Stir-Fried Noodles with Roast Pork

Leftover recipes are the best.  When the thought is already made for you and you can create 2 unique meals with one or more shared element, it makes for a great week!  This noodle bowl was really good with our left over pork tenderloin and filling.  Enjoy:

Recipe Adapted from Food and Wine January 2013 Issue

Ingredients

1. 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
2. 12 ounces fresh Chinese noodles or linguine
3. 1/4 cup chicken broth
4. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
5. 1 1/2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
6. 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
7. 1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce
8. Pinch of sugar
9. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10. 1 tablespoon minced ginger
11. 2 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
12. 1/2 pound leftover Asian-Brined Pork Loin or other roast pork, cut into thin strips
13. Sliced fresh hot red chiles, for garnish

Directions

• In a saucepan of boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente, 3 minutes; drain and rinse the noodles. In a bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chile-garlic sauce and sugar.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the ginger and mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the noodles and scallions and stir-fry until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add the pork and sauce and cook over moderate heat, tossing until the sauce is absorbed, 3 minutes. Transfer the noodles to a platter, garnish with scallions and chiles and serve.

Creamy Pecorino Orecchiette with Roast Tomatoes, Basil and Peas

Nothing is better than an easy delicious pasta recipe on a lazy Sunday.  This recipe has so much flavor, yet was so simple to throw together!  I really enjoyed cooking like this, it amassed a few pots and pans but each item can easily cook in it’s own pot, no stress, and then at the end you mix it all together and it was really all just meant to be.  We tossed the tomatoes in the oven while water came to a boil for the peas and pasta on the stove.  That left time to dice up the bacon and brown it.  Cook the pasta, blanch the peas, thicken the sauce, remove tomatoes, and toss it all together.

The original recipe was a little heavier on the cheese, heavy cream and bacon fat, so we altered it to be “lighter” although I wouldn’t say this is the healthiest dish to make.  We love the bright peas and basil along with the roasted tomatoes and creamy sauce over those cute Orecchiette noodles ( mini turtle shells!).  Easy, flavorful, veggieful, creamy perfection- enjoy!

Recipe adapted from What Katie Ate
Serves 6-8

10 ounces cherry tomatoes
Olive oil, for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, half roughly torn, half rough chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 ounces frozen peas
1.25 pounds orecchiette pasta
5 slices bacon, cut into small chunks
2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces pecorino, grated
1 cup fat free milk

Directions 
Preheat your oven to 400.

On a jelly roll pan lined with parchment toss the tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, 1/2 the basil ( torn) and oregano. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the peas for 3-4 minutes. Drain.

Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a boil, cook your pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

While your pasta is cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in dutch oven style pot over medium high heat. Cook the bacon until crispy.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and drain most of the bacon fat out of the pot.  Pour in the cream, milk and bacon and stir to coat. Add the Pecorino Cheese, a little bit of salt and a nice hit of freshly ground black pepper. (Be careful to not over salt) Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10-12 minutes until the sauce is reduced and coated the spoon.

Add Orrechiette and Peas to the sauce.  Add your roasted tomatoes on top, and the remaining basil ( a little more Pecorino grated) Taste to adjust seasoning, add more pepper or salt to taste.

Fettuccine with Braised Short Rib Tomato Sauce

Let’s talk pasta.  Versatile, filling, satisfying- pasta.  But this is not your ordinary pasta dish, this is something special.  It’s so special that I really hope you will make because it’s almost impossible to describe it’s amazingness in this post.  It’s the best meat sauce we have ever had- Bolognese- step aside- a new sauce is in town.  This recipe does take time to cook, but it is so simple to make so do not be intimidated.  Coming from the gal who loves a good marinara with fresh basil and mozzarella, I would trade up for this short rib sauce any day.  Jason’s been on a short rib kick, it’s been great, we’ve made this recipe, and then he ordered a Braised Short Rib Sugo dish at Homestead during restaurant week, and he was so blown away that we decided to try to re-create it at home.  We’re nerds like that.  So happens that Jason found the perfect recipe, from none other than Giada herself.  A few tweaks from our kitchen to make it even easier and we had perfection.  The chocolate shavings on top to finish the dish are imperative, weirdly necessary and so perfect paired with this meal in a bowl or on a plate.  Please make this recipe and be blown away like we were.  Short ribs are super affordable cuts of meat, and when cooked correctly like in this, they are transformed.  Let’s hope this broth based, veggie filled, meat sauce is the trick to kicking this cold I got to enjoy all weekend… I’ll let you know how that goes, in the meantime you go and Enjoy, cook, create, eat and Enjoy!!

