Heading South

Years ago, my closest girlfriends and I started the tradition of hosting girls night dinner parties as often as we could. These dinners started off as a monthly event but as we get older and our lives started to change with houses, weddings, children, etc the dinners have become more and more sparse.  I think the last girls dinner I hosted my friend Ainsley was pregnant and her son is now 1! When I was able to gather my friends for one of the only quiet weekends of the summer I jumped at the opportunity to  host a dinner party. Inspired by a recent visit to Yardbird Southern Table in South Beach I developed a southern style menu and served everything family style for a casual feel.

On the Menu:

• Blackberry-Ginger Lemonade
• Creole Crab Dip with Crackers and Endive for Dipping
• Southern Fried Chicken
• Old Bay Blackened Shrimp
• Mac and Cheese
• Green Beans with Crispy Andouille Sausage
• Sauteed Kale with Garlic
• Biscuits with Honey Butter

The night was a success and hopefully we wont have to wait quite as long for another girls night dinner!

Here are a couple of the recipes from the evening as well as some pictures:

Creole Crab Dip
Serves 4-6

• 1 can (120 g) lump crab meat, picked through for shells and cartilage
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonaisse
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• squeeze of lemon juice
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the crab, shallot, mayo, cream cheese, Old Bay, Worcestershire and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Transfer the mixture to an oven proof dish and place in the oven.
4. Bake until the top is golden and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve with your favourite crudite and crackers.

The Best Mac and Cheese
Serves 4 as a main

• 1 lb. of elbow macaroni, or any other similar sized pasta (I used shells)
• drizzle of olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
• 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dry mustard 
• dash of hot sauce
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, toss with the olive oil and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cream and continue to whisk until no clumps are present. Cook until the mixture begins to boil and is thickened then whisk in the cheeses.
4. Once the cheese is melted, stir in the paprika, dry mustard and hot sauce then season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to combine.
6. Empty the pasta into a greased oven-proof casserole dish then sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.
7. Place in the oven and bake until bubbly and the crust is golden, about 20 minutes.

Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: Pregnant Jooles's Pasta, Crunchy Red Endive and Watercress Salad

Last night was the second of my Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes cookbook test.

On the menu:

• Pregnant Jools's Pasta (essentially pasta with meat sauce)
• Crunchy Red Endive and Watercress Salad (I used baby arugula which the book gave as an option)

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except for a few simple swap outs. I changed the type of pasta from penne to farfalle (bowties) and instead of using sausages in the sauce I used ground veal. The recipe in the book included a dessert (little frangipan tarts) but since we try to eat somewhat healthy during the week I decided to skip it. The tarts looked and sounded delicious so I will probably test the recipe out on the weekend and bring them to a friend's house.

Here are my thoughts:

Ingredients: Just like last time all the ingredients were easy to find in my local supermarket. Besides being incredibly easy to find the ingredients were also very reasonable. My whole bill for this meal cost just over $20.

Method: This time around, the method was a little tougher than last time. This was partly my fault since I skipped the dessert. Because of this, I had to skip the steps based around the tarts and often found myself losing my spot on the page. Other than that, this recipe was easy to follow. My only other complaint was that the recipe called for the meat to be cooked on a high heat, I found for the time given to cook the meat I had to turn the temperature down a bit about halfway through the cooking time as my sauce was starting to burn but like any recipe you have to pay attention and adjust accordingly.

Cook Time: This meal was even quicker than the last one. I had dinner on the table in just under 30 minutes! In fact, when I called Jordan to the table his response was "What??? Already???"! Granted, I skipped the whole dessert section of the recipe but if you included it it would probably only add about 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

The Food: Once again, DELICIOUS! The meat sauce tasted like it had  been cooked all day and was the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's night. The salad was fresh and crunchy and was the perfect accompaniment for the pasta. Another satisfying meal from Mr. Jamie Oliver!

Tonight I am cooking my own recipe so make sure to check back tomorrow for a post on:

• Roasted Herb Chicken
• Caramelized Shallot Gravy and
• Shaved, Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ravioli with Sweet Corn, Leeks and Bacon

With its bright colours and light sauce this pasta dish is a delicious way to welcome spring!!!

This sauce goes great with fresh Fettuccine as well.

Ravioli with Sweet Corn, Leeks and Bacon
Serves 4

• 4 ears of corn, shucked, kernels removed
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup cream
• 4 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 lb. package of ricotta and spinach ravioli
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Hot sauce to taste
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In the meantime, in a blender or food processor combine 1 cup of the corn kernels with the broth and cream. Blend until combined and set aside.
3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add the bacon and cook until just starting to crisp. Add the leeks, garlic and thyme. Cook until softened and the leeks are lightly brown, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the red pepper and remaining cornand cook until pepper is soft and corn is cooked through about 3-5 minutes. Pour in the broth mixture, stirring to combine. Lower heat and let simmer while you cook the pasta.
5. Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions, drain and set aside.
6. Check the seasoning of the sauce and adjust with salt, pepper and hot sauce, stir in parsley. Toss the seasoned sauce with the drained pasta and top freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

ENJOY!

"What's For Dinner?" Wednesday: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Maple Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions, Sage and Walnuts

Sounds fancy, huh? This recipe is actually super simple, seasonal and most importantly, DELICIOUS! This dish is a great weeknight, winter meal, that will warm you right up with many seasonal flavours, but it is also great for entertaining. Tonight I'm serving it as an entree with some salad and garlic bread, but it also makes a great appetizer on its own for an upcoming holiday dinner party.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Maple Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions, Sage and Walnuts
Serves 4 as an entree with a salad

•  1 tsp. olive oil
  
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped sage
  
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 1lb. package of store bought butternut squash ravioli
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, once hot add the oil, onions and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and starting to caramelize.
3. Add in the butter and cook until the butter is melted and starts to become a golden brown colour, this will take a few minutes. Once the butter is browned, stir in the maple syrup and walnuts, let cook for another minute then take off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
4. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
5. Re-heat the sauce over low heat, drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, garnish with some more chopped sage and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon Appetit!

* For a change, substitute the ravioli for gnocchi, or even better sweet potato gnocchi

Pasta Pronto!!!

Looking for a quick pasta dish?

This is my variation of Pasta Puttanesca. Traditionally, Puttanesca is a heavy tomato sauce, but my version uses all of the elements of Pasta Puttanesca and makes it a little lighter. I love the mix of saltiness from the capers and olives with the sweetness of the tomatoes. This recipe is quick, simple and delicious.

Don't be scared of the anchovy paste, once cooked it tastes nothing like fish, I promise, but if you really want you can leave it out. I used spaghettini for the pasta but you can use any of your  favorite pasta noodles.

Pasta Puttanesca
Serves 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 2 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/4 tsp. chili flakes (optional)
  
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tbsp. capers, drained
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes, cut into julienne
  
• 2 1 pint containers of grape or cherry tomatoes
  
• 1 (454g) package of pasta of your choice
• 1 cup basil, roughly chopped
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste and chili flakes and cook until garlic starts to become golden
3. Add in the olives, capers and both the tomatoes. Lower the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grape tomatoes have burst and released their juices.
4. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain.
5. With the back of a wooden spoon, crush any remaining whole grape tomatoes, season the sauce with  pepper than toss with the cooked pasta. Top with the chopped basil and the Parmesan.

Buon appetito!