Corkscrew Pasta with Shrimps in Creamy Pesto Sauce

Copyright 2014 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Shrimps plus pesto equals magic! Really! This is what I have been dreaming of for the last few weeks. I was saving a good batch of shrimps for a friend who loves them but I needed to practice on a recipe that he specifically asked for so that I can do it perfectly this time. However, with the bad weather, good shrimps are hard to find. It was probably my luck when my brother who came for a visit brought with him a bag of fresh shrimps. At that time, I knew it was time to make pesto. It wasn't the recipe I was planning to make but I had a big bunch of organic basil leaves in my fridge so it had to be a pesto dish.

The recipe is a combination of Emeril's take on a pasta dish with shrimps and a creamy pesto sauce. I had to change the recipe a bit as I wanted a much lighter dressing on my pasta. Overall, the longest preparation time is when you cook the pasta. The rest of the dish was quite easy to put together with tremendous results.

Corkscrew Pasta with Shrimps in Creamy Pesto Sauce - Adapted*

Seasoning Mix:
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp Spanish paprika
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried thyme

2 lbs fresh shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 lb corkscrew pasta
1/2 cup pesto
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Cook until al dente. Set aside. 
    Save some of the pasta water.

2. Season the shrimps with the seasoning mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 

3. In a large pan, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium high heat. Add
    the shrimps and cook until it turns salmon pink. Remove from the pan and 
    set aside. 

4. Saute the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened. Add
    the garlic and continue to saute until the garlic turns golden brown. 

5. Add the cream and the pesto. Stir quickly and cook until it simmers. Add
    the cooked pasta and stir until the sauce has coated the pasta. Mix in the
    cooked shrimps. If the pasta is a bit dry, loosen with the pasta water. 

6. Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the cheese and the parsley. Serve 
    immediately.

 *Lagasse, E.; Shrimp with Linguini in a Creamy Pesto Sauce.

Baked Macaroni

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Baked Macaroni, is the quintessential favorite of almost every kid in America, my nephew and nieces included. They love the boxed variety from Kraft and even though I always try to prepare them food made from scratch, they never seem to appreciate the reasons why I do it. Anyway, this dish is not for my nephew and nieces who are miles away across the globe in Illinois. This adult version of baked macaroni is for our batch Christmas party this year. It was assigned to a friend but she thought I will do a much better job at it so she relegated the cooking to me.

Truth be told, it has been some time since I made this dish and well, baked macaroni is cooked differently here in the Philippines. The sauce that they use is almost always tomato based and is flavored with either ground beef, hotdogs or sausages. Thus, I am torn between the traditional American baked macaroni dish I have come to love and the one that is commonly served here during special occasions. I ended up combining both recipes sans the meat to satisfy both my desire to stay true to the dish and to have it look a bit familiar to my Filipino friends.

Baked Macaroni

Marinara Sauce:

4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 30-oz canned whole tomatoes
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
salt and pepper

Cheese Sauce:
1/2 cup salted butter
8 tbsp flour
6 cups milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
salt and pepper

1 1/2 lb macaroni, cooked as per packet instructions
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Herbes de Provence

1. To prepare the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil in a pot over medium 
    heat. Add the garlic and saute until slightly browned. Add the chili flakes 
    and saute for a minute. 

2. Crush the whole tomatoes with your hands and pour into the pot. Rinse the
    can with about a cup of water and add to the sauce. Season with salt and 
    pepper and the dried oregano. 

3. Bring the pot to a boil and lower the heat to low and simmer covered for 
    about 30 minutes.  Check for flavor and set aside. 

4. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and 
    mix until a smooth paste is obtained. 

5. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking the roux (butter and flour mixture). 
    Continue to whisk until all the milk has been incorporated. This will prevent
    lumps from forming. 

6. Season with the nutmeg and continue to cook the sauce for about 5-10 
    minutes. Add more milk if it gets too thick. 

7. Add the cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese and stir until fully incorporated
    into the sauce. Check for flavor and correct with salt and pepper. 

To assemble, mix the cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce and combine until the pasta is evenly coated. Spoon about 2 cups of the marinara sauce into a 9x13 baking dish and top with the macaroni. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs and dust with a little bit of the Herbes the Provence. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. 
 

Fettuccini Alfredo

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

What do you do with 2 lbs of fettuccini? Why, you make Fettuccini Alfredo of course! Here in my country, this pasta dish is also often bastardized and ends up in a sea of white sauce that may or may not contain condensed milk. I've tried one where I had to add a ton of Parmesan cheese just to neutralize the sweetness of the sauce. It was almost like a dessert pasta in its sweetness. Another offense is the addition of either bacon, mushroom, ground meat or a combination of two or three of the above mentioned items. Somehow for us Filipinos, more is usually better although sometimes, that is not the case. 

In my desire to go back to basics when it comes to Italian dishes, I am scaling back on the expectations of what a Pasta Alfredo is to those who claim to know all about it and honor the original recipe of Alfredo Di Lelio which traditionally is made with only butter and cheese. Well, I'm almost going to honor it. The addition of cream allowed the use of less butter when making the sauce and this is what I'm going to follow. I also used a little bit of milk to thin out the sauce. As much as I love butter, I'm on a low fat diet at the moment and even with just one serving of this dish, I may have already pushed my caloric intake to the brink. I'm eating this dish with one eye blind. Thus, with a nod to the original recipe and a bit of a twist by adding lemon juice and zest ala Giada de Laurentis, here is my version of Fettuccini Danilo. Ooops, I meant, Alfredo! 

Fettuccini Alfredo

1 lb dried fettuccini
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and white pepper

1. Cook fettuccini as per packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, 
    prepare the sauce. 

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Keep an eye on it
    and make sure it does not burn. 

3. Slowly add the heavy cream while stirring and continue to stir until the 
    cream is fully incorporated. 

4. Season with salt and white pepper. Slowly add the lemon juice and stir 
    quickly to prevent the cream from curdling. 

5. When the pasta is almost ready, add the milk and nutmeg into the sauce. 
    Turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted
    into the sauce and check for flavor and adjust accordingly. 

6. Toss the fettuccini into the skillet and coat with the sauce.  Add the rest 
    of the Parmesan cheese and lemon zest and serve immediately.