Steamed Mussels with Chorizo & White Wine

Steamed Mussels with Chorizo & White Wine
From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1lb/450g Spanish chorizo (I used the smoked kind you find in deli sections), thinly sliced in rounds
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
4lb/1½ kg mussels, scrubbed & debearded (I don’t have to do this when I get local Indian Point Mussels)
1 cup dry white wine
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped and a little more for garnish
6 tbsp butter, cut into pieces (DO NOT SKIP – it makes the sauce so rich and creamy)
1 baguette for sopping up all that delicious juice

Directions:
1. Place a large wide pot (I use my big Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the chorizo and sauté for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Add the shallots & garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes – don’t let the garlic burn – just until fragrant.

2. Add the mussels and toss to coat, quickly add the wine and cover. Cook over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes or until the mussels begin to open. Discard any that don’t open. Add the 3 tbsp cilantro and toss to combine.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels & chorizo to a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

4. Boil the juices remaining in the pot for 1-2 minutes and whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the mussels and sprinkle a little more cilantro over all and serve with a baguette.

Don’t forget to have a large bowl for the empty shells and enjoy!

Spicy Lamb Burgers with Minty Tzatziki

Spicy Lamb Burgers with Minty Tzatziki Sauce
Adapted from Bitchin' Kitchen Cookbook: Rock Your Kitchen-And Let the Boys Clean Up the Mess

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours or more in the fridge
Grill time: 10 minutes or until done to your liking

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Burgers:
2 lbs/1kg ground lamb
1 large onion, minced
½ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh gingerroot, minced
1 tbsp green hot chili (optional – I left it out and the other seasonings were spicy enough for us), minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing on the burgers
Tzatziki:
1 very large English cucumber
½ cup scallions/green onions, finely sliced (white and green parts)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (my addition, because…well, just because)
2 cups Mediterranean style yoghurt (thick)
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of brown sugar (you heard me)

Directions:
Burgers:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

2. Preheat the grill and form into patties. A great tip…make a dent in the center of the burger…just not all the way through…keeps the juice in and the burger won’t turn out looking like a giant meat ball.

3. Brush the burgers with olive oil just before adding them to the grill. Grill 4-6 minutes per side, depending on how well you like them done. If you’re lucky, you have a BBQ. If you’re like me this year, you’ll make do with a grill pan on top of the stove or you can also use the broiler.

Tzatziki:
1. Peel the cucumbers, cut in half length-wise and remove the seeds. Liberally season with salt and let them stand for 15 minutes or so. I do this in a strainer over the sink, or you could just have the cucumbers sitting on a plate. Drain and rinse.

2. Finely dice the cucumbers and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Chill for 20 minutes. Just before serving, pat the cucumber dices dry and add to the yoghurt mixture. Voila…tzatziki!

Serve the tzatziki as a side or as a condiment on the burger…or both!

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins

Norene's Blueberry & Chocolate Chip Corn Muffins
Adapted from Norene's Healthy Kitchen - a perfect pick-me-up snack
Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 12 minutes (or until the toothpick comes out clean and the tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched)
Makes 32 mini-muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal, coarsely ground
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup plain yoghurt (actually this time I only had vanilla on hand…worked out fine)
½ orange juice (I didn’t have any so I used the juice of one lime and enough apple juice to equal 1 cup of liquid)
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not defrost)
½ - ¾ cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and use paper muffin liners or cooking spray.

2. In the food processor fitted with the steel blade (or large bowl using a fork) combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt and pulse to process until well mixed (5-10 quick pulses should do it). Add the yoghurt, juice, oil, eggs, sugar and cinnamon. Process for 20 seconds to blend.

3. At this point I transferred the batter to a large bowl and then gently folded in the blueberries and chocolate chips.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about ¾ full.

5. Bake for 12 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If it comes out dry, the muffins are done. The tops should be golden in color and respond lightly to the touch. Cool in the muffin tin on a cake rack for 5 minutes before trying to remove the muffins.

Norene says they freeze well for up to 3 months. No room in my freezer, so we’ll just have to eat them…good thing they’re so delicious.

