rainforest recipes: Pasta

Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Thursday, July 16, 2009

CEiMB: Aromatic Noodles With Lime Peanut Sauce

I was really looking forward to getting back into my weekly "Ellie" recipe, since I have fallen so far behind these last weeks, what with visiting in Canada, followed up by running a Solar Oven Workshop right after returning to the jungle. However, between the complications of changing from an old PC desktop to a new Mac Book Pro ... combined with an ongoing problem uploading photos since we put in a wireless internet system for all of Project Ix-canaan, my best intentions have been thwarted again, and my posting is really late.

Today's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was chosen by Supplicious. I knew just by reading the ingredients, which sounded kinda "Thai" to me, that it would be a flavor that I would love. I changed a few things from the original recipe ... well, maybe more than a FEW things ...

I used regular linguini, since that is all I had.
I used guisquil, carrot and red pepper with the brocoli, since it is almost impossible to find snow peas or snap peas here.
I used my own home made peanut butter.
I used panela in place of brown sugar (real raw sugar that the sugar can producers make here and sell in blocks)
And at the last minute (after the photos were taken) I decided to add a cubed chicken breast to the recipe as well, since Enrique prefers meat in his meals and I knew I was already pushing the envelope with the "Thai" flavorings.

Aromatic Noodles With Lime Peanut Sauce
2005, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved

6 Servings

Ingredients:

3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts ... toasted in a dry pan until fragrant

Instructions:

I took some liberties with the instructions as well as the ingredients ... so I will write mine here ... you can check with the online recipe to see how Ellie made this dish.

First I made the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in my mini-blender.

until smooth....

I decided to stir-fry the vegies instead of steaming them ... guisquil and red pepper first ...

then I added the broccoli ...

the carrot shavings ...

and the cubes of chicken breast ...

I mixed the chicken in with the vegies ..

and added a few spoonfuls of the peanut sauce ...

and covered to steam to desired done-ness (in my case, a bit beyond desired doneness).

Ladle the vegetables over the cooked pasta.
Top with the sauce.
Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

Verdict:

I will steam the vegies less the next time I make this dish ... however, the flavor was superb. I particularly liked the crunch of the toasted peanuts. I will very happily make this again.

Read more about the Craving Ellie in My Belly weekly event, and see what the other adventurous cooks have produced.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Roasted Tomato Salsa

For most of my cooking life, if I have needed tomatoes in any form for a recipe, I would purchase them canned ... canned tomatoes, canned tomato paste, canned tomato juice, canned tomato sauce ... if I bought fresh tomatoes, it was to eat them fresh in a salad or sandwich. Now, I find myself in a land where tomato based recipes are popular, and canned goods are not ... and every cook makes her own special brand of tomato sauce with her eyes closed. To work around my deficiency in tomato-sauce making skills, I have avoided most tomato based recipes for quite some time now ... a not really difficult feat since I'm also not that crazy about tomato based recipes. However, this one caught my eye when I realized that the vegies are oven-roasted. I wanted to try it as a salsa, but it has been weeks since the "specialty" story in Santa Elena has stocked nachos, so I decided to go with pasta instead. The flavor was wonderful, even with the substitution in chiles, although if using fresh jalapeno's again, I would use two instead of one. And here is the recipe:

Roasted Tomato Salsa
Recipe by: Heidi at 101 Cookbooks.com

If you can't find a guajillo pepper, no worries - just leave it out of the recipe. The salsa will still taste delicious with just the roasted tomatoes and chipotles. You can also substitute another type of chile if you like. The reddish-brown guajillo are known for their strong, complex and earthy flavor, and medium heat. Feel free to experiment with more readily available chiles from your area until you find one you really like to play off the flavors of the chipotles and roasted tomatoes.

Two chipotles can be very spicy, consider yourself warned. Start with one, or even one-half a chipotle if you or your family are heat-sensitive, and work up from there.

-= Ingredients =-
2 pounds Roma tomatoes ; cut in half lengthwise
1 medium white onion ; cut into six wedges
1 large garlic clove ; halved (I used 3 small cloves and will use more the next time)
a ; couple pinches of finely ground sea salt
2 -3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium dried guajillo chile pepper ; soaked in boiling water until softened, and then drained
1 -2 chipotles in adobo sauce ; (canned) (I didn't have any dried chiles or chipotles in adobo sauce, so substituted 1 fresh red pepper and 1 fresh jalapeno pepper)
1/2 cup cilantro ; roughly chopped

-= Instructions =-
Heat oven to 400F degrees.

