Pasta with chicken and grape tomatoes

I pinned this recipe long ago, and just now got a chance to cook it (or lets put it this way: I had very boring chicken breasts in the fridge which had to be cooked asap and the simpler, the better).
The recipe is VERY easy, also giving you room for your own additions and experiments.
You can arrange the whole dinner in less than 30 minutes, thus it makes a perfect choice for busy weeknights.
 I personally love pasta with less ingredients. I used to overload the pasta dishes with vegetables, meats and cheeses, and the whole point of pasta was lost. It was simply hard to taste the actual pasta hidden in the ocean of other ingredients. Tomato, basil and olive oil is a GO for me.
You can omit the chicken here or serve it with shrimp instead. Or maybe you'd like to add your own magic ingredient, who knows?

Pasta with chicken and tomatoes:
Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

2 chicken breasts, skinless, cut in cubes or as matchsticks (or hearts,etc)
2 tbsp dried italian herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, sage)
sea salt and pepper
3 tbsp EVOO
8 oz spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
fresh rosemary leaves
fresh basil leaves, chopped

Pat dry chicken breasts. Season very generously with all the desired dry herbs, sea salt and pepper.
In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add chicken. Brown the meat until it's no longer pink. About 3-4 minutes on a medium heat. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add chopped garlic cloves and red pepper flakes to the same skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Saute garlic for less than a minute. If there is burning happening, add remaining olive oil. Stir in tomatoes. Fry for one more minute. Add white wine, stirring and scraping up all the browned bits in the pan. Once wine is reduced by half in volume, add fresh rosemary. Keep the heat very-very low at this point.

Cook pasta according to the package instructions (keeping it 1 minute away from al-dente).
Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water once pasta is ready.

Add chicken to the skillet with tomatoes, gently mix in the drained pasta. Toss well, making sure pasta is absorbing the sauce. Add a little bit of pasta water if it seems too dry.
Keep the skillet on very low for one more minute (or less if you'd like to keep your pasta al dente). Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

I read this article recently. Some points of it, seriously, opened my eyes for the whole process of pasta cooking . It turned out I've made some small but important mistakes. Here is what I found:

• " Have your sauce completed by the time you add the pasta to the boiling salted water. Keep the sauce on a low simmer until the pasta is ready. Your pasta shouldn’t wait for your sauce to cook. The sauce should be awaiting the pasta." -my mistake #1 

• "As you drain the pasta, reserve some of the pasta water. Loosely drain the pasta, keeping the pasta moist. Never rinse the pasta."  

• "Turning the heat on the pan will allow the hot sauce and hot pasta to cook for a couple brief minutes together to incorporate their flavors and create a beautiful texture. The starches from the pasta will slightly thicken the sauce. This is why it is suggested to cook your pasta just a tad more than al dente… it will continue cooking for a moment in the saucepan." -good to know, sometimes I served sauce like this one over the top of drained pasta, instead of adding pasta to the sauce and cooking it together for a few minutes. 

• "Add a couple tablespoons at a time of the reserved hot pasta water to the pan to smooth out the sauce. Reserved pasta water contains starch that can be used to adjust the consistency of your sauce, from thickening it to thinning it."

And last one but not the least one:

•  "In total, you want to only cook your pasta and sauce together on the stove for about 2 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat, and transfer your pasta to a warm serving bowl."

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! And enjoy your perfect bowl of pasta now that you know some tips (I'm not the one who didn't know it, right?) 

Lamb loin chops with baked polenta

Somehow I've managed to buy the lamb loin chops instead of  lamb rib chops. I was looking for recipes with my lamb rib chops and then when I'm ready BOOM: we are loins!
Not a big deal though. I've figured there won't be any big difference in a preparation itself.
Unfortunately  I don't owe a grill, and mostly all of lamb chops (or loins!) recipes require grilling.
So I combined few techniques and got tender and juicy broiled lamb, which was marinated in pomegranate molasses with lemon juice  and generously seasoned with zaatar and fresh herbs

I served the lamb over a  goat cheese polenta which in this case made a perfect match.

Lamb Loin Chops: 

2 lbs lamb chops ( I had 8 pcs)

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp zaatar (enough to cover both sides of each piece)

chopped fresh herbs: rosemary, basil, tarragon

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Take the lamb out of the fridge at least one hour before the cooking time. Make sure it is dry and is at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to a maximum (broiler mark). Meanwhile, mix the olive oil with lemon juice and molasses. Season each piece of lamb generously with zaatar, fresh herbs and salt with pepper then brush with the olive oil mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes, while you are preheating the cast iron (if available) or any other ovenproof skillet.
Once the skillet is hot, sear the lamb loins, approximately 1 minutes per each side. It should be brown. I've just read recently that meat should have rich color at the end. No color= no taste.
Once done searing, put the lamb skillet into the broiler for about 5 minutes (rare), 6-7 minutes (medium rare).
Cover with the foil and let the meat rest  for 10 minutes before serving.

