Pastas served cold and simply or hot and savory
On this day, July ends, and tomorrow begins the Month of All School Beginnings. Here’s a plea in several categories from a health-conscious mama of two little ones, here called Mama Anonymous. “I am trying to avoid processed foods but not spend all my time in the kitchen. So some easy recipes for healthy dinners would be nice, and also some home-baked snacks that might also double as breakfast bars when we are in a hurry.”
She also reported a disagreement between two of her cousins at the family table: “What is the best protein bar and what is the best protein drink?” He has his favorite, because he read a Best Protein Drink list on the web, and she thinks it’s got way too much sugar to qualify.
PASTA SALAD
Betty Domal wrote to you from Moore County, Tennessee. “Today I am sending a recipe I recently decided to take to our monthly church potluck. While we were eating, my picky 14-year-old grand-nephew said this salad could go home with him. And needless to say, it did.
“It only has three ingredients, although more could be added. It is easy and keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.”
Bow-Tie Pasta Salad
1 (12-ounce) box bow-tie pasta (I use Barilla)
1 (16-ounce) bottle Kraft sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
3⁄4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. (I’m sure fresh grated would be good, but I use the already shredded in the plastic package.) Cook pasta, and drain.
Mix dressing and cheese, and add to pasta. Chill; the colder it is, the better. I make it the day before.
Variations: Italian dressing might work if the sundried tomato can’t be found. You could use mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan, or a mixture of the two. Some things that could be added: cubed or diced cooked ham, chunks of kielbasa, white or yellow cubes of cheese, sliced pepperoni and olives.
MEATBALLS
Here’s Dan Cobb of Soddy-Daisy “in response to your request for Scandinavian meatballs. You referenced a mother’s batter-splattered recipe, which reminded me to go hunt for my mother’s old recipe box. I found this recipe for Norwegian Meatballs, which I remember fondly as a kid. Mom always went for simple in her cooking, as evidenced by this recipe.”
Norwegian Meatballs
4 large eggs, slightly
beaten
1 cup evaporated milk (or
heavy cream)
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1½ cups breadcrumbs ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon nutmeg 2 pounds ground chuck ½ pound ground pork Flour
1 can cream of celery soup ½ cup water
In large bowl, slightly beat eggs, then beat in milk. Stir in onion, crumbs, salt and nutmeg. Add meat; mix well with your hands.
Shape into ping-pong-size balls, roll in flour and put on large greased cookie sheet
Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, put balls in 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
Stir soup and water together in separate bowl. Pour over meatballs.
Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
FROZEN PIEROGIES
There is no need to bake your own pierogies. Michele Brown found them in the frozen section of both Earth Fare and Fresh Market. “Hope this helps the person looking for them.”
ORZO PASTA
There once was an envelope filled with recipes from Carli Snyder, an accomplished cook with an adventurous streak. This is the last recipe in the envelope, served to you like a cook scraping the last spoonful out of a serving dish. Ms. Snyder described this as “an easy but elegant vegetarian dish.”
You may note one unusual ingredient, grana padano, “a hard, slow-ripened, semi-fat, cow’s-milk cheese from Italy, comparable to Parmigiano Reggiano.” So perhaps make a Parmesan substitution if needed.
Mushroom Orzo Pasta
1 large yellow onion, quartered and sliced thinly
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1⁄2 cups orzo (dry)
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 sprigs thyme
1 large clove garlic, crushed
Zest of 1 lemon
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh chives
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil 1 cup chopped walnuts 1⁄3 cup balsamic vinegar Juice of half a lemon
1 cup grana padano, plus
extra for garnish Salt and pepper to taste
Slice and sauté onion in 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat until caramelized. Set aside.
Cook orzo in salted water for 6 minutes. Drain (reserving 1⁄2 cup cooking liquid), and set aside.
Sauté mushrooms in remaining olive oil (2 1⁄2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat until nicely browned. Add a bit of salt, turn down heat and continue cooking until cooked down a bit (5 minutes or so). Add unsalted butter, sprigs of fresh thyme and crushed garlic. Cook over medium-low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes until deeply browned.
In the meantime, add the following ingredients to a large bowl: caramelized onions, reserved 1⁄2 cup pasta water, lemon zest, chives and basil.
When mushrooms are ready, add them to the bowl. (Remove thyme and garlic). Add chopped walnuts to the mushroom pan, and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant. Add walnuts to bowl.
Add balsamic, and deglaze pan. Cook just a minute until balsamic is reduced to a glaze (not too thick — it should still drizzle). Set aside to drizzle over each serving.
Squeeze juice of half a lemon over ingredients in bowl, add grated grana padano, and toss all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a bit of extra cheese shaved on top and some freshly cracked black pepper. You can garnish with some of the fresh herbs too. Drizzle each serving with a bit of balsamic glaze.
JUST A DASH
From Rhonda McDaniel’s Flintstone, Georgia, kitchen came a summertime saver; won’t you send yours too?
“One of my summer time savers is what most people think of in the winter. The crock pot is my go-to for easy summer barbecue. If I’m busy or going to be out all day, I put in a boneless pork or beef roast with some chopped onion and my favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. On the way home, I might pick up some buns and Publix slaw and maybe some cut-up watermelon. I shred the meat and serve. Easy summer meal and no hot kitchen.”
A second to Ms. McDaniel’s idea came from a visit to another kitchen nearby. In this mountain kitchen, the cook put a Boston butt in her 6-quart crock-pot, added soy sauce and mustard and a generous sprinkling of Butt Rub … then a 12-ounce can of Dr Pepper and cooked it on low for seven to eight hours, “until the meat broke apart.” And then she sent a tasting bowl to our house. I commend both the contents and the sender.
Please come back, bearing recipes, any Wednesday including the very next one.