Roasted Chimchirri Salmon on Mixed Greens

Roasted Chimchirri Salmon on Mixed Greens
Printable recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Roast time: 10 - 20 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
Chimchirri Dressing
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus a bit to drizzle over fish
Juice of 1 large lime
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
½ cup fresh herbs (normally I’d use cilantro, but all I had was parsley and mint…a fine combo)
½ small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

2 salmon fillets (tilapia or halibut fillets would work too)
Drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil
1 spoonful of chimchirri sauce per fillet
Smoked paprika

Salad:
2 big handfuls of mixed greens (or baby spinach or arugula)
2 green onions, finely sliced (white and green parts)
A few sprigs of fresh herbs, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
1/3 English cucumber, partially peeled and finely diced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Prepare rimmed baking sheet with foil. Oil the foil if your fillets don’t have skin.

2. While the oven is preheating, make the chimchirri sauce…Just combine everything in a small bowl or measuring cup and taste. Set aside.

3. Place the salmon skin side down. Drizzle with a little olive oil, spoon some chimchirri sauce over each fillet and sprinkle some smoked paprika.

4. Roast for 10-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

5. In the meantime, prepare the salad. Toss all the vegetables in a large serving bowl and set aside.

6. Once the salmon is cooked through (light pink on the inside and fairly firm to the touch in the thickest part) allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

7. Give the dressing a final mix and toss into the salad, saving a bit to spoon over the fish. Toss the salad, place the fillets (without skin) over the salad, and spoon the last of the chimchirri over the fish.

Serve with some crusty bread and white wine…what more do you need!

Homemade Fettuccine

Homemade Fettuccine
thanks to my KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer and the KPRA Pasta Roller Attachment

Time: 45 minutes (just because it was my first time… I’m sure next time will just be about 30 minutes from flour to pasta!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
I actually made this batch from a mix that came with my KitchenAid Pasta Kit, but the manual suggests the following:
4 large eggs
1 tbsp water
3 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Directions:
1. For the mix…add ½ cup water plus 1 tbsp water to the mix, place in the bowl of your stand mixer (or food processor)…seriously, I couldn’t even count to ten before it was done. It’s supposed to be very crumbly, so don’t worry and don’t overdo by adding more than a tbsp of water or mixing longer.

2. Using your hands, form the mix into several small balls…think Tennis. You’ll be feeding them through the flat pasta attachment and they will elongate so you want them to be a manageable size.

3. Using a rolling pin on a floured surface, flatten each ball to a little thicker than ¼” and not as wide as the attachment. (note: I'd go a little thinner than this next time)

4. Next comes the hard part, but only until you figure things out. So…having no extra hand to take photos, I hope I got the message across for first time pasta makers...Pros...share any pointers in the comments.

Set your speed to 2 on your KitchenAid Stand Mixer with your flat pasta attachment properly in place and the rollers set to 1.

Don't freak out like I did when much of the dough fell apart first time through. Just pick up the loose pieces and place it in the center of the flattened dough. Fold the dough in half over it and press. Then send through the roller again. This time it will be less crumbly.

Fold the dough in half (bottom to top) and repeat this step until the dough is smooth and soft - at least 10 times.

5.Next phase...once the dough looks like real dough...all the flour being incorporated and the texture is almost, but not quite sticky and looks shiny... feed it through the rollers (going from 2-7 or 8 depending on how thick/thin you like your pasta), changing the setting after each pass through. DO NOT FOLD the dough during this stage and change the setting after each passing.

What I needed to do was cut the dough horizontally by the time I got to setting 4 or 5 - It was getting too long for me to handle.

6. Once the sheet has gone through to setting 7 or 8 ...it's done. 8 is really thin and I think I might leave it at 7 next time....experimentation is a good thing! Lightly flour and leave on a flat surface. This is where you'd stop for lasagna, cannelloni or ravioli.

For fettuccine (or whatever cool roller you have) change the roller head and feed each sheet through.

Lightly toss with flour to keep the strands from sticking to each other.

7. You can let the pasta dry for a bit before using. If you aren't using it right away, you can store the dry pasta in a ziplock baggie in the fridge for a few days.

Now you're ready for the cooking. The actual cooking of fresh pasta is just 1-3 minutes. So have your sauce ready.

