Fusilli with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Ricotta Cheese

After college I moved to NYC to “grow up,” which means I worked three jobs in attempts to make rent & pay off student loans while having some fun too. Glamorous, right? One of my three jobs was waiting tables  in NYC’s Little Italy. During this time I survived on a few staples for dinner: cannolis, pasta dishes my boss would generously share with me & Chinese food from my favorite place a block away.

I really hadn't thought about these meals until I was watching Giada’s show on Food Network yesterday. She was in Italy making all kinds of pasta. The one dish that she made took me way back to my early twenties when I used to share fusilli (the long curly pasta) with tomato sauce & fresh ricotta with my boss. I easily ate this once or twice (maybe more) a week. Giada’s method was simple & straight forward so feeling nostalgic for it I recreated it from memory of what I learned earlier in the day. 

The one key method for making Giada's simple & super fresh tomato sauce sung out to my inner love of tomatoes - especially fresh summer tomatoes. She took fresh tomatoes & used a box grater to break them down for the sauce. Apparently if you do this in a fancy food processor or blender the heat from those kinds of appliances actually change the flavor of the tomatoes (& we don't want that). I had to try it. I did & I loved it. This maybe my new favorite way to make tomato sauce. It’s so easy & fresh that you’ll be making on the regular too. I think it’s time to get this dish back in my weekly rotation like when I first moved to NYC.

Do you have specific food that reminds you of your first “adult” years? I’d love to hear about them. Leave me a note in the comments below.

PS: remember if you make this pasta be sure to snap a pic & then tag me in your photos on instagram (@mrshoh or #HeatherOMade)!

Pasta Bolognese

Every now & then I make something with red meat. As you probably know if you’ve stopped by before I’m not a huge fan of it, but Chris is so from time to time I’ll make it. This past Sunday I made a pasta bolognese from Anne Burrell’s recipe that I adapted to make my own. This bolognese sauce takes 3-4 hours (yes that long) to cook(!!!!) hence why it’s made on a Sunday. I actually cooked the sauce on a Sunday &  we ate it with pasta on a Monday.

This recipe is not particularly difficult (actually it’s pretty easy) but it does require a big time commitment. Growing up my family didn’t identify pasta bolognese sauce as a ‘thing’ it was just spaghetti & meatballs. When the meatballs broke apart in the sauce I guess that was our version of a bolognese sauce which I learned later in life (after waitressing on Mulberry Street) that it is a meat sauce. So this recipe isn’t a Grandma Pesce recipe but it is a good one & I’d make it again.
 

PS: Happy Birthday Amanda! I love you & hope this is your best year yet! (In hindsight I really should've made manicotti huh? :)!)

Veggie Lasagna

My grandmother only makes lasagna on Christmas because my dad will be there to eat it. Lasagna is a labor of love & reserved for very special loved ones.  My friend Ashley was up visiting from Texas this past weekend. She is a lasagna worthy friend.  I even whipped up some homemade lasagna pasta sheets to make it extra special. You can of course skip the homemade pasta part & use the boxed lasagna noodles but whatever you do, make this for someone you love sometime really soon, preferably on a lazy Sunday when you have just as much time to make it as you do eat it in really great company.

Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, Spinach & Goat Cheese Pasta

Kristin from Beauty Counter posted a photo of this onion mushroom pasta dish on her Facebook page the other day & I was inspired to try it although I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I went off the ingredients that I had on hand plus a suggestion my cousin, Christy Ann made to add pasta water & goat cheese for a simple yet creamy pasta sauce.  Thanks for the inspiration ladies! I really liked what evolved from these ideas & I think you will too!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #15 Reserve 1 Cup of Pasta Water Before Pouring it Down the Drain

Right before you drain your cooked pasta reserve at least a cup of the salty starchy water. I like to stick a glass measuring cup or a coffee mug into the pot to pull it out.  Then there are at least three ways I use this reserved water for are:

1. To keep pasta from sticking together before serving add some of the water to it so that it doesn’t stick together in the serving bowl.
2. To perfect your sauce consistency by adding some of the reserved water to a thick sauce that you want to thin out by adding a little bit at a time to the sauce & cooking over low heat.
3. To keep leftover pasta from sticking together add some of the water to your the container of pasta that you’re storing it in. When you’re ready to eat the leftovers they’ll look like individual noodles rather than one big mass.  You can microwave the pasta in the water & it won’t get dried out & sticky.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here. 

