Category: Pasta

Rigatoni with Halibut Tomato and Basil

This recipe for Rigatoni with Halibut Tomato and Basil is loosely adapted from Marc Vetri’s cookbook, Rustic Italian Food. Last Friday, I went to Vetri for the first time. And it was hands down the best meal I’ve ever had, both food and service. I was also so terribly awkward that I’m not quite over it. Marc Vetri is one stellar chef. He opened Vetri in 1998 and 14 years later continues to wow people with the food he turns out. I was swooning over each and every plate that came out. I brought my parents for their 30th anniversary and honestly, I feel like it ended up being as much a present to myself as it was for them (sorry mom and dad!).
Vetri even came over to our table, wished my parents a happy anniversary, and signed his cookbook for me! (This is the stage where I got truly embarrassing. I absolutely turned red during this encounter. Eep). So naturally, I can’t think of anything but those delicious meals. I decided to use a recipe from his cookbook, Rustic Italian Food. I ended up using Halibut because the store I was at was out of swordfish (boo).
Ingredients:
  • 1 (16 oz) box dried rigatoni
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 (12 oz) containers heirloom tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 pound halibut, cut into large chunks
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup basil leaves, hand torn, plus additional basil leaves for garnish

Continue reading Rigatoni with Halibut Tomato and Basil

Creamy Spring Pasta

I was talking to my mom on the phone earlier this week and she mentioned she was making a creamy pasta with peas (her favorite) for dinner. Naturally, I had some taste bud jealousy and decided that I needed to have that as well this week. Cooking Light’s most recent issue had this Creamy Spring Pasta which sounded fantastic so I was able to!
Ingredients:
3 quarts water
2 ounces French bread baguette, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 batch of asparagus, cut diagonally into two inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas and carrots mixture
6 ounces fresh spinach fettuccine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the torn bread to a food processor (I just used my Magic Bullet) and process until it becomes coarse crumbs.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add one minced garlic clove to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 3 minutes, sitting frequently. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe the pan down so that you can use it again.
Your pot should now be boiling. Add the asparagus and peas and carrots to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water (you need the water to cook the pasta). Add the vegetables to a colander and rinse with cold water.
Add the olive oil to the saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic cloves and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. While the onion and garlic are cooking, add the flour to a small bowl and gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Add this to the saute pan. Also stir in the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Remove the milk mixture from heat. Add the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until the cheeses melt.
Add the pasta and reserved vegetables and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and tarragon and serve.
Doesn’t it just look like spring?
The sauce does a really great impression of a cream sauce. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between this sauce and one made with heavy cream.
I wish I had added some of the tarragon to the sauce as well to get more of that flavor, but it was still nice as little bites of tarragon flavor.
Asparagus this time of year is just perfect. It was still crisp and bright so it stood out through the cream sauce.
And the toasted bread crumbs were awesome. An extra crunch to top off the dish!

Garlicky Meatball Pasta with Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad

Despite having an Italian mother, I have never made meatballs before. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it. Whelp, at the age of 26, I believe it is time to finally get my hands dirty and make some meatballs. One of Cooking Light’s 40 Fast Menus in Under 40 Minutes had a recipe for meatballs, so I used it as my base for this recipe.
For the Pasta:
9 ounces refrigerated fettuccine
12 ounces ground sirloin
2 sausages, removed from their casings
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated
For the Salad:
1 cup chopped  red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups torn butter lettuce
1 cup sliced avocado

Because this is a very simple sauce, I’d suggest going for a premium high-quality marinara sauce.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, combine the beef, sausage meat, panko, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and egg in a medium sized bowl. The original recipe did not have the sausage included, but I thought it would add some extra flavor (I used these awesome sausages from Martin‘s in Reading Terminal- Mozzarella and Basil Sausages, amazing right?)
Shape the mixture into small meatballs. The recipe says to make 16. I ended up with 10. I wasn’t very good at the whole eyeballing-the-right-size-thing.
By now the water should be boiling. Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain over a bowl to reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (stir to flip the meatballs so they brown evenly)
Reduce the heat to medium low and add the sauce and 1/3 cup pasta water.
Cover and cook for 11 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
While waiting for the sauce to cook, combine the red onion, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Add lettuce and avocado; toss gently.
When the sauce is finished cooking, mix in the pasta and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
Serve the pasta topped with some Parmesan cheese and the salad on the side.
I love how simple this recipe is but still packs a bunch of flavor! My normal tomato sauce takes forever to make, so I’m pretty excited to have a quick sauce when I need it.
Oh. And the meatballs? Fan-tastic. I could eat these all day.
The salad was really delicious as well! There was a bit too many onions for my liking, so I might limit the amount next time I make this.
I seem to forget how yummy simple recipes can be, something I need to remember as vegetables and fruits come back in season.

