Bless the spoon: From winter to spring in the kitchen – The Stanly News & Press

Written by Stephanie Williams Dean

The small gap between late winter and spring budding is a time of transition. We don't want the cold to go away, but we're all tied up and enjoying the cold, breezy days. There's a sense of peace in the barren forest landscape, which contrasts beautifully with the evergreen pines. Then, as if to say hello, the small yellow forsythia buds begin to bloom, heralding the arrival of spring in just a few days.

And as the earth begins to come to life again, we will be busy. Life begins with month of love celebrations, church potlucks, garden club gatherings, and a mix of to-dos and want-tos on the calendar. Life's work includes serving coffee to veterans, civic club duties, and caring for the sick, including challenging fiddle lessons, musical jam sessions, bridge playing, and laugh-filled game nights. contained.

And if your life was like mine, we would attend a sad funeral or participate in a tearful celebration of life saying goodbye to other dear ones, while also having a baby shower to celebrate new life. I enjoyed a lively and lively lunch with friends while attending . Meanwhile, I managed to sneak away to the beach. Oh my God!

But don't expect life to slow down. In fact, as our gardens wake up, we're likely to get even busier. And I'm caught between winter and spring and the early arrival of Easter. And after a string of unseasonably hot days, when temperatures drop into the 20s, you have to be well-dressed. Life can be unpredictable. I don't know how to proceed outdoors or in the kitchen.

As the seasons change, it can be difficult to decide what foods to prepare. We wonder whether we should take it easy or skip heavy dishes with simple preparations. This week, we're brightening up the menu a bit with satisfying pasta recipes that include fresh vegetables and light meats, and are tossed with cream or pesto sauces. Use your favorite pasta for these dishes. Most of the time you just boil them, so why not step out of your comfort zone and try something new, like drying, refrigerating, or freezing? Pasta should be cooked to the “al dente” stage. This translates to “to the teeth” in Italian and means that the pasta should be soft and have a little resistance when biting, yet still be a little firm and chewy. The transition to holiday cooking begins next week.

artichoke pasta

• 1 can of drained artichoke hearts

• 1 tablespoon.Olive oil

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 tablespoon.salted butter

• 1/2 small onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup Mediterranean green olives

• 1/2 cup fresh cream

• 1/2 pound tagliatelle pasta

• 3 quarts water

• Fresh grated parmesan cheese

In a frying pan, fry the artichoke hearts in olive oil with lemon juice. Remove artichokes and set aside. Add the butter and onion to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the pitted green olives and artichokes to the onions. Pour in the cream and mix well. Add parsley, oregano, salt, and black pepper to taste. Once boiling, reduce heat and keep warm until ready to eat. For the pasta, bring water to a boil (add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil). Add pasta and test after 1 minute. Continue testing until cooked al dente, then remove from heat and drain. Toss with sauce and garnish with cheese and extra pepper.

Fettuccine with avocado cream

• 2 tbsp.Olive oil

• 1/4 onion (chopped)

• 1 1/2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

• 1/2 ripe avocado

• 2 tbsp.chopped fresh coriander

• 2 tbsp.fresh lime juice

• 1 cup chicken soup

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• 3 quarts water

• 1/2 pound fettuccine

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Add oil to a frying pan and sauté onions and jalapenos until softened. Add onion, jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and chicken broth to blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduces heat and keeps you warm. For the pasta, bring water (with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil) to a boil. Begin the test by cooking for 2 minutes, making sure to cook only until al dente. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the green sauce and top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese.

pasta and potatoes with pesto

served with pesto sauce

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley sprigs

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic

• pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

pasta

• 4 small red new potatoes

• 1/4 pound green beans

• 3 chopped green onions

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• 3 quarts water

• 1/2 pound dried penne or farfalle pasta

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the pesto, puree all ingredients. If it's too thick, add a little oil or a tablespoon. of soft butter. Boil the potatoes in the pot with their skins on for 10 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain, cool and slice thinly. Cut the beans and cook in a pot for 8 minutes or until crisp. drain. Combine onions, beans, and potatoes in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Boil the pasta in water (add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil) and cook for 1 minute. Continue testing as it cooks until al dente. Drain well. Add pasta to bowl and mix with potatoes, beans, and onions. Add pesto and mix well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese when serving.

