La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

Eggplants and tomatoes - like peas and carrots, these tasty vegetables go hand in had. I tried a recipe from one of my many Jaime Oliver cookbooks, and altered it slightly to reflect the produce I bought. For instance, I chose to substitute the canned tomatoes for the fresh heirloom variety I purchased at the Farmer's Market. I also used shallots in lieu of white or yellow onion, and adjusted texture by adding tomato paste. The sauce was delicious - I can't wait to make it again.

Labels: Eggplant, pasta, ragu

I realize that I rarely cook with so much dairy, but I had to try this baked pasta dish because of how simple it seemed. I tend to use penne a lot, but that is because it is my favorite cut of pasta, especially if it is rigate, with the little ridges running down the tube. This recipe is also a good way to use some ripened vine tomatoes if you have any on hand.

You will need:
- 2 vine ripened tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 small white onion or 1 whole shallot finely diced
- 1 c cream
- 1 egg yolk
- handful of basil leaves, minced
- 1 c bread crumbs
- 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Step One: Boil water and 1 tsp of salt for pasta; when water boils, add 2 c of dry pasta. While that cooks, saute the garlic, butter and onions in a saute pan over medium heat until translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste, and tomatoes; saute for another 7 minutes until tomatoes soften.

Step Two: Pour contents of pan into a blender and blend for 45 seconds until mixture becomes smooth. Return contents to the pan and add basil.

Step Three: Whisk cream and egg yolk together in a bowl. Add egg and cream mixture to pan, whisk well and let thicken over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until mixture coats a spoon. Turn off heat. Add cooked and drained penne pasta and mix well.

Step Four: Place pasta in a casserole pan and layer with Parmesan cheese. Top off with bread crumbs and bake for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Labels: cream, Parmesan, pasta, tomatoes

Penne never gets old--especially dressed with some red onions and balsamic vinegar. This pasta is best served just warm, but you can also make it cold. I decided to use tri-colored bell peppers for this recipe as green peppers tend not to be as sweet and tender as the yellow, red, and orange pepers.

You will need:

- 4 cups of cooked penne pasta
- 3 thinly sliced bell peppers
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 5 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar whisked into 4 tbsp of olive oil
- seasonal herbs such as chopped fresh Italian parsley, fresh thyme, or fresh basil.
- 1/2 c of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Step One: In a saute pan, add 3 tbsp of olive oil, the garlic, peppers, and onions. Cover this pan with a lid or piece of foil and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked, but still have a crunchy bite.

Step Two: Add the herbs and balsamic/olive oil mixture and cook for another 3-5 minutes until warmed through. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked penne pasta and Parmesan cheese, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Serve while still warm.

Labels: bell pepper, herbs, onion, pasta, spices

Mario Batali has a most wonderful chickpea soup recipe featuring the diverse medly of rosemary, saffron, and thyme. The only complaint I have is that the recipe seems simple enough, but I found myself having to make the tomato base separately in order to complete this soup. My recommendation is that you make the tomato sauce in advance and use it in this soup when you are ready.

I've modified this recipe to what I had in the cupboard and the veg bins, so feel free to do the same.

The Tomato Sauce:
- 1 large 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 3 tsp dry thyme, or 3 tbsp fresh thyme
- salt to taste

Step One: in a heavy sauce pot, combine the onions, garlic, olive oil, and thyme over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until onions are golden. Add carrot and cook for another 5 minutes.

Step Two: Add the tomatoes, cushing them with your hands. Simmer this over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes. This sauce is good refrigerated for 1 week.


For the Chickpea Soup, you will need:
- 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 pinches of saffron threads
- 3 c of hot water
- 1 c of white wine
- 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
- 3/4 c of tubetti pasta or similarly small pasta shapes
- All of tomato sauce, above

Step One: In a sauce pot, saute the garbanzo beans, garlic, and olive oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Add the white wine, rosemary, and saffron threads and cook for another 5 minutes.

Step Two: Add the tomato sauce, and 1 c of water. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat and add the pasta shapes. Cook for designated cooking time on the pasta box and then add red pepper flakes to finish off.