Penne with Bacon Vodka Sauce

Yes, you read that title correctly. Penne with Bacon Vodka Sauce. I have wanted to make some recipes using Bakon Vodka ever since I heard of its existence. My mind immediately went to Bloody Mary’s (which I will have a post on soon), but a coworker suggested I use it for Penne Vodka. Brilliant, no?
Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon basil
2/3 cup Bakon vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 box penne pasta

Chop the shallot and garlic cloves. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cloves and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, and basil. Add the Bakon vodka and stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; it will thicken and reduce a bit.
While waiting for the sauce to reduce, boil a pot of water and cook the penne according to directions, you want the pasta al dente. After the 15 minutes have passed, add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Add the pasta and mix to combine. Cook for another minute or so to allow the sauce to absorb into the pasta.
Mmmm. Smoky goodness.
This was really tasty! The bacon vodka added a subtle smokiness, kind of like using roasted tomatoes, or smoked paprika.
It wasn’t an overpowering, punch-in-the-face kind of bacon taste though. Honestly, it might be tough to pinpoint the flavor if you didn’t know that was in it.
So if you’re really in a bacon-y mood, I’d suggest adding some crumbled bacon or pancetta on top of the finished pasta.
Print
Penne with Bacon Vodka Sauce

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 can (28 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 2/3 cup Bakon vodka
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 box penne pasta

Instructions

  1. Chop the shallot and garlic cloves. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cloves and cook for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, and basil. Add the Bakon vodka and stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; it will thicken and reduce a bit.
  3. While waiting for the sauce to reduce, boil a pot of water and cook the penne according to directions, you want the pasta al dente. After the 15 minutes have passed, add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
  4. Add the pasta and mix to combine. Cook for another minute or so to allow the sauce to absorb into the pasta.
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Artichoke, Spinach, and Feta Stuffed Shells

I have been making a bunch of freezer-friendly meals lately. You never know when you will come home and just be too exhausted to cook, and frozen meals can really save the night. This one also happens to be vegetarian. I found this recipe in an old Cooking Light. I absolutely love artichokes and spinach so I knew I’d like this!
Ingredients:
(makes 5 servings. serving size 4 shells)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers (they come in a jar)
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded provolone/mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (9-ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, minced
20 cooked jumbo shell pasta (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Cooking spray

Cook the shell pasta according to directions on the box. Drain and set aside on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil so they don’t stick together. Take a 13×9 cooking dish and spray it with cooking spray.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Add the oregano, pepperoncini peppers, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup provolone/mozzarella (I used “pizza” cheese) and the feta, cream cheese, black pepper, artichokes, spinach, and garlic.
To make it easier to fill the shells, add the mixture to a ziplock bag. Close the bag, and snip off one of the bottom corners.
Pipe the mixture into the shells. (Note: some of the artichokes might get stuck a bit while doing this so be careful you don’t end up with more mixture than you want coming out!) Add the stuffed shells to a 13×9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Spoon the tomato mixture over the shells.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese melts.
You can freeze them after stuffing the shells, freezing the tomato mixture separately and doing the last few steps later. I personally prefer frozen meals that can just be popped into the microwave or oven and the only additional step is that I have to consume the meal.
This is really an awesome recipe. I usually only have plain stuffed shells with tomato sauce and cheese so I liked the addition of the spinach and artichokes. The peppers added a little bit of pizazz to the dish without making them really spicy. (You can leave them out if you don’t want a little heat).
I did, however, crave a little bit of extra sauce (I love love sauce), so I’d suggest adding another can of puree to the mix. Past that, a good solid recipe!

