Category Archives: Pasta Rice & Potatoes

Farfalle with Fennel & Mushrooms

Farfalle with Fennel & Mushrooms

This dish was inspired by some lovely fennel  and crimini mushrooms I found at the West Side Market, where I had stopped for provisions on the way home from my voice lesson the other evening.  A quick IPhone search in the store yielded  an old recipe from Regina Schrambling for Hunter-Style Pasta, named for its use of ingredients that “evoke the forest in fall”.  I also found this recipe from Epicurious. (Don’t you love what you can do with a phone these days?)  Combining elements of both, I ended up with a hearty but not too heavy pasta that is a real keeper.

Serve with a large green salad and a crusty French bread. It also makes a fabulous lunch reheated the next day with a little Mozzarella cheese on top.

Farfalle Pasta with Fennel and Mushrooms 2

Farfalle with Fennel & Mushrooms

The key to this dish is to slice the fennel and the dried mushrooms really thin and the fresh mushrooms really thick. I also thought about trying it without the tomato paste – if you decide to make it that way let me know how it tastes.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce dried mushrooms
  • 1 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, very thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
  • 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into very thick slices (I the mushrooms are small, just halve them)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2-4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • a few red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup minced parsley
  • 1 pound farfalle pasta
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for about a half hour, till soft, then drain, reserving the liquid, and cut into very thin strips. Set aside. Strain the mushroom liquid if necessary and set aside.

2. While the mushrooms are soaking, start your water boiling for the pasta, adding a tbsp of salt to the water in a large pot. Toast the pine nuts on an un-greased baking sheet in a 300 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

3. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large deep saute pan over medium high heat. Add the fennel, shallots and mushrooms, and saute until fennel is almost tender, about 12 -15 minutes. About halfway through the saute, start your pasta cooking. When the fennel is almost tender, add the garlic and fennel seeds and saute another minute. Add the white wine and cook off a bit, then stir in the tomato paste and mushroom liquid, cook a minute and then add the half and half. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce is thickened, about 5 mins.

4. While the sauce is thickening, finish off and drain your pasta (leave a little pasta water on your pasta if the sauce is thick). Toss the pasta with the sauce and parsley right in the pan. Bring the pan to the table. Serve hot, sprinkled with pine nuts. Pass the Parmesan.

YIELD: 6 -8 servings

Latkes 2012

It’s Hanukkah, and in our family that means latkes.

This year, our market seemed to be having a bit of a potato shortage, so I ended up using mostly Russets instead of my usual favorite Yukon Golds. What I did not realize was the the Russets have very little water in them,  so when I did my usual potatoes-in-the-dish-towel-squeeze I ended up with a very dry potato mixture that required 4 eggs to stick together!

Lesson learned  – If you use Russets, don’t drain the potatoes or onions after shredding them. Bittman says the Russets make better latkes than the more waxy varieties, but I still like the Yukon golds the best.

Despite my love of old traditions, I also think the food processor makes better shreds than the hand grater.

This years latkes were still delicious, despite (?because of) the extra eggs. Then again, there’s not much one can do to ruin a latke.

Here’s my recipe.

Penne with Brussels Sprouts, Chili and Panchetta

I take full credit for this dinner, because when my husband called me at work to ask “Shall I make that brussels sprouts pasta recipe from Melissa Clark’s column in the Times?”, I immediately said “Yes!”.

I thought it was delicious served with grated Parmesan, although, given the bite this dish packs,  it was even better the next night with a dollop of sheep’s milk yogurt. (Yes, I am addicted to the stuff.)

Recipe here.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Just a quick post to share this wonderful family Thanksgiving favorite.

And to remind myself not to let the fabulous food distract from what this day is really about – giving thanks.

It’s hard to do sometimes, when those we love are taken from us, when the forces of nature (and man) lead to death and destruction, and when it seems that the insanity of war will never end.

And yet here I sit, with the sun shining down on me from a clear indigo sky, in a home that has heat, electricity, water and plenty to eat, in the city I love more than any place else on this earth, surrounded by my husband and children, preparing to travel to the city in which I was born to share not one, but two delicious meals with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, father and in laws.

What else can I be but grateful?

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Modified from a recipe in Gourmet, Nov 1991. I double this recipe that serves 8. Although I cut the potatoes crosswise, lengthwise, as described below, is better for the shape of the pan.

