Category: Pasta

Italian Cauliflower Mac & Cheese for All Seasons

While spring is officially here, the weather has been far from Springlike. Call it confused, call it crazy, but any day that gives you snow, sleet and rain along with a touch of sun, but temperature wise is still in the 30’s is a good reason to make a comfort food casserole that warms the heart and the kitchen. While I know that things will get better (in fact, they are already) Mac & cheese has no season.

IMG_1608This started with equal parts of pasta and cauliflower. The “Gigli” looked a bit like the cauliflower and the combination lightened the carb load a bit. This could also be a great disguise for vegetables if that is an issue in your family. Any way, the pasta cooked to almost al dente before I added the cauliflower. I drained it all and set it aside.IMG_1618

I chopped two Italian Chicken Sausage links and added them to a hot pan. (I wanted a little of that crunchy meat taste, but you could easily leave it out.)  Beautifully browned, they sat on the sidelines for a bit. Then a swirl of olive oil followed by some garlic, onion, and red bell pepper went into the pan. I let this get golden and used a bit of chicken stock to de-glaze the pan. Flour went in and a stock/oil roux came together. I used Fat Free Half and Half and more chicken stock to create the sauce.

tjs-toscano I combined equal parts of Black Pepper Toscano ( this wonderfully asiago cheesecreamy Parmesan cheese has made several appearances in Mama D’s recipes) and Olive Oil  Rosemary Asiago cheeses (Another Mama D favorite with just the right sharpness and plenty of rosemary kick). Both of these cheeses come from Trader Joe’s, but any sharp Italian cheese would work. Emphasis on the “sharp”…a little goes a long way to create big flavor in a small package. I used about 1/2 cup shredded of each cheese and the flavor was more than satisfying.IMG_1616

All the players came together in a baking dish.  It baked covered for about 20 minutes, then I removed the foil and added breadcrumb topping and let it bake a bit more before cranking the oven to “Broil” and letting the golden magic happen.IMG_1629

It was very pretty, but that was nothing compared to how it tasted. A few sautéed grape tomatoes were the only addition to this “enlightened” meal. IMG_1634 It had the creaminess of a full dairy cheese sauce, but the chicken stock lowered the fat content nicely. While it wasn’t completely guilt free, it was darn close. This could easily serve six people, but in reality it is more like four servings, but even at that it still won’t totally break the fat and calorie bank.

Italian Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Italian Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until not quite "al dente". Add the cauliflower and bring back to a boil. Drain and rinse, then set aside.
  2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Coat lightly with cooking spray and add the sausage. Cook the sausage until it is golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside.
  3. Add the olive oil to the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook stirring often until everything is soft and fragrant. Add 1/4 cup of the chicken stock to the pan. Stir to loosen any brown bits. Add the flour and cook and stir for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the remaining stock stirring until smooth. Stir in Half & Half and cook until the mixture thickens and is bubbly. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the grated cheese, stirring until it melts.
  5. Coat a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the pasta, cauliflower, sausage, and cheese sauce in the pan. cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
  6. Combine the melted butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan. Remove the foil and top the casserole with the crumb mixture. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Turn oven to broil and allow the topping to brown.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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As I get ready to post this, it feels like Spring is truly here. Let’s hope that it plans on staying for awhile.

Stealing Inspiration and Artichoke Lasagna

Inspiration. It’s what motivates us to do something. We can be inspired by someone’s actions or words, which in turn allows us to try something new. Cooking is made up of many things, but first and most important is inspiration. Whether it’s a beautiful vegetable at its peak of deliciousness, an upcoming event that screams for a special dish, or a recipe that sparks the creative juices of the mind and palate. That’s what this is all about…taking inspiration from a recipe.

Those of us who love to cook often come up with ideas that arrive like lightning bolts that must be harnessed into wonderful food. We take to the kitchen and experiment until we create the perfect storm, a dish that is fabulous. There are also times when we see someone else’s “perfect storm” and are inspired to create our own version of that perfection. Let’s face it, most of us do not follow a recipe to the letter (with the exception of baking where creative license can mess with the kitchen chemistry). We add a little more of something or maybe a little less.

