Eye for a Recipe

When this recipe appeared in an October 2010 issue of the Toronto Star, I thought it was strange that it would be featured in the fall, after the end of tomato and basil season. So I tucked it away in my August 2011 calendar and made it last week. The recipe is based on U.S. chef Scott Conant’s famous spaghetti served in his restaurant, Scarpetta.

This is a delicious dish. Canned and fresh tomatoes are cooked down and then infused with a garlic- and basil-flavoured oil. Add cooked pasta and finish with pasta water, more basil, cheese, butter and oil. Luscious!

Basil-garlic oil is added to the tomato sauce

To peel the tomatoes, immerse in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunge into ice water

Simmer the sauce for 25 minutes before adding garlic-basil oil

Add cooked pasta and finish the sauce with basil, cheese and butter

You can vary the ratio of fresh and canned tomatoes, depending on the season. To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use canned tomatoes that do not contain preservatives, and Parmesan and butter that do not contain colour.

Scarpetta's Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil

Ingredients:

Basil-Garlic Oil

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed

8 basil leaves

Pinch red chili flakes

Tomato Sauce

8 plum (roma) tomatoes

2 cups (500 mL) canned San Marzano (plum) tomatoes with juices

2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste

Spaghetti

Kosher salt

12 oz (340 g) high-quality dried spaghetti

3 cups (570 mL) Tomato Sauce

16 large basil leaves, stacked, rolled into cylinder, thinly sliced crosswise

½ cup (125 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

¼ cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

For Basil-Garlic oil, in small saucepan, heat oil, garlic, basil and chili flakes over low heat, 20 to 30 minutes, until garlic starts to brown. Strain; discarding solids. Reserve oil.

For Tomato Sauce, core fresh tomatoes with paring knife. Score bottom of each tomato with an X.

Fill medium bowl with cold water; add ice.

Heat large saucepan of water over high until boiling. Add tomatoes. Cook 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to ice bath. When cool, peel by hand starting from X. Halve tomatoes lengthwise. Remove seeds with spoon or your fingers; discard. Seed canned tomatoes same way.

In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add fresh and canned tomatoes with juices. Cook 5 minutes to soften. Smash with potato masher. Simmer 25 minutes, smashing and stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in Basil-Garlic Oil. Taste; season with salt and pepper if desired. Makes about 3 cups (750 mL). Refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months, and use as needed.

To make pasta, fill large pot with water and generously season with salt. Bring to boil over high heat. Add spaghetti. Cook as per package instructions 1 minute less than al dente. Reserve ¼ cup (60 mL) cooking liquid, then drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm Tomato Sauce in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add drained pasta and 2 tbsp (30 mL) reserved cooking liquid (to add starch and seasoning). Cook 1 minute, tossing pasta and sauce together with 2 wooden spoons (not tongs) by lifting pasta and dropping it back into pan. (This helps introduce air and create a lighter/brighter dish. You can also use the pan-jerking methods that chefs prefer.) Do this until pasta is just tender and sauce, if any oil had separated, looks cohesive. If sauce seems too thick, add remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL) pasta cooking liquid; toss until incorporated.

Remove from heat. Add basil, cheese, butter and oil. Toss until well-incorporated. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From the October 22, 2010 Toronto Star

This new find from the September 2011 issue of Everyday Food is a perfect weeknight meal. Grill chicken breasts and onion slices, basting them toward the end of cooking with a tasty honey-mustard sauce.

Baste grilled chicken with honey-mustard sauce

Here’s a trick for grilling onions so that the rings don’t separate and fall through the barbecue rack when you flip them: Secure the rings with toothpicks or bamboo skewers. I use 2 toothpicks for each slice; just insert them on opposite sides of the slice. Be sure to remove the toothpicks before serving.

Grilling brings out the sweetness of onions

Serve with a spinach and tomato salad dressed with sherry vinegar and olive oil. If you don’t have sherry vinegar, use balsamic or rice vinegar.

Toss spinach and tomatoes with a light vinaigrette

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use mustard and vinegar that do not contain sodium benzoate or sulfites.

Grilled honey-mustard chicken with onion and spinach salad

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

4 tablespoons plus 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon honey

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds total)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½ -inch rounds

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 cups baby spinach (5 ounces)

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. In a small bowl, stir together mustard and 2 tablespoons honey. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until browned and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes, flipping once. Brush with half the remaining honey mustard and cook 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Cut chicken breasts into thin slices and transfer to a serving platter.

Brush onions with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until browned and tender, 7 to 9 minutes, flipping once. Brush onions with remaining honey mustard and cook 1 minute. Transfer onions to serving platter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ teaspoon honey, vinegar, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add spinach and tomatoes and toss to combine. Serve salad alongside sliced chicken and onions.