The flavor of this soup is best finished off with fresh chopped basil, italian parsley, or parmesan cheese. One word of caution: be sure to remove the pot from the heat when the cooking times end because the pasta shapes will continue to cook and become bloated, ruining your soup.

Labels: garbanzo beans, pasta, soup, tomatoes

I was a bit afraid to try this Carbonara dish because the egg method was a bit odd--it requires a whole egg rather than a separated yolk and cream. Nonetheless, I tried it and it turned out fantastic. This recipe, like so many others here, is from the Jamie Oliver cookbook I've been drooling over since I bought it. I have to say, however, that I was a bit disappointed with the blandness of the dish, so I perked it up with some garlic and chile piquin. Next time, I'd even add some fresh basil or rosemary to bring out the depth of the mint flavor.

You will need:
- 1 lb (1/2 a box) of Farfalle Pasta (bowties)
- 1 egg
- 7 tbsp of cream
- 10 slices of pancetta or bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 handfuls of shelled spring peas (use frozen peas)
- 2 sprigs of mint, roughly chopped
- 2 handfuls of grated parmesan cheese
My own variation of this dish requires 3 garlic cloves

Step One: Cook your pasta according to directions. When 2 minutes remain for cooking time, add frozen peas. Drain when done, but reserve about 1/2 c of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pan with the reserved cooking liquid.

Step Two: While pasta cooks, cook bacon or pancetta in a pan over medium heat. Drain off as much fat as possible. Cook until edges are nice and crisp. Also, while pasta cooks, whisk the egg and cream with salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Step Three: When pasta finishes cooking, add the chopped mint, minced garlic, chili piquin, and toss well. Keep the pan warmed over low heat and add the bacon and egg/cream mixture. Keep stirring together until warmed very through and through, but be sure not to allow the egg/cream mixture to curdle over the heat. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add parmesan; serve and eat immediately.

Just so you know, it is impossible to reheat this dish without curdling the cream, so this is not one of those dishes I'd pack for lunch the next day. So go ahead- gorge yourself.

Labels: herbs, pasta, peas

I have recently attempted to make gnocchi and was surprised by my success, thanks to both Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batalli. Gnocchi is a homemade pasta that is mostly potato than flour. Although the ingredients are simple, the process is precise and must be strictly adhered to for a good texture. Special tools include a fork, and a potato "ricer" that resembles a lemon press with lots of little holes. I suggest buying a cheap five dollar ricer from Ross, Marshall's, or TJ Max in their kitchen sections. This dish is fun to make with another person, and with kids -- just be sure you have a very clean work surface.

You will need:
- 4 russet potatoes (about 3 lbs worth) washed and unpeeled;
- 1 tsp of salt;
- 1 large egg beaten;
- 2 c of flour;
- 1 large bowl filled with ice water;
- 1/2 c of canola or olive oil.

This yields about 4-6 servings.

Step One: Place the potatoes, skin and all, into a large stock pot with plenty of water (should cover potatoes) and a tsp of salt. Boil these for about 45 minutes. Drain. Using a towel to hold the potato in your hand, use a knife to remove the skins and set the peeled potatoes to the side.

Step Two: Cut the potatoes in half and place the half into the ricer, squeezing hard and making a pile of riced potatoes on your counter or extra large wooden cutting board. Repeat until all potatoes are riced. (see picture below)

Step Three: Make a well (hole) in the center of your pile of riced potatoes and pour in the beaten egg and salt (you may add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg too). Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of flour on top of your potatoes. Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients together, adding more flour only if the mixture is too sticky. The dough should be kneaded, but don't over do it! This pasta is supposed to be light and fluffy and over-mixing and over-kneading means tough yucky pasta.

Step Four: Once the dough is kneaded into a pretty little ball, cut that ball into 6 sections. Take each section, roll it out into a 1 inch thick "snake" and cut this up into 1 inch long pieces. Take each piece and roll it against the back of a fork with your thumb so the gnocchi takes the shape shown in the picture above. Repeat until the dough is all rolled out and shaped.

