Fettuccine Alfredo

Let's spice it up!!!

Good morning! I have the morning off so I decided to get a quick post in :)  I spoke to a friend from college a few days ago, who has a great food blog of her own.  She has tons of great recipes and I asked her where she finds the time to cook so often.  And what she said -- when cooking is a hobby you enjoy, it's not work -- really made me think about this blog.  I don't want it to turn into work. I love cooking so much and I want you all to know how much I love it!  I delayed the start of this blog because I was so busy with school. But medical school is not an excuse anymore!  I'm telling you now - I will make the time to cook most of the week, and I will try a new recipe at least twice a week.  Accountability!  And I'll cook even more when Mikey gets back in town, because it's way better to cook for two :)


I've also been thinking about ways to spice up this blog.  Here are some ideas: Posting weekly menus (planning makes cooking so much easier!), weekly themes, and some sort of challenge.  I read a lot of fashion blogs and I often read about "remix challenges", "color challenges", and even "no-repeat challenges".  I think that I can translate those challenges to food.. eek, I'm so excited now!  More details to come.. 


Ok, here's a quickie recipe for you all.  Fettuccine alfredo.  It's not the typical Americanized fettuccine that you have in the restaurant with thick and goopy (is that a word?) sauce.  Folks, this is the real deal. It's how fettuccine alfredo started in Italy.  That's right, Italy, not America. Here's a really interesting post on the original fettuccine alfredo. The ingredients are simple: pasta, butter, cheese.  What could be bad about pasta, butter and cheese?  Oh right, the fact that it's pasta, butter, and cheese :) But who cares?  We all need to indulge every so often. This isn't as heavy as restaurant fettuccine, but it is definitely rich - and absolutely delicious. 


I've said this before, and I will say it again because it is of utmost importance - since this recipe is so simple, it is important to use quality ingredients.  Parmigiano Reggiano, real butter, freshly ground black pepper.  You can use fresh or dry pasta, but I think that fresh pasta holds on to the sauce better. This recipe does have an option to add cream - for those of you who can't quite say goodbye to cream :). Bon appetit!

Fettuccine Alfredo (adapted from Simply Recipes)

Serves 4
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Ingredients

1/2 pound fettuccine noodles

3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Black pepper

Additional, for creamy version:

1/2 cup cream

Nutmeg

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and drop in your fettuccine.

2a. Plain version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat off.

2b. Creamy version Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over low heat. Add the cream to the butter as it melts. Stir often to combine the two, do not turn off the heat, but keep the heat at its lowest setting while the pasta cooks.

3. When the fettuccine is al dente (cooked, but still a little firm) lift it out of the pot with tongs and move the pasta to the sauté pan. Do not drain the pasta. You want it dripping wet with the cooking water. Turn on the heat under the sauté pan to medium and swirl the pasta and butter together to combine. Add half the cheese, then swirl and toss the pasta until it has incorporated into the sauce. If needed, add a few spoonfuls more of the pasta cooking water. Add the rest of the cheese and repeat.

4. Serve at once with either a little black pepper (for classic version) or nutmeg (for creamy version) ground over the pasta.

I ate this as a side dish, but if you add some meat and veggies, it would be a (very filling) entree. 

That is all.

xoxo <3

Nhu-Y

Yellow squash lasagna

A healthy twist

Hello friends!  Hope you've been doing well.  The weather is beautiful here in Ohio!  It was in the 50s this morning when I woke up and will be in the 70s today.  It's a dream.  I love the summer (I am Vietnamese after all) but this heat and humidity is really getting to be too much.  I can't walk from my car to the hospital without breaking a sweat.  I can't wait until autumn is here.  I have lots of fun scarves and boots that I have just been aching to break out!


Now I know that in my last post, I promised that I would cook more, but I haven't gotten to all of the recipes yet :/ But it's not because I've been eating junk, it's because I grossly underestimated how much lasagna my recipe would make!  I have a huge 9x13 pan which isn't even half gone.  I may freeze the rest of it so I can start eating something else :)


I came up with this recipe because I love pasta.. a little too much.  I grew up eating rice with every meal (yes, even with breakfast sometimes) so naturally I love carbohydrates.  Bread, pasta, rice - I'll even eat it plain and be happy.  However, now that I'm getting older I don't think that my body appreciates all that starch.  I even get sleepy after I eat a bowl of pasta nowadays!  I didn't completely eliminate the lasagna noodles because it would be too sad to make lasagna without any pasta (could it still be called lasagna?) so I just substituted half of the noodles with thin slices of quick roasted yellow squash.  I just used my mandoline to cut 1/4"-1/8" slices, but you can easily use a sharp knife as well.