There are times when I see a recipe in a magazine or on-line that gives me an idea. I take the basic idea and run with it. That’s how the Artichoke Lasagna came to be. The recipe I came across used artichokes, mushrooms, and red bell peppers to create the filling that included a huge amount of cream cheese. I kept the veggies and lost the cream cheese to create a lasagna that was all my own with a more traditional filling using ricotta, cheese, and eggs, along with a bit of pesto.IMG_1510I combined the vegetables with this and the result was a creamy filling ready to hold its own in my lasagna.IMG_1519I decided to try whole grain lasagna and I can highly recommend it. The nutty flavor and sturdy texture added to the lasagna’s taste.IMG_1524The lasagna went together in the usual way; layers of noodles, filling and cheese.IMG_1527 I topped it off with a Bechamel Sauce that I made with fat-free half & half and Cracked Pepper Toscano Cheese. This is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s items. It’s a creamy Parmesan type cheese that is coated in black pepper. Wonderful in cooking  and a delicious addition to a cheese plate. IMG_1532The lasagna emerged from the oven bubbly and golden as every lasagna should. After a waiting period that seemed endless, but was really about 15 minutes, it was ready to cut and serve.IMG_1537This was a win win for stolen inspiration and conscious en”light”enment. The filling was creamy and filled with veggie goodness. The six generous servings had plenty of cheesy goodness from modest amounts of  ricotta and Italian Cheese Blend and of course, that killer Bechamel.

A Disclaimer: This is not a quick weeknight meal, but it can be assembled ahead of time (even the day before) and hang out in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Just let it come to room temperature before baking. The recipe may look daunting at first glance. There are lots of steps which is typical of most lasagna recipes, but they are pretty easy to execute and are definitely worth the effort. Make this when you have time on a Sunday and you’ll have a delicious Meatless Monday supper with no more effort than turning on the oven and tossing a salad.

Artichoke Lasagna
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Artichoke Lasagna
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Bechamel Sauce
Lasagna
Servings:
Instructions
Bechamel sauce
  1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes or so. Add the milk slowly whisking constantly to keep things smooth.
  2. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Set aside in a warm place. If sauce gets too thick add a little more half & half.
Lasagna
  1. Cook the lasagna according to the package directions. Drain well and lay out on wax or parchment paper. Prepare the filling while the pasta cooks.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes. Stir often during this step to insure everything is softening.
  3. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and cook 3 minutes more or until everything is soft, fragrant, and lightly browned. Allow to cool before adding to the other filling ingredients.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pesto, and 1/3 cup of the Italian Cheese Blend. Mix everything together. Add the cooled vegetables and stir it all together.
  5. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place 2 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the filling evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle with a little of the remaining cheese blend and drizzle a tablespoon or two of the Bechamel over the layer.
  6. Repeat the process with two more noodles and the other half of the filling. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with sauce as for the first layer.
  7. Top with the remaining two noodles. Spread the rest of the Bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with the last of the cheese blend.
  8. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Check to see if things are beginning to bubble. If not cover and bake another 5 minutes or so.
  9. When the lasagna is bubbly, remove the foil and raise the oven to broil. Broil the lasagna for 3 - 4 minutes or until it is lightly golden brown and even more bubbly.
  10. Allow to rest 10 -15 minutes before cutting and serving.
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A New Year…A New Project…A New Pasta

We are already a week into the new year. I’ve decided that I want to challenge myself to be more mindful of the food I create this year. I know that every dish that I make doesn’t need to have its own moment as the star of a post, but I thought that I would try to catalog each dish that I create with a picture and a brief description. I will admit that this is partly to help me keep track of what I make, my memory, after all, isn’t getting any younger. You need have no fear of being overwhelmed with posts because I will only be sharing some of them in detail.  Bear with me this first week, I’ll share several of the plates that graced our table and yes, there will be a recipe (just one) at the end.

We started the year off with what I think was a wonderful NYE dinner. Yes it was technically 2015, but I wanted to set the tone for the coming year and no it does not mean that we will eat like this on a regular basis. We had Surf, and Turf, and Turf.IMG_0998

A small lobster tail, a bacon wrapped filet, and a lamb chop all were grilled to perfection by Papa D. Proscuitto wrapped asparagus and sautéed grape tomatoes completed the plate. We said goodbye to the old year with full and happy stomachs….

With the meat feast behind us we entered into the new year. Continuing on the theme of healthy vegetable forward meals, I turned 8 ounces of pork into  colorful kabobs that  were as tasty as they were healthy. Peppers, onions, yellow squash, and potatoes were marinated and grilled before they came to rest on a bed of sautéed spinach.IMG_1012

I plan to keep “Meatless Mondays” on the menu. I may even throw in a Meatless Wednesday or IMG_1033Thursday from time to time. Our first Monday Minus Meat was a pasta dish that featured Artichokes and Cannellini Beans with Whole Wheat Rotini. I started with a can of whole artichoke hearts. I prefer these because they hold together better than the quartered variety and you can cut them to the size that works for you. In this case, I quartered them (ironic, huh?) before I browned them in a skillet with olive oil. Frozen hearts are another good option, but unless you are near a Trader Joe’s, you may not find them. Of course, if you can find fresh baby artichokes that would be wonderful…I didn’t have any luck with that, either, but I did have the can of hearts in the pantry.

