Pasta e Fagioli

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Soup's On! and tagged with beans, italian soup, pasta, soup, vegetable soup September 24, 2015

Summer has ended and fall weather is nipping at it’s heels. Cooler days and nights are beckoning for hearty autumn fare.

This thick, flavorful soup is all that and more. Abundantly rich with vegetables and pasta this traditional italian dish is hearty and comforting; the ideal meal for the cool nights ahead. Salad and crusty warm bread make the perfect sides. And let’s not forget a glass of your favorite vino.

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)

adapted from “All About Pasta & Noodles” by Irma

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped

2 tbsp packed finely chopped fresh parley

2 large cloves garlic, minced

One 14 oz can crushed whole tomatoes with juice

One 15 to 19 oz can cannellini, great northern or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup (1 inch) pieces green beans

1 cup small frozen lima beans

2 cups packed (1inch) pieces escarole, curly endive, or swiss chard, washed and dried

1 cup elbow or shell macaroni

Salt and ground black pepper

¼ cup grated pecorino cheese (or parmesan)

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion, carrots, celery and parsley and sauté until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes.

Add in garlic and stir for one minute. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add beans and stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Next add escarole, endive or chard. Cover and simmer low for 5 minutes. Add pasta and salt to taste. Continue to simmer until pasta is tender, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Ladle into serving bowls and top with grated cheese.

Serves 8 as a first course, 4 as a main course.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Spinach

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with cherry tomatoes, pasta, Roasted vegetables, spinach September 16, 2014

My garden is still producing beautiful, plump, sweet cherry tomatoes and this was the perfect dish to showcase them in. Roasting the vegetables lends incredible flavor to this light, healthy recipe. This is fabulous meal that takes little effort.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Spinach

adapted from Everyday Food – January, 2010

2 pints cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 shallots cut into eighths
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces rigatoni or spiral pasta
1/3 cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
3 cups baby spinach

Spread tomatoes, garlic, shallots and thyme on a rimmed sheet pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until garlic is soft and tomatoes have burst.

Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Peel roasted garlic and mash into a paste. Add pasta water, roasted vegetables and olives to pasta. Simmer over medium high heat 3-5 minutes until sauce thickens. Toss in spinach. Serve with freshly grated parmesan if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with chicken, pasta, spinach, white wine April 27, 2014

I watch reruns of Pioneer Woman every day while I’m on the treadmill. That may sound strange to workout while watching food being prepared in cast iron skillets usually full of butter, but I guess I feel as if I’m burning the calories I imagine I’m consuming. This delicious pasta dish is adapted from one of Ree’s recipes and it only contains 2 tablespoons of butter, which you could leave out, but it does lend to the flavor and browning of the chicken.

Chicken Florentine Pasta
adapted from Ree Drummond

1/2 pound penne, spiral or bow-tie pasta
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups good dry white wine (not cooking wine)
3/4 cups chicken broth
1 – 5 ounce package baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated or shaved with vegetable peeler

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Cut up chicken breasts into bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sauté until fully cooked and brown. Remove and set aside.

Lower heat to medium, add minced garlic and another pat of butter. Cook for just a minute being careful not to burn. Add wine and chicken broth; scrape to deglaze pan. Simmer wine and broth for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, tomatoes and spinach and toss well. Spinach will wilt as you toss. Add parmesan cheese and toss until well combined. Serve with additional parmesan if desired. Makes 4 large servings.

Orecchiette with Peas, Pancetta & Cream

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with cream, Pancetta, Parmigiano Reggiano, pasta, peas April 10, 2014

Orecchiette is the perfect shape pasta to hold the rich, cheesy cream sauce and tender green peas of this delectable dish. Serve with a side salad and warm crusty bread.

Orecchiette with Peas, Pancetta & Cream
adapted from recipe by DeLallo

You will need:

1 (1-pound) package Orecchiette Pasta
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound Pancetta, cut 1/4-inch thick, then cubed into small pieces
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Remove all but 1 teaspoon of the drippings.

Add butter and onions to the pan and sauté until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the pancetta and cream; bring to a low simmer and cook 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

Pour the cooked pasta into the pancetta and cream, mixing well to coat. Add the peas and cheese. Add 1/4 cup pasta water and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional grated cheese. Serves 6.

