Ontem fiz jantar bonitinho, porque moro com a Monica Geller e ela estava surtando com a pia suja. Coisas de família. Essa é minha versão fast food do molho Béchamel. Façam em casa!

Igredientes

• 3 colheres de sopa de farinha de trigo
• 100 g de manteiga
• 1 cebola média
• pimenta do reino em grãos
• noz moscada em pó
• 400 g de gorgonzola
• 1/2 litro de leite frio ou gelado

Modo de Fazer

Corte a cebola à Julienne e refogue na manteiga até dourar. Vá polvilhando o trigo, mexendo com um fouet para não empelotar, obtendo uma consistencia de massa dourada, até que solte da panela (Roux). Acrescente o leite e mexa bem até que dissolva. Junte o gorgonzola e continue mexendo, para obter consistencia cremosa. Esmague os grão de pimenta, e jogue na panela, deixando por cerca de 10 minutos ou até a consistência desejada. Desligue e acrescente a noz moscada (ou galanga em pó, se preferir).

Servi esse molho com penne, gratinado com parmesão.

Essa receita é muito prática e rápida. Para quem não come carne, é um prato cheio e não te deixa com aquela sensação de empanturrado (risos).

Ingredientes (serve 2 pessoas com fartura):

- 1/2 pacote de massa penne grano duro

- 30 tomates cereja cortados ao meio

- 150 g de queijo minas amassado com o garfo

- Folhas de manjericão a gosto (eu coloquei bastante)

- 1/2 xíc. de chá de azeite extra virgem

- 3 dentes de alho picados

- 1/2 cebola picada

- Noz moscada a gosto

- Sal a gosto

- Pimenta do reino a gosto

Modo de preparo:

Em uma panela, cozinhe o macarrão conforme as instruções da embalagem. Coloque um fio de óleo na água para a massa não grudar e uma pitada de sal. Reserve.

Em outra panela, aqueça o azeite e acrescente o sal e o alho picado. Quando o alho dourar, acrescente a cebola picada. Quando a cebola estiver transparente, acrescente os tomates, as folhas de manjericão, o sal, a noz moscada e a pimenta do reino. Tampe a panela e deixe cozinhar em fogo médio até que os tomates comecem a desmanchar e o caldo engrosse um pouco. Mexa algumas vezes para não queimar o fundo. O azeite vai pegar bastante o gosto do manjericão, do alho e do tomate. Desligue o fogo, acrescente o queijo “esfarelado” e misture. Jogue o molho sobre o macarrão e arremate com folhas frescas de manjericão. Pode servir

Here are today’s specials…come on by:

• Baked potato with broccoli & cheddar OR sour cream, chives & bacon
• Club sandwich with chips
• Quiche with mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes and mozzarella
• Penne pasta with ham in a cheese sauce
• Soups:  cream of broccoli and sausage & bean

We’ll be closed on Thanksgiving. May you and your family have a wonderful, peaceful holiday!

The hubs and I are a little partial to alfredo, especially my roasted garlic alfredo. However, we both love gorgonzola, so I thought let’s try something new. This dish is “off the hook” or ridiculously good.

Here’s the dish:

What’cha need:

1 pkg. penne pasta

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large garlic clove minced

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup chicken broth

5 oz. crumbled gorgonzola cheese

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in the olive oil. Once browned a bit, add the garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the broth and loosen up any brown bits. Add cream. Cook til sauce is slightly thickened (it doesn’t get that thick) and chicken is fully cooked. Stir in the gorgonzola cheese, salt and pepper. Cook til cheese just melts.

Drain pasta. Put pasta in a dish, pour some tasty sauce over it. Add some parmigiano-reggiano if you want and dig in.

This dish is super easy and super tasty. It’s definitely a repeat meal.

ps. The hubs loved it too!

So, I have a weakness for anything Italian, pasta specifically. At least one meal I make a week involves some sort of pasta (raise your hand if you love carbs, too!) I made this Creamy Tomato Penne recipe as a spin off of my favorite dish at Tutto Pasta in Madison. It’s super easy, and I’m going to show you how to make it!

First, you’ll need to get together all of these things: think of it as your “cast of characters” in the recipe. (The full recipe can be found at the end of this post.)

First, dice up an onion. The easiest way I’ve found is to first slice it into thin strips, stopping right before you get to the end.

