Summer Supper
Tag: pasta
The Last Tomatoes
Combined my few tomatoes, the ones my neighbor brought over and some brown cherry tomatoes from the store- olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and a pinch of Italian Seasoning.
Once the sauce cooked down a bit, I tossed in some drained penne and added freshly grated Parmesan. Salad on the side. Delicious supper
It was the combination of colors that invited me to capture this photo.
Chef Sam Teaches Us to Make Pasta
Tuesday at the Senior Center, Stephen Foster Community Center, in Lawrenceville. Pasta Making Class taught by Chef Sam , some hand cut and some hand cranked through Pasta Machine. Three different sauces, all delicious.
Selfie on timer- Here I am sporting pasta apron my friend Vincie bought in Italy.
It was so much fun today . Thanks Chef Sam.
Good Garlic
Friday night. Supper.
Making good use of the garlic my brother David sent from Okanogan. Cherry tomatoes courtesy of Deb snd Sy’s vines growing along the Ohio River. Steve brought home the fresh pasta.
Sautéed baby spinach in olive oil with garlic.
Inspired to Test the Nine Minute Pasta Recipe
A week ago I posted the Marian Burros Plum Torte recipe posted by Jjbegonia and my friend Roberta baked it and sent a couple of photos. I didn’t post the following pasta recipe but sent it to a few friends.
I read this article via Business Insider Via link to http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/27/one_pan_9_minute_pasta_recipe_from_martha_stewart_living_the_backstory_and.html?wpsrc=sh_all_mob_em_top
I missed the Nine Minute Pasta recipe in Martha Stewart Living 2013 the first time around the Internet but read the above story and was intrigued.
Without making it myself, I shared it with friends I knew would enjoy reading or cooking it. Give it a test.
My friend Joanne in Florida got my email and actually got all the ingredients and not only made it, but documented it with photos.
Here’s her report- thanks J
Hi Ruth – thanks again for the recipe. I tried it last night and here are a few pictures. So easy. My pan wasn’t big enough for the pasta to lay flat so I broke the linguine in half. You do indeed have to keep hovering over it and stir while it’s cooking so that you don’t end up with a lump of linguine. When it was finished (exactly 9 minutes!), it felt a little gummy so I threw in 1/4 cup of wine and that did the trick – I guess you could also perhaps toss with a little more olive oil instead of the wine. It tasted great and I will surely make it again!
JB
Here is the link to the recipe itself
I’ve Been Making Jamie Oliver’s Recipe- Baked Orecchiette 8 Years Now!
LOriginally posted four years ago- May 2011- a REBLOG although you might not want to fire up your oven in the summer heat right now. Guess I have a taste for it tonight.
I’ve Been Making Jamie Oliver’s Recipe – Baked Orecchiette – 4 Years Now!
Some blog readers say they just look at my picture of the day and don’t bother reading what I write. They are “visual”.
The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is debatable some days. The number varies. On Thursday, a freshly pressed blogger suggested using photos you find on blogs to inspire writing and mentioned my blog as a resource which was flattering. I love the idea of my photos being a writing prompt.
The New York City sidewalk image of the pizza box and the pair of shoes was a recent example that triggered some one-sentence short story writing!
Today’s post is experimenting with a new feature- distraction free writing- initiated by smart people at wordpress.com. I’m checking it out even if everyone stopping by is just looking at the photo of the day!
This baked pasta recipe was in the newspaper more than four years ago and I have been making it ever since. I haven’t looked at the recipe in a long time but decided to search my email and the year 2007 came up. I also discovered the author of the recipe was Jamie Oliver. Four years ago I didn’t even know who Jamie Oliver was. Since it is his recipe I will send you to Jamie Oliver’s Recipe
My mother always said to buy the best ingredients and do as little to them as possible. The best ingredients you need are fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese (no green-can-shaker-cheese!).
You can make the sauce in about twenty minutes and use the best quality San Marzano tomatoes just as he suggests. I’ve made it with fresh tomatoes, too.
This photograph was taken in my daughter-in-law’s (and son’s) kitchen. My son says don’t call the pasta “little ears” (orecchiette) as it grosses him out. “Call it pasta. Just plain pasta.” The four grandchildren call it pizza noodles!
And if there are any leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.
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*July 29, 2015 P.S. I have made it with gluten-free brown rice pasta and it tastes delicious. Some shapes hold better than others but the same delicious taste! Promise!
Comfort food.
Different choices
for different people
and occasions.
