bowtie pasta with sweet sausage & tomatoes

This is one of my favorite, simple dinner recipes. It is yummy and hearty enough for a Sunday meal, but also quick and easy enough for a weeknight. Also, leftovers remain amazingly delicious! (Coming from someone who is generally not a huge fan of leftovers, that is high praise.)

This recipe actually originates from my parent’s neighbor’s friend — I know, it’s already passed through quite a few hands! I have not done much to adapt it as it really is pretty perfect as is. So, I give credit to my mom, my neighbors, and their friend for sharing this recipe – and now I will share it with you! Enjoy!

bowtie pasta with sweet sausage & tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 28-oz. can plum tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy cream (or half & half)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• Pecorino romano cheese, grated
• 1 lb. farfalle pasta

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage and add to skillet along with crushed red pepper. With a wooden spoon, break up sausage into bite-sized pieces. Cook over medium heat until browned. Add onion and garlic, cook 8-10 minutes until tender.

Coarsely chop the canned plum tomatoes and add to the skillet with the juices from the can. Add cream and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened (~5-10 minutes).

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta, al dente. Drain pasta and combine with thickened sauce (I like to transfer the pasta over to the skillet of sauce with a slotted spoon to get some of the starchy water in to thicken the sauce!). Top with chopped basil and pecorino romano to taste.

Recipe adapted from my parent’s neighbor’s friend

How I eat it: with A LOT of grated cheese (see below!)

 

cavatelli with prosciutto, leeks, & arugula

Despite my busy school schedule, I treat myself pretty well when it comes to dinner on weekdays.  But the weekend is when I really look forward to cooking and trying new recipes. One of my favorite times of each month is when the new Bon Appetit arrives.  I love browsing through the magazine for inspiration.  This month the pappardelle with arugula and proscuitto really stood out. I love proscuitto and the leeks, lemon, and arugula just screamed spring.  The local grocery store unfortunately didn’t have fresh pappardelle or fettuccine which is what Bon Appetit suggests, so I settled for what has become the usual pasta in my house — cavatelli! Also, I need to credit my neighbors for the Parmesan cheese that I realized we didn’t have right as I started to cook!

By the way, I am totally aware that it is Cinco de Mayo and I am posting a completely un-festive recipe.  This was actually last night’s meal.  But if you are looking for a celebratory treat try this guacamole or these fajitas which I will be making tonight!

Cavatelli with Proscuitto, Leeks, & Arugula

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 lb. fresh or frozen cavatelli
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, quartered lengthwise, sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 bunch arugula (about 4 cups)
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces prosciutto, torn into 1-inch pieces

Method

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large skillet.  Add leeks, and cook until softened but not brown (5-8 minutes).  Add pasta, lemon zest, chives and 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Cook, stirring often and adding pasta water as needed until a glossy sauce coats the pasta (about 4 minutes).

Add arugula, Parmesan, and pepper.  Toss to combine.  Add prosciutto right before serving and toss again.  Garnish with a touch of lemon zest and more Parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

How I eat it: with a lot of Parmesan, crunchy bread, a fresh salad, and Chardonnay

fresh year; fresh pasta!

Happy 2013! Most people start the new year on a health kick, but in my family January 1st is a day to enjoy yourself.  Why not start the year with a dinner you actually want to eat!? You can begin being health-conscious on January 2nd!

Last year I took on beef bourguignon, this year my endeavor was homemade ravioli with a sweet tomato sauce.  I always talk about making fresh pasta, but never actually have.  But my brand new, old-fashioned pasta machine which was given to me for Christmas by my parents (thank you!) finally gave me the push to do it!

As I was slaving away making way more ravioli than was needed for 4 people, I realized a normal person would start with an easier pasta such as spaghetti or fettucine, or even lasagna, but of course I had to go big. So, I’ll warn you, you will spend about 2 to 2-1/2 hours making these ravioli, but it’s so worth it!

Homemade Ravioli with Ricotta-Basil Filling

Ingredients (serves 6 hungry eaters)

For the dough:

• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 4 cups flour

For the filling:

• 1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Method

First, make the filling. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Then, make the dough.  Pour flour into a large bowl, making a well in the center.  Add eggs to the well and mix with your fingers until dough comes together.  If dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it is no longer crumbly.  If dough is too wet, add flour.  The dough should stay together, but not stick to your fingers.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until completely consistent. Place dough onto a damp cloth and cut into 1-cm thick pieces – this will prevent it from drying out while you are rolling out the pasta sheets.

Before using the pasta machine, wipe it down with a dry cloth to remove any dust or oils. Then, roll a small piece of dough through several times to clean the rollers.

To start making the pasta, take a piece of dough and roll through the machine on the 1st and thinnest setting.  The dough will not be consistent the first time through. Fold the dough over and roll through again.  Then place machine on desired thickness and roll through a few times until desired consistency and thickness. Ravioli dough should be relatively thin (I used setting 2).

Lay the sheets of pasta onto a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.  Take spoonfuls of the filling and place about 1-1/2 inches apart about halfway up on the sheet.  Fold dough over and press out any air bubbles, starting close to the spots with the filling and working your way out.  Then, if you have a “pasta bike”, cut the ravioli and trim the edges.  Or, you can cut with a knife and crimp edges with a fork if desired.

                                 

When you are on the last sheet, bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil ravioli for 5 minutes and remove from water with a slotted spoon so they do not break.

