Category Archives: pasta

Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce (Jewish Girls can cook Chinese Food too)

Posted on July 8, 2012 | 1 comment

FullSizeRenderThis is one of my old tried and true recipes. Perfect for a large get together and totally tasty. There are a lot of ingredients but it is very easy to put together and it’s always a hit! I made the sauce a day ahead which I highly recommend doing, it gives flavors a chance to really come together.  I had all the ingredients in the house and day of I will cook the noodles and mix together. If making sauce ahead of time , take it out of refrigerator and let the sauce sit at room temperature before mixing with noodles. I used 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but because I wasn’t sure of everyone’s taste buds for hot and spicy I left out the chili oil. If you want it spicier you can always add some hot chili oil, or more cayenne pepper.  You can actually make the sauce a few days ahead of time. Enjoy this oldie but goodie. I have played around with the recipe a lot, and have found these ingredients work the best for me. I also like to put a little fresh cilantro on the side for those who love it ( like me) and don’t leave out the chopped peanuts they give it that extra yummy crunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 lb. linguine or spaghetti ( or you can use Chinese egg noodles)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

7 tablespoons Peanut Butter ( creamy ) by the way I always use the low-fat one, it’s perfectly fine

2/3 cup warm water

6 tablespoons soy sauce ( use low sodium)

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or more to specific taste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic

3 to 4 scallions , finely chopped

*1 sliced cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned (optional) but tasty and crunchy

*fresh cilantro chopped (optional)

*sprinkle of chopped peanuts ( optional) but extra added crunch if you have them on hand

*dash of hot chili oil ( to taste) I usually just throw in a dash of this.

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, using a fork or a small wire whisk, beat the peanut butter together with the water until it is smooth. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt. Beat till smooth. If you’re adding hot chili oil this is when you would add that.

Add the chopped garlic, and stir well. Because I was using it the next day, I left out scallions till I cooked pasta .

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water, until noodles are cooled down sufficiently. Place noodles in a large bowl, drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss well. Refrigerate noodles until you are ready to serve. About an hour or so before I am ready to serve, I pour sauce over noodles and mix well. Make sure sauce has been left out at room temperature for a while till it’s not too cold.  Add the scallions and cucumbers and mix well. Right before serving you can sprinkle the cilantro and chopped peanuts if you like. I pour about 2/3 of the sauce over noodles and mix well, adding more sauce as I feel necessary. I definitely didn’t use all of the sauce that I made, add slowly and taste as you go along.  Right before serving I usually add some more sauce, but leave it out at room temperature. This is a deadly go to leftover the next day.

1 Comment

Posted in pasta

Tagged ,

A little update on Yummy Pesto

Posted on June 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

I originally posted this recipe for Pesto last May.(under Yummy Pesto 05/28/11)  It is my friend Susan’s recipe which I have happily added to my summer repertoire. Yesterday,  I went food shopping and bought all the ingredients for the Pesto when I realized that I forgot to buy pignolli nuts. So after scouring the pantry, I decided to try it with walnuts! It was perfect. So just a little note on this delicious recipe, I wouldn’t leave out the nuts because you would lose that nutty flavor  which I love so much. It didn’t really change the flavor all that much and it was just as perfect as ever. So grab some of that beautiful basil growing all over now and make this easy , perfect pesto.

Using my frozen pesto I marinated some thin chicken breasts and grilled them. They were awesome. served last night with fresh tomato pasta. You don’t only have to use pesto with pasta. It’s also delicious as a spread .

*I froze the leftover pesto in a plastic container with a thin coating of olive oil on top

Leave a comment

Posted in pasta

Tagged , ,

Another Classic Ragu Bolognese (Meat Lovers only)

