Eat Simply, Eat Well

Healthy recipes & tips to help you live the good life. by Ann Plough

Pea, Mint, Feta & Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

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Pea, MInt, Feta & Whole Wheat Pasta

I always chuckle a little when I read articles in food magazines talking about Spring peas. In this part of the world (Finland), peas are very decidedly a Summer vegetable. I have peas just beginning to sprout on my windowsill now, and they have reached a soaring height of roughly 2 inches. I’m a long way from peas I can eat. Thankfully, frozen peas are a perfectly reasonable and healthy substitute as they are typically frozen very soon after harvesting and in some cases, may be better than the fresh peas in the pod that you may see on offer in your grocery store already.

Why? Because peas turn to starch shortly after they are picked, making really good peas hard to find unless you have a garden out back where you pick your own.

Have you ever purchased one of those brown paper bags full of peas, only to find that while some are fresh, juicy and tender as you’d hoped, there are always a few that are clearly past their prime – and a little woody? Those are old peas we’re talking about, and nobody really wants to eat them. Frozen peas, on the other hand, rarely disappoint. Just make sure you flash cook them. They don’t need more than a minute. Bring your water to a boil, toss in the frozen peas, let it boil again, drain, done & perfect.

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But if as you are reading this you have an abundance of fresh peas, by all means, use them instead. Fresh peas are a rare and hard-to-beat treat. But the wind is indeed howling and beating rain against my window. There will be no fresh peas until July. But when mine begin to grow, I’ll be getting back to these magazines & blogs who’s recipes look mighty tempting – take a look:

With peas in the freezer and dried pasta in the cupboard (or rice if you want to go the risotto route instead), you can avoid the grocery stores on the days when the Spring wind and rain are howling around your ears, scurry on home straight after work, and get this dish on the table in just slightly more time then it takes your pasta to cook to al dente.

Not to mention, this is a really inexpensive option, especially if you have mint growing in your garden already – frozen peas come at a really friendly price, too. But there’s no compromise on flavor here. The ingredients list may be simple, but everything you need is in there to create a satisfying dish, right now.

I added in one special ingredient that is part of Spring around here. I stopped by the Herttoniemi CSA last week to pick up a few items. One of our local farmers was in sharing samples of what he called Winter garlic, Spring stems – planted last fall and just beginning to sprout. Timing is everything: I was offered a bundle to take home with me. If you have garlic in your garden or know someone who does, it’s definitely worth trying out. Just make sure to cook it only briefly so it’s freshness shines through. And if you live in Helsinki, the Herttoniemi CSA is selling it right now for a limited time. Tell Jyrkki and Olli I sent you.

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Pea, Mint, Feta & Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Bring 1.5 liters/ 1.5 quarts of water to a boil. Add:

  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 250 g whole wheat penne pasta

Cook roughly 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Pour the frozen peas into the pot along with the pasta and continue to cook just long enough for the water to reach a boil. Scoop out 3/4 cup of the cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and peas through a colander and set aside for now.

Put the pot back on the heat.  Add:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 green onions
  • 2 green Spring garlic (or two garlic cloves)
  • Cook until tender and just beginning to brown. Add in:
  • the cooked pasta and peas
  • 75g feta cheese, diced
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • zest of one lemon
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup pasta water – start with a little and add if needed
  • 4 tablespoons grated good quality Parmesan cheese

Mix all of the ingredients together. Pour onto a serving platter and serve it to your soon-to-be-very-happy dining companions.

Serves 2 as a hearty meal.

Asparagus Mozzarella Bruschetta w/ Fried Eggs

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Asparagus-mozzarella-bruschettaWe popped into a local restaurant on a long walk last week to check out what they were serving and to see if by any chance they had open spots for Sunday (they didn’t – Mother’s Day was, not surprisingly, sold out). The manager walked us through the special of the month: the Asparagus Week buffet.

As I read down the list, I kept thinking: I can make these at home. Asparagus! Now there’s a seasonal vegetable to take advantage of. Stockmann had asparagus on a special sale, and while our local asparagus isn’t available yet, I bought a couple of bunches and brought it home for kitchen experimentation.

First up were these super simple but ultimately delicious Asparagus Mozzarella Bruschetta. Here’s a dish that is literally 15 minutes from start to finish. Turn your oven on. Shave the asparagus while the oven heats up. Rub garlic on bread and drizzle olive oil. Pop bread in oven. Cook asparagus. Pull bread out. Assemble. Bread back in oven. Fry Eggs. Plate. Serve.

If shaving asparagus into thin ribbons seems like too much work – trust me: it’s worth it. You’ll know exactly why when you take your first bite.

Go get your hands on some asparagus. These are delicious. Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Snack? Take your pick. There’s no time of day when you’d be sad to be sitting in front of this plateful.

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Asparagus Mozzarella Bruschetta w/ Fried Eggs

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Line an oven pan with parchment paper.

