Farfalle with Italian Sausage, Lemon Cream, and Chives Recipe

 

Farfalle with Italian Sausage, Lemon Cream, and Chives Recipe
Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

Make this simple and delicious meal on a cold winter night.  This recipe for Farfalle with Italian Sausage, Lemon Cream, and Chives has a creamy and zingy flavor.  Enjoy on your own, with family, or friends. 

Yield: 4–6 servings 

Ingredients

8 ounces farfalle (butterflies; bowtie pasta)

1 pound mild Italian sausage, cut into bite-size chunks

2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced 

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 egg yolk

1 cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature

½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Zest of 1 organic lemon

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 Tablespoons fresh chives, minced

Purchase Barilla Farfalle Pasta on Amazon.

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until just al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. 

Scoop out and reserve ⅓ cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, cut the Italian sausage. 

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet. 

Then, add in your Italian sausage.

Peel and dice two garlic cloves, add to the skillet. 

Cook the sausage thoroughly.

Drain excess grease from the pan.

Then, return the meat mixture to the skillet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup of 

the Parmigiano Reggiano, the lemon zest, salt, and pepper. 

Gradually whisk in the reserved pasta water.

Scrape the sauce into the pasta pot. 

Add back the cooked pasta and toss over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.  Do not overcook, or the egg may curdle.

Add the cooked Italian sausage, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the chives; gently mix. 

Plate.  

Sprinkle the remaining cheese and chives on top of each dish. 

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Credits: Barilla, Amazon

Thai Chicken Meatballs with Red Coconut Curry, Bok Choy, and Rice Noodles

Thai Chicken Meatballs

with Red Coconut Curry, Bok Choy, and Rice Noodles

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

This recipe can be prepared to your spice level preference.  A little or a lot of red curry paste adds heat and interest to the flavor profile of this dish.  I recommend using a cookie scoop to make each meatball uniform in size.  Wide rice noodles may be substituted with shirataki noodles, shredded cabbage, or whole grain wide noodles.

Ingredients

Meatballs

Ground chicken

Breadcrumbs

Olive oil, scallions, lemon grass, cilantro stems, garlic, and fresh ginger cooked.

Coconut Curry

Garlic

ginger

Curry paste

Lime zest

Coconut milk

Bok choy

Lime, juiced

Wide Rice Noodles

Water

Cilantro and scallions to garnish

This recipe comes from Blue Apron.

"Blue Apron is a fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service that helps chefs of all levels cook incredible meals at home."

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Credit:  bluearpon.com

Chicken Thighs Pasta Recipe by Jesse Bluma

Chicken Thighs Pasta Recipe

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

This recipe for chicken pasta is one of my favorites.  A flavorful and excellent dish for gatherings.  I have taught several friends and others this recipe. 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes with 2 hour to overnight marinate

Serves: 4

Pasta Ingredients

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds

1/4 cup stem trimmed, washed, minced fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon light-brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound whole wheat or multi-grain corkscrew, fusilli, or spiral pasta

10 ounces spinach, stems trimmed and leaves washed well

1/2 cup honey Greek yogurt

3 Tablespoons organic, fresh lemon juice

10 ounces organic spinach

Roasted Chicken Thighs

8 bone-in, skin on organic chicken thighs

1/2 cup olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3 Tablespoons organic honey

Directions

In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or up to a day).

Remove chicken from the refrigerator for 30 minutes before placing in the oven--time with pre-heating of the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius).

Roast chicken, skin side down, in an oiled roasting pan, 20 to 25 minutes.

Flip and roast 10 more minutes.

Heat the broiler. 

Put fennel seeds in a small, self-sealing plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. 

Add parsley, brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the bag, and shake to mix.

Stir together fennel seeds and honey and season with salt and pepper. 

Brush glaze onto chicken and broil approximately 5 minutes minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. 

Reserve about 1/2 cup cooking water, and drain pasta. 

Trim spinach stems, wash well, then gently pat dry.

Return it to the warm pot, add spinach, and toss.

In a bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, lemon juice to taste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons pasta water.

Chop slightly cooled, roasted chicken thighs.  

Place pasta on plates, top with chopped chicken, and drizzle with the yogurt mixture.  Or simply toss pasta and chopped chicken in the pot with the yogurt mixture, adding pasta water as needed.

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Credit: freedigitalimages.com

Villa Blanca Restaurant Review by Jesse Bluma

Villa Blanca Restaurant Review by Jesse Bluma

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

“Welcome to the Villa Blanca Restaurant in Beverly Hills. Our stylish restaurant serves Italian, Mediterranean and Asian food, and is perfect for a romantic meal or lunch.”

