Weeknight Pasta Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 sweet Italian sausages
• 8 oz slice mushrooms
• 28 oz can sliced stewed tomatoes with Italian seasoning (S&W brand)
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 fresh tomatoes, whole
• sprig fresh thyme
• handful chopped basil
• 1 tsp sugar to taste
• frozen peas and frozen spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

Saute onions and garlic until translucent.  Add carrots and cook until softened

Add sausage and break into small pieces

Once the sausage is browned, add mushrooms and cook until all of the juices have evaporated

Add tomato and paste cook for 1 minute.  Add canned tomatoes, broth, thyme, basil and the fresh tomato.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes

Add sugar to taste, add frozen peas and spinach right before serving

Basil Pasta Salad

First made for 4th of July Party 2015

I found that this lighter version of pasta salad to be very flavorful, especially by adding the basil in a tube.  It packs a strong punch of flavor and was very fresh tasting.  A lot easier and economical than making your own basil puree. Using a mixture of olive oil and mayo helped lighten the dish. I think a lot of people would like adding some grated parmesan or feta, but I liked this non-dairy version.  Add whatever fresh veggies you have on hand!

• 12 oz pasta (penne of spiral), cooled in salted water
• 1/2 red bell pepper (fresh or roasted), diced
• big handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• small can sliced black olives
• 1/2 tube chopped basil (found in the refrigerated produce section)
• 1/4 c mayo – the final dish should not look like it’s covered in mayo
• olive oil, added till desired consistency
• 3 TBSP vinegar or lemon juice
• chopped parsley
• chopped basil (optional)
• baby spinach, chiffonade
• raw cucumbers or roasted zucchini, diced
• diced carrot
• salt/pepper to taste

Add the vinegar to the pasta while still warm.  Allow the pasta to cool a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients

Quick chicken pasta with store bought marinara, veggies, wine, olive and capers

• 6 chicken drumsticks, extra skin removed, seasoned with salt and pepper
• few TBSP olive/caper/sun-dried tomato mix
• store bought marinara
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• few cups of veggies you have on hand-zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, eggplant spinach all work well
• dried oregano and thyme to taste
• bit of chicken broth to moisten
• 1/2 cup white or red wine (optional)

1. Brown chicken on all sides, then remove from pan
2. Add garlic and more hearty veggies that need more time to cook (red peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini), add more fragile veggies at a later time to ensure that they cook through but aren’t overdone.  Add salt/pepper to veggies once they start to brown
3. Once veggies are half way done, add broth and wine (if using), then the add marinara sauce and olive mixture. Add chicken back in to finish cooking in the covered pan.  Cook till chicken is done
4. Serve over pasta or grilled veggie

Creamy Mac and Cheese

From cookingforengineers.com

First made for my 29th birthday party (game night).  This makes an obey, gooey mac and cheese and a luscious sauce

• 12oz macaroni, cooked (save 1/2 c pasta water)
• 4 TBSP butter
• 5 TBSP flour
• 36 oz evaporated milk
• nutmeg and powdered mustard
• 5oz American Cheese
• 3 oz Monterey Jack
• 8 oz sharp cheddar

1. Cook butter and flour on medium for 1 minute till light brown.  Add milk slowly till thickened.  Add seasonings.
2. Remove from heat, stir in the cheeses till melted
3. Add the macaroni and stop till coated
4. Pour into deep square baking dish and bake at 350
5. Optional is adding buttered bread crumbs to the top before baking

Braised Chicken with White Wine, Mushroom, Cauliflower, Tomato and Olive Tapenade over Pasta

• 1 package of bone-in chicken parts (I used 4 drumsticks and 2 breasts, split)
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 2 large spoonfuls of tomato and olive tapenade (Mediterranean Tapenade from Costco)
• 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 c white wine
• small bunch parsley chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 carrots halved lengthwise, then cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 head small cauliflower
• 8 oz mushrooms cut into large chunks
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme

1. Bring oil-coated cast iron enamel skillet (with lid) to med-high heat
2. Brown chicken on all sides
3. Remove chicken and some of the fat
4. Add leeks and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute
5. Add vegetables and sauté for a few minutes until no liquid remains
6. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute
7. Add white wine and allow to bubble, then add chicken broth.  Season to taste
8. Add rosemary and thyme
9. Reintroduce chicken.  Nestle them into the sauce.
10. Cover pan and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked
11. Once the chicken is cooked, removed the chicken from the pan.  Allow the sauce to concentrate and thicken as needed.  Season to taste.
12. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch if needed
13. Add the chicken back and serve over noodles.

Antipasta Pasta Salad

Another potluck to celebrate a holiday at work….makes working during a long weekend a lot more bearable.  If you are looking for a pasta salad that you can make ahead of time and isn’t drenched in mayo, look no further!  A trick to lessen the greasiness from the meat is to microwave it for a bit to render out some of the fat.  The key to good flavor is to salt the pasta cooking water and dress the pasta when it is still hot from cooking.

