Tagliatelle al Burro al Tartufo
We have pretty much run out of the La Cucina Pasta Issue recipes. Tonight, Victor made one of their pastas, but the sauce was pure Victor.
In his TV cooking-show-watching, he saw a couple of different pasta recipes with truffles. One was a Wolfgang Puck dish with billion-dollar-a-pound white truffles. Another was Ina - the Barefoot Contessa - making a pasta butter or something.
So...
Tagliatelle al Burro al Tartufo - Tagliatelle with Truffle Butter - was born.
The sauce is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I tell ya... if ya have to go, this is the way to do it - with a smile on your face.
And we have to thank Ann and Julie for letting us know that it was okay to have real, fresh truffles in the house in the first place. They brought us truffles last year when they visited and after using them up, decided I really could buy one myself now and again.
They really are a very special treat!
Tagliatelle al Burro al Tartufo
Tagliatelle Fresche
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs and egg yolks to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.
In the meantime, in a large skillet:
Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 7 oz truffle butter
Truffle butter
- 1 small, fresh truffle
- 7 oz softened butter
Grate the truffle with a fine plane and in a mixer (or by hand) whip the truffle and butter together. You can do this a day ahead and refrigerate, covered.
While the pasta is cooking, add the heavy cream to the skillet and bring to just a simmer. Add the butter and let it melt into the cream. Remove from heat and immediately add the drained pasta to the skillet with the grated cheese, reserving some cheese for topping. Serve immediately.
Victor only used about half of the truffle butter. It was more than adequate.
And better markets will probably have truffle butter already made, if you're so inclined.
Malloreddus with Victor's Homemade Sauce
Tonight's Monday Pasta comes half-way from La Cucina Italiana magazine. The pasta is from the magazine, but the sauce is pure Victor.
He was looking in the magazine for recipes when I asked in my most-pleading voice if he would make his red sauce tonight. The pasta was almost secondary. I was craving the red sauce.
And to make it even better, we had pork ribs in the freezer that would become fall-off-the-bone-tender after simmering in the sauce all day. And they did.
There's no recipe** for the sauce. It just is. There are as many variations of this simple sauce as there are Italian households out there. Everyone's is the best - except Victor's really is!
**EDITED TO ADD** Victor's Spaghetti Sauce. He finally wrote it down.
The semolina pasta has substance to it. It works well shaped into the malloreddus, but would work equally well as a linguine or papardelle.
This was perfect. Exactly what I was hoping for.
My stomach is smiling.
Malloreddus
- Sea Salt
- 1 ¼ cups semolina flour
- ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- Extra virgin olive oil
Gnocchi board or a table fork
Dissolve 1 tsp salt in ¾ cup warm water. In a large bowl whisk together semolina and all purpose flour; mound and form a well in the center.
Add water mixture and 2 tsp olive oil to the well. Using your hand or a fork, slowly incorporate flour from inside the rim of the well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead in bowl until dough forms a complete mass (dough will be slightly sticky).
Transfer dough to a well floured work surface and knead, dusting with a bit more flour as needed just to keep dough from sticking to your hands, for 5 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
Break off about 1/8 of the dough; tightly rewrap remaining dough. Roll dough into ½ inch cylinder, and cut into ¼ inch thick pieces. Pressing with your thumb, roll each piece on a gnocchi board (or down the back of a fork) to give it the characteristic ridges, and put on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
To cook fresh Malloreddus, bring a large pot of salted water to a bill. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 6 minutes after water returns to a boil. Drain, transfer to a large serving bowl and immediately toss with sauce and serve.
Strascinati ai Broccoli
We made a change in the recipe tonight. I know, I know... we're supposed to follow the recipe exactly, but Victor made homemade pasta yesterday for his niece's birthday, so we had the leftover already made. And I'll take leftover homemade pasta over any packaged pasta. Any time.
This is a definite winner and proves the beauty of following simple recipes. If I had been in the kitchen, I would have looked at the recipe and then cleaned out the vegetable bin. And I'm sure it would have been a good pasta dish, but it wouldn't have had the crisp clean flavors this had. And two little chiles added just the right amount of heat. Not too much - just enough.
