We were so bad this week. Really, I was the instigator of our naughtiness, but Craig was a willing participant. I set a perfectly lovely menu for the week, but somehow we managed to eat out three times. Not only does this fly in the face of eating from scratch, home made goods, but it's a serious drain on our wallets as well.
Truthfully, it was a very busy week at work for me - most nights I wasn't home before 9. The last thing I want to do at that point is cook dinner. Excuses, excuses, I know. But if I can identify why I end up eating out instead of making dinner at home, maybe I can plan around it.
Anyway, here's how we did last week.
Meal 1: Pot Roast, boiled potatoes, steamed romanesco, green salad
Yes! I spent most of Sunday afternoon making the pot roast. I mentioned that I was new to the world of roasts and would be looking for a good recipe. I ended up using Bittman's recipe from How to Cook Everything. I followed it to a T, not changing a thing. And holy hell, it was delicious! I ditched the potatoes, since it was already a ton of food and they weren't missed at all. We will definitely be eating this again.
Meal 2: Vaca Frita, rice, green salad
nope, didn't happen.
Meal 3: White bean soup
Craig made this one of the nights I was at the office late. I believe he used a Bittman recipe as a guide, but Craig put his own spin on it. Mainly by adding bacon. Yummmmmm, bacon.
Meal 4: Roasted butternut squash, parmesan polenta, green salad
nope, didn't happen
Meal 5: Pasta with a leek and tomato sauce, carrot and radish salad
Well, we didn't end up making this during the week, but I did make the pasta last night. We had a couple of tomatoes on their last legs and the leeks weren't going to last much longer. And since I didn't want the veggies to go to waste and I was craving comfort food, pasta it was. It was the perfect snowy night dinner. Here's what I threw together:
Pasta w/ Leek and Tomato Sauce
4 servings
8oz dried pasta, I used penne
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
3 leeks, light green and white part sliced
pinch of Utica Grind red pepper (ok, any red pepper will probably work, but this is the best. I promise.)
1/4-1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4-1/2 tsp of dried oregano
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 pint tomato puree (ours is from our summer of canning. A 14.5 oz can would be fine)
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl creme fraiche (sour cream or cream cheese would work just as well)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta as you normally would
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add pepper, oregano, basil, tomatoes and leeks. Cook until leeks and tomatoes are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
Add tomato puree and red wine vinegar. Cook down for 12-15 minutes, adding pasta water if the sauce gets too thick. Stir in creme fraiche. Your sauce should be a light red color. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta, sprinkle with grated parm and enjoy.
Truthfully, it was a very busy week at work for me - most nights I wasn't home before 9. The last thing I want to do at that point is cook dinner. Excuses, excuses, I know. But if I can identify why I end up eating out instead of making dinner at home, maybe I can plan around it.
Anyway, here's how we did last week.
Meal 1: Pot Roast, boiled potatoes, steamed romanesco, green salad
Yes! I spent most of Sunday afternoon making the pot roast. I mentioned that I was new to the world of roasts and would be looking for a good recipe. I ended up using Bittman's recipe from How to Cook Everything. I followed it to a T, not changing a thing. And holy hell, it was delicious! I ditched the potatoes, since it was already a ton of food and they weren't missed at all. We will definitely be eating this again.
Meal 2: Vaca Frita, rice, green salad
nope, didn't happen.
Meal 3: White bean soup
Craig made this one of the nights I was at the office late. I believe he used a Bittman recipe as a guide, but Craig put his own spin on it. Mainly by adding bacon. Yummmmmm, bacon.
Meal 4: Roasted butternut squash, parmesan polenta, green salad
nope, didn't happen
Meal 5: Pasta with a leek and tomato sauce, carrot and radish salad
Well, we didn't end up making this during the week, but I did make the pasta last night. We had a couple of tomatoes on their last legs and the leeks weren't going to last much longer. And since I didn't want the veggies to go to waste and I was craving comfort food, pasta it was. It was the perfect snowy night dinner. Here's what I threw together:
Pasta w/ Leek and Tomato Sauce
4 servings
8oz dried pasta, I used penne
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
3 leeks, light green and white part sliced
pinch of Utica Grind red pepper (ok, any red pepper will probably work, but this is the best. I promise.)
1/4-1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4-1/2 tsp of dried oregano
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 pint tomato puree (ours is from our summer of canning. A 14.5 oz can would be fine)
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl creme fraiche (sour cream or cream cheese would work just as well)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta as you normally would
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add pepper, oregano, basil, tomatoes and leeks. Cook until leeks and tomatoes are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
Add tomato puree and red wine vinegar. Cook down for 12-15 minutes, adding pasta water if the sauce gets too thick. Stir in creme fraiche. Your sauce should be a light red color. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta, sprinkle with grated parm and enjoy.
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