Pastina

TikTok Pastina

as seen on erekasfood

2.5 cups chicken broth (low sodium)

1/2 cup small pasta (I like star or orzo)

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese rind

Cook pasta in chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, add parmesan rind. Slightly overcook pasta.

Remove cheese rind. Mix in 2 eggs, cook for another minute or two.

Serve with butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

 

Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

BY MOLLY BAZ

as seen on bonappetit

A simple sauce of juicy, bursty cherry tomatoes (aka nature’s Gushers) that comes together in around 15 minutes. If you can’t find cherry tomatoes, any larger ones will work just as well for this summery pasta sauce recipe. Simply cut them into pieces about the size of cherry tomatoes and proceed.

Ingredients

4 servings

½

cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

6

garlic cloves, smashed

4

pints cherry tomatoes (about 2½ lb.)

¾

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2

large sprigs basil, plus 1 cup basil leaves, torn if large

1½

tsp. kosher salt, plus more

Pinch of sugar (optional)

12

oz. campanelle or other tube pasta

1

oz. finely grated Parmesan (about ⅓ cup), plus more for serving

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat ½ cup oil in a large heavy pot over low. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil sprigs, and 1½ tsp. salt. Cook, stirring to coat, until tomatoes begin to burst, about 4 minutes. Smash some but not all of the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to help create a sauce, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until a chunky, thickened sauce comes together and about half the tomatoes are completely broken down and half remain in tact, 10–12 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding sugar if sauce seems tart. Pluck out and discard basil sprigs.

   Step 2

   Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, add to pot with sauce, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until coated, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 oz. Parmesan.

   Step 3

   Divide pasta among bowls. Top with more Parmesan and 1 cup basil leaves. Drizzle with oil.

Best Ever Bolognese Sauce

 Best Ever Bolognese Sauce - from Style Me Pretty

 

Prep Time

15 MINUTES

Cook Time

60 MINUTES

Total Time

75 MINUTES

 

INGREDIENTS

2 TBS olive oil	1/2 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced	1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 lb ground beef (or any combo of beef/pork/turkey)	1 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable broth	1 28 ounce can of san marzano crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup basil	2 TBS butter, divided into 1 TBS
2 Tbs Heavy Cream	1 tsp salt, plus more for adjustments
dash of pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1.

Saute the onion and carrots for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to look a bit translucent. 

2.

Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute, careful not to burn it. Bitter garlic is no good. 

3.

Add in the ground beef and and brown completely. Once browned, toss in your red wine and your veggie broth and cook down by about 1/2, about 10 minutes on medium high. 

4.

Add your tomatoes and salt cook over medium heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

5.

Add in basil, butter and cream. Stir to incorporate and simmer on loooow for 10 minutes. You're done. You can always add a bit more salt/pepper if needed!

 

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Lots of Kale

20 RATINGS

ALEX LAU

4 Servings

You will think this pasta recipe calls for an absurd amount of kale, but it will shrink a ton when cooked.

FEBRUARY 2017

INGREDIENTS

• Kosher salt
• 3 large or 4 smaller bunches kale, any type (about 1½ pounds)
• 5 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces spaghetti, thick spaghetti, bucatini, or other long strand pasta
• Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)
• Flaky sea salt

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, strip kale leaves from ribs and stems, then tear leaves crosswise into 2"–3" pieces. Cook kale in boiling water until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer kale to a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing; squeeze out excess liquid from leaves. Keep water at a boil (you’ll use it for the pasta).
• Whack garlic with the side of a chef’s knife to crush; peel off skins. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Season very generously with black pepper and cook, smashing with a wooden spoon, until cloves break into rough pieces, soften, and look golden. Add kale to pot and cook, stirring often, until darkened in color and very tender, about 8 minutes (garlic will break into even smaller pieces). Season with kosher salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (2–3 minutes less than package directions).
• Using tongs, add pasta to kale; splash in about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce lightly coats pasta, about 2 minutes.
• Serve pasta topped with Parmesan, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and more black pepper.

NY Times Spaghetti Carbonara

INGREDIENTS

•  Salt
• 2 large eggs and 2 large yolks, room temperature
• 1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving
• 1 ounce (about 1/3 packed cup) grated Parmesan
•  Coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 ½ ounces of slab guanciale (see recipe), pancetta or bacon, sliced into pieces about 1/4 inch thick by 1/3 inch square
• 12 ounces spaghetti (about 3/4 box)

•  

  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Place a large pot of lightly salted water (no more than 1 tablespoon salt) over high heat, and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with hot water for serving, and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and pecorino and Parmesan. Season with a pinch of salt and generous black pepper.
3. Set the water to boil. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pork, and sauté until the fat just renders, on the edge of crispness but not hard. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Add pasta to the water and boil until a bit firmer than al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat guanciale in skillet, if needed. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir for a minute or so.
5. Empty serving bowl of hot water. Dry it and add hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture, adding some reserved pasta water if needed for creaminess. Serve immediately, dressing it with a bit of additional grated pecorino and pepper.

