Pesto, Three Ways

Today, I packed up my last box, took one final look around, and walked out the door of my music room at Field School for the last time.

It's a bittersweet day.

I've spent the last three years teaching music to an awesome group of kids and building great relationships with staff members and parents along the way. Along with all of the wonderful times have also been some not-so-wonderful times, including budgetary cuts of our program and as a result, my job. It feels really unfair to be the direct result of a budget cut, but I suppose that's life. It's been a hard day of goodbyes.

Alongside all of the sadness also comes some excitement--I'm happy to share that I have a new position for the fall, teaching elementary music in another fabulous district. It's smaller, closer to my family, and hopefully a better fit in the long run. I'm really looking forward to starting over, as crazy as that sounds, and I'm really hoping this change will be for the best.

You may have also noticed that things have been a little slow over here on the blog, and I hope you'll now understand why. We have some fun things to share in the upcoming weeks though, so keep visiting! I'll also have a lot more free time on my hands now that I won't have to write any more cover letters...



Shall we talk about pesto?

How about real quick since I just rambled about my job.

Ok, here's the short story--pesto rocks! I was really inspired recently when I saw a kale pesto made with toasted sunflower seeds, until I realized the recipe called for a cup of basil and I just killed my basil plant. Boo on that. So I made up my own recipe, sans basil. And it rocked!

So here we go, three pestos without that dead basil on our deck! Yay! Have fun with it--eat it on crackers, spaghetti, cheese ravioli, or even out of the jar with a spoon (it is just pesto, after all...)!



Pesto, Three Ways
Inspired by Cooks Illustrated

Red Pepper, Spinach, and Pistachio Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 1/2 cups jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil

Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, spinach, peppers, parmesan, and pistachios to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and pulse again, slowly adding oil in until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

QUICK TIP

How to toast nuts:

1. Heat nuts in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat.

2. Stir continuously until nuts start to look and smell lightly toasted.

3. Remove from skillet and let cool in a small bowl.

Kale, Feta, and Sunflower Seed Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups kale, stemmed
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil

Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, kale, feta, sunflower seeds, and red pepper to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and pulse again, slowly adding oil in until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Spinach, Kale, Walnut, Brown Butter Pesto:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
6 tablespoons butter, browned
1 cup kale, stemmed
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

Heat butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until butter begins to brown and smells nutty; remove immediately from heat and set aside to cool.

Blanch garlic: place unpeeled cloves into boiling water for one minute, then remove from water and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel and mince. Add garlic, kale, spinach, parmesan, cooled butter mixture, and walnuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Scrape down sides and add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerator Pickles

I'm about to get really vague and secretive. I know, that's annoying. But I feel like being annoying today, and there's nothing you can do about it (I hung out all day with a bunch of 10 year olds all afternoon; maybe that will explain my mature attitude today).



I've been on a little blogging hiatus recently because of some unforeseen life changes. Just when we thought life was on track, it got derailed again. So I've been wrapped up in work and more work, trying to sort out my life and get things back in order.

Thankfully, things took a major turn for the better this past week. I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel and that feels really good. I will be able to share more details hopefully in a few days, but until then, enjoy these pickles!

(And no, I'm not pregnant. I just love pickles.)

Be back soon with news!



Refrigerator Pickles
Adapted from Mark Bittman

Makes about 30 pickle quarters

Pickles:
1 pound Kirby cucumbers
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Pickling Spice (see below)
1 cup water

Pickling Spice (makes about 1/2 cup):
1 cinnamon stick
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed red peper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon dill seeds

For Pickling Spice, break cinnamon stick and bay leaves into pieces. Combine all other ingredients mix together.

For pickles, wash cucumbers well and cut to desired shape (we like ours quartered lengthwise). Place them in a non-metal bowl, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the salt, and toss to coat. Let cucumbers sit for about 2 hours at room temperature, then pat dry with paper towels.

Add remaining salt, vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let mixture cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the cucumbers and let cool to room temperature. If mixture does not cover the cucumbers, add a little water to cover.

Transfer to an airtight jar and refrigerate for 3 days before eating. Pickles will last for about 3 weeks in their liquid.

Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

Friends, quinoa is the new black. Did you know this? Apparently it goes with everything now. Sometimes quinoa is a little weird to me, but let's go with it. It's a trend.

I'm not one for making extravagant breakfasts in the morning (I eat around 6am so I'm still a little comatose), but I saw this recipe recently and decided to try it. Why not, right? It's probably about time I break my yogurt streak anyway. So I made it, ate it, and surprisingly didn't hate it! Actually, I almost liked it!

If you're already on the quinoa train, I'm pretty confident you'll love this. It's very much like oatmeal, just a different texture. The touch of cinnamon is key here, and the sea salt surely doesn't hurt either. Give it a try and let me know what you think!



Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa
From Gourmet Comfort Magazine

1 cup red quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon salt

Toppings: chopped walnuts, maple syrup, milk, sea salt

Wash quinoa in a few batches of water until water is completely clear. Drain in a sieve and add quinoa and rest of ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender (18-20 minutes). Let quinoa sit for 5 minutes off the heat, remove cinnamon sticks, and serve.