Now gently tossed the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and salt with the olive oil in a large bowl.
(I also cleaned and chopped the red pepper and the jalapeno pepper, and added them to the other vegies)

After they are nicely coated arrange in a single layer, tomatoes cut-side facing up, across a parchment-lined baking sheet.
(I added a step and an ingredient at this point by sprinking dried oregano over the vegetables.)

Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes start to collapse and the onions begin to caramelize a bit. Remove from the oven. (It actually took more than 30 minutes ... probably 45 to 50 minutes ... to cook the vegetables as much as I wanted, but the oven wasn't high enough for the first 25 minutes)

Puree the chiles (both the guajillo and chipotles) with the roasted garlic and two roasted tomato halves.

(It doesn't say here specifically, and perhaps its not even necessary for those who are used to working with cooked tomatoes, but it is better to take off the skins of the remaining tomatoes before chopping or mashing them.)
Chop the remaining tomatoes by hand (once they've cooled a bit).

Chop and add the onions as well. (I put all of the peppers, onion, garlic and a couple of tomatoes into the blender ... everything except the remaining tomatoes ... and a couple of small pieces of onion that escaped the blender!)

Add chile/tomato mixture to chopped/mashed tomatoes

Season with salt and stir in the cilantro.

And its ready to use as either a sauce or a salsa

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

Monday, June 25, 2007

Hungarian Goulash

This dish was a "first" in two ways ... the first time that I have ever made noodles of any kind ... and the first time that I have eaten Hungarian Goulash. I had read and printed this recipe out a couple of months ago, but everything didn't "come together" until today. It was a huge success! We both loved it ... Enrique said the noodles were even better than the goulash! I wasn't sure if I would like such a heavy paprika-based flavor, but it started out as interesting with the first bite, and grew to flashes of brilliance. It gave me the confidence to look at some more types of pasta recipes ... I'm thinking about trying a lasagna

Chicken goulash

Although potatoes play a supporting role in this dish, we think they are the stars. Goulash, the classic Hungarian dish made of beef or veal with lots of onions, paprika and potatoes, can be a wonderful culinary experience if made well.

The potatoes stew in the paprika, wine and stock until they almost burst. If you fished them out, they would make a fulfilling meal on their own. In this version, we replace the meat with our favorite boneless-skinless chicken thighs. Finish it with some cider vinegar and a touch of butter for extra flavor.

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients
2 tablespoon oil
6 cups 3/4-inch diced onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoon sweet paprika
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs ; cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup white wine
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups 1-inch cubed peeled potatoes
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sweet butter
1/4 cup chopped chives

Instructions
1. In a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium low heat.

2. Add the onions, kosher salt, and water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until onions are soft and lightly caramelized. Stir in the sweet paprika, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Toss in the chicken, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to coat the chicken with the onions and spice. Pour in the white wine, and reduce by half. Add the chicken broth and cubed potatoes, and simmer for 60 minutes over low heat.

4. Stir in the vinegar, butter and chives. Serve over egg noodles, or just on its own with crusty bread. Makes 6 servings.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

______________________________________________

Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg plus
2 Egg yolks
1/3 cup Water
1 teaspoon Cooking oil or olive oil

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl stir together 1-3/4 cup of the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
In a bowl combine eggs, water, and oil. Add to flour mixture; mix well.
Sprinkle kneading surface with the remaining flour.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead till dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 mins total).
Cover and let rest for 10 mins. Divide dough into fourths.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each fourth into a 12x12" square (about 1/16 inch thick).
Let stand 20 mins.
Cut dough into 1/4 inch wide strips then cut into 2-3 inch lengths.
You can use a pasta machine if you have one.
Cook the pasta 1-1/2 to 2 mins. Make sure the water is boiling before adding the noodles or they will glump on the bottom. You can freeze the noodles, just let them dry before putting them in the freezer. Cook them a bit longer if you freeze them. (Recipe From: Darryl & Kelly Youngblood )

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. BigOven.com ID= 81710 **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

CEiMB: Aromatic Noodles With Lime Peanut Sauce

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Monday, June 25, 2007

Hungarian Goulash

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