Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

Posted on October 3, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I have had this recipe printed out and awaiting execution for a while now.  I finally made it!  One of the best parts of this dish is the wonderful shape of the macaroni.  How couldn’t you love eating something that translates as “little ears?”  These little discs (orecchiette) are nuggets of chewy deliciousness.  And because I am a lover of all greens bitter (the more bitter the better) I truly enjoyed this dish.  There is something so peasant-like about it.  Very simple.  Very nourishing.  I like to imagine my ancestors in Italy feasting on this bowl of little ears! 

One thing, however, I would suggest is to start with more garlic and more red pepper flakes.   Also, I would add two cups of chicken broth for maximum tastiness!

Orecchettie with Broccoli Rabe:

  • 1 /3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves,  sliced thinly
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 lb. trimmed broccoli rabe
  • 1 lb. dried orecchiette
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup cheese, freshly grated

 In a large pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is tender. Set aside.

Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until just tender.  Using tongs, lift out and transfer to the ice water to shock. Leave the pot of water over high heat. Drain the broccoli rabe well and squeeze gently to remove water. Chop into pieces.

Add the pasta to the boiling water used to cook the broccoli rabe, and cook until al dente or according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, add the broccoli rabe to the pan holding the garlic. Return to medium heat, season generously with salt, pepper, additional red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is hot throughout.  (This is where you may also add 2 cups of chicken broth.)

Look at those bright beautiful bitter greens! The sight of them makes me salivate!


Drain the pasta and return to the warm pot. Add the garlic/oil/rabe and incorporate with pasta.  Top with grated cheese and serve. 

 Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma recipe found here.

Filed under: Main Dish, pasta | 1 Comment »

Easy Jambalaya

Posted on September 4, 2008 by kitchenbelle

New Orleans has been all over the news lately and I think that’s why I have had Jambalaya on the brain.  I decided to try this recipe from the Boston Globe and it was really great!  This is an easy and tasty week night supper and it allows for modifications to suit your family.  The original recipe calls for shrimp, which I excluded because I wanted to make this dish “re-heating friendly.”  Also, instead of using diced ham, as the recipe suggests, I used sliced grilled turkey kielbasa, which my husband and I love. I used the brand of turkey kielbasa called Healthy Ones and I am so glad I did.  Regular kielbasa is delicious but has so much fat, and really, I would not have known the difference.  I will certainly use this product again.

This meal was delicious served with freshly grated cheese on top and a nice slice of crusty French bread for dipping.  There is a nice punch of flavor but it is certainly not too spicy.  (Though go ahead and add some Tabasco if that’s your style!  I did!)  I wish the photo did it justice!  I had trouble capturing the lovely colors of this dish.  For some reason they are blurred together in the picture. 

The only pieces missing from this meal were a mint julep and a beignet! 

(One other recipe note, I doubled the below recipe without a problem.)

Easy Jambalaya:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 2 gloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I didn’t have any thyme so I omitted it and I didn’t notice it missing.)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 14 ounces kielbasa, grilled and sliced diagonally into bite-size pieces
  • 2.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1  14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled deveined (optional, I omitted it)
  •  1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Over medium heat, in a large pot (I used a Le Creuset) heat the oil and add the onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in the kielbasa, chicken broth, tomatoes, and rice, then cover the pot and cook over medium low heat for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid and do not stir during this time.

If you decide to use shrimp, stir it into the rice mixture, and cook uncovered over low heat for about 5 minutes or until shrimp cooked. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper (and Tabasco if you’re daring!).  Stir in most of the parsley (saving some for garnish).   Let it sit until the rice absorbs the liquid.  Serve in individual bowls garnished with parsley and freshly grated cheese.

Original recipe available here.

Filed under: Main Dish, rice | 4 Comments »

Barbeque Meat Loaf

Posted on August 25, 2008 by kitchenbelle

My oh my, meatloaf is a far cry from photogenic.  And because I made this and gave it away (you guessed it, to the new parents) I didn’t slice it and plate it in attempts to make it all pretty for the camera.  If only there were a mechanism by which you could smell through your monitor!  The aroma of this meatloaf  was fantastic! I actually said the words, “Bath and Body Works should create a meatloaf-scented candle.” That’s how good this smelled.  When I asked my brother to describe the taste he said, “Slightly sweet and tangy.”  (That sounds like a description of Paula Deen herself!)  He said it was delicious and moist, and I believe him based on the scent of it!  

Leftovers of this would be great sliced up in a soft white bread sandwich.

Barbeque Meat Loaf:

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2   8 ounce cans tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1cup BBQ sauce*
  • 1/4 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, 1 can of the tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce. Create a loaf out of the mixture and place it in a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle the top of the meatloaf with shredded cheese.  Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and BBQ sauces.  Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake covered for 1 hour, basting every so often with the sauce from the pan.   Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing. 