Spring Vegetable Pasta

Oh hey! It's Monday, and I'm at home. Blogging. And sick.

Nonetheless, I'm trying to enjoy my day browsing the internet for blog buttons and photoshop tutorials. I'm thinking of making some changes to Le Man and Wife in the next few weeks...I'd really like a cleaner look to the blog in general, and I'd also like to add my own handwriting font in places. I have a feeling I may need to wait until summer break to find the time, but hey, that's only 30 days away! May 29th, baby!!!



In the meantime, let's talk about Spring Vegetable Pasta. Husband caught me watching an America's Test Kitchen video about this pasta the other day, and after making fun of me, he too got hooked. The process for making this creamy, delicious pasta is really interesting and different--you cook dry pasta in a dutch oven until nutty and golden, and then add vegetable broth and cook the pasta like a risotto. The result is the most decadent, amazing pasta you've ever tasted. Not lying.

Here's my only issue with Cooks Illustrated: they like you to use about 12 dishes in every recipe. Considering we don't--didn't--have a dishwasher, I was a little wary to make this recipe. It was so worth it in the end, though! In fact, I even went right out and bought a portable dishwasher on Craigslist. Oops. At least we can make this decadent pasta again without worry!



A few recipe notes:
1. You will be using the parts of the leeks/asparagus that you normally throw away. Make sure you read the recipe closely so you don't discard the parts you need!
2. I know it seems strange to cook dry pasta in your Dutch oven, but just go with it. You won't be disappointed.
3. Experiment with using less dishes if you can! I found I needed a Dutch oven, a large saucepan, a glass measuring cup, a large sieve, a bowl, a cutting board, a knife, and my small lemon juicer. Oh and some measuring spoons and cups. See what I mean? Get creative if you can, then let me know how you did it.

Enjoy!



Spring Vegetable Pasta
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Makes 4-6 servings

2 large leeks, dark green parts roughly chopped and reserved (3 cups total); white/light green part halved lengthwise, washed, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 5 cups)
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, chopped, and reserved; good parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound fusilli
1 cup dry white wine
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper
Salt

Pour vegetable broth and water into a large saucepan and add dark leek trimmings, asparagus trimmings, 1 cup peas, and 2 teaspoons garlic. Bring mixture to a boil and then simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing the sides of the vegetables to get out as much liquid as possible (you will want about 5 cups--if you don't get that much, add water to make 5 cups liquid total). Throw away trimmings and pour broth back into saucepan. Cover and turn heat to low to keep broth warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every once in awhile, until leeks begin to soften and lightly brown. Add asparagus and cook until slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Add rest of garlic and pepper flakes and stir around for 30 seconds, then add rest of peas for another minute. Pour cooked vegetables into a bowl and set aside for later. Wipe out Dutch oven with a paper towel, making sure to get rid of all brown bits at the bottom.

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in Dutch oven and add dry pasta when hot. Stir continuously until pasta begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 more minutes. Add hot broth and bring pasta to a boil. Cook and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes (note: liquid will not be completely absorbed; thick leftover liquid is what makes this pasta creamy and delicious).

Take Dutch oven off the heat and add lemon juice and zest, parmesan, parsley, and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with extra parmesan and parsley for garnishing.

Warm Lentil Salad

Things have been a little tough around here recently.

I had a really rough few days at school last week, and unfortunately things are only going to get worse. I am trying hard to accept the challenges being thrown my way, and although I hate not knowing what the future will hold, I'm doing my best to keep my head up during these last six weeks before summer break.

On a more positive note, Husband starts a new job Monday! We're so excited that we'll finally have similar work hours (i.e. more time to cook/eat together at night), but also not quite sure how we're going to get everything done during the week (i.e. laundry, dishes, blog?).

SO, Bear with us as we slow down here to get through these next few weeks. I can't wait to come back to Le Man and Wife with renewed energy on June 1st! So close...!



Okay, now to this warm lentil salad. I found it in Gourmet's Comfort Magazine--exactly what I was looking for amidst a difficult school week. It's slightly warm, simple, and very flavorful. The kielbasa was such a great touch, too! Served with a side salad and a glass of red wine, it really was the perfect comforting meal.

I hope you all have a great and relaxing week! Be back soon.


Warm Lentil Salad
From Gourmet Comfort Magazine

Serves 4 (main dish)

2 cups French green lentils
6 cups water
2 Turkish bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 pound smoked kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Place water in a medium saucepan and bring water, lentils, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add in salt, then continue to simmer until tender but not falling apart, 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and a pinch of salt until just softened, about 7 minutes. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl, then slowly add in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and whisk until combined.

Drain lentils and discard bay leaf. Add them back to the saucepan, as well as the vegetable mixture and the vinaigrette. Cook over low heat until everything is heated through. Keep warm.

Brown kielbasa in the skillet, turning once, about 2 minutes. Stir kielbasa and parsley into lentils and serve.