fava bean pesto

 Fava bean pesto, from here.  This worked well with favas I'd frozen after shelling and peeling. 

Ingredients

• 2 lb fava beans with pods , (900 grams) or 250 grams shelled with skin on or 180 grams skin peeled (1 cup)
• ½ cup Pecorino cheese , 50 grams
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil , 110 grams
• 5-8 mint leaves
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

• Remove beans from the pod. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop fava beans in a pot with boiling water and boil for 1 minute.

  Transfer immediately to a bowl with ice water.
• Remove the skin from each bean. Help yourself with the tip of a small knife, squeeze, and the bean will pop out.
• In a food processor blend mint leaves, pecorino cheese, and garlic clove cut into small pieces.

  Add fava beans and oil. Blend until combined.

 

 

winter squash and greens bake

 Looking around the kitchen, not wanting to go to the store ... this sounded good with a lot of substitutions.  I followed both the post I found for winter squash and spinach bake and their source pasta and butternut squash cake.

Ingredients

• 8 oz broken up lasagna noodles 
• 400 g winter squash, peeled and sliced very thinly
• 3+ cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
• 1 egg
• 100 g ricotta (I substituted a mix of sour cream/yogurt/cottage cheese; recipe called for 200-250 g)
• 50-100 g parmesan, grated (divided)
• 200 g feta, crumbled small (divided)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese (I used mozzarella) 
• 5 oz/150 g baby greens chopped 
• salt, pepper
• basil, thyme, parsley  
• red pepper flakes (<1/2 tsp)
• 2 T olive oil 
• 1 cup water

Mix together in a big bowl, sprinkling top with feta and parmesan left.  Put into 9" round or square pan lined with parchment paper.  Cover tightly with foil.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.  REmove foil, drizzle 1 T olive oil, and let bake another 30 minutes. 

 

zucchini lentil bake

 Took this recipe and will cut it in half (though it probably does freeze well).  It's a great way to use zucchini and has good flavor.  

• olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• approx 250 g zucchini, grated 
• 1/2 cup brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 can or equivalent fresh tomatoes (diced, passata, etc. 225-400 g) 
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme 
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• black pepper, salt to taste  
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 
• up to 1/4 cup grated parmesan 
• fresh herbs for garnish  

Instructions

Gently saute onion until soft and nearing transparent (about 8 minutes). Add garlic, for about a minute.  Add zucchini, saute about 8 minutes.  Then add lentils, tomatoes, broth, herbs, and stir well.  Bring to light boil and simmer covered about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  If the cooking pan is not ovensafe, transfer to baking dish.  Put mozzarella and then parmesan on top and bake uncovered about 20 minutes.  

Great with olives, pine nuts, pita, etc.   

roasted zucchini with parmesan

 At first I thought this roasted zucchini with parmesan was kind of meh, but I ate a heap and I do like the flavor and the texture, so it's a keeper for sure.  

Ingredients

• 4 small zucchini ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise
• ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  
  
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, dill, or a mix (optional)

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place the zucchini in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the Parmesan mixture. Toss to coat, then arrange the zucchini on top of the cooling rack on the prepared baking sheet, being careful not to overlap the spears. Place in the oven and bake until the zucchini is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil. Cook until the Parmesan is lightly crisp on top, about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t walk away! The second you stop watching the cheese, it will decide to burn. Remove the zucchini from the oven and immediately squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with herbs. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

• 
  

 

white bean spinach parmesan soup

 This white beans spinach parmesan soup was a really big hit with guests.  It makes a lot but it uses up the 5# of white beans in my cupboard.

