I was really happy with the results of this recipe, but a little frustrated with the actual cooking. The noodles stuck together in big clumps and were quite difficult to get apart. And then the clumps cooked much slower than any noodles that did manage to stay separate. I don't know if the problem was my noodles, the way I broke them up, or the fact that my sauce was already boiling by the time I added them, but it was quite annoying! I think next time I'd try using a bag of the small "lasagna" noodles instead to see if that helped at all. Still... I can't argue with the results. This was excellent!

Skillet Lasagna

Slightly adapted from Budget Byte$

Ingredients

• 250g sausage meat¹
• 2-3 tsp. garlic paste
• 650-700mL tomato pasta sauce²
• 1-2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 9 lasagna noodles, broken into 5cm pieces
• 1 c. ricotta cheese³
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg (optional)⁴
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2-3/4 c. grated mozzarella (or other melty cheese)

Directions

1. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
3. Add the pasta sauce, 1 c. of water, and Italian seasoning and stir to combine.
4. Add the noodles, being careful to make sure they don't clump.
5. Cover pan and bring to a boil.
6. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until noodles are almost tender (~12 minutes), adding more water as needed to keep sauce moist.
7. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and a little salt and pepper and mix well.
8. Stir the pasta again, adding a little more water if necessary.
9. Dollop the ricotta mixture on top, cover, and simmer until heated through (~5 minutes).
10. Sprinkle with mozzarella and place under broiler until cheese is melty and lightly browned (2-3 minutes).

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¹ I only used 125g of sausage for my rendition because I was tossing in ~400g of homemade bolognese along with the 420mL of canned pasta sauce. ^Back
2 My can of pasta sauce was only 420mL so I added ~400g of frozen bolognese that we had in the fridge. I know that adds up to more that adds up to more than 700mL (if you assume that the sauce is mostly water and thus you can use weight to estimate volume), but since the bolognese had a bunch of meat in it, I figured it was less... saucy than plain pasta sauce, so I probably worked out about right for the sauce volume. And the extra meat in the sauce helped to make up for the paucity of sausage since I didn't have the full 250g on hand for this. ^Back
3 I think you could probably get away with using less ricotta than this, but I didn't want to have a partial tub left over so I just followed the recipe an used it all. ^Back
4 The original recipe didn't call for an egg, but the ricotta mixture was too thick to dollop easily and I usually add an egg to my "traditional" lasagna, so I tossed one in. ^Back

I needed to use up a chicken breast and some mushrooms, so this was pretty much perfect. It probably ended up with a bit less chicken than called for, but I had a few extra mushrooms, so I think it all worked out in the wash. I also added some peas, just to have something green in there and make it a little more nutritionally complete.

Chicken Tetrazzini with Peas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion (or 2 shallots), halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. garlic paste (optional)
• 250-300g mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. frozen peas (optional)
• 300-500g cooked chicken, shredded
• 225-300g dried pasta, cooked
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 c. fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. margerine (or butter)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and oil a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened (3-5 minutes).
4. Add garlic (if using) and mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid.
5. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed or boiled off.
6. Add butter.
7. Once butter is melted, add flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, until no longer raw-smelling.
8. Slowly stir in chicken stock and cook until thickened.
9. Stir in the peas (if using) and cook until heated through.
10. Mix in chicken, pasta, and 1/2 c. of the Parmesan.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 c. of Parmesan.
13. Dot with margerine (or more butter).
14. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.

Today is a day for nostalgia food. And I recently ran across a Pioneer Woman recipe that reminded me of a childhood favourite of mine. Her recipe was a bit more involved than I remember mine being, but it was still clearly in the same genus. I'm pretty sure the version that I grew up with was just ham, cheese, mayo, and pasta (preferably shells). The PW recipe adds mustard, peas, parsley, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, bell pepper, and green onions. I thought the mustardd and peas sounded like excellent additions. The parsley and green onions gave a bit of extra green, so I also tossed them in. And the yogurt was a way to lighten it up a bit, so I decided to use that as well. I decided to leave out the olive oil and honey. But I did like the idea of a bit of extra acidity from the lemon juice, so I put that in too. I think the bell pepper would also be nice. (And possibly something that was also included in my childhood version. I just can't quite remember anymore.) But I left it out since I didn't want to poison Reiver.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 450g small shell or macaroni pasta
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 3/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 225g mild cheddar, cubed
• 225g ham, cubed
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 3-4 green onions, sliced thin

Directions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente, then add peas and boil for 1 minute longer. Drain.
2. Stir together mayo, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Mix in the pasta and peas, cheese, ham, bell pepper (if using), and green onions.
4. Salad may be served immediately, but is best after it has chilled for several hours.

