Clams Casino Pasta

I’m a huge fan of clams casino and will often order it when it is on a restaurant menu.  I mean, what’s not to love … clams, bacon, peppers, butter, garlic …

**wipes drool from lips**

Ahem, sorry about that.  Anyway, I came across this recipe on How Sweet It Is the other day and couldn’t wait to make it.

This pasta dish is wonderful and tastes just like clams casino!  It was easy to put together and the flavor is really outstanding.  We’ll definitely make this again soon!

INGREDIENTS
2T. Olive oil or bacon grease
1/2C. Chopped red peppers
1/2C. Chopped onions
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Minced clams in clam juice, 13 ounces total
1/2C. Dry white wine
1T. Butter
4 Slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2lb. Pasta of choice
1/4C. Parmesan cheese + more for garnish
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil (or, if your bacon isn’t already cooked, cook the bacon first and reserve a little of the grease to use when cooking the veggies).  Add chopped onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Add in both cans of clams + juice and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add white wine and let mixture simmer for about 5 full minutes.  Stir in butter.

Turn heat down to low and add cooked linguine. Toss to allow the noodles to soak up the sauce. Add Parmesan cheese, crumbled bacon and parsley.

Serve with additional Parmesan.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “I wanted to write a haiku about this dish, but it just wasn’t happening tonight – just know I loved it enough to spend 5 minutes trying to write a clams casino haiku.“

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Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto

Usually, when I browse through my monthly Bon Appetit magazine, I pull out multiple recipes I want to try.  This month…not so much…but I did find one that looked very tasty.

It was suggested that this pasta dish be served as an appetizer, but it looked hearty enough for a main dish so we decided it would make a great Sunday dinner.  And, we were right!  It was very very tasty!

Usually in a recipe like this, I admit, I cheat and use frozen corn.  But, there was some great-looking corn at the farmer’s market this weekend so I decided to go with fresh.  It’s totally worth it!  If you have access to fresh corn, use that.  You won’t regret it.

INGREDIENTS
4 Bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4C. Fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4t. Kosher salt
3/4t. Freshly ground black pepper
1/2C. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3C. Pine nuts, toasted
1/3C. Extra-virgin olive oil
8oz. Tagliatelle
3/4C. Coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

DIRECTIONS
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1T. drippings from skillet.

Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4t. salt, and 3/4t. pepper to drippings in skillet.  Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes.  Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve.  Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor.  Add 1/2C. Parmesan and pine nuts.  With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth.  Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain, reserving 1 1/2C. pasta cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.  Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2C. basil leaves.  Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes.  Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon.  Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – Really tasty!  Could have used more bacon, though.

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Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

I’ve never been a big fan of scones.  I prefer my sweets after dinner, and not at breakfast.

So, I was very excited to see this recipe for a savory scone on Pink Parsley (recipe is originally from The Pastry Queen cookbook).

I whipped these up last night for brinner (for those of you not in the know … having breakfast for dinner = brinner).  Served warm along side runny eggs  for dipping and a chilly fruit salad and it was the perfect meal!

Next time I think I’ll roll these out just a little thinner…they were quite thick.  Otherwise, I have no changes.  They were great!

INGREDIENTS
3C. All-purpose flour
1T. Baking powder
1t. Salt
2t. Freshly ground black pepper
1/2C. (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2c. Grated cheddar cheese (I used soy cheese)
4 Green onions, thinly sliced
10 Slices of bacon, diced and cooked; then drained of fat
3/4 – 1 1/2C. Buttermilk (I used soy milk)
1 Large egg
2T. Water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Combine on low speed. Gradually add the butter cubes as the mixer is still running, until the mixture is crumbly and studded with butter-flour bits (about the size of small peas).  Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Add the bacon, green onions, and 3/4C. of the butter milk.  Mix by hand until all the ingredients are incorporated.  If the dough will not hold together and is too dry, add buttermilk 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with each addition.  Do this until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball (I ended up using1C. + 1T. total).  Do not overwork the dough, or the scones will not be light and tender.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Pat into a ball, and roll into an 8-inch circle that is about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges for more substantial scones, or 10 wedges for smaller scones.

Combine the egg and water in a small bowl.

Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet, and brush each scone with the egg wash.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Best scone I’ve ever had.”

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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions

This week pork tenderloins were on sale at our local grocery store.  Score!  I had some bacon in the house that I needed to use up – that’s where this dish was born.

This pork was wonderful and so easy!  And…let’s face it…everything is better with bacon.  We are absolutely going to be making this again soon.

INGREDIENTS
1 1lb. Pork Tenderloin
6 Strips of Bacon
Black Pepper
Granulated Garlic

DIRECTIONS
Slice pork tenderloin into medallions approximately 1.5″ thick.

Wrap each medallion with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Sprinkle each piece with fresh cracked black pepper and granulated garlic.

Grill until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.  Rest 5 minutes and serve.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – Very good, wish the bacon was crispier.

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Smokey Black Bean Soup

Every winter my office holds their annual Soup Off.  A few people bring in crock pots of soup and all the employees taste and judge.  Last year I won the coveted “Golden Ladle Award” (a cheesy spray painted award that the winner gets to keep in his/her office for the year) with this spicy black bean soup.  I saw the recipe on Dave Lieberman’s show “Good Deal with Dave Lieberman” and made a few tweaks.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
10 Slices Bacon, finely chopped
2 Medium Onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 Garlic Cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) Can Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2C Canned Chopped Tomatoes
2T Ketchup
2t Worcestershire sauce
1T Chili Powder
1t Ground Cumin
4 (15 1/2-ounce) Cans Black Beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
1 Bunch Cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
2C Small Pasta of your choice (I like elbows)
Scallions, Cheddar Cheese and/or Sour Cream for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat.  Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, cumin and chili powder.  Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook until the soup is thickened, about 7 minutes (until the pasta is al dente).

Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

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