Sping on a plate

**recipes as previously published in the daily vanguard**

Hello! I know it's been awhile, and I apologize. I went on a mental and physical vacation to my hometown in Sonoma County, California. Meyer lemons, beautiful family, and 75 degree weather made it extremely hard to bring myself back to Oregon, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Another event that occurred on my vacation was a visit to Michael Chairello's restaurant, Bottega in Yountville. I don't review restaurants on my blog but this may have been some of the best Italian food I've ever had.
My main course was a pan-fried gnocchi with a heaping serving of spring vegetables and a creamy fonduta sauce. The colors on the plate were electric greens and oranges and the tastes were so fresh you'd think the veggies were picked that morning.
Here is my inspired recipe from the dish, minus the Fonduta add creamy goat cheese crumbles (a favorite ingredient of mine).
And following that, I have artichoke my way, a seasonal and fun food to eat. As Mr. Chiarello says,Buon Appetito.

Shells and spring veggies
Feel free to add any of your favorite spring vegetables—sugar snap peas would work well here also.


Ingredients
1 leek, cleaned and sliced into half moons
6 medium sized carrots (green tops removed) cut into slices
4 tablespoons of garlic and chive pesto (purchased from Pesto Outside The Box, a vendor at the PSU Farmer’s Market)
1 cup of whole wheat or regular shell pasta
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Zest from one Meyer lemon
2 tablespoons of goat cheese crumbles
Sprinkle of salt
Dash of fresh ground pepper

Method
Bring a medium saucepan filled with water and a sprinkle of sea salt to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat, add olive oil.
When olive oil is hot, add carrot slices. Sprinkle with salt, grind pepper and let the carrots cook in oil for a few minutes.

Add pasta to water and cook according to package directions.
Next, add leeks to skillet, stir with spatula and add spices as needed. Sauté for 8–10 minutes at medium heat.

When pasta is ready and carrots are crisp tender, mix the pasta into the skillet.
Add pesto, goat cheese crumbles and zest.
Serve with lemon slices, serves 1–2 people.


Artichoke with lemon dill crema
This is a classic preparation of a vegetable that’s as fun to eat as it is tasty. If serving with pasta, make sure to start the artichoke earlier than the pasta. They often take a long time to become tender.

Ingredients:
1 artichoke, trimmed of dirty leaves and stem removed
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Crema:
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of dill
Juice from one Meyer lemon
1 teaspoon of honey

Method
Place a few inches of water in a medium saucepan. Place garlic, bay leaf, and vinegar in water and let it come to a boil.

Place steamer basket above water, and place artichoke in, stem up.
Place lid on pan and let simmer for 20–40 minutes.
When leaves can be removed easily with a fork, the artichoke is ready. Serve with lemon dill crema.

Crema:
Mix yogurt, honey, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl. Serve with artichoke for dipping.
Serves 1–2 people.

Whore Sauce With Shrimp & Lentils

*As Published In The Daily Vanguard*

Sugo alla puttanesca translates to “whore’s sauce” in Italian because of its “easy ingredients. The components of this sauce may be simple, but it is complex in taste. If you make Italian food a lot (Lord knows I do!), you'll likely have these ingredients in your fridge.

The recipe, inspired by a dish that Food Network’s Guy Fieri made with salmon on his show Guy’s Big Bite (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/lentil-puttanesca-with-salmon-recipe/index.html), is a combination of high flavor and high health. Lentils are full of all the good stuff—protein, iron, fiber, amino acids and vitamin B1.

Adding shrimp complements the nutrition factor of this dish, too. It’s a lean protein with just 85 calories to a three-ounce serving.

Of course, flavor is the most important aspect of your meal, and the saltiness of this sauce, with the hint of the brine from the shrimp, takes the palate to a very good place. Enjoy!

