Pasta Fagioli

We've had some below average temps for awhile, so I thought I'd warm us with a little soup.  The first time I had a Pasta Fagioli soup was at Olive Garden a looooonnnnggg time ago.  Later Daryl found a recipe online claiming to be O.G.'s but it doesn't taste the same.  It does however, taste wonderful!  I actually prefer this one over the restaurant's.  You'll notice it has a jar of spaghetti sauce.  I thought it was weird when I first made the soup, but it just works.  I think I've mentioned in previous posts that I don't like a brothy soup -- I like it chunky and hearty -- so here's my version of the recipe I found online years ago:

 

1.25 lbs ground beef

1 Tbl olive oil

1 med-large onion, diced

3-5 carrots, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 cans diced tomato

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

44 oz beef stock or broth

1.5 tsp dried basil (or italian seasoning)

1.25 tsp pepper

2 teaspoons dried parsley

24 oz jar spaghetti sauce

a few shakes of hot sauce

elbow or shell pasta

 

Brown ground beef in a skillet.  In 6+ qt dutch oven/stockpot add oil, onion, celery and carrot.  Cook about 5-10 minutes.  When ground beef is done browning, drain fat and add beef to vegetable mixture.  Add tomato, beans, stock. seasonings, pasta sauce, and hot sauce.  Bring to boiling, then simmer for about 45 minutes.  In a separate pot, cook pasta according to package directions.  Serve soup over pasta. 

 

~ Enjoy ~

Lasagna al Forno

For many years my husband refused to eat lasagna.  It's one of my favorite meals.  This was a problem.  He didn't like it because most recipes have ricotta or cottage cheese.  Then I discovered the traditional way of making it, and there could finally be peace in our house.  Lasagna al Forno is simple.  Still takes half a day when making from scratch, but the result is worth it.  Fresh pasta sheets, bolognese sauce, bechamel sauce and parmesan cheese.  That's it.

Daryl and 2 of his buddies were heading out to canoe/kayak Ross Lake in the North Cascades National Park for a week over Labor Day.  I wanted to send them off with a great dinner the night before they left.  I was thinking I would carb load them so they could sleep well that night and have good energy in the morning, and I saw the food they were packing for the week. 

I also made a crusty fresh loaf of bread.  This is hands down the easiest and best tasting homemade bread.  I discovered it on Pinterest.  Oh my.  Follow the link above for detailed instructions, options and photos.  In a sentence: Flour, yeast, salt, water; Rise; Bake in a heated cast iron dutch oven.  Crusty on the outside, tender on the inside.  The first time I made it Daryl came into the kitchen and when he saw it said: "Is this the bread you made"?  "It looks like it came from the bakery".  That was a proud moment!

For the lasagna, first make the bolognese.  While that is simmering make the fresh pasta.  Then make the bechamel.  I only have one cast iron dutch oven, something that will be remedied in the near future.  I use this thing far too often to only have one.  First I baked the bread.  Then I used the D.O. for the bolognese:

1.5 pounds ground beef, browned
2 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 pkg thinly sliced Pancetta, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
salt and pepper
1 1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup cream (or half and half)
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes (or San Marzano whole peeled)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Directions: Heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan or porcelain coated cast iron dutch oven.  Add the onion and cook over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add the pancetta, and cook until onion is translucent.  Stir in the carrot, celery and garlic.  Cook 3-4 minutes more.
Add the beef and crumble it into the vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper. 
Pour in the wine, raise the heat slightly and cook until the liquid evaporates.  Add the cream and cook until it evaporates.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, and the herbs.  Bring the sauce to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 1.5 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Correct the seasoning before serving/using.

Next make the pasta sheets.  See my homemade pasta blog post for instructions.  Cut the sheets to fit the lasagna pan.  Do not let the pasta sheets dry out before cooking.
Start a large pot of salted water to boil.

Then make the Bechamel sauce:

3 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:  Gently heat the milk with the bay leaf in a small saucepan.  Melt the butter in a medium heavy pan.  Add the flour, and mix it in well with a wire whisk.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf, pour the hot milk into the butter/flour mixture, and combine smoothly with the whisk.  Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 4-5 minutes more.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Set aside, but cover with the lid to keep a skin from forming on the bechamel.