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 4 comments

clean plate club for sure

Joel was riding a 100 mile bike ride the next day and that meant an early night at the Kolen House. I thought I would try out this Bolognese ( Meat Sauce)  and what a perfect dinner for him. I was not riding but love it and to hell with the calories, (which I’m sure are way high) sometimes you gotta just run with it. right? I have posted my other bolognese recipe  (delish bolognese) but this one intrigued me because of the red wine and simmered milk.   I am using fresh fettucine I was able to buy today. I don’t make my own pasta, but will have to attempt that someday. In the meanwhile I was able to buy it and would suggest using as fresh as you can get. If not it’s obviously fine, and just use a fettucine or tagliatelle type pasta. This sauce cooks for a while, so plan it out, make it on a day that you’re home for a few hours and can cook it. It’s perfect to make a head of time as well. This can be made 2 days ahead. Keep in fridge till ready to use . Rewarm it in a saucepan at a very low heat. I have also frozen it, and it came out perfectly, you just may have to add a little broth or pasta water. If can also freeze  the sauce, which I’ve done numerous times. This recipe was from one of our trips to Italy converted to US measurements for me I happen to come across it , and I am so happy that I did.  Enjoy! I am fairly confident you will.

*this will nicely serve 4 people, or 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions ( spanish) app. 1 large onion or 2 small should do it

1 cup finely chopped celery ( app. 2 stalks)

1 cup finely chopped carrots ( app. 2 large carrots)

6 oz. ground beef ( try to get 85/15 if available, you don’t want it too lean)

6 oz. ground veal

3 oz. diced pancetta

1/2 cup dry red wine ( I had a Pinot open so I used it and drank it while I cooked)

3 cups Chicken Stock, divided into 2 1/2 and 1/2 cup ( if you’d like you can also use Beef Stock) I used Chicken Stock

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 cup Whole Milk ( yes I used whole not skim please)

1 lb. fresh egg fettucine or tagliatelle if available. If not use boxed, no biggie

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Finely Grated Parmesan ( fresh always best)

Directions:

I sprayed pot with cooking spray to make clean up easier. Heat oil in a large heavy pot( Le Creuset once again) over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots. Saute until soft, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add beef, veal and pancetta; continue to saute, breaking meat up with the back of a wooden spoon until nice and browned, I did it for about 15 minutes. Add wine; boil for 1 minute, stirring often and scraping up all those delicious brown bits as you go. Add 2 1/2 cups stock and tomato paste; stir to blend. Reduce heat to as low as you can and gently simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for salt and pepper.

Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan; when it simmers add to meat sauce. Stir well, and cover pot with lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for another 45 minutes or until the milk is fully absorbed.

Cook pasta according to directions, remember to salt water well. I go for al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water ( at least 1/2 cup) I then transferred ragu to a large skillet, over low heat added the cooked pasta and toss to coat. If it seems to dry stir in a little of the reserved pasta water, dribble it in. Place in bowls and serve with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

4 Comments

Posted in meat, pasta, Sauce

Tagged , , ,

Cacio E Pepe – Cheese and Pepper Pasta – Perfection in a Bowl-4 Ingredient Pasta

Posted on May 17, 2012 | 1 comment

This is restaurant worthy pasta, made in a saute pan, 12″ size would be perfect . This pasta has very few ingredients and you probably have all of them in the house . When I am not sure what to make and I really don’t feel like going out, this is up there with my “go to ” meals. It’s comforting and has a kick of heat from the black pepper. Original recipe is just black pepper and the fresher the better, start out with whole black peppercorns, I grind them right before I am using them. It’s an elegant adult version of mac and cheese and a simple standard all at the same time. I try and use 2 cheeses when I can, but if you only have 1 type of grated cheese, it’s fine. Hold on to about a cup of the pasta water, you may need it if sauce is too dry, add a little at a time, as you need it. This recipe is quick and will feed 2 people nicely. If you want to serve more, just double the recipe. If black pepper is your thing Cacio e Pepe is for you.

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt

8 oz. of spaghetti like pasta ( bucatini, linguine, perciatelli) most boxes are 1 lb. boxes , so app. 1/2 box I used perciatelli ( I love the ropey pasta)

3 tblsp. unsalted butter , cube it and divide it into 3 seperate tablespoons

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Cheese ( or just use Parmesan)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. Make sure you throw a small handful of kosher salt into the pot of boiling water, before you drop in the pasta. The pasta absorbs water as it cooks, so you’re actually seasoning the pasta which would ordinarily be a rather bland starch. Cook pasta till al dente , follow package instructions.

Meanwhile melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet , add the freshly ground black pepper and swirl around till melded, app. 1 – 2 minutes. Then let it sit, and turn off heat. Wait for pasta to finish cooking, remove 1 cup of pasta water and set aside and then continue with the next step.

Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring butter, water and pepper to a simmer. Add cooked pasta and remaining tablespoon of butter. Reduce heat to low and add 3/4 cup Grana Padano or Parmesan Cheese, stirring and tossing with a pair of tongs, until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat, add additional 1/4 cup of cheese and toss until the cheese melts and sauce fully coats the pasta. Add more pasta water if sauce seems too dry. Transfer pasta to nice large bowls and serve.

Perfection in a bowl

1 Comment

Posted in Dairy, meatless, pasta, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Pasta with Chicken, Spinach and Tomatoes

Posted on May 4, 2012 | 1 comment

This is a delightful  “what’s in the house ” kind of dinner.  Most of the ingredients in this recipe you’ll have on hand and are easily obtainable.   Enjoy this delicious light pasta meal–it’s perfect for a nice lunch, dinner, or brunch dish. Prep time is quick , about 1/2 hour start to finish.  This is really a beautiful meal in one bowl– protein and veggies.

*I cut this recipe in 1/2 this evening for just the 2 of us. This dish should feed 5 – 6 This recipe is delicious at room temperature or hot or even cold the next day. Wonderful left-overs are always a good thing.

Ingredients:

1 pound small pasta ( penne, rigatoni, I used Fusilli Bucati ) I like a small macaroni as opposed to spaghetti in this recipe. Boxes vary and sometimes a box of pasta is 12 oz. — which is fine

4 whole boneless , skinless Chicken Breasts ( adjust to how many people you’re serving) app. 2 lbs.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or you can use 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil and 1 Tablespoon unsalted Butter — your call

4 Cloves Garlic , minced

3/4 cup Dry White Wine ( I use whatever is open) ( if no white wine or you don’t like cooking with wine just double up on chicken broth)

3/4 cups Chicken Broth ( you may need a bit more so have a  little extra on hand)

1 bag Baby Spinach

2 boxes of grape tomatoes (1 pint per box) sliced lengthwise , any larger ones cut in fours

Grated Parmesan Cheese for garnish

*crushed red pepper which we love but totally not necessary

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions . Drain and set aside. I try to keep a little of the pasta water in the event I may need it at the end of cooking, just take a measuring cup and scoop out a cup of water and set aside, if you don’t use it you haven’t lost anything. Sometimes towards the end I add it to finished pasta to  add a little liquid to the pasta, especially if you cook in advance.

Use a large skillet or large frying pan

Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ( (I prefer small chunks) Be fairly generous with Salt and Pepper.

Heat  olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken in a single layer and don’t touch for a few minutes and let it brown up, turn over once it starts to brown and form a coating. When chicken is done, remove chicken from skillet. I prefer smaller chunks, do whatever you like, just keep them uniform for even cooking.

Turn heat down to low, add garlic and give it a quick stir, be careful not to burn garlic. Pour in wine and broth, stirring to deglaze the pan, raise the heat and allow the liquid to come to a boil. Allow the liquid to boil for a bit, I let it boil for about 5 minutes, reduce the cooking liquid by at least half. I then reduce to a simmer and add the tomatoes, I let them cook for about 5 minutes till they start to release their liquid a bit, and just start to soften.  I also add Salt and Pepper again here, then I add chicken to pan . stir it around, add the bag of spinach  it will start to wilt as you toss everything , then add the drained pasta, mix well and serve. So light and delicious.

Sprinkle Grated Parmesan or Parmesan shavings are good as well.

1 Comment

Posted in chicken, Healthy Cooking with Candi, pasta

Tagged , , , , , ,

Springtime in a Bowl – Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 1 comment

It is really Springtime now and it just makes you want to lighten up the menu a bit, and my mind immediately goes to asparagus!  This recipe is a variation on my Summertime Tomato Pasta. I wanted to use some of those beautiful asparagus out there. Even though I knew Joel would pick them out , I still made this dish. The asparagus are large enough for him to easily pick out and put on my plate. This dish is light and delicious and pretty quick to prepare. It is like springtime in a bowl!  There are so very many things to do with asparagus but this just appealed to me tonite and if you leave the shrimp out you have a lovely vegetarian pasta dish. I used the shrimp.  I also used linguine in this , it just seems to hold on to the flavors nicely. Happy Spring and Enjoy. This recipe was inspired by Giada de Laurentis .

