Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

 
I did something dangerous a few days ago: I went to the grocery store without a list of what to buy! *gasp*  If I can learn to limit my impulse purchases, I really should do this more often.  Going to the grocery store without a rigid plan let's me build my meals around what's fresh and on sale.  On this trip, the fennel was on sale and also looking particularly fantastic, so I grabbed a bulb and planned out this pasta dish.  I'm very pleased with how this dish turned out.  The mushrooms are very meaty after being roasted, and the fennel and tomatoes caramelize and taste slightly sweet.

When I head down to Houston in a few weeks, I'm planning on making this dish for Boyfriend, but I'll add artichokes and fresh rosemary.  I'll then have to ruin it by adding marinara sauce to Boyfriend's portion, because he doesn't believe in pasta without marinara... To each his own...

Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Makes 2 large servings

• 3 servings of cooked whole wheat pasta (I used penne and fusilli because that's what i had)

• 1 large fennel bulb, cut into bite-size slices

• 1 pint plum tomatoes, quartered and seeds squeezed out (it doesn't take as long as it sounds!)

• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, cut in half, or quarters if large

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 4 ounces of fresh mozarella, optional (without it, this would be vegan)

Preheat the oven to 425° while you prep.  Spread the fennel on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes and mushrooms.  Drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss.  Put the baking sheet back in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and mix the vegetables.  Put back in the oven for the final 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss the vegetables with the pasta, adding a bit more olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste.  Top with mozarella, if desired.

Spring Greens Risotto (a recommended recipe)

I visited my parents in Kansas City while I was on spring break from law school last week.  My first day at home, I noticed a recipe that my dad had printed off foodnetwork.com sitting on the dining room table.  It turned out to be Ina Garten's recipe for Spring Greens Risotto, a recipe that I had made last summer and LOVED.  My dad had picked it out for us to make for St. Patrick's Day dinner because of all the green veggies.  It was even better than I remembered, and we loved the bright citrus-flavor and creamy texture.  You can get the recipe here, but for your convenience I've also posted it below (with vegetable broth instead of chicken stock).

•  1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
•  1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
•  1 cup chopped fennel
•  1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
•  2/3 cup dry white wine (I believe we used a Torrontes)
•   4 to 5 cups simmering vegetable broth (if you don't want to keep an extra pot simmering, that's okay, it just might take a little longer)
•  1 pound thin asparagus (make sure to trim off any thick, woody bottoms)
•  10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
•  1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
•  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
•  1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving if desired (I didn't think it necessary)
•  3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the vegetable broth, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. (If you're wary of having several pots going on at once, you can cook the asparagus before you start the arborio rice).  Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese (optional).

Fig, Blue Cheese, and Pistachio Salad Wrap

I don't think I had ever made a salad wrap before this week, but I've been making them every day for lunch recently. They can be put together so quickly, and are easy for me to take to campus when I don't have time to go home for lunch. Since my last post, I've come up with a better way to make the wrap, and that is to wrap it up in aluminum foil as I roll it. It allows me to transport the wrap without the salad falling out of one end since I like to keep one end open (which lets me put more salad in it). As I eat the wrap I peel the foil off in layers, and the wrap stays together beautifully.

This morning, right before I made the day's salad wrap, I told my roommate that I was developing an obsession with them, and her response was: "Eww!" But I explained that these are fancy salad wraps, not the Caesar-soaked lettuce wrapped in a tortilla that you'd find at one of our law school lunches. (That is, before the economy tanked and we stopped getting free food) She had to agree that lavash bread wrapped around spring greens, dried figs, blue cheese, and pistachios is an entirely different species of wrap.

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, that would be a great place to get the main ingredients for your dish. They sell everything except the vinaigrette, and at great prices. If you don't want blue cheese, I think goat cheese and fresh mint would be a great substitution.

Fig, Blue Cheese, and Pistachio Salad Wrap
Makes 1 wrap

• 1 lavash bread
• a couple handfuls of spring greens
• 5 dried black mission figs, sliced
• 3 tbsp dry roasted pistachios
• 3 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tbsp Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

Mix it. Wrap it. Eat it.

Pastry-Topped Portabellos

I made Pastry-Wrapped Portabellos from 1,000 Vegan Recipes for Thanksgiving, and Boyfriend LOVED them. I didn't have a rolling pin in Houston, so the pastry wrapping was pretty thick. Too thick for me, but just fine for Boyfriend. When I decided to make my own version of the portobellos last night, I had the same problem. No rolling pin, and no time to go buy one. That's why this dish is called "Pastry-Topped Portabellos". I thought one layer of pastry dough would be a better pastry-to-portabello ratio. Plus, this method is much faster and easier.

These ingredients are a pretty classic combo, so you could do a lot with any leftover ingredients. I think I'm going to make a pasta with them.

Pastry-Topped Portabellos
Makes 2 servings

• 2 large portabello mushroom caps
• olive oil
• 1/2 cup packed baby spinach leaves
• 7 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil)
• 2 tbsp kalamata olive tapenade
• 2 tbsp goat cheese
• Frozen pastry sheets (you won't need a full package or even a full sheet)

Thaw the frozen pastry sheets for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl of very hot water to soften.

Remove the stems from the portabellos and set aside. Scrape out the gills with a spoon and discard. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add a splash of olive oil, and add the portabellos, stem-side up. Cook the portabellos, adding more oil if necessary, turning once. When they have softened and cooked through, lay them stem-side down on a paper towel to cool and dry.

Finely chop the portabello stems. Rinse the baby spinach but do not dry. Add the portabello stems and spinach to the same pan, and sauté until the spinach is wilted and the stems are cooked. Remove from heat.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and chop finely. Mix together with the portabello stems, spinach, tapenade, and goat cheese.

Place the portabello caps stem-side up on a nonstick baking sheet. Fill each one with half of the filling. Cut squares from the pastry-sheet that are just big enough to cover the tops of the portabellos. Press them on top of the stuff portabellos and cut two slits in the top. Put the topped portabellos in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Eat them soon after they come out of the oven, but do give them a little time to cool.

Corn Casserole

Even though I've been cooking almost only vegan meals, I made an exception for Thanksgiving when I cooked for myself and my meat-eating boyfriend. We both love corn casserole, a family favorite that probably came off the back of a Jiffy box. It's creamy, corny, cheesy deliciousness.

Corn Casserole

Makes 16 side servings

Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 can cream corn
• 1 can whole kernel sweet corn
• One 8-ounce Jiffy cornbread (or corn muffin) mix
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup or more grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt the butter and pour it into a 9x13 baking dish. Mix in the two kinds of corn and the cornbread mix. Add the sour cream and 2 eggs. Sprinkle generously with cheddar cheese. Although the original directions say to bake the casserole for 20 to 30 minutes, it has always taken me at least 30 minutes. The casserole is ready when toothpicks inserted into the center of the casserole come out clean.