Recipes: December 2005 Archives

So, ABrooklynLife spent some quality time at the grandparents' this past weekend, and was naturally stuffed with all manner of good-but-bad-for-you foods. Five kinds of homemade cookies, pies, tiramasu, ice cream, chocolate, lasagna, roast pork, pork ribs, veggies swimming in butter, all amazingly good but none of it conducive to that trip to Mexico we're taking in a month (hello bikinis and swim trunks in February!). So, in some attempts at caloric responsibility we've been attempting moderation at dinner. Here's a stir fry recipe we whipped up the other night. Oh, and if you really want to be healthful, you should serve it with brown rice, which requires about 45 minutes cooking time. The key to good brown rice is the proper amount of water--too much and it's a mushy gross mess, too little and it's like eating a Crackle bar. So measure the water amount carefully and keep the temperature low and steady.

Inspired by our favorite pesto from Caputo's, ABrooklynlife set out to create a cilantro-jalapeno pesto worthy of our classic Osterizer blender. Here is our recipe, amalgamated from the best recipe site ever, Google. If you've never made your own pesto, rest assured, it is one of the easier more satisfying "cooking" experiences and requires little or no talent.

1 bunch of cilantro
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup (or more) olive oil
1/2 cup (or more) Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
*2 jalapenos

Put 1/4 cup oil in food processor, pile the rest of the ingredients on top. Pulse the processor to chop ingredients, keep adding the oil. When the mixture flows, you've added enough oil. Keep tasting to get the right mix.

Cut the jalapenos lengthwise in 4 sections, remove the pith and seeds. Add one at first, then check if the pesto is too hot. If not, add the other toward the end.

We served this with farfalle but it would also go well with tortellini: Use you imagination, whatever has nooks and crannies for the pesto to hang onto. Top with a little cracked pepper for extra zing.

We thought some shrimp sauteed in garlic and lemon might go well with this, too, though it has yet to be tried.