Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto

So I realize I just did an extensive post on corn, but maybe you didn't know just how much I love corn. When I opened the August issue of Bon Appetit to find that they had a whole section devoted to corn, I turned into a giddy little girl. You will too (I don't care who you are) after you make this recipe.

I took a few small liberties, but the credit all goes to Bon Appetit. I can already tell this will be a favorite in my house for many summers to come!

Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto
*includes a few tiny tweaks from yours truly :)

4 bacon slices, chopped
5 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted and divided
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces tagliatelle
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer 2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 3/4 cup Parmesan, 1/3 cup pine nuts and 1/4 cup basil leaves. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves, 3 tablespoons pine nuts and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

Hatch Chili Meatballs and Pesto

I love the excitement that hatch chili season creates. If you factor in food bloggers to the situation, excitement increases ten fold. The bloggers threw a hatch chili-themed potluck last month which I was so excited for. The first thing that came to my head was meatballs, so I just went with it.

My roommates were kind enough to be my taste testers. Good thing! The original recipe used sweet Italian sausage instead of hot, and there was less spice. It was a bit bland, so I kicked it up for the bloggers. When it's not hatch season, try this recipe with an assortment of peppers for a slightly different flavor.

Hatch Chili Meatballs and Pesto

Meatballs:
5 hatch chilis, stemmed, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground sirloin
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Pesto:
4 hatch chilis, roasted, stemmed and partially seeded
1 red bell pepper, roasted, stemmed and seeded
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons almonds
3 tablespoons pecan pieces
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup Manchego cheese, shredded
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

24 ounces spaghetti
Additional shredded Manchego cheese

For the meatballs, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients (through sirloin) thoroughly with your hands. Mix in all other ingredients until combined. Form into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. You should get 3-4 dozen. Bake for about 30 minutes.

While meatballs are cooking, make pesto. In a food processor, add peppers and garlic; pulse. Add nuts and pulse again. Add in cilantro, lime juice and cheese; pulse. Season and pulse once again. With processor running, stream in olive oil until you reach your desired consistency. Serve as a topping to cooked spaghetti, meatballs and with additional Manchego cheese as needed.

On a recent trip home I picked up one of my childhood favorite books- Strega Nona. Long story short, Strega Nona has this awesome pasta pot that she can make as much pasta as she wants. She goes out of town, and silly Anthony tries to use it and ends up flooding the entire village with pasta! Thankfully we didn't have that problem at dinner, but my roommates did enjoy story hour :)

Chicken and Veggie Pesto Toss

I got some great Texas cilantro at the store and thought up this nice, light dinner for a weeknight meal. Since I always have oil, garlic, and lime juice on hand, my ingredient list was actually pretty short at the grocery store!

Chicken and Veggie Pesto Toss

1 1/2 pound small russet potatoes, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 yellow squash, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound chicken breasts, pounded 1 inch thick
2 leeks, sliced
Pesto
2 cloves garlic, lighty roasted
1/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place potato slices on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place zucchini and squash slices on a separate baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast both at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

While vegetables cook, season chicken with salt and pepper and grill on medium-high heat about 6 minutes on each side, until juices run clear. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes then slice.

Saute sliced leeks in a bit of olive oil on medium-low heat about 5 minutes.

To make pesto, combine first 5 ingredients in a food processor and pulse. Add cilantro and pulse until combined. Streat in olive oil until you gain desired consistency. Since this will be used as a "sauce," your pesto should be thinner than usual.

Goat Cheese: Warm Sandwich, Cool Salad

I have a delightful cookbook called "goat cheese" by Maggie Foard that I love to leaf through but I had yet to make anything from. I had some orzo in my pantry I was itching to use and I found a delicious salad recipe featuring orzo. Naturally I added my own tweaks, but I followed pretty closely. I paired it with a simple panini that turned out SO delicious and creamy with the goat cheese- that's right, it was a double goat cheese kind of evening!

Chicken Pesto Panini

2 garlic cloves, lightly roasted

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup spinach leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 loaf ciabatta bread, halved lengthwise and divided into 5 parts

1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded
6 ounces chevre, crumbled

Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor. Add basil and spinach and pulse. Keep processor on and stream in olive oil until desired consistency is reached. Spread pesto on inside of the ciabatta pieces. Place 1/2 cup chicken on bottom halves of ciabatta and top with 1/4 cup chevre. Top with ciabatta piece.

