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Pasta Cinghiale- My Version
Our favorite dish to order at our favorite Italian restaurant (Arturo’s) is pasta cinghiale… it is really, really delicious and if I close my eyes, I am transported to Umbria where wild boar dishes are in abundance. I have tried to make this dish at home before but this time I found wild boar sausages and decided to use them to replicate my favorite dish…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ pound wild boar sausage, casings off, crumbled
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Salt
- ½ to 1 cup pasta water
- ½ pound penne, cooked al dente
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or till golden brown. Take the sausage out with a slotted spoon and add the mushrooms and more olive oil if needed. Saute on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and thyme and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes on medium heat. Add cooked pasta, cream, pasta water and salt to taste. Bring to a gently boil and turn heat off and serve.
Pasta with Sausage and Sweet Pepper Sauce
- ½ pound pasta, al dente with a cup of pasta water set aside
- 4 chicken sausage links, chopped in ¼ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the sausages and sauté on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes till the sausages are golden brown. Keep aside.
- 1 cup fresh tomato sauce or marinara sauce
- 1 red pepper
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- Salt
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Start the grill outside or preheat the broiler. Coat the peppers with the oil and grill or roast them till the skin is charred- about 20 minutes. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Take the peppers out and peel the skin and take the seeds out. Place the peppers in a blender with the tomato sauce. Blend till smooth. Taste for seasonings and add salt if needed.
Add two cups of the sweet pepper sauce to the sausages and add the pasta and half cup of the pasta water (add more water if needed). Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve with cheese on top.
Pasta Primavera with Wine Sauce
Meatless Monday continues with this delicious pasta primavera I made with a wine sauce. I served it on top of healthy whole wheat spaghetti! It was yum!
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 cup Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into quarters
- 1 cup Shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 medium red pepper, chopped
- Salt
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups homemade or store brought tomato sauce
- ½ pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
Heat a large frying pan with the butter and oil. Add the thyme and both the mushrooms. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red pepper, salt and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes and add the zucchini. Saute for a minute and transfer the vegetables to a plate. Deglaze with wine and scrape all the brown bits off and cook the wine down to about half a cup. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the vegetables back and check for seasonings. Serve on top of spaghetti and top with cheese.
Shrimp with a Cilantro and Mint Sauce
This is a yummy green curry made with coconut milk, cilantro and mint! It was a delicious combination I served with lemon rice and it was a bit hit. Overall- it was a successful attempt at a green coconut curry… I was very satisfied.
- 1 pound medium sized shrimp, cleaned
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Green Curry
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup mint, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 serrano chili, chopped
- ¼ cup water
Blend the cilantro, mint, green onions, white onion, garlic, ginger, chili and water till a smooth sauce.
- 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
- 1 (14 ounces) light coconut milk
- Salt
- Juice of one lemon
Saute the shrimp on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes in a wok like sauce pan with the extra light olive oil. Take the shrimp out on a paper towel lined platter. Keep aside.
Reheat the wok like sauce pan and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute for a minute on high heat or till the seeds start to sizzle. Add the sauce and sauté on medium high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coriander seeds, salt and coconut milk. Mix well and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Add the shrimp, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, taste for seasonings. Serve with plain or lemon rice.