Pasta Tossed With Mint Pesto, Asparagus, and Shiitake Mushrooms

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

I'm keeping things short and sweet today, folks.  There's a ton of work piling up and instead of getting it done, I'm here slackin' off.  But, heck, sometimes we need to play a little, right?  I'm currently in the middle of a cookbook shoot and I have some other fun projects coming up, including an iPhone food photography class I'm teaching next week at a local Whole Foods.  I've taught one on one classes before, but this is going to be quite different.  Actually, I'm really excited about it.  We're starting off the class by going around the store, taking pictures of the various produce, cheese, and fish displays.  From there, we're going to do have a little cooking class and, as we prepare each dish, I'll go over some ways to style and shoot the food.

So, yeah, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by things, but I didn't want all of this to stop me from posting.  I've had mint pesto on my mind a lot recently.  I first had it at a restaurant years ago and my mind was blown by how refreshing it was and how wonderfully it paired with other spring produce, like asparagus.  Here, I've tossed it up into a big pasta dish and have included one of my other favorite seasonal ingredients... mushrooms.  Enjoy!

PASTA TOSSED WITH MINT PESTO, ASPARAGUS, AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Pasta Tossed with Mint Pesto, Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms

Yield: Serves 4-6

Tools Chef's knife Large pot (for cooking pasta)

Ingredients 3/4 lb pasta, such as penne, gemelli or cavatelli (not long pasta) 2 1/2 cups mint leaves, stems removed, rinsed and dried 1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped 1 garlic clove 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 1 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced 3/4 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and stalks cut into 1 inch pieces Salt and pepper Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

1. Put a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  Cook the pasta as directed on the box.
2. While it is cooking, prepare the pesto.  You can do this in a food processor, but I like doing it by hand, so as to not turn the pesto into mush.  To do it by hand, place the garlic clove on a large cutting board and add 1/3 of the mint leaves on top of that.  Using a large chef's knife, chop the leaves and the garlic. Once it is finely chopped, add another 1/3 of mint leaves and continue chopping.  Repeat with the remaining mint.  Once this is done, add the chopped almonds on top and chop until they are incorporated into the pesto.  Add the cheese on top and chop and fold into pesto mixture to combine.  Add this mixture to a bowl and stir in 1/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
3. At this point, the pasta should be finished cooking.  Drain and let cool as you cook the asparagus and mushrooms.
4. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and let cook for a minute. Add in the asparagus and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green and, when you taste a pieces, it remains slightly crunchy.
5. In a large serving bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto, making sure to coat each piece evenly.  Mix in the mushrooms, asparagus, and lemon zest.  Taste for seasoning and, if necessary, add additional salt and pepper.

Potato Salad with Dill + Horseradish Aioli

What a week!  Actually, what a month!  I can't believe May is wrapping up.  Feels like I always say that.  It's so odd how time just flies by.  The burst of travel hasn't helped with slowing things down.  And next week I pack up for a few days in Vegas, where I'll be attending the Saveur Blog Awards (our little project, The Boys Club, won the Best Cocktail Blog category).  As soon as I mentioned the win to Eric, he scurried off to his computer to look at flights.  Having never been to Vegas, we're doing it up... fancy dinners, theater tickets (Eric's birthday is coming up as is our wedding anniversary, so this is our big celebration).  No gambling though... I'm not a fan, though I have a feeling he might hit the tables while I'm off doing foodie things.

There are no words to express how excited I am to finally get to meet the bloggers going to this event.  Some of my favorites are going to be there, including David and Luise, creators of the blog Green Kitchen Stories, who have just come out with their book, Vegetarian Everyday.  Often when I'm asked which sites are my favorites, I rattle of a long list, but between you and me, GKS is at the top.  I've been a fan of theirs for a long time and am so thrilled for their much deserved success (a wonderful mobile app, a cookbook, and a Saveur award all in twelve months).  So, yeah, I'm kind of psyched to meet them next week.

