Because of said moving, we’ve been eating out for almost a week. While it is nice to have someone make the food for you, I’m a bit of a control freak so I like to know exactly what’s going in to my food. Best way to do that is to cook it myself.

So as we were eating out tonight, I was dreaming of one of my easy, weeknight pasta dishes: Orecchiette with Pork, Tomatoes, and Arugula. I confess that one of the reasons I like orecchiette is that it’s such a cute little shape. It’s also the perfect shape to hold little bits of the tomato-y ground pork. A perfect bite every time!  My kitchen is almost set up (finally!), so I think I’m going to make this tomorrow night for dinner. Mmmmm….

Orecchiette with Pork, Tomatoes, and Arugula
- serves 2-

1/2 lb. dried orecchiette
1/3 lb. ground pork
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. of whole fennel seed, toasted
1/2 tsp. of oregano
1/4 tsp. of dried red chili flakes
1/8 tsp. sweet paprika
1/3 lb. or arugula, rinsed and spun dry
1 – 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, drained
kosher salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water and cook the orecchiette to package directions. It’s best to time it so that the orecchiette is ready just as it’s ready to be added to the pork, but the first time around you might want to cook the pasta in advance and set it aside until you’ve got the timing down.

2. While the orecchiette is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.

3. Add the pork to the pan, then to the pork add the fennel seed, oregano, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Mix with a wooden spoon and brown the pork.

4. When the pork is no longer pink, add the drained tomatoes to the pan and cook until the tomatoes are heated through.

5. To the pan add the arugula and the orecchiette and stir. Heat until the arugula is wilted and the pasta is heated through (if you’ve cooked the pasta in advance). Divide the pasta among the plates and top with parmesan cheese (if using). Serve and enjoy!

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2. Pan Fried Noodles with Ground Pork and Baby Chard
3. Oven-Roasted Tomatoes with Thyme and Garlic

Ah, heavy cream. It’s thick, delicious, and makes my arteries clog just a little every time I read the nutrition label. For a while, I was just making carbonara whenever I wanted a vaguely creamy pasta sauce. Eventually, though, I decided that not having a decent cream sauce in my repertoire just would not do and started tinkering around.

I experimented with a few alternatives, but eventually settled on evaporated whole milk for a few reasons:

• Convenience: I could store a few cans in my pantry and have it at the ready.
• Temperature: Since I would heat the milk, it made more sense for me to use something that was already room temperature rather than refrigerated.
• Ease: Since evaporated whole milk is whole milk with approximately half of the water removed, using it gave me a head start over using regular whole milk.
• Fat content: While my first knee jerk instinct was to use some form of skim milk, the truth is that you need some fat for the sauce to come close to a decent texture. Whole milk seemed like a level-headed compromise.

Below is my recipe for Pasta with Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach in a Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce. Long title! A few things to keep in mind as you’re making it:

• Curdling. Because of the lower fat content, evaporated whole milk will curdle if you let it boil. As such, it’s best to keep the milk just below a simmer as you’re reducing it.
• Milk skin. As the milk heats up, a skin will form on the surface. To prevent this, you periodically need to stir the milk as it’s reducing.
• Let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce. Doing so lets the starches in the pasta help to further thicken the sauce.

While you wouldn’t mistake this for something that used heavy cream, it’s still tasty and a pretty decent substitute. Best of all, you won’t have to run extra laps at the gym for the next week. Win, win.

Pasta with Garlicky Shrimp and Spinach in a Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce
- serves 2 -

1/3 pound dried spaghetti
1 bunch of spinach (approx .5 lb), rinsed and drained
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 dozen large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 dozen sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil*
1 12oz. can of evaporated whole milk
olive oil
salt
thyme (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt the water, and add the spaghetti. Undercook the spaghetti by 2 minutes from your normal timing. Drain the spaghetti and set aside.

2. While you’re cooking the spaghetti, heat a wide saute pan over medium heat with a Tbsp of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 2 cloves of garlic and heat until fragrant, approx 30 seconds. Add the spinach along with a couple of pinches of salt and stir fry until the spinach is cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the spinach from the pan and drain the cooked spinach in a colander. Wipe out the saute pan with a paper towel.

3. Heat the same saute pan over medium heat again with a Tbsp of olive oil. Add 2 cloves of garlic and heat until fragrant, approx 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp is translucent and cooked through, flipping once. Remove the cooked shrimp to a plate and season with salt. Do not wipe out the pan.

4. Add sundried tomatoes to the saute pan. You can add a Tbsp of olive oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pan if you think it’s too dry, but keep in mind that as the sundried tomatoes heat in the pan, they will release some of the oil it was packed in. When you start to smell the sundried tomatoes, add the remaining cloves of garlic to the pan and a sprig or two of thyme (if using). Cook for about 30 seconds more.

5. Add the evaporated whole milk to the pan and adjust the heat to keep it just below a simmer. Reduce the milk by about 1/3, stirring occasionally to prevent the dreaded milk skin from forming. This will take approximately 10 minutes or so, depending on how close to a simmer you keep the milk. As you’re reducing, you can use a couple of wooden spoons to break up the sundried tomatoes into smaller chunks. Season liberally with salt to taste.

