Strozzapreti with Roasted Tomatoes, Basil & Ricotta Salata

This pasta was inspired by the cover of the June/July 2010 Saveur Magazine - http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Roasted-Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425F, place 8 medium whole tomatoes (vine ripened) in an oven proof pan that can be used for the pasta later (I am SO not into washing dishes unnecessarily!). Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, add a few crushed garlic cloves...I did not use the thyme. Put into the oven. Meanwhile start a pot of water for the pasta. Add salt just before adding the dried Strozzapreti to the pot. Cook 3 minutes shy of the package directions.

Cooking time for the tomatoes will depend upon the size...Mine only took 15 minutes. Transfer pan to the stove top, add a ladle full of pasta water and smash the tomatoes, add basil leaves - leaves can be torn or left whole. Add the pasta directly to the pan...Add more pasta water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Sprinkle with grated ricotta salata, more basil to taste.

Clams Two Ways

Found gorgeous Wild Clams from Whole Foods...That set the menu for the night...Wasn't sure if 12 clams (a loaf of bread and salad) would be enough for the 2 us, so I decided to make Linguine & Clams too. It was fun making this dinner, but the 12 clams would have been more than enough...Crusty bread dipped into the cooking liquid...The thought makes my mouth water.

I wash the clams and soak in a bowl of salted water. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the linguine.

In a pan with a lid, I saute 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a whole serrano chile in olive oil...turn off the heat until I'm ready to cook the clams (in-shell). When the pasta is in the water and almost ready to be transferred to the sauce, place the clams into the pan, add 2 C of liquid (white wine and chicken broth, clam juice), cover and cook for 5 minutes (depending on the size of the clams)...You'll hear the clams opening - do not overcook...there is nothing more yucky than rubbery clams! Remove the opened clams from the pan and put in a bowl. Remove the garlic and serrano chile from the pan, chop up, add back into the pan while the reducing the cooking liquid - this will concentrate the flavors...Swirl in 1 T of butter and fresh flat-leaf parsley and pour over the clams.

In a separate pan with olive oil and a pat of butter, saute 1 finely diced shallot, 1 whole crushed garlic clove and 1 can of clams drained...Add in 1/2 C White Wine and simmer until all liquid is absorbed...Add in 1/2 a bottle of clam juice and chopped flat-leaf parsley...(hold at this stage if pasta isn't cooked yet). Using tongs add the almost cooked linguine (about 3 minutes less than the box says) and a 2 or 3 ladles full of pasta water to the pan...cook until the pasta has absorbed the flavor of the clam sauce - add in more pasta water if needed to finish cooking the pasta...Turn off the heat and stir in 1 T of butter to finish. Sprinkle with parsley.

Summer Daze...

Cutting Board with Ciabatta, mustard, cornichons, Arugula Salad, Prosciutto wrapped Melon

with sausages & cannellini beans

We have been on a the go ever since the school year ended...Had great meals in Scottsdale - Cafe Bink & Grimaldi's in particular.

When we returned I had to raid the freezer and pantry to come up with dinner...Cannellini Beans with Sausages from Fresno State and a loaf of Ciabatta. These photos were from the next night...I sliced the sausages, added more beans and some shaved parm - served with more Ciabatta, an arugula salad dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil & vinegar, cornichons, two mustards, prosciutto wrapped melon...Everything, but the sausages were from TJ's (big shout out to Kristy!)...

Lasagne

Lasagne Bolognese

Too depressed to write after the terrible Lakers loss last night, I decided to sit down and read instead.

After a fun-filled weekend of birthday parties (3), I came home from the 3rd party looked in the fridge and decided to make a lasagne with the leftover Bolognese. This recipe is basically from The Silver Spoon cookbook, although I've doubled it and adapted it to use Barilla Flat No-Boil Pasta Sheets "Product of Italy".

This is the kind that uses a bechamel...1 stick of butter melted in a pot whisk in a 1/2 C flour and stir until it bubbles and cooks about 1 minute. Add in all at once 3 C of milk and 2 C of cream and/or half n' half...Whisk well...Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and continue to cook until thickened. Add in a pinch of nutmeg (I grate fresh using a microplane), salt & pepper to taste.

Heat the bolognese, thin with a 1/4 C of wine. Butter a 9 x 13 pyrex...Then begin layering - on the bottom first begin with a thin layer of bolognese, add three pasta sheets, thin layer of bolognese, cover with bechamel, sprinkle with grated parmigiano reggiano (recipe calls for dotting with butter, but I think that's overkill), cover with pasta sheets and do it all over again...Total four layers of pasta - use the remaining bolognese in between the 3rd & 4th layer, as the 4th layer will be covered with the remaining bechamel. Place in a 400F oven for about 4o minutes or until brown and bubble on top. Let rest for 20 minutes before cutting. I served with an arugula salad and bowls of cherries and blueberries.

BOLOGNESE

Fusilli Bolognese

Pasta cooking with the sauce & pasta water

There's something about pasta that makes me happy! After school yesterday I made a small pot of meat sauce because I knew I wouldn't have much time to cook tonight...Boys had performances at school today and the Lakers game started at 6pm.

I defrosted 2 lbs. of ground beef (I really like 20-30% fat) and 1 lb. of ground pork. Brown the meat in the Le Creuset in a little olive oil. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon...drain off some of the fat and add finely diced onion and carrot (1 sm onion, 2 large carrots). Saute until the onion is translucent...Add meat back into the pot, stir together. Add 1/2 a bottle of wine (white, red, sake or any combination), simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Add in 1 carton/box of Pomi Strained Tomatoes (I've used San Marzanos in the past, but I think I like this better) and 1 can of tomato paste. Cook on low, partially covered, stir occasionally...at least an hour.

I removed half of the meat sauce to freeze and save for another day. Boil a large pot of water, added salt and 1 lb. of DeCecco Fusilli Pasta...Stir and cook about 9 minutes - add to the Le Creuset containing the meat sauce (I use a spider for this so I can reserve the cooking liquid) and continue to cook on medium heat...Add pasta water if the sauce is too tight - the pasta needs to cook and absorb more liquid. Turn off the heat, add in grated Pamigiano Reggiano, stir to combine and sprinkle a little more on top. Serve with a big arugula salad.