A Crab Dip to hold you over...

Though you've probably guessed by now, I haven't been blogging lately; I have been, and will be, studying for my qualifying exams, which doesn't leave much time for blogging, or even cooking. Here's a hot crab/spinach/artichoke dip to hold you over:

1 tub whipped cream cheese
1 large handful spinach, chopped
8 oz artichoke salad, chopped (we used Genova's. you can make it fresh or use frozen artichoke hearts)
1t red pepper flakes
black pepper
4oz cheese of your choice, grated (we used pepperjack)
1/3lb fresh crab meat [omit for vegetarian version]
1/4c grated parmesan
fresh bread crumbs (we used herbed bread crumbs I made earlier)
1t olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix cream cheese, spinach, artichoke, red and black pepper, cheese, crab, and most of the parmesan in a large mixing bowl, folding gently. Fill ramekins with mixture. Sprinkle remaining parmesan on top. Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Mix bread crumbs with olive oil. Top cooked dip with bread crumbs and place under broiler until toasty on top.

Serve with toasts made from baguette.

I'll be back in May! Stay tuned.

~purplecook 

Spinach Mac N Cheese

This is a great dinner to make when someone else is doing the dishes, as each component (spinach sauce, mornay sauce, and pasta) needs its own pot. It's also a wonderful way to use up leftovers (chopped chicken) or anything else in your fridge (dying veggies). I threw all my cheese in-- cheddar, pepperjack, a dry crumbly blue, gorgonzola, romano, and some other less identifiable ones (be sure to cut off any mold first!). And it's a good dish for whole wheat pasta, since the other flavors are bold enough to stand up to that pasta bite.

You'll need:

1 package whole wheat penne pasta
1 package frozen spinach
1 large can tomatoes in their juices
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head garlic, minced
olive oil
2T butter
2T flour
2c milk (fat free is fine)
cayenne pepper
nutmeg
2+c grated cheese (I threw all my cheese bits in the food processor)
2 eggs
1 thick slice bread, made into crumbs (food processor again)

Put water on for the pasta.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put frozen spinach in a colander. Pour boiling hot water on top to defrost. Press to drain water.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute onion, adding salt and whatever dried herbs you want, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 5 minutes more. Add drained spinach and cayenne to taste. Cook 5 minutes to combine. Add tomatoes and their juices; break them up with a wooden spatula or spoon. Stir and lower heat; let simmer while you make the bechamel.

Heat 2T butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 2T flour. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes until mixture bubbles and expands and turns golden brown. Add 2c milk very slowly, whisking. Cook 4 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add nutmeg to taste. Remove from heat. Add cheese and whisk to combine until cheese melts. (When you add cheese to bechamel, it becomes a mornay sauce, probably named after the 16th century Phillip, duc de Mornay, and perhaps introduced in the 19th century at Le Grand Vefour).

Cook pasta to just *underdone*. Drain.

Beat 2 eggs and whisk them into the mornay sauce. Scoop 1/2c of mornay sauce into the spinach-tomato sauce and stir to combine. Stir drained pasta into remaining mornay sauce.

Spread half of the pasta into a buttered gratin dish. Spread the spinach sauce on top. Top with the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and spray with olive oil, or mix bread crumbs with a bit of olive oil beforehand.


Bake 45 minutes, or until top is golden and sauce is set (knife inserted in center should come out clean). Let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

layers!

Eggs, Pancetta, and Greens on Toast

This is a quick and delicious breakfast. Just heat a heavy skillet and fry the pancetta (in its own fat) over medium heat until crispy, about 3 min/side. Place on a piece of toast. Fry an egg or two in the pancetta's rendered fat, leaving the yolks runny. (Don't add salt; there's enough in the pancetta.) Place the egg on top of the pancetta. Wilt some arugula or spinach in the same pan and place on top.

Caramelized Onion and Spinach with Poached Egg on Toast

This is quick, easy, and healthy, and you can make it for lunch or brunch by serving two eggs & two pieces of toast per person (the spinach/onion mix is enough for 2).