6. When the milk has reduced, add the drained spaghetti to the milk and mix. Let the spaghetti finish cooking in the milk and watch the sauce to ensure it does not boil. If it does, the sauce will turn pasty. As the spaghetti absorbs the sauce, you should notice the sauce thickening a tad. When the spaghetti is almost cooked to your liking, add the spinach and shrimp to the pan and mix to warm up. Adjust seasoning and serve!

* If available, consider using sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil that has been seasoned with spices of some sort (italian or otherwise). It’ll give you a nice flavor boost and you can leave out the thyme in the recipe.

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A) Farro is an ancient grain that has been eaten in Italy for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years.

B) People disagree on what to call it. To some it is known as emmer, others say it’s a kind of spelt, and then there’s another group that insists farro is its own unique species of wheat.

C) There’s an Italian institute for “underutilized species” that has compiled everything you’d ever want to know about farro in a short paper (that’s right, get your geek on).

Here’s how I learned to cook farro: soak it overnight (like you would for dried beans), then simmer it for 7-10 minutes, finally drain it and then let it steam. The result was a fluffy, slightly nutty grain with a gentle toothsomeness that is familiar yet unique.

I prepared this first batch of farro as a warm salad and the recipe that follows is similar to an Italian-style fried rice – it’s quite versatile and very satisfying.

Preparing the farro:

6-8 hours prior to the meal:
1) Rinse 1½ cups of farro in a couple of changes of water until little residue remains.
2) Soak farro in 3-4 cups of room temperature water for 6-8 hours.

At meal-time:
3) Drain farro from soaking water.
4) Simmer farro in 3-4 cups of lightly salted water for 7-10 minutes, until just al dente.
5) Remove from heat, drain farro and then return to pot. Farro should be covered and left to steam for another 5-7 minutes,

Warm Farro Salad
- serves 2-3 as a main course, 4-5 as a side -

3 cups farro prepared as outlined above
4 strips of bacon – thick cut is best
1 large leek, chopped, rinsed and dried
2 small carrots, chopped
4-6 ounces of button mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 TBS of chopped fresh herbs – I used oregano
2 TBS of extra virgin olive oil

Cut bacon into small pieces and cook in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside. Remove skillet from heat and pour off all but 1 TBS of bacon fat. Return pan to heat and add leek, cooking until translucent (4-5 min). Add carrots and cook for 3 more minutes until just tender. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, another 2-3 min. Make a well in center of skillet, add 1 tsp of oil and fry garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add farro and toss to combine with all ingredients in skillet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add remaining olive oil, tossing to coat. Serve in bowls and garnish with herbs and bacon bits.

Suggested variations:
1) Can easily be made vegetarian (vegan, actually) by omitting the bacon and beginning by adding 1 TBS of olive oil to skillet instead of bacon fat. Garnish with toasted pine nuts for crunch and protein.
2) Easily accommodates any complementary group of veggies such as sundried tomatoes and spinach or roasted red peppers and onions.

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No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: Panko Crusted Fish with Avocado Orange Salsa.

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day!

Whenever I think of Valentine’s Day and food, I inevitably think of ragu. The thought process goes something like this (bear with me, here): Valentine’s Day -> a day when I’m pampered -> Rourke cooks for me -> Rourke likes pasta -> the first pasta dish Rourke ever made for me was ragu.

Is that a frightening peek into my psyche or what?

Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever met a ragu I didn’t like. Meat, tomatoes, aromatics, and spices. What’s not to like? The mere thought of it conjures images of a matriarch, lovingly stirring a large pot of the gently simmering ragu with a wooden spoon. She’s in a large, eat-in-kitchen with a long wooden table, perhaps a small child and a pet adorably getting under foot. Except in my house it is my husband who is slaving, and I am both laughing and crying with incredulity at the HUGE mess he’s made: carrot peels randomly strewn across the kitchen counter and behind the toaster oven (how?!?), bits of diced onion on the floor, splotches of sauce all over the stove. Oh yeah, and my kitchen is about 7 feet long by 3 feet wide.

The recipe for this ragu comes from the Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Pasta cookbook. The inclusion of it in the book is a bit of head-scratcher, though. The book claims that all of its recipes are ready to serve in 30 minutes, yet the recipe calls for simmering the sauce for 1 hour. Wha? The first time Rourke made the recipe it was a weeknight and he hadn’t read through the instructions before making it (his bad). I don’t think we ate until almost 10pm that night. Either way, it’s a great, easy recipe and I’m glad we have it. Just make sure you plan accordingly.

Rigatoni with Pork Ragu
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Food Made Fast: Pasta
- serves 4 -

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tsp. ground fennel seed
1 lb. ground pork*
1 cup dry red wine
32 oz. (4 cups) canned whole plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
kosher salt
1 tsp. oregano (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
1 tsp. red chili flakes (optional)
1 tbsp. red wine or balsamic vinegar (optional)

Rigatoni and grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In a heavy pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the ground fennel seed, oregano, chili flakes,and garlic (if using) and saute until garlic and spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the pork and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat colors slightly, about 4 minutes.

