Spaghetti with parsley pesto

From Bon Appetit:

1 pound spaghetti
Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds
4 cups (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3/4 cup chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Meanwhile, pulse almonds in a food processor until smooth. Add parsley, chives, oil, and Parmesan; process until smooth. Season pesto with salt and pepper. Toss pasta and pesto in a large bowl, adding pasta cooking liquid by 1/4-cupfuls until saucy. Season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD: Pesto can be made 5 days ahead. Cover surface directly; chill.

Baked shells with spinach and sausage

Baked pasta combinations are a great way to make a filling, delicious dinner out of pantry/freezer ingredients (box of pasta, box of frozen spinach, some sausage, some cheese). I used shells here, but really any shape will do.

3/4 lb mild Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup pesto sauce
10 ounces pasta, cooked
1 box frozen spinach
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, and garlic, and saute until sausage cooked through, about 10 minutes, breaking up meat with back of spoon. Add tomatoes with juice to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in large bowl. Stir in hot tomato sauce. Mix gently until spinach is wilted. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over top. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheese melt, about 30 minutes.

Baked rigatoni with mushroom ragout

Mmmm, baked pasta. I used rigatoni, but ziti or penne would work just as well. I also used this recipe from Bon Appetit, without the dried mushrooms; I had a big clamshell of white button mushrooms from Costco which I used up instead.

It's almost mac and cheese with mushrooms added in; but the sauce is a white bechamel sauce, instead of a cheese sauce. Regardless, it's rich and cheesy and mushroom-y and delicious.

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 3/4 cups finely chopped onions
1 lb fresh button mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
12 ounces pasta (rigatoni, penne, or ziti)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer over medium-high heat 10 minutes.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir until sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Stir into mushroom mixture. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and chives. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Return to pot. Add mushroom sauce and toss well to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over. Bake casserole until heated through and light golden, about 25 minutes.

Farfalle with golden beets, dandelion greens, and goat cheese

Golden beets are so pretty. And yummy. I found three enormous ones on sale the other day, so I roasted them and then decided what to do with them. The beet greens were looking a little wilty, and I had a bunch of dandelion greens that was starting to look gross, so I combined the two in this dish and added most of a log of goat cheese. Delish.

1 box farfalle (or other pasta shape)
2 large golden beets, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 bunch beet greens, chopped
1/2 bunch dandelion greens, chopped
1 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 log goat cheese
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic

Finely dice the shallots and garlic and saute gently in olive oil until the shallots are soft. Add the greens and cook until wilted. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Combine the cooked, drained pasta with a little of the pasta water with the greens, toasted pine nuts, and goat cheese. Stir until combined. Salt to taste.

Sriracha pork mac n' cheese

Last week I cooked up a ginormous pork shoulder, to make a big batch of pulled pork. (Why not; I had a lot of jars of barbecue sauce around.) Hubs and I have been eating pulled pork sandwiches all week, which is delicious, but was becoming tiring.

So today I decided to make a big batch of pork mac and cheese.

I used this mac and cheese recipe, without the greenery, with lots of leftover shredded pork added in. (I used regular cheddar cheese; I bet pepper jack would be fantastic in this.)

On the spur of the moment, I added a healthy amount of Sriracha to the cheese sauce, enough to turn it lightly orange.

The result was a slightly spicy, very porky, very cheesy mac and cheese.

Sriracha and pork make everything better, don't they? To celebrate I made myself a Srirazerac, as well.

Chicken parm

Now THIS is kid-friendly. Everyone gobbled it up and asked for more.

From Pioneer Woman:

4 whole (up To 6) chicken breasts (I used 2 packages of chicken tenders)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 whole onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups wine (white or red)
3 cans (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 pound linguine or spaghetti

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside. At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste. Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Penne with roasted sweet potatoes, prosciutto, and pesto

The other day I discovered a Costco with a restaurant supply section. Not just napkins and things, but actual professional equipment. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Not just equipment, either--this one had a restaurant supply section, where you could buy fresh seafood by the case and entire sides of beef. Naturally, I have nowhere to put a professional-grade fryer or a side of beef, but I did buy a one-pound bag of fresh basil for $8 and was deliriously happy about it.

Naturally I had to buy a bag of pinenuts, too, so I could make pesto. Which I did. Two enormous batches.

