Tag Archives: Pasta & Noodles

IMPROMPTU PASTA DINNER

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

It was a dark and stormy night… no, not really, but it was a busy day at work and we wanted to go home, get some comfy clothes, kick back and relax.  My night to cook: I pulled out a cookbook, but even browsing for recipes seemed like an herculean effort, so I opened the fridge searching for inspiration. Voila’: half a bunch of asparagus! In the pantry, I spotted a can of Muir fire-roasted tomatoes (love that stuff!).  It was all that I needed.  Dinner took shape in less than 20 min, resulting in two happy humans and an enjoyable evening ahead of us.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS COINS and TOMATOES
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 shallot
1 T olive oil
fresh asparagus
1 small can Muir fire-roasted tomatoes
salt and pepper
grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
pasta of your preference

Set a large pot with salted water to boil.

Using a sharp knife, cut the asparagus into small coins, trying to get them in similar sizes, about 1/4 inch thick.  Dice the shallot.  Open the can of tomatoes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, saute the shallots until translucent, immediately add the asparagus coins, and cook them in medium-high heat, moving them around. Season with salt and pepper, and try a bite after a couple of minutes.  They should be still very firm.   Add the tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes, adjust seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and add to the skillet with the asparagus/tomato sauce.  Cook them together for a minute or so, add parmiggiano on top and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Slicing asparagus in little coins is a fun way to enjoy it.  In Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Anne Burrell made a salad of raw asparagus cut this way – I’ve been saving the recipe to try it when Spring comes.  Time for a little disclaimer:  we understand that buying asparagus in mid-winter is politically incorrect.  Yes, they traveled a long distance.  But, we needed an asparagus-fix. It might even speed the arrival of Spring!   😉

DINNER IN A HURRY

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Seafood by

I made this in “desperation-mode”, when there was very little available in our fridge: a bunch of Swiss chard harvested from our garden, and a little over half a cup of tomato puree leftover from another recipe.   All I needed was to defrost a bag of large shrimp, and a quick, tasty dinner arrived at the table!

FETUCCINE WITH SHRIMP, SWISS CHARD AND TOMATOES

dried fetuccine (enough for two)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
big bunch of Swiss chard
12-15 large shrimp
zest of a lemon
tomato puree
salt and pepper

Place a large pan with salted water to boil.

Shred the chard leaves after removing the central, tough stem. If you have extra time, dice the stems and start sauteing them a few minutes before adding the rest of the leaves; otherwise send them to your compost bin.

Heat the olive oil, add the diced shallots, cook for a couple of minutes, add  the chard, season lightly with salt and pepper,  and cook in medium heat until it starts to get soft, about 5 minutes.  Increase the heat to high and add the shrimp.  Cook until they turn opaque, add the tomato puree, lemon zest to taste,  simmer a couple of minutes, adjusting the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the shrimp mixture.  Simmer everything together to perform the beautiful marriage of sauce and pasta, adding some of the pasta cooking water if necessary.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Normally I don’t add Swiss chard to a tomato based sauce, but this worked so well, I intend to do it again.  Amounts are all very flexible, of course.  Most people will enjoy sauteing  some garlic with the shallots, so go right ahead…

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PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI STRANDS AND SHRIMP

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Seafood by

The pasta of my childhood was all about the sauce, either a heavy red sauce,  or an equally heavy white sauce, often loaded with cheese.  I loved them both, and I still make slightly lighter versions every once in a while.   But, over the past few years my taste buds gravitated more and more towards pasta with veggies.  Now the sauce plays a secondary role, formed in part  by a simple ladle of the pasta cooking water, full of  the starch released during cooking.

The possibilities for this kind of dish are nearly endless.  I’m fond of cutting zucchini to match long stranded pasta, like spaghetti or fettuccine.    This recipe, which I threw together in minutes the other day, is perfect for weeknights: quick, simple to make, not too heavy, but substantial enough to leave you satisfied and happy at the end of a busy day.

