pasta with a pureed pea and cauliflower sauce

I'm not sure what this dish started off as being, but it ended up as a pasta recipe. Actually, I had intended to make pasta all along, though it was the sauce that I came up with as I went.

Tomato sauces get a bit old after a time, and I wanted something a bit richer than a simple olive oil-garlic sauce with add ins. I've really been enjoying recipes with the addition of pureed vegetables and I figured I'd turn that into a sauce.

Admittingly, I wasn't altogether sure of what I was doing, and the thought of split pea soup atop pasta didn't really sound very appetizing. Really, doe that sound appetizing? Anyway. I also added some cauliflower that wasn't really enough to use on its own, and I seasoned the sauce with thyme, paprika, and white pepper. The white pepper flavor ended up being my favorite part because it contrasted the pea taste quite nicely. So I ended up using a higher amount of it than I would normally, so the taste was the prominent flavor, but not overpowering. Adjust to suit your own taste, though.

Confession: I haven't really felt like blogging much. I don't really feel like composing the picture to photograph, to then edit to blog about. Maybe it's a lack of enthusiasm for the recipe, or maybe I just want to eat without thinking too much about it. Maybe I'm going through a moon cycle. So, this wasn't even going to make it to the blog until I decided right after I dished it out to take a picture. The recipe wasn't written down as I went, but I think I'm gotten it all down from memory.

Does anyone else go through phases with their blogging? Whenever this happens I try and at least get 2-3 posts up a week just to maintain a rhythm.

Recipe after the jump

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pasta with a pureed pea and cauliflower sauce
recipe by Christina Provo

ingredients ~

1 large onion, sliced
3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 16 ounce pack of frozen peas
1 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2-1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth, plus additional
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
16 ounces pasta
Mozzarella cheese

directions ~

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons coarse salt.
   in a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cauliflower florets and stir to coat, followed by frozen peas (break up any chunks before adding). Stir in thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, paprika and salt; saute for 4 minutes. Pour chicken broth over contents of skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cauliflower can be pierced easily.


2. One cooked, puree pea mixture in batches in a blender. You will probably need to use more broth. Once mixture is all pureed, return to skillet and keep at a low simmer. Taste for seasoning, adjusting accordingly. Whisk in sour cream and parsley.


3. When water in pot has reached a boil, cook pasta for two minutes less than stated cooking time. Stir in 1 cup pasta water into pea sauce, then add drained pasta to sauce and continue cooking until al dente. Serve with mozzarella cheese.

coffee bars with espresso shortbread crust

Before I explain this picture, I'd like to thank everyone for their comments on the race report post. I really looked forward to sharing it with you guys, and I hope it was a bit informative to read, as well.

Now.

I had what I thought was an epiphany during Easter when I made lemon bars with my brother. Why not make... COFFEE BARS? I figured I'd just decrease the sugar and sub cooled coffee in place of the lemon juice. Instead of making the crust normally, I'd add espresso powder. In theory, this was a brilliant idea.

As the crust baked, I whisked up the mixture of coffee, sugar, eggs, flour, a bit of cocoa powder and espresso powder for enhancement, and salt. All the ingredients required for a great time.

Unfortunately... There's like an eggy layer that separated during the baking process, clearly visible. It's like an eggy layer of flan with a smooth pudding layer underneath. Taste wise, it wasn't that bad, but I found myself wishing I had more espresso shortbread. I had one during lunch today, and maybe it was because I forgot to cover it overnight, but it solidified into an edible mass of a rubber texture. Ew. Perhaps the temperature, which was at 375°, should have been lowered after the crust finished partly baking so the custard had a lower, even temperature. Thoughts?

So.

I don't think I'll be posting the actual recipe here because I wasn't very pleased with the outcome, but I will leave the shortbread recipe since it was delicious.

Recipe after the jump

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espresso shortbread
From an Allrecipes.com recipe for lemon bars

ingredients ~

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 10-inch square baking pan, then line with a sheet of wax paper or parchment, leaving an overhand on two sides. Grease paper and set aside.


2. Whisk together flour, sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Using a wooden spoon (channel your inner Luddite, folks), mix in the butter until curds start to form. It'll look almost like pie crust after you add the liquid, so it shouldn't be completely powder and it'll stick together when pressed. If you mix it until it comes together in a ball, it'll be a bit more tricky to press in the pan.


3. Dump mixture in baking pan and press, spreading to the edges, in an even thickness. You can score the top with a fork, if you'd like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Use paper overhang to remove to a cooling rack, and cut into preferred sizes.

Holy Half Marathon, Batman!

This was my first race that took place on a Sunday, and it was definitely a strange experience because I was bouncing off the walls on Saturday, waiting to race. Oddly enough, I went to bed early, though I also woke up too early and never really was able to go back to bed. You can tell how I felt about that from this picture.

