Quick Focaccia

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Chatty Kathy

There is something about making breads that just feels like a win. Focaccia always does that! The very best focaccia recipes allow for the dough to rest anywhere from hours to days. If you are like me, some days you are driving home from work thinking focaccia would really boost dinner TODAY. Not 3 days from now. This recipe is for those days. If you’ve got a little over an hour, you’ve got enough time to pull this off – and trust me, it’s easy. No intensive kneading or stand mixer necessary!

2 Tbso olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh herbs – I used basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano and thyme. minced

Mix well and if it looks a little herb heavy, add a bit more olive oil. Set aside.

3/4 cup warm water (the perfect temperature for blooming yeast is between 105-115)
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pack)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Top with flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary.

INSTRUCTIONS

Proof yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup warm water – 105-115 degrees F until foamy and active.
In a bowl, combine flour, salt.
Add in yeast mixture & olive oil, and mix to get it all together. You may need to add a couple tablespoons more warm water. You want this to be slightly sticky.
Cover and allow dough to rise for around 30 minutes. The time isn’t as important as that you need to let the dough to pretty much double in size.
Add 1 -2 tbsp olive oil into small baking vessel – either 9 x 7 inch sheet pan, or this also works well in an 8 x 8 square baking pan. You want a fair bit of oil here, rub it all around the sides of the pan as well.
Add dough and stretch to fit pan, if dough springs back, let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes and try again. The rest helps the gluten to relax.
Once dough has been stretched enough to fit the baking sheet, allow to rest (covered) for 30 minutes. Honestly, do whatever time you have – I find this to be fairly forgiving.
Dampen your fingers and dimple the dough like you are playing a piano.
Drizzle herbed olive oil over dimpled dough and allow it to fill in the dimples, I like to be generous with the herb oil mixture.
Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary that isn’t all minced up.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Once out of the oven, allow to rest on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crusty as well.

So many ways you can serve this;

Use it as an appetizer with a charcuterie board
Fresh out of the oven with simple oil and vinegar
Try it with your best olive oil and my dukka recipe, (If you’ve never tried dukka you are in for a treat!)
Completes a soup or salad meal

It’s October and this is what my herb garden still looks like!

Ready to go, and this herby oil smells so fresh – today I added in some roasted garlic.

Ready for the oven – love the way those little dimples fill up, I think those pockets of oil help crisp up the top.

You just know how good your house smells – it’s ready to dunk in your soup.

30 minute Broth for Asian Soup

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Chatty Kathy

Need a quick, easy but delicious dinner idea? Here you go – this broth is amazingly flavorful for so few ingredients and can be packed with whatever you have in your fridge.

Sloan took this photo of her own bowl – I love a recipe that allows everybody to fashion their own meal the way they want to eat – a sure fired winner for picky eaters!

6 cups chicken broth (use veg broth if you. are looking for a vegetarian night!)
4 flattened but not minced garlic cloves – left whole
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
4 green onion ends, white part only
3 tbsp light soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp Shaoxing (chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp sesame oil

This is one of the quickest broth recipes I’ve ever made, and it is absolutely delicious. Ready in only 30 minutes, that gives you enough time to prep all the delightful ingredients you want to complete your lunch or dinner.

Heat a little neutral oil in a deep pot and lightly toast the garlic cloves, ginger slices and white parts of green (spring) onions. As soon as they are lightly roasted, add the broth, soy sauce, sugar, Shaoxing, and sesame oil. Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes. You can do this as early as you like and just keep it warm until you are ready to eat. When ready to serve scoop out the aromatics and you have a lovely clear broth to enjoy with as many fill ins as your bowl can hold.

Serve with: Any or all of the following!

Cooked ramen, udon or egg noodles
Vegetables (cooked in the broth if you like!)
Fresh bean sprouts
Cooked wontons
shredded chicken
cooked seafood

Garnish your bowl with the slivered green onion tops, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve alongside hot sauce and hoisin sauce if anybody wants to add a bit more punch.

I usually have another pot of boiling water on the go that I first cook the noodles in, then lightly blanch vegetables (bok choy, spinach, bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas). Frozen wontons (purchased or homemade) can also be cooked in this water. I find that if you cook everything in your seasoned broth it dilutes the seasoning and results in a cloudy broth. Both still good, but you may need to adjust seasonings.

