Brown Butter and Pesto Pasta

This is an incredibly simple recipe but one that I find myself making when I am in a hurry.

Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti, cooked
1/2 cup pesto (recipe below)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup ricotta
your favorite cheese for grating, Parmesan, Romano,etc.

Boil pasta, allow to drain over sink in colander. Meanwhile, melt and cook butter over medium heat in pasta pot until it foams and begins to brown. Don't burn it! Switch off heat, and stir in pesto and ricotta, add pasta. Serve with your favorite grating cheese and maybe some crushed red pepper.

When I make pesto, I put a bunch of basil, and about 3-4 ounces of Parmesan, cubed, in the food processor with about 2/3 cup pine nuts. I add salt and pepper, plus olive oil as I pulse. I freeze it in portions in a cupcake tin and use as needed.

Beginning of Summer White Lasagna

I love this lasagna, it is a change of pace from traditional lasagna. It is so flexible that it tastes great with almost every kind of vegetable. It has a lot of small steps, but it is well worth the time.This recipe makes a 9x12 pan.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, roasted in olive oil, salt and pepper, chopped
1-1.5 cups broccoli rabe, blanched and chopped
1-2 cups zucchini or summer squash, sliced, roasted in olive oil, salt and pepper
2 cups ricotta
9 lasagna noodles, boiled
2.5-3 cups shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1.5 cups milk or half and half
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare chicken, vegetables, and pasta. Make the sauce in a sauce pan, starting with the butter and onion on medium heat. Sweat the onions, and add the flour to make a roux. Add the milk and the wine, whisking to combine and thicken. Set aside. In the pan, layer a bit of sauce, noodles, a little mozzarella, and vegetables. Add another layer with a little sauce, chicken, and ricotta. Add the top layer of noodles (each layer has 3 long noodles that fit in perfectly in the pan), pour the remaining sauce over the top and the remainder of the mozzarella. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, covered, remove the cover during the last 20 minutes or so of baking to brown the top.

Ragu alla Bolognese

Bolognese sauce is one of those sauces that surprise you. It is made of ingredients that most people probably wouldn't put in a pasta sauce on purpose. Over the years this has become one of my absolute favorite sauces because it can be made so easily from pantry staples and basic produce that most people keep on hand. I love that I was able use storage carrots from my CSA in this dish, which is a nice change from braises or salads.

Bolognese Sauce:
1.5 lbs ground veal
1/2 lb pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium-large sweet onion
2 ribs celery
1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1 cup milk
salt
pepper

1 lb pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese

Brown pancetta over medium, high heat in stock pot, add ground veal and brown. In a food processor, process carrots, onion and celery. Add to browning veal and season with salt. When veal is totally cooked, begin to add the sauce from the San Marzano tomatoes, saving the whole tomatoes for the food processor. Process tomatoes and add to pot. Add red wine. Simmer 10-20 minutes. Add milk, simmer additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper at the end. You can always cook it down further if you have time, the times are just estimates. Serve over tagliatelle with Parmesan cheese. Makes enough sauce for about 1.5 lbs of pasta.

Beef and Noodles the Ultimate Comfort Food

Beef and Noodles served over mashed potatoes. Not just any potatoes, these are the storage potatoes from my CSA. Although they are stored, I might guess that they are still fresher than potatoes I have purchased at the grocery store on a few occasions. I grew up eating this, I've always loved it but I have not made this in years. In fact, none of my children ever remember me rolling out the egg noodles, let alone eating this for dinner. This isn't a very carb-conscious dinner but it does put my potatoes to good use.

Beef and Noodles:

Beef:
2-3 lbs pot roast of your choice
4 cups broth or stock
2 onions, sliced
salt
pepper
oil or fat of your choice, I used bacon drippings

 Season with salt and pepper, brown beef on both sides in stock pot with 2-3 tbsp oil or fat. Add onions and cook 3-5 minutes. Add stock and simmer 2-3 hours until tender. Cool and remove roast to shred. Add shredded meat back to pot and set aside.

Mashed Potatoes:
12-15 medium-small potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/4 c. heavy cream or half and half
salt and pepper

I don't know why I am telling how to do this but anyways...
Boil potatoes until they fall off fork, drain, add all other ingredients and mash by hand or with hand mixer. Do not use boxed or instant mashed potatoes or you will ruin this recipe, your life and break my heart.

Egg Noodles:
2 eggs
2 scant cups flour
salt pepper

 Make sure your beef and broth are at a low boil or close and that your potatoes are almost done before beginning this step. On cutting board or counter, make a mound of flour, add a little salt and pepper, make a hole in the middle of the mound. Crack eggs in the middle, and with a fork or your fingers work the egg into the flour in a circular motion until combined. Knead it gently together, flatten with hands and roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/8 of an inch. Using a sharp knife cut it into strips, separate and add to broth gently. Egg noodles take less than a minute to cook. Stir gently to ensure they are fully cooked. Also note that the broth will thicken quite a bit at this step.

Once the noodles are cooked, adjust seasonings and serve over mashed potatoes.

Props to Dad for teaching me this recipe. Still, this was the first time I ever got the noodles thin enough.