Easy Breezy Shrimp Pasta

There are days for lovingly simmering pasta sauce for hours. Then there are days like today, when we leave the house in the morning and don't return until 11 hours later, famished. This recipe is a tried-and-true lifesaver for a busy day. Quick, delicious, easy. I've been making it for years. Using bottled pasta sauce as the base saves mucho tiempo-- and the ingredients you add will make it taste as good as homemade.

Some of my ingredients:

I LOVE that the wine is called French Maid!! (Hey, it was on sale!)

The great thing about this recipe is that it is very flexible and you can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. No shrimp? Chicken works fine. So do those frozen meatballs. No peppers? No problem. Just leave 'em out. Want to use fresh herbs instead of dried? Go right ahead-- just wait to add them until the last minute or so of cooking. I've used linguine here, but you can use whatever kind of pasta you like. Also, we love things SPICY. If you don't, use a smaller amount of pepper flakes.


The shrimp version is a big favorite of DS's and we haven't had shrimp in quite a while. Since I got both the pasta and bottled pasta sauce FREE with coupons, I decided to splurge on the shrimp (on sale for half price). Actually, I got ALL the ingredients at a discount-- so I made this dish in poco tiempo for poco dinero!

Unfortunately, this dish is kind of like me: not very photogenic! You'll just have to take my word for it that it's delicious. Everything just looks kind of.... orange... yes, that largish orange thing towards the bottom is a piece of eggplant.


Need a meal on the table pronto? Try

Hellzapoppin' Shrimp Linguine
by DomesticMuse

1 lb. linguine or pasta of choice (I used whole wheat linguine)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1 onion, diced
1 sweet bell pepper, diced (I used red, you can use green, orange... or none.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small eggplant, peeled and diced (see notes below)
3/4 c. wine (I used white to go with the shrimp)
1 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried thyme (fresh would have been really nice here, but I didn't have any)
1 jar pasta sauce (whatever kind you like. I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)
1/2 pasta jar of water
1 t. sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T capers
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 lb. raw medium shrimp, peeled

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil while you are getting the sauce ingredients ready. Set a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
When the onions are chopped, spray the skillet with nonstick spray and add the olive oil. Add the onions to the pan and saute until translucent. Add the peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute (don't let it burn!). Add the eggplant and sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until starting to get tender.
Increase the heat to medium high and add the wine. Bring to a boil, and cook until wine is almost completely evaporated. Add the oregano, basil and thyme and stir for about a minute.
Add the bottled pasta sauce. Fill the "empty" jar halfway with water, put the lid on tightly and shake to get all the remnants of sauce out of the jar. Add the water/sauce mixture to the pan, along with the sugar. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until thickened.

Here's my sauce, starting to simmer


At this point, add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (7-9 minutes, depending on what kind you're using). Drain the cooked pasta.

Taste the sauce at this point to check the seasoning. When I tasted my sauce, it Needed Something. So I added 1 T of balsamic vinegar and more red pepper flakes. That did the trick. (A bit of grated orange zest would have been nice too, but I didn't have any oranges.) Now add the capers and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, reduce the heat to medium and add the shrimp. Stir until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes. If you are using fresh herbs, add them now. When the shrimp is cooked through, add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Some chopped Italian parsley would have been a nice addition at this point, but I forgot to pick some up. By all means, feel free to add grated cheese if you like.

DS's bowl, up close & personal


NOTE: The basic components of this infinitely flexible sauce are 1)onion & garlic sauteed in olive oil, 2)protein & veggie(s) of choice, 3)wine or vodka, 4)Italian herbs (fresh or dried) of choice, 5)bottled pasta sauce of choice, 6)flavor booster of choice. Some components of the ingredients are only soluble in alcohol, so adding wine or vodka greatly enhances the flavor.
NOTE: if you are using boneless chicken, ground beef, or Italian sausage, brown these items first and remove from the pan, then proceed with the recipe. If you add the meat after or with the onion, it will never really brown because there's too much moisture in the pan. Add the browned meat or chicken back to the pan when you add the bottled pasta sauce. Frozen meatballs and can be dumped in when you add the pasta sauce.
NOTE: Many combinations of vegetables will work great here, depending on what you like. Peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini in various combinations are all delicious. I have not had good luck with cruciferous veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, but you may.
NOTE: some of the "flavor boosters" we enjoy are capers, drained, marinated artichoke hearts, green or black olives, fennel seed (add with the other herbs), grated orange zest, & balsamic vinegar.
NOTE: it's really important to add only minimal amounts of salt as you go, because the sauce will get saltier as it thickens. A bit of salt draws the moisture out of eggplant and helps it cook better. Some ingredients, like capers or olives, are salty, too. You can always ADD more salt if the sauce needs it, but you can't take salt out! So wait until the sauce is pretty much done before adding salt to taste.