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (optional)

Peel the potatoes. Cut them lengthwise in half. Place cut side down on counter and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.

In a steamer set over boiling water (I use a pasta inset w/ my 8 quart calphalon boiler) steam the potatoes, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are just tender. Let them cool, uncovered. Arrange the potato slices in one layer, overlapping them slightly, in a buttered shallow baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small pot and bring the mixture to a boil and cook it over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring while cooking. Drizzle the syrup evenly over the potatoes, and bake the potatoes in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, basting them with the syrup mixture every 15 minutes, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the syrup is thickened and the sweet potatoes have deepened in color.

May be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.

Penne w/ Caramelized Cabbage, Anchovies & Bread Cumbs

When your husband gets doored by a cab while riding his bike home from work, and breaks his elbow, requiring a two hour operation complete with plates and screws and an arm swollen to twice its size, the best thing that can happen as a result is that your mother-in-law, the greatest home cook in the world, will come up to visit. Although her company would have been gift enough, she will spend the entire time cooking, and counting the pan of eggplant pastistio she brought with her, leave practically a week’s worth of dinners in your fridge.

The best part of the visit will be getting to cook in the kitchen with her on Saturday, where we made this delicious pasta adapted from a recipe in this week’s NY Times.

Mr TBTAM, we’ll get through this. Thanks in no small part to your wonderful Mom.

Pasta with Caramelized Cabbage, Anchovies & Bread Crumbs

We modified the NY Times recipe to suit both the size of the cabbage Irene had bought, as well as our own personal preferences for onion, more anchovies and bread crumbs. We loved it. It reheated well tonight for leftovers. Check out the original recipe if you want something with a little less cabbage. (I may try the original recipe myself one of these days soon…)

5 garlic cloves, peeled and put through a garlic press
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (2 oz) can of anchovy fillets, drained
1 cup coarse bread crumbs (We used Panko)
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
1 pound dry penne
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 medium head cabbage, shredded (About 10-12 cups)
1 large onion, peeled and sliced very thin
2/3 cup grated Parmesan (plus more for serving)
Chopped parsley for topping

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute one clove of the pressed garlic till fragrant but not browned. Add the anchovies and cook, mashing with a fork, until they dissolve into the butter. Stir in the bread crumbs and sage and cook until crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Season well with black pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and cook until golden brown. Add the chile and cook until fragrant. Stir in the onion and cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with the cabbage/onion and bread crumb mixture. Quickly toss in the cheese and remove from heat. Scatter chopped parsley atop and serve.

Serves 8.

Mushroom Lasagna

The leaves disappear from the trees;
The time of the singing of the birds is done;
And the sizzling of sauteed mushrooms can be heard across the land.

There’s a sadness that comes to me in late autumn, as the days shorten and nature’s color palette moves from brilliant yellow, orange and red into the muted browns. But then I think of the mushroom, and my spirits begin to lift. Add in pasta, Parmesan cheese and a bechamel sauce, and let’s just say I’m ready to stop the season’s clock right here and now and live in November forever.

No, I did not make this week’s NY Times recipe for Gooey Wild-Mushroom lasagna – Although it looks delicious, there’s too much cheese in that dish for both my taste and my waistline.  I wanted a simpler recipe that would let the mushroom’s flavors dominate and fit a bit better into a healthy lifestyle. The recipe I ended up using began with Ina Garten (How much do I love her?…), got tweaked a bit at the Smitten Kitchen (Check out those pics…) and then of course, I had to tweak it some more myself to make it less calories and add a few more flavors.  What resulted was honestly one of the best things I have ever made or eaten. We served it for Sunday dinner with broccoli on the side, then the next night as a side with broiled steak (OMG…) , and again tonite as a smaller side along with roast cauliflower and a steak salad. Each time I ate a little less, and enjoyed it a little more. (Meaning it reheats well.)

