Farro Salad with Butternut Squash and Ricotta Salata

Brady's sister made a delicious farro and butternut squash dish at Christmas from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  After the holidays, I went onto the Smitten Kitchen blog and came across what I think is the same recipe. If it's not the same, it is very similar. I have been on a quinoa kick for a while now but I am definitely going to start making more farro recipes. I loved the nutty flavor that it has and it's super quick to make. Not only was the farro salad perfect for a healthy yet hearty vegetarian dinner but it made for great leftovers to bring in my lunch all week.

Picture courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. I forgot to take a picture.

Farro Salad with Butternut Squash and Ricotta Salata
*** adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4-6
Prep/Cook Time:  1 hour

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes
4 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 c. quick cooking farro
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. ricotta salata, crumbled (you could also use feta)
1 T. sherry vinegar
1 T. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 small red onion, finally chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread the squash onto the baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, cook farro according to the package directions. Drain and cool slightly.

While squash is roasting and the farro is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the sherry, water, salt, and sugar. Stir in the onion and cover and refrigerate until needed.

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked farro, roasted squash, walnuts, and ricotta salata. Add in the red onion mixture, including the liquid. Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve warm or can be served cold later on in the week.

Pasta with Braised Pork and Red Wine

Before the holidays Andrew Zimmern posted the below recipe on Twitter. Brady forwarded the recipe to me and it was instantly added to the "must make soon" list. Andrew Zimmern is probably best known for his Bizarre Foods shows but there is nothing bizarre about this recipe. The ingredient list, while it appears long, is basic and the flavor that the pork gets after simmering for a couple of hours in the red wine is fantastic.

Pasta with Braised Pork and Red Wine
*** from Andrew Zimmern's blog

Serves 6
Prep/Cook Time: 2 hours

2 T. olive oil
1/2 pound pancetta, diced
3 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
salt and pepper
3 sage leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
1 small onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 leek, white and green parts only, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 c. chicken stock
2 c. dry red wine
1 14oz can of tomato puree
1 pound tubular pasta such as Ziti
freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

In a large dutch oven or cast iron pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until the fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a medium bowl.

Season the pork with salt and pepper and add half of it to the pan. Cook over moderately high heat until richly browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to the bowl with the pancetta. Repeat with remaining pork.

Add the herbs to the pan along with the onion, carrot, celery, leek and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Return the pancetta and pork shoulder to the pan and simmer over moderately low heat until liquid is almost fully evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the stock and tomato puree and return to a boil. Cover and simmer the sauce over moderately low heat for 1 hour, until the meat is very tender.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain. Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce and discard the herb stems. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and toss until well-coated. Serve with grated cheese.

Rosemary Sriracha Roast Chicken

I thought I posted the below recipe earlier in the week but apparently I forgot to hit the publish button, oops!
 
It's been one of those days. I can't say it's not partially my fault though. I let 27 second graders eat birthday doughnuts at 9:30am. I paid the consequence the rest of the day. If that wasn't enough, I also had the brilliant idea to do an art project with glitter...

That being said, I am running out of steam this evening. Before I crash on the couch I wanted to share the below recipe. I made this for dinner last week and it was a big hit. The chicken had tons of flavor and I loved that most of the ingredients I already had on hand. The marinade has what seems to me like a strange combination of ingredients but somehow it works. 

Rosemary Sriracha Roast Chicken

Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes, 1 hour to marinate
Cook Time: 40 minutes

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)


In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread any marinade remaining in the bag over the chicken. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Then broil on high for 4 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.

Rosemary and Garlic Pork Roast

Sunday is the perfect day for cooking a comforting meal that requires a little more time than most weeknights allow. I love to cook a more hearty home-style meal on Sunday nights to gear us up for a busy work week.  Right before the holidays I made the below pork roast. Despite the minimal ingredients that went into the dish the flavor in the pork was fantastic. 

A a side note, the below rosemary garlic marinade works great on grilled pork tenderloin as well. I tested it out while in Florida over Christmas and the grilled pork was a big hit.