LET'S EAT!!

DF7: Tuna Melt and Creamy Tomato Soup Makeover

One of my favorite go-to meals when I'm pressed for time is tuna melts and creamy tomato soup. When we combined households, I was pleasantly surprised to find that DC is crazy about tuna melts! He would happily eat them every week. DS is going through a phase where he won't eat them, so I only make them when he's at his dad's.

I figured this dairy-free thing would mean the end of my old standby. What's a tuna melt without the melt? That's kind of the whole point! Well, with a few adjustments, I managed to create dairy-free versions of both the sandwiches and the soup!

And DC ate every bite! SCORE!!

I used a recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook to create a block "uncheese" version of Colby cheese. Again, it was quick and simple to make. This provided a "melty" cheese to top my tuna melts. Here is the recipe:

Colby Cheez from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook

Free of gluten, soy, corn; Contains nuts

1 1/2 c. water
5 T agar flakes or 1 1/2 T agar powder
1/2 c. roasted red peppers (seeded and peeled) or pimiento pieces
1/2 c. chopped raw cashews or skinless Brazil nuts
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes
*juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
2 T sesame tahini
2 t. onion powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. dry mustard

Lightly oil a 3-cup storage container and set aside.

Combine the water and agar in a small saucepan ad bring to a boil.


Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until dissolved, about 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to a blender and add the remaining ingredients.

Here are my dry ingredients. I forgot to chop the cashews so I had to pick them out of the bowl and give them a good chop!

Process several minutes until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as necessary.

Pour into the prepared container and cool uncovered in the fridge. When completely cool, cover and chill several hours or overnight. To serve, turn out of the container and slice. Store leftovers covered in the fridge. Will keep 5-7 days.

Here's the finished cheez, cut in half for slicing:



We enjoy a product sold at WF called Roman Tuna Salad, which I now make at home. This is the filling for our tuna melts. It's quick and easy to make and packs a lot of great flavors. The amounts below are just approximations, use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like. DC has been under the impression that he does not like olives most of his adult life, but after trying this salad, remarked, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but the olives just kind of MAKE this salad!" I think he just hadn't tried olives, especially kalamata olives, since he made up his mind at age 7 that olives were not for him. :)

DomesticMuse's Roman Tuna Salad

Makes enough to fill 4 open-face sandwiches generously, with a bit leftover

1 lg. can solid-pack albacore tuna, drained and flaked
4-5 artichoke hearts, marinated or water packed, chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 roasted red pepper, chopped
6-7 pitted kalamata olives, halved
Mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann's ) to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the tuna, artichokes, red onion, roasted pepper, and olives in a medium bowl. Add mayo to taste. This salad is so flavorful and moist from all the veggies you don't need a lot of mayo. A couple of squirts from the plastic bottle is usually plenty for us. Combine the mayo and tuna mixture well. Add salt and pepper to taste.


To make the Tuna Melts, toast 4 slices of whole grain bread. Preheat the broiler. Place the toasted bread on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover each slice generously with tuna salad. Top with cheese and run under the broiler until the cheese melts and is bubbly, 2-3 minutes for dairy cheese, about 5 minutes for the Colby uncheese.


Here are the sandwiches topped with the sliced Colby Cheez:


And here they are, after going under the broiler:


Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are and what else you're serving. Sometimes we only eat 1 openface sandwich apiece. The extras make good leftovers for lunch the next day.

To go with the Tuna Melts, I wanted to try making a dairy-free version of creamy tomato soup. I was in the mood for Italian flavors for the soup, and noticed that the WF store brand bottled pasta sauce not only already contained onions, basil, and other Italian seasonings, it was a lot cheaper than the canned tomatoes. I decided to give it a try as the basis for my soup, figuring it would go together quickly, though not as fast as the Pacific brand ready-made Creamy Tomato Soup I often indulge in.

