Orecchiette with Caramelized Garlic, Sausage and Broccoli

Courtesy of http://chaosinthekitchen.com

Orecchiette with Caramelized Garlic, Sausage, and Broccoli

serves 4, prep 5 min, cook 15 min, adapted from Fine Cooking, October 2003

• 10 oz. broccoli florets (fresh)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage, crumbled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned, jarred in oil
• 3/4 lb dried orecchiette or penne pasta
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 3 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
• salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high.
3. Cook Italian sausage until browned, reserve to a plate.
4. Salt pasta water and add pasta.
5. There should be about 2 tbsp of fat in the skillet, if not add olive oil to make about 2 tbsp.
6. Turn heat to medium-low and cook garlic, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
7. Add broccoli and cook until semi-tender (about 5 mins).
8. Add sausage back to the pan and heat on high until warmed through.
9. Add sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Take off heat.
10. Finish pasta (total cook time is about 10 minutes). Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
11. Add pasta to broccoli and sausage, toss over high heat. Add about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water as needed to moisten mixture.
12. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper.
13. Serve with additional cheese.

Creamy Baked Gnocchi with Spinach

This is another recipe from Giada De Laurentiis great cookbook Everyday Pasta that I made this past week. Since we've had snow and frost here for the past 2 weeks, I am in major comfort-food mode, and this hit the target in a big way. I measured out everything ahead of time and it was really fast to assemble and bake once we got home from the gym in the evening.

Ingredients:

2 (17oz/500g) packages potato gnocchi (make sure

you use the vacuum-pack type, not the kind that

comes hard & dried in a box)

3 cups (750ml) heavy cream/double cream

1 cup (250ml) chicken broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup (60 ml) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground or fresh-grated nutmeg

12 oz/375g fresh baby spinach (seems like a lot but it wilts down)

3 oz/100g fresh goat cheese

1/2 cup (125ml) grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.

2. Place the gnocchi in a lightly greased 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, chicken broth and flour over medium heat. Continue whisking until the sauce is simmering and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine. Add the spinach in batches and toss until all spinach is coated in the cream.

4. Pour the cream and spinach mixture evenly over the gnocchi and gently spread the spinach out to cover.

5. Crumble the goat cheese over the spinach. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden in places, 25 to 30 minutes.

Scrambled Eggs w/ Pancetta, Asparagus & Orzo

For the pasta lover--you can even have pasta for breakfast! This is a great way to use up the remains of a bag of orzo (which I've been using a lot of lately!). I'm not usually a huge fan of asparagus as part of a breakfast dish, but I figured no vegetable could possibly taste bad after being stir-fried with pancetta & onions, and this was delicious. This recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta, but I substituted baby bocconcini mozzarella instead of smoked mozzarella (which is expensive and not as easy to find here in England). It was fast & easy to make and made a delicious Sunday brunch with some fresh toasted Italian or sourdough bread.

Breakfast Pasta Scramble (serves 4--easily halved for 2 persons)

1/2 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)

10 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 oz./100g smoked or plain mozzarella, torn or cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

4 oz./125g pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 thin asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, and drain.

2. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and basil, set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus & saute for until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the orzo to eggs and stir to coat. Add the egg mixture to pan. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture until the eggs are softly set, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.

Mom's Hearty Minestrone Soup

My mom used to make this hearty soup every Halloween and we kids weren't allowed to go out trick-or-treating until we'd finished a big, warm bowlful of it. Depending on how much stock you add, it can be really thick (almost like a stew) or thinned out. Great with garlic bread!

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 servings)

3 Tbsp (40g) butter

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup peeled, diced potato

1 small jar spaghetti bolognese sauce (vegetarian)

1 can pinto or kidney beans

1/2 lb. (250g) dry spaghetti, broken into thirds

1 chopped white onion

1 cup chopped carrots

4 cans (1500ml) beef broth/stock

1 lb. (500g) ground (mince) turkey or beef

1/2 head shredded cabbage

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot, add celery, carrots and onions. Cook until tender but not brown.

2. Cook meat in a separate pan until browned and drain (if desired).

3. Add meat, potatoes, bolognese sauce, and broth to vegetable pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add dry spaghetti, undrained beans, and cabbage. Cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Flavors get even better the next day.

Creamy Orzo with Peas & Tomatoes

I pulled this from Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta cookbook, and it made an easy weeknight dinner served with some grilled salmon a few weeks ago. If you 1/2 the recipe, it still easily serves 4 (remember to 1/2 the cooking times as needed).

Creamy Orzo (serves 6-8)

1 lb (500g) orzo pasta (available at ASDA or Whole Foods)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (14.5 oz./400g) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/4 cups heavy cream (double cream)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to create a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Orzo Tomato Salad with Lemon and Herb Dressing

We're going out to dinner tonight, but this is a recipe that I've made a few times (usually in the warmer months) and it's delicious. It's also from the Easy Summer Food cookbook. Note: Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta available at most large supermarkets in California, but I've a little trouble getting it here. I found it locally through ASDA's online market site, and also saw it at Whole Foods in London.

Ingredients:

2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

8oz (250g) orzo or other tiny soup pasta

6 scallions/spring onions, finely chopped

1/4 c. coarsely chopped mixed fresh herbs (I used basil, dill & parsley)

grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

Directions: Thread the tomatoes onto the soaked wooden skewers with all the cut halves facing the same way. Sprinkle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil under a preheated hot broiler for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until lightly charred and softened.

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for about 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions, herbs, lemon zest and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the mixture to the orzo, then add the tomatoes, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well and let cool before serving.

Note: This dish is best eaten fresh, but keeps well. If you refrigerate this dish, bring it back to room temp before serving; you may also need to add a dash of olive oil to bring the right moisture level back.

Monday Night Pesto Pasta Carbonara

On Monday night I didn't have anything planned to eat, but we needed a break from Thanksgiving leftovers and I had a bunch of random leftover bits in the fridge taking up space, so I decided to get creative....what resulted was a sort of Pesto Pasta Carbonara. It was great!

Here's what I used (made about 3 large servings):

Remains of a jar of store-bought pesto, 1/4 c. to 1/3 c.

Remains of a tub of mascarpone cheese, about 1/2 c.

Remains of a jug of milk, about 1 cup

1/2 lb (250 g) Messicani pasta spirals from M&S (any small curly or shell shaped pasta will do)

1/2 pot of Sunblush sundried tomatoes in oil, about 1/2 c. (120g), drained and chopped up

Remains of a bag of frozen peas, about 1 cup

1/2 pot of Sainsbury's cubed pancetta, or 50 grams (sliced, chopped pancetta would also work)

Fresh grated parmesan cheese, about 1/4 c., or to taste

First, cook the pasta until al dente in a pot of salted, boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. In a small frying pan, heat a spoonful of oil over medium high heat and cook the pancetta cubes until crispy. Drain oil from pan and set pancetta aside on a paper towel to drain.

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, pesto sauce and mascarpone cheese over medium-low heat (taking care that the milk doesn't get too hot and boil or burn), until the mascarpone is mostly melted and combined with the milk. The sauce should be creamy. Add the frozen peas and sundried tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring, until peas are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add cooked pancetta and Parmesan cheese to sauce and stir to combine. Add drained pasta to sauce mix and stir to coat. Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese topping, if desired, and a green salad.