Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Whenever C is out for the evening, Miss F and I always indulge in seafood. We had visited my parents for crabs and got a couple pounds of fresh shrimp from the Kemah seafood market. The shrimp there are so much better than what you can get in the grocer.  Miss F has become and expert shrimp peeler, which makes dinner prep a breeze.  She wasn't a huge fan of the sun dried tomatoes, but that meant all the more for me.  I used dried sun dried tomatoes and rehydrated them with boil water.  I added a bit of the water the tomatoes steeped in to the sauce.  This recipe is adapted from Julia's Album.

Garlic Shrimp and Sundried Tomato Pasta

12 ounces linguine pasta
2 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup sundried tomatoes
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside, reserving the cooking water.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp, salt and paprika, cook for 5 minutes more, until the shrimp are pink. Add the half and half, basil and red pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and pasta, adding any of the reserved cooking water if the sauce needs thinning.

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Thai Basil Shrimp

Long time, no post... It's been a crazy month or so. We took an amazing vacation to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos for two and a half weeks and then drove up to our house in Colorado, where we will be spending the next five weeks.  It made for lots of amazing eating, but not so much in the way of cooking.  Miss F devoured basil shrimp when we were in Thailand, she couldn't get enough, so I decided to try and replicate the recipe at home and I think I was pretty successful.  I used a mild Fresno chile, but feel free to amp up the heat if you are so inclined.  This dish was successful, the rice, not so much.  Cooking rice at nearly 9000 feet is proving to be very tricky.

Thai Basil Shrimp

2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ cup basil leaves
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 chile, seeded and chopped (I used Fresno)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups cooked white rice

In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and basil leaves. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chiles to the skillet, sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the shrimp, stir fry 2 minutes more. Pour the sauce over the shrimp, stir fry 2 to 4 minutes more, until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve over rice.

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Flat Iron Steak Peperonata

When I saw this dish on Elly Says Opa, I knew I had to make it right away.  And I knew it would pair perfectly with polenta.  Bell peppers are an easy sell in my house, no matter what the color, so this was a huge success for dinner.  The steak was deliciously tender and the peppers were sweet with a nice tang from the caper brine.  I may have a made a bit of a smoke disaster during cooking, I hate using the exhaust fan because of the noise, but the smoke alarm going off is worse noise, right?

Flat Iron Steak Peperonata

1 (1-pound) flat iron steak
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
½ onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil

Cover the steak with the oregano and 1 teaspoon salt, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, capers, red pepper flakes and basil. Transfer the Peperonata to a bowl, cover to keep warm.

Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, cook the steak 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Allow the steaks to rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. Serve the sliced steak with the Peperonata.

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Basil Vinaigrette

Homemade vinaigrettes are incredibly easy to make when you use a mini-food processor. Add everything but the oil, stream it in with the processor running and you have vinaigrette. And it is so much better than anything you can find in a bottle. I usually have a bottle of homemade vinaigrette of some kind in our refrigerator to go along side the giant box of mixed greens from Costco. Those mixed greens last forever, I'm not sure what the secret is.  This recipe takes vinaigrette to the next level with the addition of sweet basil.  Be sure to taste the vinaigrette with a small piece of lettuce, add more sugar if necessary.

Basil Vinaigrette

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup chopped basil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a mini-food processor. Pulse to combine. Stream in the olive oil with the processor on to emulsify the dressing. Serve over mixed greens.

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Greek Goddess Dip

This dip is amazing. And amazingly easy to make, basically toss everything into the food processor and let it whirl, it doesn't get any simpler than that.  I was able to use fresh herbs from my mom's garden, along with some from the grocery store (parsley hasn't been so successful so far.)  This dip is bursting with fresh herbs and the Greek yogurt provides a great tanginess.  I served it with cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, celery and pita chips.  Any fresh veggie would work well with this dip, but I went with a simple assortment for my dinner party.  This recipe is from the NY Times.

Greek Goddess Dip

½ cup packed fresh dill
½ cup packed fresh parsley
⅓ cup packed fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt, more to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¾ cup Greek yogurt
Raw chopped vegetables or pita chips, for serving

Process the dill, parsley, basil, garlic, lemon juice and salt together in a food processor until finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube with the processor running. Add the feta and process until smooth, stir in the yogurt. Serve with fresh vegetables and pita chips.

