Stealing Recipes from the Italian Islands - Sicilian-Style Cauliflower with Whole Wheat Pasta

After coming back from Italy, I was curious to see what actual recipes I could find online that seemed legitimately Italian. Kevin was asking for some "real Italian" one day, so I set about searching and researching various vegetarian-friendly recipes that could possibly emulate some of the cuisine we had in Italy. Surprisingly enough, most of the recipes were the basic Italian-American fare we have all come to know and love; yet I wanted something different. Something that wasn't the basic spaghetti sauce I normally make (which I love, mind you - it was the first meal I ever cooked by myself, at the ripe age of 9). In my search, I did come across some interesting recipes for said spaghetti sauce that entailed simply tomatoes, meat, basil, and a whole heck of a lot of butter - something I've never added to my own sauce, but am now somewhat interested in trying (though a bit hesitant, as it seems like a lot of unneeded extra fat).
However, I did happen to find a few variations of a Sicilian pasta with cauliflower and raisins that sounded interesting.  Granted, Kevin and I did not make it to Sicily or any other southern region of Italy, but what the heck?

I ended up (somewhat) following a recipe from Food Network, as I had most of the ingredients on hand, and overall it seemed relatively simple. Here is the recipe with my revisions.

Sicilian-Style Cauliflower with Whole Wheat Pasta

Kosher salt, as needed, plus 2 teaspoons
1 pound whole-wheat penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
i head cauliflower
1 large shallot, sliced into thin rings
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon capers
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (and lets be honest, I used a lot more than this to top it off)

Boil the penne until al dente and put in a large pasta dish.
Meanwhile, mix the cauliflower, shallots, and garlic with 2-3 Tbs olive oil on a large foil lined baking sheet, and stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Stir once or twice so that the cauliflower browns a bit but the shallots and garlic don't burn.  In a large saucepan or skillet, put the cauliflower, remaining oil, 2 teaspoons salt, water, vinegar, raisins, honey, capers, thyme, bay leaf, fennel seeds, and season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the pine nuts and parsley.
Toss vegetables and pasta together along with the pecorino. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately,adding more cheese at the table if you are like me and always want more cheese.

This was actually pretty good.  All the different flavors - the capers, golden raisins, thyme, fennel - all came together.  It was certainly not "sauce-y" like Kevin generally likes, but overall it was different and yummy.  I served it with roasted green beans fresh from the CSA and focaccia bread. 
Enjoi!

Gotta Get Those Leafy Greens (then massage them)! - Kale Salad

Kale is a fantastic green, but it took me a while to figure out how to cook it, besides maybe throwing it in some soup or making kale chips (which I still definitely continue to do).  But it's perhaps only been in the last year that I started expanding my kale recipe repertoire.

In the last year, though, I have learned a few things, one of them being that I don't like having to chop wet greens of any type.  Unfortunately, there aren't many recipes that call for an entire leaf of kale or other green, nor do many call for dirty greens.  So I guess I'll have to get over that one. Another thing I learned is that I prefer raw kale in a salad, but only if it has been massaged.  Yes, I said massaged.  Kale is a tough leaf, but just like anyone, it relaxes after a good massage.  This makes it more manageable to eat because it breaks down some of that toughness (almost so that it seems as if it's been blanched or steamed), but keeps all those glorious flavors and nutrients it has for us.
One of Kevin's favorite recipes - and mine, for which a large portion is due to the fact that it is so.damn.easy - is a simple raw kale salad.  It can go with a vast majority of main dishes, but definitely provides good flavor, and again, is great for you. I came up with this after eating the kale dish at Whole Foods, but did not want to steam the kale.  After looking online for a good hour or so and comparing other people's recipes and ideas, I went for straightforward and simple, with a massage.

