Roasted Asparagus with Guajillo Crema

I love partnering with the wonderful folks of Fry's Food Stores in the kitchen. It's the local grocery store where I do my food shopping, and also a generous sponsor of local events, including one of Phoenix's best food festivals and chef's competitions, Dish it Out. You can find past collaboration recipes such as my Baked Stuffed Lumaconi or Fideuà Mixta, a Spanish seafood dish with fideo pasta, here. My latest assignment called for exploring their bilingual website, Fry's Tu Mesa (Your Table), and trying one of the dishes from their Recipe Archives, "a place full of imagination and mucho sabor." Each recipe is made even easier with helpful videos and a grocery shopping list tool.

Guajillo crema

Scrolling through, I realized I had everything I needed to make the Asparagus with Queso Fresco - link here. The recipe calls for easy-to-find ingredients that were already in my refrigerator and pantry: Asparagus, sour cream, limes, olive oil, queso fresco (a fresh Mexican cheesea), and Adobo, a Latin seasoning of cumin, garlic, and black pepper. I like a bit of heat in my Mexican cooking, so added some guajillo chile paste. Since they keep well, I always have a selection of dried chiles in my pantry.  Here, I toasted two guajillo chiles briefly in a dry pan and then soaked in warm water for half an hour to soften. I pureed one to add to the sauce, and used the other as a garnish.

Gujaillo chiles (dried Mirasol peppers)

The crema is a versatile condiment which can be used thick as a dip, or thinned for a sauce. Some other ideas:

• Pick up a can of chipotles in adobo sauce at Fry's and add a spoonful to taste for a spicier, smokier flavor.
• Slather the crema on corn on the cob and then roll in cotija cheese for a delicous rendition of Mexican street corn.
• Use it as a dipping sauce for chicken wings or grilled shrimp.
• Try it on fish tacos.
• Toss with cubed roasted or boiled potatoes for a tasty potato salad.

The crema can be made ahead and the asparagus can be roasted and served at room temperature, making this a perfect do-ahead side dish for entertaining or bringing to a summer potluck, BBQ, or picnic. To finish the dish, spoon the crema over the roasted asparagus and garnish with crumbles of queso fresco and thinly-sliced guajillo chiles.

¡Buen provecho! 

This post was sponsored by Fry's Food Stores

Entertaining at Home with an Antipasti Platter

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Fry’s Food Stores

As someone who loves to graze, a favorite way to dine and entertain is with cheese and charcuterie, or an antipasti platter. Thanks to Fry's and their Taste of Italy campaign, this week was the perfect opportunity.  For two weeks this September, Fry's introduced authentic ingredients imported from Italy, and I received a complimentary gift basket for inspiration. This antipasti platter was a perfect al fresco meal to enjoy with my parents on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

Colorful fingerling potatoes were coated with extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with homemade herb salt, and fresh thyme. I left them whole, but they could also be halved. Roast at 425°F, turning occasionally until tender, about 25 minutes.  Toss with jarred Ascheri Basil Pesto made with Genovese basil and imported from Liguria, fresh cracked black pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

For a traditional Italian snack serve a bowl of olives and lupini beans.  Peel the clear membrane from the lupini beans and toss with Cerignola olives, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh herbs.  

View fullsize

View fullsize

I stocked up on imported sliced meats this week, including HemisFares Italian Mountain Speck (a Northern Italian dry-cured, smoked ham) and salame di parma, and added roasted peppers and artichokes to my antipasti selection. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

To serve, I lined a large platter with lettuce from my garden and added pepperoni-stuffed mushrooms (check back for that recipe), blanched green beans in an Italian vinaigrette topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, a salad of buffala mozzarella and homegrown tomatoes, and sliced Asiago cheese.

View fullsize

Keep up to date on Fry's Taste of Italy campaign here to stock up on pantry items, cheese, meats, pastas, and other imported Italian ingredients only available during this limited time period.

Buon Appetito! 

Baked Lumaconi with Three Cheese and Sausage Filling

Baked stuffed pasta takes many forms, with manicotti and stuffed shells the most familiar dishes to grace our table as I was growing up. This month, Fry's food Stores Taste of Italy campaign brought in special ingredients imported from Italy, and I received a bag of lumaconi pasta in my complimentary gift basket. We have family visiting from Austin, Texas and a baking tray of stuffed lumaconi smothered in tomato sauce and blanketed with melted mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan was the perfect dish for this week's Sunday Supper. 

Lumaconi takes its name from its resemblance to snail shells (lumache is Italian for snail). 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The highest-quality dried pasta is extruded through bronze dies, which imparts a rough, ridged texture, enabling flavorful sauces to cling to the surface. Contrast that with the slick, smooth surface of cheaper mass-produced pastas. I'll be stocking up on this pasta before Fry's event ends on the 27th. 

View fullsize

Lumaconi Stuffed with Three Cheese and Sausage Filling

Ingredients: 

One 10.5 oz package of Hemisfares lumaconi pasta
One pound of sausage removed from its casing
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of whole milk ricotta cheese
2-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups of your favorite marinara

Directions: 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook to slightly before al dente (about 11 minutes). Drain and cool in cold water. Drain, toss with olive oil and set aside. 
2. Over medium heat, saute onion until soft, add garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant, and then add sausage. Cook sausage until browned over medium-high heat, breaking up into small chunks. Drain and set aside. 
3. In a bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, 1-1/2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, sausage mixture, parsley, and oregano. 
4. Coat the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with a thin layer of marinara. Spoon stuffing mixture into the lumaconi and nestle the stuffed pasta in the pan. Coat each lumaconi with marinara and then top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of freshly-grated parmesan.
5. Bake at 375 for approximately 30 minutes or until browned. 

Notes:

• I always have an abundance of green onion growing in my garden so added 1/2 cup of chopped I'itoi's onions and garlic chives to the sausage mixture.  
• Cooking the pasta to just slightly firm makes it easier to stuff. 
• You can also bake pasta covered with foil until bubbly, remove, and turn heat to 425 for 5-10 minutes to brown. 
• Instead of dried oregano, I seasoned with my homemade herb salt.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

I received the pasta from Fry's Food Stores  in a complimentary gift basket for Taste of Italy cooking inspiration.  The other ingredients were purchased from Fry's.