Pasta
Scroll down for the following recipes:
AL CAPONE’S COLD PASTA WITH WALNUT SAUCE
ANGEL HAIR WITH LEMON-CAVIAR SAUCE
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS
LINGUINI WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE
PASTA WITH ARUGULA AND CLAM JUICE
PASTA WITH BASIL-CREAM SAUCE
PASTA PROVENCAL
PASTA WITH SAUSAGE & SPINACH CREAM SAUCE
PENNE PASTA IN VODKA SAUCE
RIGATONI WITH ESCAROLE, BEANS & SAUSAGE
SAUTEED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON FETTUCCINE
SPAGHETTI WITH MUSTARD GREENS
SPAGHETTI PUTTANESCA
AL CAPONE’S COLD PASTA WITH WALNUT SAUCE
This recipe comes from Phil Lempert of the supermarketguru.com.
2 lbs. of rigatoni or ziti
1 pint olive oil
1 lb. walnuts, chopped
Half cup raisins
1 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 handful of dried oregano
Boil the pasta until al dente, drain, and then place in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and toss with the pasta. Refrigerate overnight, tossing occasionally. Serve with some extra cheese sprinkled on top. You can also make the sauce a few days in advance and refrigerate. The extra time will allow the flavors to meld even more.
ANGEL HAIR WITH LEMON-CAVIAR SAUCE
1 lb angel hair or spaghetti
1 stick butter
4 oz. olive oil
3 lemons (zest from all three, juice from two)
Two (2 oz.) jars red lumpfish roe
Salt and white pepper to taste
Parsley, chopped, to taste
Begin by boiling the pasta in salted water. While the pasta is cooking melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet and then add the lemon zest and juice. Cook the pasta until it is a minute or so from being done. Before draining it pour four ounces of the pasta water into the butter and oil. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Keep the heat on low. Add the caviar, and pepper and stir until the caviar is fully incorporated. The pasta will turn a bright orange-red. Taste to determine if it needs added salt. The caviar’s salinity may add enough salt to the dish for your palate. Finish with the parsley and serve. A crisp Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc would make a harmonious accompaniment.
FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
4 oz., (one stick) butter
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Parmesan cheese.
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lb. Fettuccine
Melt the butter in the cream and bring it to a simmer. Incorporate the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cook your pasta until it is just a minute or two from being done and then finish it in the sauce.
FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS
1 lb fettuccine
2-3 shallots, chopped
Olive oil as needed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
10 oz. morels, sliced
½ cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley or basil to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Boil the fettuccine in salted water until just underdone. Try to time it so the pasta and sauce are done simultaneously. If the pasta finishes first, drain and mix with some olive oil to prevent it from sticking. In a large skillet sauté the shallots in olive oil until they soften. Add the garlic and morels and sauté one more minute. Deglaze with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the morels are tender, adding a little more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cream, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, mix the pasta in, and simmer for one minute or until the pasta is done. Remove from the heat. Check for additional salt and pepper, and finish with herbs and cheese.
LINGUINI WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE
12 oz. linguini
Extra virgin olive oil as needed
1 small onion, chopped
Hot pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 10 oz. can Bumble Bee baby clams
1 8 oz. jar clam juice
2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed and rinsed clean
Handful of chopped parsley
Cook the pasta until it’s slightly underdone. If it’s finished before the sauce, toss it in a bowl with olive oil to prevent sticking. As the pasta is cooking, sweat the onion, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper in extra virgin olive oil until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the can of baby clams and their juice and the bottle of clam juice. Add the little neck clams, cover, and simmer until the clams fully open. I like to take the clams out as they open so the early birds don’t overcook and get tough while waiting for the stragglers. Of course any that refuse to open should be discarded. Once all the clams have opened, add the pasta and parsley to the sauce and heat for a minute to finish cooking the pasta. Assess for additional salt and pepper. Then add the whole clams and toss them with the pasta for a little bit to warm them back up. Serve with your favorite bread for dipping in the sauce.
PASTA WITH ARUGULA AND CLAM JUICE
Half pound angel hair pasta
6 scallions, whites and greens, chopped
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 eight oz. bottle clam juice (or substitute chicken broth)
3 oz mature arugula
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped basil
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste
Try to time the pasta so it is almost done by the time the sauce is complete. Remove the pasta when it is a little too hard. It will be finished in the sauce. Sauté the scallions and hot pepper flakes in the olive oil in a large sauté pan until the scallions start to get soft. Add the garlic and sauté one minute. Add the tomatoes and sauté one more minute. Add clam juice, bring to a boil, and then simmer for two minutes. Add the arugula and simmer until the arugula wilts. Add salt and pepper. If the pasta hasn’t cooked yet, cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Add the pasta and herbs and simmer one more minute. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.
PASTA WITH BASIL-CREAM SAUCE
12 oz. pasta
Olive oil and/or butter as needed
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 small-medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
1 cup light cream
1 medium to large batch of basil, cut en chiffonade
While the pasta is cooking heat the oil and/or butter in a pan with the hot pepper. Add the onion, salt and pepper and cook until the onion softens. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the cream and barely return it to a gentle simmer. Since it is light cream, over cooking can cause it to break. Of course you could use heavy cream and dismiss that anxiety. Add the basil and additional salt and pepper if needed. Add the pasta, stir to incorporate it into the sauce and serve.