Lasagna

I like to make the World's Best Lasagna Recipe from allrecipes.com

sauce    bottom
noodle
cheese
noodle
cheese
sauce
noodle
sauce
mozzarella      top

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (al Limone)

Spaghetti with Lemon and Olive Oil (al Limone)
Source: Cook Like A Champion, Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, January/February 2011, as seen on Macaroni and Cheesecake

Ingredients:Kosher salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3 tbsp. finely minced onion
1/4 cup fat free half & half (or heavy cream)
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and 1/4 cup juice from 3 lemons
1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add 1 tbsp. salt to the water and then add in your pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 3/4 cups of pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside.

Now using your empty pot, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Once hot, add onion & 1/2 tsp. salt, cooking until onions have softened. Add in 1 1/2 cups of pasta water & the half & half, whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the pasta back into the pot and toss to coat the pasta evenly. Stir in the remaining 3 tbsp. of olive oil, lemon zest & juice, parmesan cheese & pepper.

Cover and allow pasta to stand for two minutes so the sauce can thicken, tossing half way through. Add remaining pasta water and stir in the parsley. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil & parmesan cheese.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi - by Lillian Chou, as seen on Epicurious.com

 originally published in

Gourmet  | April 2008

by Lillian Chou

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 40 min

2 cups whole-milk ricotta (1 pound)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 ounces), divided
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig

Stir together ricotta, eggs, 1 cup cheese, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add flour, stirring to form a soft, wet dough.
Shape dough on a well-floured surface with lightly floured hands into 2 (1-inch-thick) ropes. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces with a lightly floured knife. Put in 1 layer on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet.
Cook gnocchi in 2 batches in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water), adding a few at a time to pot and stirring occasionally, until cooked through (cut one in half to check), 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain in colander.
Meanwhile, cook butter with rosemary in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Toss gnocchi with brown butter in skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Ricotta-Gnocchi-242001#ixzz1C4SdZC7G

Julie's notes: I skipped the butter with rosemary step, instead I just tossed the gnocchi with plain butter (olive oil would work too) until it was brown on both sides (think the color of grilled cheese).

I served with Newman's Own Organic Marinara Sauce and hubby couldn't say enough good things about it. Apparently it makes good leftovers, but he snatched them away before I could eat them!

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese - as seen on 68 Days of Gourmet
(Recipe source The Gourmet Cookbook)

Ingredients:

FOR TOPPING
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups panko or coarse dry breadcrumbs
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

FOR CHEESE SAUCE AND MACARONI
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound elbow macaroni

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 3-4 quart baking dish or 13 x 9 pan with butter or cooking spray.

FOR THE TOPPING
Mix together panko, butter and cheese in a medium bowl. Set aside.

FOR THE SAUCE
Melt butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Whisk in flour and red pepper flakes and cook, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk in a slow steady stream. Increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened a bit. Stir in cream, cheese, mustard, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

COOK THE MACARONI AND ASSEMBLE THE DISH
Cook macaroni according to package directions, making sure to add plenty of the salt to the cooking water. (At least 1 tablespoon for every 4 quarts.) Undercook macaroni about 3-4 minutes so that it still has quite a bite to it. This ensures the pasta won’t get mushy when cooking. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and then drain noodles.

Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water and sauce in a large bowl or in your sauce pot if it’s big enough. Transfer to prepared baking dish, mixture will be loose.

Sprinkle topping evenly over mixture and bake for about 25-35 minutes. Top should be golden and bubbling.

Yield: 8 main course servings or 12-14 side dish servings

Chicken Scaloppine with Spinach and Linguine

Chicken Scaloppine with Spinach and Linguine - from Southern Living

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 1 (16-oz.) package linguine
• 1 (9-oz.) package fresh spinach, thoroughly washed
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
• 6 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus; cut asparagus in half crosswise.

2. Prepare linguine according to package directions, adding asparagus during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return to pan. Stir in spinach; cover and keep warm over low heat.

3. Combine 3/4 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken cutlets; seal bag, and shake to lightly coat.

4. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 3 cutlets in skillet 2 to 3 minutes; turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned and done. Remove from skillet. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 3 cutlets. (Chicken may be kept warm in a 250° oven on a wire rack.)

5. Whisk 2 Tbsp. flour into skillet, and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in chicken broth, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, whisking to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Pour over warm pasta mixture; toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with tomatoes. Serve immediately with chicken and Parmesan cheese.

