Capellini with Salmon and Lemon-Dill Sauce

This is more of a winter dish: it simmers down for a long time, making a thick, rich sauce. And keeps the room warm (not really something necessary in September in Kansas, but whatever). The sauce tastes so deeply of cream, with a hint of the lemon and dill. And in honestly, while rich, the sauce quotient is low so is just enough to coat the pasta and salmon (no puddles of sauce on the plate, hurrah!). Something I tried once and loved, so keep making even when the weather is more than warm outside.

Quick note: Gourmet piggy-backed this with a recipe for roasted salmon, recommending that you use the leftover salmon for this pasta recipe. I'll make it when I have salmon leftover from a meal, but more often than not I will just pop a few foil-wrapped fillets in the oven for 20 minutes. Works like a charm.

Capellini with Salmon and Lemon-Dill Sauce

(adapted from Gourmet, June 2005)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/3 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. chopped fresh dill

1 1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

2 c. flaked broiled salmon

10 oz. capellini (angel-hair pasta; about two thirds of a 1-lb box)

Cook onion in oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (but not browned), about 6 minutes. Add broth, cream, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in dill, lemon zest and juice, and pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce, then add salmon to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat until fish is just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

While fish is heating, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander. Return pasta to pot, then toss with reserved sauce and cooking water. Serve pasta immediately with fish and sauce spooned over the top.

Salmon Rotini with Roasted Garlic and Lemon

Oh, for the love of garlic. This recipe was loaded with the stuff, so if you're not a fan, no need to read on.


What I love about this pasta is the sheer amount of garlic - not only roasted, smashed, and dissolved into the sauce - no, it also has chunks of that sweet, roasted bulb throughout as well.


Roasted garlic is such a different animal from its raw counterpoint - it is mellow and sweet, slightly caramelized, and adds such a fantastic buttery flavor to a dish. This recipe uses 2 heads of roasted garlic, so it is full of that toasted, warm flavor that is so much more subtle than raw garlic. The lemon gives a nice contrast, and the salmon plays second fiddle to the other flavors going on.

Salmon Rotini with Roasted Garlic and Lemon

(from Everyday Pasta, 2007)

Ingredients:

2 whole heads of garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 lb. rotini

1/2 c. Marsala or white wine

1 c. chicken broth

1 lb. salmon, cut into 1-in. cubes

1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. drained capers

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the heads of garlic in half crosswise and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and around the garlic, making sure it stays flat, and fold the edges to seal into a tight packet. Roast until soft, about 60 minutes. Let the garlic cool slightly, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash half of the roasted garlic cloves into a paste with the back of a knife. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still al dente, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine the wine and chicken broth in a large, heavy skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the mashed roasted garlic and stir to dissolve. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes, then add the salmon, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and add the remaining whole roasted garlic cloves, the lemon zest and juice, rosemary, and cooked pasta. Stir to combine; add the olive oil, capers, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Stir once more. Serve immediately.

Orecchiette with Sausage, Cremini Mushrooms, and Peas

This made a fantastic Sunday meal, yet another from Giada DeLaurentiis (what can I say, the chick has great pasta recipes). I love any dish with lots of peas, this one also adding spicy sausage and earthy mushrooms, all stirred together with salty Parmesan cheese. Mmm.


It makes for a good summer recipe - good hot or cooled down a bit, comes together quickly, and no heavy sauce drowning all the ingredients.

Orecchiette with Sausage, Cremini Mushrooms, and Peas

(adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Italian, 2005)

Ingredients:
1/3 to 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground Italian sausage, removed from casing

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, defrosted slightly

1 lb. (or so) dried orecchiette pasta

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.

In a large saute pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add sausage and sauté, breaking any large lumps, until golden brown (8-10 minutes). Remove meat from pan and set aside.

Add about 2 more Tbsp. olive oil to pan and heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 5-8 minutes. Add the peas and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and cook until the flavors begin to meld (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.

When the pot of water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserving about 1/2 c. of the pasta water.

Return pasta to the pot and add the meat mixture. Combine thoroughly and gently cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, adding pasta water as needed to moisten. Drizzle in remaining olive oil into mixture. It is important to keep the mixture moistened (do not let it dry out); use more pasta water or olive oil as needed.

Check the seasoning. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir well and serve in large bowl.

Breakfast Carbonara

Such a pretty little dish, you'd never believe how easy it is to pull together. It's not an authentic 'carbonara', but it certainly is good. The recipe makes a ton of aioli; the leftovers can be kept for 2-3 days in the fridge and can be used for sandwiches, or to top roasted veggies, fish, etc.

I believe Ms. Giada titled this recipe "Giada's Carbonara"; however I think it's fabulous for breakfast with an over-easy egg on top, so I changed a few other things and re-named it. The dish is really rich, I will warn you, so if I make it I usually do so on a late Sunday morning, when it can double as an early lunch. Super speedy and tasty. Can't beat it.

