Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese (I use part skim.)
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
1. Mix all ingredients except oil in a large bowl.  

2. Heat oil over medium high in a large skillet.  Using ¹⁄₂ cup of pasta mixture at a time, form patties or mounds and place into skillet.  Press down gently with spatula.  Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  

3. Serve with the toppings of your choice.  

Comments
I found this in one of those grocery store checkout magazines about 15 years ago.  I first made these with my mom and the recipe has traveled with me ever since.  You can serve them with just about any pasta appropriate topping,

Shown here with a meaty version of Roasted Tomato Sauce #2.

Unknown

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I prefer short shapes.)
10 fresh basil leaves
1 pound broccoli, cut into florets and cooked until just tender (I do this in the microwave.)
6 tablespoons butter
1 ¹⁄₂ cups half and half
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Cook pasta as directed on packaging.  Drain and return to pot.  

2. In food processor with steel blade, combine broccoli, basil, butter and cream. Pulse until puréed. Add Parmesan cheese and pulse to blend. Mix broccoli mixture with drained pasta; stir. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Comments
I’m pretty sure that this recipe must have been created to hide broccoli from people who don’t like it.  However, I love broccoli, and I think this dish is a tasty way to have it, if a bit bizarre.  The first time I made it, I was unsure of the amount of broccoli to use and used twice as much as the recipe now calls for… according to Lance this made it taste “green.”  I recommend sticking to the pound listed above!  

Shown here with Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze.

Unknown

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped fine
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
1 ¹⁄₄ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
5 ¹⁄₄ cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 pound penne pasta

Instructions
1. Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off fat from pan, reserving 3 tablespoons. (Or drain bacon in a sieve over a bowl and reserve 3 tablespoons of fat from the bowl.)

2. Pulse bread, ¹⁄₄ cup cheese, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper, one quarter of crisp bacon, and 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat in food processor until coarsely ground. Whisk eggs, milk, remaining cheese (1 cup), and ³⁄₄ cup water in medium bowl.

3. Heat remaining bacon fat (1 tablespoon) in empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until reduced to ¹⁄₄ cup, about 3-6 minutes. Stir in remaining water (4 ¹⁄₂ cups), penne, and ³⁄₄ teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente, 15 to 25 minutes. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler.  
4. Off heat, add egg mixture and remaining crisp bacon to pan and toss to combine. Top with bread-crumb mixture and broil until golden brown, about 2-5 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.  

Comments
I love carbonara so when I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country 2009 Annual I knew that I should give it a try.  While the cooking method bears little resemblance my usual carbonara preparation, I was surprised that the taste was pretty much spot on.  I also had some trepidation about the sauce thickening up in step 4 and, just from reading the recipe, I feared it would be soupy.  But the America’s Test Kitchen people know what they’re doing and it worked perfectly.  The sauce thickened up with no problem and Lance and I both had seconds.  And then more for lunch the following day!

Cook’s Country 2009

Ingredients
2 (28-ounces each) cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed, about 1 tablespoon
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Ground black pepper
24 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
10 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
16 no-boil flat lasagna noodles, preferably Barilla
16 thin slices prosciutto

Instructions
1. Pulse the tomatoes with their juices, 1 can at a time, in a food processor until coarsely chopped with pieces measuring about ¹⁄₄ inch, about 3 pulses; set aside.

2. Heat the oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

3. Stir the ricotta, 1 cup of the parmesan, 2 cups of the mozzarella, eggs, parsley, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Pour 1 inch of boiling water into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and slip the noodles into the water, 1 at a time. Let the noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating the noodles with the tip of a knife to prevent sticking. Remove the noodles from the water and place in a single layer over clean kitchen towels. Discard the water in the baking dish and pat the noodles dry.

5. Spread 1 ¹⁄₂ cups of the sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange one slice of prosciutto on each noodle. Use a soup spoon to spread ¹⁄₄ cup o the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the bottom three-quarters of each noodle. Roll the noodles up around the filling, starting at the bottom, and lay, seam-side down, in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the rolled noodles, covering the pasta completely. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella.