Use whatever you like to create your own bowl – we love a combination of lightly cooked and fresh vegetables, as well as plenty of herbs – top it all with peanuts or cashews, sesame seeds and more herbs.
Don’t forget a drizzle of chile oil if you like the heat!

Creamy Garlicky Shrimp Tagliatelle

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Chatty Kathy

I don’t know about you, but an advertised 20 minute recipe NEVER takes me 20 minutes. This one was close tho ….. and very easy. Not only easy, but delicious and I’m more than happy to spend a few more minutes to achieve delicious.

8 ounces dried tagliatelle pasta (or really, any pasta you like!)
2 tbsp butter (separated, see below)
olive oil
10 ounces small, peeled and cleaned shrimp
3 garlic cloves (yes, really)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I like sauvignon blanc but any dry white will work – stay away from sweet tho)
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup asparagus (cut into 1″ pieces)
1/2 cup minced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 tsp chili flakes (or to taste)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (do NOT use purchased grated!)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
black pepper
more parmesan for serving

Get a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Salt and add pasta. Cook to one minute short of the cooking instructions …. (in order to finish in the cream sauce).
Before draining, scoop out about 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Get a nice flat bottom skillet (non-stick works great here) and melt 1 tbsp butter. Drain your shrimp and pat dry (you don’t want them to steam) ….. toss the shrimp into the melted butter and sauté quickly – until ALMOST cooked. Depending on your shrimp size this might only take a minute or two. There is nothing worse than rubbery, overcooked shrimp. Well, okay, lots of things are worse including this COVID nightmare we are living through…. Remove from heat and lightly season with salt and pepper.
In the same skillet heat the other tbsp butter and add a splash of olive oil – once melted add the onions, sauté until soft, add mushrooms and cook until just lightly browned, then add the garlic, asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. Add chili flakes.
Stir in the white wine and allow to reduce slightly, then add the chicken broth, cream and parmesan. Season to taste …. I didn’t need to add any more salt but that finishing black pepper is great.
Add your mostly cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to cover. The sauce will continue to thicken and this is the time to add some of your reserved pasta water a bit at a time, only as needed. Stir in the shrimp to heat through, toss with parsley and serve with a grating of fresh parmesan and black pepper.
Dig in!

These plump & juicy little guys are barely cooked and will finish in the cream sauce

Easy to make this a vegetarian meal – just stir in as many veg as you like and omit the shrimp.

Spinach Feta Chicken Meatballs

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Chatty Kathy

These chicken meatballs were so moist, bursting with spinach and feta that Grant was still raving about them the next morning, and trust me – he is not usually a fan of chicken meatballs!

Served over fresh pasta, these little nuggets were absolutely perfect!

Quick and easy, this makes a perfect week night dinner. No fancy plating required. Well my husband and son in laws never think fancy plating is required. (They are usually involved in clean up so that’s understandable!)

1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Start by warming a splash of olive oil in your saute pan, as soon as it has heated up add the minced onions and allow to soften, then add your garlic and just warm through. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Take pan off the heat and add the spinach, stirring just until it is wilted. Remove the mixture from your pan and place in a bowl in the fridge. You don’t want to add anything hot to your raw chicken! Please don’t skip the step with sweating out the onions. A raw onion is a totally different item when compared to a softened, slightly carmelized onion.

Season ground chicken with salt, pepper and basil (fresh if you have it). Crumble in feta cheese and stir to combine. Add the cooled onion spinach mixture and bread crumbs. Stir gently to combine.

Form golf ball size meatballs and brown in your saute pan on all sides, then add to your sauce.

Use the same saute pan for everything! Sweat your onion mixture, and reserve the pan to fry the meatballs, then remove the browned meatballs and heat up your sauce. Once the sauce is warm return the meatballs to the sauce and heat through.

See the butter? Hardly a drop in the bucket, but we’ve been watching Stanley Tucci in Italy and the amount of butter in pasta sauces is mind blowing! This sauce was pretty easy, one of my frozen ratatouille batches with a can of good quality canned tomatoes. With the greek influenced meatballs I added some black olives, capers, artichokes and more freshly crumbled feta once the sauce was cooked.

Cacio e Pepe with bacon!

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Chatty Kathy

Every time I make spaghetti carbonara I think it would benefit from a bunch of crispy bacon, so here it is … a tangled mash up of cacio e pepe and carbonara. I think it is perfect! Also quick and easy.

