pasta! pasta!.....at kitchen! kitchen!

Pasta! Pasta!
Light and delicious....so what else but to enjoy this wonderful dish
of pasta with nothing but simply a dressing of
almonds, tomato, and basil pesto!

This pasta is simple, delicious and very, very satisying ....it's a summer comfort food!

What you need:
1 cup of toasted slivered almonds
2 cups of cherry tomatoes (washed and pat dry)
10 leaves of chopped basil (wash and pat dry)
1/4 cup of olive oil
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of parmessan cheese
2-3 cloves of garlic

In a food processor combine all of the ingredients; pulse, and slowly add the olive oil until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined into the consistency of a pesto. Add more olive oil if necessary, and taste to correct if more salt is needed.
As for the pasta use Dececco and follow cooking instruction on the box.
Serve and garnish with a sprig of basil........simply delicious!

shrimps & honeydew salad......at kitchen! kitchen!

A great summer salad or appetizer when the weather gets
a bit unbearable.
Shrimps and honeydew salad
This is my take of Lidia"s Italy "Coda di Gamberi con Melone".
I just love that woman! Her dishes are easy to make
and you could tweak it anyway you want and
make it your own. So the next few
postings are some of her dishes but with a twist.

What you need:
1 lb. shrimps - shells removed and cleaned
3-4 cups honeydew, peeled and diced or cubed to bite size (or use watermelon or cantaloupe)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Some freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of salt
Some fresh sprigs of mints
A scattering of feta cheese crumble
What to do next:
In a large pan bring to a boil with some chopped onions and bay leaves; boil for 20 minutes- then add the shrimps and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and let cool.
In a large bowl - gently combine diced melons, shrimps; teaspoon of chopped mints; pepper, and salt together. Add the fresh lemon juice and olive oil and toss gently. Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese and garnish with a mint sprig.

chicken salad...green with envy!!!.......at kitchen! kitchen!

Chicken Salad
A light, scrumptious salad that is "GREEN with ENVY"
A lovely side dish to serve this summer.

Chicken Salad....green with envy...!

...for the greens....(or whatever you have on hand)..this salad is not fussy.

2 to 3 stalks of celery sliced at an angle

1 head romaine lettuce - cut up in bite size pieces

1 large red pepper seeded and sliced lengthwise

1/4 cups of roughly chopped toasted walnuts

1 small English cukes sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes

3-4 hard boiled eggs - cut in half

A large size roasted chicken breast seasoned with "Amazing Dry Rub" cut up in bite size pieces (or store bought roasted chicken)

Combine all in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Add the "creamy avocado" dressing and toss to coat and sprinkle some chopped green onions.

For "Creamy Avocado" dressing recipe - please see previous posting of " Tilapia & Chipotle" posting on 6/8/11 and adjust the recipe to serving size.

Tilapia & chipotle.......at kitchen! kitchen!



Tilapia and Chipotle
Served with a dollop of "creamed" avocado,
chopped cilantro, and cucumbers.

 TILAPIA recipe - see previous posting on 5/20/11 for "Fish Chile"
Add chopped celery instead of chickpeas.
Serve with chopped cucumber and cilantro.

For a dollop of "CREAMED AVOCADO"
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1/2  of a large vidalia onions chopped
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Pinch of salt
1-2 teaspoons of hot sauce
Some extra virgin olive oil
Combine in a blender or food processor until creamy - it should have the consistency of a "heavy cream" (add a little water if necessary). Taste to correct seasoning and adjust recipe to number of servings.

Chicken - skewer - peanut sauce.........at kitchen! kitchen!

Grilled chicken breast in a skewer with spicy peanut sauce...just in time
for that summer grilling.

PEANUT SAUCE:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons of coconut milk (you may skip this)
2 tablespoons of water
Juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
pinch of salt (or 1 teaspoon of fish sauce)
1 teaspoon of hot sauce
1 teaspoon of minced ginger root
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 tablespoons of chopped green onions or cilantro
Combine in a bowl and mix thoroughly - add cilantro or green onions before serving.

CHICKEN in a SKEWER:
A pkg. of 6" bamboo skewers
Marinade: Combine in a food processor ( or use mortar and pestle to create a paste)
3 tablespoons of chopped ginger
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped lemon grass (if you happen to have this lovely frangrant "grass" - you will love yourself forever!)
Pinch of salt
In a bowl, mix the marinade paste; add 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons oyster sauce; 2-3 tablespoons olive oil.
Add and coat the chicken breast cut in cubed pieces to the bowl and allow to marinate for 1/2 hour or so.
Use 2 skewers and carefully, skewer 3 to 4 pieces of the chicken; coat the pieces with the marinade and set aside.
On a very hot oiled grill pan lay the skewered chicken as flat as you can and allow to cook for 5 minutes or so on each side until its cooked. (Try not to overcook the chicken please).
Serve with sliced cucumbers and PEANUT SAUCE. Add a couple slices of lime to sprinkle on the chicken. Serves 2

chicken thighs in chipotle sauce......at kitchen! kitchen!

Chicken Thighs in Chipotle Sauce
Deboned chicken thighs simmered in chipotle sauce is
gloriously delicious. You would be wanting to bag
the leftover to take home......but wait...
you are home!!!!

Simple ingredients:


10-12 chicken thighs - deboned (you may remove the skin)
Season the chicken parts with the Amazing Dry Rub - see Sept. 1, 2010 posting for recipe.
On a large baking sheet- bake the chicken thighs in a 400F preheated oven for 10 minutes and brown by broiling the top for another 10 minutes (this beats browning in oil) then set aside.

*I always have a stock of cans of chipotle in adobo sauce - 2-3 chipotle pcs. will go a long way. The rest I put in a jar or small plastic container to store in the refrigerator for my next date with it.
1 medium onion diced
3-4 cloves of garlic smashed
Olive oil
2-3 squirts of tomato paste (get the one in a tube)
Kosher salt
3-4 cardamon pods - smashed
4 plum fresh tomatoes- diced
2-3 pcs. of chipotles chopped (make sure to include some of the sauce marinade in the can).
Sautee the onions and garlic in a hot pan with olive oil until translucent and the swirling aroma is making you want to join in.
Add the dice tomatoes; cardamon pods; tomato paste; chipotle and a pinch of salt. Add 1/4 cup of broth or water and simmer for a few minutes. Add the chicken thighs and 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar to tone down the acidity and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Taste to correct seasoning.
*Serve over rice or potatoes and a side dish of cucumber or green salad.*