Still cooking!

Wow! I haven't updated in four months! I've been trying out a lot of new recipes, but just haven't gotten around to posting them. Here are two that I've tried recently:


Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic, and Parsley

From Lidia’s Italian Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Salt
¼ cup olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 ½ pounds assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ inch thick (about six cups)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup vegetable broth or water
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in skillet until golden, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and toss in salt, pepper, and sage. Cook mushrooms until they wilt, then until they are sizzling and brown, about ten minutes (boil off any liquid the mushrooms give off first).

Cook spaghetti until al dente.

Add the broth to the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Drain pasta, and add mushroom mixture to pot. Add parsley and bring the pasta and sauce to a boil. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat, add cheese, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

I left out the sage, and added ¼ cup chopped fresh basil instead. I used a combination of white and porcini mushrooms (there were no suggestions in the book), but any combination of mushrooms will work. This is a lovely main course or a side dish for meat or seafood dishes (I made it with turkey scallopine with lemon sauce).

Baked Rigatoni with Cauliflower in a Spicy Pink Sauce

From Fine Cooking magazine, March 2007

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes
1 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp. crushed red peppers
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1 to 1 ¼ inch florets (about 4 cups)
10 oz. shredded Fontina cheese (about 2 ½ cups)
2 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about ¾ cup)

Heat oven to 450°.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. olive oil.

Pour off 1 cup of juice from one of the cans of tomatoes and discard. Purée tomatoes and remaining juice in a food processor or blender.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Push onions to one side of the pot and add garlic, cooking until it begins to sizzle, about 10 seconds.

Add puréed tomatoes, cream, and remaining salt (add slowly to avoid splattering). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce thickens somewhat. Add the parsley and pepper flakes, and cook until the flavors meld (about 5 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Cook rigatoni until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and add to the sauce. Cook cauliflower until barely tender, about 2 minutes, and add to pasta mixture.

Add 1 ½ cups shredded Fontina to the pasta and toss well. Transfer to the baking dish, and top with remaining Fontina and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake uncovered until the cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Be careful with the crushed red peppers! A little goes a long way. I actually only used half of the amount in the recipe, and the dish was still very spicy.