Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Farfalle With Gorgonzola, Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

A twist on a pasta disch for Christo:

Ingredients

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup half-and-half, cream or milk
* 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other good blue cheese
* 1 pound farfalle or other pasta
* 2 cups arugula trimmed of very thick stems, washed, dried and chopped
* 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
* Freshly grated Parmesan to taste, optional

Method

* 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. In a small saucepan gently warm the half-and-half and Gorgonzola just until cheese melts a bit and mixture becomes thick; chunky is O.K.
* 2. When water boils, cook pasta until it is just tender but not mushy. Drain and return to pot over low heat.
* 3. Stir in Gorgonzola sauce along with arugula, tomatoes and a healthy dose of black pepper. Stir to combine, taste and add salt, if necessary, then serve immediately, with grated Parmesan if you like.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Grilled Chicken & Soy Lime Sauce

Recipe provided by Pacific Natural Foods...

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup wheat free Tamari (gluten free) or soy sauce
* 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
* 2 tbsp garlic, minced
* 1 tbsp peeled fresh ginger, minced
* 1 tsp curry powder
* 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1 cup Pacific Natural Foods Low Sodium Chicken Broth
* nonstick vegetable oil spray

Whisk first 5 ingredients to blend in 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add chicken and onion. Cover and let marinate at room temperature 1 hour or refrigerate up to 3 hours, turning chicken occasionally. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade. Strain marinade into medium saucepan; add Low Sodium Chicken Broth. Boil until sauce it coats a spoon, just about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Grill about 4 minutes per side until cooked through. Transfer to platter. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with rice.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Halibut with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons honey, depending how sweet you want it
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
Whisk the vinegar, honey, oil, and garlic in a bowl. Arrange halibuts in an 8-inch square baking dish. Pour marinade over the fish, coating it completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Preheat the broiler. Line the bottom and sides of a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Remove fish from marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange the fillets atop the baking sheet. Pour the marinade into a heavy small saucepan. Broil the fillets until they are just cooked through and caramelized on top, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile bring the marinade to a boil and simmer until it thickens slightly and becomes syrupy, whisking often, about 15 minutes. Spoon off any excess oil from the sauce, if desired.

Transfer the fillets to plates. Spoon the sauce over and around the fillets, and serve.