This was a bit of a last-minute whirlwind meal. I got a bit carried away making goodies for my last day of class in NZ. I ended up making an apple-feijoa crumble, maple butter tarts, and maccaroni & cheese. Then, in a panic, realized that I didn't have anything for dinner. So I whipped up a quick batch of this pasta to serve to Reiver and the Kidlet before I went.

Reiver later pointed out that I really needn't have worried about it and that he could have easily fixed them some dinner while I was at class. Also, the Kidlet ended up basically eating her body weight in leftover mac & cheese when I got home anyway. So I probably should've just taken the extra few minutes to chill before class. Oh well...

Photo goes here.

Creamy Kimchi Pasta

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Pasta

• 200g kimchi, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 500g dry pasta
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4-6 green onions, chopped and divided
• 6-12 mushrooms, chopped
• 100g uncooked bacon, chopped
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 c. milk
• 100g grated Parmesan
• ~1/2 c. pasta water
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the kimchi, gochugary, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and mix well. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve ~1 c. of the water, then drain the rest.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the onions and the white parts of the green onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms and bacon and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the kimchi mixture and cook until liquid has evaporated (~3 minutes).
7. Reduce heat to medium and add the cream and milk.
8. Simmer until thickened slightly (3-5 minutes).
9. Stir in the Parmesan and reduce heat to medium-low.
10. Add pasta, stir, increase heat to medium-high, and mix in ~1/4 c. of the reserved pasta water.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
13. Top with the green parts of the green onions and a bit of extra Parmesan to serve.

I've made a lot of different macs & cheeses over the years. This one was particularly nice. Probably not my all-time favourite, but it was quite good. I liked it a lot. And so did the Kidlet.

Truffled Mac & Cheese

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g maccaroni or similar short pasta
• 2 tsp. truffle oil¹
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon or Roman mustard
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 180g gruyère, grated
• 180g Cheddar, grated
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives²
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and cook until molto al dente (~2 minutes less than you would normally cook it).
3. Drain and toss with the truffle oil. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
5. Return the empty pot to medium heat and melt the butter.
6. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until a light roux forms (~3 minutes).
7. Stir in the paprika and mustard.
8. Add the milk and cream and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes smooth and thickens slightly (~5 minutes).
9. Stir in ~2/3 of each of the cheeses³ and chives and cook until cheese melted and mixture becomes smooth.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Return the oiled pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
12. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
13. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top.
14. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20-25 minutes.
15. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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¹ The recipe didn't specify whether to use black or white truffle oil. I had a small bottle of black truffle oil already open though, so I just went with that. It was good, but I'm not sure how much the truffle actually came through in the end. I do think it helped to augment the flavour of the gruyère though. So it wasn't wasted. Just a bit more subtle than I was expecting. ^Back
2 I didn't have any chives, so I stirred a generous tablespoon of dried leeks into my sauce instead. ^Back
3 Whoops! I forgot to hold back any cheese for the topping! I just put it all into the sauce. It was still delicious! No complaints. But it would probably look a little more special with some extra cheese on top. I'll try to remember to do that next time. ^Back

Baked Rigatoni with Fennel, Sausage, and Peperonata

This was delicious! But I think it could have used more sausage. (And maybe a bit of spinach.)