Another thing is the recipe calls for cooking the broccoli for 7 minutes. That is a really long time. Victor pulled it out of the water after 5 minutes and it was getting close to being overcooked for our way of thinking. I definitely believe you don't want crunchy broccoli, but 7 minutes would probably result in mush. Use your own judgment.
The recipe is written for the strascinati pasta.
Strascinati ai Broccoli
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 pounds broccoli
- 1 pound strascinati or other short pasta
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 dried red arbol chiles, or red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano, Caciocavallo, or ricotta salata cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut broccoli into 1-inch florets; peel stems. Cut stems into 1-inch pieces, then cut pieces in half or quarters lengthwise, depending on size.
Cook broccoli florets and stems in the boiling water until tender, about 7 minutes. Reserving water, transfer broccoli to a colander to drain, then rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
Return water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, combine oil, parsley, chiles and garlic in a small skillet. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1½ teaspoons salt.
When pasta is al dente, drain pasta and return to pot. Immediately add broccoli and oil mixture. Heat over medium heat, stirring to combine, for 30 seconds; adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with cheese if desired.
We're getting close to the end of the pasta issue, but I have a feeling we will be continuing this for a while.
Au Gratin Potatoes
When Victor first took these out of the oven, my first thought was the immortal words of Oliver Twist... "Please, sir, I want some more."
Without having tasted them, I knew they were going to be wonderful. And, of course, I was right!
Soft, buttery potatoes with a crunchy-cheesy topping... They were perfection in a pie-plate.
He started out with a buttered pie plate and thick slices of yukon gold potatoes. A layer of potatoes, a drizzle of melted butter and grated parmesan cheese, more potatoes, butter, and cheese, and more potatoes, butter, and cheese until all the potatoes were used. And then about a 1/2-cup of milk went in. He covered the plate with foil and into a 350° for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, he made a crumb topping of panko bread crumbs, more cheese, garlic powder, and butter. This went on top and back into the oven they went - uncovered this time - for 20 minutes to get crunchy.
There are no set amounts of anything. It's merely building layers. Low-and-wide gives the best crunchy-topping and tall and narrow will give more silky potato.
Simple and simply wonderful.
Tagliatelle Fresche al Prosciutto Crudo
The fabulous Monday Pasta continues.
Tonight we had another hand-made pasta. Tagliatelle. Feather-light tagliatelle. Perfect ribbons of silkiness...
I'm in love.
Victor has mastered the art of pasta-making. Totally and completely.
Personally, I think everyone needs to go out and buy a pasta roller. You can't buy pasta like this. You just can't.
Tagliatelle
Serves 4
Making fresh pasta is easier and quicker than you may think, and the results are well worth the extra effort. Tender and supple, this hand-cut tagliatelle readily absorbs the flavors of the sauce it's tossed with.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- Coarse sea salt
Instructions
On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs and egg yolks to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.
With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons, a scant 1/4 inch wide. Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.
To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.
Three ingredients. That's it. Three ingredients. No gums, stabilizers, or dough conditioners. Flour, eggs, and salt.
The sauce is the same.
The recipe tonight called for prosciutto, shallots, and cheese. Three ingredients. Four if you count a couple tablespoons of wine. Simple, basic, and exploding with flavor.
I really love complex dishes where a score of ingredients compete and blend. But there is another side of me that really loves the simplicity of a dish - where there are three ingredients and I taste each one individually and collectively.
Tonight's pasta was just that. Each ingredient stood out, yet complimented and balanced the others.
Having grown up with - and cooked - Americanized versions of Southern Italian food, I'm really enjoying the more authentic and simpler foods Italy has to offer. A couple of good ingredients is all it takes.
Tagliatelle Fresche al Prosciutto Crudo
4 servings
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 5 ounces 1/8-inch-thick slices prosciutto
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot (1 to 2 large)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 14 ounces fresh tagliatelle
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut fat from prosciutto; finely chop fat. Cut remaining prosciutto into
1/4-inch cubes. Combine prosciutto fat and butter in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add shallot and cook for 1 minute more. Add cubed prosciutto and cook for 1 minute more, then add wine and ¼ cup of the boiling water; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes, then remove from heat.Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta). Reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl.