Worth the Splurge: Use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Allow your guests to grate the cheese tableside right onto their plates.

Southern Living, APRIL 2008

World's Best Lasagna

World's Best Lasagna - from AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I like to modify by adding cottage cheese to the ricotta mixture.
I like to modify the layer pattern...

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes - from the Pioneer Woman

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 14.5 ounce can artichoke hearts (quartered or whole), drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives or other herbs

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chopped chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

Delicious!

Ravioli with Spinach and Bacon

Ravioli with Spinach and Bacon - from RealSimple via dutchgirl


Ingredients


* 1 pound ravioli (fresh or frozen)
* 6 slices bacon
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, sliced
* 2 bunches fresh spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions


* 1 Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain and divide among bowls.

* 2 Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.

* 3 Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

* 4 Stir the bacon and lemon juice into the spinach. Spoon the mixture over the ravioli.

By Sara Quessenberry, May 2009

Note: Dutchgirl usually adds toasted pine nuts and fresh Parmesan on the top!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Crispy Artichokes

Julie's note: the best gnocchi I've ever had was the kind I bought from the Fresh Pasta Shop at the Prahran Market in Melbourne, Australia. We made it at least once a week. I'm hoping this will be half as good as the stuff I had in OZ.


Richotta Gnocchi with Crispy Artichokes - as seen on the MarthaStewart Show

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

* 1 pound imported dry ricotta cheese
* 1/2 large egg
* 1/2 cup tip "00" flour or all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dusting
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 3 baby artichokes
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 clove garlic
* 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
* Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. If you cannot find imported dry ricotta or your ricotta is wet, place it in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Refrigerate and let drain 3 to 4 hours to remove excess moisture.

2. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup flour, and 2 teaspoons salt until thoroughly blended and dough forms a soft ball. Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip or a large plastic resealable bag, and refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes.

3. Fill a large nonreactive bowl with 4 cups water and add lemon juice. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, snap off tough outer leaves until you are left with a small bullet-shaped artichoke with pale yellow leaves that turn green just at the tips. Cut off green tips crosswise. Cut stem flush with the bottom of the artichoke so that no green remains. Cut artichoke in half. Cut halves lengthwise into slices and add to lemon water; set aside.

4. Sprinkle remaining cup of flour over a rimmed baking sheet. Remove dough from refrigerator. If using a resealable bag, cut a small hole in one lower corner of the bag. Pipe a 1-inch ball onto your fingers. Gently roll ball in flour until evenly dusted. Repeat process with remaining dough and flour.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until it begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain artichokes and add to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until artichokes are golden and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

6. Meanwhile, shake off excess flour from gnocchi add add to boiling water. Cook until outside of gnocchi is cooked and somewhat firm and the inside is still soft, 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Using a slotted spoon, transfer artichokes to a plate and keep warm. Add vinegar, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of skillet; let simmer for 2 minutes.

8. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to warmed plated and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Drizzle vinegar mixture from skillet over gnocchi and top with crispy artichokes. Serve immediately.

First published: May 2009

Penne with Spinach Sauce

Penne with Spinach Sauce - as seen on Giada's Everyday Italian on the Food Network


Ingredients

* 1 pound whole wheat or multi grain penne
* 3 garlic cloves
* 2 ounces goat cheese
* 1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi

Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi - as seen on simplyrecipes

Ingredients

Gnocchi

* 3 ounces fresh or frozen spinach
* 1 egg
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 pounds whole milk ricotta cheese, drained of excess moisture
* 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* Pinch of nutmeg


Sauce

* 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes that you shred as you add to the pan)
* 4 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled
* Salt
* 2 ounces goat cheese

Method

Gnocchi

1 Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and heat until simmering. Add spinach and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Drain. Let spinach cool enough to touch, then squeeze as much moisture as you can out of it. You can also use a potato ricer if you have one to squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach.

2 Add the spinach, egg, salt, and half of the ricotta to a food processor. Pulse until completely blended. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, mix in the remaining ricotta and the Parmesan cheese. Start adding the flour in by hand, start with a half of the flour. Mix everything with your hands until the mixture holds together as a dough.

3 Put the dough out on a lightly floured smooth, clean surface. Knead lightly for about a minute, adding additional flour if needed, if the dough sticks too easily to the board or your hands. (At this point, if you wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for an hour, it will be easier to roll out.) When the dough is smooth and pliable, and still just a little bit sticky, divide it into 4 portions, each the size of an orange.

