the dish with no name

long ago, when i was in a stable relationship, which was loooong ago, i would occasionally grab one of those frozen skillet meals from the grocery store. they were decent, but nothing to write home about. i thought to myself, “i can do better than this.” and i did.

i don't know (tear)

but there was a problem- i don’t know what to call this thing! i’ve been making it, refining it, and eating it for years, and i still have no idea what to call it.

this is where you, my wonderful readers, come in. help me name it and i’ll give you 5 dollars. really, i’ll send you a 5 dollar bill if i choose your name.

so what’s in the dish?

pink sauce (marinara and alfredo)

sauteed, green beans, red and yellow peppers,

and pasta

your name here

pink sauce

1 cup marinara sauce

1 cup heavy cream

56g butter (1/2 stick)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2c parmagiano reggiano cheese

freshly cracked black pepper

2 chicken breasts, cooked any way you like ( i saute mine)

2 red bells peppers, sliced

2 yellow bell peppers, sliced,

green beans, ends trimmed

1 cup pasta, cooked

melt the butter in a large sauce pan. add cream and heat until just boiling. add cheese, garlic, and pepper. add marinara sauce. mix in pasta.

while heating the cream/butter mixture, saute peppers and green beans in olive oil.

add peppers, green beans, and chicken to the pink sauce and pasta. serve

no tart pan required

ah summer. i’m sweating constantly; however, the fruits are huge, juicy, and sweet. that makes all the difference.

i was going to make a pie. but it was too late in the day for a pie. so i made a crostata (the french call them galettes). whatever you call them, they are the same thing- a free-form tart. you just roll out the dough, place the contents in the center and fold up the edges.

i can taste the sunshine

fruit crostata (adapted from ina garten)

crust

140g ap flour

25g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

85g butter, cold and cut into cubes

~3 tbsp ice water

mix dry ingredients. using a pastry blender (or your hands) cut in butter until a mealy texture is reached. this is a pate sable- a sandy pastry. it will be crumbly, not flaky. add one tbsp of ice water at a time until the dough just comes together. wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

filling

1 large white peach, cut into wedges

1 large yellow peach, cut into wedges

1 red plum, cut into wedges

1/2 pint blueberries

1 tbsp ap flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

orange zest

mix fruit, flour and sugar, orange juice and zest.

topping

18g ap flour

25g sugar

28g butter

mix three ingredients with your fingers until crumbly

heat oven to 450F

roll out dough on a well-floured surface. transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. place filling into center of dough and roll up edges.

sprinkle topping over pastry and filling.

bake for 20-25 minutes.

soup- sweet and cold

it’s hot. it’s hot everywhere. so drink this. it will help. i promise.

3 ingredients, 10 minutes (plus fridge time)

if you can wait, it's better the second day

watermelon soup

1/2 seedless watermelon, cut into chunks

pint of strawberries, tops removed

1/4c- 1/2c sugar

kosher salt, if needed

place all ingredients into a bowl and puree with an immersion blender. done.

an immersion blender will make your life easier here. sure, you can use a regular blender; however, they always seem to create two layers- a liquid layer immediately below a very solid layer. i hate that.

oh, and get some lemon yogurt and spoon some in before serving.