Step Five: In a stock pot of boiling water with 1 tsp of salt, place 2 handfulls of gnocchi in and wait for one minute or so until it floats to the top. Remove the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place immediately into the ice bath. Repeat until you have cooked all the gnocchi this way. (it doesn't require much time to cook because the potatoes are already cooked! And DO NOT put all the gnocchi you just made into the pot at once because the water temp will cool and you will have a pile of mush in that pot).

Step Six: Drain the iced gnocchi; place into a large bowl with your oil and toss. You can refridgerate gnocchi up to 48 hours this way until you are ready to eat it. I will post the fantastic artichoke and lemon pesto I made for this gnocchi next time. You can try a simply mix of olive oil and basil, or butter cooked with garlic, sage, and salt in the meantime.

Labels: gnocchi, pasta, potato

Gorgonzola is a mild blue cheese that mixes well with nuts and dried fruits like figs. This recipe is an elegant way to use your stinky cheese and serve up a quick meal. You can use penne, linguini, or whatever pasta you like.

You will need: small wedge of gorgonzola 1/3 c size; 2 tbsp butter; pasta cooked and drained; 1/4 sliced red onion; 3 cloves minced garlic; 1/3 c cream; 3 handfuls of cleaned baby spinach; 1 handful of chopped walnuts; salt, pepper, chile piquin, italian parsley (Fresh) for falvor.

Step One: In a saute pan, combine butter and garlic. Add red onions and a dash or two of olive oil. Cook over medium high heat so onions carmelize (they will get soft and brown the butter). Reduce heat to medium.

Step Two: Crumble cheese into pan and add cream. Cook until cheese melts in. Add spinach and cooked pasta, tossing together with salt, pepper, piquin, walnuts, and chopped italian parsley. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

Labels: cheese, pasta, spinach

Jaime Oliver to the rescue. I had my two nephews, one niece, along with two of my sisters and for a visit recently. What to make for children and adults alike is easy - pasta! I decided to go for a traditional meat sauce - sorry to all my vegetarian followers - but for you carnivores, this one is especially for you. Thank the English guy.

You will need: 10 slices of bacon with most of the fat trimmed off; handful of chopped rosemary; 4 cloves of minced garlic; 1/2 white onion finely diced; 1 c of red wine; 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 handful of chopped Italian parsley and basil; olive oil; 1 lb of fresh ground lean chuck; one chile piquin crushed; spaghetti; 1/2 c (or more) fresh grated parmesan.

Step One: Place the slices of bacon on a cookie sheet, sprinkle the rosemary on top, and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes or until bacon curls. Baking the bacon will prevent the pool of grease normally found in pan frying from forming, and will leave the bacon just golden and not very crispy. Remove, and dice up.

Step Two: In a large pan, saute your onions, garlic, and chile piquing over medium heat. After onions are translucent, add the ground chuck and bacon. Break up the meat while it browns. Add the red wine after meat is almost done cooking (about 8-12 minutes).

Step Three: Add can of whole peeled tomatoes along with its liquid. Be sure to break up the tomatoes with your hands so they are bite sized. Add tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Cook unti lsauce thickens.

Step Four: You can skip this step, but you risk having a runny sauce if you do. Take that cake pan and put your sauce you've been cooking into it, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove, add basil and fresh parsley.

Step Five: Cook pasta according to directions. Add parmesan to sauce and serve over pasta. Feel free to drizzle a little olive oil on top of it all; eat with a side salad.

Labels: ground beef, pasta, sauce, tomatoes

Cauliflower is a delicious immature flower that is often under-used in many people's culinary arsenal. Often served raw on vegetable platters, this delicate plant is never given center stage of any good meal I've ever had. Cauliflower is part of the cabbage family and is a native plant to Italy dating from the 16th century. The plant's creamy color is produced by tying the leaves of the plant around the head or crowns and preventing the plant from sunlight that would normally produce a more yellow color in the plant.

I decided to buy a crown of cauliflower recently and searched high and low for a way to prepare it that didn't involve pork or milk. Thanks to Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, I have made a wonderfully simple and elegant meal from this noble plant.

You will need: one 16 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes; 1/2 small white onion finely diced; 3 cloves of crushed garlic; 2 bay leaves; 1 crown of cauliflower washed and cut into small 1 inch florettes; 1 chile piquin pepper; handful of chopped flat leafed Italian parsley; 4 cups of cooked penne pasta.