I especially like this recipe because it tastes like a traditional lasagna, even though it is a healthier version.  I use reduced fat cheeses, ground turkey, and the squash in both the sauce and as a substitute for noodles, but it's still mighty good.  I think I've seen healthy lasagna recipes with eggplant "noodles" instead of yellow squash, but I think that the eggplant gets kind of mushy.  The squash maintains its texture and has a very mild flavor - a great substitute for an al dente lasagna noodle.  If you can't find yellow squash, you can use zucchini instead - or if you don't want to be healthy, just use all noodles, full-fat cheese, and beef and have a regular lasagna (I'm not judging)


The recipe takes a little bit of time to make, but you can do some of the steps simultaneously.  Also, the time spent cooking is worth it because you'll be eating for days!  I recommend you halve or even quarter the recipe if you are cooking for just one or two people. Alright, enjoy!


Yellow Squash Lasagna
Serves 8
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Ingredients
6 lasagna noodles
3 medium yellow squash
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese 
15 ounces of low-fat ricotta cheese (one standard container)
1 egg
1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
double recipe of meat sauce


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and boil a large pot of water.
2. Peel the squash.  Small dice one of them, and thinly slice the other two on the long axis (to make long slices, not discs).  Make the slices a little thicker than a lasagna noodle.
3. Take the slices of squash and drizzle them with olive oil.  Roast in oven for approximately 5 minutes.  Don't let the squash cook for too long, or they will become mushy.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, begin making the meat sauce, sautéing the diced squash with the garlic and onions.
5. By this point, the water should be boiling - cook the lasagna noodles according to the directions.
6. While the noodles are cooking, combine the ricotta, parmesan, 1/4 cup mozzarella, egg, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Set aside. 
7.  When the squash, lasagna noodles, and meat sauce are done, build the lasagna.  Start by ladling a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a 9"x13"baking dish so the noodles do not stick.  Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.  Now take a quarter of the ricotta mixture and spread it on top of the noodles.  Ladle a layer of sauce on top of the ricotta layer.  Take a quarter of the remaining shredded mozzarella and sprinkle on the sauce layer.  Place one thin layer of sliced squash on the cheese. Then ricotta, sauce, mozzarella again.  Now repeat these two layers again so you have 4 layers total. End with shredded mozzarella.  You should be left with about half of the meat sauce.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is hot and bubbly.  Slice and top with the remaining sauce.


I hope that these instructions made some sense.  I tried to write it so you can be efficient and do some steps simultaneously. I have realized how difficult it is to write recipes!  I really like to cook my own recipes, but I normally just throw things together and taste as I go.  Cooking is so much more difficult when you have to keep track of quantities!  


Again, somehow this post became super long, so I will let you go for now.  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  


xoxo <3
Nhu-Y

Bruschetta

Leftover tomatoes and basil? No problem!

 TGIF. I've been feeling pretty blah for the past couple of days, but it feels nice to relax now. I had to leave work early today because I was feeling so nauseous :/ I think I have a serious case of GERD. I have been having a dry cough for a few months and I just feel queasy. Guess that doesn't mean much unless you're a med school geek like me, but believe me, it's no fun. 


I left work around 2:30 and I was hoping that I would feel a little better after the drive home so I could get some stuff done.  But.. still feeling poopy. I really wanted to go to the mall and get these super cute riding boots that I can wear this fall, and I was going to stop off at the grocery store to buy some food to cook for Mikey tonight.  It's gonna be our last meal together for a while!  He's going to Indianapolis (about 3 hours away) for a urology rotation and he's leaving tomorrow.  I'm really sad because he and I are basically inseparable.  I stay at his place for weeks, sometimes months at a time and now we won't really see each other for 3 months (he's going to Chicago after Indianapolis and then I'm going to Dayton for a rotation).  Boo. Guess it's just a taste of what residency will be like. Gotta prepare myself! 


Anyways, since this is a food blog, let's talk about something yummy!

