presto, pesto!

remember that basil i bought at the farmer's market yesterday?  well it has magically turned in to the most delightful sauce in existence.  if you've never made pesto before (and shamefully buy it in the little green tubs at the grocery), here's a crash course.  you'll never buy store-made pesto again!

here's what you'll need:  one big, fresh bunch of basil, half a cup of baby spinach leaves, about a cup of olive oil (you can use whatever you have on hand... i'm not an extra-virgin only kind of girl-- pure or light colored olive oils work just fine!  just find the flavor that you like the most.), about a quarter cup of REAL parmesan cheese, (please, please do not buy the stuff in the plastic container with a shake top.  that is for certain not real parmesan and will make the pesto taste fake), and salt/pepper to taste.

if you are fortunate enough to own the most wonderful as-seen-on-TV gadget known to man, the Magic Bullet! (please note the bad acting), this is the perfect time to whip it out.  look what it can do:

turns in to... 

make sure the basil is good and clean, and pick off all the leaves right in to the Bullet (or respective food processor).  do the same with the baby spinach.  **note:  i like to add some spinach to the classic basil pesto because 1) it keeps the finished pesto from being too strong, and 2) it stretches your pesto if you are using it as a sauce or don't have enough basil to make a full batch.  try it!**  add a good splash of olive oil (about 1/4 cup) and blend until the basil/spinach begins to break down.  then add half of the fresh grated parmesan cheese (this is another thing you can do in your Bullet!) and another 1/4 of olive oil and blend again.  your pesto should start to loosen up and look more like a sauce than a thick bunch of green goo.  add a sprinkling of salt and a hefty crack of fresh pepper, the rest of the parm, and the rest of the olive oil (use your eye-- add as much as it takes for the pesto to become saucy).

**classic pestos tend to have pine nuts crushed up inside too, but as i am not a nut fan, i leave them out.  but you are certainly welcome to add them if you'd like!

now, if you are using the pesto immediately, blend it to the saucy consistency.  but if you are saving it for later and popping it in the fridge, go a little shy on the olive oil for now.  the pesto will sit and thicken slightly, so when you are ready to use it, add a splash more olive oil and stir to achieve that perfect consistency!

you can use this bad-boy on anything-- over pasta (classic), as a topping for steak, chicken, or fish, or even spread it on a crust or a focaccia loaf for a nice base for a great pizza pie.  and here it is!

and here, ready to chill in the fridge!

once you taste this, you'll be a pesto-maker forever!

faaaarmers market!

guess what day it is?!  saturday!  and what is saturday?!  FARMERS MARKET DAY.

aka the best day of the week.  and this morning felt crisp and cool and wonderful.  especially surrounded by the beauty that is UVA and Charlottesville in general.  just look at it!

i could not wait to post pictures of what i picked up at the market today, so this post is all about ingredients instead of finished meals.  but no worries-- they will make appearances again soon in delicious dishes as the week continues.


the veg:

Organic Basil

i picked up a gorgeous bunch of fresh, organic basil for $3.00.  my plan?  why, pesto, of course!

Fresh Mixed Greens

what could be better than walking in to a farmers market stall and seeing a great, big basket of mixed arugula and mesclun greens that you can bag yourself?  i got about an ounce (which is a nice salad bowl full) for a mere $0.75. 

White New Potatoes, Heirloom Tomato, Haricot Vert

these incredible veggies came from the same farm in western Albermarle County right outside of Charlottesville.  the new potatoes will be perfect for roasting with rosemary, the heirloom tomato in a fresh tomato and olive oil sauce, and the haricot vert just steamed with a pinch of salt and a pad of butter.  the best part about this lot?  $1.75 for the entire group.

Fresh Peaches

its peach season!  these small peaches will soon meet a brown sugar and butter crumb topping for a light summer cobbler.  $1.00 for both.

the meat:

Fresh Chorizo Sausage

please, just look at the ingredient list.  that's how you know what you're eating is fresh and natural.  and when you buy meat from the source (aka the adorable British man at the Babes in the Woods stand), you can ask the important questions-- like, what do you feed your animals?  where are they raised?  if you're satisfied with the answers, you can feel good about what you buy and what you eat.  plus-- its chorizo!  no one can resist chorizo!  especially not a uruguayan like me. and they were only $5.00.

