Closet Cooking

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto on Penne

With asparagus season fading and summers produce starting to enter the farmers market I wanted to try a few of my favorites asparagus recipes. Top on my list was the asparagus pesto pasta. I had discovered a while ago that asparagus makes for a really nice pesto and I have been making it every year since. Pestos normally include a nut and I usually use pine nuts as they add a really nice creaminess to pestos. Recently I had been wondering about using pistachios in a pesto and I though that now was the perfect chance to try. This is one pretty green pesto with the asparagus, pistachios and even a bit of spinach. Of course the first thing that I thought to try the pesto on was a pasta and my choice of noodles was a whole wheat penne making for a nice light and fairly healthy Summer meal. The pistachio asparagus penne was a breeze to make and it tasted great! The pistachios worked really well in the asparagus pesto and I am looking forward to experimenting with using them in more pestos.

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto Pasta

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta
1 cup pistachio asparagus pesto (see below)
parmigiano reggiano to taste (grated, optional garnish)
asparagus tips (optional garnish)
pistachios (chopped, optional garnish)

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta in well salted water as directed on the package.
2. When the pasta is cooked to al dente drain the pasta water reserving some of it.
3. Pour the pasta back into the still hot pan, add the pesto and enough of the pasta water to make a smooth sauce that coats the pasta.
4. Serve garnished with parmigiano reggiano, the asparagus tips and some chopped pistachios.

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto

(makes 1 cup pesto)

Ingredients:
1 cup asparagus (cleaned, trimmed, blanched and chopped)
1/4 cup spinach (optional, helps keep the pesto nice and green)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons pistachios (toasted)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
3 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice to taste (optional)
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

I have been enjoying making my own fresh Thai curry pastes ever since I discovered how easy they were to make. Since they keep well in the freezer I almost always have some on hand. I recently made a new batch of red curry paste and I was looking for some new recipes to try using some of it in. One dish that I kept coming across was tod mun pla or Thai fish cakes that used red curry paste in the cake mixture. Some of the things that I liked about the tod mun pla recipes were that they included a green vegetable in the form of long beans and that they also used a lot of fresh herbs. The fish cakes promised to be really tasty all by themselves but I found that they were often served with a cucumber dipping sauce which also sounded good. Many of the recipes that I came across called for fish paste but I decided to just use some chopped up white fish which in this case was tilapia. The fish cakes were pretty easy to make. You pretty much just mix everything, form patties and fry them in oil until golden brown. You could deep fry the fish cake but I chose to shallow fry them as it would be easier. The tod mun pla were really tasty! I was right, they were packed with so much flavour that they hardly needed the dipping sauce but it provided some nice contrasting flavours and textures. The fish cakes had a nice crispy outside and the insides were nice and warm and soft and moist. I really liked the freshness that the herbs brought to the cakes and overall they were a really nice light meal.

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

(makes 4 appetizer sized servings or 2 light meal sized servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound white fish (cut into small pieces)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 cup long beans (thinly sliced)
3 kaffir lime leaves (thinly sliced)
1 birds eye chili (thinly sliced)
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
peanut oil for frying

Directions:
1. Mix everything for the cakes in a large bowl by hand until sticky.
2. Form into small 3 inch diameter cakes.
3. Fry in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Cucumber Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cucumber (seeded and sliced)
1 birds eye chili (thinly sliced)
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon peanuts (roasted and finely chopped)

Directions:
1. Heat the water, vinegar and sugar in a sauce pan until the sugar dissolves.
2. Allow the vinegar mixture to cool.
3. Mix everything.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

Strawberry season is in full swing and I have certainly been enjoying it! Last year I tried roasting strawberries for the first time with great results and I was thinking that a roasted strawberry ice cream would be a good idea. Roasting the strawberries seems to concentrate and intensify their flavour and when they roast they release their juices which gets all nice and syrupy and good. While I was thinking about the concentrated strawberry flavour the strawberry and balsamic vinegar combo came to mind as the a splash of balsamic vinegar also helps to bring out the the natural strawberry flavour. As for the recipe, I started with my standard ice cream base and added the roasted balsamic strawberries so it was pretty simple. When roasting the strawberries I place them on a sheet of foil and fold the edges up to make sure to capture all of the strawberry juices that are released. The roasted strawberry balsamic ice cream was so good! I have been experimenting with the number of egg yolks that I use in my ice creams and I have found that the more that you use the creamier the ice cream is and this time I used 3 egg yolks and the ice cream was nice and smooth and creamy. The strawberry flavour in the ice cream was so intense and bright and vibrant and good! This was easily the best strawberry ice cream that I have had and I will definitely be making some more soon.

Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full milk
1/2 cup sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
3 egg yolks

Directions:
1. Toss the strawberries in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and let sit for 20 minutes.
2. Pour the mixture on a baking pan covered in foil folded up on the sides to capture the juices.
3. Roast the strawberries in a preheated 425F oven until they start to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Place the strawberries and the juices into a container and chill in the fridge.
5. Heat the cream, milk and sugar in a sauce pan until it almost boils, about 5 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low.
7. Add one tablespoon of the cream mixture to the eggs to temper them.
8. Add the egg mixture to the sauce pan.
9. Cook at low heat until it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
10. You may want to strain the mixture at this point to remove any bits that may have formed while cooking.
11. Chill the mixture in the fridge.
12. Mix the cream and strawberry mixtures.
13. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream machine.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Wagyu Burgers

It seems that I have been on a bit of a quest for the ultimate burger lately and I think that I may have found it. Last time I tried getting a nice high quality fatty ground beef and paying attention to the details when preparing and cooking the burgers. Although the burgers turned out great I had another idea to try; wagyu beef. Wagyu is a breed of cattle whose meat is predisposed to fatty marbling. The fat is important for burgers as it adds flavour and it helps to keep the burgers nice and moist and juicy when they are cooked. The wagyu beef promised to make a juicy and tasty burger indeed!

When making burgers I often spice them up a bit and one of my favorite ways to do that is with Montreal steak spice. This time however, I wanted to get the full wagyu beef experience so I seasoned them simply with just salt and pepper. Despite the simple seasoning the wagyu burgers turned out great! I enjoyed the first one topped simply with lettuce and tomato so that I could really taste the wagyu beef. (Of course if you prefer you can top the burger any way you like and certainly the bacon and cheese version makes for a much better photo.) The wagyu burger was nice and juicy and tender and it was easily the best burger that I have ever had! Because the wagyu beef is a bit more expensive I don't think that I will be using it all the time but it will certainly be making appearances for special occasions.

Wagyu Burgers

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground wagyu beef
salt and pepper to taste
4 buns
lettuce (optional)
tomatoes (sliced, optional)

Directions:
1. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper.
2. Form into 4 patties 3/4 inches thick and press your thumb into the middle to form a depression on top prevent bulging.
3. Brush the patties with oil, place on grill and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3-5 minutes per side.
4. Set aside, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Assemble burgers to taste.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Garlic Scape Pesto Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Mushrooms

I had a bunch of the garlic scape pesto left over after I made the pasta and I was wondering what to do with it. While the asparagus has been in season I have been enjoying it for breakfasts combining it with eggs and very often mushrooms in various forms. While I was grabbing the eggs, asparagus and mushrooms for a scrambled egg breakfast I noticed the garlic scape pesto in the fridge and I thought, why not add some of it to the scrambled eggs? I decided to just make the scrambled eggs with asparagus and mushrooms the same as usual except that I would beat the garlic scape pesto into the eggs before adding them to the pan to cook. When I added the eggs with the garlic scape pesto to the pan an amazing garlicky aroma quickly filled the kitchen and I knew that it had been a good idea. The scrambled eggs with garlic scape pesto were really tasty and they went well with the mushrooms. The juicy asparagus cleansed the palate in between bites readying you for more garlicky goodness. I was quite pleased with how adding a pesto to the scrambled eggs worked and I am looking forward to experimenting with adding other pestos to scrambled eggs. I think that pestos would also work well in frittatas and breakfast egg casseroles.

