WOW !! 2 years !!

 As Time Goes Bye

So here it is over TWO YEARS later and I am finally getting back to this blog. A lot has happened in that time, not the least of which we lost Mama-san to cancer. She was just a few days shy of 84, and up until the last 4 months of her life she was still active mentally and somewhat physically. I can still hear her telling me, " Inside my mind I still feel like a 16 year old girl ! "
We all miss her whit, her spunk and the sparkle in her eyes when she spoke of things that brought her great memories. I can only hope that I have that spark when I get to that age.

Traveling

There have been many travel excursions and really excellent dishes that I got to try. Some of the most memorable of them came from our two favorite cities, Paris and San Francisco. Vancouver is a close 3rd in culinary treats though. Probably because of the abundance of extremely fresh Seafood available. We get to travel to these places because of timeshares we own and because of my Lady Katrina's ability to plan and schedule. Love that Lady and her tenacity. If it were just up to me, we would probably not go so many places. Golf, the Beach and Fishing would be my main activities. But that's because I am basically a slug. I'd be content to hang at the man-cave, cook, drink and putter around in the garage. Good thing I have a Motivator.
 As for the trip to Paris, the following photo typifies some of those memorable everyday moments we had at a corner Bistro sipping Espresso and enjoying a perfect pastry.

 I think one of the most artistically inspired days I had was when they let me unleash my camera in Giverney. This is the former estate of Claude Monet. This photo is taken where he painted many of his versions of "The Lily Pond'. This is my own photographic version.

On to the Important Stuff

So on to my latest favorite recipe. This is one I gleaned from the Food Network online pages and added just a few minor Twysts to. It comes from a post by Rachael Ray under Spinach Artichoke Salad. I must say this is a dish I just had to make twice because it tasted so good. All the people I have served it to seemed to be very pleasantly surprised at how complimentary the flavors are. Here is the original Food Network site where I found the recipe:

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/spinach-artichoke-pasta-salad-recipe/index.html

You will find by comparing the ingredient lists that I changed very little there. That is because either way you put this dish together it still comes out fantastic. Below is my list.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 package fresh three cheese filled tortellini  [most markets have Contadina or Butoni Brands available]
• 1/2 pound fresh baby spinach
• 1&1/2 (15-ounce) cans baby artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered [don't use the ones marinated in oil as this makes the mix too oily. The baby artichoke hearts can usually be found at a Smart & Final Superstore]
• 1 red roasted pepper, peeled and chopped
• 1 yellow roasted pepper, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, Julienne cut
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• zest from 1 whole lemon
•  juice from 1 whole lemon
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme [ give the ground thyme 20 min to marinate in the lemon juice before mixing]
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaf
• pepper to taste [ I suggest 1/2 tsp]

The directions for composing this salad are:

Bring  water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Salt boiling water and add pasta. Once the water begins to boil again, cook for 4 minutes, or until pasta is just tender and the tortellini all float. Do not overcook the pasta as the filling will come out, the pasta will taste soggy and they will lose all their flavor. I know that the directions on the package say to cook them longer, but it just isn't so. Drain & rinse in cold water, then spread them out to damp dry on a cookie sheet or parchment paper.

Lightly chop the baby spinach. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, artichoke, roasted red & yellow pepper and red onion. Mince the garlic, then add a pinch of the salt and mash it into a paste with the flat of your knife or with a garlic press. Transfer garlic paste to a small bowl and add the lemon zest, lemon juice containing the marinated thyme and also the vinegar to it. Add the oil and pepper and the remaining salt, then thoroughly whisk the mix together. Add pasta to the other salad ingredients, then lightly toss in the dressing. Serving immediately is preferred but you can refrigerate for later service and it will still be fine. If you do serve it later, be sure to re-toss to loosen up the mix. Yes, it does make a difference.

Just had to add another Twyst

In the back of my mind is an idea that next time I make this dish I may incorporate some chopped Jalap`eno or Haben`ero to the mix.

MMMMMM! I could really get on board for that one. 

 I hope you enjoy this re-creation of Rachael's dish. I know that we do!

 ps

I leave you for now with a photo taken at Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel tower. We enjoyed not only the 5 course wine pairing meal, but also the showmanship of the wait staff. There was a waiter for every function within the dining experience! They even had a waiter who's only job was to change the silverware! By far the best 2 or 3 hours we could have spent that day. I'm not really sure of the time, it's all a fuzzy blur now. Must have been the wine.

This was taken on one of Katrina's Zero Birthdays, my present to her. You just have to do something special on Zero birthdays!

 

WyckedPete