Pasta, Peas and Pesto
I modified pesto recipes with recommendations from several of my fav cooks. The result is fresh sauce that can you can easily transform into a dressing, sauce or spread. The spinach keeps the pesto green.
Pesto:
You will need:
less than 1/4 cup walnuts
less than 1/4 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves
2 1/2 cups basil leaves
salt and pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup mayo
Process nuts and garlic in a food processor
Add basil, salt and pepper
Drizzle (slowly) olive oil while processor is running until finely pureed
Add Parmesan and pulse
Squeeze dry the thawed spinach
Add dried spinach, lemon juice
Add mayo and continue to puree
Store in fridge with a layer of olive oil and plastic wrap
Freeze unused portions
*the amount of mayo really depends on the consistency you need.
Pasta:
You will need:
3/4 pound fusilli
3/4 pound bow-tie pasta
pesto from above
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted*
*I buy them already toasted at Trader Joe's
Boil pasta in salted water
Cool pastas to room temperature
Add pesto mixture- (you may need to add olive oil to the pesto to thin it out)
Add Parmesan, peas, pine nuts,
Mix well and season to taste
Serve at room temperature
Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches
Like the pesto above, these marinated roasted red peppers are wonderful to keep in the fridge to add in sandwiches and salads.
Roasted Red Peppers:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Place whole red peppers on a baking sheet
Don't oil them!
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until charred and wrinkled
Turn twice during the roasting
Remove from the oven and immediately wrap in foil
(this creates a steam room that will allow you to easily remove the skin)
Wait about 30 minutes until they are cooled enough to handle
Mix together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, S&P
Remove the stems, skins and seeds from the peppers
Try to keep any roasting juice
Cut into strips
Place in marinade
To assemble the sandwiches:
Cut a ciabatta loaf in half
Spread bottom half with goat cheese
Layer peppers, thinly sliced red onion and basil leaves
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow, I have discovered the BEST crispy but soft, thin, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies recipe. The best part is that you don't have to use a clunky mixer - a mixing bowl and wooden spoon are the only utensils
You will need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Whisk flour, soda and salt in a bowl
Mix butter with wooden spoon in another bowl to lighten it
Add sugars to butter and mix well
Add water, vanilla and eggs to butter-sugar mixture
Stir in flour mixture until just combined
Fold in chocolate chips
Drop cookies 2 inches apart
Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotate sheet after 4 minutes
