Fettuccine with Swordfish

We served the following for Family Dinner last weekend:

• Warm Mushroom Salad
• Fettuccine with Swordfish
• Garlic Bread

The fettuccine recipe sounded great, but was ultimately disappointing. We followed the recipe to a tee and yet the sauce was watery and the dish was rather bland. However, the salad was wonderful and you can’t go wrong with crusty garlic bread!

Fettuccine with Swordfish
The Martha Stewart Show, courtesy of Lidia Bastianich

*Ours did not look like this picture!

Ingredients

Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as a main course

Salt
1 1/2 pounds swordfish
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
2 teaspoons fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
1 pound bavette pasta (dry narrow fettuccine)

Directions

Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon salt and return to a boil.

Cut swordfish into 1-inch cubes; season lightly with salt. Add 6 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to skillet and toss until opaque, about 1 minute. Transfer fish to a plate and season with salt.

Add onion to skillet; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until softened and sizzling, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Fill tomato can with 1/2 cup hot water and add to pan. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon salt and mint; reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Return fish and any juices that have accumulated on plate to skillet. Stir until fish and sauce are well combined, about 1 minute, and turn off heat.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Return fish and sauce to medium heat. Transfer pasta to skillet using tongs. Toss pasta in sauce, along with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, until well combined. Season with salt and serve immediately.

Warm Mushroom and Goat Cheese Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit 2005



Ingredients

3 large shallots
1 pound fresh mushrooms (chanterelle, oyster, baby bella)
2 ounces Goat Cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
1 8 ounce bag lettuce mix

Directions

Thinly slice shallots. Clean mushrooms and slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots; sauté until beginning to brown. Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil, then the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar and boil until evaporated, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Pour lettuce mix into a salad bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss. Add 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and toss again. Add the mushrooms and cheese; toss lightly and serve immediately. Instead of tossing all together, we waited and added the cheese and then the mushrooms to each individual plate.

Tony's Pizza!

Homemade pizza has become a staple in our house. Perfect for a Friday night after work. We’ve never tried to make our own pizza dough- it’s just so must easier to buy it pre-made at the grocery store or the local pizza shop for $1! We add whatever toppings we have in the fridge- tomatoes, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil... Tony usually adds some kind of meat, like sausage, to half of the pizza. Custom made!

Ingredients

Pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
Pasta sauce (any variety)
Mozzarella, grated
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Tomatoes

Sausage
Whatever other topping of your choice!
Basil
Oregano
Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Flour the counter and roll out pizza dough. Spread pasta sauce over the dough. Sprinkle cheese over the sauce. Add toppings. Transfer to pizza stone and bake for about 20 minutes- until crust is crisp and slightly brown.

Rigatoni Sorrentino

from the Martha Stewart Show, courtesy of Sal Scognomillo from Patsy’s

Surprise! My wonderful husband had this meal waiting for me when I got home from work the other night! It was excellent! We froze half for leftovers. I was very impressed :)

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

1 pound Rigatoni

4 cups prepared marinara sauce (any variety)

1/2 pound fresh ricotta cheese

2 cups (about 1 pound) shredded mozzarella

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and return to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

Preheat broiler. In a large saucepan, bring marinara sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour half the heated sauce into a large bowl; set aside. Add cooked rigatoni and ricotta to saucepan with remaining sauce; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over low heat.

Pour pasta mixture into a baking dish and top with reserved sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Transfer baking dish to broiler and broil until cheese has melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Giant Oatmeal Drop Cookies

adapted from Cooking Light!

I have been craving oatmeal cookies for awhile so I finally decided to make these. They are a “healthier” version of the original (and much larger!) so there is less guilt in making a whole batch just for two people :) I usually don’t like the way cookies turn out using applesauce, but there were great. Even Tony loved them- which is a true testament because he hates when anyone tries to doctor a classic recipe to make it “healthier.” I did make half the batch with chocolate chips (for him)- and the other half with raisins (for me!).

Ingredients

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups regular oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add applesauce and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until well-blended. Stir in raisins, walnuts, and vanilla. Using 3 level tablespoons per cookie, drop dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray; flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.
Yield: 15 cookies (196 calories each)

Quinoa Muffins

adapted from Everyday Foods (Martha Stewart)

I've been intrigued by quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah") for some time. It is a grain similar to rice or couscous, but with lot of protein and vitamins. It's one of the new healthy "power foods." I saw Martha Stewart make these muffins on her show and decided this was the best recipe to try quinoa for the first time. You can buy it at most grocery stores (I bought mine at Giant). It comes in a box like rice or couscous. I doubled the raisins and added cinnamon. I would probably add more cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg next time. And maybe some dried cranberries too....

Ingredients

Makes 12

1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 2 tablespoons plus water)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (I used 1 cup)
3/4 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I added)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days (they really don’t last much longer).

1789 Restaurant

www.1789restaurant.com

Thank goodness for restaurant week! Tony and I went to 1789 Restaurant- a coveted reservation during Restaurant Week- and definitely a place we wouldn’t have gone to otherwise! The restaurant is an institution in D.C. Situated on a tiny side street in Georgetown, I felt I should have arrived in a horse drawn carriage instead of our Volvo. It is actually an old townhouse with five different dining rooms throughout. Very cozy, romantic and formal- men are required to wear jackets. So it was a great excuse to dress up and dine.

