PASTA SALAD WITH FETA AND OLIVES

The jalapeños may seem an odd addition to this pasta salad that otherwise seems Greek in spirit. However, as long as the peppers are pithed and seeded completely and then minced, many consumers of the salad may not even recognize them as being jalapeños. Also, note that salad should be served at room temperature for the fullest flavor.

Pasta  Salad  With  Feta  and  Olives

Serves 6

½ cup Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons drained capers, optional

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

2 large jalapeños, seeded and pithed

3 cloves garlic

1 large lemon

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 to 6 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

20 pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped

1 pound farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ cup sliced green onions

1. Put salted water for pasta on the stove over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, mince parsley, capers if desired, oregano, jalapeños, and garlic.

3. Place minced ingredients together in large serving bowl. Finely grate zest of lemon into bowl. Stir.

4. Add olive oil to bowl and stir.

5. Cut lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice into bowl, straining seeds and pulp. Stir.

6. Add pasta to boiling water and return water to slow boil. Cook al dente. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water.

7. Add feta cheese and olives to bowl. Stir.

8. Add drained pasta to bowl. Stir.

9. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in green onions. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE: May be garnished with tomatoes.

Orzo Carbonara

Who's watching their fat intake anyway? Go ahead. Live a little.

Orzo  Carbonara

6 ounces bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth, divided

½ cup whipping cream or table cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cook bacon in large heavy saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.

2.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and drain.

3.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from pan.

4.  Add butter and cook until butter begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

5.  Add orzo and 4 ½ cups chicken broth to pan.

6.  Simmer uncovered until orzo is just tender but still firm to bite and broth is absorbed, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

7.  Mix in Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Then stir in bacon.

8.  Season with salt and pepper.

9.  Thin with additional chicken broth if desired.

NOTE: May add one diced shallot or 3 tablespoons diced onion. Chopped mushrooms or chopped fresh asparagus may be added for color, flavor, and interest. <Would these be sautéed in extra bacon grease in separate pan and added at end with cheese?>

Moosewood Pesto

For classic recipes like pesto, I often turn to Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook.  This one comes from the original cookbook that I picked up at a yard sale several years ago.  I also have the 15-year anniversary edition, but it's not with me at the moment so I can't tell you if she updated or changed the recipe at all.

One of the things I love about this recipe is that you have several options of nuts.  This comes in handy, especially since I can't bring myself to pay $20/bag for pine nuts right now!  Unfortunately walnuts are also way UP in price, last time I checked a one-pound bag was about $8, which I also just can't do.  So luckily, I have a bunch of almonds in the freezer, and that's what I've been using for my pesto.

The first batch I made using my homegrown Lemon Basil and almonds, and it is amazing.  My generous FedEx driver dropped off a huge bag of homegrown Basil yesterday, so I am making more pesto today, again with almonds.  I stick the pesto in small freezer containers, so we can have that fresh green summer flavor all year long.

Pesto
from Moosewood Cookbook
for about 6 servings of pasta

3 packed cups fresh basil leaves (removed from stems)
2 large cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup pinenuts, walnuts, almonds or a combination
3/4 cup (packed) fresh-chopped parsley
3/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup melted butter
salt to taste

Combine everything in a blender or food processor on low, then medium speed.  Arrange things so the blender blade will turn efficiently.  Thoroughly work everything into a smooth paste.  Toss with hot, drained pasta.

*This keeps excellently in the freezer too, just thaw before tossing with pasta.

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage

I don't recall ever trying one of Emeril's recipes before. I could be wrong, but I know I don't have any of his cookbooks, and I just can't think of one that I've tried. This recipe came from Everyday Food magazine, which you know I love.

Anyway, it's a great, easy recipe, and you likely have almost everything you need in your pantry. All I had to buy was fresh broccoli and I happened to be out of sausage. That's it! I will be looking more closely at Emeril's recipes too after this one...

It has a secret ingredient, which I haven't told anyone about, because people have such strong feelings about it. We've made it two or three times already! I took a batch of this pasta to a Boy Scout banquet last week, and more than one person liked it. A friend of ours even asked for the recipe, which I planned on posting here regardless.

We LOVE it. At least Number One and I do. H-Bomb picks out the sausage, Sawed Off picks out the broccoli, they trade and everyone is happy!