A tangle of creamy pasta, sharp cheese and crunchy bacon can’t be beat. Apologies to Italian pasta grannies for any offence this mash up could cause, but it sure is delicious.

Kosher salt

6 oz. pasta (such as egg tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti)
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, divided
1tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
8 oz cooked bacon, chopped
1 egg, lightly whisked
¾ cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino

This serves 2 as a generous dinner helping – adjust for your table!

Slice bacon into thin strips and cook over medium heat, stirring often to separate, until crispy and cooked through. Set aside on paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving ¾ cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and cook, swirling pan, until toasted, about 1 minute.

Add ½ cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining butter. Reduce heat to low and add whisked egg, Grana Padano, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Do this relatively quickly so the egg doesn’t scramble. You only want it to cook through via the hot pasta. Remove pan from heat; add Pecorino, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and serve, with a generous helping of more Parmesan and cracked pepper.

If you only have one of the cheeses, that is fine too – I’ve had to adapt this a few times during our Covid restrictions to work with whatever I had on hand.

Serve with this aromatic green onion and pepper focaccia and a big salad.

Korean Kimchi Noodles

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

Don’t you just love a noodle dish that is as versatile as whatever you have in your fridge or garden?? This is just what you need.

NOODLES

1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup coloured bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup slivered cabbage
1/2 cup kimchi, diced fine (if you absolutely love kimchi go ahead and use more!)
1/2 cup snap peas, sliced thinly
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lb ground pork
1 Pound fresh noodles

GARNISH

Scallion, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Korean Chile Flake, Cilantro and Egg for Garnish

SAUCE

1/4 Cup Gochujang paste
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP sesame oil
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 tsp natural sugar

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions. Strain the noodles and rinse well. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the kimchi & vegetables and stir fry until almost cooked, then add in the bean sprouts – remove from pan and set aside. Add bit of oil to the pan, stir in the pork and cook 2 minutes. Add in the sauce, reserved vegetables and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Stir in the noodles. Stir well to mix and coat.
Serve with garnishes to taste.

These are the assorted vegetables I had on hand today, and with the sauce it was delicious. This makes a full meal in one if you pack in enough vegetables along with a little protein (if you are so inclined). It certainly doesn’t have to be ground pork. Today I had a wee bit of ground pork in the freezer so I used that along with some shrimp, (chopped up) but it could just as easily be any ground meat or tofu.

The BEST meatballs!

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Chatty Kathy

When you request spaghetti and meatballs at Nana’s house you better be prepared to make the meatballs! Stella loves to, and we all agreed that they were the absolute best meatballs ever. In fact, I had a hard time keeping enough left in the sauce to have dinner. Tasters kept appearing in my kitchen …..

This shows a double recipe, all measured exactly to what Stella feels is the perfect meatball size …. 38 grams. If you aren’t in a hurry your kids are great at this!

1 pound ground meat (I like a combo of beef and pork)
1/2 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk, any kind
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more to serve
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, plus more to serve
2 teaspoons coarse or kosher salt, divided
Red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced

Place meat, crumbs, milk, parsley, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs, and one-third of your minced garlic in a large bowl, and mash everything together with a fork or potato masher until evenly mixed. Using wet hands if needed, form mixture into 2-inch meatballs and arrange on prepared tray. Roast for 12 minutes, until cooked through (you can cut one in half).

Ground beef and pork well mixed and ready for forming.

Making sure each meatball is 38 grams takes time …..

Almost 7 now, Stella likes to do it all, even if Nana’s freaking (quietly!) while she puts stuff in or takes it out of the oven.

From this point you can serve them however you like – we like them simmered in a tomato sauce just until heated through. They are so soft and tender with just the right amount of seasoning. I always make enough to freeze half for another dinner, for us that means doubling this recipe.

This recipe came from the amazing Deb at smitten kitchen.com, and she also lists her easy tomato sauce for simmering … if you haven’t been to her website, or read any of her cookbooks, make sure you do! Always delicious, and manageable for doing with kid helpers.

Lemon Artichoke Pasta

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Have you ever seen artichokes growing in the field? Well, maybe it isn’t a big deal to Californian’s…… It took a few miles before we realized that was what we were seeing but ever since we cooked some fresh artichokes (Thanks Meghan) I can’t stop adding them to everything. This quick and easy pasta dish is bright and refreshing – dinner ready in 20 minutes!