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Creamy Chicken Asparagus Pasta

I love asparagus, especially in the spring and summer when I can get a big bunch for under a dollar.  This recipe was inspired by Cooking Classy, but very little remained the same once I was through.   If you are going to the trouble of frying bacon, you might as well fry the chicken and the asparagus in the leftover bacon grease.  Go big or go home, right?  I added some fresh basil at the end for my dish, Miss F and C were quite happy without.  Heck, they would have been happy without the dried basil, oregano and thyme, but the herbs really add a lovely flavor.

Creamy Chicken Asparagus Pasta

12 ounces penne pasta
5 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sauce
1 pound asparagus, trimmed of ends, remaining diced into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¾ cup milk
¼ cup cream
1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

Prepare the pasta per package instructions, drain and set aside, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water. Fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the bacon to a plate and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan. Stir together the basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the herb mixture all over the chicken. Add the chicken and asparagus to the pan and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often. Remove the chicken and asparagus to the plate with the bacon, set aside.

Add the butter to the pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add the garlic and whisk for 30 seconds more. Whisk in the milk and cream, bring to a boil, stirring constantly to keep smooth. Add the parmesan cheese, penne pasta, bacon, chicken and asparagus. Toss well to combine and serve with additional parmesan on top.

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Veal Francese

I know it is wrong to love veal, but I do. Even my father refuses to eat it, but I figure if I eat meat, what's the difference? In fact, I selected Grotto for my Mother's Day dinner because I know I can get great veal there and I always like to support Tilman Fertitta because of all he has done for the University of Houston.  And we have a Landry's Select card, which adds and even bigger bonus.  This technique for cooking the veal was new to me, but it was awesome.  I plan on trying it with chicken next, basically keeping the recipe as is, replacing the veal with pounded out chicken cutlets.  This recipe was adapted from Cookstr.

Veal Francese

1 tablespoon butter
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 lemon, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 eggs
1 ½ cups white wine
½ pound thin veal cutlets

In a large skillet with a lid, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the artichokes to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the wine, the lemon slices and capers, cover and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, pepper, basil and salt. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs with 2 tablespoons of the wine. Dredge each veal cutlet in the flour, then in the egg. Add the cutlets to the pan and simmer on low heat, shaking the pan to keep the cutlets floating in the liquid; add wine if needed. Turn the cutlets after 3 minutes and cook for 1 minute more. Plate the veal, remove the lemon slices, and pour the sauce over top; serve.

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Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers with Parmesan Polenta

We didn't get to enjoy this meal the night is was planned for. I had just loaded up the crockpot and not 30 minutes later, got a 5 pm showing request for our house (which is currently for sale.) So we headed out for dinner, Pappasitos, Miss F's choice, and I transferred the fully cooked meal to the refrigerator. Luckily, it was completely delicious a day later.  The bell peppers get so tender and sweet, which is perfect over the rich polenta.  I still cannot convince Miss F to try more than the tiniest bite of polenta, but she inhaled this chicken.  The recipe was heavily adapted from Budget Bytes.

Crockpot Italian Chicken and Peppers

2 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
½ onion, sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Lay half of the bell peppers and onions in the bottom of the crockpot and place the chicken on top. Sprinkle the chicken with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover the chicken with the remaining bell peppers and onions, then pour the crushed tomatoes and brown sugar over top. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Use tongs to shred the chicken and toss well with the sauce. Serve over pasta, rice or polenta.

Parmesan Polenta

2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup polenta
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Make the polenta about 30 minutes before ready to serve. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring milk, water, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese.

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Sweet Corn and Pea Ravioli with Creamy Basil Sauce

It was time to break out my birthday gift to make another batch of ravioli.  Which once again, meant I needed my hand sous chef, Miss F, to assist.  She and C were at the zoo that afternoon and had called me saying they were too hot to walk home.  I drove over to pick them up and immediately put my little chef to work.  She was a tremendous help.  I used the recipe for the pasta from our cooking class at the Four Seasons, it was much preferable to the recipe that came with the pasta roller.  I created the filling and the sauce on my own, it is exactly how I prefer my ravioli.  It was incredibly delicious and I went back for seconds.  C has requested butternut squash ravioli and Miss F has requested chocolate strawberry ravioli next...