PS..sorry about the lack of pictures for this one..still trying to figure out this camera...more this weekend though:)


Ingredients

For the main course
1/2 cup uncooked lentils or 1 cup of the precooked kind (Trader Joe’s)
2 anchovies in olive oil, drained
2 tablespoons of kalamata olives, pitted
2 tablespoons of capers
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 can diced tomatoes, low sodium
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 cups of shrimp of any variety, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of parsley

For bread
Olive oil
Whole wheat baguette
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of oregano

For salad
4 large handfuls of spinach
2 handfuls of red cabbage, chopped
1 pear, sliced
2 ounces of almonds
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Half the juice of a lemon

Method
Prepare your ingredients. Chop and drain the anchovies. Chop your olives. Drain your can of diced tomatoes. Chop the parsley. Dice your onion and garlic cloves. Slice your bread into as many slices as you wish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat one cup of water and the lentils in a saucepan on high until boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from heat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high, and add a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Add red pepper flakes to the oil and wait for a minute until fragrant. Next, add your diced onion and garlic to the oil. Sauté with spatula for five to eight minutes or until soft. Add anchovies, capers and olives. Add tomatoes and kick the heat down to medium and let the flavors mingle while you make the salad.

Take the cabbage, spinach, almonds and pear slices and place in a large bowl. Take the olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork in a small bowl or glass.

Next, place bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Add shrimp to sauce, raising the heat a bit. Move around the shrimp with the spatula until they are a ripe pink, around six minutes.

Squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle oregano on the hot bread slices.

When the shrimp is done cooking, add lemon juice, white wine vinegar and pepper.

Steak Fajitas

Steak Fajitas

*As published in The Daily Vanguard*

Steak fajitas are a delicious option that can accommodate the tastes any guest you might be sharing with. Serve this recipe in a “build your own” bar at house, laying out toppings and the following salsa recipe so each eater can design their own perfect fajita. For a vegetarian option, simply replace steak with a block of extra-firm tofu and decrease cooking time to three minutes per side.


Ingredients
1 lb flank steak
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced into rings
Flour, corn or whole-wheat tortillas, taco sized
Canola oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin

Marinade
3 tablespoons brown sugar
5 dashes Worchester sauce
5 shakes of hot sauce, such as Tapatio
1 handful of cilantro, chopped finely
3 tablespoons canola or any oil
Juice from two limes

Possible toppings
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro
Hot sauce
Lime juice
Prepared guacamole
Grated cheddar cheese

Method


Put steak in a large Ziploc bag with ingredients for marinade, shaking to ensure coverage. Place in fridge for 30 minutes or overnight.

Put one tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high, and wait until oil has tiny wisps of smoke rising.

Add marinated steak to pan, and allow one side to cook for five to six minutes, lowering the heat if the pan begins to burn. Flip steak and cook for another four to five minutes. Remove to plate and cover with foil and let sit for five to 10 minutes.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and follow with peppers and onions, along with a shake of cumin and a shake of chili powder. Cook at medium-high heat until vegetables start to brown and soften, about six minutes.

Meanwhile, slice cooked steak against the grain into thin strips. Take tortillas and place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for one minute.

Set up a fajita bar and allow your guests to enjoy!


Pico de gallo
Since the ingredients in this recipe are all chopped into small chunks, it makes sense that pico de gallo translates to “beak of the rooster.” But you don’t have to be a bird to enjoy this classic recipe for your fajitas, chips, eggs or anything else you enjoy salsa on. Use canned tomatoes during winter or fresh tomatoes in the summer when they’re in season.

Ingredients
2 cans of diced tomatoes drained of any excess juices (or in summer, four-cored and seeded tomatoes, diced, any variety)
1/2 onion, diced
Juice from three limes
1 clove of garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, chopped and seeded

Method


Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.


Taste and add salt and lime juice to your liking, perhaps add a teaspoon of sugar if the lime is too tart.

Cover the salsa with plastic wrap and let marinate in fridge for as long as time allows.

Spoon the salsa onto fajitas or whatever meal strikes your fancy.