Fusilli alla Vodka with Basil, Parmesan and Garlic Breadcrumbs

We just discovered the deliciousness that is pasta in vodka sauce. I’ve seen it on restaurant menus, but finally got the itch to make it after two of my favorite food bloggers and recipe creators posted their versions recently, Sarah Nasello and The Smitten Kitchen.

Most of the versions I’ve seen are vegetarian, but a couple, like Sarah’s, add a small amount of pancetta, which must add a lovely flavor. And all the recipes included heavy cream. Because I eat vegetarian, obviously, the pancetta was out, and, also, because I try to eat heart healthy as often as possible, I wanted to omit the saturated fat laden cream.

I have found an amazing substitute for heavy cream and it’s super simple. Raw cashews soaked in water overnight, then drained and blended at high speed with water and a pinch of salt. There you have it, plant-based cream with no unnatural ingredients, using nuts that are vitamin and mineral rich, and most importantly, make a rich and satisfying replacement.

And what does the vodka add to the dish? It’s hard to put my finger on it, but according to the food lab folks at Serious Eats, “Vodka does alter the flavor of the sauce in a pleasing way. It adds a touch of heat and a bit of a sharp bite that help balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream. Is it absolutely necessary? No, but vodka sauce just wouldn’t be, well, vodka sauce without it.”

Often made with penne, or, like the Smitten Kitchen’s, with rigatoni, I used fusilli, because that’s what I had on hand. Any of the three will work equally well.

To add texture, I sprinkled the finished dish with crunchy, garlicky breadcrumbs, along with fresh basil and additional parmesan. It all came together as a wonderful full meal, with the only drawback being there were no leftovers. Enjoy!

Fusilli alla Vodka

• Servings: 2-4
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Adapted from this and this Bon Appetit recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and grated

¼ cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons vodka

½ cup cashew cream (recipe follows; it will probably make more than you need)

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces fusilli pasta, preferably whole wheat (I used the Trader Joe’s Organic Whole Wheat Fusilli); penne or rotini would also work

½ ounce finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1/8 cup chopped fresh basil

Garlicky Panko Breadcrumbs, for topping (recipe follows)

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium. Add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until paste is brick red and starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add vodka and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add cashew cream and red pepper flakes and stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste; remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid. Add pasta to skillet with sauce, along with remaining tablespoon butter and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid, as needed, until butter has melted and a thick, glossy sauce has formed, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add ½ oz. parmesan, tossing to coat.

Divide pasta among bowls, topping with breadcrumbs, basil, and extra parmesan. Makes 2 generous servings as a main course, 4 as a side dish.

Cashew Cream

½ cup raw cashews

Water

Pinch of salt

Place cashews into a small bowl and cover with water. Let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain cashews and place into a high-speed blender. Add 1/4- to 1/3 cup water. Blend about 2 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides of blender. Check for thickness and add more water if necessary. You want this to be the thickness of heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt and blend another minute. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Garlicky Panko Breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

1 large garlic clove, peeled and lightly smashed

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Pinch of salt

Cook butter and garlic over medium-low heat, swirling until garlic is fragrant and foaming subsides, about 2 minutes. Add panko and stir to coat evenly. Cook, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt.

Oregano-Hazelnut Pesto

Right now, we’re experiencing the kind of growing weather where everything is thriving. That perfect combination of sun, heat, and humidity that has your garden practically exploding. Especially my herbs. It’s times like this that I start to panic and wonder how will I ever use all the basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano.

Today my panic was focused on the oregano. Our tomatoes are weeks from being ready so that great tomato-oregano combination won’t happen for a while, but my oregano plant badly needed trimming. I began to wonder if there is such a thing as oregano pesto or would that be too strong a flavor? Yes, oregano pesto is a thing, my online research told me, and I was intrigued by a recipe that used hazelnuts in the pesto. That partial bag of hazelnuts buried in my freezer would finally get used!

It’s been a while since we’ve had pasta, so why not an oregano pesto penne pasta? Shallots for good measure, some quality parmesan because hello, Italian pasta dish, and a little lemon zest to finish. I’ve included the recipe below the pesto instructions–I think you’ll like it!

Fully prepared not to like this oregano version, I was pleasantly surprised and now have a new favorite pesto. The oregano was not overwhelming, and the hazelnuts brought a lovely, unique flavor. I’m looking forward to using some the of the leftover pesto on pizza this week. Enjoy!