Better Home Cooking Basics: #10 Pasta Water Should Taste Like the Sea

If you want your pasta to taste like my grandma’s (& believe me you do) you absolutely must salt your water. I’m not talking a little sprinkle from the salt shaker. In fact, don’t use the salt shaker that you put on your table, or if you must please unscrew the top to get the salt out of it.  Add the salt right before you add your pasta (it should be at a rolling boil at this point). I usually add at least a tablespoon or two depending on the size of the pot & the amount of water. If you don’t know if you’ve added enough, taste the water. It should taste like the sea.  Adding salt before you cook the pasta is the best way to season your pasta. If you do it after it will just taste like salt on top of pasta. If you add it while you’re cooking it - it will simply taste like good pasta.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Kale & Cherry Pepper Mac & Cheese

Well hello from 2014! I realize there has been radio silence from my end since the start of this new year. Honestly, I was debating what my obligatory resolutions would be. I still really don't know but I have a giant list & have definitely been inspired by BexLife's list.  When I figure it out I'll let you know. What's yours?

In any event, the start of the new year makes me want to be a better person - by bettering my relationships & trying new things.  Right before the holidays I was spoiled by some much needed girl time with some of my best friends.  We visited The Celler at Beecher's in NYC (twice for some of us in a week's time) & all agreed that their kale, mama lil's peppers mac & cheese was worthy of multiple repeat orders during the same dinner (!!!). So naturally, I wanted to try to recreate it at home & I think I came pretty close.  It's not baked but rather more of a macaroni with cheese sauce which means less cooking time - yay! Plus, if you're skipping out on carbs this year (or first full week of 2014 at least until you realize that is for the birds) you could probably just make the cheese sauce (although there is a tiny amount of flour in it) & pile it on top of steamed broccoli or spaghetti squash for a low-carb option. Try it yourself & see what you think.

Creamy Double Pumpkin Pasta

I made fresh pumpkin pasta that I posted about last week.  My lovely sister-in-laws were quick to ask what I served it with so I'm sharing that today. I served my pumpkin pasta with a pumpkin sauce. More is more, right?

In my mind, pumpkin sauce was the perfect match for pumpkin pasta.  Don't worry the pumpkin flavor is actually pretty mild but still tasty (read: it doesn't overdo it). If you don't have pumpkin pasta I would still recommend making this sauce (then you can call your dish creamy pumpkin pasta). It's creamy & when you add the fresh veggies like I did it's a pretty healthful dish (yes there is some cream & cheese in there but the bulk of it is veggies - so eat up!).

P.S. Happy Halloween!

Bonefish Grill's Chimichurri Sauce

Do you ever sit in aw of the world that is Google? I was looking to see if I could find a recipe like Bonefish Grill's Chimichurri Sauce. So I Googled it. I not only found a recipe - I found Bonefish Grill's official chimichurri recipe on the Bonefish Grill blog. I quickly found myself wishing for other things because that one was way too easy.

If there was one sauce/dressing that works on everything from  grilled warm fish to cold crisp salads - this is the one.  After making this you'll find yourself wishing for something else too. I started the week spooning this delicious sauce over some grilled salmon, next I tossed it with some mixed greens & tomatoes for a quick fresh salad, but I didn't stop there. Check in later this week to see what I served with this garlicky, South American fresh herb sauce.

Ingredients (via Bonefish Grill)

• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. plus Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp. oregano, dry leaves
• 1 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Finely grated lemon zest from 3 lemons
• 4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
• 1 cup olive oil

Make it!

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse chop until all ingredients are approximately 1/8 inch in size.
2. Add Italian parsley and pulse chop until parsley is 1/8 inch in size.
3. Add the olive oil and blend in quickly. (Do not over blend, you want it to be a little chunky)
4. Allow the sauce to marinate for 30 minutes before serving. Store it in a glass dressing bottle like I did here , refrigerate it & use it all week!

Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed Veggies

After a long weekend of being spoiled by deliciously decadent wedding festivities and meals we came home to a nearly bare fridge.  So this dish is actually whatever was left in my fridge/freezer plus some fresh ingredients I picked up at the market up the street on my way home from work.  It's kind of a nod to these melting tomatoes  plus some other veggies. The mushroom ravioli as well as the s‪autéed‬ mushrooms make this dish a meaty meatless dish.

Fettucine Marvini with Crab

If you're on a diet, skip this recipe & make this one instead. If you want something insanely delicious keep reading.

I used this buttery garlic linguine marvini recipe for the base of this recipe & I added some lemon zest & crab meat. I know you're not supposed to have seafood with cheese but it tastes good so I won't judge you if you don't judge me.

Super huge happy birthday wishes for my awesome sister-in-law, Marie! Happy birthday lady! Hope you have an amazing day & an incredible year! Love you.  xx

Zucchini Pasta e Fagioli

I've always been a fan of pasta e fagioli (often butchered by Italian-Americans like myself as something that sounds like pasta fazool).  In plain English it's pasta with beans. My mom used to make it with tomatoes, garlic & those short cut noodles or tiny elbow macaroni.

When I have a fridge full of produce I try to use it so I don't lose it. We had some zucchini in the fridge which lead me to this new (to me) take on pasta e fagioli, I call it zucchini pasta e fagioli. I left the dried pasta in it's box & shaved my zucchini into wide noodles instead (similar to here) - making it gluten-free pasta my friends (& Auntie Pat).  It's a very rustic dish which is code for it's not super pretty but it tastes really good, so serve it just after sunset when the light is that cool blue color & you're too hungry to care about how it looks.