Then I peeled, cubed, and roasted two big sweet potatoes, shredded the last of the prosciutto, and tossed those with penne and some of the pesto. Roasted sweet potatoes and pesto are surprisingly delicious together. I'm going to make this again, with more sweet potatoes.

Fettucine with poppy seeds and prosciutto

This is my adaptation of a recipe from Saveur using tagliatelle. I used fettucine instead (linguine would be okay too) and left out the scallions (because I didn't have any).

The poppy seeds are a fun twist on this.

Don't forget: if you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute whole milk with a spoonful of white vinegar added to it. Let it sit for a few minutes before using.

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
½ cup white wine
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup heavy cream
1 lb. tagliatelle or fettucine
2 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced
½ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more to garnish
4 scallions, cut into ½″ slices
Juice of ½ lemon

Heat butter and oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add poppy seeds; cook, stirring, until fragrant and shallots begin to brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add buttermilk and cream; cook, stirring, until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water, and add to sauce in skillet. Add prosciutto, Parmesan, half the scallions, and lemon juice; toss to combine, adding water if necessary to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with remaining scallions and more Parmesan.

Baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard and mushrooms

Hey, look! I cooked something!

It's been over a month since I cooked anything (Christmas Day, to be exact). In that time, I've been eating a lot of other people's cooking and road food. Also some nice meals out, but probably too many.

To avoid spending unnecessary money on both road food and eating out, I wanted to get my kitchen operational as quickly as possible. Step 1: unpack. Step 2: stock the pantry. I started at Costco, and finished with a couple of trips to local grocery chains. I've discovered that some things are weirdly cheap (eggs are $1 a dozen, eggplants are $1 each) and some things are weirdly expensive (booze has a 35% tax! Can you believe it?).

The pantry is about 85% there, but it's enough to get started. First I made chili with ground pork, then I made a big batch of tomato sauce, then I made some fudge, and now I'm making bread.

For dinner last night, I made baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard, and mushrooms. It's a variation on a theme, but a delicious one.

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped (I used one large shallot)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small package of mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch chard, loosely chopped
3-4 cups tomato sauce
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat some olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add the eggplant pieces in one comfortable layer (you may need to do more than one batch) and cook until golden brown. Set aside in a large bowl. Cook the mushrooms next in the same skillet. Add to the eggplant. Saute the onion and garlic next, and add that to the eggplant. Cook the chard just long enough so that it's wilted, and add that to the eggplant as well.

Cook the rigatoni until still slightly firm. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add both to the eggplant, along with the tomato sauce, basil and any seasonings,  and the mozzarella. Mix well, and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with parmesan and pepper, and bake at 450 until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Rotini with spaghetti squash

Or, as I like to think of it, plain old pasta with a little extra veg.

Because spaghetti squash has such a spaghetti-like texture, it goes beautifully either with or instead of pasta. For a gluten-free vegetarian experience, shred it and top it with spaghetti sauce. For extra veg, mix it with your usual pasta and add sauce.

You could even get fancy and add a little greenery, some fresh arugula or spinach, maybe.

I just roasted a spaghetti squash, shredded it, mixed it with a box of cooked rotini, and topped with my usual sauce.

Baked shells with spinach and cheese

Essentially baked ziti, with mini shells and a bag of frozen spinach. All the flavors of lasagna, with none of the effort.

Penne with garlic and broccoli rabe

This recipe is straight from Smitten Kitchen. It's incredibly easy to throw together: a box of penne (or other shape), a head of broccoli rabe, a few cloves of garlic, a half cup of olive oil, seasonings, parmesan cheese.

Reprinted below:

1 pound pasta, whatever shape you like (but chunky ones will match up better with the rabe)
1 pound broccoli rabe, heavy stems removed, remaining stems and leaves cut into 1- to 2-inch sections
1/2 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
About 1 heaping teaspoon Kosher salt (or more to taste)
To serve: Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

 Bring a huge pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. Drain rabe and pasta together and pour into serving bowl. In the same pot or a tiny one, heat the olive oil with the garlic, pepper flakes and Kosher salt over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the garlic becomes lightly golden. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to evenly coat. Shower with freshly grated cheese and eat at once.

Butternut squash and bacon baked pasta

This is really a casserole, but nobody likes the word "casserole," so we'll call it baked pasta instead. Any shape of pasta will do. I threw in an acorn squash, too.