Breakfast Carbonara
(adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis)

Ingredients:
A few handfuls of frozen peas

1/2 lb. linguini

1/2 c. Basil Aioli, (recipe follows)

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

2 to 3 large eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the peas and cook for 3-5 minutes. Scoop peas out of the pot with a small colander and toss into a large bowl.

Add the pasta to the large pot of salted water used to cook the peas, and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain pasta into a large bowl. Add the Basil Aioli, peas, cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and place on a long, rectangular serving dish.

Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs to your liking. Place the eggs on top of the pasta and serve immediately.

Basil Aioli:

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced

2 large egg yolks

2 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and run the machine to mix. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the vegetable and olive oil.

Basil Aioli can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Torta di Pasta

I’m a frugal girl at heart, and found myself in a bit of a leftovers situation. Earlier in the week, I had braised chicken with tomatoes, green olives, and onion in white wine and stock, then served over angel hair pasta. I made way too much, in fact much more than usual. Even though Hubs had eaten leftovers for lunch a few days, there was at least half a pound of cold pasta and a few cups of chicken mixture staring me in the face every time I opened the fridge. I had to find a way to use it up, and quickly. I was not going to just throw away perfectly good (very good, in fact) leftovers.

This is adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis’s cookbook Everyday Italian. Her version uses fresh spaghetti and sun-dried tomatoes, but I think this recipe works great for leftovers on hand. The torta comes together in no time and it tastes fabulous. I love the crispy texture of the outside and gooey (thanks to the fontina) inside. Yum! I think I’ll be making several variations on this recipe when I find myself with copious leftovers in the future.

Torta di Pasta

Ingredients:
8 oz. leftover spaghetti or angel hair pasta

1/2 to 1 c. leftovers (roasted veggies, chicken, etc.) or fresh goodies, like sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, fresh tomatoes, olives… Whatever you like

4 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1 c. grated fontina

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix together leftover pasta and leftover veggies/chicken or fresh ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper, Parmesan, and fontina to blend. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat.

Preheat the broiler. Melt the butter and oil in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the skillet, pressing to form an even layer. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the broiler. Broil until the top is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cool in the skillet to room temperature.

Invert the torta onto a platter. Cut into wedges and serve at room temperature.

Trucioli with Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

Yum! I bet your mouth waters just from the title, right? My darling sister Coco sent this one to me via email to give a whirl one of these evenings. It's no secret that Hubs and I are big pasta lovers, and this dish didn't disappoint. Creamy sauce with a nice depth of flavor from the blue cheese, plus crisp salty prosciutto, and just enough onion and garlic for a hint of flavor in the sauce. We had it with Wheatfields bread and a nice light Beaujolais. A perfect, simple-yet-polished meal!

My sister suggested parsley for some color, and I must admit - without it, the dish is rather bland-looking. I used Italian parsley because that's what I had on hand, however feel free to use regular old parsley. The Italian is a wee bit stronger, and overpowered the flavors in the dish a teeny bit.

Thank you Coco-Rico, for the lovely recipe! Will get lots of use out of this one this winter.

Trucioli with Prosciutto and Blue Cheese

Ingredients:

12 oz. trucioli or other shaped rotini pasta

4 oz. prosciutto or amount to taste (can also use premium bacon)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese (my sister used Humboldt Fog, I used a nice gorgonzola)

1 c. half and half

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

Cut prosciutto into ½ inch slices, set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add garlic, onion, and prosciutto and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the creamer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in blue cheese an simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Boil pasta according to directions. Drain well and combine with sauce. Toss with parmesan cheese and black pepper and serve with a nice crusty loaf of bread and your fave red wine.

**Ah, yes: and please say hello to my new darling camera. This was its first photo shoot for the blog :)

Pasta Carbonara

It's been a carbonara kind of week. You know that week: when you're baking like a fiend and doing holiday cards and running everywhere shopping and have a million engagements? And tired of inhaling fast food or scrounged up leftovers while standing over the sink? A week like that calls for a nice carbonara - warm, easy, homey, and comes together in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.

This recipe is from Ruth Reichl's memoir Garlic and Sapphires. Better known as the Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet (as well as restaurant critic), some don't know just what a talented storyteller Ruth Reichl is, and what a fascinating life she has lived thus far. I really do suggest you check out her memoirs, all three of them - great reads, all among my favorite books ever read. Start with Tender at the Bone. And a big thank you to my darling Beah, who put R.R.'s books on my radar.

Back to the recipe: oh so comfy, I love a good pasta carbonara. Insanely simple, quick, yet also mouth-wateringly delicious. Note to first-time carbonara makers: stir that mixture quickly after adding the pasta to the eggs! The heat of the boiled pasta will cook the eggs but you certainly don't want any curdling; you want a nice, creamy sauce.

