Garlicky Kale Pasta Salad

This is really the most delicious pasta salad I have ever had.  We ate it all week and I didn't even complain.  

The magic of this simple sounding recipe is in the garlic-infused olive oil.  It just flavors everything so perfectly.  The little creases in the bowtie pasta catch all the little bits of garlic/pepper/pine nuts/cheese and it is so so good. We ate this all week with various things on the side (salmon being a standout) but even just tossing in some tuna, smoked salmon, shredded chicken, or even garbanzo beans would be a great way to fill out this dish.  One night I added in some chopped fresh basil and it was a nice way to add some freshness. 

This is a great, fulfilling pasta dish full of greens and super comforting, perfect for a summer night and so easily adaptable, mostly made from pantry items! You could really use any other greens you have on hand instead of kale--spinach, Swiss Chard, or arugula would go great.  When I tasted the pasta after tossing it with the garlic/oil/salt/pepper mix before adding any of the other stuff it was pretty dang good just like that. So use your imagination!

Garlicky Kale Pasta Salad
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

• 1 pound Bowtie Pasta (Farfalle)
• 3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts (chopped if you want)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Salt, more to taste
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, more to taste
• 2 smallish bunches Kale, finely sliced (I had about 6 cups once it was sliced up)
• 6.5 oz can of sliced Black Olives, or fancier olives if you prefer
• 4 ounces weight Parmesan Cheese, shaved
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
  
  Cook pasta according to package directions including a healthy dose of salt. Drain, rinse with cold water, and add to a large bowl. Set aside. 
  
  While the pasta cooks, add pine nuts to a small skillet over low heat. Toast slowly over the course of 8-10 minutes, tossing regularly. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
  
  In a large skillet, heat olive oil and garlic over low heat so that the garlic slowly infuses the oil. When the oil starts to cause the garlic to sizzle, stir around so the garlic doesn't get too brown. When garlic starts to turn golden, add salt and pepper, stir, and set aside for 5 minutes. 
  
  After 5 minutes, pour the oil mixture (scraping the salt, pepper, and garlic) all over the bowtie pasta. Toss to combine and set aside.
  
  Set the same skillet (without cleaning it) over medium-high heat. Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes, or until partly wilted. 
  
  Add kale, olives, pine nuts, and lemon juice to the pasta and toss it all together. Check to make sure it's no longer warm, then add Parmesan shavings and toss. Taste for seasonings and add more salt, pepper, and lemon if needed. 
  
  Chill for at least 1 hours before serving. 
  
  

Rigatoni with Vegetable Bolognese

I should have posted this last week before I went on vacation, but I was so excited and trying to get as much done at work as possible before I left that it sort of slipped my mind. Likewise, I forgot to take an actual photo of anything, because I was too anxious to eat, and all I have to show for this feast is a Vine video and the oohs and aahs of the friends who ate it.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes to make because it is hearty and rich and feels like a special treat, but it has no meat and makes me feel a little better about myself when I eat seconds.  Next time I am going to toss in some kale or chard at the end to really amp up the veg factor. 

This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis, who I love, and her cookbook was the first I bought, a very long time ago when I barely had any interest in cooking. She makes things look so simple and delicious, she convinced me that I could do it!  This is definitely not the first recipe I have made from Giada, and it won't be the last, but so far, it is my favorite and the one I have made the most frequently.  You could just as easily have this sauce with polenta or some other type of noodle, or use it in a lasagna or any way you would use a regular meat bolognese! 

One note:  definitely do not skip the dried mushrooms, and get the best ones you can find. These mushrooms really amp up the flavor and add a richness to the sauce that is missing if you don't use the dried mushrooms plus their liquid.

Vegetable Bolognese
Slightly adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 carrots, peeled and diced 

1 onion, peeled and diced 

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves 
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces assorted mushrooms (like shiitake, cremini, and brown), stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups very hot water. Set aside and let the mushrooms soften.

Remove the thyme and oregano from their stems, chop them up a bit, and set them aside.

Dice the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to a fairly small consistency. You want them to be a little chunky but not a regular dice. I think of it as small dice.  Alternately, you can chop them up with a food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still chunky.

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper and cook until tender, about 6 - 10 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, destem and chop your mushrooms into small chunks. 

Strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the porcini mushroom liquid. Chop the now softened porcini mushrooms to small chunks.

Add the porcini mushrooms, fresh diced mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot and continue cooking, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste, until the mushrooms are softened, about 8 minutes.

Add the porcini mushroom liquid and red wine. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking away, boil a pot of water for the pasta.  Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Once the liquid in the vegetable mixture has reduced by half and is looking and s melling extra delicious, add the mascarpone cheese and stir until the cheese is incorporated.  This adds a really amazing creaminess that makes this sauce feel so decadent!

If the sauce seems to thick, add a bit of the pasta liquid to thin it out a bit. I did not do this, as I like a thicker sauce.

