Yummy in My Tummy: Olive Oil, Tomatoes, and Cheese

Undoubtedly, one of the best things about living on my own is that I am able to cook for myself. There are few things in life that give me as much joy as cooking. Some people say that cooking is an art form that requires years of hard work and practice to become any good. Others say that it's merely science, and, like with most scientific experiments, if you follow the protocol, nothing will go wrong. I'm a strong believer in both. If you follow the directions of a recipe, the meal will come out just fine; that's the chemistry of cooking. However, to take a recipe and make it better, to take a recipe and make it your own -- that's the art of cooking. And that's the part that takes time and practice. At least, that's my philosophy.

With that in mind, "Yummy in My Tummy," as I have aptly named this series of posts, will focus on my culinary adventures in the kitchen. I'll be posting recipes (and translations of recipes, since many are originally French) as well as my commentary on the recipe. I'll talk about where I deviated from the recipe, what I liked, what I might change next time, what wine I drank with the meal, and what I think overall. Most of the recipes will probably be things that I've never cooked before, but I'll probably be posting some of my favorite, regular meals as well.

I don't pretend to be a great cook. I can follow a recipe and usually get it to come out pretty nicely. I don't know that I'll be able to provide much insight into the world of cooking. I don't think that what I have to say is impressive or on par with Julia Child or even important in the world of cooking at all. I do hope, however, that maybe you'll see a recipe that you want to try out when you read this. And maybe you'll try it. And maybe you'll like it. And maybe you'll let me know what you think and what you did differently. And that's really the whole point.

Ok, enough monologuing. Let's talk about food.

Homemade Pesto Sauce*

Ingredients:

50 g of fresh basil leaves

4 Tbsp of pine nuts

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

2 Tbsp of grated parmesan

Notes on ingredients: 

I used raw pine nuts for this, but friends who have also made fresh pesto have said that roasted pine nuts work as well. I leave the choice up to you, dear reader. All I can really say is that pine nuts are expensive, roasted OR raw.

Directions:

1. Shred basil leaves into small pieces. Mince clove of garlic.
2. Add basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil to bowl of food processor. Add some salt and pepper and mix until the pesto is smooth.
3. Optional: Once pesto is mixed well in the food processor, stir in the parmesan until well blended.

Notes on directions:

I wonder somewhat if the shredding of the basil leaves in necessary since it's all going into the food processor anyway. Same thing goes for the garlic, but it should be noted that the garlic can be minces, chopped, crushed... whatever you prefer to get the garlic into small pieces. Also, a blender works just as well as a food processor. I should know, since I didn't happen to have a food processor on hand but DID have a blender. The puree setting seemed to work marvelously.

Rachel's thoughts:

This is a very easy recipe. VERY easy. I don't often use food processors or blenders, so I ended up calling my family for advice on the differences between the two and whether a blender would even be able to chop up garlic and basil into small enough pieces. In the end, I just ended up crossing my fingers and pushing buttons on the blender until I figured out which setting would be best. Once I made it over that hump, however, I realized just how simple this recipe is. Preparation is pretty minimal, and a machine does most of the work for you.

One thing that gave me trouble was measuring out the right amount of basil. I had no idea how to measure out 50 g without some sort of metric scale. I translated the metric measurement into American, which was roughly 4 Tablespoons, but I just didn't see how I was supposed accurately fill those spoons. Stuff them with basil? Pack it in tightly? Sounded like too much work. So I just eyeballed it. I went by the packaging, which told me that I had 70 g total. All in all, I probably only used about 40 g of basil, or about two loose handfuls, but I don't think it had any negative effects on the outcome of the recipe. Anyone have a good idea for how to accurately measure these things?

I decided not to include any parmesan in this batch, since I was not even sure if it would turn out in the first place. Upon tasting the pesto fresh out of the blender, I felt that it didn't really need it. It was light and fresh and totally safe for anyone who might have issues with lactose. Next time, I think I might add in the cheese, just to see how it changes things. However, I usually have some cheese elsewhere in my meal, whether it be parmesan topping the pasta or fresh mozzarella slices on bread. Therefore, parmesan IN pesto really can be optional.