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Artichoke & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Well, that’s quite a long title for a dish. I don’t really know what else to call it though, this recipe was a result of me trying to make a meal with what I had on hand. I was send some chicken from Gold’n Plump, and one of the options was  Lemon Pepper Seasoned Boneless Skinless Breast Fillets. I had some tarragon left over from my Salmon Croquettes and I thought the lemon pepper seasoning would go perfectly with that, along with some sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
Ingredients (this makes two servings):
2 lemon pepper seasoned boneless skinless breast fillets
1/2 box pasta of your choice (I used fusilli)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cream
4 artichoke hearts, quartered
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
the juice of one lemon

Gold’n Plump’s chicken is individually packaged, which is awesome for people who live alone or do not have a family of four. I tend to not buy chicken because I never manage to finish the four fillets usually included in one package. The individual servings allow me to take what I need and freeze the rest for later use.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and the green onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the cream, sun dried tomatoes, tarragon, and artichoke hearts.
Cover and simmer on medium low for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. While the cream mixture is simmering, heat a grill pan (or a saute pan if you don’t have a grill pan) over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
The chicken will not be fully cooked through. Slice into thin strips and add to the cream mixture. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Add the pasta to the cream mixture and toss to coat.
Add the mozzarella cheese. Cook for another 1-3 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce, and to let the cheese melt.
Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon juice in to the dish. Mix and serve.
Despite the cream, the flavor of the chicken still shone through, it was really nice! I loved having such a nice amount of flavor from the chicken without having to remember to marinate it beforehand.
Artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and tarragon work so well together.
You could have this dish without the pasta, but I like it to soak up all of that yummy sauce.

Note: Although the Lemon Pepper Chicken is available in some markets, it is not available in the Philadelphia area. However, Targets in the area do carry the following Gold’n Plump products:

  • All Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts
  • Extra Tender Boneless Skinless Breasts
  • 90/10 Ground Chicken
  • All Natural Drumsticks
  • All Natural Whole Chicken
  • Extra Tender Tenders
  • All Natural Wings
  • All Natural Boneless Skinless Thighs

Creamy Lemon Pasta with Vegetables

Pasta is definitely one of my weaknesses. I would eat it every day if it was socially acceptable to do so. But alas, all those carbs probably wouldn’t be best. Adding vegetables to a pasta dish always makes me feel a little bit better about my choice though. MyRecipes.com had an awesome sounding recipe for Creamy Lemon Pasta with Vegetables.


Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup whole cream
Zest and juice from 3 lemons
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
16 ounces spinach fusilli pasta
2 pounds trimmed asparagus
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Season with salt. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces.
Add the asparagus to a steamer and add it to the pot. Cover and steam for 3 minutes. Set aside. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Add the olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk, cream, zest, and juice from 3 lemons. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Cook the pasta according to package label directions while the cream mixture is simmering. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add the cream mixture to the pasta and stir to coat.
Add the Parmesan cheese, asparagus and tomatoes and mix to combine.
Serve with more cheese and lemon zest, if desired.
This dish includes some of my favorite flavors! You can use normal pasta but I thought that the spinach pasta would add nice flavor and color.
The asparagus stays crispy which is nice with the creamy pasta.
The tomatoes add a burst of bright flavor which makes it feel really fresh.
The lemon flavor is throughout the whole dish but isn’t overwhelming at all.
Plus, look how pretty it is!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

So I realized today that this post for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is my 200th! How crazy is that? Okay, back to your regular programing… time for an awesome recipe for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese!
Winter weather really makes me crave comfort food. When it snows (like it did this weekend) my need for comfort food escalates.
I’ve been looking for any excuse to make another mac and cheese recipe, so I jumped at the chance to make it during the snow.
I originally printed out this recipe from Cooking Light, but I changed it so much to fit what I could find it’s barely recognizable. The overall method is basically the same though.
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 1/4 cups 1% low fat milk
  • 1 box uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 4 ounces cubed sharp cheddar cheese
  • 4ounces cubed gouda cheese
  • Panko breadcrumbs
  • Grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh parsley, chopped

Continue reading Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels in a Red Pepper Sauce

