Penne Puttanesca

My small person turned 2 on Friday so our weekend was a flurry of Minnie Mouse-Disney Princess-cake-and-ice cream. I am constantly flabbergasted by how quickly she is learning and changing. Amazing little creature - she's got a new word almost every day and she's starting to utter those hilarious phrases that only a toddler can produce. For instance, she recently learned that mommy and daddy have first names so she likes to shout those out from time to time. Her new favorite is to tell us to eat when we have food in front of us - probably because she hears us telling her to do the same. Yesterday, she was playing with one of her babies and put it in her new play high chair. She ran to the kitchen for a dish and spoon and as she was running back, she yelled to baby, "No crying, food coming!" I almost fell down laughing to hear this tiny little person sounding so like an adult...

Needless to say I continue to enjoy motherhood...

But actually enjoying motherhood means spending less time in the kitchen. I'm fine with that as long as we can still have good, homemade food. This puttanesca takes minutes to make. I threw it together in the morning after I dropped her at daycare and then all I had to do was cook the pasta at dinnertime. I used to hate Puttanesca but now I love it once in awhile - briny olives, a hint of anchovy - it's a nice change from traditional tomato sauce...


Penne Puttanesca
adapted from Eat this Book by Tyler Florence

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 canned anchovies, rinsed
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp capers, drained
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano style, crushed by hand
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound dried penne

Put a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies until they seem to dissolve in the oil. Add the olives, red pepper flakes, and capers, and let that cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Toss in the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a low simmer. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point. Reheat sauce before serving.

Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and dump it into a big pasta bowl. At the same time, bring the sauce back to a simmer. Pour it over the drained pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Scrumptious, Moist Coconut Cake that's EASY!

When the temperature outside rivals that of my oven, it's usually my cue not to turn the oven on. After all, I'm nearly 7 months pregnant which means I'm a walking oven to begin with. And my poor central air is cranking away just trying to keep us comfortable. So why add more heat to the mix by turning on the oven? This cake is as good a reason as any. It's moist, really moist. And easy (you start with a cake mix...) So on went the over (and I can hole up in the cold basement while it bakes...)

The recipe calls for 3 9-inch pans. As you will see from my photos, I have 2 9-inch, so I used an 8-inch for the top layer. Perhaps not the most beautiful results, but it sure was tasty...



Moist, easy coconut cake
From Family Meal, by Tyler Florence


Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
4 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Frosting:
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons whole milk
3 1/5 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and 1 1/2 cups water. With an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until well combined. Sir in the coconut.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the frosting: Spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring once or twice to ensure it browns evenly. Let cool. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat until fluffy. Add the milk and beat until smooth. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, then beat in the vanilla. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut.

Place one cake layer on a cake stand and spread with some of the frosting. Add the next layer, then more frosting. Top with the last 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Last Supper #15: Tetsuya Wakuda

Chef Tetsuya Wakuda of Sydney's famed Tetsuya's had a simple wish for his last supper: tuna, many ways. In my world, many became 3. I made 3 courses using super fresh sashimi grade tuna that I found at Whole Foods.

Course #1: homemade sushi. I made tune rolls with avocado and cucumber. I made a little spicy sauce with some mayo and sriracha. These were good, but I think I'll keep going to Ginger for my sushi. Mr. Kim just does it better.

Course#2: Tetsuya's own recipe for tuna with goat cheese. Sounds weird, but it was pretty tasty. Jeff enjoyed it more than I did. The presentation was very pretty.

Course#3: Tyler's ultimate tuna. I saw the episode on the Food Network and I had to make this dish. The tuna steaks were grilled rare and served with oven roasted vine tomatoes, a white bean puree, olive tapenade and arugula. So many of my favorite things coming together on one plate, but I have to say it fell a little flat. Maybe it was me, but something just wasn't working for me. (Maybe preparing 3 tuna courses just got to be a bit much that night!!!)

All in all this was a good meal but not really one I'd repeat. It does mark #15 on Project Last Supper. 25 more to go. Up next: Jonathan Waxman and some spring lamb!