How Green Was My Dinner?

Those of you who know me (or who have taken the time to read all the way down to the "About Me" section of my FB profile) know that my favorite color is green.

It also ended up being, quite accidentally, the unofficial theme of Spring Quarter: Week 2's menu. I didn't do much cooking last week (there's only so long one can stretch out Syllabus Day before the actual teaching has to start) but I managed to make a couple of very nice dinners.

I also had a gloriously shining moment of sheer genius.

Yes, those are rubber bands holding a cooking magazine to the cupboard door above my sink. Yes, it freed up precious and much-needed counter space. Yes, I made Roomie get up off the couch to come bask in my amazing cleverness. Yes, I'm sure someone has already done/invented this. No, I don't care.

The first dinner of the week was adapted from the back of a Hodgson Mill spaghetti box. It was originally called "Winter Green Pasta" but this made me think about toothpaste and gum, and what pasta might taste like so-flavored. Highly unappetizing.

Not-Mint Pasta

1 pound spinach spaghetti (or other long pasta)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

2 green onions, green and white parts, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1 pound fresh spinach, sliced in ribbons

2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed into 1/4 cup cold water

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add the ginger, onions, and celery. Cook over medium heat until just beginning to soften. Don't brown. Add the salt, broth, and spinach. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the veg is cooked to your liking. Stir in the cornstarch-water mixture. Cook until the mix is hot again (don't boil or the cornstarch will get all clumpy-thick).

Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pot. Pour the veggie mix in and stir well to coat. Serve with more cooked veg (or dump a can of tuna on top like Roomie did).

***

The next dinner was more prep-intensive, but since this was my Sunday Supper, I didn't mind spending an extra couple of hours in the kitchen. Next time I'll probably make some of the pieces parts ahead of time just to have on hand.

What took a bit of time was my first-time experimentation with steaming some artichokes. I brought about 3-4 inches of water, a quarter of a lemon (squeezed into the pot, then tossed in), bay leaf, 2 crushed garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup white wine to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Then I just put the artichokes in, covered, and let steam the 45-60 minutes I was making the rest of the dinner. They turned out pretty good served with the following dipping sauce (and now I have two artichoke hearts to turn into something else delicious!)

Quick & Tangy Dipping Sauce

3/4 - 1 cup vegan mayo (regular or fat-free)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3-4 basil leaves, chopped very fine

1 teaspoon cheater garlic

1 teaspoon vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast (optional)

salt & black pepper to taste

Whisk everything but the salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Taste, season, whisk again, and serve.

The main dish was a variation on a broccoli recipe from the April 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times. It's a broccoli pesto that contains no basil. Weird, huh? But since technically the word pesto is Italian for "pounded" (by way of the Latin "pistare" ie: mortar & pestle), I guess it really doesn't matter what you're pounding as long as it turns into sauce you serve over pasta.

Bresto Orrecchiette

sounds fancy, don't it?

1/2 cup raw, slivered almonds

2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups loosely packed flat-leaf/Italian parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup mint leaves

4 teaspoons lemon juice

grated zest from 1 small lemon

5 big garlic cloves

drained capers (for serving)

16 oz. orrecchiette pasta (or some other little pasta shape (farfalle, gemelli, conchiglie) that will hold up to a nice thick sauce)

Steam the broccoli in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes or until just soft and bright green. Rinse under cold water, drain, and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, pulse the almonds, parsley, mint, garlic, and lemon zest. Note that if you are using a blender, it will help if you chop up the garlic and herbs first.

Add the broccoli and lemon juice and pulse/blend again, scraping the sides as needed.

With the blender/food processor running on low-medium, slowly add the oil. Blend until the mixture is smooth but not liquid-y. You may need to add a little warm water if it seems like it's getting to thick, especially if you're using a blender.

(You could stop right here and just stick the bresto in the fridge for a couple days. Return to room temperature before mixing with the pasta, though.)

Boil the pasta according to package instructions (don't overcook!). Drain and return to the pot. Add the bresto and stir well to coat. Scoop into shallow bowls and top with as many capers as you like. If you don't like capers, you may want to throw a teaspoon or so of sea salt into the bresto.

***

I'll warn you now, friends and enemies, there's a good chance I won't be cooking anything during Week Three. I have my first round of response papers to grade, Roomie's first big away regatta is coming up, my first lifeguard course is this weekend, my cousin The Wild Child is coming for an OU street Fest....

...actually, I'll probably need to cook, just to stay sane.