Tag Archives: pasta

Florentine Mac & Cheese

16 Jun

I’ve already shared with you my passion for Mac & Cheese.  It’s a paradox… because when someone is feeling down and out, people usually seek their comfort foods to make themselves feel better.  But here’s the thing… when I am feeling “under the weather” I crave cheese like there’s no tomorrow, but cheese and wheat products are the least I should have during that time…

So lately I have been trying my best to stay away from cheeses – trying to make other types of food…  rices, stews, etc.  But I could not hold-off any longer.  That tub of ricotta cheese was calling me every time I opened up the fridge…  so without further ado, here’s my version of a quick stove-top white mac and chesse with fresh baby spinach…

 

 

FLORENTINE MAC & CHEESE

¼ pack of whole-wheat macaroni pasta – although any short tubular pasta will do
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbs sofrito
1 cup half-and-half
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup Parmesan
2 oz cream cheese
¼ cup vegetable stock
1 tbs cornstarch
Kosher Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
3 – 4 handfuls of fresh baby spinach – this would also work with about 1 cup of thawed and squeezed-dry frozen spinach
  1. Bring to a boil a large pot of water, season liberally with salt.  Add macaroni and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, we make the sauce…   In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil and sofrito and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add the half and half and heat for a few minutes.   Add the ricotta, cream cheese and Parmesan.  Let the cheeses melt into the sauce.
  4. Add the fresh spinach.  Stir every so often to wilt the spinach into the cheese mixture.  Cover for a few minutes so the steam helps in the wilting process.
  5. In a small dish, mix together the vegetable stock and cornstarch to make a slurry.  Add to the cheese mixture to thicken.  Stir a few times to ensure everything is well incorporated.  The sauce will start to thicken as it comes to a soft boil.
  6. When the sauce has reached your desired consistency, which to me is that it looks creamy enough to coat the macaroni, turn it off and keep covered.  The spinach will fully wilt with the remaining heat in the pot.
  7. Drain the cooked macaroni and return to the hot pot.  Add the cheese mixture and combine well.  Let the macaroni with cheese sauce stand for 5-10 minutes… the sauce will thicken a bit upon standing.

 

Serve with a nice Tomato Salad on top… super comfort food in my book.

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Vegetable Lo Mein for one

13 May

I am in a real international vibe these days…  now I am on an Asian kick.  My mom started it because she’s been craving a tofu stir-fry I make with snow peas and bean sprouts.  The thing is that we have not been able to get together to actually make it. You know how it is with busy schedules…

So, in the meantime, I made for lunch this clean-out-the-fridge stir fry.  It was a completely impromptu dish…  not even planning to share it with you just yet.  But the results were soooo good, I had to take a picture of it. 

This is really a method…  you can change it up as you prefer.  This is what I used this time…

 

 

VEGETABLE LO-MEIN for one

1/8 packet of dry whole grain pasta – spaghetti or bucatini would work well
½ onion, sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
3-4 leaves of romaine lettuce, washed, dried and cut into thin strips and tough stems removed
Handful of bean sprouts, washed and dried
3 tbs teriyaki sauce
1 tbs olive oil
Squirt of honey
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds – for garnish

 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Once water is boiling, add plenty of salt and add the pasta.  Cook according to package directions, approximately 10 minutes.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions and peppers.  Stir to coat all the pieces with the olive oil.  Add the grated garlic over the onions and peppers.  Sauté for a few minutes.
  3. When the onions start to get a cooked look, but are still crunchy, add the bean sprouts.  Sauté for a minute.  Add most of the lettuce pieces.  Sauté a few minutes more until the lettuce starts to wilt a bit.
  4. Add the cooked noodles to the skillet and toss to combine thoroughly.  Add the teriyaki sauce and toss again.  Add any remaining lettuce.  The noodles will absorb some of the sauce.
  5. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

 

This was a very nice lunch indeed.  Filled with veggies, light, yet very satisfying.  You can definitely serve this for any weekday meal. 

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Kamut Spaghetti with Simple Tomato Sauce

22 Apr

I am always on the lookout for simple delicious recipes.  And I am indeed a pasta lover.  Pasta dishes are usually simple, no?  I usually see the TV chefs creating their simple tomato sauces, which in my humble opinion are not that simple…  onions, garlic, celery , carrots.

I’ll be honest, I tried Giada DeLaurentiis recipe once, and I was not impressed by the flavor after the amount of chopping that went on.

I decided to take a stab at creating my very own simple version of tomato sauce.  I used something I am not very likely to have in my pantry, canned tomatoes.  I used a 28oz can of organic San Marzano tomatoes with the can lined with something white to prevent the tin metals to go into the acid tomato juice inside.  But I just have heard soooooo much about these San Marzano tomatoes I just had to give it a try.

I tried this sauce with a new kind of spaghetti I found at a specialty store – Kamut, a different type of grain, apparently available in Egypt since the time of the pharaohs.  I liked it a lot.  I read that Kamut is in the wheat family, very much like spelt, but better tolerated by people with wheat allergies.  I do not have those sensitivities usually, but there are times I want to experiment with other grains and give traditional wheat a rest.