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Peperonata

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g rigatoni
• 1 bulb fennel
• 450g Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 bell peppers, julienned (preferably all different colours)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar¹
• 1 1/2 c. tomato sauce
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream²
• 150g baby spinach (optional)
• 250g fontina cheese, grated
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and grease a 23x33cm lasagne pan.
2. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Remove and discard the core and stems from the fennel bulb. Dice the remaining bulb and set aside.
4. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the sausage.
5. Cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
6. Add the fennel and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~5 minutes).
7. Add the sausage and fennel to the bowl with the pasta.
8. Add the bell peppers to the now-empty pan. Add a little oil if necessary, but the sausages released sufficient fat that I didn't need any for mine.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
10. Add the sugar and vinegar and keep cooking until vegetables are glazed.
11. Add the tomato sauce and cream to the peppers and cook until slightly thickened (~5 minutes).
12. Pour the peppers and sauce over the pasta, add the spinach (if using) and the fontina, and toss to combine.
13. Dump the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
14. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10-15 minutes.

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¹ The recipe called for granulated sugar and red wine vinegar. I swapped out the white sugar for brown. But I used the red wine vinegar as specified. Having tasted it though, I'd be inclined to try balsamic next time. I think that'd be even better! ^Back
2 The recipe called for 1 c. of tomato sauce and 1 1/2 c. of cream. We had a bit of extra sauce though, so we just tossed it in. I'm not sure if it was a full extra half cup. It might've been more like 1/3 c. But... close enough. Meanwhile, after putting in just 1 c. of cream, the sauce looked both very rich and very pale already. So I opted to omit the extra half cup. If you wanted to make this dish a bit lighter, you could use half-and-half instead. (I normally would've done that. But the cream has been in the fridge for a while and needs to be used up.) ^Back

This was pretty tasty! Definitely not health food. But a nice treat. Especially on the first day. (I do think it loses something in the reheating. It's still good. Just not as good.)

Marry Me Shrimp Pasta

Slightly adapted from Delish.com

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil¹
• 450g shrimp, shelled and deveined
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 450g dry pasta (rigatoni, shells, or penne all work well)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 2 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream or half-and-half (10% MF)
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning²
• 300g spinach
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• fresh basil, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook until pink and opaque (3-5 minutes).
3. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ~1/2 c. of pasta water, and set aside.
5. Reduce pan temperature to medium.
6. Add garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes and cook until paste darkens (1-2 minutes).
7. Add sun-dried tomatoes, broth, cream, and Italian seasoning, deglaze the pan, and bring to a simmer.
8. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly (~5 minutes).
9. Add spinach and cook until wilted (1-2 minutes).
10. Add pasta, shrimp, and reserved pasta water, stir vigorously for a few seconds, and cook until pasta is well-coated and sauce is glossy.
11. Stir in Parmesan.
12. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
13. Sprinkle with fresh basil (if using) and server.

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¹ My tomatoes were not oil-packed, so I didn't have any tomato oil for my sauce. Instead I used a bit of oil from some spicy, oil-packed anchovies. I feel like this was an acceptable substitute. ^Back
2 I didn't have any ready-made Italian seasoning, so I just mixed in a few herbs separately: mostly parsley, oregano, and basil with just a touch of rosemary and thyme. ^Back

Spaghetti Bolognese (Edmonds)

I've made a few different versions of spaghetti with meat sauce, but it turs out that I'd never made the Edmonds version. And Reiver quite likes it. And we had a busy weekend and were in need of some good, hearty comfort food, so I figured a nice pot of spag-bol wouldn't go amiss. And I was right! We actually ended up all having seconds and demolishing the whole pot in one night!

Recipe as written, Edmonds recommends this amount of sauce for 250g of spaghetti. I started with that amount, but then ended up cooking up some more noodles to go with the left over sauce before the end of the night. I think you could probably manage to stretch it to work with 500g of noodles. Especially if you added some veg and a little pasta water to the sauce.