I’d like to experiment a bit more with this recipe – adding in some shallots, using a bit less flour, perhaps upping the proportion of broth to milk in the bechamel, or replacing it altogether with this olive oil bechamel from Martha Rose Shulman. Turns out Martha Rose has already made a mushroom lasagna with olive oil bechamel. (Great minds think alike.) It looks incredible.  I think I’ll make that one next time. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Mushroom Lasagna

For the pasta
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

For the bechamel
3 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup mushroom broth (from the cooking mushrooms or made with dried mushrooms – instructions below)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
2tbsp butter
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh pepper
1 clove minced garlic
3 small stems of fresh thyme leaves

For the lasagna
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Paprika (for the top)

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch lasagna pan with olive oil or butter. (I use a le Crueset pan and highly recommend it.) Bring a large pot of water to boil with salt and a oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium in the bottom of the large skillet or saute pan. Cook the mushrooms with a 1/2 tsp of salt, pepper to taste and the thyme for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and release some of their juices. (You may need to do this in two batches if you don’t have a really large saute pan). Now here’s what I did that I think is kinda’ clever – you know how the mushrooms give off so darned much liquid, and then by the time you’ve cooked it off you’ve got a small dry mushroom? Well, I got tired waiting for it to cook off and wanted my mushrooms plump, so I drained off about a 1/4 cup of that rich brown broth and added it to my bechamel.  If you don’t want to do that, you can soak some dried mushrooms in boiling water and make a little mushroom broth instead and add that to the bechamel. In the last few minutes, add the garlic so it does not burn.

3. Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove and set aside. Melt 1 stick butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour, then cook over a moderate heat constantly stirring until it turns a rich nutty brown (about 4 minutes – don’t leave it and keep stirring). Pour in the hot milk, a little at a time at first and then the rest quickly, whisking to combine. Add the broth, still stirring. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until it is thick (about 5 minutes). Set aside.

4. Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan (8×12 or  9 x 13 baking dish). Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce (about 1/4 of what remains), 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 cup grated parmesan. Repeat two more times then top with a final layer of noodles, your remaning sauce and last 1/4 cup of parmesan. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

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More mushroom recipes from TBTAM

What to Eat on NYC Marathon Day – Tri-color Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Keeping with my recent theme of Autumnal-colored meals, I chose a tricolor pasta to use with this luscious creamy mushroom sauce from one of my fave cookbooks, Regional Italian Cuisine. The dish hails from Tuscany, where more genuine folk would serve the sauce with a mixture of homemade egg and spinach tagliatelle, and call it Paglia e Fieno (“Straw and Hay”). It was a great way to use up the last of the basil from my garden before the cold weather gets it.

It was also a great dinner to wind up a brisk autumn day during which I walked the city for over 3 hours – which is what happens when you decide to meet a friend for a walk in Central Park followed by brunch on the day of the NYC Marathon, and find yourself detoured for blocks by the race at practically every turn.  I didn’t mind the extra-long walk a bit – the weather was glorious, the city shining and beautiful, and the people ebullient – this is one of New York City’s finest moments.

On my way to the park, I caught the wheelchair front-runners as they came off the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan.

And happened to be along the Park Drive as the female front runner hit mile 24.

The reservoir, as always, was glorious. And for a Sunday morning, gloriously empty.

We ate brunch on the Upper West Side at French Roast, sitting outside in the sun – how we scored a table without a wait is a small miracle in itself.  On the sidewalk, a bookseller was plying his wares – in this case, a tabletop filled with books on philosophy and psychoanalysis. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Woody Allen was having a stoop sale.

As I headed down Broadway after brunch, marathoners in their orange capes clogged the sidewalks. A half hour later, back near home on First Avenue, runners were still coming off the bridge into Manhattan in droves.  Amazing, really. The sheer number of runners, cheered on by their friends, family and fellow New Yorkers, filling the streets of New York’s boroughs, and Manhattan from the east to the west side.

Detours and police barricades notwithstanding, Marathon Day is hands down my favorite day in this amazing city I am privileged to call home. Congrats to all the runners in today’s race, from the front-runners to the last stragglers. I hope your day was as wonderful as mine.

Tri-Color Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This is not exactly a dieter’s dish, although a limited portion served with a large salad could be a meal well within a calorie-counter’s daily budget. To be more genuine use 1/2 lb spinach fettucine and 1/2 pound regular fettucine instead of the tricolor pasta.  To be truly genuine, make your own egg and spinach tagliatelle, as outlined in the original recipe.

