Category: dinner

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Cure-all Spicy Ginger Mushroom Soup

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The other day I felt myself starting to get sick so I ran over to Whole Foods and bought up all of the immunity boosting things I could think of. And it worked!

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 cm piece fresh ginger
  • 1 carton chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 2 portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil (you can sub another oil if you need to)
  • 1/2 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 serrano pepper
  • 1 cup kimchi
  • 5 mini bell peppers (or one normal size)
  • 2 tbsp ginger paste
  • red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • 1/2 tbsp furikake +some for garnish
  • 4 handfuls spinach
  1. mince garlic and ginger (peel ginger first)
  2. slice and deseed the serrano (you can leave some of the seeds depending on your spice tolerance and the heat of the chili)
  3. heat sesame oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat and add the garlic, ginger and serrano
  4. halve the mushrooms then slice them lengthwise and add to the pot when the other ingredients have turned opaque
  5. add soy sauce, sriracha and furikake, stir and cover
  6. slice the bell pepper(s) and add to the pot
  7. once the mushrooms are looking good and sauteed, pour the chicken stock over
  8. turn heat down and let simmer for 5 minutes
  9. when ready to serve add spinach
  10. top bowls with kimchi and more furikake

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Penne with Tomato-Goat Cheese Sauce and Sauteed Spinach

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This is a super simple, pretty healthy and wholly satisfying meal. Also very affordable. These were all just things I happened to pick up at Trader Joe’s the other day.

(serves 1)

  • 4 oz goat cheese
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • red chili flakes
  • 2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 3 generous handfuls of spinach
  1. heat olive oil in a medium sized pan over medium high heat add (minced) garlic and tomatoes and cover
  2. cook pasta according to instructions
  3. once tomatoes start to blister, pop them with a knife or fork and add goat cheese
  4. once goat cheese starts melting, mix it with the tomato juices and add rosemary (remove from stem), bring down heat and let simmer
  5. when pasta is finished, drain and quickly steam spinach in the pasta pot with a couple teaspoons of water
  6. remove spinach with tongs, shaking off excess liquid, and add it into the goat cheese sauce pan and take that off the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste
  7. pour sauce over pasta, sprinkle with chili flakes, pour yourself a glass of wine and dig in!

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Fish Out of Water

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It’s that time of year again; the tail end of the school year when buying groceries is a gamble. Am I really going to use this stock of brussels sprouts or this whole bag of spinach?  With the excitement/craziness of finals week it’s hard to plan more than 24 hours ahead. So it’s at times like these when I go into a kind of Chronicles of Narnia mode. Instead of climbing into a wardrobe to reach mystical lands, I stare into my pantry until I find interesting dinner items.

It is also apparently prime time for meyer lemons. My co-worker brought in a huge bag of them from her tree early last week and I’ve been puzzling over what to make with them since then. Luckily I happened to have some homemade ricotta (recipe link below) that my mom and I whipped up during Thanksgiving week and it was calling out to the lemons. I also happened to have some black garlic, which is a great thing and loves to be mashed into cheese.

If you are sardine adverse, leave off the sardines.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch truffle salt (or normal salt)
  • 1 tsp crushed peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 5 cloves black garlic
  • 1/2 cup ricotta
  • 2 Meyer lemons
  • 1 cup orzo (dry)
  • truffle marcona almonds (plain old marcona almonds will work too)
  • 1 big handful arugula
  • 7 kumato tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
  • 4 sardines in tomato sauce (or not in tomato sauce)
  1. bring 2 quarts of water to a boil with a pinch of truffle salt or normal salt
  2. slice lemons thinly (remove seeds), saving the butts for the juice, slice 2 cloves of the black garlic
  3. cook the orzo 8-10 minutes or until done and drain
  4. meanwhile heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add the sliced black garlic and lemon, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until lemons soften
  5. remove skillet from heat and add capers, stirring to coat
  6. in a shallow bowl crush remaining black garlic cloves into the ricotta, squeeze the lemon butts into the mixture. crush pepper corns with a knife and mix into the ricotta
  7. when orzo is cooked and drained, move to a large bowl or back into the pasta pot and immediately stir in the lemon-caper-black garlic mixture
  8. then stir in the ricotta mixture, mix until fully incorporated
  9. slice arugula and add into the warm orzo mixture
  10. serve in bowls then slice tomatoes and chop marcona almonds and sprinkle over the top
  11. then top with the sardines and you have a fish out of water