The text in the magazine says, "Anchovies are the secret ingredient in this dish. They give it a deep, savory flavor without a bit of fishiness, so if you're tempted to skip them, don't." I agree, DON'T. I have actually used an entire tin in one batch of the pasta, although for the banquet I stuck to the 4 fillets. The first time you make this, unless you're a huge fan of those little fishes, you should probably use 4 fillets. But a whole tin is delicious too!


On to the recipe. Enjoy!

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage
Serves 6
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound pasta (Emeril uses rigatoni, we've used penne, farfalle, etc.)
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 pound Italian sausage (I just use a package of Jimmy Dean's Italian)
Parmesan, grated, for serving

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. In last 2 minutes of cooking, add broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp-tender. (just cook for the 2 minutes) Carefully reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and broccoli.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add sausage to empty pasta pot and cook over medium-high, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and coked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, return pasta and broccoli to pot, and add oil mixture. Toss well to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta (I usually end up using about 1/2 cup water). Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.

Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta Sauce

This recipe is inspired by part of a gift we received from our good friends Alice and Doug as a housewarming gift two years ago: A jar of Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta Sauce. The jar said, " A rich, creamy sauce featuring pumpkin and aged Parmesan cheese seasoned with caramelized onions, roasted garlic and sage." It was delicious. I wrote down the ingredients so I could try to make it from scratch, because there is no Williams-Sonoma anywhere near here.

I didn't end up using all the same ingredients, (namely water and butternut squash) and of course there aren't amounts on a jar of sauce from the store. So this is my own creation, inspired by Williams-Sonoma. I used leftover fresh pumpkin puree I had in the freezer from last year's Halloween!


Number One proclaimed, "This tastes like fall." H-Bomb, after initially saying he didn't want sauce, said he loved it. Sawed Off ate it, but wouldn't commit to liking it. I thought it was delicious, and I'm proud to say the sauce turned out on the very first try!

While it's not as orange or quite as smooth as the jarred sauce was, I can say that I know exactly what is in it, and we liked it!

Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta Sauce
Serves 6 to 8 (I'm sort of guessing because we had a lot of leftovers)

1 pound spaghetti or pasta of your choice

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups roasted pumpkin puree
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon sage leaves
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon lemon juice
grated Parmesan, to serve

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat, until onions are translucent and just starting to brown. Stir in chicken broth and heat. Stir in pumpkin puree and spices, then simmer on low while preparing your pasta as directed. (I actually simmered my puree for about 20 minutes, because it had been frozen and needed to simmer out some of the water.)

Whisk half-and-half into the pumpkin mixture, and heat gently. Stir in Parmesan, adding more if desired. Minutes before serving, stir in lemon juice.

Drain pasta and place in large bowl, pour sauce on top of pasta. Serve with more freshly grated Parmesan on top, if desired.

Lobster Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce

We had another package of Lobster Ravioli to eat. (Sadly, I am not sharing a recipe for Lobster Ravioli). I have already posted this sauce recipe, when I made the brown butter sauce to go with some Wild Mushroom Agnolotti.

And while I do prefer Lobster Ravioli with this delicious Citrus Chardonnay Sauce, we were completely out of Chardonnay. I know, I couldn't believe it either! So we made Brown Butter Sauce again, with Italian parsley.

The photo turned out so good, I just had to share it. (NOW you know why you're here!)


Follow the links for the other recipes, and let me know what sauces you would pair with these fancy pastas! Or if you have a pasta to recommend, by all means let me know about it!

*Someday I will make my own pastas, but someday isn't here yet...*

Citrus Chardonnay Sauce

I picked up the packages of Lobster Ravioli at Costco without hesitation. Lobster is H-Bomb's absolute favorite food, and the pastas from Costco have always been delicious. Not sure why it's red-striped, but se la vie. You can imagine my delight when I turned the package over, ready to serve this luscious ravioli with a plain-Jane alfredo sauce, but saw this recipe for a lovely chardonnay sauce. No contest!

A delicious, light, savory pasta in a fabulous, tangy sauce! I'm sure this sauce would be delicious on many kind of pasta. And it's easy to make, too!

The only change I made was to cook the ravioli AFTER I made the sauce, which turned out to be a good choice. The sauce took a while to reduce, so I had a pot of water simmering, waiting until the sauce was closer to being done, then cooked the ravioli.


Citrus Chardonnay Sauce

1 (15 ounce) tray of Pasta Prima Lobster Ravioli
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup chardonnay wine
1/2 cup heavy cream (all I had was half-and-half)
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add Pasta Prima Lobster Ravioli, and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 minutes until desired tenderness. Drain, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cover and keep warm.