Cook on a grill pan on medium heat with a large cast iron skillet on top (or in a panini press if you have it) about 5 minutes on each side until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

Spinach Orzo Salad

8 ounces orzo, cooked and cooled

8 ounces fresh spinach leaves

1 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup pine nuts

5 ounces feta cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly mixed. Serve! You can also add chicken to this to make it a main dish, which I did for lunch the next day with leftovers.

Homemade Chicken and Goat Cheese Ravioli

Do you ever have those ingredients you see in recipes and know how to work with, but you've never tried them before? I've always been intrigued by the art of the wonton wrapper but have never given them a try. Since I had some chicken that needed to be used, I decided to try a chicken and goat cheese ravioli-- and it turned out great! I checked out Gourmet to get tips on technique, and that's also where I got the idea to cook the finished ravioli in butter for a few minutes for added flavor :)

Homemade Chicken and Goat Cheese Ravioli

with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce

Ravioli

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups soft goat cheese (I used basil and onion flavored)

1 cup part-skim ricotta

1/4 cup parmesan

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

40 medium sized wonton wrappers

Bread crumbs for dusting

3 tablespoons butter

16 ounces linguini

1 roma tomato, diced

Sauce

1/2 cup pinenuts, divided

2 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

Italian Salad

1 bag hearts of romaine

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

1/4 thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Start by cooking chicken in a large skillet until brown. Place in a large mixing bowl and add goat cheese, ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest (reserve juice for later) and salt and pepper- combine.

Place a large sheet of wax paper on the counter and lightly dust with breadcrumbs- have a glass of water on the side. Lay out 6 wantons and place a tablespoon size amount of the goat cheese mixture in the center of each. Dip your finger in the water and go around all 4 edges of each wonton. Bring together the 4 corners of the wonton and seal, pressing all sides to that there are no holes. Use additional water as needed. Continue process until all wontons are filled and sealed.

Cook wontons 3 at a time in a large salted pot of boiling water- about 3 minutes. While wontons are cooking, heat butter in a non stick skillet. Place cooked ravioli into butter to brown, about 3 minutes, then remove.

To make sauce, start by making pesto. Toast pinenuts in a skillet until lightly brown and aromatic. Place 1/4 cup pinenuts in a food processor, reserving the rest for later, with the garlic and pulse. Add basil, parmesan and salt and pepper and pulse. Keep food processor on and stream in olive oil until reaching desired consistency, usually about 1/4 cup.

Heat a medium sauce pan on medium low heat and melt butter. Whisk in flour and let cook about 1 minute. Add milk and stir often until sauce thickens to desired consistency, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in pesto and remove from heat.

Place another pot of water on to boil and cook linguini until aldente. Place equal amount of linguini on plates and top with tomato, remaining pine nuts and parmesan to taste. Place 5 pieces of ravioli on each plate and drizzle with pesto cream sauce.

To make salad, combine lettuce, carrots, onions, parmsan and salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Stream in vinegar and olive oil and lemon juice (reserved from earlier) and toss and serve.

What is an ingredient that you've always wanted to try but haven't yet?

Pesto Turkey Burgers

After a long separation due to travel, my roommate Rachel finally returned. Naturally, I had to make a meal utilizing her favorite ingredients to welcome her back- pesto and sun dried tomatoes. I know I know, my last post included those two ingredients as well, but this is much different and just as delicious!

I love making chicken and turkey burgers- it's one of my signatures that I can make 1,000 different ways. Tonight's is an Italian turkey burger that I have to admit is one of my best :)

Italian Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey breast

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

8 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon pesto

1/4 cup light mayo
5 ciabatta rolls
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
olive oil

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat and coat with cooking spray. Combine turkey, onion, seasonings, tomoes and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Shape into 5 patties. Place patties on grill and cook about 5 minutes on each side.

In the meantime, combine pesto with mayo for a pesto aioli of sorts, add a little lemon juice for extra zing.