You can use any vegetables you’d like.  The original recipe included on prepared/cooked vegetables.  I like the addition of fresh veggies like the tomatoes and cucumbers to lighten up the salad for the hot weather.  Raw broccoli florets cut into small pieces and roasted veggies like eggplant or zucchini would work well too.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

10 TBSP red wine vinegar, divided

3 TBSP mayonnaise

6 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP juice from jar of pepperoncinis

4 cloves finely minced garlic

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

8oz package of button/brown mushrooms, quartered

12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into chunks

1/2 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

About a dozen marinated pepperoncinis, chopped with 1 TBSP juice reserved

1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

4-6 oz sliced pepperoni, salami or other cured meat, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 jar olives

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber chopped into chunks the size of the halved tomatoes

1 large handful basil, chiffonade

1 ld bite sized pasta (penne, bowties, fusilli)

Boil 4 quarts of water, 1 TBSP salt and pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.

Whisk 5 TBSP red wine vinegar and the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside 1/2 cup of dressing, adding the remaining 5 TBSP red wine vinegar to the reserved dressing.  This will be used to dress the hot pasta.  The rest will be used to cook the mushrooms.

Drain the cooked pasta well and return to the pot.  Add the 1/2 cup of reserved dressing with added red wine vinegar to the hot pasta and mix well.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Lay pasta out on foil-lined baking sheet and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the remaining dressing and simmer on med-high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender (around 5-8 minutes).  Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

Place cured meat on a paper towel-lined plate as a single layers, topping each layer with paper towels.  Microwave for about 60 seconds.  Blot grease and set aside until you are read to assemble the salad

Once the pasta has cooled to slightly warmer than room temperature, use a big bowl to assemble the salad.  Combine the dressed pasta, cured meats, vegetables and cheese.  Add the basil last to prevent over handling and bruising.  Season to preference.

Serve at room temperature.  Can be prepared a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

My version of Pasta alla Norma

I don’t really know what the authentic recipe is, but I’ve been making a version of this for a few years.  It was inspired by a dish of penne with melanzane at Pasta Pomodoro in the Bay Area.  I always loved the meaty eggplant, to gooey mozarella and added chili flakes to the dish always.  I haven’t been to Pasta Pomodoro in years since there are so many great restaurants in SF, but now I can make this at home.  Next I’ll attempt to figure out how to make their Cavatappi Pollo!

On this particular day, I used a home grown tomato that weighed probably a pound!  Thanks Cheryl!

INGREDIENTS
Pasta (about 1/2 pound)
1 huge tomato
2 sweet saugages out of the casing
Chili flakes
1 eggplant cubed to 1 inch
1/2 c white wine
basil roughly chooped
~6oz fresh mozarella
Pecorino cheese
EVOO

Take the cube eggplant and salt liberally, set aside to exude water
Boil water and make pasta, set aside about 1 cup cooking liquid
Place eggplant in the microwave for about 10 minutes to allow steaming and water removal.  This will result in faster cooking time and less oil use
While eggplant is cooking, fry the sausage and add chili.  Cook till browned, remove from the heat and set aside.  Remove all but about 2T oil in the pan.
Add tomatos and allow to cook down.  Add eggplant.
Once tomatos and eggplant are a little browned, add wine and allow alcohol to evaporate, season to taste

homemade pasta sauce and skillet lasagna

Since I often cook for just the two of us, I tried a skillet lasagna recipe so that we wouldn’t be eating leftovers for day on end.  I came across a veggie version which allowed me to use more of the GIGANTIC zucchini we got from’s B’s boss.  The sauce took a bit of time to simmer, but I think that it was worth the slow cooking

SAUCE
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
ground meat or sausage
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 spoonful of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
oregano, basil and parsley
white wine

Brown the onions and garlic until soft
Add tomato paste and cook through
Add wine and cook till alcohol evaporates
Add tomatoes and herbs
Simmer, stirring often for a few hours until the sauce turns a darker red color
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

LASAGNA
1 c ricotta + 1 egg + basil + parmesan cheese
mozarella
zucchini ribbons
carrot ribbons
lasagna noodles

ASSEMBLY
From the sauce skillet, remove all but 1 cup of sauce
Top with 2 noodles
Spread 1st layer of cheese mixture
Add mozarella
Layer on vegetables
Repeat one more time
Top with sauce and cheese

Cover skillet with lid and cook over medium heat until noodles are cooked, sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Eggplant Tomato and Sausage

Inspired by Giada on the Food Network, and the fresh tomatoes in our garden, I made this healthy dish of whole wheat pasta, part skim ricotta and veggies.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the creamy texture I thought it would produce.  So, I am going to post my original recipe that uses ooey gooey mozarella instead.

INGREDIENTS
Whole wheat pasta
sausage, out of casing
egglant
grape tomatoes
basil
parsley
whole mozarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese
chili flakes

Cube eggplant and with sprinkle salt, let stand
Bring water to boil to prepare pasta
Cube mozzarella and freeze for 10 minutes
Brown sausage in a skillet till cooked through.  Remove sausage and set on paper towels.
Cook eggplant, then tomatoes.
Add chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste
Cook through until tomatoes start to break down
Add basil and parsley
Add cooked pasta, parmesan and sausage
May add some pasta water if needed.
Add more salt and pepper to taste
Add mozzarella right before serving

Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti

Boil water for spaghetti
De-shell srimp and boil shells in water to make stock
Sautee shrimp and set side
Jarred marinara sauce with additional garlic, shrimp stock, parsley olive oil and red chili flakes, let simmer will pasta is done
When spaghetti is ready, sear the scallops

Combine sauce and pasta, adding more shrimp stock to loosen sauce. Top with shrimp and scallops. Garnish with parsley and parmesan