Boneless Chuck Steak

again, what a wonderful and responsible feeling it is to buy meat from farmers who treat their animals well.  personally, when i can control it, i prefer to eat only grass-fed, hormone-free, free range beef.  upon finding this vendor today at the market, i nearly cried tears of joy.  i talked to the husband and wife who run their farm, asked about their favorite cut of meat, and walked away with a beautiful steak for $4.50. 

lastly, the pasta!

Fresh Gnocchi

i cannot describe to you the excitement i felt when i came across this new vendor at the market.  she had fresh pasta of all kinds:  tortellini, fettucini, ravioli, spinach vermicelli, and GNOCCHI.  sold by the pound for $5.00, i could not resist.  this brings back such memories of me and all my cousins huddled around the kitchen table at christmastime, helping my grandma roll gnocchi off the back of a fork, giving the pasta their little ridges.  hours of work for a wonderful pay off!  these tiny potato dumplings have always been a favorite of mine.  i can already see them enrobed in bright green pesto.  mmmm!

the coolest part about my day at the farmers market?  i only spent $21.00.  ohhhh yeah!

chicken and orzo soup is good for the soul.

bad days are just plain.. bad.  but nothing makes a crummy day better than food!  especially comfort food.  did you ever get sick and stay home from school when you were younger, and ask for chicken noodle soup to make you feel better? your mom's version was always the best, but i sure did love Chicken and Stars, too :] mmm.  good memories.

well, you surely don't need to be feeling sick to have a warm bowl of soup cheer you up!  (and it doesn't even have to be winter-- it was 95 degrees today and i just cranked up the AC while i enjoyed my lunch!) my own version of chicken noodle has a few key variations:  i use orzo instead of the wide egg noodles, and always stir in fresh corn right off the cob at the very end.  my soup is thicker and richer and full of childhood memories! get ready for a super healthy and super cheap one-pot-meal!

i started by collecting my veg: one small onion, a pint of baby button mushrooms, two medium carrots, and one ear of corn.  *note: if corn is not in season, no worries-- the frozen kind works great.  just please don't use canned corn (yucky)!  in a medium pot, i added a nice splash of olive oil and let it heat up as i chopped my veg.  i diced my onion in to good chunks (remember, the veg will cook down but you want it big enough so that it wont disintegrate!), and cut the carrot in to similarly sized pieces.  i personally just washed the carrots well but did not peel them because they had a very thin peel.  if you are more comfortable with it, however, go ahead and peel away!  i quartered my mushrooms and de-husked the ear of corn (set the corn aside for later).  once the oil was hot, i added the carrots and onion and sauteed them for a minute or so to soften.  then i added my mushrooms and about a clove of garlic.  hint: if you are a college kid like me, or find that your fresh garlic goes bad before you have a chance to use it-- consider getting pre-minced garlic from the store.  its a great staple to have in the fridge and has a much longer shelf life!

after about five minutes of sauteeing the veg, i added small bite-size pieces of chicken breast that i chopped earlier.  i also added a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.  at this point, i grabbed my orzo from the pantry and eyeballed just over a cup right in to the pot.  i like to let the orzo absorb some of the sauteeing juices from the veg and let it brown up slightly from the olive oil and the heat of the pot before i add my chicken broth.  in goes two 14 oz. cans of broth (i personally like to add the low-sodium canned chicken broth so i can control the salt myself).  if you don't have chicken broth on hand, a great substitute is an equivalent amount of hot water with two chicken bullion cubes dissolved in each 14 oz. of water.  pop the top on the pot and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  In the last 5 minutes of simmering, drop the fresh (or frozen) corn into the soup, stir, and replace the lid.  **its always important to check your food for seasoning purposes-- add salt and pepper to taste!**

once the orzo has soaked up the chicken broth and become niiiice and tender, you're ready to dish it up!  i recommend some lovely crusty croutons right on top or a warm roll on the side.  this soup is definitely one you should eat out of a mug (my absolute favorite way to eat anything!) with a great big spoon.

and here it is!

Chicken and Orzo Soup

now if its summer, go crank that AC unit while you enjoy this meal!

i'm in a pasta mood.

hooray for only having one class on thursdays!  this means i wander back home around 11am or so and have the entire afternoon to make a mess in the kitchen :]

today i went to my fresh veg drawer and grabbed a pint of grape tomatoes, a small zucchini, and a beautiful Listada eggplant.  my original idea was to roast these babies in the oven and spread them over crostini for a light lunch.  but then i heard my stomach growl loudly and realized that a light lunch wasn't gonna do it for me.  upon spotting some leftover penne pasta and (borrowing) some feta cheese from a roommate, inspiration called me to make a mediterranean masterpiece.

