Food & Wine Chickie Insider

Bucatini and Meatballs

Bucatini, a thick spaghetti with a hole in its center much like macaroni, is the perfect pasta to hold up to the rich veal meatballs in tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry bucatini (I used DaVinci brand)
• Oven-baked veal meatballs in tomato sauce
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat meatballs in tomato sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add cooked pasta to tomato sauce and gently stir to coat pasta with sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Serve 2 meatballs and a portion of pasta for each guest. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp grated cheese over each portion.

4 servings.

Anchovy & Tomato Pasta

This is the 2nd installment in the “There’s Nothing to Eat in this House” series (see part 1 here: http://bit.ly/dbucAf).

As typical for me, Friday is the day before my weekly trip to the grocery store, so the fresh food on hand is limited.  Here’s a quick and VERY tasty dish I whipped up using basic ingredients from the pantry and from leftovers.  I had leftover fresh bruschetta “salsa” in the fridge, so I added it, but chopped tomatoes with 1 clove of chopped garlic and some basil will also work:

Ingredients:

• Thin spaghetti, 1 portion
• 3 strips of lean bacon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt & black pepper
• 1 anchovy filet, from a oil-packed jar
• 1/2 cup fresh bruschetta salsa
• Shaved Parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook a portion of thin spaghetti according to package directions, drain
2. Place 3 bacon strips on a double layer of paper towel then top the bacon with 1 sheet of paper towel.  Microwave for 2 minutes.  Remove from the microwave, let cool and then break into small chips.
3. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over high heat until nearly smoking, about 20 seconds
4. Add the anchovy filet and break up with a wooden spoon, then add the pepper flakes, salt and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds
5. Turn the heat down to medium, then add the cooked bacon and the tomato mixture and sauté for 3 minutes
6. Toss the pasta into the mixture, coating well
7. Serve pasta with shaved parmesan and a sprinkling of black pepper

Serves 1.

Notes:  Don’t panic about the anchovy filet.  You won’t be able to taste it in the final dish, but it adds an interesting flavor.  I always keep a small jar of anchovies in oil in the fridge for dishes like this one.

Stay tuned for more quick dishes from the pantry!

Shrimp Cappellini

I’m always amazed to hear people say that they can’t find anything to eat at their house.  Anyone with a decent pantry should be able to turn up a simple delicious meal in minutes.

Today, Friday, is the day before my weekly trip to the grocery store, so the fresh food on hand is limited, but I made a tasty Shrimp Cappellini lunch with the following basic ingredients from the pantry and with shrimps from the freezer:

Ingredients:

• Dry Cappellini, for one person
• 1/4 cups olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt & black pepper
• 5 medium shrimps
• Shaved Parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook a portion of cappellini according to package directions, drain
2. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan until nearly smoking, about 20 seconds
3. Add pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to the oil and cook for 30 seconds
4. Add  shrimps and sauté for 3 minutes, ensuring not to overcook
5. Toss the pasta into the hot oil mixture, coating well
6. Serve pasta with shaved parmesan and a sprinkling of black pepper

There are tons of other simple ideas such as the Shrimp Cappellini that you can easily made from pantry foods.  Share your favorites!

Lasagna Final Product

This simple lasagna recipe uses my grand-mother’s untraditional meat sauce.  The unbaked lasagna can be made and refrigerated the day before serving or can be frozen for up to a month (thaw overnight before baking per step 10).

Ingredients:

• 12 lasagna noodles from a 9-ounce package, no-boil lasagna (used Barilla)
• 1 32-ounce container, large curd cottage cheese
• 5 cups, Bolognese Sauce a la Laetitia
• 1 8-ounce package of 5-Italian cheeses (from dairy aisle)
• 4 tbs, grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375F.
2. Butter a 13×9x3 lasagna pan.  Ladle 2 cups Bolognese Sauce a la Laetitia on bottom of pan.
3. Layer 4 uncooked noodles over the sauce.
   

   Lasagna Step 3

4. Empty cottage cheese container over the noodles in the pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle 2 tbs grated parmesan cheese.
5. Layer 4 uncooked noodles over the cheeses.
   

   Lasagna Step 5

6. Ladle 2 cups Bolognese Sauce a la Laetitia over the last noodle layer.
7. Layer 4 uncooked noodles over the sauce.
   

   Lasagna Step 7

8. Ladle 1 cup Bolognese Sauce a la Laetitia over the last noodle layer.
9. Spread the package of 5-Italian cheeses, then remaining 2 tbs grated parmesan over the sauce.
   

   Lasagna Step 9

10. Bake covered with foil for 50 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

6 Servings.

• 1 small pkg. flake-style imitation crabmeat
• 6 ounces linguini
• 2 large minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ cup sliced green onions
• ½ cup Swiss cheese
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Cook garlic and oregano in butter in a saucepan, stirring frequently, 1 minute.  Add tomato; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients; mix well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.  Top pasta with sauce.

3-4 Servings.

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 48 little neck clams in the shell
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• pinch hot pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1 tbs. chopped parsley
• 1 lb linguini, cooked according to package directions

Soak clams in water to cover for 5 minutes, rinse and scrub under running water.  In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil.  Add garlic cloves and cook 5 minutes.  Add pepper flakes, clams, white wine and cook 5 minutes or until wine evaporates.

Cover and simmer, shaking pan, about 5 minutes until clams open.  Discard any clams not opened.

Toss clams with parsley and cooked linguini, top with bread crumbs.

4 Servings.

• 6 lasagna noodles
• 1 can (15 ounces) Italian-style tomato sauce

Filling:

• 1 pkg. imitation crab flakes
• 1 cup cottage cheese, drained
• ¼ cup parmesan
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs. parsley
• ¼ tsp. onion powder

Cook noodles as directed on package.  Rinse in cold water; drain well.  Combine filling ingredients with fork.  Spread 1/3 cup filling on each noodle.  Roll tightly; place seam-side down in a 9-inch baking pan.  Pour sauce over rollups.  Bake covered at 375 F for 30 minutes.  Garnish with grated cheese.

6 Servings.

• 1 Tbs. chopped garlic
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 cups diced tomatoes (2-28 ounce cans plum)
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 2 Tbs. fish stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 2 tsp. tarragon
• 6-8 ounces penne
• 3/4 cup romano cheese
• salt and pepper

In large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté garlic in olive oil about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and bring to boil.  Add stock, cream, butter, vodka and tarragon.  Return to a boil and cook until mixture is reduced by half, 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and divide between two plates.  Stir romano into sauce.  Pour over hot pasta.

2 Servings.

• 5 Tbs. butter
• 1 1/2 cup onions
• 1 1/4 pounds small mushrooms, quartered
• 1 1/4 cups cream
• 2 Tbs. dry sherry
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 12 ounces penne
• 1/4 cup parsley
• pamersan

Melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté 8 minutes.  Add mushrooms and sauté 6 minutes.  Add cream, sherry, thyme, and cook until sauce consistency, about 5 minutes.  Season to taste.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.  Toss sauce and pasta.  Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan.

4 Servings.

• 1 ¼ cups parmesan
• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup cream

• 12 ounces linguine

• 6 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• ¾ dried crushed red pepper
• 3/4 cup dry white wine

Whisk ¾ cup cheese, eggs, and cream in a medium bowl to blend; set aside.

Cook linguine until just tender.  Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper.  Sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add wine.  Simmer until most of wine has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Add onion mixture and egg mixture to pasta.  Toss over low heat until egg mixture thickens and coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if sauce is too thick, about 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to a large bowl and pass Parmesan separately.

4 Servings.