Cheesy Orzo

Did you get an instant pot yet? I admit, I don't use it as much as I thought I would but the other night when we had guests for dinner and a tiny window with which to get dinner ready, I used it. We also sous vide our meat for dinner so it was really hands off!

This cheesy orzo was sooo flavorful. Pretty much the best updated mac & cheese I've ever had.  My 3yo wan't a fan even though she said it was good she didn't want any. My 18m loved it!  So good.  Run don't walk to get the ingredients to make this tonight!

Recipe here and below. I used asiago cheese instead of parmesan and didn't measure exactly cause more cheese is always better, right?

Ingredients:
1/2 onion chopped
3 small cloves of garlic chopped
2 T butter
2 t olive oil
8oz orzo
2 Cups Chicken broth
1/2 t salt
1 C mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 C asiago (or parmesan) cheese
1 Cup whole milk or half & half (I used milk)

Directions:
1. Turn the instant pot to saute and add butter & Olive oil.  Add onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds
3. Add chicken broth and salt and bring to a simmer stirring. Add orzo. Put the lid on
4. Turn off the instant pot and set to manual, high pressure, 4 minutes.
5. Once the 4 minutes is up and it switches to warming, turn to quick release and wait for the button to pop. Open the lid, stir in cheeses & milk, salt to taste, serve immediately

Spaghetti & Quick Meat Sauce

We used part of a can of crushed tomatoes for pizza sauce and then scrambled around to find other recipes for the rest of the can. I decided on spaghetti and meat sauce. I even had ground beef in the freezer! (We never use what we have in the freezer).  This meat sauce is really quick to come together and pretty tasty too.  You can make this in that 20 minute period where you realize you have nothing for dinner while the pasta is boiling!

Ingredients
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
3 carrots, shredded (I shredded mine on a cheese grater because I didn't want big chunks of carrots in the sauce)
1 onion, chopped
2T olive oil
3/4lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

1 box long pasta of your choice
parmesan cheese for serving

1. Prepare pasta according to instructions
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add garlic, onion and carrots and cook until soft
4. Add beef and brown breaking up with a spoon
5. Add salt, pepper and tomatoes
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer at least 10 minutes or until ready to serve
7. Serve sauce on pasta with parmesan on top

Caprese Pasta

I saw this recipe for Caprese pasta a few weeks ago and decided I had to make it. It was really good! I might make a few changes but I would make it again!


Ingredients:
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed (you could probably use regular mozz here too)
4 oz mozzarella, shredded
1/4 C basil, chopped
1 C tomato pasta sauce
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 C half & half
1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese
salt
8 oz whole wheat pasta

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350
1. Prepare pasta according to directions
2. Heat tomato sauce. Once it's warm add half & half and parmesan cheese
3. Drain pasta and toss in tomato sauce mixture
4. Add in tomatoes, basil and cubed cheese. Salt to taste
5. Pour into a baking dish and top with shredded mozzarella (or you could use fresh and make slices)
6. Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melty and golden and tomatoes are blistered

15? Minute Fresh Tomato Sauce

Here in Southern California the first summer heirloom tomatoes are lining the tables at the farmer's market. For me, it's hard to imagine using canned tomatoes for something during tomato season. So to use the freshest ingredients for our homemade pasta, I searched recipes from the internet for pasta sauce I could make from the freshest tomatoes.

I found this sauce to be delicious, it took a bit longer than 15 minutes, but do you know what is a great way to relieve a week of stress? Squeezing the seeds and juice out of warm tomatoes right into the sink with your bare hands.  How rewarding! Joey didn't love the sauce at all--he found it boring, he found it "tomatoey".  Pity. If you don't like tomatoes like my husband, then you should not make this sauce. If you do--try it tonight and use red & yellow tomatoes to make this pretty orange color!

