What's for Dinner? Flounder with Linguine and Tomato Sauce!

We've been on vacation in Charleston for the past week, and let me tell you, we had some AMAZING food!  Charleston does not disappoint in the culinary department.  But one thing the food isn't...healthy.  We were traveling with a vegetarian, and it was particularly hard finding something that didn't have some sort of pig product in it (it is the South, after all!).  At one restaurant, the homemade buttermilk rolls were actually served with "pork butter".  So, needless to say, after last week, we are looking for some healthy meals again.  This dish is something my mom made growing up.  It is extremely fast (good thing, cause the in-laws are in town!) and very healthy.  And it is pretty cheap, because you can use any thin white fish that they have at the market, and tilapia is usually always there and super inexpensive. I made this tonight with flounder because I really like the flavor of it (and it was also on sale at the 'Teet). Hopefully after eating a few healthy dishes like this, some of that pork butter will start magically melting off of my hips.  Enjoy!

Flounder with Linguine and Tomato Sauce
Serves 4

1 TBSP olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1, 28-oz can good diced tomatoes in juice (I use San Marzano)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 large handful basil, chopped
2 TBSP capers
1 lb flounder fillets
8 oz linguine, cooked to specifications
parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic.  Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes with juice and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add lemon juice, basil and capers and simmer 5 minutes more.  Add flounder in one layer over tomatoes.  Cover.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes until fish becomes opaque and flakes easily (don't overcook...we don't like mushy fish!). Serve fish on top of pasta and spoon sauce on top.  Garnish with Parmesan.

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What's for Dinner? Linguine with White Clam Sauce!

I don't know what it is that I love about linguine with white clam sauce.  I always order it at Italian restaurants.  I just like the garlicky-winey-clammy flavor (haha, that sounds kinda gross).  I have made this dish with fresh clams and it is great, but quite honestly, after you get done cleaning, shucking and chopping them...it doesn't taste THAT much different than using canned clams (some of you may want to strangle me for this, but I'm just being honest).  If you want to use fresh clams, by all means, do it!  But the rest of us that have to have dinner done quick will use canned!  Serve with a quick side salad. I hope you enjoy this easy meal!

Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Serves 4

9 oz fresh linguine or 1/2 box dried
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter, divided
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small cans minced baby clams (juice reserved)
1 can whole baby clams (drained)
1/2 cup white wine
1 heaping tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
crushed red pepper, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
grated cheese

In a pot, bring water to a boil.  Add linguine and boil for the appropriate amount of time.  Drain, add 1 TBSP of butter, toss and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil and 1 TBSP butter.  Add onion and saute until translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.  Add clam juice and wine and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  Add clams and herbs.  Cook until warmed through.  Add pasta and toss to coat.  Serve and top with grated cheese.  Enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Chicken Marsala!

Sorry I fell off the wagon last week.  Not sure why, but we just didn't cook a lot...we had a lot going on!  But I'm back, baby.  Tonight, I had two containers of mushrooms in the fridge I wanted to use (I tend to buy multiples of things because I forget that I have already bought them...anyone sympathize?). Chicken Marsala is a really easy and yummy dish that was perfect.  It really only takes about 15 minutes to make.  Works for me!  You can use a variety of mushrooms, to fancy it up, or just use your standard whites.  I served it with green beans sauteed with shallots and we had a great, easy meal.  Give it a try. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala
Serves 4

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp dried (or fresh) thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1-1.25 lb chicken cutlets (I buy the already pounded cutlets, but you can buy regular breasts and pound them out thin between two sheets of plastic wrap)
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP butter (I use Brummel & Brown spread)
• 2, 8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms (use any varieties you like)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup Marsala wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb angel hair pasta (or any cut you like)

In a shallow bowl, add flour and spices and mix together.  Dredge chicken cutlets in flour mixture until well coated.  Set aside.  In a large frying pan, heat 1 TBSP oil and 1 TBSP butter until hot.  Add half chicken cutlets and saute on one side, about 3-4 minutes until golden.  Flip chicken and saute about 2 minutes more.  Reserve to plate.  Add the remaining oil and butter and chicken and repeat steps. 

In a pot, bring water to boil and add pasta.  Cook according to directions. Drain and set aside.

After chicken is done and removed from the pan, add in mushrooms.  Saute until they start to get tender.  Add garlic and saute one minute more.  From the remaining flour in bowl, sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons over mushrooms and stir to coat.  Cook 1 minute more. Add chicken broth and Marsala wine and let simmer until it begins to thicken.  Add chicken back to pan and simmer, about 5 minutes more until sauce is thick (if it gets too thick, add more broth).  Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta and enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pancetta over Pappardelle!

Yesterday, when I made my gazpacho, I went ahead and prepped all the rest of my fresh, garden tomatoes for this sauce that I was making tonight.  It is such a simple, fresh sauce that tastes almost as good if you use a good quality, San Marzano canned tomatoes than if you use fresh tomatoes (but you didn't hear me say that!). If you use fresh tomatoes, you need to core them, cut an "x" in the bottom and drop them in boiling salted water.  Let them blanch for a few seconds (15-30) and remove from boiling water.  Let cool and peel off skin.

Now for the pasta.  I have discovered this dry pasta that I am in love with.  It is Cipriani Extra Thin Pappardelle and it is amazing.  It tastes ALMOST like fresh pasta.  Now, it is very pricey.  At the Teet, an 8 oz box is $7.99.  I KNOW!  It is expensive, but, in my eyes it is so worth it. When you think that it serves 4-5, that is less than $2 per serving of pasta.  You'd pay way more at a restaurant, and it is better! Ok, so enough about that.  If you can't stomach the price, fine...just use a regular old dried pasta.  Be that way.

