Chicken and Vegetable Penne with Goat Cheese Sauce

Chris and I first moved to the NYC area over 17 years ago. Early on, we had dinner one night at a little Italian restaurant just off of the hustle and bustle of Times Square. I still remember the dish I had that night, because I've spent the last 17 years trying to replicate it: Homemade farfalle pasta, plump tomatoes, fresh basil, a dollop of goat cheese and grind or two of cracked black pepper. It was smoky and bright, simple yet elegant -- and one of those dishes you think about for weeks. I tried to make it at home soon after, but it never tasted quite the same.

But, about 12 years ago, I came close. Chris and I were prepping for our soon-to-be wedding, working late into the night gluing strawflowers onto the ceremony programs and painting the hair of the girl in our mini bride and groom cake toppers yellow, so she'd be a blonde and not a brunette. All 75 of them. We drank a couple bottles of wine as we worked, and by the time we were done, we were starving. All we had in the house was pasta so I grabbed some tomato sauce, goat cheese, and a few other ingredients and threw together a quick dinner in happy, exhausted, wine-induced daze. As we sat at our little table in our tiny kitchen, I remember stopping after the first bite. The handsome, amazing guy I was going to marry in a few weeks also stopped mid-bite: It tasted like the pasta from that little Italian restaurant.

Jump head five more years, and I've stopped trying to replicate both the restaurant dish and the drunken pasta night dish -- I have no memory of the other ingredients I used that night. Still, every now and again I do make a tasty pasta dish with tomatoes and goat cheese, adding in new ingredients as the cookery spirit moves me.

This time, I made a delicious pasta dish with penne, goat cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, bacon, garlic and herbs. Towards the end, I also stirred in some leftover chicken breast. It wasn't the same as either dish from years ago, but it was satisfying and comforting and good.

And, I got to eat it across the table from the same handsome, amazing guy. Which is delicious in its own right.

Chicken and Vegetable Penne with Goat Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb. penne 

4-6 strips of bacon, diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 tsp tomato paste

1 pint cherry tomatoes, each poked with the end of a knife

1 large zucchini, diced

1 medium eggplant, diced

1 cup pasta water

4 oz goat cheese (garlic and herb)

2 cups diced cooked chicken breast

Fresh herbs (basil, parsley), minced

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 1

To Do: 

• Boil penne in heavily salted water, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, and set both pasta and reserved liquid aside.
• In a large pot or dutch oven, brown the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, then add the minced garlic. Continue to cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, then reduce heat to medium. Stir in the tomato paste until it coats the bacon and garlic.
• Add the diced zucchini, eggplant, the tomatoes, and the pasta water. Cover and cook until the veggies are tender and the tomatoes have started to burst, then stir in the goat cheese.

• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and liquid has thickened.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the herbs and chicken, then cook a few minutes more, until heated through.

• Scoop into bowls, top with more herbs and enjoy.

xoxo

Squash It To Me: Butternut Squash Melts with Goat Cheese, Bacon and Apple

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but you are most likely still up to your elbows in pumpkin, butternut, carnival, delicata, acorn, and buttercup squash. Whether you used them in pretty centerpieces, delicious pies, or flavorful side dishes, you probably have enough of these winter fruits leftover to last you until spring!

So, what to do with all that lovely squashiness?

You can use them interchangeably -- make mac and cheese,  stuff them, turn them into soup, add them to pasta, make a savory bread pudding, or bake them in this lovely, meaty pie.

Or, you can make this awesome sandwich:

 

Just peel and dice your squash, toss it with walnut or olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a bit of pumpkin pie spice, then roast in a 400 degree oven with a few cloves of garlic until tender and lightly browned.

Then, puree in a blender with a bit of half and half and chicken stock until you get a light,creamy purée.

Take two slices of your homemade bread and place on a buttered skillet. Top one slice with some butter (of course!) and a few pieces of cooked bacon. Mix together some of the purée with a couple TBS of goat cheese and a bit of salt/pepper, then spread on the other slice of bread. Top with thinly sliced apple.

