Tag: Pasta
Cauliflower and Sausage Pasta
This is one great, yummy way to use the pesto from yesterday. The dish is easy to make and was done in no time…
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 sausage links, whichever ones you like, casings taken off and crumbled
- 2 medium shallots, chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- ½ pound cooked pasta, with pasta water to spare (about ½ cup)
- ½ to ¾ cup broccoli rabe and parsley pesto
- Salt
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook on a medium high heat, breaking the meat with the back of a wooden spatula for 2 to 3 minutes or till the meat is golden brown. Add the shallots and cauliflower. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes till the cauliflower is golden brown. Turn heat to low and cover with lid for 5 minutes or till the cauliflower is cooked through. Remove lid and add the cooked pasta. Mix well. Turn heat off and add the pesto and ½ cup pasta water. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add salt and serve.
Broccoli Rabe and Parsley Pesto
I love making pesto- as it is very versatile. It can be used in pasta dishes, as a sauce for meat or fish dishes or as a filling in lasagna.. sky is the limit. One can make pesto of nearly anything- I decided to use my favorite green- broccoli rabe.. and I paired it with parsley and almonds. The result was delicious…
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano, grated
- 2 cups broccoli rabe, the leaves taken off and chopped
- 2 cups parsley, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Transfer the garlic, almonds and cheese to a food processor. Pulse this the garlic and almonds are chopped. Add the broccoli rabe, parsley and lemon juice. Process till everything is chopped well. Slowly drizzle the olive oil while processing the mixture. Take out of the processor and transfer to bowl. Check for seasonings and add salt. Serve on top of any meat, fish or mixed with pasta.
Sausage and Green Bean Pasta
This is a perfect dish to make for this season as the basil season is coming to an end. I cut down all my basil and made a big batch of pesto to freeze. It is a great way to enjoy some summer flavors in a few month!
Pesto
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 cups basil
- ¼ cup tarragon
- ¼ cup parsley
- Salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or more if needed)
Add the garlic, cheese, pine nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice to a processor. Process for a minute and add the basil, tarragon, parsley and salt. Process for a minute and gradually add the oil while the machine is still on. Taste for seasonings and keep aside.
- 8 oz tender green beans, trimmed
Add the green beans to boiling water. Bring back to a boil and take out and dip into cold water to retain the color. Take out and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 links chicken sausage, casings taken off and crumbled
- ½ pound pasta, cooked al dente
- Salt to taste
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on a medium high heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 6 minutes till golden brown. Add the pasta and green beans. Add enough pesto to coat everything and mix well. Add salt if needed and serve.
Lugano Day Two- Monte Bre
Day three of our trip to Switzerland was spent in Lugano. We woke up to a delicious buffet breakfast including delicious coffee served with hot milk. I am a happy person when my hot beverages are served super hot- and somehow in Europe that is the case every time. The buffet breakfast was filled with bread, cheese, meats, eggs, hot chocolate, lots of pastries… needless to say, we were extremely full and filled with energy.
We walked around near out hotel, close to the lake and found some beautiful sites of freshly cooked food as well as fresh fruit. 
After a bit of shopping and gelato eating, we made our way to Monte Bre via a bus and then two funiculars. It was way up into the mountains and it took us a while but it was definitely worth the long trip. The view was breathtaking! We walked around a bit and finally sat down for a very late lunch. We ordered a bottle of Rose, a tomato and mozzarella salad, spaghetti bolognese and tagliatelle with mushrooms. The meal was nice but the view was what we enjoyed the most.
Being in the south of Switzerland, it feels we are in Italy.. since everyone speaks Italian, there is mostly Italian food- although not as yummy as in Italy, very friendly people. The main difference is that everything is triple the price! It is unbelievably expensive. It is hard to wrap our minds around the prices.. especially since we spent yesterday in Italy and spent a fraction on the same food and wine!
We are off to Zurich via a scenic train and ferry ride. It should be gorgeous views and I am looking forward to it.. but sad to be going away from Italy..
Leftover Scallops with Linguini
I love when I am able to reuse my leftovers in a completely different dish. In this case, I had made seared scallops with salsa verde the day before (check the previous recipe on the blog) and decided to use the scallops in another way. I always have fresh tomato sauce in the fridge- which can be used in a variety of ways. I used it as a pasta sauce and before I knew it, I had a delicious pasta dish! I served it with a nice big salad and some wine!
- Left over scallops
- 1 cup marinara sauce, preferably homemade
- 1 cup cooked linguini
Heat up the marinara sauce in a frying pan. Add the pasta and mix well. Add the scallops and heat through without over cooking them. Serve immediately.
Tuscany- Day Three
When you have sixteen people walking around a medieval town, lots of interesting things happen. One thing that doesn’t happen is a lot of sightseeing.
We woke up the third morning to a gorgeous blue sky…. I could hear the roosters in the far distance and birds were chirping quite loud. I am usually a great sleeper but somehow here, I can’t wait to wake up and start the day- I am averaging a few hours a night…
The breakfast consisted of a few kinds of cheeses, prosciutto, crusty bread and the most delicious cherries… oh, and of course, coffee. We lingered over coffee and headed for Siena.
As I have mentioned before- we are a big group. To achieve some order, we divided ourselves into several different committees. Yours truly is in the food division- planning meals, buying ingredients and deciding where to dine. Most kids were in the planning the day committee. They decided we would all go to Siena, which was about an hour away. We arrived there and slowly made our way to the main square. It took a while as we stopped several times for water, pizza, olive bread and gelato. We did look around a bit and took lots of lovely pictures but somehow the focus was on where we were going to sit down and eat….
After lunch, we walked a bit more and ended up in a bar/café that had very interesting looking sandwiches. We had cappuccinos (which I realize is a very touristy thing to do – as most Italians stop drinking cappuccinos after 11 AM) and decided to get our dinner packed from there- including the dessert.
We headed back to our cars and some of us in the food committee headed to the super market to buy some more supplies for dinner- including the most delicious and cheap wines I have ever had the pleasure to taste…
Dinner consisted of a platter of olive bread, raisin bread, cheese, ham, sandwiches and lots of wine. We started with the most delicious sparkling rose wine and finished with a yummy white.
As I anticipated, this trip too is turning into a food and wine fest…
Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini
I love making roast chicken for many reasons. One reason is the leftovers. I like coming up with something completely different with yesterdays leftovers.
In this case, I had about a cup of shredded chicken from the delicious roast chicken. I also always keep fresh tomato sauce in my fridge all the time. Once a week I buy fresh tomatoes and make a quick fresh sauce. I wanted to add some vegetables and noticed a zucchini in my fridge. I then remembered my daughter’s look every time I serve zucchini- so I decided to peel it, chop it and add it to the mix with some carrots- she noticed the carrots but not the zucchini. The chicken and tomato sauce mixture was delicious. I quickly boiled some pasta and we had a delicious, quick and healthy meal.
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