Wednesday, September 12, 2012

pastaaaa

We've added a few pasta dishes into regular rotation.  Both are super easy, super fast, and typically leave leftovers.  Both are also generally soft and squishy, which is important if you are having problems chewing.  Yes, that's me right now.  Ugh. 

Here are the quasi-recipes.  And as always, the ingredients can be found at your local beloved Trader Joe's.

//Capellini with Smoked Salmon, Spinach & Capers
The idea here is to cook up some pasta and then let the heat of the pasta do the rest of the work!  


Ingredients:
1 pound capellini or pasta of your choosing
8oz smoked salmon, shredded
2 large tomatoes, diced 
5 cloves garlic, pressed
Olive oil
Baby spinach (~3-4 handfuls)
Fresh basil, sliced
Capers 
Parmesan / Romano cheese, grated
Sea salt & cracked pepper

  • Cook pasta in a large pot with heavily salted water and strain when cooked to your liking.
  • Add a generous amount of olive oil and the garlic to the pot.  Cook the garlic until slightly browned.  Add the pasta and toss till lightly coated in oil.
  • Add everything else in whatever proportions you think looks tasty and toss like crazy!  The heat of the pasta should wilt the spinach and slightly cook the smoked salmon pieces.  We usually add some of the caper "juice" as well.  
 
Oh yeaaaa!  Yum!



//Spaghetti with Fried Eggs and Sun-dried Tomato  
This is based upon a dish by Mark Bittman (The Minimalist), Spaghetti with Fried Eggs.  His original recipe is meant for the busy person who didn't plan for dinner and has that ug what can I eat moment - thus, easily sourced from the pantry and fridge.  We adapted Mark's version, adding sun-dried tomatoes and onion. 


Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 large onion, chopped
6 eggs 
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Sea salt & cracked pepper
Parmesan / Romano cheese, grated
  • Begin cooking pasta in a large pot with heavily salted water.
  • Combine the olive oil and garlic in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook the garlic until barely colored, pressing into the oil to release flavor.  Add onion and salt to taste, cooking until onion becomes translucent.  
  • When spaghetti is cooked, strain and return to the large pot.  Add the onion mixture, leaving some olive oil in the skillet.
  • Fry the eggs in the remaining olive oil until the whites just set and yolks are still runny.  Add more olive oil if needed.
  • Add eggs and sun-dried tomatoes to the pasta and toss, breaking up the egg whites.  The yolks should coat the entire mixture, creating a sauce.  
  • Season to taste and serve with cheese.  Yum!
 
Do you like how we use paper towels for napkins?  Yeah, we're classy like that.

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