Step One: Cook your penne pasta according to the directions on the packet; drain; rinse in cold water and drizzle with olive oil; set aside. (Cook this while you cook the other ingredients below so pasta is not too cold)

Step Two: While your pasta cooks, saute the onions and garlic in 3 tblsp of olive oil over medium heat. Optional: when translucent, cool off with 1/4 c of white wine.

Step Three: Add cauliflower, bay leaves, and crush red chile over the mixture and season with salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Step Four: Meanwhile, take tomatoes and crush them in a bowl with your hands, removing the cores of the tomatoes. Pour this mixture into the pan, stir, cover, and cook over medium heat for another 15 minutes.

Step Five: Stir in the penne pasta and parsley. Garnish with romano or freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve piping hot.

Labels: cauliflower, pasta, tomatoes

I usually cook this version of Swiss Chard in the summer time because it is a light and healthy dish that doesn't require too much heat from the stove. If you liked the "Chard the Swiss For Pink Rice" blog, I suggest this pasta recipe for winter (simply eat without pasta for summer time, and don't cook tomatoes, simple add them at last as large slices rather than diced).

You will need: 1 can of drained garbanzo beans; 2/3 c white wine; 3 mined garlic cloves; 1/4 of a white onion, sliced into thin strands; 1 large carrot finely diced; 2 ripe vine or roma tomatoes; lemon; handful of Italian parsley chopped; 1 bunch of rainbow chard chopped; salt & pepper; linguini or fettucini noodles, cooked and drained.

Step One: in a large skillet, cook 2 tblsp of olive oil, garbanzo beans, garlic, carrot, and onion. Cook unti carrots are soft (over medium heat). Add wine and cook for 5 minutes. Crush a chile piquin if you like into this.

Step Two: Add diced tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes.

Step Three: Add chard and squeeze 1/2 lemon over this. Cook with a lid or foil on top until wilted.

Step Four: Serve over pasta with lots of parsley for garnish, and salt & pepper to taste. Add grated parmesan for extra flavor.

Labels: pasta, swiss chard

I learned to cook Alfredo sauce at a restaurant almost 8 years ago and it is the tried and true recipe in my pasta arsenal. There is no "fat-free" version, so just plan on eating a small portion with a glass of white wine and a side salad.




You will need (for 3):
- 1 pint of heavy cream;
- 3 minced garlic cloves;
- dash of white wine;
- 1/2 c of grated parmesan;
- 4 egg yolks (separate the whites and discard).

For pasta, use DeCecco brand dried fettucini or fresh pasta from a local Italian grocer.

Step One: Boil water for pasta with 1 tsp of salt. Cook according to directions.

Step Two: In a skillet, cook garlic in 2 tblsp of olive oil over medium heat fro 5 minutes. Add dash of white wine to cool off.

Step Three: In a bowl, combine cream and yolks, wisk until smooth. Pour into skillet with garlic and cook over medium heat for 8-12 minutes or until it thickens (will coat a spoon without coming off completely). It is okay if this simmers a little but DO NOT BOIL or you will burn the cream. You must stir this constantly to avoid overcooking.

Step Four: Take off the heat, add parmesan & salt to taste. Ladle over cooked pasta and garnish with Italian parsley. For this occassion, I added sauteed shrimp with garlic on top.

Labels: cream, pasta, sauce, seafood, shrimp

Every few weeks, my flatmate and I head over to her coworker's house for dinner and a few episodes of that very silly program "Prison Break." These Tuesday nights are fun because our portable culinary skills are put to the test - we usually make dinner at our host's house. I decided to premake some lasagna and freeze it. This dish is always best fresh, but freezing it is a great way to ensure that you have dinner premade for a night when you are way too tired to cook.

You will need: Lasagna pasta sheets, sauce (you can make this or buy a jarred sauce, try the spicy classico), mozzarella, ricotta, egg, spinach, mushrooms, salt, pepper, Parmesan.

Step One: Start boiling a large pot of water with salt and add lasagna sheets once boiling. Cook according to directions. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drizzle olive oil on them to keep from sticking.