While flipping through Vegetarian Everyday, the dish that tantalized me the most, surprisingly, was their potato salad.  It's a stunner... never had I seen a potato salad with such vibrant colors and flavors. I knew immediately that I had to make it and get it up here before the Memorial Day weekend.  I've taken some liberties and incorporated homemade aioli into it.  Their recipe is definitely healthier than mine, but I'm a mayo fan and it's not potato salad in my world without a little of it thrown in.

Potato Salad with Dill + Horseradish Aioli

Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Everyday by David Frenkiel + Luise Vindahl

Yield: Serves 4

Tools A pot, large enough to cook the potatoes Medium bowl Whisk

Ingredients
2 lb - 3 oz small new potatoes
15-20 red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh sugarsnap peas, sliced on the bias
1 large handful of fresh dill, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Horseradish Dressing
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon prepared horesradish

Instructions

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough cold salted water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.  Test with a small sharp knife. If the potatoes fall off the knife, they're done.

2. Drain and set aside to cool.

3. To make the horseradish dressing, whisk the egg yolks, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.   Slowly drizzle in the canola oil while whisking nonstop until the mixture begins to emulsify.  Continue to whisk in the oil until mixture has achieved a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency. Whisk in the horseradish and, if necessary, season with additional salt and pepper.

4. Combine the tomatoes, sliced snap peas and dill in a large serving bowl.

5. When the potatoes have cooled, transfer them to the serving bowl.  Pour the dressing over them and toss with your hands to coat with the aioli.  Serve.

Cheese Grits with Fiddleheads and Ramps in Brown Butter

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I've been on the road a lot recently.  Well, not just the road, in the air as well.  It makes writing a bit challenging, so I usually get most of my posts down on my iPhone. Whenever I mention this to people, they always shake their heads... they can't imagine typing that much with their thumbs. I find it freeing though. Grammar and spelling become less important and I'm able to focus on my thoughts. I'm not a natural writer and often struggle to find the words to convey what I'm feeling. But this little keyboard allows me to get it out without over-thinking it.

As I mentioned, I've been traveling a lot these last few weeks. It started at the end of April with a whirlwind trip out to Los Angeles by way of New Jersey. After a long weekend out west for the Big Traveling Potluck, I returned to my parents house to help out as my mom recovered from an operation.  It was nice to be there... to be with my family and the daily routine of things, even though it was obviously a very hard time for my mother.

When I returned to Boston, things didn't slow down. I've been fortunate enough to work on some great projects that have kept me pretty busy.  There were a few slow days this last week where I got to create some recipes that have been stewing in my brain for a bit.  One was this bowl of grits topped with two of my favorite seasonal ingredients: fiddlehead ferns and ramps.  I kept the dish fairly rustic.  My goal was to create a comforting dinner for a rainy spring night that would stick to your ribs a little.  With a bit of brown butter and cheese mixed into the grits, I would call this one a huge success.

Now my thumbs are tired. I'm going to give them a little rest.

Enjoy!

Cheese Grits with Fiddleheads and Ramps

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Cheese Grits with Fiddleheads and Ramps in Brown Butter

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup quick cooking grits

6 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon lemon zest

4 sprigs of thyme

1/2 lb fiddleheads, rinsed

1 large bunch of ramps, rinsed

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

       Directions

1. Follow the directions on the packaging for cooking the grits.  Once they are done, stir in the shredded cheese and 3 tablespoons of butter lemon zest, and the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Season with a little salt and pepper
2. Place the fiddleheads in a large microwave-safe bowl and add in an inch of water.  Cover and cook in the microwave at high heat for 4 minutes.  Remove from the microwave and drain water.
3. Set a large pan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Add the remaining butter to the pan and let it melt, whisking frequently.  Once it starts to foam, add in the ramp bulbs (not the greens) and cook in the butter for a minute or two.  At this point, the butter will begin to brown and the ramps will get some color on them.  Add in the fiddleheads and the ramp greens and cook for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  
4. Transfer the grits to plates or bowls and top with fiddleheads and ramps.  Be sure to get as much of the butter on top of the dish.

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