LINGUINE WITH PEA PESTO

It has gotten quite warm here in Brooklyn (a nice way of saying sweat soaked clothing hot!) A few days ago as I was out walking my two jack russell terriers- who were creeping along behind from the heat and Nigel decided to bolt after a "figment of his imagination" and down I went. Hence I will not be doing any heavy cooking for awhile while my arm heals (not broken but wrenched).

A few weeks back I did make a great dish-with peas I got at the greenmarket and my home grown fire escape basil.

I like pesto but I sometimes find it is too garlicky-or too oily-this recipe is much lighter and has a more delicate taste.

I followed the recipe with a few changes.

I used Whole wheat Linguine, and did not use all of the olive oil (just a preference).

I went with the basil for garnish-I think it would be great with the mint, but my mint plant did not survive the direct sun on my fire escape. I can grow Rosemary, my plant is three years old (I bring it in in the winter) thyme oregano and basil. They all do fine, but dill, mint and cilantro bite the dust year after year.

I used fresh peas- I loved the whole shelling process mindless and calming.

I did the ice bath for the peas but I think next time I will just make the time and let the peas cool on their own to see if there is a difference.

The pasta water to thin the sauce was brilliant you can make the sauce as thick or thin as you like.

It is a great hot weather meal the only heat is from the cooking of the linguine and thinning the sauce at the end.

Linguine with Pea Pesto

1 1/2 cups (from approximately 1 1/2 pounds peas in pods) fresh pea or a 10-ounce package frozen peas, defrosted
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and cooled
1/2 cup (1 1/8 ounces) finely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon table salt, plus more for pasta water
1/3 cup olive oil
12 ounces dried linguine
Garnish (optional): thinly slivered basil or mint leaves

If you’re completely maniacal about your peas getting overcooked (I am!), prepare an ice bath, a large bowl filled with ice water. Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add peas and cook for 2 minutes (this leaves them with a bit of structure). Drain peas then add them to the ice bath (if using) and drain again. If you haven’t used an ice bath, let your peas cool to lukewarm before making the pesto.

Set aside 1/2 cup of your cooked peas. Whirl the remaining cup of peas in the work bowl of a food processor with garlic, pine nuts, 1/3 cup parmesan and salt until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. You can stop right here, toast some baguette slices and make some fine, fine crostini. Or, you can continue…

Cook your linguine until al dente. Reserve about two cups pasta cooking water (yes, this is a lot, the pea pesto will be surprisingly thick) then drain linguine and return it to pot. Over moderate heat, toss pasta with pesto, reserved peas and as much reserved pasta water as needed to smooth and distribute pesto; let cook for one minute so that the pesto adheres. Adjust salt to taste, add freshly ground black pepper if desired. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh herbs, if using, and remaining parmesan for passing.

Recipe from the Smitten Kitchen

WHAT'S AT THE GREENMARKET

THERE WERE SOME BEAUTIFUL LOOKING STRAWBERRIES, ASPARAGUS AND RHUBARB AT THE GREENMARKETS THE LAST FEW WEEKS. I HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN UP ONE RECIPE WITH FREGOLA BUT HERE ARE TWO OTHERS.

SO I AGAIN DECIDED JUST TO BUY THEM ALL AND FIGURE OUT WHAT TO PREPARE LATER ON.

I MANAGED TO AMASS QUITE A LARGE QUANTITY OF STRAWBERRIES-SO THE SWEETEST ONES WE JUST ATE ALONE LIKE CANDY-I ADDED SOME TO OUR EVER EVOLVING FRUIT SALAD (MADE WITH WHATEVER IS FRESH AND IN SEASON) THE REST WENT INTO TWO JARS OF STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PRESERVES.

WITH THE ASPARAGUS I FOUND TWO NEW RECIPES 'ASPARAGUS AND DILL FRITTATA' AND A REALLY DELICIOUS 'LEMONY ASPARAGUS PASTA" I GOT BOTH RECIPES FROM http://www.food52.com/, A TERRIFIC BLOG.

I MADE QUITE A FEW CHANGES SO I HAVE WRITTEN OUT THE RECIPES AS I PREPARED THEM.

