Baby Shrimp Scampi and Angel Hair Pasta
“A good quick meal,” says Jon.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/3 pound baby shrimp, 300 count
- 1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, eyeball it
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/3 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to al dente
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped or snipped fresh chives
Directions
Get your pasta water going. Start the scampi sauce when you drop your pasta into boiling water to cook.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and melt the butter into it. Add shallots and cook a minute or 2, stirring constantly. Add lemon zest and shrimp and heat shrimp through, another minute or two. Add vermouth or wine and tomatoes. Toss another minute to heat the tomatoes through. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat evenly in sauce and to distribute the shrimp. Season liberally with salt and pepper and serve with chives to garnish.
Spaghetti alla Ceci
Perfect week night meal. A go to around here.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) can, chick peas, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme, eyeball it
- Pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can, crushed tomatoes
- Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Grated Parmiginao-Reggiano, to pass at table
Directions
Boil water for pasta, salt it, and cook spaghetti to al dente.
While spaghetti cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Place chick peas in food processor and pulse grind them to a fine chop. Add chick peas to garlic and season them with thyme, salt and pepper then saute them for 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine or broth and cook down 30 seconds or so then stir in tomatoes and adjust seasoning. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Top with parsley and grated cheese.
Pumpkin Pasta
This is a very quick dinner that is perfect for fall. I’m pretty sure it would taste ridiculous in the summer, but somehow it is amazing in the fall!
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra-lean ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 whole-wheat burger buns
Directions
Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.
Cabonara
Jon and I went out and a bought a fancy food processor that cost a couple hundred dollars just for this recipe. Pasta was good. Food processor was nice. All that worth a couple hundred? Not really.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, rubber band left on
- 1 pound linguini
- 1 cup Basil Aioli, recipe follows
- 1 cup shaved pecorino
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 to 6 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl of ice water and let sit until cool, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water, remove the rubber band, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, add the pasta to the large pot of salted water used to cook the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl. Add the Basil Aioli, cut asparagus, shaved cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and place on a long, rectangular serving dish.
Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs to your liking. Place the eggs on top of the pasta and serve immediately.
Basil Aioli:
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 large egg yolks*
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Combine the garlic, egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a food processor and run the machine to mix. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the vegetable and olive oil. Basil Aioli can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Parmesan Eggplant
This is our favorite eggplant recipe. Delicious! Easy to make, but time consuming.
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
- Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1 tablespoon
- 5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- Olive oil, as needed
- 7 cups Marinara sauce (we use just a jar, or whatever we have made)
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Directions
Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, and season with pepper.
Place the flour in a medium lipped plate or bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Mac and Cheese
We’ve tried so many mac and cheese dishes. It’s actually embarrassing to think of how many we’ve tried. This one is the best.
Ingredients
· 6 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the baking dish
· 1 pound elbow macaroni
· 3 12oz cans evaporated milk
· 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
· 2 tablespoons hot sauce
· 4 cups (1 pound) coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
· ½ pound Velveeta or American cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
· ½ cup heavy cream
· 1 egg, lightly beaten
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground pepper
· 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 3 ½ quart deep baking dish or a 9X13-inch baking pan. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pastas until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain, pour into a large mixing bowl, and toss with 4 tablespoons of the butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the evaporated milk to a scald and add it to the macaroni. Add the mustard, hot sauce, and Cheddar and stir well (the cheese should start to melt). Add the Velveeta and cream and stir well. The macaroni and chunks of cheese should be swimming in the sauce. Add the egg and mix well. Season with salt, if needed, and plenty of pepper. Pour into the prepared baking dish that has been placed on a sheet pan to catch spills (the baking dish should be completely full). Sprinkle with the panko and dot with the reaming 2 tablespoons of butter (or substitute with butter with olive oil to cut calories…but who cares at this point). Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25-30 minutes.
Chili-Mac Salad
This is a great summer recipe, when corn on the cob is fresh.
Ingredients
· 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
· ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
· 7 tablespoons extra-vergin olive oil
· Salt and pepper
· 4 ears corn
· 2 cups elbow pasta
· 1 red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
· 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
· 1 pound lean ground beef
· One 15 ounces can kidney beans, rinsed
· 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
· 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tend, about 3 minutes, transfer to a cutting board. Return water a to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the pasta. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain well. Add the beef mixture to the pasta, season with salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cheese.
