Orecchiette with Pancetta and Peas.

From Rachel Ray...

Ingredients

* Salt and pepper
* 1 pound orecchiette pasta
* 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 1/3 pound pancetta or speck (smoked pancetta) or lean, thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
* 2 cups frozen peas
* 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
* Grated peel of 1 lemon
* A handful of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
* 2 cups cow’s or sheep’s-milk ricotta cheese

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine, then add the peas and heat through for 2 minutes; season with the thyme, lemon peel and pepper.

Add the reserved 1 cup pasta cooking water and the drained pasta; toss to combine. Add the Pecorino Romano and toss. Serve in bowls and top with the ricotta, for stirring in as you eat.

Pancit Canton

(Adapted from Recipezaar)

3 dried chinese mushrooms (shiitake or black)
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 - 1.5 lbs meat (* see note)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1 cup green beans, julienned (or cut frozen ones)
2 carrots, julienned
8oz (1 pkg) pancit noodles (Chinese wheat noodles)
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
pepper
green onions, sliced
lemon wedges

Soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 mins. Remove from water, discard tough stems & slice caps. Set aside, retaining soaking water as well.

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add onions, saute until tender. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

If using raw meat, add now and cook until browned. If using leftovers/pre-cooked, just stir to heat through.

Add soy sauce and stir to deglaze pan. Add chicken broth & bring to a boil.

Add cabbage, green beans, carrots & mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, 5-8 mins.

Add noodles, pressing into the liquid and mixing gently to avoid breakage. Cook until noodles are done and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. At this point, keep an eye on the noodles, if they need more liquid, add some of the mushroom water.

Remove from heat. Stir in fish sauce. Season with pepper, garnish with green onions and lemon wedges. Serve.

This is a great dish to eat as leftovers the second day. So yummy!

* Note: Use 1 to 1.5 lbs of pork, chicken or shrimp, or any combination of those. Leftover/pre-cooked meat is great too!

Spaghetti with Roasted Red Pepper & Toasted Almond Pesto

(Recipe courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)

1 c drained jarred roasted red peppers, patted dry
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff!)
1/4 c slivered almonds, toasted (* see note)
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 lb spaghetti (** see note)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In food processer, process red peppers, parmesan, almonds, basil, garlic & lemon juice until smooth. With motor running, slowly add oil until incorporated. Season with salt & pepper.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 c cooking water, drain pasta & return to pot. Add pesto & toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time as needed. Serve.

*Note: To toast almonds, toss in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant.

** Note: Penne, fusilli & bow ties are good pasta substitutions for this recipe.

Butternut Squash & Pesto Penne

1 small butternut squash, peeled, and chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken stock
2 oz (1/4 package) cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp pesto
Salt & Pepper
1 pkg penne
Shaved parmesan

Steam butternut squash until fork tender and drain. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

In a deep frying pan, saute steamed squash cubes in butter. Mash gently with a spoon as you saute. Add chicken stock, cream cheese, grated parmesan, pesto, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Cook pasta while the sauce is coming up to a boil.

Toss warm sauce with cooked and drained pasta (add a few ladles of pasta water if the sauce is too thick) and top with shaved parmesan. Enjoy!

Pasta Puttanesca

Made this for a few friends last night... so yummy! This recipe makes more than enough sauce for 1lb of pasta so you could probably freeze half and save it for later!

1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
8 anchovy fillets (about 1 can)
1/2 tsp ground chili flakes
1 28oz can tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chopped olives (I use a mix of jumbo green and kalamata)
2 tbsp capers
Black pepper
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1lb of pasta
Grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for a minute, stirring to break up the anchovies. ADD the chili flakes, capers, olives, tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and pepper, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta. Top drained pasta with sauce and parsley. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

Pasta with Home-Style Tomato Sauce

From; William Sonoma Cookbook - The essential recipe collection for Today's Home Cook

For Homestyle Sauce:
1/4c. extra virgin oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 yellow onion finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 leek, white part only, rinsed and finely diced
1 small inner celery stalk, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 fresh plum(roma) tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 can (35oz.1.1kg) plum (roma) tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 bay leaf
2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt & freshly ground pepper

For the Pasta;
1lb sturdy pasta such as spaghetti, bucatini or dried shaped pasta
small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

To make the sauce, in a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the 1/4c oil. Add the onion, carrot, leek, and celery and saute until just turning lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute without colouring, about 1 minute. Add the fresh and canned tomatoes with their juice, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, unocvered, until slightly thickened, no more then 20 minutes. The sauce should remain at a lively simmer; stir several times during cooking.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente, 7-9 minutes.

Remove the thyme springs and bay leaf from the sauce and discard. Add the parsley, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Drain the pasta and put it in a warmed large shallow bowl. Add the sauce, toss it gently with the pasta, garnish with thyme sprigs, if using, and serve at once.

Smoked Salmon Vodka Cream Pasta

Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smoked-Salmon-Vodka-Cream-Sauce/Detail.aspx

This sauce is delicious and easy to modify depending on what you like!

