Cherries from my own garden

They are tart and juicy, and just fill up one bowl, all the sour cherries from the tree in my garden.

Penne and Broccoli Rabe

Last time at the farmers market, local broccoli rabe was available. Not a tiny, dark green bunch like in the grocery store, but large, light green and leafy and rather inexpensive. My favorite dish is cooking pasta and broccoli rabe in the same pot, and serving it with a spicy garlic sauce and parmesan slices.

whole bunch of broccoli rabe (washed and sliced into 2 inch chunks)
2 oz penne

1 ts grated garlic (I like the one from Trader Joes, so easy)
1 ts olive oil
1 ts red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water with a 1/4 ts vegetable broth powder (like Rapunzel)
fresh ground black pepper

parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Salt the water, and add the pasta and broccoli rabe. Saute until the pasta is al dente (ca. 10 min).

In a separate saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic until fragrant (1-2 min), and add the red pepper flakes. Add the water and stir. Reduce for 2-3 mins, and take off the stove. Once the pasta is ready, drain the pasta and broccoli rabe, plate, and spoon sauce over the pasta. With a vegetable peeler, peel thin slices of a piece of parmesan or pecorino cheese. Serve!

Growning Tuscan Kale

Last year I discovered lacinato kale, and fell in love with its texture, soft surface that reminds me of elephant skin, and its delicious taste.. This spring, I managed to actually grow lacinato kale from seeds in my garden, something that I am typically not very good at (the growing from seeds part). It worked so well that I had to start putting plants into pots because I ran out of space in the raised bed. Kale country.... glad, I like it so much...

Mache Salad

One of my favorite salad: the delicate, yet nutty flavored, crunchy mache salad. Just lovely taste and texture. It is a common green salad in Europe (as "Feldsalat" or "Nuessli Salat" in the German speaking countries), but not so common in the US (yet). But now, it is available at WholeFoods from Epic Roots.

It works well on its one with a slightly sweet vinaigrette, with almonds, goat cheese or cooked beets. Or just as the green lettuce in a mixed salad, with tomatoes, string beans, cannellini beans and hard boiled eggs.

Treasures from the Orono Farmers' Market

On the days after Saturday, my fridge is full with treasures from the Orono Farmers' market, fresh fish, vegetables, eggs, goat cheese..... Today's lunch was a composition of a few of them: sauteed scallops (from picturesque Stonington) on mesclun greens (from Peacemeal Farm) with garbanzo beans (dry, from the Natural Living Center) drizzled with spicy peanut and hot thai sauce. To eat well....

SELF-Made in Maine

Interesting article in the Maine Magazine about entrepreneurs starting businesses in Maine.

Penne with Rapid Ragu

I still had frozen organic local ground lamb from the FM and pancetta in the freezer, and this recipe by Nigella Lawson sounded scrumptious: rapid ragu with ground lamb, crispy pancetta, a good shot of marsala, and tomatoes, simmered for a bit. It is divine!

Rapid Ragu (makes 2 large servings):

1/2 pound ground lamb (organic)

1 oz pancetta, cubed

1/2 small red onion, diced

salt, fresh ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced or microplaned

1/4 cup sweet marsala

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

2 oz penne (cooked according to instructions)

Heat a non-stick pan on medium-high, and add the pancetta to the pan. The pancetta will release its fat, and crisp up (so, no additional fat is necessary since ground lamb typically also has a quite high fat content). Once the pancetta had browned, add the ground lamb and break up with a spoon. Once the ground lamb is no longer raw (but not necessarily brown), add the onions, salt and pepper and simmer the mix until the onions are translucent (the original recipe calls for caramelized onions, but I had none in a jar and was too lazy otherwise to make some. This works, too). Once the onions are translucent and the lamb slightly browned, add first the garlic and mix through. Then add the can of tomatoes, the marsala, and the water. Mix well, and simmer on low for 20-25 min. Add more water if the ragu gets too dry. Serve with penne. Enjoy!

Strawberry Cucumber Summer Salad

This is a beautiful summery combination: strawberries, english cucumber, fresh basil leaves and a vinaigrette made with white balsamic vinegar, honey and a dash of hazelnut oil. Her is the recipe:

1 cup of fresh strawberries, cut in bite-sized pieces

1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cubed

about 10 basil leaves, stacked, rolled and cut into thin slices

Vinaigrette:

4 TB white balsamic vinegar

1/2 TB honey

1 TB hazelnut oil

some fresh ground pepper

Cut the salad and mix gently. Pour all the ingredients into a jar with a lid, and shake well to mix. Pour over salad, and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Serve!