Adapted from Giada’s Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours and 30 minutes

Yields 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces chopped bacon
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley stems and leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups beef  stock, reduced sodium
3/4 cup red wine
1 pound fettuccine pasta
4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate

Directions
Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.

Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the bacon to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 1 hour and 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce- on a budget

We found this recipe on our favorite blog and it was so intriguing we had to try: 3 ingredients! Hello budget friendly, so how perfect to follow up with last weeks posts. This recipe is so easy, so affordable and so good we can’t wait to share it and hopefully you will give it a try! You will not believe how these ingredients transform until you taste it—

Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti

2- 28 ounces can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan- 3-quart, over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally.  Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste  and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with whole wheat angel hair spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan or fresh mozzarella and basil…

Pasta Tuesday

Pasta with Cauliflower, feta, and walnuts

This was pasta week, there was an epic fail of a recipe that we won’t bore you with and then there was this. A unique spin on “healthy” eating these days is to use less pasta and add in vegetables to fill out the dish. Cauliflower is not usually something we crave here at Urban Kitchen… except maybe the kind we all grew up on with the buttery baked bread crumb topping- but this, this was even better- and it’s really good for you too. The method is to saute ( stir fry) the cauliflower so it retains some texture, (and doesn’t turn in to mush) this really adds a nice flavor complexity.  Insert garlic, red pepper flakes, onion… brightened with fresh lemon and parsley… topped with toasted walnuts and goat’s milk feta- all tossed in with nutty whole wheat pasta; oh my, I wish I still had some to eat ( by the way- left overs at lunch were phenomenal!)  It is so flavorful with tons of garlic and onion, fits in a regular dutch oven style pan and made 5 normal sized portions. The extra red pepper flakes give it just the right amount of heat, I drizzled more olive oil before serving along with the fresh parsley, which really brightens up this dish visually and flavor wise, and the goats milk feta is just perfect- it’s more mellow and creamy then standard feta!  Please try this recipe if it sound sup your alley and let us know what you think- are we crazy or is this really, really THAT good?

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower 

1 medium onion

4 LARGE cloves garlic 

1/2 lb whole-wheat pasta 

1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil ( divided) 

Salt and pepper ( to taste) 

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 

2 tsp Champagne vinegar
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup toasted walnuts ( chopped)
4 ounces goat’s milk feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cut the cauliflower into small flowerets. Peel the onion and slice it very thin. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Put the pasta on to cook.

Saute the cauliflower in olive oil in a large saute pan. When the cauliflower begins to soften, season with salt and pepper and add the sliced onion and red pepper flakes. Saute over medium to high heat until the vegetables are brown and tender. The cauliflower should still be slightly crunchy and should not taste steamed. Add the garlic and remove from the heat, tossing and stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn; if it starts to brown, add a splash of water. Add the vinegar and lemon juice and the toasted walnuts. Taste and correct the seasoning. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the cauliflower, adding enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat the pasta thoroughly, toss together and serve, with the parsley and cheese crumbled over the dish.

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com

Asian Vegetable and Chicken Noodle Bowl

Want a take out style meal that you can make at home in under 30 minutes?  Well look no further!  Sesame whole wheat rice noodles topped with ginger laden chicken and fresh veggies will fill you up and satisfy any take out craving. 

Ingredients

(adapted from So Easy, Ellie Kreiger)
8 oz. soba noodles or whole wheat udon noodles
2 tsp canola oil
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp minced, peeled, fresh ginger
10 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1-15 oz can no salt added baby corn, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb broccoli florets (3 cups)
1/2 pound fresh baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 c low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

 Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions.

2. Heat the canola oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the scallions and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken a little salt and pepper ( garlic powder too if you like!) and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes. Add the baby corn, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, broth, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes. Add the noodles and sesame oil. Toss to combine.

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com

Pasta Presto

Busy weeknights call for imaginative meals.  We found ourselves without a plan for dinner one night, and with a fridge/ pantry full of random ingredients begging to be used asap.  So, we made a pasta with yummy remains of fresh herbs and extra salad fixings ( goat cheese, yellow peppers, cherry and sun dried tomatoes), plus some leftover broth and wine.  It happened to be a very fresh, deeply flavorful, and very nutritious pasta entree that we just had to share with you!

