Pasta with Shredded Chicken and Rosemary

I've said it before and I'll say it again...if a recipe has the words "shredded" and "chicken" in it, I am completely, 100% in.  There's something about bite-sized pieces of chicken that just means comfort food to me, and if you include a little pasta and cheese with it...oh my goodness.

And this particular one also involves one of my favorite fresh herbs, conveniently one that is currently growing like gangbusters in my back yard.  Rosemary!  If you are ever feeling blue, rub a few rosemary leaves between your fingers and inhale deeply.  It's pretty much guaranteed to make you feel better.

Anyway.  This is a fast and simple dish that will make short work of any leftover cooked chicken you have in your fridge.  Whenever I am grilling chicken for anything else, I make sure to throw a few extra pieces on, because grilled chicken is just about perfect in recipes like this one.  Let it come to room temperature and tear it into those nice little bite-sized pieces while you are cooking up some pasta.  I like to use orecchiette (those little round ones) because they do such a nice job of holding the sauce, but pretty much any short pasta will do.  Make sure you salt the pasta water up good, and scoop out some of the pasta water right before you drain it.

Once the drained pasta is back in the pot, toss in the chicken, some parmesan cheese, some of that glorious fresh rosemary, a little salt and pepper, and enough pasta water to make it into a nice light sauce.  Simmer it until everything is all warm and blended together.  Now all you have to to is spoon it into plates and dig in.

Shredded chicken...it never lets me down.

Pasta with Shredded Chicken and Rosemary, adapted from Real Simple

• 12 ounces orecchiette (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Coarse salt and black pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 ¼ cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
2. Toss the pasta with the chicken, rosemary, reserved pasta water, ½ cup of the Parmesan, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
3. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan. 

Print this!

Buttered Rosemary Orange Nuts

I don't know about you, but when I am throwing any sort of little (or big) dinner party, I have no trouble with the main course, and no trouble with the dessert, but the appetizers always leave me a little stumped.  Maybe I've used all my culinary brainwaves on the later courses, but my mind goes completely blank and all I can visualize is a wooden board with a hunk of cheddar and some Triscuits.  Maybe a few nice grapes.

So when I actually come up with a passable appetizer, like the watermelon bites from last summer and the recent fig crostini, I feel ridiculously proud of myself.

However.

I can't be satisfied with just ONE nibble before dinner, because God forbid anyone leave my house without feeling completely stuffed, and that is where these delectable and easy little nuts come in. You start with whatever brand or mix of mixed nuts you like.  The Southern husband buys them in those large (obviously) plastic jugs at Costco, so we always have some around.  Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and toss in 2 cups of the mixed nuts, three tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, and two tablespoons of orange zest (most of a good sized-orange.  If you have a microplane zester, this will take you about 90 seconds tops).  Stir the whole thing around just until the sugar is melted and everything is well-combined, which will take about 2 minutes.

Now pour the whole thing onto a piece of parchment paper or non-stick foil and let it cool.  That's it...and just WAIT until you taste them.  Sweet and salty and rosemary and orange and completely addictive.  Try 'em!

Buttered Rosemary Orange Nuts, adapted from Real Simple

• 2 cups salted mixed nuts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons orange zest

1. Melt about butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When melted add the mixed nuts, sugar, rosemary, and  orange zest.  Stir just until the sugar is melted and everything is well-combined, which will take about 2 minutes.  

2. Pour onto a piece of parchment paper or nonstick foil and let cool before serving.  This will keep for at least a week...if it lasts that long!

Click here for printable recipe

Pappardelle with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Rosemary

1. Don't you just love it when it is time to take the Christmas plates out?

2. Don't you just love it when your dinner actually MATCHES the Christmas plates?

I know, but these are the little things in life that keep a smile on my face, and so I am going with the flow here. This great recipe is another one from THE NEW BROOKLYN COOKBOOK, and is easy enough that you actually don't mind whipping it up in the midst of the wrapping and the shopping and the fa-la-la-la-la. Don't be tempted to use anything other than pappardale in this recipe - it's that gorgeous wide pasta that you see in the picture, and it is the perfect pasta for this dish. I found it without any problem in my local market, right there on the pasta aisle, but if you have any problem you can order it from that same place you are getting all your holiday gifts...here's the link:

Pappardelle Pasta

Anyway, this is a fast and scrumptious dish that will remind you a little of that old standard, pasta primavera, but in this case the veggies are limited to cherry tomatoes that are roasted with a little olive oil and coarse salt, and zucchini that is cut into matchstick size pieces and quickly sauteed. A few toasted pine nuts, some parmesan cheese and you are in business - a red and green pasta dish that would be just perfect for an elegant dinner on, say, Christmas Eve?