Goat cheese baked polenta:

2 cups polenta grains

7 cups water

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp cumin

4 oz goat cheese (or more if you'd like it "goaty")

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped

You will need to use the cast iron skillet or any other ovenproof dish.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Slowly stir in polenta, whisking constantly, to omit any lumps.
Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring for about 10 more minutes, scrape the bottom of the pan (as polenta will probably stick to it). When you see the polenta is thickening, add olive oil, cumin, sea salt, goat cheese and 2 tbsp of fresh herbs.
Transfer the mixture to the cast iron skillet and bake for 20 minutes.
Once done baking, sprinkle with remaining (if any) goat cheese and 2 remaining tbsps of fresh herbs.
Done done and done!
As a nice accompaniment for this feast will be fresh vegetables (I had  tomato with cucumbers sprinkled with sea salt and olive oil) or tzatziki sauce or even babaganoush.

Braised Cabbage/ almost grandma's recipe

When I was a kid I lived in West Ukraine with my grandma. She often made something very special. Something that I didn't quite appreciate back then, and now, much later, this sad feeling is almost eating me inside, that I didn't ask her about a lot of things, a lot of techniques and recipes which I would love to keep and cook for now my family,here, in New York.

My grandma is a very talented cook! However due to her age she can't cook the way she used to, but I still remember that no matter what she made, it was delightfully tasteful, with some sort of magic harmony of flavors tucked into every one of her dish.
It was very comforting, satisfying and cozy.

Once in awhile she made me a braised cabbage. For some reason she decided to name it "American braised cabbage" to make it look more appealing for a 5 years old child, so that way she could feed me more. Grandma probably didn't know that I actually adored this cabbage, and there was no need to be "creative" and call it American :-)  We usually  ate it with creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes and fresh caught fried fish.

I don't have the original recipe. And my grandma doesn't even remember her "American" cabbage. But the recipe is pretty basic and very popular in a lot of Russian and Ukrainian households.The idea is to sweat the cabbage with carrots and onions and then braise it with some tomato sauce and sour cream till it's fully cooked.

My version of braised cabbage is a little bit different as I wanted to make this dish more completed, no need of serving it with anything else.
Make sure you cook it in a big heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven. You can stick to salt and pepper and the result will be great, anyway I like to use a lot of spices while cooking.

Braised Cabbage:
1 big white onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
5 tbs olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium cabbage head, shredded
1 lbs to 2 lbs  any sort of smoked meat (sausages, pork, beef, it gives a nice "smoky" taste at the end) or   regular raw meat, cubed
17 oz or about 500 ml  tomato sauce/strained tomatoes
4 tbsp greek yogurt
1 cup farro (didn't have it, used couscous instead)
1 can of lentils, rinsed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp zaatar
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp salt
4 medium bay leaves
fresh chopped herbs: dill, chives or parsley for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven, add onions. Cook on a medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add carrots. Lower the heat and saute onions with carrots for 5 more minutes.

Add the cabbage to the dutch oven. Pour about 3 cups of water in it. Cover with the lid, lower the heat to the minimum and let it "sweat" for 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally, just to make sure the cabbage doesn't burn or stick to the bottom.

Meanwhile fry the meat in skillet, until it is fully cooked.
In a large bowl combine tomato sauce with yogurt, farro, lentils,spices and cooked meat.

Once the cabbage is done "sweating"(you will notice almost half is remaining) slowly and very carefully pour the tomato mixture into it. Gently mix it all together.

Add bay leaves. Cover the pot and let it simmer over the very low heat for 25 more minutes, just until the farro is cooked. Discard the bay leaves once done cooking.
Enjoy hot or cold. It tastes better on the second day!

Just want to say how much I love and miss my grandma. Hopefully will visit her soon!

Vacation and Salmon

We just returned from a week long vacation from Aruba.
It was wonderful! It was exactly what I wanted: white sand and clear turquoise water. Here is the picture of me sitting on the deck and (probably) thinking about something very important:

The only downside of the vacation was the food. I am used to eating good food. I made my husband love good food. And resort where we stayed, unfortunately wasn't able to provide us with a healthy, tasty food.
For a really unknown reason the one thing I missed the most was a Caprese salad.
Why? Why caprese?? Its not even my favourite dish. I don't know the answer, to tell you the truth. And once we got home, back to NYC, the first thing I eat was a fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil :-)

Ironically, I missed salmon as well (on a beach vacation, yeah).
So to cook a nice salmon dish back at home, isn't a bad idea at all. I managed to find a well priced wild salmon in Trader's Joe. I also got a new cast iron dutch oven which I wanted to try. But you can use any pot for this recipe.
This recipe is adapted and slightly changed from Giada De Laurentiis HERE.