 

 

 

Kamut Spaghetti with Simple Tomato Sauce

28oz can of organic San Marzano tomatoes, whole
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
Basil – fresh preferably about 10-12 leaves, but I used dry – about 1 tbs – and worked great
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ box of organic Kamut Spaghetti – I used DeCecco brand

 

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, pour the olive oil and sauté the garlic slices and about 1 tsp of salt for about 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is taking some color.
  2. When you open the tomato can, take kitchen shears and cut the tomatoes somewhat.  I have also seen Tyler Florence dumping them onto a bowl and smashing them with your own hands.  It sounds very appealing, but that’s another bowl to wash up.  When I have the kitchen staff Tyler has, I’ll do it his way.
  3. Pour the tomatoes in the pot.   Add some more salt and pepper to taste.  Let the tomatoes simmer uncovered for about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Check the seasoning.  Add more salt or pepper if needed.  Add the basil – dry or fresh.  Let it wilt a bit for a few minutes.
  5. With an immersion blender, blend the tomatoes into a pureed sauce.  The color of the sauce will change, from an intense red to an orangey color.  Don’t be discouraged by that.  The garlicky flavor rocks!!!
  6. I just let it simmer about 5 minutes more and turn off the heat.
  7. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water for the pasta.  Salt the water well before adding the pasta.  It takes about 12 minutes to cook al dente.

 

The sauce recipe makes way more sauce than for one serving of pasta… so I transferred most of the sauce to a container and transferred the cooked drained pasta to the pot with the remaining sauce.  Use the amount you deem necessary to dress your noodles.  

I dressed with a dollop of yogurt cheese instead of adding the traditional Parmesan cheese, given I am on a no-cheese-phase in my life right now… believe me, I did not miss the Parmesan and the tangy taste was a sure plus.

Buon Apetito!!!

 

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Food for Love – Goat Cheese and Almond Pasta

14 Feb

It’s Valentine’s Day – the day to celebrate everything and anything romantic…  so why not celebrate by cooking something to stir all your senses, including that aphrodisiac part of you.  Reading about aphrodisiac foods, I was amazed to learn how many of them I have in my pantry and fridge:

Almonds
Sweet Basil
Avocados
Arugula 
Bananas
Strawberries and Raspberries
Nutmeg

So I decided to make something that will contribute to the loving theme of the day using almonds and sweet basil…  I adapted this dish from a Martha Stewart Living magazine.  Enjoy!!

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GOAT CHEESE AND ALMOND PASTA

1/4 lbs whole wheat pasta -penne, rigatoni or any other tubular pasta would work
Small handful sun-dried tomatoes – the dry ones… not the ones packed in oil
1/3 small log of goat cheese
Small handful toasted almonds – I used marcona almonds
About 10 Fresh Basil leaves, torn or cut in strips
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  1.  Boil pasta in salted water until al dente.  During the last 3 minutes of boiling the pasta, throw in the sun dried tomatoes to rehydrate.
  2. Drain the pasta well, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.  Return pasta to the pot.
  3. Drizzle pasta with a bit of olive oil.  Add goat cheese in small pieces, basil leaves, pepper and almonds.  Add a bit of the pasta water to create a sauce.  Toss to combine.  Add more water if you feel it’s too dry.
  4. Garnish with added almonds on top. 

There are other several recipes I have created for you already that might help you to create romance any day you are in the mood:

Coquito – Nutmeg

Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes – Basil

Arugula-Red Onion Salad – Arugula

Quesadilla Caprese – Basil

Strawberry Banana Smoothie – Strawberries and Bananas

Strawberry Kanten – Strawberry

Baked Pasta and 4 Cheeses – Basil

White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds – Nutmeg and Almonds

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Pink Mac & Cheese

1 Feb

A good friend of mine reminded me I always talked to him about my blog and my recipes, but that I had NEVER cooked for him.  So I immediately invited him to lunch and made this impromptu comforting pasta dish.

I love pink pasta sauces… I think they’re super tasty and combine the best of both worlds – cheese sauce and tomatoes. 

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PINK MAC & CHEESE

1/4 pound whole wheat pasta – penne, rigatoni, macaroni would all work
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs sofrito
8oz heavy cream
4 oz cottage cheese
3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese mix, divided
2 oz. Laughing Cow cheese or 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
5 or 6 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
10-12 basil leaves
Salt, Garlic salt and Pepper to taste
  1. In a medium pot, boil water, season with salt liberally and cook pasta until al dente… approximately 10-12 minutes.  While pasta cooks, make the sauce. 
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add sofrito and saute for a few minutes.
  4. Add cream cheese and whisk together with sofrito until it melts.  Add heavy cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese and 1/2 cup of the Italian cheese blend.  Whisk together until all cheeses are melted and well blended.
  5.  Add crushed tomatoes and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Add sun-dried tomatoes and basil leaves.
  7. Drain cooked pasta and add to saucepan with sauce.
  8. Transfer pasta and sauce to a baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese blend.
  9. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese on top is melted and creates a golden crust.

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Not too light, but delicious and comforting… my friend is a convert and now he wants me to cook for him all the time.  I should have taken a photo of his amazed face. 

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