Ingredients:

1 lb. box linguine ( I used Fini Linguine , it was lighter than regular linguine and was just perfect)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 containers of little grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato ( app. 20 oz. of tomatoes)  I cut tomatoes in 1/2.

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

* crushed red pepper ( we like the heat) use your own discretion depending on how you like it, totally optional

3 large cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I use whatever I have open)

1 lb. Asparagus , trimmed, stalks cut on a diagonal into app. 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

fresh basil chopped ( app. 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to box directions.( Fini Linguine cooks in 6 minutes perfectly)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, app.  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and app. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft , it takes about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook for another few minutes ( don’t burn the garlic)keep on low heat and stir around. Add the wine and the asparagus. Bring to a low boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes . Taste for Salt and Pepper, if it needs more this is when I would add it, and I did. I added a bit more salt here, pepper was fine. You need to use your own discretion about the salt .

Sprinkle shrimp in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shrimp needs to be firm to the touch, and opaque if cut into. Stir in the chopped basil and the oregano.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well to combine.  You can always add more crushed red pepper when finished.

This was really delicious and light. Joel of course picked out every piece of asparagus, and put them in my bowl. That was fine with me because I love asparagus.

*this dish will easily serve 4, if you like you can always add another 1/2 lb. of shrimp for 4 people.

1 Comment

Posted in pasta, seafood, vegetables

Tagged , , , ,

Lasagna Two Ways – Turkey Sausage or Spinach Filling (or Use Both)

Posted on April 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

photo 2 (15) photo 1 (19)My friend Susan and I made this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa many moons ago, it has since been my go-to lasagna. I love the goat cheese in it and I love the turkey. In the years since, I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe, including substituting spinach for turkey, which makes it a perfectly delightful vegetarian (not vegan) lasagna, and you all know by now that I am always looking for vegetarian ways of doing things for my daughter. I do use frozen spinach and the only thing I will say is that you really, really need to get all the water out of that frozen spinach, so let it drain well and then actually wring it out with your hands–really wring it out till there is no more water, it may take a while to do this and you can actually do all the other steps while you are doing that. Lasagna is always a lot of work, but well worth it. It can be made a few days ahead; I like to cook it almost all the way and then wrap it and leave it in the fridge until I ‘m ready for to eat it. It can also be frozen in portion size pieces which is really the best, and it will stay frozen for a while. I’ve actually frozen it in one season, come back to Colorado the next season and defrosted it and reheated it, and it tasted awesome! So here you go, my go-to lasagna. If you’d like to use both spinach and turkey go right ahead!!! I always say that I have never met a lasagna I didn’t like but this is one you’ll love. The secret ingredient is the goat cheese for sure.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs. sweet (or if available, I do 1/2 sweet and 1/2 spicy) Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing (you can actually buy it this way) if you’d like you can use all pork sausage as well

If you are substituting spinach for turkey you’ll need about 4 boxes of frozen spinach, well-drained (read above) or use both the turkey  and spinach and then about 2 boxes of spinach

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

lasagna noodles (I use pre-cooked noodles…I love them)or use the regular boxed ones whichever you prefer (both are shown on photos) I really am loving those pre cooked ones though

15 ounces ricotta cheese (skim is fine but don’t use fat-free)

6 ounces creamy goat cheese (crumbled) this is what makes it so unique

1 cup grated parmesan, plus you may need a bit more for sprinkling on top

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 pound shredded mozzarella (However you can get this is fine; fresh is always delicious but the packaged ones aren’t bad for this purpose. I use skim here but never use fat-free cheese please.), but nice touch)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat, until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so (don’t burn it.) Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, about 10 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and if you’d like add some of the fresh basil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until sauce thickens. Taste for additional salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, the egg, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Now if you were adding the spinach this would be the time, in with the cheeses.

In a nice lasagna baking dish or Pyrex–whatever pan comes closest to 9 x 12. Ladle some of the sauce over bottom of the pan, then add layers of noodles over. With the pre-cooked I usually use 3 or 4 depending on the size of the dish but you do not have to overlap as they cook up nicely. (I never use the other noodles anymore.) Next, layer mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one-third of the sauce. Add more pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parmesan on top. Bake for 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. I usually cook my lasagna covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15. If I am cooking it ahead of time, I only cook for 45 minutes covered and then I will brown it up when I reheat it. Also if you are reheating it, please take it out and let it sit at room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Obviously if you are using the spinach, that will be in your cheese layer, and your sauce will be without turkey. I mean…turkey and spinach would be pretty awesome, as well.

