food

Spaghetti with Marscapone, Lemon, brussel sprouts and pinenuts: a perfect summer dish

Maquette is no Eat, Make, Read but I could not resist posting this recipe I found there and then modified at home. I love lemon on everything! So this pasta dish is perfect. It was so zesty, nutty, and creamy. We loved it. Here’s what it looked like as lunch the next day on our coffee table. We served the pasta with a fresh and spicy arugula salad, including: colorful tomatoes, black berries, shaved pecorino, and pecans. We also filled a pitcher with water and a little pomegranate juice and ice (so fresh and flavorful). We got a nice pain au levain bread and dipped it in olive oil too. Here’s how to make the pasta if you want to try (the original recipe is linked to above). The measurements are not exact. I’m a helter skeltor cooker. Just taste as you go and make it so that you love it:

Spaghetti with Marscapone, Lemon, brussel sprouts and pinenuts
serves two

1. 1/4 cup of juice from one lemon (about 1/4 cup if not more)
2. 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3. 1 teaspoon salt & fresh pepper to taste
4. 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5. 1/2 pound spaghetti
6. 5 cups (baby) fresh spinach, washed, spun dry, and roughly chopped
7. brussel sprouts
8. 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pinenuts

1 Combine lemon juice, mascarpone, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

1.5 Cook brussel sprouts (the way I cook brussel sprouts is to first steam them in a double boiler pot, then I use a casserole dish and put oil, salt, pepper, lemon, etc. on them and cover them with aluminum foil and bake them in the oven for a while…about 20 minutes)

2 Bring a pot of water to boil and salt generously. Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

3 Return the pasta to the pot, and set over low heat. Stir in the mascarpone sauce. Add the spinach and toss so that the spinach begins to wilt. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water (more if necessary) to keep the sauce fluid but not too watery.

4 Continue to cook and toss until the spinach is cooked. Add the pinenuts & brussel sprouts and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Yum!!!

Chile Lime Tequila Popcorn….from heaven

I’m enamoured with Kelly’s fabulous blog Eat Make Read. Just look at this amazing popcorn recipe. I definitely want to make it and have a movie party at my apartment. I feel like once I make it I’ll get some ideas for other kinds of crazy popcorns to make. Wouldn’t it be fun to challenge guests to each bring a homemade/made-up popcorn to a movie party? You could have a little tasting with some prosecco. I think prosecco would go well. Or make it the real movie experience and have soda?

from 101 cookbooks | Make 4 quarts of popcorn

4 quarts freshly popped popcorn*
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon tequila
1/2 small jalapeno, seeds and membrane removes, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.

1. Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat (hs note: or unbleached parchment paper). Set aside.
2. Put the popcorn in a large, clean paper bag (I used a ziploc).
3. In a medium-size bowl whisk together the butter, lime juice and zest, and tequila. Add the jalapeno.
4. In a small bowl combine the black pepper, salt, red pepper, and cumin.
5. Drizzle half of the butter mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake until the popcorn is coated and moist. Taste. Add more of the butter mixture if you like, and give a second shake. Sprinkle (most of) the pepper mixture over the popcorn, fold over the top of the bag, and shake a few times to coat. Taste, and if you’d like more pepper flavor add the rest of it.
6. Spread the popcorn evenly over the baking sheet and bake until the popcorn is dry, five to seven minutes.

*To pop 4 quarts of popcorn, heat 1/4 cup clarified butter, coconut oil, or olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add a few kernels to the pot. Once they pop, add 3/4 cup popcorn kernels and shake the pot until they cover the pot evenly. Cover the pot and shake intermittently until the popping slows to 5 seconds between pops. Remove the popcorn from heat and transfer it to whatever bag you are going to use for tossing.