Linguine with Raw Tomato Sauce

(from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

This is a great spin on everyday tomato sauce. It's great for our new Berkeley surroundings, where we have access to super-fresh produce - in this case, particularly Berkeley Bowl heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden (although I already killed the first basil plant and am on my second; a green thumb, I don't have!). 

This basically has all the usual components of tomato-basil sauce - tomatoes, garlic, basil - you just don't cook any of it. The garlic becomes more potent, and it's wonderfully fresh and light. The pasta warms the sauce up. It reminds us of the sauce at D'Amico and Sons in Minnesota, a favorite of Joef's when he was growing up.

So, it's quick, fresh, yummy:
2 cups roughly chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed and then chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 lb pasta
Parmesan cheese for serving

Start your water boiling and salt it. In a large bowl (with a broad, flat bottom, and ideally enough room to hold all the pasta), combine and mash the tomatoes, oil, salt/pepper, garlic, and half the basil. (I use a large, wooden muddler) Don't mash it so much that it becomes a puree - just break it down and combine the flavors a little. The sauce can sit for up to two hours like this (or you can use it right away).

After the pasta is cooked, ladle a little pasta water into the sauce to warm it up and thin it out a little. Bittman removes the garlic at this point (he just smashes it, doesn't chop it) - I think I left it in. Toss the pasta in the sauce, adjust the seasoning as needed, top with the rest of the basil, and serve with parmesan cheese.

"Greek" Pasta Salad

Last week, Joef graduated from the Yale School of Management. I'm wildly proud of him, and feel very lucky to have been able to spend two years with such a fascinating and fantastic group of people. Joef's parents, sister, and our youngest nephew came into town to celebrate with us, and we knew where we wanted to take them: The Place in Guilford. I've actually only been there once, last summer, and I've been wanting to take Joef since then. It's an all-outdoor restaurant with a giant firepit in the middle of bunches of tables with tree stumps for chairs. They serve grilled clams, lobster, salmon, chicken, shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and delicious desserts. Shattered clam shells serve as flooring, and it's just great.

It's also a BYO type of place, from beverages to sides to, well, pretty much whatever you want. I decided to put together a quick pasta salad, something I'd seen Rachel Ray throw together on TV a few years back. It's simple and delicious, and great as leftovers the next day. It complemented our grilled salmon in aluminum foil and clams with butter just right. It's an "eyeball it" type of recipe, so here's approximately what you need:

3/4-1lb orzo pasta, cooked
1 package grape/cherry tomatoes
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
Kalamata olives, however many you want
Feta cheese sprinkles, sprinkled generously
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

You guessed it: just prep the ingredients and mix them all together, using a 2:1 or ratio on the olive oil: vinegar. Picnic time!

Peas, Mushrooms, and Prosciutto Sauce with Cream

(adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

Hooray! Italian food! Pasta! Carbohydrates! Honestly, I love all kinds of food, but if I've gone too long without pasta, things get ugly. I just need it. It's my core diet.

I had never tried making a cream sauce before (well, I did a makeshift - but yummy - alfredo or two in college). I had a sense of what I wanted to do, and I read Marcella's recipe for "Peas, Peppers, and Prosciutto Sauce with Cream" to get a sense of the basics and then improvised. While I'm sure I didn't improve on Marcella (is such a thing possible?), this was really delicious. Great for a chilly winter evening, when you need a little fattening up.

This is fast, so you can start the water boiling while you prep the ingredients.

1/2 package mushrooms, sliced and maybe halved
2-3 tbsp butter
4-6 thin slices prosciutto, torn into strips
1 cup small frozen peas, thawed
1 cup light cream ("healthy"!)
Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4-1lb pasta

Start by sauteeing the mushrooms in the butter over medium heat with a little salt and ground pepper. When they've softened, add the prosciutto and cook for about a minute. Stir in the peas, cooking for another minute.

Add the cream, along with salt to taste an another grinding of pepper, plus your pinch of nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens.

Toss the sauce with your pasta and add the parmesan and stir. Serve and devour!

Pasta with Eggplant and Ricotta, Sicilian-Style

(adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

I've raved about Marcella before, but man. She just never fails. I could randomly point to a recipe in her book, and it would be amazing. If I could have only one cookbook for the rest of my life, it'd be this one.

I obviously have a pasta bias, and this recipe was great, because it was a little different from the usual pastas I make. More steps than the usual pasta, too - but worth it.

