Tag: side dish

Roasted Asparagus with Gourmet Mushrooms

I’ve been having some health issues over the past month, which have limited my time and ability to cook and eat. With my health improving, I’ve started getting back in the kitchen, albeit slowly.

The first recipe I chose to get back into the swing of things is one that I could prepare quickly and easily. It’s also very healthy and popular with my family.

Depending on the size of the group you are serving, the recipe is very flexible for small or larger groups, feeding anywhere from four to twelve people, by using anywhere from 1-1/2 to 3 pounds of asparagus, and making a minor adjustments to the amount of salt and pepper to your personal taste.

As with each recipe I share, I will include my personal recommendations for products that work well, as well as the reasoning behind my choices.

Roasted Asparagus with Gourmet Mushrooms

  • Servings: 4-12
  • Difficulty: easy
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A healthy vegetable dish for the whole crowd


Ingredients

  • 5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided (I prefer Pompeian Smooth)
  • 1 pound of fresh gourmet mushrooms (including oyster, chanterelle, baby bella, and shiitake), sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, minced
  • 1 1/2 – 3 pounds thin to medium thickness asparagus, tough ends trimmed
  • 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt (more or less to taste)
  • 1/8 tsp. coarse, freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 475°F
  2. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheets. (Use two if more space is needed.)
  3. Drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil.
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
  5. Roast asparagus until just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
  7. Add mushrooms and garlic.
  8. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and just tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat.
  10. Add lemon juice and parsley, toss to coat.
  11. Arrange asparagus on a serving platter or in a 9″ x 13″ dish, and top with mushrooms.

Product Recommendations:

I buy fresh bunches of asparagus that are thin to medium thickness. These roast easily, creating a beautiful al dente texture that is slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

As usual, I use my go-to Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which doesn’t take away from the earthy flavors of the vegetables.

I use fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley from my herb garden. If you don’t have any in your garden, I recommend purchasing it fresh from the produce section of your local store rather than using dried, jarred parsley. It boosts the color and flavor, adding a bright freshness to the earthiness of the rest of the dish.

Cacio e Pepe

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about carbs. Breads, pasta, rice. I’d pick carbs over sweets any day of the week. So, when I discovered this simple and classic pasta dish, I wondered where it had been hiding all my life. When I say classic, I mean it’s been around for about 4000 years in one form or another. For those who don’t speak Italian, Cacio e Pepe means Cheese and Pepper. And that pretty much sums up the dish. Simple right?

Do not judge this dish by its simplicity. Even though it has very few ingredients and can be made in the time it takes to water your garden, the ingredients that give it its name meld to create a depth of flavor that will make you wonder why you wasted your college years on boxed ramen and canned spaghetti. Seriously, what was that about?

Variations of this recipe are hotly debated. Seriously. People get passionate about their pasta. Everyone agrees that it’s made with a long, thin, medium weight pasta, but opinions split on which one is best — classic spaghetti, bucatini or perciatelli (a sort of hollow spaghetti), or tonnarelli (a sort of square spaghetti) . About that cheese? Should you go old school with Pecorino Romano, or is Parmesan the way to go? How about both?

As with each recipe I share, I will include my personal recommendations for products that work well, as well as the reasoning behind my choices.

Product Recommendations:

Although this recipe is wonderful with any of the above types of pasta, my favorite is a bucatini. I especially like Barilla’s Collezione Bucatini. This type of pasta holds sauces and cheese very well due, in part, to the “buco” or hole that runs through the middle and captures liquid within the noodle itself. Barilla’s Collezione line is created with traditional bronze plates for a beautiful texture. It’s the next best thing to making it from scratch at home.

As usual, I use my go-to Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which doesn’t take away from the classic flavors of the dish.

When selecting cheese for recipes like this one, I recommend buying the blocks of cheese imported from Italy. They cost just a bit more than the American versions, but the heightened flavor is completely worth it. Also, by buying the cheese in the block and grating it at home, it doesn’t have the cellulose and other additives found in pre-packaged shredded or grated cheese.

For my own Cacio e Pepe, I use a combination of two imported Italian cheeses: Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano. Parmigiano Reggiano has a milder nutty flavor, whereas the Pecorino Romano has a saltier, tangier flavor. For the curious, more detailed information about the difference between them can be found here. I use both because I like how they blend into something more than the sum of their parts when used together in this dish.

