Archive for June, 2007

I did it again. I was over-zealous in my produce purchase last week, falling victim to yet another 2-for-1 sale. And by victim, I mean “sucker.” Two pounds of asparagus and only one mouth. (but at least it’s a big one!). I get excited over vegetables – a completely foreign concept to some. ::Cough:: My husband ::Cough::

My kitchen has been very quiet lately. It’s hard to get moving in the kitchen when you’re covered in dry wall dust and paint. Luckily, those two projects should be done soon and then we’ll be on to the next big thing in a few of months. The good news is “the next big thing” involves me getting a whole new kitchen! Goodbye secluded 1970′s galley kitchen, hello 21st century open floor plans! The bad news is we’ll probably live on cereal and Hot Pockets for a couple of weeks But anyway – back to asparagus, my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by its founder, Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen.

My favorite way to eat asparagus is to oven-roast it with olive oil that has been heated with red pepper flakes and garlic or toss it with a spoonful of pesto and then roast. Yum! I didn’t think I could get tired of it – but then I ate it as a side dish to dinner and lunch for three days straight and forced myself to move on.

A recipe for Asparagus Ribbons with Lemon and Goat Cheese in the latest issue of Cooking Light more than caught my eye this morning – it suckered me in. Absolutely starving with veggie peeler in hand, I made three “ribbons” and quit. I was just too hungry and too busy to devote that much time ribbon-izing asparagus for lunch. There’s always dinner!

Quick Pasta Toss with Asparagus, Roasted Red Peppers, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
2 servings rigatoni, cooked and drained*
3 Tbsp olive oil
8 stalks asparagus, washed and cut to pasta length
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 handful of sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fat-free tomato and basil Feta, crumbled

*Start the asparagus at the same time as adding the pasta to the boiling water.

Heat the oil over med-high heat and add asparagus and red pepper flakes. Saute for 5 minutes, until asparagus just begins to brown a bit. Turn the heat down to low and add sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, and the garlic. Once the garlic begins to brown, remove from heat. Toss with pasta and divide between two bowls. Top with feta and enjoy.

For more asparagus ideas, check out:
Quick & Easy Asparagus Tarts
Asparagus Pizza with Rosemary & Goat Cheese
Oven-Roasted Asparagus

We’re big fans of margaritas. Big, HUGE fans. On the rocks, frozen with a Chambord floater (my new favorite), or baked into cupcakes. So when I saw a recipe for a Margarita Tart, I jumped all over it!

Margarita Tart
For Pate Brisee (adapted from Martha Stewart Living)*:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 Tbsp ice water
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk

For Filling:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup tequila
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Whipped cream (optional)
Fresh lime slices (optional)

To make the crust:
Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a large bowl blend the flour, butter, vegetable shortening, and salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add 2 Tbsp ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated, adding more ice water if necessary, and form the dough into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and chill it, wrapped in wax paper, for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough and press into three 6.5-in tart pans (with removable bottoms). Whisk the egg yolk with 2 tsp water and brush the egg wash onto the sides of the tart. Place a small sheet of parchment paper in the tart and cover with dry beans or uncooked rice to keep the bottom of the tart from rising. Bake until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool

To make the filling:
Whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and tequila in medium bowl. Set condensed milk mixture aside.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Using rubber spatula, gently fold 1 1/2 cups condensed milk mixture into whites. Fold remaining milk mixture into whites until just incorporated.

Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until filling puffs up slightly and wooden pick inserted into center comes out with some moist filling attached, about 15-18 minutes.

Cool tarts completely on rack. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours. Remove from the tart pan and garnish tart with whipped cream and lime slices.

* The original recipe called for a graham cracker crust but I had leftover Pate brisee in the freezer that I used instead.

My thoughts: We weren’t impressed with the flavor of the tart filling. The tart was pretty and the texture of the cooked filling was fine, but the taste – we just didn’t think it was that great. I think the recipe called for too much tequila (Ha! If there is such a thing!) or maybe tequila and condensed milk aren’t meant to be together. I plan on omitting the tequila next time and just using all lime juice for a limey-er tart.

Frittata and quiches are two great ways to clean out your veggie bin and use up leftover meat – omelets are another way.

There is no real recipe and the methodology is simple: Whisk a couple of eggs together with some salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and then toss in whatever you have available: green onions, cilantro, peppers, cheese, shredded chicken, or bacon.

The whisk-ins of choice this time:
- green onions
- sharp cheddar
- several slices roasted red bell peppers, drained
- sliced bacon, cooked and chopped

Pour your omelet into a pan and cook over medium heat. When the top is set, fold the omelet over itself in half (or fold it over each side just until it meets the center of the omelet and flip over). Remove from heat, top with hot sauce, sour cream, and/or fresh herbs and enjoy!