PARMA ROSA PASTA SAUCE

I usually don't use packaged mix for pasta sauce but stumbled on this one and it sure is good!  I was actually shocked by how good it was and the hubby loved it too, even better.  Use any kind of pasta, my all time fav is Farfalle so that is what I used.  I paired it with a simple side salad and warm crusty Italian bread. Buon Appetito!

Start a pot of salted water for your pasta before you start the sauce.

In a medium saucepan, whisk sauce mix and 1 1/4 cups of milk (I used skim and it didn't alter the flavor/consistency at all).  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and bring to a boil, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.  Reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally until it thickens, about 4 minutes. Toss with your pasta and don't forget to top with cheese!

NOTE:  If you like it saucy, use 2 packets of mix. Don't forget to increase the milk and butter for the amount of mix.  I did use two packages for 2 people and there was none left, it was that good!

 

Lotsa Pasta!

I did it, I finally did it! I was going to try and get an electric motor, for my hand cranked pasta machine, but mine was an older version from Italy and the motor would not fit on it. That little problem would require me to buy a newer version hand cranked machine (silly) as well as the motor, which would have cost about $200.  And, I still would only be able to make 3 types of pasta noodles without buying extra attachments, that of course cost more money. 

I tossed and turned with my decision to purchase a newfangled, total electric pasta maker/machine, and I have to tell you, I should have done it sooner!  No fuss, no mess, the machine does EVERYTHING for you. It weighs, mixes and extrudes the pasta all in about 15 minutes! All you have to do is cook it and enjoy eating it, it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! No more sore arms and hands from kneading dough or long hours of cranking out homemade pasta for this girl.

This is the old hand cranked machine, I'm still keeping it just in case I get nostalgic.

This is the new electric machine, I love it! I am so happy about this purchase because we eat a lot of pasta in this house.

 This is the dough hopper. Pour flour in, it weighs it and then tells you how much liquid to add.

 The machine came with 8 different pasta shapes to make pappardelle, spaghetti, thick spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine, tagliatelle, penne and lasagna. It came with lids that fit over some of the presses to clean them.

 The machine also came with a recipe book, measuring cups for liquid and flour, two other cleaning tools and a pasta dough cutter.

I used a combination of semolina flour and unbleached white flour for my pasta. I didn't use eggs in my dough, just water and flour.  You certainly can use eggs as most recipes do call for them.The machine will work the same with eggless pasta dough.

 Drying on the pasta rack.  My daughter and I made about 2 lbs of fresh pasta. You don't have to dry the pasta, we just made this earlier in the day and decided to dry it.  You can toss it right into the boiling salted water as soon as you make it.

 Ahhhhh.....and the homemade sauce with San Marzano tomatoes and sweet Italian sausage

 is the best.

 Pasta cooked and sauced up, don't forget the cheese, it's always better with cheese.

WOW that was soooo good!

Awesome Vegetable Pasta Salad

My friend and I bounce different food and cooking ideas off each other all the time. We both have shared many old recipes and ways of making special food dishes.  Summer is here and to keep the kitchen cool and bellies full, lots of salads will be served over the next few months.  I usually back away from preparing heavy meals during the hotter months, I don't like to eat a lot when its hot.

So, my friend shared this great pasta salad recipe with me and now I will share it with you. It's great tasting, full of veggies, that's a plus in my book, and good for you too.  You can switch out the regular pasta for whole grain or wheat if you like.

Recipe below. 

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I use Barilla pasta for my salad, I think its the best dry pasta around.  Fresh carrots, red and yellow bell peppers and English cucumbers.  The colors all mixed together are so pretty!

 Get the salted pasta water going on the stove and when it boils, toss the pasta in and stir.  I make mine al dente so they hold up in the salad.

 And while that water is coming to a boil, cut up those veggies and set aside.  I also use a can of black sliced olives in my salad.

 Drain the pasta when it's done, and run cold water through it until it's cooled.  Don't worry, you don't need that starch in there, rinse it off!

 Toss the pasta with the veggies in a large storage container. 

 Add cheeses.......

 and the golden Italian Dressing, it's the best.  Toss all together and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. box of Barilla Pasta

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

3 whole carrots

1 large English cucumber

1 small can of sliced black olives, optional

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups of any brand golden Italian dressing

Directions

Start a pot of salted water on the stove.  When water comes to a boil, add the pasta and stir.  While pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Seed and chop the peppers, peel and dice the carrots, peel and chop the cucumber.  When pasta is cooked al dente, a little hard in the center,  drain and run under cold water until cooled.  Make sure pasta is completely drained and transfer to a large storage container.  Toss the veggies and olives in and mix together.  Add the cheeses and mix. Add the dressing and stir it in.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Salad may need extra dressing as it may be absorbed by the pasta.