From the September 2011 issue of Everyday Food

I’m always on the lookout for recipes that call for chicken thighs. They are moist, tasty and usually much cheaper than chicken breasts. This recipe from the June 2011 issue of Canadian Living calls for skinless, boneless chicken thighs, but I think it would also work well with skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

The chicken is tossed in an Asian-inspired marinade, grilled, and basted for the last few minutes until it is glazed. It is served with a delicious cucumber salad that takes no time at all to make.

Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes

Grill, turning once

Basting the chicken for its last few minutes on the grill creates a delicious, sticky glaze

Sticky glazed grilled chicken with cucumber salad

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lime juice, tamari sauce and sesame oil without artificial ingredients. Rice vinegar is used in the salad dressing; I prefer the flavour of Marukan seasoned rice vinegar.

Ingredients:

Chicken

1/4 liquid honey
2  tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp sodium-reduced tamari soy sauce
1  tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp toasted sesame seedstoasted sesame seeds

Cucumber Salad

1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tsp liquid honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

In large bowl, combine honey, lime juice, tamari sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger; remove 3 tbsp and set aside. Add chicken to bowl, turning to coat; marinate for 10 minutes.

Cucumber Salad: Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, sesame oil, hot pepper flakes and salt. Add cucumber and mix until coated; set aside in refrigerator.

Place chicken on greased grill over medium heat; close lid and grill, turning once and brushing with reserved marinade in final 2 minutes, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 10 minutes.

Stir green onions into salad. Sprinkle sesame seeds over salad and chicken. Serves 4.

From the June 2011 issue of Canadian Living

This recipe from the June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit is fun to make and perfect for outdoor dining. First, season water with onion, garlic, lemon and spices and simmer to make a delicious stock. Add shrimp, still in their shells, and simmer for three minutes.

Season water with onion, garlic and spices

Simmer the stock before adding shrimp

To ensure the shrimp stop cooking, but still spend enough time in the stock to absorb its flavours, add ice cubes!

Ice cubes stop the shrimp from overcooking

Now that the late summer harvest is at its peak, serve these delicious shrimp with corn on the cob, boiled potatoes and sliced tomatoes with fresh basil.

Eat these delicious shrimp in the shell with your hands

Serve with corn on the cob

To avoid additive and preservatives in this recipe, use an all-natural hot sauce, such as Tabasco original sauce.

Ingredients:

2 onions, halved crosswise

1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

5 whole cloves

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

4 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

2 teaspoons dill seeds

2 teaspoons whole allspice

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 lemon, halved

5 dashes (or more) hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled large shrimp (about 30)

Preparation:

Combine first 12 ingredients and 8 cups water in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Squeeze in juice from lemon; add lemon to pot. Add hot sauce and shrimp. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Turn off heat, add 4 cups ice cubes, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place on a newspaper-lined baking sheet. Serve with additional hot sauce, if desired. Serves four.

From the June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

Pasta salads and summer just go together, and this recipe from Canadian Living has been a favourite of ours for years. It goes well with grilled meats and can be served as vegetarian entrée. It serves a crowd and – best of all – it can be made ahead.

Toss the cooked pasta with half the dressing and let it cool

Add tomatoes, onion, parsley, olives, cucumber and feta cheese

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, be sure to use fresh lemon juice. Check the ingredients on the anchovy paste, black olives and feta to be sure they are free of colour and preservatives.

This delicious salad can be made a day in advance

Ingredients:

8 cups farfalle (bow tie pasta)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp anchovy paste (comes in a tube; available at fish stores; keep in fridge)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch each salt and pepper

1 small cucumber

2 cups small cherry tomatoes

1 cup small black olives (I use kalamata)

1 cup chopped red onion

½ cup chopped fresh parsely

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 oz)

Preparation:

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook farfalle for 8 to 12 minutes until tender but firm; drain well. Meanwhile, whisk together oil, lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; toss half with pasta. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and thinly slice crosswise. Add to pasta along with tomatoes, olives, onion, parsley and remaining dressing; toss to coat well. Gently stir in feta cheese. Salad can be served right away or covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Serves 8-10.

From the Canadian Living Pasta Cookbook

This new find from the June 2011 issue of Everyday Food is another quick, easy and tasty dish that minimizes the time you spend in a hot kitchen. Cube a pork tenderloin, place the cubes on skewers with snap peas (or snow peas, which I used) and scallions and grill. Just before the kebabs are done, brush them with a ginger-hoisin sauce.

Place cubed pork tenderloin on skewers with snow peas and scallions

The kebabs are brushed with a ginger-hoisin glaze for the last few minutes of cooking

I have never been able to find hoisin sauce that does not contain additives or preservatives, so I make my own (you can find the recipe under my November 28, 2010 post about Kung Pao Shrimp). To avoid other additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger (from a 1-inch piece)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 pork tenderloin (about 3/4 pound), cut into 3/4-inch slices or cubes

5 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 pound snap peas, trimmed

Preparation:

Heat a grill to medium. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. In a small bowl, stir together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and rice vinegar.

