Its been a long weekend of meat, grilling and more meat. I want to eat something as far away from barbecued ribs as possible. (Although the four our grill process produced a fantastic result, but I’ll get to that later). Its time for a light summer dish, fresh and roasted vegetables over fresh pasta. And as the days roll by, the tomatoes just keep getting sweeter. I made this first in the spring when English peas were in high season, so last night I adapted it to the ingredients available this weekend at the farmers market.

Raw and Roasted Veggie Pasta

Fusilli Pasta
Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Sweet peas or shelling peas
Tomatoes (separated in to two batches)
Basil
Italian Parsley
Olive oil, Salt, Pepper, crushed red pepper

Back in the spring, sitting in Erica’s tiny hot kitchen, we spent a lazy hour speaking in accents, sipping our wine and chopping vegetables. Recounting the story the next day, my mother insisted I pass along the recipe. I think recipes in their original form are fun, and so I included my email via blackberry from aboard the El heading downtown.  The bolded words are ingredients updated for the current season.

I can’t recall the pasta’s name exactly, but I want to say Fusilli, anyway, something short and twisty.

Roast the peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash and tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. While that is happening, boil water for pasta. Shell or chop in pieces and blanch snap peas. Chop up raw tomatoes and reserve. Julliene basil, chop parsley.

When pasta and roast veg are done, toss the veg and the pan juices with the hot pasta. Add peas, fresh tomatoes and herbs. Top with a dash of olive oil, ricotta salata, crushed pepper flakes ( if you want ) and of course, salt and pepper!

Its clearly a throw together meal. But it has some serious health and history value. And on a detox week, whats better than that.

Benefit 1: Taking advantage of the season! The riper the tomato, the higher level antioxidants in its flesh = the more cancer-lickin’, heart helping properties within. And let’s face it, those tomatoes we Minnesotans get in January are simply not ripe nor tasty.

Benefit 2: All these veggies are full of vitamins, especially A, and C. Dig in to fortify your eyesight,  boost your immune system and even keep your babymaking parts healthy.

Benefit 3: You get to experience Ricotta Salata cheese, the more complicated step brother of regular ricotta. Ricotta, meaning “recooked” is made from the left over whey from producing a cheese like provolone. That whey is collected  and recooked to form a smoother, creamier version of American cottage cheese. Ricotta salata, salata meaning “salted” is first salted then compressed to form a drier, firmer cheese. Its similar to feta in texture. Check back with me later this week, I am going to try to make my own!

Staring into the teeth of 2010, I of course will not be making any foolish New Years Resolutions that involve giving up chocolate cake, a good steak or (god forbid) my beloved carbohydrates. But here is what I am looking to achieve.  And you dear reader have to keep me honest.

1. The only dietary tweak of ‘10 will be a true effort to pay attention to my cholesterol.  Yep, my number is SUPER high.  Think 75-year-old-overweight-male-smoker, and that’s me.  I will try to think when I’m eating. I’ll let you know how that goes…..(do I have to limit my cheese intake?)

2. I am taking a class called “Plant People Interactions.”  Most people take it as a science distribution credit if they are not “science minded” kids.  What to many is a joke class, Plant-People is my nirvana.  There is a unit called “Legumes.”

Ok, so the second isn’t really a resolution, but it feeds into the real one…

3.  I resolve to post every single week, incorporating ways to be heart healthy with my knew plant knowledge and of course keeping it tasty, well fed and fully imbibed.

All my love and I’ll be back at you shortly,

Ellie

PS:  Did you know that a turnip is not a tuber like a potato but actually the root?

December tastes good with Jameson and Ginger Ale, a first course of cheeses and bread and this beautiful Rosemary Chicken with Tomatoes and Beans.

Rosmary Chicken Photo by Justin Evidon

What are you getting from this combination of deliciousness (besides the possibility of a hangover?)

Skinless chicken breasts and navy beans are healthy, low calorie ways to take in some protein; the tomatoes help stave off colds (and cancer) with anti-oxidants and vitamins A and C;  and rosemary tastes great and helps immune system stimulation and increased focus!

Thank you to the Daily Northwestern for their interest in this blog and a BIG BIG thanks to all the NU people reading!  If you like, take a look at my interview in the Weekly Section of Wednesday’s paper.

Coming soon to I’d Rather Be Eating….

Eating adventures over two epic nights at The Publican in Chicago,
an owners dinner at Quince in Evanston
and a locavorian feast at Harvest in Madison, WI

Keep eating everyone!

For ten or twelve blocks, street vendors fill the road, people mill about and the beat of 7 stages of jazz music pulses through every vein, ever heart and every soul.  Everyone feels the urge to dance, and some (myself most definately included) actually get groovy on the pavement.

The jazz was excellent, but of of course I was captivated by the variety of culinary melodies, harmonies and symphonies that came in the form of the Indian bread naan cooked in a tandoor oven (a “melody”), fresh shucked oysters with butter (harmony) or the prefect afternoon sushi sampler at Yoshi’s Jazz Club.

