Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

It is good to be back in The Sunshine State.  As much as we love the North Carolina mountains, a change of scene can be invigorating and cleansing.  My thoughts on cooking change with the environment also.  I left my Kitchen Aid mixer and food processor in the Lake Lure kitchen.  The meals I fix here are usually simple and straight forward.  We eat more seafood and try to get more exercise.

The local market had some beautiful wild jumbo shrimp so I adapted a Cooking Light recipe to make this pasta dish.  While visiting the kids I made a run through Trader Joe’s to pick up pantry staples for Florida.  Their lemon pepper pappardelle pasta goes very well with seafood.  Add a bunch of baby arugula and you have a meal in a dish.

So simple and easy!  There are changes coming to my blog.  I am in the process of moving over to Word Press so I hope you will stick with me.

SHRIMP AND ARUGULA PASTA

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
12 ounces pasta of choice, fusilli, linguine, pappardelle
3 cups (packed) fresh baby or regular arugula

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes and white wine and bring to a simmer.  Simmer until the wine reduces by half, about 5 minutes.  Add the shrimp and cook just until they are pink, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta, saving some of the pasta water.  Add the pasta and the arugula to the skillet.  Toss to combine.  Season the pasta with salt and pepper and add a little pasta water if dry.  Transfer to a large bowl and serve.

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This is a very easy week night dinner that can be pulled together with very little effort.  The inspiration came from Bonnie at From a Writer’s Kitchen.  She in turn adapted the recipe from The New York Times.  This begs the question “when does a  recipe become your own”?   However I arrived at the finished dish, it is a good one.

We are packing up the house in preparation for our return to Florida for the winter.  I had some bratwurst in the freezer, sage in the garden and linguini in the pantry.  It is almost as easy as that.  Throw in some cream or half and half and a bit of Parmesan and dinner is ready.

I served this with leftovers from the sage financiers I made here.

PASTA WITH SAUSAGE, SAGE AND CREAM

1/2 pound linguini cooked according to package directions
4 bratwurst sausages, cut into pieces and cooked
12 to 16 sage leaves
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 cup cream or half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

While the pasta is cooking:

1.  Saute the sage leaves in the olive oil over medium heat until crisp.  This takes only about 30 sec per side. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2.  Cut the sausages into half inch pieces and saute them in the same oil until lightly browned, adding the garlic at the last minute and saute until lightly golden in color.  Remove and set aside.
3.  Pour off the fat from the pan and stir in the cream or half and half.  Bring it almost to the boil, stirring.  Reduce the heat and stir the pasta in. Save some of the pasta water.  Correct the seasoning.  Add the sausages and heat through.  Add a little pasta water if it is too thick.
4.  Serve with a scattering of sage leaves and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan.

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One of the items on our brunch buffet over Easter was a pierogi dish.  One of my commenters asked what pierogies were.   Pieorgies are filled dumplings with origins in Poland.  The filling is usually potatoes and cheese, but there are many possibilities for fillings.  My Daughter-In-Law Kristen got her pierogies frozen from The Fresh Market.  My Fresh Market did not have them, but Harris Teeter did have fresh ones in the Deli department.  You could also make your own.  I remember years ago going to a party where all Polish dishes were served and the hostess had made her own.  Epicurious has a recipe here.

I grew up with pierogies.  My Father’s family was from Russia and there was also a large Polish population in our small town in Michigan.  But to be honest with you, I had not had them in years until Kristen served them at Easter.  So I was anxious to get home and try a recipe using them.  My “ever-reliable” Gourmet collection yielded up a terrific recipe.  What is more compatible than cabbage, bacon, potato dumplings and dill?  We enjoyed this simple, quick dish for dinner.  I am thinking about making them from scratch one of these days.

PIEROGIES WITH CABBAGE, BACON, AND ONIONS (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

12 Fresh or Frozen Potato and Cheese Pierogies
1 tablespoons olive oil
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lb Savoy cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

If Pierogies are frozen,  parboil them in a pot of boiling salted water uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 minute less than package instructions indicated.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander to drain.  Pat dry.  If they a fresh proceed with the following instructions.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute  the pierogies, turning over once, until golden, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a platter and keep warm loosely covered with foil.

