split pea & millet salad with lemon vinaigrette

I don't post every meal I make on this blog. Let's face it, sometimes what I make turns out like crap. Usually, I'm pretty good with the cooking and the baking, but sometimes things go wrong and the end is badness. Or sometimes the meal I make is totally kick ass fantastic but my photos come out lousy. That's when I get my pen out and draw the meal I've just eaten or it just gets forgotten about. But sometimes, things get lost in the shuffle. The food was amazing, the photos turned out pretty good and they get posted on my flickr account and I mean to write something....but I get distracted by the next pretty thing and out of my head it goes.

I'm a flighty blogger but I'm making up for it. Over the next few weeks, I'll be playing catch up and posting some of those forgotten (but oh-so-yummy) recipes. It's also a bit of summer break for me so my posting will be done automatically while I'm away...like right now, in fact, where I'm probably eating a bagel in Montreal. Don't fear, I'm not posting the dregs of my kitchen but hidden wonderful gems! So please comment as per usual and I might even chime in from the road.

split pea & millet salad with lemon vinaigrette
1 c yellow split peas
1 c millet
1/2 head romaine, torn
A few florets of broccoli, lightly steamed
1/2 c fresh or frozen green peas
1-2 spring onions, diced
lemon vinaigrette
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c olive oil
1 t agave nectar or honey
1 t dijon mustard
salt & pepper

1. Cook yellow split peas in about 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium heat until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain & set aside to cool.

2. In another pot, boil 2 cups of water or vegetable broth and add in the millet. Turn down heat to low and cover pot. When the millet has absorbed the liquid, about 15 minutes, it's done. Set aside and cool.

3. Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar, shake and taste. Adjust seasonings if needed. Add torn romaine lettuce leaves, broccoli, peas and spring onions in a bowl and stir in the millet and split peas. Toss with vinaigrette and serve.

don't belive the hype: pasta with 2 sauces

There's a lot of hoopla regarding pasta with vodka cream sauce. Some say it's the cure for what ails your pathetic love life, others say it's gonna get you hitched and the rest think it's just about the best pasta sauce ever. Meh, I'm not convinced. I mean, I love vodka, I love cream and pasta holds a special place in my heart, but I don't think this sauce is the be-all-end-all of anything. It's good, it's simple and it's rich, but I'm certainly not going to drop my drawers after a bowl of this.

I made this pasta with vodka cream sauce a little while ago after consulting various recipes and creating one of my own. Not surprisingly, my husband loved it. Maybe there is something about it working it's way into a gentleman's heart, but for me, I like something a little more complex in flavour. So the next time we ate pasta, I used the rest of the farfalle box and created something that I thought was ten times more delicious. It didn't leave me hot and bothered either, but it was simple, tasty and oh so fine. I wish I could have snapped a photo but it was gobbled up way too quickly. 2 recipes, 1 box of pasta. Take your pick.

pasta with vodka cream sauce
2 T unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 t red pepper flakes
1/2 c vodka
1 small tin of diced tomatoes
1 c heavy cream
3/4 c parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
250 grams farfalle or other short pasta

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and saute onions, garlic and chili until soft, about 20 minutes. Add in vodka and tomatoes and let everything come to a nice slow boil so that it bubbles but doesn't splatter and go nuts. Pour in cream and turn down to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.

3. When pasta is done, drain but reserve a little of the pasta water. You may need to add more water to the sauce if it's too dry. Use your judgement. Gently add pasta to skillet and stir in cheese, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Stir pasta well to coat, reducing some of the sauce if necessary or adding in some pasta water if it's too dry. Serve in large bowls with parsley and extra parmesan cheese, if desired.

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lemon sauced pasta with ham and peas
2 T butter
2 T grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/4 c diced ham
1/2 c frozen peas
salt & pepper
250 grams farfalle or other short pasta
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is almost ready, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium heat, adding in garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant but not brown. Add in lemon zest and juice and about 1/3 cup of pasta water. Reduce slightly and stir in cream, ham, peas and pasta. Add parmesan cheese and parsley and stir. Add more pasta water if necessary. Salt and pepper as needed.

pee poop

Cornelius isn't a soup-lover. Matzo ball, yes. Asian soups, yes. Most other soups, a definite no. My New Year's resolution this year is to make more soups and let the husband fend for himself. I used to make soups constantly, at least from scratch once a week and I'd happily eat the left overs for many a meal. Soup is easy to make, healthy and easy on the pocket-book. I like to think it is the perfect food. Cornelius would like to arm-wrestle me out of this idea, but I'm sticking to it. Last night, I made some green pea soup. Easy, cheap and utterly delicious. It looks and tastes like sweet springtime and I didn't even notice the grimacing face as Cornelius ate his bowl.

easy green pea soup
4 c flavourful vegetable or chicken broth
1 t butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2.5 c frozen peas (i didn't measure the peas, but i think this ratio should be okay - if not, add more peas for a thicker soup)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t of dried herbs (I like mint, dill or marjoram)
pinch of nutmeg
1 T sour cream or yogurt (optional)

Saute the onions and garlic in butter using a medium-sized pot. Add salt to encourage sweating. Once everything looks wilty, mix in the dried herbs and add the broth. Simmer on medium for about 5 minutes or so. Add the frozen peas and let the soup cook through for about 5 minutes. Add sour cream or yogurt, if using. Blend with an immersion blender, taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg and serve in bowls.