Mushroom & Leek Pasta

This is an easy and fast meal, that puts a new even lighter spin on pastas with cream sauces.

1 pound of pasta, shells or Farfalle are best
10 ounces of “Baby Bella” or cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz of bacon
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
½ cup of parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons of butter
½ cup of heavy cream
1/8 cup of pasta water
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the white and light green portion of the leek in half, then thinly slice. If you have a mandolin, this is a good time to use it. Place the sliced leeks in a bowl of water to make sure all the sand drains out. Gritty pasta would be pretty nasty. Slice the mushrooms and set aside. Dice the bacon into small pieces so it looks like flat lardons. Heat you favorite pan (that can eventually hold a pound of cooked pasta) over medium heat and cook the bacon until crispy. Meanwhile to cook the pasta, bring a pot of salted water to boil. When the bacon is crispy add the mushrooms and some salt, and cook until browned and the water has cooked out of them. Drop the pasta and cook following the package instructions, usually anywhere between 10-14 minutes. When there is about 10 minutes left on your pasta add the drained leeks to the pan with more salt to help the leeks wilt. When the leeks are soft, add the butter and cook for an additional 2 minutes. When the pasta is done, make sure to grab that 1/8 cup pasta water prior to draining. Toss the drained pasta into the leek, mushroom, and bacon mixture, and add the pasta water and heavy cream. Finish by tossing the pasta in the parmesan cheese. Add pepper and additional salt if desired.

Also, here is my budget tip for the week. Buy a pound of bacon on sale, and separate it into 4 oz portions. Freeze. It seems that there are a good amount of recipes that call for or could benefit from a little bit of bacon. And now you have it waiting for you in the freezer. No more buying a new package, opening it, forgetting about it, then having to toss out what was once perfectly lovely pork.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce

Source

Finally a recipe where you can use up that cheap vodka that you bought for your friends that don’t know any better!

1 pound of pasta, spaghetti, penne, or cellentani are best
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes, with some of the juice drained off
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, cut in quarters
12 basil leaves, sliced thin
½ cup of heavy cream
¼ cup vodka
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

Add the chopped onion to a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt the onions, and sauté over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Then add the vodka, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, and pepper to the pan. Continue to cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off of the heat, then puree the mixture using an immersion or standard blender. If using a standard blender, please work in batches, as this kind of stuff is kitchen Napalm. Return the sauce to the pan, cover, and hold over low heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook to desired doneness. Several minutes before the pasta is done, turn the heat up on the sauce slightly, and add the cream and heat through. Finally, combine the basil and drained pasta. Toss to coat, adding the parmesan cheese a little at a time.

DONE!

This is a really easy and fast weeknight meal, especially if you prepare the sauce ahead of time. Just don’t add the cream and basil until you reheat.

Easy Dinner: Spicy Lemon Pasta

My husband and I adore this dish, with its assertive flavors it is certainly not for all tastes, though.

This recipe is adapted from Mario Batali and it appears in his Molto Italiano cookbook.


Source

1 pound of linguini or spaghetti
3 lemons (JUICE AND ZEST but no seeds)
3 jalapenos sliced thin, seeds and ribs removed
1 medium sized red onion sliced thin
½ tsp to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 stick of butter, room temperature
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Remove the zest and juice the lemons. Combine and set aside.

Slice the onion and jalapenos and set aside in separate piles or containers.

Sauté the onions and red pepper flakes in olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) in a large pan until softened and slightly brown. You can add a little bit of salt to help the onion lose water more quickly. This takes about 8 minutes.

I like to do the previous steps ahead of time. The onions reheat quickly, so you don’t have to worry about timing too many things. Especially if you are preparing additional sides or meat to go with this meal.

Bring your salted pasta water to a boil and add the noodles. Follow the package instructions regarding the timing.

When the pasta is nearly done and the onions are hot, add the jalapenos and sauté over medium heat for one minute. Add the lemon juice and zest mixture and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 1 minute.

Once the pasta is finished and drained, take the sauce off of the heat. Add the butter and stir to combine. Then add the noodles and toss. Once the sauce is coating the noodles add the parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!