Spinach & Kale Pesto Linguini

So of course we had our spinach & kale pesto (from yesterday's post) with pasta.  It's the obvious choice.  I tossed in some of the fresh baby kale & baby spinach leaves too for some texture.

Ricotta Gnudi with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Last week I posted about recipes for gnudi (pronounced nude-y) that I wanted to try. To be honest, I didn't grow up eating gnudi. Yes I have ate lots of delicious American-Italian cheese & sauce covered dishes but gnudi wasn't one of them. I had it at a restaurant once & it put it on the map.

So mom & Jennifer (who didn't know what gnudi was when I told them about it) gnudi is like a cheesy dumpling - or as I like to think of it a delicious cheese blob - but that might not sound so appetizing - but it is. They're kind of like the cousin of a ravioli, the difference is there is no clear definition between the pasta & the filling - it's all one homogeneous mixture. DELICIOUS.

I went with Lottie + Doof's  ricotta gnudi recipe.  I used the sauce I posted about on Monday. Overall it made for a pretty tasty Sunday dinner.

Click through for Lottie + Doof's  recipe & photos, of course.

Spaghetti Squash with Arugula Basil Pesto

I cannot believe I've never had spaghetti squash - until last night. The gals at the office were chatting it up so much I had to try it. Turns out it's not only delish & gluten-free it's super easy - so don't worry about making your own pasta with some alternative flour to steer clear of flour allergies. No ma'am. Mother nature has done it all for us.

We will definitely be eating spaghetti squash at our house again & again very soon.

Click through for the full recipe & full photos of how to make spaghetti squash with arugula basil pesto.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Crab, Citrus & Fresh Greens

We clearly eat some pasta at our house. Don't let the "O" and apostrophe in my last name fool you - this girl is Italian & her Irish husband is now too :) Well part Italian at least.

I'm always looking for new recipes to use with the staples I pick up at the grocery store. Yes, canned crab is one of those staples since there is only so much chicken & salmon we can eat.

I jazzed this recipe up with my gluten-free pasta & some fresh greens of course.

Click through for a citrusy take on crab & pasta. Yum.

Gluten-Free Homemade Pasta

Seems as though getting healthy is trendy & I have no qualms about it. Lately food allergies are on the rise, particularly allergies to gluten - I feel like it's the new lactose-intolerance of 2013. In any event, chances are someone you know is gluten-intolerant which is no fun but there are so many options now that they too can have their cake and eat it too - or in my world pasta.

I picked up a bag of garbanzo bean flour at the grocery store (there are so many "flour" options now!) & thought I'd give it a whirl in some pasta that I adapted from this recipe.

Whether you can eat flour by the pound or none at all this gluten-free pasta will satisfy your carb craving. Oh & it's packed with tons of protein. #winning

Click through for the full recipe & photos.

Pasta with Sautéed Broccoli & Garlic

Pasta with sautéed broccoli & garlic I hands down one of my favorite things to eat. I eat it at home & order it at restaurants. It's my go to comfort food. We probably eat it about 4 times a month, so much so that I cannot believe that I haven't posted my perfected recipe yet.

After making this dish a bunch of times I've found a way to use less oil than I originally thought that this needed to have to be considered tasty and to not brown the garlic but to add it at the end of cooking instead. I add just enough cheese that melts in & seems to disappear so that sister-in-laws who hate cheese have no idea what's really in there (teee heee) but they don't care because it tastes that good.

No worries, the day has come, I'm going to share all those secret tips with you.  Get my fool proof recipe after the jump.

Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Tomato Sauce with Carrots & Onions

This weekend I managed to squeeze in a couple of chapters of My Berlin Kitchen.  The one thing The Wednesday Chef brought to the surface for me was how she feels when she cooks for other people.  She finds joy in making others happy with what she's prepared in the kitchen for them.  Call it an epiphany or an a-ha moment, but this hit the nail on the head for me. I guess I always knew I liked to cook & share it with others but I never verbalized that I do it because it makes me happy to see others happy because of something I cooked. Thanks for the wake up call Luisa Weiss!

And thank you my reader for joining me on this journey, I sure do enjoy your comments (hint, hint). Click through for the tomato sauce recipe  I snagged from My Berlin Kitchen that I served with Wild Mushroom Agnolotti* with Tomato Sauce with Carrots & Onions.


*Agnolotti is just like ravioli. If you want the real difference between the two check it out here.

Veggie Fettuiccine Alfredo

I watched Mario Batali make this version of fettucini alfredo on TV a while ago & used it as inspiration for our Sunday supper with my own little flare of course.  Click through for my version of his recipe.

Have a great week & happy October (OMG!!! time flies).