Category Archives: pasta

pesto

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dsc_26391

My love affair with pesto and all things basil started at an early age. I remember the first time I had pesto – my dad took me to dinner at Avenue Bistro in Toledo, OH. I was a nasty hybrid of vegetarian + picky-teen-eater at the time so my dinner was essentially a house salad and this mystery green concoction on the table. I probably ate at least two loaves of bread covered in pesto. My dad must have been horrified at the amount of food I consumed, since he was the type who ran five miles a day and lived off of iceberg lettuce alone. But oh man that stuff was good.

Now that I’m a “grown up” I can make my own pesto. Honestly, it’s so easy I’m sure I could have made it back then, too. The bright flavor of basil with the salty parmesan cheese, plus the subtle depth added by the toasted pine nuts (mmm, pine nuts)… pesto is just divine on all accounts. It’s a perfect, refreshing snack in the summer – just buy a loaf of crusty bread at the store, rip off a piece, and dunk it on in! Don’t want the guilt that accompanies realizing you’ve eaten a whole loaf of bread in one sitting? Try using it as a pasta sauce – just toss it with pasta. Maybe add a splash of cream if you feel so inclined… I think I like where this is going….

[[PS – I’m entered in a kitchen contest – VOTE FOR ME HERE!]]

Pesto

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  • 1 C basil leaves
  • 1/2 C freshly-grated parmesan
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted (some stores will sell them pre-toasted if you’re not a fan of toasting them yourself)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Splash of fresh lemon juice (optional)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 – 1/2 C olive oil

1. Whir everything except the oil in a food processor until it forms a paste.

2. Pour oil in, a few tablespoons at a time, while the food processor is running until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. (Some people like theirs with less oil, ideal for spreading, while others like it with more oil, which makes it more dip-able)

3. Taste and adjust salt and pepper

*Tips

*This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for company

*It’s not baking – so don’t worry about exact amounts. Adjust the taste to your liking – you can even add a different kind of cheese or different leafy greens – spinach & feta perhaps?

*A splash of lemon juice is always a welcome addition to pesto

*Extra pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays – it makes a great addition to pasta sauces. I like to add a pesto cube to red sauce for an extra boost of flavor.

Pasta al Pomodoro

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pasta pomodoro

I don’t know if anyone subscribes to Bon Appetit, but May’s issue had a KILLER cover picture. It was just a simple pasta pomodoro, but it looked A-MAY-ZING. After wiping the drool from my chin, I decided I had to make it. I really think I’m the only person who loves a simple spaghetti with red sauce… However, since my kitchen was in pieces at that time, I marked the recipe page and went along with my life. A couple of days ago, I was cleaning and was elated to stumble upon that magazine again. Realizing I already had all of the ingredients it called for, I immediately got to work.

The May issue was packed with all kinds of “secrets” to making perfect pasta. Things most people know, like adding salt to your pasta water, reserving some of the pasta’s cooking water for your sauce, and adding cheese to your sauce (not just on top of it). It also had some new tips, like using a skillet instead of a large pan, adding butter when you toss the pasta, and finishing the pasta for the last couple minutes in the sauce, so that it absorbs the flavor of the sauce while it finishes cooking.

 

The recipe isn’t anything mind-blowing, just another simple (but enjoyable) pasta sauce recipe. It actually doesn’t vary a whole lot from my current pasta sauce recipe, but I just couldn’t help myself.

We used bowtie pasta (per BF’s request) instead of spaghetti or bucatini. I also feel bad whenever I eat an entree that is void of protein, so I seared some chicken breasts, chopped them up, and added them to the sauce while it simmered. Topped with freshly-grated parmesan and pecorino, this pasta was easy to make and a delight to eat.

Pasta al Pomodoro – from Bon Appetit

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  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes, puréed
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 large fresh basil sprigs
  • 12 oz. pasta
  • 2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino (I used both)
  • 1 – 2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded* (optional)
  1. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. (Make sure it doesn’t burn- burned garlic is bitter!!) Add crushed red pepper flakes and continue to cook another minute.
  2. Increase heat to medium and add puréed tomatoes and season lightly with kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes.** (see tips) Remove pan from heat, stir in basil sprigs, and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta! Bring water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season with salt; add pasta and cook. Remove 2 minutes before tender and drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
  4. Discard basil and heat skillet over high heat. Stir in reserved pasta water to loosen sauce and bring it to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat; add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts

*Tips

*Purchase canned, whole tomatoes and puree them before adding them to your sauce. You can puree your tomatoes in the food processor, with a food mill, or an immersion blender.

