As a year comes to its end I always start reflecting on the past 12 months. What decisions did I make that effected myself and those around me for the better? What did I do that was a total bomb? What changes should I make in the next year???
Showing posts with label white wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white wine. Show all posts
December 29, 2010
Why I Blog
...and Coulibiac of Salmon.
As a year comes to its end I always start reflecting on the past 12 months. What decisions did I make that effected myself and those around me for the better? What did I do that was a total bomb? What changes should I make in the next year???
As a year comes to its end I always start reflecting on the past 12 months. What decisions did I make that effected myself and those around me for the better? What did I do that was a total bomb? What changes should I make in the next year???
May 23, 2010
Meant To Be
Pappardelle Alle Vongole.
I'm a sucker for a classic romance. I don't read a whole lot of current "chic lit" unless it comes highly recommended by a friend. But certain novels that were required reading in my high school literature class, have a close-to permanent position on my nightstand! I won't list them, as to not further peg myself as a sappy daydreamer.
I equally enjoy sitting down with couple-friends and hearing, or rehearing, the story of how they met. Some people were obviously just meant to be together! You can try to take all the "mush" out of it, if you want, telling yourself it's just happenstance. But I'm a big believer in DESTINY. It seems to me, that just believing your life has a purpose, can often bring about good things!
My husband and I were destined to be together. Of course, we could have married other people, but I'm fairly sure the world would be teetering off it's axis if that had happened! The hubs would tell you, in his most Forrest Gump-like voice, "We's like peas and carrots." He is the one person that I'm fully willing to put up with ...'til death do us part. And better yet, who is willing to put up with ME! He makes me laugh when I'm sad, and listens to my rants--even when I'm dead wrong. Then only attempts to correct me when he knows I'm ready to hear it. He is my best friend. I am a very lucky girl!
As with people, some things were just meant to be: robe and slippers, popcorn and movies, campfires and marshmallows, eggs and bacon, peanut butter and jelly, the list goes on and on. Classic combinations are comforting. A perfect pair creates a certain feeling of warmth and momentary bliss that leads to the making of memories. Our memories give the duo longevity, and in some cases, birth a legend.
Here is a classic combo that's withheld the test of time. Pappardelle Alle Vongole is a legendary marriage of pasta and clams. A rich, full-bodied dish with bright citrusy undertones. The noodles soak up the essence of the garlic, wine and delicate clam juices to create a true Italian masterpiece! It's traditionally made with spaghetti, but I had these fat pappardelle noodles that were just begging for clams! I couldn't say no to them. This dish is quick enough for a mid-week family meal, and dressy enough for a dinner party. Get ready to experience love at first bite!
Sommer
Pappardelle Alle Vongole
1 12-16 oz. package of dried Pappardelle (or any long pasta)
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped pancetta
2 shallots, sliced thin
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lbs. fresh littleneck clams, well cleaned
1 Tb. chopped fresh rosemary
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. lemon zest
¾ cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
*Garnish with chopped parsley
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet
over medium-high. When hot, add the pancetta and shallots. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and rosemary. Saute another 1-2 minutes.
Add the clams, wine, red pepper, and lemon zest to the skillet. Salt and pepper; then cover. Drop the pappardelle in the boiling water.
Cook the clams for 7-8 minutes, until they are mostly open. Cook the pasta for 6-8 minutes until just “al dente”.
Add the cream to the clam sauce and stir. Then strain the pasta and add it straight to the clam sauce. Make sure to reserve a little pasta water. Stir the pasta and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss. If the sauce is thicker than desired add a little pasta water. Throw out any clams that didn’t open.
Plate and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
*You could lighten this dish by reducing or removing the heavy cream.
I'm a sucker for a classic romance. I don't read a whole lot of current "chic lit" unless it comes highly recommended by a friend. But certain novels that were required reading in my high school literature class, have a close-to permanent position on my nightstand! I won't list them, as to not further peg myself as a sappy daydreamer.
I equally enjoy sitting down with couple-friends and hearing, or rehearing, the story of how they met. Some people were obviously just meant to be together! You can try to take all the "mush" out of it, if you want, telling yourself it's just happenstance. But I'm a big believer in DESTINY. It seems to me, that just believing your life has a purpose, can often bring about good things!
My husband and I were destined to be together. Of course, we could have married other people, but I'm fairly sure the world would be teetering off it's axis if that had happened! The hubs would tell you, in his most Forrest Gump-like voice, "We's like peas and carrots." He is the one person that I'm fully willing to put up with ...'til death do us part. And better yet, who is willing to put up with ME! He makes me laugh when I'm sad, and listens to my rants--even when I'm dead wrong. Then only attempts to correct me when he knows I'm ready to hear it. He is my best friend. I am a very lucky girl!
