Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce

August 14, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

It’s summertime and the living should be easy, right? Well in this Covid/ pandemic time, nothing seems easy. But I hope this super simple, really easy and wonderfully tasty Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce Recipe will cheer you up.

Pasta in Italy

First of all, pasta is always a great comforting dish, which is sorely needed in these anxiety-ridden times. I remember my summer living in Italy and helping Bianca with her broken leg, making a pasta for dinner, and Bianca said she could eat the whole bowl of pasta and eat it every day!

However, in my experience with the Italians at home, I saw them carefully weighing their dried pasta before cooking, so as to not overeat as they love it so much. They are not fat.

Easy peasy.

This Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce recipe couldn’t be easier as just a little bit of time is needed to cut the tomatoes. Literally, that is the most labor-intensive thing here.

And if you’re not a meat eater, just skip the bacon and use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead. Although the bacon does add that wonderful smokey flavor and everything is always better with bacon, right, as long as you eat meat.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes with minced garlic. — Minced garlic added to the sliced Sunny Golds.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes and raw bacon ready to roast. — Sunny Golds and bacon ready to go into the oven.

Be sure to trim the bacon of any big fat chunks, as the fat will be left in your finished dish.

The Sunny Golds are so sweet and flavorful, you can do it either way, with or without the bacon. I did it both ways just this week. Because the high heat of the roasting brings out the flavor of the tomatoes even more, I know you will really enjoy this.

Here is the recipe – don’t forget to add LOVE while slicing those tomatoes!

SUNNY GOLDS WITH BACON PASTA SAUCE – serves 3 – 4

A little less than a quart of sunny gold tomatoes, washed and cut in half
3 slices of no nitrate, thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces. Remove large chunks of fat and discard.
OR use: 2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of garlics, smashed or minced
1 tsp. crushed dried oregano
¾ of a pound of dried pasta
Grated Pecorino cheese
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes with the bacon or olive oil (not both as the bacon will provide the fat as it cooks), garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper in a 9” x 9” glass Pyrex baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and the tomatoes have collapsed.

Meanwhile, boil your water for the pasta, salt liberally, preferably with coarse sea salt and cook your pasta according to the package directions, starting to check for doneness at 2 minutes less than the lesser time. You will not be cooking the pasta any more in this sauce so make sure it is done to your liking but still al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Warm the bowls you will be serving the pasta in as well as the large bowl to combine it all.

When the sauce is done, remove it from the oven and toss it with the pasta in the separate warmed large bowl. Use tongs to combine. Scrape in all the juices too!

When it is thoroughly combined, serve in warmed individual bowls garnished with fresh basil and offer fresh grated pecorino and an extra pinch of LOVE.

Sunny Golds and bacon finished roasting and ready to toss with the cooked pasta.

A serving of Sunny Gold Tomatoes with Bacon Pasta Sauce on spaghetti in a white bowl. — Finished single serving!

Enjoy!!

Garlic Scape Pesto

July 2, 2020 by Mary 6 Comments

Summertime means pesto time, right? Usually it is basil for me but my friend Lainne at Ethel and Tom’s farm stand in Red Hook told me that Kim, from Second Chance Farm was buying bunches and bunches of garlic scapes to make Garlic Scape Pesto, and I was intrigued.

I wondered if she sautéed the scapes first or just pureed them raw…

Great neighbors and friends

At any rate, I naturally bought several bunches and started to hunt down Kim’s number to text her. But then I saw her husband, Charlie, at the dump on Saturday and he had Kim call me! This is my wonderful small town that I live in, in upstate New York. Everybody knows each other or knows someone who knows that person. And everyone wants to be truly helpful and is so sharing. It is so nice!

So, Kim texted me a photo of her handwritten recipe for this Garlic Scape Pesto. I have made it twice already, shared with my kids, and gotten rave reviews – so thank you Kim!!

And no, Kim does not saute them first. The scapes go in raw, chopped in ¼” pieces so that makes this pesto super easy to make. Way easier than the basil variety! No washing of the leaves and letting them dry and no peeling and chopping the garlic.

Another tip I learned while living in Italy, is to buy Parmigiano Reggiano grated, if you’re going to be making a lot of pesto soon, as it makes it so much easier to be able to skip that hand grating step. Because I went grocery shopping often with my friend Cristina, she taught me this little trick, as I was surprised. She said, “Why spend the time? This is just as good!”

Process it well!

Be sure to add the oil streaming in the food processer while it is running to enable it to fully incorporate. Additionally, this will need a few extra minutes to process as you do want to make sure the raw scapes are very finely chopped.

