2 Great Quick Recipes

January 10, 2011

Hope you all enjoy these recipes!

Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Salt

1 pound whole-wheat, whole-grain spaghetti, rice or quinoa pasta

1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms-shiitake, crimini, any that catch your eye at market

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 leeks

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup cream

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, for topping

Directions:

Heat water to a boil for the pasta, salt water, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.  Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel and remove woody stems.  Thinly slice the mushrooms.  Heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook until deeply golden and tender, 10 minutes. 

While mushrooms cook, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a couple of inches from tough tops.  Trim off root end.  Thinly slice the leek then vigorously wash in a large bowl of cold water, separating all the layers to free of grit. Let leeks sit a few minutes then lift out of the water and dry on kitchen towel. 

Add leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more then add wine, reduce half a minute then stir in cream and heat through.  Toss pasta with mushrooms and adjust seasoning.  Top with grated cheese at the table. 

Potato and Kale Chips with Lemon Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

Chips:

3 large kale leaves or 2 bunches of kale

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (8-ounce) medium white potatoes, unpeeled

1 (8-ounce) medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled

Mayonnaise:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 a large lemon)

1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1/2 a large lemon)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Chips: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the thick stem from the kale and discard.  Cut the leaves into 2 to 3-inch pieces.  Put them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss well.  Arrange the kale in a single layer on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy and slightly dark on the edges. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife, slice the white potatoes and the sweet potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.  Put them in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss well.  Arrange in a single layer (without overlapping) on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes.  Turn the slices over and continue to bake, checking every 2 minutes until brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes longer.  Season the chips with salt and pepper, to taste.

Mayonnaise: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Transfer all the chips to a large bowl and serve with the mayonnaise.

Cook’s Note 1: Some potato chips will cook faster than others.  Remove the chips from the baking sheets as soon as they become brown and crispy. 

Cook’s Note 2: The recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Cook’s Note 3: Make sure you don’t crowd kale-want them spaced out so they can get crispy.

Hope you enjoy these recipes!

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