When both bottoms of bread are toasted, gently place the bacon piece over the apple/squash piece (bacon side down) and press together with a spatula. Brown the other side, then cut in half and serve with soup or a salad.

You are a squash rock star.

xoxo

P.S. This would also be great with a few slices of leftover turkey if you happen to find yourself with some.

Little Bites of Delight: Crescent Roll-Ups

Sometimes you don't want to eat an entire sandwich with your soup or stew. Some days, you just want a little bite of something on the side. But that something still needs to be buttery and creamy and full of comforting flavor. On those days, grab some crescent roll dough (I prefer the ones by Immaculate Baking Co.), and make a batch of these tasty bites:

I used a mixture of creamy chèvre, garlic-roasted kale, and nutmeg-seasoned roasted squash, but goat cheese, dried cranberries and pecans would be tasty. And, so would smoked cheddar, walnut and apple. Or, tomato, basil and mozzarella. And ricotta, bacon and fig preserves. Or feta, artichoke and sun-dried tomato. (You get the idea -- something on the sweet side, something salty, and something sharp/pungent.)

All you have to do is roll out the triangles and add a dollop of your mixture, roll them up into little balls and pat down into ovals on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350, and about 12-15 minutes later, you're ready to go.

 

Voilà! A plate full of delicious last-minute treats everyone will love.

How great is that?

xoxo

Drunken Pasta

Leftover bottle of wine? Don't despair, Gourmess is here.

There was a very sad sight in our kitchen: A nearly-full, opened bottle of red wine that was apparently forgotten about and no longer great for drinking. I put the bottle in the fridge thinking I could use it in a stew or perhaps a batch of sub-par sangria, but then I remembered hearing someone talk about boiling wine, and I thought, "Let's boil the wine and make pasta!" Hence, this Drunken Pasta recipe was born.

Drunken Pasta
Ingredients:
2 quarts water
1 bottle red wine
1 lb. dry spaghetti or other favorite pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
6 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
1TBS olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 TBS butter
1 small onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping TBS of tomato paste
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Minimal MESS/ingredients/clean-up: Category 1

To Do:

• Bring the water and the wine to a boil in a large pot. Be careful when you add the pasta! The wine may cause the liquid to bubble up, so stand back. (Don't overfill your pot.)
• Cook the pasta until it s al dente, then drain it (do not rinse!) and set aside, keeping about 1 cup of the pasta liquid. 
• Heat the pecans in a small pan over the stove, stirring frequently, until toasted. Set aside.
• In a large pan (big enough to hold the pasta), cook the bacon until crispy, then remove the bacon from the pan and set aside, but keep warm.
• Add 1 TBS of olive oil and the butter to the pan with the bacon drippings, then sauté the onion and garlic over medium-high heat until soft and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the reserved pasta water, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Let sauce reduce a bit (about 2 minutes), then gently add the pasta and mix everything together. 
• Remove from heat. Stir in the bacon, 1/4 cup of the goat cheese, and all of the toasted pecans. 
• Transfer to individual bowls, then top each serving with a drizzle or two of olive oil, a bit more goat cheese, a sprinkle of basil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if using.

Cheers!
xoxo

Dessert is the New Dinner: Savory Bread Pudding

Who needs breakfast for dinner? I'm on a roll with dessert for dinner. First it was a lovely Tomato Pie, and now, below is a lovely recipe I pulled together for a savory bread pudding filled with sausage, butternut squash and the queen of all greens: kale. What's next? Ice cream for dinner? Wait, I've done that. (I couldn't resist a pint of Häagen-Dazs if my life depended on it.) But, back to the bread pudding -- with a hint of spice and a dab of sweet, it's delicate yet dense, rich, and delicious. Served with a lightly dressed salad and a glass of wine, this makes for a terrific twist on a favorite dessert, er dinner.