The pasta sauce I bought is the 365 Organic Pasta Sauce, Classic flavor, which comes in a 25 oz. jar.

Here is what I ended up with:

Italian Tomato Bisque By DomesticMuse

To make this vegan, substitute margarine for the butter and vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

Ingredients:

2 T. butter
2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c. plain soymilk
1/2 jar ready-made tomato pasta sauce (without cheese, check label)
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t. sugar
1 T sesame tahini

1. First, make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, whisking, for 2-3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the soymilk in a glass measure and heat in the microwave until hot but not boiling, about 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Add the hot soymilk all at once to the roux, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the pasta sauce and the chicken broth to the white sauce in the pan. Combine well, cover, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, Whisk in the sugar and the tahini, which gives the soup a nice creamy texture and some richness. Taste and adjust as necessary, adding more salt, pepper, pasta sauce, chicken broth or soy milk until you are satistifed with the combination of flavors.

Serve in warmed mugs along with the Tuna Melts.

Now, for my reviews!

Block Colby Cheez

The agar is used as a "jelling" agent for the cheez, like gelatin. It is the only ingredient so far that I thought was expensive, with a bag of the flakes selling for about $8. When I realized it was just vegan gelatin, I thought, well, shoot! I have a box of plain Knox gelatin, I could have just used that! Well, the agar actually has a major advantage over the Knox. It sets up incredibly fast, even when warm. I had to put mine back on the stove for a minute to try to melt it some because I wasn't quite finished prepping the rest of the ingredients when the agar first dissolved. Definitely get it into the blender as soon as it's dissolved, because it will start setting immediately. Also, it produces a much firmer texture than regular gelatin, a plus if you are trying to make a product you can slice and grate.

The cheez was cool enough to cover as soon as it came out of the blender, and was ready to use in just a few hours. I didn't taste it cold, as most vegan cheeses are pretty disgusting that way. It unmolded easily (I had sprayed the mold with nonstick spray). It was also easy to slice, though I had trouble getting the slices thin enough. Practice, I guess! I ended up using a knife to slice it instead of a cheese wire. Maybe I'll try the cheese wire next time. I was a little afraid it might crumble with the wire, but I think it might be ok.

Since I didn't taste the cheez cold by itself, I won't give any ratings. However, it did come out nice and firm, with an attractive color, and it smelled good.

Tuna Melts with Colby Cheez

We found the finished sandwiches to be just as delicious as ones made with dairy cheese. The main difference is in the texture. Since non-dairy cheese contains no casein, it doesn't get bubbly and stretchy when it melts. It just kind of sits there. However, the flavor was wonderful!

Color: 3 stars. It was certainly nice and orange, like real Colby
Texture: 2 stars. It was smooth and creamy, but not at all like melted cheese. Though not unpleasant to eat by any means. I found I liked that it wasn't oily like melted dairy cheese.
Cheese Flavor: 3 stars: Cheesy! Yummy!
Taste: 2.5 stars: Delicious when hot. I'm giving it 2.5 stars instead of 3 only because I would not eat this sliced cold on a sandwich. I think it would make delicious macaroni and cheese when grated and melted into a cheese sauce. It was quite yummy hot on the sandwiches.
Overall: 2.5 stars: Very tasty melted on the sandwiches. I probably wouldn't serve this to guests, but it definitely makes it possible for me to enjoy a delicious dairy-free tuna melt!
DC-O-Meter: He liked it, and felt the flavor was cheesy. His exact words: "I prefer real cheese, but I ate every bite, didn't I?" We both did. No leftover sandwiches.

Italian Tomato Bisque

A very good alternative to tomato soup made with cream. This was quite tasty indeed. It was rich, creamy, and flavorful from all the seasonings in the pasta sauce. The tahini did not affect the flavor, but did wonders for making the soup creamy.

DC particularly enjoyed this soup. My only problem with it was that it contained some tough bits of tomato with skin, that I had to spit out. If I still had my immersion blender, that would take care of the problem. Alternatively, I guess I could strain it before serving, but then we'd miss out on the tasty onion bits.

The ease of preparation using the prepared sauce over canned tomatoes that I put through the food mill, plus not having to chop and cook onions or fresh basil, I think outweighs the texture issues. I will definitely make this again.

I used to make tomato soup with Progresso Crushed Tomatoes, but I haven't been able to find them in stores the past couple of years. I noted yesterday that the Teeter had them. I may give them a try, too, instead of the pasta sauce, when I don't want a soup with Italian flavors, but just a plain old fashioned cream of tomato.