Ingredients:

½ pound whole wheat bow tie pasta, cooked and drained, reserve ½ cup water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup diced yellow pepper

½ cup parsley, chopped

½ cup basil, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

14.5 ounce can Cannellini Beans ( white beans), low sodium and rinsed

¼ cup white wine

1 cup water

½ cup vegetable broth, reduced sodium

8 oz reduced sodium tomato sauce

2 ounces goat cheese

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan with high sides, over medium high heat. Add in onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add in yellow peppers and garlic, cook one minute more. Stir in white wine and cook till completely reduced, about 3 minutes. Then toss in the parsley, basil, tomatoes, beans, water, broth and tomato sauce. Stir to combine well and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in goat cheese and taste test. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in pasta stir to combine, if the sauce is too thick- add in some reserved pasta water until your desired consistency.  To serve, plate a portion and top with grated Parmesan.

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com

Spinach and Portobello Lasagna Rolls

Weekends!  Gotta love them; slow mornings allow us to take it easy and enjoy our breakfast, flipping through our favorite cookbooks and planning out our week of delicious, healthy meals.  This saves us lots of time, stress and money during the week, not to mention it keeps us from splurging on take-out menus that are anything but good for you or your wallet.  Going shopping once a week also helps with all the fresh ingredients staying fresh.  We try to pick about 3-4 dinners, which make ample Lunchtime leftovers, and 2 grab and go breakfasts ( such as healthy muffins or Muesli) to get through the workweek.  It’s a really great idea to try to pick recipes that have some similar ingredients when it comes to buying a container of fresh herbs, low fat buttermilk, or other perishables that can’t be frozen if left unused after the recipes been made.  This week we picked a couple recipes that had some similar perishable ingredients: basil, mozzarella, Parmesan.  Extra veggies such as tomato and mushrooms can be chopped up for omelets or quesadillas!  This recipe can be made ahead on the weekend when you’ve got more time, and frozen in individual containers to heat up throughout the week for lunches or dinners.  The roll-ups really help with portion control and look/ taste great too!  It’s a dish high in fiber and protein, and about 490 cals for 2 rolls.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil
12 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups store bought Basil/Tomato marinara sauce, organic/ lower sodium
1 (15-ounce) container low fat ricotta cheese
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ounces grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 cup)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well and spread them out onto aluminum foil or waxed paper to prevent them from sticking.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, basil the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few turns of pepper, and nutmeg.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture onto a lasagna noodle. Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture, roll the noodle and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Spread the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the lasagna rolls. Top with grated cheeses,tent loosely with foil so the cheese doesn’t stick, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com

Butternut Squash Ravioli and White Wine Butter Sauce

Who doesn’t love fall, especially the wonderful one we are enjoying this year?  With it comes some incredible produce like squash… acorn- pumpkin- spaghetti- butternut, and all are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that happen to be very tasty, especially when mixed with a blend of goats cheese, green onions and basil in ravioli!  Try this recipe and you will NOT be disappointed.  We usually only make enough to have for dinner since leftovers do not keep well.  Freeze and store the remaining filling for more future ravioli dinners, appetizer dips or fillings, or as a sauce on rice or whole grain pasta.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb Butternut Squash, peeled seeded and cubed

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Sauce:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth ( low sodium)

To make:

1 package of Wonton Wrappers

2 tablespoons water, to seal

To Serve:

Fresh Basil

Parmesan Shavings

More fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Put cubed squash in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for additional 25 minutes until it is fork tender.  Drain well and return to pot.  Stir in goat cheese, scallions, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a frying pan, add in broth and wine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes until reduced.  Set aside.

Bring another pot of water to boil to cook ravioli in.  Have a slotted spoon to remove them once cooked nearby as well as a large platter.

Set up a clean work surface to build your ravioli- bring the filling mixture, 2 tablespoons of water in a shallow little bowl and wonton wrappers.  Have the wonton wrappers laid out to make 4 at a time, so 8 wonton wrappers in a 4 x2 configuration.  Dip your finger in the water and swipe the edges of the wonton wrappers around the outer edge.  Place about 2 teaspoons of filling directly in the center of your wonton and top with the other wrapper, seal with a fork around the outer edges as shown in our picture. 

Working in batches of 4 at time continue to build as many ravioli as desired.  Place 4 at a time in to the pot of boiling water for 2 minutes, then with your slotted spoon remove them and place on your platter.  They stick to each other if you stack them, so keep it to one layer. 

To serve, place a portion of the ravioli on 4 plates, divide and spoon on the sauce, fresh basil, parmesan shavings, and fresh cracked pepper!

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com