Usually I follow Marcella's recipes to the letter, but I accidentally bought too little eggplant (one instead of two - although one ended up fine), and didn't have any romano cheese (substitute parmesan). I did, however, actually peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds, steps I usually would have skipped. Worth it!

1-2 Italian eggplants (preparation required)
Salt
Vegetable oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced very thin
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
5 Italian plum tomatoes, skinned with a peeler, split lengthwise to pick out the seeds, and cut into narrow strips
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp grated romano cheese (alt: parmesan)
3 tbsp skim ricotta (mmm, I am newly a big fan of ricotta)
8-10 fresh basil leaves
3/4 lb pasta
Grated parmesan for serving

Start by prepping the eggplant. Cut off the spiky cap. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1.5-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a colander and set over a paper towel, then sprinkle cubes liberally with salt. Let the eggplant sit for at least a 1/2 hour and up to 1 hour. This draws out the bitterness of the eggplant.

Rinse the eggplant cubes in cold water, then dry them in a paper towel in batches - you can put them in the paper towel and squeeze them gently, almost like you're wringing them out. Set aside once you've rinsed all of them.

Put enough vegetable oil in a large frying pan to come up about 1/2 an inch on the sides of the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is very hot, slip in the eggplant pieces and fry them until the pieces feel tender when prodded with a fork. Transfer with a slotted spatula to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Pour the oil out of the frying pan and wipe clean with paper towels. Add the olive oil and sliced onion, and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute the onion until it turns light gold in color and begins to caramelize, then add the chopped garlic and cook for just a few seconds, stirring.

Add the tomato, turn the heat to high, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until the oil floats free from the tomato (this will make sense when you see it).

Add the eggplant and a few grindings of pepper, stir, and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for just a minute or so more, stirring a couple times. Taste and add salt if needed.

Toss the cooked and drained pasta with the sauce, add the romano/parmesan, the ricotta, and the basil leaves. Toss again to coat the pasta, and serve with grated parmesan.

Pappardelle with Veal Ragu

(adapted from the Chicago Tribune)

I was home a few weekends back for my best friend's wedding (hooray, Ali and Patrick!!), and Joef and I were lucky enough to enjoy a homemade meal with my parents while we were at it. My dad made something new for us - a recipe out of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. An unlikely source, admittedly - and it just goes to show that you shouldn't rule anything out, because this is fantastic. It's perfect for fall weekend evenings, when you have a little time and feel like filling your home with delicious aromas. And when it's time to eat, that's even better.

So this does have a slightly longer cooking time than most of my recipes. It's worth it, though. Joef scarfed it down both at my parents' house, and when we made it at home a week later. (So did I.) The veal makes it a little more delicate than beef (which you could use, if you wanted...ohhhh, or lamb...), but it's still very hearty. And even though it has a longer cooking time, it's mostly a prep-and-wait kind of thing - not too much to do once you've put it on the stove.

For six servings:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, finely sliced (or equivalent in baby carrots - 10 or so)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, halved and finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound pancetta, thickly sliced, and then diced
1 lb veal shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces (I actually could only find pre-chopped veal stew, which worked fine. I still cut the cubes into even smaller pieces - halved them, in most cases.)
1 cup dry red wine
1 28 oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 sprig rosemary (or equivalent dried)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I added another 1/2 tsp or so habanero flakes)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 lb pappardelle
Freshly grated parmesan

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic, along with salt and pepper, and cook until softened. Set aside (you could also just leave it all in the pot and be fine). Add 2 more tbsp of the olive oil and add the pancetta, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown. Add the veal and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the wine and cook, stirring, for about a minute before adding the reserved onions/carrots/celery/garlic, then the tomatoes, broth, rosemary, and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, crushing the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon against the sides of the pot. Reduce the heat to low.

Simmer, stirring every now and then, for about 1 1/4 hours. Add the balsamic and taste for seasoning.

Cook your pasta and drain. When it's done, combine with the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with grated parmesan and enjoy!

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Spicy Tomato Sauce

I need to think of a cooler-sounding/shorter name for this delicious dish. Any votes? My dad makes something similar, usually on Christmas Eve, except his also has scallops and calamari (drool). And he also used to make "shrimp sauce spaghetti" fairly regularly when I was little, now that I think of it.