I hope you make this sauce...with or without fresh tomatoes and with or without the best pasta ever!  :) It is such a simple, flavorful sauce--it has become a Sullivan house standard. Buon appetito!

Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pancetta
over Pappardelle
Serves 4-5

1 TBSP olive oil
6 oz, pancetta, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs of fresh tomatoes, cored, blanched and peeled OR 1, 28 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
10 leaves fresh basil, rolled and cut in a chiffonade
8 oz Cipriani Pappardelle, or other dried pasta


In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add olive oil and saute pancetta for 5 minutes, until it starts to brown.  Add onion and saute until soft.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.  With your hands, squeeze tomatoes into the pan, breaking them up (do this whether using fresh or canned).  Add all sauce from fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes.  Simmer for 10 minutes, further breaking up tomatoes to desired chunkiness with a wooden spoon. 

Boil pot of water and add pasta.  Cook to directions and drain.


Add red pepper to sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer 10 more minutes.  Right before serving, add fresh basil and stir. Serve over pasta and top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.  Enjoy!


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What's for Dinner? Smoked Chicken Pasta!

Sorry, I've been slack on the postings!  Between planning for Finn's 1-Year Birthday (BOTH sets of grandparents are coming in town) and then having a sick baby boy, it's been busy around here!  So...I do the best I can!  :)

Sunday, Sully engaged in one of his new favorite hobbies...smoking meat.  I got him a Weber smoker for our anniversary this year and he's enjoyed experimenting with it.  This weekend he smoked some chicken leg quarters (they were on special at the Teet for $.47 a pound!).  They came out really good...juicy inside and crispy skin on the outside.  We had leftovers, so I thought the smoked chicken would go well in pasta.  If you don't have a smoker, you can usually buy smoked chicken...Fresh Market has it in their rotisserie section.  You could use regular rotisserie chicken in this...just make sure to use the smoked mozzarella to add the smokiness that is so tasty in this pasta.  And, P.S., I highly recommend asking for a smoker for Christmas...it makes some amazing meat!  I hope you like it...GO MEAT!

An array of delicious smoked meat

Smoked Chicken Pasta
Serves 6

• 1 lb penne pasta
• 2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob
• 6 poblano or anaheim peppers
• 2 TBSP plus 1 TSP butter (I used Brummel and Brown spread)
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2/3 cup light cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 3 smoked chicken quarters, skin removed and meat pulled from bone and shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 can Rotel, drained
• 1 TBSP creole or blackening seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz smoked mozzarella, cut in small cubes

Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat broiler in oven.  Place peppers on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.  Broil about 5 minutes on one side, or until skin starts to turn black and bubble.  Flip over.  Broil another 3 minutes on second side, until done.  Let cool.  Once cool, remove tops, skin and seeds.  Chop and reserve.

In a medium skillet heat 1 TSP butter and saute corn until it begins to char.  Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat butter until melted.  Stir in flour and combine to form a smooth paste.  Slowly add in milk and stir until sauce forms and thickens.  If too thick, add a little more milk.  Reduce heat and add cream cheese and Parmesan and stir until combined and smooth.

Add cheese sauce to pasta and add seasonings.  Stir until combined.  Add chicken, peppers, tomatoes, corn and mozzarella.  Serve!

** This would also be good with black beans and/or crumbled bacon added in.

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What's for Dinner? Pesto Pasta Primavera!

I was thinking we needed some major veggies tonight...we hadn't had many lately.  We had MORE zucchini from the garden and I made a ton more pesto from the ridiculous amount of basil that keeps popping up. I went to the store and got a few more of our favorites, and threw this dish together.  We were about half way through dinner and Sully yelled..."HEY! There's no MEAT in here!"  Well, he obviously didn't mind too much, 'cause he ate it up and said it was great.  Every once in a while it's nice to be a vegetarian, if only for one meal!  Oh, and our little boy Finn loved it, too...at least most of it!  Enjoy!

Pesto Pasta Primavera

Serves 4-6

• 1 pkg (9 oz) fresh, refrigerated linguine (or a little more than half a box dry)
• kosher salt
• 1 crown broccoli, cut into florettes
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Brummel & Brown spread or butter
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ bunch pencil asparagus, woody ends cut off and then cut into 2-3 sections*
• 1 carton sliced mushrooms
• ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• ½ zucchini, cut into half moons
• ½ cup fresh basil pesto
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Roma or Campari tomatoes, cut in large pieces
• grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. Once boiling, add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes.

While broccoli cooks, in a large skillet over high heat, add olive oil and butter and add onion and pepper and sauté 1 minute.  Add zucchini and asparagus and continue cooking 1 more minute.  Use a slotted spoon to remove broccoli from the boiling water, and add it and mushrooms to the skillet and continue cooking until all veggies are cooked through and soft, 5-10 minutes (if you want to, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover the skillet to let steam).

In the boiling water, add pasta and cook per instructions on container.  Drain but reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid and add to skillet with cooking veggies.  Return pasta to large pot and stir in pesto.

When all veggies are cooked through, add garlic and tomatoes and continue cooking 1 more minute and remove from heat. Add veggies to pot with pasta and combine gently.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of Parmesan and serve!

* If you can only find the thick-stemmed asparagus, cut as instructed, and cook in boiling water with broccoli (and follow same instructions for them).

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