Hot Weather Cooking
Before we saw To Rome With Love, I made Helen dinner. This was actually more surprising than it sounds, as the extreme heat and lack of air conditioning this summer has meant a lot of no-cook meals or at least toaster-only meals. Fortunately, the temperature that day was bearable and the recipes called for required minimal work at the stove. Both of these came from the August 2012 issue of Eating Well, and both were delicious.
Zesty Shrimp & Black Bean Salad
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chili in adobo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle, cumin and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add shrimp, beans, tomatoes, poblano, scallions and cilantro. Toss to coat.
3. Serve at room temperature or cold.
I served with this some nice chips from Orale. The recipe says it makes 4 servings at 1 1/2 cups each, but Helen and I are a lot and I still had sufficient leftovers for several meals - and this was AFTER I knocked the recipe down to 1/2 pound of shrimp because I thought a pound was too much.
Chipotle chili in adobo was a new ingredient for me. They sell little tiny cans at the grocery store, but 1 tablespoon is still a tiny percentage of that can. I put a little more than a tablespoon in, and it definitely had a very strong quick; any more would have put it on the edge on inedible due to fire. So if you make this, prepare to have some extra chipotles left over.
Broccoli and Tortellini Salad with Arugula Pasta
1 medium clove garlic
5 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups small broccoli florets
2 9-10 ounce containers cheese tortellini (substituted two pounds of spinach gnocchi instead)
1. Toast the pine nuts for 3-5 minutes.
2. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube of a food processor; process until minced.
3. Turn off food processor. Add arugula, cheese, oil, 1/4 cup pine nuts, lemon and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth.
4. Put the broccoli into a colander.
5. Cook the pasta per package directions. Set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta over the broccoli. This will flash cook it and make it a dark green color.
6. Add the pasta water you set aside to the food processor. Pulse to combine it with the pesto.
7. Transfer the pasta and broccoli to a large bowl. Toss with the pesto. Sprinkle the remaining pine nuts on top.
I used fresh spinach gnocchi from Ohio City Pasta because they've apparently discontinued their line of tortellini, and I didn't want to make a separate trip to the grocery store. This means I had green pasta with green broccoli and green pesto, but then I've never been known for my color sense.
Anyway, this recipe was dead simple to make and quite tasty. It also made a lot of food; I had leftovers for several meals. Arugula pesto was a nice change of pace from the usual basil pesto. I skipped the lemon zest because I forgot to buy a lemon.
Go cook something awesome!
Zesty Shrimp & Black Bean Salad
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chili in adobo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle, cumin and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add shrimp, beans, tomatoes, poblano, scallions and cilantro. Toss to coat.
3. Serve at room temperature or cold.
I served with this some nice chips from Orale. The recipe says it makes 4 servings at 1 1/2 cups each, but Helen and I are a lot and I still had sufficient leftovers for several meals - and this was AFTER I knocked the recipe down to 1/2 pound of shrimp because I thought a pound was too much.
Chipotle chili in adobo was a new ingredient for me. They sell little tiny cans at the grocery store, but 1 tablespoon is still a tiny percentage of that can. I put a little more than a tablespoon in, and it definitely had a very strong quick; any more would have put it on the edge on inedible due to fire. So if you make this, prepare to have some extra chipotles left over.
Broccoli and Tortellini Salad with Arugula Pasta
1 medium clove garlic
5 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups small broccoli florets
2 9-10 ounce containers cheese tortellini (substituted two pounds of spinach gnocchi instead)
1. Toast the pine nuts for 3-5 minutes.
2. With the motor running, drop garlic through the feed tube of a food processor; process until minced.
3. Turn off food processor. Add arugula, cheese, oil, 1/4 cup pine nuts, lemon and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth.
4. Put the broccoli into a colander.
5. Cook the pasta per package directions. Set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta over the broccoli. This will flash cook it and make it a dark green color.
6. Add the pasta water you set aside to the food processor. Pulse to combine it with the pesto.
7. Transfer the pasta and broccoli to a large bowl. Toss with the pesto. Sprinkle the remaining pine nuts on top.
I used fresh spinach gnocchi from Ohio City Pasta because they've apparently discontinued their line of tortellini, and I didn't want to make a separate trip to the grocery store. This means I had green pasta with green broccoli and green pesto, but then I've never been known for my color sense.
Anyway, this recipe was dead simple to make and quite tasty. It also made a lot of food; I had leftovers for several meals. Arugula pesto was a nice change of pace from the usual basil pesto. I skipped the lemon zest because I forgot to buy a lemon.
Go cook something awesome!