Here are a few of my favorite sauces (the photos are with different pastas, but they would all work even better with homemade:

Of course...to really allow the pasta to be the star, simple sauces are best:

Pepe e Cacio

Pesto

Mascarpone, Lemon & Herbs

Bolognese I would make the pasta thicker for any meaty sauce.

Other great pasta sauces

So what are you waiting for! It's really simple once you get the knack and the rewarding dishes are worth the effort.

All you pasta making pros out there...please share your tips with the rest of us newbie pasta makers.

An Inspired Garlicky Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Inspired Garlicky Shrimp Pesto Pasta
Inspired by Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Normally, when I share a recipe, it’s for the dish I actually serve. This time it’s a little different. I’m going to share Chef Curtis Stone’s recipe as well, at the end of the post – it’s worth it. Ours was sensational, but his looks truly spectacular.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (or whatever your pasta requires plus time to boil the water)
Serves 2

Ingredients:
6oz/180g pkg multigrain fusilli
2-4 tbsp olive oil
2.5 oz/70g pancetta, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
20 large shrimp, peeled & deveined
¼ cup or so white wine
Pinch or two of red chili pepper flakes
2-4 large spoonfuls pesto

Directions:
1. Boil the salted water for the pasta in a large Dutch oven. Once the water has come to a boil, add the pasta (note: if you’re using fresh pasta like CS, then wait until the “sauce” is mostly done before adding to the boiling water.)

2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the pancetta until crisp (about 4-5 minutes) and remove from the pan. Add a little more oil if needed and add the shrimp, red pepper flakes and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes or until the shrimp start to turn pink. This would be the time to add fresh pasta to the boiling water.

3. At this point, add some white wine to the pan of shrimp and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Return the pancetta to the pan. Your sauce is done.

4. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Add some pesto and toss (note: you have enough, when you think you have enough – I love lots, but the taste is personal). Add the shrimp, toss, taste for seasoning and serve.

Curtis Stone’s recipe
Serves 4
Pesto:
1 ½ cups (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Grind the basil, pine nuts and grated cheese with a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste forms…or use a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil, grinding until a smooth sauce forms. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.

Linguine:
12 cherry tomatoes on the vine
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
9 oz/255g fresh linguine (from the dairy case of your local supermarket)
2 garlic cloves, minced
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Parmesan shavings for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C. Place the vine of tomatoes in an oven proof skillet. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 8 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking (about 2 minutes).

While the linguine cooks, heat the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and the garlic is tender. Stir the pesto into the shrimp mixture.

Drain the linguine, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the linguine in a large bowl with the shrimp pesto mixture, adding enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the sauce to coat the pasta evenly.

Using a two pronged carving fork, swirl some pasta around the fork. Slide it off the fork, letting it mound in the center of the plate. Repeat for each plate. Arrange the shrimp and roasted tomatoes around the pasta. Garnish with cheese and serve.

Curtis Stone's Sauteed Mushrooms & Baby Spinach

Curtis Stone’s Sautéed Mushrooms & Baby Spinach
Adapted from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Prep time: 5 minutes
Sauté time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1lb/450g fresh wild mushrooms (I settled for a mix of cremini & shitake), quartered or chunked
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tbsp fresh Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea or Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until the onions soften but don’t turn brown.

2. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 8 minutes or until they are tender.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the spinach and parsley. Toss until the spinach wilts and turns bright green. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Curtis Stone's Roasted Acorn Squash

Curtis Stone’s Roasted Acorn Squash - PURE CANDY
Adapted from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone

Prep time: 5 minutes
Roast time: 30-40 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2-3 acorn squash, halved length-wise, seeded and cut into ½ - ¾” wedges
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped (I actually used some that dried on my counter…I still used 1 tbsp)
Sea or Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.

2. Toss the squash wedges with oil and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. (Curtis just does it on the sheet and drizzles the olive oil right over them. I like to get them coated first….6 of one, half dozen of the other) Sprinkle the thyme leaves, salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes. I sliced mine thin and didn’t need quite as much time. At this point, you want them to START getting tender.

3. Using a metal spatula, turn the squash wedges over and drizzle with the maple syrup. Continue to roast until tender and golden. 10-20 minutes longer.

These taste like candy and go brilliantly with grilled fish, chicken or steaks.