Ravioli can also be frozen on the baking sheet and transferred to a bag to be stored in freezer.

Sweet Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped basil

Method

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil.  Over medium heat, sauté the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add white wine and reduce by half.  Add the tomato pasta and stir until fully incorporated.  Add the crushed tomatoes, pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, and chopped basil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Serve hot.

                                 

How I eat it: with a lot of sauce and Parmesan cheese

Happy New Year & Enjoy!

cavatelli with spicy lamb ragu

Today may have been my ideal day.  I woke up, ate some Frosted Mini Wheats, worked out, showered, blew some money on a Michael Kohrs bag, went to the grocer and the butcher, and spent the rest of my day baking and cooking dinner for my family and Mike.

One of my favorite things to do is spend my time cooking dinner. Why dinner?  Because dinner is the time of day when my family is all together and, unless there is some important sporting event on TV, we spend time talking to each other. It could be simple conversations about our days or incredibly goofy, and somewhat inappropriate, dinner talk.  These conversations are a major part of why I love cooking. Food brings people together.  Especially dinner.  At least this is how it always was, and is, in my family. And this is how I intend it to stay.  So any day where I get to really spend time cooking a nice evening meal for those I love, is a wonderful day. (The Michael Kohrs bag may have added a little bit of wonder to today as well..)

I decided to try a new recipe with some flavors that I am not so used to cooking with.  Fennel and cumin and lamb are not common ingredients in my house.

As opposed to my lovely boyfriend, I was also attracted to this recipe because of the lamb.  Rack of lamb and mint jelly may be one of my all time favorite meals.  Mike, however, was not thrilled when I told him after he was already eating the meal that he was consuming lamb (he’s more of a beef guy).  Nevertheless, he said it was delicious.

Cavatelli with Spicy Lamb Ragu

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 1/2 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large fennel bulb, halved, cored, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 14-oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped, liquid reserved
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1-1/2 lbs. cavatelli pasta
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 c. chopped mint leaves
• Grated parmesan/pecorino for serving

*Special equipment: cheesecloth

Method

In large cast iron dutch oven, add fennel seeds, cumin seeds, red pepper, and black peppercorns. Heat over medium heat, until fragrant (about 2 minutes).  Remove spices from dutch oven, cool, bundle in a cheese cloth, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in the dutch oven.  Add lamb and cook over high heat until browned, breaking up with spoon (about 5 minutes). Remove lamb with slotted spoon and set aside.  Add the garlic, onion, and fennel to the casserole and lower to medium heat. Saute until tender (about 8 minutes).  Add the smoked paprika, tomatoes and reserved liquid, chicken stock, and return the lamb.  Bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes.  Uncover, and cook an additional 50 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook cavatelli according to package directions (usually about 7-9 minutes for frozen). After ragu has thickened, remove spice bundle and season with salt and pepper. Add the cavatelli to the sauce along with some of the pasta water (about 1/4 cup).  Stir in the cherry tomatoes and half of the chopped mint.

Serve hot, with parmesan/pecorino cheese, and mint for garnish.

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

How I eat it: with a lot of fresh mint and a large glass of pinot noir (as Food & Wine recommends)

[Above photo credit to Mike]

One more thing I should mention: the mint completes this dish.  Don’t even think about making it without it! Thanks to my parents herb garden, we had plenty =)

cavatelli with spicy sausage & sun-dried tomatoes

This is the post for my little brother who’s off being a college kid.  It’s weird not having him around all the time — now I know how he felt when I went off to school!  For his last home-cooked meal of the summer I made a pasta dish that has become one of my family’s favorites.  It definitely ranks in my top five favorite dishes.  The original version of this dish is one of Giada DeLaurentis’ recipes that I found on foodnetwork.com.

I love that you cook the sausage in the oil that the jarred sun-dried tomatoes are packed in.  It just adds something extra to the already spicy and flavorful sausage.

Giada uses fusilli pasta, but the ricotta cavatelli is one my favorite changes I’ve made to the dish.  If you haven’t tried cavatelli you MUST.  Mike introduced this pasta to me because it is one of his favorites.  It’s so rich and tender – it’s now one of my favorites too!  If I hadn’t decided to make this dish for him one day, I wouldn’t have thought to change the pasta.  So this addition to the recipe is thanks to Mike!  Most grocery stores carry frozen bags, but I’ve also gotten fresh cavatelli at Italian specialty stores.

 

Cavatelli with Spicy Sausage & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh or frozen cavatelli
• 1 7.5 oz. jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes sliced, oil reserved
• 1 lb. hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed
• salt and pepper

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausages and cook until browned, breaking up the meat into bite-sized pieces. (I usually do this step by squeezing the sausage meat out of the casing into the skillet and breaking it up with a wooden spoon once the meat starts to brown.) Transfer the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

This is usually the best point to add the cavatelli to the pot of boiling water. Cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, about 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta and 5-7 minutes for frozen. Drain the pasta.

In the same skillet from which you removed the sausage, add the garlic and sauté until tender.  Then, add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Raise the heat to medium-high and boil until the sauce reduces slightly.

Add the pasta, sausage, basil, and parsley to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mozzarella right before serving so that the cheese does not become too stringy.

Serve with grated Parmesan.

Recipe adapted from Giada DeLaurentis via foodnetwork.com

How I eat it: with a hot and crusty loaf of bread on the side.