There is a thing as too much pizza.
I know some of you may disagree but I finally reached that point last night. I like pizza, don't get me wrong, but for me, pizza is a once-in-a-blue-moon food. I don't usually crave it and don't eat it more than once every few months. But this past week, it's been all about the pizza! I suspect it may be diet backlash. In any case, between all the pizza and all the houseguests (and hence, all the eating out), I haven't really been cooking food at home--except for this delightful recipe that I found while flipping through a Cooking Light magazine at the gym. BW and I both pronounced this a keeper. Here it is, I paraphrase quite a bit as I'd hastily scribbled it on the back of scrap paper:
Linguini with Basil-Pea Cream Sauce
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
20 oz. frozen peas
1 cup fresh chopped basil, packed
1 tbsp olive oil
16 oz. mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. linguini
Salt, pepper to taste
Fresh basil for garnish
- Saute leek in butter for 3 minutes until soft. Get the linguini started; cook until done, drain, and set aside in the meantime.
- Stir in 3/4 cup of the broth and all of the peas. Bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
- Remove about 1 cup or so of the pea/leek mixture and set aside. Add to the remaining pea mixture the rest of the broth, the 1 cup of basil leaves, and the olive oil. Blend in blender or use immersion blender. Add the pea mixture you set aside back in for texture.
- Saute the mushrooms and the garlic in butter or oil until soft. Stir into the pea mixture, add the cooked linguini.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with garnish of fresh basil if you wish.
Notes: I used whole wheat penne instead of linguini; I think whole wheat pasta works well with the hearty pea sauce. I would also add more chopped basil to the pureed pea mixture, as it was overwhelmed by the peas (which is fine since the peas themselves are sublime, but then pointless in the first place, yes?) (maybe the basil adds texture to the peas somehow?).
Linguini with Basil-Pea Cream Sauce
1/2 cup chopped leek
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
20 oz. frozen peas
1 cup fresh chopped basil, packed
1 tbsp olive oil
16 oz. mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. linguini
Salt, pepper to taste
Fresh basil for garnish
- Saute leek in butter for 3 minutes until soft. Get the linguini started; cook until done, drain, and set aside in the meantime.
- Stir in 3/4 cup of the broth and all of the peas. Bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
- Remove about 1 cup or so of the pea/leek mixture and set aside. Add to the remaining pea mixture the rest of the broth, the 1 cup of basil leaves, and the olive oil. Blend in blender or use immersion blender. Add the pea mixture you set aside back in for texture.
- Saute the mushrooms and the garlic in butter or oil until soft. Stir into the pea mixture, add the cooked linguini.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with garnish of fresh basil if you wish.
Notes: I used whole wheat penne instead of linguini; I think whole wheat pasta works well with the hearty pea sauce. I would also add more chopped basil to the pureed pea mixture, as it was overwhelmed by the peas (which is fine since the peas themselves are sublime, but then pointless in the first place, yes?) (maybe the basil adds texture to the peas somehow?).
posted by Shannon @ 4:43 PM
7 Comments:
At 6:40 AM,
Kristi said…
I definitely can't relate. I think I could eat pizza every night of the week. Mmmm... then again, pizza is a whole lot different on the West Coast than it is here on the East Coast, so maybe that's why you don't crave it as much.
At 7:30 AM,
Shannon said…
Hmmm, maybe. I grew up in the Midwest where pizza is a staple and more East Coast style. I guess it just dropped off the radar somewhere for me after living out here, I have no idea why.
At 9:18 AM,
Binulatti said…
Mm! This sounds like a great Spring dish. Would be good with a squeeze of lemon methinks.
Oh, and yeah - with little exception (Piecora's I'm talking to you), the East vs West coast pizza battle is a joke.
At 10:41 AM,
pbrchicken said…
At the risk of sounding boorish and uncultivated because I'm from Seattle, what's with the pizza cut into cocktail squares?
Totally wack.
Sorry. Not trying to hate on Ohio or anything.
West Coast Bias.
Out here ya mainly get pizza cut in squares at shite places like Alfy's, Chuck E Cheese and Domino's.
OK. I know the pizza often tastes better out there... I just can't abide by the "kid sizing" of a pie.
At 1:10 PM,
annelynn said…
I too could eat pizza every night and never get sick of it. It's my favorite food! That being said, this recipe looks terrific.
At 3:39 PM,
l said…
Hey, Shannon! Found you through binulatti. I knew I was meant for left coast livin' when I realized that ordering a pie with Canadian bacon and pineapple would get my ass kicked on the East coast. No wonder I left my family in Jersey.
At 8:11 PM,
sher said…
I wish I could eat pizza all the time. If it's good pizza--yum. I also grew up in the Midwest and they have such good pizza there. But, I have raging acid reflux now when I eat any pizza. Sigh. So, I don't eat it often at all.
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