pasta

March 25, 2011

Creamy Kielbasa & Shells

mel entree, recipe beets, easy, kielbasa, mushrooms, pasta

Creamy Kielbasa & Shells

Once you announce your pregnancy, page everyone tells you that your life will change. Some people tell you how awesome it’s going to be and how much fun you’ll have raising your babies. Others lament the end of sleeping in and late-night partying. But no one warns you about pregnancy. Sure they say your back will hurt and your feet will swell and all that fun stuff. But what people don’t tell you is that eating will become a part-time job.

Now, I love to eat. I used to think “Man, it will be so nice to be able to eat all day!” And that’s still true. I still love to eat. But now I have to eat every 2 hours or so. Not a problem on the weekend when I’m never too far from my stocked pantry, but kind of distracting when I’m at work. I feel like I’m constantly snacking on trail mix, apples, clementines, string cheese, crackers… My coworkers may not remember what I sound like without my mouth full. Packing lunch in the morning has gone from a 5 minute thing to a long thought-out process and my filing cabinet looks more like a pantry than a file repository. So, what does all that have to do with this pasta? Nothing. I’m just so busy eating that I don’t have time to cook! Thankfully, this dish was super easy and super yummy.

I have to say that I wasn’t too sure how this recipe would turn out when I started. It was one of those dishes where you poke around your fridge, pulling things out at random, then figure out how they should go together. What to do with turkey kielbasa, beets and mushrooms? Make pasta, of course.

I swear this recipe only took my 20 minutes start to finish and was surprisingly good. Nothing fancy, but simple comfort food perfect for the middle of a long and busy week. The shallots and beets sweeten and caramelize, and the mushrooms and kielbasa add great texture. Finished off with some cream, I just about devoured the whole thing before I could serve it.

Great, now I’m hungry again. Off to find some more snacks…

January 19, 2011

Spinach, Steak & Artichoke Pasta

mel entree, recipe artichoke, feta, pasta, spinach, steak

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A couple of months ago, pestilence I posted a recipe for Flank Steak Stuffed with Spinach, pestilence Feta & Artichokes. It was a very pretty dish that I enjoyed thoroughly, so I thought I’d take the same idea and turn it into a full meal. And as most of you probably realize, I love pasta. Of course, I would turn that recipe into a pasta dish at my earliest opportunity.

Sliced flank steak, roasted red onion, artichoke hearts, spinach and feta cheese all tossed with olive oil and pasta and baked until crisp. It’s a not typical casserole-style dish. Not super creamy or gooey, but I love the texture of the baked noodles. (Especially picking them off the top of the casserole dish when no one’s looking.) If you’re short on time, or just feeling lazy, you can definitely skip the casserole dish and the extra baking time. Either way, it’s one of those simple, delicious dishes everyone will love.

September 21, 2010

Fettuccine with Arugula Olive Pesto & Shrimp

mel entree, recipe arugula, olive, pasta, pesto, shrimp, vegetarian

Fettuccine with Arugula Olive Pesto & Shrimp

Last week was Tom’s birthday and I was so darn busy that I did not make a darn thing for him. Not even his morning smoothie or his cup of coffee. Isn’t that just terrible? I did do the dishes, stomach something that’s usually his responsibility and one of the chores I hate the most. Yet despite my chore penance, I still felt the need to make it up to him with a big, ridiculous meal. Because food is love right?

So this weekend I made him fettuccine from scratch. If homemade pasta does not say I love you, then I don’t know what does. I also brought out a very fancy olive oil from Pacific Sun that I had been saving for a special occasion. I love this olive oil. It’s fruity and buttery and everything a really good olive oil should be. Perfect for dipping bread, dressing salad or drizzling on pasta. Also perfect as the basis of an arugula and olive pesto that was the right balance of herbaceous, briny, garlicky, cheesy and luscious. I finished the pasta with some butter-sauteed local rock shrimp and we dug in.

