Angel Hair with Tomatoes, Basil and Croutons

Feast or famine these days, guess I am on a roll and it feels good - somebody stop me! Here's a walk down memory lane...

Soon after college, Devin and I got into a good cooking groove. In fact Devin, Craig and I had a fantastic Thursday ritual - Friends, Seinfeld, cook dinner during the lame filler show and eat while watching ER (which always kind of grossed us out). Our favorite cookbook was the Colorado Collage - and after cooking from it last night, I am reminded of how very, very loved this book was.

One of our old standbys was Angel hair with tomatoes, basil and croutons. Essentially, this is bruschetta with pasta. It's a simple, fresh recipe and you normally have almost everything already in the house. So the recipe and memories may be from the 90's ...but the taste is so 2010.
From my table to yours...

Angel Hair with Tomatoes, Basil and Croutons

Ingredients:

• 2T butter (or you can use olive oil spray for less calories)
• 2 cloves minced garlic, divided
• 4 C 1-inch cubes of Italian bread
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 3 C roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced (you can use red pepper flakes too)
• 12 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked al dente, drained
• 3T olive oil
• 2 C fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Combine butter and 1t of garlic, pour over bread cubes and toss. Place in single layer on large baking sheet and bake for 10 min or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle coarse salt to taste.
• In large bowl, combine tomatoes, serrano pepper and remaining garlic.
• Add hot pasta and toss.
• Drizzle with oil and toss again.
• Sprinkle basic and half of the reserved croutons over pasta. Pass remaining croutons.

Butternut Squash Bisque with Apple-Roasted Pork Chops

The grass is growing more slowly, football seems to be on every channel, mornings and evenings are cooler...Fall is definitely upon us. So let's get our Fall menu going with flavorful butternut squash, apples and pork chops. Squash always looks peculiar, never sure just what to do with it. The thing is, you kind of can't go wrong - bake, boil, chop or puree -regardless of your preparation of choice, the result is the perfect meal to warm your belly and kick-off your week.

From my table to yours!

Butternut Squash Bisque

Ingredients:

• 2 T butter
• 2 small onions, minced
• 3 C peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash
• 1 1/4 C chicken stock
• 1 1/2 C cubed potatoes
• 1 t paprika
• 1/2 C Whipping Cream (I use Fat Free Half and Half)
• 1/3 C sherry
• 3 T freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 T snipped, fresh chives, plus a few whole chives to garnish
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Melt the butter in large saucepan.
• Add onions and cook for 5 min
• Add the squash, stock, potatoes and paprika and bring to boil.
• Lower the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 35 min.
• Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
• Return the soup to the pan and stir in cream and sherry.
• Season with salt and pepper and reheat slowly.
• Stir in the chopped chives and parmesan just before serving.
• Garnish each serving with a few whole chives.

Apple-Roasted Pork Chops (4 hours for marinating)

• 6 loin pork chops, each 7-8 oz, trimmed of fat

For the Marinade:

• 2/3 C apple cider
• 1 t olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1T fresh thyme
• 1 t peppercorns

• salt and pepper
• 2 tart green apples
• 1 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 C dried apples
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1/4 C apple cider
• 1/4 C dry apple brandy (Calvados)

Directions:

• Marinate the pork chops: Place the chops in a large, heavy duty zip-lock bag. Add the cider, olive oil, onion, thyme, garlic and peppercorns to the bag.
• Press out air and sale bag securely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours - turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 400F. Remove chops from the marinade, pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Ditch the marinade.
• Peel, core and slice the fresh apples. In a large saute pan, over high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. When the foam dissolves, add the chops and sear, turning once until browned (about 2 min/side)
• Meanwhile, scatter the fresh and dried apples and onion slices in a baking dish large enough to hold the chops in a single layer.
• Set the browned chops on top of the apple and onion, pour the apple cider around the chops and cover the dish.
• Cook for 10 min, then lower the heat to 350F. Then cook for 25 min longer.
• Uncover dish and baste with apple brandy. Cook another 10 min (or until juices run clear and chops are tender).
• Serve directly from dish to plate - YUM!

Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Open Faced Sandwich with Pesto Aioli

It's that time of year again - the morning bus stop is getting a bit chilly and those with gardens are pushing their final tomatoes and eggplant - but don't even think about covering your grill. After getting the little ones on the bus, doing the usual suburban jog, emptying the dishwasher, taking a meeting while finishing getting dressed and listening to Good Morning America in the background (no wonder I am tired)...I was inspired by Mr. Bobby Flay (who normally bugs the hell out of me). He prepared such a simple combination of killer ingredients, which turned a traditional sandwich into an affordable, hearty, masterpiece. You could also cut the slices of bread smaller and serve as an appetizer.

From my table to yours ...or from Bobby's table to yours...


Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Open Faced Sandwich with Pesto Aioli

Pesto Aioli Ingredients:

• 1/2 C mayo
• 3 T prepared pesto
• S&P

Sandwich Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants, slided lengthwise in 1-inch thick slices
• 1 # tomatoes, chopped (I have been using Heirloom tomatoes lately - YUM)
• 1/4 C flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• S&P
• 4 - 3/4 inch slices of crusty Italian bread

Directions:

• Pesto Aioli: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl (doesn't get any easier)
• For the sandwich: Mix tomatoes, parsley, 2 T olive oil and vinegar.
• Sprinkle S&P to taste and let sit at room temperature.
• Preheat grill to high heat.
• Brush eggplant with some of the remaining olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
• Grill both sides of the eggplant until golden brown (about 4 min/side)
• Brush bread with the remaining olive oil, season with S&P (see a pattern?), grill for 30 seconds/side.
• Spread a tablespoon of the pesto aioli on each slice of bread (I used less)
• Top each slice of bread with grilled eggplant, then a few heaping spoonfuls of the tomato relish
• Sprinkle with chopped basil if you like!
• Save the leftover mayo in a hermetic jar for later use. Always good to have these on hand (Container store run).

Pork Chops with Bourbon-Peach Sauce

Yes, it's me again - the peach pusher! It's not quite like the post Thanksgiving turkey soup, turkey enchiladas, turkey tamales...YET. Here is another Pamelita specialty. The smell, the flavor, the LOVE of sweet, salty and tangy - aww, I think I just fell in love.
From my table to yours...

Pork Chops with Bourbon-Peach Sauce
Ingredients:

• 4 - 4 ounce boneless center-cut loin chops (about 1/4 inch thick) - of course if you are one of these leave the bone-in for more flavor kind of a person - go for it!
• Salt to taste
• Cooking spray (or olive oil)
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t ground red pepper
• 1T minced shallots
• 2 garlic cloves, pealed and minced
• 1 1/2 C peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 C chicken broth (homemade or store bought - make sure it's low sodium)
• 2 t brown sugar
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2T bourbon
• 2 t butter

Directions:

• Sprinkle pork with salt and peppers.
• Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat, coat with cooking spray (yes, you can use EVO too)
• Add pork to pan - cook 2 1/2 min/side or until browned. Remove pork from pan and keep warm.
• Add shallots and garlic to pan - saute 30 seconds.
• Add peaches and broth - saute 2 minutes.
• Add sugar and thyme - cook another minute.
• Add bourbon and butter - cook 4 1/2 minutes or until butter melts and sauce is slightly thickened.
• Discard thyme sprigs.
• Plate the pork and top with sauce - mmmm, party in your mouth. If you go with the low-cal options, only 8 grams of fat.