After you’ve done that, slice it through the middle, just stopping before you get to the end.

Now you can run your knife through it and get perfectly sized pieces of diced onion!

Next, crush up 3 cloves of garlic (more if you’re feeling crazy). If you don’t have a garlic press, that’s fine! Just mince ‘em up.

Now it’s time for the good stuff. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and here’s the best part- throw in a tablespoon of butter. It won’t hurt you. And believe me- everything is better with butter!

Once that has melted, throw in the onions and garlic. Saute them up until they’re nice and soft- about 4 minutes.

Now, throw in your can of diced tomatoes. I like to use the fire roasted kind, but if you just have regular diced tomatoes, that’s fine too!

Let that simmer down for about 5 minutes and add in your tomato sauce and bay leaf. This gives it good flavor, but don’t forget to take it out at the end- you don’t want to eat it.

I also like to add in some spices in around this time. I usually add red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. If you don’t like spice, that’s fine. Just salt and pepper it to your liking.

After the sauce has cooked down for a while, it’s time to add the cream cheese. I also like to use marscapone (an Italian version of cream cheese), but if you can’t find that in the grocery store, cream cheese works just as good.

Somehow, I forgot to show the peas in our cast of characters, but do not worry- here they are! Add in about 1/2 cup of peas, less or more depending on how much you like them. You can add them in their frozen state, they’ll thaw out pretty quickly.

Let the sauce bubble for about 5 minutes, then toss it together with your cooked penne. You can use any kind of pasta that you like, penne just makes me happy.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and you’re all set to go!

You can serve anything you want with this pasta because it lends its flavors so well to pretty much anything, but my dad being the griller he is grilled up some Italian sausage links. Mmm tasty stuff!

Here’s my sister with the finished product. Doesn’t she look happy?

I hope you enjoy this quick easy pasta dish. Let me know what you think and stay tuned for my next recipe! Hint: It’ll be something to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Creamy Tomato Penne

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce (or small 8 oz can)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp cream cheese or marscapone cheese

1/2 cup frozen peas

Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Italian Sausage (to serve on the side)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne according to package directions.

Heat butter and olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add in the diced onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant and softened- about 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and allow to slightly bubble. Stir in 1/2 can of tomato sauce and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer. Add seasonings if desired, salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and stir in cream cheese/marscapone cheese and peas. Return to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix with cooked pasta, serving Italian sausage on side if desired. Sprinkle pasta with Parmesan cheese and serve!

Hoje testei uma receita que há muito queria fazer, e aproveitei pra fazer média com a família, que andava reclamando da minha desconexão. Pasta é algo extremamente divertido de fazer, e praticamente impossível de errar, agrada a todo mundo e fica bonito, como acho que um bom prato deve ser. Penne é uma das massas que mais gosto, e queria experimentar vodka no molho, aproveitando a onda russa aqui em casa. A receita original pede hazel nuts, mas eu não tinha e a droga do ubbermarket fecha aos domingos, então usei pistache e ficou muito bom.

Penne com creme de vodka, aspargos e avelãs pistache

• 800g de penne
• 2 cl sopa de azeite
• 2 dentes de alho picados
• ½ xícara de vodka
• 1 xícara de natas
• sumo e raspa de 1 limão
• sal e pimenta do reino
• 250g de aspargos verdes
• ½ xícara de avelãs grosseiramente picadas pistache triturado

Cozinhar a massa em muita água com sal até ficar al dente. Numa frigideira, refogar o alho no azeite sem deixar queimar, juntar o vodka e deixar evaporar o álcool. Juntar as natas e o sumo de limão e misturar, aquecendo até ferver. Temperar com sal e pimenta, juntar os aspargos (previamente cozidos em água e sal e cortados em pedaços de 3 cm) e a raspa de limão, sem deixar ferver. Numa travessa, deitar a massa, o molho e metade das avelãs do pistache e envolver. Salpicar o restante, e servir logo.

bronze drawn anelletti pasta from Palermo

“GO BUY  ME A KILO PASTA, WILL YOU?????”

This Italy here  is a crazy country and always will be, but important priorities are respected. A good bowl of pasta is  hardly ever refused. So easy,  so good, so comforting. It’s in our genes, in our blood, it’s the mother of foods. Pasta comes first, not for nothing we call it primo.