Here you go with the recipe – super quick and easy. Make with LOVE.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO – serves 4 – 6 on pasta

1 cup of chopped garlic scapes – use the green part only – up to the bulb but do not include the bulb, chopped into ¼” pieces
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup grated Parmagiano
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

In a food processor, chop the scapes and walnuts until fine. Slowly add in the EVOO to combine. Add the cheese, a large pinch of salt and 20 grinds of fresh black pepper. Process again until all combined and pureed.

To serve on pasta

Boil your pasta 2 minutes less than the lesser amount of time on your package in well salted boiling water. Before draining the pasta, save about ¾ of a cup of the pasta water.

Combine sauce and pasta with a few tablespoons of pasta water to help loosen the sauce, make it adhere to the pasta better and finish cooking the pasta over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

When the pasta is al dente, serve immediately in warmed bowls. You may add more cheese but I don’t think it needs it. Some additional fresh ground black pepper is nice. A Spumante Brut pairs great!

And of course, you can always add more LOVE.

Banana Bread

May 31, 2020 by Mary Leave a Comment

Zooming…

I was Zooming with my friend Sherry the other day and told her about this new Banana Bread recipe that I had just concocted and shared through a mailbox delivery (a real, snail mail type delivery box in the country – on a post near the roadside) to some local friends and her response was, “Oh! How very Covid of you!” So there you have it! A whole new vocabulary has erupted from this pandemic. Covid has become a verb, adverb and adjective besides always being a noun. Sherry said, “Oh yes, all of them.” And Banana Bread could almost be called Covid Bread because EVERYONE is making it.

It must be that everyone has bought all of those bananas for fear that they might not be there the next time they shop and they can’t possibly eat them all so what’s next? Covid Banana Bread!

And did you notice, “Zooming” is also a new verb.

Then there is my personal favorite, “Quarantini,” where you make a martini and drink it alone, at home. I wonder how many alcoholics will come out of this? I could literally have a cocktail catch-up with friends every single night, which has been using up a lot of my time, fun times albeit, but now I have curbed the commitments. Too much!

Differences in my recipe…

Back to Banana Bread. In this recipe, I upped the eggs (for extra moistness) and went light on the sugar, as I always do, added nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg, which are unusual from what I can see out there.

I love Banana Bread toasted and then smeared with butter, particularly the end pieces, as the crust holds all the butter goodness in and none can drip out through the bread and onto your plate. Or, put on even a little cream cheese for extra pure decadence. I know, these are silly details but really worth it. For me, it brings back childhood memories as I used to fight over the end pieces with my brothers. And my mother loved putting on some butter AND cream cheese, as she’d put a finger to her lips, “Shhhhussh, don’t tell anyone…”

But really, this recipe is so good and moist, you don’t need a thing!

It freezes well and keeps in the refrigerator nicely.

Make with LOVE and create some of your own special memories.

BANANA BREAD – 1 loaf

½ cup butter, softened
1 scant cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 overly ripe bananas, finely mashed with a fork
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¾ cup pecan halves, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F degrees.

Using the paper from the butter, butter and flour a loaf pan, making sure to get into all the corners. Use extra butter if needed.

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs and mashed bananas. Combine well.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add gradually to creamed mixture by large spoonfuls. Add vanilla.

Mix just until combined. Stir in the finely chopped nuts. Do not overmix.

Pour into buttered and floured loaf pan.

Bake at 350º F / 180º for 45 – 55 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Keeps well, refrigerated. Also freezes well. Enjoy toasted and spread with LOVE, and butter or cream cheese.

Always add LOVE

Always make and serve with LOVE. Because your food will taste better, without exception! Trust me. Spread LOVE around, not Covid-19. 🙂

Pasta with Pancetta, Chicken, Pecorino and Broccoli Rabe – A HANGOVER HELPER!

December 31, 2019 by Mary 3 Comments

Happy New Year to everyone!! Be safe out there celebrating. I wanted you to have this recipe of Pasta with Pancetta, Chicken, Pecorino and Broccoli Rabe as it can be a real hangover helper for tomorrow. Top it with an easy-over egg for extra protein, should you need it, and you’ll be in good shape to be able to enjoy New Year’s Day, 2020.

Pasta with Pancetta, Chicken, Pecorino and Broccoli Rabe

Comes together in only 40 minutes!

This dish comes together easily and quickly and should take no more than 40 minutes from start time to serving, even with a hangover. I use only one pot for the pasta and to blanch the broccoli rabe, in order to remove the bitterness.

