Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp and Scallops - Adapted from Giada De Laurentis

The original recipe was for shrimp but we though it would be delicious with scallops as well.  The recipe makes enough sauce for 1 lb of spaghetti.  Start by sauteing some capers in olive oil until crisp; set them aside. Mix together 1T grated lemon zest, 1/2C fresh lemon juice, 1C grated Parmesan cheese, and 2/3C good olive oil.  Cook the spaghetti in boiling water. Saute the shrimp and/or scallops which has been seasoned with salt and pepper
in 2T of olive oil until just opaque, about 2 min on a side.  When the seafood is done add the drained pasta and the lemon sauce to the pan  and toss until coated.  Garnish with some chopped fresh basil and the capers.  We served ours with some fresh tomatoes.  Light lemony and delicious!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tomatoes, Onions and Olives

The first patio meal of the summer!  Start by marinad-ing 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 1 Vadalia ,onion, quartered, and 12 cherry tomatoes in 1/2C olive oil, 3T white balsamic vinegar and 1T chopped fresh oregano for a couple hours.  Cook your favorite shaped pasta according to package directions.  Grill the chicken, onions and tomatoes on the grill starting with the chicken, about 10 min/ side, onions 10/min and tomatoes only for 2 min.  toss the sliced chicken, onions, and tomatoes with the pasta and some Kalamata olives.  Serve on a bed of fresh spinach and toss with an oil and vinegar dressing.

Pasta with Spring Greens and Bacon - Adapted from Martha Stewart

Fiddleheads and dandelions are available so we decided to make a pasta dish from it.  This goes together literally as fast as you can cook the pasta.  So, heat water to boiling and cook the pasta according to directions (we used linguine).  Steam the fiddle heads for 3-4 min.  Crisp some bacon and remove to a plate.  Add the chopped dandelions to the pan where the bacon was cook and saute them until they are wilted.  Drain the linguine and add to the greens pan.  Drizzle on some olive oil, salt and pepper and turn out into a large bowl.  Top with the fiddle heads and bacon and toss.  We found it delicious but a couple of comments: 1) the dandelions are bitter...more bitter than our other favorite in this type of dish, rapini and 2) the fiddleheads have a wonderful nutty, earthy taste but are a bit pricey.

Paella with Pasta (Fideua`)

We adapted this recipe from many which toast the pasta as the first step.  We used fresh pasta and didn't want to toast it.  Start by sauteing 1/4C each diced onion and celery.  Add 2 cloves minced garlic.  When the garlic is toasted, add one diced boneless, skinless chicken breast and some sliced spicy sausage.  Cook gently until the chicken is cooked through.  At the same time, add the fresh pasta to boiling water for no more than a minute.  Add 8 oz. of clam broth to the chicken/sausage. When it reaches a boil add seafood ( we used scallops, shrimp and haddock along with a drained can of chopped clams).  Add the drained pasta to the mix and continue to simmer until most of the juice is absorbed by the pasta.  Add a chopped tomato and some green herb (parsley or thyme perhaps)  Serve with a crusty bread and a chilled white or rose wine.

Pizza with Fiddlehead Ferns and Chicken

It's spring and Fiddle-heads are once again available at our farmer's market. To prepare them boil them in salted water for about 5 min. Drain them and then saute them along with 1 clove of garlic in a little olive oil until they are tender crisp. Form the pizza crust or use a packaged one(we like Trader Joe's fresh dough). Put on the fiddleheads with some cooked chicken and mozzarella cheese. Don't use too many strong flavored toppings because it will overwhelm the delicate, earthy flavor of the fiddleheads.

Fresh Pasta with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

We are back in Georgia for March and the shrimp here are wonderful. This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma. Start by simmering together 1/4C olive oil and the zest from one lemon. Set the oil aside. Toast 1/2C bread crumbs in 1T olive oil until they are golden brown. Set them aside. Bring the water to a boil for cooking your favorite pasta. After the pasta is drained moisten it with some of the cooking water and a little olive oil. Cook the shrimp, along with 1 clove of minced garlic, in the lemon oil until they are pink. Add 2T capers and mix the drained pasta, the shrimp and bread crumbs together to serve. Top with fresh chopped parsley.

Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna Spirals - Adapted from Epicurious.com

Start by baking 2C diced (about 1/2" dice) eggplant (we used baby ones) in a 350 degree oven for about 30 min and set aside. Blanch 5 oz. swiss chard (original recipe calls for spinach) in boiling water for 2 min. Drain and squeeze dry. Cook 4 lasagna noodles until they are al dente; cut them in half width-wise and set aside. Mix the eggplant, greens, 2C Ricotta cheese, 1/4C Parmesan cheese, 1 egg yolk and salt and pepper to taste. Place some of the mix onto the lasagna and roll them into packets. Place the packets in an oven proof dish and cover with your favorite tomato cooking sauce. Dust with Parmesan cheese and bake, covered, in a 375 degree oven for 30 min. They make a nice meatless dish or would be a good accompaniment to a veal or chicken dish. We served them with a crusty bread and a dry red wine.