**side note on the pasta: the craze these days is to eat whole wheat or whole grain foods over foods made from refined flours.  i am alllllll about that.  i like a good crusty wheat loaf with seeds and grains in it as much as the next girl.  but as for pasta, it took me quite some time to find a brand that was palatable.  theres just something about whole wheat pasta that turns gummy or mushy that is not good eats to me.  the Barilla brand is acceptable for me to use in a pinch, but about a year ago i discovered the HOLY GRAIL of pastas: Ronzoni Smart Taste.  I just call it the "purple box" pasta so its easier to find in the grocery, haha.  it is a white pasta (gasp!) but side by side in the pasta aisle, it has more protein, more fiber (6 grams per serving!!) and is fortified with calcium and vitamin D, unlike traditional white or whole wheat pastas.  but best of all, it seriously tastes amazing.  no joke.  it cooks up like regular white pasta, tastes exactly the same, but gives you all the benefits of whole wheat.  try it.  really.  plus, theres a coupon on their website! **

now for the good stuff-- the food.  in a glass roasting dish, i put an entire pint of the grape tomatoes, diced the zucchini and eggplant in similar sized pieces, and gave the whole party a generous splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  toss with salt and pepper, and throw it in the oven at 350 for about half an hour, flipping the veg occasionally.  warning: your house will smell wonderful.

Before:

After:

once the veg was ready (aka the tomatoes had burst and the eggplant and zucchini were oh-so-tender), i heated up the leftover pasta in the microwave and got out my feta cheese.  i roasted off more veg than i needed, so i put all but a cup into a tupperware for a later date.  i tossed the warm pasta right in the roasting pan with the reserved cup of veg and tossed it around with just a sprinkle extra of salt.  at the very end, i took just shy of about an 1/8 c. of reduced-fat feta cheese and fluffed it in to my pasta.  (at this point, my stomach was not very happy with me and continued to growl at an obnoxious volume.)

all that was left was to plate it up and drizzle a touch of olive oil right over the top.  oh, and eat it of course :]

presento mi almuerzo divino:

Mediterranean Pasta Toss with Roasted Vegetables and Feta Cheese 

now go try the purple box pasta!

take-out, eat your heart out!

i will be the very first to admit that i like asian cuisine too much.  to the point where i can have it for all three meals in one day, and then be jonesing for it a day or two later.  (un)fortunately, last year there was a chinese food take-out place right next to my dorm, and every time i called they knew what mood i was in my what combo of dishes i was ordering.  i am ashamed to say that i had "a usual".  this year i am (un)fortunate enough to have another chinese take-out place within three minutes of my front door.  only this time i can smell the food cooking, and i am the worst at employing self-control after i smell something and start to crave it.  luckily, the food at this place isn't as good as the other take-out restaurant, so i order less often.  but that does nothing to quell my constant need for asian food.

the other day when i went to the grocery, i spotted a beautiful salmon filet.  it was the same thickness all the way through (which is vital when cooking fish, or else you get tough parts where it is thinner while the other parts are underdone: not so good, much better), and only $3.50.  SOLD.  while i was at the store, i also picked up a bottle of teriyaki sauce to use for a marinade.

here's how it went down:  i took the salmon out of its tray and placed it in a ziplock bag with about a quarter cup of teriyaki sauce.  since the sauce i bought was really thin (almost like soy sauce viscosity), i added about a tablespoon of fresh clover honey (with the comb!) and a teaspoon of minced garlic, and chucked it in the fridge to marinade for about half an hour.

