4-7- 18 ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND CHOPPED CLAMS

Tonight’s dinner affirmed what I have always suspected. The emotional involvement of the cook is the most important ingredient in the preparation of any meal.

Recently I have been approaching the dinner hour with little enthusiasm, going through the motions of doing what has to be done at the last minute without any forethought. Fortunately most of the time the results have been ok, and occasionally better than ok.

I began thinking about tonight’s dinner early in the day, deciding what I wanted to do, imagining the preparation and how the dish would look and taste. I knew exactly what I wanted, and how I would do it. And because I had everything worked out in my mind, I was free to act intuitively and make additions or subtractions during the preparation. But the real key was my emotional involvement. I was passionate about what I was doing.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Angel hair pasta

2.     Chopped clams

3.     Asparagus

4.     Olive oil

5.     Shallots

6.     Celery

7.     Garlic

8.     Lemon juice

9.     Grape tomatoes – halved

10. White wine

11. Dried dill or fresh if available

12. Butter – 1-2 pads

PROCESS:

Cook the shallots and celery in the olive oil until they begin to soften, add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook uncovered over low-medium heat for several minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next add the clams and its juice, the asparagus, and dill, and continue cooking. Several minutes later (sorry, but there is no rigid time schedule here.) add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and bless the pan with some white wine. Allow it to simmer to reduce the liquid while waiting for the pasta. Turn off the heat about 4-5 minutes before the pasta is ready and add the butter. Then add the pasta and a bit of the pasta water and dinner is ready.

COMMENTS:

This unpretentious pasta dish was everything I wanted it to be: light, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to Patience’s freshly baked bread.

3-29-18 Cavatappi w crab-corn cream sauce

I wanted to try something different tonight.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Cavatappi pasta

2.     Frozen corn

3.     Lump crab meat

4.     Whipping cream

5.     Olive oil

6.     Shallots

7.     Celery

8.     Garlic

9.     Sundried tomatoes in oil

10. Dried dill, basil, and tarragon

11. Old Bay seasoning

12. White wine

13. Chicken broth

PROCESS: I did this on the fly, so nothing is carved in stone.

Saute the shallots, celery, and garlic in olive oil. Add a bit of broth and about a cup of corn, along with the herbs and 3 or 4 finely chopped sundried tomatoes. If it gets too dry add more broth, or some wine. Then add the crab and let it simmer. I add the cream at the same time I put the pasta in the boiling water. Stir frequently, and when the pasta is ready add it to the sauce.

COMMENTS:

Patience, the inhouse food critic gave this a 22.

2-3-18 Gemelli with ham

There was just enough leftover baked ham in the fridge to use for tonight’s pasta.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Gemelli pasta

2.     Baked ham coarsely chopped

3.     Sundried tomatoes chopped

4.     Olive oil

5.     Butter

6.     Carrots

7.     Celery

8.     Dried tarragon

9.     Garlic

10. Leeks

11. Sweet Vermouth

12. Chicken Broth

13. Red pepper flakes

PROCESS:

 Cook the Leek, carrots, and parsley in olive oil until soft, add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and continue cooking. About 5 minutes later add the tarragon and chicken broth and continue cooking while waiting for the pasta. When the broth cooks down add some wine.  Add the past and some pasta water and cook for another 1-2 minutes before serving.

COMMENTS:

Wow, this was good, a unique flavor that we really enjoyed. It was worth taking the time to write this up and post.

1-17-18   POET’S PASTA

Our delightful dinner guest tonight was poet/writer Ahron Taub from Washington DC, and current artist in residence at AIR studio in Lowertown.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Gemelli pasta

2.     White mushrooms

3.     Artichoke hearts

4.     Sundried tomatoes- coarsely chopped

5.     Leeks

6.     Garlic

7.     Olive oil

8.     Aurgula

9.     Dried basil

10. Sweet Vermouth

PROCESS:

Cook the Leek and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms start to brown. Lower the heat, add the wine, basil, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts and continue cooking over low-moderate heat. When the pasta is done, add it to the pan and mix well, then add the arugula and allow it to wilt from the heat before serving.  Top with your favorite grating cheese.

1-13-18 Kick Ass pasta

I spent all day thinking about this, and tonight I am pleased to say it worked as planned, a simple, no frills, dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Spaghetti

2.     Mushrooms

3.     Asparagus

4.     Olive oil

5.     Onion

6.     Shallots

7.     Garlic

8.     Fresh chopped parsley

9.     Butter

10. White wine

11. Lemon juice

12. Dried Tarragon

PROCESS:

I cooked the mushrooms and shallots in olive oil and garlic over high heat until the mushrooms started to brown. I removed them from the pan, deglazed it with wine and set them aside.

Next – cook the onion and garlic in olive oil and add about 2 tbsp of butter and fresh parsley. Add the juice from ½ lemon.  Keep warm while the pasta is cooking.

Wrap the asparagus in wet paper towels and nuke for  one and half minutes.

When the pasta is ready, mix it into the the sauce and transfer to the plates. Top with the mushrooms and add the side of asparagus. Sprinkle with some parsley and enjoy.

COMMENTS:

Patience loved this, and that says it all.

12-9-17 Gemelli w artichoke hearts & bottoms

-->

I had dinner all figured out. It was going to be my precious Patience’s favorite ingredients – artichoke hearts and peas.  Alas, not long into the preparations I discovered there were no peas in the freezer. What could I do? What goes with artichoke hearts... artichoke bottoms, which we happened to have in the freezer, and dinner was saved.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Gemelli

2.     Frozen artichoke bottoms

3.     Artichoke hearts in water

4.     Leeks

5.     Garlic

6.     Celery

7.     Olive oil

8.     Fresh dill and dried tarragon

9.     Lemon juice

10. White wine

11. Butter

12. Pancetta diced

13. Red pepper flakes

14. Chicken broth – about 1/3 cup

PROCESS:

Note – I’m describing the steps I took as I worked my way through this dish. The key is the ingredients, and how you use them is up to you.

Cook the pancetta, remove and set aside, and remove the grease from the pan.

Add olive oil to the pan and cook the leeks and celery until soft, and them add the garlic and continue cooking over low heat.  Add the chicken broth, artichoke bottoms and hearts, and red pepper flakes, plus a splash of wine, and cook covered  until the artichoke is totally defrosted and soft.  Add the herbs and about 1 tbsp of butter and cook uncovered to thicken the sauce.  Before the pasta is done, add the lemon juice and pancetta .

Add the pasta with some pasta water to the pan and mix well.

COMMENTS:

We both gave this a 10, easily.

12-8-17 Aglio Olio

The pasta gods have been good to me, granting me another night in pasta heaven.  Working on the outline for a Pasta Journal, I realized that for years I’ve been making Aglio Olio Crudo (oil and garlic uncooked) and not the traditional Aglio Olio. Tonight I decided to change that.

INGREDIENTS:

1.     Spaghetti

2.     Olive oil

3.     Garlic – 1large clove thinly sliced

4.     Butter –about 1 tbsp

5.     Red pepper flakes

6.     Parsley

7.     Salt and pepper

8.     Grating cheese

PROCESS:

Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil until golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the butter, parsley, and the pasta and mix well. I added about a ¼ cup of pasta water and a few drizzles of olive oil.  Serve with a parsley garnish.

COMMENTS:

Of all the pasta dishes I prepare this is the most personal. It triggers immediate treasured memories of my parents and our extended family. If I were to be granted oneå last meal, it would be this, and I would depart with a smile on my face.