Fishing+ZucchiniPorn+Pasta

So, you take this.

And then your garden does this.

And you get this.

I didn't have time for a recipe, so I just to the garden grabbed a bunch of things, pulled the fish from the fridge, and boiled some pasta. This is pretty much how it went.

1/4 red onion

crushed garlic

those got all ovey dovey in a little bit of olive oil and buttah.

then I tossed in

1 zucchini cut on a bias

2 heirloom tomatoes cut into big chunks

2 bass filets cut into big chunks

1 sprig of fresh tarragon chopped

a few splashes of rice vinegar

a few hearty splashes of white wine

When that got a smelly and beautiful and created it's own juice I topped it off with fresh chopped parsely and another sprig of fresh tarragon chopped, and some grated Parmesan cheese.

I mixed it with whole wheat pasta.

In the middle of eating Chris stated. "this sauce is awesome". And it was, so much so that I think he did in fact go back for thirds, the first two helpings were eaten in a civilized manner, out of a bowl, the third helping he just moseyed on over to the stove and ate straight out of the saute pan. Caveman.

Damn Good!

Garden Pasta with Grilled Tuna

Mmm no recipe here, it was the kind of night where you grab a glass of wine, head out into the garden and say, "whatdaya got for me?" this night the garden gave me two japanese eggplants, two squash, two zucchini and a handful of San Marzano tomatoes to I took all the vegetables and sliced them the long way into thirds, put a little olive oil on them with salt and pepper and grilled them each side four minutes. I also took some tuna steaks and gave them the same treatment at the vegetables. 


While those were cooking I took a red onion from the garden along with a handful of basil and tarragon - I sauted the onion in a bit of butter and olive oil, added some garlic and when they were soft added two spilt of champagne  - when that had cooked down a bit I added the herbs to make a nice champagne herb sauce - yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. 


While the sauce was doing its thing I boiled a box of rigatoni to all dente. When all were cooked I cut up the vegetables and tune, and in a large bowl combined the veggies, tuna, pasta, and herb champagne sauce - mixed it all together gave it a little salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and a great dinner was on the table - so simple, so easy, so awesome to get almost all of it out of the garden. I must, repeat must move to a state with a longer growing season, one that has fig trees - that will be my barometer of the locale...


Me: "excuse me, realtor person, would it be possible to have a flourishing fig tree in the backyard here?"
Realtor: "No ma'am, this zone would not allow a fig tree to grow here year round, you'd have to cellar it in the winter."
Me: "I've seen enough - we'll continue either south or west from here, thank you for your time."


I got a manicure today - so of course I cut the nail with my big knife while chopping swiss chard, that's the way things always go, I never stub my toe unless I've just paid $30 for a manicure, and you always have the best hair dat of your live the day you are going to get it all chopped off.


Rating = Damn Good (and local too)

Baccala Salad

It bugs the shit out of me when people walk ding toed, when they walk and point their toes inward. There is a woman at my office that walks this way and I don't know why but I want to smack her in the back of the head and tell her to point her feet forward. I think the anger from that is some deep seeded feeling instilled in my by my Nana, she always had something to say about people who walked that way…she had a lot to say about a lot of people, I think it may be generational, she still to this day will have something to say about everyone who walks by the house, or she sees in the grocery store or whatnot.. very sad.

Onto happier thoughts, Rome. When I visited Rome a few years ago I was just taken with Baccala, I had never had it before I visited, I had it my second day there, and just could not get enough. There are some days that I literally wish I could jump on a plane and head to Rome if for nothing more than a big piece of filetti di' baccala. So, I bought a package of salt cod over the summer, threw it in the freezer and there is lay for months and months and months, because I was too intimidated to make it. It wasn't until December that I went to an Italian restaurant and the appetizer special was Baccala Salad. It was so completely different than the baccala I experienced in Rome – not hot and fried, but cold and covered with a spicy pepper salad. I loved this version too. As serendipity works, a few days later my mother-in-law came across a recipe for baccala salad printed in the Providence Journal, she mailed it to me, the impetus for me to get over my fear of the salt cod. I'm so glad I did – it was delicious. But, I will never make it again, I will seek it out at restaurants, I will go back to Rome, but I will not stink up my kitchen with the stench of boiling salt cod again, unless it's springtime and I can open all the windows in the house. 

Baccala Salad 

2-3 pounds salted cod fish

2 lemons

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 ribs of celery, sliced

2-ounce can roasted red peppers, sliced

1 cup banana peppers, roughly chopped

1 sprig parsley, chopped

1 ounce lemon juice

2 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1 dash freshly grated nutmeg

Trim the salted cod, removing as much skin and belly as possible. Soak the salted cod in ice-cold water for three days, changing the water each day.

In a stock pot, place the well rinsed cod in with the fresh sprig of thyme and nutmeg. Bring to a slow rolling boil on medium high heat for two hours. Strain the baccala and rinse in cold water.