Sweet Corn and Pea Ravioli with Creamy Basil Sauce

1 ¾ cups flour
1 cup semolina flour
6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons wine
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter
2 cobs of corn, kernels removed from cob
¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup cream
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup basil, cut into chiffonade
¼ teaspoon pepper

Stir together the flour, semolina, egg yols, wine, water, oil and salt. If the dough doesn't come together, add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time. Form into a ball. Let rest for two hours. Roll the pasta per your pasta rollers instructions. Cut into 2 ½” squares.

In a largeskillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the corn, peas and herbs. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the corn and pea mixture onto half of the pasta squares. Brush the edges of each with water and lay a second square overtop, pressing to seal. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add the cream to any leftover corn and peas. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to low. Stir in the Parmesan, basil and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the raviolis for two minutes, drain and toss with the creamy basil sauce.

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Mexican Street Corn Pasta

I am obsessed with fresh corn in the summer. I could have it every meal, no matter all the corn silks lurking on my kitchen floors. This recipe was inspired from Half Baked Harvest via Pinterest.  I had to make several changes.  I don't have a grill and in the original recipe, the bacon was an afterthought.  I figured everything tastes better when sautéed in bacon grease, so I cooked the corn in it instead.  This pasta was absolutely incredible.  The sauce was rich with white cheddar and parmesan while the bell pepper and corn added a great crunch.  Miss F and I loved the lime juice squeezed on top, C was very happy without.  This is a huge winner in our house!

Mexican Street Corn Pasta

1 pound pasta
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
½ onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 lime
1 ½ cups half and half
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chile powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded white cheddar
1/3 cup grated parmesan
½ cup fresh basil, julienned

Prepare the pasta per package instructions. In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and reserve for later use. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of grease from the pan. Add the corn, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno. Saute for 5 minutes, squeezing the juice of half the lime over top. Add the half and half, paprika, chile powder and salt to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheddar and parmesan, keep stirring until all the cheese has melted into the sauce. Add the pasta and basil, toss well to coat. Serve, topped with the reserved bacon and lime wedges.

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Calzones

C and I visited New York to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We visited the Transit Museum in Brooklyn and realized that it was the first time we had ever been to Brooklyn, it was exactly as we expected it to be.  After visiting the museum, we decided to find pizza.  C and I always disagree on toppings, so I just ordered a slice while he had a calzone.  His calzone looked so delicious, I knew I wanted to make them when we got home.  We each were able to personalize our calzones with our preferred toppings and it was a huge dinner success.  I used Wolfgang Puck's pizza dough recipe, just divided it into four to make four calzones.  Miss F loved assembling them and was a big fan of her personalized calzone.

Calzones

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees )
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing the pizza crusts
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
20 slices pepperoni
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 mushrooms, quartered
1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

In the bowl of the stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Add the honey and stir together, let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, then the flour and salt. Use the dough hook to knead at low speed for 2 minutes. Turn up the speed to medium and knead 5 minutes more. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead by hand for 3 minutes more. Oil the mixing bowl and return the dough ball to it, tossing well to coat with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes to an hour in a warm spot. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape each by gently pulling the dough and tucking it underneath the bottom of the ball. Roll the ball on a smooth surface until it is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes more. The dough can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone inside. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Press out each dough piece on a lightly floured surface, gradually spreading each into a circle 8" across. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese on half of each circle, then top with pepperoni, bell pepper, mushroom and tomato. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of each, then fold over to create a half circle. Press the edges to seal. Transfer the calzones to the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown.

While the calzones are baking, simmer the crushed tomatoes over medium-low heat with the Italian seasoning. Serve the calzones with tomato sauce on the side.

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Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Broccoli

If you decide to use the dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes instead of those packed in oil (they are much cheaper,) may I officially advise you not to even try to chop them until you have re-hydrated them. My half gone fingernail should serve as a warning to you all. Enough about my kitchen clumsiness and on to this amazing dish. I was inspired by this recipe from Julia's Album, but I basically changed the entire dish.  Everyone loved it, though C picked out the tomatoes.  Tomatoes that I suffered for, but I was happy to have his extra.  I love the use of mozzarella in this cream sauce, it makes it so incredibly rich.