The entire menu was offered for Restaurant Week which was very nice. A lot of restaurants only offer a few selections to choose from and, in my opinion, that totally defeats the purpose of Restaurant Week. We definitely experimented with our food selections and it paid off…

I ordered an Artic Chard appetizer- which is best described as a mix between smoked salmon and lox. The pink fish was wrapped around crème fraiche and cavier and served with roasted beets and toast points. It was amazing. A lthough I confirmed my distaste for cavier- it’s too fishy for me. For my entrée I ordered rockfish. The fish was pure white, thick and melted in my mouth. It was served on top of wild mushroom risotto and a butternut squash sauce. It sounds fussy, but was an excellent combination. Tony ordered the rack of lamb, which we later learned in talking with the manager, has been the restaurant’s staple dish for over 20 years. The ingredients change only slightly with the season. Tony is still talking about it, it was that good. He played flag football the next morning and swore he was going to be “Baaaa-ing” at the opposing team. :)

I took another chance with dessert and ordered the rum cake. I saw it prepared for another table and the presentation alone sealed my decision. It was like a performance. The server splits the cake in half, dollops vanilla bean cream in middle, and then pours a shot of rum over it. The cake was excellent, but I was not a fan of the rum. It was too saturated- I would have preferred that they let me pour it on myself and that way I could have regulated. I don’t like rum in my drink, so I don’t why I would like it on my cake! Tony’s dessert however, was fantastic. Lemon tart, orange compote, and lemon meringue. All three were lined up next to each other on the plate and you took a bit of each to create the perfect bite!

1789 is definitely a place everyone living in D.C. should experience once- especially during Restaurant Week! It is quintessential Georgetown- in every way that phrase can be interpreted.

Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts

adapted from Epicurious.com

Ok, back to cooking food instead of just eating it! This recipe looked so good and it tasted exactly how sounds- simple and delicious. It’s a perfect dish to make on a weeknight (as I did). The most labor intensive part is preparing the sprouts (which Tony actually did for me before I got home!). The dish can be a little dry, so you have to keep adding the reserved pasta-cooking water to taste. Next time I might add some chicken or even some pesto. The best part about this recipe was how easy the pine nuts browned- whenever I make something with pine nuts (which I love) it usually involves toasting them first and I inevitably always end up burning them. This recipe was fool proof!

Ingredients

3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed (I used one package of sprouts)
1/2 pound dried egg fettuccine (I used two servings of whole wheat fettuccine)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Chop Brussels sprouts into quarters. Cook fettuccine in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then sauté over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing with enough reserved water to moisten. Serve with grated parm.

Ristorante Tosca

http://www.toscadc.com/index.shtml

I am glad I decided to add restaurants to this blog because I went out to dinner again just last night! It is Restaurant Week here in Washington, D.C. and I went to Ristorante Tosca with five of my friends. I have always wanted to try this restaurant and it exceeded my expectations. The meal was incredible. Tosca is truly fine Italian dining. The dining room is stylish and contemporary but comfortable. The food is elegant and sophisticated. All of their pasta is homemade daily. Lucky for us Tosca offered their entire menu for Restaurant Week (most places have a limited menu). However this made ordering that much more difficult! I decided to take advantage of the options (i.e. be a piggy) and forgo the traditional first course appetizer. Instead I went right to the good stuff and ordered a pasta dish, a fish, and then dessert. Excellent decision!

My selections:

• Tortelli di zucca alla Pavese con burro nocciolato, salvia e amaretti sbriciolati
• Tortelli filled with roasted butternut squash, sautéed with brown butter, sage and amaretto cookies

• Rana pescatrice arrosto in crosta di melanzane e timo su peperoni scottatie olio alle mandorle siciliane
• Roasted monk fish in a eggplant and thyme crust with sautéed peppers and almond olive oil

• Tortino tiepido al cioccolato bianco cpn gelato al cioccolato amaro e marmellata di arancini cinesi
• White warm chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate ice cream and kumquat compote

The tortelli was my favorite. Since it was my first course, there were only four delicate tortelli, plump with butternut squash, served in a rich brown butter sage sauce. I could not imagine ordering an entire entrée of this dish. However I was VERY tempted to lick the plate when I was finished…

The monk fish was served with a thick crust of eggplant puree on top of sautéed peppers and oil. It was a simple dish, but quite rich.

I barely had room for dessert so it was a good thing I wasn’t crazy about the warm chocolate cake. I failed to notice the first word in the dish was “white” so I was surprised when a yellow cake with a custard filling was set in front of me. I despise all custard-like food so I was disappointed when a thick creamy filling oozed out of an otherwise tasty cake. So I essentially just ate the (delicious!) homemade ice cream with the kumquat compote (which would have made an excellent dessert in its own right without the cake!).

Overall it was a fabulous three hour dining experience with good friends, conversation, wine, and of course food :)

Jaleo

www.jaleo.com

So I have decided to expand my blog to include restaurant reviews. I love to eat way more than I like to cook so I think it is a fitting addition.

