This is a simple remedy for long Winter nights when served warm, and long Summer days when served at room temperature. I've eaten it cold, right out of the container, standing at the refrigerator door, and thanking the palate gods for their many blessings.
This isn't a low-calorie, particularly healthy dish, so save it for your night off from your good regimen. It's health is more for your morale or, your sexy, which will usually provide enough exercise for you to help balance the calories! Dancing is such great exercise!
I've used everything from non-fat half & half to heavy cream, and they're all great because the flavor is "the thing, wherein you'll lose the conscience of the King."
Ingredients:
6-8 oz Pesto Sauce (see recipe in separate posting), homemade or out of the refrigerated section of your market. If it's not refrigerated, it's not fresh. If you've just made it, it needs to age for at a coupla days, a week is better, as the flavors wed and mingle.
8 oz. Gorgonzola, or other mild blue cheese, grated. If it's too strong, than it becomes a cheese sauce, which is fine if that's what you want. I prefer that the pesto and cheese share the wealth.
16 oz. (1 pint) Half & half, or cream; dairy or soy, warmed in the microwave, but not too hot
1 T Coconut or Truffle oil, or butter
1 T Flour
1 Pound (16 oz.) Radiatore or thicker than spaghetti pasta; your choice, the radiatore absorbs the sauce without losing its own character on behalf of the sauce. You want the sauce to be with you, not your plate.
Cook the pasta in salted, oiled (1 T Olive or other oil) water to your taste, not too al dente, not overcooked.
Sprinkle of Nutmeg, Pepper (optional)
No other seasonings are required since you already have salt in the pesto and the cheese, and plenty of flavor.
Method:
Gently heat the oil over a low to low-medium setting, and quickly wisk in the flour.
Add the cream, and continue stirring as the sauce begins to thicken.
Add the pesto and cheese and gently fold them in.
Add sprinkle o' nutmeg and/or pepper.
The sauce should be thick enough by now, and can be poured immediately over the pasta.
Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Serve with a little extra cheese if desired, and a green salad to help balance all of this richness.
This dish is excellent with red or white wine, and lots of time to lick your lips, or your partners', between bites.
Bon Appetite!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Ruby's Philosophy for Healthiest, Happiest Living!
Ruby's Rules/Intentions are simply a guideline for getting the most from what we eat and drink, and enjoying the process for the blessings it has to give! And I will keep adding to this as we go along, so that the growth that I experience, along with the suggestions and contributions of my fellow foodies, can be shared by all of us.
1. Slow down, breathe, and enjoy every aspect of cooking (and living), from your first idea, through shopping, chopping, tasting and feasting. When I go to the market, whether it's a produce stand in the Summertime, or my local super, I take a moment to enjoy the bounty that surrounds me. I'm lucky that when I enter my local Price-Chopper, just a few blocks from where I live, I enter the produce section. That as soon as I come through the door, I am greeted by baskets of blueberries, rows of cucumbers and piles of red bell peppers. I take a deep breath, then I go and fondle the limes, my favorite citrus.
I used to think that marketing was just another chore, and when I was a single parent, it was difficult to take the time that I cherish taking now. But I've always loved the produce section, and made that the most important part of my experience. Afterall, that's where the whole foods live! That's where you get the freshest, most colorful and vibrant ingredients in the whole store. In short, that is where you get your good health!
I know that there are times when we feel the need to hurry, but let's be honest about this. We eliminate stress when we slow down, breathe, and smell the basil. And that energy of the pleasure we are experiencing goes through our hands, and into our food. It's one of the easiest ways we have to share our love, and our appreciation for one another. And, the aphrodisiacs are easy to put into every meal, like garlic! Which is not only a mild antibiotic, but gets its own post so that we can all share our experiences with its amazing properties and history.
