Mushroom & Swiss Burger Salad
Tag: onion
Herbed Caccia e Pepe
This version of caccia e peppe, or cheese with pepper pasta, came about last spring when I had a lot of oregano that needed a trim.
Above: oregano and lettuces growing in a repurposed box frame
Below: freshly harvested oregano, mint, basil, and cilantro
I also had a few tomatoes, Vidalia onions, and garlic. I chopped them as I would for a salsa fresca and sautéed them in olive oil with some fresh oregano, salt, and pepper. It simmered on low heat for a bit while the pasta boiled.
For the pasta, I chose angel hair pasta, a slightly skinnier version capellini.
After boiling the pasta for a whole 4 minutes to hit the al dente stage of doneness, it was drained. (At this point, it is wise to save some of the salted pasta water to use if needed in the dish. )
The drained pasta was added to the sauce with gratuitous amounts of parmesan cheese and black pepper. Even more fresh oregano and a bit of basil was added right before plating–after the cheese had begun melting and mingling nicely with the olive oil-based sauce. If I hadn’t been out of mushrooms, I totally would have added some….
A bit more parmesan sprinkled over the top is not a bad thing either…
Ingredients:
-Pasta (often capellini or spaghetti)
-Water and salt (follow package directions for cooking the pasta)
-Olive oil and/or butter–approximately 2 tablespoons total
-Ground black pepper to taste
-A cup (or more) of Grated hard cheese (parmesan, Asiago, etc.)
-About a cup and a half total of chopped tomatoes and onions and a tablespoon chopped garlic (or just use salsa fresca or pico de gallo)
-A handful if fresh, chopped herbs that you enjoy (or need to use…) Suggestions are basil, oregano, parsley, and perhaps a bit of mint
Instructions:
Thoroughly wash all fresh herbs and vegetables before chopping them.
Prepare pasta in salted boiling water to al dente. (Al dente means “to the tooth.”) While the pasta cooks, simmer your tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a bit of olive in a small skillet or pan to help take the edge off of the garlic and bring out the onions natural sweetness.
Drain pasta and reserve some of the water.
Return pasta to pan with a bit of the pasta water and a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter or olive oil.
Toss it all together.
Add grated cheese and black pepper. Toss together until sauce the looks smooth and creamy. Add the tomato, garlic, and onions.
Top with fresh herbs and even more grated cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Share this:
Ribeyed Fries
Ceasar Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
I had the freedom to experiment a bit on the 4th of July with some of the recipe trends I’ve seen floating around social media lately. A couple of these ideas that have sounded good to my family are the pasta salad with dill pickles and the one with ceasar salad. Since I didn’t have everything to make either complete recipe, I combined elements and used what I already had. I think the result was pretty tasty.
Ingredients:
1 pound of cooked pasta, such as elbow macaroni or shells
1 bottle of ceasar salad dressing
1 cup of dill pickle juice
1 cup of chopped dill pickles
1 small chopped red onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
Add the warm, drained cooked pasta to the pickle juice and allow to soak approximately 10 minutes before stirring in the ceasar dressing. Add salt, pepper, onion, and dill pickle pieces. Blend together carefully and refrigerate before serving.
Optional: add freshly grated parmesan cheese and/or olives.
Share this:
Farmer’s Market Salsa Fresca with Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
As we are heading full swing into the summer farmer’s market season here in Southern Illinois, I am sharing a staple of sorts from my house: salsa fresca. I prefer somewhat of a kicked up pico de gallo. When time allows, I prefer to bake my own tortilla chips.
Salsa Ingredients:
2 to 3 large tomatoes
2 to 3 peppers
1 large onion
handful of basil
2 garlic cloves
a pinch each of sea salt, sugar, cumin powder, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder
a dash of freshly cracked black pepper
the juice of one lime
Salsa Directions:
1. Chop the tomatoes, peppers, and onion into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Finely chop the basil and mince the garlic.
3. Add all ingredients together in bowl and mix together.
Tortilla Chip Ingredients: One bag of flour tortillas.
Tortilla Chip Directions: Cut or tear tortillas into chip size pieces. Bake at 350 degrees F on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until they reach the desired crispness. You can also get fancy and cut them into special shapes to fit whatever theme you desire. Be creative.
Note: Cilantro and parsley work just fine too. Use as hot or as mild of peppers as you prefer. Mix it up a bit! Have fun and enjoy!
