Lemon Thyme Linguine

Originally found at EveryPlate.com

1 small zucchini, diced

1 lemon

4 ounces linguine pasta

4 cloves garlic

1/2 Tbsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon or stock concentrate

1 ounce cream cheese

1 ounce sour cream (about 1/8 cup)

2 Tbsp butter

Olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain. Zest and quarter the lemon. 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Stir in pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, bouillon, half the lemon zest, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta cooking water, button, thyme, and juice from 1 lemon quarter. Stir until thoroughly combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between two bowls, and top with remaining lemon zest, with remaining lemon wedges on the side. 

My Notes:

A nice light and quick dinner for a summer night. 

As it turns out, pasta cooking water is a pretty good emulsifier, which makes it a great alternative to making a formal bechemel sauce when you just want something to dress your pasta. Go figure. 

Ponzu Steak Bowls

Originally found at EveryPlate.com 

1/2 cup white rice

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 in piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 lb steak, diced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp Ponzu sauce

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Vegetable Oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pain over high heat. Add steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate. Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, ponzu sauce, water, brown sugar, and sriracha (use less sriracha if desired). Add cornstarch and whisk until well combined. Pour over veggies and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Return steak to pan and stir to coat. 

Divide rice between two bowl and top with steak mixture. 

My Notes:

EveryPlate loves bowls. Like whoa. But this one actually enticed me to go out and buy ponzu sauce, so it's got that going for it. Again, nice quick dinner with some Asian inspiration. 

Tuscan Linguine

Original recipe from EveryPlate.com

1 Roma tomato, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 lemon

1 Tbsp Tuscan Seasoning

4 oz Linguine pasta

1 oz cream cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain. 

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Zest and cut lemon in half. Add lemon halves to the pan, cut sides down, and cook until charred, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garliec and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato, Tuscan seasoning, salt, and pepper (to taste). Cook until tomato softened, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in cream cheese and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring to a simmer, and stir until cheese melts and is well incorporated. Stir in pasta and lemon zest. Slowly add splashes of remaining pasta water as necessary until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. 

Divide between bowls and top with parmesan cheese. Serve with charred lemon halves on the side and squeeze over finished dish to taste. 

My Notes:

If you're going for a non-kosher meal, you can add some cubed chicken in with the pasta, which is how the original recipe came out. It's pretty good--nice spice with the Tuscan seasoning and a really quick way to dress the pasta. I'll have a couple more variations on this theme coming up.