Ok, it REALLY tastes better than it looks!

Wild Rice citrus salad with salmon:

Fish:
2 lbs of salmon fillet, trimmed ( no skin needed) and diced
3 tbsp of soy sauce
Lime juice from one lime (approx. 2 tbsp), you can substitute with lemon juice
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Rice Salad:
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups black wild rice, rinsed
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 lime, zested
1 lemon, zested
1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Fish:
Whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, olive oil and black pepper in a bowl, and pour over the salmon Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Vinaigrette:
In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Now, there are two ways of cooking this dish: frying and baking. I tried both of them and prefer the frying one more.

Frying method:
While the fish is marinating cook the rice. Black wild rice takes much longer to prepare, but it is so worth it!
In your pot or saucepan (I used enamel cast iron dutch oven), bring water, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 50 minutes.

Once the salmon is done marinating, fry it in a skillet with a little bit of olive or coconut oil for 10-15 minutes total. Or you can broil salmon in the oven  (6-8 minutes). To save some time, you do the fish while the rice is cooking. Well, really, this recipe is much simpler than it looks..I don't know how to make it look easier..seems like too many words,but its really not that long and hard to prepare.ok, back to the cooking.

Remove the pan with rice  from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked salmon, parsley, lime zest, half of the lemon zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.
Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds.

Baking method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Marinate the fish, as described above.
Make the vinaigrette and set aside (no changes here).

Cook the rice approximately for 20-25 minutes. We need the rice not to be fully cooked (there will probably be some water left in the dish). Add the marinated fish to the pot with the rice (please use oven safe pot or casserole dish). Cover with a lid.
Bake for  30-35 minutes.
Once it is baked and fish is fully cooked and flaky, pour the vinaigrette and almonds over the rice. Mix in the parsley, lime and lemon zested and green onions
Enjoy!

Have you tried Pasta Carbonara, the authentic one?

Not being an expert in Italian cuisine (yet), I always thought that pasta Carbonara  goes with a cream in it. Mistake! 

My  food passion and curiosity lead me to a few websites with authentic Italian recipes.

I am so happy and excited to explore, learn and cook from it! And of course share my acquired knowledge, mistakes and achievements here! If you want to share your authentic recipes, go ahead, I would love to know which ones are you favorite and why.

This recipe is quick (15 minutes maximum), easy and very delicious.

I must confess, the eggs for some reason sat up a little while cooking, which definitely didn't make me happy, yet this pasta was soooo tasty, I almost licked my plate.

Worth trying! 

Here is the source I used: Please see the recipe here

My only substitution- whole wheat spaghetti. 

Ahi Tuna

I have never cooked Ahi Tuna before, for some reason I thought it is kind of complicated and for a real Chef, not for me. But guess what? - I followed the instructions this time! :-) And, I suppose the result I got was the right one: fried from the outside, raw on the inside.
And from this experience now I can tell  for sure: I am  not a fan of any raw meat or poultry. I can't eat undercooked filet mignon or anything cooked below the "medium" grade, the only exception is beef tartar.
However my picky husband raved about this one, I guess all raw meat-fish lovers would enjoy this recipe.
So here it is, Ahi Tuna:
-fillet of Ahi Tuna
-olive oil (or coconut oil)
-sesame seeds
-black ground pepper
-dry herbs (whichever you like)
-salt

Make a seasoning: mix oil with herbs and spices.
Dip each fish fillet in seasoning and sesame seeds. Make sure you skillet is very hot. Fry your fish 1 minute at each side. The End.

I served it with  black rice, which I adore (much more than any raw fish). I undercooked it (I like it a little bit crunchy), making my husband hate this rice, as HE supposes that eating undercooked rice is dangerous (it sounds pretty ridiculous while he is eating his raw fish) . Anyway, it was really really good rice!
I added a drop of truffle oil and drizzle with a lemon zest.

Паста с козьим сыром и шпинатом

Паста это такой вкусный и универсальный продукт! Миллион разных видов, соусов. Добавлять к пасте можно абсолютно все, на что хватает фантазии.  Холодная со свежими овощами, как-салат, или свежесваренная с рыбой, птицей или просто с маслом и Пармезаном. Много-много всего можно придумать с пастой. Я даже видела пасту с фруктами.
Просто, вкусно и быстро.

