Gotta Make Money Pasta

I made-up a new recipe for dinner last night, and have officially named it "Gotta Make Money Pasta". Why? Because it's GREEN!  And finding new ways to use the prolific zucchini this time of year is always helpful.

This is Vegan and Vegetarian.

Cost is probably 50-75 cents per serving.  I got the pesto at Trader Joe's and the artichoke hearts are from Costco.  Start to finish, this is about a 15 minute dinner.

Prepare 1 pound of rotini-shaped Pasta (or penne)

While pasta is boiling, cut 2 zucchini into bite-sized pieces (little chunks, not round slices).

Take about 1 & 1/2 cups of marinated artichoke hearts and cut into bite sized pieces.

Scoop a little of the oil from the artichoke hearts container into a saute pan. Add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat up to medium-high. Add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.  Saute the zucchini until almost cooked through. Add artichoke hearts. Cook together another 1 or 2 minutes.

Drain pasta when finished. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of pesto to the bottom of the pasta pot. Add veggies and mix. Add more pesto to tase.

Serve with fresh parmesan.

Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)

A filling dinner in 10 minutes for 25 cents/serving!

I have made two versions of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.  Both are delicious, super-cheap, and very filling.

The first version is the one we served last night, by Lidia Bastianich.  She was kind enough to post it on her Facebook Fan Page a few weeks ago.  This recipe follows below.

The second version is by another PBS chef, Mary Ann Esposito (another specialist in rustic Italian cooking).  I own her book Ciao Italia in Umbria, and later this month I shall attempt its recipe for Mezzalune (Almond Crescent Cookies).  Tragically, I have lost my copy of her version of Spagetti Aglio e Olio, but I hope it is coming in the copy of Ciao Italia! I just ordered.  As soon as I am reumited with Mary Ann's version, I will be sure to share it!  UPDATE: I found a link to Mary Ann's version of the recipe here.

The primary difference between these versions is the amount of garlic used. 

I never thought I would say this, but Lidia's version almost has too much garlic!  It may be that I used especially strong garlic, but it was a lot to handle.  You can try this version as-is, or reduce the garlic by about 25-50%.

Spaghettini with Garlic and Olive Oil

Serves 6 as a main dish, or 8 as a side dish

Time to prepare: 10 minutes

$0.25 per serving: Vegan (omit cheese)
$0.50 per serving: Vegetarian (include cheese)

$2.00 per serving: gluten-free (make the sauce as described below, saute chicken breast in the sauce then serve over polenta)

• 
  
  Salt
• 
  
  1 pound spaghettini or vermicelli* (nothing thicker than spaghetti)
• 
  
  5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
  10 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) crushed red pepper
• 
  
  1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (MUST be fresh)
• 
  
  1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Pecorino Romano (optional)
• 
  
  Gluten-free only: one pound boneless chicken breast and cooked polenta

*Spaghettini is very similar to vermicelli, and both are somewhere between cappellini and spaghetti when it comes to thickness. Because they cook quickly, it’s best to remove them from the boiling water when they are still undercooked, and to let them finish cooking in the sauce. Lidia finds this pasta very delicate but zesty and wouldn’t serve it with cheese. But if you love cheese in your pasta, have it.

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Stir the spaghettini into the boiling water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, but still very firm, about 6 minutes.  Gluten-free: start cooking polenta instead.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, shaking the skillet and stirring, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper.

Ladle about 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking water into the sauce (gluten-free: add 3/4 cup hot tap water instead). Add the parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste.

Gluten-free: skip to alternate last step, below.

If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a simmer, tossing to coat with sauce. Cook until the pasta is coated with the sauce and done, about 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat and toss in the grated cheese, if using. Check the seasoning, adding salt and crushed red pepper if necessary. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Gluten-free last step: Cut the boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch cubes.  Add to the sauce, and saute over medium heat until fully cooked.  Serve the chicken over polenta and serve imemdiately.

Recipe adapted from Lidia Bastianich's Facebook Fan Page.

Cauliflower Pumpkin Pasta 2/25

Yumm-o.  Rachael Ray doesn't focus on vegetarian recipes, but some really great ones can be found in her cookbooks, including this one!

This pasta has an unusual combination of flavors, and it works very well.  The fresh sage really stands out.  If you wanted to serve this as a side dish I think the flavors would blend beautifully with rosemary roasted chicken.  You could also add sausage for a heartier meal.

Pumpkin is packed with carotenoids (as are carrots - that's why they are orange), lutein and zeaxanthin which all attack free radicals (nasty molecules that can attack cell membranes and leave the cells vulnerable to damage).  Lutein and zeaxanthin scavenge free radicals in the lens of the eye, which may help prevent the formation of cataracts and reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a serious eye problem than usually results in blindness.  You can learn more about the benefits of pumpkins here.

In short, pumpkins are very, very good for you.

 

Cauliflower Pumpkin Pasta

Serves 4 in under 30 minutes.