2. At the same time combine the shallots, lemon juice, and Chardonnay in a medium sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

3. Remove the simmering cream from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter cubes one at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in the parsley then season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Spoon Citrus Chardonnay Sauce onto a plate, put 5 ravioli onto the top of the sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Fettuccine with Peas, Shallots & Herbs

Since soccer practice kept us in town an extra hour this afternoon, I needed a quick dinner. I hadn't made any plans ahead of time. I found this recipe on Real Simple's website, and I honestly can't recommend Real Simple magazine enough.

I didn't have fettuccine so I substituted some kind of curly pasta. I also accidentally overcooked the shallots, but that was the only problem. This recipe is very quick and pretty good. I like cooking the peas with the pasta, it is a shortcut that just makes sense. We always use more Parmesan than recipes call for too.



Fettuccine with Peas, Shallots & Herbs
from Real Simple magazine
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 12 ounces fettuccine (3/4 box)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan (2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, drain, and return the pasta and peas to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the shallots, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Toss the pasta and peas with the shallots, ¼ cup of the cheese, and the reserved cooking water.

Fold in the parsley and mint. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese and serve.

Chicken Piccata with Pasta

This is a recipe from Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman. It looks very good, and I thought the boys would like it too. But holy cow, did I have to make some changes. If this recipe is in her cookbook, just pull out your copy and a pen and save yourself a lot of time and hungry children by making changes now.

First, I had an issue with the cooking time Ree claims on the chicken, even with pounding to even out the breasts, I cooked mine for 6 minutes on a side (double what PW suggests) and they STILL weren't done. Call me crazy, I have issues with serving raw chicken. Just cook your chicken until done, I think I cooked mine about 8 minutes per side, then begin to reduce all that wine and broth and lemon juice, and realize that there is No Way In Hell dinner will be ready in 30 minutes.

=)

I only used 1 lemon, and I am sooooooo glad. The flavoring was perfect, tangy and delicious. I would have hated it with two whole lemons. (gee, PW, "expect a real tang" and "expect to add more broth and cream"?? why not just knock off a lemon in the beginning??) The sauce didn't really thicken up very well. Could be I was getting impatient and starving...

Number One and I loved the chicken, and I will make it again, following my adaptation. The boys were another story. I don't know if they were just full from snacking while dinner took For-Ever to cook, or if they truly didn't like it, as they claimed. I'll try to serve their leftovers tomorrow and report back I guess.



Chicken Piccata & Pasta
Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Chicken Piccata

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (more like an hour, at least!!)
Servings: 4


4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Kosher Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Dry White Wine
¾ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 whole Lemons (I used juice from 1 whole lemon)
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 pound Angel Hair Pasta (we were out of angel hair, I used spaghetti)

Have a pot of water simmering for the pasta.

If chicken breasts are overly thick, pound until slightly flattened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge in flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry two of the chicken breasts at one time until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side; a little longer if breasts are thicker, a little shorter if breasts are thinner. (I fried mine for 6 minutes on a side, and the big ones were still raw in the middle. I'm sure I fried the breasts for about 8 minutes per side) Remove to a plate, then add the other 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Fry the other two breasts until golden, monitoring the oil/butter mixture to make sure it doesn’t burn. Decrease heat as needed!

After removing the chicken, have the heat on medium to medium-low. Pour in wine and chicken broth, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Whisk the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow sauce to cook and bubble and thicken until reduced by about half. (this takes at least 20 minutes, even raising the heat back to high)

Reduce heat to low and pour in cream. Whisk together and allow to cook for a couple of at least ten more minutes until sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings. Sprinkle in some chopped parsley and stir.

Right at the end, cook angel hair until al dente—do not overcook!

With tongs, place a medium-sized mound of pasta on a plate. Place a cooked chicken breast beside it, then spoon sauce over the chicken and the pasta. The sauce is strong, so no need to drown it. Sprinkle a little minced parsley over the top.

Marinara Sauce

I knew there had to be a decent tomato sauce for pasta that was easy to make, yet didn't come out of a jar! So I pulled out my trusty cookbook by the lovely Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian. Since it hasn't been tomato season for months, I was happy to note that her marinara recipe calls for canned crushed tomatoes.

I was considering lessening the amount of olive oil, 1/2 cup seems excessive to me, but I do trust Giada. (It really wasn't too oily). I did like that I didn't have to sit and chop everything at once. I chopped the onions and garlic, then while they were cooking chopped the carrots and celery. It's really quite simple.

