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Category Archives: Pasta

Chicken and Mushroom Ragu

Chicken and Mushroom Ragu

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound dark meat ground chicken
  • 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 medium shallots, chopped
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • ½ pound cooked pasta
  • Salt

Heat a large frying pan with olive oil. Add the ground chicken and separate with a wooden spoon while sautéing over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme, garlic and shallots. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and add the wine. Mix well and scrape the bottom. Add the marinara sauce and cook for ten minutes on a simmer with the lid on. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Check for seasonings and serve hot.

Pork Ragu Lasagna with Pesto Bechamel

Pork Ragu and Pesto Bechamel Lasagna

Pork Ragu

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 cups fresh tomato sauce
  • Salt

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the pork and cook on high heat and separate the meat with a wooden spoon. Saute for a 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add salt if necessary and turn heat off and keep aside.

Bechamel Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup fresh or store bought pesto

Heat a medium saucepan and add the flour and butter. Melt the butter on medium high heat. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and whisk to make sure all the lumps are taken out. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the nutmeg and salt. Turn the heat off and keep aside. Add the pesto and mix well.

Lasagna

  • 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
  • 12 lasagna sheets (I used no boil pasta)

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.

Line a 9 X 11 glass pan with a quarter cup of béchamel sauce. Cover the bottom and add four pasta sheets. Spread one cup of meat sauce on top. Sprinkle ¼ cup shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top. Pour about ¾ cup of béchamel sauce- spreading it all over the pasta. Add another cup of meat sauce. Add ¼ cup of shredded Pecorino. Place another 4 sheets on top and cover with the remaining béchamel sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for another 15. Serve hot with salad and garlic bread.

Bolognese Sauce with Spaghetti

I would highly recommend this recipe for bolognese sauce- it is easy to make and really delicious! The pancetta and sausage flavor it amazing.. definitely worth a try…

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
  • 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ cup pancetta, chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 large Italian sausage links, meat taken out of the casings
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ pound spaghetti, cooked al dente

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme. Stir and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add one teaspoon of salt. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat till the vegetables are soft and pancetta is crispy. Add the beef and sausage and separate vigorously with the back of a wooden spoon while stirring. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the white wine and scrape off all the golden brown bits from the bottom. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low heat with lid on for 2 hours. Stir every 15 minutes or so to check the consistency. Once the consistency is according to taste, check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.

Pasta with Beans and Artichoke

This is a simple pasta made with ingredients in my pantry and fridge… very delicious!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pancetta, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, crushed with fingers

1 14 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

½ pound orcchiette pasta cooked al dente with 2 cups pasta water spared

Salt

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

½ cup parsley, chopped

 

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes till pancetta is golden brown. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the artichoke and beans. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Add the cooked pasta with 1 cup pasta water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cheese and parsley. Check for seasonings and add more salt and pasta water as needed. Serve warm.

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 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.

Sausage Mushroom Ragu

Another quick, easy and delicious dish for through the week…

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 links chicken sausage, I used roasted garlic and fontina, casings off and crumbled
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • Salt
  • ½ pound cooked pasta, al dente with ½ cup pasta water spared

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Take the lid off, add the cheese, mix well.

In the meantime, cook the pasta and add ½ cup of the pasta water to the ragu, mix well and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

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