LtDan'sKitchen.com: Second Course

Showing posts with label Second Course. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Baked Macaroni

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.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Grilled Calamari

Calamari or squid is an enigma of sorts for some people. A friend of mine has never tasted squid ever which to me is quite unusual and so I tried easing her into the succulent world of the squid. Fresh calamari breaded and fried and served in a brown bag in an upscale restaurant in Bozeman Montana was the venue for this new experience and her only comment was that it was rather rubbery. However, I had to finish the whole bag for her so I didn't really mind that much. It was expensive to order a calamari dish in Bozeman which is situated high up in the mountains of the the Bridger mountain range and considering we were in a steak house, I was happy to oblige.

When I went home last year, I posted a couple of recipes including squid cooked in its own ink and a grilled stuffed squid as well. However, I was not happy with the quality of the pictures that I took even though the recipes were okay. I then took the chance to remake them and repost the recipes all over again since summer is almost here and squid is quite plentiful in the market. Today was no exception and priced at around 2$ per pound, they are wonderfully plump and juicy once grilled. The smaller ones are better cooked in an adobo dish but for the bigger ones, grilling or deep frying is definitely the way to go.

Grilled Calamari

2 lbs fresh squid
2 tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
salt and pepper

1. Clean the squid by removing the gladius along its spine. Remove the beak
    by pinching the head of the squid in between the eyes until the beak pops
    out.

2. Season the onions and tomatoes with salt and pepper and stuff the cavity
     of the squid. Secure with toothpicks to ensure the head does not fall off.

3. Season with more salt and pepper and grill over hot charcoals until the
    squid is no longer opaque and inky liquid starts to ooze out from the
    cavity.

4. Serve immediately.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Smoked Oysters Rockefeller Pasta

Here is the second installment of my post with smoked oysters. Adapting Tyler Florence's recipe on Oysters Rockefeller, it was just a matter of adding the cooked pasta and a ton of mushrooms to add some texture to the dish. The topping with bread crumbs is not that unusual in a pasta dish since bread crumbs have been used as a substitute for cheese sometimes in certain dishes. I've also seen Lidia cook a pasta dish with a toasted bread crumb dressing as well on her show. I'm holding off on the cheese and using it as a topping this time and I'm also adding the truffle oil a bit earlier to cook down with the pasta to lessen its aromatic intensity.

Smoked Oysters Rockefeller Pasta

2 3.75 oz smoked oysters, canned
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb mushrooms, diced
4 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped pasrley
1/3 cup grated cheese
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Black truffle oil
1 lb spaghetti, cooked as per packet instructions

1. Cook spaghetti as per packet instructions. As soon as you add the pasta in
    the salted water, heat a large sauce pan over medium low heat. Melt the
    butter and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic turns a light golden brown.

2. Pour half of the garlic butter into a bowl with the Panko bread crumbs. Mix
    well and set aside. To the garlic butter in the pan, return to the stove at
    medium heat and add the mushrooms, red pepper flakes and olive oil to
    saute. Season with salt and pepper until the mushrooms are slightly
    browned.

3. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and let it bubble for one minute. Add the
    oysters and mix well to heat through.

4. Add the spinach and the pasta from the cooking pot into the pan and mix
    well until the spinach leaves have wilted. Add the buttered Panko and mix
    well. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly with salt and pepper.

5. Drizzle the truffle oil and chopped parsley and toss the pasta one last time
    before serving. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the side.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Pan Fried Tilapia with Mango Salsa

I have been wanting to make this dish for months. I made this a long time ago way back in 2004 when I visited my family and I had the chance to invite my cousins over to stay with us for the night. I used tuna steaks at that time, seasoned simply with salt and pepper and pan fried in olive oil. I served them this dish for lunch for the very first and last time. I really don't know why but I never tried it again until these last few months when I seem to be craving fish a lot. I have been trying to find the right time to serve it for a dinner party but I ended up making it for myself last night with tilapia fillets.

The dish is fairly simple in that you are basically pan-frying tilapia fillets or any fish fillets until they are cooked to a flaky crisp texture. You garnish the fried fish with the mango salsa that complements the delicate flavor of the fish. I do not remember the exact recipe I used to make the mango salsa but I put together a simple version which tasted great so there is no need to worry about it. I was also lucky to find Mexican mangoes that were golden yellow in color but were still firm in texture. I usually go for the semi-ripe Haden or Tommy Atkins variety which are the more common mango cultivars in the US. Still, the mangoes I bought had the perfect texture for the salsa that I wanted to serve with the fish.