We had this sauce on top of our previously frozen fresh homemade pasta. The pasta comes out of the freezer without defrosting and is ready in 3-4 minutes. It still tastes better than dried pasta but closer to store-bought fresh pasta out of the freezer.


slightly adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 lbs + tomatoes of any kind
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 leaves basil, chopped
2 t olive oil
1 t salt + more to taste 1 t pizza or Italian spices
dash of white balsamic vinegar (optional)
pasta & cheese for serving

1. Boil a large pot of water
2. Score an X on tomato bottoms. Add tomatoes to the water, cook for 2 minutes, remove with a pasta spoon and let sit in a bowl 5 minutes to cool.
3. Peel the tomatoes and discard the peels.  Squeeze the extra juice and seeds into the sink. Really get your hands dirty
4. Toss pulp with salt and spices in a bowl
5. Heat oil in a large saute pan, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds
6. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Strain the pulp into a bowl and let the juices boil 2-3 minutes until thickened.
7. Puree the pulp with a hand blender and add it back in
8. Salt to taste, heat till heated through, serve over pasta with a little cheese and basil sprinkled on top

Valtellina Pizzoccheri

When I was young my family spent two different occasions in Sils-Maria, Switzerland at the Hotel Privata. My sister and I only were there in the winter but my parents have returned several times.  Sils-Maria is this beautiful small town nestled in the Engadin valley of Switzerland. It was cold but crisp when we were there and the hotel provided us breakfast and dinner along with our room.  We got to know the owners pretty well and I raved about the food after our vacations were over.  I just loved everything but my favorite was always the pizzoccheri.  I begged for this dish to be on the menu when we were there and it was surprisingly there both times.

Pizzoccheri refers to buckwheat noodles. At the hotel, the owners made their own noodles from scratch and mixed them with whatever vegetables were available and a healthy dosage of cheese.  This Northern Italian comfort dish is not to be missed! Well, actually if you talk to my husband you could pass on it but I really like it. I love making my own noodles and mixing them with the cheese and vegetables and sage butter.  For those not fans of vegetables you could set aside some pasta and cheese and butter and heat that separately into a delicious and creamy mac & cheese.

Valtellina Pizzoccheri
Serves 8 as a main course

For the Buckwheat Noodles:
*I couldn't find buckwheat flour anywhere which was sort of sad so I made noodles with a few different flours but I still missed the buckwheat
100g all purpose flour
200g semonila flour
200g whole wheat flour
(or 300 g all purpose flour + 200g buckwheat flour)
2 eggs
pinch of salt
4-5oz water

In a bowl stir together flour, eggs and salt.  Add water a little at a time until the dough forms together in a firm dough ball. Let sit 2-3 hours in the bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Roll pasta dough out on a floured surface as thin as you can. Cut into long noodles about 1cm wide or the width of a metal skewer. Separate noodles and set them aside until ready to cook.

Other Ingredients:
1 lb potatoes, cubed
1/2 lb Swiss chard, cut into 1 inch pieces, stems cut into small pieces but separate
1/2 lb spinach
8 oz Fontina cheese, grated
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated
salt
black pepper
2 T butter
10 sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add salt and potatoes and boil about 7-8 minutes until fork tender.  Add Swiss chard stems in the last minute of cooking. Remove potatoes and stems to drain but don't dump the water!
2. Add Swiss chard and spinach leaves to a steamer basket and steam, covered 2-3 minutes over same water (turn down the temp when you put the lid on). Set aside
3. Bring water back to a boil and add pasta with some more salt.  Cook pasta 3-4 minutes until it resembles pasta.  If you are using buckwheat noodles this could take a little longer. If you are using dried buckwheat pasta this could take up to 17 minutes. Drain pasta, you are free to get rid of the water.
4. In a heavy bottomed skillet brown butter with sage and garlic about 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
5. Preheat the oven to 450
6. In a large casserole dish layer pasta, vegetables and cheese along with salt & pepper to taste.  Pour garlic/sage/butter mixture over the top.
7.  Bake 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and serve warm.   This is delicious with a simple salad on the side.

Pasta Pie - Inverted Spaghetti & Meatballs

When I was reading through my regular blogroll a few weeks ago I read about this pasta pie.  Immediately, I thought of my friend Robin's fat parties and sent her the dish. She told me we should have it at our next game night, and so we did.

This is basically meatballs formed into a pie crust with pasta, cheese and sauce on top.  You could totally reduce the amount of cheese and my pie plate wasn't big enough to use all the meat--so I froze a couple of mini meatballs. You could even use turkey in place of the beef if you were so inclined.  You could use a different noodle but nothing too big, this size was good for presentation but harder to fork. If you use a big noodle then reduce the amount of pasta significantly.