1 lb tricolor pasta
3 1/2 ounces mild raw prosciutto
11 ounces fresh mushrooms (I used crimini)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (plus another tbsp or so for the sauce at the end)
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp beef stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for serving

  • Start your pasta water heating.
  • Cut the ham into thin strips and set aside. Clean the mushrooms, slice thin and drizzle with the lemon juice.
  • In a saucepan, melt 1/2 tbsp butter and add the crushed garlic. Simmer over low-med heat until the garlic is soft. Pour in the cream and beef stock and allow to cook down until smooth and dense.
  • Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the mushrooms and saute until limp. Add the parsley and ham and saute a bit more until the liquid of the mushrooms has evaporated and the ham begins to crisp a bit at the edges.
  • By now, your pasta water should be ready. Start your pasta cooking. When it is done, drain it well and place in a warmed bowl.
  • Season the cream sauce with pepper, salt if needed, and a little more lemon juice, and pour over the hot noodles. Toss with the mushroom-ham mixture and the basil leaves. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Linguine with Littleneck Clams, Roasted Tomatoes and Caramelized Garlic

Kudos and a huge thanks to Melissa Clark at the NY times for this wonderful recipe, now in the running to replace Mr TBTAM’s signature recipe as our family classic clam sauce. (I now realize I have never posted Mt TBTAM’s clam sauce recipe, but promise to do so – I actually have a video of him making it.)

This meal was one of several that came from a Saturday morning bike trip to the Union Square Farmer’s Market (I’ll post that too), where we found gorgeous cherry tomatoes and fresh garlic. The herbs came from our own container garden. Gradually, we’re shifting away from stocking the fridge at the supermarket to getting fresh things at the farmers market when we can, and tailoring our week’s dinners around that. It makes for a more empty fridge throughout the week as we work our way through what’s there while it’s still fresh. I like it.

Linguine with Littleneck Clams, Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

The recipe I’m posting here is Melissa’s recipe with a few modifications  – Mr TBTAM doctored it up at his mother Irene’s suggestion, she having made it herself the week before. Their changes were to add a can of clams (to get more clam-flavored broth), increase the garlic from 14 to 20 cloves  (it’s roasted, so don’t worry, it’s not too much) and adding fresh basil and parsley instead of mint. 

You may want to make the original recipe instead of our version. Either way, be sure to read and the accompanying article explaining the traditional Italian method of saucing pasta and why it’s done that way. I think there may be a way to shorten the recipe a bit and keep to tradition, what with all the taking of things out of and back into the pasta pot. Suggestions in this vein are welcome.

We served the dish with a side of sauteed kale, a salad and warm loaf of crusty bread for dipping in the wonderful sauce. 

20 garlic cloves
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped basil
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 pound dry linguine
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1-2 small dried red peppers
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 can minced clams
1/4 cup chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Smash and peel 12 garlic cloves; peel and finely chop the remaining 8. Toss the smashed garlic with the tomatoes, basil, 2 tablespoons oil, salt,and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread out in a layer in one or two baking pans (make sure they aren’t too crowded, so they don’t steam) and roast the tomatoes, tossing occasionally, until they split open, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until it is 2 minutes from being done to taste. Drain.

Return the pasta pot to medium-high heat. Warm 4 tablespoons oil in the pot. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and let simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the roasted tomatoes and garlic. Add the clams. Cover the pot and cook until the clams open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to transfer open clams to a bowl; discard any that do not open.

Add the pasta and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper to the sauce in the pot. Cook, tossing, until pasta is just cooked through. Return the clams to the pot and toss with the pasta and parsley. Divide mixture among serving bowls. Garnish with a little more parsley if you want and drizzle with more oil.

Summer Sunday Pesto made with Mint, Basil & Parsley

Summer weekends at the cottage, the need to get back to the city leaves no time for a proper supper on Sunday, so I try to make a nice mid-afternoon lunch. Warm weather demands that the meal feel light, but it must be substantial enough to hold us through the long ride home (allowing, of course, for a stop for ice cream along the way). Leftovers from Saturday night’s dinner help round out the meal and keep the trunk empty going home.

I love setting the table for lunch at the cottage – something we rarely, if ever, do at home for lunch. Gathering around the table gives us a chance to sit with friends to talk or play one last game of scrabble. Sometimes, we’ll take a picnic to the lake instead if that’s where we decide to spend those last precious hours.

This past weekend, I wanted to use the basil and parsley growing in the herb garden, but traditional pesto seemed too heavy tasting for a hot summer afternoon. Lemon and mint came to mind, and luckily, I had both leftover from dinner the night before. The combo got rave reviews, and made for a great flavor for serving room temperature pasta at a lakeside picnic.

I’m looking for ways to use the remaining two cups of this minty pesto that I’ve stored in the freezer. Any ideas?

