Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus Pesto

I don't make that much pasta as I often associate it with empty calories and decadent meals.  Although I consider myself a huge foodie, I'm very self-conscious of what I eat and how much I eat.  Thus, pasta is frequently one of those calorie-rich, nutrient-absent meals that most Americans gorge themselves on because it's clearly "good."  And I'm not the only one who thinks this way: Russ, a podcaster from Fat 2 Fit Radio, once said (and I paraphrase): "I don't often think of making pasta dishes because...well...they're just not that good for you."

Russ's comment was actually said in defense of a healthy pasta dish and I feel that if he had tried and read about this recipe, he too would be a believer in healthy pasta.  Here's why this pasta dish is different: whole wheat pasta instead of regular white pasta, pesto instead of white sauce, and smaller servings instead of the "eat until you're can't breathe" mentality round the dish out at about 400-450 calories max.

This dish is healthy, green (and we should strive to eat all things green!), and clearly delicious.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
This recipe comes from nowhere in particular, but if you're looking for a recipe that combines pesto (any form) with pasta, see Elise Bauer's "Asparagus Pesto with Pasta" for an example.

Ingredients:
* 1 serving Whole Wheat Pasta, Spaghetti
* 2-3 tablespoons asparagus pesto, see recipe here (made with Vom Fass Basil Olive Oil)

1.) Begin by bringing a medium pot of water to a boil.  Season water with 1 tablespoon salt.  Remember, Italian cooks believe that good pasta should have flavor, and the way in which to get that flavor is to make pasta water taste like sea water.

2.) Add whole wheat pasta and cook until tender, but still firm (al dente).  Always tatse pasta before it's done--there's nothing worse than uncooked pasta.

3.) Remove from heat and strain.  I prefer not to give whole wheat pasta a cold water bath (frankly, it doesn't need it).

4.) Place on serving dish.

5.) Add 2-3 dollops of pesto.  Mix to integrate and enjoy! Makes 1 serving.

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Asparagus Pesto w/Basil Infused Olive Oil

Asparagus Pesto.  Wait.  What? You can make pesto with asparagus? HOLD ON.

Yup, "pesto" literally translates to "paste" and can be made with any number of green ingredients (basil, peas, asparagus, etc.).  Equally flexible in pesto recipes are the nut contents--pine nuts can be traded out for walnuts, pecans, or my personal favorite--pistachios.

I came across this recipe while searching for pea pesto on The New York Times website.  I had it last summer (almost exactly a year ago) at a friend's house and was blown away by its yumminess as well as the fact that it was made with PEAS.  I had no idea pesto could be made with other ingredients (like the ones outlined above), and boy was I in for a surprise.  Although I'm still searching for said recipe, this asparagus pesto packs a unique yumminess as it is both its own entity--asparagus pesto--and also a close friend to traditional basil pesto--I've substituted Vom Fass's Basil Olive Oil for regular EVOO.

Eat this recipe with pasta, on a cracker or bread, mixed into a grilled cheese sandwich, and you've got a seriously green and clearly delicious treat!

Asparagus Pesto
This recipe comes from The New York Times food & dining section (May 7, 2010) and can be found here. For an instructional video on making this dish, see Mark Bittman's short here.  I've made one major change to the recipe--instead of using regular Olive Oil, I used Vom Fass's Basil Infused Olive Oil (you can find it here on their website).  The change is fanastic: although not a basil pesto at all, this asparagus pesto packs a basil kick that reminds one of the most common and flavorful version.  Try this recipe with, or without the basil olive oil, or feel free to puree some basil during the cooking process.

Ingredients:
* 1 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed
* 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced, to taste
* 1/4 cup pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, or pistachios, finely chopped
* 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
* salt & pepper to taste

1.) Trim woody ends of asparagus.  For a video on how to remove asparagus woody ends without using a knife, see here.

2.) Cut asparagus into 1 inch spears.

3.) Bring 1 small-to-medium pot of water w/salt to taste to a boil.  Add asparagus and cook until tender.  As Mark Bitter notes in his video, asparagus is done when a knife, held up to their skin, punctures straight through without pressure, or resistance.

4.) Strain asparagus and allow to cool.

5.) While asparagus is cooking, you can prep your other ingredients--measure and chop nuts (whether pine nuts, pecans, pistachios, etc.), peel garlic, measure parmesan, and get olive oil ready.  Here, I use Vom Fass's Basil Infused Olive Oil (you can find it on their website here).  It gives the pesto an extra kick than regular non-basil based pesto.  Technically, this dish isn't a basil pesto, but the use of basil olive oil adds a hint of the familiar to your pureed asparagus.

6.) Add strained and cooled asparagus to a food processor.  Pulse to combine until pureed.  Some asparagus may require the addition of a 1/4 of water depending on how quickly/easily they puree.  If you find that the asparagus is still retaining its form and not pureeing, then add the water; this trick will fix your texture-retaining hang up!

7.) Add other ingredients:

8.) Pulse to combine and taste.  Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

9.) Serve with Pasta, bread, cheese, grilled cheese, sandwiches, or other clearly delicious treats.

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Na'an with Pesto, Roasted Asparagus, and Salad

This recipe is one of those magical concoctions that just come to you.  You like all of the ingredients separately and then one day, you throw them together.  Even better, the recipe comes to you as one of those five minute meals kind of things--you have the ingredients lying around and literally, just toss them together. On any day of the week, you'll find some kind of salad in my fridge and some roasted veggies.  Tonight, it just so happened I had the fresh summer salad recipe from an earlier post and roasted asparagus.  Toss the two on top of toasted na'an, a base of pesto, and top with balsamic vinegar, and OH MY GOD...I still haven't recovered.  This is filling, but low in calories.  Clearly, it is indeed delicious.

