And these gals can cook, too. Boy, can they cook. I so look forward to bringing home at least two or three new recipes for my file and unfortunately, usually two or three extra pounds. But they’re worth it! This year everyone outdid themselves and I have a whole new collection of recipes. But since space is limited, I am going to share a couple that really stood out.
Everyone is taking advantage of the fabulous produce that is available now—our hostess has a garden full of her own. So, along with the main courses and salads, we had plenty of ripe juicy Minnesota-grown tomatoes, fragrant bunches of basil and as many cukes and zucchinis as we could eat or carry away. The salads that accompanied the main dishes were out of this world, but it would be difficult to strike out with the garden’s bounty at your fingertips. Fruit is so good right now—especially the melons and plums, cherries and some late raspberries. We just feasted.
This pasta dish was so good and so beautiful that we all were stuffed after dinner and could hardly get to our chairs to sit and play bridge.
Pasta with Peas, Asparagus and Pancetta (to serve 8) adapted from Bon Appetit magazine May, 2010
1 pound pasta such as rigatoni or penne
6 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
4 cups frozen peas (do not thaw)
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp finely grated lemon peel
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tsp. drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; saute 3 minutes. Add peas, green onions and garlic, saute until vegetables are just tender, about two minutes. Remove from heat. Add vegetable mixture, ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.
The breakfast dish was an old-timer in our group that I had forgotten about; too bad, as I would have been serving it in the inn had I remembered it. Well, now I will and our guests will be the lucky recipients of an easy and delicious dish. Serve this dish with some scones or yummy bread, toasted, cut up fruit and crisp bacon or small sausages.
Egg Chile Stuff
10 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 16-oz. carton small curd cottage cheese (don’t use light)
1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 (4-oz) cans green chiles, chopped
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Pour into a 9x13” pan, sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Some of the wonderful Minnesota-grown tomatoes sliced and arranged around the edge of the pan during the last 10 minutes would make it pretty and tasty!
Just a footnote to the women’s weekend: Everybody just takes a turn doing dishes, keeping things in order, taking showers, and in short, taking care of the place and themselves. There is no fuss or dodging or whining or forgetting. It is a time to appreciate the strong points of our female friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment