I made this particular pasta up after watching a friend play a Resident Evil game. Thus the Veronica part.
Ingredients:
1 lb of spaghetti or tagliatelli or spaghetti
2 teaspoons butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
14 oz fresh spinach washed and finely sliced
4 fl oz double cream
5 oz mascarpone cheese
2 handfuls of grated parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper & olive oil
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the instructions on the packet
Meanwhile get a large frying pan or wok. Add a splash of olive oil, the butter and the garlic. When the butter has melted add the spinach. Cook for about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream, mascarpone and a small ladle of cooking water from the pasta. Let it simmer gently until you have a creamy sauce.
Drain the pasta but save some of the water. Stir the pasta into the spinach sauce and add the parmesan. If the sauce is too sticky add a little of the reserved cooking water until it is smooth and runny. Serve immediately.
9/18/13
Slow Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken
I get asked quite a lot why I cook my chickens breast down. I do this because the white meat gets just as juicy as the dark meat does. For me the golden skin is less important than the meat being juicy.
Ingredients:
1 (4-4 ½ lb) whole chicken
1 onion, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
juice of one lemon
1/8 teaspoon sage
zest from one lemon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
350°. In a small bowl, salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest and sage. Remove the giblets from chicken and place in the bottom of a shallow roasting pan alongside the onion and garlic. Add the broth and lemon juice. Loosen the skin of the chicken and pat the rub gently in. Stuff the remaining lemon in the chicken cavity. Place the chicken, breasts down, with the wings tucked under over the giblets and sprinkle with the oil. Bake covered for 1 hour, then uncovered for 1 hour.
Ingredients:
1 (4-4 ½ lb) whole chicken
1 onion, quartered
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
juice of one lemon
1/8 teaspoon sage
zest from one lemon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
350°. In a small bowl, salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest and sage. Remove the giblets from chicken and place in the bottom of a shallow roasting pan alongside the onion and garlic. Add the broth and lemon juice. Loosen the skin of the chicken and pat the rub gently in. Stuff the remaining lemon in the chicken cavity. Place the chicken, breasts down, with the wings tucked under over the giblets and sprinkle with the oil. Bake covered for 1 hour, then uncovered for 1 hour.
Navy Bean and Ham Soup
Growing up, my momma would have called this poor people food- even though we were pretty much poor people. The irony is great. This needs to be served with golden cornbread and some pepper sauce or Tabasco.
Ingredients:
1 lb dry navy beans, washed & picked through
1 cup cubed smoked ham
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
water
Place beans in large pot. Cover beans with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn the temperature down and place a lid on the pot (if you have a ham bone add it in now). The beans should cook at a soft boil. Check and stir from time to time and make sure the beans have 2" - 2 1/2" of water covering beans. Add more water if necessary.
When beans are getting a little tender add the onions and ham. Replace the lid and simmer until soup is completely cooked. Add salt and pepper when ham, onions, and beans have cooked for 1/2 hour. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Seasoning depends on the salt content of the ham.
Ingredients:
1 lb dry navy beans, washed & picked through
1 cup cubed smoked ham
½ cup yellow onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
water
Place beans in large pot. Cover beans with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn the temperature down and place a lid on the pot (if you have a ham bone add it in now). The beans should cook at a soft boil. Check and stir from time to time and make sure the beans have 2" - 2 1/2" of water covering beans. Add more water if necessary.
When beans are getting a little tender add the onions and ham. Replace the lid and simmer until soup is completely cooked. Add salt and pepper when ham, onions, and beans have cooked for 1/2 hour. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Seasoning depends on the salt content of the ham.
9/9/13
Peach Rosemary Jam
Thank you Gobo Root for this recipe. Makes 6 x 250ml jars
Ingredients:
10 cups peaches, crushed (I throw it into a Vitamix for 5 sec.)
1 apple, unpeeled, cut into wedges including the core, then roughly chopped
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
A few small knobs of ginger, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary, finely chopped
6 cups granulated sugar or more*
A pinch of salt
* Depending on the amount of juice you get from peaches. The rule of a thumb is that the proportion of the sugar in preserves needs to be 60 % or higher in order to prevent it from spoiling.
Sterilize the jars. I immerse the jars in a large pot filled with water and bring it to a roiling boil for at least 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the hot jars, draining well, and then place on a baking sheet in the oven set to the lowest possible temperature (in my case, 170F) until the jam is ready to be poured. You can flip the jars once to ensure even drying. By the time the jam is ready, the jars will be nicely dried. Sterilize the lids in boiling water and dry as well.
Place a small plate in a refrigerator (you are going to use this in order to test the setting point later). Place the peach, apple and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and bring to a boil. Make a few slits in the knobs of ginger and add to the pot along with the rosemary. Simmer until apple pieces are soft. Skim off the scum as needed.
Add the sugar, stir to dissolve and bring to a boil. Add the salt, and boil rapidly without stirring until the setting point is reached, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Test the setting point by dropping a small amount of the jam onto the cooled plate. Let sit for a bit, then using your fingertip, gently push the jam. If it crinkles, it is set. In order to make smooth-textured jam, I removed apple pieces and peels from the jam (and served it with sharp cheddar cheese next day). The apple was needed for its high pectin content to help the peach jam to set.
Remove the jam from the heat. Remove the jars from the oven. Pour the hot jam into the warm sterilized jars and seal tightly. Store in a cool, dry place and use up within 12 months or so. Once open, the jam should be refrigerated.
Ingredients:
10 cups peaches, crushed (I throw it into a Vitamix for 5 sec.)
1 apple, unpeeled, cut into wedges including the core, then roughly chopped
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
A few small knobs of ginger, peeled
2 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary, finely chopped
6 cups granulated sugar or more*
A pinch of salt
* Depending on the amount of juice you get from peaches. The rule of a thumb is that the proportion of the sugar in preserves needs to be 60 % or higher in order to prevent it from spoiling.
Sterilize the jars. I immerse the jars in a large pot filled with water and bring it to a roiling boil for at least 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the hot jars, draining well, and then place on a baking sheet in the oven set to the lowest possible temperature (in my case, 170F) until the jam is ready to be poured. You can flip the jars once to ensure even drying. By the time the jam is ready, the jars will be nicely dried. Sterilize the lids in boiling water and dry as well.
Place a small plate in a refrigerator (you are going to use this in order to test the setting point later). Place the peach, apple and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and bring to a boil. Make a few slits in the knobs of ginger and add to the pot along with the rosemary. Simmer until apple pieces are soft. Skim off the scum as needed.
Add the sugar, stir to dissolve and bring to a boil. Add the salt, and boil rapidly without stirring until the setting point is reached, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Test the setting point by dropping a small amount of the jam onto the cooled plate. Let sit for a bit, then using your fingertip, gently push the jam. If it crinkles, it is set. In order to make smooth-textured jam, I removed apple pieces and peels from the jam (and served it with sharp cheddar cheese next day). The apple was needed for its high pectin content to help the peach jam to set.
Remove the jam from the heat. Remove the jars from the oven. Pour the hot jam into the warm sterilized jars and seal tightly. Store in a cool, dry place and use up within 12 months or so. Once open, the jam should be refrigerated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)