Other than that, medium-high was a bit too high for the onions and vegetables, so I reduced the heat to just under medium. It could simply be my burner (it's a big one), so for the simmer I moved to a different burner. Just keep an eye on things so they don't get too brown before you add the tomatoes.

Giada says this is the basic tomato sauce she uses the most, and this recipe makes a healthy amount (probably enough for freezing). Giada doubles the recipe and freezes half in two-cup portions, which gets another vote from me!


Marinara Sauce

Makes about 2 quarts (8 cups) 1 quart will serve 4 over pasta as a first course

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (the only size I had were 28-ounce, so that's what I used)
2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

Store extra sauce by allowing it to cool completely, then pour two-cup portions into freezer bags and freeze for up to three months.

Bertolli Spring Pasta with Four Cheese Rosa

FedEx Express made a surprise visit again! As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two new Bertolli pasta sauces: Four Cheese Rosa, an Alfredo blend with four cheeses and tomatoes; and Arrabbiata, a spicy tomato sauce with red peppers.


Tonight, after taking stock of what we have in the house, I decided on a Spring Pasta with the Four Cheese Rosa Sauce for dinner. (I'll let you know what we make with the Arrabbiata!)

With chicken and lightly sauteed vegetables, the Four Cheese Rosa was delicious. Creamy and flavorful, with just a hint of tomatoes. Everyone loved it.


Spring Pasta with Four Cheese Rosa
Serves 4, with leftovers

1 pound penne or your favorite pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken (or a couple boneless skinless breasts, diced)
1 shallot, diced
coarse salt
6-8 mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 pound asparagus (about 20 stems), cut in 1-inch pieces
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Alfredo Sauce

Prepare pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat butter and oil together over medium heat, add chicken and saute' until cooked through. Add shallots and saute' until beginning to turn golden, sprinkle with salt (maybe 1/2 tablespoon), then add mushrooms and saute' for a few minutes. You want to time the cooking of the vegetables to match the pasta, so with just a few minutes left on the pasta timer, add the asparagus and saute' until bright green. Reduce heat, add Four Cheese Rosa Alfredo Sauce and heat through, stirring.

By the time the pasta is done, the sauce should be heated and ready. Toss pasta with sauce, and serve immediately.

Poor Boy Stroganoff

Back in November, I won a cookbook! Kate, over at Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails was purging her cookbook collection, and decided to share her books with us. And I won! Shortly thereafter, Kate had an accident, but I heard she's recovering. Get well soon, Kate!

Kate's sister mailed out the cookbook, and Americas Best Lost Recipes joined my collection. Kate's requirement is for winners to choose, prepare and blog about a recipe from the cookbook. After some deliberation, because I really wanted to make some doughnuts but didn't feel like I had time, I finally decided on this beef stroganoff.

The egg noodles I used require 18-28 minutes to cook, so I didn't think they'd be "nearly tender" in 5 to 7 minutes. I boiled them for about 18 minutes. Everything else went as planned, and it was easy to put together.

Delicious! We will definitely have this again, although it's not very photogenic. Smile, Stroganoff!



Poor Boy Stroganoff

Carole Weinberger, Orlando, Florida
Serves 6

Classic Beef Stroganoff, which dates back to the 1890s and a Russian count of the same name (only spelled Stroganov), is essentially a fancy stew made with filet mignon, mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This version, which is made with ground beef, won't break the bank and is good for everyday meals. Rather than serving the stew over egg noodles, the noodles, beef and sauce are layered into a baking dish, topped with a little cheese, and baked as a hearty casserole.

Salt
8 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped fine
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the noodles and cook until nearly tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and set aside in a colander.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a paper-towel lined plate.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan, add the onion, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the flour and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, broth and beef and bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream.

Spread one-third of the sauce over the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish and top with half the noodles. Repeat with half of the remaining sauce and the remaining noodles. Finish with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top and bake until the filling is hot and the top is browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Once upon a time, we had a Housewarming party. (okay, I'll admit it was just a few months ago) In addition to the real-life party, I opened it up to virtual participation. One guest showed up online, and it was the lovely steph from a whisk and a spoon. She brought Southwestern-style Garlic Shrimp Tapas, and guacamole and oven-baked tortilla chips! I've been drooling over steph's shrimp since then.

