"spaghetti" and "meatballs"

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort food.  From diners to fancy Italian restaurants, everyone has their own spin on it.  Since my mom doesn't eat meat, we decided to mix it up -- we used pre-cooked vegetarian meatballs and whole wheat linguini.  I adapted Rachel Ray's recipe from Week in a Day (it's a great show for people who don't get time to cook during the week!) and made adjustments/added things I liked.

Please feel free to make your own meatballs/buy your favorite ones from the store.  But this sauce was delicious!  The San Marzano tomatoes make the sauce -- they're sweet and flavorful!  To make it a balanced meal, we steamed and sauteed up some asparagus with olive oil, s&p.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• parmesan cheese (or pecorino)
• Extra-light or extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus 3 tablespoons
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• salt, black pepper
• 1 tsp. chili pepper flakes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• big pinch of dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
• 3/4  cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 lb. linguini (or spaghetti)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• your favorite meatballs
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• How I did it
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• In a large skillet, heat olive oil (3 turns of the pot) over medium-high heat.   Add fennel seeds, chili pepper flakes, onions,  salt & pepper, and oregano.  Stir for 4 minutes then add garlic, cooking for 2 more minutes.  Add tomato paste and stir 30 seconds.  Pour in wine, let heat up for 2 minutes, then add stock and tomatoes.  Using potato masher, break up tomatoes in pan (do it less if you like it more chunky).  Reduce heat to simmer once sauce comes to a boil.  Add about 1/2 of the basil leaves, and slide in the meatballs.  For pre-cooked meaballs, let them cook for however long meatballs need to be cooked (if they are fresh, they should be cooked most of the way).  Simmer until done, stir in rest of basil, and a big handful or two of cheese.
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• Cook the pasta to al dente.  Before draining, save about 1/2 a coffee cup of the starchy cooking liquid.  Drain the pasta, return to pot, add butter and some of the starchy cooking liquid.  Once sauce is done stir a couple ladles of the sauce into the pasta.  
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• Serve hot with more of the sauce and meatballs over the pasta, and enjoy with your favorite wine and good company :-)
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greek chicken kebabs & lemon basil orzo

Greek Chicken Kebabs on the grill

Lemon Basil Orzo

Over the weekend, I finally invested in a stove-top grill -- just in time for July 4th.

I wanted to make some chicken skewers, so I searched online for different methods and recipes.  I came across Baked Bree, who posted a great recipe for grilled chicken skewers.  I adapted her recipe for this, but put my own twist on it with some other flavors that I love.  I also grilled the chicken and vegetables separately so they could cook on their own time (I didn't want the chicken to overcook).  For my mom, who doesn't eat chicken, I marinated some tilapia for 30 minutes (same recipe) and cooked it on a pan -- and it was delicious.

I adapted the lemon basil orzo recipe from Karen of Our Life In The Kitchen but added my own twist to it (i.e. parmesan to the pasta while it was still hot and just drained).   Everyone really enjoyed it, but you have like the flavor of lemon to appreciate the dish.  Instead, you could make a simpler orzo or rice dish to go with the chicken.

Everyone loved the food, and grilling was the perfect way to celebrate America's independence day.  Hope you love these recipes as much as I did!

Greek Chicken Kebabs

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red/orange pepper, chopped into cubes
1 yellow pepper, chopped into cubes
handful crimini mushrooms, chopped half if they are big
half onion, cut into chunks
[skewers]


Marinade:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%)
1/4 cup extra light olive oil (extra light is safer for this because it has a higher smoking point)
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tsps. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsps. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 of a lemon's juice
1/2 of a lemon's zest
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

How I did it

Whisk all ingredients of marinade together in a big bowl.  Add chicken in and mix thoroughly.  Marinate in fridge for at least 3 hours, but no more than 6.

Put chicken and vegetables on separate skewers (mix the vegetables with a little olive oil and salt and pepper before putting on skewers).  Chicken can be grilled for about 3 minutes on each side, but in general you'll know if it needs more time if it is sticking to the grill too much.  Always check a couple of pieces to make sure they are done properly.  Vegetables will take longer (test it out to see how you like it).  Let it rest for a minute or two, then serve with the orzo or rice while it's still hot.

Lemon Basil Orzo

2 cups orzo
3-4 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tbsps. olive oil
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock (you can use broth if you prefer that)
1 cup good white wine
1 cup basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsps. parmesan cheese, a little more for adding at the end
Salt, pepper

How I did it

Cook the orzo pasta to al dente.  Drain, return to pan, stir in a drizzle of olive oil.  Add 3 tbsps. of parmesan cheese and stir well. 

In a large pan on medium heat, saute the green onions with the olive oil for about a minute, then add the garlic.  Cook for about a minute, not letting the garlic get too brown.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add the wine and stock, and cook for a couple minutes to allow it to reduce.  Stir in the orzo, lemon juice and zest.  Then stir in the basil leaves.  Cook, stirring occasionally, till liquid has gone.  Season with salt, pepper, and add more basil leaves and parmesan for garnish.  Enjoy with good company :-)