Kale Salad with Sesame and Tamari

1 bunch kale, destemmed and chopped (this may look like alot, but it'll relax after it's massage)
3Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
red pepper flakes, to taste

Wash and pat-dry the kale, then de-stem and chop into bite sized pieces, put into a large bowl and set aside.   In a small bowl, whisk the oil, tamari, ginger, and garlic together.  Pour over the kale, and proceed to massage the kale.  You do this by basically kneading the leaves in the bowl with your hands, covering each piece with the dressing and rubbing it into the leaves.

Put the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, until you can smell the toastiness. Remove from the heat, and add to the kale salad.  Sprinkle some red pepper flakes over the salad and mix again.

I like to let the salad marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before eating. That way all the flavors come together.
Enjoi!

A Cozy Soup for a Cozy Day - Dutch Onion Potato Soup

I'm not actually a huge "soup person", but there are certain soups and certain recipes that I can get behind, especially in the Fall/Winter, when I just want to curl up on my couch with a big quilt and a yummy dinner.  One of my favorites since I was a child was Dutch Onion Potato Soup.  It's warm and cheesy, and has a very distinct fall flavor to it (due in part to the beer, I assume).  I made it for Kevin the other day, and we were able to finish the entire pot in 2 days....normally I end up freezing soup, but I did not want to do that with this one because of the cheese - I wasn't sure how it would turn out frozen.  So it was a good thing that this soup hit the spot for the two of us this week and we were able to finish it off quickly. 

Dutch Onion Potato Soup

1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. oil
1 1/2 - 2 c. sliced (or chopped) onion
1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 c. broth
2 c. water
1 1/2 c. (12 oz.) beer
4 c. diced potato
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Saute onions in butter and oil until onions are soft and golden brown, stirring often.

Sprinkle flour over onions and stir; continue cooking or 1-2 minutes.  Slowly add broth, water, and beer; stir and bring to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.
This is also when, if you're me, you open another bottle of beer specifically for yourself as you cook. 

The type of beer you use is entirely up to you and your tastes.  This time I used a pumpkin beer and it turned out really well - you could taste the flavor without it being overpowering.

Add diced potatoes to boiling liquid mixture.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 35-40 minutes, until potatoes are very tender.
Mash potatoes into broth, if desired.  Remove from heat and add cheese and pepper.  Reheat briefly to serve.  Do not boil!  Serves 4.

Don't judge me for the horrible presentation - I forgot to take a picture of the finished soup, so this is the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Enjoi!

Tomatoes Out Our Ears - Baked Tomatoes

Fall is here!  I love this time of year - it's my favorite season, and the chilly morning air, sweaters and boots, harvest veggies, and smell of campfire make it AWESOME.  It is also the end of summer, where my tomato plants no longer stand tall, but are bent over, heavy with fruit that I am not sure will make it to ripen or not. So we have been picking them like crazy, and everyone else seems to have the same idea.  We had some friends give us a huge crate of them, and of course, the CSA basket is always full of them each week.  I have canned spaghetti sauce and salsa, made a million salads, caprese pasta, and we STILL have tomatoes coming out of our ears.
Last night I made Baked Tomatoes, which is the easiest possible side dish to make, yet brings out the amazing flavor of a good tomato. It also goes well with pretty much anything.

Baked Tomatoes:
It does not matter how many tomatoes you use, so take your pick.  I normally eat one half or one full tomato during a meal; Kevin can eat up to 2 full tomatoes himself.  I made 3 tomatoes last night (6 halves).

Tomatoes
1 tsp Olive Oil per tomato
pinch of Basil (fresh or dried) per tomato
1 Tbs Parmesan Cheese, grated (optional) per tomato
Salt & Pepper

Simply slice your tomatoes in half horizontally (so there is a top half and a bottom half).  There is no need to core them, just wash and cut.  Put the tomato halves in a baking dish, and pour the olive oil over the tomato halves.  Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using parmesan (I did not last night because we didn't have any, but I do many times because everything is better with cheese), sprinkle that on top as well.  Bake the tomatoes for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Enjoi!