Good Luck! Have fun with this. Everyone loves lasagna.

Leave a comment

Posted in pasta

Tagged ,

Rotisserie Chicken and Pasta

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

Baby BroccoliRotisserie Chicken and Pastashredded chicken in broth

There are those nights when the last thing you feel like doing is going out. A home cooked meal would be great, but it’s 5 o’clock and you haven’t prepared, etc. Here is a great meal you can make with a quick stop to your nearby grocery for a rotisserie chicken and a few ingredients.  I make this meal with broccoli rabe or baby broccoli (which seems to always be available in produce section) or even just regular broccoli. If you can pick up fresh pasta that is best; if not, dry pasta will do just fine. This meal is a staple around our house and this is how I make it. I originally found it in Giada De Laurentis’s family dinner book. I made a few changes to the original which better suits us.

Ingredients:

1 lb. broccoli rabe (or baby broccoli or just regular broccoli), trimmed (I cut it into 1- 2 inch pieces, and use just tops of broccoli)

Kosher salt to taste

1 package pasta, fresh or dry (Fettucine is great, but I used Perciatelli this time)

16 oz. chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)

1 tablespoon lemon zest (first zest then juice)

1 roasted chicken, shredded

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (in 400 degree oven for about 5 – 10 minutes  until fragrant; browned not blackened, be careful)

*2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (if you don’t have no big deal. It’s delicious but not totally necessary.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

*pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (I like it hot)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I use the pasta insert for the broccoli (just easier). If you don’t have that, just add the broccoli and cook until crisp-tender, approx. 3 minutes. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Leave water, return to a boil and use for pasta. After pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve 1/2 cup of the water.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, bring the broth and lemon juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the broth is reduced by about 1/2, app. 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and simmer ’til just heated through, another 2 minutes or so. Turn off heat. Add the pasta, broccoli, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese (reserve last 1/4 cup for topping), pine nuts, parsley, oil, and lemon zest. Toss to coat well which is why you will need a large skillet. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water as you toss to moisten, and season with salt and pepper to your liking. I let it sit out ’til we are ready to eat, and then heat it up and add additional pasta water if it is dry. This is a light meal, and it’s very healthy.

Place pasta into bowls, sprinkle with remaining cheese (and if you like, crushed red pepper) to your liking, and serve.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Healthy Cooking with Candi, pasta

Tagged , , ,

Garbage Pail Pasta – Pasta from the Pantry – Vegetarian style

Posted on February 23, 2012 | 2 comments

What a name for a most delicious pasta dish. The recipe comes from Arthur Schwartz’s cookbook , “The Southern Italian  Table” , I actually saw it in an article from the Wall Street Journal of all places.  It contains 13 simple ingredients that are put together. It contains 3 kinds of nuts, but I only had 2 and that worked out just as well. My family was here and Kerri being a vegetarian , I am always on the lookout for new and exciting vegetarian recipes. If there is an ingredient that you really don’t like , take it out. I was trying to think of substitutions for what we had , I wanted to keep it vegetarian but I suppose you could substitute anchovies ( chopped finely) for capers, you need the salt and bite of the capers, and I suppose anchovies could do the trick. The olives add salt, and I chopped them up good as well, because Joel would probably not touch it if he knew they were in there. The raisins add sweetness and use the golden ones, they will look better.  Kerri doesn’t love olives and she loved it. My son in-law Brian kept eating it out of the fridge, and so did Kerri and Jenn.  So it got the family seal of approval and I will definitley make it again. You can experiment with other pasta, but I prefer just plain spaghetti, not too thick and not too thin. I also changed around quantities of a few ingredients to my liking, so feel free to do so.  It’s really a “whatever you have in the pantry ” kind of pasta.  Cooks rather quickly , and very tasty. ( like you’re in Italy)

It was bound to happen that the photos of this dish got erased, so sorry I only have the one of me cooking , it’ll have to do.

