Blue Apron ~ Fresh Fettuccine

Tonight I made Fresh Fettuccine with Beet, Goat Cheese and Poppy Seeds.  In northern Italy, ravioli are often filled with beets and served in a poppy seed sauce.  This dish was a variation of this Italian classic.  The poppy seeds gave the dish a nice crunch, and the accompanying goat cheese helped to make a nice creamy sauce.  This dish is a definite winner.

Made:  January 26, 2017

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Bucatini Pasta Bolognese

This dish of Bucatini Pasta Bolognese was made with a twist and a secret ingredient ~ brussels sprouts!  The brussels sprouts were thinly sliced then added to the pasta and sauce just a few minutes before serving.  That made for an interesting texture.  The dish was topped off with  grated parmesan cheese.  I would definitely make this again.

Made:  January 14, 2017

4 stars

Blue Apron ~ Fresh Linguine Pasta

I was alone tonight, but hadn't yet made my third meal this week.  The final meal was Fresh Linguine Pasta with Roasted Fennel and Garlic Breadcrumbs.  It didn't look that exciting,  I was proven wrong.

The fennel was roasted while the pasta cooked.  The breadcrumbs were toasted with a bit of butter and garlic, then a light sauce of lemon zest was made.  The pasta was added to the sauce (not the other way around) to coat the pasta.

This was then topped with a ricotta-lemon mixture, Castelvetrano olives and the breadcrumbs.  The combination was delicious.

4 Stars

Made:  January 4, 2017

Blue Apron ~ Fresh Pumpkin Cavatella Pasta

I mixed two different meals to have a Fresh Pumpking Cavatella Pasta with Sautéed Cabbage and Chestnut Breadcrumbs, then made a salad of Marinated Radishes and Satsuma Mandarin.

Cavatella pasta is named because it has a little hollow "cave" in its center, which captures its sauce.  The accompanying sauce was made with mascarpone cheese with sautéed cabbage.  The dish was topped with a marinated radish and mandarin salad.  The salad combination sounds strange, but was really tasty.  The pasta dish was one of my hubby's favorites.

Made: November 23, 2016

4 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Shrimp and Squid Ink Spaghetti

About a year ago, I had some squid ink pasta for the first time.  I love it, so I was really looking forward to tonight's meal of Shrimp and Squid Ink Spaghetti with Summer Vegetables and Mint.  This meal was very easy to make, yet very elegant.

While the squid ink spaghetti cooked, I prepared the fresh corn, which was sautéed with a bit of garlic, then cooked with some red pepper flakes, a finely chopped plum tomato and fresh mint.  I then sautéed the shrimp.  Everything was then combined in the pan then served.

Delicious!

5 Stars

Made: July 24, 2016

Blue Apron ~ Chicken Piccata

Tonight's meal was Chicken Piccata with Fusilli Pasta and Garlic Chives.  I would probably have liked this a tad better if it had been made with chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, but it was still very good.  I love the combination of the capers and lemon.  That really adds a nice tang to the dish.

Made June 8, 2016

4 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Spring Chicken Fettuccine

Tonight's meal was spring chicken fettuccine with sautéed asparagus, kale and rosemary. It was very good.

4 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Spicy Shrimp Spaghetti

Tonight's dish of Spicy Shrimp Spaghetti with Cabbage and Toasted Breadcrumbs was a snap to make and very tasty.  It is basically a classic spaghetti, except instead of meatballs, the recipe called for shrimp.  In addition, the sauce was made with sautéed cabbage, which gave it a nice flavor.  Although the dish was called "spicy", I guess my palate has been accustomed to Louisiana cuisine.  I wouldn't call this dish "spicy."  I would, however make it again.

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Creamy Lemon Linguine

When I looked at the ingredients for this dish ~ Creamy Lemon Linguine with Caramelized Onion, Chard and Walnuts ~ I thought it sounded like a strange combination.  Instead, this is now one of my favorites.

This dish used both the stems and the leaves of the Chard.  The stems were combined with the caramelized onions and garlic, then the leaves were wilted into the mix.  The cooked lemon linguine was added, along with the yogurt and juice of the lemon.  

