Penne Pasta with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

Peggy responded to my plea for easy and tasty recipes for Penny with a pasta dish that Deb passed on to her. I must apologize for not including a pasta recipe until now since it is a mainstay in most homes.  This one is bold. The olives and feta cheese wake up your taste buds.  If these ingredients appeal to you ( I love them) then definitely give this dish a try.  It doesn't get any easier than this. 

It is wonderful to see how recipes get passed on from person to person.  I don't know if 

Deb just threw this together one day or got the recipe from someone else. She is a very experimental and brave cook. Peggy tasted it, loved it and now makes it in her home.  Since Peggy is now in Florida, it's probably making the rounds down there. Who knows, maybe Ariella will pass it on to her family in Israel. 

I will be leaving for Berlin for one week so there will not be any postings for a while unless I can figure out how to do that from across the Atlantic.  I must admit that I am not looking forward to German cuisine. The most famous dish in Berlin is curried sausages, which does not appeal to me. Well, I heard that the Turkish food there is delish.

1 lb. penne pasta

2 cups diced tomatoes ( or 14 ounces diced tomatoes)

2/3 cup chopped scallions (use some greens)- 2 bunches

1 small package feta cheese

1 cup Kalamata olives

1/4 cup olive oil (or more)

pepper

Chop tomatoes, scallions, feta and olives.. Mix all in a large bowl.  Pour hot pasta over vegetables and cheese.  Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, or more if you wish, and season to taste with pepper.

The leftovers taste great  the next day at room temperature.

Konnten sie bitte langsamer sprechen.

Black Bean Salad with Avocado and Red Pepper

I have a serious addiction to avocados and love to find new ways to use them. I also have a thing for black beans, so putting the two together makes perfect sense to me. The lime and chile flavors pair beautifully with the ingredients in this refreshing and colorful salad, which can be served throughout the year. The salad goes wonderfully with broiled fish or chicken, pork tenderloin and even as a main dish with some cheese and crusty bread. If that isn't enough, it can be made way in advance. The recipe was adapted from The Carefree Cook by Rick Rodgers.

Serves 4

Grated zest of 1 lime

1 tbl. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 garlic clove, crushed through a press

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 15-19 ounce can black beans, very well drained and rinsed

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1 inch dice

1 roasted red pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut into 1/2 inch dice (see Notes)

salt and freshly ground back pepper to taste

To make the dressing, pulse the lime zest and juice, sugar, chili powder and garlic in a blender to combine. With the blender on, gradually add the oil through the top vent. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the beans, red onion, avocado, and red pepper and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours, before serving. Season with additional lime juice, salt and pepper before serving.

Notes: The salad can be made one day in advance.

The blender is not essential for the dressing, which can be made by hand.

Many canned black beans are mushy and salty. The brand that I like best is Eden Organic.

Hass avocados are smallish with a dark, pebbly skin. If not available, substitute a smooth skinned avocado.

If you don't have a roasted red pepper just add a diced uncooked red pepper.

Grandma Keller's Persimmon Pudding

It's time to take a break from the stresses of locating quick and delicious recipes for Penny and change gears completely. I received this recipe from Steve.  He grew up in the south and persimmon pudding was a treasured family treat.  What is especially amazing about receiving a recipe from Steve is that in the 35 years that I've know him, the only food I have seen him prepare is coffee. I have also seen him cutting slices of cake in the kitchen. That is it.  

It is difficult to get persimmons in NY now but I will definitely try this in the fall. Here is the whole message from Steve:

"In honor of your new blog I'm sending you Grandma Keller's secret recipe for persimmon pudding.  One of the two foods of memory when visiting her over summer holidays.  The other was her homemade ice cream. Haven't had it since but my sister has tried the recipe recently with good results.  I'm sure you can find persimmons in NY somewhere.  Grandma had her own persimmon tree."

2 cups fresh persimmon pulp

Beat in

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 to 1 1/2 cups flour ( 1 1/2 cups if very juicy)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup melted butter

2 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

Bake in a greased 9x9 inch dish @ 325 for 1 hour until firm.