Pan Fried Tilapia with Mango Salsa

4 tilapia fillets, frozen
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil + extra for frying

1. Thaw the fillets to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels and lay
    flat on a chopping board. Drizzle with the 2 tbsp olive oil and season on
    both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Put the flour on a glass baking dish and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4
    tsp black pepper.

3. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Dredge the
    fillets with the flour mixture and tap the excess off before frying to a
    light golden brown crisp. This will take about 3-4 minutes for each side.
    Do not overfry the fish. Do this in batches and add more oil if necessary.

4. To serve, lay one or two fillets on a plate and add a scoop of the mango
    salsa on the side. Top with cilantro leaves to garnish.

Mango Salsa

2 mangoes, ripe but firm
1/4 cup diced red onions
1 tbsp ginger, diced finely
1 cucumber, peeled and
   deseeded, diced finely
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Slice the mango halves
    from the pith and scoop
    it out with a spoon.
    Dice finely.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mangoes with the onions, ginger, cucumber
    and season with the lime juice and a little bit of salt and pepper. Toss
    and cover with clingfilm and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. When ready to serve, add the sesame oil and the cilantro and give the
    salsa one last toss. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Linguini con Pesto Genovese

This dish came up because of my desire to figure out what else to do with extra basil leaves. They are quite pricey and they don't last very long. I can make more pesto sauce but I also have an extra jar in the fridge that I made earlier and I'm out of pine nuts. It was then that reading through Sophia Loren's cookbook, which seems to be my favorite this weekend, did I come along a recipe for Pesto Genovese. I know, it is still pesto but it does help me use up the remaining basil leaves that I have without having to throw them out.

What is unusual about this pesto sauce is the absence of nuts. I'm not sure in terms of culinary history how this came about but I trust an Italian when she says, just use basil and two kinds of cheeses and you are set. It is more of a pistou which originated from the Provence area while the traditional pesto is from the city of Genoa in the Liguria region. The traditional pasta for this dish is the trenette which are thin, long and flat pasta although a linguini can be used as a substitute.

Linguini con Pesto Genovese - Adapted*

3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
salt
1 lb linguini pasta

1. Place all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor except for the
    salt. Process to a coarse paste. Season with salt. Transfer to a small jar
    and protect with a layer of olive oil. Set aside.

2. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain in a
    large bowl and keep a little bit of the pasta water on the side. Dress with
    the pesto sauce and mix well. If a bit dry, add a little bit of the pasta
    water until the pasta is dressed evenly.

3. Serve immediately.

*Loren,S., Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories, GT Publishing, New York: 1998.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

I've Been Chopped

I will not call it my new favorite show but I have definitely been watching it quite a bit since last week. I have known of its existence and never bothered to watch it but I finally did this week. We had a neighbor over for dinner last weekend and she kept telling me I should go for Chopped or the Food Network Star. I politely said, "I don't think I'll go past the first round," and I mean that with all sincerity. Looking at how they cook under time constraints, I don't think I'll be able to finish one dish since I like to pace myself when I cook.

After last night's pizza dinner though, I had the momentary inspiration to challenge myself with leftover ingredients and recreate a solo friendly version of Chopped. Friendly is an understatement since the leftover items we have in the fridge are fairly easy to rework into a second dish: chicken breast, pesto sauce and Romaine lettuce. Now, I was not about to make a dessert out of these three ingredients but I figured, a starter/entree type of dish will be perfect.