Lasagna:
Both sauces
Homemade Pasta
Shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Once the water is boiling, add pasta sheets 2 at a time and cook for about 30 seconds.  Remove from water to drain on wax or parchment paper.  Start the layering process with a scoop of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Place lasagna sheets in the pan, cover with a thin layer of bolognese, then a layer bechamel, and a handful of parmesan.  Repeat the layers in that order ending with a layer of pasta coated with bechamel, and top with parmesan.  Don't make more than about 6 layers.  Bake in the preheated oven, checking after 20 minutes, looking for the top to be nicely browned.  Mine usually takes between 30-40 minutes.  Allow to rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Sauce recipes (slightly adapted) from Italian.

~ Enjoy ~



Pasta and Garden Veggies

It's hot here today, I mean like in the upper 90's, and I just don't do heat well.  That's why I moved to the Pacific Northwest from Arizona.  Fortunately you only have to hear me whine about this a couple times per year. 

Earlier today I thought about grilling steaks or burgers - but then got lazy and didn't want to run out to the store.  I'm glad I didn't, there's no way I would have been happy cooking outside!  So what do I decide on instead?  Making a holy mess of the kitchen, using every burner on the stovetop and dirtying what seemed like every pot, pan and utensil I own.  But it was worth it........

I haven't made pasta in awhile, and I've been thinking about the wonderful taste and texture of it lately.  I was going to make a quick marinara to top it with, but my husband said I should just toss it with olive oil and fresh veggies.  Ohhhh, good suggestion!  There's some zucchini and peas in the garden ready for picking!  But, I can't stop there.  I had to make it even more complicated than marinara would have been.  But it was worth it........

This is similar to the Bowl-O-Pasta I posted about in May, but here's what I did tonight:

Made the pasta dough, let it rest about 10 minutes, then used the pasta machine to flatten it to sheets and cut it into spaghetti.  While the pasta was hanging to dry for a bit, I got all of my ingredients ready for cooking.

The end result was a fantastically delicious pasta bowl with garlic and crushed red pepper infused olive oil*, fresh peas, pancetta, grilled zucchini, topped with pine nuts and fresh grated parmesan.  I finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  In the words of Cisco Morris - oh, la, la!  My only wish is that the cherry tomatoes were ready too .......

~ Enjoy ~


* To make garlic and crushed red pepper infused olive oil: put some olive oil in a skillet, add a few sliced cloves of garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Gently warm the oil until you can start to smell the aroma of garlic, then turn off the heat.  Let sit about 10 minutes.

Penne Pasta and Vodka Sauce

I needed to use some of the fresh peas from the garden, but didn't want to do the traditional veggie side dish with them.  Since we just got back from a two week camping vacation, we haven't had pasta in a while so I decided on a vodka sauce.  Oh my this was fantastic .... I have more peas to use, maybe I should make it again tomorrow??

16 ounce whole wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 package thinly sliced pancetta
1 small onion, finely diced
1/3 cup vodka
1 can rosemary and oregano diced tomato, pureed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh (or frozen) peas
grated parmesan
chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta one minute less than package instructions, drain and set aside.  While water is boiling/pasta is cooking add butter to skillet, slice pancetta into thin strips and cook until just starting to brown.  Add finely diced onion and continue to cook until pancetta is browned.  Add vodka and cook until reduced by half, 2-5 minutes.  Add pureed tomatoes, cream and peas.  Cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.  Add pasta to sauce, toss over heat for one minute, then serve and garnish with parmesan and basil.

~ Enjoy ~

Bowl-O-Pasta

This was just one of those days when a quick, easy dinner was what I needed (think field trip to downtown Seattle with 6th graders).  Rather than turn to boxed or frozen meals packed with preservatives and sodium, I make something fresher with ingredients I always have on hand.  There are a few different variations of this meal, it just depends on what's in the fridge (and someday there will be a Bowl-O-Pasta II post showing pasta with more of a sauce).

While I normally like to do this with homemade pasta - tonight was all about quick, and stuff I already have available.  Here is the start:

Boil whole wheat pasta to al dente in salted water (enough for 2 dinner sized portions)
While boiling:

• warm about 1/8 - 1/4 cup light olive oil with approx 1/8tsp - 1/2tsp crushed red pepper and 3 cloves chopped fresh garlic.  When it's warm and you can smell the fragrance of garlic, turn off heat and let sit;
• chop olives and red pepper (I use Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro), put into large mixing bowl;
• grate 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, set aside;
• Gently toast 1/4 cup pine nuts

When the pasta is done cooking, strain from water and place directly in mixing bowl.  Pour oil/garlic mix, 1/2tsp - 1tsp Italian seasoning, and parmesan over the top (doing this now will allow the parmesan to melt and cling to the pasta).  Mix with tongs.  Divide into 2 serving bowls and lightly top with extra virgin olive oil, grated parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

Variations:

• Add fresh chopped basil or basil pesto (fresh or jarred), omit Italian seasoning from above;
• Add crumbled goat cheese (may need to use a bit of pasta water so it doesn't get sticky and allows the goat cheese to become slightly creamy as it melts);
• Top with sliced pepperocini from the Mezzetta jar.