ASPARAGUS AND DILL FRITTATA

Serves 2

4 large eggs

1/2 cup either half and half I used soy milk

1/2 shallot (chopped)

5 mushrooms chopped I used baby bella (sliced)

six or seven cherry tomatoes sliced

5 sticks Asparagus sliced

1-2 tablespoons dill roughly chopped

1/2 cup gouda I used a aged gouda

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

butter for the pan

Whisk together the eggs and milk(or half and half)in a bowl.

Add all other ingredients to the bowl

Heat a medium non-stick fry pan and add the butter making it sure it cover the whole bottom of the pan

Add the egg mixture cover and DO NOT TOUCH.

Let the frittata cook over low heat for 20 minutes

Check every once in awhile on the progress-Once the egg has puffed up to about 1/2 inch it should be done.Slide onto a plate and eat!

LEMONY ASPARAGUS PASTA

SERVES 2

SEA SALT

1 POUND ASPARAGUS

3 TAB OLIVE OIL

1 GARLIC CLOVE PEELED AND SMASHED

GRATED ZEST OF ONE LEMON "MEYER" SEE NOTE

1/2 POUND OF SPAGHETTI (I USED WHOLE WHEAT)

2 TAB UNSALTED BUTTER

JUICE OF ONE LEMON "MEYER"

FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER

FRESHLY GRATED PARMESAN FOR SERVING

4 TAB FRESH RICOTTA

BRING A SALTED POT OF WATER TO BOIL

CUT THE ASPARAGUS AT THE TIP AND STEM THEN CUT THE STEM INTO 1/2 INCH PIECES

WARM THE OLIVE OIL IN A SAUTE PAN OVER MEDIUM HEAT. ADD GARLIC AND COOK FOR 1 MINUTE, ADD THE ASPARAGUS AND SEASON WITH SALT, COOK STIRRING UNTIL CRISP TENDER ABOUT 6-8 MINUTES. STIR IN LEMON ZEST AND REMOVE FROM THE BURNER.

WHEN THE WATER BOILS ADD THE SPAGHETTI AND COOK UNTIL AL DENTE. DRAIN THE SPAGHETTI BUT FIRST RESERVE 1/3 CUP OF THE PASTA WATER. ADD SPAGHETTI BACK INTO THE POT ALONE WITH THE ASPARAGUS AND THE BUTTER USE TONGS TO TOSS-ADD SOME OF THE LEMON JUICE AND TOSS AGAIN. TASTE AND ADJUST THE SEASONING ADDING MORE LEMON JUICE AND SALT-IF THE SPAGHETTI IS A BIT DRY ADD SOME OF THE RESERVED PASTA WATER.

DIVIDE INTO TWO PLATES ADD THE GRATED PARMESAN AND TWO TAB OF THE FRESH RICOTTA.

NOTE: I could not find a Meyer Lemon so I went online and Mr Google helped me find a substitute which is

3 parts lemon juice to one part orange juice. I of course used fresh squeezed we just bought a very attractive bright orange Bodum juicer.

TRY BOTH OR ONE THEY WERE BOTH GREAT MEALS WITH A SIDE OF FRESH BREAD OR A GREEN SALAD.

PS: My niece has a new food blog please check it out sophiesayskissmyglass.wordpress.com.

FREGOLA WITH ASPARAGUS AND GORGONZOLA

A trip to the greenmarket here in Brooklyn helped in the decision of what to eat for dinner. I choose local New Jersey Asparagus. Next I went though my tons of recipes torn from magazines or stored on the computer and found this one.I already had the Fregola and most of the other ingredients in the house except for the cheese. So I paid a visit to the new "Stinky Brooklyn" on Smith Street. It is much larger than the old store and offers a bigger variety they sell a lot more than cheese. First impression was that they were also very pricey. I picked up a Gorgonzola Piccante-pasteurized cow cheese that is aged for 300 days-it was $18.oo a pound thank goodness I only needed 3 ounces. It is a bit strong but excellent.

I followed the recipe almost exclusively but did make some changes-I did not add the olive oil at the end I did not think it was needed, and when I make this again, because I will, I may cut down on the chicken broth-I actually had to strain the dish before I added the cheese because it was too soupy.

We had it as a main dish-it was really tasty, had a nice variety of texture, and was creamy like a risotto. I think it would also make a terrific side dish with a simple roasted chicken or fish.

