Category Archives: Pasta

Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto

Posted on by October 27, 2014

Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto is one more delicious pesto use. This one requires a little modification, so I’ve written it out again, but it’s useful to compare it to the original so you get a sense of how to modify pesto type sauces in general. Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto is a great salad to make year round as it’s fairly easy to find good quality cherry tomatoes, radishes and cukes all the time. It’s also quick and easy. And if you don’t think you’ll eat all the pasta at the same time, just cook what you need or cook it all but don’t add the pesto to all of it, because of the oil and acid in the pesto, it breaks down the noodles and makes them soggy. But if you store the extra noodles separately, they’ll be fine and you’ll have the joy of Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto leftovers. 1 pound Asian eggplant Kosher salt ½ pound buckwheat soba noodles 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 cup radishes 1 cup English cucumber Asian Pesto: 2 cups fresh basil leaves (thai if you can find them) ⅓ cup cashews 2-4 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive … Continue reading →

Banged Up Tomato Sauce

Posted on by October 27, 2014

In continuing with my dog days of Summer, utilizing the market, savoring the summer, preparing for the winter themed posts as of late, I bring you the really simple Banged Up Tomato Sauce. Simple though it may be, I made it dramatic and elegant by making two pots of sauce at the same time, in two colors, and then swirled them together in the bowl for serving. So beautiful, and an important reminder that the simplest things can be the best. I make Banged Up Tomato Sauce in large quantities and then freeze it when the $1.00 bin is full of beautiful tomatoes, hence the name. Tomatoes do not need to be pristine for sauce, that’s what my Peach Caprése Salad is all about. Most recently at the market, the dollar bin was full of yellow, orange, and red tomatoes and I knew I wanted to do two colors side by side. I bought about 8 pounds of red and 4 pounds yellow and orange as well as three giant Vidalia onions (but any sweet ones will do) and lots of garlic for a little over $10.00. I made the onion base part of the recipe for both sauces at the same time … Continue reading →

Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto

Posted on by October 27, 2014

Fortunately for me, August has finally brought some time to head down the shore (that’s Philly for go to the beach), which also is Philly for make some Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto. You see, I tend to pack a picnic for shore days; this way I can head straight to my favorite beach and settle in for the day. I couldn’t possibly put down my book long enough to go find lunch, so I plan ahead. I like to steam plain veggies and bring cheese, fruit and crackers or a nice pasta salad. Pasta salads are great for the beach; as long as you don’t use any dairy, they generally hold up well without refrigeration. This Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto is a fun variation on pesto. Cashews substitute well for pine nuts if you’re trying to be frugal. They have a rich flavor that gets closer to the oomph of pine nuts than a lot of other nuts. Check it out next time you’re looking at store-bought pesto, cashews will be on the ingredient list; a lot of companies use them to keep production costs down. The dill is strong enough that you won’t want to use it … Continue reading →

PESTO!

Posted on by October 28, 2014

Just in case you have basil coming out of your ears or your farm share and you don’t already have a pesto recipe… Here’s how I make PESTO!. I haven’t actually measured out my pesto ingredients in years, so when I made it this week, it was a fun exercise to measure, record, and compare to the recipe my mom gave me years ago, when I left for college. Another fun part of digging out my recipe was discovering that my Aunt Elly taught my mother to make pesto via a note written on the card. A food processor or blender makes this a dream. But making PESTO! can be done via mortar and pestle as well. In fact, that’s how it got its name. 2 cups fresh basil leaves (gently packed if you’re serious about measuring, or two big handfuls) ¼ cup pine nuts ½ cup fresh parmigiano reggiano cut into small pieces (or grated if you’re making it by hand) 2-4 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive oil 1 + teaspoons sea salt extra parm and pine nuts for garnish 1 pound spaghetti Put a big pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Wash and dry the … Continue reading →

Decadent Mac n’ Cheese

Posted on by November 3, 2014

As part of the modern update for our Midwestern potluck, my test kitchen crew and I decided we absolutely had to take on Mac n’ Cheese. Of course there are a million recipes for it out there, but hey, why not one more. In my opinion, this is where it’s at anyway. Mascarpone and good gruyère… mmmm… The funny part is, that when we tested the update for Decadent Mac n’ Cheese we originally added lobster meat for the dramatic and fancy update ingredient. Though it was good, as we sat around eating and generally enjoying the dish, we all agreed that the lobster was an example of just more, not better. Lobster is so special and delicious (and expensive, particularly when not on the East Coast) that you should probably just save it to be eaten plainish, à la my Lobster Rolls or Lobster Salad with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette. That’s not to say it wasn’t good, we just felt that we didn’t get that much bang for the extra bucks. So, if you’re trying to be extra decadent, feel free to add in a few tails of chopped meat, but in the expert opinion of Susan and Katie, it … Continue reading →

Morning After Meal: Assemblage Cooking: Succotash with Corn Pasta

Posted on by April 9, 2014

Gotta love leftovers. Especially when you can re-purpose them into something new, different and exciting. If you made succotash for your derby party and there’s lots leftover, never fear. Simply boil some pasta. I used a very cool corn pasta in this instance. Then reheat the succotash, add some spinach to get your greens in and top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. I’ve got this amazing piece of a 3-year old parm aged by Giorgio Cravero. It’s really amazing and adds that little something extra. It really doesn’t get any easier than this. pasta succotash basil parmesan cheese … Continue reading →

Pasta Carbonara with Peas and Pepper

Posted on by September 22, 2014

I had a pet theory about pasta carbonara. To me, it seemed like the quintessential late winter, early spring dish. Before being able to buy whatever ingredients whenever we wanted, eating with the seasons was the only option. In the late winter and early spring, the only meat still hanging around was doing it quite literally. It was cured. Like bacon, pancetta and guanciale. And some of the earliest spring veggies are peas. And, despite it being less than traditional, I like mine with peas. Probably because the green makes me feel less guilty about the pork fat and cheese. Or, because I really like peas. When I did a little research on the matter, it seems that pasta carbonara is really an austerity measure dish. The simple ingredients make plain pasta feel fancy and you can serve a delicious dish on the cheap. 2 – 3 slices bacon, pancetta or guanciale (most traditional); small dice 2 eggs ½ pound spaghetti salt and pepper 2 – 4 tablespoons grated pecorino Butter (optional, nontraditional addition) 1 cups peas (optional, nontraditional addition) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, add the diced bacon to a large skillet on medium … Continue reading →