Photo goes here.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Slightly adapted from Edmonds

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 100-200g mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 500g ground beef (preferably extra lean)
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 400g diced tomatoes
• Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 c. chicken or beef stock
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato sauce or ketchup (optional)
• 1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 100-200g baby spinach (optional)
• 400-500g spaghetti, cooked
• 1 c. reserved pasta water
• grated Parmesan, to serve
• extra basil, to serve

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
3. Add the mushrooms (if using) and cook until mushrooms release their juices (~10 minutes).
4. Add bay leaf and ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink (5-10 minutes longer).
5. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, Parmesan rind (if using), basil, oregano, chicken stock, and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, then taste and add cayenne, tomato sauce/ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and/or more salt and pepper as desired.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45-60 minutes.
8. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti according to package directions.
9. Reserving ~1 c. of the pasta cooking water, drain the noodles.
10. Add the reserved pasta water and the spinach (if using) to the sauce, give a good stir, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the pasta to the sauce, give it another good stir, and toss to combine.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

In theory this was meant to be an udon dish, but I'm not crazy about udon, so I decided to try making it with fettuccine instead. I also added a whole bunch of extra veggies to the sauce, both because we had them and they needed to be used up and because I figured it would make it both tastier and healthier.

Photo goes here.

Korean-Style Curry Noodles

Adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 200-250g beef, cut into bite-sized pieces or sliced thin
• 1 carrot, halved and sliced
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 55-65g S&B Golden Curry mix
• 1 c. milk
• 250g dry fettuccine (or other pasta)
• 200g broccoli florettes
• 200g cauliflower florettes
• 1 c. pasta cooking water
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened and is just beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Increase heat to medium, add the beef, and sear on all sides.
4. Add the carrot and butter and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the gochugaru, curry mix, and milk.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, while pasta boils.
7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the fettuccine.
8. Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower and continue cooking until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente.
9. Reserve 1 c. of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta and veggies.
10. Add the noodles, veggies, and reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir vigorously for a few seconds.
11. Once sauce thickens, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

We've been on a bit of a shrimp and pasta kick lately. After six years of avoiding it due to suspected allergies, it's nice to finally be able to enjoy a bit of seafood again. And TF is a big fan of shrimp with pasta, so we've been leaning into that now that the shellfish ban has been lifted.

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Fennel

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, fronds chopped and reserved separately
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large (~800mL) can whole or diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• 1/4 c. kalamata olives (~15), pitted and quartered
• 3 Tbsp. dry white wine
• ~350g spaghetti (or other long pasta, preferably multi-grain or whole wheat)
• 350g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Parmesan or pecorino Romano, to serve

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add fennel seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add fennel bulb, onion, chile flakes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, olives, and wine and cook until thickened slightly (5-8 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions, reserving ~1 c. of the pasta cooking water before draining.
6. Add shrimp to sauce and cook until shrimp are just done (~3 minutes).
7. Add reserved pasta water to sauce and stir vigorously.
8. Add drained spaghetti and toss to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste, top with reserved fennel fronds and Parmesan, and serve.

This is a very simple tomato sauce with lamb and zucchini. It incorporates no herbs or seasonings other than the rosemary and a bit of salt and pepper. (I did add a single clove of garlic as well, but that wasn't in the original recipe.) I also added a bit of tomato paste and some pasta water to give the sauce a little more body.

I think it probably could have done with a little more simmering, just to deepen the flavours a bit more, but it was still quite nice as it was. And doing it with the short simmer recommended by the recipe does, at least, make it a quick meal to prepare.

Pasta with Rosemary Lamb Sugo

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 450g ground lamb
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 1 (~800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2-3 small zucchini, diced
• 375g rotini (or other short) pasta, cooked
• 1/4 c. grated pecorino Romano

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and rosemary, and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Add lamb, 1 tsp. of the salt, and the pepper and cook until lamb is no longer pink (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened (~3 minutes).
5. Add wine and cook until almost completely evaporated (3-5 minutes).
6. Add tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, stir only very occasionally.
7. Add the zucchini and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
9. Once pasta is al dente, add ~1/4 c. of the pasta water to the sauce and stir it in vigorously.
10. Drain the pasta (discarding the rest of the pasta water) and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well.
11. Stir in the cheese.
12. Serve topped with additional Romano or Parmesan.

Orecchiette alla Verza

I don't think this was a favourite for either me or symbol, but we did like it, and everyone, including the Kidlet, had seconds. And while it takes a long time to prepare, it is very easy, and the ingredients, while not self-stable, keep well.

I also appreciate that it uses an entire cabbage, rather than ¼-½ a cabbage as so many recipes do. (The original recipe calls for only 6 cups of cabbage, but that's not how we roll.) I think it would go nicely with some onions as well, too.