Summer Sunday Pesto made with Mint, Basil & Parsley

I decided to toast the pine nuts and garlic slightly for a more mellow flavor, although I think this pesto would have just tasted just fine if both were used raw. This recipe makes about 3 cups pesto – use one cup for the penne and freeze the rest.  Serve the pasta with sliced tomato and mozarella on the side, and tall glasses of iced seltzer with a splash of lemonade and a sprig of mint.  

  • 1- 1 lb box penne pasta
  • 2 cups lightly packed basil leaves
  • 2 cups lightly packed flat leaf Italian parsley
  • 2 cups lightly packed mint leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed whole
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Kosher salt to taste

Put a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.

Toast the pine nuts and garlic over medium-low heat in a large skillet, shaking frequently to toast lightly and evenly.  Cool. Put basil, parsley and mint leaves into bowl of food processor, along with garlic and pine nuts, and pulse till combined. (You may have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.) Continue processing till fine, adding oil and then lemon juice through feeding tube. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the pesto into a large bowl. Fold in the cheeses. Salt to taste. Remove two cups of pesto for freezing, leaving about a cup of pesto in the bowl.

Cook the penne till al dente. Drain and add to the remaining one cup of pesto in the bowl. Toss to coat. Let cool and serving a bit later at room temp.

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I’m submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging, a long running weekly carnival of recipes using fresh herbs and plants, hosted this week at  Almond Corner.

Linguine with Shrimp and Cilantro Lime Pesto

The weeknight warriors have done it again, this time with a delicious pasta recipe.

My role in the whole operation was limited to finding a recipe after Mr. TBTAM and I agreed over the phone on the ingredients we had in mind – shrimp, lime, pasta. I emailed him the recipe, then went back to work, strolling in the door at 7 to younger daughter having a piano lesson and Mr .TBTAM reading in the den, the table set, salad made, pasta water simmering and the ingredients for the meal prepped and waiting for the final cook after the lesson was over. I quickly made a lemon vinaigrette for the salad and started some applesauce cooking for dessert while Mr. TBTAM cooked and assembled the pasta.

But hey, I did the dishes, so it all comes out even.

Linguine with Shrimp & Cilantro-Lime Pesto
Modified from Bon Appetit, July 2010

This recipe uses Cotijo cheese, or Mexican Parmesan, an artisan cheese made from cow’s milk taken during the rainy season when the grass grows on the mountainside. Coteja is sort of a cross between a mild feta and a parmesan – salty, white, softer than parmesan, but easily crumbled – and does not melt when cooked. We found ours at Fairway, where it was very reasonably priced. You can substitute Feta if you can’t find Cotija.

I was taken aback by the final calorie count on this recipe – for 4 servings, it’s a whopping 830 calories each. Of course, one does not have to have an entire 1/4 pound of pasta per serving, but this stuff is so good it’s like crack. Next time, I’ll portion it to serve 6, cut back the olive oil to 1/4 cup, the tequila to 2 tbsp and up the lime juice to 4 tbsp total to lose some calories – I don’t think it will hurt it at all.  Any other suggestions on lightening this dish without losing its oomph would be most appreciated.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1/4 cup chopped
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped scallions
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tbsp chopped, seeded serrano pepper
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb linguine
  • 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 3 tbsp tequila
  • 1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Preparation

Blend 1 1/4 cups cilantro leaves and next 4 ingredients in processor until coarse puree forms. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup oil. Season with salt.

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add tequila. Return skillet to heat and stir until sauce is syrupy, about 30 seconds. Add pesto; stir to coat. Remove from heat.

Add pasta to sauce in skillet; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, plate and sprinkle with Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro.
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I’m not the only one making this pasta.

  • Michael Beyer does a gorgeous big plating.
  • Mardi suggests a splash of lime juice at serving. Turns out that’s just what my daughter did.
  • Erin made hers with Parmesan and Feta and added some hot pepper flakes.
  • Sally at Bewitching Kitchen notes that it’s unusual to find fish and cheese paired so well.
  • Shea Evans and his cat takes a pretty pic of this pasta.
  • Eye for a Recipe shows you what the pesto looks like before being added to the pasta. Hmmm!!
  • Jennifer makes the pasta while recovering from a belly dancing lesson. That’s one way to work off the calories.
  • Amanda is as excited as I am to have discovered Cotija cheese.