This is actually very delicious, it was good with sauce on the side and without. It was good the next day and several days after.

I found this recipe on The Italian Dish. The only thing I did differently was to use less meat (and I used the rest to make meatballs) and less pasta (because my pie tin was obviously not as deep as hers). You might as well still make the amount she used and have leftover pasta (sooo good due to the cheese) and leftover meatballs (roll into balls, freeze on a baking sheet, transfer to a ziploc when frozen, defrost before using for soups, pasta, pizza or sandwiches.

The Recipe.

Chicken & Noodles

This afternoon my friends and I met to discuss "The Personal History of Rachel DuPree" and eat. Unfortunately, this book was all about not eating so I had to be creative with the food served but I wanted to keep it Pioneer-like.  I decided on a simple meal of Chicken & Noodles. Chicken & Noodles is something I have most had experience with in Indiana. Traditionally, the noodles are made from scratch and the whole thing is served over mashed potatoes and sometimes a biscuit. That seemed a little excessive...On the second day the broth is all soaked up by the noodles so it becomes more of a casserole than soup.  I served this the first day* so it was more of a dumpling soup.  Still delicious--mashed potatoes weren't missed.

*Technically I made the soup the day before but I didn't add the noodles (which soak up the broth) until the next day so it was still soupy.



Chicken Soup

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 box chicken stock (24 oz)
2 cans chicken broth
1 T herbs de Provence
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t turmeric
1 t salt
5 grinds black pepper
3 carrots, chopped or cut into coins
2 celery stalks cut into half moons
3 inner celery stalks with leaves chopped
1 batch dumpling noodles (recipe to follow)
1 1/2 C pasta water from making noodles

1. Place chicken pieces and all the spices in a large dutch oven and cover in stock--if chicken isn't all the way covered add some broth until it is covered.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (this is called poaching chicken)
3. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables
4. When chicken is cooked, remove chicken from broth and set aside.  Add vegetables to the pot and cook 10-15 minutes on medium
5. When chicken is cool enough to touch, shred with your hands or two forks
6. Add chicken back in and add broth if you think broth is low.  Heat 5 minutes then remove from heat and let cool and refrigerate overnight (unless you are having it today, then just turn off the heat until the pasta is ready).

Dumpling Noodles from here
2 1/2 C flour
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 t salt
1 T butter, melted

1. In a large bowl combine flour and salt.  In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk and butter. Whisk until just combined.
2. Pour egg mixture into a well in the middle of the flour and stir until just combined
3. Turn  out on a floured surface and knead 5 minutes until smooth
4. Place dough back in the bowl and cover in plastic wrap. Let sit 15 minutes
5. Turn out the dough onto floured surface and roll as thin as you can go--aim for 1/4 inch. If it starts springing back step away for a few minutes and come back and try again.
6. Use a pie crimper or knife or something to cut into long strips
7. Place cut noodles on a cooling rack and let sit while you boil the water
8. Boil water in a large pan. When water is boiling add 1 t +  of salt. Cook noodles 5 minutes until they taste like pasta.
9. Reserve 1 1/2 C pasta water. Drain noodles
10. Add noodles to the soup along with reserved pasta water and heat soup until warm. Serve today as soup and Serve tomorrow over mashed potatoes...if you dare.

Pasta with Proscuitto and Orange

Joey was playing around with this Epicurious ap the other day and decided to choose the ingredients next to each other alphabetically--orange and pasta. There were only a mere 6 recipes in the results, but one struck his fancy and we decided to give it a try.

The pasta recipe was quick and easy and really quite delicious. You could easily use a substitute for prosciutto and then this recipe would be cheap as well!

The orange added a nice fresh flavor and was not overpowering. I would make this again!

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange
12 ounces egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1" pieces
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.
Add reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest, and cream; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and divide among warm bowls.

Fresh-ish Tomato Sauce

I really wanted to try my hand at a saucy fresh tomato sauce using tomatoes from the farmer's market for tonight's dinner. The problem is that most fresh sauces take at least 45 minutes and I figured that would make for another too-late dinner. So I searched the internet and discovered a recipe for 15-minute tomato sauce. I was sold!