I’m on a slight mussel kick at the moment. I can’t stop thinking about Eulogy’s beer mussels, Bona Cucina’s mussels in white wine, and most recently, a mussels in red sauce I had back in college. I found a recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels in a Red Pepper Sauce in an old Cooking Light I thought I’d try. I was hoping for a slightly spicy dish, so I altered some of the ingredients.
Ingredients:
  • 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 bag mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. Drain, and keep warm.
I wrote in my paella post how to clean and debeard mussels. It’s not terribly complicated, but it took me a while to be ok with debearding. Once the mussels are cleaned and debearded, you can begin cooking.
Add olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Chop your onion, garlic and bell peppers.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the bell pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Remove the tomatoes from the can, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, liquid, and wine to the pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add mussels, increase the heat to medium and cover.
Cook for 7 minutes or until the shells begin to open.  If any do not open, throw those out; do not eat them. Add the pasta to the same pot and mix to coat with the sauce.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
When I first tried this, I didn’t add any cheese. And there was a little something just missing. It was ok, but somewhat bland.
I’d add a bit more spice next time. Maybe more red pepper flakes, or even a few drops of hot sauce.
My boyfriend suggested adding Parmesan cheese, and it did really help the flavor of the dish, so be sure to add some at the end!
This could be a really stellar recipe with a few modifications. What would you add to change this from a three star recipe to a five star recipe?
Print
Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels in a Red Pepper Sauce

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 a yellow onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 bag mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. Drain, and keep warm.
  2. Clean and debeard the mussels.
  3. Add olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Chop your onion, garlic and bell peppers.
  4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the bell pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
  6. Remove the tomatoes from the can, reserving the liquid. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, liquid, and wine to the pan and bring to a boil.
  7. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add mussels, increase the heat to medium and cover.
  8. Cook for 7 minutes or until the shells begin to open. If any do not open, throw those out; do not eat them. Add the pasta to the same pot and mix to coat with the sauce.
  9. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
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Liberté at Sofitel Philadelphia’s Chestnut Ravioli

I am lucky to live in such a food city. Everywhere around me, there are restaurants that deliver seemingly effortless food with beautiful presentation. Twice a year, center city hosts Restaurant Week, with pre fixe meals at many restaurants around the city. Recently, Center City District and Philly Homegrown compiled a free recipe book of meals offered during Restaurant Week. I would love to take the time to make each and every one of these recipes, but for now, I’ll start with Liberté at Sofitel Philadelphia‘s Chestnut Ravioli. The chestnut ravioli is served on top of a sweet potato puree, drizzled with a sage cream sauce, and topped with pancetta and crispy sage. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect winter meal?
Ingredients:
Ravioli –
 2 lasagna sheets of fresh pasta (in Philly, try By George in Reading Terminal)
 1 handful of sage leaves, chopped
 4 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites)
 6 ounces chestnuts, cooked
 2 tablespoons maple syrup
 Salt, to taste
Sauce –
 1 handful of sage, chopped
 1 pint heavy cream
 2 ounces white wine
Sweet Potato Puree –
 1 large sweet potato
 1 tablespoon butter
Garnish –
 4 slices panectta or bacon
 sage leaves
 olive oil

Begin to preparing your chestnuts. Using a paring knife, cut an X into the flat side of each chestnut. There are a few layers in a chestnut so don’t be afraid to cut pretty deep into the chestnut.
This is so while cooking, air can escape and the chestnuts wont explode. Add the chestnuts to a pot of unsalted boiling water. Boil for 15 – 20 minutes.
Remove the chestnuts from the water and allow to cool enough to be handled. (They will begin to peel back after being removed from the water.
When cool enough to touch, peel the shells off of the chestnuts.
Take 1/2 of the chestnuts and roughly chop.
Add the other 1/2 of the chestnuts to a food processor (I used a magic bullet) and blend until finely chopped.
Add the egg yolks, chopped sage and maple syrup to a medium bowl, mixing to combine. Add all of the chestnuts to the mixture.
Place one lasagna sheet on a floured surface. Add about 1 teaspoon of the chestnut mixture 6 times, spread evenly apart. With the reserved egg whites, brush around the filling.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the second lasagna sheet a bit more so that it is slightly larger than the first piece. Carefully lay the sheet over the first one making sure that there are no air bubbles. Using a ravoli stamp, press down around each filling.
Use a knife to cut around the ravioli stamp. Inspect the edges of the ravioli to make sure they are sealed (you can just use your fingertips to seal any edges that need to be closed). Set aside.
To make the sweet potato puree, peel a sweet potato and add to salted boiling water. (You can cut it into smaller pieces to make it cook faster… I honestly don’t know why I didn’t. Weird.)
Cook until fork tender (about 10-15 minutes). Pour out the water and add the sweet potato back to the pot over low heat. This will remove the rest of the water that might still be in the sweet potato.
Use a ricer to mash the sweet potato. Add the butter and mix to combine.
Add the puree to a plastic zip lock bag and set aside.
To make the sauce, add the white wine to a small pot. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cream and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the chopped sage and cook until the cream reduces by half.
To make the garnish, add the pancetta to a saute pan over low heat. Place a smaller pan on top while the pancetta cooks so that it can’t curl up.
When the pancetta is crispy, remove from heat. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sage leaves and cook until crispy.
Bring a salted pot of water to a low boil. Add the ravioli and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain.
To assemble, take the zip lock bag of sweet potato puree and cut off one of the lower corners. Pipe two thin parallel lines of sweet potato puree onto a plate. You want them about ravioli width apart. Add the ravioli in between the two lines and spoon the sauce over the ravioli. Top with pancetta and crispy sage leaves.
I’m pretty sure I used every pot and pan in my place to make this dish. As I was making it, tasting each part, I was a bit worried about how this would all turn out. Chestnuts, sweet potatoes, cream, sage and pancetta?
The flavors were FANTASTIC. Wow. It was a lot of work but I am so happy with how it turned out.
My sweet potato puree was a bit too chunky for my liking, but oh well.
This recipe is usually an appetizer, but I thought I’d make it into a meal by adding 3 to a plate instead of one.

Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce

Have you ever bought a bunch of ingredients just because they sounded good? I try to stick to a list, but this time I couldn’t help myself. I found fresh spinach spaghetti and it just sounded so wonderful, I had to buy it. I wanted to make a simple but flavorful dish so I was pretty happy to find salmon as well. I already had heavy cream and parsley in my fridge so this recipe for Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce was the result!
Ingredients:
  • 1 package fresh spinach spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 8 oz fillet of salmon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • freshly grated Parmesan

Continue reading Spinach Spaghetti with Salmon Cream Sauce

Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce

Are you getting sick of my pumpkin recipes? I think this recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce actually brings me to over a dozen posts on pumpkin-flavored desserts/meals. I wasn’t lying when I said I was pumpkin obsessed! Anyways, I’ve been trying to make this recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce from Cooking Light for almost 2 weeks, but for the life of me could not find wonton wrappers. I finally just adapted the recipe to use fresh pasta sheets from By George in Reading Terminal.

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
6 pieces of fresh pasta lasagna sheets, rolled thinner if desired (I used pumpkin pasta, no surprise there!) – about 1 lb.
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon egg substitute or one egg, mixed
3 tablespoons hazelnuts, chopped
Fresh sage leaves for garnish

Note: It would be super helpful to have a ravioli stamp, (or ideally, to have a ravioli maker!) but you can get the same results by pressing firmly and separating using a knife.

 

To make the Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce, add a salted pot of water to your stove over high heat. Bring to a boil.

Begin by making the ravioli stuffing. Add the pumpkin, panko, Parmesan, minced sage, salt, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg to a bowl. Mix to combine.

If you’d prefer to make the pasta as thin as possible, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough even more. Place a generous teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture on one sheet of pasta, evenly spaced (I used my stamp as a guide). My sheets were able to hold about 6 teaspoons of the pumpkin mixture.
Using a brush, surround the pumpkin mixture with a thin layer of eggwash. This will help hold the pasta pieces together.

Place another lasagna sheet on top of the original sheet, covering the pumpkin mixture.

Using the ravioli stamp, press firmly around each pocket of pumpkin mixture. If you do not have a ravioli stamp, just use your hands.
Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the ravioli into individual pieces. Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture and lasagna sheets.
Your pot should now be boiling. Add half of the ravioli to the pot. Cook for about six minutes or until the ravioli begins to rise to the top.
While waiting for the past to cook, make your sauce. Add the milk and flour to a saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute until it thinks slightly.
 

Remove from heat. Add the butter, stirring until it fully melts. Stir in the crumbled Gorgonzola. Add more minced sage leaves if you’d like.

Add 6 ravioli each to three plates. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons  of the Gorgonzola sauce.  Add a teaspoon of chopped hazelnuts, a few sage leaves, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

This Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola Saucewas pretty darn good. I think it could handle a boost in nutmeg though; there was something missing from the overall flavor of the dish.

I strongly suggest adding a lot of sage leaves to the plate, a bite of fresh sage with every forkful was delicious!
I liked using fresh pasta instead of wontons; wontons tend to break apart in the cooking process, especially with a heavier filling like pumpkin.
I wish I knew what ingredient would really kick this recipe up from good to great; please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments!

