Happy Inernational Pasta Day Friday! Three of Charlies Favorites. Salad recipe at the end may be used with all three. Dont forget some crusty bread to mop it all up. Fettuccine Alfredo 1 pound dried fettuccine 6 tablespoons organic unsalted butter 1 shallot, minced 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup finely grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Fresh chopped curly parsley, for garnish, optional Directions Cook the fettuccine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture and half of the Parmesan and toss to combine thoroughly, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately. Pasta Bolognese 6 strips of smoked streaky bacon, the best quality you can afford 2 medium yellow onions 4 cloves of garlic 2 carrots 2 sticks of celery 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano 1 pound good-quality ground beef and pork 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) organic no-salt chopped tomatoes sea salt and freshly ground black pepper small bunch of fresh basil 1/4-1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese 1 pound dried penne or pasta of choice To make your sauce Finely slice the bacon Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – don’t worry about technique,just chop away until fine. Place a large pan on a medium to high heat, add olive oil, your sliced bacon and the oregano and cook and stir until the bacon is lightly golden. Add the vegetables to the pan and stir every 30 seconds for around 7 minutes or until softened and lightly colored. Stir in the meat breaking it up with your spoon and brown. Add the tomatoes. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to the pan. Stir in a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pick the basil leaves and place in the fridge for later. Finely chop the basil stalks and stir into the pan, bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer with a lid on and slightly askew for 1 hour, stirring every now and again. Take the lid off and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the sauce as it cooks, and if you think it’s starting to dry out, add a splash of water. Remove the Bolognese sauce from the heat. Finely grate the Parmesan and stir half into the sauce. Tear and stir in any larger basil leaves, keeping the smaller ones for sprinkling over before serving. Mix up, have a taste, and season with a little more salt and pepper if needed. At this stage you can allow it to cool, bag it up and freeze it, or keep it warm while you cook your pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add your pasta and stir, following the package cooking times – don’t let it cook any longer or it will become too soft – you want it to have a bit of bite. Save a cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander. Put the drained pasta back into the pot and add half the Bolognese sauce to the cooked pasta and mix well, adding a little of the reserved cooking water to loosen. Divide between your plates and spoon the remaining sauce over the top. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan and scatter with the small basil leaves. Pasta Puttanesca 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra virgin olive oil 4 to 6 fresh garlic, chopped 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped 3 tablespoons capers 1 (32-ounce) can organic no-salt chunky style crushed tomatoes 1 (14.5-ounce) can organic no-salt diced tomatoes, drained A few grinds black pepper 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls)flat leaf parsley, chopped 1 pound thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite) Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional Directions Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Sauté mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes. Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Pass bread and cheese at the table and serve with a simple salad of mixed bitter greens dressed with oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper. Get your olives from the bulk trays in the market, rather than buying a jar. Bitter Greens Salad: 4 cups (about 2 bundles) organic arugula leaves, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups (about 1 bundle) organic watercress leaves, coarsely chopped 1 head radicchio coarsely chopped 1 large organic lemon Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat, 2 to 3 tablespoons Coarse salt and black pepper Oil cured black olives, for garnish, optional Combine greens in a salad bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the bowl. Drizzle salad liberally with oil. Toss salad and season salad with salt and pepper. Arrange salad on plates. Garnish plates with black olives, if using. Bon Apetit!
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 14:03:01 +0000
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