On an exceptionally warm day a few weeks ago Sean suggested doing something cool for dinner that had avocados and jalepenos.  I immediately thought of a great salsa I made back in October for Chicken Tostadas and thought, why not toss with some rotini pasta.

Every night when we sit down to dinner I ask Sean what he thinks of the meal since I know he is going to be completely honest with me.  I like to get his opinion because he usually comes up with ways that the dish could be better or in some cases agrees that the dish should not be repeated.  Secretyly though I ask him so that I can hear a compliment when the dish is good, it really makes me feel good about my cooking skills.

When dishes don’t go well I chalk it up to the recipe and make a mental note to either make some major changes or just not make it again.  This dish was different because I had come up with it all by myself.  Sure I got the recipe for the original salsa from someone but the idea of adding a few things and tossing it with pasta was mine so I was anxiously awaiting what Sean thought of it. 

Well he didn’t disappoint and proclaimed, because it really felt like a proclamation to me, that this was one of the best dishes I have made.  I was high as a kite after he said that, who would have thought something as simple as some salsa and pasta would be such a hit.  I completely agree with him though because it really was the perfect meal for a hot day.  It is light and refreshing while still substantial with the pasta.  This is definitely a repeat recipe.

Here’s to taking a chance and finding a new favourite recipe.

Mango Avocado Salsa

1/2 cup diced peeled mango

1/2 cup diced peeled avocado

1/2 cup chopped tomato

1/3 cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used 1/4 of a cup)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper

2 cups uncooked rotini pasta

Toss everything with pasta and serve cold.

Every month the newest issue of Cooking Light comes out I get very excited.  As I have mentioned before my issue gets delivered to my mom’s house in the states so I can only get it when I go down for a visit.  I have a ritual when I comes to reading this magazine which entails flipping through the magazine quickly glancing at all the recipes and articles.  The second time through the magazine I look at all of the recipes and starting thinking about the ones I want to make.  My third pass through the magazine involves reading all of the articles that I previously skipped over. 

My favourite part about this magazine is that after I have made my three passes through the magazine and decided the ones I am going to make the upcoming week I put it on the shelf with the rest of them and wait for the day I come back to it for inspiration.  Some weeks I don’t make anything from Cooking Light and other weeks I am a crazy person and make 2 or 3 recipes.

The recipe I was inspired by this time was for Shrimp and Pine Nut Pasta from the October 09 issues.  I am always looking for recipes that have protein besides chicken and beef.  Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and than moving to the West Coast of Canada I have always lived near the sea and therefore have grown to love seafood.  This dish caught my attention because of it’s simplicity, I could just tell it was going to be a wonderful dish.

This dish will not disappoint you and I really recommend trying it out.  I look forward to taking this dish and added a bit of myself to it.

Shrimp and Pine Nut Pasta

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

12 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 cup skim milk, divided

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add pasta; cook 7 minutes. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done and pasta is al dente. Drain; keep warm.

While pasta cooks, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add nuts to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine 1/2 cup milk and flour in a large saucepan, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Place pan over medium heat; gradually stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk. Stir in mustard and nutmeg. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Stir in salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add drained pasta mixture, cheese, and chopped basil, tossing gently to combine. Sprinkle with nuts and torn basil.

Last night for dinner I tried Cooking Light’s ( December 2009) Antipasto Penne and Steamed Broccoli.  It was a quick and easy recipe and had lots of goodies in it.  My husband doesn’t really like store bought pesto and thought that overpowered the other ingredients.  You really have to be a pesto lover to like this one.  There are a few changes I would make next time – toss pasta in olive oil and basil instead of pesto, find sundried tomatoes that are just packed in olive oil and rinse them really well before putting in and make bigger chunks of the prosciutto. I will definitely make this again.  It would be a great potluck dish.

Antipasto Penne

Courtesy of Cooking Light

1  medium red bell pepper

1/2  cup  pitted kalamata olives, chopped

1/3  cup  refrigerated pesto

3  ounces  prosciutto, chopped

1  (7-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and chopped

1  (6-ounce) jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

8  ounces  uncooked penne pasta (about 2 cups)

1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

1/4  cup  pine nuts, toasted

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 8 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop bell pepper; place in a large bowl. Stir in olives, pesto, prosciutto, tomatoes, and artichokes.

3. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to bell pepper mixture, and toss gently to combine. Spoon about 1 cup pasta mixture into each of 6 bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining cheese and 2 teaspoons pine nuts.

Steamed Broccoli

Courtesy of Jennifer Hefford-Anderson

Steam one pound of broccoli and toss in lemon juice, olive oil and cracked black pepper

]]> http://www.seanandkimberlypayne.com/thereluctantchef/2009/12/28/antipasto-penne/feed/ 2 http://www.seanandkimberlypayne.com/thereluctantchef/2009/10/06/koshari/ http://www.seanandkimberlypayne.com/thereluctantchef/2009/10/06/koshari/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:54:58 +0000 Kimberly Payne http://www.seanandkimberlypayne.com/thereluctantchef/?p=260

Five years ago I decided to take a break from university and move half way around the world to teach english.  I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but during my time in Egypt I not only learned a world about myself but I also met my husband while traveling in the region.

While living in Cairo I fell in love with some of the most common street foods such as ful, ta’mijja, shwarma and koshari.  These are the dishes I would pick up on the way home for a quick and easy lunch or dinner but since being home have never found a place that makes it like I remember.

Of these dishes my favorite by far was koshari, who wouldn’t like a dish that is heavy on carbs with a spicy tomato sauce on top.  I was beside myself when flipping through the newest edition of Cooking Light and came across a recipe for koshari.  It was instantly added to my plan for the week and I just couldn’t wait to try making it as it had been 4 year since I have had any.

Taking my first bite brought me back to the stall near the metro station in Ghamra where I enjoyed my koshari.

The end result was a great lighter recipe that still had many of the elements that I enjoyed while in Egypt.  Where the original had crispy fried onions this one was a more reasonable pan fried onions, all of the elements were there and made for a wonderful first attempt at recreating a dish I loved so much.

Koshari

Sauce:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add chopped onion to pan and cook for 15 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, peppers and tomatoes; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick.  Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor; process 1 minute or until smooth.  Keep warm.

Koshari:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cups thinly sliced onion

1/2 cup uncooked vermicelli, broken into 1 inch pieces

5 cups water

1 1/4 cups dried lentils or yellow split peas

2 1/2 cups hot cooked long grain rice

1 teaspoon salt

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in pan over medium heat, add sliced onion; cook 15 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring frequently.  Remove onion with a slotted spoon to several layers of paper towels, set aside.  Return pan to medium heat and add vermicelli, saute 2 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.  Set aside.

Combine 5 cups water and lentils in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Remove from heat and add vermicelli, stirring well to combine.  Wrap a kitchen towel around the lid and cover lentil mixture; let stand for 10 minutes or until vermicelli is tender.  Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt to lentil mixture, fluff with a fork.  Serve immediately with sauce and onions.