6. TO STORE: Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. If frozen, the casserole must be thawed completely in the refrigerator, about 24 hours.

7. TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400*F. Unwrap the dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray (or use nonstick foil). Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

Comments
This recipe is from The Best Make-Ahead Recipe.  I saw an episode of America’s Test Kitchen where this was made and it looked brilliant.  I’ve tried to make manicotti once with manicotti tubes, and it was disastrous.  Using sheet pasta seemed like a brilliant solution and I have been eager to try this method since watching that episode!  

It did not fail me.  The noodles softened very nicely in the boiling water and that made the manicotti a cinch to roll up after filling.  The finished product was perfect.  You can easily omit the prosciutto for a meat free dish.  

The cooking times for this recipe are based on the dish being cold from the refrigerator when going into the oven.  If you’re baking it directly after preparation, it will take less time to be ready, so reduce the covered baking time in step 7 to just 15 minutes.

The Best Make-Ahead Recipe

Ingredients
2-3 cups butternut squash, peeled, cubed, and strings and seeds removed
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
¹⁄₂ cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
³⁄₄ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F.  Toss the squash with onion and garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Mince half of the sage and toss with the squash mixture.  

2. Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.  

3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta as instructed by the packaging until al dente.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  

4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Roughly chop the remaining sage leaves.  When the oil is hot, add the sage and fry for a minute until it begins to shrivel.  

5.  Remove the sage to the pasta bowl.  Add the squash mixture to the bowl and toss well.  

6.  Working in batches, add the pasta mixture to the pan, being careful not to crowd it.  (I have a 12-inch skillet and I did this in three batches.)  Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy and browned on some of the edges.  Repeat process with all of the pasta mixture.  I imagine it would work just as well with other winter squash varieties. 

7.  Add pine nuts and cheese and serve.  

Comments
I found this recipe while searching for something exciting to do with the plethora of winter squash I’ve collected.  I was very pleased with how it turned out!  I would have never thought to pan fry the pasta at the end of the preparation but it added a really nice texture and flavor to the meal.  It also served to nicely brown the squash pieces which was a great bonus.  All the components of this dish worked together perfectly and I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself making this again in the future.  

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Internet - The Kitchn

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large broccoli, about 1 ¹⁄₂ pounds, cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
12 sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, and coarsely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound linguine

Instructions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook chicken for 10-15 minutes per side, or until done, depending on the thickness of the breasts.  Remove from skillet, slice, and reserve.  

2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until it is tender crisp, about 5-10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.  Add the zest and tomatoes and stir to heat through.  Add the chicken and salt and pepper, to taste.  

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as instructed on the packaging.  Drain pasta and toss with chicken broccoli mixture.  Serve.  

Comments
This is a simple, tasty pasta dish.  It’s also extremely easy to omit the chicken for a vegetarian dish.  It’s nice and light thanks to the lemon zest and the lack of an actual sauce.  Served with a green salad, this makes a perfect summertime, or anytime, meal!

Unknown

Ingredients
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 ¹⁄₄ cups broth (I have used beef, chicken, and vegetable broths all with great success.)
1 ¹⁄₄ cups water
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Put pine nuts in a small skillet and heat over medium heat.  Stir frequently until pine nuts start to colour and smell toasted.  Remove from heat and set aside.  (I usually do this step in whatever clean skillet I’ll be using for another part of the meal.)

2. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add orzo and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and orzo is done, about 15 minutes.  

3. Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese, basil, salt, pepper, and pine nuts.  Serve immediately.  

Comments
I’ve been making this recipe for quite a few years and I believe it originally came from a Cooking Light annual but I couldn’t tell you which one.  I’ve made it with rice instead of orzo a few times which works quite well.  My standard broth for this is chicken since that’s what I have on hand most of the time, but I’ve made it with vegetable and beef broth as well with equal success.  

Shown here with Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin.