This did not take me 15 minutes.

I think it took about 8 minutes to get the tomato skins and seeds off. Beware, when you squeeze the tomatoes out to rid them of their seeds it sounds like you're kissing someone. So make it clear your method before the madness starts.

Then I did the rest of the steps and I couldn't get the sauce part to thicken. Meanwhile I defrosted some meat in the microwave and browned it to add it to the sauce. Once I decided I'd tried thickening for long enough, I added the tomato pulp back in, some spices, half a can of canned tomato sauce, some tomato paste and some spices. The pasta was ready then and I decided to serve instead of waiting in hope it would thicken. The flavors were all there but the sauce was a little runny...we had to eat some of the pasta with our spoons.

Fresh-ish Tomato Sauce

~1lb fresh tomatoes of any variety, I used roma but then I realized I should've purchased those damaged tomatoes they sell, whatever.

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t tomato paste

1/2 14.5 oz can tomato sauce

1/2lb lean ground beef or turkey

Pasta for serving

1. Heat water in a large pot until hot. Meanwhile, cut x's in the bottom of your tomatoes. When you're done drop the tomatoes into the hot water. Let sit about 30-40 seconds. Remove the tomatoes without draining the water and rinse under cold water. Peel the skins off from the crosses and cut the green crow out with a sharp knife. Squeeze the tomatoes into the sink to extract some of the juice and the seeds. Repeat.

2. Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and smash with a potato masher to break up big chunks. Add a good dose of salt. Let cook 2 minutes or so over medium heat until the pulp separates from the juices.

3. In another pan, begin to brown the meat over medium heat, breaking up into small chunks.

4. Remove the pulpy tomatoes from the sauce with a slotted spoon to a bowl, set aside. Cook the sauce until it thickens about 2-3 minutes. If it doesn't thicken, just go to step 6 anyway.

5. Bring your same large pot of water to a rolling boil and add a large dose of salt. Add pasta and cook according to package directions

6. Add the pulpy tomatoes, browned meat, oregano and salt back to the sauce pan. Add tomato sauce and paste as well. Give it a nice stir and let it cook until the pasta is done. If you're lucky, it will thicken. In the last minute before serving add the basil to the top of the sauce and let wilt in the heat.

7. Serve sauce over pasta

New Product - Rinaldi To Be Healthy Pasta Sauce

I decided on Wednesday night because I planned to do all these cooking (zucchini bread, coconut soup), that we needed to have a quick dinner. So I purchased a package of Italian sausage tortellini and a jar of pasta sauce. As usual, I was stumped when I got to the sauce aisle. There are so many choices!

The thing about pasta sauce is that they all taste basically the same unless you make your own or get something fresh and they all come in jars enough for at least 3 lbs of pasta smothered in sauce. The other thing is that once gargantuan jar of sauce is opened it sits in the fridge for weeks until you want to have regular pasta with red sauce again and then you either forget you have the stuff and buy an additional jar, or it has gone bad, or you didn't love it in the first place and are reluctant to finish it off.

This is the dilemma I have about pasta sauce every time I'm in that aisle. So I always aim for a smallish jar that is on sale so it doesn't become a huge deal*. This week, Rinaldi To Be Healthy sauce was on sale. I was intrigued by the addition of omega 3 and then when I checked out the ingredients I saw it contained carrots--extra much needed vegetables in our diet, it was a sign.

This sauce is pretty good. It passed the husband test, it had a nice flavor and I hardly noticed the shreds of carrots, and the sauce seemed like it was healthier than others. It also didn't come in a massive jar--but we still have half left. I would buy this sauce again when I'm in a bind.

*When I feel like doing a smidge more cooking than just boiling water, I make this pasta sauce from Smitten Kitchen and avoid the sauce aisle dilemma altogether and only have to make a decision on which can of tomatoes to buy.

Fresh Cavatelli with Eggs & Bacon

Last week, Joey sent me this recipe for pasta with eggs and bacon. We seemingly had all the ingredients at home so it was a great recipe to try.

