Fusilli With Burst Grape Tomatoes

In addition to corn, there are great tomatoes and peaches in the market now.  We take advantage of this rich supply to make a burst tomato sauce for pasta, choosing grape tomatoes for a refreshing summer dish.  We first cook fusilli to just shy of al dente and set it aside while we gather our other ingredients:  pancetta, garlic, red pepper flakes, butter, ricotta cheese, scallions, and mint leaves.

Ingredients

In a large skillet, we sauté the pancetta in a little olive oil, then add garlic and red pepper flakes cooked until fragrant.  Next, the tomatoes are halved and cooked until the burst and slightly shriveled.

Preparing the tomato sauce

We then add the pasta with a little pasta cooking water, cook until the pasta is finished, then toss with butter to coat everything.

Add the pasta, then butter

We prepare a simple salad of sliced fresh peaches from the market drizzled with balsamic vinegar (from Modena of course).

Peach salad

The pasta is divided among warmed pasta bowls, garnished with dollops of ricotta, topped with torn fresh mint and sliced scallions, and drizzled with olive oil.

Ready to go

Dinner is served

What a delightful summer meal with fresh fruit and vegetables from the market.

Corn Risotto

Fresh corn is in season and the grocery stores are overflowing with ears of corn to bring home and make great meals.  We prepare corn grilled on the cob or grilled, removed from the cob, and used in a risotto or a vinaigrette, served with fish or beef.  After a meal of salmon with corn vinaigrette, the next day we try a new (to us) recipe for corn risotto.  This preparation starts by making corn stock with corn cobs (after removing the kernels for later use in the risotto), onion, carrot, celery, dark green leek leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and six cups of water.   We bring this all to a boil, then simmer and strain through cheesecloth to get our stock

Corn stock

While the corn stock simmers, we melt butter in a pot, add finely chopped leeks (white and green parts), and stir until softened.  We then add arborio rice and blend until the grains are slightly translucent.  Next, white wine is added and stirred until absorbed, followed by ladles of the corn stock, each slowly added after the previous ladle is absorbed.  

Ingredients

Leeks, rice, stock

We then add the corn kernels and stir for about 1/2 hour until the corn is tender and the rice is creamy, at which time we add Parmesan cheese and a little more butter.

Getting closer

We whisk heavy cream in an electric mixer until it holds stiff peaks, fold the cream into the risotto, add minced chives, and serve.

Whipping cream

Adding to risotto

Serving

This is a great use for our corn and a new, interesting, tasty recipe for our files.

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Tarragon Tart

The grocery store has fresh, local, first-of-the-season asparagus this week and is offering buy one get one free, so we end up with a lot of asparagus!  We have had our eye on Melissa Clark's (Dinner in French) asparagus, goat cheese, and tarragon tart for a while and decide this is the time to make it.

Our inspiration

We start with a favorite Bobby Flay appetizer, a béchamel-based blue-cheese dip that we serve with potato chips.  We bring two cups of milk to a simmer, heat butter in another saucepan and add finely chopped onions, stirring until soft.  We then stir in two tablespoons of flour, cook briefly, then slowly whisk in the warm milk and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.  We season with salt and cayenne pepper and continue to cook, whisking occasionally.  We remove from the heat and add 4 ounces (113 grams) of crumbled blue cheese, sprinkle with chopped fresh chives, and serve.

Appetizer

While we enjoy the chips and dip, we start on the tart.  As the oven preheats to 425°F (220°C), we mix together goat cheese, an egg, minced garlic, chopped fresh tarragon, lemon zest, salt, and nutmeg.  When this mixture is smooth, we whisk in crème fraîche until smooth again.

Ingredients

Whisking together

We roll out puff pastry to form a rectangle and score a border around the pastry.  The crème fraîche mixture is spread evenly inside the scored border and asparagus spears are lined up on top, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and grated Parmesan cheese.

Before assembly

All together

We bake the tart until the pastry is puffed and golden, then let it cool for a while before serving.  To serve, we sprinkle each piece with black pepper, red pepper flakes, shaved Parmesan, tarragon leaves, and a drizzle of olive oil.  To accompany the tart, we make a simple salad of arugula, sliced avocado, ground pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Ready to serve

Portioned

Served with salad and wine

This has been another [relatively] simple, but fun-to-make and delicious meal!  And, as the tart didn't even use a full bunch of the asparagus, we have a lot more asparagus-themed dishes to think about and make over the next few days.

Easter Dinner

We dine simply, but well, this Easter, with a meal inspired by Melissa Clark in her book Dining in French.  Our menu is Baby Lettuce Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette and Chive-Stuffed Rack of Lamb with Crispy Potatoes.

We start by making the salad, combining baby lettuce with a vinaigrette made from a shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  We add grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, sliced cucumber, scallions, avocado, and blue cheese (a few tweaks to the original recipe), then drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving, tossing the mixture with our hands until everything is lightly coated.

Salad ingredients

Ready to serve

For the rack of lamb, we make a garlicky, ginger herb paste by blending chives, parsley, garlic, fresh grated ginger, Asian fish sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  We rub this herb mixture on the rack of lamb and let it marinate while we prepare the potatoes.

Making the paste

Great directions

Rack of lamb and herb paste

We boil fingerling potatoes for about 15 minutes, then let them cool and flatten them with our hands.  They then fill a small roasting pan, drizzled with olive oil and salt.

Potatoes ready

We place the rack of lamb on the potatoes, fat side up and roast in the oven to medium rare.

Ready for roasting

Roasting in process

As the lamb cooks, we prepare the table, and share cocktails and some simple appetizers.

Appetizers

Table is set

Once the lamb is ready, we transfer it to the cutting board, tent it with foil to keep warm, and flip the potatoes over and roast them at a higher temperature until they are golden, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Potatoes continue to roast

We slice the lamb and serve with the potatoes and a little Dijon mustard on the side.

Serving the lamb

On the table, with a little red wine, it's Bon Appetit and Happy Easter!

Enjoy!

New Year's Dinner: Paella Mixta

The theme for New Year's Eve and Day dinners is seafood.  New Year's Eve we make crab cioppino again, using leftover cioppino sauce from Christmas Eve with new Dungeness crab, scallops, shrimp, and rigatoni.  To that we add a kale salad with homemade bread crumbs, avocado, pecorino cheese, and a dressing of garlic paste, pecorino cheese, lemon juice, olive oil and salt/pepper.  All accompanied by a sliced baguette and a light-bodied cabernet sauvignon which complements the spice of the cioppino sauce.

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Day, we make paella mixta with chicken, chorizo, and shrimp.  We soak saffron threads in hot water for 15 minutes while we cook chicken, shrimp, and chorizo in a paella pan until browned.  Our old aluminum pan won't work with our new induction cooktop, so we're cooking dinner on the grill.

Ingredients

Cooking the chicken, shrimp, and chorizo

We remove the shrimp from the pan and continue cooking the chicken and chorizo with paprika, garlic, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, and minced onions until the onions are soft.  We add the saffron mixture and  homemade chicken broth and bring to a boil.  We then add bomba rice along with artichoke hearts, peas, and roasted red peppers. 

Add in the tomatoes and onions

Add stock,  rice, artichoke hearts, peas, peppers

Continue cooking

When most of the liquid is absorbed, we return the shrimp to the pan, nestle mussels into the mixture, hinge side down, and continue cooking until the mussels have opened, the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is al dente. We remove from the heat, let it all sit for a few minutes and then serve.

With shrimp and mussels

Finishing up

Done

Served

What a great holiday dish.  We'll have to declare our own holidays occasionally in order to make paella mixta more often!

Happy New Year!  Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2025!