Savory Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
1-2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced
Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green, red or yellow pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
4 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 TBS brandy
3 TBS unsalted butter
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 TBS parsley, finely chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt/pepper
6 cups cubed bread (Italian, French, Sourdough, etc.)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream  (or 1 cup whole milk plus 1 cup light cream)
3 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 TBS goat cheese

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss squash in olive oil to coat and roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender and starting to brown. Remove the squash from oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
• In the meantime, cook garlic with a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until tender. Crumble the sausage and cook over medium-high until browned. (Note: I had some diced yellow pepper handy, so I added a handful to the pan, but you can omit if you want.) 

• Stir in the brandy and butter and let cook about 5 minutes before adding in the kale.

• When kale is tender but still bright green (about 3 minutes), remove the pan from the heat and stir in the roasted squash, parsley and red pepper flakes. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

• While your sausage is browning or your squash is roasting, cut your loaf of bread into bite-size cubes. (I find it easier to cut the loaf into thick slices first, then cut those lengthwise into strips, then crosswise into cubes.)

• In a large bowl, whisk together the cream and eggs until well combined.
• Add the nutmeg, maple syrup, ginger and garlic powder, and a pinch or two of salt and mix together.
• Add the bread cubes and gently stir until moistened. Let soak for about 10 minutes until liquid has absorbed completely.
• Stir the sausage/kale/squash mixture (including any liquid) into the bread mixture and combine.

• Transfer to a large, greased baking dish and pat down to fill completely.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, covering with foil for the first 30 minutes. 
• When browned and lovely, dot the top with the cheddar and goat cheese, then bake for about 5 minutes more.

• Let cool 10-15 minutes, then serve with a simple salad.

Delish!
(Who says you can't have dessert first?)

xoxo

A Winter's Treat: Roasted Squash with Bacon, Kale (of course!) and Farfalle

As you know, there is a little bit of a love affair between my husband and kale at the moment, so when I spotted a "15 Must-Try Kale Recipes" email from Cooking Light in my inbox, I thought, "I should make that for Chris!" (I also thought, "Why am I getting these emails? I have heavy cream, butter and bacon in my fridge at all times.")

There are indeed some great "must-try" recipes, and one of them, the Bacon and Butternut Pasta dish sounded amazing. Especially because its ingredients include kale, bacon, garlic, and pasta -- which I happen to have in stock 24/7. I also love that it calls for crème fraîche which adds a lovely creaminess to a recipe without having to worry about it separating when heated. (If you can't find it, substituting with full-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt would be okay.) And, I was thrilled that I could use the gorgeous butternut squash that was sitting on my counter. Score!

However, like most recipes that seem to cross my path, I thought this one needed some tweaks. So, I tweaked. (I used goat cheese instead of gruyere and omitted the flour/white sauce step. And, instead of using chicken broth, I took advantage of the lovely pasta/kale infused water already on the stove.) The result was a delicious, pasta dish that you could serve as a mostly-meatless main course or as a lovely warm winter salad/side dish. If you feel the need to add more cheese, try a sprinkle of smoked cheddar or gouda, but don't overdo it. The flavors are so lovely you don't want to cover them up. And, don't tell Chris, but I think the star of the dish is actually the squash. It really brightens up the dish both in flavor and color. Delish.

Roasted Squash with Bacon, Kale and Farfalle
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 TBS walnut oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. box of farfalle pasta
1 bunch kale, stems removed, and leaves finely chopped
4-6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups crème fraîche
4 TBS goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Kosher Salt
Ground black pepper

To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss the squash, walnut oil, garlic powder and a pinch or two of salt and roast until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside, but keep oven at 400 degrees.

• While the squash is roasting, boil the pasta and remove it from the water with a slotted spoon when it is almost al dente. (It will continue to cook in the oven and you don't want it to be mushy.) Keep the water at a boil.
• Add the kale in batches (if necessary) to the boiling pasta water until the kale turns bright green, about 1 minute, then remove with slotted spoon to a separate bowl/colander from the pasta.
• Reserve about 3/4 cup of the pasta/kale water.
• Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. When it starts to crisp, add the garlic and cook until garlic is tender, about 3 minutes more. Add the kale and the reserved water and simmer 1-2 minutes to combine flavors. Remove from heat. 

• In a large bowl, gently combine the squash, pasta, and kale/bacon/garlic mixture. 

