The Literate Chef

Posts Tagged ‘garlic’

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Linguine with White Clam Sauce

In Pasta, Recipes on June 16, 2012 at 9:18 AM

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

(Serves four)

4 doz. medium-sized Cherrystone or Littleneck clams, about 5 lbs.
4 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic, about 12 cloves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat (Italian) parsley
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
½ cup of dry white wine
2 8 oz. bottles of Clam Juice
1 & ½ lbs. dried Linguine (Barilla, DeCecco or other premium brand)

These steps can be performed in advance of serving the meal

1.    Set a large pot (6-8 quarts) of water on the stove, cover it and bring to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce heat, keep covered and hot.
2.    Clean and shuck the clams, reserving the juices. Set aside 12 clams unopened.
3.    Chop the garlic.
4.    Wash and dry the parsley, but do not chop it until just before adding to the sauce.
5.    Heat the olive oil on medium in a large sauté pan, and add the butter.
6.    When the butter is melted, foamy and bubbling, reduce heat to low, add the garlic and cook it stirring continuously until it translucent, about 1 minute.
7.    Add wine and return heat to high, bring to a boil, continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously
8.    Add clam juice and reserved clam liquid.
9.    Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve the Linguine

1.    Bring water and clam sauce to a full boil. Add the 12 reserved unopened clams to the sauce and cover.
2.    Add kosher salt to the water and add the linguine. Cook the linguine until not quite al dente, about 7 minutes.
3.    After the pasta has been cooking for 3 minutes, remove the cover from the sauce, add the parsley and clams and stir well, continue to heat uncovered.

White Clam Sauce, ready for the pasta

4.    Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce in the pan, and mix it well with tongs until al dente.
5.    Remove to a large bowl and serve.

Hot crusty Italian Bread makes a great accompaniment, as does a good dry white wine such as Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc.

Please see Clam Shucking for the secret on opening clams.

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Broccoli Rabe Sautéed in Garlic and Oil

In Recipes, Vegetables on November 21, 2011 at 7:12 PM

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Broccoli Rabe (also called Broccoli di Rape, Rapini and Broccoli Rabb)
6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1.    Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in 5 quart or larger pot.
2.    Rinse the Broccoli Rabe, discard the thick stems by cutting about 3 inches off the bottom of the bunch.
3.    When the water comes to a full boil, add the Broccoli Rabe and blanch it for 60 seconds.
4.    Strain Broccoli Rabe in a colander, and then plunge it immediately into a bowl filled with ice and cold water to stop the cooking and to retain its dark green color.

Blanched Broccoli Rabe Draining in Colander

5.    When cooled, transfer to a colander and drain until ready to sauté.
6.    In a sauté pan with low curved sides, heat the olive oil on high flame.
7.    When oil is shimmering, add the garlic and quickly sauté; do not let it brown.
8.    When the garlic is translucent* add the broccoli rabe and sauté for 3 minutes, tossing constantly with tongs.

Sauteeing

9.    Remove from the pan with tongs and serve immediately.

Eat it! It's Good for You!

*Variation: At this point add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed chili pepper, depending on taste, to the oil-garlic mixture before adding the broccoli rabe.

Also see: Eat it! It’s Good for You!

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Uncle Fred’s Steamed Kale with Black Olives

In Recipes, Vegetables on August 30, 2011 at 6:25 PM

To read about Uncle Fred, please refer to ‘Uncle Fred, The Godfather‘

(Active preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time 15 minutes)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. kale, washed, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves and tender stems chopped coarse*
2 cups of oil-cured black olives, preferably pitted
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons crushed hot chili peppers
2 cups water

Preparation:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
  2. Add the garlic and sauté until translucent. Do not burn.
  3. Add the olives, and stir well. When they begin to puff up, shut the heat and add the hot pepper flakes.
  4. Return the heat to medium, add the kale in bunches and stir continuously, adding water and kale until the kale cooks down.
  5. Cover, steam on high for 10 minutes.

* Kale is usually sold in bunches in the supermarket. It has to be washed, trimmed and hand chopped before serving. Recently we discovered pre-washed, trimmed and chopped ‘Kale Greens’ packaged and sold like washed spinach and salad greens. It is produced by Glory Foods, which produces other similarly packaged, fresh, ready to cook produce that are great time savers.

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Sautéed Spinach with Toasted Sesame Seeds

In Recipes, Vegetables on August 26, 2011 at 12:03 PM

(serves six)

As a variation on Sautéed Spinach with Olive Oil and Garlic, add toasted sesame seeds and low-sodium soy sauce and substitute olive oil with canola oil, for a lighter taste.

Ingredients:

3 tbsps. sesame seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
10 cloves garlic sliced
3 lbs. baby spinach
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

Preparation:

1. In a non-stick pan, toast the sesame seeds for several minutes until they turn nut-brown. Toss them several times to brown evenly.
2. Heat the oil in a large covered pot.
3. Add the garlic and sauté until translucent.
3. Add the spinach leaves, one pound at a time, stir and cover. As the spinach wilts, repeat the process until all of the spinach is cooked. It may be necessary to add some water during this process to help cook the spinach.
4. Remove the cover and boil off most of the liquid.
5. Add the soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

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Broccoli Sautéed with Garlic and Olive Oil

In Recipes, Vegetables on August 16, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Ingredients:

2 heads of broccoli, stems removed and discarded, cut into separate florets
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, sliced

Preparation:

1.    Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and plunge into an ice bath to preserve their bright green color.
2.    Heat the olive oil on high, in a non-stick sauté pan and add the garlic.
3.    When the garlic begins to turn translucent. Add the broccoli florets and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, turning continuously to prevent burning.