You'll need (for one, for breakfast):

1/2 onion, sliced thinly
2 handfuls fresh spinach, washed well
1 egg
1t vinegar (I used rice vinegar but you can use any clear, mild vinegar)
2T olive oil
1t cream (optional)
a small chunk of strong cheese (I used pepperjack), cut into small pieces
1T capers
1 piece toast, english muffin, bagel, whatever

Heat 1T olive oil in a pan. Add onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, over medium heat, stirring, until caramelized (brown). If you get impatient you can turn up the heat but you'll have to stir constantly to prevent burning. If the pan gets too dry, add a little water.

While the onions are cooking, heat some water, vinegar, and salt in a medium-size pot until boiling.

When the water is boiling, put your toast in the toaster and add spinach to the onions. Stir to wilt; add a splash of cream, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat and add cheese and capers. Stir to melt.

Turn down the heat so water is simmering, not boiling. Crack an egg into a ladle or large spoon and lower it gently into the water. Let cook about 1 minute, then fish it out with a slotted spoon and let sit on a kitchen towel to drain.

Top toast with spinach/onion mix and poached egg to serve.

Winter Salad with Spiced Turbot and Caramelized Sweet Potatoes

This is insanely good. Don't take my word for it-- make it yourself. It's satisfying, tasty, and light. Because you can't eat short ribs every night.

You'll need (serves 2):

mixed greens-- we used baby spinach and arugula
4 small sweet potatoes (use the orange-fleshed kind; I like Garnet), peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced into 1/4"-thick half-moons
toasted sliced almonds (any toasted nut would be good)
1 avocado, cubed
fresh thyme
good olive oil
2 filets of Turbot, or any white-fleshed fish
whatever spices you want to put on the fish

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss potato slices with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast until caramelized, about 20 minutes. The smaller your slices are, the faster they'll cook (duh).

Preheat broiler. Coat fish in spices (cayenne pepper, cumin, etc). Rub with olive oil. Place under broiler for 5 minutes per side, until just opaque. Do not overcook!

Toss greens with vinaigrette of your choice (preferably balsamic-Dijon), salt, and pepper. Add cooked potatoes with the oil and thyme left on the baking sheet. Add almonds.

Serve, topped with avocado and fish filet.

Creamy Spinach-Mushroom Pasta

This is fast, easy, tasty, healthy, etc., and you can throw in any veggies you have lying around. Spinach is one of the few veggies I buy frozen (as well as fresh)-- the others are corn and edamame.

You'll need:
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1T hot pepper flakes
shiitake mushrooms, washed, stemmed, and sliced thickly
frozen spinach-- *douse with boiling water in a colander and squeeze dry
pasta (I used whole wheat)
2T butter
2T flour
1-2 cups milk (I used fat free)
1 oz sharp cheddar + 1/4c grated parmesan (You can use whatever cheese you have around)

Cook pasta.

Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms with salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. When mushrooms begin to brown, add spinach (be sure to thaw and squeeze dry first) and saute until cooked, about 2 minutes. Add cooked pasta.

Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk in flour. Cook until it bubbles and begins to brown, then add in milk in a thin stream, whisking as you add. Boil to thicken, then stir in cheeses. When cheese is melted, combine with spinach-mushroom mixture and pasta. Serve with grated parmesan.

Pasta Bake

Roast heirloom tomatoes with olive oil and spices; remove skins. Saute 1 large diced onion; add 5 sliced cloves garlic and dry herbs (oregano, red pepper flakes), 1 package frozen chopped spinach. Saute until water from spinach boils off (don't overcook!), then add roasted tomatoes and their juices. Cook to combine; turn off heat.

Make a roux with 3 T butter and 3 T flour. Add 2 cups milk. Boil. Add a handful of grated parmesan. Mix bechamel sauce with whole-wheat penne cooked al dente.

In a casserole dish (I used the same one I roasted the tomatoes in), spread a layer of bechamel pasta and then spread the spinach-tomato ragout over it. Cover with remaining pasta. Top with basil and pearl fresh mozzarella. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and top pasta is slightly crispy.