Re post of Pasta with Pepper and Cheese

This is a re post/update to an earlier post Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper. This time I did not use Parmesano Reggiano. I had the Trader Joe Parmesan grated in the tub. I always have that in the fridge and honestly, I mean honestly it was just as good. I know, there will be some purists that disagree but go for it. I also made it exactly as the recipe with nothing else added.

This is such a fantastic, last minute out of the pantry dishes, you've got to try it and add it to your list of favorites. It seems like quite large for two but the leftovers are great. Just reheat in a skillet with a bit of oil and you've got a second meal. I had some leftover sausage and I'll chop those and throw them in for lunch. Yum.

If you're serving this to friends be sure to use the Italian name, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, it sounds better.

Hey Mambo, you mixed up Sicialiano

Another great, easy and meatless pasta dish, this time from America's Test Kitchen. It couldn't be easier and a wonderful light main course or starter. Most Pestos are heavy with the oil, garlic and basil and this hits all those notes, just softer. Hot or cold it does well.

Sicilian Pesto Pasta

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted

2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup basil leaves plus a few for garnish

small clove of garlic

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 peperoncini, chopped

Throw all of the above in a food processor and blend until everything is chopped. While running, add 1/3 cup of olive oil and blend. Then stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook 1 pound of spaghetti or linguine pasta in salted water and reserve a cup of cooking water.

Toss the pesto with the hot pasta using a little of the cooking water if it is too thick. Serve with a few chopped basil leaves and more cheese.

This is one of my new pasta bowls; I love them. Tell me why I didn't buy more? This is good hot but I served it cold the next day and just as yummy. I let it come to room temp before serving.

Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper

This basic recipe came from SmittenKitchen by way of my sister, Doodles. She thought this dish would taste wonderful in my new pasta bowls. She was right it was tasty but made too much for just the two of us. I had half the dish leftover (more about the leftovers later.)

This is a pretty simple pasta dish but does, in my opinion, require a very good cheese and since I was ready to splurge I picked up some Parmesano Reggiano at Whole Paycheck. Seventeen bucks a pound but since there is nothing else in this recipe to mask the flavor of the cheese so go for the best.

Also grind your own pepper. It calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons but I used more. I love pepper and for this dish I used smoked peppercorns. Giving it a lightly smoked flavor. Your call. I also used penne instead of spaghetti.

What's great about this recipe is it's a start to as many variations as you can think of and I tried a bit of a twist with the leftovers. Here's what I did:

Fry one slice of bacon crisp and removed from pan, chop finely and set aside. To the pan add half cup finely diced leftover tri-tip steak. Fry gently in the bacon fat and add the leftover pasta. If it's dry add water a few tablespoons at a time. Toss with tongs and remove to bowls. Top with the reserved bacon and more cheese. A little chopped parsley couldn't hurt, now could it?

There ya go, a simple pasta two different ways. This is a recipe I'll keep and use again because I love quick and easy meals for nights when I just don't want to cook. As long as you keep your pantry stocked with the basics you're home free.

Spaghetti with Cheese and Pepper [Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe]
Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a first course

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound dried spaghetti

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

1 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Salt (optional)
Cook spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot. (You’ll have fewer dishes to wash if you use this pot to assemble the dish as well.) Drain spaghetti, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.

Dry out your pot, then heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add drained spaghetti and 1 cup of reserved pasta water and jump back, this will splatter mightily, also known as “I made this three times, and never once learned my lesson. Do as I say, not as I do.”
Add butter, 3 ounces cheese and ground pepper and toss together with tongs. Taste, adding more pasta water, cheese, pepper or salt (which should not be necessary, as Romano is very salty) to taste.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with reserved cheese and an extra grind or two of black pepper.

i heart trader joe's

lemon pepper papardelle with sundried tomato alfredo sauce
Originally uploaded by lornababy

have i said that before? well, let me say it again. not only are they cheaper than the supermarkets, their selection is better and fresher and they offer so many options that are better for you and the environment.

i made this lemon pepper papardelle with sundried tomato alfredo sauce and grilled chicken for my grandmother's recent visit. it was a perfect summer afternoon meal and we enjoyed the meal and each other's company with a nice rex goliath pinot grigio.

here's the tj's shopping list:

sundried tomatoes (the dry ones, not the ones in oil)
garlic
kosher chicken breasts
lemon pepper papardelle
alfredo sauce
basil
lemon
parmesan cheese
pinot grigio

grill chicken and cut into slices. chop sundried tomatoes into strips and simmer with one or two smashed cloves of garlic in some of the wine until soft. add jar of alfredo sauce and simmer until flavors blend. meanwhile, boil the papardelle until al dente. drain pasta, add to sauce and heat over low for a few minutes so the pasta finishes cooking and soaks up some of the sauce. plate pasta and put the grilled chicken on top. garnish with grated parmesan cheese, basil ribbons and lemon zest. enjoy with a glass of the wine!

Your heart's gonna love this one

Just in time for Heart of the Matter #3 I came up with a very easy, very quick pasta dish. Doodles and I had fallen in love and ordered this dish every time we visited our Mom in Ft Wayne, Indiana. So simple but quite tasty. This fits this month's criteria for a healthy pasta dish. You still have time the deadline is May 22.

Funny thing is, I really hadn't tried to make it but found myself with only a few ingredients and a hungry husband so here is what I came up with.

Pasta with mushrooms

• Cook enough pasta for two people, reserve a bit of cooking water
• Clean and slice very thin about 8 ounces of crimmini mushrooms ( I used the Cuisinart)
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• about 8 small fresh basil leaves, chopped
• about 3 tablespoons very good olive oil

Heat the oil in a large skillet, quickly saute the garlic and thyme. Add the cooked spaghetti and stir until coated with the garlic oil and herb. Remove from heat and stir in the mushrooms and basil. If this looks too dry, add a bit of reserved cooking water. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste and serve with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

This was very flavorful and would make a great lunch or even a main dish with a nice green salad. Well, it satisfied the hungry husband.

A call for PASTA !!!

Now what could be better than that. Musice to my ears, I know I agree, I salivate at the various ways of preparing pasta. And believe it or not my friends there are Heart Healthy ways of preparing this wonderful food item. Trust me after visiting Italy many, many years ago I came home with a whole new found interest in eating Italian food of any kind.

Now pop on over to HoTM site and come up with a healthy tasty pasta dish of your very own.

And while you are thinking about it check out these sites too. The Mayo Clinic has some wonderful ideas and recipes as well as the nutrtional information. Which by the way I am really appreciating these days. Also the AMH, American Heart Association has some valuable links on their site as well. Or do what I do and Google hearthealthypastarecipes and see what you come up with. Just pay attention
to the nutritional information for it to qualify as heart healthy.

So I'm headed over to the Mayo Clinic, the site, to see what I can come up with ... hope to see you there...stay tuna'd