LEEK - POTATOES - ASPARAGUS & PASTA

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10-6-16   Leek – Potatoes - Asparagus & Pasta

Six o’clock, and I had not given any thought to dinner.  Fortunately Patience decided on a bike ride, so I had some time to come up with something.  A quick look in the fridge revealed asparagus that needed to be used,  leeks, and 2 potatoes, all that I needed for dinner.

               

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Penne pasta

2.     Leek- sliced crosswise

3.     Potatoes- diced into small cubes

4.     Celery

5.     Asparagus

6.     Garlic –Dorot frozen cube

7.     Basil

8.     Sweet Vermouth –about 1’3 cup

9.     Tomato paste – about 1 tablespoon

10. Heavy whipping cream – about 1/3 – ¼ cup

11. Grana Padana for grating

PROCESS:

Cook the Leek and celery in olive oil for about 3 minutes then add the garlic cube (or one clove of fresh garlic finely chopped).  Turn the heat to high and add the potatoes.  Cook until the potatoes begin to brown – stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the wine, basil, and asparagus.  Wait a few minutes and add the tomato paste.  Continue cooking until the potatoes are cooked to your satisfaction.  The total cooking time for this was about 20-30 minutes.

About 5 minutes before the pasta is ready add the cream and turn the heat to low.

When the pasta is done add it to the pan and mix thoroughly, or use a separate bowl.  Serve with grated Gran Padana cheese.

COMMENTS:

I have to credit Patience for introducing me to the unlikely combination of potatoes and pasta.  She created a dish for us several years ago, and I have borrowed heavily from that ever since.

Try it and you will not be disappointed.  Obviously there is room for any number of variations, but the key is getting the vegetables brown over the high heat

9-17 LEMON GARLIC PORK LOIN W NOODLES

OK…we’re doing things a little differently tonight. A pork loin has been sitting in my freezer since just before I started this pasta nonsense, and it has to be used, so here’s the plan: I’ll roast the pork along with veggies and tomatoes and serve along side a bed of egg noodles.



INGREDIENTS:

Egg noodles
Pork loin
New potatoes and sweet potatoes…cut into bite size pieces
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Dry basil and oregano
Fresh tomatoes, quartered and peeled
Sundried tomato pesto
Olive oil
Butter

PROCESS:



The pork loin was rubbed with lemon juice and garlic and placed in a shallow baking dish. The veggies were cut and placed around the meat. Everything was drizzled with olive oils, salted, and placed in the oven set at 375 degrees and cooked for a little over 45 minutes.

The noodles were cooked and served with a pad of butter and just a bit of olive oil.

COMMENTS:

I decided to add the sundried tomato pesto about halfway through the roasting, hoping to create just a bit of “juice”. This was a fun way to present pork loin. The next time I might replace the fresh tomatoes with a can of dice tomatoes to get more moister in the dish.

NOTHING INTERFERES WITH A PASTA DINNER 7-20

The day began with quiet hope and anticipation. My spirits were good and I looked forward to having a special dinner waiting for Patience when she returned from work. Around 9 AM I placed a sweet potato in the microwave for Mama Pajama’s dinner, and set it for 5.5 minutes…oops…pushed the wrong button and re-set it. A few minutes later I decided on a quick trip to the Library, put the dogs “away” and headed out.

I was gone no more than 30 minutes, and when I returned I walked into a house full of smoke. I ran to the basement door convinced our ailing sub pump was responsible but there was no smoke there. I let the dogs out…they seemed impervious to the smoke…and ran upstairs…no smoke there, and went back to the dog room realizing this is where it was most intense.

You guessed it…I must have set the microwave for 55 minutes, not 5.5…and when I opened the door I saw a totally charred potato. The microwave burned itself out before any other damage could occur. What a stinking mess!

I opened the doors, set fans in the doorways, turned of the ac and wondered if I could get rid of everything before P came home. I don’t think so. The fans have been running for almost 1 ½ hours and things are much better…but not normal.