Я готовлю пасту часто,но к сожалению, не так часто, как хотелось бы, и использую только сорт пшеницы грубого помола (whole wheat). Поэтому, каждый раз, когда у нас на ужин паста для меня это радость :-) Да и вообще хорошо покушать для меня  уже в радость, если уж откровенно.

Один из самых вкусных рецептов пасты, которую мне приходилось готовить был из морепродуктов,  белого вина и черной пасты (из чернил каракатицы). Черная паста сама по cебе  пахнет океаном, а если к ней добавить морепродукты...мммммм....ВКУСНОТА.
Вот несколько фото:

Сегодня я поделюсь совсем другим, быстрым, но тоже очень вкусным рецептом пасты. А именно:

Паста с козьим сыром и шпинатом ( Все ингредиенты на глаз)

-200 гр Фузилли грубого помола (можно взять любую другую,какая вам нравится)
-150 гр козьего сыра (брусочек)
-2 кулачка листьев свежего шпината
-1 средний цуккини, порезанный полукольцами, 0.5см толщиной
-1 ст ложка масла для жарки (у меня для этого практически всегда кокосовое масло,но оливковое тоже подойдет)
-пучок свежего порезанного базилика
-1 ст ложка лимонного сока
-веточка свежего розмарина
-черный молотый перец
-сушеный молотый чеснок

Варим пасту согласно инструкции на упаковке. Лично я люблю, когда паста al dente, поэтому варю ее минут 7-9 максимум. Сохраняем стакан воды с пасты, когда она готова.
Разогреваем сковороду с маслом. На среднем огне жарим цуккини пока он не стал мягким, минуты 3-4, постоянно переворачивая. Добавляем в эту же сковороду шпинат. Жарим еще минут 4. Уменьшаем огонь и бросаем в у шпинату молотый перец, чеснок, розмарин. Добавляем стакан воды из пасты в сковороду, хорошо перемешиваем. Смешиваем всю получившуюся массу с козьим сыром, лимонным соком, базиликом. И наконец добавляем пасту ко всем ингредиентам, аккуратно смешивая все вместе.
Подавать с белым вином.

P.S. так как мой муж мясоед и ужин для него не ужин, если он без мяса, то эту пасту я "заправила" итальянскими сосисками.

Roasted Lamb

As I have mentioned before I barely know how to properly cook meat.

But luckily for me I have a great mother-in-law who not only gave me this recipe (I modified it a little bit), but also provided the meat itself and spices for it. The lamb turned out great!

Roasted Lamb:

-1 (5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed ( I cut all visible fat)

-15 large garlic cloves,chopped to large pieces

-stalk of fresh rosemary/thyme 

-2 tsp za'atar seasoning

-2 tsp cumin seasoning 

-2 tbsp of olive oil (you can omit it if you want)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Make a lot of little holes with knife all over the lamb leg, put piece of chopped garlic in EACH those holes.

Season the meat with zaatar and cumin. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan. 

I poured about 2-3 cups of water on the bottom of the roasting pan. My mother in law uses a glass pan, then she pours a little bit of water in it, cover with a foil and roasts the seasoned lamb. I didn't have a proper pan for this, so I used a roasting pan instead, and didn't cover the meat. I also put a bunch of rosemary and thyme on the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the meat with the olive oil. And roast about 1 1/2 hours (about 20 minutes per each pound of meat).

Few times during the roasting I poured the water on the top of the meat, to make sure it won't burn or become too dry. Maybe there was no need for this procedure, however I thought it might be helpful.

Once the lamb is done, let it rest for about 15 minutes. 

I served it with couscous.

Pancetta Turkey Meatloaf

Originally this is the Giada’s De Laurentiis recipe. It caught my eye with its bright colors. Usually I am not a fan of meatloaf, but this one seemed much healthier, than tons of the other meatloaf recipes loaded with ketchup (which I do not eat).

Pancetta Turkey Meatloaf:

 -½ cup blended into a flour old fashioned oats

-1/2 cup chopped parsley

-2 large eggs, slightly beaten

-2 tbsp. milk

-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

-1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

-1.5 lbs. ground lean turkey

-about 10 to 15 slices of pancetta

-3 cups spinach, chopped

-1 big red bell pepper, chopped

-ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 375°F.

 In a large bowl stir oats, eggs, parsley, milk, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, red bell pepper, spinach and seasonings. Add turkey. Gently mix all together. Do not overmix.

Place parchment paper on the baking sheet. Lay out pancetta on the parchment paper, making a kind of a rectangle. In the middle of the “pancetta rectangle” place the turkey mixture. Shape it into a loaf, wrap the turkey loaf with pancetta, holding the parchment paper and covering the loaf from all sides.

Bake the turkey for approx.45 minutes.

 I served it with couscous.