 

• Servings: 1 1/2 cups
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Inspired by this recipe

1 cup fresh oregano leaves (discard the stems)

½ cup unsalted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

In a small skillet, toast hazelnuts over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir often so they don’t burn. Cool slightly.

Place oregano leaves, hazelnuts, lemon juice, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well mixed. With machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Scrape down sides and process until mixture is mostly smooth. Add salt, to taste.

Refrigerate, covered, until use. Keeps about 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Great on pasta (recipe follows), a little mixed into scrambled eggs, as a dip for good quality bread, in place of red sauce on pizza, or a dollop swirled into a bowl of soup. Makes about 1 ½ cups pesto.

Penne Pasta with Oregano-Hazelnut Pesto, Shallots, and Lemon Zest

8 oz. penne pasta, regular or whole wheat

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Oregano-hazelnut pesto (about half of above recipe)

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional

Grated zest of one lemon

Cook pasta in a pot of well-salted boiling water, according to package directions. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Return drained pasta to pan and add shallots, pesto, parmesan (if using), and about a third a cup of reserved pasta water. Toss to coat pasta until sauce becomes creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Transfer pasta to serving bowls, top with lemon zest and additional parmesan, if desired. Makes 3-4 servings.

Lobster Mushroom Pasta

Last weekend at the Stillwater Farmers’ Market, I picked up a couple varieties of mushrooms I hadn’t had before, lobster and chicken of the woods. A local forager harvested them from area forests and sold them at his stand, along with chanterelles. Joking around, I asked if he had lots of experience and knew what he was doing so we wouldn’t be poisoned. He laughed and said when people ask, he usually points to the lobster mushrooms and tells them that’s what they should buy if they want to off their husbands. Okay, that didn’t really make me feel any better.

Lobster, chanterelle, and chicken of the woods (l-r).

The amusing mushroom man explained that the lobster mushrooms had a seafood-like flavor and the chicken of the woods variety, covered with barbeque sauce and grilled, would taste just like chicken. Interesting. They were expensive too, about $20/pound, but I figured that was a lot cheaper than lobster.

Not really sure how to prepare my new-found treasures, I decided to just do a simple pasta dish with the lobster mushrooms. There were lots of lobster pasta recipes out there, so why not just sub lobster mushrooms? You can’t go wrong with shallots, garlic, butter and thyme, right? And white wine, half & half, and parmesan aren’t likely to mess up a dish either. It all came together wonderfully, with the promised seafood flavor a happy surprise.

If you happen upon these somewhat freaky-looking, neon reddish-orange beauties, either while foraging or at your local farmers’ market, try this recipe; I think you’ll really like it. Enjoy!

• Servings: 3-4
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2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces lobster mushrooms, cleaned and cut into ½ inch chunks

1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves

A couple splashes dry white wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A handful of baby greens (I used a bagged mixture of baby power greens from Trader Joe’s)

½ cup freshly grated parmesan or parmigiano reggiano

¼ cup half & half, cream, or whole milk

8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti, linguini or any long, thin pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water, then cook pasta according to package directions. When done, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain pasta and return it to pot. Cover and keep warm.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots have softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Increase heat to medium high and add the wine. Stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has mostly cooked off.

Return heat on the pan to medium and add the second tablespoon of butter. Once it’s melted, add the greens. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted, but still bright green.

Add the mushroom mixture, cheese, and half & half to the warm pasta. Toss until combined. Add enough of the reserved pasta to make a sauce. Serve pasta in bowls. Makes 3-4 servings.

Portabella Piccata

Last week my online newspaper skimming led me to a recipe I couldn’t get out of my mind, even though it wasn’t vegetarian. This happens frequently–a dish makes my mouth water while my brain goes into conversion mode, mulling over ways to make it meatless. Such was the case with this recipe from the fabulous Sarah and Tony Nasello of Sarello’s Restaurant in Moorhead, MN.

At first I was thinking of using mock duck in place of the pork. Then I thought maybe tofu, but ultimately settled on the meaty portabella. I made the right choice. Both Pete and I declared this absolutely delicious and definitely blog-worthy. Because we were starving, I served it over whole-wheat spaghetti, but for a lighter dish, you could top cooked greens such as kale with this tasty concoction. And I bet it would be great over baked or mashed potatoes too. Enjoy!

