Andyboy Cooks!

Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

 

This is a terrific recipe that covers the three most important cooking criteria for me: delicious, easy, affordable. All recipes need to be delicious of course, and I'm more than happy to try something complex, or spend a little bit of green on some higher priced ingredients (usually seafood). But let's be honest here. We all want to know at least a few really tasty recipes that we can whip up on the fly, especially after a long day when you may barely want to be in the kitchen at all. Now, granted, sun-dried tomatoes and goat's cheese aren't the cheapest things around, but you can dry your own tomatoes in the oven for a cheaper alternative (more on that later) and you can easily substitute a healthy portion of freshly grated Parm. Reggiano for the goat's cheese. The flavours from the white wine and tomato paste really pop here and it's a good enough dish with which to entertain. Don't skimp on the parsley - it's a critical ingredient here. And as for the choice of wine, don't skimp either. You should always cook with a wine that you would drink. When it comes to tomato based sauces that call for white wine I generally use a Pinot Grigio, but you can go with whatever you like (maybe not chardonnay). The recipe comes from Giada DiLaurnetis and it's well worth your time. The whole thing takes about a half hour. Oh... one last thing. I used spaghetti here instead of the Angel Hair pasta because that's what I had on hand. Bon Appetito!

Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese and parsley and stir. Mound the pasta into bowls and serve.

Cinnamon Rolls

 

I decided to whip these up after I saw a recipe for them on foodgawker. Not bad but not great. I don't mean that the recipe isn't great, it's fine. It's just that this kind of cinnamon roll isn't really my taste. I'm more a sticky bun kind of guy. Also, I didn't use a bread maker. I made them by hand, so you can do it that way if you like. And I threw in some raisins. Here is the recipe, care of Blogchef.net.

Cinnamon Rolls


Ingredients:

Dough
¾ cup warm water (+plus 2 tablespoon of water)
2 tablespoons butter
2 ½ cups bread flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bread machine yeast

Filling
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter (softened)

Glaze
1 cup powdered  sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk


Step 1: Put ¾ cup warm water, 2 tablespoon warm water, 2 tablespoons butter, bread flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, salt and bread machine yeast in a bread machine and start on the dough cycle.

Step 2: When dough is complete roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface into a 9” square.

Step 3: In a measuring cup mix cinnamon and granulated sugar. Spread the 2 tablespoons of softened butter over the dough and top with the cinnamon mixture. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 1” slices and place into a lightly greased baking dish. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Step 4: Remove plastic wrap and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls and serve.
(Makes About 9 Rolls)

Cream of Tomato Basil Soup

 

This is one of those recipes that once you've learned it, it will become an old standby. If at the end of the day I'm too bored/tired to make anything substantial, I'll head to the store, throw a few cans of tomatoes, some basil and cream in the cart and truck on home to make this no brainer of a soup. But make no mistake - just because it's a no brainer doesn't mean it's not absolutely delicious. Ideally served with some warm, crusty bread (I prefer sourdough).

It's also a fairly versitle soup that you can adjust to your liking. If it's summertime you can leave out the cream for something a little lighter. If you don't like heat in your food, ditch the cayanne. If you're planning to serve it and want something a little more refined, run a hand blender through it to smooth it out. Regardless, it's a wonderful soup and definitely one to add to your recipe book (basic recipe from Kathleen Daelemans).

Cream of Tomato Basil Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayanne pepper (optional)
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil, thinly sliced (chiffonade)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cayanne and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until soup is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the basil and cream.