*You can add your chicken at step 2 (while it simmers) or step 3 (when you add the pasta). Adding it earlier will result in it absorbing more of the flavor from the sauce, though.

*While my pasta simmers, I cover it with aluminum foil or parchment with a hole cut out- allowing the sauce to be able to reduce without making a huge tomato-y mess on my stove and counter.

simple red sauce

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red sauce main
This isn’t about the meatballs, or the pasta, or the cheese. This, my friends, is about the sauce. You know all those complicated recipes for red sauce that you’ve read over the years? With secret blends of secret spices, with food mills, sugar, someone’s grandmother’s “secret ingredient”? Simmer for 40 hours, stirring constantly, standing on one leg while humming an authentic Italian tune? Smoke and mirrors, my friends, smoke and mirrors. Continue reading →

Teriyaki Chicken with Momofuku’s Ginger-Scallion Noodles

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teriyaki chicken noodles

“Teriyaki” hails from Japan and is just a general term that applies to pretty much any type of sweetened soy sauce mixture. The sweetener can be anything from honey, to pineapple juice, to plain old sugar (which is what this recipe uses). Feel free to experiment and find what you like.

While teriyaki is extremely popular in the US, I’m not sure how “authentic” it is to asian cuisine. Nevertheless, it shows up on menus nationwide for us to enjoy at asian and non-asian restaurants alike (even ‘Jack in the Box’ has a teriyaki bowl). Once you see how simple it is to make, you’ll understand why.

I made Momofuku’s ginger-scallion noodles with quick-pickled cucumbers to accompany our chicken tonight, which I was fortunate enough to experience in person on my NYC trip last year at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I received the cookbook from mom this past Christmas and had yet to actually make anything from it.

Despite sounding fancy, the sauce comes together rather quickly, and ends up looking like a pile of wet scallions. The noodles are very ginger-y, so if you’re not big on ginger, you may want to scale it back a bit. You could also use Megkat’s noodle recipe (at the end of this post), which is super tasty as well.

Teriyaki Chicken – Adapted from Megkat

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  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/3 C soy sauce
  • 1/3 C sugar (I’m sure you could substitute honey, agave nectar, or pineapple juice to taste)
  • ¼  C cider vinegar
  • ½  tsp garlic powder
  • ½  tsp powdered ginger (There was plenty of ginger in the noodles, so I left it out of the sauce this time)
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper (couple grinds)
  • ¼ – ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil (this will make clean up much easier). Place chicken strips in pan.
  2. Mix water and cornstarch into slurry and add to saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, whisking to avoid burning.
  3. Once sauce is thick and syrup-y, pour over chicken and toss to coat. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, stirring about halfway through.

*Alternatively, I think it might taste even better if you saute the chicken in a pan and pour the thickened sauce over it, toss and serve, since baking the chicken results in a different texture than sauteeing does. Just be sure not to over-crowd the pan, saute in batches if you have to.

Ginger-Scallion Noodles –From Momofuku Cookbook

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  • 6 oz cooked noodles (ramen, yakisoba, or in a pinch- thin spaghetti)
  • 6 Tbs ginger scallion sauce (recipe follows)
     

ginger-scallion noodles with quick-pickled cucumbers

Ginger Scallion Sauce –Makes about 3 cups

  • 2 1/2 C thinly sliced scallions, greens and whites (1 to 2 bunches)
  • 1/2 C finely minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1/4 C grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)
  • 3/4 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

Mix together. Good from the time its made for 2 days. (It will look like a bowl of wet scallions)

Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

  • 1 large seedless (“English”) cucumber
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Slice cucumber thinly (I used my mandolin), toss with sugar/salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Serve with ginger-scallion noodles

Garlic Noodles – Adapted from Megkat

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1 lb cooked noodles
4 TBS butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 C green onions, chopped (more for garnish, if desired)
2 1/2 tsp fish sauce (her’s calls for Tbsp, but that seems a bit much)
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar

1. Melt 2 Tbs butter in large skillet. In small bowl, mix fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

2. Add garlic and green onions, saute until fragrant. Add soy sauce mixture to pan, along with 2 more Tbs butter, melt while stirring. Once sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, toss with pasta & serve.

