Cooking with leftovers

Got some leftover tomato salad from your super tasty home gown garden that you don't want to waste?  Cook it!

I made one such salad last week that consisted of cherry tomatoes, basil, salt and olive oil.  I stored the leftovers in the refrigerator to possibly eat them later, but salads just don't loos as appetizing the next day.  I was determined not to throw this salad away after I already put 5 months of hard work into growing the tomatoes.  

So, here is what I did.  Cut up some garlic and onions (as much as you want, and depending on how much you overestimated your guests' appetite- I used 2 cloves of garlic and about 1/8 of an onion, also a left over from something else), and heat some oil in a pan.  I use avocado oil for high heat cooking.

 

When the onions start turning translucent, pour in your salad and cook it!

 

As the tomatoes get cooked down, your sad tomato salad will turn into a super yummy tomato sauce.  At this point, you may want to taste your new creation and see if it needs more salt.

While your sauce is cooking, boil some water for the pasta.  If your sauce looks ready but you somehow forgot to cook the pasta in time, cover the sauce while you get your pasta ready so that it doesn't dry out.

This tomato sauce was one of the better ones.  I make different kinds of tomato sauces for pasta, and I gotta say that the sauce made from fresh tomatoes (especially from a heirloom variety) cannot compare to the one made from canned tomatoes.  Its just not the same.  So, go fresh!

This also makes great 2nd degree leftovers to take to work for lunch the next day.

Asparagus Pesto with Blue Cheese

Asparagus has a ton of health benefits. Here is one way to take advantage of them.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb fresh asparagus

1/4 cup almonds

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cut asparagus ends off and discard. Then cut asparagus in half and cook it in water for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain and set aside.

While the asparagus is cooking, roast almonds in a pan.

Combine coked asparagus, roasted almonds, grated Parmesan cheese and garlic in the food processor and blend together.

Add olive oil and blue cheese.

Serve over hot pasta.

It looks like asparagus is also used in beauty products:

There is even asparagus tea:

Slow Cooked Pork Pasta Sauce

Hello again. I have received several Emails in the recent months about why I don't post any more recipes. The answer is- I don't cook and entertain as much anymore as I used to, and to be honest, I also have lost my motivation. Sometimes, I just don't like the photos, other times I dont even have the patience to take them.

But here it is again. I cooked something, took pictures, and now I am trying to find some words to write. They don't always come easy.

One thing for sure- I am so happy to see that someone at Google finally fixed that horrible annoying problem of not being able to upload more than 4 photos to Blogger through Picasa.

Ok, let's talk food now...

As my one and only social event since I moved to Portland, I go out with my coworkers every Thursday. We call it TGIT, and we plan this event carefully. Every Thursday, starting around noon, tons of Emails are flying around trying to figure out a place to meet. It started off as trying out different breweries, but I gotta admit, I am just not much of a beer person. I go for a company more than anything, and just lack of better things to do.

Last Thursday, the group was small, and I was able to convince them to go to a place other than a brewery. YEY for me!

It was a nice calm evening, even the sun came out for a bit. We sat outside and started letting out our frustrations about work (that's what TGIT is all about). We already shared one appetizer dish when we noticed an interesting meal on the menu. I can't remember what it was called, but it was made out of the "hazelnut fed pigs". Just because of that, we decided to order it. It was a pasta dish, slow cooked pork in spicy tomato sauce with crushed dried bread mixed in with it. It was very good, we wolfed it down and immediately ordered another one. When we finished our second serving, we asked the waiter if he could top that. He hesitated, so we ordered the third hazelnut fed pork dish. It was that good.

I thought to myself, this is a good idea. I should try to make this as close as I can. I have made pasta sauce out of slow cooked beef, but never pork. I have no idea what kind of pork meat it was, other than the pigs were fed with hazelnut, or what kind of spices they used. I had to improvise.

A the supermarket, there are many kinds of pork cuts: pork roast seemed like an obvious choice at first, definitely not pork chops. But then my hand went right for the tender loin, thats a good cut of meat. At that point, I saw boneless ribs, and decided that loin is too lean, and ribs are definitely the best choice. Well, that was my choice, since this recipe was completely left to interpretation. If you are trying to make this, please feel free to pick whatever cut of meat you find most suitable for this recipe.

The slow cooked pork pasta sauce I made was very tasty. This is tasty that makes happy- when you invent a good tasting dish!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2lb of boneless pork ribs, or another boneless cut of pork
• 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander seed
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapeños
• 2 bell peppers
• oil
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 5-6 dried peppers
• 1 package of rigatoni pasta

serves 4

Wash the meat and pat dry with paper towel.

In a zip lock bag, mix flour, paprika, ground coriander, salt and pepper.

Cut the meat into about 2in strips and place in the zip lock back with spice mix. Mix around until all the pieces of meat are evenly coated. Discard the rest of the spice mix.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Brown the meat for about 3 minutes on each side.

While the meat is browning, slice the onions, peppers and mince garlic cloves. Then add the veggies to the meat. At this point taste the mixing spoon and see whether you need to ad more salt or not.

When the veggies become soft, deglaze the pan with red wine and transfer the entire content of the pan into the slow cooker. Add canned tomatoes and mix all together.

Cover with dried peppers and cook on low for 8-10 hours. You have enough time to go for a hike.