2.5 Stars

DF2: Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

Yesterday, I actually did eat SOME dairy. I had some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used up so I had it for a snack, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar and evoo. DC was kind enough to have bought me a container of the little water-packed boconccini last week when I was craving fresh mozzarella-- and I am here to tell you I ate the whole thing all by myself! (Not all at once, of course.)

So today is really my first day that I am trying to go completely dairy free. For breakfast, I had a bowl of Vive whole-grain Probiotic cereal and blueberries with almond milk, and an egg. Generally I have Silk soymilk on my cereal, but my acupuncture doc recommended I switch to Almond Breeze instead. The Almond Breeze is not bad. I wouldn't drink it straight, but then I wouldn't drink Silk straight either, except for the chai flavor. I love the Chai flavor. The egg is something else the dr. suggested, to be sure to have some protein if I'm having cereal.

Trying to think of a quick and easy meal while I was at WF picking up some odds and ends, my eye fell on a can of clams and I realized it has been YEARS since I made pasta with red clam sauce, and I do love it. As does DS. I'm not sure DC has ever had it, but he recently tried some Tuscan-style mussels and greatly enjoyed them. Since traditionally, pasta with seafood is not eaten with cheese, this seemed like a great time to re-invent my red clam sauce recipe.

Here is my quick and simple recipe. Although linguine is typically used, I had some spaghetti so that's what I used. If you are in a roaring hurry and have NO TIME, you can skip everything, and just add some bottled pasta sauce to some sauteed onions and toss in your clams and your parsley, if you have some. Not as tasty as the version below, but it still beats take-out!

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
by DomesticMuse

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked al dente and kept warm
2-3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1 lg. onion, diced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Italian herb mix
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I used one that had garlic, oregano, and basil added)
1 c. white wine
2 10 oz. cans clams, drained, with the juice of 1 can reserved
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Heat the evoo in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the red pepper flakes.
2. Meanwhile, force the large can of tomatoes through a food mill, and discard the solids. Reserve the strained tomatoes.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and saute until tender and fragrant, 5-6 minutes.

Don't you just love the way it smells when the onion and garlic hits the hot olive oil?

4. Add the herb mix, and stir to combine. Add 1/2 t. salt and some fresh ground black pepper.
5. Add the strained tomatoes, the small can of tomatoes, the white wine and the reserved clam juice to the onion mixture.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce to heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. This just depends on how thick you like the sauce. I like mine just a little thinner than regular spaghetti sauce. If you get it too thick, you can dilute it with a little of the pasta cooking water. (I always save some in case I need it, which is easy since my pasta pot has an insert that you can just lift out of the water to drain the pasta and leave the pot of water on the stove.)

7. Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, add the clams and stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. My sauce wasn't as spicy as I would like, so I added some more red pepper flakes at this point.

8. Add the parsley to the sauce.
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, and toss to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to thoroughly coat the pasta with the sauce.



Serve with warm, crusty bread and a green salad.

I forgot to take a picture of this plated-- I guess we were so hungry I didn't think about it! Everyone really enjoyed the pasta, and we had plenty of leftovers, enough for another meal for DC and me.

DS is headed off to chaperone the Raleigh Boy Choir's annual week-long choir camp up in Asheville. I'm gonna miss him! But I am so proud of him-- he got himself completely ready for camp, even using a checklist! When he was a chorister, he attended camp as a camper for at least 5 years, and I always dreaded getting him ready to go. I thought we were done with choir camp once he graduated from the choir, but he's been invited to chaperone this year and last, which he really enjoys. He's very good with the younger boys, and everyone always has a great time at camp. I guess this will be DS's 7th trip to see the Biltmore House, LOL-- that is always the big treat for the week. I grew up in Asheville and he's seen it more times than I have! Amazingly, the facility where the camp is held is directly adjacent to the elementary school I attended for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth....

Ridiculously Easy Dinner

Well, I am slowly recuperating from the intensity of the last few weeks. Last week was a double whammy at work, as I had to go out of town to teach 1/2 semester's worth of material in 2 days, at the same time as the deadline for grants I've been helping several libraries write was mere days away. I am happy to say I survived! The grant deadline was yesterday, and everybody got their proposals in on time.