Return skillet with prosciutto to medium-low heat. Add cheese and stir to combine. Immediately add contents of skillet and 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking liquid to pasta; toss to combine. Add more pasta cooking liquid to moisten, if desired. Serve immediately.
And for dessert, I made a Spongata...
Campanelle con Salsa di Olive
It's La Cucina Italiana Pasta Monday! Victor would have been in the kitchen cooking tonight, except he was at the doctors office. He threw his back out making the bed yesterday. 30 hours of excruciating pain later, he went for the drugs. Perfect. It means I will be able to sleep tonight, as well. We've both had back problems over the years. The first time I hurt my back was in a car accident when I was 18. A guy ran a red light on Van Ness as I was crossing on Geary. In the ensuing 40 years, I've managed to screw it up every few years. It's been a while. I'm probably due.
But I digress...
My first two thoughts when seeing this recipe were how wonderful it sounded and how much Ruth would hate it. (It was fabulous. You would have hated it.)
Gaeta olives can be either brine-cured or dry-cured. I found the brine-cured. (Brine-cured Kalamatas can substitute for brine-cured gaetas.) I also found pitted picholine olives. I have a pitter, but if I don't have to use it..... It made for easier work.
The only actual change from the printed recipe is I used the food processor to make the olive paste. I know the arguments for mortar and pestle. I'm neurotic enough to use a burr grinder for my coffee beans at home instead of chopping them with a little Braun. I fully understand the benefits. The mortar and pestle got sold a year or so ago at the yard sale.
Food processor worked just fine.
The recipe made a goodly amount. We used about a third of it for our two generous portions and the rest is going to become bruschetta or something. Maybe a Thanksgiving appetizer...
Another cook note: I did not salt the water for the pasta. The unsalted pasta balanced the olives and the cheese .
Campanelle con Salsa di Olive
4 servings
Olive pesto, delicious over pasta, also makes a great spread for crostini and pizza.
Ingredients
- Coarse sea salt
- 1 cup Gaeta olives, pitted
- 3/4 cup Picholine or other mild green olives
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts)
- 1 small fresh red chile, thinly sliced, or pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh marjoram leaves
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for sprinkling
- 1 pound campanelle
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, put olives, scallions, chile, marjoram and thyme into a mortar. Using the pestle with a rotary movement, grind mixture against wall of mortar until combined. Working with 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, drizzle in oil, grinding and mixing to incorporate as you go, until pesto is combined and smooth. Add cheese and grind to combine.
Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and return to pot. Immediately add pesto and toss to combine, adding as much of the pasta cooking liquid to moisten as desired. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of cheese.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Monday Pasta Night from La Cucina Italiana Magazine showcases a classic, tonight. Not a "been around since the beginning of time" classic but a classic nonetheless.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara is a rather recent addition to the Italian culinary landscape. There is no mention of it prior to WWII and quite possibly came about after the war from foods being supplied by GIs. The first record of it has it as a Roman dish.
But regardless of its origins, it's one of the simplest - and tastiest - pasta dishes one can imagine. Leave it to the Italians to take simplicity to such heights!
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Though hearty and delicious, this classic pasta comes together with ingredients almost always on hand.
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 7 ounces thick-sliced flat pancetta or bacon
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut pancetta into ¼-inch batons. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, grated cheeses, 1/3 cup water, and generous pinch salt and pepper. In a medium nonstick skillet, combine pancetta and oil; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 15 minutes.
About halfway through pancetta cooking time, cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente (ideally pancetta and pasta will be ready at about the same time). Reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and return to pot. Add pancetta and its rendered fat; toss to combine. Immediately add egg mixture and 2 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid; quickly stir to combine. Moisten with additional pasta cooking liquid, if desired. Serve immediately, passing cheese and pepper at the table.
The cheese and the egg yolks meld with the spaghetti to create a rich and creamy dish that defies description. The black pepper offsets the salty bite of the cheeses.
It really is perfection on a plate.
Knowing it was Pasta Monday, I picked up a loaf of Italian bread this morning and Victor turned it into a simple garlic toast. Great crunch and perfect for sopping up the last bits of sauce on the plate.
Another keeper.
15 down. 5 to go.