Now it would be easy to cancel my dinner plans and order out, given the circumstances, and a lesser man than me might do that...but not me. The tiger in me won’t allow it and pasta will prevail!

Tonight I will be acting on Patience’s suggestion on how to use the corn and the potatoes that are accumulating in our fridge.



INGREDIENTS:

Fresh corn, cooked and removed from the cob
New potatoes, diced into small pieces
Fresh sage, parsley, and thyme
Kohlrabi
Garlic, onions
Heavy cream
Tomato paste
Pancetta
Butter

PROCESS:

Cook the potatoes in olive oil until crisp; remove to paper towel to drain. Cook the garlic, onions, pancetta, and diced kohlrabi in olive oil with 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Then add the corn, herbs, and butter and simmer for 5-10 minutes before adding the potatoes. Add the cream while the pasta is cooking. Mix the cooked pasta into the pan with the sauce and serve.



COMMENTS:

Tonight I used pasta that I have never seen before, and it was perfect for this dish. Like all pasta dishes, there are so many variations that can be explored. How about replacing the potatoes with fresh crabmeat?!

PASTA, SCALLOPS, POTATOES, ASPARAGUS, 6-29

Sea scallops, asparagus, and potatoes over Angel hair pasta

I spent 2 days thinking about this dish and how I would do it. My original plan called for small croutons, but Patience suggested I use the potatoes from our CSA Amish friends. It was an inspired idea.

INGREDIENTS;

Angel Hair pasta
Sea Scallops
Asparagus
Potatoes, diced into 1/3 inch cubes
Olive oil, butter, lemon juice
Garlic,
Kohl Rabi finely sliced
Fresh Basil and Oregano
Lemon Juice

PROCESS;

Heat the olive oil with the garlic and add the potatoes, cook until the potatoes are crisp and brown. Remove and drain on paper towels and discard the garlic. Add butter and wine to the pan and cook the Asparagus (cut into 1’’ pieces”) until al dente, and remove and set aside. Peel the Kohl Rabi and slice into thin pieces and toast in the oil. Remove and set aside. Add more butter and olive oil if needed and sauté the scallops with the fresh herbs until golden brown and remove.

When the pasta is done drain and add to the serving dish. Add all of the ingredients plus the remnants of the oil and butter in the pan, drizzle with fresh lemon juice, and serve.

COMMENTS:

This was a bit labor intensive, but was really good. I think linguine or penne pasta would also work well with this dish. A splash of white wine somewhere in the process might be interesting.

PASTA QUEST…JUNE 21...GREEN BEANS - POTATOES

Last night’s dinner was the 31st pasta dish I’ve prepared since starting this venture last month. Although the ingredients have repeated themselves, with the exception of the “Sunday gravys”, each meal has been unique. The hot and humid conditions we are currently experiencing has me focused on summer dishes that require less cooking.

I planned on a variation of the classic Pasta Putanesca, but when I picked up our weekly veggies from the Amish farmers today there were green beans and small potatoes, as well as beets (Patience’s favorite), green onions, and broccoli. Since we still had potatoes from last week I postponed the pasta putanesca….I like the way that sounds…and will go with the green beans and potatoes in a loose tomato sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

Green beans
New potatoes
Diced tomatoes
Bacon cut into small pieces
Garlic, green onions
Fresh basil and parsley

PROCESS;

Parboil the potatoes and green beans, remove and set aside to cool. Cut the potatoes into small dice size pieces and the green beans into 1-2 inch pieces.

Cook the bacon, remove to paper towel to drain, discard the bacon fat, and cook the potatoes until they are browned. Remove and set aside. Add olive oil, garlic and onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes and the green beans and cook for about 5-7 minutes then add the potatoes and simmer.

The timing is not absolute! It should be adjusted according to how well done the potatoes and green beans are before adding them to the sauce.



COMMENTS;

I confess….I had my doubts about this…but they proved to be unfounded. The combination was wonderful, and the fresh green beans and potatoes made this a memorable dish. My mother used to serve us green beans and potatoes in a loose tomato sauce, but not with pasta.