When you come back home, set the past to cook. In the meantime, separate the meat form the crockpot into a serving bowl. Blend the veggies all together in the food processor, and mix in with the meat again. You can use as many dried peppers as you like. They tend to be hot, so if you use all of them, you sauce will probably be fairly spicy.

Although it cooks for a long time, this recipe is very easy to prepare. This dish is convenient to make for large parties. Also, the leftovers keep well.

Mushroom Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

3-4 large mushrooms, chopped

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium heat. Simmer the garlic it for a couple of minutes. Add chopped mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked down. Add whipping cream and continue to cook while stirring.

When it starts to boil add Parmesan cheese and cook until it melts and becomes a uniform sauce, about 4-5 minutes.

Server over pasta or raviolis.

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I just saw Despicable Me and I decided to post it for all those people that haven't seen it yet. The other two are also my favorite cartoons. 9 is probably one of my most favorite movies.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 packed cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup olive oil

The easiest instructions ever: put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend together.

Serve over pasta. This pesto sauce is also good on sandwiches, even in crackers.

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Here is the food processor I use. I don't know what I did before it. I love it!

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta

Here is one idea for a quick and simple meal. I was a little bit hungry the last night, but not hungry enough to go through a whole cooking ritual. So, I improvised this 15 minute meal which tasted really good and so I want to share it with you all.


Ingredients:

6-8 oz rigatoni pasta
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup feta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese


Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Heat the oil in a pan and throw in sun dried tomatoes and drained pasta.


Stir for a couple of minutes. Add feta and mix again.


Serve with freshly grated Parmesan on top.



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Copper pots are nice, but very expensive. If you ever have a chance to get one in sale, take it.

Pasta with Spinach and Cheese

Quick, easy and healthy meal. Follow the procedure below:

Ingredients:

pasta
fresh baby spinach

cheese (any kind you like, I used feta and manchego)
olive oil
salt

Wash the spinach. Shake the water off.

Transfer the spinach into the pan together with some water that's left on it from washing and a little bit of oil. Saute for 10-15 minutes until it shrinks to about 1/4 size.

Than add cheese. I grated some manchego cheese (about 4 tbsp), and added crumbled feta (about 2 tbsp). Parmesan and cottage would work too. You can add more or less, depending on how you like.

While your spinach is cooking down, use that time to cook some pasta. I am using my home made pasta recipe, which you can fine here.

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

There is so much advantage to making your own pasta sauce:

1. Tomato based pasta sauce are easy to make- you can't over or under cook them

2. They taste A LOT better than any jar or canned sauce
3. You can make some extra and freeze it for later
4. It is vegetarian so if you are having vegetarian guests, you don't have to worry about them going hungry at your dinner party

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
4-5 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 can tomato paste
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika

Have all the veggies chopped up ready to go. Start by heating the olive oil in a pan on a medium high heat. Add onions first and stir for a couple of minutes. Then add jalapenos, bell pepper and garlic. Add paprika, salt and pepper.

Fry all together for about 5 minutes until the peppers get soft. Add tomatoes and lower the heat. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste. Stir all together and cook for 5 minutes.

Basil Pesto with Feta Cheese

Basil pesto is very easy to make, and there is no cooking required. It is very tasty and makes a great pasta sauce, but it can also use used with chicken, sandwiches, etc. Traditionally, pesto is made with Parmesan cheese. I make my pesto exclusively with feta or sheeps cheese.

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup olive oil
1 cup feta cheese
salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in your blender in the order listed and blend together. You can change the measures depending on how you like your sauce. Taste it before adding salt. Some feta can be pretty strong and you may not need any salt.


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Grow your own basil! Its easy! If you are into cooking, it is convenient to have fresh herbs handy. If you need a couple of basil or mint leaves, it is hardly worthy a trip to the supermarket to buy several twigs for about $5. The flavor can hardly compare to that of dried herbs. I've been growing my own herbs for several years now. I grew them in various climates- Virginia, Arizona and California. Herbs are easy to cultivate and you can harvest them any time you need them. They can be grown in pots or in the ground. They will last until the first frost, but you can extend their growing season if you plant them indoors.

Salmon Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

1lb salmon fillet
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
butter
salt and pepper

Cut your salmon fillet into about 1 in cubes.


Heat the butter in the frying pan and stir in onions and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add salmon. Stir for a couple of more minutes until it tunes pink on the outside, but don't overcook. Add the whipping cream and cover. As the salmon cooks, it will fall apart easier and you will be able to mash it into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

Penne ala Vodka with Prosciutto

This would have been a vegetarian dish if it wasn't for prosciutto. I was tempted to make another vegetarian meal, but I just couldn't resist.

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 small/ medium onion, chopped finely
1 packet prosciutto, chopped finely
2 cans tomatoes, blended
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes
salt and pepper 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

The sauce is prepared quickly, so set the pasta to cook while you are making the sauce. Cook the paste 2 minutes less than what the instruction on the box indicate.

Heat butter in a large pan over medium heat, then add onions, garlic, prosciutto and crushed pepper flakes. Simmer for several minutes until onions and garlic are golden color. Add vodka and continue to simmer for a couple more minutes. Then add blended tomatoes and heavy cream. The sauce will turn pink in color. At this point add salt and pepper to taste.

When you made sure your sauce tastes good, add cooked pasta and mix all together over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it and it's ready to be served.



Featured book:

Discover new ways of pasta. The possibility are endless!