Shrimp is (are?) one my favorite things. I'm a total sucker for any menu item that mentions shrimp. Grocery shopping the other day, I was thinking about this, and then I realized that I no longer have to be at the mercy of a restaurant menu. I can just cook with shrimp. Anything I want. Any time. Mountains and mountains of succulent shrimp...or, to be more reasonable, I suppose, a handful or so cooked in a spicy tomato sauce.

The husband has returned (hooray!), and he, while not an insane shrimp enthusiast, loved this dish, too. So it's a crowd-pleaser, to boot.

Here's how:

3/4-1 lb spaghetti (angel hair would be great, too, or linguine fine)
1/4 cup olive oil
5-7 small/medium cloves garlic
Red pepper flakes
Ground cayenne pepper
3 small tomatoes, chopped and lightly salted
1 small can tomato sauce
Splash of white wine
25 or so uncooked shrimp, peeled and with tails removed
Dried or fresh parsley

Combine the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes to taste, and a pinch or two of cayenne. Let the garlic cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook with a garlic for a couple minutes, then stir in the tomato sauce. Start the water boiling for your spaghetti. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Partially cover if it seems like the sauce is evaporating. Stir occasionally.

When the water boils, add the spaghetti. About 4-5 minutes before the noodles are done, add a splash of white wine to the sauce and turn the heat back up to medium. About 2-3 minutes before the noodles are done, add the shrimp to the sauce and cook until they pink and plump; sprinkle in a pinch of parsley. Turn off the heat, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce pan.

Tortellini with Sage Brown Butter

(from Mario Batali)

Mario Batali, you officially have a new fan. I mean, I have been dying to go to Eataly. Other than that, I wasn't entirely sold (this opinion was clearly based on zero evidence). But then there was the papalina recipe. And now, this. And now, I'm completely won over. I want to go buy all the cookbooks you've ever written, Batali.

I've always wanted to make a sage brown butter sauce. I've tried. But something wasn't right - the recipe sounded way too heavy on the butter (it is butter sauce, I suppose), or I burned the butter, or there wasn't enough sauce. But I did a quick Google search tonight, Batali's was the first one, and what I saw finally looked right.

The secret ingredient was lemon juice. Something to cut the butter. Something to give it a little zip and make it into a real sauce. The addition of parmesan didn't hurt, either.

This is so, so easy. And so, so good. Just...satisfying. Subtle yet powerful at the same time. And for a butter sauce, it doesn't feel overly buttery or heavy, either. It takes as long to make as it takes to cook pasta. Are you sold yet?

8 oz dried tortellini
2 tbsp butter
4 sage leaves
Juice from about 1/4-1/3 of a lemon
1/4 or so grated parmesan (I used a tad less)

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a saute pan, and cook over medium heat until the thinnest liquid of the butter starts to get golden brown. Add the sage leaves and remove from heat, then squeeze the lemon juice directly into the pan. Set aside.

Drain your pasta, reserving just a bit (less than a 1/4 cup) of pasta water. Pour pasta into the saute pan with a little pasta water and return to heat. Toss to coat, add the cheese, and toss to coat again. Heaven!

Pasta alla Papalina, with Homemade Noodles

(Pasta recipe from Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking"; papalina recipe from Mario Batali)

I'm not going to sugar-coat this. My first solo pasta-making experience was kind of a hot mess, process-wise. The end result was good, but what it took to get there was less than pretty.

Frankly, I was surprised, because I've been making pasta (lasagna noodles) with my mom for Christmas for years. Since I can remember, really. And, I mean, it's a process - it takes awhile, etc. - but it's pretty smooth sailing.

The same cannot be said when I went it alone. The first thing that went wrong was breaking the eggs into the flour. Marcella says to just make a little "bowl" out of flour, right on the countertop, and break the eggs into it, then mix. I made my flour bowl all wrong, and the eggs went pouring out the side:

 Yeah. It just got worse after I took this picture. Lots of fun to clean up. I started over with a bowl, and made a much better (deeper, wider) flour bowl this time:

Things went smoothly after this for awhile. I slowly incorporated the flour into the eggs. It was still pretty sticky, so I added more flour. And then more. And then some more. Still sticky. More flour. You get the idea. Finally, I got to this:

I then divided it into smaller pieces to run through the pasta maker:

And those eventually became this:

That doesn't look so bad, you might say. But the thing was that the pasta just stayed sticky. The whole time. When it came time to run these pieces through the noodle-making attachment of the pasta maker (there I made another, unforgivable, inconceivable error - I rinsed the attachment off. I got it wet, and it took forever, and all kinds of experimenting, to get it dry), they just got stuck everywhere - to themselves, to the pasta maker, to me. I even quadrupled, at least, the drying time. No dice. Eventually, I just ended up hand-cutting them.