On a whim, I decided to see if the local market had any fresh cavatelli. I was in luck and picked up a half pound of ricotta cavatelli (which means the pasta dough had ricotta in it) for the recipe. However, when I was getting ready to make it I decided that the 1/2 lb of pasta wasn't enough and added the remainder of some dried rotini I had in the pantry. The resulting different textures from the fresh pasta and dried added a new layer of deliciousness to the dish. But this would be cheaper if you just go with dried pasta...

I didn't exactly follow the recipe in terms of exact ingredients but I did follow the cooking instructions and the result was a very satisfying stick-to-the-bone macaroni and cheese esque pasta dish. Joey thought it needed something like maybe a few sprigs of basil to freshen it up. I can see that. I will add that next time. And oh yes there will be a next time.

Ingredients (the real recipe here)
1 T + 1/4 t salt, divided
2 T Olive oil
2 T Butter
8 oz bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 large eggs
1/2 lb fresh cavatelli pasta
1/2 lb dried small noodle pasta such as penne or rotelli
1 C mozzerella cheese, shredded
1/4 C fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 C chopped fresh basil (opt.)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
2. Meanwhile, shred cheese and slice bacon. Set aside.
3. Break the eggs into a bowl and add 1/4 t salt. Beat with a fork until the yolks are broken,
4. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add butter and melt.
5. Add the cut bacon to the skillet and cook until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally to get all sides browned (this took me like 10 minutes)
6. As the bacon starts to brown, add the dried pasta to the boiling water along with 1 T salt and cook 2 minutes.
7. Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
8. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add the noodles to the bacon mixture
9. Toss the pasta with bacon and coat in oil. Add the egg mixture and cook stirring 2 minutes or less until eggs are just scrambled and custardy. Turn off the heat.
10. Add the cheese to the pasta and stir until melted
11. Toss in the basil if using and serve immediately

*This is a picture of Rigatoni with Eggs & Bacon. We've made this now with rigatoni, cavatelli and linguine. The smaller or longer pastas work best--the rigatoni didn't stick well to it.

4-Ingredient Pasta Sauce

The other day I was talking with my sister in law about what to make for dinner. We had a bit of a vegetarian streak last week and I was getting tired of coming up with meals that were both vegetarian and something my husband would like. Let me tell you, it was tough. Sure I could've served pasta and marinara sauce all week long but I was trying to be healthier about it and make meals that were filling not just dinner.

I did not succeed. We survived on a week of cheese and bread with smatterings of broccoli and asparagus. This was hands down the hardest week of cooking I have ever had to do.

So anyway, we were talking about quick dinners that were delicious, and also vegetarian. Vegetarian in a way my husband would eat. And she brought up this 3-ingredient pasta sauce that is simple, cheap, hands off, and delicious. Once I learned the recipe, I had to make it. And I had to change it. I just couldn't believe that only 3 ingredients would make it delicious, it sounded plain. But I only changed it a little and I'm told that the 3-ingredient is good too...so be my guest, try it BOTH ways. It will not break the bank.

This recipe makes about 4 servings of sauce, maybe a little more

Ingredients

1 28 oz can tomatoes (I used pureed but my SIL uses whole and you could use diced if you want a chunkier sauce)

1 onion, quartered

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) *We think that maybe you could make this with half the butter, maybe.

Handful basil, chopped (optional!)

Pasta, for serving

Directions

1. Pour tomatoes into a pot. Add butter (whole is fine), basil and onion quarters.

2. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover (leave the top a bit open) and simmer for 40 minutes. If the heat is too high this sauce will pop and splatter, be prepared! I had to transfer to a new burner to get the heat down. It is one of those times when you actually have to wash the lid of the pan!

3. If you used whole tomatoes or chopped tomatoes and you want a smoother sauce, puree with an immersion blender. If you used pureed tomatoes already, skip this step! Serve with pasta.

Baked Tortellini

Tortellini is a satisfying comfort food. This dish adapted from Giada's Everyday Pasta cookbook comes together in a flash and looks impressive. We think it would be better with meat-filled tortellini but liked the appearance of the tri-colored pasta we used.

Ingredients

1 lb cheese tortellini (or filling of your choice)

1/4 C chopped parsley

1/4 C chopped fresh basil

1/3 C mascarpone cheese

2 C marinara sauce (jarred is fine)

1/2 t salt or to taste

2+ oz thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

3 T shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 475. Lightly oil an 8x8 pan or small casserole dish with olive oil

2. Cook tortellini in boiling water for 2 minutes until slightly tender, drain and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix salt, basil, parsley, mascarpone and marinara sauce. Add tortellini and mix until pasta is coated.

