Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

The James Beard awards were just announced, and Arizonans were excited to hear that Charleen Badman of FnB restaurant in Phoenix was named "Best Chef - Southwest".  FnB has been on my list of restaurants to try for several years but I haven't made it there yet, and I suspect reservations are going to be pretty hard to come by for a while.  I was looking at a sample menu on their website in anticipation and one entry made me pause: "pasta, carrots, marjoram, goat cheese, crispy prosciutto".  What?  Pasta and carrots?  Never heard of that particular combination. Chef Badman is known as "the vegetable whisperer" because of her delicious and innovative use of vegetables, so I decided I needed to investigate further.  I did some research online and came up with a recipe that sounds similar even though I haven't actually seen Chef Badman's creation.

I tweaked the recipe by adding sauted cabbage to underscore the carrot's natural sweetness, and added a bunch of fresh herbs from my garden for flavor.  The carrots, pasta, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto work together wonderfully well in terms of contrasting flavors and textures.  You could leave the prosciutto out if you want it to be vegetarian, but it really does add a lot in terms of flavor and texture.

If possible, don't use a box grater to shred the carrots and cabbage because you end up with short shreds that don't work as well with the spaghetti - longer shreds are easier to twirl together with the pasta.  You can buy bags of shredded carrots at the store that are longer, and it's easy to make your own long shreds of cabbage by buying a head of cabbage and thinly cutting it with a sharp knife.

I was really pleased with this recipe and decided to call it a spring pasta because it's light, healthy and full of fresh herbs but it would be great any time of the year.

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Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

Serves 4

Note: long shreds of carrot and cabbage work well here because they mimic the shape of the spaghetti and are easy to twirl with the pasta.  You can buy bags of long shreds of carrots at the store, and you can make your own long shreds of cabbage by thinly cutting a head of cabbage with a knife. 

1 lb spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 slices prosciutto, chopped into ½” strips

¼ medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cups shredded carrots (preferably long shreds)

2 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably long shreds)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, dill (or a mix) plus a few more for garnish

3 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt.  Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook the prosciuttos until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  (Do not drain the olive oil from the skillet.)

In the same skillet, sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cabbage and a pinch of salt and stir often until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and another pinch of salt and cook for an additional five minutes until tender but not mushy.  Stir in the caraway seeds and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the pot and toss well with tongs to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it looks a little dry.  Add the herbs and toss again, then divide immediately between shallow bowls.  Top with the crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, and extra herbs for garnish.

Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Strips

This vegetarian taco salad comes together very quickly since the only thing that's actually cooked is the tortilla strip garnish.  While they bake you whip up an avocado dressing and chop up some onion, tomatoes, cheddar and jalapeno and you're good to go.  It's a filling main dish salad for those days you want to go vegetarian, but of course you could add chicken or any leftover meat if you want.  My favorite part of the salad and the thing that sets it apart from most taco salads is the homemade tortilla strip garnish (aka "crunchies").  They're very dramatic, easy to make, and irresistible as a snack.

You simply slice up a few corn tortillas, spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle with chili powder (or any other favorite seasoning) and salt, then bake for 12-13 minutes until crunchy.  Be sure to make extras because about half get eaten as snacks before they ever make it to the salads.

If you wanted to make this salad even easier you could substitute a store-bought southwestern ranch dressing.  In that case you might think about adding sliced avocado to the salad.  Or not. That's the great part about homemade salads, it's totally up to you.

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Taco Salad with Homemade Tortilla Strips

Serves 4

tortilla strips:

3 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Chili powder

Salt

lime avocado dressing:

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 limes, juiced

1 avocado

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch of salt and pepper

salad:

12 cups salad greens

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (assorted colors are nice)

1 cup black beans

Chili powder

Salt

1 cup fresh cooked (or frozen thawed) sweet corn

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 cup ½” cubes white cheddar cheese

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tortillas into 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick strips. Place them on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. (Watch closely during the last few minutes, they can burn quickly.)  Cool.

While the tortillas are baking, make the dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and season as desired.  If you want a thinner dressing, add a little water or milk.

Add chili powder and salt to taste to the black beans and toss to combine.

To build the salads, divide greens between 4 plates.  Add piles of tortilla strips, black beans, tomatoes, onion, cheddar cheese, and jalapeno slices.  Drizzle with the dressing and garnish with cilantro.

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Whenever I find boneless skinless chicken thighs on sale I always think of the slow cooker because they become wonderfully tender and don't dry out with the long slow heat.  I'm normally not a big fan of sweetness in savory foods but I decided to try this recipe anyway and was surprised at how very delicious it is. It's only slightly sweet and slightly garlic (mellow garlic, not harsh) with a very flavorful Asian sauce infusing that delicious, fall-apart tender chicken.

