Blogger-Inspired Pasta with Sardines

Last month, my friend Bianca wrote about a Spicy Anchovy Pasta dish she made in her kitchen.  I really liked the idea of anchovies with pasta and her dish recently inspired my own quick pasta dish with sardines.  After a long day of work and a committee meeting in the evening, I wanted to make a quick dinner on Wednesday night that would be still be healthy and delicious.  I remembered Bianca's dish and decided to make my own version.

Bret had an equally long and busy day but he wanted to help with dinner.  Over text messages on the T, I asked him to get a pot of salted water boiling and to put together a simple side salad with romaine, grape tomatoes and cucumbers.

When I got home, I got to work and gathered my ingredients.  I didn't take exact measurements so the below is an estimate of measurements used:

Please forgive the flash photography. 
I was too tired to set up proper lighting.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Tin of boneless sardines canned in olive oil
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
• 5 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
• No yolk egg noodles (you can really use any pasta)
• Parmesan cheese (to taste)

I warmed up the Dutch oven on the stove with the olive oil.  I slowly added the capers, sardines with the olive oil, tomatoes and garlic to the pan at five minute intervals.  I lowered the heat and put a cover on the Dutch oven.  I mixed these ingredients from time to time but let them really break down in the pan and let the flavors come together.  When the capers and tomatoes began to burst open, I then seasoned the sauce with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes for more flavor.

When the pasta was almost done cooking, I drained the pasta but reserved a cup of the pasta water.  I added the water to the sardine mixture and let the sauce cook on high uncovered to thicken up.  I then added the pasta to the sauce and gave everything a mix.

The pasta was served with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

This pasta dish was so warm and comforting.  The capers and tomatoes added a nice acidity to contrast with the sardines.  Bret mentioned that a squeeze of lemon juice would have been a welcome addition to the dish to add even more acidity and I couldn't disagree. 

I normally take step by step photo instructions of my meals but I was just too exhausted.  But I guess that is why I liked this dinner so much - it was so simple and easy to make!

Do you cook dinner after a long day or do you order out?  If you cook, what do you like to make that is quick and easy?

Pasta with Brie, Tomatoes and Basil

A few weeks ago, when my friend Alex was in town and staying with us, I stocked up my fridge with some of her favorite snacks.  One of the items that I picked up was a wedge of brie.  We never got around to eating the cheese while she was here (which is surprising because neither of us can ever pass up cheese, bread or wine) and the brie has been sitting in my fridge until I could figure out what to do with it.

Last week, I was reading one of my favorite food blogs, Framed Cooks, about some of the author's favorite cookbooks.  With the description of each cookbook, Kate also linked to a previous post where she cooked something from the cookbook.  When the first recipe, a pasta dish, included brie as an ingredient, I knew that I had to give it a try! 

On Friday, Bret and I both took some time off of work to look at the last places on our list of possible wedding venues.  While we were killing time in Ipswich, we stopped at Coastal Green Grocer and picked up some of the ingredients that we needed - tomatoes and basil.

On Saturday, I got to work on this delicious sauce.  First, I poured about half a cup of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl.

I added four minced cloves of garlic to the olive oil.

I then chopped up the four roma tomatoes into bite-sized chunks.  I made sure to spread the tomatoes out to really soak in the olive oil and garlic.

I then cut the rinds off of the brie cheese and cut the cheese into bite-sized chunks.  I left the brie in the fridge right up until I needed to chop it into chunks because the firmer the cheese, the easier it is to cut.  I added this to the bowl.

I then roughly chopped up half a bunch of basil.  The basil was so fragrant and I can't help but wonder if there is anything that smells better than basil and tomatoes together?

Finally, I added a sprinkling of fresh cracked mixed peppercorns.

Now came the easy part...waiting.  As instructed, I put a dishcloth over the bowl and let the ingredients rest together to soak up all of the different flavors.  I did this for about an hour and a half.

I then cooked up some linguine in a pot of water with salt.  When the pasta was done cooking, I drained it and quickly put it in the bowl with the sauce. 

The heat from the pasta melted the brie into a salty cheesy sauce as I gently tossed the ingredients together.  I plated the pasta in shallow pasta bowls and served it with a sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

I would never have thought to combine tomato, basil, brie and pasta in one dish but it really worked.  The melted brie coated the pasta almost like it was an alfredo sauce but way lighter.  The dish had a beautiful and colorful presenation.  But most of all, this is the kind of dish you serve to impress your guests even though the preparation is so simple.  I thought this was a really great way to use the brie in a savory dish.

What are some interesting ways that you use brie in your dishes?

Sweet Summer Ziti with Spicy Sriracha Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip

Last night, I was feeling incredibly stressed out.  Work has been so overwhelming for me in so many different ways and I was looking forward to coming home and cooking a simple but tasty meal for dinner.  Even at the end of the worst days, I find that cooking dinner can help me clear my head and relax.  While I can never quiet my mind during yoga, there is something so therapeutic and calming about preparing ingredients and tasting flavors to make a dish.

Since it was still fairly warm out, I decided to make a very simple summer pasta dish for dinner.  I put a pot of water on the stove to boil along with a few dashes of salt. While my pasta water started to heat up, I prepped my ingredients by mincing a few large cloves of garlic along with chopping up half a large white onion.  I slowly sauteed the garlic and onion in a pan on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, and crushed red pepper flakes.

By this time, the water began to boil and I  dropped the ziti into the pot.

As the pasta began to cook, I added some pre-cooked sliced sweet chicken sausage to the pan with the softened onion and garlic.

I then added some still frozen peas and a small carton of delicious organic grape tomatoes.

When the pasta was done cooking, I drained it and added the ziti to the pan with the vegetable and chicken sasuage mix.  I also added a bit of the pasta water, a drizzle of olive oil and a bit more red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  I tossed the pasta, vegetables and chicken sausage together and then covered the pan while keeping the heat on low.

I wanted to make a quick side vegetable dish to go along with the pasta.  Usually I would make a side salad but I was in the mood for something different.  Since I had a bag of baby carrots in the refrigerator, I decided to make a veggie dipping sauce for it.  I had plain lowfat 2% Chobani Greek yogurt on hand and I decided to make this the base of my dip.

I also included some finely chopped white onion, a few minced garlic cloves, and lemon juice to the dip.

To add some spice, I started out by adding red pepper flakes and cumin, along with some salt and pepper to taste.

I threw all of these ingredients in the food processor and pulse it smooth.  When I tasted it, something was misisng so I added a bit of Sriracha sauce and a bit more lemon juice.

By putting together these simple ingredients, the end result was a spicy and tangy dipping sauce that went along perfectly with a side of baby carrots.

The carrots and dipping sauce were a great cold and crunchy side to my warm summer ziti dish. 

I loved that the chicken sausage, grape tomatoes and peas added sweetness to the pasta which contrasted well with the salty grated Parmesan cheese that I topped the pasta with at the last minute.  I love making summer pasta dishes without the heavy red sauces because the pasta seems so much lighter, fresh and vibrant.  With last night's heat wave, this was a perfect summer ziti dish.

What do you like to make on a warm summer evening?