October 13, 2007

Cilantro pesto pasta

Cilantro Pesto:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic crushed & peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs fresh lime juice
freshly ground pepper to taste (usually about 1/2 tsp)

Onion Mixture:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion (vidalia would work)
1 cup diced red bell pepper
4 1/2 oz can mild green chilies
12 oz dried orecchiette, gnocchi, or medium shell pasta
1 cup grated cheese (pepper jack or parmesan)

Put water to boil and make pesto - toast almonds until light golden and combine almonds with cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, salt & pepper in a food processor. Chop, then add 2 tbs of olive oil and lime juice, chop some more until mixture forms a paste.
Add pasta to boiling (slightly salted) water. While pasta is cooking heat 2 tsp of oil in a skillet. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, stirring often (5 min or so). Add green chilies from a can and pesto and cook for another minute until uniformly heated.
Just before pasta is cooked scoop out 1/3 cup of pasta water and add to pesto. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl (warm up the bowl so it doesn't cool too fast and stick). Add onion-pesto mixture and cheese and toss until well coated.
Serve (feeds about 4 people).

October 10, 2007

Suffed baked tomatoes

2 or 3 large firm tomatoes or 4 to 6 small firm ones
3 tablespoons mascarpone
3 tablespoons goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 anchovies, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko or other coarse bread crumbs
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If necessary, slice a very thin layer off bottoms of tomatoes so they will stand upright. Core tomatoes, and carve them out, stopping about 3/4 inch from bottom and sides. (Do not remove too much, or tomato will collapse when baked.) Season inside of each tomato with salt. In a small bowl, stir together mascarpone and goat cheese.

2. To prepare topping, melt butter with oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and anchovies, and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs, and saute 2 minutes more. Season with pepper.

3. Fill each tomato with mascarpone mixture. Top generously with bread crumbs. Transfer tomatoes to a baking sheet, and bake until they are slightly blistered and the tops are golden, about 10 minutes.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings.

Courtesy of Steph