Gnocchi

I have wanted to try to make gnocchi for some time now. Luckily, I am part of a food swap and they were willing to let me experiment on them. Here’s hoping they turned out well! I used this article as a base for my recipe.
Note: I actually made the gnocchi twice because I wasn’t happy with the original result. I used smaller potatoes the first time (see below photo) and I found that the normal Idaho potatoes were much better for this recipe. (Special thanks to my boyfriend for a lot of his help during the making of the gnocchi)

Ingredients:
3 large russet (Idaho) potatoes, scrubbed
1 egg yolk
About 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Begin by pricking each potato all over with a fork. This will allow some of the heat to escape while it is baking in the oven.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about an hour and a half, or until the potatoes are soft.
 
After removing the potatoes from the oven, cut each potato in half to allow the steam to escape.
While the potatoes are still warm, scoop out the insides into a potato ricer into a bowl.
Place the potatoes onto a clean work surface, like your counter, and form into a rectangle and allow to cool enough that they are not hot to touch.
Season the potatoes generously with pepper. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and drizzle the over the potatoes.
Measure 1 1/2 cups flour and sprinkle a bit of flour over the potatoes as needed (the less flour you use the better). Using a pastry scraper, mix the flour and egg into the potatoes by chopping everything up and folding it in on itself, until well mixed. The dough should sort of resemble coarse crumbs.
Bring the mixture together into a ball.
Sprinkle some on the work surface. Place the dough on top and flatten into a disk.
Dust the dough with more flour. Using your hands, fold and press the dough until the flour is incorporated. Do this two more times, incorporating the flour each time. If the dough still feels sticky, repeat once more.
Divide the dough into four equal parts.
Roll each section into a long thin roll, about 1/2″ thick.

Cut into 1/2″ to 1″ pieces.

Because I was making these for a food swap, I arranged all the pieces on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil and put them in the freezer overnight.
I then divided the gnocchi into freezer bags and popped them back into the freezer.
To cook, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and top with whatever you prefer: tomato sauce, pesto, butter, etc. (I’m a big fan of tomato sauce with some pesto mixed in, yum!)

I tried a few of these and they were pretty good! I hope that they continue to get better as I make them but I thought this recipe turned out well, here’s hoping those in the food swap agree!

Fettuccine with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ever since the first week of my CSA share, I have anxiously awaited the arrival of fresh tomatoes.  This week, I received my first batch! The share came with a bag of Roma tomatoes, a bag of Red tomatoes, and a pint of Sungold cherry tomatoes so expect quite a few tomato recipes to be posted in the coming days. Because this is my first real batch of in season tomatoes, I wanted to begin with a meal that would highlight how fresh these little guys are. Food & Wine’s Fusilli with Summer Tomato Sauce seemed like the perfect choice.
Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 4), chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil
1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat a pasta pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Roughly chop your tomatoes and mince the garlic.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper to a food processor and puree.
Add the basil and pulse to mix.
Add salt to the pasta pot so that the pasta doesn’t stick together while cooking. Add the pasta. The original recipe used fusilli. If you use this, cook according to the directions on the box. I used a fresh fettuccine pasta I picked up at By George! in Reading Terminal because I thought it might soak up the sauce better.
Drain the pasta and toss with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Set aside for one minute so the pasta can absorb the liquid.
Top with additional Parmesan and serve.
Wow. I wish a quick batch of pasta always tasted this good. I was stunned with how delicious this was for so little work. (Honestly, the longest part of the process was waiting for the water to come to a boil). I really do believe that the fresh pasta is a way to go for this dish.
The tomato sauce is super thin, so if you prefer a chunky sauce, you might want to finely chop another tomato and put it to the side. Add the chopped tomato to the puree when you are mixing it with the pasta.

Zucchini Fusilli

Zucchini is another one of my favorite summer vegetables. It always taste so fresh and light, and really brightens up a meal. I usually just saute zucchini and summer squash or grill it, so I was in search of a recipe that actually incorporated zucchini into the main meal versus it just being a side. Sunset magazine had this delicious sounding recipe for Zucchini Fusilli.

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium sized zucchini
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tbsp. salt, divided
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 box fusilli
  • 1 cup fresh finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz.), divided
Continue reading Zucchini Fusilli
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