Pasta Verde (Spinach) Tossed with Olive Oil, Garlic & Peperoncini and a Spring Green Tablescape

Spring has sprung!

Along with springtime, spinach is arriving in Southern gardens just in time to make some fresh spinach pasta!   Making pasta is so easy . . . and fun too!  You'd never know that including spinach in your pasta is healthier for you, because the taste is just as delicious as regular egg-and-flour-alone pasta.  A great thing about making your own pasta is that you can dry it and freeze it to use on those busy days when you want to have dinner on the table in a flash.  

You can enjoy these lovely sage green noodles in a rich Bolognese sauce or in a lighter sauce such as presented here:  olive oil, garlic, and dried red pepper flakes.  

Fast, delicious and good for your health!

For a perfect spring themed tables cape, use a lot of green in your place mats, napkins, and in this case, plate chargers with an old, used appearance.  Underneath the dinnerware are natural colored woven place mats that give a nice balance to all of the green in the tablescape.

a variety of textures adds interest to the place setting

when using a lot of pattern in your table linens, 

keep your dishes, flatware, and glassware simple 

always mix and match patterns

Pasta Verde

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, preferably Italian type 00.
extra flour for dusting the rolling surface
2 jumbo eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked, drained and chopped fresh spinach

Place the flour in a mound on top of the table or counter.
Form a well in the middle of the mound.
Add the eggs and spinach in the center well.
Slowly mix everything together.
Knead for a few minutes, adding a little bit of flour if the dough is too wet.
Shape the dough into a ball and let rest for about 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Use a pasta machine to roll out the dough to your desired shape and thickness.
Or if you are fortunate, use an Italian 'chitarra' to create spaghetti or linguine noodle shapes.

Olive Oil, Garlic, and Peperoncini Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and about 1/4 stick of butter
2 large cloves garlic, mince
1/3 tsp. dried red pepper flakes (peperoncini)
grated Parmigiana Reggiano cheese (for garnish)

In a medium saucepan, on low heat, saute the garlic in olive oil.  
Do not burn.
Add the peperoncini and mix well.
Place the sauce in a large pasta bowl.
Drain the pasta and then pour the pasta into the bowl with the sauce (using a wee bit of pasta water still in the pasta).
Toss very well.
Serve and pass the cheese around the table to your guests.

you can also have a little bowl of dried red pepper flakes 

to pass around to your guests who may want a little more 'heat' in the sauce!

adding a few teapots crafted in the shape of spring lettuce

adds an extra touch of seasonal charm to the tablescape.

I've shared this spring time pasta recipe on Foodie Friday

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Down and Dirty Martini

Green beer for St. Patrick's Day?  

Not a chance!  Just way to "college party" for me!  

Give me a rich, deep, olive green dirty Martini any day to celebrate 'anything'!  Nothing could be finer!  Even while attending college, I never could get into all of the crazy partying on St. Patrick's Day.  Rather, I have always chosen to think of St. Patrick with reverence for his spiritual mission on earth.  

St. Patrick may have been a jolly Irishman, but I don't think he got crazy drunk.

If I am going to give a respectful salute' to St. Patrick (or to anyone), I shall do it with the infamous and venerable Martini in all it's perfect simplicity!  And on top of that, my Martini will be colored green from the addition of the delicious juices that come from green olives!

With at least three huge, jumbo olives tossed in, thank you very much!

Have you ever wondered about where this infamous cocktail originated?  Was it in Italy due to it's Italian name?  This would surely be a great trivia question at a cocktail party wouldn't it?   I did a little bit of research for all of us, because even I didn't know and was extremely curious.  

Originally made of gin (which now gives me a pounding headache), the Martini is now even more popular when mixed with a high quality vodka (note:  emphasis is on high quality), which Martini purists would call a "Bradford".

Originally mixed in 1862 in San Francisco, California, USA (that's right, it's not from Italy . . . but the vermouth is!), it was mixed with much more vermouth which has been significantly reduced today:  five (5) parts vodka or gin to one (1) part Italian vermouth, then shaken or stirred with ice (there's much debate over that process too), and is always served 'straight up' in a beautiful Martini glass named specifically for the Martini itself!

Many debate about the amount of Italian vermouth to add to the mix:  the drier the Martini, the less amount of vermouth is added.  I discovered that some mixologists will add the vermouth to the ice in the shaker, shake it up a bit and then strain out the excess vermouth so that it just graces the final mixture.  

Sounds good to me!

"Shaken, not stirred" stated the gorgeous eye-candy James Bond.   This debate is based on one band of Martini enthusiasts who believe that the shaken mixture 'bruises' the alcohol and waters down the final cocktail.  But others believe that all of that shaking and theatric drama adds life and oxygen to the cocktail, blends the vermouth in better, and ignites the final taste!