PASTA WITH ZUCCHINI STRANDS AND SHRIMP

served

(serves two, amounts are pretty flexible)

dried spaghetti, fettuccine or any long strand pasta
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 medium size zucchini
1 shallot, finely diced
1 T olive oil
1/2 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
lemon zest
salt and pepper

Place a large pot with water to boil.

Prepare the zucchini by cutting off both ends and using a mandolin or food processor to cut it lengthwise  into fine strands. Ideally, you want the dimensions of the zucchini to match the pasta, but don’t worry too much about it, just make sure to have long, even-sized strands.

When the water boils, add the pasta:   while it cooks, heat a little olive oil in a large saute pan, add the diced shallot, season lightly with salt, and cook for a couple of minutes in medium heat.  Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until opaque, do not overcook.  Remove the shrimp to a plate and add the zucchini to the pan, increasing the heat to high.  Season with a little salt and pepper, and when the zucchini cooks down return the shrimp to the pan.  Cook it together with the zucchini for a minute.

When the pasta is cooked al dente, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set aside;  drain the pasta and add it to the zucchini/shrimp mixture.  Add some of the pasta water to get the consistency you like, immediately sprinkle the goat cheese and mix everything gently to allow the cheese to slowly melt and incorporate into the dish.  Right before serving sprinkle lemon zest on top of the pasta, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Zucchini strands or ribbons are a busy cook’s best friends!  If you have a food processor, it takes just seconds to cut, but if you prefer not to deal with washing the processor, a mandolin or a box grater, which is what I used, works well too.

julienne1

The amounts are flexible:  the higher the proportion of zucchini, the lighter the dish will be.  It’s is a wonderful way of “stretching” the pasta, by shaving off some calories without compromising flavor.

I like the combination of goat cheese with zucchini and shrimp.   Some people find that seafood and cheese don’t go well together, but in this case I beg to differ.

You can make many variations on this basic dish – omit the shrimp, add black olives, sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs such as oregano, mint, or basil.  Zucchini is very “social”, enjoys playing with all sorts of flavors, so let’s profit from it  😉

para receita em portugues, siga ate’ a proxima pagina….

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PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles by

If you cannot stand the heat…

… no need to stay out of the kitchen.

Try this dish instead, and you’ll be glad you did…

fresh4

There are only a few ingredients: tomatoes, olive oil and herbs, so they need to be good quality. I repeat this mantra quite a bit, but it makes all the difference in the world. We had several  tomatoes from the farmer’s market laying around the kitchen, ripe and juicy.  And this weekend we’ll bring home lots more, so I wanted to use them.  After biking from work at 105 F, we needed something fresh and light, but substantial enough to replenish our energies.  Pasta with fresh tomato sauce was it!

You’ll find recipes for uncooked tomato sauce in  every Italian cookbook, and on countless websites.   I’ll  show you how I made it, following a basic method that can be adjusted to your taste and the fresh herbs you have handy.  I go through the trouble of peeling the tomatoes, but you can skip this step if you don’t like doing it. It won’t be as luscious, though… 😉

PASTA WITH UNCOOKED TOMATO SAUCE

(receita em portugues ao final do texto!)

tomatoes (ripe and gorgeous)
olive oil (the best you can find)
fresh basil leaves
fresh mint leaves
fresh thyme
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)

Peel the tomatoes (click here if you want a quick lesson), remove most of the seeds. Cut them in large chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor or blender.  Add a bunch of basil and mint leaves, some thyme, drizzle olive oil all over, season with salt and pepper.

Process by pulsing the machine on a few times.  You want to retain the tomato in pieces (see my photo after the jump).   Add red pepper flakes to taste.   Allow the tomato/herb mixture to sit in a bowl while you cook the pasta.   I like fettuccine or spaghetti.

Once the pasta cooks, drain it quickly, add to a serving bowl and mix in the cold tomato sauce.  Serve immediately.  The contrast of the hot pasta with the cold sauce is a great gastronomic experience!

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