7-3-18 Angel hair pasta with fresh herbs & olive oil

After a week away from home it felt good to be back in my own kitchen, and even better to be preparing a pasta dinner. Tonight I wanted to take advantage of all the fresh herbs in Patient’s garden creating a variation of the traditional Aglio Olio.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Angel hair pasta

2.     Extra virgin olive oil

3.     Fresh thyme, oregano, and basil finely chopped

4.     Garlic – one clove minced

5.     Shallot – sliced

6.     Tomato – medium size coarsely chopped

7.     Mozzarella cut into small cubes

8.     Salt and black pepper

PROCESS:

Add the herbs, garlic and a dash of salt to the olive oil (about 1/3 cup) and allow to sit for several hours or more.

While the pasta is cooking sauté the shallots in olive oil and place in the pasta bowl. Add the pasta with some of the pasta water to the bowl, along with the herb infuse olive oil and mix well.  Add the tomatoes and mozzarella and drizzle with a bit more olive oil and serve.

COMMENTS:

The herbs used in place of the traditional parsley give a subtle, but distinctly different flavor to this dish that is best described as gentler and/or softer. P and I both gave this a 10+. The next time I will prepare the olive oil 1 or 2 days in advance, and reserve some of the herbs for a garnish.

7-8-17 Spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and herbs in a light cream sauce

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This was a last minute dish when we learned our dinner guest could not eat the seafood sauce I had planned. It turned out to be a winner for everyone.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Spaghetti

2.     Fresh tomatoes (2) coarsely chopped

3.     Fresh Rosemary, spearmint, tarragon, parsley, Thyme, and basil – chopped

4.     Olive oil

5.     Anchovy – 1 fillet finely chopped

6.     Panko - toasted

7.     Garlic and onion

8.     White wine

 9. Heavy whipping cream

PROCESS:

Cook the onion, garlic, and anchovy in the oil until soft.  Add a splash of wine and all of the herbs and cook over low heat for about 3-4 minutes before adding the tomatoes.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. (Time is not critical)  Before the pasta is ready, add some cream to the sauce.  Mix in the pasta and some pasta water along with the toasted panko.  Serve with grated parmigiano or grana padana cheese.

COMMENTS:

God bless Ngan.  Without her food intolerance we would not have the pleasure of tonight’s dinner.  And it was indeed a pleasure. Did I mention the blueberry cupcakes Ngan brought for desert?  What a treat.