REVISIONED PAINTING

Dark Sky   Acrylic   24x24

Dark Sky was completed in 2011, and I have been looking at it every day in its place on the wall of my studio.  Several days ago I decided it was time for a little revision.  

Dark Sky revised

10-25-16 Angel Hair Pasta w Shrimp Scampi

As soon as I saw Patience’s vibrant crop of Dill in the porch garden I knew what I wanted to do.  Yesterday I bought the shrimp and last night did the deed.

                    

INGREDIENTS:  I cooked ¼ lb. of pasta for two.  Adjust ingredients as needed.  The amounts listed below are estimates.

1.     DeBoles angel hair pasta

2.     Shrimp, peeled and de-veined

3.     Olive oil

4.     Fresh lemon juice  ½ lemon

5.     Butter 2-3 tbsp

6.     White wine ¼ - 1/3 cup

7.     Garlic 1 large or 2 small cloves crushed

8.     Fresh dill

9.     Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

While waiting for the pasta water to boil cook the garlic in olive but do not allow it to brown.  Add the butter and a sprinkling of finely chopped dill, followed by the shrimp, cooking over low-medium heat.  While the shrimp is cooking add lemon juice and the wine.

Several minutes before the pasta is ready add a small amount of cream, about 2 tablespoons.  Add the pasta to the pan, mix thoroughly, and sprinkle with fresh dill.

COMMENTS:

Sometimes you hit a home run in the kitchen.  This was just that.  I can’t wait to do it again.

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

9-20-16 OLD & NEW

As usual, I left dinner planning to the last minute, which explains why I was staring at the open refrigerator scratching my head.  I saw several pieces of grilled chicken tenders and a small container with the half can of diced tomatoes, both remnants of last night’s dinner.  Next I checked the freezer and saw a package of shrimp, and knew immediately what I wanted to do.

  

                            

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Pasta

2.     Grilled chicken

3.     Shrimp

4.     Onion – garlic – celery – Basil

5.     Diced tomatoes

6.     Sweet Vermouth

7.     Butter

8.     Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

I began by preparing the Soffrito – cooking the diced onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil over med-low heat.  Next I added the tomatoes, basil, and wine, lowered the heat slightly, and cooked for about 15 minutes.  I diced the twp chicken tenders and added them to the pan.  I knew the pasta would take about 10 minutes to cook, so I waited until the pasta was in the water before I added the shrimp to the sauce.  About 5 minutes before the pasta was ready I added the butter and cream.

COMMENTS:

What a delightful dinner!  I think it could easily be repeated, using Sun Dried tomatoes in oil in place of the diced tomatoes. I started using celery in the "make ready" stage and enjoy the added flavor it gives to the sauce.  It is definitely a do over.

9-11-16 CAPELLINI WITH PEAS, ASPARAGUS, & ARTICHOKE HEARTS

        

INGREDIENTS:

1.     De Boles artichoke wheat Capellini

2.     Asparagus

3.     Peas

4.     Artichoke hearts

5.     Olive oil

6.     Onion

7.     Garlic

8.     Basil

9.     Tarragon

10. Butter

11. Heavy whipping cream

12. Fresh lemon juice

13. Dry white wine

14. Vegetable broth

15. Salt & pepper

16. Grana Padano cheese

PROCESS:

I had no predetermined plan when I started tonight’s dinner.   With a limited pantry, I settled on the ingredients available: Asparagus, frozen peas, and frozen artichoke hearts. It began like almost all of my meals – sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil.  I cut the asparagus into 1” pieces, partially thawed the frozen peas and Artichoke hearts in the microwave and added them to the pan, along with a cube of frozen chopped basil, about 1/3 cup of vegetable broth, and some dried Tarragon.  Several minutes later I splashed in some dry white wine (Pinot Grigio), and a few minutes later some fresh lemon juice.  Everything simmered over low heat while waiting for the pasta water to come to a boil.  While the pasta was cooking I added a small amount of heavy whipping cream - no more than ¼ cup.  The pasta was added to the sauce, and served with a sprinkling of Grana Padano cheese.

COMMENTS:

This was as much fun to cook as it was to eat.  With my usual objectivity I am giving this a 10+.

8-28-16 Tortellini in fresh Roma Tomato sauce w coconut cream

                                    

INGREDIENTS:

8 Roma/plum tomatoes peeled and chopped

One half medium onion sliced of diced

2 Dorot garlic cubes

one cube of fresh frozen basil in olive oil

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Asparagus – about 8 slender stalks cut into 1” pieces

Sweet Vermouth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Small can of coconut cream

PROCESS:

Make a small cruciate incision on the end of each tomato and place in boiling water for several minutes. Remove and cool under cold water, and peel away the skin.  Chop them into roughly one inch pieces and set aside in a bowl.  (Seeds do not have to be removed.)

Cook onions in olive oil until soft, then add the pepper flakes, garlic, and basil and cook until the cubes have melted.  Add the tomatoes and cook, covered, over medium-low heat, smashing occasionally with fork of spoon, until the tomatoes have broken down - about 30 minutes.  After 20-25 minute add a splash of wine and the aspargus.

In the meantime bring a pot of water to boil and add the tortellini (or other pasta).  And at this time add the butter and coconut cream to the sauce and continue cooking uncovered over low heat until the past is ready.

                                       

COMMENTS:

This is ten plus!  It is open to a variety of options:  pasta, no asparagus or a different veggie, cream instead of coconut cream, shrimp or crab meat, and more.

THE RIVER

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LOOKING OUT  acrylic  16x40

Several months ago I began working on a series of paintings focused on the river that has given life to the city of Paducah.  The Ohio River is joined by the Tennessee River at the shores of our city, before moving on to the Mississippi River a few miles away.  A brisk morning walk easily gets me to the riverfront, only 8 blocks from our home.  From there I can see the river boats either slowly pushing their long line of barges up and down the river, or parked along the shore line, waiting their turn for whatever they wait for.  I have not figured our why they are called tugboats, since they push their loads rather than pull them.

So far one small area of the riverfront – about 4 blocks long – is providing me with more than enough visual material to work with.  My goal is to create a body of work, in a variety of media and sizes that can be exhibited in the next 6 to 12 months.  Of course they are also available now to any interested buyer.

ALMOST THERE  watercolor media  12x20

 The  portfolio - to date -  can be seen on my Facebook page.