and chopped pepper.  Place the chicken on top and arrange the blood orange slices around. Pour 1 + cup water into the roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for at least 20 minutes/lb, or until the drumstick moves freely and the juices are clear.

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes prior to cutting.  Enjoy with sides of roasted sweet potato and Korean zucchini.

Korean Zucchini

1 zucchini, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
sesame oil
splashes of fish sauce
Mirin
drizzle of soy sauce

In a medium sauce pan, heat up a drizzle of sesame oil and start cooking the garlic and then the zucchini slices.  Stir and near the end of cooking, add the remaining ingredients. 

Enjoy!

Easy Comfort Food on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Easy Comfort Food

This morning I am presenting the following recipes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show, with host Terry MacLeod.  

Both dishes are so easy to prepare, that I made them this morning in short order.  

Local honey from Beeproject Apiaries can be purchased directly through them.  They will deliver, within a reasonable distance. 

1.Honey Sautéed Zucchini (with Lavender)

1-2 sliced zucchinis (sliced on the bias)

½ + tsp creamed honey (I used wonderful Bee Project CreamedHoney www.beeproject.ca)

pinch lavender flowers (optional)

Heat a sauté pan and add the honey and then the lavender.  Add the zucchini slices and cook until done.  Serve. 

2. Baked Cheesy Pasta

(for a large baking dish)

2 pkgs short pasta (farfalle, penne, shells, etc.)

1 large tin diced tomatoes

1 head roasted garlic

1-2 onions, sliced

1-2 dried red chilies, crushed

1 tbs dried oregano

pepper, to taste

chipotle peppers, or other chilies ½ tsp (optional)

2 cups heavy cream

good pinch nutmeg

white wine or vodka

olive oil

Cheeses:  your favourites, such as blue, chevré, brie, gruyere, Emmenthaler, etc., crumbled or grated in a large bowl.

Grate and crumble cheese.  Cook pasta less than time recommended.  That is, if the dried pasta package recommends 10 minutes, take off 2+ minutes in cooking time.

Cook sliced onions in a large saucepan with some olive oil. Add tomatoes and spices.  Add garlic and red wine or vodka.  Bring up to a simmer.  Now make the white sauce IN the red sauce.  That is, add cream, nutmeg and white wine or vodka. 

I don’t add salt to the sauce as the cheese is salty enough. 

Drain pasta and add to cheese.  Add sauce and stir thoroughly.  Fill a large baking dish with the mixture and bake at 350ºF until bubbly. 

Let rest for a few minutes and serve. 

Hint:  When reheating, bring to hot temperature, covered, in an oven.  A microwave will result in an unpleasant and mushy pasta.

*other optional ingredients include, red wine, vodka, roasted red peppers, sautéed mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, cooked bacon, cooked chicken, Crispy onions, etc.

Tagine cooking demo

I've been a bit busy and forgot to post this from Saturday's cooking demonstration at D.A. Niels.  Both are so yummy.  The chicken recipe is adapted from Paula Wolfert's The Food of Morocco as I used apricots instead of prunes.  Such a great cookbook.  An invaluable resource, actually.

The eggs in the second dish are placed whole, on top of the vegetables in the tagine.  They cook whole and are remarkably creamy in texture and not rubbery. 

Chicken Tajine with Apricots and almonds

1 chicken – (3 1/2 lbs) (or, your favourite pieces)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup cut dried apricots
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup whole blanched almonds
vegetable oil for frying

Rub all the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and cumin. Let stand for one hour.
Place onions in a wide shallow casserole with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup water, cover and steam for 15 minutes.

Brown the almonds in 4-5 tbs oil in a large skillet and drain on paper towels. Brown the chicken evenly on all sides in the oil and transfer to the steamed onions. Cover with parchment paper and cook in tajine on the lowest heat for about 1 1/4 hours.

Discard the parchment paper. Add the apricots and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat. Serve with almonds sprinkled on top.

Zucchini Tajine with whole eggs

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 medium zucchini, sliced on the bias

1 medium sweet potato, cubed

1 tbs good tomato paste

2 tbs Ras el Hanout

salt, to taste

splash rose water or orange blossom water

4-8 whole eggs

olive oil

Place all ingredients except for eggs mixed together in a tagine with ½ cup water.  Place whole eggs on top of vegetables.  Slowly simmer until zucchini is soft, about 20-30 minutes.  Remove egg and shell and place on plate of zucchini for service.

Enjoy!

Optional, green olives, black olives,