Linguine con Asparagi
I know I keep saying this every week, but OMG! This was fantastic! It's hard to believe that week-after-week-after-week, the meals just keep getting better.
This has been one of the most wonderful culinary adventures I have ever had the pleasure to partake of. Pastas of every imaginable style in every imaginable sauce. This is gastronomic heaven on earth.
Tonight's feast was another simply-prepared with simple ingredients found in most any home. Nothing exotic. Nothing hard to find.
The beauty of most of these recipes has been just that - locally-available ingredients. Granted, guanciale is not going to be something one finds easily, but pancetta can be used as a substitute - and that can be found almost anywhere.
The goal of this endeavor has been to recreate the recipes exactly as written. That has not been easy, as both of us are instinctive cooks - adding a bit of this or a bit of that and making a recipe our own along the way. It's actually difficult at times to read a recipe and know that a certain ingredient would compliment the dish - and not use it. But...
Victor chose linguine tonight, but any pasta would work - especially a broad noodle such as papardelle or tagliatelle.
Linguine con Asperagi
Ingredients
- Fine sea salt
- 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 14 ounces linguine
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 1½ inches of asparagus tips from stalks. Steam tips for 3 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Cut stalks crosswise into ¼-inch rounds.
In a medium saucepan, combine asparagus rounds, shallot and butter; cook over medium heat until butter is melted, then add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
Add cream, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer pan contents to a blender and purée until smooth.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta). Reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
Pour purée into a skillet; bring to a boil. Add asparagus tips, cheese and parsley; return to a boil, then add to bowl with pasta and toss to combine. Adjust seasoning and moisten with a little pasta cooking liquid, if desired.
Serve immediately.
I tasted every ingredient. The asparagus added a fresh flavor with just the right crunch. The cream and cheese added a richness that worked perfectly. The linguine held the sauce perfectly.
Victor has now made 14 of the 20 pasta recipes in the magazine. I need a plan for when he hits recipe 20.
This can't end.
Fusilli con Carciofi in Rosso
Another Monday, another fabulous pasta. It's amazing how some things just never change.
Maybe not change, per se, but we're both learning just how difficult it is to follow a recipe! Every fiber of our being wants to add something or change something or tweak something. Of course, the whole concept of this is for Victor to cook his way through the magazine, following the recipes. And it's been wonderful and fabulous eating. Biut that doesn't mean it's been easy.
Case in point... Tonight, as I was eating the fabulous pasta, I mentioned that kept expecting to get a little hit of peperoncini. Victor laughed and said he came :::thiiiiiiiis::: close to adding some - but it wasn't in the recipe. The dish was wonderful. I would have added a sprinkling of crushed red peppers if I had been creating it.
But peppers or not, the dish was easy to prepare and tasted fabulous. Warm homemade bread on the side and it was a meal fit for kings!
Fusilli con Carciofi in Rosso
- ½ Lemon
- 4 Globe Artichokes (about 3 lbs)
- 5 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces flat pancetta or thick cut bacon cut crosswise into 1/8 inch strips
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 3 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
- Fine sea salt
- 1 lb Fusilli
Approximately 4 – 6 servings.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a bowl of cold water, then drop the lemon into the water.
Cut off artichoke stems and discard. Cut off top inch of 1 artichoke with a serrated knife. Bend outer leaves backward until they snap off close to the base, then discard several more layers of leaves in the same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves with pale green tips. Cut off green tips. Trim dark green fibrous parts from the base and sides of artichoke with a small sharp knife, cut in half lengthwise and cut out purple leaves and fuzzy choke, then thinly slice. Drop slices artichoke into the acidulated water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet or wide pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes more, then drain artichokes, add to pan and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and juices and 1 cup of water to artichoke mixture. Cook at a gently simmer stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until artichokes are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 35 minutes.
About 15 minutes before sauce is ready, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt into sauce, then immediately add to pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
We've both made dishes similar to this in the past - it's a really quick and easy pasta style. But next time, it will have peperoncini.
And I know Lidia would approve.
Cheese Gnocchi
Sunday Dinner.
A tradition in many cultures. Lots of family, lots of food, lots of fun. We had two out of three, today. Lots of food, lots of fun - but just a little family. Victor's mom, brother and sister-in-law.