Notes: To toast pine nuts, place in skillet over low heat and stir every few minutes so they don't burn.

Oh, and I did enjoy the field trip - a lot - but I was tired and not in the mood to make a big or complicated meal.  :)

Feel free to share your ideas for variations... and if you try this, come back and let me know how you liked it!

BLT Mac & Cheese

This morning I made blueberry buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, and by dinner we still weren't very hungry.  I wanted something that wouldn't take too long to make, would have a 'home cooked freshness', and no leftovers.  Who doesn't love mac and cheese?  It's one of my favorite meals!  This dish was inspired by a "Cuisine at Home" recipe that I followed pretty close, but made a few changes, and it's nowhere close to that mac & powdered cheese in a box.  I have another recipe I really like, but it takes longer and has to bake in the oven.  Being pretty quick and very tasty, this is going in our dinner rotation for sure!

8 oz. whole wheat dry elbow or shell pasta
4 strips of bacon, cooked then diced
2 tbsp. minced shallot
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
5 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
3 oz.  gouda, shredded
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground (dry) mustard
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded parmesan
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta to package directions, drain.
Saute bacon in a dutch oven, or large saucepan until crisp.  Remove to paper towel, set aside.
Add shallots to drippings over medium heat and cook until softened, 30-60 seconds.
Whisk flour into drippings and cook 1 minute.  Whisk in white wine, then milk.  Stir in cheddar, gouda, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Stir in pasta, divide between 2 serving bowls, top with shredded parmesan.
Combine bacon, parsley and tomato, garnish each serving and....

~ Enjoy ~

Homemade Pasta

This is pretty simple, in fact, I find homemade pasta much easier and less stressful than pie dough.  Ugh, pie dough, I still need to work on that.  Anyway, it's a little bit time consuming, but still possible to do on a week night if you get home a little early.  I use the recipe that came with my Atlas pasta machine (with one small addition). 

5 eggs
500 grams of flour
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

• Take the eggs out of the fridge a 1/2 hour before you will start making the pasta, you don't want fridge cold eggs.
• Measure out your flour.  I use 250 grams of Semolina flour and 250 grams of whole wheat pastry flour.  The wheat flour I sift so it's smoother, but it's not necessary.  The wheat flour is a little lighter, so the measurements come out to approx. 1 cup semolina and 1.5 cups wheat.  I highly recommend measuring via a scale.
• Make a well of the flour, gently wisk the eggs just until the yolks are broken up, and pour into flour.  Add EVOO
• Mix with a fork until combined, then get your hands in there and start kneading to finish combining. 
• Lightly flour the counter and continue to knead until the dough ball is smooth - about 3 minutes.
• Put the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel so it doesn't dry out.  Let sit about 10 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, get the pasta machine out and set up.
• Break off a small handful, about the size of a golf ball, knead about 15-30 seconds.

Flatten the dough ball into a thick disc so it will fit between the rollers.  Start with the machine on 0 and run it through each number until your desired thickness.  I usually stop at 6, but will sometimes go to 7.  Trim the pasta sheets down to a usable size, about 8-10".   Repeat until all dough is used.  You can start with larger dough balls, but your sheets of pasta will quickly become really long and tough to manage for one person.

Often this makes more pasta than I need for one meal, but I like having some leftover.  I very lightly spray olive oil on wax (or parchment) paper and put one sheet of pasta per layer.  You can do it without the olive oil, but the pasta will stick a little and when you pull it off later it will stretch.  I refrigerate the pasta until I'm ready to use it.  Use or freeze within 3-5 days.  You can use these sheets to make lasagna, ravioli, cannelloni (not cannoli), or cut into strands for tagliatelle (fettucini), spaghetti, etc.

Cook fresh pasta in salted boiling water.  Depending on how you are cooking it, and for what purpose, it's done in 30 seconds (lasagna) up to 3-5 minutes (ravioli).

