Butter and Sage Sauce

I have sage growing like gangbusters in my front yard, so tonight I made this simple pasta sauce recipe from Mario Batali. I paired it with pumpkin ravioli, and it was delicious! Very quick and simple, and the lemon juice gave it a bright, fresh flavor.

Ingredients

Pasta, of choice (I used pumpkin ravioli)
4 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a 12 to 14-inch saute pan and continue cooking until golden brown color ("noisette") appears in the thinnest liquid of the butter. Add sage leaves and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and set aside. Drain the pasta, but leaving some cooking water, and gently pour into saute pan and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Blueberry Banana Bread

I had some overripe fruit that needed to be used up, so I decided to make some bread. I started with this basic banana bread recipe and tweaked it from there. Gary gives this the thumbs up... very tasty!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (alternatively, omit and use a total of 1/2 cup butter)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup blueberries
3 mashed overripe bananas
1 TB vanilla extract
1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

3) In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, applesauce, and mashed bananas until well blended.

4) Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Fold in blueberries.

5) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

PW's Easy Apple Tart

Staying on the tart kick, I decided to make this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I made this for a potluck breakfast and it was a hit... it was elegant but VERY simple!

Ingredients

1 sheet puffed pastry, cut into half OR thirds
3 apples, cored, halved, and sliced thinly (but not peeled)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Squeeze of lemon juice
Powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Drizzle some lemon juice on the apples and toss. Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

I'm back after an unintentional hiatus... I've been falling back on old standbys recently. I decided tonight that I'd bust out a new recipe. I saw these tomato and goat cheese tarts on another blog, and decided to give them a try. This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. She's never steered me wrong, and this recipe was no exception. Definitely a keeper. The only change I might make is to use regular goat cheese. I love goat cheese, but wasn't a huge fan of the garlic and basil flavored cheese.

Ingredients

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions- I used one and it was plenty)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
1 large tomato, cut into slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves
Flour
Parchment paper

Directions

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. (I made two large tarts instead-- one tart from each sheet of pastry.) Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Divide the onion mixture between each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a few slices of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Serves 2.

Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Tofu

About four years ago, I visited Japan on an education exchange program. I spent about two weeks in Murayama province, in the northern part of Japan. This is the province where soba noodles were born. So, I ate a lot of soba! I didn't mind it one bit, though. If you have never had these noodles, give them a try. They are made with buckwheat flour and are delicious and filling.

This recipe is from Prevention Magazine. It says it's a "Flat Belly Diet" recipe-- can't beat that! I thought this was tasty, and was pretty quick for a weeknight evening.

My camera is dead, so I wasn't able to take a photo... the one above is from Prevention.

Ingredients
4 oz soba noodles
1/2 c creamy reduced-sodium natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp chile paste with garlic (optional), see note
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
4 oz light firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut in 1/2" cubes
2 c shredded or grated carrots (about 2 lg)
3 scallions, thinly sliced (1/4 c)
Cooking spray or peanut oil

Directions
1. Cook noodles per package directions. Place peanut butter in small microwaveable bowl and microwave on high 25 seconds to soften.

2. Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, chile paste (if using), and sesame seeds in large bowl while noodles cook. Set aside.

3. Heat medium skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. (I used peanut oil.) Add tofu and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Drain noodles and add to peanut sauce along with all but 1/2 cup of the carrots. Mix until well combined. Top with tofu and remaining carrots and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

Pioneer Woman's Pasta with Eggplant

The Pioneer Woman makes this dish when her husband is out of town. Happily, my husband loves eggplant. We had some eggplant in the fridge we needed to use up, so we decided to make this recipe.

Ingredients

Olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 small eggplants
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used pasta sauce from a jar)
Fresh basil (I used dried)
1/2 package fusilli, about 1/2 lb. (I used whole wheat penne)
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Slice eggplant into round slices. Sprinkle one side with salt and allow to stand or 15 minutes. Turn over and repeat. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic until starting to turn color, about 5 minutes.

Add eggplant, stirring gently. Cook for 8 minutes, or until somewhat tender.

Dump in canned tomatoes (or pasta sauce) and reduce heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper and simmer until eggplant is tender. Toss in cooked pasta and chopped basil. Stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serves 2.

Mushroom Pizza

This pizza was inspired by a Tyler Florence recipe. The video demo is here. I subbed a lot of ingredients to use up what I had on hand. I used a pizza stone for this and it gave the pizza a nice crispy crust.

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 slices prosciutto, cut into strips (I used onion and green pepper instead)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
needles from 1 fresh rosemary sprig, plus 1 sprig for garnish
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms, such as crimini, portabello, shiitake, oyster, and morel, cleaned and coarsely chopped (I used white mushrooms)
8 ounces goat cheese (fresh or aged) (I used neufchatel cheese)
1 bunch fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried, coarsely chopped (I omitted)
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (I used mozzarella)
1 lemon, juiced (I omitted)

extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
all-purpose flour, for rolling
cornmeal, for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and put a big pizza stone in the oven to heat. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a regular mixing bowl), combine 1 package active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F.) and stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

If using mixer, apply lowest setting and add 1 tablespoon salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 3 cups flour, a little at a time until the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium until dough gathers into a ball. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook.

If you're making dough by hand, stir in salt and olive oil, and then begin stirring in flour. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, knead the rest of the flour in by hand, a little at a time. Adjust as necessary -- if the dough feels crumbly, add more water, if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times, kneading until smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a round and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (like over a gas pilot light or a on a windowsill) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, coat a saute pan with a 2-count of olive oil and put it over medium heat until it gets hot. Add 2 slices of prosciutto, cut into strips, and stir for a minute or so to release the fat and flavor. Toss in 2 garlic cloves (chopped), and needles from 1 fresh rosemary spring and cook for about 30 seconds. Drizzle in some more olive oil, add 1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as crimini, portabello, shiitake, oyster and morel) and season with salt and pepper. Stir, and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture and are nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper and take the pan off the heat.

Check the dough. Once it's domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to a large circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If you prefer a thinner crust, cut the dough in half and make two smaller pizzas. Dust a pizza paddle with some cornmeal and slide the paddle under the pizza dough. Spread 8 ounces of fresh goat cheese evenly over the dough with the back of a spoon (or crumble on, if using aged). Scatter the sauteed mushrooms on top of the pizza, drizzle on some olive oil, and top with 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese.

Reduce oven heat to 475 degrees F. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbly.

In a large mixing bowl, toss 1 bunch fresh baby spinach, rinsed, dried, and coarsely chopped, with fresh lemon juice, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with the dressed spinach, slice and serve.