2 BARNS AND A BURLESQUE HOUSE

I never tire of drawing this structure which disappeared from God's green earth about 15 years ago.


When pledging a fraternity in 1957 I had to get an autographed G-string from the Troc. The result of that search has been pledged to secrecy.


Just another American icon

10-9…Ravioli in “Sunday gravy”

I decided to use the homemade ravioli in the freezer so I I’ll have a reason to make another batch soon. I enjoy making the pasta and the challenge of coming up with a creative filling. Since it’s Sunday we’ll have them in sausage based gravy.



INGREDIENTS:

Loose Italian sausage
Olive Oil
Garlic and onion
Fresh Basil and Oregano coarsely chopped
Red pepper flakes
Anchovy paste
Red wine
San Marzano tomatoes

PROCESS:

Brown the sausage, remove, and deglaze the pan with red wine, saving the scraps and juice with the sausage. In olive oil cook the garlic and onions with the anchovy paste and red pepper flakes. Then add the tomatoes and herbs and simmer for 5-10 minutes before adding the sausage. Continue to simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes, adding some red wine about half way through. For a thicker sauce let it simmer longer.

COMMENTS:

One word….. WOW!

10-8…Arugula Rustica

Today a most thoughtful and generous friend gave me some fresh Arugula from his garden, and I have spent the past several hours thinking about how I will use it in tonight’s dinner. On July 2nd I posted a recipe using Arugula in a pesto form, and on June 25th I used it as a garnish. Tonight I’m looking for something different; I want the dish to be simple and rustic, and after several intense hours of thinking…OK…maybe intense is a little over the top…how about serious hours? This is what I’ve come up with.



INGREDIENTS:

Linguine or Angel hair pasta
Olive oil
Garlic
Tomato paste
Arugula coarsely chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
Toasted ciabatta breadcrumbs
Lemon juice

PROCESS:

Cook the garlic and about 1 tsp. of tomato paste in the olive oil for several minutes before adding half of the arugula and just a bit of lemon juice. When the pasta is cooked…not overcooked…just cooked…add it to the “sauce” along with some pasta water and mix well. Toss in the rest of the arugula plus the breadcrumbs and black pepper, mix well, and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Now if only it tastes as good as it sounds to me.

COMMENTS:

I hit it out of the park tonight! This dish was everything I hoped it would be. Thank you John…your Arugula made the day.

10-7 Homemade pasta w smoked salmon & asparagus in a cream sauce

After 103 pasta dishes it is becoming increasingly difficult not to repeat some or part of previous recipes. It is probably possible not to do so, but that would require me to continually shop for different ingredients, and one of my goals with this exercise is to show the many ways pasta dishes can be prepared using primarily the everyday ingredients available to us locally. My only routine exception to this is the Imported San Marzano tomatoes I purchase online.

Tonight’s dish is almost a repeat of one I posted on the 28th of May. The ingredients are identical except for the homemade pasta , the addition of cream, and the substitution of dill for Leeks.



INGREDIENTS:

Pasta…homemade fettuccini
Olive oil, shallots, garlic, celery
Fresh dill, parsley, and basil, finely chopped
Asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
Smoked Salmon
Red pepper flakes
Butter
Lemon juice
Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

Saute the garlic, shallots, and celery in olive oil with some butter and herbs. Add the asparagus and lemon juice and cook while waiting for the pasta water to boil.

About 5 minutes before the pasta is ready add the cream, more butter, and the salmon and stir frequently. Add the pasta to this sauce with pasta water if needed.

COMMENTS:

I love the combination of the smoked salmon, asparagus, and cream. Of course everything was twice as good with the homemade pasta. (I’m getting better at that with each effort.)


My face freezes whenever a camera is pointed at me. Patience suggests I practice smiling in a mirror. Don't know if I can handle that.

DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO...

without these small drawings. I seem to be in the grip of unrelenting inertia, unable to muster the will or the enthusiasm for anything other than reading, ruminating, and remembering. It is the remembering that generates this modest effort at making art. But I must admit that the satisfaction I get is as great as if I were completing a 48x60" canvas. So until something else comes along .....

More from Paducah:

10-5…Manicotti

I forgot to take the photo before starting to serve..


Rummaging through the freezer I found a tub of “Sunday” gravy and some spinach-ricotta filling leftover from the ravioli adventure. Remembering an article in a Cooks Illustrated periodical on using no boil lasagna for the manicotti I decided to give it a try.

Rather than the usual ground beef filling I struck out on my own, using chicken and spinach, combined with a variety of cheeses, as well as the ravioli filling.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breast
Olive oil
Garlic
Fresh spinach
egg
Parmesan, mozzarella, and cottage cheese (No ricotta on hand)
No boil lasagna

PROCESS:

Saute the chicken in olive oil with garlic. Before it is finished add the spinach and cook down. Remove, chop coarsely, then pulse in food processer to a workable paste. Place in a bowl and mix in the cheeses, the egg, and the chopped basil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place a layer of the sauce in a 9x13 baking dish.

Place the lasagna sheets in boiling water for several minutes until soft…about 4-5 minutes). Remove, and place the sheet on a flat surface and add the filling then roll carefully and place in a baking dish with the seam side down. Cover the rolls with another layer of sauce, grated parmesan, and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil, add more cheese and place back in oven for about 5 minutes.

Remove and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.



COMMENTS:

Not as good as mom’s, but it did bring back some powerful culinary memories.

Our neighbor Keyth joined us ( his wife is out of town) and brought a dish of the ravioli he made today. I gotta tell you…if I wasn’t me, I would be envious of me.

10-4 Pasta with Turnip greens and Cannellini beans

Our CSA friends gave us a bunch of turnip greens which will be substituted for the escarole we cannot get here in Paducah.

INGREDIENTS:

Turnip greens
Cannellini beans
Olive oil
Garlic and onions
Fresh lemon juice

PROCESS:

Blanch the greens for about 3 minutes, drain, and sauté in olive oil with garlic and onion. Add the cannellini beans and simmer over low heat while the pasta cooks in the water used for the greens. At some point add the juice from half a lemon.


Add the pasta to the pan and mix well, serve with grated parmesan cheese.



COMMENTS:

Wow…this was delicious. The lemon juice added just the right touch to the flavors.

Without the pasta this dish would be Italian comfort food…beans and greens, simple and tasty. (usually made with escarole.)