Fregola With Asparagus and Gorgonzola
The Washington Post, March 5, 2008
Dinner in 30 Minutes

Course: Main Course
Features: Fast, Kid-Friendly
Summary:

Think of this dish as an unfussy, roly-poly risotto, achieved with less stirring and packed with some of the young, tender asparagus that has just cropped up in produce departments. Fregola, a small, round toasted pasta, hails from Sardinia.



4 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used fat free broth and cut down on the salt later)
1 medium shallot
1 pound asparagus, preferably with thin stalks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces fregola (may substitute toasted Israeli couscous)
1/2 cup dry, full-bodied white wine
3 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring the chicken broth almost to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.

Meanwhile, chop the shallot. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus and cut the stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a separate large saucepan over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chopped shallot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden (watch carefully to avoid burning). Add the asparagus and cook for 30 seconds, stirring to coat evenly.

Add the fregola to the asparagus and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to toast the pasta. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes or until it is absorbed, then add all of the hot broth. Cover partially and cook, stirring often, for about 15 minutes or until the mixture is creamy and the fregola has gotten fatter.

Remove from the heat and add the Gorgonzola, stirring to combine. Then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the pasta rest for 2 minutes before serving.

THE BROOKLYN FARMACY

Last Saturday was a partly sunny day, so when the sun came out we took out the bikes and after some fiddling (pumping up our tires and attaching a new LOUDER bell to my bike to ward off crazy drivers) we were off. We took in some stoop sales but most important was a trip to "The Brooklyn Farmacy" We had heard great things and decided to sample the eggs creams, root beer floats and their grilled cheese sandwich-plus Saturday is "Peter Pan Donut" Day.

I have linked their menu http://brooklynfarmacy.blogspot.com/p/our-menu.html so you can see what they have to offer, which is plenty-I had a vanilla egg cream I know most people will opt for the Chocolate but Vanilla is still my favorite. Lars got the Roor Beer Float both were fantastic. We shared a grilled cheese which they make with White Cheddar it was good but not as good as the beverages, it may just be that I have a childhood memory for grilled cheese made with yellow cheese plebian I know but still.... Lars thought it was great. The choice of Peter Pan Bakery Donuts was vast-they are a donut shop located in Greenpoint at 727 Manhattan Avenue.

We chose a sour cream cake donut-( the red velvet looked great) and it was good, but I think we are a bit jaded when it comes to donuts a few weeks back we paid a visit to the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene and got some donuts from "Dough" in Bed-Stuy (at 305 Franklin Avenue) and man o man they were phenomenal, they were-huge, they were doughy, they were covered in exotic glazes- they are going to be hard to beat!

Getting back to the Farmacy which is I believe is really an "old pharmacy" with beautiful old oak draws and moulding-I watched them make the biggest sundae I have seen in years-all the new fancy ice cream places that have opened seem to charge by the scoop or size of the scoop etc. These scoops were humongeous with lots of whipped cream and chocolate syrup-I will be returning to try one.

Paulie Gees

Here is one of best pizza's I have ever eaten!!

Lars and I took a trip out to Greenpoint to visit Paulie Gee's-and the one hour wait was worth every moment.

The place from the outside looks like any other aluminum sided building in the area. But once inside it may have been an old carriage house or barn it is cavernous with the huge wood burning white tiled oven in the back-a oven so hot 1000 degrees, 900 on the bottom. The pizza's are in the oven for 90 seconds or less.

We sat at the bar and had drinks-and Paulie comes around with pizza on trays so you can sample, which makes the wait fun and also just a nice thing to do.

There are quite a few pizzas' to choose from we decided on the "In Ricotta Da Vita", http://www.pauliegee.com/home.php. I have noted the website so you can see for yourself.

I think going with a crowd and then ordering and sampling 4 or five different pizzas, would be the way to go.

The crust is thin and crispy it has scorch marks from the oven heat, the dough is made with Caputo flour from Italy, the sausage was perfect the fennel did not overpower. The sauce was simply done with San Marzano tomatoes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marzano_tomato. The Ricotta and arugula put on just before serving. The taste was balanced you could taste it all and nothing out shone the rest.

It leaves all the other pizza places in the dust frankly. For friends who come visit and love pizza It is a must-for those who are seeing NYC for the first time Grimaldi's will have to do for location and views. But Paulie Gee's is our new #1.

Next on our list is Totonnos in Coney Island! http://www.coneyislandfunguide.com/EatAndShop/Totonnos.htm