Cooking for me now, is at once a pain and a joy. It is labor intensive – as I have to clean up too. However, when I do muster the energy, I find I get my mojo back and truly enjoy it! I can literally feel getting back in the grove. Because this recipe that I made up on the fly is really worthy of sharing with you, dear readers, I wanted to make sure you got it today, for help with tomorrow.

Admittedly, I LOVE to cook. I hate to clean. But I love to eat good, healthy food. So, there you have it; I continue to cook. It’s just that some things I make may last 4 – 5 meals. Which means I have to plan carefully, around dinner dates with friends or just needing the company of other humans as I frequent certain restaurants by myself and eat at the bar, hoping to have nice conversations with folks, besides of course, the bartender.

Toasted breadcrumbs are always a good addition.

I absolutely adore toasted breadcrumbs on top of pasta dishes, so I added them here as I had some leftover croutons (that I had sautéed in duck fat to make them divine!) that I just crushed to make crumbs. Genius, right? (heh)

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Wishing you all health, happiness and everything you’ve dreamed of for 2020!! Another new decade!

PASTA WITH PANCETTA, CHICKEN, PECORINO AND BROCCOLI RABE – serves 3 – 4

½ lb. of pasta – Strozzapreti or fusilli
Coarse sea salt
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 ¼” thick slice of pancetta, cut in ¼” cubes
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, all fat removed and cut into ¼” slices
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
½ of a fresh serrano chile, thinly sliced with seeds and membrane
½ cup of chicken broth, preferably homemade or low salt if in a box
1 head of broccoli rabe, ends trimmed off and sliced in 11/2” sections
½ cup of Pecorino cheese, grated
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Toasted bread crumbs or crushed croutons

The easy process.

Put a large pot of water on to boil. After it comes to a boil, salt liberally with the coarse sea salt. Salt only after it comes to a boil so you don’t pit your pot. Add the chopped broccoli rabe and blanch for 1 – 2 minutes. Remove the broccoli rabe with a strainer, leaving the water to boil to cook your pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet, on medium heat, large enough to hold everything. Add the pancetta and sautè for 5 – 6 minutes until nearly cooked. Then add the garlic and your chicken strips and cook, tossing until all pink is gone from the chicken. Slice the serrano chili over the skillet with a hand mandoline and toss.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling water again and add your pasta, cooking it 2 minutes less than the lesser number on the package for your cook time.

Add the drained broccoli rabe to the skillet with the chicken and toss and continue to cook.

When the pasta is nearly at its time, add the chicken broth to the skillet.

Drain your pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss everything together for about 2 – 3 minutes to finish cooking the pasta. Do a taste test for the pasta, keeping it al dente. Then add the grated cheese and a good amount of fresh ground pepper. Toss everything together and serve in warm bowls.

Top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve with LOVE.

Shakshuka

December 22, 2019 by Mary 4 Comments

Shakshuka. The name is a bit of a tongue twister, but do learn to say it and make it! This shakshuka recipe is so good, you’ll find yourself making it again and again. It is relatively easy and a perfect brunch dish – or even dinner on a busy weeknight. Paired with a good piece of toasted bread, preferably sourdough, along with some good country sausage, and you’re all set!

Shakshuka hails from North Africa, and traveled all along the middle East, now has become ever so hip and popular here.

Perfect for holiday brunches

With the holidays upon us, I thought you would enjoy this recipe especially for those of us welcoming houseguests and relatives. I’ve made this several times for “sleepovers” and here’s just a few of the comments – “thank you Mary for a most memorable brunch” – from a hard-to-please big brother, and then there was, “Gee I feel like I’m at an expensive Bed and Breakfast!” from new friends, and “delicious brunch spread” from a sister-in-law.

So please enjoy and feel free to alter ingredients – the kinds of peppers and cheeses – for example. Do use only the real San Marzano tomatoes, making sure your can says “D.O.P.” to insure they are genuine. You can use regular paprika but I prefer the sweet smoked kind from Spain. My husband never like smoky things, except for salmon and whitefish, so now at least I can use it with abandon, although I’d rather have him around. 🙁

Shakshuka in skillet with raw eggs. — Shakshuka in skillet with raw eggs

SHAKSHUKA – serves 3 – 4

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (use a hand mandoline)
1 large green pepper, stems, seeds, and ribs removed, thinly sliced
2/3 of one fresh small jalapeño chili including seeds and ribs, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 28-ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by squeezing with your hands
3 – 4 oz. feta cheese, cubed in ¼” pieces or crumbled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Large handful of chopped cilantro or parsley, or a mix
6 – 8 eggs
Crusty bread, for serving, preferably sourdough, toasted
Country sausage for serving – optional

The process

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet or straight-sided sauté pan over medium high heat until shimmering.

