spaghetti

Spaghetti with Fava Bean Puree & Ragusano Cheese

Spaghetti with Fava Bean Puree & Ragusano Cheese
By jgreghenry Published June 5, 2011
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 0 kosher salt, as needed
  • 5 T extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 0.5 c onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped, plus 2 t celery leaves
  • 1 c vegetable broth, approximately
  • 0 freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
  • 1 lb spaghetti
  • 2 T flat leaf parsley, minced
  • 0.5 lb ragusano cheese, grated
  • 4 c fava beans, shelled

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shelled fava beans and blanch for one minute. Transfer with slotted spoon to a prepared ice bath to stop cooking. Reserve the salted water for the pasta. Drain beans, gently peel and discard outer skins. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil, the onion. chopped celery and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about five minutes. Add three-quarters cup vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and add half of the peeled fava beans and about two tablespoons minced celery leaves. Cook one minute, remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender, Pulsing until a rough puree is achieved. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan, stir in remaining vegetable broth a litlle at a time to achieve a nice consistency. Add the reserved fava beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the reserved pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat until just warm. Stir in the minced parsley. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with oil and parsley; heat over medium high heat tossing to coat, about two minutes. Remove from heat, add half of the cheese and toss to combine. Divide the fava bean puree among serving plates. Top with pasta and remaining cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Notes:

Serves 4 Ragusano may be substituted with Caciocaballo, Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano Source: Adapted from La Cucina Italiana

Default Pasta: Two Tomato Pasta with Spicy Shrimp

25 Mar 2010
Two Tomato Pasta with Spicy Shrimp

It's been a bit hectic around my house lately. So here I go again with the Default Pasta.

Default Pasta makes an appearance at my dinner table at least once a week. That's because there is not always time to plan and shop for a specific menu. So Default Pasta is about winging it with what you have on hand.

Tonight I did not have much on hand, so I decided to keep this Default Pasta very basic. There is nothing quite as basic as spaghetti with tomatoes and basil. That's exactly where this Default Pasta got its start. But because this is Default Pasta and not "bored out of my mind pasta", I do have a few twists and turns that keep it from becoming too expected and well-worn. 

Starting with name: Two-Tomato Pasta with Spicy Shrimp.

I call it Two-Tomato Pasta for a couple of reasons. The most obvious reason is because the sauce has two kinds of tomatoes- Canned & Cooked, and Fresh & Raw. But tomatoes aren't the only duo in this Default Pasta. Because my inspiration for this dish (even the photos) came from not one but two Martha Stewart recipes. That's right I combined two recipes into one pasta. Not that I really followed a recipe, but that's the beauty in Default Pasta...

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 21 Comments

Two-Tomato Pasta with Basil & Spicy Shrimp

Two-Tomato Pasta with Basil & Spicy Shrimp
By jgreghenry Published March 24, 2010
Prep time: 30
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
  • 3 clv garlic, thinly sliced and diveded
  • 1.5 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 T asian chili sauce (or similar hot sauce)
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1 cn (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 pt cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 0.5 lb spaghetti
  • 1 bn lightly packed fresh basil leaves, 1/2 of them chopped half left whole
  • 0 very good extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Directions

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. The pan is hot enough when the oil has a slight shimmer. Add the shallots and half of the garlic, and cook quickly stirring often, until softened and just beginning to brown. About 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, chili sauce, and sugar to the pan and cook stirring constantly until the shrimp have just turned pink and opaque, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. To the same skillet, add remaining oil and remaining garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes, and the chopped basil. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato and basil sauce, shrimp; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, garnish with whole basil leaves and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Notes:

serves 4 Source: Inspired by 2 different Martha Stewart Living recipes

Is Ricotta and Radicchio Really a Rut? Even in Default Spaghetti?

11 Jan 2010
ricotta and ridicchio spaghetti ingredients

I have got to snap out of it! It's the eleventh day of the New Year and I have yet to really cook! I mean turn the oven on cook! I mean use my brain cook! I mean the kind of cooking that puts the neighbors to shame!

The cold poached Asian pears from yesterday are fabulous, I am not saying they are not. In fact we are enjoying them over vanilla ice cream tonight. But as delicious as they are, they are not really cooking. I am a tough judge and even tougher on myself than I am on other people.

So I gotta admit, tonight I am not really cooking– again! Yep, it's default pasta night at Sups! house. And though it is one of my favorite nights of the week I am not really burning any barns here. No wheels are being re-invented.

Still, I promise you it's going to be tasty. Afterall the popularity of default pasta night lies in the fact that it's a sure fire shortcut to success.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 29 Comments

Spaghetti with Ricotta and Radicchio

Spaghetti with Ricotta and Radicchio
By jgreghenry Published January 9, 2010
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 T very good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 clv garlic, peeled and minced
  • 0.5 c italian parsley, leaves only, minced
  • 1 c homemade or panko style breadcrumbs, plain
  • 0.25 t red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb thin, dried spaghetti
  • 10 oz whole milk ricotta
  • 1 head radicchio, quartered, cored and cut into thin ribbons
  • 0 fresh ground black pepper
  • 0 parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

Heat about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant but not yet browned, about 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently. They should become golden in about 4 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the parsley. Continue to stir until the skillet has cooled somewhat. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add several tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta to the pot, stir a few times to avoid sticking and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce. Put the spaghetti and pasta water back into the pot, adding the ricotta and the remaining olive oil. Stir well to coat all the noodles. Add the ribbons of radicchio and about 25% of the breadcrumbs. Taste and season with more salt if necessary and plenty of black pepper. Toss to combine and turn the spaghetti out onto a serving platter, topping it with the remaining breadcrumbs and a big drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm, passing the Parmesan at the table.

Notes:

serves 4