PASTA PROVENCAL
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 batch scallions, green and white parts chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped into a medium dice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 can tomato paste
2 cans or 28 ounces low-fat chicken broth
basil and parsley, chopped, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb angel hair pasta
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the scallions and mushrooms. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the squash. As soon as it softens add the garlic and sauté one or to minutes more. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and half of the tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. You may not need all the paste. This sauce is supposed to be light so check the consistency as it’s simmering, adding more paste if necessary. Add the herbs one minute before the sauce is done cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Since this is a light sauce, a delicate pasta like angel hair is best. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
PASTA WITH SAUSAGE & SPINACH CREAM SAUCE
1 lb of Hot Italian hot sausage
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 quart chicken stock or canned broth
1 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, drained of all water
1 cup heavy cream
Parsley, chopped, to taste
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 lb rigatoni
Remove the casing from the sausage and pulse it in a food processor until just ground. Sauté the sausage and onion in the oil, until the onions are soft but not browned. Stir and mash the sausage with a wooden spoon as it sautés to ensure it remains crumbled. Add garlic about a minute or two before the sautéing is done. Add chicken stock and spinach. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the cream, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste at end. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
PENNE PASTA IN VODKA SAUCE
4 hot Italian sausage links
Olive oil as needed
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Half cup vodka
1 28-oz. can tomatoes
Half cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley and basil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. Penne pasta
Remove the skin from the sausage and sauté it in the olive oil. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Deglaze the pan with the vodka, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. (Break up the tomatoes if whole). Add the cream and simmer a few more minutes. Finish with basil and parsley and serve over the Penne.
RIGATONI WITH ESCAROLE, BEANS & SAUSAGE
12 oz. Rigatoni pasta
Olive oil as needed
1 lb. Italian sweet sausage, cut into half-inch pieces
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 and a half pounds escarole, washed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15.5 oz.) can Goya small white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 tablespoon dried basil
Grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese to taste
As you boil the pasta sauté the sausage and hot pepper flakes in a generous amount of olive oil until browned. Cook the pasta until it is a minute or so from being done. It will finish cooking in the sauce. Add the escarole, additional olive oil if necessary, and salt and pepper. Cook until the escarole has wilted. Add the beans, chicken broth and basil, bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for a minute. Finish with additional salt and pepper, if need be and the cheese.
1 dozen scallops
Salt and pepper to taste
Wondra flour, (or substitute all purpose), as needed
Olive oil as needed
¾ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
12 oz. fettuccine
Chopped parsley to taste
2 tablespoons butter or more to taste
Boil the fettuccine until almost done. Drain and mix it with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking and set it aside. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and dredge them in the flour. Sauté the scallops in a large skillet in the olive oil until browned on each side. Make sure the pan and oil are very hot. As soon as they’re browned on each side they’re done. Remove the scallops and deglaze the pan with the white wine and lemon juice. Reduce the liquid by half. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the partially cooked fettuccini. Season with salt and pepper and cook the pasta in the sauce until al dente. Just prior to the end of cooking, add the parsley, butter and scallops and cook until butter melts.
SPAGHETTI WITH MUSTARD GREENS
12 oz. spaghetti
2 batches of mustard greens
5 strips of bacon, sliced
Olive oil as needed
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 oz. white wine
1 can chicken broth
Parsley, chopped to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Try to time the pasta so that it’s done near the time the sauce is finished. I like to remove the pasta a minute or two early and finish it in the sauce. Prep the greens first and then turn on the heat for the pasta water as you start making the sauce. If the final sauce needs a little fluid you can always add some of the pasta water. Therefore, make sure you save a little bit before draining the pasta.
Remove the stems from the mustard greens, break them into smaller pieces with your hands and wash them thoroughly. Cut the bacon into small pieces and sauté it in the olive oil with the hot pepper until crisp. Do not drain the bacon fat. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the mustard greens a batch at a time with salt and pepper, adding more oil if necessary. When they are all incorporated add the garlic and sauté until the greens are fully wilted. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce to at least half. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Finish the pasta in the sauce, add the parsley and serve with the Parmesan cheese.
SPAGHETTI PUTTANESCA
1 lb spaghetti or the pasta of your choice
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (2 oz.) can of anchovies
Pinch of hot pepper flakes, (more or less to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil as needed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can of plum tomatoes, including the juice.
2 tablespoons capers
½ cup chopped black olives, (about 25 small olives)
Oregano, chopped, to taste
Parsley, chopped, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Boil the pasta while making the sauce but try to time it that the sauce is done first. Better the sauce simmer for a few extra minutes waiting for the pasta than the reverse. Remove the pasta just a little before it is done so you can finish cooking it in the sauce. Sweat the onion, anchovies, hot pepper, salt and pepper in a generous amount of olive oil until the onions soften and the anchovies disintegrate somewhat. Break the anchovies up with a wooden spoon as they sweat. Go easy on the salt since many of the ingredients are already salty. Add the garlic and cook one minute more.
Next add the tomatoes and their juices, breaking them up with a masher or wooden spoon as you bring them to a boil. Add the capers and olives, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes. Add the almost done pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente. Check for additional salt and pepper. Finish with the oregano, parsley and cheese and serve.
