Rigantoni with Tomato and Basil

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces rigatoni
• 7 slices whole grain bread
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, halved, slice into half moon slices
• 1 28 ounce diced tomatoes, drained, reserve liquid
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup fresh basil, chiffinade

Directons:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, drain and set aside.
2. Cut the bread into 1/2″ to 3/4″ cubes and shred in a food processor.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs, stir often, cook until crumbs begin to lightly toast, about 5 minutes.
4. Add half the garlic and all of the lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and tomato liquid. Heat to a boil.
7. Place the pasta in a serving bowl, add the sauce and toss. Add the bread crumbs and basil strips, toss and serve.

Serves 4
Prep Time: 0:20
Cook Time: 0:20

Written by Ian McKenzie on May 2nd, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Italian and Pasta and 30-Minute Meals.

Food Bites - March 30

• Spicy Mac – Mac and cheese with a twist
• Pesach for the Rest of Us and a Passover lamb recipe – lamb for the season
• Root Vegetables Roasted with Sausage – I haven’t made a dish like this for a while. Time to try it again.
• How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother – skip the machine and do it by hand.
• Ham and Potato Hash – a good breakfast fry up from Simply Recipes.

Written by Ian McKenzie on March 30th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Holiday Recipes and Pasta and Condiments and Breakfast and Lamb.

30 Minute Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

The Simple Dollar offers five tips for preparing home-cooked meals, with minimum effort at the end of a busy day.

• Prepare meals in advance.
• Discover the crockpot.
• Have regular “leftover” nights.
• Use lots of items that require minimal preparation.
• Eat extremely simple meals

The Simple Dollar » “I’m Too Tired To Cook” - At-Home Dining Solutions For The Overworked Family.

I find that a combination of the last two tips can lead to some first-class dishes, without resorting to microwaved “poor man quesadillas” Here’s my recipe for spaghetti with tomato sauce that can be prepared in the time in takes the water to boil and the pasta to cook.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 28 ounce tin of diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Fill the pasta pot with enough water to cook the spaghetti, salt well and place on high heat. Once the water comes to the boil add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt and saute for five minutes. Add the dried herbs, crushing them and cook for another minute.
3. Add the ground beef, break it up and cook until no longer pink.
4. Stir in the diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Add pepper and reduce heat and continue to cook until the spaghetti is ready.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
6. Drain the spaghetti, return to the pot and toss with the tomato sauce.
7. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves four as a main course.

The thing with this, and similar dishes, is you can substitute to your heart’s desire depending on the contents of your pantry.

• You can use ground or boneless chicken parts or omit the meat for a vegetarian version.
• If you like it spicy, add some dried chilis during the cooking process.
• Use what dried herbs you might have, instead of basil and thyme.
• If you happen to have fresh herbs on hand, chop them and add them just at the end of the cooking process.

Written by Ian McKenzie on February 28th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Tips and Italian and Pasta and How To and 30-Minute Meals.

Food Bites - February 16

• Arroz Con Pollo Recipe – the classic Spanish chicken and rice dish.
• Chocolate-covered cars – a waste of good chocolate.
• No-Knead Bread – A bread recipe that requires no kneading, but takes plenty of time.
• Love is a big rare roast – Lynette creates one of her great sounding meals for Valentine’s Day. Lucky Cakes!
• The Fundamentals Of Running A Restaurant - A Forbes.com article on what is involved in running a restaurant. (Hint, it’s not all Food Network glamour.)
• Roasted Garlic - Getting Back to Basics – Just thinking about roasted garlic gets me salivating in a Homer Simpson kind of way.
• Breville 800ESXL – on my wish list.
• Pork. Chop. Noodles. – Who needs to eat out when you’re preparing food like this.
• Yogurt Panna Cotta with Raspberries – A simple, elegant, light dessert.
• Spicy Beef Curry Stew for the Slow Cooker

Written by Ian McKenzie on February 16th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on European and Main Dish and Mediterranean and Tools and Equipment and Indian and Poultry and Holiday Recipes and Pasta and Pork and Bread and Coffee and Dessert and One Pot Meals and How To and Oriental and Slow Cooker.

Spaghetti al Caffe

Ingredients:

• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons. olive oil
• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 12 oz. chopped mushrooms
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4  cup strong coffee
• pinch of sugar (optional)
• salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to taste.

