Hunger Games - Noodles in Green Sauce

How perfect that it is St Patrick's Day weekend because my next Hunger Games recipe is from the same meal as the paper thin beef carpaccio, noodles in GREEN SAUCE!

"The servers, all young people dressed in white tunics like the one who gave us wine, move wordlessly to and from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full. About halfway through my glass of wine, [Katniss] head starts feeling foggy, so [she] changes to water instead." Well let me tell you something, I will NOT be changing to water this weekend. And hopefully there will be young hot people dressed in GREEN keeping my glass full.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup onion, finely diced
3 cups milk
10 oz. frozen spinach
1/2 lb pasta
salt & pepper


Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add pasta. Follow directions on package; cook until pasta is al dente.


Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Put onions in with butter and sweat them for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add flour to the pan and cook for 2-3 more minutes. 

Whisk in 2 cups of the milk slowly. I use skim milk to keep it a little healthier but any milk you have on hand will do. Simmer for 5 minutes while the sauce thickens. Season well with salt and pepper.

Add the frozen spinach to the sauce and stir together. Simmer for another 5 minutes until everything is well combined and the sauce takes on a green hue. Stir in remaining last cup of milk until the sauce thins out a bit and reaches desired consistency. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. 

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss together and give the pasta a few minutes before serving.

Hunger Games - Paper Thin Beef

During Katniss's prep time before the Hunger Games, she decided that she would eat as much as possible. The few extra pounds would be an advantage to her during the games. However, I don't need the extra pounds so one of her dinners is the same amount as a week's worth of dinner for me.

After the fiery entrance Katniss and Peeta had at the opening ceremony, the District 12 team (Haymitch, Effie, Cinna and Portia) have a fantastic dinner with their tributes. I've decided to try out a couple components from that meal, the first being "rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper." When I read this, my mouth starts to water with one thought --- carpaccio! A simple but delicious and decadent appetizer. When paired with a little bread (which is a MAJOR theme in the books) and wine (which Katniss tries for the first time at this meal) it is my quick and easy Monday night dinner! 
 
Ingredients: 

1/2 lb fatty beef tenderloin
2 cups mixed salad greens
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 lemon
olive oil
Parmesan cheese shavings
salt & pepper

Directions:

Heat a skillet over high heat. Season the whole tenderloin with salt and pepper. Drizzle a little oil into the pan and quickly sear all sides of the beef; 1-2 minutes per side. Take the beef out of the pan; wrap in plastic wrap and put in freezer for an hour.

When the beef is just about ready, mix the crème fraîche and horseradish together and set aside. Take the beef out of freezer; while it is still semi-frozen, try to slice as thin as possible. If it is not as thin as you would like, place slices between wax paper and pound thinner.

Mix the juice of a lemon and 3 tablespoons of olive oil together with some salt and pepper. Toss the mixed greens into the vinaigrette.


Arrange the thin slices of beef onto a plate. Drizzle horseradish crème fraîche on top of the beef and top with the dressed mixed greens and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Serve with some toasted crostini and have a great meal!

Stuffed Zucchini

When things come into season and produce is really cheap at the supermarket I can't help myself. A trait I inherited from my mother, if it's on sale and fresh, buy it! However, it can lead to an overstuffed refrigerator and ten pounds of zucchini that needs to be consumed.

When you have too much of an ingredient, that ingredient needs to become the main component of a meal, as to use as much of it as possible. Luckily, I love zucchini so I made delicious stuffed zucchini boats and had it for dinner and lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

4 zucchinis
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the zucchini length-wise and scoop the inside out of the halves. Chop the flesh of the zucchini into similar sized pieces like the onions and tomatoes.

Heat the skillet over high heat. Put oil into the pan. Add the chopped zucchini, onions and garlic in with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper while letting the vegetables soften. After 5 minutes, the onions start to look translucent; add tomatoes to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.

Line an oven safe sheet pan with aluminum foil and place emptied zucchini halves onto the baking sheet. Fill the zucchini boats with the zucchini, onion & tomatoes. Stir together the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley in a bowl and top the zucchini halves with the mixture.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve with a side salad for a light meal or add a pasta or protein for a more filling dinner.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce

Most people like their spaghetti with normal marinara sauce... tomatoes stewed into a thick sauce with some basil for aromatics and carrots for sweetness. I personally like my sauce with a little more KICK! My go-to sauce for pasta would definitely have to be the fiery spice of arrabiata sauce. This easy sauce can be made with things in most pantries for a quick and easy meal.

According to wikipedia, arrabbiata (the Italian word for angry) is a Roman sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and red chili cooked in olive oil. Basil is sometimes used, although the majority of chefs in Italy do not use basil for this recipe. The dish is usually served with pasta and chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top. That's how I like! SPICY!



Ingredients:

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti

Directions:

Put a pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and infuse the oil with those flavors for 2 minutes. Watch carefully to not burn garlic or you have to start over. Add onions to the oil mixture and soften for about 5 minutes. Hand crush the whole tomatoes into the pot along with all the juices; this gives the sauce better texture.

Allow the sauce to simmer while preparing the pasta. Salt the pasta water and throw the whole wheat spaghetti. After the spaghetti is al dente (about 10-11 minutes for whole wheat), add pasta to the sauce pot.

Toss the pasta in with the sauce and turn of heat. Give the pasta a few minutes in the sauce and allow it to absorb the flavors of the sauce. (This would be a good time to prepare a salad to accompany pasta.) When ready to serve. Top the sauce pasta with parsley and give it one last toss before plating.

Twist the pasta with serving fork and place a heap of spaghetti on each plate. Top with a little extra sauce and sprinkle Parmesan  cheese over the dish for a extra richness and flavor.

Endive Lettuce Cups

Light lunch and bored of the same thing over and over and over...? Me too. So for lunch today I decided to class it up with endive lettuce and goat cheese. A quick pop over to the corner bodega to pick up some supplies from their salad bar and I had myself a nice little lunch that my co-workers will give me grief about for the next week probably. But who cares because it was delish!

Ingredients:

12 leaves endive lettuce
2 oz goat cheese
1 cup assorted prepared salads
1 tablespoon hot sauce (everything is better spicy)

Directions:

Cut the end off head of endive and separate leaves onto a plate. Smear a dollop of goat cheese on each leaf. Top with the different salads you pick up that day. Drizzle a little hot sauce or leave on the side as a dip and enjoy a quick and healthy lunch.