Lovin' The Pasta with Beans

We have been doing a lot of vegan cooking in the kitchen so far this year, I'm liking it.  It's easy, trying different food combo's is fun, and it doesn't hurt the body to eat a little more healthy.  Now I must confess, I am not eating everything totally vegan, but the majority of  my meals and desserts are, since I have a full-on vegan living here, and he is very strict with his food.  I think his way of eating is a little over the top, but he's young, not old like me.  When you're older got to watch them bones!

 There is a lot of truth to the vegan way, he has lost a tremendous amount of weight, which I could stand to loose.  But, after all these years of eating a certain way, it's hard to give up things you like (real Pecorino-Romano cheese for one! love that stuff).  So I try everyday to cut the bad things out, and use vegan ingredients/substitutes instead, to make the dishes I like.

On the menu for Sunday night's dinner, pasta and beans, good healthy stuff.  Instead of meatballs, I used beans, and although I am not a fan of whole wheat pasta, my son had that, I made my favorite pasta,  linguine (it was protein linguine), and it was fabulous!

Recipe below.

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A few of my ingredients.

 Getting the sauce going in the pan.....

 I love using fresh herbs.....

 Everything is combined and simmering in the pan.

 Towards the end of cooking, add the spinach and the beans, easy!

 And what you have here is a delicious, heart healthy meal, enjoy!
 I HAD to have the cheese....what's pasta without cheese?

 Pasta and Beans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more if you like heat

3/4 cup red wine

2 bay leaves

8 basil leaves, sliced chiffonade style

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

15 oz can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed

1 pound linguine or other pasta

Directions

In a large pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil.  Saute the minced garlic until fragrant, but do not brown it.  Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, red wine, bay leaves, basil and parsley.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and let cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken, if it's too thick add a little bit water.

One half hour before serving, add the spinach and the beans and let cook until spinach is wilted. Start a pot of salted water for the pasta. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce before serving.  Top pasta and sauce with grated cheese, serve with crusty Italian bread. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: If you do not like chunky tomatoes in your sauce, use an immersion blender, after adding them to the pan, to chop them up a little, or put the tomatoes in a blender before adding to the sauce. Using the immersion blender also makes the sauce smoother, creamier and gives it a silky texture.

Holy Moly It's Homemade Ravioli!

I was getting antsy the other day, I had to do something with myself.  I can't stand sitting around doing nothing, I have to be moving.  I remembered that I had a lot of pasta sheets leftover, from our Italian Pasta Night Party, that my daughter made. I had it stored in the freezer, was going to make ravioli, because I already had the ricotta, I just got busy with other things around the house.  So, I got moving  in the kitchen making the ravioli and lots of it!

I love ravioli, put anything between two pasta sheets and make a pillow out of it and I am in!  Sauce it with a variety of things and I am all over it.  It takes only a few minutes for it to cook, and you have a delicious, comforting meal. Check out the recipe for the pasta posted on this blog 6/18/14.

Recipe below for the Ricotta Filling.

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I pulled together my ricotta filling first.  

Ricotta Cheese Filling

2 lb. container Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, you could also use part skim milk ricotta

4 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated mixed Italian cheese blend

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Ricotta in the bowl, then the eggs.

Add the cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

On to the pasta - Lightly dust a large surface with flour, I used a large cutting board.  Lay out two similar sized sheets of pasta dough, mine were around the length to make three ravioli out of them.

Place 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture spaced evenly onto the bottom sheet of pasta, lightly dab around the cheese with a little water to help with sealing them.  Then place the top sheet of pasta on top.  Use a big ravioli cutter to press into shape, or you can cut them by hand.

I lined baking sheets with parchment paper and dusted them lightly with flour so the ravioli doesn't stick.

I have two ravioli cutters so I made big and small ravioli.  Use a smaller amount of cheese filling with a smaller ravioli cutter.

Perfect little pillows of pasta and cheese!  I froze my ravioli in single layers on the sheets because I was not using them right away, then placed them in a resealable plastic bag.  To cook them, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, toss them in, cook until they float to the top and they are done.  Serve with your favorite sauce.  A few of my favorite sauces are - red marinara, creamy alfredo, creamy mushroom, garlic and olive oil with herbs and pesto.

I served mine with my favorite store bought pesto from Costco.  I do make fresh pesto, but basil season is gone and it's too expensive to buy it and make it from scratch.  This pesto I think is the best on the market.  Do not heat the pesto sauce, I take mine out of the fridge when I get my water going on the stove, to take the chill off of it.  I scoop as much as I think I need into a bowl and let it sit at room temperature, it will also heat through once you top the ravioli with it.

 Start a large pot of salted water on the stove, bring to a boil, drop in the ravioli, you will know when they are done because they float to the top of the water.  Stir them gently as the are cooking so they don't stick.

 Drain and top with sauce and you have delicious Homemade Ravioli with Pesto coming your way!