Pasilla Bolognese Spaghetti

Pasta is fantastic.  And versatile.  And one of the things I can count on when I don't feel like cooking anything.  I don't think there's ever a time when there is not some in the (my) pantry.  Which is why I find it so strange that I don't blog about it all that often.  I seem to go in spurts.  I guess that's just because it usually winds up being an everday meal.  Or something I've already blogged about.  Most of our favorites are tried and true, so we don't stray all that often.  Or maybe I just wind up tossing it with regular marinara, alfredo, or simply freshly grated Parm and some butter or olive oil.  It's a great vehicle for using up odds and ends of both veggies and meat.  So...

This dish is simple.  One that we'll most likely make every month or so.  It's a fantastic medley of Mexican-American meets Italian-American.  And it's something that the whole family devoured with quiet mmmmm's and aaaahh's.

Beefy Bolognese meets earthy Pasilla chiles.  The raisiny undertones of the pasillas seem like they were just meant to holding court alongside the tomato in this sauce.  And the understated tang of the crema mellows the combo and perfectly coats the spaghetti.

I'm a little bit ga-ga over this deceptively delicious dish right now.  It's earned a way into "the rotation".

Pasilla Bolognese Spaghetti

Beefy Bolognese meets earthy Pasilla chiles in this Italian-Mexican mash-up!

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: simmer entree beef chiles pasta American Mexican

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• ¼ c. olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 5 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, & sliced
• 1 (28 oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes w/ juices
• 1½ c. chicken (or beef) stock/broth
• big pinch dried Mexican oregano
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1½ lb. ground beef
• ½ c. Mexican crema or sour cream
• 16 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and saute for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chiles and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. You will notice the chiles change color and release some of their oils. Add tomatoes with their juices, chicken stock, oregano, and a big pinch of salt. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Transfer to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water when draining.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in the same skillet that you cooked the sauce in. Add ground beef and season it with salt and pepper. Cook until brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, 12-15 minutes. Drain fat from pan.

Pour pasilla sauce over the meat and simmer for 8 minutes or so, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat and stir in crema.

Combine drained pasta and meat sauce in one pan over medium heat. Grate a good amount (½ - 1 cup) of Parmesan over and stir it in. If sauce seems too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Serve with more freshly grated Parmesan and a smattering of chopped parsley, if you wish.

-adapted from Mexican Made Easy

Avocado-Mango Salad w/ Gorgonzola, Bacon, & Toasted Pepitas

A while ago, I made a pact with myself that I would start making more types of salads.  I believe it came about when I was slogging through a couple years worth of blog posts trying to make my index pages.  I realized then that I needed to expand my salad repertoire.  I think I've done a fairly good job of it since then.

Helpful hint?  Start an index page as soon as you start your blog.  It's extremely frustrating and time-consuming to wade through hundreds of posts trying to get your shit in order later.

But back to the point - salads.  They're not just for rabbits anymore.  The thing about me is, I usually find myself making meal-salads (as opposed to side-salads).  Salad as a meal is interesting, layered, complex.  Side salads are what I eat to get more roughage into my diet when it seems lacking.  And though I'm almost ashamed to admit this...almost...my favorite simple salad is just crispy Romaine with some lemon or lime juice squeezed over it.  I suppose in actuality, that's not really a salad.  Just lettuce.  So you see, commence salad repertoire expansion process?  It was definitely in order.

I definitely consider this a meal-salad.  The texture and flavor layers are insane.  Butter lettuce is crisp, yet soft and velvety.  Sweet juicy mango.  Creamy avocado.  Smoky, salty bacon.  Earthy toasted pepitas.  Pungent cheese.  All drizzled in a dressing that is all kinds of nutty, tangy, sweet, and hot all in the same mouthful.

Avocado-Mango Salad w/ Gorgonzola, Bacon, & Toasted Pepitas

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: salad avocado bacon mango lettuce Mexican summer

Ingredients (serves 4)

dressing

• 4 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
• ½ c. pepitas, toasted
• ⅓ c. freshly squeezed lime juice
• ⅓ c. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 small jalapeño, stemmed
• 1 Tbs. honey
• salt, to taste

salad

• 1 large head Butter lettuce, leaves separated
• ¼ of a small head of radicchio, leaves torn
• 2 large ripe California avocados
• 2 mangoes
• ~¾ c. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Pour oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring regularly, until garlic is soft and lightly browned, ~5 minutes. Scrape everything into the jar of a blender. Add ⅓ of the toasted pepitas (save rest for salad), honey, and ~½ teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Arrange lettuce and radicchio among salad plates. Pit the avocados, cut into slices, and scoop from flesh. Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh from the pit. Slice into pieces about the size of the avocado. Arrange both on top of the lettuce. Drizzle some dressing over everything and then sprinkle with reserved pepitas, crumbled bacon, and gorgonzola. Enjoy!

adapted from Everyday Mexican

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Lime Zest Ice Cream

Even though I eat ice cream in the wintertime if the craving hits...and I've even been known to break out the ice cream maker if need be...it usually doesn't see much activity until the warmer months.  Funny that March and now April actually qualify as "the warmer months" this year.  Even though the temperatures in the 80's and 90's have mostly given way to the 60's and 70's over the past week or so, it's kind of hard to let go of the warm weather mindset.  I mean, shorts, tank tops, flip-flops?  They only served to whet my appetite.