First step is to season the chicken with salt and pepper. Next step is to smear three tablespoons of pesto sauce to the chicken as a quick marinade. At this point, I can either grill or pan fry it and the latter is what I chose to do in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Sear the chicken and lower the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another five minutes or until the thickest portion is cooked and is no longer pink. Let rest for a minute and slice into wedges. Arrange on a bed of Romaine lettuce and slices of Roma tomatoes and garnish with a bit of the pesto sauce. And there you have it, my "Chopped" moment.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Siopao Asado (Steamed Pork Buns)

This is my second post for this treat but the recipe is from a different source since I'm still not satisfied with my original favorite recipe which came from Brian Boitano's show. The dough was soft and squishy but after it has cooled down, it tends to harden and I like my pork buns still soft and doughey even when at room temperature. This new recipe comes from another blog, Panlasang Pinoy, that have become a favorite of mine just to check if I'm going in the right direction in terms of authentic Filipino dishes. I usually stick to my own personal preference on most dishes but when it comes to steamed pork buns, I had to rely on the recipe posted since I rarely make this back home. It was a lot easier to buy it in the market or the mall to really bother making them at home.

The inducement came from my nephew Marky who kept asking for this and so Uncle Dan had to find a recipe to meet the need. I have to say, this recipe turned out to be quite really good. Heck, it was fantastic. Of course, I had to tweak the recipe for the filling but the dough itself is wonderful. Very soft and squishy, they way pork buns should be. The filling is Pork Asado which is braised pork in a sweet sauce. I am partial to this filling since there is also the meatball filling with Chinese sausage that is equally popular back home.

Siopao Asado (Steamed Pork Buns) - Adapted*

Dough:
2 cups warm water
2 ½ tbsp sugar (for the yeast mixture)
½ cup sugar
1 pouch dry yeast
5 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tbsp baking powder
6 tbsp shortening or lard

Asado Filling:
2 lbs pork, chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp lard or shortening
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch, diluted in 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
salt and pepper
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

1. Heat the shortening in a pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic and

onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened.

2. Add the pork and cook until it loses its pink color. Add the soy, oyster,
    and Hoisin sauces, and sugar. Mix well and simmer for 40 minutes at low
    heat.

3. Dissolve the corn starch in water and add to the pork mixture until the
    sauce becomes thick. Check for flavor and set aside to cool.

4. While the filling is cooling, make the dough. In a glass bowl, add the
    yeast to the warm water (around 110°F). Add the sugar and mix well.
    Leave the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes or until you see bubbles forming.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, shortening (or lard) and 1/2 cup sugar into
    the yeast mixture and mix well. Knead until the dough comes together
    and is tacky but not sticky. You may have to add more flour to reach this
    point but add only small amounts.

4. Cover the bowl let the dough rise for at least an hour in a warm place
    until it doubles in size. Punch it down and let it rise again for another
    hour.

5. Dust the dough with a handful of flour and knead just to incorporate. Cut
    dough into 12 portions.

6. To fill, flatten the
    dough until a round
    shape is formed using
    a rolling pin. Put about
    2-3 tbsp of the asado
    filling and a slice of
    egg in the middle of
    the flattened dough
    and gather the edges
    towards the center
    to seal. Line with a 2x2
    square of wax paper to
    protect the buns from
    sticking. Do the same
    for the rest of the dough.

7. Place the buns in a steamer and steam in batches for 15 minutes. They
    will double in size so make sure you leave enough room for the buns to
    expand. Serve warm.

*Siopao Asado: Panlasang Pinoy blog

Friday, September 23, 2011

Weekday Stir Fry

It is one of those nights when you have no leftover food in the fridge and you come home from work hungry and you have no time to prepare an elaborate meal and yet, one has to eat. So what do you do? If you are like me and you keep random ingredients in the cupboard and the pantry, you make a stir fry dish and this is what I came up with. I had a packet of chow-mien noodles but it was not enough to make a noodle dish so I made it as one of the ingredients. You can definitely use more noodles than was used in the recipe but remember to adjust the liquid component as well as the flavorings depending on how much noodles you used.

Weekday Stir Fry

1 lb ground pork
6 oz dried Chow-mien noodles
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups bean sprouts
3 small carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2-3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
chopped green onions for garnish
salt and pepper
2 tbsp canola oil

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Saute the garlic and
onion until softened.

2. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook until it loses its pink
color. Add the soy sauce and mix.

3. Add the water and cover to boil. Once boiling, add the cabbage and the
carrots and cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are half cooked.

4. Add the noodles and mix well to moisten them. Cover the pan and simmer
until the noodles are cooked. This might take another ten minutes. Check
regularly and move things around to prevent the noodles from sticking at
the bottom.