\

• Stir in the crème fraîche and crumble in 2 TBS of the goat cheese.

My favorite kind.

• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste (you might not need to add salt since there's bacon in the mix, but test it) and 1/4 tsp of the nutmeg.
• Transfer to a large baking dish then dot the top with the remaining goat cheese and nutmeg.

• Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, until browned.

• Devour.

xoxo

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Butternut Squash + Macaroni + Cheese  = A match made in foodie heaven.

I've been seeing recipes for Butternut Squash Mac 'n Cheese everywhere lately, and lucky for me, a couple of the lovely, golden squash were included in my latest organic box.  By the way, did you know a squash is considered a fruit?

Anyway, I looked at a few recipes online and then did what I always do, which is come up with my own version.  

To start, I needed to roast the squash.  I cut the top and bottom ends off of both, then halved them lengthwise, removed the rind, and scooped out the pulp and seeds with my trusty grapefruit spoon (I saved the seeds to be used as a salad garnish, but more on that later). I cut the squash into 1-inch cubes then tossed them in a bit of olive oil and placed them in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until tender.  

In the meantime,  I put water on to boil for my pasta.  (Note: I didn't salt the water this time, like I usually do, since the sauce was already well seasoned.)  Then, I put 2 cups of chicken stock, 3 TBS of heavy cream and 1/2 TBS each of nutmeg and garlic powder in the blender. When the squash was done and had cooled a bit, I put about 3 cups of it into the blender along with the other ingredients and ran it until I had a nice thick purée.  

I poured the sauce into a pot on the stove and set to medium-low heat.  I stirred in 2 cups of aged, maple-smoked cheddar cheese that I grated, along with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup of grated smoked Gouda, and 3 TBS of lovely, mild, hand-rolled goat cheese.  I stirred until the cheese started to melt, and then adjusted the seasonings, adding a bit of kosher salt, cracked pepper, and a bit more nutmeg/garlic powder as needed.  Note: I didn't want to hide the squash flavor completely, so I didn't use cheeses that were overly pungent/stinky.

When the pasta (I used Farfalle) was al dente, I drained it and then stirred it into the sauce. At this point, I stood in front of the stove and almost devoured 1/3 of the pot. So tasty!

But, I wasn't done yet.  I wanted a bit of crunch and color, so I topped it with breadcrumbs that I had mixed with a bit of walnut oil and nutmeg, then placed the pot in the oven at 400 degrees to bake for about 15 minutes, until the topping had browned and the cheese was bubbly (see first pic).

It turned out really well -- creamy and dreamy.  I served it with a simple salad of organic romaine lettuce,   seckle pears and the toasted squash seeds, which I had browned on the stove and mixed with a bit of smoked sea salt.  For the dressing, I took some dark raw honey and balsamic vinegar, and whisked with some walnut oil.  I also had some roasted Romanesco broccoli on the side, and we drank a lovely South African white wine. Chris seemed to really like this dish, and I have to say, I did too. Why make boring old mac 'n cheese, when you can make Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese?  Yum.

Happy Eating, Happy Fall!

xoxoxo

Fettuccine with Tomatoes, Basil and Goat Cheese

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

Living in the Garden State means luscious, organic produce, all summer long.

A mountain of tomatoes (large ones, cherry-sized, plum) arrived in my most recent box from Boxed Organics. I also ordered 10 oz. of fresh, hand-rolled goat cheese fresh from the farm: "goat chèvre made from happy milk from happy goats frolicking in the pastures, looking out over fields and generally having a jolly good time at Apple Tree Dairy in rural Pennsylvania." It is the best goat cheese I've ever had. You can and should eat it by the spoonful--just ask Chris. In addition, my basil plants are thriving in the August sunshine, so I decided to put all these summer riches together into a lovely, bowl of pasta.

I added a box of fettuccine and a few generous handfuls of salt to a pot of water and brought to a boil. (Boiling in "sea water" makes for a better-tasting pasta.) I also added a clove of smashed garlic to the water, for a little kick. When it was just about done/al dente, I drained it, reserving about a cup of the pasta water and tossing the garlic. DO NOT RINSE.