The owners are Lisa Vanderpump-Todd and Ken Todd, husband and wife.  Also of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Francis Dimitrius is the executive chef of Villa Blanca.  He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California.  Francis also appeared as a contestant on Extreme Chef.  The program's concept is to award the remaining chef a prize after a series of bold and tough challenges, such as cooking in the desert or beach.

Recommendations

1.  The restaurant is located on Brighton Way in Beverly Hills.  Public parking is located within a few minute walk of the restaurant.  Valet is also available.  On busy nights consider taking a taxi or car service.  

2.  Peak times occur during week days and nights, especially weekend nights.  You may wish to visit for brunch or lunch as soon as they open on a weekend.  Make reservations.  

3.  Enjoy the seating to the right as you enter the restaurant.  The seating on the right gives you sites of Beverly Hills on the corner of Brighton Way and North Camden Drive.

4.  Each time I have dined at Villa Blanca I have enjoyed the meals.  

Salad Dimitrius:  Greek salad with feta, fresh tomatoes, romaine, avocado, Persian cucumber, Kalamata olives, red onion, and assorted bell peppers with the chef’s Greek dressing.

Farfalle (bow-tie pasta) Carbonara:  prosciutto and peas in a light cream sauce.

Roasted Chicken Flatbread Sandwich:  maple cured bacon, avocado, spinach, French feta, and pesto aioli (a sauce typically created with olive oil).

Seared Ahi Tuna with a ginger-miso reduction, complemented by Beluga Lentils and grilled asparagus. 

5.  Afterwards you may wish to walk through Beverly Hills, enjoy some of the shops, sites, and people watching on Rodeo Drive.

Villa Blanca Restaurant is located at 9601 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, California 90210.

www.villablancarestaurant.com

Update: Unfortunately, Villa Blanca was closed in July 2020.

 

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Image credit: villablancarestaurant.com

Refreshing Party Pasta Recipe

Refreshing Party Pasta Recipe
Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.





If you are in the northern hemisphere, we are entering our season of outdoor meals.  This pasta dish is perfect to launch off your next party.  Simply print the recipe and take it with you to your grocery store or garden.  

Ingredients

2 boxes of whole wheat rotini pasta

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper

4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for the pasta

1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for roasting tomatoes, white (or green) asparagus, and mushrooms

4 Tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

6 fresh, ripe tomatoes (organic)

1 cup Cotija cheese, grated

1 cup Panela cheese, grated

1 bunch white asparagus or green (organic)

16 ounces of baby bella mushrooms (organic)

1/2 cup of scissor snipped fresh curly parsley (organic)

1/2 cup of scissor snipped basil (organic)

zest of 1/2 lemon (organic)

juice of 1/2 lemon (organic)

Visit Amazon to purchase pasta for this recipe and your other pantry needs. 

Directions

Serves 16 

(can scale up or down for number of people)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204.444 degrees Celsius).

Follow pasta directions on box, cook pasta until al dente (both boxes).  

Drain the water from the pasta in a large colander or two smaller colanders.

Pour the pasta into a very large bowl or two smaller bowls (If using two smaller bowls, remember to equally divide the ingredients).

Season the pasta with the salt and pepper. 

Add the olive oil and rice wine vinegar. 

Gently mix  and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Dice the tomatoes and place them into a colander to drain.

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus, then chop the remaining asparagus into about 1/2” pieces.

Slice the baby bella mushrooms.

Drizzle a roasting pan with olive oil, place the tomatoes, asparagus, and mushrooms on the pan.  Roll the three ingredient around the pan to get an even coating.  

Roast the items for 25 minutes, until tender and still crisp.

Transfer these ingredients to a cool rack on the kitchen counter to cool to room temperature.

Add the grated cheeses, roasted tomatoes-asparagus-mushrooms, parsley, basil, zest, and lemon juice to the room temperature pasta, then gently mix well.

Visit Amazon to purchase pasta for this recipe and your other pantry needs. 

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Credits: Image courtesy of [tiramisustudio] at FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Barilla

Create a Dynamic Summer Salad with Walnut Dressing

Create a Dynamic Summer Salad with Walnut Dressing

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

The best salads are those created with favorite, seasonal ingredients.  A mix of textures, flavors, colors, and fragrances.  This walnut dressing liberates the taste buds from the humdrum. 

Utilizing seasonal, local, or home grown ingredients makes for the best of salads.  Summer foods include apricots, cherries, corn, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, string beans, Swiss chard, yellow summer squash, and zucchini.

Walnut Dressing Ingredients

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• Butter (Smart Balance) 
• 
  
• To toast walnuts:  
• 
  
• Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan.
• Stir in walnuts.
• Stir for about 4 minutes.
• Remove from pan.
• Allow to cool to room temperature
• 
  
• Then mix toasted walnuts with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and mustard.

Coat your favorite mix of summer salad ingredients with the walnut dressing and enjoy.

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Credit: Pexels.com, Ponyo Sakana