However, having worked through the weekend, after having been out of town for 4 days, my kitchen was in very sad shape. The cupboard's been bare; we've had no vittles in the house for days now and have been subsisting on restaurant meals and leftovers of same. The absolute nadir was Sunday night, when we were forced by time constraints to eat at the Teeter plaza near our house, gnawing on dried-out and practically flavorless chicken wings (one of the tastier offerings at that particular establishment). Afterward, DS & I went next door for "ice cream," where I ordered something called a key lime "gelati," and was handed a paper cup filled with a puddle of electric green slushy, a dollop of vanilla softserve, and topped with another puddle of green slushy. I adore gelato, but this was not it. Even when I eventually succeeded in amalgamating the separate components of my "gelati," it tasted like a green Life-Saver.

Today, DS and I were able, at last, to get to the WF for some vittles. We were even out of eggs and milk.... Craving a delicious homemade meal, I asked DS what he was hungry for. Scallops!!

I remembered a delicious recipe featuring scallops that I used to make out of a great little cookbook by Anna Pump, called Loaves and Fishes. I acquired it for free about 20 years ago at the Indian bookstore in Seattle (another story, another time!) and remembered the recipe as being somewhat exotic.


Glancing at it before heading out to the store, I realized the only reason it had seemed exotic was the difficulty of getting scallops back in the days when I was marooned in a small town in the Ozarks. The recipe itself is ridiculously easy, and would lend itself to all sorts of delicious variations, so of course I have to share it with you!

It could hardly be simpler, or quicker to make.

Scallops with Garlic and Tomato Cream Sauce

I served this with a salad of mixed baby lettuces, a warm, crusty rosemary demi-baguette, and some orzo tossed with butter, garlic, and parsley. DC cleaned his plate, and DS even had seconds!

Here are the ingredients:

4 T unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced (natch, I used 7, what's the point of such a piddly amount of garlic?)
2 c. heavy cream (I used 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
4 fresh plum tomatoes, chopped or 1 c. canned tomatoes
(I used a whole can of THESE:)

2 1/2 lb. bay scallops (I used 2 lbs)
1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 t. salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 c. clarified butter

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the minced garlic and cook over low-heat for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the cream, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer 5-6 minutes, or until somewhat thickened.


Meanwhile, toss together the flour, salt and pepper. (I used a ziptop bag). Add the scallops and toss to coat thoroughly with the flour mixture.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the clarified butter. When hot, add the scallops and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir, and cook another minute or so, until just cooked through.

Add the scallops to the sauce, adjust the seasoning as needed, and serve immediately.


There's quite a bit of sauce, so the orzo came in handy! This is an excellent quick, tasty dinner. We have leftovers which I am sure everyone will enjoy for lunch tomorrow (DS is out of school, and DC has been brown-bagging it).



For dessert, I splurged on a delicious-looking peach pie at WF, which DS only grudgingly agreed to, (he's not a fruit pie fan) and some Stonyfield Farm organic vanilla ice cream, which I can't wait to taste. (It was on sale!) DC, OTOH, was totally psyched about the pie. Since he's not a huge scallops fan, and DS had requested them, I figured the pie evened things out. I'll let you know if the pie is any good!

Apron Giveaway + Stuffed Sea-Bass Fillet Wrapped in Chard with Pomegranate-Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Well, my food photos for ths one really did not turn out well. So disappointing, as I had such high hopes for this, too! This is my Royal Foodie Joust entry for May! This month's Royal Foodie Joust, presided over as always by The Leftover Queen has been quite a challenge.
Rather than specific ingredients, tThe theme for this month's joust is Red, White, and Green. When I heard it, I instantly imagined snowy white fish filets wrapped up in ruby-veined chard. I guess there must be some slavic or scandinavian blood in this here Indian, because I am just crazy about beets and chard. Chard is actually a variety of beet that is raised for its leaves and yummy stems. Every spring I just seem to crave beets in all guises. I decided it would be colorful and fun to add some beet slices and a garlicky crabmeat stuffing to the chard packets as well.

I am quite fond of chard, even though it's a bit of a pain to wash and chop. It's really important to wash it well, as it is very sandy. I always drop the leaves into a sinkful of lukewarm water and let soak for 3-4 minutes, long enough for the dirt to sink to the bottom.

Then carefully lift the leaves out of the water. Wow, just look at all the sand that got left behind!