There is a line in Marcella's cookbook that says, "allow the strips...to dry for 10 minutes or more, depending on the temperature and ventilation of your kitchen". I remember reading that and scoffing. Who does Marcella think I am, I thought, that I have the skill and time to consider the temperature and ventilation of my kitchen? Pah! Well, Marcella, as usual, was right. The difference between making pasta in the middle of dry, cold December, and making it in the middle of hot, humid August, is - clearly - huge. Yes, I will blame my difficulty on the weather.

Like I said, the end result - the taste and texture - was great. Worth it. And the papalina! Mostly, I just love to say - and write - that word. But also, it's delicious. Slightly lighter than carbonara, and a nice pop with the peas. Definitely a make-again.

Sheesh, want the recipe, already?

HOMEMADE PASTA NOODLES (for 3/4 lb pasta; pasta maker with roller required)
1 cup flour
2 large eggs

Pour the flour on a work surface, if you're brave, or into a bowl, if you know better. Shape the flour into a mound and hollow out the center, making sure it's deep enough and wide enough to fit two eggs. Break the eggs into the hollow.

Beat the eggs with a fork, gently. Slowly draw a little flour into the eggs, little by little, and mix the eggs and flour as you go until the eggs are no longer runny. Draw the sides of the mound together with your hands and work the eggs and flour together with your hands until the eggs and flour are combined. Add more flour if you think it's too moist.

You can test the moistness of your dough by pressing your dry, clean thumb deep into the center of the mass and seeing if it comes out clean. If it does, you don't need any more flour and you can move ahead.

The next step is to knead the dough. With your hands. Always knead in the same direction. Do this for about 8-10 minutes.

Divide the dough (you can cut it with a knife) into six equal parts. Set up your machine with a clean, dry dishtowel or tablecloth nearby. Set the pair of rollers on the machine at their widest setting. Flatten one of the pieces of dough by pounding it with your hand, then run it through the machine. Fold the dough twice, into a third of its length, and then feed it narrow-end-first into the machine again. Do this 2-3 more times, then lay the flattened piece of pasta on the towel and repeat with the other five pieces. Don't let the pieces touch one another.

Adjust the pair of rollers on the machine down one notch (one notch tighter). Run each piece of pasta through the machine once, this time without folding, narrow-end-first.

Repeat this process, going one notch tighter, until you reach the desired thickness. I stopped at the second-to-last notch, because mine were so sticky that they would've started to fall apart if they were any thinner.

You'll see the pasta get progressively thinner and longer as you go.

Once you're done with the thinning, let the strips dry for 10 or more minutes...or, you know, an hour, if your kitchen is hot and humid. They shouldn't be so dry that they crack when cut, but they shouldn't stick to one another.

In theory, at this point you would attach the noodle-cutting contraption and run each piece through the machine. Or, you can cut it with a knife.

Fresh-made noodles cut really, really quickly. Gather the pasta in a single towel and slide them into boiling, salted water. They will become whiter when they're ready - eyeball it, and taste a couple, to know they're al dente.

PASTA ALLA PAPALINA
3 tbsp or so olive oil
3 oz or so sliced prosciutto, cut or torn into squares/strips
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 large eggs
1/2-3/4 lb pasta
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Ground black pepper

Combine half the oil and the prosciutto in a pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the prosciutto has rendered some of its fat and is golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the peas.

Cook the pasta and drain it, reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. (Guess who forgot this step?)

Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl to break them up, then whisk in the remaining olive oil and half of the reserved pasta water.

Add the pasta to the prosciutto and peas and stir and toss over medium heat to mix well. Add the egg, remove from the heat, and toss vigorously to slightly cook the eggs (add a splash or two more of the reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce). Stir in the parmesan, season with pepper, and serve immediately with grated cheese on the side.

Pasta alla Gricia

So, there are a few basic Roman dishes that are all fairly simple variations on one another. There's all'amatriciana (tomato, onion, pancetta), carbonara (romano/parmesan cheese, egg, pancetta), cacio e pepe (romano cheese and black pepper), arrabbiata (tomatoes, chili, pancetta), alla papalina (romano cheese, black pepper, prosciutto, eggs...omg, why have I not made that yet?), alfredo (parmesan and butter)...and alla gricia, which is just romano, black pepper, and pancetta.

