Lazy Weekend Avocado Pasta

I can't believe the weekend is over...for once it was a nice, quiet weekend that didn't involve rushing from one end of town to the other. Mr.S. had the kidlets so we hung out, watched movies, went to the farmers market and played outside. I know I'm trying to enjoy the cooler, sunny weather now because I'm sure Sacramento's scorching summer is just around the corner (ugh!). We went for a few walks down by the river on Sunday and even took Kidlet #2 geocaching. I'd never been on a geocache before and it was kind of neat...it's like a mini-treasure hunt using a special GPS app on the iPhone. We actually found the "cache" during our excursion, which turned out be a tiny camo micro capsule with a log inside (some caches are larger and may contain a trinket or two). We signed our names and returned the capsule to it's hiding spot. Can't wait until we go again!

Later still on the lazy train, I didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking for dinner but wanted something healthy...so I decided to use one of the beautiful avocados I had on the counter to make a simple avocado pasta. The avocado sauce has a nice creamy texture that tastes rich and the basil and lemon give it a nice zesty zing. If you want to make it gluten-free like I did, you can use quinoa pasta.  Also, if you want to jazz it up a bit you could sprinkle some Parmesan cheese, halved grape tomatoes or sliced almonds on it.


Lazy Weekend Avocado Pasta (recipe adapted from Oh She Glows)

Ingredients

1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted

1/2 lemon, juiced, plus  lemon zest to garnish

2-3 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup fresh basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 servings (about 6 oz) quinoa pasta

freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)


Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add quinoa pasta and cook for 7-9 minutes (or per package instructions).

2. While the pasta is cooking: in a food processor, add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, avocado and salt. Process until you have a nice, creamy sauce. You may need to scrape the sides a few times to make sure everything gets blended well, the basil likes to stick.

3. When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse noodles. Place pasta in a bowl and add avocado sauce. Toss well. Then plate.

4. Season with fresh ground pepper and garnish with a sprinkling of lemon zest. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional).

5. Serve immediately. (Note: This is not a good "reheat dish," since it has avocado in it.)


Makes 2 servings

GOOD: Street Food + Design Market

In the DPH area this summer- get ready for live music, DJs, tasty food, shopping and beer & wine...first Sundays, June through November.

For more info, check out their Facebook page: GOOD Street Food + Design Market

A Recipe For The Best Pulled Pork You've Ever Tasted

Mmmm, midway through cooking



This is my last (at least for a long while) David Chang recipe. I think even Mr.S. was getting a bit worried with my recent obsession with the Momofuku cookbook (although he wasn't fussing too much when he was shoving the cooked results into his mouth). Maybe it's Chang's love for all things pork, but I'm kind diggin' on him right now. Anyhow, this particular recipe is for the pulled pork that they use in their pork bo ssam dish at Momofuku. When I happened to mention to my friend Melanie that I was going to attempt this recipe, she referenced Chang's "Let's put pork in every f-----g dish," line in Treme. I hadn't seen it so of course when I got home I had to look it up...hilarious. If you haven't checked it out, you can catch a clip of it here: David Chang on Treme.

This recipe yielded the best tasting pulled pork I've ever made or tasted at any friend's house or restaurant. The pork has to sit overnight, but it's worth it. The inside is nice and tender and the outside has this amazing salty-sweet lacquer. It's like a bit of meatopia in your mouth.

Pulled Pork Momofuku-Style (Adapted from “Momofuku,” by David Chang and Peter Meehan)

Ingredients

4 lb. boneless pork shoulder

1/2 cup Kosher salt (don't sub in table salt, it'll come out way too salty)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. The night before: In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, the salt and the ground pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder, making sure you get the crevices. Put it in a pan, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. The next day: Heat your oven to 300 degrees F. Transfer the pork out of the pan and discard the juices and any excess sugar/salt mixture. You can either place the pork in a roasting pan or a cast iron skillet. Place in the oven and cook for 5-6 hours. Baste the shoulder with the fat in the pan every hour, after the first 3 hours.

3. Remove the pork from the oven, drain off the fat. Let it rest for up to an hour.

4. Ok now, open the windows to your house because there's going to be some sizzling and smoking going on....Crank the oven up to 500 degrees F. Stir together 1/2 tablespoon of salt with 3 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Press the brown sugar into the top of the pork shoulder, make it into a nice even layer. Return the pork to the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until a nice crunchy lacquer forms. Keep an eye on it though so it doesn't burn.