Separate the fish into medium-size flakes. In a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix well, being careful not to break fish up too much.

Let stand in refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours before serving. Mix well before serving.

Note: Baccala is served best over field greens with crisp Italian bread, or it can be heated up and served over creamy polenta. Serves 6-8 people.

From Chef Giovanni Ricci at Wildfire

Rating = Damn Good

Baja Fish Tacos with Chipolte Dressing and Cabbage Slaw | ATK

This weekend I asked my dad to be a guest blogger here at Urban Drivel. He one upped me and started his own tasty blog. Please check him out here - he has a lovely recap the the wet, soggy, gray, food and art filled Father's Day that we spent together on Sunday. Despite how much mother nature tried to screw with our seasonal dysfunctional tendencies we had a really lovely day.

While swapping food stories and filling our faces at brunch I let him know about an awesome Baja Fish Taco recipe that I had made out of the new Cook's Country Best Grilling Recipes, I was able to get an advanced copy of this book before it was available to the general public and I have made a few things out of it that have been amazing. This recipe was truly delicious. I'm not going to post the recipe because the book has only been for sale for a few months and I don't want to cause a ruckus over there with copyright issues and all that hullabaloo, but if you want the recipe simply leave me a comment that you would like it, and send me an email to urbandrivel@yahoo.com and I'll shoot it over to you no problem.

Talk soon -

Farfalle with Salmon and Lemon Cream Sauce

I will not lie. I use three, three face creams in the morning and two at night. I do have a bit of fear that the skin on my face will do a free fall at any moment. Like one day I'll wake up and the skin on my face will look as if I've just jumped out of a plane on a skydiving trip...folds of skin whipping back in the breeze...no control over the wrinkles...that my skin will no longer follow the contours of the bone beneath it, but just pulls down down down collecting around my neck...like the skin on a pug dog...that I wear as a new necklace...like chicken waddle. You get the picture.

Yesterday I saw a woman on the train who obviously shared my fear because there is no other way to explain why a perfectly sane woman would get on the train donning a full head of velcro rollers covered by a silk scarf...wearing 1950's cat eye sunglasses, and so much collagen injected into her lips that she had lost the ability to fully close them. Her mouth hanging agape, like that of a cod fish nailed to a board hung on your wall. I have nothing else to say here. It was just a sight.

I got this recipe from my friend Anelise and it was delicious. Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon and farafalle (bow tie pasta) in Lemon Cream Sauce

12 ounces bow tie pasta
1 TB olive oil
2 large, finely chopped shallots
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 10-ounce bag of frozen peas
4 ounces of thinly sliced smoked salmon
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 TB minced tarragon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the pasta. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add shallots. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add wine and simmer for 8 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add sour cream and stir with a whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in peas and salmon.

Combine pasta and sauce and reserved cooking water if it is needed. (if the sauce is extra thick for example) Stir in lemon juice and tarragon. Let it stand 3 minutes to absorb the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Rating = Damn Good

Tuna Puttanesca | RR

I think everyone who reads this blog knows that I'm not the biggest Rachel Ray fan. I'm not. I just get tired when I watch her. Not tired like, "oh she's got so much energy, how does she do it"? More tired, like, "Jesus lady, take a breath, there is such a thing as comfortable silence every once and a while." I'm waiting for the day when her jaw just completely unhinges from her face. She just doesn't shut up, and her stupid little hee hee's just make me want to take my shoe off and throw it at the tv. That being said. I really have not had a bad outcome from her recipes, they serve a purpose, they are not haute cuisine, they are everyday food recipes that are quick, easy and tasty. This recipe was just that. Quick, Easy and yes, Tasty. It was perfect for Friday night during lent, or even if you just wanted to substitute fish for meat a few days a week. It did only take about 30 minutes start to finish and it was really tasty, and it made a ton of food so it can feed a crowd, or make dinner for a few nights out of the week.

Here is the recipe. LINK

Rating - Damn Good

If you make it, let me know if you liked it.

Also - I bought fresh ginger and candied lemon peel the other day. Got any suggestions for recipes to use them in?

Swordfish Tacos with Lime and Cilantro

Well, Saturday was just beautiful during the day, bright, sunny, warm. It all went to crap later in the day when there was thunder, lightning, downpours, but the afternoon hours were fabulous. I wanted something for lunch that reminded me of summer and eating outside on the deck. I had some swordfish in the freezer, and I had a few bunches of cilantro that I had purchased at Haymarket on Friday. I googled, "swordfish, cilantro" and came across this recipe, Swordfish Tacos with Lime and Cilantro, perfect.

The recipe, although long and with multiple parts really wasn't that time consuming to put together, and the tacos were great. This would be a wonderful dish for a taco or burrito buffet during a cookout or game watch. And cilantro just smacks of summer. I love it.

