Asparagus and penne

Yesterday I made asparagus and penne. It's an easy, tasty dish. Start the water and snap and chop the asparagus and it all comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Here's a picture of the aspargus, sauted with garlic and hot sauce in a little olive oil. The penne is in the orange pot.


Verdict: B, I love aspargus, but maybe I didn't use enough butter, it seemed a little dry.
Credits: Mom, but the recipe is essentially this one.
Leftovers? Would be great, but I ate it all.

Rainbow Trout and Red Cabbage

I made this trout recipe last year and it was tasty (I love trout) but with regular cabbage and it was a little colorless. So with the red cabbage in the box, I tried it again.

Here's the primary ingredients. Yeah, they sold me the heads and tails at Gourmet Garage. I wasn't expecting that.



Cooking up in the pan. These were large trout.



Plated with the cabbage and a glass of wine. Yes, I drink red with fish. Basically, I drink red with everything.



Verdict: B
Credits: Trout with Peppercorn Crust, Bacon and Red Cabbage at Epicurious
Leftovers? Yes, plenty. I took the fish off the skin and refrigerated two portions. Splash a little rice vinegar and eat cold the next day.

Notes: The fish were large and I used the whole cabbage, which was more than 2 cups and a small bunch of onions rather than just two.

Artichokes again, illustrated

This week I had more artichokes and used the pressure cooker again. This time I simplified a little and it was even better.

2 artichokes, lower leaves trimmed and stem cut to 1" and peeled

1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 - 3/4 C. of white wine

Brown the garlic and thyme in the oil, one minute or less. Add the wine and arrange the artichokes on a rack.

Here's a shot of the artichokes ready to cook.



Pressure cook for 10-12 minutes (I went ten, but I think I like a little more done). Let sit to depressurize.

Make a sauce from 2 T. melted butter and 2 T. of the cooking liquid. Simmer for 3-5 minutes to reduce a little.

Pour a little of the sauce on the artichokes. Serve with the remaining butter on the side and a bread and cheese plate--and lots of napkins.

Verdict: A
Credits: Continued tinkering with the basic instructions at Gourmet Sleuth
Leftovers? No