Venetian Artichoke Pesto

A lot of my food inspiration comes from the places I've been — namely, Italy. Spending four glorious months there changed my life intellectually, spiritually, and of course, gastronomically.

Early on in our study abroad experience, Justin and I made the trip to Venice. You can't go to Italy for a length of time and not see Venice. It's hauntingly beautiful, full of strange and wonderful nooks and crannies and crooked cobbled streets. The canals are beautiful, of course, but what struck us the most was the fog that settled over the ancient port town like a veil.

Yep, we fed the pigeons. They are terrifyingly unafraid of humans.

One of the single best things I ate in Italy was an artichoke pesto penne that we had in the old Jewish ghetto in Venice.

This was a close second to an otherworldly eggplant parmesan that I had a tiny waterside restaurant called Timon — but I'm still trying to figure out that recipe. So you'll have to make do with artichoke pesto. For now.

This recipe is the closest I could get to the pasta I had in Venice. Smooth, creamy, and somehow still bright and light. The best thing is, this recipe is super duper easy — no peeling or trimming artichokes. Yup, we're using the canned version.

Ingredients
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3-4 tsp water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
1 lb pasta (penne, rigatoni, whatever you like!)

Preparation

1. Drain the artichokes. Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the chicken broth and pasta into a blender, and give it a whir until smooth. If you need to thin it out a little, add a little bit of water in intervals until it blends.

2. Boil pasta in heavily salted water. Drain. Toss with pesto. Thin out the pasta/pesto combination with a little bit of chicken broth, until it's the consistency you like.

-Katie

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Turkey + Broccoli Rabe Pesto

A little while ago I wrote a post on on making homemade gnocchi. I love gnocchi. Something about rolling out little mounds of soft dough, shaping and squishing, is a tactile delight. Justin loves sweet potatoes so I wanted to develop a recipe combining the two.

Sweet potatoes are super good for you, but they also carry a lot more moisture than regular potatoes and are starchier. They create much firmer, denser gnocchi than regular taters, but they also hold up to a heartier sauce and have more flavor.

Broccoli rabe is sort of a mix between broccoli and collard greens. It's super delicious just blanched and sauteed with garlic, oil and anchovies. It has a ton of flavor and is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the potatoes.

I made a broccoli rabe - basil pesto inspired sauce. I threw in some ground turkey just for a little protein and meatiness, though you can leave it out if you want to make this is a vegetarian dish.











Note: The dough for sweet potato gnocchi is super sticky and tacky, seemingly no matter how much flour you put in. No worries. I made the gnocchi by pinching off little pieces of dough and rolling them around with flour.

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Don't you just love how anything sort of misshapen and ugly can be called "rustic"?

{Tossed in pesto}

These gnocchi are really filling. No seconds this time.

-Katie

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe Pesto

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
2 large sweet potatoes, about 1.75 lbs
1 egg
2 cups flour
Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper

For the sauce:
1 head broccoli rabe, stems removed
1/2 cup basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb ground turkey thigh
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 whole milk
Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper

1. First, to make the gnocchi, boil or bake the potatoes until done. Pass them through a food mill or mash with a fork until smooth. Let this cool for a while before adding the egg. Mix in the egg, a pinch of salt, pepper, and cayenne, and flour until a dough forms in the bowl.
2. Pinch off about half a tablespoon's worth of dough, roll in a bit of flour to keep it from sticking to your hands, and form into little balls. They won't be perfect! That's OK though.
3. Boil the gnocchi in water for 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. Toss in the sauce.
4. For the sauce: Blanch the broccoli rabe in boiling water for 7-8 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much of the water in the rabe as you can using a kitchen towel. 
5. In a food processor, blitz together the broccoli rabe, basil, olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. 
6. On medium heat in a saucepan, brown the turkey thigh until cooked. Add the pesto, chicken broth, white wine, and more salt + pepper to taste (if needed). Let this reduce for 10 minutes or so until the sauce has reduced by half. Add the milk and Parmesan. It won't be a really creamy sauce. 
7. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce for 5 minutes or so until the gnocchi has absorbed some of the liquid. I had to cook the gnocchi in batches, so I just threw the dumplings into the sauce as I went. 

Sips on Saturday: Tea time

It's 3 o'clock. Here in 'Merica, that means close to nothing. But in England, it's just about time for tea.

I happen to love tea time. Not because I actually observe it every day, but just the thought of taking a moment out to have a little snack and hot cup of tea in the middle of the day seems so charming and refreshing.

For tea time today, I had a soft boiled egg with toast, artichoke pesto {I used store-bought}, and my sister-in-law's homegrown tomatoes. To drink, Earl Grey with sugar and milk.

Soft-boiled eggs are a lot easier to make than I thought. And man are they delicious like whoa. The whites are firm and the yolks are soft and a tad bit runny. They're sort of like poached eggs, only it's harder to screw it up.

Just bring a pot of water to a boil, plop the eggs in for 7 minutes exactly, then transfer them to an ice bath for 10 minutes. Always salt and pepper them.

Yep, I'm a fan.

Also for your consideration for tea time {or coffee time}:

Easy iced caramel mocha frappes:

1 packet Starbucks Iced Coffee mix, cold water, ice, maybe a touch of Kahlua, and whipped cream

Spicy Ginger Soda with Rum:

1 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 stub minced ginger (about 2 inches long), 1.5 tsp red pepper flakes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Kill the heat and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain.

Combine the syrup with tonic water. Serve with rum.

Tea time isn't just for tea, you know… at least in my book. 

And yes, I realize it's not technically Saturday — 

but every day is Saturday when you're unemployed {one of the perks}!

-Katie

Pestoval: Arugula pesto

Pesto is one of life's perfect foods: bright, fresh, and good on pretty much everything. It can be used on pasta, as a spread on sandwiches, or a smear on baked chicken or salmon. Justin and I tried it on some couscous paired with a Mediterranean-style pork steak.

Summer is the best time for traditional basil pesto, but arugula is flavorful all year round - and offers an herbaceous, spicy flavor.

Make a batch of pesto and you have a ready-supply of flavor to give any dish an extra boost.
{Printable Recipe}
Ingredients
3 good handfuls arugula
1/4 cup walnuts
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan

First, toast your walnuts. This brings out all that nutty flavor. Toast them for 10 minutes on medium-low heat or until you can smell them.

Darla wants a walnut. 

This is what I see when I look down most nights at the stove.

Zest zee lemon. Juice zee lemon.

In a food processor, add your arugula, salt, pepper, and the lemon mix.

Add walnuts. 

Whir it up. Add the oil slowly until you get a really good paste. Add the cheese last and give it a couple good pulses until smooth.

Ingredients for Couscous
1/2 pound Israeli couscous
3/4 cup pesto
3 cups chicken broth
Salt & Pepper

Israeli couscous is different from regular couscous, which is really small and fluffy. 

This is pearly, creamy and pasta-like. 

Boil the couscous for 6-7 minutes. Then pop on the lid and let it steam for 10 minutes until it's absorbed the liquid. If there's extra liquid, drain it out.

Toss in the pesto. Finish with salt, pepper, and maybe some Parmesan to taste.

-Katie