The Apartment Kitchen » peas

Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Parmesan, and an Egg

theapartmentkitchen — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:02:09 +0000

This dish almost tasted like carbonara, because of the egg on top. I love dishes like this because they are simple, delicious, and cooked all in one pot. Pasta is also great, of course, for just cooking for one person.

You may have noticed that I usually use whole wheat pasta or pasta made from farro or quinoa (that’s why it always looks sort of darker than your average pasta in my photographs). That’s a personal preference, but of course any and all of these dishes would be just as delicious (if not more so) with regular or flavored pastas.

Pasta with Leeks, Peas, Parmesan, and an Egg

Served 1.

Leftover Potential: the leftover pasta would make a spectacular spaghetti pie.

1 handful spaghetti

1 Tbsp butter

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup peas

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

1 egg

parmesan cheese, shaved or grated, to taste

1. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until tender, 7-9 minutes. Drain and reserve.

2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the peas and pasta, and toss to combine. Continue to toss until the mixture is heated through. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Using a spatula or tongs, push all the pasta to one end of the pan.

4. Crack an egg into the empty side of the pan. Season it with salt and pepper, and reduce heat to low. Cook the egg until your desired doneness.

5. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and finish with parmesan cheese. Top with the egg and serve.

Spicy Rice and Beans

theapartmentkitchen — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:58:37 +0000

A few times I like to cook and eat vegetarian. Ok, so more than sometimes. So basically, multiple times a week, I turn to Matt and say “cook whatever meat you want that goes with this.” The man is a major carnivore, but it does not stop me from my tasty plotting. I started craving rice and beans this week – warm and hearty and perfect in cold weather. When I got home from work, I went for a walk with the dog and the roommates, came home, and had dinner on the table in less than half an hour. A perfect night.

Spicy Rice and Beans

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: Reheats pretty well, and made just enough for breakfast the next morning: with a fried egg on top!

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup rice

1/4 cup tomato puree

3/4 cup broth

3/4 cup peas

salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1/4 cup tomato puree

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander

1 1/2 cup black beans, cooked

1 1/2 cup pinto beans, cooked

1 bunch green onions, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a small pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and rice and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

2. Add the tomato and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil for the beans in a medium pan. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add te jalapeno and garlic and saute until fragrant.

4. Add the tomato puree and spices. Simmer until the tomato evaporated somewhat.

5. Stir in the beans and green onions, simmer to heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

6. When the liquid has evaporated and the rice is tender, stir in the peas, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the beans!

Chicken with Mustard Dumplings

theapartmentkitchen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:21:05 +0000

I love chicken and dumplings, and it’s something I haven’t made yet in my own kitchen (my mom’s version is delish). I wanted to make it a little different by adding a burst of flavor to the dumplings. Matt is a mustard lover, and I’m a recent mustard convert, so I figured I’d give it a try. The result was great – slightly different but still staying true to the basic flavors in it already.

Using whole grain, spicy brown, and Dijon mustard pumped up the flavor in a warm way that complemented the chicken and the broth. Since we’ve had our first frost here, I was delighted to have something this warm and tasty for dinner (and for lunch the next day)!

Chicken with Mustard Dumplings

Served 4.
Leftover Potential: Reheats well and is wonderful in this cold weather!

Chicken and Broth:
4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper, as needed

1 Tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp thyme, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 cup peas
salt and pepper, to taste

Dumplings:
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup water, or more as needed

1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven until cooked through but still tender, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool enough to touch. Thinly slice or dice the chicken and reserve.
2. In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 3-5 minutes more.
3. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a simmer.
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder for the dumplings to combine. In a smaller bowl, combine the mustards and water. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix just to combine. Do not overmix.
5. When the broth has come to a simmer, form the dough into dumplings using two spoons. Drop the dumplings into the simmering liquid. Cover the pot and let the dumplings cook, maintaining a simmer, until cooked through, about 14-16 minutes.
6. Add the cooked chicken, herbs, and peas, and stir the mixture to heat through. Serve warm.

Caramelized Onion Gnocchi with Spring Veggies and a Simple White Wine Sauce

theapartmentkitchen — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:44:25 +0000

I love gnocchi – not just eating it, but making it. There’s something so satisfying about gently rolling out the ropes, cutting them, watching them fall into the water, and rise again – letting you know (just in time) that they’re ready for eating. One of my favorite versions of gnocchi is ricotta gnocchi, a super easy, apartment kitchen friendly recipe that replaces the relatively tedious potato cooking/mashing with ricotta cheese. It got me to thinking what else you could use to make these lovely pasta dumplings.

After a little research I discovered that I’d been crazy to limit my gnocchi-making self to just potatoes or cheese. Recipe writers and food bloggers everywhere had made gnocchi using spinach, carrots, and much more. So I ran home to make gnocchi with one of my favorite things: caramelized onions. The result was delicious. The onion flavor in the gnocchi was actually a little mild, but with more caramelized onion in the pasta it was delish!

