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 ~ 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 ~ Spicy Cabbage Enchiladas

I made these spicy cabbage enchiladas with a Yellow Tomato Sauce.  They were delicious!

5 Stars

Made:  December 26, 2016

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 ~ Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiches

The Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiches were not winners for me tonight.  Too much Kale and not enough egg.  The accompanying Frisee and Pear Salad, on the other hand was delicious.  The sherry vinegar dressing was just perfect with the tart pear.  I ate the salad and hubby ate my quiche.

2 stars

Made: October 24, 2016

Blue Apron - Summer Pepper and Potato Shakshuka

Made: September 19, 2016

Two Stars

Blue Apron ~ Sweet Pepper, Zucchini and Corn Stir Fry

I was afraid that my hubby wouldn't like this dish of Sweet Pepper, Zucchini and Corn Stir Fry with Soba Noodles and Ginger Cashews because it was made with corn.  He surprised me and loved this meal.

It was very easy to make, simply fresh vegetables stir fried in a zesty Ponzu sauce and a sweet chili sauce mixed with soba noodles.  The dish was topped off with cashews pan-fried with minced ginger.  The cashews made the perfect topping for this meal.  It was delicious and made enough that we had leftovers for the next day's dinner.

Made: September 7

5 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Quiche

I generally like quiches, but this meal fell flat.  The quiche was made with sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes, which was then mixed with the egg and ricotta cheese.  Before baking, the quiche was topped with Fontina cheese.  It was this cheese that gave the quiche the flavor and it could have used a much bigger helping.

The meal was accompanied by an arugula-tomato salad with a lemon-garlic dressing.  The dressing was too lemony.

It was easy to make, but not a dish I would make again.

3 Stars

Made: July 18, 2016

Blue Apron ~ Enchiladas Suizas

Enchiladas suizas, or Swiss Enchiladas, are named after the Swiss immigrants to Mexico.  Who knew?  They added as "taste of home" as it were by adding dairy to the Mexican cuisine.  These enchiladas were stuffed with zucchini, poblano pepper and jasmine rice that had been combined with a bit of sour cream.  They were then topped with a lime, tomatillo-based and sour cream salsa verde, or green sauce and baked.  The end result was delicious.  My enchiladas, however, did not look the way enchiladas should look because the corn tortillas were too dry.  I'll know next time to be sure they are damp and flexible.

4 Stars

Made: July 6, 2016

Blue Apron ~ Greek Pizza

Tonight's dish was Greek Pizza with Kalamata Olives, Feta and Pea Tips.  The pizza dough was difficult to work with, so I feared how this pizza might turn out.  As it was, it was delicious.  I had never had pea tips before, but they really added to the dish.

4 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 ~ Cacciatore-Style Baked Eggs

This Cacciatore-Style Baked Eggs with Lacinato Kale is an Italian version of the Israeli dish Shakshuka.  It is a tomato based dish with vegetables including mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and lots of garlic.  This recipe also called for Kale.  

When I make Shakshuka, I cook the eggs right in the tomato right over the range.  This recipe called for baking the eggs.  I prefer the eggs cooked over the range.

The Kale made an interesting flavor to this dish, and I would include it again when I make shakshuka.

The recipe also called for parmesan-garlic toast, but my toaster is new and I am still trying to figure out the settings.  Unfortunately, the toast burned to a crisp.

3 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Spinach, Parmesan and Parsnip Risotto

Generally, I really like risotto.  This dish, however, did not make the cut.  It was very bland.  It needed more cheese and herbs of some sort.

Risotto is a Northern Italian rustic dish, named for the city in the Po Valley where it originated.  It is typically made with Arborio rice, which I like very much.  This rice should have the ability to absorb flavors of the ingredients that it is cooked with.  I think I like the summer seasonal vegetables better than the winter ones for this dish.

Made December 30, 2015

2 Stars

Blue Apron ~ Mushroom and Swiss Chard Quiches with Gruyere Cheese

This hearty quiche, made with a savory, custardy filling of fried mushrooms, Swiss Chard and gruyere cheese is one of my hubby's favorites.  It was paired with a lemony arugula salad.  Yummy.  

5 Stars

Made: December 28, 2015

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 ~ Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Browned-Butter Grape Sauce and Farro

Instead of White Cauliflower, Blue Apron sent me Romanseco Cauliflower.  I had never heard of this type of cauliflower and it looks so strange.

The directions said to cook it in the same manner as one would cook white cauliflower.

The cauliflower was cut into 1/2 inch slices and roasted.  Meanwhile, the farro and arugula was prepared as a base for the roasted cauliflower.  The meal was topped with a browned-butter, grape and shallot sauce.  The end result was tasty.

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 ~ 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 ~ Summer Soba Salad

A hearty summer salad for a hot summer day.  This required only a little cooking, so didn't heat up the kitchen like some of the meals.  

I learned how to take fresh corn off the cob and lightly saute it with ginger and scallions.  The soba noodles are made with buckwheat and cool very quickly.  The salad consisted of, in addition to the noodles and corn, fresh cherry tomatoes and cucumber, with a dash of thai basil.

The dressing was a mix of rice wine vinegar, Soy Glaze and mirin.  Yummy!

4 Stars