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Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

Roasted Red Onion and Butternut Squash Pasta-Last Night’s Dinner

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , on March 9, 2015| 2 Comments »

Yesterday was the first glorious day we’ve had here in NYC in a long time;  Not only was the sun out but it was also the first day of Daylight Savings Time and that makes everyone’s day that much brighter.  So even though I spent 5 hours at the office, I walked home and it was still so light out I felt like it was 3:00 in the afternoon instead of 5pm.  I stopped at Fairway to pick up some ingredients for dinner.  I had it in my mind to make a pasta dish and as I was walking I had a running debate going on in my head about exactly what would this dish be.  The roasted red onions and squash won out.   I knew it would be simple to throw together and that along with a salad and a warm baguette from Fairway, there would be plenty left over for Tuesday night’s supper.  That’s the night we are going to the movies on the West Side and won’t get home till around 8:30 pm so it’s nice to know there’s food ready to be heated up.

Roasted Red Onion and Squash Pasta

2 medium red onions, cut into 6 wedges, layers separated

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3/4″ pieces (I buy already prepped)

1 TBS coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves ( I used 2-3)

1TBS olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

1/2 # short ribbed pasta such as rigatoni (I used 1 lb)

1/4 cup grated Fontina cheese (2 oz) (I used about 1/2 cup)

1 cup of reserved pasta water

Preheat oven 450 degrees

On rimmed baking sheet, toss onions, squash, sage leaves with oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange in single layer and roast until tender, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet and tossing  vegetables, halfway through.

Meanwhile, in large pot, cook pasta till tender to preference.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water;  drain pasta and return to pot.  Add vegetables and cheese and toss to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta.

Recipe from Martha Stewart EveryDay Food January-February 2011

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Orechiette with Brocoli Rabe, Oregano and Lemon Zest

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday has been missing in action more often than I would like to admit.  I made the pasta dish I featured a week or so ago – the Penne with Cauliflower and Swiss Chard.  OMG, I have to tell you it was sooooooo delicious.  It had a delightfully light flavoring yet strong enough that you could savor every bite.  I admit I couldn’t taste the  Swiss Chard but since it added a different texture and the goodness of a dark leafy green vegetable, I was happy it was in it.

Actually it wasn’t the ingredients as much as it was the cooking technique that brought such flavor into every mouthful.  If you recall, the cauliflower was blanched for 3 minutes in the pot of boiling water that would also be used to cook the pasta.  So when the pasta was cooking in the water that the cauliflower had been in, it absorbed a light flavor that was as I said, delicious!  

Well my passion for pasta got me thinking about how many of my Tuesday recipes were pasta dishes and so I’ve decided to make a new category on the blog; We Called It Macaroni.  And I’m going to be publishing a LOT of pasta recipes! I’m no Lydia however, I’m taking on the job of educating my readers to the joys of Italian cooking, particularly PASTA, and taking them beyond red sauce and meatballs!  You can now search the blog category We Called It Macaroni for any of the pasta recipes published previously.  “Mangia”

Lovely light and flavorful pasta dish.

Lovely light and flavorful pasta dish.

Orchiette with Brocolie Rabe, Oregano and Lemon

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 orchiette or other small pasta shape

1 bunch broccoli rabe (1 lb) – trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 ” pieces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 TBS fresh oregano leaves, for serving

2-3 TBS fresh lemon juice , for serving

In  a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to directions, adding broccoli rate 4 minutes before the end of cooking.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan heat oil, garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat until garlic begins to sizzle, 2 minutes.  

Drain pasta and broccoli rabe and return to pot.  Add oil mixture and toss to coat;  season to taste with salt and pepper.  * I always sprinkle a little Peccorino-Romano or other Italian grating cheese on top of my pasta dishes

To  serve, sprinkle oregano over pasta and drizzle with lemon juice.

** As you can see, this recipe uses only olive oil as the sauce for the pasta dish;  Therefore you should definitely use the small pasta shapes such as orchiette and secondly when I see a recipe calling for so little sauce I often save a cupful of the pasta water to add to the sauce. Also I would use as many garlic cloves as I wished and just shake the red pepper flakes in and not measure.

***  You can also add cherry tomatoes with the garlic and cook them till they burst, add yet another dimension of flavor and texture to your dish.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Every Day Food

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Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions w/Rosemary and Parmesan

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2010| 2 Comments »

A sweet potato.

Image via Wikipedia

TASTY TIDBITS TUESDAY

Last week in the New York Times, there was an article heralding the merits of Sweet Potatoes and their rise in culinary popularity.  Lighter in sugars than yams and with a bit of protein, they are now appearing on menus all around town; sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes.  This recipe is is a favorite of mine and I think more suited to a Christmas dinner than Thanksgiving!  This could be the beginning of the  Count-Down to Christmas Dinner.

2 3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1″ cubes

8 TBS of Canola oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

1 1/2 lb red onions (3 medium), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/4″ slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Set one rack in center and one on lowest position – preheat oven 375 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil.  Place sweet potatoes on one; drizzle with 6 TBS of oil.  Sprinkle with garlic, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper – toss to coat, then spread in a single layer.

Place onions on second baking sheet, drizzle with 2 remaining TBS oil, sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, toss to coat.  Spread in single layer.

Place sheet with potatoes on center rack and sheet with onions on lower rack in oven. Roast until potatoes are tender and onions are tender and brown around the edges, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes total for potatoes and 35 for onions.

Can be prepared 4 hours ahead of time, let stand at room temperature, covered loosely with foil.  Rewarm in 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Combine potatoes and onions in shallow bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and rosemary and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.


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