As with people, some things were just meant to be: robe and slippers, popcorn and movies, campfires and marshmallows, eggs and bacon, peanut butter and jelly, the list goes on and on. Classic combinations are comforting. A perfect pair creates a certain feeling of warmth and momentary bliss that leads to the making of memories. Our memories give the duo longevity, and in some cases, birth a legend.
Here is a classic combo that's withheld the test of time. Pappardelle Alle Vongole is a legendary marriage of pasta and clams. A rich, full-bodied dish with bright citrusy undertones. The noodles soak up the essence of the garlic, wine and delicate clam juices to create a true Italian masterpiece! It's traditionally made with spaghetti, but I had these fat pappardelle noodles that were just begging for clams! I couldn't say no to them. This dish is quick enough for a mid-week family meal, and dressy enough for a dinner party. Get ready to experience love at first bite!
Sommer
Pappardelle Alle Vongole
1 12-16 oz. package of dried Pappardelle (or any long pasta)
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped pancetta
2 shallots, sliced thin
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lbs. fresh littleneck clams, well cleaned
1 Tb. chopped fresh rosemary
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. lemon zest
¾ cup dry white wine
1/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
*Garnish with chopped parsley
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet
over medium-high. When hot, add the pancetta and shallots. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and rosemary. Saute another 1-2 minutes.
Add the clams, wine, red pepper, and lemon zest to the skillet. Salt and pepper; then cover. Drop the pappardelle in the boiling water.
Cook the clams for 7-8 minutes, until they are mostly open. Cook the pasta for 6-8 minutes until just “al dente”.
Add the cream to the clam sauce and stir. Then strain the pasta and add it straight to the clam sauce. Make sure to reserve a little pasta water. Stir the pasta and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss. If the sauce is thicker than desired add a little pasta water. Throw out any clams that didn’t open.
Plate and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
*You could lighten this dish by reducing or removing the heavy cream.
May 04, 2010
Ready For A Throwdown?
Moules Fromage Bleu...Blue Cheese Mussels with Bacon.
Sometimes, at the end of a long day, all I want to do is veg-out! Most days between 5 pm and 8 pm, I've cooked dinner (sometimes incorporating a photo shoot), cleaned, bathed children, assisted with homework, read stories and started laundry. Now it's time to sit and STARE for a bit, before I hopefully get my second wind!
One of these worn-out nights, my husband and I were flipping through the channels--trying to find something to watch we could both agree on. Bobby Flay's Throwdown was on Food Network. Now, my husband would probably tell you I have a crush on Bobby Flay. That's just silly. I simply appreciate his culinary-style...and maybe his freckles! That night Bobby challenged Teddy Folkman to a Mussel Throwdown. We had to watch!
Mussels are one of hubby's favorite things to eat. He could sit and eat pounds of them at a time, oohing and ahhhing like "What About Bob". There is a little french bistro here in Asheville we like to frequent, called Bouchon. Bouchon feels like a casual eatery in France. The interior a little too dark, a little too crowded, and a little too warm on a sultry summer evening...utterly charming! Aromas of warm pungent cheese, garlic-wine sauce and yeasty bread waft through the open windows at both ends of the restaurant, and into the back alley (also used for seating). They offer several delectable varieties of mussels accompanied by their devilish matchstick frites dipped in aioli. Choices range from the Parisian-Born Redneck, steamed in PBR beer with Dijon mustard and butter, to the Mediterranean, in a tomato-wine sauce with garlic and saffron. Bouchon is a true Asheville staple. Questions we ask tourists include...Have you visited the Biltmore? Did you drive up the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway? Have you gone to Bouchon for Mussels and Frites??? Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much!
I have to admit, before Bouchon I wasn't crazy about mussels. It was a textural thing. Yet, thanks to this wonderful little restaurant, I am a mussel-convert! Hooked enough to occasionally make them at home!
Back to My Bobby...uh...I mean, Bobby Flay. Truthfully, I can't remember how he prepared his mussels that episode. All I remember is that the challenger beat him with Moules Fromage Bleu, or blue cheese mussels...with bacon. Doesn't that sound incredible? Here is the recipe--I haven't changed a thing. I figured if it could beat Bobby, I better leave them alone!
P.S. As soon as I'm able to acquire one of Bouchon's mussel recipes, I'll share!
Sommer
Teddy Folkman's Moules Fromage Bleu
Serves one as a meal; two to four as an appetizer (I usually double this for my family of four!)
