Orzo with Goat Cheese, Peas and Mint

Usually, I make a big deal of Eating Dinner Together At The Dining Room Table As a Family.  Especially on Sundays.  There's just something about being at the table, with placemats and candles and fabric napkins that makes me feel like all is right with the world.  And now that my teenager is leaving for college in a matter of days, I've gotten even more, shall we say, insistent?  I'm trying to memorize every last detail of her sunny face across the table from me.  Somehow I don't think gazing into this face across the table is going to be the same.

Although I'm thinking I am going to miss the teenager so incredibly much that I might actually break down and let the dog sit in her chair, just so it's not so, well, EMPTY.

Anyway.  Family dinners are great, but every once in a while there is nothing like eating supper out of mis-matched bowls on the sofa in front of a movie, with the dog curled up at your feet looking pleadingly at whatever you are eating.   And this is one of those meals - a warm, comforting, cheesy bowl of easy to eat orzo mixed up with just enough wonderful and comforting things to make it both interesting and scrumptious.

And putting it together could not be easier.  Cook up some orzo, which is rice-shaped pasta and one of the world's best comfort foods.  Once it is done and drained, pour it into a bowl and stir it up with a little olive oil and lemon zest, and then toss in some peas (fresh are fabulous if you can find them, but frozen cooked peas will work just fine), some crumbled goat cheese, a little fresh chopped mint and some salt and pepper.  Voila!  Instant comforting coziness...it's great warm, warm temperature or even as a chilled pasta salad kind of dish.

Personally, I plan to eat mine at all different temperatures curled up on the coach until my baby comes home for Thanksgiving break.  I hope the orzo supply holds out!

Orzo with Goat Cheese, Peas and Mint

• 1 pound orzo, cooked
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• I cup peas, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 6 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Combine hot cooked orzo with olive oil and lemon zest.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.  Can be served warm or cold!

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Creamy Pasta with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil

We are now in the wonderful midst of the lazy, hazy, wonderful days of summer, and that means the best local veggies of the year.  Fresh local vegetable season is over before you know it, and so I throw them into everything I can think of these days.  This week our local farmers market had a giant mountain of zucchini that was still warm from the sunny field, and that was all the excuse I needed to make this one....and it had the extra added advantage of also needing some basil, which I have about 100 acres of at the moment.

Now this DOES involve turning on your oven, which is usually against the rules in my house during the months of July and August unless Absolutely Necessary, but let me tell you that the delicious roasted crispy edges of the zucchini make it Absolutely Necessary.    Once it is done, it gets tossed with a quick little cream sauce that includes lemon zest (yum!) and a few tablespoons of your favorite goat cheese.  My favorite goat cheese comes from these guys:

And if you want to know the full story behind those adorable faces, please click here.  Otherwise, please proceed with making this fabulous pasta dish, while the zucchini is in full swing.

Creamy Pasta with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil, from The New York Times

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into
• 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 sprig basil, with leaves and stem
• 3 tablespoons goat cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine.

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the zucchini and oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Simmer the cream and basil sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce. Serve topped with the zucchini and almonds.

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Prosciutto Rolls with Goat Cheese, Arugula and Fig Spread

Believe it or not, it's now March and I am still working my way through some of the very many wonderful cooking-related goodies I got for Christmas, and one of those goodies was completely perfect for this latest entry in the Friday Night Lights series of nibbly suppers the Southern husband and I are having on, um, Friday nights.   And that goodie is this:

A beautiful jar full of rich, tantalizing, gorgeous...

Fig jam.  I have a long-standing love affair going with fig jam, and in my humble opinion, a person can't have enough of this stuff around the place.  In a pinch you can sub in apricot, or even peach, but if you can find fig jam, the real thing, you will be in such a happy, happy place.

