Category Archives: Pasta & Pizza

Umbricelli with Ginger-Chile Sauce

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There’s no denying, this pasta takes time; with three people it took close to an hour to roll out an entire batch. But if you’ve got a lot of hands you want to keep busy, it’s a perfect dish. The rolling becomes relaxing as conversation blossoms around the table, turning out thick and chewy strands that get bathed in a simple, spicy sauce. If you’re in a hurry, make the sauce from scratch and sub dried noodles for the homemade ones.

umbrichelli-chile-sauceUMBRICELLI
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 egg
salt

GINGER-CHILE SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon chile flakes
2 cups crushed organic tomatoes
salt and pepper

Pulse together umbricelli ingredients in a food processor until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes, until smooth with a slight sheen. Form the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and let rest for half an hour. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with flour. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Roll the dough into a flat disc a half inch thick, then slice into strings a quarter of an inch wide. Cut each string into 1 inch long pieces. One at a time, lay a piece of dough on a (non-floured) wooden board and, moving from your fingertips to your palms and back from the inside to the ends, roll and stretch the dough until it resembles a 10-inch long piece of thick spaghetti. Place on the cookie sheet, toss with flour and repeat with the next piece of dough. Continue to fluff pasta with flour in between batches to prevent the strands from sticking together.

To make the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook garlic, ginger and chiles for 5 minutes, until garlic is tender and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

When all the pasta is rolled, cook it for 4-5 minutes in rapidly boiling water, until just tender to the bite. Toss with sauce.

Serves 6

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

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By Jacqueline Church

In keeping with the Southern Italian tradition, I added chopped tomatoes and a little wine to Rick Moonen’s recipe from his excellent Fish Without a Doubt. San Marzano are traditional; Muir Glen Organics are terrific, too.

linguine-clam-recipe1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth
24 topneck or 48 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/3 cup chopped garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Sea salt
3/4 pound dried linguine
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a large pot. Add scrubbed clams and wine. Cover and steam till clams open.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. When the clams are cool enough to handle, pour the clams into the strainer, catching the broth in the bowl below. Remove the clams from their shells (work over the strainer so the juice is captured) and transfer to a cutting board.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.

Chop the clams and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes, until garlic is soft but has not yet browned.

Add crushed red pepper, oregano and reserved clam juice. Increase heat and reduce by half. Add crushed tomatoes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

After the pasta water comes to a boil, add linguine, return water to boil and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructs. Drain and return to pot over medium heat. Toss chopped clams and sauce with pasta and heat for 2 minutes. Toss with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a part of a larger meal

Harvest Pasta

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There are so many things I love about this pasta. For one, it’s packed with loads of my favorite vegetables. For another, its incredible flavor is the perfect illustration of just how delicious healthy can be. But it also, to me, captures the essence of the change of season: summer’s bounty exuding a homey scent as it roasts in the oven, a portent of the many braises to come. What can I say? This dish truly nourishes me body and soul.

harvest-pasta

4 cups eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups sweet frying peppers (like Cubanelle), sliced into thick rings
4 cups tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound dried whole grain pasta (your choice of shape, I especially like fusilli or penne with this)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup basil, torn

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss eggplant, onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and spread in a large, heavy roasting pan. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, turning occasionally, until ingredients are slightly caramelized and melded together into a chunky sauce.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water while vegetables are roasting. Strain pasta and return to pot, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

When vegetables are done, scrape them into the bowl with the pasta and toss. Pour the reserved pasta water into the roasting pan to deglaze and add the vinegar. Pour over pasta and toss again.

Top with cheese and basil and serve.

Serves 8

Spaghetti Carbonara

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This recipe was inevitable. Last week, while I was reviewing the whole grain spaghettis for this post, I had a dozen fresh eggs from a friend’s hens sitting next to a few slices of really tasty bacon in the fridge . . . the ingredients for a major carbonara craving. Carbonara is a rich dish, so I like to serve small portions alongside a generous green salad tossed with my go-to vinaigrette.

carbonara-recipe

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick strips
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons parsley, minced

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add onion. Saute for 2 minutes; add bacon, and cook another 8-10 minutes until bacon and onion are well-browned. Transfer mixture to a paper towel and let cool while pasta cooks.

Add pasta to water and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, whisk together cheese, yolks, sour cream, vinegar and onion mixture. In a separate small bowl, when pasta is nearly done, whisk together a tablespoon of the egg mixture with a tablespoon of pasta water and pour back into the egg mixture. Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons pasta water into the egg mixture.

Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Toss with the egg mixture and parsley, and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Fusilli with Artichokes and Swiss Chard

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I love this dish. It’s winter and spring, and light and creamy all at the same time . . . a perfect pasta for late spring.

Fusilli with Artichokes and Swiss Chard

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup trimmed baby artichokes (or defrosted frozen artichoke hearts), quartered lengthwise
3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch Swiss chard, cleaned, stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
Sea salt and crushed red pepper
1/2 pound whole wheat fusilli pasta
1 ounce soft goat cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add the artichokes to the pan, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add shallots and garlic, and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, until all are a nice golden brown. Add Swiss chard, lemon zest, juice and broth, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Lower heat to medium, season with salt and red pepper. Cover, and cook for 10 more minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions less 1 minute. Drain and return to pot. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil into the artichoke mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Pour artichoke mixture into pasta pot and toss several times to mix well. Divide pasta amongst four bowls and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Serves 4