Here's my original recipe for

Stuffed Sea Bass Wrapped In Chard Leaves
with Pomegranate-Hazelnut Vinaigrette
by DomesticMuse

Ingredients:
8 large Swiss Chard leaves, preferably ruby or rainbow chard
4 6 oz. sea bass filets
1 med. beet
8 T softened boursin cheese
zest of 1 lemon
1/8 c. fresh basil leaves
1 lg. shallot
4 0z. "crabmeat" (I used the fake crab flakes)
2 T freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/2 t. Cholula or other hot sauce
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 c. pure pomegranate juice, such as Pom Wonderful
juice of 1 fresh lime
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T fresh basil leaves, preferably purple basil
4 T extra virgin olive oil
4 T walnut oil Salt and pepper to taste
2 T. chopped toasted hazlenuts

First, roast the beet. Preheat the oven to 400F. Trim away any leaves, leaving 1" of stem, and wash the beet well. Rub with some vegetable oil and add salt and pepper.

Wrap in foil and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 30-35 min., or until the beet is easily pierced by a knife. When cool, remove from the foil and remove the beet skin gently with your fingers. Slice into paper-thin slices. (I used my food processor, fitted with the 2mm blade.)


To prepare the chard leaves for stuffing, remove the stems and reserve for another use. Dip the chard leaves in boiling water for 5-10 second to blanch, and drop into an ice water bath.


Dry on kitchen towels. With a sharp paring knife, carefull pare down the thick ribs on the back side of the chard leaves so the leaves are of even thickness.

Spread the leaves out and set aside.


To prepare the stuffing, place the boursin cheese, the lemon zest, the shallot (chopped), the basil leaves, hot sauce, cayenne, parmigiano-reggiano and the crab meat in bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth, and add salt and pepper to taste.
My fininshed stuffing:


To prep the fillets: Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread the 4 filets on a work surface.


Season them on both sides with salt and pepper. Cover 2 of the filets with beet slices. Then add a generous layer of stuffing, and top the stuffing with more beet slices.

Top with the remaining fish filets.


Cut each of the two stuffed filets in half cross-wise, to make 4 stuffed pieces.
Lay 2 chard leaves on the work surface to form an X. Place one of the stuffed filets on top of the chard leaves, and wrap tightly in the leaves.

Repeat with the remaining filets.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T olive oil. Add the chard packets and sear for 1 minute. Then place the skillet in the oven and roast the chard packets for 12-16 minutes.



Meanwhile, prepare the pomegranate vinagrette. Place the pomegranate juice, the lime juice, the basil, the red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Turn on the machine and add the walnut and olive oils slowly. Taste and correct seasoning as needed.

When the chard packets are done, serve drizzled with the pomegranate vinaigrette and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.






To go with the fish packets, I made braised new potatoes and an old family favorite, that sounds weird but is quite delicious. I find myself craving it every spring: Balsamic Beet and Apple Puree.

It's an old standy-by from The Silver Palate that is really simple to make. For 3 servings. roast 2 medium or 1 large beet in foil at 400F, as descibed above, until very tender. Let cool, peel, and cut into several pieces. Meanwhile, chop one yellow onion and saute slowly in 2-3 T of butter with salt, pepper, and 1 T. of sugar. Add 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped, and saute until the onions and apples are very tender. Add 1-2 T balsamic vinegar. Puree the beet with the apple and onion mixture in the food processor.




We really enjoyed this meal, even if the entree didn't turn out to be as photogenic as I had hoped. It is actually pretty simple to prepare, and goes together quite quickly, once the beets are roasted. The pomegranate vinagrette and chopped hazelnuts added just the perfect tart, tangy and rich touch to the fiinshed dish. It was delicious!

I think this vinaigrette is one of the best uses I've found thus far for the case of Pom Wonderful that the company generously sent me. I will be experimenting with it more this week, now that we are mostly settled into the new house. (Not that there isn't still plenty of unpacking to do, LOL!!)



Happy Spring, All!

Just found out about a great APRON giveaway!! A Wrestling Addicted Mommy is giving away a Carolyn's kitchen hot pink sweetheart apron, deadline is May 5!

Get the details here. As you all know, I am wild for vintage aprons, and Carolyn's Kitchen's aprons are sizzlin'! So don't miss Wrestling Mommy's giveaway!

Yours in culinary love,
DomesticMuse