Pan Sautéed Soft Shell Crab w/ Pasta & Kale

-make me feel better little crab man. oh, and sorry we're killing your home with oil -

ever miss home so much you know the only way to cure the home missin' is to just get down to it and recreate it? hm, yeah maybe not but stick with me - i'll make this one short.

i made the trek back home to Southwest Louisiana this weekend, hung out w/my awesome family, drank a glass of wine with my best friend and shared the woes of this massive ongoing oil spill that is threatening everything from the birds to the bayous, not to mention the amazing gulf seafood. oh woe is me. so i was thrust back into NYC life somewhere around this afternoon. the morning i left i had the heater on, cursing the lousy "spring" of NYC. thankfully as i exited the innards of laguardia it was hot and humid outside; just like home. ahh someone up there does kinda like me. so after a brief and typical argument with my cabbie i strolled into my apartment, said hello to my mildly excited dog and dyeing plants and because, sitting on a crammed 3 1/2 hour plane ride isn't enough for me i plopped down on the couch. inthralled in pouting about having to be back in "work till you want to kill yourself" NYC i decided to get off my toosh (my parents ready this, ok) and whip up my fix-anything comfort food dinner: quick sauteed soft shell crab, whole wheat pasta and seared kale.

it did the trick. i actually ended up folding my laundry and straightening the apartment (gasp) in prep for yet another long monday.

PAN SAUTEED SOFT SHELL CRAB

1 soft shell crab, rinsed in cold water, patted dry

salt & pepper

1-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

olive oil

1/2 lemon wedge

*over medium high heat add enough oil to lightly coat a medium sized pan

*while the pan heats up season your crab w/ salt and pepper

*add the crab to the hot pan, sprinkle about half of the thyme leaves over the crab

*let it cook about 3 minutes on each side to get a nice rust colored "crust"

*squeeze the lemon and remaining thyme over the crab - let sizzle a minute and place crab on plate, tent with foil to keep warm if you wish.

PASTA & KALE

2 oz whole wheat

2-3 kale leaves, stalks cut away and roughly chopped

salt and pepper

**while the crab is cooking, be boiling your pasta in salted water.

*cook to almost al dente, they should finish around the same time, drain reserving 1/2 - 3/4c of the pasta water

*as you remove the crab, turn heat up a bit, add the kale and about 1/4c of the pasta cooking water

*de-galze the pan with the kale and starchy water, season lightly (crab should be fairly salty) and let cook 1-2 minutes until the leaves are bright green and wilted.

*add your pasta and a bit more of the reserved water, let them cook together another 2 minutes, adding more water only if the pasta or kale begins to burn/ smoke.

*if you can squeeze any more out of the lemon, add it in, if not then remove and plate.

-i feel better already, now about that massive oil spill... -

Pesto!

- pine nut and basil -

while i've always really liked the idea of pesto - tons of fresh herbs, earthy nuts and always lovely parmigiano reggiano all bound together with good olive oil - its the presence of raw garlic that i can't handle. basically, i'm a vampire. just the mention of garlic and i hiss. i've spent years avoiding anything that included pesto and considering its not used just for pasta anymore, the list is gets pretty long - and kinda bland.

because of this extensive time away from pesto i've learned to

just kinda wipe it from my mental recipe index and that's about it. then about a month ago i was skimming through a foodie magazine and was jolted back into the world of pesto. what was the reason i never made it again? oh right the toxic garlic. well that's the plus of cooking for yourself - you delete as you please. and that is exactly what i have done. not to mention played around with the nut / herb roster. toss with whole wheat penne and you've got yourself a delicious and nutritious meal!

- walnut and parsley -

WALNUT & PARSLEY PESTO

1/4c walnuts

2c parsley

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano (keep it real)

*pulse the nuts in a food processor

*add the parsley with the oil and process to smooth

*add in the parm. and pulse to combine

*chill or freeze any leftovers

PINE NUT & BASIL PESTO

1/4c pine nuts

2c basil

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano

*repeat as above

Creamy Broccoli Pasta

what do you make for your husband to eat when a: there is half used quart of whole milk left in the frig. b: you went crazy with the on-sale broccoli (that your overly active tummy wont even let you eat) and c: you are going across the country for the next 4 days which will leave all of this to rot away while you are gone? why whole wheat pasta adorned w/ creamy broccoli sauce of-course! I love this because its creamy, but not fatty, has a good deal of veggies, whole grains and protein from the pasta. its a great weekday meal too. this is a loose recipe since i really just threw everything together, but i think you can figure it out.