Now, while these seem like pretty simple concepts, and they are, there is a fair amount of hullaballoo over how to make them. It's mostly a traditionalist argument around what P.G. Wodehouse might refer to as "the purity of the turf". Add onion or shallots to carbonara? To amatriciana? Sacrilege! See? It's very serious.

I'm very much about food tradition and all, but there are certain realities of my kitchen, and a certain laxity in my spirit, I suppose, that leads me off the beaten path from time to time. In this case, I made pasta alla gricia with rigatoni instead of spaghetti (spaghetti would have been better, admittedly), and I used...sigh...a Kraft parmesan-romano grated cheese blend (it's real cheese, though - no fillers!) instead of a pecorino romano, which also probably would've been better. Some argue for guianciale over pancetta; I used pancetta. Other than that, I stuck to the purist guns. As far as I know, at least.

This cooks up fast, too!

3/4 lb pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

2 thickish slices pancetta, diced

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1 cup reserved pasta water

Plenty of ground black pepper

Get your water boiling. In a pan, combine your olive oil and pancetta over medium, and cook until slightly browned. Set aside/remove from heat. 

Meanwhile, cook your pasta, setting aside the cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and add directly to the pan with the pancetta, tossing to coat. Add the cheese and toss to coat again. If it's dry, add pasta water. Add plenty of black pepper, tossed in, and serve with more grated cheese.

Pasta Salad with Salmon

My folks, aunt, and uncle were in town this past weekend, and thanks to that, I re-discovered one of my favorite summer recipes of my mom's. It's very similar to Salmon Salad, except that it omits the beans and adds pasta (which I'm always in favor of, obviously - nothing against beans, but pasta is my...um...bread and butter?).

This is seriously so good - the perfect summer recipe, because the only stove time is to boil some water for the pasta, beans, and eggs (which you can do in the same pot, if you're clever like my Ma). This recipe has changed over the years - we used to not use avocado or arugula; used lettuce, used peas, used tuna...you can really make it however you like. It's light, delicious, and relatively healthy. We top it (surprise!) with grated parmesan cheese, which really puts it over the edge.

Serves 5.

3/4 lb baby shells (bowtie pasta is really good for this, too)
Handful and a half or so green beans, cleaned and rinsed
3 eggs
10-15 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
1 container grape tomatoes, halved
2 cans or packages salmon
A few handfuls of arugula
Olive oil
White balsamic vinegar (lighter in flavor than regular balsamic; alternately, you can use fresh lemon juice)
Ground black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Place three eggs into the pot you'll use to cook the pasta in and add water for cooking the pasta. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta and the green beans.

Meanwhile, in a very large salad bowl, combine carrots, avocado, and grape tomatoes. Add the salmon and mix together.

When the pasta is ready, remove from heat. Drain the pasta and green beans and rinse with cold water. Remove the eggs and place in a bowl of cold water to cool. When the eggs have cooled, peel them, remove the yolks (unless you don't want to), and cube the egg whites into the salad bowl. Add the pasta and green beans.

Next, dress the salad. Oy, I wish I had actual measurements here for ya. You will use more olive oil than you probably would think - the ingredients soak it up well. Use the olive oil and balsamic in approximately a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar. I just watched my dad pour on the olive oil - I want to say it was at least 1/4 cup. Add olive oil, then balsamic, then toss to coat. Taste and adjust as needed.

Finally, add the arugula, along with just a splash more olive oil and vinegar. Grate in a little black pepper to taste. Toss to combine and serve!

Arugula Pesto

I'd like to say that this is a recipe that I've been dying to try for months, and the truth is that it's more like I've been avoiding making it. I want to say I saw it at least a year ago in a Mark Bittman article, where he explained that "pesto" needn't apply only to basil, but that it could be make with many other things, including asparagus and arugula.

Now, I love arugula. I love pesto. But I really, really, REALLY love pesto made with basil (no pine nuts, please!). So the thing is, it's hard to break away. It's hard to make the decision to make pesto, and then make it with something other than basil. Plus, I was skeptical about the bitterness of the arugula. Hence, arugula pesto went unmade.

But I got back from Wisconsin (so wonderful - friends, a wedding for a wonderful couple, and meals at both Osteria Papavero and Pizza Brutta) the other night and had a whole mess of arugula in the fridge that needed eatin'. And, it being summer and all, I decided to go for it.