Cook bacon in same skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, then transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then add the sliced onion and saute over moderately high heat, stirring until golden, about 8 minutes.  Reduce heat to moderate  , then stir in garlic, cabbage, water and salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to platter with pierogies and sprinkle with bacon and dill.

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Fresh scallop season is now officially over.  It runs from November through March.  But that did not stop me from buying some (previously frozen) scallops from The market last week.  Our Friday night dinner was a simple one of flour dusted scallops with angel hair pasta coated with a pesto made from parsley instead of basil and pistachios instead of pine nuts.

After a week of putting the cottage back together, it was a relief to cook something simple.  It’s a shame that things will not just stay put together though.  The pollen is so heavy this year that I am heading back out to the porch today to clean and vacuum again.  Sigh.

At least we had a few leftovers for lunch over the weekend.  I think you will love this dish.  The scallops are sweet and the pasta is one that I could eat all by itself.  The lemon and parley accented freshness makes it feel light and decadent at the same time.  This is perfect for an easy meal for two.

SCALLOPS WITH PARLEY, PISTACHIO PASTA ( adapted from Cooking Light )

1 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
The zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound of sea scallops
1/4 cup flour
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta (about 4 ounces uncooked pasta)
Pasta water as needed

Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor, and process until mixture is smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Combine scallops, flour and salt in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat.

Heat butter and oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add scallops and cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

Combine parsley mixture and pasta in a large bowl. tossing gently.  Add a little pasta water if it is dry.  Arrange pasta on a platter and top with scallops.  2 servings with enough for leftovers.

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Just because you are busy doesn’t mean you have to settle for take-out when it comes to dinner.  All it takes is a little planning and a well stocked pantry.

I feel like I am channeling The Pioneer Woman right now.  Her latest episode on The Food Network had to do with just this subject.  She has good reason to keep a stocked pantry after all.  If you lived on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere, you would do the same.  But even if you have a Whole Foods and a Costco in the next block, having a pantry stocked with quality ingredients is worth your while.

My nearest Costco is 50 miles away.  My friend Maxine and I just made a run there earlier this week.  I came home with a huge hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano at half the price of what is available in my local store.  I found a 12 ounce package of Speck, that wonderful smoked prosciutto from Italy that is so good in Spaghetti Carbonara.  It will keep well in the refrigerator for months.  From Whole Foods I buy artisanal dried pastas and quality jarred marinara sauce.  I also like to keep jarred pesto sauce and sweet pickled peppers.  The pesto sauce adds a bright note to pasta dishes and the pickled peppers look pretty and add a piquant flavor to many dishes.  See how Sam of My Carolina Kitchen used them in this recipe.  Her Chicken Scarpariello is outstanding.

I was running late yesterday.  Knowing what I had in the pantry, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some hot chicken sausage and breezed through the express lane.  Dinner was on the table within the hour and it was a very good meal.  What went into it made all of the difference.

CHICKEN SAUSAGE PASTA

1 lb good quality hot or mild chicken sausages, removed from casings
1 red or green bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup good quality marinara sauce
3 heaping tablespoons pesto sauce
8 to 10 pickled small sweet peppers, halved
1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, more for garnishing

8 ounces Organic Strozzapreti pasta or penne pasta of your choice
Salt to taste
1/2 cup pasta water

In a large skillet over medium high heat saute chicken sausage, breaking up big pieces.  Add peppers, onion and garlic and saute until peppers have softened.  Add wine to skillet and scrape pan to loosen the browned bits.  Add marinara sauce, pesto and pickled peppers to dish.  Reduce heat to low and simmer while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add at least a tablespoon of salt.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  When done, scope out some of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.  Add it to the skillet with the sauce.  Add the shredded Parmigiano and stir to combine.  Add some pasta water if the mixture is dry.  Turn pasta onto a serving plate and serve garnished with more cheese.

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