4 Flour your hands lightly. Using both hands, and a light touch, roll the dough out with a back and forth motion, starting at the center and stretching the dough out, to form a roll. This is the tricky part. You don't want to put so much pressure so that you compress the dough, but you do need enough pressure to create a rope of dough. The trick is to stretch the dough sideways as you are rolling. Once the segment you are working on gets to be about a foot long, you may find it easier to cut it in half, and then start working on that smaller segment.

Roll the dough out until the roll is about the size of a middle finger. (Note that if your hands or the board is a little too floured, you may not have enough traction between your skin and the dough to easily stretch it sideways.) Cut each roll into 1-inch pieces.

5 Hold a fork at a 45% angle with its tines facing down on the work board, the curved part of the fork facing away from you. Starting with the curved outside bottom of the fork, press each piece of dough up along the length of the tines. Let the gnocchi fall back down. This is a pretty quick motion, the result is an indentation of the fork tines on one side of the gnocchi, and an indentation of your fingertip on the other side.

Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet. At this point they can be cooked, or kept in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.

6 To cook the gnocchi, fill a large wide pot half-way with water. Bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. Once the salt has dissolved, gently drop the gnocchi in the water, one by one. Try to do this in a way that the gnocchi are not falling in on top of each other, but rest on the bottom of the pan in a single layer. As the gnocchi cooks, they will rise to the surface of the water after a couple minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the risen gnocchi from the pot, place in a serving bowl. Sometimes the gnocchi can stick a little at the bottom. If you suspect this, nudge them a little to unstick them. As you remove some gnocchi, you can add a few more to the pan.

The Sauce

1 Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Remove and discard the garlic. Add the tomatoes (include any juices from the can) all at once (careful, they may cause the oil to splatter as the tomatoes hit the pan). As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and let simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. Stir occasionally. Use a potato masher to break up any solid pieces of tomato, you want a rough purée.

2 Once the sauce reduces to a medium thick consistency, add the goat cheese, stirring until it is well blended. Add more salt to taste.

Serve gnocchi with the sauce and extra grated Parmesan. Serves 4-6.

Creamy Penne Pomodoro

Creamy Penne Pomodoro - from "Notably Nashville" produced by the Junior League of Nashville

Add cooked shrimp or chicken for a one-dish meal

• 16 ounces uncooked penne
• coarse salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, slivered, or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups chopped tomatoes
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta al dente with coarse salt to taste in boiling water in a saucepan: drain and keep warm.

Heat a skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the olive oil and heat for several seconds. Add the garlic, basil, and tomatoes and saute for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

Combine the tomato mixture with the pasta in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

Basil Pesto for Fettuccine

Basil Pesto for Fettuccine from Gourmet Garden

1. Cook 400g fettuccine in saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, finely grind 1/2 cup pine nuts with 1 cup grated parmesan cheese. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp (only 1 tsp if dried) each garlic, parsley, and basil & 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Process until well combined.
3. Toss pesto mixture through the drained fettuccine.
4. Serve with toasted pine nuts & freshly grated parmesan cheese.
   

Buttered Linguine with Romano, Tomatoes, and Basil

Buttered Linguine with Romano, Tomatoes, and Basil - from Confections of a FoodieBride

1/2 lb Linguine
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp basil, chopped/chiffonade
3/4 cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated
Salt, to taste

Cook pasta 6-8 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

Toss hot pasta in a large bowl with butter, pepper, tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Add 1/4 cup pasta water and toss to moisten. Add additional water if necessary. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Yields: 3 servings (entree)
Source: Heavily revised from Everyday Pasta, 2007

Our view: DELICIOUS! We really like it!
My notes:

• I like to let the pasta cool just a little bit, and perhaps not add the reserved pasta water. My enemy: lumpy or stringy cheese. It could be too that I used the wrong kind of cheese.
• Even using the "wrong" cheese (ie Parmesan from the green can) it tasted alright. I can imagine that using the "right" cheese would do nothing but improve the taste.
• I added two cloves of crushed garlic, and we really liked it. But then again, we really like garlic.
  

Super Easy Homemade Mac & Cheese

Super Easy Homemade Mac & Cheese - someone on the Grand Rapids Nest board

3/4 box of macaroni
1 pound Colby Cheese (or almost any kind of cheese!)
1 can evaporated milk
1 heaping tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste

Cook mac and set it aside. While mac is cooking cut up cheese in cubes (just enough to help it melt fast.)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan mix flour and milk (remember to keep stirring so it doesn't burn) to thicken. Once you notice that when you stir you can see the bottom of the pan for a split second you're thick enough. Add in cheese a handful at a time until melted. Add in pepper and salt and anything else that sounds good.

Mix cheese mixture in with the pasta. Pour in to sprayed casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 45-55 minutes (until the top looks nice and browned).

You can add ham, sausage, onions, other seasonings, etc...as liked!