recipe: heirloom tomato pasta

this week has been hot.  huh-uht.  so hot it deserves two syllables.  which means that cooking has been pretty tough this week.  i didn't use the oven at all and i found a recipe in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living for a great pasta dish that inspired me.  i can't find the link to the actual recipe, but below is what i put together.

you will need:

3 cloves of garlic, thinly slices

olive oil

2 pints of heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh torn basil (about 2 tbsp)

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp lemon zest

red-pepper flakes

salt & pepper

8 oz. pappardelle, cooked al dente

heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a sauté pan.  add garlic and crisp, tossing occassionally, until golden.  set aside and let cool.

combine tomatoes, basil, capers, lemon zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you like extra spice) and a generous pinch of salt in large bowl.  pour garlic and garlic crisps over tomato mixture.  let sit for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

add warm pasta to bowl and toss.  sprinkle with basil, pepper, and additional lemon zest.  

see how easy that is?  i was able to make that with limited amounts of sweat in my teeny tiny kitchen after the gym for a great weeknight meal.  and we didn't even have to eat it at 10pm.  yay!  thanks, MSL!  i'm thinking about making it the next time we have people over for a summer meal.  this dish with a glass of nice, cold, white wine?  um... word.  word.

Recipe: Shrimp Salad

shrimp salad sandwich.  yummy, yummy.  summer makes me crave things like lobster and shrimp and fish tacos.  aw yeah...  tonight, i chose shrimp.  this was my first time with shrimp salad and i think it went well.  let me just say this though, the cost of peeled and deveined shrimp now seems worth it.  i did not think this prior to dinner.  but after, covered in shrimp juice and completely grossed out by deveining, i was all for it. aside from that nonsense, dinner was a success!

and yes, that is a ms. pickle on my plate!  even more delicious day 2!

for the shrimp salad: i took about 3/4 of a pound of fresh medium sized shrimp.  put them in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes (they should be pink and should float to the top.  it's a good idea to test one).  when done, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  after cooling, peel and devein (eck!) and chop into smaller pieces (i wanted mine a bit chunky).  put them in a bowl and add the following:  1 1/2 celery stalks - chopped, 1/4 red onion - chopped, generous amount of salt and pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder.  mix and add desired amount of mayo.  

i served my salad in toasted hot dog buns with a nice piece of lettuce as a cushion on the bottom of the bun.  on the side i had a red leaf lettuce salad with steamed asparagus and shaved asiago.  oh, and a pickle!

it was a good meal.  josh had two sandwiches which spells success to me.  i think i would have been happier if i didn't have to spend all of that time peeling shrimp, but now i know.  maybe next week my fingers will smell normal again.