Recipe Review from 2/25/08

Fettuccini Alfredo with Seafood (Everyday Italian Giada DeLaurenttiss, pg 114) 4

I used her sauce recipe as the base for this dish because my notes from the recipe I found from 2002 CL were not exactly glowing. Giada recommends using fresh pasta due to the richness of the sauce, but I did a few modifications to account for using dried.

Alfredo sauce is pretty simple, warm heavy cream (I used half heavy cream and half half-n-half) and lemon juice in a large skillet. Add fresh ground nutmeg (this really makes the dish pop) and butter (I reduced the butter from 6 tbsp to 5). Keep warm. When the pasta is done, add pasta, 1 cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to sauce and toss till thick. Here some patience is necessary, because the sauce will thicken when removed from heat.

The seafood wasn't part of the recipe, but I had a hankering for it: warmed 1tbsp butter in a small skillet and added 2 cloves of grated garlic, stirring till nicely browned. Then I added one baby bottle of white wine and tossed in some littleneck clams. These I simmered until they just started to pop open, and I added some shrimp and little scallops and simmered till the clams finished popping and the shrimp was done. I added the seafood combination to the top of the fettuccini alfredo and drizzled with extra sauce.

Results? Magnifico! This turned out super good. It was creamy with out being heavy-rich. I think it's the acidity in the lemon juice that makes everything so bright and cuts down on the richness. The garlic-wine flavor was subtle in the seafood and complemented the alfredo very nicely. I made enough to serve 2 for dinner with enough leftover pasta for the Husband to take to work for lunch one day. I would make this again.

Skillet Tuna Noodle (Eating Well, Mar/Apr 08, pg 28) 3.5
When I received my newest issue of Eating Well last week and I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. This isn’t your mother’s hotdish. Made completely on the stove with only a quick toasting under the broiler, this is mostly creamy, flavorful, good-for-you and makes a bunch. This recipe could easily be halved for a smaller household.

Egg noodles are cooked and drained. Meanwhile, onions and sliced mushrooms are sauteed in olive oil. To this is added the flour and cooked till warm. The milk is poured over and everything stirred till slightly thick. Then add the tuna (I used the kind in the vacuum pack because I don’t like draining it). Add the noodles and stir. Add the peas and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan over the top and broil till nicely brown.

This didn’t turn out as creamy as I thought it would. I don’t know if I didn’t cook the noodles long enough and they soaked up quite a bit of the liquid, or perhaps I cooked the sauce to long and it was too thick when I added the noodles. Still, I really liked the freshness of this dish and I would make it again - but cut the recipe in half.

Red Pepper Hummus (Ckng Lght Annual 08, June, pg 173) 5
A local indee cafe/coffee shop makes it’s own bread, spreads and desserts and I’ve popped down on my lunch break a couple times to partake in fantastic soup and sandwiches. This was a result of wanting to make my own version of their hummus sandwich at home. The hummus was super simple to make: roast a red pepper under a broiler to remove the skin. Combine red pepper, 1 can drained garbanzo beans (chick peas), cumin, garlic, salt, pepper in a food processor till nice and smooth.

For the sandwich, find a nice soft bread of choice (I found a whole grain that I prefer). Spread a nice layer on the bottom, then layer with thinly sliced Provolone cheese, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. YUM! I’ve been having this for lunch with some sea-salt and vinegar chips, green beans and cherry tomatoes. It is nicely filling without being heavy. You can vary your toppings to your tastes. Try it!

Chocolate Mint Bars (Ckng Lght, Mar 08, pg 180) 4
When I saw these on the cover of this months issue, I knew I was going to make these bars. What was additionally neat was the recipe is from a gal just north of Duluth. I had my monthly book group meeting on Monday and found myself with time and an opportunity to make these. The bars came together very quickly and are chocolate-y and minty - think Andes mints. A rich chocolate cake brownie topped with a thin layer of mint frosting and a coating of melted chocolate on the top. Best served a bit on the cool side. I highly recommend these for any gathering because they are best served in smaller portions so the 9x13 pan goes a long way. I am thinking of making these for the office for St. Patrick’s day.

Homemade Dog Biscuits (New Complete Book of Bread by Bernard Clayton, pg 659) 4

The Husband decided that the puppies needed something after all the baking we've been doing and he's had his eye on this recipe for a while now. And it may seem a bit odd that I would rank doggie biscuits, but trust me, these were good! The doggies are lucky they got any! They are basically an unleavened bread made with whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, corn meal, regular flour, honey and a dash of salt. And yes, the Husband carefully rolled out the dough and cut them into little bone shapes with a bone shaped cookie cutter. He did get tired of the putzy work after a while and the last few turned into rectangles. The biscuits are slowly baked and then the oven turned off and the cookies are left to continue drying. I sampled one before it was crunchy dry and still a bit warm - Yum! This recipe would make a great holiday gift for any hounds you might know.