To be honest, there isn’t really a wrong answer here with regards to which pasta and which cheese. It will ultimately be a matter of personal taste and preference. However, no matter what you choose, it’s hard to go wrong with this dish.

Cacio e Pepe

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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A deceptively simple pasta dish for the whole family


Ingredients

  • salt
  • 12 oz. bucatini (I prefer Barilla Collezione bucatini.)
  • 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, separated
  • 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (I prefer Pompeiian Smooth)
  • 1 Tbs. freshly ground coarse black pepper
  • 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano, plus extra for serving
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus extra for serving

Directions

  1. Bring 4 – 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil.
  2. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 7-8 minutes.
  3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
  4. In a large, nonstick skillet, toast the ground pepper for about 30 seconds over medium heat, just until fragrant.
  5. Add olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan, and cook, stirring, until the butter melts completely.
  6. Add the drained pasta and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, and toss to coat.
  7. Add the grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses. Continue to toss until the cheese has melted and the pasta is well-coated.
  8. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water and tablespoon of butter, tossing to incorporate. Salt to taste.
  9. Transfer to a serving dish or individual bowls and garnish with remaining cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Maple Roasted Carrots

A sweet and healthy side dish

During the Spring months, two holidays come around that give me an opportunity to make one of my favorite recipes with delicious, young carrots. The first holiday where this recipe works well is Easter, because, well…the Easter Bunny needs to eat something. Another holiday where the fresh, sweet flavor works well is with a Mother’s Day meal. It doubles and even triples easily for large groups.

With family members who are trying to keep sugar intake low for various reasons, I try to have some healthier options to make for them, while still hitting that sweet tooth. This recipe gives the carrots a sweetness without being overly sweet.

With each recipe I share, I will include my personal recommendations for products that work well, as well as the reasoning behind the recommendation.

Product Recommendations:

In this recipe, I use Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which gives enough of that delicious olive oil flavor without overpowering the carrots or making them taste greasy.

For the syrup, I try to find a high-quality brand from Canada or Vermont. I use Grade A Amber Color Rich Taste. It is not as delicate as the golden syrup, so it doesn’t get lost in the carrot flavor; however, it isn’t as robust as the dark syrup, so it doesn’t overpower the carrot flavor with too much sugar.

More syrup knowledge! First, pancake syrup and maple syrup are NOT the same thing. There are various types of maple syrup that are mostly listed as grade A in the US or Number 1 in Canada. The grades don’t equate to quality level. Grades refer to color, flavor, and viscosity. I found this great infographic at Bascom Family Farms’ website that explains the differences between the types of maple syrup. If you are a maple syrup lover, you can also find some maple-y recipes on their site.

Maple Roasted Carrots

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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A sweet and healthy side dish the whole family will enjoy.

Inspired by Maple Pan-roasted Baby Carrots recipe at finecooking.com

Ingredients

  • 1-2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (I prefer Pompeian Smooth)– 1 dozen young, organic carrots with tops still on– 1/2 tsp. kosher salt– pinch (approx. 1/4 tsp.) coarsely ground black pepper– 1 Tbs. Maple Syrup (I prefer US grade A “Amber Color Rich Taste,” labeled in Canada as No. 1 Light grade.)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.2. Clean carrots and cut tops off down to about 1/2 to 1 inch.3. Peel carrots with a serrated peeler so they are all about the same size4. In a large skillet or saute pan, warm the oil over high heat. It shouldn’t be so hot that it smokes, but will sizzle when carrots are added.5. Turn heat down to medium-high. Add carrots in a single layer and cook for 2 to 4 minutes until they begin to blister. Flip as needed so all sides cook evenly. *Do not crowd the pan. You may need to do this step in multiple batches.6. Remove blistered carrots from pan and spread on a baking sheet.7. Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper evenly across carrots. Add maple syrup and toss carrots well to coat.8. Roast carrots in center of oven until tender, approximately 15 minutes. Test tenderness with thickest carrot.Optional: Near the end of cooking time, when thickest carrots are still slightly firm, switch oven to broil for 3 – 5 minutes.