Pasta Night

Parmesan Pasta with Chicken and Rosemary--Adapted from Real Simple

12 ounces (3 cups) orecchiette pasta, I couldn't find orecchiette so i used large shells

3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

I added broccoli

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

I added garlic

Kosher salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Shred the chicken, using a fork or your fingers, while the pasta cooks. Discard the skin and bones. With about 2 minutes left throw your broccoli into the pasta water with the pasta. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved pasta water, chicken, broccoli, rosemary, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the pot. Stir over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Something out of Nothing

I was a little hesitant about this recipe at first because it looked bland. I normally love the recipes that come off of the Real Simple website, but I felt a challenge with this on in particular. It wasn't the nuts in the pasta, or the simplicity of the sauce it was that besides the parsley and garlic there wasn't much flavor. So, I spiced it up a little with some breakfast pork sausage I had in the freezer and I was quite impressed.

Chickpea and Sausage Pasta

-olive oil
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 7 cups chix broth
-crushed red pepper flakes
-1 lb pasta (I used whole wheat)
-1 15.5oz can of chickpeas
-1 cup of flat leaf parsley
-1/4 cup of unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
-1/2 cup grated parm
-6 pork sausage links, cooked and chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, red pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes. In the meantime, cook pork sausage and chop. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley.Divide among individual bowls and top with the almonds, parmesan, and sausage. If you have any extra lemon juice on hand a splash of that brightened the dish.

Christmas Treats-Pasta and Sauce

This year we decided to make a bunch of homemade treats. The next few posts will be about some of the things we made to give away. The first one pictured below is pasta sauce and pasta. Once again my love of canning really worked out well. While I worked on the sauce Tim once again perfected the art of rolling and cutting the pasta. I still have no idea why I can't for the life of me roll and cut the pasta. Oh well, I think everything turned out great.

Quick Marinara Sauce-From Giada's Family Dinners

-2 ( 28 oz) cans of whole tomatoes in juice

-1 bunch of fresh basil (I substituted some of the basil from our garden that I blended with olive oil and froze)

-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

-2 small onions, chopped

-4 garlic cloves, chopped

-1 ts dried oregano

-1 ts sugar

-salt and pepper

In a blender, puree the tomatoes with their juice and the basil until almost smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until very tender. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Then can. As you can see it made about to pint jars.

Fresh Pasta
-8 oz all purpose flour (about 2 cups)
-1tsp salt
-2 large egg yolks
-5 large egg yolks
-1 T olive oil

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Make a mound with an impression in the middle. Put eggs, yolks and olive oil in the middle of the impression. Break each yolk by poking it with a finger, then in a circular motion begin to incorporate flour from the side of the mound. Continue until all the flour is incorporated. Turn out onto tabletop and knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic.

The dough can now be rolled through a pasta machine, or wrapped in plastic and placed in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes or so. Proceed according to what sort of pasta you would like.

We looked all over the Internet to find drying times and how long the pasta would keep. We ended up coming across a site that said to dry the noodles for up to an hour, wrap tightly in plastic and the noodles can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The finished product. Cheers!

My Kitchen and Tonight's Dinner Fresh From the Garden

This is my lovely butler's pantry. I do a lot of prep in this room.

Bow tie pasta, tomatoes, peppers, basil, garlic, zucchini--All from my garden (except the pasta of course).

Cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden.

My stove and fridge. It looks neat now, but wait until I start cooking.

Big Boy tomatoes, peppers and zucchini and basil.

The porcelain table top I found in a yard sale that we attached to a cart for extra counter space. I love this invention.

My kitchen isn't the biggest or the most modern, but it fits me.

Pasta Makin'

Marinated Pork Chops, Homemade Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Onions and Garlic Bread

Maple Bourbon Grilled Thick-Cut Pork Chops:

I took this recipe from http://homecookkirsten.blogspot.com/2007/07/maple-bourbon-grilled-thick-cut-pork.html. I added roasted garlic and used whiskey instead of bourbon. The chops turned out wonderfully moist and tangy.

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Onions:

I made the pasta sauce that I took from a cooking class with Chef Hugo Amano at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

• 1 red onion, thinly shaved
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/4 c of red wine vinegar
• 1 handful of basil
• 1# pasta
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Place onions, tomato and vinegar in a bowl and toss. I also added some lemon zest for a little extra freshness, Cover and keep refrigerated for 2 hours if possible. When pasta is cooking toss basil into tomato mixture. When pasta is done drain it and toss the hot pasta with the cold onion and tomato mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Served with grated Parmesan cheese.

Fresh Pasta:

• 8 oz all purpose flour (about 2 cups)


• 1tsp salt


• 2 large egg yolks


• 5 large egg yolks


• 1 T olive oil

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Make a mound with an impression in the middle. Put eggs, yolks and olive oil in the middle of the impression. Break each yolk by poking it with a finger, then in a circular motion begin to incorporate flour from the side of the mound. Continue until all the flour is incorporated. Turn out onto tabletop and knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic. The dough can now be rolled through a pasta machine, or wrapped in plastic and placed in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes or so. Proceed according to what sort of pasta you would like.

Tim pictured here rolling out the dough.

Cutting the dough into fettuccine like strips.


The final product....Next time I would lay it out to dry a little or cook right away. I left the dough in a ball like this for about 10-15 minutes and when it cooked it was hard to get it unclumped.


Yummy garlic toast. Took a baguette, sliced it and drizzled with olive oil. Grilled and then rubbed it with garlic. Wonderful and light.

Pasta Personal Challenge #1

Last night I finally broke down and bought a past roller/cutter from Cooks of Crocus Hill. I had a gift certificate that someone generously gave me rand decided to use the rest of it to get this little present I've been pining after for some time. The picture above is one of the things that sent me spinning....good ole' Martha. I found this picture and a recipe for pasta making in my most recent Living Magazine. Tonight when I get home before kickball I'm going to start the process let's see what happens. I'm going to attempt the beet past shown above. Now let's just note that I haven't ever made past before and most people start with just basic recipes, but I say why not try the hard stuff. Life's more interesting that way. I'll take pictures and post later. Plus, I need to continue sharing my Chicago adventure. Wow, I'm way behind in my blogging. Too many hot summer nights and drinks...that's what happens.