4. Pour pasta mix into prepared pan and top with sliced mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

Baked spaghetti & mozzerella

I love the days when all my magazines come in the mail. I curl up on the couch and dog-ear recipes I want to try. As soon as I saw the photo in this month's Everyday Food for baked spaghetti my mouth started to water. I knew that this recipe would be one I was going to make--and soon.

Hungry for gooey cheese and bubbly red sauce, I turned this recipe around in just 2 days from receiving the magazine! And let me tell you, it was well worth it. This dish was satisfying and delicious and both Joey and I loved it! Plus, it only uses a few ingredients, mostly staples!

The recipe says it serves 4 but I made enough for at least 6--maybe even 8. Serve this with garlic bread and if you want to round it out a nice salad.

Ingredients
salt & pepper
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 T oregano
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled (I am bad at smashing, so I peeled them and then used a meat tenderizer to smash)
3/4 pound spaghetti (I eyeballed it and clearly made more pasta than they called for)
2 C packed basil leaves
3/4 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions
1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil
2. Prepare basil, garlic, and mozzarella & open tomatoes
3. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute
4. Add tomatoes, oregano & salt & pepper to taste, bring to a rolling boil. Simmer on a high simmer 12 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
5. Cook pasta 5 minutes (it will still be hard), drain, return to pot
6. Stir sauce, pasta, basil & half the cheese with the noodles. Pour into a 3-qt oven-safe dish
7. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is slightly golden

Smokey Meat Sauce

There is no shortage of pasta sauce types and flavors in the grocery store, but sometimes I don't want to pay $4-5 for a jar that I will use only a quarter of. What if the flavor ends up being terrible? Last night, I needed to use up some hot Italian sausage so I thought I'd whip up a pasta sauce of my own. It turned out pretty well actually--a smokey flavor because of one unusual star...bacon.

Applewood bacon is all the rage at restaurants these days. A selling point for burgers, cobb salad and BLTs. We got a pound of it last week from Trader Joe's and it turned out that applewood smoked bacon, while it has a lot of flavor, is also a lot more fat than actual porky bits. As a result finding a use for it was tough, so adding it to the pasta sauce seemed like a good decision. It really does bring a twist.

Smokey Meat Sauce
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed, chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes wth garlic and basil
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 T Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, chopped
scant T olive oil

Directions
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add bacon and sausage and saute until browned breaking up sausage with spatula.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more
3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. Meanwhile prepare pasta of your choice

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Arugula

This month when my copy of Everyday Food graced my mailbox, I was drawn in by almost every recipe in the magazine. The cover looked like a fantastic lunch dish and I made it quickly to enjoy for the week. The problem with making lunch the night before (and cooking it) is that by the time you are done you don't really feel like tasting it, and so it is all a surprise the next day. The pasta looked great when it was all set and done and I was excited for the next day.

But, unfortunately, when I heated it up at the office I found that it was super bland. Perhaps my problem was that I am no good at "thickening the sauce" or maybe I didn't use the right olives. Either way it needed something and I had nothing.

That night, I went home and looked into my cabinet to determine what I could use to spice it up. The next morning I splashed a little rice vinegar into the mix--that did it. It gave it some flavor and made it work. The final time I ate it I added a little shredded cheese while heating it along with the vinegar--good idea! Perhaps a few cubes of cheese would be better...

Ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 shallots, cut into 8ths
2 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
8 ounces pasta of your choice (I used those spirals)
1/3 cup pitted olives (I used regular green olives with pimentos because I had them)
3 cups baby arugula or spinach
3T rice vinegar
Cubed Cheese (optional)

Directions:
-Preheat Oven to 450, place tomatoes, garlic, shallots and thyme on a baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes burst and shallots are browned about 20-25 minutes.
-Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, reserve 1/4 C pasta water, drain, return pasta to pot
-Peel roasted garlic and mash. Add everything to the pasta pot except arugula.
-Cook over medium high until sauce has thickened (3 minutes)
-Let cool slightly, toss with arugula and vinegar

Note: If making ahead, toss with the arugula right before serving

Fixing Martha's Spaghetti Sauce

Last week I decided to whip up this quick pasta dish for dinner. It's Martha's recipe so I figured it would be good, I'm usually satisfied with her meals. The pasta sauce had a nice flavor--but it wasn't really sauce in any way. It was just a jumble of meat and tomatoes. Joey likes his pasta to be saucy and this wasn't it.