If you don't have a pasta machine, you can use a rolling pin and pizza wheel, or any other kind of cutter.
If your dough is too dry, it will fall apart as it goes through the rollers.
If you dough is too wet, it will stick to the rollers.
~ Enjoy ~

Sausage Ravioli

Warning: This is nothing like the canned ravioli you might have eaten as a kid.  It's so good, it just may remind you of the "O" word.  I tend to be a creature of habit and when I find something I really like I don't mix it up and try other variations.  I will experiment in the future and share it with you when I do.  Homemade ravioli is a bit time consuming, but they freeze really well - so make up a big batch. 

Start with fresh pasta sheets.  If you don't make it yourself, you might find it in the grocery store.  I will dedicate a future post to homemade pasta.

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb ground italian sausage (sweet, mild or hot).  If it's in the casings, remove it.

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

handful fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I prefer an 80/10/10 mix of mozzarella/provolone/cheddar)

In a skillet add the olive oil, crushed red pepper and sausage.  Brown the sausage, about halfway add the onion.  The last minute or so of browning add the garlic.  When sausage is cooked through, onion is soft and the wonderful smell of garlic hits your nose turn off the heat.  Add the basil, stir and let sit about 5 minutes to cool slightly.  Put the mixture in a food processor and add the shredded cheese.  Pulse until it's minced. 

For the ravioli:

Lay out 2 pasta sheets on parchment paper; you'll need a bottom and top.  Using a small scoop (approx. 1-2 teaspoons, but will depend on how large you are making the ravioli) mound the filling in clumps on the bottom sheet of pasta leaving enough space all around to seal the ravioli.  Add the top sheet.  Seal by using a ravioli stamp or pressing with your fingers all around the filling and then cut with a pizza wheel.  Set aside as you continue to make the ravioli until all the filling is gone.  Do Not Stack The Ravioli!  They will stick together... place them on another sheet of parchment paper.  Keep going until you've used all of your pasta or the filling.  At this point you can cook, refrigerate or freeze the ravioli.

Cooking:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the ravioli  5-10 at a time, depending on how large your pot is.  You don't want to crowd them too much and you don't want to lower the temperature of the water too much.  If you are cooking them from fresh or refrigerated, they are done in about 3-4 minutes.  If they are frozen, cook for about 5-8 minutes.  I prefer using a spider strainer to remove from the water.  If you dump them into a sink strainer, they could break.

Serving:

Plate your ravioli and top with your favorite sauce.  Mine is a simple marinara.  You don't need a lot of sauce, just enough to accent the ravioli  since they are delicious plain.  Top with freshly grated parmesan, (I use a microplane rasp grater) and fresh chopped basil.

Enjoy!

Simple Marinara

I use this sauce in a lot of things, so you will see it come up in future recipes or meals that I write about.  When I create something I don't usually measure, but for the purpose of this blog I have approximate amounts.  Keeping the title in mind it's designed to be a quick sauce for weeknight meals, hence the use of canned tomatoes, though you most certainly can use fresh. 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 med onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a skillet saute the onion with crushed red pepper in olive oil until onion is soft, about 3-5 minutes.  During last minute, add garlic.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer/reduce until sauce has thickened.  Amount of reducing will depend on what you are using the sauce for. 

Photo 1: the sauce right after all ingredients are added; Photo 2: reduced to the right amount for my ravioli topping; Photo 3: the sauce after being blended.

Once your sauce has reduced, put it in a blender and pulse to desired consistency.  Again, depending on your use you might want it chunky, smooth or somewhere in between.  The longer the sauce has cooked the less time in the blender it will need.  If the sauce isn't thick enough after blending, put it back in the skillet to reduce a little longer.  Caution: Do not completely seal the lid on the top of the blender as the heat build up could cause the top to blow off.  I leave the center cap out and cover it lightly with a paper towel to catch any splatter.

Some final notes:

1. The onion is optional.  I use it when I have it.

2. The garlic should only be sauteed for about a minute, otherwise it will overcook and become bitter - keep this in mind if you skip the onion step.

3. Sometimes I'll add 1 - 2 teaspoons of Amore Tomato Paste just to pump up the flavor.

4. If you have fresh italian herbs, use those in the last 5 (or so) minutes of cooking and omit the dried italian seasoning.

5. Your garlic/onion/herbs only need to be rough chopped since you'll be running the sauce through the blender.

6. I use this for topping pasta/ravioli, as a pizza sauce and for meatball subs. 

7. Some of the higher quality canned tomatoes from Italy don't have salt added.  If you are using those, you may have to add a little salt to the sauce for flavor.

Enjoy!