Pea tortilla with mint and yogurt

 

This is Week #40 of my 2011 cooking challenge! Click on the above graphic to view all P&TC recipes. All recipes created for this challenge come from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010: An Entire Year of Recipes.

Another crazy week has come and gone. This week brought the passing of my grandmother. It's hard for me to imagine a world without my Grandma Ruth in it. I have such fond and vivid memories of her from when I was a child. The smells that came out of her kitchen will forever be deeply etched in my being. She had the best-smelling kitchen on the planet! Soon I will do a few posts in honor of her (involving cinnamon rolls and brownies), but for the time being anything I create in my kitchen makes me think of her.

I was skeptical about this recipe. A pea and mint tortilla? I mean, I love all of these ingredients, but mixed together? It turned out great, though. And it is ridiculously easy to make. Personally, I'd classify it as a frittata, but that's just me!

Preheat the broiler on your oven.

In a large ovenproof nonstick skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/2 pound of frozen baby peas (thawed, drained and patted dry) and cook over moderate heat until warm, about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together until smooth:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

8 large eggs

1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pour the egg mixture over the peas and cook over moderately high heat until set on the bottom and around the edge, about 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 6 inches from the heat for about 3 minutes, until the top of the tortilla is set and lightly golden in spots. 

Slide the tortilla onto a plate, cut into wedges and serve with 1 more cup of plain Greek yogurt.

I hope my kitchen smells make you proud, Grandma Ruth!

Click here for a printable recipe!

Penne with asparagus, sage and peas

This is Week #39 of my 2011 cooking challenge! Click on the above graphic to view all P&TC recipes. All recipes created for this challenge come from the Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010: An Entire Year of Recipes.

This time of year I am all about comfort food. I have gotten into a routine of making a giant batch of something involving cheese and pasta and then eating it over the course of a few days. On the days when I have a container of comforting yumminess sitting in the fridge at work, I obsess about lunch time. Is 10:30 too early to eat lunch? There is something about crisp fall weather and cheesy pasta that go so well together.

I have been so excited to make this penne dish. I basically kept the entire batch to myself, and I think my family was fine with that. The whole vegetable thing must not have been super appealing to them, which I think is just plain weird.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1/2 pound penne pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add:

3 medium garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths

Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock and boil over high heat until reduced by half and the asparagus are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add:

2 cups (10 ounces) shelled English peas or frozen baby peas, thawed

1/4 cup heavy cream

Boil over hight heat until the sauce has thickened, 3 minutes. 

Stir in the penne and and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Transfer the pasta to bowls and serve immediately, passing additional Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.

A couple notes about this recipe:

I love the addition of sage.

It was super easy to make.

Did I mention it was comforting?

Click here for a printable recipe!