Fettuccine with Arugula Olive Pesto & Shrimp

There’s nothing more satisfying than making a really good dish to celebrate someone you love. In my eyes, a glass of wine and a bowl of pasta is so much better than any cake. It made a very happy birthday dinner.

August 19, 2010

Corn, Bacon & Basil Spaghetti

mel entree, recipe bacon, basil, corn, pasta

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A few weeks ago I made a Corn Chowder with Bacon & Basil that I absolutely devoured. Fresh and seasonal, I loved the contrast between the sweet corn, smoky-salty bacon and fragrant basil. So when I saw a recipe for Pasta with Bacon & Corn Pesto on Serious Eats last week, I decided I had to make it immediately.

Instead of going the pesto route with pine nuts and olive oil, I wanted something more reminiscent of creamed corn. I crisped my bacon, then cooked the corn in the bacon fat. I pureed some of the corn with a little cream and Parmesan cheese into a creamy yellow sauce which was tossed with the bacon and spaghetti and topped with basil ribbons and lots of freshly ground pepper.

Corn, Bacon & Basil Spaghetti

This pasta is even better than the chowder. Same lovely flavor combination with all the addictive goodness of pasta. I followed my meal up with a juicy peach, making me glad that it’s summer despite the stifling heat. A perfect meal.

August 4, 2010

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites feta, olives, pasta, salad, spinach, tomato

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I could use this space to complain about my crazy busy week, generic but I won’t do that. Isn’t it more fun to wax poetic about the wonders of pasta salad? I think so. A lot of you have asked me for quick and easy dishes. The kind that you can throw together with little preparation and pack for lunch. You also wanted more vegetarian dishes and less sausage. Unfortunately, sales I can’t promise less sausage. Chorizo is my fifth food group.

This pasta salad is a really easy dish, but still super flavorful. Because I gotta be me, it also has a little Portuguese Linguica sausage in it, easily left out or substituted with chickpeas for those of you going meatless. I also used cherry tomatoes, oil-cured black olives, fresh arugula and feta cheese. I made a simple smoked paprika vinaigrette which gives the dish more depth, and is especially nice if you omit the sausage.

This salad proves that even on the craziest days, you can throw something together that’s good and healthy and puts a smile on your face.

Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

And now on to some fun news about the site. I’m happy to announce that next Tuesday (my birthday) I’ll be partnering with OpenSky to launch my very own Bitchin’ Camero store! I’ll sell products that I use in my own kitchen and think you should use, too. If you haven’t heard about OpenSky, head on over to their site and see what they’re about, especially if you’re a fellow blogger who wants a store of her (or his) own. Exciting things are happening here and I’m glad you can all be a part of it!

May 17, 2010

Homemade Pasta & New West KnifeWorks Giveaway

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites anchovies, breadcrumbs, olive oil, pasta, tomatoes

Homemade Pasta & New West KnifeWorks Giveaway

It is a truth universally acknowledged, information pills that once you’ve had pasta in Italy, you can never go back. Also, that every cook needs a really good knife. These truths might seem unrelated at first glance, but I assure you that in today’s blog post, they are not. (Mostly because I say so.)

First things first, I’ve been making fresh pasta every week since I got back from Italy. I used to think it was too much work to make it fresh. Why go through all that trouble when you can just open a box? And for the most part that’s true, but making pasta dough is actually kind of fun and not nearly as troublesome as I thought. Once you get the hang of it, it’s downright easy. Especially since I found this fabulous technique where you just roll the dough out super thin, coat it in flour, then roll it up like a cigar. Just cut off little pieces and you have noodles. It’s amazing!

Homemade Pasta & New West KnifeWorks Giveaway

This week I tossed my fresh noodles with oven-dried tomatoes, anchovies, lots of black pepper and fried breadcrumbs. It was by far my most favorite pasta recipe of the last year. The tomatoes were tart and tangy, the anchovies dissolved into delicious saltiness, black pepper lent some spiciness and the olive oil-toasted breadcrumbs gave everything a lush crunch. I am a sucker for pasta with toasted breadcrumbs. (I heart carbs.)