Directions:

1. Heat large pot to medium high.
2. Put the oil in the pot, then add onions and garlic. Brown until golden.
3. Add the ground beef, tomato sauce, mushrooms and coffee. Simmer for 30 minutes, adding water if necessary.
4. Add seasonings to taste and simmer another 5 minutes.
5. Serve over cooked spaghetti

Written by Ian McKenzie on December 5th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Beef and Main Dish and Mediterranean and Italian and Pasta.

Lemon Butter Chicken with Pasta

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• Lemon Butter Sauce:
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup butter, chilled
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Chicken and Pasta:

• 1/2 pound bow tie pasta
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pinch salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces bacon
• 6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 6 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and halved
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. 
   To make the sauce, pour the wine and lemon juice into a saucepan over
   medium heat. Cook at a low boil until the liquid is reduced by 1/3.
   Stir in cream, and simmer until it thickens. Gradually add the butter 1
   tablespoon at a time to the sauce, stirring until completely
   incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and keep
   warm.
2. 
   Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook
   until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3. 
   To make the chicken, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large
   skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and
   pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture. Without crowding,
   carefully place chicken in hot oil. (If necessary, cook in batches.)
   Fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Remove the
   chicken to paper towels. Stir the bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, and
   capers into the oil; cook until the mushrooms are soft.
4. 
   Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size strips, and return them to the
   skillet. Stir half of the lemon butter sauce into the chicken mixture.
5. 
   To serve, place pasta in a large bowl. Stir the chicken mixture into
   the pasta. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Stir in additional lemon
   butter sauce as desired. Toss well, and garnish with parsley.

powered by performancing firefox

Written by Ian McKenzie on November 10th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Poultry and Italian and Pasta.

10 Minute Recipes

For recipes ready in 10 minutes or less, you need to use convenience foods, or use as few ingredients as possible. These recipes are a little of both! Whether you’re combining a few outstandingly fresh ingredients for a simple pasta or cooking fish with a tangy glaze, these recipes will come to the rescue when you literally do not have much time in the kitchen.

10 Minute Recipes - Recipes Ready in Ten Minutes - Super Quick and Easy 10 Minute Recipes

Written by Ian McKenzie on August 26th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Beef and Main Dish and Poultry and Sauces and Appetizers and Pasta and Salads and Soup and Vegetable and How To.

Mango Chicken, Pasta, Raw Peppers

Ingredients:

• Water
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 3 x boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
• 2 tsp prepared garlic
• 1 tbsp Madras curry paste
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup mango/tangerine juice
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp peach or apricot jam
• 1 tsp crushed chilies (optional)
• 350 gram spaghetti

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with water. Cover and bring to a boil.
2. Heat oil in large non-stick frying pan or wok at medium-high.
3. Cut chicken into small bite size pieces and add to pan. Stir until meat is no longer pink.
4. Add garlic, curry paste and flour to pan. Stir to coat chicken.
5. Gradually add chicken broth, mango juice and milk, stirring as you add.
6. Add peach jam and crushed chilies. Stir and let simmer.
7. Add pasta to boiling water and set timer for 8 minutes.

Written by tubaism on June 5th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Poultry and Pasta.

Tortellini with Peas

NGREDIENTS:

• 1 9-oz. pkg. refrigerated or frozen tortellini pasta
• 2 cups frozen baby peas
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

Cook tortellini as directed on package. Meanwhile, place peas in a colander. When the tortellini is cooked and al dente, pour the contents of the pot over the peas in the colander. Return to the pot. Add butter and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and pasta and peas are coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. 3 servings

Written by tubaism on May 17th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Italian and Pasta and One Pot Meals.

Lasagnette with Lemon

Serves 4-6

3/4 lb lasagnette (you can also use tagliatelle or fettucine)
1 lemon
4 T olive oil
4 shallots or 1 very small onion (about 1/3 cup chopped)
1 T paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the lemon and grate the rind then juice the lemon. Peel and chop up onions or shallots. In a skillet saute the onion in the olive oil, when tender but not brown, add the lemon juice and grated rind and paprika. Toss the pasta in the pan with the sauce, adding some of the pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. [Cooking With Amy]

Technorati Tags: Cooking, Recipes, Pasta, Italian

Written by tubaism on February 17th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Italian and Pasta.

« Older articles

No newer articles