Slice ciabatta rolles in half lengthwise and drizzle a little olive oil on the cut side. Sprinkel rosemary on and broil for 2-3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Slather on some pesto aioli and include a patty.

I served these with Sofrito Mashed Potatoes, a recipe from Guy Fieri of Food Network. My friend Emily said I simply HAD to try them, and she was right-- these potatoes were the most interesting ones I've ever had! Granted, sofrito doesn't really go with Italian I realize, but both dishes were so good nobody cared :)

Sofrito Mashed Potatoes

2 tablespoons salt

2 pounds potatoes (recommended: Yukon gold)

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup white wine

3 ounces tomato sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons salt

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Fill a large pot with water, salt and potatoes and bring to boil. Cook until fork tender.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. When oil is hot add onions and peppers and saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. Lower the heat and add tomato paste and stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half.

Add tomato sauce and bring to simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in butter and cream and set aside, covered to keep warm.

When potatoes are fork tender, drain water and mash slowly adding the sofrito mixture. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro.

I toyed with the idea of putting the sofrito mixture in the food processor, but in the end the chunkier potatoes won out and were delicious! I might try that method next time to see how it compares though.

Question: What's your favorite kind of burger?

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

There's nothing more satisfying to me than a nice creamy pasta. Since I had a lot of pesto leftover from my pesto tilapia, I thought I'd combine the two to make a creamy pesto sauce.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

1 pound farfalle pasta
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 red onion, diced
8 sundried tomatoes, chopped
4 ounces fresh spinach
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons pesto

Boil water in a large pot and add pasta once boiling. In the meantime, heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Swirl in a little olive oil. Add chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper, cooking about 8 minutes. Add diced onion and saute another 3 minutes. Add sundried tomatoes and continue cooking. Wilt in spinach and stir.

In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and whisk, cooking about 1 minute. Stir in milk and heat until thickens, stirring occasionally. Add parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Stir in pesto.

Add pesto sauce to chicken mixture. Add pasta and stir to combine. Serve with additional parmesan as needed.

I made a simple salad to go with this to get some more veggies and utilize the extra spinach.


Bacon Spinach Salad
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup red onion
2 whole carrots
8 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Sweet onion and poppyseed dressing

Cook bacon in the 350 degree oven about 15-20 minutes, remove and place on paper towel to drain. In the meantim, slice red onion and carrots. Add to a large bowl with fresh spinach and pecans. Crumble in bacon and add desired amount of dressing.

Pesto Tilapia

One of my favorite things to do with my food processor is to make pesto. I just recently got this latest kitchen toy last Christmas, for the sole purpose of making the pestos I'd seen in cookbooks and magazines for years.

Pesto Tilapia
pesto

3 tablespoons pinenuts

4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 bunches basil leaves (about a cup and half)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
fish
1 pound tilapia fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

To prepare pesto, cook pinenuts in a skillet on medium heat until lightly toasted, about 3 to 5 minutes; set aside. In the same pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and roast a couple minutes. Add pinenuts and garlic to food processor and pulse. Next add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and pulse. Add basil and pulse again. With the processor on, stream in olive oil until reaching desired consistency (I use about 1/4 cup).

Heat a large skillet on medium high (I used a castiron) and drizze with olive oil. Season tilapia heavily with black pepper, and add a bit of salt as well. Sprinke cumin over fillets as well. Place seasoned side down in the skillet and season the other side as well. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with a teaspoon of pesto spread across the top.


I served this with grilled corn and seared broccoli for a healthy, balanced meal.

Grilled Chili Lime Corn
4 ears corn, shucked
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 limes
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Place corn on pan and begin grilling, turning occasionally. In the meantime, add all other ingredients to a micowave save bowl and heat until butter has melted. When corn is about done, begin brushing chili lime butter on all sides and turning to get a lovely toasty brown color on it. Serve with extra chili lime butter on the table.


Seared Broccoli
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 heads broccoli
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a medium skillet on medium heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add minced garlic and saute for one minute. Add broccoli and sear, turning occasionally, around 8 minutes. Season with red pepper and salt and pepper. Drizzle additional olive oil as needed to prevent drying out.




The final product plate including pesto!