Alternately thread pork tenderloin, scallions, and snap peas onto four 8-inch skewers. Grill, turning occasionally, until pork is cooked through and vegetables are charred, about 9 minutes. Brush kebabs with hoisin mixture and cook 1 minute more, turning once, until mixture begins to bubble.

From the June 2011 issue of Everyday Food

This recipe from the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine is fast, easy and perfect for a warm evening when you don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen or over the grill. The capers and lemon add great tangy flavour to the oregano.  I only soaked the capers for a few minutes, instead of an hour, and they were fine.

Toss shrimp with oil, salt, pepper and oregano and place on skewers

This sauce would also be great spooned over grilled fish. If you use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes so they don’t disintegrate on the grill.

Grilled shrimp with oregano and lemon

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use capers without sodium benzoate, such as Unico brand, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Ingredients:

½ cup salted capers—rinsed, soaked for 1 hour and drained

½ cup oregano leaves

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

2 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt

Preparation:

On a cutting board, finely chop the drained capers with the oregano leaves and garlic. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, along with the lemon zest and lemon juice. Season the sauce with pepper.

Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper (and some chopped oregano, if you wish). Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers and grill over high heat, turning once, until the shrimp are lightly charred and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and transfer them to a platter.

Spoon the sauce on top and serve. Serves 8. The sauce can be refrigerated overnight.

From the July 2011 issue of Food and Wine

This recipe from the Summer 2011 issue of the LCBO’s Food and Drink is a new favourite. Chicken breasts are marinated in soy sauce, oil and ginger root, grilled and then glazed with honey during the last few minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, vegetables, eggs and noodles are stir fried with garlic, ginger, curry paste, soy sauce and hot chili sauce.

I used angel hair pasta instead of rice vermicelli

Stir-fry egg until just set

Combine noodles, vegetables and spices and top with grilled chicken

To serve, place slices of the grilled chicken over the noodle mixture. You can make the chicken ahead of time, so this would be a great party/buffet dish. I used angel hair pasta instead of rice noodles and it worked fine; I also substituted asparagus and a hot banana pepper for the carrots and celery.

Singapore Noodles with Burnished Barbecue Chicken

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use tamari sauce instead of soy, curry paste that is all-natural (I use Thai Kitchen brand) and a hot sauce that is free of colour and chemicals (I use Tabasco original flavour sauce).

Ingredients:

Chicken

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp pureed ginger root

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each about 8 oz.

¼ cup liquid honey

Noodles

12 oz. rice vermicelli or angel hair pasta

Hot water (if using rice noodles)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

6 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 onions, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 sweet red peppers, thinly sliced

2 tbsp minced ginger root

1/3 cup Indian yellow curry paste

2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp Asian hot chili sauce

Chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Preparation:

For the chicken, combine soy sauce, oil and ginger in a shallow dish or sealable plastic bag Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover or seal bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 1 day.

Preheat barbecue to medium

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding any excess. Grill, covered and turning once, 5 to 6 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside. Brush 1 side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute. Brush remaining side with honey, turn and grill for 1 minute or until well glazed. Transfer to a bowl or cutting board, tent with foil, and cool slightly. Shred chicken into large pieces or slice thinly.

Soak rice vermicelli in a large bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes until softened or according to package directions. Drain and set aside (if using angel hair pasta, cook in boiling salted water until tender but still firm).

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil over high heat in a large wok or pan and swirl to coat. Pour in eggs and fry without stirring until almost set. Stir to break up eggs slightly and fry until just set, than transfer to a plate. Add half of remaining oil to wok. In 2 batches, stir-fry carrots, celery and onions for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions are softened. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil between batches. Add garlic, red peppers, ginger and curry paste to wok and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Return carrot mixture to wok and add noodles, soy sauce and chili sauce. Fry, stirring gently, but thoroughly, with 2 large spatulas, until noodles are well coated in spices and steaming. Add eggs and stir just to combine. Arrange noodles on a platter and add chicken. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with extra chili sauce on the side. Serves 10 to 12.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink

This new find from the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink is a great accompaniment to any grilled meat. Small red potatoes are tossed with garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, placed in a pan, covered and grilled on the barbecue.

Toss potatoes, oil, lemon juice and garlic in metal or disposable foil pan

The cooked potatoes are then tossed with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. The potatoes are delicious, and, if you use a disposable foil pan, as I did, there is no clean-up. Toss the potatoes a few times during cooking to make sure they brown evenly.

Toss the cooked potatoes with basil and grated Parmesan

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use fresh lemon juice and Parmesan without colour.

These potatoes are delicious with any grilled meat

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs small red new potatoes, scrubbed

12 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp chopped basil

Preparation:

Preheat grill to high. Place potatoes in metal baking dish (or disposable foil pan). Add garlic, toss with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover baking dish with foil and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with Parmesan and basil and toss until cheese is melted and well combined. Serves 4.

From the Summer 2011 issue of Food and Drink