Stuffed shell and tomato ragu

• 1 beaten egg

• 16 ounces ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese

• 1 tablespoon.chopped parsley

• 1 tablespoon.chopped oregano

• large pasta shells

• 1 tomato sauce recipe

tomato sauce

• 30 ounces tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon.melted salted butter

• 1 tablespoon.brown sugar

•2 tsp.Worcestershire sauce

•2 tsp.fresh oregano/basil, each chopped

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

•1/4 tsp.freshly ground black pepper

Put the eggs in a bowl and beat them. Add ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, and oregano. Mix well and cool. Cook the shells according to package directions. Fill with cheese mixture and arrange in a casserole dish. Cover with tomato sauce. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. For the sauce, combine tomato sauce, butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire, chopped oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Boil in a clay pot over medium heat for 1 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add additional seasonings to taste.

Linguine with asparagus sauce

• 6 asparagus spears

• 1 cup of water

• 1/2 pound linguine

• 3 quarts water

• 2 tbsp.salted butter

• 1 tablespoon.Olive oil

sauce

• 2 tbsp.dijon mustard

• 1 cup fresh cream

• Juice/zest of 1/2 lemon

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the asparagus, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a skillet. Simmer the asparagus for 6 minutes or until fork-tender but still crisp. Remove the spears, but reserve the liquid in a bowl. Let's set it aside. For the sauce, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan. Stir in mustard and cream and simmer for 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and seasonings. Keep warm until ready to use. For the pasta, bring 3 cups water (plus 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil) to a boil. Cook linguine in boiling water for 4 minutes, testing until cooked al dente. Drain the pasta and toss lightly with the asparagus and mustard sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a little asparagus juice and stir. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Penne with charred vegetables

• 1 tablespoon.Olive oil

• 1 small chopped onion

• 1 sliced ​​red bell pepper

• Eggplant sliced ​​in half

• 1 sliced ​​zucchini

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 3 quarts water

• 1/2 pound penne/other pasta

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For vegetables, finely chop the onions. Cut the red pepper into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Peel and slice the garlic. Heat a heavy skillet until very hot. Add the oil, then the onion and red pepper. Turn the vegetables over and sear them on all sides, then remove to a warmed plate. Add the eggplant, zucchini and garlic and brown as quickly as possible until brown on both sides. Remove to a platter. Bring a pot of water to a boil (add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil) Cook pasta in boiling water for 4 minutes, testing as it cooks until al dente. Drain the water and mix with the vegetables. Season to taste. Please substitute your favorite vegetables.

red pepper fettuccine

• 2 tbsp.salted butter

• 1 sweet red pepper, diced

• Juice of 1 lemon, grated zest

• 1 cup fresh cream

• 1 teaspoon salt

•1/4 tsp.freshly ground black pepper

• Cayenne pepper (optional)

• 1/2 pound fettuccine

• Fresh grated parmesan cheese

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the stems and seeds. Chop the pepper and add to the pot. Grate the lemon zest into the pan and add half of the juice. Cook until the pepper is soft. Then add cream, salt and pepper and mix. Cook until the sauce begins to boil, then reduce the heat and warm to just below the boil. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan (add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon oil) Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, continuing to test until cooked al dente. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. If you want to get even more seasonal, add cayenne. Top with grated cheese.

angel hair seafood pasta

• 1 pound large shrimp, washed.

• 1/2 pound scallops, cut in half

• 6 large crushed garlic cloves

• 2 cups peeled fresh crushed tomatoes/canned

• 6 tbsp.Olive oil

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 4 tbsp.chopped italian parsley

• 1 1/2 pounds capellini

• 6 quarts water

• 3 tbsp.sea ​​salt

For the sauce, peel the tomatoes, cut them into quarters, and remove the seeds. You can use canned food if that's all you have, or you can use a combination. Add oil to a frying pan and fry the minced garlic. Add tomatoes and pepper flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes. In a second skillet, heat 2 more tablespoons. oil's. Add shrimp and scallops, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Check the seasonings and add your favorites. Add remaining 2 tbsp. Mix olive oil and parsley. For the pasta, heat 6 quarts of water in a pot and add salt. Bring to a full boil, add the cappellini, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain pasta. Immediately toss with warm seafood sauce.