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Tag: rigatoni

Roasted Tomato and Shiitake Mushroom Pasta
  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • Sprinkle of salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer the tomatoes to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the oil and sprinkle the salt and mix well. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Put the tomatoes through a food mill or a blender. Keep aside.

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ pound rigatoni, cooked with ½ cup pasta water to spare
  • Salt
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the roasted tomato sauce, cooked pasta and the pasta water. Mix well, season according to taste and garnish with parsley.

Broccoli Rabe and Chorizo Pasta

Yum, yum, yum- that is all I have to say!!

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 links chorizo sausage, casing off and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe, stems trimmed and greens chopped
  • ½ cup fresh full fat ricotta cheese
  • ½ pound rigatoni, cooked al dente with about a cup of pasta water
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/3 cup dill, chopped
  • Salt

Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the chorizo and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes till the fat is rendered and the sausage is golden brown. Add the garlic and green onions. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and sauté on high heat till the greens wilt down, about 2 minutes. Add the ricotta and rigatoni with about ½ cup of pasta water. Mix well and add more water if needed depending on the consistency. Add the parsley and dill and check for seasonings and add salt if required. Serve warm.

Rigatoni with Fresh Tomato Sauce Topped with Sauteed Scallops and Served with Arugula Bruschetta

Fresh Pasta with fresh tomatoes and sauteed scallops

I have been so inspired by my one day cooking class with Paola in Spello, Umbria that all I want to do is cook fresh tomato sauce. The problem with doing that and writing a food blog is that I need to switch the recipe around a bit so I can post it and inspire other people to make it as well. With all the yummy tomatoes around in the farmer’s market and my back yard, I just couldn’t help myself today and made yet another fresh tomato sauce.

I went to Whole Foods and bought fresh rigatoni- I haven’t made boxed pasta since I came back from Italy- not sure how long this obsession will last.. My plan was to buy some jumbo shrimp and make a shrimp scampi pasta with tomato sauce. I was standing at the fish counter when I noticed beautiful sea scallops from NJ. I had to buy them since they were so local. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them but bought them anyway.

I came home and cut the fresh tomatoes up and started cooking them. I boiled the fresh pasta and brought it together with the tomato sauce. I sauteed the scallops on the stove- very quickly- that is the trick to really juicy and tender- do not over cook them. I placed them on top of the pasta.

I remembered the arugula pesto in the fridge and decided to serve a bit of that in the form of a bruschetta. All in all it was a delicious meal. The fresh pasta with the fresh tomato sauce was of course delicious. The sweet and tender scallops were yum and the arugula bruschetta was out of this world. A bottle of Malbec made it even better!

  • 3 cups fresh plum tomatoes, cut into rough squares
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • ½ pound fresh rigatoni, cooked al dente (reserve ½ cup pasta water for the sauce)

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, salt and sugar. Cook on medium heat for at least 20 minutes or till the tomatoes start to get mushy and soft. Add the ½ cup pasta water and the al dente pasta. Mix well and check for seasonings.

Fresh pasta with fresh tomato sauce

Sauteed Scallops

  • 1 pound sea scallops, cleaned
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add the olive oil and scallops. Add salt and pepper. Cook on each side for 2 minutes on high heat. Cook in two batches is the pan is not big enough.

Serve the pasta with 4-5 scallops on top. Toast some sliced baguette and top with the arugula pesto. Serve with the pasta.