 

$1.00 per serving: Vegetarian or Gluten Free (if served over polenta)

• 
  
  2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 
  
  3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 
  
  1 large head cauliflower
• 
  
  1 cup vegetable stock
• 
  
  Salt, to taste
• 
  
  1/2 pound cavatappi (hollow corkscrew pasta) or other shaped pasta (replace with cooked polenta for gluten free)
• 
  
  1 cup pumpkin puree* (found on baking aisle, careful NOT to get pie filling)
• 
  
  1/4 cream or half-and-half
• 
  
  1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (grate your own and avoid a shake jar if possible)
• 
  
  A dash of ground nutmeg
• 
  
  Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 
  
  3 tablespoons fresh sage leaves (dry will NOT work at all, get the fresh)

Preheat a large skillet (one with a tight fitting lid) over medium heat.  Add the oil and garlic and cook for 1 munite.  Add the cauliflower and turn to coat in oil.  Add the vegetable stock and bring up to a boil.  Place the lid on the pan and simmer the cauliflower for 15 minutes, or until very tender.

Place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, when boiling add some salt to the water for seasoning and add pasta.  Or, start the polenta, for gluten free.

 

When the pasta is cooked and the cauliflower florets are very tender, remove the lid from the cauliflower and stir in the pumpkin puree and cream.  Heat through, then drain off the pasta and add it to the cauliflower and pumpkin.  Add the cheese, nutmeg, pepper, and sage.  Toss, then season with salt to taste.  Serve with extra cheese to pass at the table with a salad on the side.

 

Gluten-free last step: complete all the same steps above, except do not toss together.  Serve the sauce over the finished polenta.  You might want to add a little sage and parmesan cheese to the polenta while it is cooking so the flavors blend.

 

Adapted from 30-Minute Get Real Meals, by Rachael Ray (2005).

NOTE: I had my leftovers topped with ricotta cheese and that was AWESOME.

*We bought a 25+ pound pumpkin back in November and tokk a few hours one Saturday to process it into puree and roasted pumpkin squares.  This one pumpkin yielded over 30 cups of pumpkin!  To make homemade puree, peel the pumpkin and remove seeds.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  Put on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss.  Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 mnnutes, check regularly until it is cooked through.  Let it cool.  Freeze as is (for 1 inch cubes) or puree in a cuisinart until a desired texture is achieved.  As it is, unseasoned, this is the perfect baby food!

Home-made Gnocchi with Home-made Marinara Sauce 1/26/10

Happy Birthday to me!
I'm not cooking tonight...

For those nights when I'm just not going to cook, I always try to have instant dinners stored in the freezer.

Tonight is one of those nights!

A really fun (seriously!) weekend project is making home-made gnocchi. Preparing the dough is actually very fast, it just takes a while to shape the pasta. But this is soooooooo easy to do, you can get spouses and kids involved! This can be a fun and productive way to spend time together as a family.

$0.55 per portion: Gnocchi and Marinara combined (vegetarian)

I use Lidia Bastianich's gnocchi recipe, and I wouldn't dare alter it. For that reason I am giving you the link direct to her site.

http://www.lidiasitaly.com/first-courses/potato-dough-for-gnocchi

This is a vegetarian dough, but as it contains egg and flour I do not have a vegan or gluten-free option for tonight. Sorry!

The cost per person for home-made, organic gnocchi is probably about $0.30!

If you are going to take the time to make this recipe, do yourself a favor and make a triple batch. You can freeze in dinner-sized batches so you make a few meals ahead at once!

I garnished with a dollop of Ricotta Cheese and Fresh Basil, steamed chard is on the side with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Here is a really good hint: First freeze the gnocchi in a single layer on a cookie sheet (about 15 minutes per batch). After the gnocchi are individually frozen, then scoop them together into Tupperware or Ziploc freezer bags and put back in the freezer. If you don't freeze in a single layer first you get a gloopy mess when you cook them later. This freezing trick works great for berries, too!

To cook when frozen or fresh: Drop gnocchi into a pot of water at a rolling boil. When the gnocchi float to the top, they are done: it takes about 1-2 minutes. Do not thaw gnocchi, cook immediately from a fresh or frozen state only. Do not overcrowd the pot, either.

Here is the recipe for Lidia's Home-made sauce (or gravy, if you prefer):

Marinara Sauce 1/26/10

Makes about 1 quart, enough to dress 6 servings of pasta.

$0.25 per serving: Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-Free

• 
  
  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
  One 35-ounce can crushed Italian plum tomatoes (San Marzano, if possible)
• 
  
  8 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 
  
  Salt to taste
• 
  
  Crushed red pepper to taste
• 
  
  10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Heat the oil in a 2- to 3-quart non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Whack the garlic with the flat side of the knife, add it to the oil, and cook until lightly browned on both sides (about 2 minutes).

Carefully slide the tomatoes and their liquid into the oil. Bring to a boil and season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper. Lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer and cook, breaking-up the tomatoes/garlic with a whisk or a spoon, until the sauce is chunky and thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in the basil about 5 minutes before the sauce is finished. Taste the sauce and season again (to taste) with salt and red pepper if necessary.

NOTES: It does not take any longer to cook a triple batch than it does to cook a single batch, so I ALWAYS triple the recipe. Then I freeze the extra sauce into 2-cup portions in the freezer. It freezes beautifully. In the summer, you can use fresh tomatoes but any other time of year use the canned for best flavor.

HELPFUL HINT: Where I live, Costco sells #10 cans of crushed and diced tomatoes for about $3 each. This is the main reason I only make triple batches, because then the sauce costs $1.00 per batch, or $0.25 cents per serving!

Both Recipes are from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, by Lidia Bastianich. Gnocchi is page 170, Marinara is page 150.