Rosemary and Garlic Pork Roast
Adapted from Jo Cooks

Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 1/2 hours

3 lb pork loin
1/8 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
4 cloves garlic cut in half
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp dry rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.

In a small bowl mix the olive oil, minced garlic, chili flakes, rosemary, and the salt and pepper.

Cut small slits in the meat and stuff them with the garlic halves. Place the pork loin in a roasting pan covered with a little olive oil. Rub the pork with the olive oil/rosemary rub thoroughly.

Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake the pork loin in the oven with the aluminum foil for 45 minutes then remove the foil and continue baking for another 45 minutes.

Remove meat from the oven and place the pork on a cutting board. Cover the meat completely with aluminum foil and let it rest for about 15 minutes before cutting it and serving it.

Snickerdoodle Bread

I'm back! I took a little blog vacation while we worked on some wedding details. We've been busy the past couple months meeting with photographers, DJ's, florists, etc. Now that all of the big stuff is out of the way, I hope to be better about blogging, and cooking (dinners have been pretty boring lately).

Each year I look forward to holiday baking. This year, I made Christmas cookies with a few of my students who won a holiday baking date with me at a school auction. We made sugar cookies, spritz cookies, and dipped pretzels. After 2 hours of baking with three 7 year olds I decided that was enough holiday baking for me. Then I came across a recipe on Pinterest for Snickerdoodle Bread. How could bread that tastes like a Snickerdoodle not be amazing??? Turns out it is just as amazing as it sounds plus it makes the kitchen smell awesome!

The bread isn't moldy I promise, it's just lots of cinnamon sugar goodness!

Snickerdoodle Bread
* Makes two loaves

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
1 pkg Hershey's Cinnamon Chips
3 T. sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

In a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Add vanilla and yogurt and mix well. Add the flour and baking powder slowly and mix well. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Set aside.

Spoon batter into 2  loaf pans until about 2/3 full. Mix 3 T. sugar and 3 t. cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan (I only used about half of this mixture). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

Italian Wedding Soup

It's official, we have a wedding date! Last week we secured our reception venue and a church. We were able to put two huge check marks on the wedding to-do list which was such a great feeling. In celebration, I decided to make Italian Wedding Soup, it just seemed fitting. I love this recipe for Italian Wedding Soup. This soup is full of vegetables and the meatballs add so much flavor. The recipe makes a big pot of soup so it will cover a couple of dinners and lunches.

** A word to the wise, the meatballs are delicious so I recommend throwing a handful of the them in the freezer to use for a last minute spaghetti dinner.

Italian Wedding Soup
Makes 8-10 servings

1 rotisserie chicken, chicken removed and shredded
6 cups chicken broth
15-20 medium sized meatballs (recipe listed below)
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo pasta
salt and pepper to taste
parsley
1 bag of spinach or escarole
fresh Paremsan or Romano cheese, grated

In a large soup pot, combine the broth, carrots, celery, and onion.Bring to a boil. Add the shredded chicken and whole wheat orzo pasta. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley to taste. Add the meatballs and the spinach. Simmer for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese.

Easy Italian Meatballs
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup panko or bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 T. chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. fennel seed

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the beef in a large bowl and add the bread crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, but lightly, with your hands. Form the mixture into 15-20 medium sized meatballs. Put on a shallow baking sheet covered with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.

Panko Parmesan Tilapia

I came up with the below recipe for panko parmesan tilapia earlier this week and I have honestly had it for dinner 3 of the 4 nights this week. I'm always a little unsure about frozen fish but I tried the frozen tilapia from Trader Joe's for the first time and thought it tasted great, plus it's cheap and easy to defrost at the last minute for a quick weeknight meal. I served the tilapia with asparagus that I roasted on the same pan as the fish. I just tossed the asparagus in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasted it for 10 minutes. I pulled out the pan, added the fish and then cooked an addition 10-12 minutes. Dinner in 20 minutes and one pan, can't get much easier than that!

Panko Parmesan Tilapia

2 tilapia fillets
1/2 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
dash of salt and pepper
dash of oregano
dash of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan, and seasonings.

Cover a baking sheet with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Place the tilapia fillets on the baking sheet and then cover with the panko mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until flaky.