• Servings: 2-4
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4 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and gills scraped off with a spoon
Half to ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or your favorite gluten-free flour), seasoned with salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter or non-hydrogenated margarine (like Earth Balance), divided
1/4 cup minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped flat-leaf parsley

If your mushrooms are thick, slice them horizontally to create thinner mushroom slices. Place seasoned flour in a large zip-lock bag. Sprinkle half of the mushrooms with a little bit of water and put them in the zip-lock bag, seal, and shake until mushrooms are coated with flour.

Heat one tablespoon oil and one tablespoon butter or margarine in a cast iron or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add dredged mushrooms. Cook three minutes, then turn with tongs and cook three more minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat process with remaining mushrooms.

After the second batch of mushrooms is out of the pan, reduce heat to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil and of butter. When hot, add garlic and shallots and cook about 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen those yummy brown bits left by the mushrooms. Carefully pour in stock, wine, lemon juice, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until it’s reduced by about half. If the sauce doesn’t thicken up enough, sprinkle a little of the leftover flour mixture over sauce and whisk to combine. When sauce is thick, return cooked mushrooms to the pan and reduce heat to low. Add the capers and last tablespoon of butter, stirring until the butter melts and is mixed in. Taste and season with salt & pepper.

Serve over whole wheat pasta, cooked greens (like kale or spinach), or potatoes, either baked or mashed, or whatever strikes your fancy. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 2-4.

Spinach Eggs Benedict with Coral Pepper “Hollandaise”

Even though Valentine’s Day is just one day, with it falling on a Friday this year, I say make it a weekend long celebration! To carry the festivities through to Saturday, Sunday or even Monday (if you’re fortunate to have off Presidents Day), here’s a great brunch recipe that conjures up the fanciness of Eggs Benedict minus a lot of the saturated fat and heaviness. Without that overstuffed feeling, you just may feel like venturing out for a post-brunch snowshoe or cross-country ski with your valentine(s).

Last Saturday we had a morning with no commitments so I decided to make something special for breakfast. Having never made hollandaise sauce, I googled some recipes. After only looking at a couple, with both calling for a full stick of butter, that idea was tossed. Then I remembered a sauce I’ve made before that’s much lighter, yet still flavor packed, and thought it would make a great hollandaise substitute. The sauce portion of the recipe is from a 2008 issue of local grocers Lunds and Byerly’s Real Food magazine. It’s extremely versatile; I’ve served it over crepes, frittatas, wild rice, potatoes, etc., plus it’s really delicious. As you can see from the photos, my sauce is more orange than coral in color, and that’s due to not having two red bell peppers on hand. I used one red and one orange—the taste is still divine!

You’ll have more sauce than you need, so if you’re cooking for more than two, increase the other ingredients proportionately, but keep the sauce as is. Enjoy! And happy Valentine’s Day!! 

• Servings: 2
• Difficulty: easy
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2 large organic large red bell peppers, cut into 1” chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
½ cup water
1 ½ tablespoons butter or vegan, trans-fat free, margarine

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
A pinch or two of sea salt (smoked salt, if you’ve got it)
A couple splashes dry white wine
4 big handfuls of fresh spinach
Freshly ground black pepper

2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted
2-4 eggs
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Salt & pepper, to taste
A couple pickled peppadews, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)

To make coral pepper “hollandaise,” place pepper chunks, garlic slices, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Transfer pepper mixture to a blender or food processor and add butter or margarine. Process until smooth. Return to saucepan and keep warm (you can also make this a day ahead of time and reheat just before serving).

In a medium skillet, preferably cast iron, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add shallots and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes until shallots have softened. Add a couple splashes white wine to pan and deglaze, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan. Let wine reduce until it’s almost gone and add spinach. Add a few grinds of black pepper and stir. Continue cooking until spinach wilts.

To poach eggs, crack each egg into individual small bowls. Add the vinegar to a large saucepan of water and bring to a boil. Gently drop each egg from bowl into water. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover pot. Cook until eggs are done to your liking, 4-5 minutes for runny yolks, 6-7 minutes for a more solid yolk. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Top toasted (and buttered, if you like) English muffin halves with some of the spinach mixture. Place an egg (or eggs) over spinach. Drizzle with coral pepper “hollandaise.” Sprinkle with sliced, pickled peppadews (which I forgot to do before taking the photos, but they add a great piquant flavor!) Serves two.