fast forwardddddddddd half an hour!  i took the salmon out of the fridge but left it in the bag while i preheated my skillet with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  something i always have on hand in my freezer is frozen veg, so i pulled out a healthy cup of frozen broccoli florets and put them in a bowl with a splash of water, covered them with plastic wrap (leaving a tiny hole for steam to escape) and zapped them in the microwave for about three minutes-- and you get perfectly steamed veggies!  once the skillet was nice and hot, i took the salmon out of its marinade and placed it skin-side down in the pan to grill for about 3 or 4 minutes.  in the mean time, i took the same approach to my leftover white rice as i did with my broccoli-- the micro-steam.  (yes of course i had leftover rice on hand... i had chinese a few days before, haha).  if you don't have rice in your fridge, i would recommend making it while the salmon marinates so the rice has sufficient time to fluff and cool before you dine.  after a few minutes, flip the salmon gently in the pan and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. **do not mess with the salmon while it is flesh side down in the pan.  i know you want to move it and check on it.  don't.  or you will tear it.  it will release itself when its ready.**  do not be alarmed if your fish has small black burn-like marks on it-- its just the sugars from the marinade caramelizing on the salmon.

once the fish looks opaque all the way through, gently take it out of the pan with a spatula and plate it with the steamed broccoli and white (or brown) rice.  in my opinion, the broccoli and rice don't need any seasoning because since the fish has such a bold marinade, taking a balanced bite with each component gives you just the right flavor.

and now, without further ado, i present:

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon with Steamed Broccoli and Rice

enjoy-- i know i did!

a cheesy recipe

i was feeling a little french-y this afternoon after listening to my spanish linguistics professor lecture in french for a good 15 minutes before realizing that no one could understand him.  this inspired me to post my favorite fondue recipe for your enjoyment. it is not an original creation, but is delectable none the less.

*note:  there is unfortunately no camembert in this fondue.

Fondue au Fromage
1/2 lb. emmentaler cheese 
1/2 lb. gruyere cheese
1/4 lb. jarslberg cheese
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 c. good white wine 
2 cloves garlic, chopped
nutmeg, black pepper to taste
----
shred each cheese and combine in a bowl.  toss in the cornstarch to coat the cheese (shaking the cheese and cornstarch in a large plastic bag works well).  in a medium saucepan, add the two cups of good white wine and garlic cloves.  bring to a boil (this will soften and sweeten the garlic).  once boiling, turn heat down to low and add the cheese in small amounts, whisking as you add.  once all the cheese has been added, remove from the heat and add nutmeg and black pepper to taste.  eat immediately or transfer to a fondue pot (set to "warm" but no higher).  serves 10 as an appetizer.


bon appetit mes amis!

great news! and a panini, too!

after being in a terrible mood all last night when i thought i had lost my photos, i bought a cheap-o recovery program and all my shots are back!

behold my first lunch creation:

Grilled Ham and Muenster Panini on Garlic Ciabatta 

i started by splitting a chunk of fresh ciabatta bread down the middle and brushed the halves with olive oil and rubbed them minced garlic.  then in a non-stick pan, i grilled them face-down so that the inside of the bread could crisp up.  in the mean time, i sliced some paper-thin slices of roma tomato, picked a small handful of baby spinach leaves, and shaved off a good piece of Boars Head muenster cheese (thats the good stuff right there).  after about three or four minutes i retrieved my bread from the skillet and split the muenster in half and placed it directly on each side of the warm bread-- this way it gets melty more easily when you press it.  the tomato and spinach go right on the flat-bottom bread piece. 

now for the ham.  its pretty common knowledge in the food world nowadays that lunch meat (and processed meats in general) are just about the worst thing you could put into a sandwich because of the added chemicals, degree of processing, and incredible salt content.  i've found a brand of lunch meat that is organic, nitrate-free, hormone-free, and responsibly raised, called Applegate Farms.  Their Natural Black Forest Ham is delicious, and is what i used in this particular sandwich.  

fold two or three slices on top of the rounded-top bread piece and put the two sandwich halves together.  i splurged a little and spread some margarine on the bread before i put it in the pan-- for that golden color and for the buttery crunch.  you don't need much at all, just a tiny scraping.  

now for the fun part: making your own panini press!  i am not the inventor of this particular trick and i'm sure you've heard it used before, but it is a great way to make pressed sandwiches without investing in a $300 machine.  take a large and heavy can out of the pantry (tomato sauce, yams, chicken stock, etc) and grab a salad plate from the cupboard.  when your sandwich is in the pan, place the plate directly on the sandwich bottom-side up.  then take your heavy can and put it right on top of the plate.  voila!  instant press!  i left my sandwich grilling for about five minutes on each side, medium heat, just until the cheese started to goo.  then, remove the can and the plate, cut the sandwich on the bias (or "across" like you used to tell your mom with PB&Js... remember?) and serve with a simple spinach salad.

who said college kids eat badly?  not this one.