The simple way of making tomato soup

The summer with its abundance of fresh vegetables and a relaxed pace makes me want to simplify cooking. So, here is a really simple, one-pot way of making a light fresh tomato soup with plenty of vegetables and some small pasta. Tasty!

1 small can fire-roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup of water

handful of fresh or frozen corn

1/2 zucchini, cubed

asparagus

carrots

cauliflower
handful fresh spinach

4-5 green olives, sliced

1/2 ts Rapunzel vegetable broth in a jar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ts agave nectar

1/2 TB creme fraiche

fresh oregano, thyme and basil, chopped

1-2 oz small-shaped pasta

In a soup pot, pour in the tomatoes. Add all the other ingredients, stir, bring to a boil and then simmer on low-medium heat for 8 min until pasta is al dente.

Spicy Moroccan Vegetarian Panini

Summer reminds me of grilled cheese sandwiches in Italy. Fortunately, good panini gadgets are abundant these days, and it is easy to make them at home. Here is today's variation:

2 slices of bread (I used homemade sourdough bread with rosemary), thinly sliced

1 TB olive oil

1 Tomato mozzarella veggie burger (like Boca burger)

1 roma tomato, sliced

1/2 TB harissa (spicy Moroccan condiment)

1-2 TB of crumbled feta cheese

1 few leaves of arugula

Preheat the panini maker, and grill the veggie burger. Meanwhile, brush the outer sides of the bread slices with olive oil (it helps to brown them nicely). Distribute the harissa on the slice of bread that is the bottom of the panini. Add the grilled veggie burger and the tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the feta cheese. Top with arugula salad, and place the top bread on the panini. Transfer to hot panini maker and grill about 5 min.

Orono Farmers' Market tomorrow!

Announced, all new social media, via facebook. How can you resist the preview?

Spaghetti, Vegetables and Catfish

A perfect dish for a warm summer day: grilled catfish, new vegetables sauteed in olive oil and fresh herbs, and spaghetti.

2 oz FiberGourmet spaghetti (or other brand)

4oz catfish fillet

some olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely diced

4 small tomatoes

1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced

fresh basil and rosemary

lemon juice of 1/2 lemon

salt, pepper

Cook spaghetti according to instructions. In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil and on one side of the pan saute the onion until translucent. On the other side, grill the catfish with some salt and pepper. Quarter the tomatoes, and add to the onion. Add zucchini and lemon juice as well as the herbs to the onion mix. The fish and the vegetables will be done around the same time with the spaghetti (ca 10 min). Serve the fish on a plate. Add the spaghetti to the vegetable mix, and mix with some of the pasta water to make a sauce. Serve!

Spaghetti marinara with fresh basil

Out of nowhere, summer arrived. The basil is bursting with the current temperatures and sunshine, and spaghetti marinara have never been so good.

Rhubarb Smoothie with Banana and Strawberries

Rhubarb is back! I kept it raw and made a new smoothie.

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 stalk rhubarb

2-3 strawberries (optionally)

1/2 banana

1/4 cup water

1 TB agave nectar (optionally)

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

Spaghetti with Collard Green Pesto

My dreams came true --- after 1 1/2  years of penne, rotini and fettucini Fiber Gourmet finally offers spaghetti. Who can resist the  fabulous texture and eating acrobatics of spaghetti with a marinara sauce? 

My first shipment of fiber gourmet spaghetti coincided with a package of collard greens sitting in my fridge. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the collard greens, so it took an inspiration from Sunny Anderson to convert it into a pesto. It came out great!

Collard Green Pesto:

One package frozen collard greens

1/2 tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Handful pinenuts

Quarter of a cup of water

2oz FB spaghetti

In a skillet heat the butter and brown it. Add the garlic cloves, and slightly fry. Add the collard greens and heat through. Just sautée for 2-3  minutes. Pour the collard green mixture into a blender or food processor, and add the remaining ingredients. Pulse until the pesto texture develops.  This makes about eight servings. Take about one serving, and add 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Cook the spaghetti according to instructions (differing from the instructions on the package, the spaghetti were al dente in about 14 minutes, not 6-10 min). Mix the cooked spaghetti with the one serving of pesto, and serve.