Mexican Pasta

A lot of the same ingredients as the Minestrone Soup but in different amounts and with some spiciness.

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 2 cups of pasta, mostly cooked (it will finish cooking in the sauce)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
•  Parmesan cheese (or Cotija cheese if you can get it)

Directions:
1) Heat the oil in a pot.
2) Add the onion and cook until it is translucent, about 3 minutes.
3) Add the leeks and carrots until they soften a bit, about 3 minutes.  Add the salt and pepper.





4) Add the jalapeno, pasta, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
5) Allow to cook until the pasta is cooked and carrots soften.
6) Serve with cilantro and Parmesan.

Minestrone Soup

A good soup for when the weather is just starting to get cold. Even better when reheated!

Ingredients:

• vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 leeks, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 potato, diced
• 1 can of beans (I used kidney because it was all I could find)
• 1/2 a cup of parsley, chopped
• 1 bag of spinach, chopped
• marinara sauce
• water or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of cooked pasta

Directions:

1) Heat 4 TBSP oil in a pot.
2) Add the onions and let sweat until they become soft (you may need to add more oil to prevent burning).







3) Add the leeks, carrot, potato, salt and pepper and cook for a few mores minutes, until they begin to soften.








4) Add the beans, parsley and spinach until the spinach wilts.








5) Add the stock or water (to cover), and add half as much marinara sauce.
6) Simmer until the vegetables are soft.
7) Add the Parmesan cheese and pasta and cook until the cheese has mostly dissolved and the pasta is warmed.

 So much soup...

Creamed Spinach

Not the prettyist thing I've ever made, but delicious because it's cheese and spinach. Be great for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1 bag of spinach, washed
• 1/4 stick of butter
• 2 TBSP flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tube of Kraft Parmesan cheese (or the equivalent)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a pot (not a pan).
2) Add the garlic, and let cook for about 30 seconds, before it browns.
3) Add the onion until it softens.






4) Add the spinach and put the cover on the pot for about 3 minutes.
5) Remove the contents of the pot and place into a strainer or colander.
6) Add the butter until it melts.





7) Add the flour to make a roux.









8) Add the spinach mixture so the roux covers it.









9) Add the milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Pesto

I've been staying on Nantucket Island with my brother and his family while I wait for a visa to go to Korea which is taking much longer than I was told it would. Anyway, he has a garden with tons of stuff in it and I've been making a lot of stuff with it so these next few posts will feature fresh from the garden food.

Pesto can easily be frozen if you omit the cheese.

I took the recipe from here but made a few changes.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh basil, chopped
• 1/3 pine nuts
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Put the basil in a food processor and blend for about 15 seconds.
2) Add the pine nuts and blend for about 15 seconds again.
3) Add the garlic and blend until you no longer see chunks (time depends on how much you chop them).
4) Add the olive oil in a constant stream (if not possible, just do it in batches of 3).
5) Scrape the sides to push all the basil back in (this might be needed during step 4) and blend for another 15 seconds.
6) This would be the point to freeze if you want to save it for later. If not, add the Parmesan and blend for about 30 seconds.
7) Add the lemon, salt and pepper and blend for 15 seconds.

5 batches of frozen pesto (2.5 batches in each container).

Garlic and Parmesan Pasta

National Garlic Day! And I really wanted butter pasta, so I made this!

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 cup pasta
• 4 garlic cloves (I should have used more...)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan plus extra for the top

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 175C on broil.
2) Boil water for the pasta.
3) Add the pasta.









4) At this time, heat the oil in the pan.
5) Chop the garlic and put it in the pan.







6) Add the butter when there is about 2 minutes left on the pasta.







7) Strain the pasta and add it to the  pan with the garlic and butter.
8) Add the Parmesan cheese.
9) Put into an oven safe bowl and add more Parmesan cheese.
10) Place into the oven and cook for 2 minutes.

Two Cheese Salad with Croutons

From: 101 Veggie Recipies

Ingredients:

• 2 thick slices white bread, crusts removed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 large cos or romaine lettuce
• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 large courgette, cut into sticks
• 140 g/1oz feta, crumbled into chunks
• 25 g/ 1 oz finely grated Parmesan
• 6 TBSP olive oil dressing

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/200C fan.
2) Cut the bread into 2 cm/ 3/4 in cubes.
3) Toss with the paprika, olive oil and garlic.








4) Spread out on a baking sheet.
5) Bake for 7-8 minutes, until crisp.
6) Tear the lettuce into large pieces.







7) Peel and slice the avocados and toss with lemon juice and freshly ground black-pepper.
8) Mix the lettuce, courgette, feta, croutons with the avocados mixture.
9) Add the Parmesan and olive oil dressing.

Pea and Ricotta Pesto

 From: Veggie Feasts

Ingredients:

• 4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 500 g (16 oz) fresh or frozen shelled peas
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100 g (4 oz) ricotta cheese
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp mint (I used parsley because Tesco was out of mint)
• 30 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1) Cook the peas in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes.








2) Drain and immediately refresh under cold water.









3) Put the peas into a food processor with the oil, garlic, ricotta, lemon juice, mint (or parsley), Parmesan and salt and pepper and process until fairly smooth. I don't have a food processor so I used a potato masher.
4) Serve with crostini or a baguette.

Potato Gratin With Pine Nut Crust

From: Veggie Feasts

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Spray oil
• 1 kg (2 lb) small waxy potatoes
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 25 g (1 oz) butter, diced
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) milk
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) double cream
• salt and black pepper
• For the pine nut crust
• 50 g (2 oz) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 50 g (2 oz) pine nuts
• 25 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 TBSP chopped parsley

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 190C
2) Lightly oil a 1 litre (1 3/4 pint) baking dish with spray oil.
3) Peal the potatoes.







4) Cut into wafer-thin slices.









 5) Arrange the slices in overlapping layers in the prepared dish, seasoning each layer with nutmeg, salt, pepper and butter.
6) Mix the milk and cream together.






7) Pour over the potatoes.
8) Cover the dish with foil.
9) Bake for 1 hour, until the potatoes are almost tender






10) Combine the breadcrumbs, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and parsley in a bowl.








11) Remove the foil from the gratin.









12) Scatter the breadcrumb mixture over to form a crust.
13) Bake for another 25-30 minutes until golden