1 1/4 pound rope-grown P.E.I. mussels
4 tablespoons blended oil (40 percent extra-virgin olive oil, 60 percent canola oil)
1/3 cup diced applewood-smoked bacon
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/4 cup Hook's Blue Cheese, or a similar mild, creamy blue
1/3 cup white wine, preferably a dry Chardonnay
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup baby spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed
Sea salt, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
*First rise and check all the mussels. If they are cracked--throw them out! If they are slightly opened, squeeze them. If they don't close back up within a few seconds--throw them out! One bad mussel can spoil the whole pot!
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and it is slightly browned. (I take the bacon out, then add it back in at the end so it stays a little crisp!)
Add the shallots, saute a minutes or two, then add the mussels and toss together. Add the white wine and lemon juice and toss together.
When the mussels start to open, add half of blue cheese, melting it into the broth. As soon as all mussels are open, toss in the spinach.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Top with the rest of the blue cheese and the bacon! Serve with crusty bread to sop up the blue cheese broth!
Want to share another way to prepare mussels? Click "comments" below and tell us how you do it!
Sometimes, at the end of a long day, all I want to do is veg-out! Most days between 5 pm and 8 pm, I've cooked dinner (sometimes incorporating a photo shoot), cleaned, bathed children, assisted with homework, read stories and started laundry. Now it's time to sit and STARE for a bit, before I hopefully get my second wind!
One of these worn-out nights, my husband and I were flipping through the channels--trying to find something to watch we could both agree on. Bobby Flay's Throwdown was on Food Network. Now, my husband would probably tell you I have a crush on Bobby Flay. That's just silly. I simply appreciate his culinary-style...and maybe his freckles! That night Bobby challenged Teddy Folkman to a Mussel Throwdown. We had to watch!
Mussels are one of hubby's favorite things to eat. He could sit and eat pounds of them at a time, oohing and ahhhing like "What About Bob". There is a little french bistro here in Asheville we like to frequent, called Bouchon. Bouchon feels like a casual eatery in France. The interior a little too dark, a little too crowded, and a little too warm on a sultry summer evening...utterly charming! Aromas of warm pungent cheese, garlic-wine sauce and yeasty bread waft through the open windows at both ends of the restaurant, and into the back alley (also used for seating). They offer several delectable varieties of mussels accompanied by their devilish matchstick frites dipped in aioli. Choices range from the Parisian-Born Redneck, steamed in PBR beer with Dijon mustard and butter, to the Mediterranean, in a tomato-wine sauce with garlic and saffron. Bouchon is a true Asheville staple. Questions we ask tourists include...Have you visited the Biltmore? Did you drive up the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway? Have you gone to Bouchon for Mussels and Frites??? Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much!
I have to admit, before Bouchon I wasn't crazy about mussels. It was a textural thing. Yet, thanks to this wonderful little restaurant, I am a mussel-convert! Hooked enough to occasionally make them at home!
Back to My Bobby...uh...I mean, Bobby Flay. Truthfully, I can't remember how he prepared his mussels that episode. All I remember is that the challenger beat him with Moules Fromage Bleu, or blue cheese mussels...with bacon. Doesn't that sound incredible? Here is the recipe--I haven't changed a thing. I figured if it could beat Bobby, I better leave them alone!
P.S. As soon as I'm able to acquire one of Bouchon's mussel recipes, I'll share!
Sommer
Teddy Folkman's Moules Fromage Bleu
Serves one as a meal; two to four as an appetizer (I usually double this for my family of four!)
1 1/4 pound rope-grown P.E.I. mussels
4 tablespoons blended oil (40 percent extra-virgin olive oil, 60 percent canola oil)
1/3 cup diced applewood-smoked bacon
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/4 cup Hook's Blue Cheese, or a similar mild, creamy blue
1/3 cup white wine, preferably a dry Chardonnay
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup baby spinach, cleaned and de-stemmed
Sea salt, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
*First rise and check all the mussels. If they are cracked--throw them out! If they are slightly opened, squeeze them. If they don't close back up within a few seconds--throw them out! One bad mussel can spoil the whole pot!
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and it is slightly browned. (I take the bacon out, then add it back in at the end so it stays a little crisp!)
Add the shallots, saute a minutes or two, then add the mussels and toss together. Add the white wine and lemon juice and toss together.
When the mussels start to open, add half of blue cheese, melting it into the broth. As soon as all mussels are open, toss in the spinach.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Top with the rest of the blue cheese and the bacon! Serve with crusty bread to sop up the blue cheese broth!
Want to share another way to prepare mussels? Click "comments" below and tell us how you do it!
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