I'm making heaven on a plate tonight for dinner....decadence:

[bicentennial_baby]

Pioneer Woman’s Pasta Primavera

Butter
Olive Oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
½ to 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets and stem pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
2 zucchini, sliced on the bias
1 yellow squash, sliced on the bias
½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 package white or brown button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas

1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1 cup half and half, plus a little more for thinning sauce
1 small wineglass of white wine
Low-sodium chicken broth as needed
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt
Pepper
Penne pasta

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Now begin sautéing the veggies in batches, cooking only 1 or 2 minutes (at most) each. To begin, add broccoli and carrots to onion & garlic. Cook only for a minute, then remove to separate plate. Add another tablespoon of butter to pan and add red pepper strips. Cook for one minute, then remove. Repeat with remaining veggies, being very careful not to overcook; veggies at this point should still be somewhat raw/crunchy. When all veggies have been removed and skillet is empty, pour ½ to 1 glass of dry white wine to pan. With whisk, begin to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the nice, flavorful bits from the bottom. Cooking over medium heat, add ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup whipping cream, and 1 cup half and half. Add ½ cup grated Parmesan. Stir together and cook to thick, adding salt & pepper to taste. Taste sauce as you go; don’t oversalt, but don’t undersalt either! Chiffonade fresh basil leaves, and stir into sauce. Now add all the veggies, including frozen peas, at once. Stir gently to combine; if sauce seems to thick, add equal parts half & half and chicken broth to thin. Cook over low heat until warm, just a couple of minutes. You don’t want soggy veggies! Taste & check seasoning; add more salt & pepper if needed.

Dump in al dente penne pasta, stir to combine thoroughly, and pour onto a large platter. Garnish with more basil leaves, throw on some more Parmesan, and gobble it up!

http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/the_pioneer_woman_c...



It is SO good....Well worth the effort. :9

:hi:

[Madrone]

1. I'll be over shortly!

:D

That sounds AWESOME. It's a wonder you and Sniffa don't weigh 800lbs each. You guys eat GOOD.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Why do you think I had to join the gym last week?

:rofl:

I'll be putting in extra time tomorrow to pay for this one! :D

:hi:

[Madrone]

7. LOL

Point taken. ;) I wish I had the time/energy to cook more. I really DO love to do it - but I don't do much of it.

Enjoy your dinner!

[auntAgonist]

3. glad to see you're using those FROZEN PEAS!

That looks delicious :)


:hi:

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Ha! Exactly!

:rofl:

I made it for Billyskank when he was here...He loved it! :D

:hi:

[skygazer]

5. Oooh, that sounds SO yummy!

I printed it out and I'm giving it to my hubby (aka my chef). :rofl:

I'll make it worth HIS effort. ;)

[bicentennial_baby]

6. Heehee...

Good woman :D

Yeah, it's totally yummo. Check out her site for other recipes too, Ree is amazing. And, hilarious! :D

:hi:

[greenbriar]

8. sounds great

I am going to try it when school is over and I have time to cook

[bicentennial_baby]

9. Most of the work is the prep, other than that it's super easy

I hope you enjoy it! :bounce:

Ree's recipes are kickass. :D

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

10. have you tried the Teriyaki BBQ'd shrimp recipe? It's heaven!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x44951