Pesto, Pasta, Shrimp and Asparagus

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with asparagus, basil, lemon, pasta, pesto, Shrimp March 28, 2014

Pesto and pasta is a great combination and during the summer months I love to make fresh pesto with basil from my garden. But summer is still months away and with asparagus in season and so reasonably priced at the grocery store, this recipe wouldn’t wait. A store bought jar of pesto works just fine for this lemony fresh pasta creation and saves time in the kitchen too.

Pesto, Pasta, Shrimp and Asparagus

Inspired by recipe for Pasta, Shrimp, Asparagus and Basil
Good-Housekeeping, May 1994 issue

You will need:
8 oz. spaghetti
1/3 cup store bought pesto
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. asparagus, cut on the diagonal, into two inch pieces
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more if you like the heat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Add olive oil to a large non skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt, black and red pepper and sauté until pink, just for about 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Add asparagus to pan and cook until crisp tender. Add lemon juice.
Drain spaghetti and add to asparagus. Toss with pesto. Add shrimp back in with lemon slices and toss again.

Makes 4 servings.

To make fresh Pesto add the ingredients listed below to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spicy Chicken and Pasta

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with chicken, jalapeño peppers, linguine, marinara sauce, pasta, spicy February 17, 2014

Today was another cold and snowy day here in Chicagoland. Another 8 inches of snow on top of the 60 plus inches we’ve had this year. We’re getting very weary with it all, to say the least. My son and his family are so lucky to be in Florida this week, soaking up the sun. So since we can’t be warmed up from the outside in, I decided to find something to warm us up from the inside out, and that something was hot and spicy pasta. This dish gets it’s heat from a mix of cajun spice, chipotle and jalapeño peppers, added to store bought marinara for a quick and easy shortcut base for the sauce.

You will need:

4 small to medium boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

1 /2 tablespoon cajun spice

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1/3 cup good red or white wine for deglazing

1 small jar roasted red peppers

1 chipotle pepper chopped and seeded

2 small or one large jalapeno chopped and seeded

1 large jar marinara sauce

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

1 cup half and half

1- 16 ounce box linguine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Season chicken with cajun spice, salt and pepper and brown in olive oil. Remove from pan.

Sauté chopped onion until soft. Deglaze the pan with wine. Add next 5 ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add half and half and stir until creamy. Add chicken and heat through.

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce.

Add parsley and fresh grated Parmesan before serving.

Ragu alla Bolognese with Penne

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Dinner Ideas and tagged with Bolognese, pasta, penne, ragu January 12, 2014

Having a Melt Down

In a weeks time we have gone from scary low temps and severe wind chill warnings to heavy rains and flood warnings. A 57 degree temperature change in 4 days.
And while the temps may be climbing, winter is far from over. It’s still very damp and cold out and I need to be warmed from the inside out.

Today I’m feeling rather saucy. A bolognese, perhaps. Now, a genuine bolognese is a meat based sauce, that is slooooow simmered. Like 3 and 1/2 hours slow. It’s traditionally paired with tagliatelle, a fresh broad flat egg noodle which is similar to fettuccine. But since I spent the majority of the day running errands and dodging pot holes, I just don’t have 3 hours to simmer, and well, homemade pasta, not going to happen. Someday when I’m retired, maybe. Let’s be real. Probably not. Sorry Martha. I’m feeling so ashamed.

Here’s my version of this amazing pasta sauce.

Ragu alla Bolognese with Penne

1 lb Penne Pasta ( I like De Cecco)
Freshly grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 teaspoon
3 ounces pancetta, smalled diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion red onion, minced (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, minced (1 cup)
2 stalks celery, minced (1 cup)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes. Preferably San Marzano.
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine (something you like to drink, do not use cooking wine)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Mince carrots, celery and onion

Dice pancetta

Heat a saucepan, add the butter and oil. Add pancetta.

Sauté on medium high heat until crisp and fat has rendered.

Reduce heat to medium and add the minced carrots, onion and celery. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook until softened another 2 minutes.