Pasta with Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Almonds (for Caroline)

From Cooks Illustrated. The recipe says it works best with short molded pasta, such as fusilli, campanelle, or orecchiette. I have used fusilli, orecchiette, bowtie, spirals, and penne.  I liked penne the least.

Also, I have roasted garlic cloves that were already peeled and cut in half, and that was way easier than trying to squeeze hot roasted garlic out of the skins after the fact.

Pasta with Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Almonds
Serves 4

2 heads garlic, papery skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off and discarded
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds broccoli
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pound pasta
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2-3 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 ounces Manchego cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Adjust oven rack to middle position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut one 12-inch sheet of foil and spread flat on counter. Place garlic heads, cut-side up, in center of foil. Drizzle ½ teaspoon oil over each head and seal packet. Place packet on oven rack and roast until garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes. Open packet and set aside to cool.

While garlic is roasting, prepare broccoli. Cut broccoli at juncture of crowns and stems; remove outer peel from stems. Cut stems into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length into ½-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3 to 4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and sugar.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing cut sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until broccoli is well browned and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

While broccoli roasts, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook until al dente. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into small bowl. Using fork, mash garlic to smooth paste, then stir in red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup oil.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return pasta to pot. Add chopped broccoli to pasta; stir in garlic sauce, ¼ cup cooking water, basil, and ½ cup cheese. Adjust consistency with additional cooking water and season with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkling with remaining ½ cup cheese and toasted almonds.

Creamy Caprese Pasta

this recipe comes from howsweeteats.com

1 pound whole wheat pasta (noodles such as penne work best)

1 cup of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce

1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes

1 pint of grape tomatoes (I cut some in half and left some whole)

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in heavy cream and grated parmesan. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and dump into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off heat. Fold in mozzarella cubes and tomatoes, then chop 3-4 fresh basil leaves and add them in too. Once combined, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire pasta mixture into the dish. Top with fresh mozzarella rounds. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Top with additional fresh basil and grated cheese. Serve with garlic bread. You can also add in chicken, steak or seafood for some protein.

Comments: 

I used regular penne noodles since some reviewers said they didn't like the texture of the wheat.  Reviewers say to double the sauce and cheese but leave the cream as is.  I doubled the pasta sauce and the mozzarella, but not the cream, parmesan or tomatoes.  And we used Maren and Brent's homemade pasta sauce.  Reviewers also wanted more basil, so I think I did about 1.5 times what it calls for.  Next time I would not use the grilled chicken that we added, but maybe try some Italian sausage for those who don't want vegetarian.  I would also add more mozzarella rounds to the top than what I used.

Spicy Pasta Salad with Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes and Basil (from Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients
12 ounces, weight Mostaccioli (Penne) pasta
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Whole Milk
4 Tablespoons White Vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoon Adobo Sauce From Chipotle Peppers (or One Minced Chipotle Pepper)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Ground Black Pepper To Taste
10 ounces, weight Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
1/2 pound Smoked Gouda Cheese, Cut Into Small Cubes
24 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until no longer hot. Set aside.
Mix mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, salt, pepper, and adobo in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, stir together pasta, dressing, halved tomatoes, and cubed Gouda. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed, and even an extra teaspoons or two of vinegar if necessary. Stir in basil at the end. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
Divine.

Mom said she only used half the cheese called for, and I don't think she used the chipotle sauce.

Bowtie Pasta with White Beans, Roasted Peppers and Garlic Spinach

3 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
12 oz. bowtie or penne pasta
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
9 oz. baby spinach, tails removed
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and some more shaved with veg. peeler

Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Halve bell peppers, then core and seed. Press peppers flat, skin-side up, onto prepared pan. Broil 10 minutes, until skins are blackened (I think it took me less time than that). Transfer to a bowl and cover with foil (use the same foil that lined the pan). Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and discard charred skin from peppers. (NOTE: Do NOT run under cold water to remove the skins. This will wash away the charred taste that you want. Paper towels can help remove the skin.) Thinly slice peppers.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking water; drain pasta.

Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring often. Add bell peppers, beans, salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add pasta cooking water and about 1/4 of the spinach; bring to a simmer. Let cook 10 minutes, (I don't think it took me that long to get the spinach where I wanted it),slowly adding remaining spinach, stirring often and smashing beans against the side of the pan to create a sauce. Leave some beans whole. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar. (I used a bit more than called for.)

In a large serving bowl, toss pasta with sauce and Paramesan. Season with salt and pepper.


Kevin being out of town and Emma and Benjamin needing an outing this Sunday day-into-evening, Emma and I fixed this for dinner along with some crusty bread and Irish butter. Emma thought I should post it on this blog; I would give it a solid B, but it has excellent qualities that should not be overlooked: I had all of this stuff on hand, it was vegetarian for Emma, it's pretty cheap and it was pretty good.

I thought it needed a little help, so after I dished it into pasta bowls, I drizzled each bowl with several drops of a really good balsamic. (I'm getting Emma some, and if you want some, too, just let me know. The stuff I like is $50 a bottle, BUT it is very good-tasting and you don't cook with it, you drizzle drops on pasta or salad or use it for your olive oil-balsamic dipping sauce for your good crusty bread.

I told Emma that next time I would take some of those pine nuts from Costco that have been in my freezer for a LONG time, toast them in a pan on the stovetop, and put some on top of each serving. I think that would be a very good addition, but not absolutely necessary.

Fast, easy, cheap (when the red peppers go on sale) and VERY nutritious. A good standby. I don't think the leftovers will heat up very well, but I'm thinking to add a smidgen of olive oil and maybe a little more of the supermarket balsamic before it goes in the microwave. But the bottom line is, some things really don't warm up too well. We'll see.

Dad didn't complain about no meat. Maybe he thought it, but he didn't say it. And remember, beans have ANTI-TUMOR properties, a very good thing indeed.