sauce

Creamy Avocado Pasta

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

Creamy Avocado Pasta.

One day this week, I was in the mood for a creamy pasta with grilled chicken and broccoli.

At first I grabbed a jar of Alfredo sauce from the pantry – thinking hubby would enjoy that – and then I thought…. “Wait!  Isn’t there a healthier way to make a creamy pasta sauce?”

I had a few avocados on hand and wondered how they might work to make a creamy sauce.  After doing a little research on the web, I found this is kind of a “thing,” and I couldn’t wait to try.

I created this recipe by researching and combining ideas from several versions of recipes I found, and I have to admit- it was seriously flippin’ amazing!

Pasta covered in a creamy, dreamy, full flavored but HEALTHY sauce!!  What could be better?!

Goodbye Alfredo sauce.

Goodbye Mac’n Cheese.

Hello amazingly divine Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce!

I steamed some fresh broccoli, and we grilled some marinated chicken breasts.  Putting these on top of a cup of Creamy Avocado Pasta made for a full and satisfying dinner.

You’ve got to try this!  Here’s my recipe.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb pasta of your choice
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 large or 2 small limes, juiced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or light sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta in boiling salted water to al dente.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain and set pasta aside.

Cut avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop out out the green flesh from the skin with a spoon.  Discard skin.  Put avocado in blender or food processor.  Add minced garlic, chopped fresh basil and cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, Greek yogurt or light sour cream, olive oil, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup pasta water.  Blend/puree into a creamy sauce.  Add more pasta water as needed for desired consistency.

Toss with warm pasta, and serve immediately.

You can top with vegetables of your choice like cherry tomatoes and sweet corn, peas, asparagus, broccoli, green onions, pine nuts, or whatever you like.  You can also add a protein if you like – chicken, shrimp, crab meat, lobster, pork.  Sprinkle with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan for a bit of salty, nutty zip.  Or – you can just enjoy as is.  

Can’t wait to hear from those who try and what you think of it!  I’m a total fan!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Pappardelle with Beef Ragu

/ Jodi / 30 Comments

beef-ragu-with-pappardelle-1

We had our first snow of the season here in Mars yesterday.

Not only did it snow, but it snowed ALL day!

After a 73 degree F day on Friday, it was quite a shock, but also such a glorious treat for a lazy Sunday to build a fire in the morning and burn it all day long while cooking and watching football and reading and resting.

After a very busy and exciting week, it was nice.  It was also the first day I didn’t see my new granddaughter since she was born, so I am thankful for text messages and IM pictures and so proud of her Mom and Dad for the amazing job they are doing.  They are naturals, and my heart is so very full.

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My belly is full too….. after making and feasting on this amazing recipe I tweaked a bit from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

What a perfect dish to cook for hours on a cold day teasing our noses with the amazing aroma and warming the house with the oven on for hours.  Jamie Oliver does his in a pressure cooker.  You could also do this in the crockpot.  But we were home all day, and I was perfectly content to have the oven on.

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I swear I am a “wannabe” Italian!  I adore Italian food.  In Italian cuisine, ragu is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta.  Pappardelle are large, broad, flat pasta noodles that originate from the Tuscany region and are similar to wide fettuccine. The name derives from the verb “pappare,” which means to gobble up.

Isn’t Papparedelle so much more fun to say than wide noodles?  And doesn’t it sound so much more delicious?!

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Hubby said I could definitely make this for company!  It is so full of flavor!  I could just lick the sauce from a spoon!  And then…… when you top it with a tiny bit of finely grated orange zest and rosemary…. the flavors just BURST with freshness too.  The balance between tender slow cooking with deep, layered flavors and fresh, bright citrus – even though just a tiny bit – is simply amazing!

Here is the recipe as I slightly tweaked from Jamie Oliver’s recipe shared in The New York Times.  Hope you will give it a try.

Pappardelle with Beef Ragu

Ingredients:beef-ragu-with-pappardelle-2

  • 2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 Tbsp finely chopped leaves for garnish
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 3-4 celery stalks, thickly sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced sweet red and yellow peppers (optional)
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 pound pappardelle
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in dutch oven on stove top over medium-high heat.  Add beef cubes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir until beef is well browned on all sides, about 5 mins.  Add rosemary and sage sprigs, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and sweet peppers. Continue cooking until vegetables are softened, about 5 more mins.

Add wine and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced by approximately half, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes.  Secure lid and place in oven for 3 1/2 hours.

Cook pappardelle in boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until al dente.   Drain and rinse in cold water.  Return pasta to pot.  Add butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.   Mix gently, cover with lid, and let butter melt.

Remove beef ragu from oven.  Discard herb stems and coarsely shred beef with two forks.

To serve, place pappardelle in shallow bowl, top with beef ragu, sprinkle with orange zest, finely minced rosemary and some more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Homemade Basil Pesto

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

basil 0715

It’s not easy being green….

unless you are yummy homemade basil pesto sauce!

I have an abundance of basil in my garden this year (for once!), and decided to try my hand at homemade pesto.

basil 2 0715

So I picked a bunch – oooooh the glorious smell! There is seriously nothing like (except maybe rosemary!)

pesto marcona almonds and garlic
Then I added some fresh garlic and a handful of Marcona almonds I had (as I didn’t have pine nuts on hand).  These made a great sub!

Marcona almonds are imported from Spain. They are shorter, rounder, softer, and sweeter than the California variety. They are blanched and roasted in olive oil, then sprinkled with sea salt, making for a truly delicious flavor if you have never tried.

parmesan grated for pesto

Olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese are the only other things you need to make this amazing fresh sauce that goes great on a caprese sandwich or as a pasta sauce, pizza topping, or chicken marinade around here.

pesto

We especially like it on orzo pasta.

Here’s the recipe.  Enjoy!

Homemade Basil Pesto

  • Servings: approximately 1 cup
  • Print

Ingredients:

  •  2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)pesto
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup marcona almond or pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste (freshly ground is best)

Combine the basil, garlic, nuts, and olive oil in food processor or blender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour into a bowl, and gently mix in the parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately over pasta, chicken or fish, on a caprese sandwich, as a pizza topping or use as a marinade.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi