Shepherd's Rigatoni

Tonight's dinner was a beautifully simple pasta recipe from Lidia Bastianich's Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, Shepherd's Rigatoni. The origin of the dish is what would be available to a shepherd out in the pasture while watching his sheep. I've added the seasonal vegetable, asparagus, to this dish for a pop of color and crunch.

Shepherd's Rigatoni
Kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing*
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb rigatoni
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta, drained overnight**
1/4 cup grated Grano Padano or Parmiggano-Reggiano,plus more for the table
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, washed and leaves shredded

Fill the pasta pot with water; add salt, and heat to a rolling boil.

Crumble the sausage meat into a bowl, breaking it into small clumps with your fingers. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, let it toast for a few seconds, the scatter the sausage in the pan. Cook, breaking up any clumps, for 10 minutes or so, until it is all well browned and crisp. While the sausage is sizzling, drop the rigatoni into the boiling water and stir.

Meanwhile, when the sausage is sizzling, drop the rigatoni into the boiling pasta water; stir, and cook at the boil. When the sausage is browned and crisp, ladle about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water into the skillet, and deglaze the pan bottom, scraping up the browned bits. Season the sausage meat with the salt, and stir with the bit of moisture in the pan.

When the pasta is al dente, lift it from the pot, drain briefly, and drop it into the skillet. Toss the rigatoni and sausage together, then turn off the heat, and stir in the ricotta and grated cheese. Scatter the basil on top, and toss well to dress the pasta evenly. Heap the rigatoni in warm bowls, and serve immediately.

*
**
Note: To reduce the calories of this dish, I substituted spicy Italian chicken sausage for pork sausage and part skim ricotta for whole milk ricotta.

Red Curry Carrot Soup

Red Curry Carrot Soup a photo by kellik on Flickr.

I found this exotic recipe in a Taste of Home magazine. The use of curry speaks to India and China, the fish sauce and coconut milk of Thailand, the meatballs and bean sprouts are reminiscent of pho from Vietnam. Regardless of origin, this warm filling soup is really more like a stew.

A few suggested recipe modifications: I used lite coconut milk to cut down on some of the calories. It did not affect the taste. I added red pepper (cayenne) to give the warmth some heat. I wish I had cut back the five packages of ramen noodles to three. Sliced lime would also be a good garnish.

Red Curry Carrot Soup

• 5 packages (3 ounces each) ramen noodles
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 can (13.66 ounces) coconut milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 32 frozen fully cooked homestyle meatballs (1/2 ounce each)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, halved and sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded cabbage
• 2 teaspoons fish or soy sauce

* Optional garnishes: bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, chopped fresh basil and green onions

Directions

• Cook noodles according to package directions (discard seasoning packets or save for another use).

• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute. Spoon 1/2 cup cream from top of coconut milk and place in the pan. Add the curry paste, curry powder and turmeric; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until oil separates from coconut milk mixture.

• Stir in the meatballs, broth, zucchini, carrot, cabbage, fish sauce and remaining coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until carrot is tender and meatballs are heated through. Drain noodles; stir into soup.

• Garnish with bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, basil and onions if desired. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups (calculated without optional garnishes) equals 572 calories, 38 g fat (22 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 1,204 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 15 g protein.

Cod steamed with ginger and scallions

Cod steamed with ginger and scallions a photo by kellik on Flickr.

On Saturday I made a quick dinner with an Asian influence. From Everyday Food by Martha Stewart was the recipe for this quick cooking cod. Even though Minnesota is obviously landlocked, I'm fortunate to live four blocks from a high quality fish market, Coastal Seafood. I picked up a pound of wild Alaskan cod and made this dish.

Steamed cod with ginger and scallions Serves 2 * 2 skinless cod fillets, (6 to 8 ounces each) * 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar * 1 tablespoons soy sauce * 1 tablespoons finely grated, peeled fresh ginger * Coarse salt and ground pepper * 3 scallions, green parts cut into 3-inch lengths Directions 1. In a large skillet, combine 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger. 2. Season both sides of 2 skinless cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each) with coarse salt and ground pepper; place in skillet with vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover; cook until fish is almost opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, cut green parts of 3 scallions into 3-inch lengths; thinly slice lengthwise. Scatter over fish; cook (covered) until fish is opaque throughout and scallions are just wilted, about 2 minutes more.

Side dishes included pureed cauliflower. Looks like mashed potatoes but with a smooth, creamy and lightly sweet taste, it is a nice change of pace.

Pureed cauliflower

Break one cauliflower into florets and place florets in a flat bottomed skillet with about one inch of water. Heat to boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer until fork tender. Place fork tender florets into food processor and pulse along with a few tablespoons of cooking water. Once the cauliflower has reached the consistency of fine grains, begin to add olive oil and continue to puree until the consistency of mashed potatoes.

The meal began with frozen mini pork buns that I steamed. They were purchased at our local Asian market, United Noodles.