Tony and I went to Jaleo in Bethesda the other night for dinner. We enjoy this Spanish-style tapas restaurant and have eaten here on a number of occasions. However, this time we went as “mystery shoppers.” Tony signed us up with this company that compensates you for going to certain restaurants. All you have to do is go to a pre-selected restaurant on a designated date and fill out a rather comprehensive report online about your experience. It’s great! So we took advantage of our ($70!) credit and had an excellent meal.

We splurged and ordered a pitcher of white sangria. We usually just get the traditional red sangria which is amazing, so I was a bit hesitant to veer from the norm. However after hearing the bartender's description and watching him make it for someone else I was sold. They make it with sparkling white wine, brandy, vodka, vanilla liquor, LOTS of strawberries and fresh mint. It was delicious.

We then ordered the following array of tapas:

• Tomato bread with Manchego cheese
• Seared Tuna with sesame seeds and raisin sauce
• Monk fish with eggplant puree
• Brussels sprouts with dried fruit and pancetta
• Sirloin steak (I don't eat red meat so I don't recall the specifics!)
  

The tomato bread with Manchego is a MUST. We always get it. I really enjoyed the tuna- perfectly pink in the middle. I like monk fish, but neither of us were excited about the eggplant puree- it overpowered the fish in my opinion. We’ve been on a Brussels sprout kick for some time so we had to try the dish. The dried fruit added a nice sweet contrast to the sprouts. I assume the pancetta added an additional layer of saltiness, but since I don't dig pig I worked around it! Tony devoured the steak- however there was a mix up in the kitchen so he was salivating when it finally arrived. He was ultimately rewarded for his patience though as the waiter took the steak off our bill which left room in our budget for dessert! (not that any so-called budget would stop us otherwise)…. We enjoyed a mini chocolate molten cake with walnut sauce and a scope of vanilla bean ice cream. The cake was excellent in its own right- but the walnut sauce added a wonderful nutty layer to the chocolate flavors. Mmmm… I can still taste it!

Tomato Basil Soup

Initially I found a recipe for bread and tomato soup on epicurious.com which sounded very good. However, if I followed the recipe it would have been very bland- basically just canned tomatoes, broth and mushy bread. Not so good after all. So first I decided to remove the bread and use as croutons (as recommended in a comment to the original recipe on epicurous.com) instead of letting it dissolve in the soup. The soup still needed more, so I added an additional can of tomatoes (instead of the one can called for in the original recipe). Lastly, I went out on a limb and added the cream cheese. This could have gone one of two ways… but to my surprise (and delight) it was exactly what was missing! The soup is great and I am proud of myself for experimenting and straying from a recipe!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups day-old white bread, torn into small pieces
2 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
8 basil leaves, chopped into small pieces
¼ cup chive and onion cream cheese
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large, deep sauce pan over low heat. Sautee garlic 1-2 minutes. Add the bread, stirring until oil is absorbed and bread it lightly toasted. Remove bread and transfer to bowl.

Add tomatoes, chicken stock, basil, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, than reduce heat. Simmer about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese. Puree with immersion hand blender. Serve with bread cubes and grated parmesan cheese.

Cheese Puff Egg Casserole

This is an old recipe from my mom! Perfect for a New Year's Day brunch with friends.


Ingredients
10-12 servings

10 eggs, beaten to blend
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese (3/4 lb.= 4 cups cheese)
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly butter 9X13 inch oven-proof glass baking dish. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Pour egg mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serve immediatey.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Serves 6

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
4 small turnips, peeled and cut in half
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 pound butternut or acorn squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
12 ounces brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Olive-oil, cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray two 12-by-14-inch roasting or jelly-roll pans with cooking spray. Arrange onions, turnips, carrots, squash, and brussels sprouts evenly in the two pans. Drizzle all with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and toss lightly to coat vegetables. Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle rosemary and thyme evenly over each pan.

Roast for 25 minutes. Turn vegetables with a spatula for even browning. Cook until vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 25 minutes more (brussels sprouts may cook faster than other vegetables; if so, transfer to a serving platter, and keep warm until remaining vegetables are tender).

Cinnamon Chicken with Couscous and Dried Fruit

adapted from Bon Appétit (December 2005)

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup mixed chopped dried fruit (such as dried cranberries, apricots, and dates)
1 14-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 cup couscous
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until skin is brown, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast chicken about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; tent with foil.

Add onion to drippings in same skillet; sauté onion over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add dried fruit and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ginger; stir to coat. Add broth; bring to boil. Remove skillet from heat, stir in couscous and 1 teaspoon mint. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Season couscous to taste with salt and pepper.

Mound couscous on platter; place chicken atop couscous. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon mint and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Martha Stewart Living

Gingerbread and chocolate= two of my favorite things! I made these for our annual Christmas cookie exchange. I was really happy with the way they turned out. The cookies were really moist and actually quite chewy! It was also the first time I used my Kitchen Aid mixer and since I made 4 dozen- it really made things a lot easier!

Ingredients

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.