Easy Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 package Philadelphia cream cheese (NOT LOW FAT!! OR ANY OTHER BRAND!!)
2 c whole milk (can replace with 2%, half and half, or cream, but not skim)
6 oz finely shredded Parmesan cheese (NOT KRAFT!!)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. NOTE: have pasta ready before making sauce
2. Heat butter on stove over medium heat.
3. Add garlic.
4. Add room temperature cream cheese. Whisk. Get it as smooth as you can.
5. Add warm milk. Whisk till smooth. DO NOT boil.
6. Add parmesan. DO NOT bring to boil or it WILL separate. Whisk till smooth.
7. Take off heat.
8. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
9. Sauce will get thicker as it cools.
10. Add sauce to pasta and enjoy!

Audrey Hepburn’s Favorite Pasta

Spaghetti Al Pomodoro

INGREDIENTS:

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
2 large cans (28 oz. each) peeled Italian Roma tomatoes
1 large bunch fresh basil, washed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. spaghetti pasta
Salt to taste
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot combine onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Take half of your basil and remove whole leaves from the stems (you should end up with about ½ cup of leaves). Add the basil leaves to the pot. Bring sauce to a simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking apart the larger tomatoes as they cook.

While the sauce is simmering, fill another large pot with 4 quarts of water and slowly heat it up. Take the remaining basil and cut the leaves into small pieces using a pair of scissors—this will help prevent bruising and blackening of the leaves. Reserve.

After 45 minutes, or when the diced vegetables are tender, turn off the heat. Let the sauce rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt, if desired. Cook your spaghetti pasta until al dente (retaining a little bit of snap to the core). Drain and rinse the pasta with lukewarm water to prevent sticking.

Taste the sauce, add salt to taste if desired. Serve pasta topped generously with sauce, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the remaining freshly cut basil leaves.

Spinach Gnocchi

Ingredients:

1.5 packages frozen spinach
2 tbsp butter
1/2 lb ricotta cheese
salt
pepper
dash mace
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tbsp flour
1/3 c grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Cook spinach in heavy pan until just heated through.
2. Drain well. Chop fine. Press into towel to get rid of excess liquid.
3. Combine with butter, ricotta, salt and pepper to taste, and mace.
4. Cook 5 min or so over very low heat, stirring well.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in beaten eggs, flour and parmesan.
6. Cool and refrigerate for 2 hrs.

Forming the gnocchi:

1. Form into small bowls or cylinders about 1.5 in long, and roll in flour.
2. Bring water to boil in large pot (gnocchi should not touch during cooking) and add the gnocchi.
3. They are done when they rise to the surface.
4. Remove at once and drain.
5. Serve with plenty of melted butter and parmesan.

Emeril’s Red Sauce

To use on pizza, as a dipping sauce for garlic bread, with pasta, on enchiladas. Basically for everything.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped yellow onions (1 medium yellow onion)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves garlic)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

In a medium, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes.

Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and squeeze to break into small pieces. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar to the pot and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a heavy wooden spoon.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2007

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/best-basic-red-sauce-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Pasta Dough

Tried Martha Stewart and Mario Batali’s Recipe. Total failure. Giving up on Martha Stewart now. First her pizza dough recipe is a waste, now her pasta dough. She’s lost her touch. Deleting both of her recipes from my blog so I don’t make the awfulness again.

INGREDIENTS:

4 c all purpose flour
7 eggs
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c water

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients in a Kitchenaid and mix on high for 10 minutes.

This develops the gluten and makes the dough stretchy.

Refrigerate for 1 hour (or use immediately).

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI FILLING:

1 small butternut squash, cut in half, seasoned with olive oil, cooked in oven 350 F for 25 min
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
pinch salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Mix everything together.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

1. Roll out ravioli dough. Add filling. Ratio: 1/3 pasta, 2/3 filling. Brush sides of filling with water or egg. Top with second layer of pasta. Press down like when making hand pies. Cut into nice clean square shape.

2. Boil 4 minutes.

3. Enjoy with pesto sauce.

Tomato Baked Penne

Ingredients

2 amazing tomatoes  (beefsteak)

1 can tomato paste

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c oregano

2 c SMALL penne pasta

olive oil

Directions

1. Oil Pyrex bread pan.

2. Layer bottom and sides with fresh sliced tomatoes.

3. In blender, blend tomato paste, onion, garlic, oregano.

4. In bowl, mix small penne with tomato paste blend.

5. Place penne mix in center of Pyrex (surrounded by tomatoes).

6. Top with overlapping layers of tomato slices.

7. Brush tomatoes with olive oil.

8. Bake 450 f for 60 min.

9. Enjoy!

Walnut Pesto

Walnut Pesto
Makes 2 cups

2 c fresh basil
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 c walnut halves
1/2 – 3/4 c parmesan cheese
2/3 c olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp vinegar (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Combine garlic and basil in food processor.
Blend to paste scraping down sides.
Add walnuts and cheese, combine until smooth.
Add oil until smooth and creamy.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Add optional vinegar or lemon juice.
Serve with pasta, fresh sliced tomato, or fish.

Gnocci Verdi

James Beard

Ingredients:
Gnocchi Verdi:

12 ounces spinach, cooked, drained, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons flour
Sauce:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Yield: 6 servings
Method:
Put the spinach in a saucepan with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, butter, and ricotta. Stir it over low heat for about 5 minutes to dry it out. Remove from heat and beat in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, and flour. Set mixture aside to cool for 2 hours.
Dust a wooden board and your hands with flour. Pull off walnut-sized pieces of the spinach mixture, and form croquettes the shape of a cork. Roll them in the flour and, when they are all ready, drop them carefully into a large pot of very gently simmering water. Don’t let the water boil, the action may cause the gnocchi to disintegrate. If the mixture seems too soft, don’t worry, because the eggs and flour will hold the gnocchi together when they come in contact with the simmering water.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
When the gnocchi rise to the surface of the water, they are finished cooking. Skim them off with a slotted spoon, drain them well, and place them in an ovenproof baking dish lightly coated with butter. Pour the melted butter over them, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, and heat the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.