Served with white or brown rice and some sugar snap peas it makes a great Asian bowl dinner.  Maybe an egg roll to start?  This would be perfect for the next time you'll be busy in the afternoon and want a hot, nutritious and delicious dinner waiting when you get home.

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Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Serves 4-6

1 package  (5-6) boneless skinless chicken thighs

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, sliced thin, white and green parts divided

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Trim any extra fat off the chicken thighs and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, hoisin, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions.  Pour evenly over the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  Serve garnished with green onions and optional sesame seeds.

Walnut Pesto Pasta

It's finally spring!  That calls for something light and fresh for dinner even though it's not quite salad weather yet in most places.  This vegetarian pasta fits the bill perfectly with hints of lemon, fresh basil and toasty walnuts. I actually like the walnut pesto better than regular pesto because the walnuts (and walnut oil) give it a depth of flavor.  I encourage you to buy the walnut oil rather than using regular olive oil because it does make a difference.  You should be able to find it with the other oils in most grocery stores. I like it in salad dressings as well - particularly if the salad will have some nuts - because it's so aromatic and delicious and will echo the nut flavor.

This pasta dish is very easy to make, and very fast.  Serve with a green salad and crusty bread and you've got a great vegetarian meal.

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Walnut Pesto Pasta

Serves 6

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts, plus finely chopped walnuts for garnish

6 tablespoons walnut oil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for garnish

1 pound fresh fettuccine or linguine

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Combine garlic, basil, salt, pepper, lemon zest and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until combined, scraping down sides of food processor bowl as needed. Slowly add walnut oil and olive oil, pulsing until combined. Add cheese and process briefly. Do not over process or pesto will have very little texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, keeping in mind that cheese adds salt, so additional salt may not be needed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Thin pesto with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve a sauce that will coat pasta. Drizzle pesto over pasta and toss to combine. Garnish with chopped walnuts and grated cheese.

Brunch Board

You've heard of charcuterie boards, mezze platters, cheese and cracker boards.....so why not a brunch board?  My inspiration was that two friends were coming over for brunch and I wanted it to be fun and casual, so I decided to go with all finger foods.  OK, there are a few small spoons and knives for spreading things, but everything is grabbed off the communal platter and eaten with your fingers.  For my version, I added:

• Grilled bread
• Homemade ricotta cheese with lemon
• Lingonberry preserves
• Marinated green olives
• Cherry tomatoes
• Hummus
• Deviled eggs
• Smoked Gouda and sharp Cheddar cheeses
• Strawberries
• Watermelon slices

Other options:

• Mini bagels (or toasted bagel slices) instead of bread
• Cream cheese instead of ricotta
• Smoked salmon
• Capers
• Different cheeses
• Different fruits
• Mini fruit tarts
• Etc.

You get the idea - anything you'd associate with brunch that can be eaten with your fingers.  Serve with several fruit juice options, good coffee, and maybe some champagne if you're feeling festive. The best part is that anything you actually have to make (like deviled eggs) can be done in advance and the rest is just assembly.  Put everything on a big tray or cutting board to serve, which makes clean-up a breeze. 

Spring is right around the corner, so there will be plenty of opportunities for a fun brunch for Easter or Mothers Day or just plain celebrating spring.  It's a really easy way to entertain.

Ecuadorian Fried Rice (Chaulafan)

I first had Chaulafan at Cocina Latina restaurant in Minneapolis.  I was fascinated by the concept of Latin/Asian fusion represented by the dish - essentially fried rice (brought to South America by Chinese immigrants) with Latin influences such as cilantro, cumin and ancho chile powder.  It was so amazingly good that I had to re-create it at home, complete with the Colombian hot sauce that was served on the side.

There are quite a few ingredients but it comes together reasonably fast if you do some prep in advance - cook the rice, buy cooked chicken from the deli, and make the hot sauce.  (If you don't want to make the hot sauce you can use any bottled sauce but I've tested several and think the Colombian hot sauce is the best with this dish.) Having a helper also comes in handy for the chopping part.

I assume this is a fairly special-occasion dish since it contains not only bacon and shrimp but also chicken, eggs and even optional shredded pork.  Of course, you can eliminate one or more of the proteins if you want but I'd keep the bacon for flavor.

There are two ingredients that you may not have on hand - ancho chile powder and achiote powder.  Of the two, ancho chile is much easier to find and is important to the taste of the dish.  It's a mild but smokey chile that's really delicious.  Achiote powder is primarily a coloring agent and since the dish uses just 1/4 teaspoon you could eliminate it if you can't find it.

Leftovers heat up really well with the exception of the shrimp, which can get tough if you microwave them.  Leave them out while you reheat the rest of the rice and then stir them in after the rice is hot to gently rewarm them.