So, this particular jar of fig jam came in handy for this latest appetizer recipe, which goes like this:  Get some nice thin prosciutto and lay it out in nice long strips.  it might tear here and there but don't worry, because by the time you roll it up, the layers will hide any rips or tears.  Now you spread a thin layer of soft goat cheese that has been mixed with a little minced garlic onto the prosciutto.  Next comes the fig jam - thin layer spread on the goat cheese.  Lay a couple of arugula leaves on top, and then drizzle with a mixture of olive oil, lemon peel and lemon juice.

Now cut the piece in half, right down the middle (otherwise the rolls will be too thick), and roll them up.  You are now done, and you have a lovely plate of prosciutto/goat cheese/fig jam/arugula heaven.  I decorated mine with some fresh oregano sprigs, because my Aerogarden is still in full tilt.

Easy, right?  And on Friday nights, that is the name of the game. 

Prosciutto Rolls, from Saveur 

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 oz. soft goat cheese, at room temperature
2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
12 slices (not paper-thin) prosciutto, halved crosswise
1⁄2 cup fig preserves
1⁄2 bunch arugula, trimmed
Freshly ground black pepper


1. Whisk oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix goat cheese and garlic together in another small bowl and set aside.
2. Spread a thin layer of the goat cheese mixture on each piece of prosciutto, spread a thin layer of fig preserves over cheese, and top with 1–2 arugula leaves. Drizzle with some of the lemon vinaigrette and season to taste with pepper. Roll prosciutto up around filling and arrange on serving platter, seam side down.  Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

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Fried Goat Cheese and Fig Salad

Okay, so I will tell you right now, this salad is a complete and total show-stopper.  If you are looking around for a first course to make for the holidays, look no further...you're there.  And best of all, it is super easy in addition to being one of the best things you will ever eat that doesn't involve either bacon or chocolate.

This recipe comes from a gorgeous new cookbook called The New Brooklyn Cookbook.



Some of my favorite people live in Brooklyn so I loved this cookbook at first sight, and once I found out the recipes were taken from some of the most fantastic restaurants in Brooklyn (Buttermilk Channel, I love you!!), I was in, and this was the very first recipe I tried from this book.  Because among other things, it involves fresh figs, which are my current obsession.

I did alter the recipe by adding a bed of chopped frisee lettuce, but that is because (after figs) frisee lettuce is my other current obsession.  It's just so dang FANCY.  You put a nice handful of it on a plate, and then grab a few of these babies.

Chop them in half and pop a couple on the lettuce.  Next, take a piece of thin-sliced prosciutto and lay it elegantly in the center.  Now you are ready for the most dramatic part.  Heat up some canola oil in a saucepan until it is nice and hot - you want it to be about 350 degrees.  Roll up some soft goat cheese into one inch balls and stick them in the freezer while the oil heats up.  When the oil is good and hot, take the cold goat cheese and dunk them in beaten egg and flour twice, and then drop them carefully in the hot oil.  In about 3 minutes they will be golden brown...scoop them back out and put a couple on your plate.  Last but not least, drizzle on some honey, some olive oil and just a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar.

Now serve it up and sit back while the rave reviews wash over you.  Because they WILL.  Thank you, New Brooklyn Cookbook!

Fried Goat Cheese and Fig Salad, adapted from the New Brooklyn Cookbook

• 1 head frisee lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 eleven ounce log goat cheese
• Canola oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 fresh figs, cut in half
• 4 thin slices prosciutto
• Honey
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Sea salt

1. Roll the goat cheese into half-dollar sized balls and place on parchment-lined sheet.  Put in freezer for 20-30 minutes.

2. Heat about 4 inches of oil in large deep pot until hot, about 350 degrees on a deep fry thermometer.

3. Place the eggs and flour in two separate bowls.  Dip the goat cheese balls in egg, then flour, then egg again, then flour.  Using a metal slotted spoon, carefully lower the cheese balls into the hot oil and cook until golden, about 3 minutes.  Using the slotted spoon, gently remove and drain on paper towels.

