Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Basil’

Herb Garden Chicken

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2017| 2 Comments »

I mentioned yesterday that my neighbor has invited me to raid his herb garden anytime I want.  Afraid I might not venture into his backyard and help myself, he showed up at my front door two days ago with three ziploc bags: Fresh oregano, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary.  He freely admits he’s not a cook; the herbs in his garden are there to be available  to his son (who is a great cook), when he visits.  I think because he doesn’t cook, he didn’t realize that I could never use up all these herbs while they’re still fresh – I think they’re destined for the freezer in another day or so.

Ah hah!  I found two recipes online that would utilize all three, at least I could make a dent in my bounty.  Last night I made ROSEMARY BREAD and while it was cooling, I prepped some chicken quarters for today’s recipe;  LEMON and OREGANO CHICKEN.  It uses thyme, oregano and basil.  We had it for dinner tonight and Peter was amazed at how delicious marinated chicken tastes and he prefers chicken breasts not the dark meat quarters.  It’s really easy!

54fa199dca7bb-lemon-oregano-chicken-ghk0307-xl

photo by David Prince

LEMON and OREGANO CHICKEN

1 (3 1/2 -4lb) whole chicken cut up or the equivalent weight in breasts, legs, thighs

Fresh basil torn into pieces

2 garlic cloves minced

1 lemon / zest and juice

1/4 cup of fresh oregano

2 TBS fresh thyme

3 TBS balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt and ground pepper

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, oregano, thyme, basil, garlic and crushed pepper.  Put the mixture in a large ziploc bag and add the chicken.  Let it marinade 1-2 hours or overnight.  I opted for overnight which also means all the next day.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and grill breast side down (or skin side) on medium high with lid closed for 10–15 minutes and charred.  Flip over and cook till the chicken registers an internal temperature of 160º.  Let rest 10 minutes.

This recipe is a variation of Martha Stewart’s Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano

Read Full Post »

Glories of the Garden Pasta

Posted in We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2017| Leave a Comment »

PENNE with HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, BASIL, GREEN BEANS and FETA

I haven’t posted a recipe in quite a while, but tonight’s dinner was so damn good, I really want to share it with you.  It was an easy dish to prepare, with a little earlier in the day prep.

Before I post the recipe I just have to extoll the virtues of using fresh ingredients;  Spending some summer time at the Jersey Shore affords me with an unbelievable assortment and supply of fresh vegetables and herbs.  I don’t have a garden in my yard because I’m not here consistently to keep it watered and weeded.  NO PROBLEM!  I have my own basil plants and peppermint and my neighbor who is growing oregano, thyme and rosemary has told me to help myself any time, any day.  And for the vegetables themselves, I love going to Matt’s Farm Stand.  We have been feasting on the corn so sweet, it’s like sugar on a stick, tomatoes so sweet and juicy that adding basil, is like gilding the lily.  Matt grows a lot of his own vegetables and obtains the rest from farmers around the Garden State.

05recipehealth_600-articleLarge

Penne with Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil, Green Beans and Feta Cheese **

That’s enough about that, here is the recipe.

2 Cups chopped fresh tomatoes (I used regular tomatoes)

6-8 oz. green beans, trimmed, strings removed and cut in half if they are long

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

1 plump garlic clove, minced

2 TBS slivered basil

Sea salt and ground pepper

3/4 # penne

2 oz. crumbled Feta cheese

Combine olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Let sit for up to 4 hours or less (I put it together and went to the beach for a couple of hours).

Put a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the string beans and boil for about 5 minutes.   Prepare a bowl of ice water.  Remove the string beans with a slotted spoon and put into the ice water.  Once cool, drain and put aside.

Bring the water back to a boil, cook the pasta till al dente per package instructions;  A minute or so before the pasta is done, drop the string beans into the pot with the pasta.

Drain and toss with the tomato mixture, add the Feta, toss to mix and serve either hot or at room temperature.

Easy, delicious, vegetarian, perfect for a summer supper!

** The photo is from the NY Times recipe.  I strongly advise using plump juicy red tomatoes instead of Heirloom which are not as juicy.  I also chopped my tomatoes much smaller so I would get a more sauce-like consistency. I cut the beans in half and slivered the basil.  This photo looks like Food photography and not at all like mine looked.

