Tag Archives: pasta

Leek, Lemon and Cauliflower Fettuccine

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I’m a big fan of cooking cauliflower until it’s almost creamy … especially in pasta dishes like this one. It becomes part of the sauce, adding heft and health to just a handful of fettuccine.

leek-cauiliflower-fettuccine-pasta

1 cup thinly sliced leeks (tender white parts only)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
12 ounces fettuccine (preferably whole grain)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 lemon (Meyer lemon is great), zested and juiced
1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
Flake sea salt
1/4 cup snipped chives

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Pour 1/4 cup water into a large skillet over medium heat, and add leeks and cauliflower. Cover and cook for 4 minutes, until cauliflower is just becoming tender. Start cooking pasta. Drizzle olive oil into the pan with the cauliflower and toss with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until cauliflower and leek start to color a bit and cauliflower becomes fork tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup water. Pour the pasta water into the pan with the cauliflower and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and swirl in the butter, lemon zest and juice. Pour pasta back into the pot and scrape cauliflower mixture over it. Mix very well using tongs and a stiff spatula. Add cheese and toss again.

Divide the pasta mixture among four plates and top with flake sea salt, chives and additional cheese if desired.

Serves 4

Pasta with Summer Squash, Sausage and Pesto

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I pulled this pasta together one night when I had leftover sausage and summer squash in the fridge and a daughter eager to help out in the kitchen–the pesto came as much as an activity as an element of the dish. We went to the garden together to pick the basil and Noemi pounded the pesto together in our mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a blender and add warm water by the tablespoon as needed to blend.

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Busy Night Menu for 4

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‘Twas the weekend before Christmas and all through the house … everyone was in a flurry of activity. We know what it’s like– a weekend packed with activity, from holiday parties to shopping expeditions to marathon gift-wrapping sessions. Who has time to cook, much less eat? You do, with our streamlined, super-easy Busy Night Menu for 4.

To start:

Whip up a jar of Lia’s Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette. Use some to dress a simple green salad for dinner tonight, and keep the rest on hand for suppers during the week.

Main event:

My Brussels Sprouts Carbonara with Whole Wheat Fusilli is one of our favorite go-to winter dinners. It’s creamy, comforting and filling. And ready in about 20 minutes. Open a bottle of Chardonnay to pour with this dish.

To finish:

Keep things super-simple and make a platter of Lia’s Chocolate Crostini with Orange Zest and Sea Salt. They’ll satisfy a yen for something sweet and get you out of the kitchen so you can put your feet up and watch a It’s a Wonderful Life or, if you’re in my house, Bad Santa!

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

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This dish is the epitome of comfort for me (it’s also a great example of my “double-up/halvsies” guideline) and is a tradition for Christopher and me upon returning from the road. For us, any season of the year really, this bowl says “welcome home.”

1 spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
Sea salt, to taste
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
2 bunches of broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Finishing salt (such as Maldon salt) OR grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Sauté sausage in a large pot over medium heat until browned, breaking up into pieces with the edge of a spatula. Set sausage aside to drain on paper towel and wipe out the pot. Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil with a generous pinch of salt.

While waiting for water to boil, mash the garlic to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Whisk in chile flakes, olive oil and chicken stock, and set aside.

When the water comes to a rapid boil, pour the pasta into the pot. Cook for 8 minutes and add broccoli rabe to pot. Cook another 3 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and broccoli rabe, return to the pot and toss with the garlic and olive oil over low heat. Add sausage and toss well.

Top with an extra dose of sea salt (Maldon is our favorite) or a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Serves 4

Baked Penne and Cheese with Mushrooms

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I love homemade macaroni and cheese  (or, in this case, penne and cheese) and wasn’t about to let a sprained wrist get in the way. Pre-chopped onions and mushrooms, pre-shredded cheese, and a garlic press meant I could make this without picking up a knife. A speedy sprinkling of toasted wheat germ takes the place of bread crumbs. You can use any vegetables and any blend of cheese you like–experiment to change up the flavor!

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Pasta with Asparagus and Prosciutto

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This pasta recipe is springtime in a bowl–use the freshest asparagus you can find. You’ll be amazed by how much richness and flavor just one egg yolk can bring to a dish.

pasta-asparagus-prosciutto-recipe

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup water
Sea salt, to taste
1-1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and then sliced crosswise into narrow ribbons
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Prepare pasta according to package directions, cutting back 2 minutes on cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, bring 1/4 cup salted water to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until asparagus is just crisp-tender. Drain into a colander and return pan to heat.

Swirl in oil and when hot, add garlic and prosciutto. Sauté for 1 minute and add asparagus back to pan. Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until asparagus just begins to char in places and garlic and prosciutto have crisped.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water, egg yolk, Parmesan cheese and chicken stock.

Return drained pasta to pot over medium-low heat. Add egg mixture and toss. Add asparagus mixture, salt to taste and toss again. Cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and starts to stick to pasta, adding additional pasta water by tablespoon intervals if sauce seems dry. Toss with parsley just before serving.

Serves 4

Trennette Pasta with Tuna, Lemon, Capers and Spinach

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Trennette is a three-sided, quill-shaped pasta that is a fun shape to use with chunky sauces. If you can’t find it, use penne rigate.

trenette-tuna-recipe3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
Zest of 1 whole lemon, plus 1 teaspoon juice
1/2 pound trenette pasta
1/2 pound spinach
1 (8-ounce) can high-quality, sustainably-caught tuna in olive oil, removed from oil and broken into large chunks
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Sea salt and red pepper flakes

Whisk together the garlic, olive oil, vegetable broth and lemon juice. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Three minutes before pasta is done, add the spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before straining.

Toss the pasta gently with the sauce, lemon zest, tuna and capers. Add pasta water tablespoon by tablespoon if needed. Season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes.

Serves 4

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