This pesto works wonderfully as a dipping sauce for fresh bread or as pasta sauce for all sorts of dishes.

Let's take a look and see just how that pesto can be put to use.

Pesto Farfalle with Sauteed Tomatoes

Ingredients:
Pesto
Farfalle noodles
Grape or cherry tomatoes
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper
Parmesan

Notes on ingredients:
I'm not including amounts in this recipe. The pesto that you make in the above recipe  is for at least four people, depending upon how much pesto they like to eat. That said,  adjust the amount of these ingredients as necessary to accommodate the number of people in your party.

Directions:

1. Boil water for pasta.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, finely chop garlic. Put some olive oil in the bottom of a pan and heat. Add tomatoes. Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes and stir occasionally.
3. Once the skin on the tomatoes begins to wrinkle, add garlic to the pan and continue cooking until garlic is golden brown. If pasta is not yet ready, turn heat down on tomatoes to low heat.
4. When water is boiling, add farfalle and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Drain pasta. Add sauteed tomatoes and garlic. Add 2-4 spoonfuls of pesto. Sprinkle parmesan on top.

Rachel's thoughts:
Another simple, quick, and easy dish. I've done this a couple nights in a row now because I've been trying to finish off these ingredients, and I love that it only takes me about 15 minutes to prepare and cook everything. Of course, it helps that I've already got the pesto prepared.

This is a very basic dish. Feel free to add things to it. I'm thinking some sauteed onions might be nice, and I know for a fact that some grilled chicken will never go wrong with this. It's something that you can really build up from, and I'm currently wondering whether I might try to add some chicken and asparagus tonight or whenever I next make this meal.

One thing that might be fun to mess with would be the spices. You could very easily add a little rosemary or thyme or oregano to the tomatoes. I would even venture to say that some crushed red pepper might be fun for a little extra kick. Have fun with flavors!

Wine of the meal
Cupcake Vineyards Angel Food white blend

This is a wine I'd been wanting to try for a while, I must admit. I have been a fan of Cupcake Vineyards for about a year now, ever since I tried their Red Velvet red blend, which is without a doubt my favorite wine. I could drink that stuff by the bottle. Literally. Therefore, I was pretty excited to try Angel Food. To me, if these guys can be so good at a red blend, why wouldn't they be equally good at a white blend?

Here's what Cupcake has to say about this wine: "Made with premium chardonnay grapes as a base, this proprietary white blend is luscious, aromatic and delightfully reminiscent of an Angel food cupcake. Flavors of bakes Granny Smith apple and hints of toasty vanilla combine for a creamy mouthfeel that has become a signature of Cupcake Vineyards.... Our proprietary Angel Food wine is a delicate blend of white grapes where each variety shows structure, aroma and depth of flavor with a long creamy finish. The grapes are harvested from vineyards in some of California's finest viticultural areas, each picked for their ability to engender these grapes with distinct characteristics. Each varietal is ferments separately, blended and then put through a unique oak regime that imparts a certain creaminess."

Angel Food really took me by surprise. I never really know what to expect when I try a new wine for the first time, but I can honestly say that this was not what I had in mind when I set out to try this wine. I knew that this would likely be a sweeter white, judging by the name alone. Even with the chardonnay base, it is nowhere near as dry as most of the chardonnays I've tried. The most overwhelming taste is that of vanilla. I can taste hints of apple there, if I pay close attention to my taste buds, but the vanilla taste is there every time. It isn't the perfect pairing for this meal, but it went well enough with dinner and the chocolaty dessert I had later. It's obviously not a dessert wine, but it was a happy medium for a pasta main course and a rich chocolate dessert.

Overall, not my favorite wine, but not bad. I'd likely buy it again and try it out with some other types of dessert, or maybe try it with some pancetta. It's worth the purchase just for that surprising vanilla taste, which makes the wine among the more unique and interesting ones I've tried.

*adapted from 5 fruits & légumes par jour by Louise Pickford, p. 86