Garlickly Pasta Goodness

Needed an opportunity to try out the new pasta bowl from my Mom and I'm always in favor of adding more whole grains to our diet. Tonight I made Ham, Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Walnut Pesto from the March issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It uses whole wheat pasta which is worth a try if it has been a while since you used it. It has come along way in taste and texture.

The recipe starts by cooking 1 pound of whole wheat pasta. Drain when cooked al dente and reserve one cup of the pasta water. Saute 8 oz of cubed ham steak in 2 tablespoons olive oil until golden then add 16 ounces of sliced white mushrooms and sweat them until soft. Add a 6 ounce package of baby spinach and cook until wilted.

The walnut pesto is made by grinding three whole garlic cloves in a food processor. Once chopped, add 4 ounces walnuts along with the lemon peel from one lemon. Pulse a couple of times and then add juice of 1/2 a lemon and a quarter cup olive oil. Combine pasta and pesto in large shallow bowl suitable for serving pasta. Using tongs, fold in the spinach, ham and mushroom mixture.
Makes 4 very large servings.

Southwestern Hominy Stew

Southwest Hominy Stew
Originally uploaded by kellik

The photo really doesn't do justice to this favorite I make time and time again. A hearty, smoky stew where each bowl contains several servings of vegetables. I use edamame in place of lima bean and you won't miss the meat.

This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. My copy of this cookbook has been loved to death with its' cracked binding held together by packing tape.

Southwestern Hominy Stew
1 cup chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups frozen edamame (or lima beans if you prefer)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 roasted green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 roasted fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced (I keep seeds for more heat)
15 ounce can white hominy, drained
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Combine the onions, garlic, potatoes, edamame, cumin, salt and vegetable stock in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Stir in the roasted bell peppers, the roasted jalapeno and hominy. Simmer the stew, covered, for about 15 minutes more until the potatoes are tender. Add the cilantro and serve.

Serves 4.

280 calories per 13 ounce serving, 11 grams protein, 1.3 grams fat, 4.2 grams fiber

To roast the peppers and chile: Place them directly on stove burner if you have a gas oven. Center them to maximize contact with the flame. Adjust the flames to medium high heat and, using tongs, turn the peppers and chile every 1 to 2 minutes to char the skin evenly, roasting for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the blackened skin once cooled.

Saturday Night Healthy

Greek Cinnamon Chicken
Originally uploaded by kellik

As posted previously, I'm making changes around diet and exercise that will have long term payoff. However, I'm not interested in sacrificing flavor. I used the Weight Watchers program successfully several years ago and still have one of their cookbooks. I didn't use it often as I had hoped because I was disappointed by the number of recipes that used prepared ingredients.

I did find the following 392 calories per serving recipe in their Simply the Best 250 Prizewinning Family Recipes from 1997. The additional of white wine, bay leaf and cinnamon stick really add to depth of flavor in this dish. My kitchen smelled divine.

Greek Cinnamon Chicken
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Six 4 oz. skinless boneless chicken thighs
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
6 cups hot cooked couscous

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic; cook , stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring as needed, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve the couscous, topped with a piece of chicken and sauce.

Serves 6.

Heart Healthy for V-Day

Nearly 7 years ago I clipped a recipe from O magazine for Chilean Seafood Stew. I tucked it away in a plastic sleeve in a three ring binder where I keep all the recipes I cut out and want to try. I'd pull it out and look at it occasionally but it wasn't until this Valentine's Day that I gave it a whirl.

On Friday my doctor told me I could lose 10-15 pounds before my next visit with her. I'd started an exercise plan prior to that. She told me that research states that those who keep a food diary do better with weight loss than those that don't. It was then that she recommended a free website for tracking exercise and nutrition, SparkPeople.

Let's say I was looking for a high protein, special and tasty way to show my Valentine that I loved him. This recipe is easy and every bit as delicious as I thought it might be when I clipped it all those years ago. I served this with Toasted Head chardonnay and a cheese course that included sharp cheddar, smoked Gouda and manchego. Dessert included handmade (by me) white chocolate-cinnamon hearts and a chocolate babka.

Chilean Seafood Stew

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion , sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper , sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper , sliced
• 1 red bell pepper , sliced
• 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup bottled or frozen clam juice
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice (I used tomatoes from my garden I canned over the summer)
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lime , juiced, plus 2 limes, quartered
• 2 pounds Chilean sea bass , cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound medium shrimp , peeled
• 1 cup whole cilantro leaves , chopped
• 4 scallions , chopped
• Corn or flour tortillas , warmed

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Sauté the onions until they begin turning brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeño, wine, clam juice, tomatoes, bay leaf, and lime juice (1/4 cup). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the sea bass and the shrimp and continue cooking 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from heat, discard the bay leaf, and stir in the cilantro and scallions. Serve with lime wedges and tortillas.