Last Minute Pasta for One

Fusilli longhi with assorted tomato sauce

Patience is out, and I was faced with a choice: a Tuna salad sandwich, or pasta for one with a hodgepodge sauce.  After a careful 3 seconds of consideration I chose the pasta.  For today's lunch I made  bruschetta with some Del Monte diced tomatoes and thought what remained could be the basis of good and quick ssuce.  I checked the pantry for some left over uncooked pasta that always seemed to accumulate, and found the perfect amount of long fussilli, a little less than 1/4 lb..

INGREDIENTS:
1. Diced tomatoes
2. Pasta
3. Olive oil
4. garlic, chopped onion and celery
5. Basil, Oregano
6. Kalamata olives  chopped
7. Red pepper flakes
8. Sweet Vermouth or dry white wine
9. Padana Grana cheese for grating

PROCESS:
Prepare the Sophritto in olive oil - onion, celery, and garlic, then add the tomatoes and cook over low heat.  Add the tomatoes, herbs, seasoning, and cook while waiting for the pasta to cook.  About 5-10 minutes later add the olives and the wine.  Toss well with the pasta and serve with Gran Padana and red wine of choice.

Note - the timing of adding the various ingredients to the sauce is purely arbitrary and when I'm cooking it varies every time, as does the amount.

6-21…Fusilli with mushrooms zucchini, and green beans

Our CSA friends provided us with fresh green beans (as well as an ample supply of zucchini) today.  Yesterday I purchased some good-looking white mushrooms from the Mid Town Market, and the idea of pasta with the beans and mushrooms with lemon and mint seasoning came quickly.  

INGREDIENTS:

Fusilli pasta

Green beans cut into one-inch pieces

Mushrooms, sliced

Zucchini, sliced crosswise

Green onions

Fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Garlic and shallots

Red pepper flakes

Grape tomatoes cut in half

Dry white wine

PROCESS:

Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil until soft, then add the vegetables, mint leaves, and red pepper flakes, cover, and cook over low to moderate heat.  After 5 minutes add splash of wine and lemon juice.

Just before the pasta is done add the tomatoes to the pan.  Add the pasta, mix well, and serve with grated cheese of your choice. 

COMMENTS:

A quick and easy dish using seasonal vegetables.  Almost any combination of veggies can be used.  The tomatoes add a bit of color to an otherwise bland looking dish.  The mint and lemon juice provide an interesting flavor to some very familiar ingredients.

1-1…FUSILLI WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

We ended the year with a nice even number…150 pasta meals since I started this nonsense back in May.  I would like to continue for another 4 months so I can complete a year of pasta.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with new ideas, so some repetitions are unavoidable.  When they do occur I will try to come up with a new twist to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Fusilli

Broccoli

Portobello mushrooms

Carrots

Yellow squash

Scallions

Onion

Bell pepper

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

PROCESS:

Cut the vegetables into bite size pieces of varying shapes and place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and the parsley and mix well.  Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Spread the vegetables onto an oiled baking tray, trying not to overlap them and place on the middle rack with the oven at 425 degrees.  Roast for about 45 minutes, checking and turning the veggies as needed in about 30 minutes.

 

COMMENTS:

This was a great way to start the new year.  I went back for seconds and had to refrain from going back for thirds, so there are leftovers in the fridge.

Happy New Years everyone.

PASTA QUEST DAY 2

5-3-11

FUSILLI WITH SMOKED MOZZARELLA

INGREDIENTS:
½ lb. fusilli pasta
olive oil
shallot, thinly sliced
½ cup tomato sauce or puree
chopped parsley
smoked mozzarella, cubed
4 slices bacon, chopped
A splash of red wine

PROCESS

Cook bacon, remove from pan and save the bacon grease for the dogs. Saute the shallot in olive oil and add the tomatoes and cook. About 3-4 minutes before the pasta is done add the red wine. Add the cooked fusilli to the sauce along with the bacon, mozzarella, and parsley, and toss. May add pasta water if needed.

COMMENTS

Patience gives this an 8 and would like to see it again, and I’m giving it a 7.5. I got this idea from a recipe in La Cucina Italiana. I added the red wine and substituted Tomato sauce for tomato puree. The smoking flavor of the mozzarella trumps everything else…it is not subtle. P wondered about preparing it with regular mozzerella.