8 oz penne pasta (whole wheat or as you please)

1 tbs butter

2 tsp flour

1 1/2c whole milk

salt and pepper

pinch fresh ground nutmeg

3/4c parm. reggiano cheese, freshly grated

steamed broccoli florets from 2-3 heads

*finely chop the broccoli, set aside

*melt butter in large skillet over medium hugh heat

*stir in flour, stir constantly for a few minutes

*slowly pour in milk stirring constantly

* add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste

*cook stirring until the milk begins to thicken, take off heat

*meanwhile cook pasta to al dente

*when pasta is done combine with the milk sauce, parm and reserved broccoli - toss to combine

Cheese Stuffed Sun-dried Tomato Tortellini

i stand by my "basics of tortellini" trio, but these little guys are sooooo delish. i woke up this morning knowing i needed more butternut squash tortellini but there was a half empty tube of sun-dried tomato paste and an opened container of ricotta that needed to be dealt with. standing there in my kitchen, contacts still sticky and annoying it came to me: sun-dried tomato pasta stuffed full of cheese! yes. the smell of the pasta alone is tantalizing enough but add the cheese and really its heavenly. a simple pink or cream sauce is a must with these.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

2c AP flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs sun-dried tomato paste

1/2c hot water

*combine the salt and flour in a bowl, make a well in the center

*add the paste, oil and water mixing with a fork gradually incorporating the four.

*once its too difficult to stir dump out onto counter and knead with your hands, adding water if too dry and flour if too wet.

*wrap in plastic and let sit for 30 minutes

*do with it as you please

CHEESE STUFFING

1/2c pecorino romano cheese, grated

1/2c parmigiana reggiano cheese, grated

1 1/2c whole milk ricotta

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2c whole wheat bread crumbs - i make mine from my daily bread leftovers

1/4c finely chopped parsley

salt

1 egg

*combine all in a bowl, mix well to combine. cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

Mushroom Spelt Tortellini

and the second of my favorite tortellini trio destine for the freezer. being me i made the pasta spelt this time just to see how it would taste and for of-course the added nutrition. all i did was replace the whole wheat in the pasta recipe for the spinach and ricotta with spelt. enjoy!

MUSHROOM FILLING

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

1c hot water

2 shallots finely chopped

1/4c olive oil

2 lbs various mushrooms chopped- i used button, shiitake & baby bella

1/4 c chopped parsely

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2c parmigiana reggiano

1/2c whole milk ricotta

*reconstitute the porcini in the hot water for 30 minutes, drain reserving 1/4c of the soaking water.

*chop the porcini and set aside

*heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes

*add the parsley, cook for 1 minute

*add the mushrooms, cook for 10 minutes until all the liquid released is cooked away

*add the reserved porcini liquid and cook for 5 minutes until all the liquid is cooked away

*take off heat and let cool a bit

*add the ricotta, parmigiana, salt and pepper mixing well to combine

*chill if not using immediately

Spinach Whole Wheat Tortellini

i adore tortellini. even more i love to make my own, which is exactly what i am doing today. somewhere around once a month i devote a weekend to tortellini making and thus stocking up the freezer with a small assortment of delicious little pasta pockets. really i can't think of anything better than knowing you have a fabulous fall back dinner in your freezer just waiting for you to boil up, sprinkle with olive oil and devour in less than 15 minutes.

to me there are about 3 standard tortellini filling all of which equally deserving of attention and praise: butternut squash, spinach & ricotta and wild mushroom. of those three the easiest to make has to be the spinach. get yourself a small package of frozen spinach, defrost, drain and mix. you got yourself a stuffing.

and being myself i had to make the pasta whole wheat, just for good measure. oh and don't think for a minute that you can buy wonton wrappers for this. seriously people they are called wonton wrappers. did i say anything about making wontons? not to mention they are old and sitting around a grocery store being gross and born in a factory. really! pasta is so simple and easy there are no excuses. invest in a pasta rolling machine and it will serve you well for the rest of your pasta making life.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA DOUGH (eggless)

1c AP flour

1c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil

3/4c hot water

*combine the flours and salt in a bowl, make a well in the center

*pour in the hot water and oil

*begin mixing with a fork, gradually in corporation the flour into the water

*when it starts to get difficult to continue, turn out onto a floured surface and begin to knead

*add flour if too sticky or water if to dry, the dough should be firm and elastic

*wrap in plastic wrap and let sit 30minutes

*cut off about 1/5 of the dough and roll it out with your pasta machine - or a wood roller if you are real old school

*do with it as you please

SPINACH AND RICOTTA FILLING

1 1/2c whole milk ricotta

10 oz frozen spinach

1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1/4c chopped fresh parsley

1c parmigiana reggiano

1 egg

salt

*defrost the spinach, drain all the liquid out and chop if needed

*combine all the ingredient in a bowl, cover and chill if not using immediately

*depending on how big you want your tortellini then you will use more or less - use your judgement here. but i generally like to stuff as much as possible into each one.