Tag: Rigatoni

Rigatoni Sausage Arrabbiata

If you follow my posts somewhat regularly, you know that pasta is a very important part of my life. In fact, it gets its own day each week. Every Sunday is pasta night in my house!

I tend to make big batches of Meatballs in Tomato Sauce so we always have some on hand in the freezer, but there are many a Sunday where I open my freezer only to realize I am completely sauce-less. So this recipe for Rigatoni Sausage Arrabbiata is perfect for the nights I want to whip up a quick pasta dinner in no time without sacrificing flavor!

I started making this recipe when I came across Wilmington-based Rockford Catering‘s Tomato Sauce, made by owner and Chef John Wigton. John grew up in Northern Delaware and received his Culinary Arts Degree from Delaware Technical Community College. He has worked in the hospitality business for 20+ years and established Rockford Catering in 2017. And his sauce is legit!

The chunky tomato sauce is flavored with onions, garlic, and basil, and is really great on its own heated up over pasta.

Rockford Catering also (obviously) provides catering services, like this tasty Valentine’s Day menu currently available. Even better, they deliver! The tomato sauce can be delivered (at no additional cost) anywhere within the state of Delaware and within a 45-minute radius of Wilmington or Rehoboth Beach. Order online here.

Rockford Catering’s sauce is vegetarian (they also sell a vegan version), so I decided to add in some hot Italian sausage from my local butcher to enhance the flavor. The result is this super easy Rigatoni Sausage Arrabbiata recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 oz) box rigatoni
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 lb hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing (I love that Primal Supply sells it already out of the casing!)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 (32oz) jar tomato sauce, like Rockford Catering’s Tomato Sauce
  • fresh basil, for garnish

Continue reading Rigatoni Sausage Arrabbiata

Rigatoni Alla Vodka

My husband absolutely loves Pasta in Vodka Sauce. I don’t make it terribly often, but it is a really simple and delicious dish to make at home, so I figured it was time to share my recipe for Rigatoni Alla Vodka!

“Traditional” vodka sauce includes tomatoes, herbs, and vodka, although every one I’ve ever come across also has a cream element to it as well.

The history of this sauce doesn’t go terribly far back — it was invented in the 70’s either in New York or Italy, depending on who you ask.

This version adds a bit of smokiness from pancetta and some heat from red pepper flakes to the luxurious tomato vodka cream sauce to make a truly wonderful pasta dish!

Ingredients:

  • salt
  • 1 (16 oz) box rigatoni
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 oz diced pancetta
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup vodka (I used Stateside Vodka)
  • 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Continue reading Rigatoni Alla Vodka

Soup Joumou (Haitian Beef and Squash Soup)

Happy New Year! There are a bunch of traditional dishes around the world to help usher in a new year. In past years, I’ve shared a Black Eyed Peas Hash, Black Eyed Peas with Collard Greens, and a bunch of recipe for what to do with the leftover champagne (assuming you have any), like this Champagne Risotto Primavera and these Honey Citrus Champagne Cupcakes.

Some traditional dishes eaten on New Year’s Day have less to do with the new year and more to do with a country’s history. So this year, I’m sharing my adaptation of an Independence Stew from Haiti. Celebrated every January 1, Haiti proclaimed independence from French colonials on New Year’s Day 1804 following a 13 year revolution. Soup Joumou, a comforting stew traditionally made with beef, pumpkin, pasta, and a bunch of veggies and spices, has become a New Year’s Day dish to commemorate Haiti’s independence.

I adapted this recipe from Epicurious, scaling it down quite a bit and swapping butternut squash for the pumpkin because I couldn’t find any pumpkin that wasn’t already pureed.

 

Ingredients:

Marinade:

  • 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 bell pepper (any color), coarsely chopped
  • 1 scallion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup parsley leaves
  • 1 basil leaf
  • the juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Remaining Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, divided
  • 1 pound stew beef cubes
  • 7 cups chicken or beef broth, divided
  • 2 beef bones
  • 1 pound butternut squash, cut into cubes
  • 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound), finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, sliced
  • 1/4 small green cabbage (about 1/2 pound), very thinly sliced
  • 1/2 small onion, sliced
  • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  • 1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped
  • 1 small turnip, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon habanero chile hot sauce, or to taste
  • 1 cup uncooked rigatoni
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 parsley sprig (optional)
  • 1 thyme sprig (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omit to make dairy free)

Continue reading Soup Joumou (Haitian Beef and Squash Soup)

Smoked Chicken Riggies

Chicken Riggies is a pasta dish native to Utica, NY consisting of chicken, peppers, and rigatoni in a spicy tomato-cream sauce. So why exactly is a Philadelphia-based blog posting a version of Smoked Chicken Riggies?

I had my first taste of this dish while visiting Utica earlier this year and loved how comforting the dish is!

A few months prior, I also had the opportunity to try some dishes from Cry Baby Pasta, an Italian restaurant that recently opened in Queen Village. Since then, I’ve been back for dinner as well, the food it awesome!

Source: Drew Callaghan

The restaurant, owed by restaurateurs Bridget Foy and Paul Rodriguez, offers a casual and warm atmosphere with a menu focusing on Italian fare prepared by husband-and-wife team chefs David Gilberg and Carla Concalves. (Gilberg and Concalves’ previous restaurant Koo Zee Doo was one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Philadelphia!)

Source: Society Hill Farms

The menu’s Italian fare is a mixture of traditional Italian dishes along with influences from Gilberg’s upbringing in Rochester, NY. Favorite items of mine include the meatballs with tomato and smoked ricotta, Bainbridge greens (Gilberg’s twist on Utica greens), the grilled sardine brochette, and, of course, the Rigatoni with vodka sauce, pancetta, smoked chicken and cherry peppers– an elevated version of Chicken Riggies.

Source: Kory Aversa

My version, Smoked Chicken Riggies, is an at-home version of Cry Baby Pasta’s dish. Chicken Riggies (especially when using smoked chicken sausage and pancetta) has a ton of flavor and comes together in no time, perfect for weeknight meals!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12 oz) package fully cooked smoked chicken sausage (can substitute in shredded rotisserie chicken)
  • 1 (16 oz) box rigatoni
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 oz diced pancetta
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, if you like it spicy)
  • 1/2 cup vodka (can substitute in chicken broth)
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish

Continue reading Smoked Chicken Riggies

Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni

Whew. I am having a crazy busy month, so unfortunately my cooking is suffering. I can never have too many weeknight meal options (ie. meals that can be on the table in 30 minutes or less) at my disposal, so here’s another quick and easy dinner that comes together quickly- Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni! I tend to usually make chicken or seafood recipes, so I am finally doing a quick beef recipe!

 

This recipe for Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni uses Hillshire Farm’s Beef Smoked Sausage to add some yummy flavor to a quick fire roasted chunky tomato sauce. It’s a great alternative to chicken to snazz up a midweek meal.

The beef sausage cooks up in no time. Using the same pan to cook the sausage and to make the sauce gives the sauce a subtle smoky flavor that’s so tasty!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (16 oz) box rigatoni, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 package Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage, cut into slices
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped (~1 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • grated Parmesan cheese, optional

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Hillshire. This could include Hillshire providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment. Continue reading Smoked Sausage with Rigatoni

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

Exit mobile version