Orecchiette alla Verza (Orecchiette with Anchovies and Cabbage

From The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p. 129)

Ingredients

• 1 package bacon
• 8 whole anchovies
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cabbage, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
• 450g orechiette
• 1 tbsp butter
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions

1. In a large, deep-sided skillet or pot, cook the bacon. Remove to a plate, retaining the bacon fat in the pan.
2. Return skillet to medium-low heat. Add anchovies and cook until they start to break down.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and the anchovies have dissolved, ~2-3 minutes.
4. Add cabbage and stir until coated with bacon fat. You may need to do this in multiple steps, letting it cook down a bit between.
5. Season cabbage with black pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked down and very tender, ~30 minutes.
6. Cook pasta al dente.
7. Crumble or cut bacon into small pieces; stir into cabbage.
8. Add butter to the cabbage and toss until melted.
9. Drain pasta and toss with cabbage.
10. Serve with parmesan.

Fettucini ai Gamberi, Pomodoro e Capperi

The Kidlet is cleared to eat shrimp now, so we are taking advantage of that. This was a convenient recipe that we had all the ingredients for ready to go, and it went over well.

As usual, I find Hazan's sauces to be delicious, but too scant for the amount of pasta. Consequently, this is scaled up significantly from the original.

Fettucini ai Gamberi, Pomodoro e Capperi (Fettucini with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Capers

From The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (p. 73)

Ingredients

• 500-600g shrimp, deveined
• ⅓ C olive oil
• 3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 750mL)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large tin (~750mL) diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or ½ tsp dried)
• 3 tbsp capers
• ½ C chopped fresh parsley
• 450g dried, store-bought fettucini or similar pasta

Directions

1. Bring a generous quantity of water to boil in a large pot.
2. Add a small amount of salt and the shrimp. Gently braise until cooked, 2-3 minutes if fresh, 7-10 if frozen.
3. Remove shrimp (with a spider; retain the water!) to a colander until cool enough to handle.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
5. Add the onions and cook until soft and starting to brown.
6. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
7. Add the tomato sauce, increase the heat to medium high, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
8. Meanwhile, peel shrimp, and return water to a boil.
9. Add oregano, capers, and shrimp to sauce. Cook until heated through and set aside on low heat.
10. Add pasta to shrimp-water and cook until al dente. Add two ladlefuls of pasta water to the sauce, then drain pasta.
11. Return sauce to medium heat and cook, stirring, until thickened.
12. Add pasta and parsely. Toss until well mixed.
13. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Trottole ai Gamberi e Funghi

This recipe is specced for long pasta like tonnarelli or fusilli lunghi, but we had a bag of never-before-seen trottole and decided to use that instead. As usual, we ramped up the quantity of sauce significantly compared to what the recipe calls for. The result was delicious, although the sauce took longer to make than planned due to taking longer to cook down the liquid.

The recipe also calls for heavy cream (35% MF) and raw, shelled shrimp. We have a surplus of half-and-half (10% MF) right now, so I used that and increased the quantity. For the shrimp, we had frozen cooked shelled shrimp, which I tossed into the sauce a bit earlier than called for to let them thaw; I might experiment with alternate approaches in the future, since they released a lot of moisture when doing so.

Trottole ai Gamberi e Funghi (Trottole with Shrimp and Mushrooms)

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (pp.104-105)

Ingredients

• 450-500g dried pasta
• 45g dried porcini mushrooms
• ½ C olive oil
• 1½-2 C yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 650g fresh cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 450mL diced tomatoes (or whole plum tomatoes, smashed)
• ¾ C heavy cream, or 1½ C half-and-half
• 500-600g cooked peeled frozen shrimp
• freshly grated parmesan for serving

Directions

1. Place dried porcini in a bowl and pour over 1½ C warm water. Let stand 20 minutes.
2. Drain, reserving mushroom water. Rinse mushrooms and coarsely chop.
3. Pour mushroom water through a coffee filter and buffer.
4. Heat oil and onion in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook until the onion softens and turns golden.
5. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
6. Increase heat to medium-high and add the porcini and their filtered water. Cook, stirring often, until the water has evaporated.
7. Add the cremini slices, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they are tender and the water they release has evaporated.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook until about half the liquid has cooked off.
9. Meanwhile, start the pasta cooking.
10. Reduce heat to medium, add the cream, and cook until reduced by half.
11. Add the shrimp and simmer until thawed and heated through.
12. Toss with the cooked pasta and serve.