I'm really glad I did. Yes, it's bitter. Yes, I used waaaaay to much garlic, and it was...powerful. And I really liked it. Basil remains my favorite, but that wasn't going to change. Aside from using it in pasta, I could see using it as a sandwich spread, maybe even on pizza. I saw one recipe where the cook added chickpeas to the pesto, ground up with the arugula. So yes, I'd definitely make it again.

For one, with lunch leftovers:
1/2 lb pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic (I used two HUGE cloves...too much)
3 handfuls arugula
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
Salt to taste

Start your pasta cooking. In the meantime, combine the arugula, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend into a pasta, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour into a small bowl and add the parmesan, and stir to combine.

When the pasta is ready and drained, stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated. Add salt, if you'd like, and serve with grated parmesan (or Romano!) cheese.

Linguine with Scallops and Lemon-Butter

This recipe isn't finished yet. It was good, and it could be better. It holds great promise - I mean, anything involving scallops AND butter is, well, kind of unstoppable.

I'm not quite sure yet what to do differently with it. Maybe more butter - I really only used a pinch. Less lemon? Adding the lemon at a different time? More ginger? None? White wine? Red pepper flakes? Sadly, the answer probably is just more butter.

Anyway - if you have ideas, send them my way!

Here's how I made it. For one, with lunch leftovers:
1/2 lb linguine
A glug or two of olive oil
1/4-1/2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Very small piece of ginger, minced (honestly, though, I couldn't really taste it)
1/2 lb bay scallops
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Parsley for garnish

(Get your pasta cooking. The sauce cooks fast.) Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high, and add the garlic, ginger, and butter. Before the garlic starts to get too golden (don't let it get brown), add the scallops. Let them just start to cook, then add the lemon juice. Scallops cook very quickly - they're done when they're not longer translucent. Turn off the heat and add the drained pasta into the pan. Stir to combine, add salt to taste, garnish, and serve!

UPDATE: A delicious-sounding variation from my Pa!

Here's an idea:  saute a good amount of finely-chopped garlic in olive oil with some pepperoncino, chopped parsley and black pepper; when the garlic just starts to brown (you want it to stay sweet) add about a half cup of dry white wine and cook till the wine reduces. At about the same time you throw in the pasta (spaghettini would work too), quickly add the scallops, taking care not to overcook them.  When the pasta is done, add to the sauce to coat, with some of the pasta water if it's too dry.  You could add the parsley at the end, if you like the taste.

You could also experiment with some bread crumbs.

Alternately you could use the same recipe (without breadcrumbs) but just add a small amount of crushed Italian tomatoes to give it color.

Bean and Pasta Soup with Broccoli Rabe

I don't quite know what was wrong with me, but I used to not be a fan of soups like these. Some foolish phase of my youth, no doubt. Because I didn't just tolerate this soup - I really loved it. Like, I could crave this soup in the future. I plan to add it to the usual rotation (clam sauce, carbonara, meat sauce, amatriciana, tomato sauce, takeout, takeout, repeat...). It's simple, satisfying, delicious, and makes you feel somewhat healthy. And as I'm not one of those people who won't eat hot, thick soups in the summer, I see no reason why that season's approach should stop me, either.

So, let's get to it:

1-2 slices pancetta, thick-sliced, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
8-10 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Ground pepper
Pinch or two rosemary
Olive oil
Generous handful or so broccoli rabe, stems mostly removed
8 cups chicken broth
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3-1/2 lb small, short pasta
Parmesan cheese for serving

Add the pancetta, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, and ground pepper to taste to a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Stir ingredients to coat in olive oil and allow to soften a bit and become aromatic.

When the onions become translucent, stir in the rabe. Heat with the other ingredients until it begins to wilt, then add the chicken broth and let the rabe wilt completely. Add the cannellini beans, bring soup to a boil, and turn down to low and partially cover to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Turn up the heat to bring to a boil again, and add your pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. Pour soup into bowls and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with Meatballs!

Here's the deal, folks: I LOVE meatballs. I love them with spaghetti, on a sub, plain - you name it. They don't even have to be that good. (Fortunately, these are delicious - even better.) Honestly, I don't know why I don't make them more often, and I can't believe I haven't made them since I started this blog...in March 2010. I mean, really? What was I thinking? I made these on a weeknight, for goodness' sake - the cook time is a little long, but the prep is short and simple.