4. Stir in the wine and cool until most of the alcohol has evaporated, 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt, and vinegar (if using). Stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have melded, about 1 hour. If the sauce seems to be drying out, add a few tbsp of water.

6. When ready, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese over cooked rigatoni.

* You can also use 1/2 beef, 1/2 pork if that’s your thing. We like it that way, too.

Ingredients listed as optional are additions that we’ve made to the original recipe.

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3. Brown Sauce

If this “pasta con il pangrattato” or pasta with breadcrumbs doesn’t make you feel like you’re getting something awesome for next to nothing, I don’t know what will. It’s an easy weeknight dish that uses the simplest (and cheap!) ingredients that you probably already have on hand. I make breadcrumbs by air drying or toasting those last pieces of bread from the loaf or baguette no one wants to eat. It’s satisfying to bludgeon them with a heavy meat tenderizer tool (put them inside a plastic bag first so you don’t spray bits of bread all around the kitchen) while visualizing that guy who almost mowed me down in the crosswalk.

I love the contrast of the wilted greens with the crunchy breadcrumbs. The addition of lemon zest at the end brightens up the flavors.

Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs
- serves 4 -

1 T olive oil
3 T bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper

2-3 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ t red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
4 cups swiss chard, roughly chopped
salt & pepper
¾ lb. spaghetti
zest of ½ lemon
olive oil
Parmesan cheese

Put a pot of water on to boil. While this is heating up, make the rest of the dish:

For the breadcrumbs: Heat 1T olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or so to flavor the oil. Don’t burn the garlic! Add the breadcrumbs, stirring to coat in the oil. Add a little more salt and pepper, to taste. When the breadcrumbs are toasted (about five minutes), scrape them out of the pan onto a plate and set aside.

For the swiss chard: In the same pan, add the 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, the three cloves of minced garlic, red pepper flakes, a little salt and pepper, and sauté until the garlic just begins to brown. Add the swiss chard stems first, cook for a few minutes and then add the leaves and salt and pepper. Cook just until the leaves are wilted.

For the pasta: Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and then the pasta. Cook until al dente.

To assemble: Scoop the cooked pasta out of the pot and directly into the sauté pan with the swiss chard. If you’d prefer to strain the pasta, just be sure to reserve some of the pasta water. Stir pasta and swiss chard with a drizzle of olive oil and some of the pasta water (pasta should not be dry). Add the lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with toasted garlic breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

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Shrimp Puttanesca & Mushroom Fettucini

There is nothing like enjoying a hearty pasta with seafood and a full-bodied red wine.  While we don’t make pasta dishes that often, I recalled our many delicious meals in Italy a year ago and was craving a delicious Italian dinner. My husband makes a fantastic shrimp puttanesca, but I thought perhaps this would go well with a (lower fat) creamy pasta with porcinis and creminis. Our Cooking Light came just in time…I flipped it open to a Bucatini with mushrooms.  It looked good but I just knew that it would be even better with our own touches.  I started to work on the fettucini with mushrooms while my husband whipped up his now-famous shrimp.  When we combined the two meals, it brought back memories of our two-hour lunches sipping Chianti and relaxing in the heart of Taormina, Sicily, overlooking the Ionian Sea.  That was, until we had to clean up and do the dishes!

Shrimp Puttanesca & Mushroom Fettucini

(Mushroom Fettucini adapted from Cooking Light)

Mushroom Fettucini Ingredients:
3/4 c dried mushrooms
2/3 c boiling water
8 ounces pasta
4 tsps salt
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c shallots, chopped
12-14 oz cremini mushrooms
2-3 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp dry sherry
2-3 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 c half and half
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary and/or thyme
Several cranks from pepper mill

1.  Rinse dried mushrooms and combine with 2/3 c boiling water.  Cover and let stand 30 minutes.  Drain, reserving liquid.  Chop mushrooms.
2.  Cook pasta with salt until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/4 – 1/2 cup liquid.
3.  Melt butter in skillet. Add shallots, mushrooms (both dried and fresh) and garlic.  Saute five minutes.  Stir in sherry, 1/2 tsp salt and cook for one minute.
4.  Grate cheese.  Reduce heat.  Stir in pasta, 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup dried mushroom/porcini liquid, 1/4 cup grated cheese, half and half, chopped rosemary and/or thyme and pepper.  Toss.

Shrimp Puttanesca Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp
2 Tbsps capers
8 anchovies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 Tbsps Kalamata olives
Red pepper flakes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
Sea salt
2-3 Tbsps olive oil

1.  Heat oil in skillet.  Add garlic.  Saute for 1 minute.
2.  Add in capers, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, shrimp, sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste.  Cook shrimp for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
3.  Add shrimp puttanesca to mushroom fettucini.  Topped with a little shaved cheese.  Enjoy!

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