May Random Bites
Here are some recipes that didn't make a whole blog post, but are definitely worthy of cooking.
With the rest of the Jersey asparagus, I made this amazing Pasta Primavera from the New York Times recipe.
You can use frozen peas if you like, I usually do. Don't be afraid of a little butter and cream, it's a once in a while thing, and we are only making this in May. ;)
Green Pasta Primavera (true spring pasta):
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and sliced in half if too fat
3/4 cup English peas, fresh
2 garlic cloves
olive oil for the skillet
3 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup spring onion or chives
1/4 lb sugar snap peas, stems
1 tbsp tarragon
12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle or shells
sea salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
2/3 cup Parmigiano-reggiano, grated
2 tbsp of starchy pasta water
It's pretty self explanatory.....Saute the asparagus and onions for a minute or two with the garlic in some olive oil in a large skillet.
Throw in the peas and the cooked pasta and coat w/ butter, cream, tarragon, the parmesan cheese and add pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Takes only 5 minutes total. Don't skip the tarragon, it's really good here. Season w/ salt & pepper and serve right away.
YUM.
This is my second year growing rhubarb in the garden. You are supposed to cut the stalks after the 2nd year, so here they are.
Just a few, so the plant doesn't use all of its energy....the rest I will buy at the farmer's market (remember: don't eat the leaves, they are highly toxic).
Here is a simple lemon yogurt cake, topped w/ rhubarb and pistachios.
Most people pair rhubarb w/ strawberries, but I am not a strawberry fan.....so the barb will have to stand alone.
This cake freezes well and is even better the next day. My husband loved it. Said it was one of the best cakes ever....but he always says that!
Lemon Rhubarb Cake w/ Pistachios:
1 cup sugar
3 large rhubarb stalks, cut into pieces
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup plain, low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup mild-flavored olive oil
1/4 cup of pistachio meats, chopped
turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or line a loaf pan w/ parchment paper.
Mix the sugar w/ the eggs, oil, vanilla and almond extracts.
Add in the dry ingredients and half of the rhubarb pieces (save the other rhubarb pieces for the top).
Mix to make a smooth batter.
Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Decorate the top with the rest of the rhubarb and chopped pistachios.
Sprinkle w/ the turbinado sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes.
It's pretty and delicious.
I made this no mayo potato salad with just sherry wine vinegar, honey, mustard and fresh herbs for Mother's Day.
I added in hardboiled eggs, because potato salad needs eggs in my opinion.
This will be my go to summer potato salad from now on. Everyone raved about it, and no guilt eating all that mayo (though we all know I LOVE MAYO).
Here's the recipe:
1 lb. baby potatoes, boiled about 15 minutes, cooled and quartered
3 hard boiled eggs
Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
big handful of chopped scallions
1 tablespoon diced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons diced fresh flat leaf parsley
big handful of minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt & pepper
Dress the potatoes and eggs with the herb dressing.
Can be made the day before and kept in the fridge.
Serve at room temperature.
Ok, 3 for 1 today.
You're welcome! xo
With the rest of the Jersey asparagus, I made this amazing Pasta Primavera from the New York Times recipe.
You can use frozen peas if you like, I usually do. Don't be afraid of a little butter and cream, it's a once in a while thing, and we are only making this in May. ;)
Green Pasta Primavera (true spring pasta):
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and sliced in half if too fat
3/4 cup English peas, fresh
2 garlic cloves
olive oil for the skillet
3 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup spring onion or chives
1/4 lb sugar snap peas, stems
1 tbsp tarragon
12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle or shells
sea salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter, unsalted
1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
2/3 cup Parmigiano-reggiano, grated
2 tbsp of starchy pasta water
It's pretty self explanatory.....Saute the asparagus and onions for a minute or two with the garlic in some olive oil in a large skillet.
Throw in the peas and the cooked pasta and coat w/ butter, cream, tarragon, the parmesan cheese and add pasta water to thin out the sauce.
Takes only 5 minutes total. Don't skip the tarragon, it's really good here. Season w/ salt & pepper and serve right away.
YUM.
This is my second year growing rhubarb in the garden. You are supposed to cut the stalks after the 2nd year, so here they are.
Just a few, so the plant doesn't use all of its energy....the rest I will buy at the farmer's market (remember: don't eat the leaves, they are highly toxic).
Here is a simple lemon yogurt cake, topped w/ rhubarb and pistachios.
Most people pair rhubarb w/ strawberries, but I am not a strawberry fan.....so the barb will have to stand alone.
This cake freezes well and is even better the next day. My husband loved it. Said it was one of the best cakes ever....but he always says that!
Lemon Rhubarb Cake w/ Pistachios:
1 cup sugar
3 large rhubarb stalks, cut into pieces
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup plain, low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup mild-flavored olive oil
1/4 cup of pistachio meats, chopped
turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or line a loaf pan w/ parchment paper.
Mix the sugar w/ the eggs, oil, vanilla and almond extracts.
Add in the dry ingredients and half of the rhubarb pieces (save the other rhubarb pieces for the top).
Mix to make a smooth batter.
Pour into prepared loaf pan.
Decorate the top with the rest of the rhubarb and chopped pistachios.
Sprinkle w/ the turbinado sugar.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes.
It's pretty and delicious.
I made this no mayo potato salad with just sherry wine vinegar, honey, mustard and fresh herbs for Mother's Day.
I added in hardboiled eggs, because potato salad needs eggs in my opinion.
This will be my go to summer potato salad from now on. Everyone raved about it, and no guilt eating all that mayo (though we all know I LOVE MAYO).
Here's the recipe:
1 lb. baby potatoes, boiled about 15 minutes, cooled and quartered
3 hard boiled eggs
Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, minced
big handful of chopped scallions
1 tablespoon diced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons diced fresh flat leaf parsley
big handful of minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt & pepper
Dress the potatoes and eggs with the herb dressing.
Can be made the day before and kept in the fridge.
Serve at room temperature.
Ok, 3 for 1 today.
You're welcome! xo
Comments
Yes, to both questions......I sometimes have heavy cream and not half and half.....and vise versa.
Same goes from creme fraiche and sour cream.
S.
I bake very seldom and don't know much about rhubarb, but have to make that cake. Thanks.
That said, vinaigrette potato salads can be very good. This sounds like a winner. I like to put the vinaigrette dressing (never the mayo!) on the potatoes while they are still warm. The egg can come later.
With mayo, I use a small amount of cider vinegar as well and put that on the hot or warm potatoes. Waiting until potatoes are cool to add mayo and other ingredients.
My late Mother’s mayo potato salad recipe was a winner. We used it in our (then new) restaurant years go and our customers loved it.
Well, I kind of figured that the substitutes would work but have you had experience with the sauce "breaking" with these ingrediants?
On another note, I have to say, my brother loaned me the whole Downton Abbey series on dvd. I loved that there was an episode where the Hollandaise sauce broke and one of the below stairs guys fixed it. Shades of Julia Child!
Take care, Katie C.
ps what's wrong with mayo? I will admit that I use a 50/50 mix of mayo and Greek yogurt for tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. but who can tell the difference? My waist line can!
I LOVE Downton Abbey, especially the kitchen and cooks downstairs w/ their beautiful copper pots ad food blanc mange molds! I could watch it all day!
I just pour the cream right in, same w/ the creme fraiche, whisk it quickly, and it never breaks for me......and you know me, I usually use Hellmann's REAL mayo in my tuna and potato salad, but this one was a nice change.
xo