This definitely makes more than you need for one night. So much the better!

1 lb spaghetti
Olive oil

MEATBALLS
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp or so parsley
Salt
Ground pepper

SAUCE
2 tbsp or so olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
6-8 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, halved and sliced thin
A couple sprinkles "Italian" seasoning mix (basil, parsley, oregano)
1 large can Italian whole, peeled tomatoes
1 regular can tomato sauce
Salt to taste

Start by making your meatballs. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mash up with your hands until completely and evenly combined. (Yeah, yeah, it's gross.)

Now, get your sauce started. Drizzle olive oil in a sauce pot, then add the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until slightly softened. Add both cans of tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

While the sauce is simmering, heat some olive oil in a large pan. Roll the meat into balls using your hands, and place each one in the oil to brown. Brown on all sides, then pour (oil and all) into the sauce.

Bring the sauce back to a boil for a couple minutes, then turn heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 45-60 minutes.

About 15 minutes before you're done cooking the sauce, cook your pasta.

Pour sauce and a couple meatballs over spaghetti, top with grated parmesan, and it's Lady and the Tramp all over again!

Pantry Chicken Soup

It was one of those nights - ate too much takeout over the weekend, didn't get the chance to go grocery shopping, and starving due to an 11-mile run. The solution was this chicken soup with pasta and vegetables - made with whatever the heck we had around; hence, "pantry" chicken soup. Admittedly, it did require a quick drive over to a little grocery store for a couple veggies.

Of course, when I got home I realized the onion I thought I had was rotten, so I had to substitute a little onion powder and garlic. The beauty of a "pantry" soup is that you can really put whatever the heck you want in it. The only constants, I suppose, would be the chicken and broth. Unless you wanted it to be a veggie soup. Also, you could use rice instead of pasta, or just omit them both all together.

As prepared (hearty and satisfying):

Olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

8-10 baby carrots, sliced

1 small tomato, chopped

5 chicken drumsticks

Onion powder

Dill

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2-3 small red potatoes, chopped

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped

1/3 lb pasta

In a large pot, drizzle olive oil, then add garlic, carrots, and tomato and saute over medium-high heat until they begin to soften. Add your drumsticks to the pot so that they all are touching the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with dill and onion powder to taste. Brown on all sides.

Add chicken broth and potatoes, then bring to a boil. Add asparagus. Turn down heat, but boil for a few minutes longer. Turn down heat to simmer until chicken is cooked and potatoes have softened to your liking. Return to a boil and add pasta and cook until al dente. Ready to eat!

Pasta with Eggplant

Back from Japan! The food was amazing. A post on that to follow, and hopefully recipes in the future. But for now, it's back to - what else? - Italian!

There's a recipe that's been tempting me from "Italian Country Cooking" - it's for a type of pasta casserole with eggplant, smoked mozzarella, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, basil. It sounds delicious. Unfortunately, it's a slightly more involved recipe, which means it frequently falls off my list. This time, I actually bought an eggplant and was all set to go - and then I ran out of time. Desperate to use the eggplant before leaving for Japan, I came up with the recipe below, which is kind of a quick version - I would imagine - of the casserole.

I also considered not adding the tomato sauce - something I'll have to try in the future. In that case, I would have sauteed the eggplant in the garlic, etc., as described, then tossed in the pasta and sprinkled it all with toasted breadcrumbs, probably skipping the mozzarella but adding plenty of parmesan.

In any a case, it was a hit. Even Joef, who was professedly not a fan of eggplant, loved it and called for a repeat performance. I forgot how flavorful eggplant is - it really infuses the whole sauce, and is very hearty.

3/4 lb short pasta

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Olive oil

1 medium eggplant, partially skinned, chopped, and salted (see instructions below)

Fresh or dried basil

8 oz tomato sauce or less

Grated mozzarella, for serving

The first step is (thanks, Internet!) to prep the eggplant. Start by cutting off the tip, then partially skinning it - so use a potato peeler to peel off a strip, leave a strip, peel off a strip, etc. - until it's striped. Next, chop the eggplant into roughly bite-sized chunks. Place the eggplant in a collander over paper towels, and salt lightly, tossing the eggplant so the salt gets integrated. Leave it for 30 minutes or so. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. This has something to do with the natural absorption of the eggplant - improving it, or limiting it, or something or other. In any case, it worked.

Cook your pasta.

