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).

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

Mushroom risotto

Taken from Isabel Allende's Aphrodite: A Meomoir of the Senses

* Aborio rice - 1 cup
* Brown mushrooms - 1 cup chopped
* Portabello mushrooms - 1 cup chopped
* Onion - 1 minced
* Garlic - 1 tbsp grated
* Rosemary - 1 tbsp chopped
* Veggie stock - 3 cups
* Butter - 2 tbsp
* Fresh nutmeg - 1/2 tbsp grated
* Parmesan -1/2 cup grated
* White wine - 1/2 cup
* Olive oil - 4 tbsp
* Truffled olive oil (optional) - 1tsp
* Salt & pepper to taste

1. Put 3 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet & saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms. Set aside
2. In the same skillet, put 1 tbsp of oil & 1 tbsp of butter & lightly brown rice
3. Gradually add rosemary & nutmeg & 2.5 cups of stock. Cook over low heat stirring occasionally for 20 min
4. Return mushrooms to the skillet, pour in remaining broth - cook 10 more minutes
5. When rice is tender, not dry, add wine & truffled oil - cook 3-5 minutes
6. Check seasoning. Add salt & pepper as desired
7. Remove from heat. Add grated cheese

Serve warm

Black bean slob

12 oz can of black beans - 3
Lime - 3
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch
Galic - 3 cloves
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Cumin - 1tsp
Cayenne pepper - 1tsp
Cilantro flavored olive oil (or regular olive oil)
Salt & pepper

Saute onion & garlic in oil unti l onion is translucent. Add black beans, lime juice & spices. Chop cilantro & add. Cook until beans are hot. Serve

Credits: courtesy of Sean