While the pasta was boiling, I chopped up a handful of basil leaves and a dozen of the cherry tomatoes. I set the tomatoes in a colander to drain and sprinkled some salt on them to get rid of excess liquid. I also toasted some thinly sliced garlic in a bit of olive oil. 

I put the drained pasta in a large pan on the stove and set on medium-low heat. I drizzled in a bit of olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta water and stirred with tongs until the pasta was heated through and not sticking together.  Then, I added in the tomatoes and toasted garlic and about 3 TBS of the goat cheese, gently mixing it all together.  The basil went in at the very end so it would stay lovely and bright green.

To serve, I used the tongs to put a heaping portion in each bowl, then added a small dollop of goat cheese and a few grinds of the pepper mill.  A delish dish.

Yum!

xoxoxo

Penne with Bacon, Swiss Chard, and Tomatoes

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

My bi-monthly box of organic food has started to transition toward spring vegetables. Asparagus, early tomatoes, lettuce, etc., were prominent in my latest one, but we're also finishing up with winter's chard and kale.  

I had been reading some magazine articles lately that featured Italy and was craving pasta.  I also wanted to try out the suggestion/technique of boiling the pasta until it is just about done, and then transferring it to a large pan/skillet to finish cooking it (with the sauce), adding a bit of the starchy water for the ultimate in pasta preparation.  I've seen this technique referred to a few times lately, in recipes and articles, so thought I'd give it a shot.

I thought a creamy tomato sauce with spinach and bacon would be nice, but I didn't have spinach, so I used some beautiful chard instead.  The dish turned out lovely -- the creamy sauce, the slightly bitter taste of the chard with the salty bacon and the sweetness of the tomatoes made for a really nice dish.

1, 1lb. box penne pasta 

4 strips bacon, cut into small pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 cups chard (stems removed), chopped

4 tomatoes, peeled and diced (or, 1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 TBS goat cheese

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 TBS butter or olive oil (optional)

Bring water to a boil in large stock pot with 2 handfuls of salt.  Add pasta to boiling water and remove when test piece is white only in the very center.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain penne and set aside.  

In large skillet/pan over medium heat, brown the bacon, adding the garlic when bacon starts to crisp.  Once garlic is soft and fragrant, add in the chard, tomatoes and cream and reduce heat to a simmer. After the tomatoes start to break up, stir in the goat cheese and salt and pepper, and then add in a bit of the pasta water to thicken the sauce.  Simmer a few more minutes then gently toss in the pasta, coating it with the sauce.  Let this simmer for a minute or two more, adding in more pasta water if needed, adjust your seasonings add the butter/olive oil, and enjoy!

xoxoxo

Monday, Monday

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

Yesterday was the start of yet another long week...and the chilly, rainy day begged for a dinner that was comforting and warm. I didn't want to make anything from scratch, but I didn't want to order take out either. So, I rummaged around the pantry/kitchen and came up with a dinner that Chris proclaimed was "pretty gourmet for a Monday."  (I don't know what he expected. I am the Gourmess, after all.)  ;)

I had a multi-grain, ready-to-bake pizza crust in the bread drawer, so I brushed some olive oil on it and then spread caramelized shallots across it, like you would a sauce. (Williams-Sonoma makes a great jarred version, or if you have time --at least an hour--make them yourself by coating 1-2 lbs. of whole shallots in olive oil or butter and then roasting in the oven with kosher salt, brown sugar and red wine vinegar until soft and lovely.) Then, I crumbled goat cheese and bacon over the shallots until covered. At the last minute, I decided to add a sliced-up, leftover breaded chicken breast (Bell & Evans makes beautiful ones that I keep in the freezer for last-minute dishes like this.), but it would have been just as good without the chicken, so not necessary.  I baked in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes and then turned on the broiler until the cheese was bubbly and the bacon crisp, about 5 minutes more.

Just remove from the oven, top with some fresh rosemary, serve with a nice green salad, and Monday night dinner is done.

Yum!

P.S. No pictures this time because camera battery was dead. Sorry. :(