In the meantime, drizzle olive oil liberally into your pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the garlic. After a minute or two, add the eggplant and some basil, and stir to coat in the olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and saute until the eggplant begins to soften and lightly brown. Then, add your tomato sauce (you may not need the full can, depending on how tomato-y and saucey you want it) and stir. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat to low to simmer. Give it at least 10-15 minutes.

When ready, pour sauce over pasta and top with grated mozzarella right away so it gets melty.

Pasta Soup with Pesto

(from Loukie Werle's Italian Country Cooking)

I love re-discovering a favorite thing, and this recipe gave me two: this amazing cookbook, and pesto. It's not that I'd forgotten about those things, it's just that I haven't used the cookbook in awhile, and I don't get that much fresh basil in the winter. Pesto always reminds me of summer. Plus - combining pesto and pancetta? Brilliant! Maybe I could just add pancetta to regular pesto...

Anyway, this puts it in a soup, plus a little tomato - and that's it! Simple and delicious.

3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 lb pasta (I used broken-up spaghetti rigati, but a more spoon-friendly pasta may be preferable)

For pesto:
1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

First make the pesto. Combine the basil and garlic in a food processor with 1 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Pulse, adding the rest of the olive oil intermittently. Spoon into a bowl with the parmesan cheese and combine.

For the soup, add the oil, pancetta, and garlic in a pot and sautee until the pancetta renders its fat. Don't burn the garlic. Stir in the tomato, let flavors combine for a minute, then add six cups of water and bring to a boil.

Stir in the pasta and a little salt, and cook the pasta. Remove from heat and stir in the pesto, then serve!

Updated Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Ceci

I made some changes to a formerly-posted recipe, with good results. Check it out: http://piccinacucina.blogspot.com/2010/09/pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-ceci.html

Red Clam Sauce: 100th Recipe!

By an admittedly rough estimate, La Piccina Cucina has hit 100 recipes since the first post in March 2010! That ain't half bad, if you ask me! What graces the 100th recipe spot? Another Popolizio family favorite - red clam sauce. As with most Popolizio recipes, wonderfully simple ingredients and process yield a delicious result.

I'm kind of surprised with myself that I haven't posted this one yet. The recipe is basically the same as white clam sauce, with tomatoes added. Now that I think of it, it does omit the butter and the white wine (which are technically optional, anyway), although I suppose you could keep those in for fun.

And here it is, your (drumroll) 100th recipe!
3/4 lb linguine or spaghetti rigati
3-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped and lightly salted
1 can minced clams (keep the juice)
1 can chopped clams (keep the juice)
Salt to taste
Pinch of parsley, for garnish

Start the water boiling for your pasta and cook. In the meantime, pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into a pan and add your garlic; heat over medium-high for a couple of minutes (don't let the garlic burn). Add your tomatoes and let those cook down for a few minutes, then add your clam juice from the two cans. Bring it to a boil if it's not already there, then reduce heat to low and simmer. It should be ready pretty soon after the pasta is done - make sure the tomatoes have started to break down. A few minutes before you're ready to serve, stir in the clams and continue to cook for a few minutes over low heat. Pour your drained pasta right into the pan while still on low, toss, garnish with parsley, then serve.

Tortellini in Brodo (Chicken Soup with Tortellini)

Joef was sick this week, so I had a great excuse to make chicken soup, which for me is really just an excuse to make tortellini. I love tortellini. I made extra, plain, and just popped them like candy the next day. That's good for me, right?

Anyway - this recipe cheats a little bit, because I used chicken broth instead of letting the chicken make its own broth (use water to just cover the chicken, season with salt, and let cook for a nice, long, long time). Usually I also prefer to use chicken drumsticks, but hey, you work with what you got. In either case, it's good for what ails you.

Splash or two of olive oil
2 chicken breasts (or five chicken drumsticks), chopped into cubes
1/2 or one whole white onion, quartered
1 stick celery, thinly sliced
6-8 baby carrots, chopped into thirds
8 cups of water
4-5 tsp chicken bouillon
Dried or fresh dill
1/2 package tortellini
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Splash a little olive oil in a large pot, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add chicken, onion, celery, and carrots, and top with a little ground black pepper and a couple of dashes of dill. Stir and brown the chicken on all sides, then add water and bouillon and more dill. (I love dill, so I add plenty.) Bring to a boil, then turn to low and allow to simmer, covered or partially covered, for at least 20-30 minutes. Return to a boil and add your tortellini right into the pot, and cook according to instructions. Done!