Yum and yum and ho ho ho.

Pappardelle with Zucchini, Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Rosemary, adapted from THE NEW BROOKLYN COOKBOOK

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 16 ounces papparedelle
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (about 2 inches by 1/4 inch)
• leaves from two fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
• Freshly grated parmesan

1. Lightly toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or nonstick foil and roast for 20 minutes.

3. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.

4. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in rosemary and cook for 2 minutes more. Add drained pasta and tomatoes and toss, adding a little pasta water to make a light sauce. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cheese and serve at once.

Click here for printable recipe

Rosemary Skewers

Yes, it is almost September (how is that POSSIBLE??) and as you know from some of my earlier posts, I am in major "use it or lose it" mode with my beloved barrels of herbs that live right outside my kitchen door.  Their days are numbered, and so I am pulling out all my recipes that involve fresh herbs so that I can have another few weeks of herb extravaganza before things start getting chilly out there.  And in case you want to join me, all my posts this week are going to feature some kind of wonderful herb or another, starting with these rosemary skewers.

I have to admit, it took me a while to warm up to rosemary.  For the longest time I only knew about dried rosemary in the jar - those sharp little needles that could be used as miniature weapons in a pinch.  But somewhere along the line I discovered soft, fragrant fresh rosemary, and a light dawned.  Now I grow it in one of the whiskey barrels outside my back door, and this summer it just went crazy..I have a TON of it.



So I took the opportunity to try out a recipe I found on the always fabulous Pioneer Woman site.  Sometimes on a Friday evening the Southern husband and I will skip actual dinner and just have some kind of interesting appetizer-type food for supper, and this fit the bill perfectly.  You take stems of rosemary - and for obvious reasons these need to be sturdy stems (which they usually are).  Strip off the leaves except for a couple of inches on the top.  Then all you have left to do is skewer whatever you like on to these gorgeous smelling skewers.  I used fresh mozzarella, grilled marinated artichoke hearts and pieces of genoa salami that had been folded in quarters.  The original recipe called for olives as well.  You could really used any kind of cheese you like,  you could try sun-dried tomatoes, pieces of folded ham...you get the idea.

Some rosemary skewers, the setting sun, and sitting outside with your honey on a Friday evening -- does it get any better?

Rosemary Skewers,  from The Pioneer Woman

• Rosemary sprigs, leaved stripped except for the top 2 inches
• Cubes of fresh mozzarella
• Marinated artichoke hearts
• Genoa salami, sliced thin and folded
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• Ground thyme

1. Thread the cheese, artichoke hearts and salami on to the rosemary skewers in any order or amount you like.

2. Mix the olive oil, vinegar and spices until thoroughly combined and then brush onto the skewers.  Arrange on a plate and enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Every summer I seem to run into a recipe that I just simply can't stop making over and over again. In the past it has been the Silver Palate's pasta with tomatoes and brie cheese, and fabulous "Way Life Should Be" lobster recipe from New York Times, and one summer many moons ago I made this super-simple raspberry sherbet recipe almost every day. This summer I am fixated on this buttermilk grilled chicken recipe.

It must be something about the buttermilk that makes it taste so wonderful. Buttermilk is a scary, scary thing to me (have you ever taken a really close look at this stuff?), but I have to say that anything I make with it, from this chicken, to fresh ricotta cheese, to my all-time favorite buttermilk fried chicken recipe, turns out great. This recipe calls for mixing up buttermilk, paprika, lots of garlic and some fresh herbs and letting the chicken soak in it all day before grilling it up. It comes out with a delicious flavor that is even better when you eat the leftovers cold for lunch the next day.

One trick that I always use when it comes to grilling chicken: I use kitchen shears to cut the chicken breast halves in half again, so you are left with breast quarters. Much more manageable in terms of picking up and eating...which is what you are going to do with scrumptious summertime grilled chicken, right? Right!

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken, adapted from Real Simple

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 6 pounds bone-in chicken breasts, cut into quarters
• Fresh rosemary and thyme
  

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, garlic, paprika, 1½ teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and whatever fresh herbs you have around -- I especially like fresh rosemary. Chop them up a little and add them to the marinade.

2. Divide the buttermilk mixture and chicken between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Let marinate in the refrigerator, turning the bags occasionally, for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

3. Heat grill to medium. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill, covered, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Click here for printable recipe

Grilled Pizza with Bacon and Rosemary

Okay, so this whole thing started with two things. First, my wonderful friend J gave me her copy of Taste of the South magazine. I had never heard of this one before, but it took about 30 seconds of paging through it before I was filling out my own subscription card. Among other things, it included a article full of ideas for grilled pizzas. (Those of you who have been reading this blog awhile know I am a sucker for grilled pizza -- those of you who haven't, please click here.)

