Poco-Cocoa

Oh, goodness, this was so good. I tweaked this recipe for us, and came up with the semi-recipe below. The portabellos are meaty and flavorful, the greens are sharp, and the cheese mellows it all out. So good.

Roasted Portabello Salad

• 1 large or 2 medium portabello mushrooms, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Mixed greens: I used mesclun and mizuna from our Farmhouse bin (maybe 5 – 6 cups?)
• 1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Roast in 1 layer on a baking sheet, turning once, until golden-brown and tender, about 15 minutes. Cool mushrooms.

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a bowl until combined. Toss mushrooms, greens, and cheese with enough dressing to coat (we had quite a bit of dressing left, so maybe half the amounts above would be good for 2 people… but I just put the extra in a jar for tomorrow).

Makes 2 big servings.

Adapted from Epicurious.com.

Hooray for recipes that work! Tonight I played around with this recipe and came up with a delicious dinner using our Farmhouse broccoli. I substituted pine nuts for the bacon, and used a bit less of other ingredients. It was so fresh and tasty! I might add even more lemon juice and thyme next time.

We walked to Whole Foods tonight to pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow. Of course I couldn’t leave without a bit of chocolate… I brought home a chunk of dark chocolate-almond bark. I almost came home with a pair of Toms shoes, but at the last minute I couldn’t decide which color to get. At first I thought white would go with everything, but they’re likely to get very dirty very quickly. So maybe red? I do love red shoes…

Lemon Broccoli Linguine with Pine Nuts

• 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• 8 ounces fresh linguine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Parmesan cheese for grating on top

Steam broccoli florets (I do this in the microwave in a covered dish). Cook linguine in salted boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain pasta, then return to the warm pot. Add butter, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and thyme and toss until butter is melted. Add steamed broccoli and toss a bit more. Sprinkle pine nuts on top, and grate a bit of Parmesan over each bowl.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from the Farmhouse Table.