5. Add the bean sprouts and the oyster sauce. Mix well. Off the heat, drizzle
with the sesame oil and garnish with the green onions.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Risotto con Piselli (Risotto with Peas)

I needed a good side dish to serve my Stracotto with and risotto came to mind but I wanted to try something new aside from my usual favorite risotto recipes. This risotto recipe is actually a healthy full meal by itself, flavored with bacon, it incorporates other vegetables and not just peas. The cooking process is slightly different for this risotto since you cook the vegetables into a thick stew before adding the rice. I have made some changes to it as I prefer to add the fresh herds at the very end and since I'm using frozen peas, I also prefer to add them at the very last minute.

The recipe is from Sophia Loren's cookbook and is something I'm glad I tried. One thing you will need though is a vegetable slicer that allows you to make paper thin slices. Zucchini is a major part of the dish but in paper thin thickness, they blend quite well into the dish without overpowering it in terms of flavor or texture.

*Risotto con Piselli - Adapted

3 oz bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried tsp basil
1 lb fresh or canned diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
Salt and pepper
2-4 cups chicken broth
Parmegiano Reggiano, grated
olive oil

1. Brown the bacon in a deep sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion
and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and stir until it slightly thickens. Add the zucchini and
cook down until the liquid has almost evaporated.

3. Add the rice and cook according to risotto basics, gradually ladling in the
broth until the rice is tender.

4. Add the herbs and the frozen peas at the last addition of the broth. check
for flavor and season with salt and pepper.

5. Sprinkle with the cheese and drizzle with olive oil prior to serving.

*Loren, Sophia. Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories. GT Publishing Corp. New York:1998

Empanada (Meat Turnover)

Empanada is a street food fare back home and is easily found whenever you go around town. The most common way these pastries are prepared is deep fried in oil since they are cooked on the sidewalks and having a thermally regulated oven is just highly improbable. This snack is more evidence of the the Spanish rule in the Philippines but is one aspect of the colonization that I do welcome (oppression and abuses aside). Traditionally cooked with chicken, I prefer to make mine with ground pork.

The snack is quite versatile in the sense that the filling can be tweaked depending on your preference for raisins, green peas and boiled eggs. I also prefer to bake these goodies since it tends to bring out the flakiness of the pastry dough. It gives it this lighter taste that you don't obtain when deep frying them. My Nanay Mercy makes these for the family and I have made my own version the last time I went home for a visit. The only difference between our versions is that I think in American portions when I cook (giant portions) and that I do bake my empanadas.

Empanada

2 package frozen pastry dough, thawed
1 lb ground pork (or chicken and even turkey)
2 lb potatoes, pared and diced
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
1/2 cup green peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
4 shelled boiled eggs, sliced into eighths
2 tbsp melted butter

1.Saute garlic and onion in the oil over medium heat until softened. Season
with salt and pepper. Add the meat and sauté until meat is browned.
Season with salt. Add the potatoes and cook covered until potatoes are
just tender for about 15-20 minutes. Check every now and then to make
sure it cooks evenly. Add the soy sauce, red peppers, green peas and
raisin and cook for about 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed and let
cool.

2.Divide thawed pie dough into 4 and roll into balls. Flatten dough onto a
floured surface. Don’t make it too thin or it will fall apart.

3.Place two tbsps of the filling on one side of the dough and a slice of the
egg and fold the other side of the dough to form a crescent shaped pie.
Press edges with fork tines to seal. Do the same for the rest of the dough
and filling mix. Arrange turnovers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
paper. Brush with melted butter.

4.Bake in preheated oven at 375°F for about 30-45 minutes or until pastry
dough is golden in color. Let cool and serve either warm or at room
temperature.

Notes:

You can basically make around 8 to 10 turnovers/box of pie dough as there are 2 pastry dough per box. So you get 4-5 turnovers/dough.

I usually add a slice of boiled egg or if you can find boiled quail eggs, you can add half of a quail egg per turnover.

The recipe above is very flexible. You do need the potato to act as a binder so don’t skimp on the potato. You can add more of the peppers, green peas or the raisin to taste. The red pepper gives it a sweet taste that you can’t get using green peppers so don’t substitute a green for the red pepper. You can also add more pork if you want it meatier.

Instead of melted butter, you can also brush the turnovers with milk. Do use a higher fat content of milk as you need the fat to achieve a golden brown color on the turnover during baking.