Pasta Carbonara

(from Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires)

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 lb. thickly sliced bacon
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large eggs
Black pepper
1/2 c. grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table

Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces 1/2 inch wide. Put them in the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the fat begins to render. Add the whole cloves of garlic and cook about another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not get too crisp, otherwise they will not meld with the pasta.

Beat the eggs in the serving bowl, and add pepper.

Remove the garlic from the pan. If it looks like too much fat to you, discard some, but you're going to toss the bacon with most of its fat into the the pasta.

When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti cooks the eggs and turns them into a sauce. Add the bacon with its fat and toss again. Add cheese and serve.

Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne

So obviously, I used gobbetti instead of penne. Also? The darling Hubs got home from work a wee bit later than usual, so this beauty was sitting on the stove on super-low for an extra half an hour, waiting for his arrival. Hence the kinda chunky look to the sauce.

But! It was still quite delicious. I love the taste of lemon in dishes, it sure wakes things up, but it seemed overpowered by the cream in this dish. Next time, I'll probably add more zest and a wee-bit more juice.

Chicken in Lemon Cream with Penne

(from Everyday Pasta, Giada deLaurentiis)

Ingredients:

16 oz. penne pasta

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, diced

1 tsp. herbes du Provence

Pinch of salt, plus 1/2 tsp.

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 tsp.

1 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 c. heavy cream

Zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the cubed chicken breast with the herbs de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Pour off any excess oil from the pan.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, lemon zest, and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the pasta, chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Toss to coat the pasta and chicken with the sauce and serve.

Tortelloni with Tomatoes and Eggplant

This one is compliments of Mom and Dad, a recipe they handed off to me along with some fresh tomatoes and eggplant from their garden. It's a snap to pull together, very delicious, and great for a hot day (very light). Enjoy! And thanks Muzzy and Dad!

Tortelloni with Tomatoes and Eggplant

Ingredients:

8 oz. frozen or Barilla dried tortelloni, any type
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small eggplant, pelled and cubed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste

Cook tortelloni according to package directions. While tortelloni cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute over medium heat about 2 minutes.

Add eggplant and saute approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, three-fourths of the basil, 1/2 c. of pasta water, and salt to taste. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and combine with drained tortelloni. Top with remaining basil and serve.

Tuna and Tomato Sauce

This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook Everyday Italian. I make loads of her regular marinara sauce at a time, usually on the weekends, and then freeze it into Gladware so that I can pull one out to thaw for an easy pasta dinner during the week. It's a great basic recipe: tons of flavor but yet nothing is overpowering (Hubs makes a marinara with lots of red wine and basil; very good but also quite strong). The carrots add a tinge of sweetness to the acidy-tomato base, and I love the chunky texture.

This sauce makes a great "starter" to make other pasta sauces. When I thaw out a container of sauce, I'll stir in vodka/cream/parm for a vodka sauce, or will add any multitude of things to keep it interesting (sauted mushrooms, meatballs, mixed olives, you get the picture). I am giving the basic marinara sauce recipe below, as well as my favorite variation on it: Tuna and tomato sauce. It is SOOOO good.

Basic Marinara Sauce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 (32-oz.) cans crushed tomatoes

2 dried bay leaves

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

If making ahead, cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Or transfer the cooled sauce to freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Tuna and Tomato Sauce

This is so good. The lemon zest wakes up all the flavors and perfumes the dish, but doesn't overpower anything. It's a from-the-pantry version that comes together really quickly with the pre-made marinara.

Ingredients:

3 c. Marinara sauce

2 (6-oz) cans tuna packed in oil, drained (get the good stuff if you can find it on sale)

1 Tbsp. drained capers

1 tsp. grated lemon zest (about half a lemon)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, plus more to taste

1 lb. pasta of choice (rigatoni or large shells work well)

Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite.
Meanwhile, combine the tomato sauce, tuna, capers, and lemon zest in a heavy large skillet. Using a fork, break the tuna into chunks. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Stir in the parsley and serve. If you're in the mood, dust with some parmesan.

Linguine with Garlic Sauce

This is more of a fall dish, so the fact that I'm raving about it in the middle of the muggy KS heat says something. It was creamy but not too rich, and the bacon and garlic really flavor the dish well. The leftovers re-heated pretty good (no curdling that you sometimes get in a cream pasta dish), so a total winner in my book. Be sure to use fresh spinach in this dish - I bought spinach but it went bad before I could use it, so used frozen instead. The spinach was a bit too clumpy that way...

Linguine with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

12 oz. uncooked linguine
1/2 lb. sliced bacon, diced
5 c. fresh spinach
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/4 c. milk
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels and drain. Reserve 1 Tbsp. of bacon drippings in pan.

In the drippings, saute the spinach, onion, and garlic until tender. Add the milk, cream cheese, butter, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir until smooth. Stir in bacon and pine nuts to heat through.

Drain pasta and toss with sauce.