This recipe is Iyer's take on an Indian restaurant's take on spaghetti arrabbiata. It incorporates ginger, garam masala, and cilantro (among other things) into the spicy, tomato-based sauce which is then tossed with cooked spaghetti and topped with Parmesan.

It's quite tasty, but definitely more of a side dish than a main course on its own. It's very starch-heavy, so you really want some vegetables and protein to go with it to make it a complete meal.

I did end up serving it with a couple other curries. But, as I'm still playing catch-up with the blog write-ups, I'm afraid that I no longer remember which ones. I do remember being happy with the resulting meal though. Everything worked quite well together!

Indo-Italian Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. ground Deggi chilies (or 1 tsp. each cayenne and sweet paprika)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 2 c. water
• 4 c. chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 450g dried spaghetti
• grated Parmesan, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add cumin seeds and chilies and cook until chilies blacken (15-20 seconds).
3. Add the onion and stir-fry until light brown around the edges (5-8 minutes).
4. Add the tomato paste, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground chilies, sugar, salt, and garam masala.
5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally until the paste develops and oily sheen on the surface (~4 minutes).
6. Add the water and deglaze the pan.
7. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken (~10 minutes).
8. Add tomatoes and cilantro and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are warmed through (3-5 minutes).
9. Cover and keep warm over low heat while pasta cooks.
10. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
11. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente.
12. Drain the spaghetti and toss it with the sauce.
13. Top with Parmesan and serve.

We've made this as-written at least twice, but it looks like neither time made it into the blog. This version, meanwhile, deviates somewhat from the recipe in Hazan; I wanted to increase the ratio of veggies to everything else somewhat, and I also needed to get it done fast because I was starting late and could not afford the usual 3-4 hour cooking time. To that end, I used a generous quantity of mirepoix mix for the veggies, added some spinach, and skipped the slow simmering and cooking down of the tomatoes in favour of using a smaller quantity of pre-diced tomatoes.

I would definitely make it this way again; symbol and I both liked it, and the Kidlet declared it to be "beyond favourite".

Modified Fettucini al Ragu

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Guiliano Hazan (pp. 62-63)

Ingredients

• 400-450g fettucini or other pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2+2 tbsp butter
• 360mL (1½ C) frozen mirepoix mix
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 450g (1 lb) extra lean ground beef
• ½ tsp salt, ground
• ½ tsp pepper, ground
• 120mL (½ C) frozen chopped spinach
• 240mL (1 C) white wine
• 120mL (½ C) milk
• ⅛ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1×375mL tin diced tomatoes
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions

1. Heat the oil and half of the butter in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the mirepoix mix and cook, stirring occasionally, until thawed and the onion has just started to brown.
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper, and cook, breaking up and stirring as needed, until cooked through and just browned.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook until just thawed.
6. Add the wine and cook until it has completed evaporated.
7. Add the milk and nutmeg and cook, stirring frequently, until mostly evaporated.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are bubbling and the sauce has just begun to thicken.
9. Reduce heat to low and set aside until the pasta is cooked al dente.
10. Combine pasta, sauce, and remaining butter and toss until the butter is melted and the pasta is evenly coated; serve.

This is a fantastic mac & cheese recipe. I mean, it pretty much follows the standard formula of: make roux, add milk, add cheese, add pasta, bake. So there's not really anything revoluationary going on here, but the formula is a classic for a reason!

This makes a lovely cheese sauce. And, of course, the toasted breadcrumb topping makes it even better. And, just in case that wasn't enough, there's also a bit of bacon stirred into the mix. Perfection!

The only issue I had was that the proportions seemed way off. The recipe only calls for 225g of pasta and that didn't seem like nearly enough for the amount of sauce the instructions produced. So we ended up cooking a bunch more pasta and stirring it in 'til it looked about right. But then, of course, it seemed a bit under-bacon'd, so we ended up mixing in a little more bacon as well. Still... having dealt with that quibble, the results were excellent!