Rating = So Damn Good

Light Baked Fish | Cook's Illustrated

I went cross country skiing for the first time on Saturday and now my legs are useless appendages attached to my body trunk. I cannot move them voluntarily. In order for me to put my pants on this morning I needed to hold one pant leg in one hand, and then use my other hand to manually lift my leg and aim it at the pant hole and thrust it in. I have not felt this kind of pain since my last marathon. Its the kind of muscle soreness that defies all logic in your brain. Usually your brain sends the message to your leg, telling it to move up or down or get your leg into that pant hole, but today there is no connection between what my brain tells my leg to do, and what my leg is actually physically capable of doing. Today at work, in order to cross my legs I had to pick up my left leg from under the knee, with both hands, and heave it over my right. And I call myself an athlete...I'm so not today.

Yesterday I saw a man riding in a convertible, in Vermont, with the top down. Can you say asshole. It's freaking freezing out. Here's a tip, if you have to wear multiple coats, a fleece hat and big ass bulky gloves that make it near impossible to grip the steering wheel correctly, it's too figging cold to have your stupid top down.


Welcome to the post that has no direction, where will it go now?


I'm Irish, Fish and Chips is as traditional as turkey on Thanksgiving and crying while watching Billy Elliot. I'm just kidding, I didn't cry during that movie, however if you do ever fly to Shannon direct on Aer Lingus, you will be forced to watch that movie.


I was super excited to see amongst my Cook's Illustrated recipes one for Light Fish and Chips. This recipe was just a complete knock-out in my house when I made it, and I can't wait to make it again, it's that good.


Lighter Oven Fried Fish Best of Cook's Illustrated Light

1(5-ounce) box plain Melba toast , broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1-inch-thick cod fillets (about 6 ounces each) Vegetable cooking spray
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 lemon cut into wedges for serving

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Process the Melba toast into coarse crumbs in a food processor, about twelve 1-second pulses. Spread the crumbs in a shallow dish and toss with the oil.

2. In a separate shallow dish, whisk the egg whites, mustard, thyme, garlic powder, and cayenne together.

3. Pat the cod dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper. Working with one piece of fish at a time, dip it into the egg white mixture, then coat with the Melba crumbs. Press on the Melba crumbs to make sure they adhere to the fish. Lay the coated fish onto the prepared wire rack and spray the tops with vegetable oil spray.

4. Bake until the coating is golden and the fish just flakes apart, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges and Tartar Sauce.

Per Serving:Cal 300; Fat 7 g; Sat fat 1 g; Chol 75 mg; Carb 21 g; Protein 35 g; Fiber 2 g; Sodium 530 mg

Rating = So Damn Good

On the Fly Marinated Salmon

I had fish, I had a grill, I had a bunch of left over stuff in the fridge...Abracadabra...marinaded salmon. I have got to learn to write stuff down when I make things off the fly because I don't really remember everything that went into this marinade, but this is what I can remember.

White wine vinegar
olive oil
finely chopped crystallized ginger
chopped mint
chopped parsley
sea salt
pepper

There may have been some garlic in there too. Anyway it was great. I let the fish marinade for probably 30-40 minutes then just grilled it up and served it with a side of mesculin greens. Healthy and delicious.

Rating = Damn Good

PS. I'm working on a low fat banana scone recipe. I made a batch last week, and although flavorful and tasty, each scone weighed about as much as Hulk Hogan's fist, so I'm adapting the recipe, hopefully I'll get it right soon and can share it with you.

White Ruffy en Papillote with Tri-Colored Peppers

We had CB's mother, aunt and cousin up from Rhode Island on Sunday for Mother's Day. My main complaint, well, no not my main complaint about his mother, but one of my complaints about his mother is that she doesn't cook anything healthy. CB and I have been together for over 6 years and I can't remember a healthy meal being cooked by her. So, for mother's day I thought I would lead by example and serve a heart healthy meal. I decided to cook white fish in parchment paper with peppers, artichokes, garlic, fresh rosemary, etc. It was wonderful, light delicious, HEALTHY!

I was not sure exactly how to make the parchment pockets for the fish, so I watched a video on the web which explained it all. Here is also a link to step by step instructions on how to make the packets. http://www.ehow.com/how_13372_make-fish-en.html

Recipe: Preheat oven 400 degrees

• 5 white fish fillets seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides


• 1 small onion cut into half moons divided


• 1 red bell pepper cut into strips divided


• 1 green bell pepper cut into strips divided


• 1 orange bell pepper cut into strips divided


• 1 small jar artichoke hearts in oil divided


• 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced and divided


• 1 lemon cut into thin rounds divided


• salt and pepper

Make parchment hearts as directed (above), divide ingredients among hearts, laying ingredients on top and bottom of fish top with a drizzle of olive oil. Seal according to direction.

Place on baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Enjoy

Rating = So Damn Good