Best of 2019, Part Two

Though I ended up making most meals this year, I wasn't particularly creative. Mr Minx gets home from work about 90 minutes after I do, which should leave me plenty of time to cook. But once I walk home from the bus stop, then take the dog for his walk, I am not really in the mood to get creative. It's great when I've remembered to defrost something pre-made, like a quart of Cajun Kate's gumbo, or some chili, but most of the time I'm ordering Indian food and reheating it. I feel like I'm in a real culinary rut. I have done a decent amount of baking this year, despite being on Whole30 from about May on. I can't eat the goodies that come out of the oven, and Mr Minx shouldn't, so I've been passing them on to a friend with a sweet tooth. He gets snacks (but hopefully not diabetes) and I get to bake, so win-win.

I do end up cooking every Sunday though, and have tried the vaguely creative thing here and there. Like the golabki I made in July. I'd never made them before, and I don't remember my Grandmother making them at all (though she apparently did before I was born), so I didn't have a go-to recipe. My cousin Dianne had sent me a few, so I took what I thought were the best parts of all of them and then added my own spin. I think they turned out pretty well, and the recipe made enough that I was able to put three more dinners-worth in the freezer for other times.

I always think my crab cakes are pretty good, and was able to make those a few times this year. I like using leftover meat from steamed crabs, but have even stooped to using imported crab. The best ones, of course, use the meat from Callinectes sapidus, as these did.

For Valentine's Day, my sweetheart made me a heart-shaped meatloaf. Mr Minx's meatloaf is the best. He uses the recipe from The Joy of Cooking, but adds a festive tunnel of cheese. Doesn't this look great?

Shakshuka is a hot thing these days. Typically a tomato-and-bell pepper stew, it's often topped with eggs and served for brunch in the US. I am partial to the Lebanese version, shakshouky, which contains eggplant but not tomatoes and pomegranate molasses. In the dish pictured, I combined the two recipes to make my own, delicious, thing.

Some years ago, I had a creamy tomatillo soup at SoBo cafe. I reverse-engineered it in 2014, and then I made it again in 2019, this time adding toasted pumpkin seeds and sauteed shrimp. And perhaps too much yogurt, but it was still a great light dinner on a hot summer night.

Last, but certainly not least, as they are my primary substitute for pasta these days: zoodles. I bought a spiralizer so I can make them myself, but sometimes I resort to using a Y-peeler to cut thin pappardelle-like strips from green or yellow squash. Topped with fresh ripe tomatoes from the garden, toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh pesto, cheese, and parsley, zucchini noodles are like the best cross between a pasta dish and a hearty salad. I hope to eat a lot more of them in 2020.

And that's it. See? Boring and mostly uncreative. But tasty.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Tuttorosso Tomatoes

Tuttorosso is teaming up with Ali Maffucci of Inspiralized to host an "Inspiralize the Spring" Facebook promotion. Running from March 25th (today!) to April 15th, the promotion gives fans a chance to win weekly prizes. You say, "Prizes! We all love prizes! What kind of prizes?" I say spiralizers (spiral cutters), aprons, and the Inspiralized book. There's also a grand prize package that includes all of the above, plus a picnic basket and kitchen gadgets. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato to enter.

We customarily buy Tuttorosso or Red Pack tomatoes anyway, so were happy to get the word out about this promotion.

So what does inspiralization mean and what does it have to do with tomatoes? Ever hear of "zoodles?" They're noodles made from spiral-cut zucchini. Lightly cook them or use them raw, zoodles are a healthy and gluten-free pasta substitute. Tuttorosso's web site has four delicious-looking recipes for vegetable noodle dishes, and we're sharing one with you here. We need to get our hands on one of those spiralizers ourselves so we can make this dish (but might just do it and serve it over conventional pasta - shh! don't tell!)

Tuscan Sausage and Kale Ragu with Butternut Squach Fettuccini

3/4 pound Italian sausage, decased and crumbled
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can Tuttorosso® No Salt Added Peeled Plum Italian Style Tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons Tuttorosso® Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine, or beef broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium butternut squash
olive oil, to drizzle
fresh basil, to garnish
Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place a large pot over medium heat and add in the sausage. Crumble the sausage further with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Then, add in the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions turn translucent.

Using your hands, crush the tomatoes over the pot. Using a wooden spoon, further crush the tomatoes so that no large chunks remain. Add in the tomato paste, wine (or broth), basil, oregano, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low to a simmer. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until reduced by half and then stir in the kale and beans. Cook for another 5 minutes or until kale wilts and sauce is thick like a ragu.

Peel and spiralize the butternut squash, using Blade B. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Drizzle with olive oil and massage it into the squash with your hands. Once you add the kale to the ragu, season with salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked to al dente.

Divide the butternut squash noodles into bowls and top with the ragu, making sure to discard the bay leaf. Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese.

If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use these tips to hand cut your veggies into pasta.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



Posted on Minxeats.com.