Naan is the generic name for (delicious) bread from India and other south Asian countries.  It is quite old, the first recorded mention dates back to 1300 AD.  Traditionally, naan is stuck to the side of the Tandoor oven like in this picture, though it can be made in your oven at home.   Tandoori food gets its name from the tandoor oven and is more a method of cooking than anything else. The naan is ready to eat when it is just about to jump into the hot coals that have imparted their delicious smokey flavor into the bread.

Don’t they just look delicious?? I think the aphrodisiac effect of the oyster is increased with sultry tenor sax in the background….

Ooh, if that doesn’t make your mouth water you must be missing a gene (no I’m just kidding). From the left clockwise: Unagi (eel), whitefish, maguro (tuna), Hamachi (yellowtail), salmon, scallop and shrimp.  Addmitedly, I might be wrong about the hamachi and whitefish, maybe it is the other way around.  Scallop sushi is the most devinly soft and silky thing I have ever had on my tongue, it is like biting into the way a good pillow feels on your tired head: comforting, welcome, and almost sinfully perfect.

The expanse of cultural food at even the more commercial stands was refreshing in and of itself.  It made me love San Francisco even more: Mexico borders Hawaii bordering texas alongside the neighboring United Kingdom. Oh, and across the street? Vietnam, Puerto Rico and New York.  Quite excellent.

On my fourth asparagus recipe (the first two were soups, and the second two are below) I am unsurprisingly excited to move on to a new topic next week.  At this point, I keep telling myself that it is good for my body, this week of detoxing veggie( its mildly diuretic).  What is more, asparagus is also a superstar in the nutrition world, so I let my head dominate my stomach and I eat another forkful.

The dark green of asparagus is an automatic signal of nutrition–most dark vegetables are healthy, and usually cancer-fighting (according to my mother, though she is well founded).  Rich in folate, and soluble fiber it is for stellar cardiovascular health by supporting red blood cell formulation, circulation and controlling cholesterol levels.  Eating a cup of asparagus, which really isn’t much more than six or seven big stalks, provides 35% DV of vitamin C and 20% DV of vitamin A a super-combo to charge your immune system (and your vision!).

Because of its nasty little after-effect, I was surprised to find that asparagus falls into a category with strawberries, oysters and chocolate. Know which that category  is? It is an Aphrodisiac!  Well, the high level of folates in the vegetable help to trigger the body’s natural histamines which prevent low libido and erectile dysfunction.  So maybe its not an aphrodisiac so much a homeopathic viagra.

Now that I know what I’m eating is good for me, I have to eat it.  Tuesday night brought a chicken salad with blanched asparagus tips and Wednesday, a magnificent stir fry that featured green-asparagus, spinach, basil and spring onions.

Tuesday Supper Salad

Serves 2 as main course

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar
¼ cup High quality olive oil
1 garlic clove sliced length wise in three pieces
a dab of Dijon mustard
a splash of lemon juice
Mesclun and romaine lettuces (here’s to diversifying textures)
5ish fresh Basil leaves
1 bunch asparagus, woody stems trimmed, chopped in 1 inch pieces
½ red onion thinly sliced (approx. ½ cup)
½ fennel bulb thinly sliced (approx. ½ cup)
¼ shaved parmigiano reggiano
2 marinated chicken breasts (I suggest Mediterranean flavors)

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix vigorously.  I like to use a jar with  a lid so I can really shake it up, it emulsifies very nicely.  Let that sit as long as you like, the garlic will impart a great flavor, you can then season with salt and pepper.

Top washed lettuce with thin strips of basil and ½ of the sliced onion and ½ of the sliced fennel. (so you are adding ¼ cup of each)  Sauté the remaining onion and fennel in a pan for about seven minutes, or until soft and add to the salad.  Meanwhile, boil a small pan of water and cook the asparagus until bright green, about 4 -5 minutes. Drain and add with the rest. The double favor of cooked and raw is very nice.

Don’t change the oil in the pan, and begin to sauté the chicken breasts until juices flow clear and the center of the breast is not pink, about 15 minutes.

When you are ready to dig in, remove the garlic from the dressing, toss the salad and top with sliced chicken breast and shaved cheese. Serve with a baguette.  Delish….

Wednesday’s Green Stir Fry

serves a bunch….4-5

This is a basic stir-fry that yields a flavor I like and can be morphed to include any manner of veggie.  This is just what we happened to have in the fridge!

One bunch asparagus
2 bell peppers julienned
one bunch green onions white and green parts sliced on the diagonal
one red onion
2 bunches fresh spinach
extra firm tofu
soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
4 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons ginger grated or minced
olive oil
dash of lime

Heat a swirl of oil in a wok to coat the sides, then add ginger and garlic cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Next you want to add the vegetables that will take the longest time to soften, like the onions.  When the harder ingredients are beginning to brown and soften I begin to make the sauce, adding the oyster sauce and about 2 tbsp soy and a spritz of vinegar

Then comes the fun part.  Add all remaining vegetables with the exception of the spinach and cook until done, but crunchy, about 6 minutes.  Now toss! Now the tofu and the spinach hit the wok and everything comes together.  Taste the sauce.  What does it need? More soy, pepper, maybe a dash of sesame oil or lime juice.  The possibilities are truly endless.

Serve the sloppy sloppy mess over rice and you will not be disappointed.

Sources: http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/superfood.php, http://whfoods.org/