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Seafood Stew

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Seafood Stew is one of those impressive restaurant meals that is actually quite affordable and not too tricky to make at home. Luckily I had a chef on hand to dispel any anxieties I had about cooking shellfish but I assure you, you can do it too.

serves 2

  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 3 small smoked dried roasted tomatoes*
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tomato (fresh)
  • 1 can tomato sauce (from concentrate)
  • 6 large shrimp (cleaned)
  • 1 handful mussels
  • 1/2 lb cod or any white fish
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • bread to soak (baguette recommended)
  • 8 leaves homegrown basil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro (w/ stalks)
  • 1/2 lemon

*if you don’t have dried smoked tomatoes on hand, you should probably get some, but if you can’t find any, a tsp smoked paprika would be a good sub

  1. chop onion and dried tomatoes, dice fennel bulb
  2. in a saute pan melt butter over medium high heat, then add onion, dried tomatoes and fennel
  3. chop and drain capers, dice fresh tomato and add that along with tomato sauce (in batches) to the pan, stirring occasionally
  4. slice basil and add to sauce along with salt and pepper (to taste)
  5. clean any barnacle-y type stuff off of mussels and add to pan, then add shrimp
  6. once mussels start opening, turn heat down to low
  7. in a separate small pan heat olive oil and slice fish filet into 4 pieces and cook over medium heat until it’s browned on the outside and cooked through
  8. dice cilantro and add to the tomato sauce
  9. squeeze juice of lemon over fish and tomato sauce
  10. brush bread with olive oil and toast
  11. plate tomato mixture with fish on top

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Chicken and Veggie Jade Rice Bowl with Pineapple Glaze

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You know how good teriyaki* chicken is? This is better. Cooking down a quart of pineapple juice creates an umami flavor that will bring your rice bowls to a whole new level and also knock your socks off, so be careful.

*who just learned how to spell teriyaki? I did.

  • 1 quart pineapple juice
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • a little bit of chili flakes (spice up your life..if you’d like)
  • 3 medium sized carrots
  • 1/2 large bok choy. or 1 smaller one, you decide. it’s your life.
  • 7 broccoli florets
  • 2 fresno chilis. or other kind of red mystery chili your mom brings you from her garden
  • 1 green bell (pepper)
  • some coconut oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp ground aji amarillo
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp tumeric
  • 1 tsp (each) salt/pepper
  • 1 cup green jade rice (dry) – or other rice if you don’t have jade rice but it’s pretty and they have it at Whole Foods
  • cilantro, for garnish

serves 2

  1. pre-heat oven to 350° F
  2. in a medium-small sized sauce pan, add pineapple juice, sriracha, chili flakes, soy sauce and a pat of butter
  3. reduce this mixture a little more than half, over medium heat. this will take about an hour…the slower the better
  4. cut carrots, bok choy and green bell pepper in half length-wise, cut florets off broccoli and slice chili in half and deseed. brush veggies with coconut oil and roast at 350° F for 15 minutes
  5. dice chicken breast and season with all of the spices (dry rub)
  6. in a medium sized pot bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil then add 1 cup rice and bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes
  7. heat coconut oil in a skillet, brown chicken over medium heat until cooked through
  8. when chicken is cooked, lower heat and add some of the pineapple reduction in and stir until well glazed
  9. in bowls serve rice, veggies and chicken and garnish to your hearts content

