10.5.10

Weeknight Recipe: Quick & Spicy Pasta

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Weeknight meals can be tough: you may not have time to go shopping on your way home, or you may have a million things to do in the evening. That doesn't mean you have to sacrifice taste or nutrition. Not to say that this recipe is chock full of nutrients, but it offers a little more than most quick meals. A little added bonus: it also uses ingredients that you'll probably have on hand.


Quick & Spicy Tomato Pasta
Serves 4

1 can diced tomatoes (796ml)
1 handful fresh basil, torn
1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 tsp olive oil
Red wine, splash
Salt, to taste
1/2 package Catelli Smart Spaghettini (about 220g)
Parmesan cheese, grated

1) Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
2) In a medium pot, mix tomatoes, basil, chili flakes, garlic, olive oil, and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
3) Combine pasta and sauce, serve. Sprinkle parmesan on top.

A wine tip: use the same name in the sauce as you are serving with dinner. It ensures the meal will be well balanced with the wine and there will be no conflicting flavours. A great option is Concejo Bodegas - 2007 Carreduenas; it's very well balanced, oak aged for 6 months, and goes great with spicy dishes.







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24.4.10

Good Ol' Meatballs

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There's something so lovely about spaghetti and meatballs. It's sort of a quintessential pasta dish; combining delicate noodles with a simple, yet flavourful tomato sauce, and hearty, savoury meatballs.

An added bonus: meatballs are easy to put together, don't take long to cook, and the pasta and sauce can be prepared while the meatballs are cooking. My meatball recipe, below, can be paired with a home made tomato sauce (try this recipe from Martha Stewart, or, if you're short for time, use a jar of your favourite pasta sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, a clove of garlic, and a 1/2 tsp of hot chili flakes) and spaghetti or spaghettini. Also, lean ground turkey can be substituted for pork.



Pork Meatballs
Makes 25

2 slices multigrain bread, torn into small pieces
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 scallions, chopped
500-600g lean ground pork

Mix all ingredients but pork in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, then mix well. Add pork, mix with hands until combined. Make about 25 walnut-sized meatballs, and put them on a cold pan. Cook at a medium heat for about 5 minutes, turn, then cover, turning the balls every few minutes until cooked through (about 20 minutes in total). Place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb some oil, and serve with pasta and sauce.





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9.4.10

A Night for Green & White

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Here's a recipe for a perfect quick weeknight meal. It only takes about 15 minutes, uses simple ingredients, and will satisfy your cravings for yummy, carby pasta.

This dish goes perfectly with a citrusy white wine, such as McWilliams Hanwood Estate Pinot Grigio; but don't drink it all - the recipe calls for a splash of wine!

Green Pasta
Serves 2

1 fistful linguine (I like Catelli Smart - it's higher in fibre than regular pasta, but tastes the same!)
9 large asparagus spears
1 cup chopped green beans
1 lg clove garlic, mashed and minced
3 tbsp tightly packed fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
A splash of a light bodied, citrusy white wine (about a tbsp)
Zest of 1/2 - 3/4 one large lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook linguine according to instructions on package. While the pasta is cooking, slice asparagus diagonally into 1 cm thick pieces. Put asparagus and beans in a small pot filled with one inch of water. Bring to a boil, cook for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Mix garlic, dill, olive oil, wine, and zest in a small dish. When pasta and veggies are done cooking, drain, and combine. Add the oil mixture, and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste!

What's your favourite weeknight meal? Do you, like me, often rely on pasta for a quick dinner?




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6.4.10

Tuna-Pasta Salad, Pronto

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If you need a quick dinner, or just want something fresh and easy to eat, a pasta salad is often the answer. They don't require many ingredients, are quick to make, and often contain a variety of food groups. One great option for any night is Tuna-Pasta salad.

Tweak it how you like it, add ingredients, take some out. It's a versatile recipe that is sure to please, and goes great with a bottle of white (try Mission Hill Sauvignon Blanc) or a light beer (a glass of Big Rock Lime will do the trick!). It also makes great leftovers.

Here's a rough outline of ingredients. Remember to change them as you please!

2 cups fusilli, uncooked
2 cups baby spinach
4 stalks celery, leaves on
3 large carrots
2 scallions
3 cans chunk light tuna in water, drained
3 tbsp light mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on box. While it's cooking, chop spinach coarsely, dice celery into 1/2 cm chunks, and slice carrots thinly. Chop scallions to desired size (larger if you like a stronger onion flavour), add tuna, and mix well. When pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water until the pasta is cold. Add to veggie-tuna mixture, then stir in mayo, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Tip: If using the salad as leftovers, you may have to add more mayo before eating as it tends to dry out!


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1.3.10

Garlic, and Basil, and Veggies – Oh My!!

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So I'm Stephanie, and I'm new to Seared. What I'm not new to, though, is food.

Is anyone really new to food? Honestly, we've been eating it all of our lives - and whether or not you're aware of it, food really is the centre of your world. Not only do we all rely on it to sustain ourselves, we sort of revolve our lives around it. When we get together with family or friends, it is usually around a meal, or even just an array of h'or d'oeuvres. When we go on dates, food is typically included in one way or another.

For me, food means even more than that. Food is a stress release. No, I’m not a stress eater; I’m a stress cooker and shopper. There is something so relaxing about going to the Farmer’s Market and picking up fresh food. Trust me, with a growing season here similar to that of Siberia (seriously!), you learn to appreciate your tasty treasures. Just going to the market truly heightens your senses: the vivid colours of ripened fruits and vegetables, the smell of fresh baked breads, the sound of organic sausage sizzling on the grill, the velvety taste of goat cheese, the fuzzy skin of round, succulent peaches – these are the things that each of my senses recall when I think of my weekly ritual to the market.
Enough blabbing... with my last goodies purchased from the farmer's market I made pistou (not to be confused with pesto or pea stew) with linguini and veggies. The garlic I found there was organic, unbelievably inexpensive, and gigantic! So I used two of the giant cloves (roughly 4 normal sized cloves), and the entire bag of basil that I purchased. I’d say there was about 2 cups. I put the garlic and basil in the blender, along with enough olive oil to allow it to blend, and salt and pepper to taste. I did not heed the blenders warning of Do Not Place Spoons or Other Objects in Blender While in Use, but everyone involved survived, as did the pistou. Afterward, I chopped bell peppers and sliced carrots, added some baby spinach, and mixed them up in a wok with cooked linguini and the pistou, and cooked for a few minutes until the peppers were tender. There was a little bit of pistou left so I spread it on some rye bread and threw it in the oven. Voila! A yummy, quick meal full of fresh market buys (and enough garlic to scare away, well, anyone.).

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