Charred Cabbage with Dill Cream

I got this recipe from one of those cards you randomly come across in the grocery store, and it has since disappeared from the internet, so I'm publishing it here so I will always have it.  I originally wanted something for when I buy a cabbage, because I never go through a full one before it gets sad and soft, and it is a surprisingly great recipe.

1/2 large green cabbage
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients for dill cream in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Place in the fridge and let those flavours meld until ready to use

Preheat grill to medium heat. Coat the cut side of cabbage in vegetable oil. Place on the grill cut side down and allow to char for at least 20 minutes. The cabbage will look burnt and blackened from the char grilling - this is a good thing!  Gently flip and grill for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Double up two sheets of tinfoil and place cabbage in the centre, cut side up. Top with butter and salt. Tightly seal the edges of the tinfoil to create a sealed packet. Place on top rack of grill for 30 minutes or until tender.
Let cool in foil for 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into wedges or two-inch chunks. Drizzle with dill cream, or if you are like me, dip it in that delicious sauce, dip dip dip.

Break-Up Sandwich

Best sandwich ever - prosciutto ham, pear slices, fresh parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper on a croissant.  Try this.

  

Some Kind of Fish

Peanuts, crushed
Honey
Salt & pepper












Crush up a bunch of peanuts, enough to cover the fillet
Drizzle with honey, just till it starts to drip over the edge.
Salt & pepper, to taste.
Bake as usual

Black Bean and Mango Salad

1 can black beans
2 cups mango
1 cup sweet red pepper
1/2 cup tomato
2 cups lettuce (you could probably use spinach too)
1/2 lb shrimp
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
salt & pepper






I cooked the shrimp for a few minutes to heat it, and the black beans.













Chop the veggies up, combine ingredients. Eat.

Shrimp Salad

1/2 lb shrimp, cooked.
1/2 cup avocado chunks
1 med tomato, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper



Mix oil & lemon, salt & pepper, stir in shrimp, tomato and avocado.
Serve on a bed of romaine or spinach.

Easiest and Best Taco Salad Ever

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning mix (Taco Time's is the best, but if you're not in Canada, you might have a hard time finding this...)
1 head shredded iceberg lettuce (I know, I have romaine, but I had some that needed to be used up!)
shredded cheese (I dunno, a couple of handfuls)
1 bag tortilla chips, crushed
Catalina dressing





Brown the meat in a frying pan. Add taco seasoning and cook according to directions on the package.

Put lettuce, cheese, meat and dressing in a big bowl, or big pot if you don't have a bowl, ha ha.

Add chips last - they get soggy!






Mix. That's it, not rocket science. Yummah. Or Yummo, if you prefer.

Spaghetti a la Homer

This is one of those indulgent recipes, but it's simple and so good...
I do things in a very specific order, so get ready for detailed instructions. You'll probably get your own rhythm going after a try or two, but it takes a little bit of trial and error to get down.

1/2 cup butter (no subs)
1/2 cup shredded Myzithra cheese
Spaghetti










I always make sure the water is boiling and chuck the spaghetti in to cook before I do anything else. It doesn't take long to brown butter, but it's labor intensive, so you need to make sure you can pay attention to it alone.


Melt the butter over medium heat. Seems obvious enough, right? I went with 5-6 on my stove.












When it gets just a little foamy, get ready to do some whisking! I had fun whisking constantly and taking pictures at the same time tonight :)











You just have to stand and whisk for a few minutes until the butter starts to change color. Once it starts to change, it goes fast, so pay attention.











I think it took me from 6:21 to 6:26 to get it the right color.













You'll notice it get darker, so keep it over heat until it gets just darker than the color of caramel - it should have a slightly nutty scent to it. Take it off the heat immediately!










Pour butter over drained spaghetti and drain once more, so you don't have a pool of butter at the bottom of your plate.

Sprinkle with myzithra - I sprinkle some on and stir, then sprinkle more on top. Some recipes call for the cheese to be added to the hot butter, but I've found it melts too fast and makes a gloppy mess, so I just add it after.

Pasta with Bacon, Onions and Peas

I actually got this recipe off the back of the Gemelli box, but I liked it and it's one of the few recipes I don't alter, barring a couple of little things...



You need
2 cups of pasta, I like gemelli because of the informative recipe, and it's fun swirly shape
1/2 cup of pancetta, I subbed bacon because I had some in the house, about 4 strips, plus I cut the fat off.
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas
1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil, except I live in Canada and it's January, so the fresh herbs suck, so I subbed the freeze-dried kind. I use fresh in the summer and fall (parsley can be subbed too)
salt & pepper to taste

You can cook the pasta at the same time as the rest of the ingredients, they end up taking almost exactly the same time. But DON'T FORGET to turn the water on before you start cooking the rest of the stuff! I forget this all the time and it's really annoying to have to cook the noodles when the rest is done. Also, I use a fairly big pot because I can mix everything in it at the end.






While the water is on, chop the bacon and heat it up on medium-ish (think 6-7) for a couple of minutes. If you use pancetta, you'll probably have to put a little oil in the pan.











Then add onions and cook until they're soft



The water should be boiling around this time, so throw the pasta in









Add peas, pepper flakes and basil, sometimes I'll have to add a bit of water - no more than 1/4 cup, but judge for yourself whether you need it. Sometimes the bacon can be greasy, or you've added oil with pancetta, so it will be "saucy" or something similar. Cook this until the peas are tender, maybe 2-3 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, I find you don't need very much salt because of the salted, cured meat already in there.




Drain pasta, mix together and voila! Easy peasy, and tasty














And it looks nice on a white plate :)



Dr. Meta told me there wasn't much nutritional value in this meal, but if you drink it with a glass of milk, you've got all your food groups. Plus, if you cook for one, like me, you'll have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.