4. Assemble the salad as follows:  place a handful of frisee on each of four plates.  Arrange figs, goat cheese and one slice of prosciutto on each plate.  Drizzle with honey, a little balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil, sprinkle with red pepper and salt and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Fettuccine with Asparagus and the Best Goat Cheese Ever!

Okay, this scrumptious recipe comes with a history lesson and a lead on the some of the most delicious goat cheese I've ever eaten. Ready? Here goes.

As those of you who have been reading this blog for a while already know, my favorite place on this earth is the beautiful state of Vermont, where I spent a happy childhood disobediently running through corn fields, putting on plays with my cousins in my grandparent's horse barn and otherwise frolicking around.



Yep, that's yours truly on the hay cart, dressed very appropriately in the green flowered dress. Thank God I'm A Country Girl.

Anyway, I escape back up there whenever possible, and one of the places we always love to visit is Hildene Farm in Manchester. (Here comes the history lesson.)

I bet you did not know that Robert Todd Lincoln (only child of Abraham and Mary Todd to survive to adulthood) had a summer home in Vermont, did you? He did, and it is gorgeous Hildene Farm, where you can tour the historic home...

And wander through the beautiful gardens...

where thousands of peonies are in full gorgeous bloom each summer...

...and take in the spectacular views of the Battenkill Valley. Even the teenager got a little inner peace here, while feverishly looking for cell phone reception. (Southern Vermont...not so great on the whole cell phone reception thing, which is panic-inducing to teenagers. Mine, anyway.) I just love this place. So imagine my delight when my aunt and uncle came down from Vermont for the weekend recently and dropped this off for me.

As it turns out, for the last three years Hildene has been developing a cheesemaking operation, using cow's milk from local farms and milk from their own herd of Nubian goats. This round of cheese was one of the first samples created last January. And oh, my goodness.

Is it the sweet Vermont air? Is it the Nubian goats? Is it the benevolent spirit of Robert Todd Lincoln? Whatever it is, it made for one of the most creamy and delicious goat cheese I have ever eaten. We started out with just some of it on crackers...

And then used the rest of it in a fettuccine dish that used chopped fresh asparagus, some grainy mustard and a good helping of this spectacular cheese. Heaven, heaven, heaven.

This summer the nice folks at Hildene have promised me a behind the scenes peek at the cheese-making operation, and my Nikon and I will be back with a full report (I can hardly wait to see what a Nubian goat looks like!). In the meantime, if you are ever in the area, you MUST stop in and visit beautiful Hildene - click here for more info. The plan is to make cheese all year round, from this delicious goat cheese to Edam, Havarti, Gouda and Feta, so you can pick yourself up some cheese while you are there.

And if you can't make it to beautiful Vermont, you can still pick up some nice goat cheese at your own market and try out this quick and elegant recipe.

FETTUCCINE WITH ASPARAGUS AND GOAT CHEESE, adapted from Everyday Food

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 pound fettuccine
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 ounces goat cheese, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1. Toast pine nuts in a small skillet until golden, about 2-3 minutes

2. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, adding asparagus in last 5 minutes of cooking time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain.

3. Return pasta, asparagus and reserved pasta water to pot and toss with goat cheese, mustard, dill and pine nuts. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Baked Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Pistou

I made this particular recipe because I found these adorable baby ravioli at the supermarket and they were just PERFECT for this dish, which is basically little individual ravioli and goat cheese casseroles. You could absolutely use the big ravioli, but the little ones mean you can get more raviolis in there, and I am all about as much ravioli as possible in life.

I also learned what the word "pistou" means: it is a sauce made of basil leaves, oil oil and garlic. I bet you thought that was pesto, but no -- pesto means there are ground up nuts in the sauce as well. Pistou has no nuts in it. See that? You learn something new every day. Unless I was the only one who didn't already know what pistou was, which is entirely possible. I should warn you that aside from being very delicious, pistou is also extremely garlicky. Which I personally love, but you gotta love garlic to like this one. If you do, we are all set.