Chilly and rainy?
Bake and cook.
Eat!
I Know Two People Who Collect These Stickers from Fruits and Vegetables
Especially if they are interesting or different. Unique.
I thought these produce stickers’ design would qualify as a keeper. Although I’m not starting a produce sticker collection today, I thought about two people I know who save them.
What do you collect? 
Hey ML? Do you still save these from your fruit and veggies?
Here is what I made with the two zucchini and yellow squash.
In a large skillet sautee an onion and a couple of garlic cloves in olive oil, throw in two yellow and two green squash (cut up) then add salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Add a bit of water and let them cook until soft. Mash up with potato masher. Boil water and cook eggy pasta noodles, drain and toss in squash sauce. Grate fresh cheese on top. I learned to cook this from Anna Fevola of La Cucina Flegrea. See the cooking class post in 2010 (from before the restaurant moved downtown to Market Square) Everything she cooks is delicious!
Leftovers – Love ’em or Heave ’em?
-or save them first and then heave them after they get a bit furry in the fridge.
Or eat them cause you feel it a duty, but not enjoy them wholeheartedly?
How do you feel about leftovers? Does it depend on the type of food saved?
Today as I drove home after school, I thought about the spaghetti sauce in the fridge and although freshly made pasta is preferable, warming up a bowl of leftovers with hot sauce poured over top was incredibly satisfying.
A little fresh grated cheese. Mmmm. Eating my way through winter…………..
Didn’t have to start a meal from scratch and it was a relief to know it was there waiting on a shelf in the refrigerator. I looked forward to eating it again.
I thought the spaghetti sauce tasted even better today.
Some people don’t enjoy leftovers or being served leftovers for supper.
And true, certain dishes are better than others in the leftover department. Chili seems to improve, the flavors marry as they say.
I know I have wrapped things up and put them away or I have saved food in a little plastic container and forgotten all about it and then when I unearth it, it’s inedible and needs to be pitched. Storing in clear glass is key to seeing what is there to eat.
Does gender make a difference in leftover preference? Do you have a limit as to how long you will keep a dish?
When I did some research on leftovers I found an article about how Americans waste about twenty pounds of food each month. Yikes, that seems like a lot and is a disgusting statistic. So wasteful.
Growing up you were encouraged to consume everything and clean your plate. My mother had a book as a child The Sunny/ Sulky Book and one of the naughty kids (the book could be turned upside down to read about the good children) always took more on his plate than he could eat. One night he was visited by a Fairy-Eat-It-All in a dream and given a spoon to consume the mountain of food he had wasted. Eyes bigger than his stomach situation I guess.
A moral tale.
One time I posted how to revive a piece of leftover cake
Anchovies and Arugula Pasta in Omaha- An Engagement Party Thank You
Today is a guest blog with three contributors, Joanne, Anne and Mary in Omaha.
I met Joanne in Germany when I was expecting Laura (28).
The photos are by Anne and Joanne.
My friend Joanne writes……
Anne, Mary and I have been friends for some years. We take adult ballet together and get together now and then for what Anne calls a “drag-around” which means whoever is driving, drives the others around town and decides where we are going …. sometimes we start with coffee or breakfast (ricotta three-berry pancakes at Amato’s featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives youtube and J says the pancakes come at the end). Then off we go for a massage or the botanical gardens or the consignment shops … whatever suits the fancy of the driver.
In September, Anne and I co-hosted an engagement party for Mary’s son and to thank us she promised to make the anchovy pasta.
We waited months and months and she decided to have us over on a wintry Sunday afternoon in February. It was worth the wait!
Mark Bittman -Minimalist: Pasta with Anchovies and Arugula article and video in the New York Times
Here’s the recipe for the coffee tort on from the kitchen of Army friend in Germany Janie Zimoni:
2 Tbsp flaked coconut
2 Tbsp finely chopped almonds
1 egg white
1 Tbsp dry instant coffee
6 Tbsp sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
Place coconut and almonds in a pan. Broil for a few seconds to toast lightly.
Whip egg white and coffee, gradually adding 2 Tbsps sugar. Pour cream into this mixture and whip. Gradually add 4 Tbsps sugar and extracts. Whip until firm but not stiff.
Fold half of the almonds and coconut into coffee mixture. Spoon into small elegant serving dishes.
Top with remaining almond-coconut mixture. Freeze until firm, about 2-3 hours or overnight.
Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.
And some photos from the engagement party
