Tuna pasta sauce with linguine
Serves 4
Ingredients:
375g/13oz dried linguine
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small chilli pepper, finely chopped
1cm/½in fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
450g/1lb carton or bottle passata
400g tin of tuna fish in oil, drained and roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and gently fry 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the garlic, chilli and the ginger for a few minutes until slightly soft. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another few minutes. Stir in the tuna and salt.
Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley and freshly ground pepper.
Note:
Passata is a thick paste made from strained tomatoes and used especially in Italian cooking..
Passata is an uncooked tomato puree that has been strained of seeds and skins. It originated in Italy but is used throughout Europe. Some passatas are chunkier and some are smoother, depending on the brand. Some people claim that passata can also be cooked, but most agree that it is uncooked. You will also see it spelled passato and passata di pomodoro.
How is passata different from tomato sauce or tomato paste? Well, both the sauce and paste are cooked tomato products to begin with. Tomato sauce often has other ingredients such as carrots, onions, garlic, etc. And tomato paste is cooked down and much thicker. You would not want to substitute either product if passata is called for in your recipe. If you cannot find it in your store, take plain canned tomatoes and run them through a sieve or a food mill. While most passatas are just plain tomatoes, some are sold with additions, such as basil.
Garlic Pasta
Recipe 1: Creamy Garlic Pasta
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions:
In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil.
Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.
Recipe 2: Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta
Ingredients:
1 box (1 lb) penne pasta
3 TB butter
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 TB flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tsp dried parsley
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cook pasta according to packaged directions.
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, add garlic.
Cook for 1 minute over medium heat
Add flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
Add milk and broth, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce boils and thickens.
Add parsley and parmesan cheese. Add desired salt and pepper. Continue stirring until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
Pour sauce over pasta and serve.
California Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 medium yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
Dressing:
1 bottle (16 ounces) your favorite homemade or store-bought Italian salad dressing
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese or dairy-free cheese, if desired
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion and olives in a large bowl.
To make the dressing: Whisk together Italian salad dressing, cheese, if using, sesame seeds, paprika, celery seed, and garlic powder. Pour over salad and toss until coated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Shrimp and Pasta in a Basil Cream Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
SERVINGS 2
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1⁄4 cup shallot, thinly sliced (one large shallot)
1 tablespoon garlic, minced (2-3 cloves)
1⁄3 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1⁄3 cup grape tomatoes (2 good handfuls) or 1⁄3 cup cherry tomatoes (2 good handfuls)
1⁄2 ounce pine nuts (about a quarter of a small bag)
1⁄2 cup dry vermouth or 1⁄2 cup dry white wine (can use chicken stock as well)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons basil, sliced in a chiffinade (about 10 to 12 large leaves)
1⁄3 lb pasta (I used spaghetti)
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Start the water for the pasta. When it comes to a boil, add salt and pasta and cook until al dente.
In a skillet, heat olive oil and butter. When butter stops foaming, add shallots and garlic, and a pinch of salt and black pepper, and saute until shallots are tender.
Add shrimp, grape tomatoes, and pine nuts and cook until tomatoes burst.
Remove everything from pan and keep warm.
Return pan to heat and add vermouth. Allow to cook down for 1 minute while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. I used about 20 grinds of fresh ground black pepper and a healthy pinch of kosher salt.
Stir well and cook until cream reduces and thickens. Stir often during this process so your cream doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.
To chiffinade the basil, pile the basil leaves neatly on top of each other, then roll the whole pile into a long, tight log. Cut the log into thin slices.
When sauce reaches desired thickness, add basil to cream sauce and stir well. Cook for a minute or two to let the basil infuse the cream.
Return shrimp and tomato mixture to pan and heat through.
Serve over your choice of pasta. Garnish with chives and parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve with crusty bread and a nice salad on the side.
Enjoy!
Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Level:Easy Total Time: 1 hr 15 min Prep: 30 min Cook:45 min
Yield:6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.
Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
PENNE ALLA VODKA
Ingredients
•1/4 pound bacon, diced (can also use pancetta or prosciutto)
•1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
•6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
•1 medium onion, diced
•1/2 cup vodka
•2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, with their juice, pureed in a blender
•1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
•Salt, to taste
•1 cup heavy cream or 1-1/2 cups evaporated skim milk (for a leaner version)
•2 (16-ounce) boxes penne pasta
•24 fresh basil leaves, chopped
•1-1/2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese
Preparation
Place a large pot of cold, salted water over high heat to come to a boil.
In a large saute pan on medium heat, cook and render fat from the bacon. (If you are using pancetta or prosciutto, skip this step and just saute it with the garlic.) Once the bacon is almost crisp, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Do not clean the pan.
Add the olive oil and, when it is hot, return the bacon to the pan along with the garlic.
Saute until the garlic turns light golden brown, then add the onion and saute until it becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and let it reduce by half, then add the tomatoes, red pepper, and salt. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the heavy cream and simmer another 10 minutes.
Once you've added the cream, put the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the basil and the cheese, and stir well. Drain the pasta, shock it with a little cold water, and return it to the pot it was cooked in. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix gently until the pasta is coated completely. Serve immediately.
Bolognese Beef Sauce
Ingredients
1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef
6 oz (170 g) pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) each salt and pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
1 28 oz can (796 mL can) whole tomatoes
1 28 oz can (796 mL can) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 mL) red wine
1 bay leaf
1 pinch granulated sugar
1/4 cup (45 mL) chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
In a large Dutch oven, saute beef over medium-high heat, breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off any fat.
Add pancetta, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, pepper and fennel seeds; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
Add milk; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, wine, bay leaf and sugar, breaking up tomatoes with potato masher. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened and mixture can mound on spoon, about 1 hour. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate, uncovered, in airtight container until cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.)
Tags: bay leaf, beef, carrots, celery, fennel seeds, garlic, ground beef, milk, onion, pancetta, parsley, red wine, sugar, thyme, tomatoes
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