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Icelandic Lamb Loin Chop Roast

 

IMG_3395I love lamb. And you should too even if you don’t eat meat. According to the butcher at WFs , Icelandic lamb is “where it’s at” and is only offered for one month a year, so get to it.

serves 4

  • 3 heads garlic
  • 1 big shallot
  • 1 carrot (peeled)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 4 lamb loin chops
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 sprig sage
  • 1 portobello mushroom
  • 2 delicata squash
  1. slice shallot, onion and carrot and mince garlic
  2. in a large pot heat olive oil then add shallot, onion, garlic and carrot
  3. heat oven to 350° F and slice squash in half
  4. scoop seeds out and brush with olive oil, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put squash face up
  5. when oven is pre-heated cook for 20 minutes or until soft
  6. when onions and shallots are starting to turn opaque, add the red wine
  7. add chicken stock, rosemary and sage and slowly simmer for as long as possible
  8. in a medium sized saute pan, brown lamb in butter then add to the saucy mixture and cook over low heat until fully cooked through
  9. cut squash in half and serve the lamb mixture over the top

© 2015 – 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Pickled Blueberry and Burrata Black Rice

IMG_3090When I saw the recipe for pickled blueberries I thought it sounded interesting and I wanted to try it. But never during the process of buying the ingredients and pickling the blueberries did I think about what I was going to do with such a strange flavor combination. They were very salty but still a little sweet and the rosemary gave them a nice earthiness but they were definitely not something you want to snack on by themselves. They sat in the fridge for a couple of days becoming saltier and saltier while I pondered what to do with them.  Food52 suggested pairing them with ice cream but I’m not much of a sweets person and I am most definitely a cheese person so my mind jumped to a mellow cheese like ricotta or mozzarella.

My mom had picked up this black forbidden rice at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago and we were trying to figure out a recipe to try with that too. I decided to throw them together with some sweet golden raisins and caramelized shallots to balance the saltiness, pistachios for crunch and burrata to pull it all together. Burrata is the king of mellow cheeses in my opinion. If you don’t know what it is, you should go get some and read this.

  • 2 cups forbidden black rice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup roasted pistachios
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 1 pint pickled blueberries drained
  • 1 roasted shallot
  • 1/3 cup chopped pickled onions
  • 1 sack burrata
  1. cover a baking sheet with parchment and roast shallot in skin at 300° for 45 minutes or until skin is golden brown and it’s soft on the inside
  2. cook rice according to directions
  3. let rice cool and move to a large mixing bowl
  4. when shallot is finished, let cool and slice
  5. add raisins, blueberries, onions and the shallot to the bowl of rice and mix
  6. divide the burrata and dollop onto the rice when you’re ready to serve

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Slow Cooked Lamb Curry with Chick Peas and Grilled Eggplant

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I really love lamb. When I was little my parents used to make lamb burgers with blue cheese and apparently I was repulsed by them. Those days are over. Sometimes my dad says he wishes they weren’t. Lamb and eggplant are a combination made in heaven. There is a guy at the Encinitas farmers’ market that sells some great curries so that is where we got this gem but most grocery markets carry jarred curries.

  • 1 eggplant
  • drizzle of olive oil/balsamic
  • salt/pepper
  • 1 can chick peas
  • 1 pound lamb shank
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 onion
  • 1 jar green curry
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp powdered turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 can light unsweetened coconut milk
  • farro or rice*
  1. drain and rinse chick peas, roughly chop garlic and onion
  2. start heating slow cooker
  3. once hot, melt coconut oil; add mustard seeds, turmeric, chili flakes and chopped garlic until aromatic
  4. add curry, coconut milk, onion, chick peas and lamb and cook on low for as long as possible (8 hours)
  5. slice eggplant and drizzle it with olive oil and balsamic then grill it and add to the stew in the last 15 minutes of cooking
  6. garnish with some herbs