Please see: A Nutritionally Balanced and Delicious Mediterranean Meal

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Grilled Marinated Lamb Chops with Pastis

In Lamb, Meat, Recipes on August 16, 2011 at 10:59 AM

(serves three)

Ingredients:

6 loin lamb chops, about 2 lbs.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, approximately 2 ½ lemons
1 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs ( ½  oregano, ½ rosemary)
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 cup of pastis

Preparation:

1.    Place the chops flat in a glass or other non-reactive dish.
2.    Add the olive oil and turn the chops to coat them well.
3.    Sprinkle the chops with ½ of the salt and pepper, turn them and sprinkle with the remainder.
4.    Add the lemon juice.
5.    Sprinkle the chops with ½ of the garlic and ½ of the mixed herbs, turn them and repeat.
6.    Add the pastis.
7.    Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or more, turn several times while marinating.
8.    About 1 hour before cooking remove the lamb chops from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Just before cooking remove the chops from the marinade and discard.
9.    If grilling, pre-heat the grill to a temperature of around 500 degrees, place the chops on the grate and grill for about 8 minutes, turn and repeat. If broiling, pre-heat broiler on high and place the chops on a rack in a broiling pan, about 5 inches from the heat, broil for 8 minutes, turn and repeat.

Please see: A Nutritionally Balanced and Delicious Mediterranean Meal

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A Nutritionally Balanced and Delicious Mediterranean Meal

In General Articles on August 16, 2011 at 10:57 AM

Marinated Lamb Chops with Minted-Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

We are continually admonished to eat a nutritionally balanced meal consisting of protein, vegetable, grain and dairy. Such meals do not have to be boring. With some imagination and with the aid of spices and herbs you can whip one up that is both balanced and delicious.

The ancient Romans referred to the Mediterranean Sea as Mare Nostrum, our sea; and indeed it was, as for centuries, they controlled all of the land that surrounds it. At the height of the Roman Empire, its colonies stretched east from Spain along the southern coast of Europe to modern day Turkey and south along The Levant and then west again along the north coast of Africa.

Most of the cultures that occupy those lands share a commonality in food. In an Italian home, lamb is usually the main course for Easter dinner. In Greek cuisine, as it is in Middle Eastern and North African cultures, lamb is very much prevalent. Herbs, such as rosemary and oregano, cross cultural lines as well, as do garlic and olive oil.

Grains too are a staple food in these cuisines. Rice is prevalent in most of them, while couscous is more prevalent in Middle Eastern and North African diets, although it also shows up in Sicilian meals, as it does in French cooking, particularly in Provence.

Broccoli, which is very common in Italian cooking, is readily available in practically every market, as are cucumbers, which are the fourth most widely cultivated vegetable in the world. Yogurt, especially the low fat kind, is an excellent nutritional food and can be adapted to many dishes. It is prevalent in several Mediterranean cuisines, particularly that of Greece.

Last night, we put this all together and came up with a meal comprised of Marinated Lamb Chops, accompanied by a yogurt-based sauce consisting of low-fat Greek yogurt, cucumbers and mint. And for side dishes, we prepared broccoli sautéed in garlic and olive oil and packaged couscous, which is quick and easy to prepare.

To round out the meal, we served a chilled lovely Rosé, from the Côtes de Provence.

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Sautéed Spinach with Olive Oil and Garlic

In Recipes, Vegetables on August 15, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Spinach Sautéed with Olive Oil and Garlic

Ingredients:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 lb. baby spinach leaves
¼ cup water

Preparation:

1.    In a large sauté pan with a cover, heat the olive oil on high.
2.    When oil is shimmering, lower the heat to medium and add the garlic.
3.    Stir the garlic to prevent it from burning.
4.    When the garlic is translucent, add the spinach and mix it well to coat with the olive oil.
5.    Add the water, cover the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Grandpa Tom’s Tomato Salad

In Salads on July 24, 2011 at 5:14 PM

(makes 4 to 6 servings)

Ingredients:                                                                                                       

Grandpa Tom's Tomato Salad

3 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 5 or 6)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
10 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup basil leaves (about 30)
4 tbsp. water

Steps:

1.    Rinse and dry the tomatoes and cut in half, vertically, and remove the stem part. Cut each half into wedges of 6 or 8 depending on tomato size. If wedges are too large, cut each in half.
2.    Place the cut-up tomatoes in a large mixing bowl; add the olive oil and mix well to coat each piece.
3.    Add the salt and mix well again (this helps the tomatoes give up their juice).
4.    Add the garlic and mix.
5.    Coarsely chop the basil, add and mix.
6.    Add the water and mix.
7.    Let sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
8.    Serve with crusty Italian bread to sop up the juice after the tomatoes are eaten.

Please See Related Article.

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