• 2 servings of pasta. I've used all kinds, but like Whole Wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
• 1/2 cup diced smoked salmon
• 2 fluid ounces vodka
• 1/2 cup whole milk
  
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons capers (We usually add lots more because we love them. Chopped up black olives would be good too)

1. Cook pasta according to package, maybe one minute less, so that when you mix it with the sauce the pasta sucks some up sauce.
2. In a large saucepan saute butter and shallot with smoked salmon. Once the pan begins to lightly smoke, pull saucepan away from heat source and add the Vodka.
3. When the Vodka has burned off, return the sauce to heat source and mix in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and heavy cream.
4. Season sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chile pepper.
5. Reduce sauce to desired consistency.
6. Stir in capers .
   
7. Stir in drained cooked pasta. Let all the ingredients become friends in the pan for about 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!

Salmon Pasta Toss

I kind of came up with this one night when we were having salmon and I was sick of the same old thing, so some of the measurements are approximates (i.e. the oil, the Parmesan)

-2 frozen or fresh salmon fillets
-1/2 each red and green pepper, julienned
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
-spice mix of 2 tsp Mrs Dash, 1 tsp lemon pepper and 1/2 tsp rosemary
-pasta, such as rotini or penne, enough for two people

1. Sprinkle spice mix over both sides of the fish. If it is frozen, brush with a little olive oil so it will stick.
2. Bake fish in 450 F oven for 10 mins (fresh) 20 mins (frozen)
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta.
4. Saute peppers in a small amount of olive oil along with garlic until soft.
5. When salmon is done, remove from oven and break apart into small pieces.
6. Toss salmon, peppers, pasta, parmesan and olive oil until well combined/coated.

Mushroom Lasagna

Mushroom Filling
2 lbs mushrooms, chopped (use what you like, I used a mix of buttons and crimini)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
S &P

Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups whole milk
S & P

1pk lasagna sheets (I used the fresh ones)

Parmesan cheese

Saute the chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic and S & P. Cook down and remove as much liquid as possible (you can reserve this and use it in place of some of the milk in the sauce, just add milk to make 4 cups.)

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk well. Allow to bubble a bit so the flour cooks off. Add 4 cups whole milk and S & P. Bring to a low boil and shut off, stirring frequently.

Place a small amount of sauce (about 1/6th) in the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan. Layer other ingredients:

Noodles
1/2 mushrooms
1/3 sauce
handful parm
Noodles
1/2 mushrooms
1/3 sauce
handful parm
Noodles
remaining sauce
handful parm.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until hot. Let rest at least 15 minutes before you cut or it will run everywhere!

American-Italian all'Amatriciana

American-Italian all'Amatriciana
slightly adapted from 30 Minute Meals
Source Blog - Taste and Tell

salt
1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6-12 slices lean peppered bacon, chopped (amount depends on preference)
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
black pepper
handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese

Heat water to boil for pasta, season with salt and cook pasta to al dente.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan. Add bacon and crisp 4 to 5 minutes then add onions and garlic cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in stock then tomatoes and season with pepper to taste. Simmer sauce 15 minutes. Toss pasta with sauce and parsley. Serve with grated sharp white Cheddar.

Soo yummy! All the recipes I post are ones I've tried but I really enjoyed the sauce for this pasta dish. Super easy and fast to make.

Pasta with smoked salmon vodka sauce

I don't really measure for this recipe, feel free to adjust the ingredients. My family really likes capers, so I usually use more. Next time I make this I plan to add minced garlic with the shallots. Black olives would probably be good too. This makes about 4 servings.

• One box of whole wheat pasta
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp butter
• Half of the large pack of Coho salmon from Costco, about 1/4 lb maybe, chopped.
• A shot of vodka
• 2 cups pureed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half, or even whole milk.
• salt, pepper
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tsp minced parsley

1. Cook pasta as per directions and drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large pan (that will hold all your sauce and pasta) sautee shallots in butter until they soften.
3. Add salmon and cook a minute or so more, stirring, until it lightens in color
4. Carefully add vodka. It's a good idea to take it off the flame while you do this.
5. Add pureed tomatoes and stir, cook for 2 minutes. If the sauce seems to runny, let it simmer for a few minutes until it's thicker.
6. Add cream and stir, cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add capers and parsley and salt and pepper. Stir, cook for a few minutes more.
8. Add drained pasta and stir it up. Taste and add seasonings.
   
9. Enjoy! Drizzle some olive oil on top of pasta on your individual plates for extra goodness.
   

Rustic Italian Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:
1 12 oz pkg. of whole wheat penne
1 lb bulk italian sausage (I use a combo of sweet and hot, and take the casings off)
1 sm. onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 sm. zucchini, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 tsp each dried thyme, basil and oregano
1 cup grated parm. cheese (I just use a sprinkle though)

1. Cook pasta, al dente
2. In large pot brown sausage, remove meat. Cook onions/garlic until soft. Add sausage, stir in peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, sauce, and spices. Cook until heated through- about 5 min.
4. Combine pasta and sauce. Put in casserole dish, top with parm and bake for 20 min. (or serve immediately).

For Freezing: Omit mushrooms as they get kind of rubbery. Just defrost and heat in the oven for about 30 min.