5. Take the pork out and let it rest for a half hour.  Then use two forks to shred it up. You can use it in all kinds of dishes - tacos, sandwiches, pulled pork hash, pork ragù....

6. By the way, the crispy, cooked skin on this sucker is oh so heavenly!

Time to dig in!

A Plea for Peas: Piselli al Prosciutto

"How luscious lies the peas within the pod." ~ Emily Dickinson

What's a girl to do when she has a bowlful of fresh english peas? Make up some piselli al prosciutto, of course! Now honey, this dish may be simple and maybe even a bit old school but it sure isn't a bowl of your momma's mushy canned peas, that I can guarantee you! These are fresh, snappy green orbs of deliciousness coupled with some salty slips of prosciutto. Grown-up peas! Mangia!

Piselli al Prosciutto (Peas with Prosciutto) (adapted from Saveur)

Ingredients
 
1 lb. fresh English peas, shelled
 
1 small onion, minced
 
2-3 ounces of prosciutto, roughly chopped
 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
 
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

 
Instructions
 
1. Blanch the peas in boiling water for 90 seconds. Take out.
 
2. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions and saute until tender.Then add the prosciutto and cook until the prosciutto begins to crisp (about 1 to 2 minutes).
 
2. Add the peas and one tablespoon of water; saute, tossing for about 5 minutes.
 
3. Remove pan from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Japanese Sticky Chicken

It's funny, people assume that because I like to cook that I like to cook ALL the time and that I always cook intricate, time consuming dishes. Not true, there's often times that I find myself eating Trader Joe's frozen meals, grabbing a sandwich to go at the local deli or just nibbling on a salad at home. Othertimes, I'll be at Mr.S.'s and neither of us want to cook anything that requires any sort of time suckage. That's when we make dishes like this one. It's actually a recipe for Japanese chicken wings I came across last winter on Ito Eats but the marinade was so dang good, I've started using it as marinade for chicken breasts as well. I just mix up this marinade, dump it in a Ziploc, plop the chicken breasts in there and throw it in the fridge to marinate. Then all Mr. S. has to do is toss them on the grill...easy-peasy--dinner is served!

Japanese Sticky Chicken  (adapted from Ito Eats)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp mirin (can found at most Asian stores)

4 tbsp sake

2 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp soy sauce

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red chili, sliced

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, pour into a Ziploc bag. Plunk in chicken breasts. Close.

2. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. If you happen to open the fridge, massage the bag once or twice to make sure the marinade gets distributed around the chicken.

3. Take chicken breasts out of the bag and grill.

4. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions if you wish.

Maple Roasted Asparagus with Candied Pecans

We all know that asparagus makes your pee stink (peeuw!) but did you know that it's low in calories, heart healthy and contains glutathione (a powerful cancer fighter)? Additionally, asparagus only has about 4 calories a spear and zero fat. It also provides 60% of your daily RDA of folic acid and is high in fiber. You just can't go wrong with this green stuff and there's so many ways to prepare it. You can grill it, roast it, throw it in frittatas, make it into soup, wrap it in bacon...man, the list just goes on. There's even a festival in it's honor- The Asparagus Festival, which is going to be happening this coming weekend in Stockton. I've heard they'll be serving up asparagus ice cream and deep fried asparagus as well as other asparagus dishes. Asparagus ice cream...hmmmm, wonder what that tastes like? Anyhow, in the spirit of the asparagus season, I decided to roast some asparagus tonight; but instead of our usual garlic and lemon spears, I decided to change things up a bit. This recipe from The Simple Lens had caught my eye recently...maple roasted asparagus with pecans, how good does that sound? The only thing that could make the recipe more amazing--- candied pecans!

Maple Roasted Asparagus with Candied Pecans (recipe adapted from The Simple Lens)

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus

1/3 cup Trader Joe's candied pecans (or regular pecans will work too), roughly chopped

2 tablespoons of real maple syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Wash asparagus, snap off the woody ends. Chop pecans. You can use regular pecans for this recipe but the candied pecans sold in the nut aisle at Trader Joe's are frickin' awesome. If you're there, pick up a bag...you can use them in all kinds of dishes. I throw mine into salads a lot and use them to top off cookies and cupcakes.

3. Toss the asparagus with the syrup, balsamic vinegar and pecans. Make sure the asparagus are coated well.

4. Place on a lightly oiled pan. Roast for 20-30 minutes in oven. Stir them up about halfway through the cooking period.

5. Serve hot.

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the OXO hand-held mandoline is...Ellen!

Ellen, I will be contacting you via email to see where you would like your package sent. Congratulations and happy slicing!