Cooking Catch-Up

I don't want to leave you with the notion that I didn't do ANY cooking while I was sickly... I just made simple dishes I didn't have to think about... dishes (most of which, I didn't have the energy or desire to photograph) or write about. But they were delicious and I thought, now that I'm feeling more like myself, I'd share.

First recipe, a trip to the market on Wednesday to pick up pork ribs from Getaway Farm. I had a lot of recipes bookmarked, but ended up making one from my childhood - and why is it that those are the ones that we crave when under the weather... that and the "I can make this in my sleep" kind of recipe that takes little work and smells wonderful while you're waiting? As for the photo... it's an old one, probably not even for this recipe, but it's close and I didn't take any this time around.

Grandma Dolly's BBQ Ribs

I also was lucky enough to score a hanger steak which got to marinate for quite a while before I even had the energy to grill.

Marinated Hanger Steak with Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese over Romaine Hearts & Chef Craig's Awesome Vinaigrette

A stop at The Fish Shop and a chat with Peter about what was the freshest... so cod fillets it was and finally a chance to use the sweet potato panko crumbs I've been talking about since back in January I told you about the tip I got from Peter

Sweet Potato Panko Crusted Pan Fried Cod

It took a while to actually get my hands on some. Ella, who used to be a NY lawyer, bakes delicious breads for Rock Island Bistro as well as as "Spice of Life Artisan Foods" at the Saturday farmers market crowd uses left over sweet potato bread for crumbs and doesn't always have any on hand at the market. The recipe is a well used one, mostly for haddock and plain panko crumbs but even better this way.

Another find from Peter... the gorgeous scallops at the top of the page. They'd be great tossed with your favorite pasta, but we just had them as a tapas dish with crusty bread from the market - perfect for sopping up all that sauce.

Roasted Scallops with Rosemary & Thyme

Even sickies can whip up a delicious plate of Cajun Pasta that requires very little effort (i.e.... no recipe to speak of). This one used up some extra farfalle from an earlier dish (the Chicken Pollo in Sherry Cream Sauce), a couple of handfuls of cremini mushrooms, a smoked andouille sausage from Sweet Williams Sausages, sauteed in some olive oil until the mushrooms are golden, toss in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach thank goodness for greenhouse farming at Riverview Farms - all from from the market plus a glug or two of white wine and another handful of grated Parmesan cheese. And... voila!!!

I thought I'd share this one with Claire of Chez Cayenne, this week's host for Presto Pasta Night. If you have a great pasta dish, you can share it too. Just send your entry to cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail(dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com . As for supper tonight... I think, more pasta, perhaps the Lazybones Marinara in the freezer with some sauteed mushrooms.