The end result was a nice, tasty and really creamy pasta dish.

5 Stars!

Blue Apron ~ Salmon and Lemon Bucatini

After a hiatus of a month, I am back to cooking again.  This pasta dish was made with pan-seared and flaked salmon paired with Brussels Sprouts that were sautéed with shallot and garlic.  The pasta was combined with the salmon and Brussel Sprouts and the sauce was a light Creme Fraiche, topped with toasted Panko breadcrumbs.  The result was delicious.

I supplemented this dish with a Caesar Salad.

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Cavatappi Mac and Cheese

Cavatappi is a cork-screw pasta.  This was not a traditional mac and cheese, but was a casserole that contained turnip and kale.  I found the dish bitter.  My hubby liked it though, and so for that reason will give it 3 stars.

3 Stars.

Blue Apron ~ Creamy Broccoli and Fennel Casserole

Tonight's meal was a vegetarian casserole with pasta, broccoli and fennel.  I never knew that this curly pasta had a name ~ mafalda.  It was apparently named for Princess Mafalda of Savoy (1902 ~ 1944).  The pasta's shape is perfect for holding the rich Fontina cheese and béchamel sauce.  Before being baked, the casserole was topped with a Pecorino cheese-Panko mixture.

I love any variation of a macaroni and cheese meal.  This fit the bill, although I enjoyed it more than my hubby.

4 Stars

As an aside, Princess Malfada married Prince Philipp of Hesse, the grandson of German Emperor Frederick III.  Prince Philip was a member of the Nazi party.  Hitler, however, believed that Princess Mafalda was working against the war effort.

While on a trip to Bulgaria in 1943, the Gestapo arrested her and she was sent to a concentration camp where she died.

Blue Apron ~ Fresh Lemon Linguine

This Fresh Lemon Linguine with Summer Vegetable Sauce and Seasoned Ricotta has got to be one of our favorites!  The pasta was infused with lemon, then it was tossed with a sauce made of fresh ripe tomato, sauteed red onion, summer squash and garlic.  The dish was then topped with a ricotta cheese - garlic mixture.  Absolutely fabulous!

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Seared Cod & Fregola Sarda

This meal was not winner.  For the second meal this week, ingredients were missing.  As I began to prep the food, I realized I was missing a red onion.  Fortunately, my hubby was home, so he ran out to the store for the missing vegetable.

The vegetables were braised summer vegetables, which included onion and green beans cooked in a tomato sauce with olives and spices.  The vegetables were good, however, the Fregola Sarda, which is a type of pasta was insufficient.  There was barely enough for one serving, let alone two.  I will probably not make this dish again.

2 Stars.

Blue Apron ~ Rigatoni Puttanesca

Puttanesca is a classic Sicilian sauce made with olive oil, tomatoes, and capers.  I browned the eggplant, then added it to the sauted garlic, onion and tomato paste.  Spicy red pepper flakes were also added to the sauce before adding the rigatoni and Parmesan cheese and fresh oregano.  Delicious!

I loved this dish and my hubby loved it even more.

4 Stars.

Blue Apron ~ Squid Ink Linguine Pasta with Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes

This dish was fantastic!  The squid ink pasta has a unique flavor and a deep black color.  The accompanying sauce was very easy to prepare.  It was made up of tomato paste, fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes and fresh lemon juice.  All these flavors, plus a dash of crushed red peppers, made this a delightful meal.

I supplemented this meal with a Caesar Salad.

5 Stars.

Blue Apron ~ Fusilli con Buco Pasta

Summer squash, Pecorine cheese and mint was added to this pasta to give a tasty and easy summer dish. It was quite filling and I have enough left over for two lunches.  I will definitely make this again.

The pasta in this dish is fusilli con buco.  "Con buco" is an Italian phrase meaning "with a hole".  The pasta, therefore, is a springy, hollow noodle. 

Pecorino Cheese was melted into the warm pasta.  Pecorino cheese is one of the world's oldest known varieties of sheep's milk cheese.  The name comes from the Italian word "pecora", which means "sheep."

I also learned that the word "squash" comes from a New England Native American word meaning "eaten raw."

4 Stars