If using dried beans, set them to soak the night before (or two nights before if you're party prepping) and cook, then and save some of their cooking liquid and reduce the stock to 4 cups. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 6-8 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth/stock (or less with bean liquid)
• 15 ounces (420 g) can diced tomatoes (or a few fresh tomatoes)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Italian dried herbs (I used rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil)
  
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (15 ounce) cans white beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
• 4 cups chopped baby spinach (about 6 ounces)
• 3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (for serving)
  

Instructions

• In a large pot or saucepan, heat olive over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant (about 2-3 minutes), while stirring occasionally. Add in the broth, tomatoes, sugar, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to combine all of the flavours together.
• Stir in the beans and heat up.  (Note: I let it simmer about 30 minutes for the dried herbs to come to life and everything to really come together) Then add spinach and ontinue to simmer gently until the spinach has wilted (about 2 minutes). 
• Take off heat. . Taste test, adjust salt and pepper if needed.Serve immediately, with side of parmesan and fresh parsley to add to taste.
  

pasta frittata

This pasta frittata is a great way to use up leftover pasta.  I made up some with carrot top pesto and it was kind of bland and soft, so this is better than just reheating. From here.

INGREDIENTS
¼ pound spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine or other long pasta (or about 1/2 pound cooked pasta)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter or extra
virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced pancetta, bacon or prosciutto, optional
6 eggs
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION
Y I E L D 4 to 6 servings
T IM E 40 minutes
Pasta Frittata
By Mark Bittman
This dish is one recipe calling for leftover pasta that is actually worth planning for. It's portable, it's endlessly versatile, and it's practically foolproof. Substitute almost any cheese for the Parmesan (or leave it out altogether) and toss in any cooked vegetable or meat. Make it your own.
One last bit of advice from Mr. Bittman: “The key to extreme enjoyment is to make sure that some ends of pasta pieces protrude from the top of the mixture when you put it in the oven. They will become crunchy, giving the leftover pasta yet one more pleasant dimension.”

Step 1
If using leftover cooked pasta, chop it up. If using dried pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it. Cook pasta until barely tender, somewhat short of where you would normally cook it. Drain, and immediately toss it in a wide bowl with half the butter or oil. Cool it a bit.

Step 2
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put remaining butter or oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet, and turn heat to medium-high. If you are using meat, add it, and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. (If not using meat, proceed.)

Step 3
In large bowl, combine pasta with remaining ingredients, along with salt and pepper (less salt if you are using meat). Pour into skillet, and turn heat to medium-low. Use a spoon if necessary to even out top of frittata. Cook undisturbed until mixture firms up on bottom, then transfer to oven. Bake just until top is set, about 10 minutes. Remove, and serve hot or at room temperature.

carrot top pesto

It delights me to use up every little bit of the fabulous locally grown produce that I get almost every week.  

I made another version of this carrot top pesto but it was too lemony.  This one though was very lovely, probably due to parmesan and pine nuts. 

It doesn't make a huge amount so needn't be frozen so no need to worry about the cheese in it. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups carrot tops, chopped (I used from 1 bunch)
• ⅓ cup pine nuts (roast at 350 degrees for 7-11 minutes, stirring occasionally)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Add carrot tops, pine nuts, and garlic cloves to food processor and pulse until chopped. Slowly add in oil and continue pulsing until well combined, but not smooth.
2. Add parmesan, salt, and pepper and pulse a few more times until combined.
3. Use as a sauce with your favorite pasta, vegetables, meat, seafood, or dip.  Stores about a week in fridge.

roasted asparagus

I do believe that roasted vegetables are the most scrumptious thing on the planet.  Also from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients

	1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked asparagus, tough stems snapped off
	1 1/2 tsp olive oil
	1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1/8 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground, or to taste
	1 oz parmesan cheese, aged-variety such as Parmigiano Reggiano, at room temperature

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425ºF.
  
• Spread asparagus in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet; drizzle with oil. Roast, shaking pan once or twice during cooking, until asparagus is fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes (varies greatly depending on thickness of spears).
  
• Remove from oven and arrange asparagus on a serving plate; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a paring knife or microplane, cut paper-thin slices of cheese and arrange over asparagus. Yields 1/4 of asparagus and cheese per serving.