So basically, what I'm trying to convey, is that when I was flipping through a Bayless book one bright, sunny, and warm day a few weeks ago marking recipes to-try over the next six months and came across some ice cream, I knew it was in my immediate future.  I'm always drawn to  ice cream recipes that don't call for a custard.  Sure, I'll make a custard if something sounds good enough, but I'm a total sucker for a quick mixture that I can whisk together and dump into an ice cream machine in minutes.

The combination of bright, tangy lime and cool, smooth cream is equivalent to little bowlful of bliss.  It's very reminiscent of sherbet.  I could almost taste it in a glass with a fizzy lemon-lime or ginger soda poured over it.  But a few drizzles of deep, rich cajeta against the zesty-creamy combination was magic, too.  I see myself making this on a regular basis to cool us down and make our mouths happy in the heat.  Or to remind us of it when it's in remission.

Lime Zest Ice Cream

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: dessert citrus limes ice-cream Mexican

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 2-3 limes
• ¾ c. superfine sugar
• 1 c. heavy cream
• ¾ c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

for serving:

• cajeta, optional

Instructions

Finely grate the zest from 1 or 2 of the limes (enough to equal about a Tablespoon). Squeeze the juice from all of the limes (should equal ¼ cup).

Combine the lime zest and lime juice with the sugar, cream, yogurt, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.

Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer to a freezer container to firm up for several hours, or preferably overnight.

Serve big scoops of ice cream, drizzled with cajeta, if you wish.

slightly adapted from Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures

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Smoky Tomato Risotto

Lately, I've been dreaming of a creamy, satisfying plate of risotto.  I'm sure it has something to do with the thick blanket of snow outside, the perma-chill in my bones that I can't seem to shake, and the constant longing for a fireplace to cozy up beside.  Growing up we always seemed to have a fireplace either in our home or in the home of a family member (much like that cool, wet pool I long for in the summertime).  But, since we have yet to stumble upon our dream-home, I have to conjur up memories of fireplaces past.  I love the hiss that a log makes as the moisture longs for escape from the flames licking its edges.  And the pop of the superheated sap exploding.   And that comforting crackle that can lull me into submission.  I miss throwing in a pine cone or a cinnamon stick in order to catch a whiff of those scents of the season.

So, when I saw Natashya post an amazing looking Tomato Risotto that came from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros, I immediately knew that I was making it.  After pulling my much-loved copy of the book from the shelf, I resolved that while I was making it, I was entirely in the mood to shake it up a bit and add a smoky, warming twist by throwing in some smoked paprika, smoked mozzarella, and fire-roasted tomatoes.  So, while I may currently be without fireplace, I do have a deep, rich, creamy, smoky heap of risotto on a plate in front of me to keep me warm.

Fantastic as a (vegetarian) main dish, I think it would also fare well as a base to shrimp, chicken, or even a fried egg.  

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Smoky Tomato Risotto

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: up to 30 minutes

Cook Time: ~30 minutes

Keywords: entree side vegetarian rice tomatoes Italian

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

Quick Vegetable Broth

• ½ onion, peeled & halved
• 1 carrot, broken in chunks
• ½ celery stalk, broken in chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 small tomato, halved
• a few stalks of parsley
• 5 c. water
• sea salt

Risotto

• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• pinch of crushed red chile flakes
• 1 c. arborio rice
• 1 c. fire-roasted tomatoes, pureed (~1/2 14 oz. can)
• ~3 c. Quick Vegetable Broth (or vegetable stock)
• 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
• few sprigs of fresh basil, torn
• ¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan
• ⅔ c. smoked Mozzarella, shredded or diced small

to serve

• olive oil
• freshly grated Parmesan
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Quick Vegetable Broth (If you have vegetable stock, you can skip this step and just warm up your stock in a pan on the back of the stove.)

Put the veggies and herbs in a pot with the water and season with some salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Let cook about 30 minutes. Keep warm over lowest heat possible.

Making the Risotto

Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Saute the onion and garlic over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until they've just started to soften. Add rice and crushed red chile. Continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for a few more minutes. All of the grains of rice should be coated and milky-looking.

Stir in the smoked paprika, half of the basil, and half of the tomato puree. Add in a ladle of warm stock. Continue stirring and adding in a ladle full of the broth at a time until the rice has just absorbed it...and then adding another. After ten minutes of doing this, add in the remaining tomato puree. Continue with remaining broth (up to ~3 cups). This process should take a total of about 20 minutes.

Test the rice. It should still feel somewhat firm (al dente), but also smooth and creamy. If it still feels hard, add in another ladle full of stock and cook down, stirring. When rice is al dente, turn off the heat and stir in both cheeses and the remaining basil.

Serve warm, drizzled with more olive oil and sprinkled with more Parmesan. Grate some black pepper over, if you wish. Enjoy!

note:

If you would like to remove the garlic cloves, do so just before stirring in the cheese. Personally, I leave them in...it's like a bonus if you get one on your plate!

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Bookmarked Recipes at Tinned Tomatoes (founded by Ruth's Kitchen Experiments)