Pasta Puttanesca ala San Marzano

I”ve been making Puttanesca sauce for some years now, since first discovering it in Mark Bittman’s minimalist column in 2008. Puttanseca is a fast and easy pasta that makes a perfect weeknight dinner for hard working folk, as the prostitutes who are said to have originated the recipe well know.

But I have never before tasted a Puttanseca as good as this one, made a few weeks back after a Saturday afternoon raking leaves at the cottage. You might say it was the fall air, or the well water, or the bittersweet taste of season’s end that lent it such fabulous flavor.  I think it was all that, but mostly it was the San Marzano tomatoes, which I used for the very first time in this sauce. All I can say is Oh – My – God. How did I not know about these tomatoes before?

San Marzano are officially the best sauce tomato in Italy, grown in the Campagna region and certified authentic with the EU D.O.P. emblem, Denominazione d’Origine Protetta. However, the seeds of the San Mareno tomato have found their way across borders and the brand we used was actually grown domestically in the United States. While it lacks the DOP stamp, I can tell you these tomatoes are fabulous!

There are numerous imported brands of San Marzanos, available pretty much at any supermarket here in New York. (We got ours at Gourmet Garage). If you can’t get San Marzano’s where you live, you can order them online. I can’t wait to try this sauce again using an imported brand, though I can’t imagine it could taste any better than this.

Pasta Puttanesca

I’ve started with Bittman’s recipe, adjusting the amounts of various ingredients to my taste. You should do the same.

3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 anchovies, straight from the can
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and cut in half
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp capers, drained
black pepper and salt to taste (you won’t need much salt, if at all)
1 (28 oz) cans an Marzano plum tomatoes
chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish
1 lb linguine
Grated Pecorino or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

1. Boil the pasta water. Bring pot of water to boil and salt it.

2. Make the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons oil with garlic and anchovies in skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is lightly golden.  Add tomatoes to the skillet, with salt and pepper to taste. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture becomes saucy, about 10 minutes. Stir in olives, capers and red pepper flakes, and continue to simmer.

3. Cook the pasta and toss with sauce. Cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Drain quickly and toss with sauce and remaining tablespoon of oil. Taste and adjust seasonings, garnish with herbs if you like, and serve. Pass the Parmesan.

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More on Puttanesca and San Marzano Tomatoes

  • Mark Bittman makes Puttanesca in this NY Times video
  • Jamie Oliver makes a big ole Puttanesca, using dried oregano and lots of anchovies (complete with German overdubbing….)
  • Chef Lyon has a video lesson –  onions, balsamic and oven-roasted tomatoes give his Puttanesca a California feel
  • San Marzano Tomatoes – Everything you ever wanted to know
  • Natashya makes Tyler Florence’s Puttanesca and serves it with strip steak
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Tag Team Skillet Gnocchi Casserole

How do you get a deliciously healthy family supper together when you have a late meeting and your husband has to pick your younger daughter up from a study session at a friend’s house across town? Not to mention stay on your diet?

Sounds like a job for the Weeknight Warriors! But this time, you tag team it. Here’s how we did it  –

4:50 pm – Just before heading onto your late afternoon meeting, you find a great recipe on Eating Well.com site, which features 500 calorie dinners!

5:00 pm – Call Mr TBTAM to get his agreement on the meal choice, then email him a list so he can pick things up on his way home from work. Head to your meeting.

6:30 pm – Mr TBTAM, now home with gnocchi and spinach, heads into the kitchen to prep.

7:00 pm – Mr TBTAM sets the table, then leaves to pick up younger daughter. You leave the office and head home.

7:15 pm – You head straight from the front door to the kitchen, stopping only to don an apron, and start cooking. You feel like a TV chef with a staff of kitchen elves –  the onions and garlic are all chopped, the can of tomatoes and beans are opened, the salad greens and spinach washed and everything is out on the counter waiting for you!

7:45 pm – Everyone’s home, dinner is on the table. Go Team!

Tag Team Gnocchi Skillet Casserole

Modified from Eatingwell.com. The big short cut in this meal is using prepared gnocchi, but feel free to use homemade. This dish would be good with pasta as well, but the gnocchi are really special. Serve with a green leaf salad with a light dressing to make it to 500 calories total. We made the goat cheese tomato dressing suggested on the website, but it ended up a bit too watery to post the recipe.