A few days ago I made a caprese salad so I have a bunch of basil and a few vine-ripened tomatoes leftover.  Not wanting any of it to go to waste, I decided to make one of my favorite appetizers - tomato and basil bruschetta. Bru-SKetta, or bru-SHetta, however you pronounce it, is actually the bread - the word bruschetta is derived from the word "bruscare", which means to roast over coals. We Americans have butchered both the pronunciation and the actual definition of the word! Anyhow, I'm just going to call my recipe tomato and basil bruschetta because I am American I don't really know what else to call it.  


As with the caprese salad, I prefer my tomato and basil bruschetta topping to consist of nice, fresh ingredients.  No canned tomatoes, no dried basil, and no jarred garlic.  Please.  I kind of threw this recipe together with the ingredients that I had on hand, so feel free to modify to your liking.  This recipe is a little heavy on the garlic, just to warn you.  I have also done this recipe with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar stirred in and it is equally as delicious.  You can also top your bruschetta with a little fresh mozzarella cheese and have a little caprese salad on toast!  Well I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It takes about 10 minutes to make, and most of that time is spent chopping. 


Oh by the way, the Kroger by Mike's apartment had chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano on sale for $3/lb! Not the "parmesan" cheese from Wisconsin or whatever, but the actual stuff from Italy (it was stamped on the rind). No offense to Wisconsin cheese - I loooove cheese and will eat almost any kind of cheese from Wisconsin any day, but I think that real Parmigiano Reggiano just has a unique flavor that cannot be replicated.  I think it was so cheap because they were corner pieces with a lot of rind, but you can just use the rind in a soup or stock.  Or you can give it to your dog! Just kidding, don't give it to your dog - he might choke and I couldn't live with that. I think that my dog would just poop it out whole.  Haha, well enjoy the recipe!

Bruschetta (adapted from foodnetwork.com)
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Ingredients

1 narrow Italian or French loaf of bread

1 head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

¼ freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Place a rack approximately 6 inches from broiler.

2. Slice the loaf of bread, on the bias, into 3/4-inch slices. Place bread in oven on sheet pan and broil, approximately 1 minute on each side.

3. Remove to a platter and rub each slice of bread with the garlic and then brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and return to oven for 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. (watch carefully so it doesn't burn!)

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
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Ingredients

3 firm vine-ripened tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated 

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes for flavors to marry.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired. 




I don't know if I'll be back to post for a few days. I am helping Mikey move tomorrow and then going back to my apartment to clean, clean, clean!  It is a crazy mess at my apartment because I have only been back to drop off dirty clothes and pick up clean ones this past month. Oh well. Have a great weekend, everyone!


xoxo <3
Nhu-Y 

Caprese salad

Simple summer salad

 A lot of the women that I have worked with this month have gardens.  Every day at lunch, they bring cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and other beautiful and colorful vegetables.  Yesterday, one of the ladies was mentioned her basil and tomatoes, so of course caprese salad came to mind.  I thought that it would be a wonderful and light salad, and it was!

Caprese salad is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania.  It is classically made of fresh sliced mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and basil seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. I’ve seen variations with balsamic vinegar, with marinated cheese, with roasted tomatoes, and even on a stick! But I think the best way to have it is the classic way – it’s the way that the Italians do it, and they know best. 

Because this is such a simple recipe with few ingredients, it is important to get the best ingredients that you can.  I read a review for this recipe and the lady used jack cheese and canned tomatoes – what a crime! (AND she had the nerve to give the recipe 3 stars!)  A farmers market is perfect for this, but even if you don’t have time to go to the farmers market, just make sure you get fresh heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh (NOT dried) basil, and fresh mozzarella.  Most supermarkets now have a great cheese selection and some even have antipasti bars where you can get fresh mozzarella. A nice sweet extra-virgin olive oil is good too, but not absolutely necessary.  I have found that Trader Joe’s has a great inexpensive olive oil from California.  I can’t recall the exact name of the oil, but it comes in a tall, dark, cylindrical bottle. 

I just threw this together and didn’t really use a recipe, but I found a Rachael Ray recipe that is similar to what I did.  One thing that I like to do a little differently is season the tomatoes before I layer the salad.  The salt makes the tomatoes a little more tomato-y, if that makes any sense :). Also, I actually like to tear the basil because it makes it easier to eat. I left them whole in the pictures because it was so pretty. I hope you enjoy!

