Just call me Sardina

Some real tasty morsels!

(creativity is sometimes motivated by hunger and scrounging what's left in the cupboards)

Linguine with Sardines

Linguine noodles

1 tin sardines in olive oil

parsley, fresh

small onion

few cloves garlic

some white wine

butter

bread crumbs (find 2 old pieces of bread, and toast)

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil til translucent, (oh if you had a lemon, a squish of juice would be nice here) and add the sardines with their oil, and break up and stir. add a bit of white wine. Remove from heat. Stir in some fresh chopped parsley.

Meanwhile cook the linguine al dente.

toast the old bread and pulse in food processor with some butter (about a tblsp) and some more parsley, til crumby.

When pasta is ready, add a bit of the pasta water to your sardine mixture. Then, drain the linguine and toss with the sardines. Top with the buttered parsley bread crumbs and serve.

soooo delish. I like this even better than linguine with clam sauce, i must say. Tommy topped with fresh parmy, but i stuck to the italian guns and used no cheese.

Field trip to Lockport, IL!

Fun to hang with Kathy and Sam and their adorable kiddos Ben and Corrine, for a real Halloweeny apple picking wagon riding comfort country kinda day. MMMmmmmm, pie oh my, caramel sauce and ice cream. And a nice dessert wine from Bonny Doon Vineyards. And good coffee. And a cooooool breeze off the patio.

SO last night, the night after the picking, we were still in fall mode, and made the best acorn squash risotto. (I'm convinced you can pretty much puree any veg, toss it in a risotto, add some vino and cheese, and odds are, it's gonna taste good!

ACORN SQUASH RISOTTO:

1 onion, chopped

1 cup risotto

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

4 cups chix stock

1 cup pureed acorn squash (cut one large squash in half - cook one half upside down on sheet pan, puree the other)

dry white wine

1 tbsp mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parm, plus more to put on top

2 leaves fresh sage, diced

saute onion and garlic, then add rice, saute til translucent and rice is toasted. add wine, simmer til wine is absorbed. Add squash puree. begin to slowly add chix stock, stirring after each addition, as per regular risotto, til rice is al dente. Add cheeses, remove from heat and stir. Stir in sage. Scoop into precooked other squash half. Eat, and dig out bits of squash flesh with bits of risotto. So so good.

We ate it with asparagus and shitaki mushrooms, sauteed in butter.

Gettin a little nippy outside...need broccoli soup

Last night made Broccoli cheddar soup, tasted even better left over just now.

2 bunches broccoli

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tblsp butter

a bit of olive oil

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and olive oil, add the onion, chopped, and the garlic, and saute til translucent. add the broccoli, chopped, but reserve 1/2 of the florets from one of the bunches.

saute about 4 minutes more. Add about 1/2 cup dry white wine, saute a bit more. Add chicken or veg stock to cover the broccoli (approx 3 cups or so) and simmer until the broccoli is cooked through.

Cool.

Puree mixture in a food processor. Return to the pot. Add the broccoli florets back to the pot and return to a simmer, cook til the florets are done. Salt and pepper to taste, then whisk in cheddar cheese (or a mixture of cheeses) to taste. i like about a 1/2 cup of cheese. Whisk til the cheese is melted. Check seasonings. At this point, if the soup is too thick for your liking, thin with a bit of milk or cream. if it is a bit thin for your liking, add a bit of cornstarch mixed in a cup with some of the hot soup, and return to the pot and return to a boil for a minute. This will give a thicker,creamier texture.

Deelish. Warms ya up. Esp today when there is a big chill in my bones.

Ate with a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, red onions, honey crisp apple slices, walnuts, and the following vinaigrette:

1 tsp hazelnut oil

1- 2 T olive oil

1 tsp honey

salt

fresh grd pepper

About 1 T red wine (or white wine vinegar)

mix, correct seasoning, toss with salad.

serve with soup and crusty bread.