I modified the Gnocchi recipe from EatingWell by boiling the gnocchi first, using a tad more olive oil so the gnocchi would not stick (I use a stainless steel and not a non-stock skillet), spinach instead of swiss chard, increasing the onion to large, substituting chicken broth for water and adding some fresh basil and hot pepper flakes. My calorie count is about 20 calories more per serving than the recipe on the website, or about 340 calories. Of course, that’s only if your serving size is 1/6 of the total. Unfortunately, I think I ate about 1/5 of it, so I actually had about 400 calories. It’s all about portion size, isn’t it?

Boiling lightly salted water
1 16-ounce package gnocchi (We used Emilia brand from Fairway, also at Trader Joe’s)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and drained
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or a tsp pesto)
salt to taste
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a strong rolling boil. Add gnocchi and cook, usually for 2-3 minutes, removing them with a slotted spoon to a colander as they pop to the top of the water. Drain.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over almost high heat. Add gnocchi and saute for about 5 minutes, turning them gently with a fork as they brown lightly. (Try not to eat any.) Transfer gently to a bowl. (Surprisingly, they don’t break apart.)

Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute, then the chicken broth. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, basil, pepper and pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Cook off any excess water that may have accompanied the tomatoes (next time I will drain the tomatoes).

Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Our Spaghetti Sauce

Every family has their standard spaghetti sauce recipe, and this is ours. It’s hearty meat sauce that is rich in flavors and perfect for a spaghetti dinner. The recipe is based on one from my mother-in-law Irene, lightened a bit by using less olive oil.*

We vary the meat combo depending on what we have in the freezer or can find at the market, but try when we can to use at least one other meat besides beef, usually pork. The quantities of meat are non-exact since that’s the way you find them at the market, but overall its about 2 lbs.
Of course, you could make the sauce by using ground turkey or chicken, but then it wouldn’t be our sauce now, would it? It would be yours.

Our Spaghetti Sauce

Put a the teapot filled with fresh water. Open one large 1 lb 13oz can of Italian tomatoes and buzz them on the food processor with a large 1 lb 13 oz can of tomato puree. (Alternatively, just open 2 cans of crushed tomatoes).

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan on high heat. Add 8-10 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp fennel seeds and cook, stirring, till they begin to turn color. Immediately add 1 lb lean ground beef, 1/2 to 1 lb ground pork or Italian sausage (removed from casings) and 1/2 to 1 lbs ground veal, and cook, stirring frequently.

While the meat is cooking, put two cubes of beef bouillon into a large pyrex measuring cup and add 2 cups boiling water, stirring to dissolve the cubes.

Just when the meat loses its redness, stir in 3 tbsp flour and the bouillon. Allow to thicken about a minute. Add the tomatoes and stir. (To stretch the sauce further, add a can of tomato paste and a can of water). Add spices – 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, ground black pepper +/- crushed chili pepper to taste, 1 tsp dried oregano (or more to taste), 1 tsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh pesto (we almost always use the pesto since we usually have some homemade in the freezer) and 1 cup finely chopped parsley.

Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for at least an hour.

This recipe makes enough for 2 lbs of spaghetti and tastes best the second day. It freezes well.

For leftovers, dice eggplant and salt it. Toss in oil and garlic and lightly brown. Toss with leftover spaghetti. Spread 1/2 cup mozarella and sprinkle with Parmesan and bake 1/2 hour.
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*The original recipe called for 1/2 cup olive oil. Irene tells me her Italian friend told her you have to use a lot of oil in your spaghetti sauce, and indeed recipes for Neopolitan Tomato Sauce call for 1/2 cup oil. One of these days I’ll make it that way and see if it makes a difference. If any of my Italian readers want to comment, feel free.

Baked Kafta with Potato (Kafta bi Seniyah)

This is yet another wonderful dish from May Bsiu’s cookbook The Arab Table: Recipes and Culinary Traditions.It’s sort of a Middle Eastern version of lasagna using potatoes instead of pasta. Kafta (also spelled Kofta) are the ubiquitous Middle Eastern meatball, made with lamb or beef and served in a variety of ways.

I’ve adapted Bsisu’s recipe by substituting canned for fresh tomatoes and olive for vegetable oil. We served ours with a side of chickpea salad (from the same cookbook), but Bsisu recommends a simple green salad and flatbread.