Cooking Light

Ingredients
14 ounces ricotta cheese (Not the fat-free kind)
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
6 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and cut into ¹⁄₄-inch pieces
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup half and half
1 pound small pasta, such as penne or medium shells
1 pound frozen peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

Instructions
1. Combine the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and set aside.  Reserve lemon for juicing in step 5.  

2. Heat the 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the chicken and sauté until done, about 10 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.  Heat remaining tablespoon oil and add the prosciutto.  Cook until well browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the prosciutto to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the oil in the skillet.

3. Add the onion and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt to the oil left in the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the broth, water, and cream, and then add the pasta. Increase the heat to high and cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, 15 to 18 minutes.

5. Stir in peas, butter, lemon juice, and chicken and cook until the peas are hot, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese warms and softens, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir well.  Sprinkle with the prosciutto and mint and serve.  

Comments
The other week, at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market, I picked up a container of fresh ricotta cheese.  I knew I wanted to make something that would really let the flavor of the ricotta come through and I found this dish in The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010.  It looked simple and full of good flavors.  I’m a fan of single-skillet meals, especially with all of the busy weeks we’ve had recently!  

This really hit the spot.  The mint seemed strange, but its flavor complimented the rest of the flavors extremely well.  I did tweak the recipe slightly based on quantities that I had on hand, but it all came together easily.  It’s a recipe that lends itself well to experimentation.  

I also want to give a shout out to the new skillet I just picked up.  For the last 12 years I’ve had a large 12-inch nonstick skillet with straight, high sides and I’ve used it many times every week for those years.  I’m sad to say that the skillet finally cooked its last meal and needed to be replaced.  I took a trip to my local Bed, Bath, and Beyond to see what they had, read lots of reviews on my iPhone, and settled on the Anolon Advanced equivalent.  I’ve had it for about a week now and it’s just great.  I’ve been able to sear, deglaze, and everything else with no problem.  It cleans like a dream, the lid has a lovely seal, and it heats very evenly.  The handles are even oven safe to 400*F!  I would certainly consider getting other pieces of cookware from this line in the future.  I’ve always been a Calphalon girl, but I’m glad I tried something different this time.

America’s Test Kitchen 2010

Ingredients
1 pound pasta, such as penne
3 cups marinara Sauce, puréed until very smooth
¹⁄₄ cup vodka
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as directed by packaging.  Drain.  

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy, large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture reduces by one fourth, about 20 minutes. Stir in the half and half and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parmesan, salt, and pepper. Season the salt with more salt and pepper to taste.

3. Toss sauce with pasta and serve.  

Comments
I’ve always heard people rave about Penne alla Vodka and decided to try it for myself one day.  I found this recipe in Giada DeLaurentiis’s Everyday Italian.  The original recipe called for a whopping one cup of vodka and we all found that amount to be quite vile.  The original recipe also didn’t call to process the sauce prior to cooking and we found that the tomato chunks became completely unpalatable with absorbed vodka.  

The second time I made the recipe I included two tweaks – reducing the vodka to ¹⁄₄ cup and puréeing the marinara.  With those changes we all loved the dish and gobbled it up.  

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Everyday Italian

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, rinsed, patted dry and minced
14 ¹⁄₂ ounce can diced tomatoes (I used a jar of tomatoes from my CSA farmer)
1 cup half and half
Salt
1 pound penne
¹⁄₄ cup fresh basil, chopped
Ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Bring 4 quarts salted water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Reserve ¹⁄₄ cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot.  

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook chicken for 10 minutes a side or until done.  Remove chicken and cut into small pieces.  Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sundried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cream, and chicken. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add sauce and basil to pot with pasta and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed if the sauce is too dry.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve.  

Comments
This recipe is from Cook’s Country June/July 2007.  The original recipe didn’t call for chicken but I wanted to add a protein to make it a full meal.  Art and I both had seconds and found this meal very satisfying.  This recipe is definitely a keeper and it will make a good meal when I need something quick and easy in the future.

Cook’s Country 2007