2. Feasting as a way of life! Yes, life is a banquet, on any budget! Whether I am entertaining, at work, or eating by myself, I try take the time to give what I am making my complete attention. I eat a lot of salads, and they can be as simple or as complex, as the needs and desires of the mood that I happen to be in at the time. If time is short, I'll try and use a few of my very best favorite ingredients. I would rather save the time in preparation, then to try and eat too quickly, which is unpleasant and goes against the rhythm that my body would rather have. When that salad is made, it goes into a lovely bowl; I use one of my favorite cloth napkins. I may prefer silence, or something soothing from Debussy. Then I sit at my table, look out my window, and savor every bite of my little feast. The rewards of these efforts surround me. I get to enjoy the experience of a special meal, and my body gets to enjoy the benefits of optimum health.
If I am having company, we may just want to celebrate, because we've been able to find the time to get together. We may just want to put on a little of our sexy! So I'll make something like the Pesto Love Sauce, a guaranteed aphrodisiac. The Pesto has garlic, basil, cheese and olive oil; and when added to cream and Gorganzola, allows you to let go, get up, and dance to something like Elvis' Polk Salad Annie, Burning Love or Steamroller Blues. The supply of appropriate music is endless, but since I started my rock n' roll life with The King, I often like to start with him. Afterall, A Little Less Conversation and More Action, helps us all define what we want a little easier! That, and a Cosmopolitan, can take the edge off the sharpest day.
1. Slow down, breathe, and enjoy every aspect of cooking (and living), from your first idea, through shopping, chopping, tasting and feasting. When I go to the market, whether it's a produce stand in the Summertime, or my local super, I take a moment to enjoy the bounty that surrounds me. I'm lucky that when I enter my local Price-Chopper, just a few blocks from where I live, I enter the produce section. That as soon as I come through the door, I am greeted by baskets of blueberries, rows of cucumbers and piles of red bell peppers. I take a deep breath, then I go and fondle the limes, my favorite citrus.
I used to think that marketing was just another chore, and when I was a single parent, it was difficult to take the time that I cherish taking now. But I've always loved the produce section, and made that the most important part of my experience. Afterall, that's where the whole foods live! That's where you get the freshest, most colorful and vibrant ingredients in the whole store. In short, that is where you get your good health!
I know that there are times when we feel the need to hurry, but let's be honest about this. We eliminate stress when we slow down, breathe, and smell the basil. And that energy of the pleasure we are experiencing goes through our hands, and into our food. It's one of the easiest ways we have to share our love, and our appreciation for one another. And, the aphrodisiacs are easy to put into every meal, like garlic! Which is not only a mild antibiotic, but gets its own post so that we can all share our experiences with its amazing properties and history.
2. Feasting as a way of life! Yes, life is a banquet, on any budget! Whether I am entertaining, at work, or eating by myself, I try take the time to give what I am making my complete attention. I eat a lot of salads, and they can be as simple or as complex, as the needs and desires of the mood that I happen to be in at the time. If time is short, I'll try and use a few of my very best favorite ingredients. I would rather save the time in preparation, then to try and eat too quickly, which is unpleasant and goes against the rhythm that my body would rather have. When that salad is made, it goes into a lovely bowl; I use one of my favorite cloth napkins. I may prefer silence, or something soothing from Debussy. Then I sit at my table, look out my window, and savor every bite of my little feast. The rewards of these efforts surround me. I get to enjoy the experience of a special meal, and my body gets to enjoy the benefits of optimum health.
If I am having company, we may just want to celebrate, because we've been able to find the time to get together. We may just want to put on a little of our sexy! So I'll make something like the Pesto Love Sauce, a guaranteed aphrodisiac. The Pesto has garlic, basil, cheese and olive oil; and when added to cream and Gorganzola, allows you to let go, get up, and dance to something like Elvis' Polk Salad Annie, Burning Love or Steamroller Blues. The supply of appropriate music is endless, but since I started my rock n' roll life with The King, I often like to start with him. Afterall, A Little Less Conversation and More Action, helps us all define what we want a little easier! That, and a Cosmopolitan, can take the edge off the sharpest day.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)