Caprese Salad (courtesy of Rachael Ray)

Serves 4
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Ingredients

3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices

1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices

20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bon appetit!

Roasted Garlic Risotto

Simple Luxury

A few days ago, I wrote a post about roasted garlic and the many different ways you can use it.  Today, I will prove it and use roasted garlic in a recipe! 

When I think of risotto, I think that it belongs with a very fancy meal that takes all day to make.  But the truth is, risotto is very easy to make.  It is a bit time intensive, but as long as you are able to stir, you can make risotto :).   The secret is continuously stirring the risotto as you add the liquid.  It helps the starch come out of the rice, making it very, very creamy with no fattening heavy cream at all!  This particular recipe uses water as the liquid, but traditional risottos use a beef or chicken broth.  Since water is essentially flavoring the rice from the inside, I would use filtered water.  I have also made this recipe with ¾ water and ¼ chicken stock, and it did not overwhelm the garlic.

If you start roasting the garlic first, and then prepare the risotto while the garlic is roasting, it only takes about 40 minutes to make the entire recipe since the garlic is stirred in at the last minute.  I don’t even puree the garlic – I just mash it up with a fork and it saves a few minutes (and a few dirty dishes). This is a great recipe because once you learn the technique you can make any kind of risotto you’d like!

Roasted Garlic Risotto (Adapted from the Bon Appetit Cookbook)

4-6 servings

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Ingredients

1-2 heads of garlic, roasted & pureed (depending on how much you like roasted garlic!)

4 cups of water (do not use stock, it will overwhelm the taste of the garlic)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep hot.

2. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Add rice and stir until golden, about 3 minutes (toasting the rice helps prevent it from becoming soggy).

4. Add wine and stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Ladle in 1/2 cup hot water (or as much as your ladle will hold). Reduce heat to simmer and stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding hot water one ladle at a time, simmering until liquid is absorbed before each addition and stirring frequently, until rice is just tender and mixture is very thick, about 25 minutes. *Tip - the more you stir, the creamier your risotto will be.

5. Add in cheese, parsley, and garlic puree into risotto. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remember that the Parmesan cheese is salty, so be sure to taste before you add salt. Top with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley and dig in!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Mike and I did :). Bon appetit! 

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home Cookin'

Mike, my boyfriend, is also a fourth year med student.  He wants to do urology and he’s doing his sub-internship this month.  It is super hard on him because he works for at least 12 hours a day and he still has to study when he comes home.  A few days ago, he worked for 19 hours!  So, being the good girlfriend that I am ;), I decided to cook for him this week.  Earlier this week I made maple-pecan pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, so next time I make that meal, I will be sure to post!  Last night, I made spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs.  Nice, comforting, home food.  I don’t have a lot of time to make my own marinara sauce, so I took a little help from the store and used a jarred sauce. But I added some meat, herbs, and spices so it wouldn’t taste like it came from a jar.  I usually make my sauce with ground turkey, but Mike can always tell, so last night I made it with beef.  The meatballs can be made with turkey as well, but they won’t be as moist as beef meatballs. It's really good and you can't even tell that jarred sauce was used after you add the meat, herbs and spices.  I hope you enjoy!

Meat sauce

Serves 4
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Ingredients

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ medium onion, diced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sugar

½ lb ground beef (or turkey)

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp basil, chopped

Directions

1. On medium heat, heat onions and garlic in olive oil until onion begins to become transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Turn heat to medium high. Add ground beef (or turkey) and break up well. When meat is broken up, add 1 tsp of sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings when meat is fully cooked

3. Add jar of sauce and turn down to medium.  Add 1 tsp of sugar and any additional salt and pepper to taste.

4. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil. Enjoy!

Meatballs

Serves 8 (I halved the recipe)
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Ingredients

¾ lb ground beef

¼ lb ground sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp salt

1 egg

scant ½ Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients (be careful not to overmix!) and form into 1.5 inch balls.

3. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until meatballs are firm. 

4. Toss into sauce if desired.

I just served this with 1/2 lb of spaghetti noodles and I will have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow!  The sauce is versatile and can be used for baked ziti, lasagna, or any other pasta. This recipe can be pretty healthy too!  Just make it with turkey and serve on whole wheat pasta. Yum!