At any rate, the recipe that caught my eye was for a bacon rosemary topped pizza that called for making a homemade heirloom tomato sauce. Since is is barely summertime, I filed that idea away for when I ran into some good-looking heirloom tomatoes.

Then about 2 days later, I met this handsome guy, and about 10 of his friends.

Was this a sign? Just to be sure, I asked the Southern husband to look around the farmer's market to see if by chance they had any cans of crushed tomatoes, and he came back 5 minutes later with this:

He said he liked the look of the can. (So did I, as a matter of fact!) So I figured this was as sure a sign as any that I was supposed to be firing up the grill to make bacon rosemary pizza. The sauce came together quickly and easily and made my kitchen smell like heaven. Next I cooked up some bacon...

...and some pizza dough. I have to admit, I used my old faithful Cooks Illustrated pizza dough recipe, because it has never ever let me down, and I also used their grilling method, which calls for rolling out the dough into individual rounds and grilling them on one side until they are crispy and have those great char marks. Take them off the grill and spoon the following on the grilled side: tomato sauce, grated fontina cheese and chopped shallot. Return the pizzas to the grill and cook them with the lid down until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the pizza is nice and browned.

Then take them off and sprinkle them with fresh chopped rosemary. Let's take a look..

Let's take a closer look....

Let's eat!!

Grilled Pizza with Bacon and Rosemary, adapted from Taste of the South and Cooks Illustrated.

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 table dried basil
• 6 heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Stir in oregano and basil, stir, and add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.

3. Simmer 20 minutes. Makes about 5 cups.


Dough

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup water at room temperature
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast

1. Mix water and oil.

2. Add bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast to food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix.

3. While running, add water mixture through tube. Process until dough forms a ball that clears the sides of the bowl. If dough doesn't form a ball, add more flour one tablespoon at a time until it does.

4. Transfer dough to mixing bowl sprayed with olive oil. Cover and let rise for 2 hours.


Pizza assembly

• Heirloom Tomato Sauce
• One batch pizza dough
• 1 12 ounce package bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 8 ounces shredded fontina cheese
• Fresh rosemary for garnish

1. Divide dough into 4 sections. Roll into balls, dust with flour, and roll each one out to about a 6-8 inch size crust. Don't worry if the shape isn't perfect, grilled pizza is supposed to look rustic! Layer crusts in between wax paper.

2. Heat grill to medium high and lay crusts on grill. Grill for about 5 minutes, lifting up to check every minute to make sure the crusts aren't cooking too fast. Pop any big dough bubbles with a knife.

3. Remove crusts and turn over so grilled side is UP. Spread about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sauce on each crust, sprinkle with fontina cheese, and then shallots, and then bacon. Return to grill, put cover down, and grill until cheese is melted and bottom of crust is browned.

4. Remove from grill, sprinkle with rosemary and cut into sections. Makes 4 personal sized pizzas.

Click here for printable recipe

Rosemary Merlot Flank Steak

Well, it's now reliably over 50 degrees most days here in the Northeast, and you know what THAT means.

It's GRILLING time.

Not that the resilient and reliable Southern husband won't happily dig the grill out from under a snowbank in the middle of February if I really need him to.

But let's face it, it's a lot more fun when the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and you don't have to wear your snow boots. This recipe is the perfect one to kick off grill season, and if you don't count the time I sent him outside in a snowstorm to roast those tomatoes for me, it's the first time the Southern husband has seriously cranked up the grill in 2010.

You need a nice flank steak for this one, and you marinate it for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of chopped onions, beef broth, chopped fresh rosemary, salt, oregano and (here's the beauty part) about a cup of red wine. I love a nice glass of merlot, so that's what my steak got to marinate in.

Once you have the steak on the grill, have someone reliable keep an eye on it while you make the sauce, which is basically a mixture of that marinade you just soaked the steak in, with some tomato paste and Dijon mustard stirred in. Boil it for about 7 minutes until it is reduced to about a cup. When the steak comes off the grill, slice it up and pour some of that sauce over the top, and summer will seem just around the corner.

Rosemary Merlot Flank Steak

1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
1 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Combine first seven ingredients in plastic bag, add steak and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove steak, reserving marinade. Grill steak for 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes and then slice against grain.

3. While steak cooks, combine leftover marinade, tomato paste and mustard in small pot. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to one cup, about 7 minutes. Serve sauce over steak.