Bacon Mac & Cheese

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, divided
• 4 slices baguette (or similar) torn into crumbs
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3 c. milk, warmed
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 375g Cheddar cheese, grated, divided
• 375g macaroni (or similar short pasta)
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

Directions

1. Grease a 1.5L baking dish.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring often, until browned (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.
5. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is cooked (~2 minutes).
6. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and Worcestershire sauce (if using) and keep stirring until lumps dissolve.
7. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (10-15 minutes).
8. Add 250g of the cheese and stir until melted and fully combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
10. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
11. Drain the pasta, return to pot, and pour the sauce over.
12. Add the bacon pieces and stir to combine.
13. Dump the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
14. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs on top and bake at 190°C (375°F) until bubbling and heated through (~30 minutes).

Ricotta salata -- a low-moisture, salted ricotta -- is not commonly available here. There are various ways to emulate it, but for this recipe we used a roughly 50/50 mix of pressed cottage cheese and crumbled feta. We also added an extra bell pepper, since the ones we had were fairly small. The end result was delicious, although I think it wouldn't have minded another egg or two.

Pasta with Sausage, Peppers, Eggs, and Ricotta Salata

The Good Egg by Marie Simmons (p. 267)

Ingredients

• 500g italian sausage, skinned
• 5 Tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 bell peppers, cored and cut into thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 450g short pasta such as rotini or penne
• 225g ricotta salata, or a mix of pressed cottage cheese and feta

Directions

1. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking apart, until browned. Remove and buffer.
2. Add olive oil, if needed, to make ~1 Tbsp. Add bell peppers and sautée over medium heat until softened and charring at the edges, ~10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low, add garlic, and cook until fragrant and not yet browned, <1 minute.
4. Remove from the pan and buffer with the sausage; add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add remaining olive oil and increase heat to medium low. Break all four eggs into the skillet and fry until the whites are set, spooning the hot oil over them occasionally.
6. Remove from heat and top with parsley and red pepper flakes.
7. Meanwhile, the pasta al dente in lightly salted water; drain.
8. Combine the pasta, sausage, bell pepper, eggs, and cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine, breaking up the eggs in the process.

I needed an easy dinner to throw together earlier this week and this chili mac recipe fit the bill. The original was written for ground beef, macaroni, and pinto beans, but suggested experimenting with different meats. I opted to replace the ground beef with ground chicken and also swapped out the macaroni with whole wheat rotini and I ended up using black beans instead of pinto beans.

The end result was okay, but slightly bland. Adding some of the leftover pulled pork really helped perk it up. I also think adding some cilantro and a few more spices would have been helpful.

Chili Mac

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or bacon grease)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 450g ground chicken
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, bruised
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala¹
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 small (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (540mL) can pinto beans (or black beans), drained
• 4 c. chicken broth²
• 250g macaroni (or other short pasta)³
• ~1 c. grated cheese (preferably a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (5-6 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the chicken and cook, stirring and breaking it up until cooked through (5-6 minutes).
5. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, dhania-jeera masala, oregano, and pepper and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
6. Add the tomato, beans, and broth and bring to a boil.
7. Add macaroni and reduce heat to medium.
8. Cook until pasta is done (7-8 minutes or according to package directions).
9. Stir in half the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
10. Top with green onions, cilantro, and remaining cheese and serve.

---

¹ The original recipe just called for 1/2 Tbsp. of cumin, which is how I made it this time. Having tasted it now though, I think I'd make it with a mix of cumin and dhania-jeera masala next time. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 4 c. chicken broth, but since I was using a commercial broth concentrate, I was worried that would make it too salty, so I ended up using 3 c. of broth + 1 c. of water. Next time though, I think I'd just use the full 4 c. of broth. ^Back
3 The original recipe called for 220g macaroni. I didn't have macaroni, so I used 220g of whole wheat rotini instead. I found that the final dish was a bit too soupy for my liking. Next time I might try using a bit more pasta to see if that helps balance things out. ^Back

