IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PASTA

-->

It is hard to believe that the 5^th anniversary of the start of the Pasta Quest is only 2 months away.  Last evening I decided to visit the first of our 300 pasta meals, linguine with a sauce of pureed peas.

This, from May 2, 2011:

5-2-11 pureed peas and more

INGREDIENTS:

   ½ lb. spaghetti or linguini

   4 slices of bacon, chopped

   Package of frozen peas, thawed

   2 cloves garlic, chopped

   ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

   ½  cup olive oil

   Optional – ¼ cup of chopped toasted walnuts

   

PROCESS:

    Cook the bacon, set aside and remove the grease.  Puree the peas, olive oil,

    Cheese, garlic, and mint and add to the pan with the bacon.  Mix the pasta

    when ready…al dente..and serve immediately.  Add pasta water as needed to

    thin the sauce to your taste.

COMMENTS:

   This was good, and Patience and I would both like to see it again.

   Patience gave this a 6.5, I gave it a 7 out of 10.  We both agreed on several 

   changes…adding fresh basil, pine nuts, and cream, and keeping some of the

   peas out of the puree.  P also suggested seared bay scallops…she was getting

   a little obnoxious and pushy at this point so I closed the discussion.

Now, almost 5 years later, the revised recipe:

                         

Linguine

Peas

Pancetta

Grana Padana Cheese

Garlic and Basil

Olive Oil

Toasted Pine nut

Heavy whipping cream

Cook the pancetta and remove and set aside.  Discard most of the grease and use the pan to cook the remaining peas in small amount of chicken broth.

Puree 2/3 of the peas with olive oil, cheese, and pine nuts.  Add to the pan with the peas and cook for about 5-10 minutes while the pasta is cooking.  Several minutes before the pasta is ready add the cream and stir well.

Add the pasta, with some reserved pasta water if necessary.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and the pancetta and serve.

Comments – much better than it was 5 years ago.

PASTA-CRAB-CUCUMBER SALAD

This was going to be the night! Tonight I would prepare the crab sauce that has been running around in my head for days…the sauce I thought I would prepare last week only to discover I didn’t have the crabmeat I thought I had. But it was not to be; I came home from the farmer’s market with our box of veggies and discovered 6 ears of sweet corn, and with 4 already in the fridge, I knew I had to use them. The result was a pasta/crab salad fortified with cucumber and served on a bed of lettuce with corn on the side.



INGREDIENTS:

Elbow pasta
Fresh crabmeat
Cucumber, peeled and diced
Celery
Mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Fresh chopped basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley

PROCESS:

Cook the pasta, drain and rinse with cold water, mix in just enough olive oil to keep them from sticking together, and chill.

In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and part of the herbs and cucumbers. In a larger bowl add the mayonnaise mixture and the crabmeat, plus the pasta, and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of lettuce with the corn on the side and tomato for color.

COMMENTS:

Patience advised me to use more crabmeat…but she is from Maryland and there is never enough crabmeat for her.

A great meal for a hot summer day.

PASTA DINNER # 50! Pasta/chicken salad 7-15

This has to be some sort of milestone…our 50th consecutive pasta meal at home. Given the Kentucky heat I decided on a cool summer pasta salad with fresh sweet corn on the side.

INGREDIENTS:

Campanelle pasta (little horns)
Chicken breasts…sauteed and cut into bite size pieces
Celery
Fresh basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley…finely chopped
Mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
White wine
Olive oil
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Blue berries

PROCESS:

Saute the chicken in olive oil and white wine, cut into small pieces and set aside to cool

In a large bowl mix the olives, chopped herbs, and mayonnaise with the lemon juice. Add the chicken and mix well.

Drain the past and rinse under cold water and place in serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Serve over fresh tomatoes or lettuce or arugula and top with Blue berries or Rasberries.

COMMENTS:

The Kalamata olives and blue berries, which were a last minute addition, primarily for color, compliment one another and create an alluring flavor. This is a great dish for a warm summer night. The fresh sweet corn came from our Amish friends.

AGLIO OLIO CRUDO pasta quest...7-5

I’ve posted about this dish previously but prepared it tonight for our house guest, Laurie from Minnsooooota.

INGREDIENTS:

Linguine
Olive oil
Garlic, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, basil, and thyme from the garden finely chopped

PROCESS:

Place the cooked pasta in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and mix in the garlic and herbs. Add parmesan cheese per taste.

COMMENTS:

This dish is the easiest to prepare and offers the richest reward.