*Recipe note: As a BBQ sauce zealot, I feared the recipe would not taste BBQ-y enough as it stood, so I added BBQ sauce to the meat and the sauce.  However, unless you like to drink BBQ sauce from the bottle with a straw like I do, you’ll probably want to omit the BBQ sauce.  This recipe is sweet and moist enough without it!

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen’s recipe found here on foodnetwork.com.

Filed under: ground meat, Main Dish | 3 Comments »

Somewhat Fancy Tuna Noodle Casserole

Posted on August 19, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I wanted to make some food for the new parents–something that could easily be re-heated in single servings.  Tuna noodle casserole was the obvious choice, however, I was in the mood to be adventurous and I wanted to make it a little more special than the usual (and delicious!) canned mushroom soup recipe.  The Kitchen Illiterate has perfected what she calls “The Ultimate Tuna Noodle Casserole.”  I just knew I had to give it a try.  

And I am glad I did!  This turned out really great!  (I snuck a bite while visiting baby!)  I would say mine turned out a little bit more like a mac and cheese with tuna and peas–very cheesy, flavorful, and delicious!  A success!  Thanks, KI!

The Kitchen Illiterate’s Ultimate Tuna Noodle Casserole:

  • 1 bag of egg noodles (I used the smaller sized noodles) 
  • 1 tablespoon  butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 6 ounce can of tuna, shredded
  • 1 1/2 c. grated cheese (I used an Italian blend, Parmesan, and Romano Pecorino)
  • 1 half of a bag of frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put a large pot of water on to boil.  In another large pot, heat the olive oil and butter then add the garlic.  Saute on low for 3-4 minutes, and then add the mushrooms. Stir them quickly so they get coated in the oil and butter.  Let the mushrooms cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring only a couple of times. Add a cup of chicken stock and stir. Then add the flour. Using a whisk, mix the mushroom mixture with the flour. Then add the milk, a little at a time, whisking and whisking and whisking. Between additions of milk, let it sit and get thick and bubbly, then add more milk. I only used two cups of milk because I feared it wouldn’t be thick enough.  Whisk while heating for several minutes.  In the meantime, toss your pasta into the rolling pot of water.  Cook it for a few minutes less than the package suggests.  Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Mix the soup, tuna, peas, and cheese into the pasta.  Make sure the pasta is thoroughly coated and all of the peas and nuggets of tuna are evenly dispersed.  Pour into a casserole (I used a disposable aluminum tin so the parents would not have to worry about getting my dish back to me).  Bake covered for 30 minutes in preheated oven.  Remove from oven, top with cheese and breadcrumbs and broil uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. 

Recipe Notes: KI uses broccoli florets.  I stuck with peas.  Also, KI cooked a fresh tuna steak.  I used canned tuna. 

Recipe adapted from The Kitchen Illiterate’s Ultimate Tuna Noodle Casserole found here.

Update: If you prefer not to make the soup just use 1 26 oz. can of store-bought cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup of whole milk, 2 cups of frozen peas, and 2 cans of tuna drained.  Mix all of these ingredients with 4 cups cooked egg noodles and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  (Top with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs + 2 tsp. melted butter before baking, if you wish.)

Filed under: Main Dish, tuna | 3 Comments »

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Posted on August 11, 2008 by kitchenbelle

 

Our diets have been lacking fiber lately and I wanted to do something about it. (If only ice cream and chocolate were high in fiber I’d be all set!)  What better way to quench a fiber drought than with a nice hardy bowl of chili!  This recipe is filling and delicious and contains very little fat.  I doubled the below recipe in order to fill a huge pot, so I will likely eat a bowl of it for lunch every day this week.  I love how it can be easily reheated in single servings and it gets even tastier as it sits in the fridge!

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Note: I received a reader request for some gluten-free recipes.  I have some research to do on this subject, but in the meantime, I am almost sure this recipe is gluten-free.  I will update this post when I have additional information.

***Update:  This recipe is gluten free.***

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Vegetarian Chili:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic. minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1  28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1  15 oz. can kidney beans
  • 1  15 oz. can chickpeas
  • 1  15 oz. can black beans
  • 1  15 oz. can cannellini beans
  • 1  15 oz. can corn
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • a pinch of shredded Monteray Jack cheese for garnish

Rinse and drain beans in a colander.  Spray pot with cooking spray.  Saute onion, garlic, and pepper until soft.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring mixture to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour.  Garnish individual servings with cheese.

Recipe adapted from Ellie Deaner’s wonderful cookbook “So Easy So Delicious” available for purchase here.

Filed under: cannellini beans, chickpeas, chili, corn, gluten free, Main Dish, tomato | 1 Comment »

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