Recipes from my books

ABBY'S PASTA MARINARA

In my  romantic suspense novel, A Murderous Game, the heroine, Abby Carpenter, isn't much of a cook, but there's one dish she has mastered, Pasta Marina. It's her go to dish whenever she entertains and needs to  make an impressive meal. Here's her recipe, so put on an apron, pour a glass of vino, and let's "sweat the onions," Abby style!

Ingredients:

1 Lb. of Penne or similar pasta                                  

4 cups of grape tomatoes*

High quality extra virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup fresh minced garlic (or 3 TBLS minced jarred garlic)

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, diced

1/4 cup dried sweet basil

2 TBLS fresh chopped oregano (or 3 tsp. dry)

1 TBLS fresh chopped sage (or 1/2 tsp. d

1/2 cup of fresh sweet basil leaves cut into strips

2 cups fresh mozzarella cut into approx. 1/2" cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste



Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Layer grape tomatoes on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle tomatoes with dry sweet basil and minced garlic. Pour enough olive oil over tomatoes to coat well and mix in the basil and garlic. Put tomatoes in heated oven and roast for approx. 20 minutes, until they start to show signs of shriveling and light browning. 

While tomatoes are roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop for the pasta.

While water is heating, put 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet and heat the oil. When oil is hot, add diced onions and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the onions until they are translucent but not browned. Now you're "sweating the onions"! Turn off the heat and stir in all the dry herbs **except for the fresh basil** and then cover with lid or aluminum foil to keep warm.

When water has come to a boil, cook pasta following package directions, al dente works best for this recipe.

While pasta is cooking, stack several fresh basil leaves together at a time and roll them tightly. With a pair of shark kitchen scissors, cut the basil into strips. Do this with all the basil until you have 1/2 cup to 1 cup of strips. (If you can't get fresh basil, you can skip this step, as it is a garnish, but it does add a delightful flavor and makes the presentation very pretty.)

When pasta is done, drain all but approx one cup of water from the pot and then add the onion and herb mixture to the pasta.

Remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven and lightly prick the skin to release some of the juices with the tip of a sharp knife. (Be careful, they will be very hot and some juice may spray when pricking skin.) Add the roasted tomatoes to the pasta. Mix well.

Add the cubed mozzarella to the pasta and stir to evenly distribute throughout.

Lift pasta mixture onto a large platter and sprinkle the fresh sweet basil threads across the top. (See photo)

Serve with crusty bread, sweet cream butter or a fruity olive oil mixed with savory herbs for dipping, and your favorite glass of wine.

Enjoy!

You can read a free sample of A Murderous Game on amazon: http://dld.bz/a7Wpx


DELANEY'S PECAN ENCRUSTED SALMON W/APRICOT & GRAND MARNIER SAUCE

Delaney Brannigan, my lovable heroine in This Time Forever, is a caterer, and a whiz in the kitchen. When my hero Blake asks her out for the first time, she suggests he come to the quaint cottage she's staying in at Mary O'Meara's Bed & Breakfast where she can make dinner for them. Here's the recipe for the amazing salmon dish that had Blake singing her  praises:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 LB fresh salmon filet*
One 28oz. can of apricots
4 TBLS of Grand Marnier
2 cups pecans
1/2 tsp. salt
1TBLS minced garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TBLS butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2TBLS corn oil
Putting it all together:

Grind pecans and put into a medium size bowl-- Add Grand Marnier, salt, minced garlic and 1TBLS of apricot juice from the canned apricots. Form this mixture into a course meal.
Brush the salmon liberally with olive oil and then roll it in the pecan mixture to coat.
Pour the remaining apricot juice from the can into the bottom of a large baking pan. Add 3 to 4 - 1tsp. size pats of butter, spaced out across the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the juice and butter evenly with brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat 2TBLS of corn oil in a large frying pan, large enough to accommodate the salmon. Lightly saute the salmon on one side. Gently turn the salmon into the baking pan with the side you just sauteed facing up. Cover the salmon with the apricots.

Roast the salmon in preheated oven for apprxmately 8 to 10 minutes, or until done to taste.

*If you can't find a large salmon filet, or if you prefer to use 4 to 6 six ounce filets instead, that would also work fine.

Variations: this dish also works well with macadamia nuts in place of the pecans. You may also substitue jarred or canned mango (diced) for the apricots, if desired.

Serve the salmon on a large platter. It looks pretty surrounded by jasmine rice, which goes well as a side dish with this sweet salmon.

This dish pairs well with Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay

Bon Apetit!

You can read a free sample of This Time Forever on amazon: http://www.dld.bz/brzxs