Whole-Wheat Orzo with Marinated Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Shredded Chicken, and Corn

Roomie inspired me with her incredible (and incredibly easy) caprese pasta. Those tomatoes were sweet as candy! But, of course, I didn't want to copy her too much (tempted as I was), so I was looking for a similar idea with different flavors and textures. I decided to peruse one of my favorite cookbooks, Urban Italian, (which I lovingly refer to as "food porn") for some ideas on a dish where fresh cherry tomatoes would shine. I didn't want to roast them or make them into a sauce (why muddy up the flavor with too much cooking?) and a salad would just be a waste (salads, alas, are not my favorite way to eat). And there it was, a recipe for a fettuccine with marinated tomatoes and a goat cheese cream sauce. My curiosity was piqued.

Don't get me wrong, I love goat cheese. With caramelized onions on a tart, on top of a beet salad (a salad-type I do approve of), or spread onto a crostini with some slow roasted garlic and honey or apples. Mmm, mmm, good. But I'm not one of those people who can eat goat cheese with a spoon. The flavor can be a little intense for me. So while the idea of a goat cheese cream sauce sounded deliciously decadent, I decided it'd be better to take a more subtle approach with a scant sprinkling of crumbled cheese. Trade in the fettuccine for some whole wheat orzo (a texture I prefer) and throw in some chicken and corn to make the meal more complete and seasonally-friendly, and I had myself a pretty gosh darn satisfying dish for this summer-to-fall transition.

A few notes. First, I boiled my chicken because I had some locally-raised free range legs and thighs on hand. But, for vegetarians, you can leave out the chicken, and for those of you in a hurry, a store-bought rotisserie chicken will do just fine. Just ignore those parts of the recipe, and start straight in with the shredding. If you do decided to cook your chicken, be sure to save the liquid, as it makes a pretty easy chicken stock.

Second note: this meal is definitely on the sweeter side of savory. I mean, it's tomatoes, corn, balsamic vinegar, and tangy goat cheese. I liked it, and mine turned out pretty well-balanced for the ingredients used. Plus, in the summer/early fall heat, a little sweetness with a nice crisp wine ain't all bad. But, if you tend to like your food on the saltier side, this might not be for you. If you have any ideas on a good way to make the dish a little more savory, let me know!






Lastly, tomatoes are key here, so make sure you get some good ones! Enjoy!

Whole-Wheat Orzo with Marinated Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, Shredded Chicken, and Corn

Marinated Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper

Shredded Chicken
1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces, on the bone
1/2 onion, loosely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, whole
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme

8 oz. whole wheat orzo pasta
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles plus more for garnish
Chopped basil (for garnish)

1) In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, shallots, garlic, basil, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Let it hang out while you do everything else.

2) In a large pot or dutch oven, bring a hefty amount of water to boil. Salt the water generously, and add the chicken, chopped onions, garlic cloves, thyme, and oregano. Boil until chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 30 minutes. Taste along the way to make sure the broth is salted enough.

3) Remove chicken to a large cutting board. Strain the cooking liquid of the onions and garlic, being sure to reserve the liquid. Return about half of the stock to the pot (to cook the orzo) and reserve the rest for a later cooking use.

4) When stock returns to a boil, add the orzo. While the orzo cooks, with two forks, shred the chicken. If you haven't done it before, it's basically like you're using a fork and knife, but with two forks. Also kind of like when you're fighting with someone over the last piece of dessert (but maybe that's just me...) You can also use your fingers if you feel like getting messy.

5) About 2 minutes before the pasta is done, add the corn to blanch it. Drain the corn and orzo together, and mix in the goat cheese until its all melted (it'll look like a thick cream sauce). Add the chicken and tomato mixture and toss until well combined.

6) Garnish with more basil and goat cheese, and devour immediately.



4 servings

Instant Love: Summer Panzanella

It's been a long time since I've written on this blog. It's been so long now I feel like what I write should be fantastic, so I've been avoiding it.  Kind of like when you meet someone interesting, and you're thinking about calling them, but then you don't for whatever reason and then too much time passes and the whole thing is just too darn stressful.  Too much time has passed! I feel the same way when I don't cook for a while - after a few weeks I don't want to make anything unless it's going to be fabulous, because now there's anticipation.  So I procrastinate (and eat a lot of quesadillas and frozen Kashi meals).

That's why I was excited when Roomie showed me her new idea for this "Instant Love" section of the blog.  It reminds me of the "Like" button on Facebook: non-committal yet effective.  Also, it's perfect for those mid-week meals that I love, but don't feel like writing out a recipe for.  The throw together meals of last-minute inspiration and cravings.

Panzanella's are one of my favorite go-to meals, especially when I just need to get myself back into the cooking vibe (say, after traveling in South America for a month). Panzanella is just a bread salad, with crusty country bed, tomatoes, onions, and whatever other veggies or greens you'd like.  You can also do sweet versions, tossed with berries and almonds and a little whipped cream/creme fraiche. Plus, it's a salad with bread.  I mean, seriously, how good is that?