Kafta

2 pounds ground beef or lamb (we used beef)
1 cup finely chopped parsely
1 pound onions, minced
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, using you hands, until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Shape into flattened balls and refigerate while preparing the rest of the dish.

Kafta with Potatoes

2 – 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil
4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 pound onions, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Kafta (recipe above)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Drain the tomatoes, saving the juice. If necessary, add water to equal 1/2 cup total juice.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan on high heat. Add potatoes and saute, turning halfway, till lightly browned.

Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Add remaining oil to skillet and heat. Add onions and saute till soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Dissolve the tomato paste in the saved tomato juice and pour it over the cooked onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes until the onions have melted slightly into the sauce.

Meanwhile, spread the Kafta in a 9×12 inch baking dish. Arrange the potatoes atop, overlapping if necessary. Layer the tomatoes atop the potatoes, then spread the onion mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Bake until the tomato sauce is thickened, the meat is deep brown and potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.

Let sit 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into squares, spooning some of the sauce directly over each square.

My Big Fat American Pastitsio

mybigfatpastistio

We love serving Pastitsio, also known as Greek Lasagna, to our friends and family. Made with pasta, meat sauce and bechamel, and flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon, pastitsio somehow seems more special than Italian Lasagna, and never fails to get raves from dinner guests.

Our Pastitsio is based on an old artery-clogging recipe from Jeff Smith’s cookbook The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines, which in turn comes from a Greek Orthodox Church cookbook called Greek Cooking in an American Kitchen. The original recipe calls for 9 eggs, 16 tbsp of butter and not a drop of olive oil! I’ve enlightened it quite a bit, although it is still quite a rich dish.

Something tells me this is not the original Greek version of Pastitsio – after all, the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be healthy, right? I figure this Americanized version evolved when Greek immigrant housewives, unable to find (or afford) olive oil at the local A&P, turned to butter – and the rest is history.

But then, I asked the Greeks who run our local Pizza joint how they make their pastitsio at home. (These guys are the real thing, complete with accents.) “Butter” was their unequivocal answer. “We use butter for baking, and olive oil in our salads. Olive oil in Pastitsio would not taste right.” Our nurse manager, Maria, who is also Greek, concurs. “They do make it in Greece with olive oil, but it’s an entirely different dish. My kids don’t like it.” The pastitsio her kids love is made with two sticks of butter, making me wonder if her mother knew the ladies who wrote that church cookbook up there…

I did find a healthier Pastitsio recipe in John Kaldes’ cookbook Made in Greece. (Faithful readers may recall John from our little foray to the fish market in Newark…) John’s recipe uses no butter, not even in the bechamel, and calls for two different Greek cheeses. A bechamel made with olive oil – that’s got to be the authentic recipe.

I think I am going to make John’s Pastitsio next time and see how it stands up to the American version. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Better yet, John, how about a little Pastitsio Throw Down? (Update – The Throwdown is a go! Probably sometime early spring. Stay tuned…)

ARTERY CLOGGING, CROWD PLEASING, BIG, FAT AMERICAN PASTISTIO

Even I’m not going to use two sticks of butter in one recipe, so I’ve cut back considerably on that as well as the eggs. I also make a larger quantity of sauce than the original recipe, and serve it atop, since the Pastitsio can be a bit dry otherwise. I do what Jeff Smith suggests, and line my ziti up in rows so it looks pretty when sliced. Serve with a big side of green salad.

Meat Mixture
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large peeled and finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large can peeled tomatoes, pulsed on processor (or used chopped tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves

Macaroni
4 qt water
salt
1 lb ziti
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bechamel
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups warm milk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onion and garlic till golden. Add beef and cook till it just loses its red color, then add the remaining meat mixture ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. It should be thick. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add salt and ziti and cook, uncovered about 7-8 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add melted butter and beaten eggs and grated cheeses. Put half this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9x2 inch baking pan and top with about 2/3 of the meat mixture. (You’ll reserve the rest of the meat mixture, keeping it warm to serve atop the final dish). Cover the meat with the remaining half of the pasta.

Prepare the white sauce by melting butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add the heated milk, stirring constantly, and cook till thickened and smooth. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then stir in 1/2 cup of the bechamel. Blend and stir the egg/sauce mixture back into the bechamel in the saucepan and continue to stir over low heat til thickened. Add remaining ingredients to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the ziti and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is delicately browned. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Serve with a bit of sauce atop each serving.

MYBIGFAT PASTISTIO 2