Pasta with Peas, Asparagus & Pancetta

12 ounces fettuccine
3 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped

1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

2 cups shelled fresh green peas, blanched 1 minute in boiling water, drained

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

2 tbsp basil, finely chopped

Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add asparagus to drippings in skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add peas and garlic; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add vegetable mixture, 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley, and half of basil to pasta. Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley, and basil over. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente
16 ounces Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 shredded
8 ounces  pepper jack cheese, cubed
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
4 slices bread, crust removed
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


In a large bowl, toss together pasta with the cheese cubes and pour into the baking dish.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, and nutmeg.  Stir in sour cream, egg, heavy cream and half-and-half. Pour over the pasta and cover with shredded Cheddar.

Bake uncovered until top is just beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bread into crouton-sized squares. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter, add cubes and toast until golden. Sprinkle the bread cubes on top of the macaroni and cheese and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

Bacon, Zucchini and Roasted Tomato Pasta

12 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 package grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup moscato wine
16 ounces fusilli pasta
3 slender zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
Salt
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put tomatoes and garlic in a glass baking dish.  Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 20 minutes on the top rack. Once roasted, chop roasted garlic and add back to tomatoes.

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet.  Add wine; boil until reduced by 1/3, about 3 minutes.


Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until slightly underdone. Add zucchini and boil until pasta is tender but still firm to bite and zucchini is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes longer. Drain.


Add pasta, zucchini, bacon, tomatoes (with juices) to pan. Toss over medium-high heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Top with cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Pasta Puttanesca

1/2  pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 can Italian tuna in oil or water, drained well
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup black olives pitted and chopped
1/4 cup green olives chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 cup rose wine
1 fire roasted diced tomatoes
Fresh ground black pepper


Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up to a boil. Salt the water and cook penne to al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with 2 turns of the pan extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cook a minute or 2, then add tuna and break it up with your spoon. Add olives and capers, cook a minute or 2 more, then add rose wine; stir and cook down a minute. Then add tomatoes and their juice to pan. Season with black pepper. Simmer the sauce until the past is ready.


Add a couple of ladles of starchy pasta-cooking water to the sauce. Drain pasta, add to the skillet and toss to coat.

Ricotta and Herb Raviolli and Shrimp with a Sun-dried tomato cream sauce

Herb Pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced 
2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed 
1 tsp salt 
3 eggs 


Combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the herbs and the salt on the counter.  Make a well in the middle.  Put the eggs into this well.  Beat the eggs with a fork, slowly and gradually incorporating a little of the flour at a time.  When it becomes difficult to stir with the fork, use your hands.  When all the flour has been mixed in, knead the dough, pushing it against the board and folding repeatedly until it is not at all sticky and is quite stiff.  


Sprinkle the dough with a little of the reserved flour and cover with plastic or a cloth; let it rest for about 30 minutes. 


Separate dough into three equal parts.  Taking one section at a time, roll the dough until out until it is approximately 4 inches wide and 12 inches long.  Wrap with plastic.  Repeat with other two dough sections.  

Ricotta Herb Filling 
1 egg 
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup rosemary, chopped 
1/4 cup oregano, chopped 
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tsps. minced garlic
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated


Combine the egg, herbs, ricotta, garlic and Parmesan in a bowl and mix well.  


Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Put a little water in small bowl and lightly dust counter top with flour.  Starting with one of the pasta sheets, drop heaping teaspoons of the stuffing at about 1 1/2 inch intervals about 1 inch from the only edge of the strip.  Dampen the edges with a little water then fold the dough over onto itself, pressing with your fingers to seal.  Trim the dough and cut into individual ravioli.  


Cook the ravioli for just a few minutes, until they rise to the surface.  Drain. 


Sun-dried tomato cream sauce 
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil; 1/2 ounce), patted dry and coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 pound shrimp, detailed and deveined

Heat olive oil in skillet.  Add garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, covered. 

Add shrimp to skillet, covered, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir cream and 2 tablespoons basil into sauce in skillet and bring just to a simmer.

Add cooked raviolis to sauce and serve.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Jalapeno-Corn Couscous

This is my take on the April 2011 Food Network Magazine Spice-Rubbed pork tenderloin with quinoa. 

1 small pork tenderloin (1 1/2 pds) cut in thirds
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh cracker pepper
olive oil
1 cup couscous
2 tbsp salted butter
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 jalapeno cored and sliced into rings
Jarred salsa verde

Rub pork pieces with olive oil.  Mix spices together and coat on pork.  Grill on indirect heat for about 20 minutes or until pork is at 140 degrees. 

Meanwhile bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in saucepan.  Add a tbsp of salt and a tbsp of olive oil to the water add 1 couscous and stir.  Simmer with the lid on for about 10 minutes. 

Heat butter on medium heat in pan.  Add corn and jalapenos.  Salt if neccesary.  Add cooked couscous into pan with corn.  Stir and cook on medium for about 5 minutes. 

When pork is done, let rest for 5 minutes and then slice and drizzle with olive oil and salsa verde.  Serve with couscous.

Mac and Cheese Carbonara

Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1-inch-thick slice bacon, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk, or more if needed, hot
4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) grated asiago cheese, plus more for the top
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for the top
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Monterey jack , plus more for the top
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pepper jack cheese, plus more for the top
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for the top
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-by-10-by-2-inch baking dish and set it aside.


Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the garlic to the fat in the pan and cook until lightly golden brown, 1 minute.


Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3 to about 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cayenne and all the different cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add additional warm milk, 1/4 cup at a time.


Put the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved bacon, and the parsley, and stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.


Combine an additional 1/4 cup of each cheese in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake until the dish is heated through and the top is a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Not My Grandma's Cheesy Noodles!

Spicy Radiatore and Cheese
2 servings Radiatore noodles
3/4 cup Mexican Velveeta Cheese (mild)
1 tbsp. 2% milk (may need more)
1 tsp. green chiles
1/2 tsp. adobo (from canned chipotles)
1/2 tsp juice from pickled jalapenos
1/2 tsp jalapeno mustard
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 tbps vegetable oil
1/4 cup Parmesean cheese, grated


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


Cook pasta to al dente according to package.


Add cheese, milk, green chiles, adobo, jalapeno juice and mustard to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat and stir until cheese melts. Stir in pasta.


While cheese is melting, mix bread crumbs, paprika, chili powder, cayenne and salt and pepper together. Heat butter and oil in a pan until hot. Add bread crumbs to butter and oil and toast.


Spray a small oven safe bowl with non-stick spray. Pour noodle and cheese mixture in bowl. Top with toasted bread crumbs. Grate Parmesan cheese over top.


Bake for 5 minutes.


I really enjoyed the noodles and cheese. I remember my great-grandma making me noodles and cheese for lunch growing up. As a grown up I still enjoy the flavors. I spiced up her basic recipe and added bread crumbs to the top. This recipe has spice but is not too spicy. It has nice depth of flavor. I will definitely make it again!