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Bucatini with broccoli rabe, bacon and goat cheese

Broccoli rabe is one of those great bitter fall greens. It's versatile, and it was on sale last week. Also on sale: bucatini (hollow spaghetti).

1 lb bucatini (or spaghetti)
1 head broccoli rabe, chopped
1 leek, chopped
6-7 slices of bacon, in chunks
2 tablespoons dried sage
1 log of goat cheese
Salt and pepper

To make this, I cooked the bucatini until al dente. I cooked up the bacon, removed it from the pan, and gently sauteed the leek and the broccoli rabe until the rabe was wilted. I then added the cooked pasta, the bacon, sage, and a log of goat cheese. Stir well; salt and pepper to taste.

Baked rigatoni with butternut squash and goat cheese

Baked pasta is a quick and easy way to elevate a box of pasta into something more than noodles and sauce. This is particularly delicious, with all the flavors of fall.

From foodess.com:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb rigatoni
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut in half then sliced thinly crosswise
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash cubes with oil, and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet; season with salt. Bake until tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta as directed; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Pour out all but 1-2 tablespoons of fat – enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions, sprinkle with sugar, and cook over medium-high heat until meltingly tender and deeply caramelized, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes). Stir in balsamic vinegar; set aside.

While onions are caramelizing, make the sauce. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat, cooking until butter smells fragrantly nutty and is a warm brown colour. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. Very slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a very large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, roasted squash, bacon, caramelized onions, goat cheese and sage leaves. Transfer to a large baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until edges are crispy and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Baked ziti with spinach

We're going on a mini-vacation soon (visiting family, and the Big Easy), and so you know what that means. Time to clean out the fridge. I won't be buying any groceries between now and the time we get back.

First up: baked ziti. Uses up a box of pasta, a tub of homemade spaghetti sauce, some cheese, and a box of frozen spinach.

1 box ziti, cooked until softened but still too hard to eat
4-5 cups spaghetti sauce
1 lb grated mozzarella
handful grated parmesan
1 box frozen spinach, thawed

Mix the cooked and drained ziti with the spinach, sauce, and half the mozzarella. Pour into an 8x13 casserole dish. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly on top.

Pasta with fresh corn pesto and spaghetti squash

This was an awesome way to use up a few ears of corn, a package of basil, and a spaghetti squash. I also threw in some fennel pollen, though that's strictly optional. Really delicious and fresh-tasting!

From epicurious:

4 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces tagliatelle or fettuccine
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided
1 spaghetti squash, roasted, and peeled out of the skin

To roast spaghetti squash, cut it in half lengthwise, and place cut side down on an oiled casserole dish. Roast at 400 degrees until a fork can pierce the back of the squash. Take out and let cool. Scoop out the seeds, then run a fork down the cooked insides. The squash will peel out in strands that look just like spaghetti (hence the name). Set that aside.

Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, spaghetti squash, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon. Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan alongside.

Orzo pasta salad with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and pine nuts

This is a great, quick pasta salad. The nice thing about pasta salad this time of year is that you can eat it cold. Bonus: this one isn't full of mayo and heavy.

1 box orzo, cooked and drained
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 ears of corn, with the corn cut off
2 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
A handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
Olive oil
Tarragon vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together; combine with olive oil and vinegar until the taste/consistency is what you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Orzo risotto

Orzo (rice-shaped pasta) can be cooked just like an arborio rice risotto. (Making it a lower-cost risotto option.) You could use almost anything you'd put into a risotto--mushrooms (dried or fresh), prosciutto/country ham, asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, almost any vegetable, really.

This is my standard risotto recipe. Just substitute orzo for the arborio.

Pasta salad with crab, corn and fava beans

Remember the pasta salad with feta and fava beans from the other day?

I suddenly realized it could be so much more awesome.

I had some crabmeat from the restaurant that needed to be used up; I thought about making crab cakes, but I'd used all my eggs in the crustless mushroom quiche. So I combined the already-made pasta salad into a new, bigger, more awesome version of pasta salad:

Penne, with crab, corn, feta, and fava beans, along with olive oil, tarragon vinegar, and seasonings.

As a bonus, I used up all the crab, corn, feta, and fava beans.