2-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 pack angel hair/capellini pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 can (14 ounces) water-packed quartered artichoke hearts, well drained
1/2 cup minced sun dried tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
2 cups fresh spinach
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

This recipe makes enough to serve 2-4 people. 4 as a side, 2 as a main meal

Angel hair pasta cooks very quickly (4 minutes) to prepare the artichoke sauce first and allow it to sit while you cook the pasta.

Saute the shallots in the melted butter, adding the artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic as soon as the onions have softened. When heated through add the olives, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside while the pasta cooks.

As soon as the pasta is cooked, pull it out of the boiling water and drop it into the lemon artichoke sauce, allowing some of the pasta water to drip into the pan also. Stir in the spinach and let the warm pasta wilt the spinach. Add feta and serve with fresh ground pepper and parmesan shavings to garnish.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Tender chicken, barely cooked spinach, crunchy bacon and tangy parmesan … this pasta dish has it all, It’s a meal in a dish.

It seems like many years ago I just L O V E D a recipe like this at a local restaurant, creamy yet intensely flavoured and tasty chicken bits. It took a while, but I finally found this one from RecipeTin Eats, and it is perfect!

Ingredients

300g / 10 oz fettuccine
30g / 2 tbsp butter , separated
2 chicken breasts , cut in half horizontally
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves , minced
1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine (sub more chicken broth)
1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock / broth
1 1/4 cups (315ml) cream , thickened / heavy
3/4 cup (75g) parmesan , finely shredded
70g / 2.5oz baby spinach
100 g / 3oz sun dried tomato strips

SERVING:

120g / 4oz bacon , cooked and crumbled
More parmesan
Parsley , for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for time per packet minus 1 1/2 minutes.
Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water. Then drain pasta.

CHICKEN:

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
Melt half the butter in a large skillet over hig heat.
Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side until deep golden.
Remove chicken onto plate, rest for a few minutes then shred with 2 forks.

ALFREDO SAUCE:

Turn down heat to medium high. In the same skillet, add remaining butter and garlic.
Cook garlic for 30 seconds until golden, then add wine.
Simmer rapidly, stirring to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Once mostly evaporated, add chicken broth, cream, parmesan and sun dried tomato.
Simmer on medium for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring leisurely, until it reduces and thickens.

The most important aspect of this sauce is letting it thicken enough to be rich and glistening.

ESSENTIAL TOSSING:

Add spinach, chicken and cooked pasta.
Toss for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the stove, until sauce thickens and coats the pasta strands – Use pasta cooking water if needed if it gets too thick.
Serve immediately with parmesan, crumbled bacon and parsley (if desired).

Fresh herbs really pop with colour and freshness in this dish, I added some fresh basil out of the garden and it was a perfect touch.

Moist and tender meatballs

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

I’ve made meatballs for so many years I can’t even remember when I started. Then, over the last few years we’ve tasted some pretty amazing meatballs, most notably and surprisingly – in Mexico! I decided I better start rethinking my meatball game. After research and the usual taste testing, these won out. They are so moist and tender you won’t believe the difference. I like to make a double batch and freeze a bunch for another day.

One perfectly moist meatball, set on a bed of saucy tangled pasta – heaven.

2 pounds ground meat (equal parts ground beef & ground pork)
1 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
2/3 cup milk, any kind
4 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more to serve
4 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
2 teaspoons coarse or kosher salt
Red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 large eggs
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, and coat it lightly with a nonstick spray.

Add the milk, eggs and seasonings to the panko first in order to have it all evenly distributed without overmixing your meatballs.

Next -get your herbs in there.

This is where the large fork comes in handy. If you over mix the meatballs they will get tough, so this allows you to gently combine everything.

Place meat, crumbs, milk, parsley, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, onion powder, eggs, and your minced garlic in a large bowl, and mash everything together with a fork (this keeps your meatballs from getting overworked) until evenly mixed. Using wet hands if needed, form mixture into 2-inch meatballs (I used a 3 tablespoon scoop) and arrange on prepared tray. Roast for 12 minutes, until cooked through (you can cut one in half).

Ready to pop in the oven. These were on the larger size so they took about 18 minutes to cook through. Don’t overcook them! Break one open at that point and check.

If serving with spaghetti – submerge meatballs into tomato sauce and allow to simmer until pasta is ready.

Always cook the pasta for the last few minutes in the tomato sauce to allow the sauce to coat all pasta.

Serve with plenty of parmesan to grate over top.

Thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for these meatballs!

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