Garlic Scape Pesto Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Mushrooms

(makes 1 serving)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon garlic scape pesto
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
4 cremini mushrooms (sliced)
4 asparagus spears (cleaned, trimmed and cut into 1 inch slices)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Lightly beat the garlic scape pesto into the eggs.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the asparagus and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs and stir until they are cooked, about 1-3 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Teriyaki Quinoa Salad

Since discovering quinoa it has quickly become one of my favorite grains. It is a very versatile grain and I like to use it in salads, soups and even as a porridge for breakfast. I am constantly looking for new ways of enjoying quinoa and I recently came across a teriyaki quinoa that sounded good. Homemade teriyaki sauce is one of my favorite flavours and I immediately jumped on the idea of combining it with quinoa. The teriyaki quinoa that I came across was more of a side dish with just the quinoa and the teriyaki sauce but I was thinking that it would go better as a more substantial salad. Given that teriyaki sauce is Japanese I was thinking about Japanese ingredients and the first thing that came to mind was some teriyaki shiitake mushrooms. Next up was some edamame for a bit of green and a healthy kick and since asparagus was still in season and I had it on hand I threw some in as well. I then garnished it with some toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions. The one critical element that I find really makes Asian inspired dishes is the smell of sesame oil and I always like to add a bit just at the end so that the aroma is nice and fresh as the dish is served. The asparagus and shiitake mushroom teriyaki quinoa salad turned out really well! The quinoa salad was so light and with the teriyaki flavour it was amazing. The toasted sesame seeds added a nice crunch and along with the sesame oil they added another great layer of flavour. Overall this turned out to be a really nice light Summer meal.

Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom Teriyaki Quinoa Salad

(makes 2 light meal servings or 4 side dish servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon oil
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 pound asparagus (cut into bite sized pieces and steamed)
1/4 cup edamame (blanched)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 green onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the shiitake mushrooms and saute for a few minutes.
4. Add the teriyaki sauce until it is absorbed, about 1-3 minutes.
5. Add the sesame oil and remove from heat and let cool a bit.
6. Mix everything and serve.

Similar Recipes:
Teriyaki Mushroom Salad
Roasted Strawberry and Asparagus Quinoa Salad
Beef and Asparagus Stir-fry

Take a look at the No Croutons Required grains round up on Lisa's Kitchen.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Garlic Scape Pesto on Fusilli with Garlic Scape Garlic Bread

While I was searching for ways to use the garlic scapes that I picked up on the weekend the one recipe that kept coming up was a garlic scape pesto. Given that I am a fan of garlic, a garlicky pesto sounded really good! I was a bit concerned though as I did read a few complaints from people that had tried the garlic scape pesto and found it to be too strong. As a test I tried eating some of the raw garlic scapes and although they were fairly strong they were good and I decided to forge ahead. When I took a bite out of the garlic scapes I noticed that they were a bit stringy so I decided to cut the scapes into little pieces before pureeing in the food processor in an attempt to keep the pesto nice and smooth. Other than that bit of chopping the pesto was really easy to make and the pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano, and olive oil mellowed out the raw garlicky flavour nicely. When I make pesto pastas I normally pour a some of the boiling water into a bowl, drain the pasta and put it right the now empty pot and add the pesto and some of the reserved pasta water. The combination of the hot pot and hot pasta water also worked to further mellow out the garlic flavour. In the end the garlic scape pesto was amazing! Given my slight reservations before making it I was a bit surprised and now the garlic scape pesto is my favorite pesto!

With all the thoughts about garlic floating through my head one thing that came to mind was a garlic scape garlic bread. Since I had used the last of my garlic scapes to make the garlic scape pesto I decided to make a garlic scape pesto garlic bread and I topped it with some more parmigiano reggiano and toasted it until the cheese was melted and golden brown. The cheesy garlic scape pesto garlic toast was so good and it went well with the pasta! What a great garlicky meal!

Garlic Scape Pesto

(makes 1 cup of pesto)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
3 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice to taste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

Tip: If you find the garlic scapes to be too strong you can try blanching them before making the pesto to mellow out the flavour a bit.