So, what does all of that have to do with knives? Nothing, other than I’m hosting my first-ever giveaway! Just like every girl needs a little black dress, every cook needs a really good knife. The nice people at New West KnifeWorks sent me a beautiful Santoku to test out. (Isn’t it just lovely?) To be honest, I’ve been lusting after one of these beauties for the past 2 years. After trying my knife out for the past 2 weeks, I’m sorry I didn’t buy one sooner. This is the Mercedes of knives. It feels wonderfully luxurious in your hands and chops like a dream. It also comes with a matching leather sheath – what more could you ask for?

The Contest: Leave a comment about what you’d like to see more of on this blog. It can be a type of food (Spanish, baked goods, salads) or an actual recipe. The winner will be chosen at random and will receive the Fusionwood Knife of your choice. Contest ends Friday, May 21st at 12pm EST.

April 12, 2010

Spring Pancetta & Pea Shoot Pasta

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites lemon, pancetta, pasta, pea, pea shoots, spring

Spring is full of wonderful things! Since I moved to a place with no seasons, ed I can’t say that I’m experiencing any of those wonderful things, but I do remember those signs of spring. The first day it’s warm enough to wear a dress without tights and boots. The first yellow-green buds on the trees. The tulips. The first picnic. And the abundance of things-that-are-not-brown at the farmer’s market. Asparagus, spring onions, rhubarb, fava beans and pea shoots.

If you’re not familiar with them, pea shoots are lovely little green things that taste just like spring. So while it’s already hitting 80 degrees with 90% humidity down here, I can whip up something with pea shoots, close my eyes and remember the newness of spring. This pasta is one of those easy dishes – pancetta, shallots, pea shoots, lemon, olive oil and pepper tossed with linguine. It’s light and fresh and just tastes like spring! I am kind of in love with it and I think you will be, too.

And now for some housekeeping. I’m going on a long and lovely 2 week vacation to Paris, Rome and Tuscany. I’m so excited I can barely contain myself! I fully intend to gain 10 pounds and eat gelato, pastries, pasta and wine until my jeans no longer fit. So, things might be a little quiet around here starting next week, but I promise I’ll be back and inspired to cook and share everying I ate. Anyone got any must-eat places I shouldn’t miss? Leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to my very very long list.

March 17, 2010

Chickpea, Sausage & Kale Pasta

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites chickpeas, easy, kale, pasta, sausage, tomatoes

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Last week I was driving home from work and thinking about what to make for dinner. We hadn’t been to the grocery store in over a week, esophagitis so there wasn’t much to work with – 3 kinds of mustard, viagra 40mg 2 kinds of jam, 5 types of hot sauce, pickles, sauerkraut, eggs. I was thinking we might just have to have fried eggs with sauerkraut and condiments, when I called my mom and mentioned my sad situation. I wasn’t fishing for a dinner offer. Truly, I wasn’t!

But then she told me she had a big pot of leftover pasta with chickpeas, sausage and kale and did I want to swing by and pick some up? Chickpeas, sausage and kale? On pasta? Sounds like a most perfect dinner (especially the night before a 5 mile run). And it was! The chickpeas were nicely toasted in olive oil, giving the dish a slightly nutty flavor. Sausage, kale, tomatoes and garlic round it out perfectly.

I loved it so very much that I made it again yesterday. It’s everything I could ever want in a weeknight dinner or lunch.

February 23, 2010

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

mel entree, recipe casserole, cheese, garlic, pasta, spinach

For the past couple of months, somnology Tom and I have been training for the A1A (Beach-front avenue!) Half Marathon and Sunday was the Big Day. For me, training was both exhilarating – you feel so accomplished when you’ve run a 10K before breakfast – and painful – patellar tendinitis isn’t particularly fun. Training made me hungry, made me hobble around like an old lady, made me stop drinking beer and wine on Saturday nights (the worst part by far) and made me actually stop wearing heels.