Toss the pasta with the sauce, top with parmesan and serve!

Watch:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic recipe but one I don't find myself craving very often. So when the time struck I went in search of a recipe that would satisfy. One of the first places I look for recipes is on the food blog Smitten Kitchen. If you haven't already please check out one of my favorite blogs. This woman manages to be funny and interesting while pulling off food that looks effortless and beautiful despite her small NY kitchen and having a newborn in tow. So when I came across a spaghetti and meatball recipe on her site that was an incarnation of a Barefoot Contessa (also one of my faves) recipe, I looked no further. And I'm glad I didn't because this recipe was flawless, which was to be expected. We stretched this dish for three meals and I dare say I won't be craving spaghetti and meatballs for quite a while.

I went ahead and used her suggestion on increasing the amount of sauce you make. I also didn't use any veal and just did a combination of pork and beef since my local grocer didn't have veal available. I re-wrote the recipe as I made it.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1lb ground pork (I used the italian pork and I highly recommend this)
1 1/4 cups fresh white bread crumbs (about 5 slices, crusts removed)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large yellow onion or 2 small ones, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch or so of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup good red wine
1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Make the meatballs:
Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, onion powder, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.

Make the sauce:
Heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Classic Minestrone, sorta.

As part of the new year I'm trying to get back at this blogging thing. I have a million recipes to try, more time to spend cooking and baking, and tons of motivation to boot. Yet one missing piece still remains and that is a functional camera. So for the last time I ask you to please excuse my horrible iPhone pictures because I'm setting forth on a camera buying mission this weekend.

As an homage to my last poorly pixelated pictures we have minestrone soup. I came across this recipe on Food & Wine's website and since I had a bunch of kale to use up (isn't that always the case?) and we haven't done one of the most classic soups of all time I decided it was meant to be. I modified the recipe quite a bit and used cannellini beans in place of potatoes, added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and substituted the kale for the chard/spinach but I guess I'll still give credit where credit is due. I also added more spices than just the s&p that the original recipe called for, I can't help myself when it comes to throwing those around.

The final result was really good. One trick that you can use for any soup, but works perfectly in this Italian soup, is saving parmesan rinds to throw in while the soup is simmering. I keep them in a plastic bag in the freezer. It adds a rich creaminess that isn't too salty and can't be replicated with just stock alone. Plus it falls under my neurotic need to not waste food!

Minestrone Soup
adapted from Food & Wine

3 tblsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups water
1 can cannellini beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup orecchiette pasta
1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
1/3 grated parmesan or parmesan rind (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion, fennel, celery, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and other spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, water, the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes (this is where I throw in the parmesan rinds). Stir in the pasta and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Add the kale and bring the soup back to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the Parmesan, if using.

Prepped

Almost ready


Set up and my shriveled parm rinds

Lasagna: The Perfect Food!

I love lasagna. Ever since I was a little kid, lasagna for dinner was always my favorite. I was scared to try to make it at first, but discovered that it is super easy to make, and always turns out delicious. I sometimes forget the proportions of cheese and stuff, so what I normally do is loosely follow the directions on the box of whatever lasagna noodles I buy, modifying it to my liking! I recently made a giant batch of lasagna and it was one of my best to date. These measurements are really... rough, as I kind of just eyeballed the amounts.



Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey thighs
a small tub of part skim ricotta cheese (I think its 8-10 oz)
a hunk of part skim mozzarella
shredded parmesan
1 egg
A jar of basic marinara sauce. I picked one with italian seasonings
about a dozen mushrooms, sliced
half an onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 package of lasagna noodles (I bought Spelt by mistake and they were great!)
Spices: basil, nutmeg, salt, pepper. You could use some cayenne or chili powder for spice if you want.

So, to make the lasagna. First cook the meat. Once that is cooked, add in the onion, mushrooms, and the garlic. Also add in some basil, salt and pepper to taste. Once the mushrooms and onions are cooked up nicely, add the jar of sauce and let simmer. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Some noodles do not require pre-cooking, and generally I prefer those just because it is less work. But the noodles I bought turned out fantastic.

For the cheese mixture, mix the following in a bowl. The whole tub of ricotta (the small one, not the giant pound one or whatever), about 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, about a teaspoon of nutmeg, a little salt, a little pepper, a small handful of the shredded parmesan and one egg.

Next is the fun part, layering.

First some sauce on the bottom of the pan (greased, by the way). Next, a layer of (cooked) noodles, with the edges slightly overlapping. Next, a layer of cheese mixture, then a layer of the meat/onion/mushroom/sauce mixture. Then more noodles, followed by more cheese, more meat/sauce. Then more noodles, more cheese, more meat/sauce. Finally, whatever cheese left on top.

Bake covered on 350 for about 45 minutes. In the last 15 minutes you can sprinkle some of the shredded parmesan on top and remove the cover of foil. Let cool for about 10 or 15 minutes and dig in! Amazingggggg!