*we served it over farro and it was delicious but feel free to go traditional and use rice

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Spring Pasta with Scallops, Asparagus and Blood Orange

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I went home for spring break last week but we were only in San Diego for 4 nights so my mom and I had to plan our menus strategically. Two nights were already taken care of because fish tacos and Cardiff Crack go without saying. Some of my favorite things that I am usually too cheap to buy while I’m at school are scallops and lamb. They both also happen to lend themselves well to spring-y dishes so those took care of our other two nights.

links to the other spring recipes: Slow Cooker Lamb with Chick Peas and Grilled Eggplant, Cabbage-Beet Tahini Slaw, Chard with Anchovy Tomato Dressing

  • 1 box fussili pasta
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 blood orange (for juice and zest)
  • bay scallops
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1 shallot
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • sprinkle truffle salt
  • 2 handfuls little yellow tomatoes
  • 4 pats butter
  • 1 handful baby kale
  • 3 sprigs basil
  • 2 cups peas (preferably fresh)
  • splash of dry white wine (plus another bottle for drinking while cooking)
  • Parmesan
  1. in a non-stick skillet melt butter over medium low heat with 1 tbsp olive oil
  2. slice shallot and add to pan, cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally until opaque, then remove from pan
  3. line a pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and put tomatoes on it, drizzle them with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with truffle salt, bake at 350°F until blistered (15 minutes-ish)
  4. slice asparagus in 1 inch pieces and remove peas from shells if necessary
  5. boil water and prepare an ice bath, cook them in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer them to the ice bath as fast as possible
  6. drain those guys and put them in a large mixing bowl, zest and juice the blood orange into said bowl
  7. wash kale and basil and slice them, add to the bowl, add capers
  8. cook pasta according to isntructions
  9. add the remaining 2 pats butter and the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the shallot pan over medium high heat
  10. add the scallops carefully
  11. when they start turned brown on the cook-side flip them over, with tongs slide them along the bottom of the pan to absorb the toasted butter flavor
  12. continue cooking until opaque throughout then add them into the bowl with all the other items
  13. add a splash of white wine to the scallop pan to deglaze it and transfer that sauce to the bowl with all of the other items then add all that good stuff to the drained pasta

We had grilled shrimp on the side because grilled shrimp goes with everything.

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Cabbage-Beet Tahini Slaw

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This is my bastardized version of Mission Chinese Food’s beautiful cabbage salad. But hey, sometimes when you’re a college student on a budget you have to pick and choose which exotic pantry items you can afford and which are just going to have to wait. I used peanuts for a crunchy element, although I would love to try it with some sort of grain. I also cut out quite a few ingredients that I couldn’t find at the local market but still thought it came out pretty good.

note: This makes a BIG salad. I wanted to use the whole cabbage in one go so I upped the dressing, the good news is it makes for great leftovers. On the other hand you can always use half a cabbage and dial down the dressing measurements.

  • 1 head red cabbage
  • 1 large yellow beet
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 4 tbsp tahini (you’ll definitely want a runnier tahini for this, the Whole Foods 365 one is my best friend)
  • 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 8 anchovy fillets (preferable ones packed in olive oil)
  • juice of one lemon
  • 2 sheets nori (like the big sushi ones)

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  1. slice cabbage and beets (I did matchstick cuts-see photo) and mince garlic
  2. in a bowl or jar add tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, tamari (or soy sauce) and rice vinegar and shake well
  3. slice the anchovy fillets as finely as possible then add them to the dressing and continue shaking until combined
  4. heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat then add the sesame seeds, make sure to keep an eye on them and continue tossing them
  5. once they start to smell nice and turn a little brown remove them from the pan
  6. in the same pan add the peanuts and do the same thing
  7. rip the nori into little pieces and add it to your big bowl of cabbage and beets, add the nuts and seeds as well then pour dressing over
  8. mix thoroughly with tongs or your hands

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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