Penne alla Vodka

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penne vodka

I think the thing that appeals to me most about this recipe is that I can cook it in the oven instead of having to keep a watchful eye over the stove. If you’ve ever tried to make a home-made tomato sauce, you’re probably familiar with simmer, stir, simmer, stir, simmer, simmer, stir, stir. Not this one! You simply start it on the stove top and then transfer it to a nice, hot oven for 1 ½ hours while you get to sit back and relax (or unload the dishes, maybe play a little Wii, whatever floats your boat). After that, you puree it with an immersion blender and stir in some cream- Done!

I  like to stir in some shredded chicken, either leftovers from roasted chicken breast, or from a store-bought rotisserie chicken (cheater, cheater- I know). That way it adds some protein, and relieves some of the guilt that I feel about eating a creamy pasta sauce.

The sauce is also really good without any cream added (although it’s no longer a traditional vodka sauce if you do that), but I would definitely tone down the spice if you’re not cutting it with any cream. I also made some little baguettes with dinner, but forgot to take pictures of them, so that recipe will have to wait for another day…

Penne alla Vodka (+ Chicken) – Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

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Special Equipment – Immersion blender or food processor

  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (enough to saute an onion with)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes* (see notes)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 pound penne pasta
  • 4 tablespoons fresh oregano (optional)
  • Up to 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 c grated Parmesan Cheese, plus extra for topping your pasta
  • 1 to 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (optional)

1. Heat oil over medium/med-high heat in a large oven-safe pot, swirl around to cover the bottom of your pan. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not brown (about 5 minutes) . Add garlic and cook stirring until fragrant (about a minute).

2. Add red pepper flakes and dried oregano, cook while stirring for another minute. Add the vodka and cook until it is reduced by half.

3. While the vodka is cooking (or before you start at all), drain your tomatoes. Once the vodka is reduced by half, add tomatoes to the pan. Using a spoon, smash/break them up so they are no longer whole. (Be careful- they squirt!) Add 2 tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then cover and put the pan in the oven for 1 ½ hours.

4. When there is about 30 minutes left, bring salted water to a boil; cook & drain your pasta.

5. After your 1 ½ hours has passed, carefully remove the pan from the oven (remember that it’s hot you will need oven mits!) and let sit for about 15 minutes to cool. It might look like it has dried out, but don’t worry! Once you puree the sauce it’ll look normal 🙂

6. Puree the sauce either with an immersion blender or very carefully in a blender or food processor (in batches). *see tips below

7. Reheat the sauce over low. Once warm, add enough cream to make the sauce “creamy” (I am usually skimpy with the cream, for my waist’s sake, adding just enough to bring it to a pretty pink color) and fresh oregano. This is where I would also stir in warmed, shredded chicken. Let cook for a couple minutes, then stir in ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Taste & adjust seasoning as necessary.

Tips

*To keep this dish vegetarian-friendly – just leave the chicken out!

*The ½ tsp of red pepper flakes doesn’t seem like much, but it really does spice up the sauce quite a bit, so if you aren’t a fan of spicy food you may want to put in less or just omit it altogether. 

*While an immersion blender is easiest, (because you can do it right in the pot), you may also use a regular blender or food processor. I don’t recommend using a blender, since the steam/heat can mess with the vacuum it creates, but if it’s all you’ve got then go for it. Just be careful! After pureeing, return the sauce to the pan and continue to the next step.

*If you want a chunkier sauce, just puree half of the sauce and stir it into the rest of the sauce.

*If you know you’re going to end up with a ton of extra sauce, before you add the cream, pour some into a container and put it in the fridge. Once cool, transfer to a labeled freezer-safe plastic bag and throw it in the freezer. You can just reheat it when you’re ready! Remember to adjust remaining ingredients as necessary.

*If the sauce tastes a little flat, try adding a couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar or sugar.

*If you don’t have any fresh oregano (which I never do, unless I plan ahead of time to make this), you can either substitute 3-4 tsp of dried oregano for the 4 Tbsp fresh, or just skip it altogether.

*If you’re preparing this in advance, stop just after pureeing (before adding the cream) and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, reheat over low/medium-low (with chicken, if using) in a covered pot. Once warm, add the cream and cheese.