We decided we'd do the Monday Pasta today. Sunday Dinner... Italians... It seemed the right thing to do.
Tonight's dish was Ricotta Gnocchi. Lighter than their potato cousins, they're also more flavorful. They work equally well with a red sauce, a cream sauce, or a simple butter sauce.
Ricotta Gnocchi
- 1 lb ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
- Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce over top.
They are actually pretty easy to make. I've made them many times in the past rolling the little gnocchi off the tines of a fork. The gnocchi board really makes it easier, although the fork tines are not difficult by any means.
You definitely want a soft dough to begin with. Work it just enough to get everything mixed together, and although the recipe doesn't call for it, wrapping it and letting it rest for about 20 minutes or so will help bring it together and allow the flour to absorb the liquids.
And then it just becomes the rolling, cutting, and forming process.
[flowplayer src='https://tjrecipes.com/media/gnocchi.mp4']
The recipe makes a goodly amount. We got two sheet pans - one went into the freezer!
I made another loaf of bread, and Marie brought over some great blondie-brownies. And we had some of the Bananas Foster Bread from last night.
We ate really well.
A good time was had by all, the Giants beat the Padres, and life is good!
Strozzapreti e Capesante al Limone
We had friends arrive from Rochester last night for a layover on their way to Paris. Weather delayed them by several hours, so we finally arrived at the ol' homestead about 9pm. Just in time for a late dinner.
Victor planned a variation of the Linguine al Limone he made last month because it was something that could be tossed together rather quickly. We know all too well the joy of air travel. We planned for them not being on time. And we were right.
The pasta was just perfect. It has a bright lemon flavor that is not at all overwhelming for being as pronounced as it is. It's one of those recipes that just works.
Victor chose small bay scallops for the dish. They blended in perfectly.
I also baked a loaf of the egg white bread. It totally rocks.
Strozzapreti e Capesante al Limone
- 1 pound strozzapreti or other pasta
- 1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for sprinkling
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp whole milk
- 3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
Quickly saute scallops in a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. When barely heated through, drain excess liquid from pan.
Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a large bowl. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into the bowl. Add cheese and pepper; whisk to combine, then whisk in cream, milk, parsley, chives, and generous pinch of salt.
When pasta is al dente, drain and add to scallops. Immediately add egg mixture and toss together to combine well, then divide among serving bowls. Grate fresh lemon zest (from the remaining lemon) and cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
This is one of those recipes that is so simple to prepare and so incredibly wonderful to eat, it's going to be a staple in our home from now until forever.
And as I type this, Ann and Julie are jetting across the pond to Gay Paree.
I hate them.
Roasted Butternut Squash with 6-Cheese Tortellini
After playing tourist in Philadelphia all day, we needed sustenance when we got home.
We had seen this recipe concept in the latest Wegmans magazine. It was a throw-together using packaged soup and pre-cut squash. We liked the idea, but not of using pre-made ingredients.
We started from scratch!
Butternut Squash Soup
- 1 butternut squash, roasted
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4-6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1 tsp sage
- salt and pepper, to taste
Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add roasted squash and mash into pot. Add about 4 cups of broth and sage and, with an immersion blender, puree everything to a smooth soup. Add more broth as needed to come to your desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper and add, as desired.
Roasted Butternut Squash with 6-Cheese Tortellini
- 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 3-4 cups butternut squash soup
- 1 tsp sage
- tortellini or pasta of your choice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Heat soup. Add roasted squash, and sage. Check fopr seasoning and add S&P, as desired.
Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain, mix with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and enjoy!
This is one of those dishes that is simplicity to make - but dayum, is it good!
It can easily be made vegetarian, and, depending on the type of pasta used, can be a vegan entree, as well.
The final part of the meal was homemade rolls.
Y'all have heard me wax poetically about the no-knead artisan bread. I make variations of it all the time.
The latest variation is to add three egg whites to the water - still making it three cups of liquid - to the 6 1/2 cups of flour. Follow the basic instructions. forming the dough into rolls. Let rise, brush with egg white, slice top, and bake at 450° for 25 minutes.
These are really good - perhaps my favorite, yet. The egg white makes for a slightly lighter interior, and a really crunchy crust.
They were so much of a hit, I just made a couple more for tonight!