So the first thing you do is make that pistou, which entails whirling fresh basil in your food processor with garlic and just enough olive oil to make a thick sauce. Cook the ravioli halfway and toss them in olive oil, and then you are ready to assemble. Pull out your favorite single serving baking dishes (although if you want to make this in one big casserole I am sure that would be perfectly fine) and layer in ravioli, some crumbled goat cheese and a spoonful of pistou. One more layer of ravioli, drizzle with cream, a generous layer of grated Parmesan and pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take them out, scatter some pine nuts and chopped fresh basil on top, and there you go. Yum, right??

BAKED RAVIOLI WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PISTOU

• 1 large bunch fresh basil (save a few leaves for garnish)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 ounce package fresh ravioli
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Pine nuts for garnish

1. Process basil and garlic in food processor until minced very fine. Add enough olive oil to make a thick sauce. This is the pistou

2. Cook ravioli for half the package cooking time. Drain and toss with remaining oil.

3. Butter 4 individual serving dishes and layer ingredients as follows, dividing ingredients into quarters: layer of ravioli, goat cheese, pistou, remaining ravioli, cream and parmesan cheese.

4. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until ravioli starts to turn golden at the edges.

5. Serve garnished with pine nuts and chopped basil.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Linguine with Goat Cheese Rounds

Okay, here's the best thing about this recipe. See that circle of cheese right above the shrimp? The one with the brown crunchy edge? That, my friends, is a warm, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, little circle of goat cheese that has been dusted in bread crumbs, baked in the oven just until it is soft and wonderful, and then tucked into the middle of this pasta dish. So when you cut into it it falls apart easily and bits of warm goat cheese get all tangled up in the pasta as you twirl it around your fork....

Sorry. I got lost in a pasta dream for a second.

Anyway, this is a lovely, quick dinner that is great for both a weekend night or a special dinner for friends and family. The sauce is a speedy one made with fresh tomatoes, onion, a little garlic and shrimp. All you have left to do then is cook up some linguine, toss it with the sauce and some fresh slivered basil, pop a warm goat cheese round on each one, and there you have it. Elegant, easy, goat-cheesy perfection.

SHRIMP, TOMATO AND BASIL LINGUINE WITH GOAT CHEESE ROUNDS, adapted from Cooking Light

• 1 slice white bread
• 1 4 ounce package log-shaped goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 3 cups chopped plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups cooked linguine (12 ounces uncooked)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced basil

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pulse bread in food processor to fine crumbs. Spread on baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool.
3. Slice goat cheese into 4 rounds. Press each round into crumbs until coated. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, water, sugar and pepper and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add shrimp and salt, cook 4 more minutes or until shrimp are done.
6. Add cooked pasta and basil to tomato sauce, toss to combine.
7. Divide among 4 plates, top with goat cheese round.

Click here for printable recipe

Eggs Florentine with Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese

I know, I know, I am egg-obsessed. I can't help myself - the egg is just a perfect thing to behold. Easy, quick, good and good for you. Eggs are my go-to dinner when I have had a long day and want a very quick but creative supper, and so I collect egg ideas wherever I go. I made this one at the end of a long week and it was just the thing...comfort food with just a little bit of elegance in the creamy goat cheese mixed up with the baby spinach.

Here's the deal on this one: you need some pretty nice bread -- sourdough, ciabiatta or something similar. You brush it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and toast it up until it is golden and crunchy. The baby spinach is sauteed quickly, and you toss the goat cheese in with it until it makes a creamy little goat cheesy sauce. Last but not least, gently fry that egg -- sunnyside up or over easy, whatever floats your boat. Bread, topped with spinach, topped with egg, topped with fresh ground pepper. Priceless.

This has been a public service annoucement from the incredible edible egg.

