Tag: penne
Penne with Pancetta and Fresh Tomatoes
Family was over and we went into the city to watch the Christmas spectacular. The show was fabulous as usual. We walked around and had a late lunch afterwards. The kids had a ball at Max Brenner restaurant. He is known as the bald man who serves loads of chocolate in every form at his restaurants. The food was delicious and the treats were over sweet yet yummy.
We came back exhausted and after a little while I had to think about dinner. The idea of going out for another meal was not appealing at all. I gave leftovers to the kids but didn’t have enough for the adults.
I looked in my fridge and pantry and came up with this pasta dish. I always have at least a pint of cherry tomatoes- perfect for a quick, fresh tomato sauce. I also have chicken sausages and pancetta from Trader Joes sitting in my fridge. I came up with this dish while using all the delicious ingredients I found in my pantry.
While the tomatoes were cooking and turning soft and delicious, I made a quick salad dressing by squeezing some clementines and lemon juice. I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper- done! It was easy and delicious. I had a bag of arugula in the fridge- which is perfect for salads. I made nice looking peels out of my Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (with a vegetable grater) for the top and there you have it- a wonderful tasting salad.
I finished the pasta with the same beautiful cheese peels and we washed the yummy food down with some nice wine. It was a quick delicious meal- perfect for any weeknight!
- ¼ cup chopped pancetta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 chicken sausages (I used spinach and fontina cheese)-cut into ¼ inch pieces
- ½ pound penne, cooked al dente and ½ cup pasta water saved
- Parmigiano reggiano cheese shavings
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the pancetta. Saute on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat, covered for at least 20 to 25 minutes. The tomatoes should begin to get soft and burst. Mash them down with a wooden spatula. Add the cut up sausages and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Mix well, taste for seasonings. Serve with ribbon of parmigiano reggiano cheese.
Penne with Shrimp and Asparagus in a Creamy Garlic Sauce
As I have mentioned before on this blog, everyone in my family loves shrimp. To save money, I buy frozen shrimp from either Trader Joes or Whole Foods– I do try to make sure it’s American shrimp. It makes me feel better knowing the shrimp haven’t travelled very far to get to my table. I always have at least one bag of frozen shrimp at hand- very helpful on a busy day.
I had a lovely bunch of asparagus in the fridge and I thought of pairing it with the shrimp. I was flipping through the ten thousand food magazines at home and came up with anchovies. Now, before you start gagging- anchovies are delicious when used in sauces and dressings. Most people who think they don’t like the fishy taste don’t realize that the ‘fishiness’ goes away as soon as the anchovies dissolve or melt and what comes through is this a very complex nutty, salty flavor equal to nothing else out there.
When I am thinking of a recipe, I visualize it in my mind- step by step. In this case, I was planning on making a white wine and cheese sauce with an anchovy base. I was planning on adding the asparagus and then the shrimp and finally the penne.
I cooked the sauce- quite easy, didn’t take very long at all. I then added the trimmed asparagus to the pan. I looked at the frying pan and realized the asparagus, shrimp and penne were not going to look very appealing all mixed in together. So I quickly took the asparagus out and sauteed it separately in a pan and decided to add it on top instead. That worked out a lot better- it looked fabulous. We eat with our eyes first and the thought of serving an unappetizing meal was not very exciting.
The meal tasted great and it looked good as well- very important. I served the pasta with garlic bread and some red wine- good stuff all around!
Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Pasta with Lemon Zest
If I had to pick one pasta dish to eat for the rest of my life, it would be this. I don’t know exactly why I love this pasta so much but every time I think about it, my mouth salivates! I guess it is the combination of the savory golden brown chicken sausage with the earthy bitter broccoli rabe which really excites my palate. A lot of people don’t use this green too much. It’s a combination of not knowing what exactly broccoli rabe is and how to cook it. Contrary to the name, it is not related to broccoli. It is actually part of the turnip family and so it has a very nice nutty flavor with a little bitterness. I actually like the bitterness since it reminds me of mustard greens. The creaminess of the pine nuts goes really well with the bitterness. I also love the fresh citrus flavor of the lemon zest. I use Pecorino cheese instead of parmesan cheese because it has a stronger flavor and can stand really well to the strong flavored broccoli rabe. Overall it’s a light pasta with very strong flavors. My favorite way to eat the dish is with crusty garlic bread and a nice bold red wine!
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4-5 links chicken sausage, sliced in 1 inch pieces
- 3-4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts, roasted
- Salt to taste
- ½ pound cooked penne
- ¼ cup reserved cooked pasta water
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped or torn
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup pecorino romano, grated
In a wide frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage and sauté on medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or till golden brown. Add the garlic and pine nuts, sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Next add the broccoli rabe and cook till the greens are wilted and cooked down, for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta with the pasta water. Add salt to taste and stir well. Finish the pasta with the lemon zest, basil and cheese.