To cool them, I usually use a wooden chopping board. If you do have a cooling rack that has a tight mesh, all the better.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Cheese Enchiladas

Another Mexican dish I learned by watching my friend Luis cook is cheese enchiladas. The technique was the most important lesson that I learned from him since the rest of the ingredients were easy to come by. Canned enchilada sauce was available in several brands ranging from mild to hot in terms of spice heat which was my saving grace until now. The filling was very simple and had only two ingredients. The choice of tortilla became important as I used to prefer flour tortilla but most of my Mexican friends seem to prefer the corn variety.

In the spirit of the Mexican dinner I was preparing for my friends, I figured, I'd prepare everything from scratch. The first order of business is the enchilada sauce. I found a recipe that was supposedly Mexican in origin so I started from there and made it my own by changing some of the ingredients. For the filling, I made the choice to add jalapenos and together with the onions, caramelized it slightly to enhance the flavor of the onions while playing down the heat from the peppers. The other important ingredient to this dish is the cheese. I usually prefer Mozzarella but in this instance, I used Queso Fresco which I really believe now is a lot better in terms of texture and flavor. Muy delicioso!

Cheese Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce:

3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp California chili powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes
4 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 sprigs of fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)

Filling:
2 cups diced onions
4 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and sliced thinly
1 1/2 lb Queso Fresco, shredded
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

24 6-inch corn tortillas

1. In a sauce pot, mix the chili powder, flour and cocoa powder. Add 3 cups
of water and mix well. Cook over medium heat until the mixture
thickens. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the oregano, a tsp of salt, tomato paste, garlic and the remaining
cup of water. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Let cool for about 5
minutes and blitz in a blender. Check for flavor and adjust with more
salt. Set aside. You will get about 5 cups of sauce.

3. To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions
and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to
caramelize until slightly browned. Check and move the mixture around
every now and them to prevent them from burning. Set aside and cool.
Once cooled, add the shredded cheese.

4. In another saute pan, spoon about a cup of the sauce and at medium
heat add a tortilla to soften on both sides. Use a tong to lift the tortilla
out of the sauce and fill with about two tsbps of the filling mix. Roll and
lay on a baking pan that has been covered with a thin layer of the sauce.
Do the same for the rest of the tortilla or until all the filling has been used
up. You will end up with two 9X13 baking pans.

5. Cover the baking pans with foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350°F.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Penne alla Pastora - Shepherd's Penne

Inspired by Lidia as featured on her show, Lidia's Italy on the Calabria episode, I'm presenting another pasta dish. There was not much that I changed to the recipe but I used penne pasta instead of rigatoni which was used on the show, hence the change in the recipe name as well. I knew it was time to try this out when I was given free basil leaves by a friend today. Since they don't last very long and I don't really fancy making pesto sauce right now, this pasta dish will have to do.

I'm also slowly getting the hang of completing the cooking process for the pasta in the sauce that will be used to dress it up. It actually improves the taste I think and gives you more control on how much sauce to use, if using any. This also gives me a newfound respect for pasta water which was previously relegated to being just the liquid to cook the pasta in and is discarded without any thought afterwards. Now, I try to have it on the side just in case I will need more liquid whenever I'm cooking pasta dishes.

*Penne alla Pastora - Adapted

1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb penne pasta
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3 tbsp olive oil plus extra
basil leaves

1. Heat a pot of water and bring to a boil.

2. In a deep saute pan, poach the sausages in 1/2 cup water until the water
has evaporated and the sausage is sligthly browned. Remove from heat
and chop sausage into smaller pieces. Return to the same pan over
medium heat and add the olive oil. Meanwhile, add a tbsp of salt to the
boiling water and add the pasta.

3. Cook the sausages until slightly toasted. Add the pepper flakes and mix.
Add about 2 cups of pasta water and simmer.

4. When the pasta has cooked for about 8-9 minutes, transfer them to the
sausage mix and continue cooking until al dente. Add more pasta water
if needed.

5. Once the pasta has cooked, add the ricotta and mix well. Turn off the
heat and add the parmigiano. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and serve     with shredded basil leaves.

* PBS, Lidia's Italy - Calabria, Praise the Shepherd episode: 2010