Step Two: Cook one bunch of very clean spinach leaves (simply rinse and place in a saute pan with a piece of foil on top - don't add any more water or oil). Cook this on medium low heat until very wilted. Drain this and set aside. You can add whatever veggies you like, including zucchini, squash, mushrooms, or meat (Italian sausage).

Step Three: If you are cooking your own sauce you will need a large can of whole peeled tomatoes (chop them up), 1/4 white onion diced, 2 cloves of garlic, dried oregano and/or thyme, celery (1 stalk, finely diced), 1 carrot (finely diced), salt, pepper, 1 chile piquin. Optional: Add mushrooms, black olives, or if you are a carnivorous, you can cook 3 links of Italian sausage first by cooking on medium heat, breaking up with a spoon, and then add the ingredients that follow after you drained the fat from the cooked sausage.
Cook 3 tablespoon olive oil, the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic together until it sweats. Add in dry spices and 1/2 c of wine (white or red). Add chopped stewed tomatoes, juices and all. Cook down to a simmer for about 15 minutes.

If you buy a jar of sauce, don't buy one that is too sweet - go for the spicy Classico red sauce.

Step Four: Blend 1 tub of ricotta (this is in the dairy aisle and is a little more than the size of a yogurt jar) and 1 egg together with salt. This can be set aside as well.

Step Five: Grate your mozzarella (about 2 or 3 cups worth), Parmesan (about 1/2 cup worth).

Putting it all together
Step Six: In a rectangular pan (go for one smaller than a cake pan), put down a large spoon full of sauce. Lay down sheets of pasta to cover the bottom. Smear on the ricotta and sauce. Sprinkle a little cheese. Lay down another layer of pasta. Smear more ricotta on, add all the spinach, some cheese, and layer of sauce. Add one more layer of pasta, sauce, and rest of cheese, topping off with the Parmesan. Freeze, or bake right away at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until cooked through. If frozen, throw into oven at 400 degrees and carefully monitor after 30 minutes to ensure the dish doesn't burn on top. Reduce heat to 350 if it starts to get too crispy on top.

Serve and enjoy with salad or fresh bread.

Labels: pasta

This recipe can be a bit complicated so you can take the easy way out and use a jar of your favorite red sauce in lieu of the pesto sauce. This dish can be served up in a hurry, but it retains an elegant presentation. The dish contains raviolis with fresh cream pesto sauce, and a side of steamed broccoli with chile piquin and olive oil.

You will need: a package of your favorite raviolis, 2 full crowns of broccoli, chile piquin, olive oil, pesto sauce (recipe included), cream, tomatoes.

The Pesto Sauce: Pesto sauce is a delicate sauce made from basil, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt and olive oil. If you make this, you can freeze the leftovers and use it for about 4 or 5 other dishes. This is the raw pesto, no cream yet!

For the Pesto (no cream yet), you will need:
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 c of toasted pine nuts, shelled
- 3/4 c of fresh grated parmesan
- 3 bunches of basil (remove the stems)
- 1/2 c of flat leaf Italian parsley, rinsed and patted dry
- salt to taste
- 1 c of olive oil

Step One: In a blender or food processor, add 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts, 3/4 cup of fresh grated Parmesan. Work the blender or processor to brake these ingredients down finely.

Step Two: Add 3 bunches of chopped basil, 1/2 cup of rough chopped flat leaf parsley. Blend this using the pulse function. You may have to stop the processor or blender and use a rubber spatula to scrape the top and bottom.

Step Three: Put the lid on the blender or processor and take out the small inner lid used to pour in liquids. While blending the ingredients, slowly drizzle in olive oil -- you may not need the entire 1 c depending on the consistency you like. Add salt. The mixture should be a deep green and have a thick consistency; after pouring it into a bowl, there should be about 1/4 inch of olive oil that floats to the top.

You should set aside about 3 tblsp of pesto, and freeze the rest. Tip from my viejo: when freezing this, place it in a plastic tupperware container and place a piece of saranwrap down over the pesto mixture before putting the lid on. This keeps the pesto from turning brown in the freezer.