Na'an with Pesto, Roasted Asparagus, and Salad
You can really alternate the vegetables tossed onto this bread.  Roasted portobellas, tofu, peppers, really anything would go nicely on top of this bed of salad and na'an. I used roasted asparagus because it's what I had leftover from the night before, and merely heated it up.  So yummy....

* 1 loaf of na'an, toasted
* 2-3 tablespoons pesto
* 1 cup salad (your choice!)
* 1 cup roasted asparagus
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1.) Cook na'an in oven for 5 mins or until crispy.  Place on serving dish.
2.) Spread 2-3 tablespoons of pesto over warm na'an (it will get all melty, oh my), and top with a bed of salad.
3.) Then, add heated asparagus (or portobella mushrooms, or whatever) on top of na'an/salad bed, and lightly marinade with 2 or more tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. 
4.) Eat with knife and fork, or cut up like one would a pizza.  The crust is very durable and should support the veggie toppings.  Enjoy!


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Homemade Pizza

I met the most interesting man last Friday night at the end-of-semester-EGSA party--his name is Samuel Welsh, and many people in the LSU music department know him as the very talented pianist Sam.  Well, Sam was interesting to say the least.  Not only did he amuse me with his crazy stories about getting his own doctoral degree in the Music Department, but he also is pretty cool to look at: stylish blonde hair, bad-ass glasses, and these really big muscles.  I like muscles.

Regardless, one conversation led into another conversation and Sam and I realized that we both had brindle dogs! This similarity seemed crazy to me until we realized that they couldn't be more different in breed and size: Sam's dog, Lucy (also known as Ms. Lady, Snarfleton, etc.), is a brindle Boston Terrier of roughly 25 pounds, whereas Eve is a brindle greyhound of about 65.5 pounds.  As an excuse to create a playdate of what would be great doggie-friends, Sam and I scheduled a get together/cooking lesson of sorts where I would teach him to make something he didn't know how to prepare.  Case in point: pizza.  Not just any pizza.  GRILLED pizza.  One of those delicious homemade specialties that make you wonder why you'd ever eat Domino's ever again.


Pizza a la Brigman
The below recipe is one that I have amalgamated over the years--it's a combination of anything I ever liked in other pizza recipes mashed together in a flavorful bash of goodness.  You can easily use a storebought dough here, but that really destroys the point of homemade pizza on the grill.  So, please see the easy and fast pizza dough recipe catalogued by Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes.  I will try to post my own version of this recipe in the future.  Until then, the below ingredients list is the most specific recommendation I can give you in terms of what to do right here.


* 1/2 Simply Recipe's pizza dough
* flour for rolling
* cornmeal for bottom crust (if cooking in oven)
* about 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
* Tony's Cachere's, to tase
* 1/2-1 cup tomato sauce (storebought is fine!)
* 1 cup-2 cups cheese (depending on how cheesy you like your pizza)
* 1/2 bell peppers, chopped (a combination of red, green, etc.)
* 1/4 cup onions, chopped (red or white will do)
* 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
* 4-8 anchovies, optional
* pesto, optional

1.) Prepare the dough by sprinkling a work surface with flour.  Divide dough recipe in half and use one half for the dough ball of this pizza.  (NOTE: the other half of the dough ball will keep pretty well in the refridgerator for a few days, but if in doubt, freeze it.  It should keep for up to 2-3 months and still taste fresh.)

2.) Begin rolling dough with an actual rolling pin.  The key to evenly/circular pizza is usually a combination of the rolling pin and one's hands, so make sure you have washed your hands when entering into this process! Also, the rolling pin technique works best for me in the same way you would prepare a pie dough crust: roll forward and back a few times, then flip the dough in another direction, roll forward and back.  Flip and repeat until the dough is properly stretched out and big enough for the recipe (about 12 inches in diameter).

3.) Now's the time to begin the stacking process.  As we add ingredients, you want the pizza to be stacked with different layers of flavor--oils, cheese, seasonings, toppings, sauce--but it's key that you're not too greedy here.  Since this recipe is built for a grill (but can be used on an oven), you'll need to make sure you don't OVERSTACK the dough as many Americans are want to do.  Let's continue....

4.) Poke the circular disc of dough with a fork evenly.  This technique allows the dough to breathe and not get giant bubbles during the cooking process.  Sprinkle 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough's surface, and smooth with a spoon.  Add tomato sauce and spread with spoon.  Season with Tony's, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic, and several tablespoons of pesto (pesto is optional).

5.) Now, I suggest stacking the pizza in the following order: toppings first, then cheese.  This way, the cheese will melt on top of the topings and you will have a very cool effect: not only will you still be able to see the topings after the cooking process (like any normal pizza), but you will have created a sealant of sorts for structural stability between the cheese and dough.  So, add the the toppings like the ones listed above--mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc., and then the cheese (1-2 cups depending on preference).

6.) Place on heated grill that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.  If your grill has one of those temperature gages, heat up to 350-400F.  Place pizza directly on grill.  Now, this task is much harder than it seems! Since the dough is soft and floppy and now has all of these ingredients waying it down, putting the dough directly on the grill may be a crazy and unstructural process.  Thus, you'll probably need two people (one for each half of the dough.

7.) Once dough is placed on grill, close lid and let cook for 5 minutes.  Check to see if crust is cooked all the way through.  Depending on your grill and the accuracy of the temperature gage, this process can take as little as 5 and as much as 10 minutes.  You'll know the pizza is done when it is one, all melted together and delicious looking, two, the cheese has browned a little bit on top, and three, the crust is a golden brown or cooked thoroughly.

8.) Remove pizza from grill using a metal spatchula and let sit for a few minutes (this process, as many pizza lovers know, allows the pizza to solidify and help the cutting process).  Enjoy!