Tag: pine nuts
Pork Ragu Lasagna with Pesto Bechamel
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.
Spinach Polenta
2 tablespoons olive oil- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 cup chopped and thawed (frozen) spinach, excess water squeezed
- 1 cup fine polenta
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 cups broth
- ½ cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
- Salt
Heat a medium saucepan with olive oil. Add the pine nuts and raisins and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the milk and the broth and bring to a boil. Slowly add the polenta while stirring constantly. Cook according to box instructions. Add the cheese and check for seasonings. Serve with shrimp.
Garlicky Pasta with Broccoli Rabe
This is one of my favorite pastas to eat- I love the earthy, slightly bitter broccoli rabe and lots of garlic… plus it is a perfect Meatless Monday dish!!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 to 10 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped with stems off
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ pound pasta of choice, cooked al dente with 1 cup pasta water
- ½ cup cheese, a variety is ideal- I used a combination of Parmigiano, Asiago and Pecorino
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the garlic and nuts and cook on a low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and cook on medium high heat till the greens wilt down. Add the cooked pasta and ½ cup pasta water. Mix well and add the cheese. Stir and check for seasonings. Add more salt and pasta water if needed. Serve warm.
Linguini with Haricot Vert, Potatoes and Pesto
Perfect dish for meatless Mondays! I have made this dish many times but I decided to jazz it up a bit with adding my own homemade croutons. It’s not in the recipe below but it’s quite simple. I took a baguette and diced it into 1 inch squares. I then cooked some grated garlic in olive oil, drizzled it all over the cut up bread on a cookie sheet and baked the whole thing for 5 minutes- and voila.. I had yummy croutons. It adds a great crunch to the dish…
- 2 medium yellow skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Heat a wide frying pan with the butter and olive oil. Add the potatoes and sauté on medium high heat, stirring, for about 4 to 5 minutes or till the potatoes are golden brown and cooked through. Take out of the pan and keep aside.
- 2 cups Haricot vert, trimmed
- ½ pound linguini
- Salt
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the beans. Cook for a minute and immediately place under cold water, dry and keep aside. Add the pasta in the same boiling water and cook till done. Drain and spare half cup of the pasta water.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought (recipe follows)
- Salt
Reheat the frying pan and add the olive oil. Return the potatoes to the pan with the green beans, pesto, pasta and the ½ cup pasta water. Mix well and heat everything through on medium heat. Check for seasonings and serve.
Basil Pesto
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
In a food processor, add the garlic and pine nuts. Process till smooth. Add the fresh basil and while the processor is on, drizzle the olive oil slowly till the consistency is smooth and wet. Take out in a bowl and add the cheese, lemon juice and salt. Store in the fridge.
Vegetarian Rice Bowls with Fried Egg
I am obsessed with Asian style bowls- it’s a great way to serve a dish with all sorts of flavors and textures- this one is a vegetarian one and Mediterranean inspired.. perfect for Meatless Monday! Best of all- it used cauliflower rice!!!
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup brown rice, I used wild brown rice with seeds, rinsed
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- Salt if needed
Heat a saucepan with the butter and oil. Add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat with lid on for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Take the lid off and let cool.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ cup pine nuts
- Fresh dill stems, ¼ cup, chopped (reserve dill to use later)
- 2 ears of corn, the kernels scraped off
- 1 cup grated cauliflower, also known as cauliflower rice
- ½ cup fresh dill, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
In a large frying pan add the oil, onion, garlic, pine nuts and dill stems. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and the cauliflower. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cooled rice, dill and parsley. Saute for another 4 to 5 minutes, add salt but not too much as feta will be added later. Let the mixture cool and add the crumbled feta.
Tomato Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
- ½ cup fresh dill
- Juice of half a lemon and or a pinch of sugar – depending on how sweet or sour the tomato sauce is
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Heat a small saucepan with the oil. Add the garlic and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Add the sauce, dill, lemon juice and salt. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over the rice with a fried egg on top!
Pasta with Sausage with a Pea and Basil Pesto
This is delicious way to sneak vegetables into the pasta dish without anyone knowing!!! This is a simple and quick dish to make through the week!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4 fresh sausage, casings removed and crumbled
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- ½ pound pasta, cooked with 1 cup of pasta water spared
- Salt
Pea and Basil Pesto
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive
- Juice of one lemon
Transfer peas to some boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds and take out. Transfer the pine nuts and garlic to a food processor and give it a few pushes, add the peas, cheese, basil, oil and lemon juice. Process it till the mixture forms a smooth paste. Take out and check for seasonings. Keep aside.
In the meantime, heat a wide skillet with the olive oil and add the crumbled sausage. Saute on medium heat till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cooked pasta with the pasta water and bring to a boil. Add salt as needed and serve the pasta with a dollop of pesto on top.
Rigatoni with Mushrooms and Ricotta Cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup Shiitaki mushrooms, torn
- 1 cup Chanterel mushrooms, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup fresh ricotta
- ½ pound whole-wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked with 1 cup pasta water
- Salt
Heat a large frying pan with the butter and oil. Saute the mushrooms on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or till golden brown. Lower heat to medium and add garlic, fresh thyme and pine nuts. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Add salt to taste and the fresh ricotta. Mix well and taste for seasonings and serve.