Mama D’s Trinity went into the pan. This time the onions were red and the garlic was sliced. I cut all the grape tomatoes that I had in half and added them to the pan along with the drained and rinsed beans. I added a generous splash of vegetable stock to keep everything lubricated. The sauce would later be bulked up with a cup of the pasta water. I added some red pepper flakes and fresh parsley to seal the deal. Then I let it rain Pecorino Romano Cheese.IMG_1043

This dish will feed two lavishly with enough left over  for someone to have a nice lunch the next day.IMG_1045

Pasta with Artichokes and Cannellini Beans
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Servings
3
Servings
3
Pasta with Artichokes and Cannellini Beans
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Servings
3
Servings
3
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions minus a minute or 2. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a hot skillet. Place the artichoke hearts in a single layer in the pan. Cook until lightly brown, turning as needed, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook a few minutes until they soften and smell wonderful.
  4. Add the beans and tomatoes and toss to combine. Add the vegetable stock and cook for 4 minutes or so. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more stock.
  5. Return the Artichokes to the skillet. When the pasta is cooked, reserve one cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet.
  6. Add the pasta water, parsley and pepper flakes to the skillet along with the cheese. Toss everything to combine and allow to cook for another few minutes until the cheese has melted.
  7. Serve with more cheese to add at the table.
Recipe Notes

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The new year will hold many new adventures and many of them will happen in the kitchen. There will hopefully be a little travel, a lot of family time, and of course, lots of love.

One More Post ….Spinach Fettuccine with Peppers and Salami

This year has flown by. So much has happened that it’s hard to believe that it has only been a year. It’s been a year filled with many good things. The bad things weren’t really bad, just things that happened for the best, as my mother always said. We buried two cars, but got two very nice sensible ones to replace them. We continued at our part-time, semi-retired, jobs and were able to drive to Florida for a long overdue visit with family. We now know that we really like apartment living and have only replaced a few things that we got rid of too hastily. Oh, and the kitchen has been full of love and the recipes I’ve shared have been stellar examples of that. Here’s one more ….

We had lots of leftovers from Christmas Eve and the time had come to use them or loose them. A few carefully chosen items went into this pasta dish. It was simple, easy, and oh so tasty. It was also a riff on another quick pasta dish that I shared long ago…I think I might like this new version even better. Red and green bell pepper strips joined some peppered salami to become a decadent sauce for some spinach fettuccine.IMG_0958

The rest of the ingredients were standard fixtures in the Kitchen of Love…Mama D’s Trinity joined in and  got the party started.IMG_0966A touch of heavy cream and some milk created a sauce that enveloped the dish luxuriously.IMG_0979A generous sprinkle of Pecorino Romano and it was ready to eat.IMG_0982And eat it we did, Papa D and I. We ate it all…the New Year will be here soon and we’ll focus on the healthier side of the kitchen again. Right now, this was the perfect dish to warm a Winter’s Night that finally felt like a Winter’s Night.

This recipe was literally made with what was on hand. Quantities could go in any direction that works for you. I used a combination of milk and cream because I only had a little cream. More cream would be delightful, if you dare. I aimed to keep the peppers onions and salami in similar size pieces mostly because it’s easier to eat that way. So, without further ado, here’s a simple way to say goodbye to the year.

Spinach Fettuccine With Salami and Peppers
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Servings
2
Servings
2
Spinach Fettuccine With Salami and Peppers
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Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water 1 minute less than package directions. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 7 - 8 minutes, until the onions are golden and the peppers are soft.
  3. Add the salami and the garlic and cook another 3 - 4 minutes.
  4. Pour in the milk and cream and simmer for 5 minutes or so until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cheese and continue to cook until the cheese melts.
  5. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss to coat and cook for a minute or two more.
  6. Divide the goodness into two pasta bowls. Sprinkle one tablespoon of the cheese on each bowl and serve.
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The coming year will hold many wonderful things, including the arrival of our third grandson. I know there will be new adventures in the kitchen and in the world. I’ll be sharing the best of everything with you. That’s part of my resolution…to be grateful for the best year yet, and to share my gratitude with my friends… Happy New Year!