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Broccoli

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 head broccoli, chopped
½ teaspoon paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ cups half and half
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup grated parmesan
½ cup reserved cooked pasta water
1 tablespoon basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
16 ounces penne pasta, prepared per package instructions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, broccoli and paprika, saute for 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan. Add the garlic and sun dried tomatoes, saute for 30 seconds. Add the half-and-half, mozzarella and parmesan to the pan, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes, salt and pepper to taste. Thin with pasta water if necessary. Stir in the chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, basil, red pepper and pasta. Serve.

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Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

I have way too many recipes for Cajun pasta (chicken, shrimp, shrimp again, chicken again, pork, chicken alfredo and chicken once more) on my blog. Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it. I love this dish in any form and when I saw this version from food.com on Pinterest, I wanted to try it. I love sun-dried tomatoes and I knew they would be a fantastic addition to this dish.  I made a lot of changes from the original, but everyone loved this dish.  The sun-dried tomatoes were just as perfect as I thought they would be, in fact, I know I may try them in carbonara next.  I use the dried tomatoes that you re-hydrate with hot water instead of the ones packed in oil.

Creamy Cajun Pasta

12 ounces linguine
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chacheres)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup white wine
¾ cup cream
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the linguine per package instructions, drain and set aside. Toss the chicken with the cajun seasoning and flour. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken and bell pepper for 5 to 7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Bring to a simmer. Add the cream, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, stir and heat through. Stir in the parmesan and linguine, toss to coat and serve.

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Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli

"Why is this chicken white?" inquired C. As good as it is to have him home, it is still frustrating at dinner time. He and Miss F refused the aioli, opting instead for their own special sauce of mustard mixed with ketchup.  I loved the aioli, I may have added an extra dash of vinegar or so, I love the tartness.  Miss F gobbled up the chicken, she was a huge fan.  I served these with corn on the cob, but they would also be fantastic as an appetizer for a party.  I plan on serving them next while watching football...I am so glad football is back!  Thanks to Love and Olive Oil for the recipe.

Chicken Tenders with Basil Aioli

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

For aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a shallow dish, stir together the Panko, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. In a second shallow dish, lightly beat the egg with the water. Toss the chicken in the egg, then dredge in the Panko mixture. Arrange on the prepare baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown, flip once halfway through.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the aioli. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder, and basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the aioli on the side.

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Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Tomatoes

I have been making this appetizer for years. I think I made it for the first dinner party I ever hosted, which occurred back in 1999 while I was still in college. I had just moved into a downtown loft and I was so excited to have a few friends over for baked ziti. My love for entertaining hasn't waned and I have served these quite a few times over the years.  The tomatoes and basil were fresh from my mom's garden.  Sometimes I will through the bruschetta under the broiler for a minute or two before serving to melt the cheese a little, but they taste great warm or cold.  I have also added a splash of balsamic to add a little kick.

Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Tomatoes

1 large bunch of basil (about 1/8 pound), coarse stems discarded
½ pound mozzarella, chopped fine
2 tomatoes (½ pound total), seeded and chopped fine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 baguette, cut diagonally into ½ inch slices
1 garlic clove, halved

Chop the basil fine and in a bowl stir it together with the mozzarella, the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste, toss with half of the olive oil. Brush the baguette slices with the remaining olive oil and rub each with the garlic clove half. Lay the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until just starting to brown. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the oiled sides of the toasts and serve.

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Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini and Basil

I am always looking for new ways to prepare zucchini. It is so bountiful in the summer and one can only eat so much zucchini bread, I can even get tired of chocolate zucchini bread, though Miss F would disagree completely. This recipe is perfect for a dinner party. The casserole can be assembled in advance and then just baked once the guests arrived. Be sure to use fresh summer corn, it really makes a big difference.  This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma.  It makes a huge pan, so cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8x8 for a usual dinner.

Baked Penne with Corn, Zucchini and Basil

Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kernels cut from 4 ears of corn
2 pounds zucchini, cut into half moons
½ yellow onion, diced
4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup white wine
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Boil the penne for 8 to 10 minutes, drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels, salt and pepper to taste and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir the corn in with the penne. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, then saute the zucchini for 5 to 7 minutes, until just tender. Stir the zucchini in with the penne. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and saute the onion for 3 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and white wine, cook for 3 minutes more.