Disappointed, I couldn't bring myself to throw the whole pot away (we ate it anyway but I also undercooked the pasta which did not help my cause). Joey and I decided that we could fix this sauce with a little of this and a little of that. So, I picked up some tortellini at the store (because it was on sale and it was just a little bit different than the pasta we'd just had) along with a small can of tomato paste and a 14.5 oz can of Hunts tomato sauce.

I heated the leftover sauce in the pan and added 2 T (roughly) of tomato paste and the entire can of tomato sauce. I simmered the sauce for about 20 minutes and served. It was much better! The flavors were still there from Martha's original recipe with the addition of a more saucy feel that really made the past better.

I also omitted the carrot from the original recipe because we forgot to get a carrot. Also, it calls for whole tomatoes. I hate using whole tomatoes from the can because no matter how much I "break up with back of spoon" while cooking or cut with scissors before putting them in the pan, I end up with gigantic chunks of tomatoes in there. I understand that whole tomatoes come in tomato juice, have more flavor, and no skin--but I still can't get behind it. Next time, I may consider pureeing the can of tomatoes in the food processor first and that might actually make the sauce saucier without the additional tomato sauce.

This recipe with the addition of the tomato sauce keeps going and going. If you make it and your family is two or smaller, I recommend freezing half of it. So far we have had this pasta sauce three times and there is still enough left over for another meal for me (and remember, Joey piles on the sauce so if you're a light saucer then it's going to be even more).

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup) - see note above
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes - see note above
  
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Pasta of your choice
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2 T tomato paste
  

Directions

1. Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic. Add ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain fettuccine, and return to the warm pot. Add meat sauce, and toss. Add pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry.

Soba Noodle Salad

About six months ago I saw a recipe in a magazine for some dish that required Soba noodles*. Intrigued, I went to several stores in search of this buckwheat angel hair. When I finally acquired the noodles, I misplaced the recipe and so the noodles sat in the pasta section of my pantry waiting to be useful.

This afternoon, my sister was coming over for a trip to IKEA which is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Burbank. I decided that it was a rare chance for me to make an Asian dish and to use my fun chopsticks. I knew I wanted something cold with the heat soaring into the triple digits. I found a recipe that used my Soba noodles in Martha Stewart's Whole Living recipe search. I felt it was too green and added a few vegetables to brighten it up.

The flavors were light and fresh. Katie loved it and I found it to be a little too light. I probably should've reserved more of the dressing. Next time I'll know.

Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
1 two-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced into thin strips
1 serrano pepper, seeded and sliced into very thin strips
1/4 sugar
3 T fresh squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 T soy sauce
1 package firm or extra-firm tofu cut into bite-sized cubes, pat dry (if you don't like tofu you could substitute poached chicken)
1 package soba noodles (8-12oz) *whole wheat pasta would be similar, and ever since I purchased these, I have seen them at every store
4 oz snow peas, thinly sliced
1 t vegetable oil
1 cucumber, halved and cut into thin strips
1/4 bunch chives cut into 1 inch pieces
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, sliced
Sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cool water. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring ginger, Serrano pepper, sugar and 1/3 c of water to a bowl. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes or until ginger and pepper are soft. Remove from heat. With a slotted spoon, scoop pepper and ginger into a bowl for later. Reserve syrup.
3. In a shallow bowl (but large enough for all the tofu), whisk together soy sauce, 2 t reserved syrup, and lime juice. Add tofu, toss to coat, and set aside.
4. Add snow peas, oil and 1 T dressing to noodles, toss. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, tofu and chives to serving bowl.
5. Divide noodle salad among plates. Top with sliced avocado and sesame seeds.