Read Full Post »

Rigatoni with Broccoli, Beans & Basil-Back To The Future

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , on March 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The Macaroni Marathon has left old world Italian cooking (just for a while) and moved forward with yet another contemporary version of vegetarian pasta with beans for protein.  I’m telling you the combinations are seemingly endless!

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz rigatoni

2 cups broccoli florets

1 19 oz cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup snipped basil leaves

2 slices of bread cut into small cubes

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Snipped basil for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In Dutch oven cook pasta, adding broccoli during last 5 minutes of cooking.  Reserve 3/4 – 1 cup pasta water.  Drain pasta and broccoli and return to pot.

In large bowl combine beans, garlic and 3TBS oil.  Mash about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture.  Stir in basil, pasta water and 1/2 tsp salt.  Stir into the pasta and broccoli – Cover and keep warm.

Heat remaining oil over medium heat in frying pan.  Add bread cubes and red pepper.  Cook, stir 1-2 minutes until crisp.  Top pasta with croutons and basil.

Recipe from Better Homes & Garden

Read Full Post »

SUNDAY SAUCE – THE MACARONI MARATHON

Posted in FAMILY & FRIENDS, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Sunday sauce

Sunday sauce (Photo credit: letouj)

This past weekend, I decided to make Sunday Sauce.  It is so tasty, so delicious and even though it takes a long time to cook down, it is well worth it.  Pick an afternoon you’ll be home and soon your home will be filled with the aroma of simmering tomato sauce.  I thought I could make it in my crock pot BUT my crock pot was not big enough.  Using a crock pot would make the whole process easier since you could just let it simmer away for hours.

I started with a large stockpot but then thought, “Oh why not use the crock pot?”   I filled the crock pot and still had a lot of sauce in the braising pan so now I had to make a decision;  I took half of the meat out of the crock pot and put it in the braising pan and cooked the sauce in both.  I tell you all this so you won’t make the same mistakes I made which made a fairly simple recipe into a complicated process.  Mangia!

SUNDAY SAUCE

(but you can call it Gravy!)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1.5 lb of boneless country spare ribs ( I used bone-in)

6 links of Hot Italian Pork Sausage (I used Hot Poultry Sausage)

2 cups (16 oz) chopped onions

8 TBSP of minced garlic (from jar) OR 20 cloves minced

2 cans of tomato paste

4 cups of water

6 cans of coarsely ground Italian tomatoes

4 TBSP dried basil (I used 2 TBS and basil from my yard)

16 meatballs (cooked)

Salt and Pepper to taste

You’ll need a large braising pan and a 16 Qt stockpot

Heat olive oil in large braising pan on MEDIUM HIGH; add ribs and sausage.  Cook, turning 2-5 min, until meats are browned on all sides.  Transfer meats to stockpot.

Reduce heat to LOW.  Add onions and garlic to braising pan; cook, stirring, 10 minutes, until veggies are translucent.

Raise heat to MEDIUM; add tomato paste.  Cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes, until paste just begins to brown.  Add water, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.  Bring to simmer.

Transfer tomato paste/water mixture to stockpot. Stir in canned tomatoes and basil.  Bring to simmer on MEDIUM.  Reduce heat to LOW.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 hours.  Add cooked meatballs.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Carefully transfer meats to serving platter; cut meats into manageable pieces. Transfer sauce to serving bowl.

** Cutting the ingredients in half would make this sauce much more manageable to prepare.

Recipe from Wegman’s MENU magazine

I originally posted this blog in November 2013 but am giving it an encore performance because it is truly a STAR recipe and deserves the spotlight it was given back in the good old days when Sunday dinner was a heart-warming affair often at Nonni’s!!  Tradition!!!!

Read Full Post »

SEASONAL SENSATIONS

Posted in Fab Fotos, Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

The frost we had earlier this week pretty much killed off most of what was left of summer’s glory.  The pink begonias were black and the remaining basil turned brown.  I had already cut back the peonies and the day lilies and today I cut back the peppermint and we put covers on the patio furniture and the grill.  With Thanksgiving around the corner it’s a little strange to see the last few geraniums blooming by the back door and have a gourd and maize arrangement in the living room.  The seasons may be merging, global warming notwithstanding.  I can remember Thanksgivings that were bitter cold and some years we had snow.  Not sure what’s in store for us this year weather-wise and wonder if there will still be some “color” left in the yard besides the leaves from our neighbor’s tree.  FLASHBACK TO FORWARD.