I totally agree . . . I'll have what James Bond is having!  Shake it until it is ice cold!  Mr. Bond also made the vodka Martini more popular.  Hey, he has been one smart guy!

Along with James Bond, the likes of Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Clark Gable and "Hawkeye" from **MASH** (the hit American TV show) proclaimed to the other military doctors "I'm pursuing my lifelong quest for the perfect, the absolutely driest Martini to be found in this or any other world".

For whatever reason, the Martini lost popularity in the 70's and 80's, but became wildly popular in the last two decades with the explosion of the revived cocktail revolution today where there is a dizzying array of creative cocktails to choose from.  Along with olives, mixologists now add sun-dried tomatoes, slivers of lemons, herbs, and capers . . . the list of possibilities is simply endless!  With the creation of numerous flavored vodkas, the versions for the famous Martini are limited only to one's imagination!

Dirty Vodka Martini

lots of ice
3 shots Grey Goose vodka
1/2 shot of brine (juice) from cocktail olives
1 dash Italian Martini & Rossi extra dry vermouth
3 jumbo pimento/garlic/blue cheese stuffed green olives (provide a variety for your guest)

Fill a metal martini shaker with ice.
Add the vodka, vermouth and olive brine.
Close the shaker tightly and shake it for a long time until liquid condensates on the outside of the shaker.
Place 3 olives in the bottom of a martini glass.
Strain the vodka, olive brine and vermouth mixture into each martini glass over the olives.
Serve chilled immediately.

Double, triple or quadruple for your lucky friends and family to enjoy with you!

Salute' to St. Patrick!

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Salisbury Steak with Porcini Mushrooms

 

My mother has been preparing the most kick-butt-awesome Salisbury Steak with an Italian twist for years . . . (translation:  lots of garlic!) and I just had to make it tonight.  Oh my goodness, this recipe just never fails to deliver a mouthful of flavors that you simply can't stop eating!    Porcini mushrooms in a savory, golden mushroom sauce poured over beef patties (and in this version of her recipe I also added ground turkey) filled with green peppers, onions, sauteed mushrooms and garlic:  Heavenly!

This time I made it with half ground turkey to try and make it healthier . . . you'd never know this was added!  I swear!  

I also added Porcini mushrooms along with already required baby portabello mushrooms.  Using the broth from reconsituting the dried Porcini mushrooms enhances this incredible flavor to another level!  SO GOOD!  

If it is still a typically cold or chilly March day where you live, you'll love what my husband describes as "perfect comfort food".

You won't be disappointed with this entree . . . pinkie promise!

 Salisbury Steak with Porcini Mushrooms

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

8 oz. porcini mushrooms, dried (you will reconstitute them in hot water)

2 small containers of fresh baby portabello mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 cup Italian parsley, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 jumbo egg

1 jumbo egg white

3/4 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

4 cans (10-3/4 oz.) golden mushroom soup

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 can low-salt beef broth plus 1 Tbsp. beef bouillon ("Better Than Bouillon" paste in a jar)   

Garnish:  1/2 cup Italian parsley, minced

In hot water, place the dried porcini mushrooms to reconstitute.  Do NOT throw away the darkened water after they are soft . . . this is full of flavor stuff!

In a large skillet, cook the onion in olive oil until golden brown.  Set aside.

In the same large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and about 4 - 6 Tbsp. of the porcini mushroom water.

Saute both the Porcini mushrooms and the baby portabello mushrooms for about 5 - 10 minutes until browned . . . adding more Porcini mushroom water as needed to keep them moist.

Add the Italian parsley to the mushrooms and saute for one more minute.

Add two cloves of minced garlic and saute for a few more minutes. 

Remove the cooked mushrooms, parsley and garlic from the skillet and place HALF of them on a cutting board.  Set aside the other half of mushroom mixture (for the sauce).

Chop up the one half of mushroom/parsley/garlic mixture.

In a large bowl mix the following: ground beef, ground turkey, egg, egg white, bread crumbs, half of the browned, chopped onions, chopped green pepper, and the mushroom mixture you just chopped up (leaving the other half for the sauce!)

Mix together very well.

Form large patties of this beef/turkey/mushroom mixture.

In a separate medium size bowl, mix the golden mushroom soup, beef broth mixed with the beef bouillon, one half of the sauteed onions and dried onion soup mix.  Blend well and set aside.

Place in the large skillet with the remaining unchopped mushroom mixture around the outsides of the skillet.

Place the meat patties in the center of the skillet to brown thoroughly on both sides on medium to low heat.

Remove the browned patties and the mushroom mixture; place in a large baking dish that will go to in the oven.

Pour the golden mushroom soup mixture all over the meat patties and the sauteed mushroom mixture.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

click below for the complete photo step-by-step instructions

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