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Chaulafan: Ecuadorian Fried Rice

Serves 3-4                           

 Note: To speed up meal prep, make the hot sauce and cook the rice in advance.

Rice

1 T oil

1 T white onion, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked white rice

Salt to taste

Chaulafan

2 oz pancetta or diced bacon

4 raw very large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and cut in half lengthwise

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

 1 T vegetable oil

½ cup diced white onions

1 small carrot, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T soy sauce, divided

1 T Worcestershire sauce, divided

3 T finely chopped cilantro, divided

2 tsp Ancho chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp achiote powder

1/3 red and 1/3 green bell peppers, diced

½ cup frozen peas, thawed

1-1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken (from the deli department)

½ - 1 cup cooked shredded pork, optional

4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Sliced red onion, for garnish

 Colombian hot sauce (see following recipe)

To cook the rice, heat the oil, add the onions and the rice, stir well. Then add the broth, season with salt to taste, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Cool.  May be made in advance and kept cooled and covered in the refrigerator.

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the pancetta or bacon and sauté, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  In the same pan, add the shrimp and sauté quickly (1-2 minutes) until barely cooked through.  Remove and set aside.  Add the beaten eggs to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cooked until softly scrambled.  Remove, chop, and set aside.

Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan over medium heat, then add the remaining white onions, carrot, garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, half the Worcestershire sauce, Ancho chile powder, cumin, and 1 tablespoon cilantro.  Cook for 5-8 minutes until the onions and carrots are cooked. 

Add the cooked rice (and optional pork), chicken, and bell pepper.  Stir well, taste and season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring infrequently, allowing a brown crust to develop on the bottom.  Stir in the remaining soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, shrimp, eggs, peas and green onions and stir well.  Cover and heat through for about 3-4 minutes.

Serve garnished with sliced red onion and hot sauce on the side.

 Colombian Hot Sauce

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

2 habanero peppers, chopped and seeded

1 to 2 green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup cilantro, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium tomato, peeled and seeded

Add water, vinegar, habanero peppers, onion, sugar, oil, lime juice and salt to a blender and blend well.  Add cilantro, red bell pepper and tomatoes.  Pulse once or twice to mix the ingredients without blending.  Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Or, freeze in ice cubes trays for individual use later.

Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea and Coconut Curry

As an adult I've really enjoyed exploring some of the ethnic cuisines that I didn't grow up with, which means basically anything other than meat and potatoes. I started with recipes from Mexico, France, Spain and Greece (relatively safe) and then moved to the cuisines of China, Japan, Thailand and Korea which I think are more exotic.  I've gained enough confidence to finally start exploring Indian food which I consider to be possibly the most exotic and intimidating of all, probably because I think most Indian food is fiery hot, complicated to make, and uses a ton of unusual ingredients.  So, I've been looking for recipes that seem less intimidating and not fiery hot.

I came across this recipe from Meera Sodha's cookbook Made in India, which is "rooted in tradition and complexly flavored yet approachable for a weeknight", so I decided to walk out on the thin ice. Yes, you're going to need a couple of spices, but at least you can find all of them in any normal grocery store.  And if you follow the suggestions in the note below and eliminate the jalapeno seeds and chile powder, it's quite mild.  Hot sauce at the table allows everyone to add heat to their own taste.  Baby steps, as they say.

We loved this dish.  The flavor is very complex and exotic, and the variety of textures (crunchy, creamy, tender) makes it a very satisfying main dish.  The fact that it's vegan makes it even more exceptional. I'm kind of proud of myself.

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Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea and Coconut Curry

Serves 4

Note:  if you remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno and eliminate the chile powder, this is a mild dish.  In that case, serve with hot sauce at the table so diners can make it as hot as they wish.

1 (1”) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander

1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon chile powder (see note above)

1 large head cauliflower (about 1¼ lbs), broken into bite-sized florets

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

4 ounces cashews (about ¾ cup), lightly toasted

½ cup frozen peas

½ teaspoon garam masala

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

4 lemon wedges

Hot cooked basmati rice, for serving

Place the ginger, garlic and jalapeno in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt.  Mash until a paste forms and set aside.  (Alternately, finely chop everything, sprinkle with salt, and mash it into a coarse paste using the flat side of a chef’s knife.)

In a large skillet with a lid, heat the canola oil over medium.  Cook the onions until golden, about 5-6 minutes.  Add the ginger paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, chile powder and 1¼ teaspoons salt.  Stir in the cauliflower and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes. 

Add the peas and garam masala to the cauliflower mixture and cook, stirring, 5 minutes.  Taste and add salt if needed.

Divide the hot basmati rice between 4 shallow bowls.  Serve the curry over the rice and top with cashews and cilantro leaves.  Add a lemon wedge to each bowl for squeezing over the top.