  • 4 slices artisan bread; I prefer whole wheat sourdough
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled and sliced in half
  • olive oil
  • 8 asparagus spears
  • zest of 1/2 lemon
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 grinds fresh black pepper
  • 8-10 basil leaves, julienned
  • 1/2 ball buffala mozzarella, diced
  • 4 organic eggs

Lay the bread out on the pan and rub the surface of each with 1/2 garlic clove (you should use up the entire clove in this process. Drizzle the bread slices with olive oil and place in the hot oven. Set the timer for 5 minutes. If the timer rings before the asparagus is done, check to see if the bread is toasted to a golden brown. If it is, pull the pan from the oven and set aside until you are ready to assemble the bruschetta. (It may need more time: oven temperatures and bread thickness varies, so do check it and put it back in if needed).

Cut the tough ends off of the asparagus spears and discard or save for vegetable broth. Cut off the tips and reserve. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus spears into long, thin ribbons. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mince the remaining garlic clove half and add it to the pan. Stir briefly until the garlic just begins to brown. Add the asparagus, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Cook the asparagus shavings until the just begin to soften. Remove from heat, stir in the basil, and transfer the asparagus to a plate.

Return the pan to the heat and add more oil if needed. Add in the asparagus tips and cook until crispy. Remove the asparagus spears from the pan.

Reduce the heat under the pan to medium. Carefully crack in 4 eggs into the pan. Let the eggs cook briefly until the white just begins to set around the edges. Carefully pour in about 3 tablespoons of water and cover with a lid to steam the eggs.

While the eggs cook, assemble the bruschetta. Divide the buffala mozzarella evenly between the four slices of bread. Arrange the asparagus shavings over the top and arrange two asparagus tips on the top of each bruschetta. Return to oven for 1 minute. By this time, your eggs will be done.

Serve 2 for a main course or 4 as a starter.

Love it? Comment below and Share it forward!

Whole Grains, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

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Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Oh Friday, am I glad to see you. This week has been packed and I’m ready to take a nice long walk in the fading sunlight, come back and kick my feet up, and breathe deeply for a moment.

But first Dinner.

If you been cooking meals all week long, it’s possible that by the end of it you have bits and bobs of leftover portions lingering around on various shelves. Whole grains are one item that I tend to cook extra of at the beginning of the week ‘just in case’ as they take a bit longer to cook than other ingredients do – and having them on hand means that I can get a quick hearty meal on the table with the addition of raw or cooked vegetables and a few other key items. What the easiest thing do when you have a bowl of leftover whole grains? Making a salad is high on my list.

This salad makes the most of a variety of herbs for the fullness of flavor; try these:

  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Cilantro
  • Parsley
  • Dill
  • Fennel (fronds)
  • Tarragon

Feel free to use all four, or mix and match what you have. I happened to have two different types of basil growing on my windowsill, so I used both Genovese basil and lemon basil for this – and I have to say I smiled a bit every time I bit into the citrus-anise note of the lemon basil – a welcome surprised scattered at random throughout the salad. The main thing is to experiment and use what you have – it’s hard to go wrong here, though I wouldn’t recommend Thai basil in this salad.

You can use any whole grain you wish for this. Good examples are:

  • Barley
  • Oat Groats or steel-cut oats
  • Millet
  • Quinoa
  • Brown, Red or Black Rice
  • Spelt grains
  • Kamut/Farro grains
  • Wheat grains or Tabbouleh

Some of these, like Quinoa and Millet cook quickly so you can get them on the stove and then prepare the other ingredients while they cook. You’ll want to make sure your grains are cool (they don’t have to be cold; room temperature is fine) before you add them to the salad for best results.

 Now on to the vegetables: a variety of vegetables adds a broad array of colors, flavors and nutrients, so you can choose what you have on hand or your favorites. Try these:
  • Radish
  • Carrots
  • Kohlrabi
  • Cucumber
  • Zucchini
  • Snap peas
  • Green beans
  • Shelled edamame

I chose to add radish and carrots. Whatever you choose to put into the salad, make sure it’s sliced, grated, or diced really small so that no part of the salad is overly crunchy nor requires too much work to chew. You want this to be an enjoyable experience, not a workout for the jaw muscles!

 And finally, toasted pumpkin seeds and the vinaigrette to pull everything together and all it needs is a quick toss and you can plate it up.
The thing I love about this salad is how flexible and versatile it is. You can use it to clean out the fridge at the end of the week, and then pack it along on a weekend picnic or to a potluck (if you increase the quantities, that is).  If you make it mid-week, it makes the perfect lunch for the office. We’ve also packed this along for car, train and plane rides – since travel food is notoriously abysmal and it’s nice to have your own options along.
Hungry yet? Let’s get chopping!
Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Whole Grain, Kale and Mixed Herb Salad

Whole Grain, Kale and Herb Salad

 1. In a large bowl combine:
  • 1 cup cooked whole grains, your choice (see above)
  • 3 cups raw kale, chopped and massaged with hands to soften
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 6 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
  • 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, bottom stems removed and the rest chopped
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped

2. Whisk the following ingredients together to make a vinaigrette:

  • Juice and Zest of one organic lemon (zest it first)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon mustard (I like honey mustard for this, but any kind will do)
  • 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container for up to 24 hours.

Serves 2 as a main course.

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Did you like this recipe? Let me know in the comments below and please share with your friends!