When a night came that I didn't know what to have for dinner, but had a bag of uncooked shrimp in the freezer, I thought of steph's shrimp. My shrimp had some issues, namely it was frozen, sort of small, and still had the shell on. I couldn't make the shrimp spicy and serve it up to the boys, and I wanted to serve it with pasta.

This is what I came up with, I totally used steph's techniques and recipe, just left out a couple ingredients. I encourage you to try steph's Southwestern-style shrimp, but if you need a quick family meal, you've come to the right place.

I thawed the shrimp by placing them in a bowl and running cold water over them until they were ready. Then I drained the shrimp. I left the shells on because I just didn't want to deal with peeling that many shrimp, and I decided it would add an element of fun to the dinner table--look, boys, you get to take the legs off your shrimp!

I marinated the shrimp and put some water on for pasta, this time we used about 1/2 pound of spaghetti.

I'll just get on with the recipe. This garlic shrimp pasta was delicious and light, and easy! Everyone loved it. (and I forgot to add the parsley)


Garlic Shrimp Pasta
adapted from a whisk & a spoon
serves 4, with a bit leftover

half a pound of pasta, al dente

about 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined if you wish
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 500°F. In a bowl, combine the shrimp with about one third of the minced garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil and salt. Let shrimp marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature (this should be long enough for your oven to preheat).

Once the oven is hot, pour the remaining olive oil into a medium-size, shallow casserole or baking dish (or a seasoned Spanish cazuela). Add the remaining minced garlic and the bay leaf and bake until sizzling, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and marinade to the sizzling oil, and return the dish to the oven. Bake (stirring once) for another 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. The shrimp is done when there is no more gray, but rather all the shrimp are whitish-pink. For me this took several minutes longer, just keep an eye on it. Remove shrimp from oven. Throw out the bay leaf and season with additional salt (if necessary).

Meanwhile, drain cooked pasta and put in a large bowl. When shrimp is done, toss shrimp and oil with the pasta, until pasta is coated. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

*If you don't peel and devein the shrimp, make sure you tell your family they'll have to do it at their plates.

No-fuss Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatballs Dinner Challenge: Last night I cooked up 2 different Spaghetti & Meatballs recipes, and with the help of my good friend Amy and her family, had a taste test to see which one was preferred. It was a fun thing to do on a Saturday night, and Spaghetti & Meatballs is one of my favorite comfort foods when it is cold and snowy out. One of the recipes was my recipe that I've made for as long as I can remember. The other other was a recipe by Emeril Lagasse (courtesy of the Food Network website). I call it "no-fuss" because it is essentially a 1 pot meal.

I followed Emeril's recipe as written with a few exceptions. First, 80/20 beef AND ground sausage just sounds like a grease-fest to me (no offense intended, Emeril), so I used 93/7 beef. Second, I did add a small splash of red wine to the sauce -- it is genetically impossible for me to make tomato sauce without adding wine. Just can't be done. Lastly, I put a bottle of the Essence seasoning in my grocery cart, but somehow it wasn't in the bags when I got home, so I ended up leaving that out. Other than these few changes, I've followed his recipe below. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about putting raw ground meat into the tomato sauce, but they did cook through and were very tasty.


The final verdict was a draw. Amy and her younger son liked my Spicy, Beefy Spaghetti & Meatballs, and her husband and oldest son preferred Emeril's. Actually, her husband liked Emeril's meatballs, but my sauce better. I didn't vote since I'm partial to my recipe, and that seemed a bit self-serving. So, I am posting both recipes (2 different posts). You can decide which is your favorite. :-)

In the picture below, Emeril's recipe is on the right, and my recipe is on the left.





No-fuss Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt & pepper
12 ounces ground chuck (80/20)
8 ounces ground pork sausage
2 Tablespoons red wine
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup minced green onion, white part only
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Essence Creole Seasoning (also called Bayou Blast)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste and season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and partially cover.

4. Place the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together just until combined.

5. Form meatballs by rolling meat mixture into 1 Tablespoon-sized balls. Place meatballs on a plate as they are formed. Note: To prevent the meatballs from sticking to your hands, wet your hands with water first.

6. Add meatballs into the simmering sauce 1 at a time. Allow the sauce to return to a simmer and cook, partially covered. Let the meatballs cook undisturbed for the first 25 minutes before stirring.

7. When the meatballs rise to the top, stir gently. Simmer, partially covered, for an additional hour, stirring occassionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

8. Remove from heat and serve over cooked pasta.

Enjoy!
Adrienne