Click here for printable recipe

Shredded Pot Roast

This is another one of those AWESOME recipes from the Pioneer Woman (go buy her cookbook! Runrunrun!!) that takes something you think you already know how to make pretty well -- in this case, pot roast -- and shakes it up just enough to make it the best version of pot roast you have ever made. All the usual players are here in this recipe -- the beef roast, the carrots, the onions, etc. This version does not cook the usual potatoes in with the roast, but calls for serving the pot roast with mashed potatoes on the side. As far as I am concerned, anything tastes better with mashed potatoes on the side, so I was good with that.

But that's not the game-changer here. The two things that put this pot roast over the top for me were first that you cook it with just enough fresh herbs (fresh thyme and rosemary) to infuse it with a gorgeous, herby flavor. About one hour into this my kitchen smelled like...I don't know how to describe it. I could have bottled and sold that aroma. Eau du Pot Roast With Herbs -- it was crazy.

The second thing was the shredding. The meat comes out of the pot so tender that it almost falls apart anyway, but I took it to the next step and shredded it, and then dunked the shredded meat back into the pot roast juices until it was thoroughly soaked through with the herb-infused liquid. On to the plate with some of the carrots it cooked with on one side, some mashed potatoes on the other. Oh my. You know you have hit a pot roast home run when the dinner table is completely quiet because any talking would interfere with the EATING.

From now on, I think I will shred everything we eat.

SHREDDED POT ROAST, adapted from The Pioneer Woman

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 5 pound chuck roast
• 2 onions, peeled and halved
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup red wine
• 2-3 cups beef broth
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

1. Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.

2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When it is very hot, add the onions and brown them on both sides. Remove to plate. Add the carrots and toss them around for a minute until they are browned, and then remove.

3. Place the meat in the pan, adding more oil if needed, and sear on all sides until brown, about a minute per side. Remove the roast.

4. With the heat still on high, add the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to get all the browned bits off. Place the roast back in the pan, add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway and add the carrots and the onions. Toss in the fresh herbs, tucking them around the meat.

5. Put the lid on the pot and put in 275 oven for one hour per pound -- so 5 hours for a 5 pound roast, 3 hours for a three pound roast, etc.

6. When the roast is fork-tender, remove it from the pan and shred it with two forks. Dunk the shreds back in the pan juice until they are soaked through, and then put on plate with carrots, onions, and mashed potatoes.

Click here for printable recipe

Pasta with Baked Camembert

One of the nifty things about this blog is that I get all kinds of SUGGESTIONS. Some are actual recipes (like the chocolate chip cheese ball! whoo-hoo!!), some are for cookbooks or websites or restaurants I should try. Some are requests for dishes calling for specific ingredients (bacon), or requests that I not use specific ingredients (bacon). Note to this last group of requesters: you have no shot. Zero. Sorry. I love you but I have my standards to uphold.

Anyway, one of my good friends (let's call him the Narnian) has been telling me for a while that I really should try some of Jamie Oliver's recipes. I didn't know much about Jamie other than the fact that he goes by the name "The Naked Chef," which was slightly alarming until I realized that meant he is a big proponent of using non-processed ingredients. He is also on a mission to get the United Kingdom to cook and eat healthier, which I dearly hope does not knock out scones with clotted cream and jam, which is my absolute favorite part of going to the UK.

Anyway, I finally checked out Mr. Oliver, and ran across this recipe, which has instantly become one of my favorites. It's a nice easy one that is basically a super-charged version of macaroni and cheese, only this time the cheese is Camembert that has been baked with fresh rosemary, garlic and olive oil until it is soft and creamy and you want to weep with happiness. The picture above shows the Camembert right before it goes in the oven, in case you are wondering how it actually works. It gets tossed with pasta and baby spinach, and looks like this when it is done:

Need I say more? So with thanks to the Narnian, I am now a Jamie Oliver convert. Except, I wonder how he feels about bacon?

BAKED CAMEMBERT PASTA, adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe

1 round of camembert (the kind that comes in the thin wooden box)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, with the leaves stripped off

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 ounces penne

1 pound baby spinach

1. Open the box of cheese and unwrap it. Put it back in the wooden box, or in a small baking dish if it didn't come in wooden box.

2. Cut a circle in the top of the rind, then peel off and discard (see picture above)

3. Lay the garlic slices on top of the cheese and cover with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

4. Scatter the rosemary leaves over the top. Grind pepper over all.

5. Bake the cheese at 350 for about 25 minutes until soft.

6. When the cheese has 10 minutes left to cook, cook pasta until al dente. When the pasta is cooked, add the spinach to the pasta for about 30 seconds, then drain all.

9. Add remaining olive oil and grated Parmesan to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

10. Remove the cheese from the oven and scoop the melted cheese into the pasta. Toss thoroughly and serve.

Click here for printable recipe.