Pasta with Roast Sweet Potato and Pasta

Thanks to my CSA I have something like 20 pounds of sweet potatoes, which since they last so long in our cool garage (holder of sweet potatoes and junk, but not cars), is not a bad thing to have. While they make a lovely side dish, for a weeknight dinner, I am all about one plate meals. Pile it on a plate, slice some bread, and call it dinner.

So, I turned to Donna Hay. She never lets me down, especially when it comes to simple dishes that look much harder and fancier than they are. I'm all about things that make me look like I worked harder than I did. How else am I going to justify the fact that I need individual gratin dishes. I want some cute ones, maybe in red. It's all your fault, I've seen them popping up in blogs all over, and I have become obsessed with finding some.

Anyway, I looked through The New Cookby Donna Hay and found Pasta with Roast Sweet Potato and Fetta. You know what it is even better about this simple pasta dish??!! It comes with it's own salad, built right in. You serve the pasta over some fresh baby spinach, which sounded kind of weird, but totally worked. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes, the tang of the feta, the bitey sweetness of the leeks and the rosemary, all wonderful!

Pasta with Roast Sweet Potato and Feta
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and diced) (only I didn't peel)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
3 leeks, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
14 oz pasta
2 tablespoons butter
6 oz marinated feta, chopped (I just used regular)
8 oz baby spinach leaves
cracked black pepper
grated parmesan

Toss the sweet potatoes with one tablespoon of the oil, salt and pepper, and spread on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 for 30 minutes or until soft and browned.

Place 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and the rosemary and cook for about 7 minutes, or until soft and golden.

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water per directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the sweet potatoes, leeks, butter and feta. Toss to combine.

Place piles of spinach on plate and top with pasta, sprinkle with parmesan and a generous grinding of fresh ground pepper.

This will be my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

P.S. I've entered Smudge in a Cute Senior Cat Contest on Facebook. He would be ever so appreciative if you would vote for him.

Pasta with Roast Sweet Potato and Pasta

Weekend Wine Reviews #10

Lindemans Chardonnay, 2008. South Africa, $5.00. They say: rich melon, grapefuit and tropical aroms with a rounded finish. We say: we agree with everything they say. Excellent! Buy again: Yes definitely! Espcecially for $5.00!

Gnarled Vine, 2005, Zinfandel. Lodi, California. $7.99 We say: light bodied, blackberry, very drinkable and pleasant. Not an oustanding zinfandel, but for $7.99, not bad. Buy again: probably.

Weekend Wine Reviews #10

Weekend Cat Blogging #233

Smudge was a little disgusted with Patchouli's flower pictures last week.

He says that he was posing for pictures with flowers before Patchouli was even born.

He also says that he used to walk 10 miles to school in the snow.

Smudge, setting the younger generation straight, will be my entry for this week's Weekend Cat Blogging hosted by Samantha Black & Mr Tigger (whom we hope comes back soon) at Life From a Cat’s Perspective.

Weekend Cat Blogging #233

Chicken Simmered in Caramel Sauce

Lunchroom envy. I love it. Not having it. Giving it. You know, when everyone around the table starts sniffing the air and asking what it is your eating. And you smile smugly and say, "Chicken Simmered in Caramel Sauce." And then, unless they cook a lot, or are familiar Vietnamese foods, they look at you blankly. Good times.

Do you want to give lunchroom envy? This dish will do it for you. The aroma of the ginger is intoxicating. I found this recipe in Quick & Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes a book which I've sang the praises of many times. If you haven't gotten you a copy yet, you really don't know what you are missing.

Everything in the book is easy, and unbelievably tasty. This dish was no exception. My chicken didn't come out as dark and caramely as the pictures in the book. I think it's because I used more chicken than what the recipe called for and my chicken steamed a little more than it browned. Didn't matter it was still delicious. The slight heat from the ginger with the sweetness of the sugar and the earthiness of the fish sauce...perfect.

Chicken Simmered in Caramel Sauce
Serves 4 - 6

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped shallots or onion
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1/4 cup water
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths

Chop the chicken into big chunks by halving each thigh and then cutting each half into quarters. In a large, deep skillet or a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until a bit of garlic sizzles at once. Add the chicken and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing once or twice.

Push the meat out to the sides of the pan and add the ginger, shallots, and garlic to the middle of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, and then toss well. Add the fish sauce, both kinds of sugar, the salt, pepper, and chili flakes and toss to mix everything well. Let the sauce come to a strong boil and begin to thicken, and then add the water. Adjust the heat to maintain a lively simmer and then cook the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing now and then, When the sauce is a reddish brown syrup and the chicken is cooked, add the green onions and toss well. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or warm.

Chicken Simmered in Caramel Sauce

Knockwurst with Braised Cabbage and Apples

Raise your hand if you can make braised cabbage look good in a picture? Oh really. Would you kindly tell me how. See how in my photos I've distracted you from the overall beige colored meal with my cute and quirky vintage dish towel. Pretty clever, don't you think?

Braised cabbage. How can something that smells so funky, taste so good? Speaking of smelling funky, every time I make braised cabbage I remember house hunting in St. Louis. We went to look at a house right around dinner time, and the family was just sitting down to eat dinner. They had obviously been cooking some cabbage. You wouldn't think that you would have to tell someone to not cook cabbage when you are having people come look at your house, but apparently you do. Fresh baked bread aroma - yes, cooked cabbage - no. Pretty simple.

When my CSA gave me some adorable heads of cabbage, I knew what I wanted. What immediately popped into my mind was cabbage, apples, and sausage. In some sort of combination. Since I am creatively cookerly challenged, I turned to someone who can create anything from anything, and of course, that would be Martha. Her Knockwurst with Braised Cabbage and Apples was just what I was looking for.

It was wonderful! I mean really, really good. I've made versions of this before and this was definitely the best. I think it was the apple cider and the vinegar. I made the recipe pretty much as written except that I subbed Bratwurst for Knockwurst. Hey, they're both wursts...whatever that is. I'm not going to post the recipe here, since you can just follow the link above to Martha. Tell her Pam said Hi!

Knockwurst with Braised Cabbage and Apples

What Was It Wednesday?

You're looking at November 4th, 2007. It's a shame I didn't post this. Just look at the trouble I went through to gather the props: the fall tablecloth, the small pumpkins artfully arranged in the background. Even with the extra effort, it has languished away in my food photos for over two years. I'm thinking it's roasted sweet potatoes with pears (or maybe apples).

What Was It Wednesday?

Garden Tuesday - White Tailed Squirrel

White tailed squirrel on our picket fence.

Garden Tuesday - White Tailed Squirrel