                                                              Love, Mama D

 

Dinner vs. Supper and Fancy Farfalle with Sausage and Broccoli

What do you call your evening meal? Is it dinner or is it supper? Mama D isn’t quite sure what she calls it because she has called this meal by both names over the years. A little online searching revealed that Dinner generally refers to the largest meal of the day.  Supper is defined as “a light meal served in the early evening, if Dinner was served at midday…or it is the meal served late in the evening when Dinner was served in the early evening.” I’m still trying to wrap my head around that sentence, but it does seem, in this instance, size matters.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to this lately because now that I am back to working a split shift, meal preparation is beginning to change. Here we eat the biggest meal of the day in the early evening, which by definition makes it Dinner which we are eating at Supper Time. Should I call it Sinner? Probably not. What if I call it Dupper? That just sounds silly. I think that I will leave the semantics to the linguists and come up with my own working definition.

The evening meals from Mama D’s Kitchen will be labeled by what is served. Dinner will be a more formal affair. It will consist of a protein served with various side dishes that require a good amount of time and several pots, pans and other appliances to prepare.

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THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN DURING THE WEEK!  Weekends will be the time for Dinner when the time for preparing and enjoying meals are more flexible.

The meal that graces the evening table Monday through Friday, while made with just as much love, but far fewer pans and in much less time shall now be called Supper. Supper shouldn’t take too much more time than it takes to enjoy a glass of wine. It should be healthy and satisfying, but not too heavy and with just enough creativity to keep things from getting boring. That’s what this post is about and the recipe I’m sharing pretty much fits my definition. 2015-08-19 19.44.45This one dish supper required a pot (to boil the pasta) and a fry pan (to put everything together). It did also require a grill ( for the broccoli and sausage) which I left in the capable hands of Papa D.

2015-08-29 16.08.56The farfalle pasta I used was lemon flavored and sported bright yellow stripes. The lemon was noticable to the nose but subtle on the tongue. Lemon became one of the inspiration flavors for the dish. I found this pasta at Aldi along with a spinach and tomato basil variety. Not the type of thing one expects to find there, but it’s been my experience of late that Aldi is full of surprises. Don’t run out to your local Aldi, these went on closeout recently and very few stores have them. This is sadly the case with many of Aldi’s unique items…here today, gone tomorrow. I have, however, seen colored/flavored pastas in gourmet stores, so check them out if you want that extra festive look, but there is nothing wrong with going with the traditional variety.2015-08-19 19.37.52

I used pre-cooked Chicken Italian Sausage. This has appeared in so many of my recipes that I could become a spokesperson for the product. It’s convenient, quick, and is available in  flavors to match almost any cuisine. It seems that every store carries them and many of the larger stores have their own brand. I’m fickle as to what brand I like best, I honestly often choose by price and what I plan on making.

I cut some broccoli crowns into small florets, tossed them with a little olive oil and threw them in my grill basket. They joined the sausage on the grill. It is still summer after all and you know how Mama D feels about grilling….they turned out lightly charred and perfectly tender crisp.2015-08-19 19.29.42

Now for what held these three ingredients together. Onion and garlic were sautéed in some olive oil…could there be any other beginning? Some Chicken Stock, Lemon Thyme, and Cracked Black Pepper provided some flavor. The zest of a lemon went in along with the juice of said lemon. A little (fat-free) Half and Half added a bit of creaminess. Some freshly grated Romano Cheese added some bite. Everything got well acquainted in the skillet becoming a feast for the eyes, nose and tongue.2015-08-19 19.40.08

Farfalle with Grilled Broccoli and Chicken Sausage
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Farfalle with Grilled Broccoli and Chicken Sausage
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Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until it is just shy of "al dente". Drain and set aside. Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
  2. Toss the broccoli with one teaspoon of the olive oil. and place in a grill basket. Cook 8 - 10 minutes until it is just tender crisp and lightly charred.
  3. Cook the sausages on the grill whole until they are nicely browned. This takes about 10 minutes. Bring them in and allow them to cool slightly. Slice into 1/2 inch thick coins. Set aside.
  4. While the sausage and broccoli cook, heat a large fry pan over medium high heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the onions and cook until they begin to wilt and become translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two.
  5. Add the chicken broth and the thyme leaves to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice and allow to cook 2 more minutes.
  6. Add the sausage and broccoli to the pan along with the half & half. Simmer for a few minutes.
  7. Add the Romano Cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the cheese melts into the sauce. Serve in pasta bowls with a sprinkling of the finely grated cheese.
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My plan is to share more “Suppers” in the coming weeks and I hope that you will use these musings as a jumping off place to create your own perfect evening meal….whatever you choose to call it.