Add onion, green pepper, and jalapeño chili and spread into an even layer. Cook, without moving, until vegetables on the bottom are deeply browned and beginning to char in spots, about 6 minutes. Flip vegetables and continue to cook until vegetables are fully softened and spottily charred, about another 4 minutes.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add paprika and cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Immediately add tomatoes and stir to combine. Reduce heat to a bare simmer and simmer for 10 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember the feta is salty, so do not add too much salt.

Add the feta now and some of the parsley and/or cilantro, saving enough to garnish finished servings. Stir all to combine nicely.

Using a large spoon, make a well near the perimeter of the pan and break an egg directly into it. Spoon a little sauce over edges of egg white to partially submerge and contain it, leaving yolk exposed. Repeat with remaining 5 – 7 eggs, working around pan and into the middle as you go.

Cover, and reduce heat to lowest setting, and cook until egg whites are barely set and yolks are still runny, 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve 2 eggs with sauce in large shallow bowls as shown.

Shakshuka serving with sausage and bread. — Shakshuka serving with sausage and bread

Garnish with cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread and LOVE. A side of sausage is lovely to go along with this. And have your serving bottle of EVOO on the table for those who want a little more oil. Be prepared for silence and ummm’s.

Enjoy!! And Happy Holidays!

Tarte Tatin

November 25, 2019 by Mary 4 Comments

Most of you know me as not such a sweet person. I mean, I am nice, I think, but I do prefer savory over sweet any day of the week. So over the past 6 months, I have made this Tarte Tatin recipe about 8 times, trying to perfect it in order to make it worthy enough to share it with you!

Great for Thanksgiving!

I think this could be a terrific alternative to the pumpkin and/or pecan pie for Thanksgiving this Thursday. It is a little healthier approach, but only if you decide, because holidays are always a special time, and should be kept so, with traditions in your family.

If you do decide to make this on Thursday, you can easily start it while the turkey is still in the oven, then bake it while the turkey is resting, if you only have one oven.

Easy as pie!

I initially learned about Tarte Tatin about 35 years ago. I had one of my first big projects with American Express and I was art directing a large photo shoot for a series of billing enclosures – remember those lovely little 4-color ad inserts you got with your bill every month in those days? Well the photo stylist I had hired to find all the props and to be on the set to style, suddenly started talking about this Tarte Tatin she had made the night before at her boyfriend’s apartment. They had had a bunch of people over, drinking and partying and she just went into the kitchen to make this, easily, and of course, everyone loved it!

So, man, I was in. But her recipe had you make a Pâte Brisée as the crust, which is really just a French version of a pie crust with a lot more butter and here, I just used my pie crust recipe made with all butter, and added an extra tablespoon. I had an already-made crust in the freezer, which then makes this recipe super easy.

What struck me about her story is that, A.) this had to be super easy to make if she just went in and whipped it up, probably even after having a few drinks at that – similar to Louise Fowler making me a Pecan Pie and B.) what a great way to wow people and make them happy, similar to “Oh you made a pie!”

I have had her recipe all this time, but now, I created this even easier recipe with what I have here.

My Tarte Tatin recipe is super quick, just as long as you can peel apples fast, but do take the time to make sure the sugar caramelizes completely and if you have a pie crust already made, it’s money!!

Here you go!!

TARTE TATIN – serves 6 – 8

4 Tbs. butter
¾ – 1 cup of white sugar, depending on the sweetness of your apples
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8^th’s
Cinnamon – overall sprinkle
Nutmeg – overall grating of whole nutmeg
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 9” unbaked pie crust made with all butter plus an added 1 Tbs. of butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Coat a 10-inch cast iron skillet with the butter, melted. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the butter.

Place apple pieces on top of the butter and sugar, rounded sides down, in a circular pattern. Do cram them all in the skillet!

Turn heat to medium-high and cook until sugar dissolves and begins to caramelize. Continue to cook until apples soften and caramel begins to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Watch carefully and then remove from heat.

While the apples are caramelizing, sprinkle a work surface (preferably use a pastry cloth with a rolling pin cover) with 1 Tbs. flour and roll pie dough into an 11-inch circle.

Place crust on top of apples in the skillet and roll a rolling pin over the top to cut off the excess crust.

Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, about 20 – 23 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Do not allow it to cool any longer. Place a flat plate over the top of the pan and carefully invert to release the Tarte Tatin from the pan. Scrape any remaining apples stuck to the pan back on top of crust.

Serve with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream and LOVE. Enjoy!!