New Kid on the Block

I will happily admit that I am a big nerd sometimes (...ok, most of the time). I mean, we are talking about a girl who gets really excited about research. And on frequent occasion, in the middle of an otherwise innocuous situation, random songs will pop into my head.

Like tonight, preparing dinner, when I had the sudden urge to belt out "Step by Step" by NKOTB.

Step one: We can have lots of fun
Step two: There's so much we can do
Step three: It's just you and me
Step four: I can give you more
Step five: Don't you know that the time has arrived
Huh!!

Don't judge...I grew up in the 80s.

So what's the point? Tonight's dinner was in fact incredibly simple - very few ingredients and ready really quickly. I suppose Step by Step isn't too obscure a choice, all things considered.

Sausage, Tomato and Arugula Pasta (Adapted from Cooking Light, Dec 2010)

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
Olive oil
3 links Italian turkey or chicken sausage
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
2-3 cups fresh arugula
Shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Step 1!! Start a pot of salted water boiling. While the water heats up, squeeze the sausage out of its casing into a olive oiled skillet over medium high heat.


Step 2!! Brown the sausage, stirring it and breaking it up frequently. Once it is browned, add in the garlic and saute for about a minute for the garlic to soften.


Step 3!! Turn the heat down to medium, toss in the grape tomatoes, cover the pan and wait for two minutes. Now's a good time to season with salt and pepper.


Step 4!! Remove the lid and use a wooden spoon or other utensil to smash the tomatoes. The littlest ones are squirmy and most resistant to smooshing. Give everything a stir and allow it to hang out for the 2-3 minutes it takes your pasta to boil. (Follow the instructions on the package for the pasta. You could definitely save $1 and use dry pasta but it'll take a little longer to cook and the texture of the fresh pasta is totally worth the extra dollar if ya ask me!)


Step 5!! Take the sausage and tomatoes off the heat. Stir in the cooked pasta, 2/3 of a cup of leftover pasta water (save it when you drain the pasta!), the arugula and about 1/3 cup of cheese. Toss well.


Huh!!! (I know, I know, I'm going overboard...) Anyway, dinner is served! As usual, sprinkle with extra cheese for additional enjoyment.


Between the quickness with which the recipe was ready, the absolute simplicity of the ingredient list and the fact that Jon took seconds - this is a welcome addition to our repertoire when we need to get dinner on the table fast!

And because I know you care, Jordan was my favorite.

Just call me Miss Cleo

I'm seeing my own future - and I like what I see!

Ever since moving to Birmingham, Jon & I have been dying to go to Hot & Hot Fish Club, a local restaurant that features all local and seasonal ingredients, including those from the Jones Valley urban farm which occupies several acres of abandoned land downtown.

Marking our first date since before Delaney was born, we are finally going to celebrate my birthday next month! I've been pointlessly drooling over the menu (it changes quite regularly) but saying my prayers that they'll still have their renowned Tomato Salad. So famous, in fact, that it was featured in the August issue of Cooking Light.

As we've had a bounty of heirloom tomatoes from our own garden, we decided to make our own attempt at the Hot & Hot Tomato Salad...and not the light version ;)

Heirloom Tomato Salad (adapted from the Hot and Hot Tomato Salad - Chef Chris Hastings)
serves 2

Ingredients:

3 heirloom tomatoes (we used black brandywine, green zebra and Mr. Stripey)
4 thin slices, prosciutto
8 pieces baby okra
1/3 cup pink field peas (can substitute black eyed peas)
1/2 cup flour
6 oz beer
2-3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preparation:

The key is to start with delicious summer produce. The variety of heirloom tomato doesn't matter and in fact, beefsteak tomatoes would be just fine.


These are topped with prosciutto chips. What are those you ask? Oh, just heaven! Put the thinly sliced prosciutto into a cast iron (or other heavy) skillet on medium high heat until it reaches the consistency of bacon. You can thank me later.

(Oh, the other stuff on the plate is chunks of salt pork for the pot'o'beans we made!)

You'll want to cook the field peas for just a few minutes in boiling water or broth.

To prepare the okra (this makes the most glorious fried okra EVER), combine half a beer with 1/2 to 2/3 cup flour, dip the okra in the batter, and fry for just a few minutes in peanut oil (until golden brown).

The "dressing" for this is a chive aioli that could not be more simple. Whisk together the mayo and vinegar to get a consistency slightly thinner than your average ranch dressing. Then toss in the chopped chives. That's it!

As previously mentioned, we cooked the remainder of the field peas like we would black eyed peas. Jon is in charge of this task but I'm fairly certain it includes: onion, chicken broth, hot pickled okra, jalapeno, garlic and of course the salt pork. In full disclosure - we've made this with thick cut bacon or ham hock before as well...I like the salt pork but it is salty so do not add any extra!

To assemble the tomato salad, layer 2 slices of each tomato per stack, sprinkle the field peas and okra around, dress liberally with the chive aioli and top with the prosciutto chips.



Yeah. Amazing right? Look, there's a reason a James Beard Award nominated restaurant is most famous for this dish. There are no real words (and ours is just the amateur rip-off version!)

We ate ours with steak. While we are die-hard ribeye people, we discovered a cut at our local supermarket that delivers similar texture and flavor for a much smaller price tag. They're labeled "chuck eye" steaks. Less expensive + still delicious is always a winner in my book.