Serve with whipped cream 

Can you imagine having a persimmon tree in your backyard? 

Turkey Meatloaf

A call went out to all blog followers and supporters for easy and tasty dishes for Penny to have when she visits with Elissa, Jean Marc and little Sophie.  The recipes are beginning to flow in. Elaine responded with a recipe for a comforting turkey meatloaf which I know her family loves.  It sounds like just the right kind of dinner to serve to exhausted new parents (and their helpers).  The meatloaf would be wonderful with smashed potatoes and stir fried carrots. Or skip the carrots, make a salad and call it a day.  If you have enough energy, break out the Edy's slow churned ice cream for dessert.

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 egg

1 8 oz. can no salt added tomato sauce

seltzer

bread crumbs

parsley flakes

garlic powder

dried onion or onion powder

any other seasoning you like

fresh ground pepper

Elaine writes "Mix it all together.  The amounts of seltzer and breadcrumbs are not an exact science.  It is "to feel".

Shape it in a log and bake for approximately 60 minutes.  I cover it with ketchup before I bake it because that is how my family likes it.  Bake at 350"

Please help Penny

Please see the most recent post re Penny's request for simple, delicious recipes for her stay in Maryland.  If you have any to share, please try to put them in the comments section underneath this post or email to me and I will post. It will be fun to see what we come up with. 

Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze

Penny and Bernard will soon be spending some time in the Washington area helping out their niece Elissa and her husband Jean Marc care for little Sophie.  Penny asked for a few dinner recipes that everyone would enjoy and she could prepare without a big fuss.  

How does  this one sound, Penny? I  found it on Epicurious.com and made a few changes. Over 100 reviewers raved about this dish and how easy it is to prepare. Let's hope Sophie likes balsamic vinegar.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tbls. fresh lemon juice

4 tsps. light brown sugar

4 (6 ounce) center cut salmon fillets

2 tsps. vegetable oil

Stir together vinegar, water, lemon juice and brown sugar.

Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper

Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.  Increase heat to high and sear salmon, skin sides up, until well browned, about 4 minutes.  Turn fish over and sear until just cooked through, about 6 minutes more. 

Transfer salmon to plates and carefully add vinegar mixture to skillet (liquid will bubble vigorously and steam).  Simmer, stirring until thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes more.

Spoon glaze over salmon.

Serves 4

Notes: One reviewer simplified things even more by cooking the salmon in the oven (450) and spooning the glaze on towards the end of cooking.

How about serving basmati rice to soak up the delicious glaze along with stir fried zucchini and red pepper with parsley? This would be a delicious and visually stunning meal. If another vegetable in the market looks more appealing, go with it.  

  

Yellow Rice with Carrots, Raisins and Sesame Seeds

I love the flavors of Indian food. I look for cookbooks in the library on Indian cuisine and try all kinds of recipes or do my own improvisations with the ingredients I have on hand. This recipe comes from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook whose title I didn't make note of.  Ms. Jaffrey's style is relaxed and informal, which fits me just fine. The rice is beautiful and goes well with chicken or fish. My version calls for brown basmati rice, which Henry and I both prefer.

2 cups brown basmati rice

2 tbl. vegetable oil

1 stick cinnamon, 1 inch long

1/4 tsp. celery seed

2 tsps. sesame seeds

1 tbl. golden raisins

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Measure out rice and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over a medium flame.  When hot, put in the cinnamon and celery seeds.  Stir once and put in the sesame seeds.  Stir once and put in the raisins.  Stir once and quickly put in the rice, carrot, turmeric and salt.  Saute the rice for 1-2 minutes or until it turns translucent, turning the heat down a bit if it sticks.  Now add 2 2/3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly, turn heat to very low and cook for about 35 minutes or until done. Turn off heat and let pot sit, covered, for 5 minutes.  Mix gently and remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Serves 6

Notes: I use Lundberg rice which does not need rinsing or soaking beforehand. Some basmati rice requires washing in several changes of water, draining and then covering well with water to soak for 30 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly before using. Read the directions.

I often add a can of well drained black beans to the rice during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Consider cooking extra so that you can turn the leftover rice into rice salad the next day.