All you need is some day-old bread (a half loaf usually works for me), cut or torn into chunks (you can also toast it in the oven for a few minutes to get the desired crunched).  I tossed this one with fresh tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers from the farmers market, and some chopped basil from the garden.  My tomatoes were super juicy, so I didn't need any extra vinegar for the dressing.  Toss it all together in a big bowl with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and let it sit at room temperature for few minutes before serving.  Voila!

Perfect Pasta Caprese

In theory, Pasta Caprese should be a delicious and simple dish.  You take the beloved, classic Italian trio (fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella), toss it with some al dente pasta, add some olive oil, and voila--heaven in a dish, right?  More often than not, this deceptively simple combination turns out all wrong--too wet from the tomato innards, or too greasy from the olive oil, or simply too bland, with no zing or unifying element to highlight the main flavors.

Sesame-Soy Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes and Green Beans

Wowies...there's lots of summer catch-up posting to be done in friendly foodie land!  After my small-ish posting binge in July, I went to New York for a few weeks to do some research and visit with my fam.  And as soon as Emily got back from Peru, she started a new job here in the 'burgh, yay roomie!  Needless to say, we haven't been so great about keeping up with a posting rhythm.  That doesn't mean we haven't been making lots of tasty meals with fabulous summer produce, we just haven't translated them to digital space.

In these precious last few days of August, I will attempt to remedy the recent lag, focusing especially on delicious and simple ways to use some produce that's in tip-top shape these days: tomatoes, peaches, eggplant, zucchini, corn, green beans, etc.

Instant Love: Summer Tomato Bruschetta Drizzled with Balsamic Syrup

 

-Whisk together about 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1 T. light molasses in a heavy saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes until the mixture has reduced to a nice syrup.

-Meanwhile, take the best tomatoes you can find in your yard or at the farmer's market, chop them up, toss them in a bowl with some olive oil, salt and fresh pepper, and set aside.

-When you're ready to eat, slice some baguette or country bread into thin slices, rub with a cut garlic clove, and bake in a 400-degree oven until bread is lightly toasted.

-Spoon tomatoes over crostini, and drizzle with balsamic syrup.  Delightful.

--K, reminiscing about when this particular version was consumed at a resort on the Mayan Riviera

   

Cannellini Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Dill

Summer's abundant piles of fresh produce and high temperatures often collude to lure us foodies away from the stove, oven, grill, and even our significant other, if he/she is radiating too much heat.  The temperature has hovered in the upper 90s around here lately, and inspired me to throw together some light and no-heat-necessary summery salads.  Of course, "no-heat" for this recipe suggests using canned cannellini beans, which are, of course, convenient and pre-cooked.  I've been trying to avoid using canned goods, however.   


So:  One strategy for minimizing your use of the stove top or oven during particularly heat-wave-like weeks is to prepare 1 or 2 large batches of plain beans or veggies that you can keep in the fridge and recycle in various ways throughout the week.  For example, last week I cooked a big batch (32 oz.) of dried cannellini beans early in the morning before the kitchen got too hot.  Once they were cooked, I drained them and tossed them with a touch of canola oil to keep them covered in the fridge.  They've been used as: a smashed cannellini-rosemary-lemon dip, a spicy garlic sandwich spread, a protein boost for some steamed broccoli, and now, in a light tomato and dill salad.  


A note about dill: if you don't happen to like it, simply substitute any herb you do like.  As much as I love fresh basil during the summer months, I often feel bad for the other delectable fresh herbs growing all around me (rosemary, dill, tarragon, mint, thyme) that tend to get ignored in favor of basil, and try to let them shine in their own dishes.  Tomatoes, which usually get thrown together in a caprese salad with basil and mozzarella, pair especially well with fresh fronds of dill.  This salad exemplifies a classic Greek combination of flavors. 

--K, absolutely loving the available fresh herbs these days

approx. 1/4 c. dill sprigs, roughly torn into little fronds
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. canola oil or olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper

Whisk these together at the bottom of a large mixing bowl.  It's meant to be very tangy, but you can adjust the proportions if you like.  Add to this:

2 c. cooked cannellini beans
4 medium tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then sliced into slim wedges
feta or goat cheese (optional)
1/4 c. red onion, finely sliced (optional)

Toss everything together gently so the tomato wedges stay mostly intact.  Cover bowl and allow to marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.  Stir and serve in cheery bowls for a light summer supper for 2.

Kamut Berry Salad with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Feta

I am uninspired.  It's been raining for days in Pittsburgh, the summer harvests aren't at their peak yet, and my summer temp job is, let's say, less than stimulating.  In a fit of creativity I was able to pull together a lovely Italian-inspired grill menu for two of my friends the other day, and since then, I've been in a culinary funk.  Simply eating so not to pass out, which is not how I like to eat.

Learning to Love Foods I Hate

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I feel an obligation to like everything.  A foodie can't be picky, right?  But sadly, there are some foods I just can't stand.  Olive, pickles, and really strong blue cheeses top the lists of foods that I keep trying and keep hating.  And then there are those foods - mainly veggies - that I am convinced I don't like, even though I haven't tried them in years.  Hence this weeks project: learning to like (or at least tolerate) a food that has made me cringe since I was a kid: tomatoes.