Broccoli Florrettes
Step One: wash the broccoli crowns and cut off the florrettes. Place in pot with 3/4 cup of water. If you have a steamer (it looks like a collapsing flower with holes) place the florettes on this. Throw on a dash of salt and place a lid over the sauce pot and cook on medium high for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Color should be bright green like a crayon.

Raviolis: I prefer to buy fresh made raviolis from a gourmet grocery and freeze them until I cook them. This dish goes well with mushroom ravioli or cheese raviolis.

Step One: In a large pot, boil water with a dash of salt.

Step Two: Cook your favorite ravioli according to directions - if frozen, they take only 4-6 minutes to cook. Remove from water and place on a plate, cover to keep warm.

Pesto Cream Sauce:

Step One: In the same pan you cooked the raviolis in, after you've removed the raviolis and drained the water, return it to the stove on medium heat. Add 5 tblsp of cream and the 3 tblsp of pesto.

Step Two: Whisk this for a few minutes until it thickens slightly - do not let this boil! This makes just enough sauce to coat 8-10 raviolis.

Serving: Take the broccoli out of the steamed pot, and serve on plates. Crush a red chile piquin over the broccoli and drizzle olive oil (about 2 tblsp worth) over the florrettes. Place the raviolis on each plate and spoon on the cream pesto over each ravioli. Slice tomatoes and place on plate, for complete meal. Again, if the pesto is too difficult, warm up marinara and spoon over raviolis, this tastes just as great (DO NOT use cheap gross brands of jarred sauce like Prego. Instead use Classico, Rao's or other brand that uses real tomatoes).

Serve and enjoy.

Labels: pasta, pesto

At the end of the month, everyone is broke (including me) and eating the last of their stock pile of groceries. I personally turn to eating pasta as a way to tie me over until payday. IWhichever way you like it, the recipe is especially apt for spring and summer weather because it can also be eaten at room temperature. So leave the marinara in the cupboard and try this recipe.



You will need:
- 1/2 package of DeCecco brand linguini,
- bunch of fresh basil, parsley, chopped
- 3 fresh cloves of garlic,
- 2 tbsp capers,
- 10 kalamata olives,
- 1 tomato, diced
- salt, pepper,
- 1/2 olive oil,
- parmesan cheese.

Cookware: Pot to boild pasta, bowl to mix ingredients.

Step One: If you are cooking for one or two, cook at least 1/2 of the box of linguini (4 servings yield). Be sure to boil the water first, add 1 tsp of salt and then add the pasta, fanning it out in the pan to cook evenly. Cook according to directions (usually 11 minutes). Drain and rinse in cool water.

Step Two: Take 6 leaves of basil and chop them up fine. If you don't have basil, use parsley for the cheaper version of this dish and chop up about a handful worth. Add this to the large bowl along with 1/2 cup of olive oil, 3 crushed and minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of fresh ground pepper. Stir this up.

Step Three: I use cherry tomatoes and you should too, or else use tomatoes on the vine. Cut one half of the tomato into small bite size pieces (add more if you like). You can stop here and simply combine the pasta, the ingredients from step two, and some fresh grated parmesan cheese, or continue to step four for my favorite version of this dish.

Step Four: Chop about 8 kalamata olives (if serving for 2, and be sure to take the pits out). The easiest way to pit olives is to press the olive down on the cutting board with a spoon. Whatever you do, DO NOT use black olives for this dish! Combine the olives with 2 tbsp of capers. Add these ingredients to the olive oil mixture and tomatoes, then pour the pasta in coating it well. Serve in large pasta bowls with parmesan cheese.


I am now out of fresh veg for any more meals and so I will be blogging about groceries tomorrow. Until then, serve and enjoy.

Labels: olive oil, pasta, tomatoes

I love to make a good Minestrone or basic Fajole a day or two before I return to the grocery store to do some shopping for the next 2-3 weeks worth of food. True to my philosophy of using all your rotten veg, “waste not, want not” with this easy and delicious soup.
You will need the following: Cookware: One large soup pot.

