Pasta + Noodles + Rice – Page 11 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Gemista, Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

I love it when tomatoes are in season. You just know it’s summer when the farmers’ market starts selling them in all sizes. I saw this recipe from the Best Book of Greek Cookery and I just had to try it. In lieue of dried currants, I used Sunmaid raisins. Not only are they pretty as appetizers, they taste good, too.

Ingredients:
6 medium-sized tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup dried currants
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Cut a thin slice off the tops of the tomatoes and set aside. Scoop out tomato pulp, chop and drain to a bowl. Sprinkle inside of tomatoes with sugar.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Cook onions until soft. Add rice, stir and cook for 15 minutes. Add currants, pine nuts, mint and half of the tomato pulp with 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300Âº. PureÃ© remaining tomato pulp and spread on the bottom of a shallow baking dish. The tomatoes should not have too much space between them.
4. Spoon rice mixture into tomatoes. Replace tops. Drizzle olive oil over each tomato and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Linguine with White Sauce

I didn’t grow up eating a lot of pasta. Filipinos are rice people and it’s only now that I’m learning about the different pastas available. I watched the boy make this dish for dinner. It seemed so easy that I tried it at home with some smoked chicken breasts.

Ingredients:
linguine, cooked al dente
Perdue smoked chicken breasts, cut in smaller pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
a small knob of butter
salt, pepper

1. Heat a saucepan and melt butter in low heat. SautÃ© chicken pieces, garlic, shallots and parsley.
2. Add broth and let it simmer. Whisk in heavy cream, just enough for preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool a bit before pouring on top of linguine.

Green Tea Noodle and Cucumber

I adapted this from a Nigella Lawson recipe from The New York Times. In New York City, you can get green tea noodles from Sunrise Mart for less than $5 for two bunches. You can use soba noodles as a substitute, you just won’t have that interesting green color. If you don’t have an Asian grocery store where you live, try using angel-hair pasta. The secret is balancing the sweet and sour tastes of the vinegar and the sugar.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of green tea noodles
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
red chilis, seeded and finely chopped
3 tbsps sugar
6 tbsps rice wine vinegar
2 tbsps sesame oil
half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

1. Cook noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes. When done, drain and fluff with a fork to keep the noodles from sticking together.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve sugar, rice wine vinegar and 2 tbsps of water.
3. In a salad bowl, pour dressing over cucumber and chilis. Add noodles and toss. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with cilantro. Refrigerate for a few minutes until salad is chilled.

Related post/s:
Where to buy green tea noodles

Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad

My friend Stacie, who is Greek, taught me how to appreciate feta cheese. Feta is traditionally made from goat or sheep’s milk. It’s salted and brined and dries easily when drained. It’s the crumbly texture that makes it a perfect dressing for a tossed salad. I combined some feta cheese I bought with some beefsteak tomatoes. Drizzle some very good olive oil and you’ll have the perfect summer salad.

Ingredients:
beefsteak tomatoes, diced
fresh feta cheese, crumbled
baby Yukon potatoes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
a squirt of lemon juice
a jig of red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and quarter them to smaller pieces.
2. Combine and toss all the ingredients in a big bowl and season to taste.

Tomato Pasta Salad

This is one of my favorite dishes to make in the summer when all kinds of tomatoes are in season. For this recipe, I use beefsteak tomatoes, a round and bigger type, because they’re not as juicy as the heirloom ones. I toss them with pasta shells to mimic the shape of the sliced tomatoes and then I add some boiled baby Yukon potatoes to make it heftier. It’s a great dish to pack in a Tupperware for the beach–all the carbohydrates will keep you alert even if you’re under the sun all day.

Ingredients:
pasta shells
beefsteak tomatoes, diced
baby Yukon potatoes
fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and shock in an ice bath to stop its cooking.
2. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and quarter them to smaller pieces.
3. Combine and toss all the ingredients in a big bowl and season to taste.