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

1 Tablespoon whole pine nuts ( Pignoli)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped hazelnuts ( I didn’t have so I doubled up on Pignoli, and everyone loved it)

3 Tablespoons raisins ( use golden ones)

1 rounded tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 Package of Grape Tomatoes diced ( you can use cherry tomatoes as well) original only called for 1/4 cup but I used whole package, and it was wonderful)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

6 small black olives ( preferably Gaeta) pitted and coarsely chopped

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt for cooking pasta,  plus more to taste. Be careful with the salt, add as needed.

8 ounce box of Spaghetti ( use whatever kind you like best or have in pantry) I always use Spaghetti or Perciatelli

Parmesan Cheese for topping if you so desire

Directions:

In a 9 or 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat, when hot , add nuts and saute until pine nuts become lightly colored.

Add raisins, capers, and tomatoes. Cook , stir frequently, for at least 5 minutes ( tomatoes will start to break down)

Add oregano, parsley, and olives. Stir well, Cook for a few minutes, Salt to taste. Set aside. I actually let it sit in pan on hot stove for a while till I was ready to mix in pasta. It really broke down nicely, the longer it sat.

Boil spaghetti in at least 3 quarts of water with a heaping tablespoon of salt. When cooked, drain well. I saved a cup of pasta water, in the event pasta came out to dry, I used a little of it. It’s not imperative but I always do that with “sauceless pastas”

Toss pasta with seasonings  over low heat until well mixed. I then put in a large bowl and continued mixing and added a bit of the pasta water . It was perfection.

If desired, serve with grated cheese ( I desired)

2 Comments

Posted in pasta, vegetarian

Tagged , ,

Lasagna in the Slow Cooker

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 1 comment

I have to say when I first heard about lasagna in the slow cooker I was sort of skeptical.  My friend Cathy told me about it; she said she had made it for her family and I should give it a go.   The original recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld, who sneaks vegetables and healthy stuff into her food. I did make a few changes from original recipe , I used more sauce and a little more salt , I used fresh spinach which can easily be substituted for ground turkey, sausage, or any type of meat you like.  Next time I make this recipe I will be using meat because it really was quite easy and pretty quick even by slow cooker standards. It cooked in 3 1/2 hours, looked amazing and tasted delicious. I am still a little surprised by how good it was. The spinach wilts down and almost looks like basil in there. Even if you don’t like spinach, don’t worry because even though you start out with 5 ounces (which looks like a lot),  you hardly taste it at all but for those of you who do like it, it’s an added bonus. This lasagna was moist, cheesy and hearty.   So get out your slow cookers and give it a go. This is especially great for a big crowd. It easily serves 6 people.  We of course had a chicken dish alongside, because no amount of prodding could get Joel to try the lasagna, once he saw the spinach. Oh well, what are you going to do? He doesn’t know what he’s missing.  Thanks Cathy for the great idea, and of course, Jessica Seinfeld.

Ingredients:

I used 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes (the recipe original calls for 3 14 oz. cans but I thought it needed a little more sauce and I used 2 large cans which are app. 28 oz. each . You can always use homemade sauce if you have it already made and want to use it. Just make sure you have enough.)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

*1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (use as much or as little of this, whatever you like)

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 ounce each) ricotta (Fresh is awesome, but not always available. Use whatever you’d like. I used part- skim ricotta.)

2 cups grated mozzarella (again use whatever you’d like, package is fine. Just don’t use fat free, it doesn’t work well.)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (about 3/4 of a 1 lb. box) don’t cook them*see note at bottom

5 ounces (or 6 cups) of baby spinach (1 package in the produce section is 5 ounces)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5 – 6 quart slow cooker (which I sprayed with Pam first), spread a thin layer of sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, for 3 – 3 1/2 hours. Noodles should be tender in center by then, mine was. I then switched it to warm until we ate it. I served it from slow cooker with a big spoon, you don’t get those neat little squares but it really held together quite well,  I left some in fridge for leftovers and froze the rest for another time.

*I broke the side noodles in 1/2 and just angled them a little, keeping the center one intact. Once it’s all cooked it doesn’t matter that they were broken, it really came out perfectly.

1 Comment

Posted in pasta, vegetarian

Tagged , ,