Cooking with olives!

I love olives, but as I am currently broke they somehow seem like a bit of a luxury today if all I am going to do is snack on them.

So today I came up with the perfect excuse to buy a jar of olives: a fantastic recipe that had olives in it. Martha's Tomato and Olive Penne was surprisingly flavorful given the limited ingredients in the recipe. I used whole wheat pasta, so overall this was really healthy (and low in carbs!).

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound penne, or other short pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2/3 pound (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.
   
3. Add penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.
   
   From: http://www.marthastewart.com/341000/tomato-and-olive-penne
   

Mind your peas and penne

It's no secret that I love pasta. Not only is it simple, but it's also filling, delicious and, thanks to the invention of whole wheat pasta, at least partially in keeping with the whole pre-diabetes diet.

In an attempt to get my veggies, I always try to load the pasta with lots of different-colored vegetables. Today was no exception.

I found a recipe on Martha's site that looked completely perfect - loaded with vegetables, fast, efficient and delicious. So, today I made Martha's Gemilli with Squash, Peas and Basil. I know it's not necessarily squash season as we are now firmly in spring, but I don't really care because squash is filling and tasty.

I couldn't find whole wheat gemilli, so I substituted whole wheat pasta. I cooked this per usual and after it was almost done, I three two yellow squashes and half a bag of frozen peas into the pot. After two minutes, I drained the water, keeping a 1/2 cup behind for the sauce.

Once I let the water drain, I poured the pasta mix back into the pot. I added in butter, 1/4 cup pasta water, lemon juice and parmesan cheese (which I might have gone a little bit overboard on, but I love cheese). After a quick stir, I was done!

The pasta was perfect in every way... at least an 8/10. I wouldn't change a thing. Except there wasn't enough cheese, so I added in some mozzarella too; and then it really was perfect.

Recipe (courtesy of Martha "pasta for every meal"  Stewart):

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces gemelli or other short pasta
• 3 medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
  
  Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 2 minutes less than al dente. Add squash and peas; cook until squash is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta mixture, and return to pot.
   
2. To mixture in pot, add butter, lemon juice, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. If needed, add enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Stir in basil, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan; serve immediately.
   

http://www.marthastewart.com/263079/gemelli-with-yellow-squash-peas-and-basi?czone=food/dinner-tonight-center/dinner-tonight-main-courses

Comfort pasta

Today seemed like the longest day of my life. Maybe it's because it's Monday or because when I left my apartment this morning, March 28th, aka almost April, it felt like 17 degrees. My Lilacism-colored nails are seriously a joke at this point - so much for getting a spring color.

Needless to say, after staring at a calendar for 8 hours and then dissecting a week-old formalin covered fetal pig's urinary system I was ready for something comforting. For me, that has always been pasta. I haven't made pasta in months, a testament to my attempt at keeping to my pre-diabetic diet. But today, it was time.

I chose Martha's Perfect Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, the perfect, filling guilty pleasure for such a rough day. And it was easy.

I decided to add some eggplant to mix it up a little (emphasis on little), so I started by sauteing that with plenty of garlic and olive oil. After the eggplant was soft, I added in half a can of whole tomatoes and an overripe beefsteak tomato. I let the sauce simmer and the tomatoes soften.

I heated up water on the stove and started some pasta - I decided on penne instead of spaghetti. Once the pasta was ready, I strained it an combined with the sauce. Naturally, I added tons of Parmesan as well, the perfect condiment for the perfect comfort food.

I have to say that this day ended better than it started, with Sex and the City, a glass of Malbec and forkfulls of penne with tomato sauce. Fantastic.

Recipe (from http://www.marthastewart.com/317794/perfect-spaghetti-with-tomato-sauce):

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds baby pear tomatoes (or cherry or vine-ripened tomatoes), or one 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
• 8 ounces thin, best-quality spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley leaves, loosely packed and torn
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional

Directions

1. In a tall stockpot, bring 3 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil.
   
2. If using pear tomatoes, wash and stem. If using vine-ripened tomatoes, score bottoms with a small X; blanch 5 seconds in boiling water. Plunge tomatoes into an ice-water bath, then remove the skins. Using a chef's knife, cut flesh from cores, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips; place in a sieve set over a bowl. Press the cores of tomatoes through sieve; discard seeds. If using canned tomatoes, strain, and pass through a food mill.
   
3. Drop spaghetti into boiling water; stir. Cook until al dente, about 11 minutes, according to package instructions.
   
4. Place a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat; add oil. Add garlic to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add red-pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until garlic is medium golden, about 1 minute.
   
5. Increase heat to high. Tilting pan at an angle, add tomatoes. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, pear tomatoes begin to burst, or canned tomatoes begin to thicken, 5 to 6 minutes. If using pear tomatoes, mash a few with a spoon. If pear tomatoes start to get too dry, add a little water from the stockpot.
   
6. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup liquid in case sauce gets too dry. Add pasta to sauce in saute pan; cook until sauce begins to cling to pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil; cook 30 seconds more. Divide among bowls, and sprinkle with cheese, if desired.
   

Penne penne penne

I am starting my foray into cooking with definite baby steps. Nothing that requires fancy appliances or culinary skills... those challenges are a goal for a future me equipped with plenty of Martha experience and maybe a few extra hours in the day.

For now, a simple pasta with vegetables is a nice, safe, place to start. While I have tackled some bigger projects over the past two weeks, I welcome a return to the basics.

Martha's penne alla norma was just what the doctor ordered. One of the best things about Martha's recipes and, more importantly, her message, is that homemade is possible... for everyone. Even when you have been at work since eight, headed straight from there to biology lab, in which you spent three hours talking endlessly about plant biology (xylem and phloem, xylem and phloem - so important to know all the intimate details!), you can still come home and, after a few minutes, have a home-cooked meal with just a little sprinkling of Martha on the side.

But back to the penne. The order of the day was onions, garlic, eggplant, plum tomatoes (a little mushy and with some moldy bits after a week or so in the fridge), tomato paste, and a splash of olive oil. I omitted the red pepper and fresh basil, because, after all, it's a Monday and it was just one of those days where the required ingredients weren't magically in my fridge.

I topped my serving with a spoonful of ricotta cheese, which, it turns out, I don't really like. I feel like ricotta cheese is the bastard child of the cheese family - it tastes like nothing with a faint aftertaste of gross. For future helpings (thankfully, I have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week), I will be topping with mozarella, the favorite niece of the cheese family, instead.

Overall, this penne was fast, edible, and healthy. A perfect recipe for an imperfect Monday.