Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"

This is a simple and healthy meal I served to my spaghetti loving husband the other day, it’s packed with flavor and so good for you. A nice Italian salad on the side, maybe some warm crusty bread and you have dinner on the table in no time.

Once you roast your spaghetti squash this dish comes together in minutes, in fact I roasted mine the day before and had it for dinner the next day.
I cut my squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and then place cut side down on parchment paper in a preheated 350F oven for 40-45 minutes depending on size. I test mine by piercing the skin with the tip of a knife, when it goes through easy, it’s done!

I used just a few ingredients; garlic** red onion slices** red pepper** fresh spinach** grated parmesan or romano cheese** fresh basil and parsley.
Saute garlic, onions and red pepper, at the time I made this I had a few of those sweet red thin skinned long peppers so I just cut them into rings and used them.

Next you need to shred all those glorious strands from your squash, a fork works perfectly, it’s amazing how much I got from just one squash, enough to feed us twice, talk about “budget friendly!”

Combine your squash with your veggie mix right into the saute pan, on medium heat add in some fresh torn spinach leaves, your grated cheese, the fresh herbs, more olive oil, salt and pepper, tossing as you go along and tasting for just the right amount of everything to your liking.
I’m sorry but I never have an exact recipe for things like this.
Taste as you go, that’s my motto and I’m sticking to it!
Buon Appetito!
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Anelletti and Corzetti Pasta

I received an awesome book for review a while back called, The Geometry of Pasta, (Quirk Books) I’m embarrassed to say how long ago it was. This a book I wouldn’t normally gravitate to because it has no pictures, the cover is black and white and I convinced myself I wouldn’t like it, but once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down, I read it from beginning to end in one afternoon.

The book in great detail covers every shape of pasta you can think of, fresh, dry, stuffed you name it, plus all the history behind each shape, where and how they originated, how they’re used, plus recipes all throughout. If you’re a pasta freak like me I would highly recommend this book.

I love using different shapes of pasta in my cooking, I get bored with the same old thing all the time so when I saw a recipe for Anelletti Al Forno I knew I was going to try it. Little loops of pasta baked together in a sauce filled with cheese, peas and crumbled Italian sausage, placed in a ring mold or in my case a springform pan. You might even want to call this grown up spaghettiO’s!

This is the perfect dish to bring to a party or to put out on a buffet, it doesn’t have to be steaming hot, great at room temperature and it has a nice presentation. This is also great for a picnic but unfortunately that’s not happening here for a while, but I will keep it in mind for the summer.
It doesn’t take long to put this dish together either, after you make a quick marinara sauce or quicker yet purchase a really good one, then you cook your pasta until it’s very al dente.

Then it’s time to mix up your filling and place it into a buttered springform pan dusted with toasted breadcrumbs.

The nice thing is you can do a meat or a vegetarian version. The first one I ever made was with out meat using ricotta, fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan and asiago cheese.

Here’s what I used for the filling;
Totally adapted from The Geometry of Pasta
Marinara sauce, around 3 cups or so made with basil and garlic
3/4 lb of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb of anelletti cooked very al dente
1 cup of frozen peas
4 oz of diced fontinella cheese or provolone
1/2 cup of grated pecorino
1 egg
Basil, parsley, salt and pepper
Get a big bowl and add everything inside together if you have some leftover put it in a ramekin or a smaller mold.
Butter a springform pan, I used a 10 inch and dusted it with toasted breadcrumbs. Pour in the pasta mixture pressing down with the back of a spoon. Top with more grated cheese and then bake at 425F between 35 and 45 minutes. The important thing is to let it cool for at least a good hour or so, then unmold, it could then be cut into wedges or scooped out, whichever you prefer.
I recently received a bag of corzetti pasta as a gift and was waiting for a special occasion to make it. Corzetti ( spelled a couple of different ways) are large coins of pasta cut into discs and embossed on both sides using a hand carved stamp originating from Liguria. The stamps are hard to find here but I’m confident I will get my hands on one soon.

If you want to see a beautiful post on homemade hand stamped corzetti please check out my friend Elaine’s post here. I’m in awe of this pasta with it’s understated elegance!
The brand I received as a gift was absolutely delicious, I used Elaine’s sauce and it was quite a hit on our holiday table!
Buon Appetito!
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Vegetable and Barley Stuffed Peppers

A New Years resolution is a goal that someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.
I have many goals for 2011 food related and otherwise which I won’t bore you with right now but one thing I will continue to do is to eat more meatless meals. I have to admit I really enjoy cooking with vegetables the possibilities are endless and besides all that color on my plate just makes me happy!
Mixing vegetables with your favorite grains and pastas result in a very hearty and satisfying meal, such is the case with my vegetable and barley stuffed peppers.

Roasted artichoke hearts and portobello mushrooms are the two key ingredients here tossed into the barley, and then of course all that goodness gets stuffed into an edible sweet roasted red pepper. Yes, you could use rice, but I urge you make this with barley, it’s a welcome change. Oh, and did I mention that barley is a nutritional powerhouse? It’s packed with fiber and it even helps lower cholesterol so it’s a win win situation all around!

I served a nice Italian salad along side my stuffed peppers and the husband and myself were very happy and contented!

Prepare your barley just like you do rice using three times as much water as barley. When it’s finished I like to cool it down on a sheet pan so it doesn’t keep cooking and become mushy, you want to retain that nice chewy texture that barley is know for.

The vegetables I used and tossed into my barley were;

Frozen artichoke hearts drizzled with olive oil and roasted in a 400F oven as well as large diced portobello mushroom pieces, diced zucchini is another option as well.
Chopped red onion
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese
Fresh basil and parsley
Lemon zest and juice
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Toss all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste
To prepare the peppers slice the top off, scoop out the seeds, brush inside and out with olive oil and roast in oven or under the broiler just until knife tender but watch so they do not colapse, the pepper will be your vessel for the stuffing.
This can be served room temperature or slightly warmed.
Buon Appetito!
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