Late Night..er..Early Morning Pasta

Last night Joey and decided to make Emeril's recipe for Late Night Pasta in order to use up some bacon we bought for the Ellie Beans we made last weekend. The ingredient list was so simple, that the only thing we had to buy was a shallot--and I suppose, in hindsight, we could've replaced it with an onion. The recipe seemed to me to be better described as "Spicy buttered noodles with bacon and garlic" but it still had a nice flavor and it was quick and easy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta (I used half bowties and half curly macaroni)
  
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I think you could use less because of all the bacon grease)
  
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (again, I'd use less because of the bacon grease)
  
• 1 large egg
• Parmesan cheese for serving
  

Directions

1. Cook pasta to al dente according to box instructions. Reserve 1/4 C pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the garlic, shallots, pepper, and salt and cook, stirring, until fragrant and the garlic is soft but not brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg and reserved pasta cooking water, stirring quickly until the mixture thickens, but the egg does not scramble (our pan was really hot and so the egg scrambled, I recommend possibly cooling the pan a little bit first or perhaps adding the egg to the pasta water first).

4. Divide the pasta among bowls, sprinkle cheese to taste over the top of each serving, and serve immediately.

Spinach Cannelloni

For Christmas, Joey got me Personal Trainer Cooking for the Nintendo DS. It is a program that gives step by step cooking instructions and over 250 recipes from around the world for aspiring chefs. The dinner for Katie was our first chance to try it out, and it was a positive experience. We had to turn off the voice activation though because of the noise in the kitchen the man would constantly jump ahead.

A couple of weeks ago Katie came over for dinner and Joey and I decided to make something special (using the game). Unfortunately, due to work complications, we started a little bit late so it took a little bit long. In fact it took really long. We anticipated that dinner would be ready a lot earlier. Even our appetizer took longer than expected (be ready for another post!).

We made Spinach Cannelloni for Katie. Cannelloni and Manicotti are similar dishes and I had recently made a failed manicotti so I was really worried about the cannelloni. This recipe also called for ham and I am well aware of Katie's loathing of the pork product, so we omitted that and instead added some Italian sausage to flavor up the recipe.

As it turned out, the dish was really flavorful. The cheese sauce didn't thicken. The pasta didn't cook all the way...but the flavors were all there. Katie loved it and Joey and I would try it again IF we par-boiled the pasta. I'll share with you the recipe, but you won't enjoy all the helpful tips from the Nintendo chef.

Spinach Cannelloni

11 oz ground beef
4 slices of ham (or 2 mild Italian sausages, casing removed)
11oz spinach
1 beaten egg
4 T flour
1/4 c butter
3 1/3 cus milk
1 clove garlic
1 sprig fresh rosemary (I uesd mostly dried)
4 T white wine
4 T Parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
12 cannelloni tubes
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Boil water for spinach. While boiling wash the spinach carefully. Add spinach to boiling water until it wilts. Remove spinach and put into a bowl of cold water. Once the spinach has cooled squeeze out the excess water. Set aside.
1A. Using the same water (or new if you insist), boil water anxd then add cannelloni noodles and cook for half the time listed on the box.
2. Finely chop the ham (or sausage). Finely chop the garlic.
3. Put the spinach into a mini food processer and pulse until it forms a paste.
4. Preheat the oven to 350
5. Put 2 T oil in a frying pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the rosemary and saute.
6. Add the ground beef and brown breaking up--be sure to break it up well.
7. Add wine and boil briefly. Add salt and pepper to taste and turn off the heat.
8. Transfer beef to a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Remove rosemary and discard. Add 2/3 of the spinach paste, the ham (sausages), egg, and 4 T of Parmesan cheese. Mix well.
9. Fill a pastry bag (or a zip top plastic bag--and cut off the tip) with the filling mix.
10. Use the pastry bag to fill the cannelloni and lay them in a greased 9x13 baking dish. You may need more than 1 baking dish.
11. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter.
12. Add flour and cook until smooth - don't burn the flour!
13. Slowly pour in the milk and stir until smooth. Add the remaining spinach and salt and pepper and stir. (I imagine the sauce should thicken sometime soon, but it didn't for us).
14. Pour the sauce over the the cannelloni. Grate Parmesan on top. Bake in the ove for 20 minutes or until pasta is soft.