Ingredients:
- one large can of whole stewed tomatoes (Muir Fire Roasted Organic are the best),
- 1/4 diced white onion,
- 3 cloves minced garlic,
- 2 diced carrots,
- 3 diced celery stalks,
- 1/2 diced bell pepper (of whatever color),
- one can of kidney beans,
- handful basil (fresh is best), fresh flat leaf Italian parsley,
- 2 c vegetable stock,
- 1 c white wine (optional),
- olive oil, one chile piquin pepper, thyme and dried basil.
- 2 c of cooked small pasta shapes (keep separate, do not add to soup until you serve it)

Step One: In the large soup pot on medium, add the olive oil (3 tbsp), crushed garlic clove (1 or 3 to taste), diced ¼ white onion, diced carrots (2), diced celery (3), diced bell pepper (1/2 a bell is usually enough). Cook this until veggies are translucent. Add 1 cup of wine and cook for another 5 minutes.

Step Two: Add 2 cups of veggie stock. Veggie stock should always be in your fridge. I prefer the box of veggie stock from Pacifica (NOT the fat free in this brand) or Imagine Organics. Simmer this while doing step three.

Step Three: Open the large can of whole tomatoes (the crushed or diced are always flavorless, so its better to go with whole). Pull each tomato out one by one and chop it up your self. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato broth from the can to the soup pot. Drain and rinse the beans, add them to the pot.

Step Four: Add 1 cup of water, 2 tsp of dry basil or 2 tbsp of fresh chopped basil, 1 tsp of thyme (optional), 4 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, 1 crushed chile piquin (again, its optional). Add 2/3 cup of elbow pasta or my favorite, tubetti pasta from DeCecco. Cook this for 8 minutes and then remove from the heat (if you don’t, the pastas will continue to cook until it becomes so large and tasteless that it has ruined your soup).

Serve hot in small bowls with a slice of bread and a small side salad if you like. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. I promise that this soup is really basic so anyone can make it, even you. It makes about 5-7 servings. For more advanced folks, I recommend cooking a chicken breast (bone in) in a separate pot. Pull the meat from the bones and filter the chicken stock (the water you boiled the chicken in) through a fine civ and add it to the soup (about 2-3 cups worth). If you like olives, you can also add green or purple kalamata olives (chopped) to the soup.

Whew!

Labels: pasta, soup, tomatoes

As this blog purports to talk about "tastes" I would like to start blogging about food and food snobbery. I am a food snob and have an almost violent urge to feed anyone that looks too skinny, hungry, or single. My evening cooking ritual begins always with a glance inside what is rotting in the veggie bin and needs to be eaten. I have a fabulous flatmate who has been kind enough to grow fresh herbs in pots (note: not "fresh herb" or "pot") for me. Tonight's supper began with wilted spinach, some overripe tomatoes, Rao's bow tie pasta, and a can of organic Great Northern white beans. The recipe - a veggie protein rich pasta with punch.

You need:
- 1/2 package of bow tie pasta,
- 1 can of white beans,
- 3 garlic cloves, minced,
- olive oil, piquin peppers (optional),
- tomatoes, (I used 2)
- 1 bunch of washed and chopped spinach.
- 1/2 c of stock or white wine
- chopped Italian parsley

Step 1: cook 2 cups of bow tie pasta - boil this in BOILING water with salt for 11 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, cook 3 cloves of crushed garlic in 5 tablespoons of olive oil and crush a piquin pepper in that. Cook this for 4 minutes and then,

Step 3: add your chopped tomatoes (the riper the better, and "never put tomatoes in the fridge," so says the wise flatmate). Cook this for 5 minutes and then

Step 4: add 1/2 cup of any stock (veggie, chx, etc), or white wine. Cook until it heats up again and then

Step 5: add the beans, juice and all. Cook this with some salt and pepper until the beans are hot.

Step 6: Finally, add that wilted spinach (make sure this is washed people), and any chopped herb. I recommend italian parsley - it's cheap and delicious, and keeps well in the fridge. Stir the ingredients together and add the pasta. Serve in bowls with fresh parmesan cheese. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

A pleaser for any amateur who only knows how to make pasta but is tired of making pasta. More good food news to come.

Labels: cannellini bean, pasta, tomatoes