240. Wonky Summer Pasta (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 46)
This
was summer in a bowl, for sure. Lots of yellows and greens. I purchased
a nice, living basil plant and used about half of it. A quarter was
pounded to a paste in the pestle & mortar, and another quarter was
chopped roughly (with a few small leaves reserved for garnish). For the
sauce, you combine egg yolks, olive oil, some freshly grated parmesan
cheese (done with my new food processor's parmesan/ice grating disc
attachment), salt, pepper, lemon zest & lemon juice. To this you add
your pounded and chopped basil.
The
pasta is cut into strips from a fresh package of lasagne sheets, and
boiled very quickly for a minute and half. The trick is to combine it
with the sauce, a bit of the cooking water, and eat it immediately. As
Jamie would say, otherwise it gets a bit "claggy". If this happens, add
more of the cooking water to thin it out a bit. I made enough for 2
portions, so I will find out how well this translates to left overs
today for lunch. Fresh, it was delicious.
241. Herby Salad (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 46)
This
recipe calls for pancetta. However, I am trying very hard to stay away
from red meat, so instead I substituted some turkey bacon. I browned it
in a pan with a little olive oil and a crushed garlic clove. I added
some fennel seeds towards the end, for flavour. For my greens, I used a
bag of baby arugula, but Jamie says you can also use watercress (or a
combination of the two). To this, I added some halved grapes (which are
actually on sale for $1/lb this week at No Frills!) Also, he suggests
adding a small bunch of mint and a small bunch of tarragon. I pulled
what little mint I could find off my anemic mint plant in the kitchen. I
really enjoy tarragon, so I splurged on a small bunch and added some to
the salad.
The
dressing is a combination of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice,
salt and pepper. I did this in a jam jar so I would be able to keep it
in the fridge for the rest of the week. I am really trying to eat at
least one salad a day so this will be helpful. So, you combine your
greens & grapes with your crumbled (or in my case, sliced)
bacon/pancetta, sprinkle over the fennel seeds, and dress at the last
minute. I thought this salad was really good. I look forward to my left
overs!
242. Limoncello Kinda Trifle (Jamie's Meals In Minutes, page 42)
This
dessert actually belongs to the Trapani Style Rigatoni meal, but I
swapped it out since I had more of the ingredients for it than I did for
the Pear Drop Tartlets that I was supposed to make. This one calls for
oranges, Limoncello, lemon, marscapone cheese, and raspberries (or other
seasonal fruit). However, I didn't have Limoncello (since I don't
drink) or marscapone cheese (since I priced it at $6.99 for a container,
which I thought was ridiculous). I did, however, have some 35% whipping
cream in the fridge that needed to be used up.
The first
step is to combine your juice and/or alchohol with some lady finger
cookies. I used a combination of the juice from a few clementines and
the juice from a lemon. I placed this, and the cookies, in the bottom of
a baking dish. Then I whipped my cream, added confectioner's sugar,
vanilla, lemon zest and juice, and spread this over the cookies. I
topped it with fresh blueberries and then grated over some dark
chocolate. It seemed a rather odd combination to me, but I went with it.
Yum! Really, really tasty and very quick to make. I will make this one again in a pinch, for sure.
The
cookies dissolve into a delicious, orangey base, and the dessert is
actually quite light and refreshing. And hey, what a way to use up
fruit! :)
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