The Kidlet and I visited a museum in South Baymouth while we were waiting for the ferry a few months ago. They had a whole bunch of books for sale, including several cookbooks. Two of the cookbooks were modern recipe collections compiled from locals. Flipping through was pretty nostalgic for me as a lot of the recipes looked like things that I remembered my mother and grandmother cooking when I was a kid. The third cookbook was a bit different. It was also a collection of write-in recipes, but they were all much older and interspersed with general cooking and diet advice as well as ads from various Manitoulin Island businesses -- all from the turn of the (20th) century. As best I can tell, the whole cookbook is a reprint of some earlier cookbook. The little info page that has been added in the front just informs me that my purchase goes to fund the ongoing research of the Michael's Bay Historical Society and that it is "a historical cook book of 1920's".

So, while I'm not sure of the exact dates and provenance of the recipes, it is a lovely snapshot of early 20th c. ads, businesses, and attitudes. It's not as nostalgic for me as the more modern recipes, but that's part of why I got it! I already know how to make a lot of those recipes from my childhood and, for the ones I don't, I can ask my mom. The recipes in "The Cook Book" are much more unfamiliar to me. So, if I was only going to get one book, this pretty much had to be it.

Now, in a lot of cases the recipes are pretty sparse on details. They leave out things like quantities or cooking instructions or simply tell you to "bake in a slow oven", etc. But that's okay. That's honestly part of the fun of working with older recipes. The other problem, of course, is that some of the recipes sound truly vile¹. And many of the ones that don't just sound a bit bland. But I'd still like to try out at least some of them! And this relatively inoffensive spaghetti recipe seemed like a decent place to start.

Because this is a historical recipe that requires some degree of interpretation, I've included a transcript of the the original text below and then my rendition of the recipe below that.

SPAGHETTI AND HAMBURGER STEAK
1 pkg. of spaghetti, 1/2 lb. of Hamburger steak, 1/2 can of tomatoes, 1/2 onion chopped fine, 1/4 lb. of grated cheese, 1/2 Tbsp. of butter. Boil spaghetti till tender. Let Hamburger steak, tomatoes and onion simmer together for 30 minutes, then add cheese and butter and simmer 15 minutes longer. Make a nest of the spaghetti on platter and pour meat mixture into it. Mushrooms added at the same time as cheese improve flavour.--Mrs. K. R. Montizambert.

Spaghetti and Hamburger Steak

Adapted from The Cook Book; recipe by Mrs. K. R. Montizambert

Ingredients

• 450g extra-lean ground beef²
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 tsp. onion soup mix
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 100g mushrooms³, chopped (optional)
• 1 (800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 150mL tomato paste⁴
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 225g mild cheddar, grated
• ~400g spaghetti, spaghettini, or capellini
• chile flakes, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the beef over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
3. Add the pepper, soup mix, garlic, and mushrooms (if using), and cook for 10 minutes more.
4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, for 30-60 minutes.
5. Stir in the butter, then add the cheese and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
7. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving platter, making a nest into which to pour the sauce.
8. Pour the sauce into the pasta nest.
9. Top with chile flakes (if desired) and serve.

---

¹ Banana and celery salad, anyone? ^Back
2 Based on this recipe's presence in the "Luncheon Dishes" chapter of the cookbook, I suspect that this sauce is meant to be made with leftover hamburger steaks from dinner the night before. I didn't want to have to make hamburger steaks just to make this though, so I started with a pound of raw ground beef and just added a bit of garlic, black pepper, and onion soup mix to approximate hamburger steak. ^Back
3 I didn't end up using any mushrooms in mine, but I do think it would be tasty with some fungus in. I'd probably go for either cremini, oyster, or shiitake although white/button mushrooms would also be fine and probably more in line with what the recipe author was expecting when she suggested "mushrooms". ^Back
4 According to the original recipe, this was just meant to be done with a tin of tomatoes, hamburger steak, and an onion. No tomato paste. But I wanted to add a little more richness and body to the sauce, so I decided to toss in a tin of tomato paste that I had sitting in the pantry. I like the effect that this had on the sauce, but feel free to try it without the tomato paste if you'd like to stay truer to the original recipe or just prefer a somewhat thinner, lighter sauce. ^Back