On the Big Day, we woke up at 3:30AM and had some homemade power bars and bananas and were on our way. The weather was great – 60 degrees – and we started our run heading east toward the most beautiful sunrise over the ocean. I didn’t have my best run, but Tom ran with me (almost) the whole way and my official time was 2:05:15. We crossed the finish line with our families cheering us on and then celebrated with a nice, big breakfast of French Toast, Eggs, Bacon and Bloody Marys. All in all, a wonderful, completely exhausting day.

So, what does all that have to do with Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta? Well, it was all part of our pre-race meal. This dish is one of those things my mom made all the time when I was growing up and my brother and I loved like crazy. It’s a super simple recipe: sauteed chicken with lots of garlic, olive oil, spinach and white wine all tossed with pasta, covered with cheese and baked. Delicious. So, I made a batch and my mother-in-law made Tom’s favorite spaghetti and meat sauce and we all carbo-loaded on Saturday night before the Big Day. Perfect pre-marathon food, but good pretty much all the time.

And now, I’ll happily return to beer and wine on Saturday nights, heels at work and a lot less pasta recipes on the site.

February 2, 2010

Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites mushrooms, onions, parsley, pasta, pesto, shiitake, vegetarian

This is one of those weeknight meals that I’m always a little hesitant about posting. Caramelized onion and mushroom pasta – isn’t that too easy? Are people going to roll their eyes at this? They might. Yes, advice it’s a very simple recipe, medications but everyone needs simple recipes to add to the weeknight repertoire, myocarditis so I’m posting it anyway.

This pasta is just easy enough to make after work, but still interesting enough to make a Tuesday a little more exciting. It starts off with some onions caramelized in butter. Once they start to melt into sweet deliciousness, add some shiitake mushrooms and cook until everything browns and melts together. To brighten it up, make a quick pesto-like sauce with Italian Parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.

Toss some pasta with the mushrooms and onions, top with some parsley pesto and dust with Parmesan cheese. The pasta gets a nice, deep brown flavor from the shiitakes and an herby lift from the parsley. It’s a really simple, really delicious dish any night of the week.

January 20, 2010

Warm Winter Vegetable Salad (with bacon!)

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites bacon, balsamic, brussel sprouts, carrots, leeks, orzo, pasta, rutabaga, salad

We’re in the throes of winter! Actually, thumb we’re not here in Miami. After the ridiculous cold last week, order it’s been a crisp and beautiful 70 degrees every day. This is why I live here! But enough bragging. For most of you, it’s still freezing outside and that makes salads really unappealing. Cold vegetables? No thanks. You want something warm and rich, like a lasagna. Or like this warm winter vegetable salad.

You start with rutabaga (or potatoes), carrots, leeks and brussel sprouts. Those get roasted with some olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh herbs and just a little bit of applewood smoked bacon. You know, because it’s winter and you need bacon in the wintertime. Once they’re caramelized and delicious-looking, you toss everything with some whole wheat orzo and drizzle with a balsamic reduction.

This salad doesn’t mess around – it’s bold and rich from the roasted vegetables, woodsy from the herbs and a little smoky from of the bacon. It’s everything you could ever ask for in a salad – except for lettuce.

November 6, 2009

Squash, Chorizo & Hazelnut Pasta

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites chorizo, hazelnuts, pasta, squash

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Hello blog! I’ve missed you so very much this week! Silly things like traffic and being sick have kept me away, endocrinologist but I’m back and I want to tell you about this pasta I made. It’s got roasted delicata squash, surgeon lots of spicy Spanish chorizo, toasted hazelnuts and sage. It’s smoky and nutty, a little sweet and just right for fall.

If you think nuts and pasta are a kind of weird together, you shouldn’t. Hazelnuts add a nice toasty flavor and some textural contrast to the squash. Without them, this pasta would be missing something. Some might even accuse it of being mushy. Go ahead, add the hazelnuts. (unless you’re allergic, of course. Then, please skip the nuts!)

It’s a simple meal that hits the spot.