SEPTEMBER: 

Shades of September

Shades of September

OCTOBER: 

Ghoulish October

Ghoulish October

NOVEMBER OUTSIDE:

YES Geraniums in November

YES Geraniums in November

NOVEMBER INSIDE: 

Gourdish November

Gourdish November

Read Full Post »

Quick Marinara Sauce with Ziti and Mozzarella Cubes

Posted in Everyday Food, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Sweet Tomatoes, Creamy Mozzarella!

Sweet Tomatoes, Creamy Mozzarella!

Sunday night supper!  A few days ago I happened across one of Lidia’s recipes and it seemed simple enough and was just perfect for simple supper after a day at the beach.  I thought the season was perfect for Garden State ingredients but I was slightly off.  I called one of our favorite Market Stands and I was told that it’s still too early for native plum tomatoes.  As you know I’m a huge fan of Wegman’s but there are some vegetables that I will only eat in season and bought from a fruit and vegetable stand and tomatoes are definitely in that category.  Well, at least I had the fresh basil growing in my backyard!  Lidia allowed for the fact that you might not be able to get your hands on 2# of fresh plum tomatoes so she suggested you use a 28 oz can of peeled Italian tomatoes – so I did.

This really is a quick and easy recipe  and so damn good!  

1/4 cup olive oil

8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

3 # fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded or 28 oz can of peeled Italian tomatoes

2 sprigs of fresh basil

pepperoncino (crushed red pepper to taste)

1 # Ziti

2 cups of mozzarella cubes ( 1/2″)

1/2 cup granna padano grated ( I used shredded Parmesan/Peccorino)

1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded and packed loosely

Bring a pot of  salted water to boil for the pasta.

Add the oil to a medium size saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook till lightly browned – about 2 minutes.

Carefully add the tomatoes and their liquid.  Add the basil sprigs.  Bring to a boil and season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper.  

About 10 minutes after the sauce has been up on the stove, add the ziti to the boiling water.  Reduce the heat for the sauce to a simmer and break up the tomatoes. Sauce should get chunky and thick – anywhere from 10-15 minutes.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings  Lydia says to remove the garlic and the basil sprigs.  I didn’t.

Drain the ziti and add to the sauce – toss till pasta is covered with sauce.  Turn off the stove, add the mozzarella cubes and the grated cheese.  Serve immediately and garnish with shredded basil leaves.

Recipe by Lidia Bastianich

 

Read Full Post »

Broccoli “Pesto” and Linguine

Posted in Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , on September 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Tomato

Summer Sumptuous

TASTY TIDBIT TUESDAY

If ever there was a time to indulge yourself in tomatoes, this would be it!  Fresh garden grown tomatoes are everywhere.  Even the large grocery stores are featuring state-grown produce.  The Jersey tomatoes are plump, juicy, sweet and so available and so this is the time to use them in as many recipes as possible.  And if your basil plant is looking like mine, you know it’s time to use up the leaves that got left behind when you were making tomato and onion and basil salad.  You WERE making that weren’t you this summer because really if you live in the Northeast, summer is really the only time you can eat tomatoes.  The other 9 months you’re eating a dark pink, hard, ethylene-gassed tennis ball.

8 oz. / 4 cups broccoli florets

2 oz. grated cheese

1/2 cup packed basil leaves

2 TBS olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 ripe tomatoes

Bring water to boil in covered pot.  Trim stems of broccoli, steam for 5 minutes until tender.  Reserve 6 TBS of the liquid, set aside.

You can use a food processor for many of these steps, however I don’t think it’s necessary to grate the cheese to equal 4 TBS.  Set aside.

Wash and dry basil leaves and pack into measuring cup.   Mince the garlic.  Add basil, olive oil and pine nuts in food processor and process till all is minced.  Add broccoli florets to food processor, if mixture get too thick, add water.  Add cheese and process to blend.

Serve over drained pasta.  Arrange sliced tomatoes along the side.

Read Full Post »