Steamed Mussels with Jalapeno Sausage- May 14, 2010

Steamed mussels are one of my favorite dishes. This time we did them with a tomato base (canned, diced San Marzanos with their juice) with wine, sauteed onion and some jalapeno sausage. You have to serve them with bread to enjoy all the yummy sauce. These were good, but I didn't love the tomato base. I prefer them with just white wine and some herbs.

Pasta with Spinach, Tomatoes & Olives- May 13, 2010

This was one of those "what's in the fridge/pantry" meals. I sauteed the spinach, olives & tomatoes, tossed it with the pasta and a little pasta water and topped it with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Easy and delicious.

Olive & Garlic Tapanade Pizza with Fleur Verte & Tomatoes- May 9, 2010

This is my husband's creation. We used our typical dough (I think I've now exhausted my frozen supply) and he bought the tapanade. Fleur Verte is a mild, soft cheese that many grocery stores carry. It was perfect on this mild and tasty pizza.

Sicilian Fisherman's Stew- May 3, 2010

We still had fish left over even after giving some away (a fish that size will easily feed 8+ people) so I tried a tomato-based stew. This was yummy and so quick and easy. I followed the reviews on Epicurious and was not disappointed. I will make this again for sure.

Blackened Tilapia Sandwiches with Lime-Chive Sour Cream and Black Bean Salsa- April 29, 2010

If you like some spice, blackening is a good alternative to frying. Although usually its done with butter, but still better than fried! We use the Paul Prudhomme Seafood Magic. I picked up some delicious brioche rolls and my husband made a sour cream sauce to go on the sandwiches, which was perfect. A mayonnaise would also have worked well here. I did a black bean, pineapple, tomato and cilantro salsa that was actually more like a little side salad which complemented it well.

Potato Gnocchi with Tomato & Lamb Sausage Sauce- April 26, 2010

I made some fresh gnocchi today (see here for the recipe as previously posted) and picked up a can of San Marzano's as usual! We added some lamb sausage from Blood Farm in Groton (one of my brother's favorite spots) as well.

Linguine with Clams- March 21, 2010

There is a great farmers' market in Bonita Springs every Saturday morning at The Promenade. Of my favorite things there are homemade pasta and (because I don't know what they call themselves...) the clam people. I picked up some of the tiny, hardshelled clams and some fresh linguine yesterday morning. I did a simple white wine sauce which I also added some spring onions and plum tomatoes (also from the farmers' market) to. It was a taste of summer!