12-21…Capellini with creamy tomato – crab – spinach sauce plus shrimp

I will say right now that this dish was not just a winner… it was a GRAND WINNER.

INGREDIENTS:

Angel Hair pasta
Olive oil
Garlic and shallots
Lump crabmeat
Shrimp
Dry basil and oregano
Heavy whipping cream
Fresh spinach
Sweet vermouth
Peeled whole tomatoes

PROCESS:

Saute the garlic and shallots in olive oil, add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid is almost gone. Add the crabmeat, spinach, and herbs and cook for about 15 minutes, adding a splash of the wine about midway.

Place the sauce in a blender or food processer and puree to a smooth consistency, return to the pan and add the cream and stir frequently over low ot medium heat. Just before the pasta goes into the water add the shrimp to the sauce.

Place the pasta in a serving bowl and mix in the sauce. Serve with parmigiano reggiano cheese.

COMMENTS:

This was not a homerun…it was a grand slam, one of the best dishes I’ve prepared. You gotta try it.

MORE BARNS

My fascination with these small paintings continues unabated, even as I explore new approaches. I recently posted a small series of Tuscan landscapes done with pastels on clay mono types. Below are several recent pieces in my barn series.


pastel and ink on clay mono type


pastel and ink on clay mono type


pen and ink and markers


pastel on clay mono type


pastel on clay mono type

12-19…FETTUCCINI WITH OLIVE OIL AND BLACK PEPPER

Since I will be dining alone tonight I thought I would try a pasta dish I’ve read about repeatedly and have never had…pasta with olive oil, cheese, and black pepper. I enjoy simple, rustic dishes, and this is as simple as it can get.

INGREDIENTS:

Fettuccine
Olive oil
Black pepper corns coarsely ground
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

PROCESS:

Place the cooked pasta in a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil, add the cheese and pepper and mix well.

COMMENTS:

I LOVED IT, and can’t believe I have not tried this sooner. It was delicious, and the only prep was cooking the pasta.

I used the Al Dente brand I mentioned previously, and I believe this added to the quality of the dish. Homemade pasta would be great, but probably any pasta would do. I will definitely do this again…and again. The wheels in my head are already spinning, thinking about the many variations that are possible with this dish. But I don't know if anything could improve it.

A LITTLE BIT OF TUSCANY IN GALLERY 5

I think a Christmas spent in Tuscany could be a wonderful experience for our eyes and our taste buds. (I would hate to have to choose between the two). This may explain my recent interest in the Tuscan landscape and the small series of paintings I've completed in the past several weeks. I thought I would post the latest one, along with all of the others.

12-18…SUNDAY GRAVY…Pasta meal number 145 since May 1.

The keys to any successful pasta diner.


Today not only felt like a Sunday, it smelled like one. At least did once I started the gravy for tonight’s dinner. As you hopefully know by now, Sunday gravy is a thick, rich sauce usually with a meat base: meatballs, beef, chicken, pork, or a variation of any of them. Today’s gravy is based on Italian sausage and pork neck bones. It has been on the stove since mid-afternoon, filling the house with the most delightful Sunday fragrance.



INGREDIENTS:

Pork neck bones
Italian sausage
Olive oil
Garlic
Onion
Dried basil and oregano
Red wine
Peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes,


PROCESS:

Brown the meat, remove, and set aside. Deglaze the pot with red wine and add the results to the meat.

In olive oil cook the garlic and onion until soft, then add the tomatoes, salt, and spices and bring to low boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the meat to the sauce, cover, and simmer for one to two hours, stirring occasionally. If you want the sauce to be thicker remove the lid completely or partially.

When the pasta is ready, remove the meat and add the sauce to the pasta, serving the meat separately.


COMMENTS:

If there is any one dish that epitomizes my entire life this is it. Oh, there are other great pasta dishes, some perhaps even better than this, but nothing has been as constant throughout my entire life as the Sunday pasta meal, and it never fails to satisfy me beyond description.

12-17…FETTUCCINI WITH ASPARAGUS AND CARROTS IN A CREAM SAUCE

I’ve had all day to think about tonight’s dinner, and after looking through several magazines I decided to prepare a variation of a recipe in the October, 2010 issue of La Cucina Italiana. The recipe is for Tagliatelle with asparagus, and I thought I could use fettuccini for the pasta, add the carrots Patience prepared several days ago, plus some bacon, and give the dish a twist of my own. Once I begin to cooking there is no telling what other changes I’ll make.



INGREDIENTS:

Fettuccini
Asparagus
Carrots, previously cooked in butter with parsley
Garlic
Green onion
Olive oil
Bacon, coarsely chopped
Butter
Italian parsley, finely chopped
Parmigiano reggiano cheese

PROCESS:

Cook the bacon, remove and set aside to drain. Cut of the top 1 ½ inches of the asparagus and nuke for 2 minute, and set aside. Cut the remaining stems crosswise into 1/3 inch pieces.

Cook the garlic, scallions, in olive oil until soft, then add about two tablespoons of butter, the asparagus stems, half of the parsley, about two to three tablespoons of the bacon, plus about ¼ cup of water and bring to a boil and simmer until the asparagus is soft. (I added the carrots at this time but your can proceed
Frequently.

Transfer contents to a blender or food processer and puree until smooth. Return to the pan, reheat, and add the cheese and the remaining parsley.

In a serving bowl mix the pasta and the sauce, adding some pasta water if needed. Sprinkle with the remaining bacon and serve.

COMMENTS:

I originally planned to wait until morning to post this, but it was so good I couldn’t wait to share it. I loved the combination of the carrots and asparagus, and of course with parmigiano reggiano cheese it is had to go wrong.

How good was it? No left overs worth saving; they will go to the dogs.



Note. I get the cheese online at www.ditalia,com

RETURNING TO TUSCANY

Needing a break from barns and farms, I turned my attention to my photos and sketches from Italy and focused on the Tuscan country side. It is difficult to ignore the endless stretches of rolling golden hills dotted with the iconic Italian Cypress trees. Looking for something a little different, I tried working with pastels clay mono types. Here are a few of the initial results:







These were all spontaneous, done without any planning. My interest has been seeing how the fabric, impregnated with the pigmented clay, would receive the soft pastel.
Of course the results vary, depending on the fabric used for the print. I hope to be posting more of these mixed media pieces in the near future.