For breakfast, I settled on the breakfast of champions: Yams. It works for Usain Bolt, so it'll work for me. Since I'm a Texan, my yams originated from the state you don't mess with. I paired this with a waffle with syrup and butter, plus an orange FRS energy drink that tastes like orange juice mixed with crushed vitamins. I actually drank the FRS an hour or two after the yams and waffles, which I really drank with a few cups of coffee.

Once awake and at Notre Dame, the weather was a little chillier than I expected, but it warmed up at the start of the race. A bit windy and overcast, and I really was glad it wasn't sunny.

I arrived about an hour and a half before the start of the race, so we waited around in the LaFortune center on the campus of Notre Dame, where I represented the orthodontist responsible for my smile, and who I hope will acknowledge this endorsement.

Meanwhile, I snacked on:

Chocolate covered espresso beans, a chocolate chiperoo cookie, a Gu that actually went into my pocket for the race, and water.

To end it right now, my time was 1:51:19, which was much better than I had been expecting due to the way I had been running lately. I'm very happy about this time, especially since it means I met my goal!

To continue on, here's a rundown of my splits, which are off because I missed quite a few of the markers. More on this later.

First, these guys are nuts.

A posse of Waldos! And this is why we have multi-colored duct tape, right here.

1-3 miles: 24:55 - The race started and there's no visible starting line, so I wasn't sure when to start the watch. 9 minutes passed and I didn't locate a marker. 18 minutes came and by then, again missing the marker, I went back to what I've been working on in my running, which was memorizing how I feel during different paces. I started off quickly, but not too fast. When I spotted the 3 mile mark and saw the split, I knew I was right on target based on a recent 3 miler time.

Somewhere on the course were these fools:

4-5: 16.53 - Just under an 8:30 pace. I felt pretty good. I didn't get any water around mile 2-3, so I grabbed some around here.

6-7: 17.19 - A bit of a slow down. I took a Gu around what I thought was mile 6, but unfortunately had to wait 1.5 miles before I got to the next water station.

8: 8.35 - Wow, a visible marker! And a water station! I remember feeling fine up to this point, though I started to become fatigued just a little.

9: 7.51 - I don't believe this split. A lady came up behind me around where the third mile mark should have been, and said, "10 miles to go!" I looked back to see who said it, and maybe I had my trademark look on, I'm not sure, because she apologized. Then I said, "Actually, around mile one I said to myself, '12 to go!'"

We started talking and kept pace with each other for a few miles, and we agreed that mile 9 must have been short.

Of note: Two Waldos passed me. One Waldo was hot.

10-11: 18.20 - We missed mile 10. Obviously I slowed down unintentionally, either it because we were talking to each other, I started getting tired, or because this was the trail section of the race (just a regular compact sand-gravel trail). Or all of the above.

At this point, Phyllis, whom I had the pleasure of running with for a few miles, sped up and I wasn't able to match her pace. If you're reading this, congrats on your finish!


12: 9.29 - I was definitely beginning to feel tired. To top it off, there was a bit of a long, low hill. I felt like I slowed down, but I didn't feel trashed so I probably could have kicked the pace.

13.1: 7.25 - Just after the hill and starting to feel tired. I focused on my form and breathing, which I had been focusing on throughout the entire race as I felt it was the key to not crapping out. I did start to run faster. I've been running the last mile of all my runs much faster than overall pace to work how I'd feel during a race, and it paid off. I sprinted at the end and passed three runners playing "red rover".

Total: 1:51:19.

The primary reason I signed up for this race was as an award of sorts for running through the winter. And not just running, but putting in really great, consistent mileage for me. The price was also cheap. I had been running more 10 milers than I ever had before, along with an increase in 8 milers. I wasn't paying attention to speed at all, just kept an even pace. It was winter and running in the snow is not fun, especially when you try any sort of speed workout.

The streaking in February greatly helped not just because I ran the most miles ever, but the consistency and being able to recover by the next day to run again. It worked for my body, and greatly helped my running. I began to notice that I was running a quicker pace, too.

In March, I took quite a few unintentional breaks due to a cold, then my running just deteriorated. I was beginning to be anxious about this, so I decided to stop worrying and use the rest to my advantage. I added a few fast 3 milers, a tempo run, and if I was feeling a faster pace, I went with it.

What made this race different from all others (which I've never felt anything about) is the ability to keep my pace based on effort. I guess I trusted my ability more and that was a really cool feeling.

P.S. This was a very disorganized race. I said screw it to the awards ceremony and headed over to Chipotle. After snagging />10 breadsticks and two Rockstar energy drinks. And an orange, which I never ate because I didn't have the energy to peel. There were no bananas, I'd like to add.

P.S.S. I feel it's important to mention that I raced faster wearing arm warmers, sort of like why swimmers wear body suits. Go buy some. A volunteer told me to "run like a leopard in the jungle hunting down prey!" His name was Rick something. My parents asked him if "he took requests" and it turns out that's how he knew my name, not because he has insanely good eyesight and could read the name off my bib as I ran by.