Pasta with Pancetta and Peas

This is one that we made up on the spur of the moment. We bought the mushroom pasta and the fresh peas at our farmers market. Start by boiling the pasta until al dente, drain and set aside. Brown the diced pancetta, drain it and set aside. Some of the peas were shelled and some were too young so we just used the entire pod. Rinse the peas and mix them with the drained pasta. Add the pancetta and toss. The dressing is a vinaigrette made my mixing 3 parts olive oil with 1 part red wine vinegar and 1t Dijon mustard. Whisk together and add 1T fresh dill. Pour over the pasta mix and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. We chilled the salad and served it with sliced tomotoes and a dry white wine. Nice quick and easy summer meal.

Pasta with Sausage - Adapted from Nigel Slater

We got some basil pasta and sausage at the Westside Market (link at the bottom, if you haven't been there, you should go) and looked around for a sauce idea without tomatoes. Cut the sausage into bite size pieces, brown them and remove to a plate. Add about 4 oz. of sliced mushrooms to the same pan and saute them briefly. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic being careful not to burn it. Add 1C white wine to deglaze the pan and then add 1T of a good Dijon mustard and 1T Szechuan pepper corns. Simmer until the volume is reduced by half and then add 1/4C heavy cream. Return the sausage to the pan and keep warm until the pasta is done. Drain the pasta and place in the sauce pan tossing to coat the pasta. Serve with some garlic bread, green salad and your favorite wine, red or white.

http://www.westsidemarket.org/

Ricotta Stuffed Shells in Marinara Sauce

Here's a dish that could serve as a side dish with veal, chicken or pork perhaps or, as the main course as we did. Prepare some giant shells according to the package directions. Drain them and set aside. The stuffing is a mixture of 1C Ricotta cheese, 1C chopped fresh spinish and 1/4C grated Parmesan cheese. Spoon the mixture into the shells. This amount will stuff about 10 shells. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with marinara sauce, place the stuffed shells on top and bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Sprinkle on some shredded Mozzarella. Brown them for a few minutes under the broiler. Spoon the sauce over the shells. We served them with a chilled dry white wine.

Cacio e Pepe, sort of

Cacio e Pepe is a classic Italian dish which consists of pasta, ground pepper and cheese. It looks a lot like the last post but has an entirely different taste. In addition we added some left-over lobster and chopped basil just because we had it. The purists among you are agast, we are sure. The dish goes together very quickly. While the pasta is cooking, saute 2T freshly ground black pepper in 2T olive oil until you smell the peppers aroma. When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving two 1/2C portions of the cooking water. Add the 1/2C water and the pasta to the saute pan with the pepper and oil. Add 1/2C grated parmesan cheese and 1/2C grated havarti cheese and toss. This is where we added the pieces of lobster but the Cacio e Pepe is wonderful by itself. The sauce with the pepper is very tangy and has a wonderful pepper flavor. The bottle of Tabasco is an error; it was not added to the dish.

Lobster and Pasta with Feta Cheese Clam Sauce

We wanted to have lobster for dinner without the mess of dealing with the shells at the table. For an appetizer we baked 3 doz. clams and 2 doz. mussels in a 500 degree oven. The clams take longer so they went in first and after 10 min. the mussels were added for another 5 min. The shellfish were removed and the generated broth was reserved. All a medium sized diced scallion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1T dried thyme and 2T chopped parsley to the broth and simmer gently while you enjoy the shellfish. We steamed the lobsters for about 20 min (Steamed in a small amount of water rather than boiling a big pot full). Cook your favorite pasta according to directions. Just before serving add 2 oz. of crumbled feta cheese to the broth mix, stirring until uniform. Return the drained pasta to the sauce pan and toss to coat. We served the lobster and pasta with steamed green beans and a tomato, cucumber and fresh basil salad. The sauce was perfect and the messy lobster shells were not missed.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

We started by smoking a piece of salmon on the Weber: indirect heat; about 225 degrees for 2-1/2 hours. The dish was served at room temperature so allow the salmon to cool. Cook your favorite shape pasta according to package directions and drain. Mix some bell pepper of various colors, celery, black olives and 2T capers with the pasta. Dress with a mix of about 1/4C olive oil and 3T fresh lemon juice. Top with the salmon. The dish went together very easily after the salmon was smoked. Alternatively, you could used prepared smoked salmon. Nice light summer supper.

Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Anti-pasta Salad

This is a cool refreshing and simple dinner that used the first of our fresh tomatoes. The tomatoes are uncooked. Start by roughly chopping 2 or 3 large tomatoes. Place them in a bowl with 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 extra virgin olive oil and 15-20 chopped fresh basil leaves. Toss and set aside. Cook the ravioli according to package directions. We used a spicy pork and beef variety that our grocery had but you could use any filled pasta, ravioli or tortellini. Drain the pasta, cool and toss with the tomato mixture. We added sliced kalamata olives just before serving. The anti-pasta salad is a mix of lettuce, cheeses, meats such as salami, peppers, and olives. Serve with a nice crusty bread and your choice of wine.

Pasta in Cream Sauce with Prosciutto Mushrooms and Asparagus - Adapted from Bon Appetit

This is a nice recipe you can literally make in the time it takes to cook the pasta. We used fettuccine but use your favorite. The recipe calls for fresh peas but we didn't have any so we left them out. While you heat the water, dice 4 oz. each of mushrooms, prosiutto and asparagus. In addition, grate 1/4C fresh Parmesan cheese and chop 3T chive batons for garnish. When you put the pasta in the water to cook, add the other ingredients to a saute pan along with 2T butter. Cook until the mushrooms are tender being careful not to overcook the asparagus. Add 1C heavy cream and reduce by 1/3. Right at the end, add several cherry tomatoes. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce, tossing to coat. Top with the chive batons and the grated cheese. Delicious and rich dish.

Ramp Pizza with Prosciutto and Mushrooms

Ramps are an early spring crop also called "wild leeks". They have a distinct taste some-where between garlic and onion. That's one pictured on the plate. We put a dozen of them that had been well cleaned into a food processor along with 1/3C olive oil and blended until smooth. Spread the ramp mix on a pizza crust and add your favorite toppings. (We used prosciutto, fresh tomatoes, sauted mushrooms and mozzarella cheese). Things such as pepperoni or spicy sausage would overpower the taste of the ramps but anchovies would be nice.

Sausage, Mushroom and Ricotta Pasta

This dish goes together really easily. Add your favorite shaped pasta to boiling water. While it is cooking, add 3/4 lb. link sausage which had been cut into bite sized pieces to a skillet with 2T olive oil. Cook the sausage through and then add about 6 oz. of sliced mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender. Add about 8 oz. of ricotta cheese to the skillet and stir until mixed. Thin the mixture with some of the pasta boiling liquid until it has a "saucy" consistancy. Drain the pasta and add to the sausage mixture. Toss to mix and serve with a green salad perhaps. Garnish the sausage with fresh basil.

Penna Pasta with Ricotta, Spinach and Chicken - Adapted from Giuliano Hazan

This recipe sounds a little com-plicated but goes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. The original was prepared meatless. Bring to a boil enough water to cook 1 lb. of penna pasta. Steam 6 oz. of spinach leaves in a small amount of water, drain in a colander, chop roughly and set aside. Saute a diced medium onion in 2T butter. When the onion softens add 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts which have been sliced into strips, or, use chicken "tenders". Cook until the chicken is just done and then add the spinach, 3/4C Ricotta cheese and 1/2C heavy cream. Heat and stir until bubbly. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Sprinkle with 1/4C grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with a nice garlic bread and a dry white wine.

Pasta with Peas and Bacon in Lemon Cream Sauce - Adapted from Epicurious

We started with fresh peas that we got at our farmers market.  Blanch them for about 2 min in boiling water, drain and set aside.  Cook 5 rashers of bacon and set aside.  We also had some fresh lemon/pepper pasta which we boiled.  Put 1/3C whipping cream in a skillet with 1t lemon zest and heat slightly to reduce.  Crumble in the bacon, add the peas, 1/3C dry white wine and 4t fresh lemon juice.  Toss in the drained pasta and top with grated Romano cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  We served sliced tomatoes provolone cheese and Vadalia onions dressed with olive oil and basalmic vinegar.  A very nice pasta dish.

Braised Pork with Pasta - via Greg from Food and Wine Magazine

Start by browning 1 lb. of country or western style pork spare ribs in 1/4C olive oil.  Remove the browned meat and add 1/3C each of diced onion, celery and carrots.  Cook until vegetables are soft.  Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 1T dry thyme and 1 bay leaf.  Deglaze the pan with 1C dry red wine and then add 1 14oz. can of diced tomatoes.  Simmer to reduce the volume by 1/2.  Add the meat back to the pan and add enough chicken stock to cover the meat.  Place in a 275 degree oven for 2-3 hours until the meat falls off the bone.  Skim excess fat from the pan and add 1/2 lb of a "shaped" pasta; we used orecchiette ("little ears" - a nice sturdy little pasta) top with grated mozarella and parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 min until cheese is brown and bubbly.  We served the dish with steamed green beans, sour dough bread and a dry red wine.