Caramelized Onion Gnocchi with Spring Veggies and a Simple White Wine Sauce

Served 2.

Leftover Potential: Like most pasta, this reheats pretty well. Try re-heating it in the oven with parmesan cheese baked on top for an awesome crust!

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

salt, as needed

1 cup flour, or more as needed

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup white wine

2 Tbsp fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley)

salt and pepper, as needed

ricotta, as needed for garnish

1. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt.

2. Place the onion mixture to a food processor or blender, and process into a smooth paste. Transfer the paste to a medium bowl, and add the flour. Mix well to combine. Add flour as needed to make a dough that will hold its shape when rolled out.

3. Roll the gnocchi into long, thin logs, and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water until they rise to the surface, 3-4 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a large saute pan. Add the mushrooms, peas, and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the mixture by about half for the best concentration of flavor. Season with herbs, salt, and pepper.

5. When the gnocchi has finished cooking, remove it from the water and toss it in the sauce. Saute briefly to heat through. Serve warm, with a dollop of good ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of chives! Mmmm!

Creamy Sausage, Mushroom, and Pea Risotto with Poached Egg, Parmesan and Baby Basil Leaves

theapartmentkitchen — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:46:10 +0000

I started vacation this week. If you know me, you can note that simply from the recent appearance of pasta and baked goods on my blog. I love food - a little too much. On a day to day basis, I try to keep myself in check – eating healthier foods and smaller portions. But you can’t take the foodie out of the girl, so after two days of being “on vacation” I was in the kitchen making risotto. I love making risotto – the whole process of it. I’m also of the school of adding an egg to just about anything makes it better, so I ended up with this rich, creamy risotto for dinner last night. No matter what any recipe tells you – risotto is easy (this one has butter, sausage, and lots of cheese – how could it ever go wrong?) – just taste it a lot along the way, and you’ll end up with an awesome meal.

Creamy Sausage, Mushroom, and Pea Risotto with Poached Egg, Parmesan, and Baby Basil Leaves

Served 4.

Leftover Potential: I made this dish fresh, but you could very easily use leftover risotto for this meal. Just add one egg and 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs per 1 1/2 cups of leftover risotto. Form into cakes, and pan fry in olive oil until nicely browned. If you like, stuff the cakes with cheese.

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup sausage

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

2 bay leaves

salt, as needed

pepper, as needed

3 cups warm chicken or vegetable stock, or as needed

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, or as needed

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp baby basil leaves

4 poached eggs (check out this site for advice on how to perfectly poach an egg)

1. In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the sausage, and cook until beginning to brown. Add the onion and mushrooms, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant.

2. Add the rice, and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and allow to reduce over medium heat, stirring constantly, to almost nothing. Add the bay leaves, and season the mixture with salt and pepper.

3. Begin adding the stock, 1 ladleful at a time, stirring constantly until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. It may take all three cups (or more, or less). Taste the rice along the way, when it is nice and tender, it is finished.

4. When the rice is tender, fold in the peas and parmesan. Finish with parsley and basil.

5. Scoop some risotto onto a plate, sprinkle with more cheese, and top with a poached egg. Finish with salt, pepper, and additional basil leaves.

Curried Pasta with Shrimp, Snap Peas, and Shiitake Mushrooms

theapartmentkitchen — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:36:58 +0000

I love the cling of a good sauce. The way it just perfectly, but lightly coats a noodle or provides a soft, smooth base for a piece of protein. And, of course, the flavor. A good sauce has built layers of flavor that accentuate everything else on the plate. That’s a lot of responsibility for something that is often forgotten in the background of a dish.

This simple, but incredibly tasty curry sauce has great cling – thick, but smooth in texture. It has amazing flavor – a little spicy, a little creamy, a little tart. And it’s just pretty damn good. Especially when tossed with tender rice noodles and hot shrimp. Mmm…dinner is served!

Curried Pasta with Shrimp, Snap Peas, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Served 3.
Leftover Potential: Reheats very well and the flavors continue to meld well in refrigeration. Made 1 meal after the initial dinner.

1 package lo mein noodles (or any other plain pasta)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
1 1/2 cup shiitakes, sliced thinly
1/2 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp curry paste
1 can coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
salt, to taste
cilantro, as needed

1 Tbsp oil
1 pound shrimp, cleaned, shelled, and deveined
salt, as needed
pepper, as needed

scallions, as needed for garnish
cilantro, as needed for garnish

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the snap peas, mushrooms, and scallions and saute until beginning to become tender.
3. Add the curry paste and mix in well to disperse. Add the coconut milk and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir to make sure the curry paste is evenly dispersed. Season with fresh lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Keep warm.
4. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Saute until pink and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
5. Add the noodles to the hot curried vegetable mixture. Toss to coat. Serve with finished shrimp, and more scallions and cilantro on top.