#hannidinner

Hannidinner: Pasta with Prosciutto and Gorgonozola Cream Sauce

This is one of those dishes that is so rich and delicious that it’s a crime that it’s so easy to make. Just a few ingredients, less than half an hour from start to finish. It’s ridiculous. And it made such a great choice to follow my first two courses which were full of bright, sharp flavors. This is so wonderfully rich and creamy. Especially with the added bonus of the prosciutto on top.

Ingredients: 

Half a small onion, diced fine.

3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced

two cups of heavy cream (don’t skimp. I said this was delicious and easy, not healthy.)

8oz gorgonzola dolce cheese cut into chunks, plus a few more crumbles to garnish with (you can use regular gorgonzola or another mild, creamy bleu cheese, but stay away from the really strong stuff like Stilton.)

Salt and white pepper to taste (you can use regular pepper, but I’m prissy.)

6-8 strips of prosciutto ham, shredded.

One box of curly pasta (fusilli, cavitappi, radiatori)

Walnuts or pinenuts to garnish (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom, saute onion over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Lower the heat to medium low/medium and add cream. When cream begins to bubble, add the cheese and allow to melt. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper if needed. Toss with the pasta and serve topped with shredded prosciutto, nuts, and extra cheese.

A note: if you want, you can turn this sidedish into a full meal. Add mushrooms, steamed broccoli, or asparagus with the onions. Add spinach with the cream. You could even add something like grilled chicken or steak to the final dish. 

Hannidinner Episode 4 is in the books! If you’re interested in recipes, I’ll be posting them over the course of the coming week.

Appetizer: Moroccan style meatballs in a saffron tomato sauce with couscous and roasted peppers.

Salad: Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes, farmstand peaches, and Port Salut cheese tossed with basil and balsamic vinegar.

Pasta: Cavitappi in a gorgonzola cream sauce with shredded prosciutto.

Entree: Pork chop marinated in molasses and coffee, grilled summer squash, multi-colored fingerling potatoes seasoned with rosemary, and carrots roasted with thyme.

Sorbet: Pomegranite and mint granita.

Dessert: Courtesy of the amazing @catcmack. Devil’s food cake, with strawberry raspberry filling and Italian buttercream flavored with lavender. And a flower crown, garnished with the blood of our enemies.

Hannidinner: Pomegranite Mint Granita

There’s not much to tell about this one. I shopped around online for recipes and stole from all of them. But the primary one I used was from the NYTimes and can be found here.

In retrospect, while this granita was ridiculously delicious, it was a little bit of a strong flavor for a sorbet course (which is usually a palate cleanser). It would be better as a treat for a cocktail party or a dessert unto itself.

@the-winnowing-wind @serenitynerd

Hannidinner: Coffee Molasses porkchops with grilled squash, roasted carrots, and fingerling potatoes.

Hokay, here we go... this will be a long post. But worth it. And many thanks to my dad for playing grill-master. 

The porkchops are none other than the masterful Alton Brown’s recipe. You can find that here. Pro-tip, make sure you use very dark molasses and very strong coffee. If you don’t have a grill, you can make these on the stovetop. Sear porkchops in a heavy-bottomed ovensafe skillet over medium heat for about three minutes on each side, and then place in a 350 degree oven until the internal temp reaches around 150.

The grilled squash is very simple. Toss quartered summer squash (zucchini, crookneck, striped... whatever you find in the farmer’s market or grocery) with olive oil, salt, and pepper. While your porkchops (or whatever meat you’re having) is resting, grill these on medium heat until they have pretty marks and just start to soften. If you don’t have a grill, you can roast these in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until browned and soft.

The potatoes are mixed fingerling (teehee...) potatoes. The larger ones are cut to match the smaller potatoes and then all are tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and fresh rosemary. Roast in the oven at 400 for 35-45 minutes (check for doneness at the half hour mark.)

For the carrots, quarter or half your carrots, depending on thickness. (they should be sticks about the length and width of you ring finger. Like the carrots sticks you had in your school lunch. You can also do this with the really tiny baby carrots.) Toss the sticks with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Carrots should be soft and starting to get brown.

Hannidinner: Summer Farmstand Salad

Sometimes when you’re cooking, you’re called upon to work magic on  your ingredients. And sometimes, the ingredients are magic all on their own. Summertime is one of those times, and this salad is the perfect example of a way to just get out of the way and let the food speak for itself. No fuss. No muss. Just good ingredients that play well together.

A word of caution though. You can make this salad whenever you’d like, but it really shines in the summer time when tomatoes and peaches are at their best. Go to a farmstand/farmer’s market if you can.

Ingredients:

Four heirloom tomatoes, cut into bitesize chunks (I used Cherokee Purples but any “ugly” tomato you can find is perfect.)

Five or six ripe white peaches, peeled and cut into bitesize chunks (as you can see in the picture, I didn’t have white peaches. You can just use normal ones. The white ones are just prettier.)

eight to ten ounces of a soft buttery cheese, cut into small chunks. (Burrata, Brie, and Port Salut are all good choices. You want something mild, creamy, and a little salty to balance the acidity and sweetness of the other flavors)

eight to ten leaves of basil cut into a chiffonade (very thin strips)

Balsamic vinegar (get the expensive stuff... the kind that costs $15 for a bottle. When you’re making marinades or cooking sauces, you can use the less expensive stuff, but this is all the dressing that this salad gets, so don’t skimp.)

Directions:

Toss all ingredients except the vinegar in a large bowl and place in the refrigerator. You can do this well in advance of your party... up to 6 hours ahead. 

Divide into bowls and drizzle with vinegar before serving.

It’s as simple as that!

Hello hannigardeners! Today I’ll share a pretty flower from a purple long Bean I’m growing.

I’m going to tag as many people at I can remember from the fannibal growing circle post… If we get alot of posts I’m toying wth the idea of starting a side blog for this so we can easily find each other. Right now it's through hashtags or stumbling across then on each other's blogs. What do you think?