EGGS FLORENTINE WITH BABY SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE, adapted from Everyday Food

• 4 slices (1 inch thick) sourdough bread
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 1/3 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
• 4 large eggs

1. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place bread on a baking sheet, and brush both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium. Add spinach and season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain off excess liquid; mix in goat cheese. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm. Set aside.
3. Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Gently crack eggs into skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, and remove from heat; let stand until whites are set but yolks are still soft, about 3 minutes. Or flip over to be over easy, whatever you like best.
4. Top each piece of toast with spinach mixture and 1 egg; serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Bacon and Pears

I have gotten quite a few requests lately to discuss some of my favorite cookbooks, which got me to thinking, what ARE my favorite cookbooks, anyway? The three SILVER PALATEs are definitely up there, as is every cookbook I have ever gotten from COOKS ILLUSTRATED. I do have about 200 others on my shelf. Literally. But quite honestly, I spend most of my recipe-hunting time looking through my two giant binders of recipes I have torn out of magazines, gotten online, or just plain made up. So for me to buy a new cookbook...it better be a mad good cookbook.

So with that in mind, please let me introduce you to KITCHEN EXPRESS, by the wonderful Mark Bittman. I do own a couple of Mark's cookbooks already, so he kind of had me at hello, but this one is so right up my alley, it's like he wrote it for me personally. It is not exactly recipes, but more a series of ideas/suggestions for meals that you can make in my golden rule time-space of 30 minutes or less.

In the case of these sandwiches, it was about 10 minutes from start to plate. I had a loaf of ciabiatta bread from Fairway, so I was already ahead of the game. I spread it with some really nice creamy goat cheese. I then cut some paper-thin slices of Bartlett pear and laid them on top of the cheese. Next came some crumbled bacon, and then I drizzled the whole thing with a tiny bit of blueberry balsamic vinegar (you could use regular balsamic, but I have this amazing blueberry kind, thanks to my wonderful mother, who is always bringing me great kitchen treats).

That, my friends, is that. The happy Southern husband and I were in sandwich heaven, as was the teenager, who opted for peanut butter and banana on Wonder Bread, because...well, I have no idea why.

So for those of you who, like me, are playing a nightly version of Beat the Clock with your suppers, take a look at KITCHEN EXPRESS. Link below.

KITCHEN EXPRESS

Chicken Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Dressing

One of the cardinal rules of my kitchen is, if we are grilling chicken, we make extra. I have an entire collection of recipes that call for cooked chicken as one of the ingredients, and pretty much no matter what it is, if the chicken is grilled it is twice as good.

The ever-helpful Southern husband grilled chicken early in the week, so I had a nice supply of the extra in the fridge. Note: this only works if you say in a very firm voice, "I am using the leftover chicken for another supper in a few days, so please don't EAT it." I speak from experience.

Anyway, I also had some corn and tomatoes from our local farm market, and a nice hunk of goat cheese from Fairway, and so this tasty little salad came together in two shakes. Fresh thyme is essential for the nice flavor of this one, and luckily I have it in abundance in my herb garden, so all set there. We had the salad with some cracked peppercorn flatbread and a glass of Malbec wine, which I just discovered a few weeks ago. Malbec is an Argentinian wine that has flavors of black cherry and chocolate. But you probably knew that already and I am the last one to find it out.

So next time you grill chicken, make a few extra pieces and then try this salad, while the corn and tomatoes are still all around us. These lazy hazy days of summer are going by all too fast...

CHICKEN SALAD WITH CORN, TOMATOES AND GOAT CHEESE DRESSING

• 4 ounces crumbled mild goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 4 chicken breast halves, grilled and shredded into bite size pieces
• 2 ears of corn, kernels removed and cooked
• 1 large tomato, chopped

1. In food processor, puree cheese, oil, sour cream, milk, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and two tablespoons of thyme until smooth. Thin with more milk if needed until it is the consistency of thick salad dressing.

2. Place chicken, corn and tomato in large bowl and toss with dressing.

3. Serve with the rest of the thyme sprinkled on top.