Stir the tomato sauce and basil into the penne, along with the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan. Pour the pasta mixture into a glass 9x13 dish. Top with the remaining parmesan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. Serve warm.

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Red Snapper with Bell Pepper and Tomato

This plate could have easily served two people. Except I ate the entire thing while watching the US defeat Ghana in the World Cup. Miss F had no interest in eating any of the snapper, so she enjoyed bean and cheese taquitos instead. This dish is entirely my own creation, based on the fresh vegetables we harvested from my parents' garden and the fresh snapper we got from the Kemah fish market. And it was completely amazing, most definitely enhanced by the garden fresh tomatoes, bell peppers and basil. The garden has had a great year so far, at last count there were nearly 20 bell peppers and over 60 tomatoes growing. This year has been much more successful than last. I am going to try and convince them to add a second bed this fall.

Red Snapper with Bell Pepper and Tomato

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large red snapper filets
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup white wine
1 tablespoon minced basil
white rice

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the snapper filets, saute a minute per side, remove from the pan and set aside. Saute the garlic for 30 seconds, add the tomatoes and bell pepper, saute for two minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and stir in the basil. Nestle the fish into the tomato and pepper mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve the fish over rice with tomatoes and peppers spooned over top.

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Hot Pepper Noodles

I always prefer stir fries over noodles rather than rice, I hated rice as a kid. I remember my dad tormenting me saying "rice is nice" while I refused to eat even one grain of it. I now enjoy rice, but I love rice noodles. I used tomatoes, basil and bell pepper from my mom's garden for this dish, Miss F picked all the produce and was very proud to eat the harvest. Her favorite was the bell pepper and shrimp, she wasn't as big of fan of the noodles. The shrimp could be easily swapped out for chicken, pork or tofu. I adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit and used half green and half red bell pepper, but any color will work beautifully.

Hot Pepper Noodles

1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
10 ounces dried wide rice noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ cup fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai

Stir oyster sauce, chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl to combine; set sauce aside. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, run under cold water to cool, and set aside. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, tossing often, until cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
Add bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, and half of the sauce to pan and toss to combine. Add noodles and remaining sauce and toss to combine. Add basil leaves and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles and vegetables are completely coated with sauce and heated through, about 2 minutes more.

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Pizza Margherita

This pizza was all Miss F's creation. She spooned out the sauce, scattered the cheese and artfully arranged the basil. She also made a plain cheese pizza for herself because she didn't want green leaves on her pizza. Her loss. Pizza Margherita is one of my most favorite ways to have pizza, especially with fresh basil from my mom's garden. I like the simpleness of plain crushed tomatoes and shredded mozzarella to top this pizza.  The dough was perfect, just the right amount of chewiness.  The pizza dough recipe is adapted from Feeling Foodish.

Margherita Pizza

3 cups flour
½ teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella
handful of basil leaves

Mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the warm water into the flour mixture, stir until all the flour is incorporated. Add the oil and use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough for five minutes. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and place in sealed quart-sized container or freezer bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.

The following day, remove the dough balls within two hours of baking to allow the dough to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone inside. Open each dough ball and transfer to parchment paper. Top with the crushed tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. Transfer the parchment paper to the pizza stone and bake for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve.

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Red Snapper with Basil Vinaigrette

Snapper is one of my favorite fish to purchase at the fish market. It is $3 a pound, fresh and easy to prepare. This snapper dish from Gourmet magazine is a perfect summer dish. The fish is light and the vinaigrette adds a nice brightness to it. And as an added bonus, the vinaigrette worked beautifully as a dip for the artichoke leaves.  I love eating steamed artichokes, they were always quite a treat as a kid.  Miss F doesn't agree.  She tried it, but she hated it.  She instantly made a disgusted face.  How can anything dipped in melted butter taste bad?

Red Snapper with Basil Vinaigrette

4 red snapper fillets
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preheat broiler and grease a large shallow baking pan.

Season fish all over with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then put in the baking pan. Drizzle the fillets with ½ tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil.

Broil fish 6 inches from heat until just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

While fish broils, whisk together remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice in a small bowl, add the remaining 5 tablespoons oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Stir in basil and spoon vinaigrette over the cooked fish.

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