Eating store-bought dried pasta is so fundamental to Italian life that we have gotten organized. And I don’t mean grandma rolling fettuccine for the kids, I mean industrial amounts.

In Gragnano, South of Naples, artisan pasta makers have been producing high quality pasta for as long as 500 years. Until relatively recent times the whole town was decorated with kilometers of noodles hanging to dry outside the pasta workshops. In the late XIX century the town was even granted the right to open a train station to be able to “export” their product to Northern Italy.

From then on, industrially produced pasta became the cheap and convenient food that by now appears on the tables of a large portion of the world’s population.

If you look for good dried pasta make sure that what you buy  is made with 100% durum wheat semolina, not with tender wheat flour which is used for bread, fresh pasta and general cooking.

To make the pasta, semolina is first mixed in a dough and then extruded through a die -named trafila in Italian -  to obtain the desired shape. Dies are made of teflon or bronze.   Standard pasta is teflon drawn, it’s quite smooth and yellow. High quality pasta is bronze drawn – trafilata al bronzo – and has a lovely powdery surface like that one in the picture above.

The bronze extruder makes the surface of the pasta more porous so that the sauces clings to the uneven surface of it rather than slipping away.

Bronze drawn pasta is widely available in Italy. However, there is one brand, which in our house has been nicknamed the “antimafia”, that sums up all goodness of flavor and thinking.

The Libera organization produces organic bronze-drawn pasta using wheat that is cultivated on estates confiscated from the mafia lords. Volunteer work by young people who believes in future.

So next time you come on holidays you know one more thing about this country.

We have some really good pasta. Sometimes we have some real courage.

organic pasta made by the Libera organization

Over the last two days we have turned our backs to Chinese cuisine and enjoyed the taste, texture and flavors (and calories) of European food, namely pasta. The best part of the dinner: a glass of French red wine (!). We visited Beijing’s expat supermarket, called Jenny Lou, that sells a lot of European delights, and went crazy, buying different pastas, cheeses, salami, Earl Gray tea, Cote’d'Ivore chocolate, coffee, dark rye bread and a bunch of other things…I could have bought the whole shop if only it would not have been that expensive! One of the Finnish girls in our language class had a birthday, so we decided to make her day and got her a bottle of Finlandia as well.

About the pasta – we did not use any specific recipe, just tried to improvise a dish from the ingredients that we had at hand. Nevertheless, both dishes came out wonderful (or maybe it was just that we hadn’t had pasta like forever).

The first dish, bacon-mushroom penne, was made by J. A plateful of simple, creamy goodness that was. And easy! Next time would maybe add some asparagus for texture and colour…or frozen peas? Could also use turkey bacon for less fatty option, but I don’t think I’ll find it here in China…And to be honest, I don’t think turkey bacon would give as much flavor as the smoked pork bacon did.

• ca 200 g penne pasta
• 100 g smoked bacon, cut into stripes
• 100 ml cream (up to you how heavy you use)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 gloves of garlic, crushed (depending on how into garlics you are)
• 4-5 button mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• butter

# Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (a wok-pan would do as well), add bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Remove from pan and pat dry with household paper.

# Remove excess fat from the pan (not all of it), add garlic and onion to the pan, stirring and scrapping the brown pieces from the pan. Fry until golden, add mushroom to the pan and fry for an additional couple of minutes. Tip: if too dry, try adding some water, to not to burn the onions/mushrooms.

# Pour cream to the pan, season with salt and pepper and heat through, to thicken the sauce. Finally add the bacon to the sauce.

# In the mean time boil penne pasta until al dente, drain, pour over with some olive oil and stir. Add to the sauce, give everything a good toss and serve immediately.

The second pasta dish was my own creation, nothing special, but also very tasty. Hearty, flavorfur, yet not an overpowering tomato base – a perfect match with the wine we got.

• ca 200 g spaghetti
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 100 g smoked bacon, cut into stripes
• 3-4 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 gloves of garlic, crushed
• some dried (or fresh) basil
• half a cube of pork bullion
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• butter
• some red wine (optional)

# Start the same way as the previous dish: heat butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (a wok-pan would do as well), add bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Remove from pan and pat dry with household paper.

# Remove excess fat from the pan (not all of it), add garlic and onion to the pan, stirring and scrapping the brown pieces from the pan. Fry until golden, add mushroom to the pan and fry for an additional couple of minutes.

# Add diced tomatoes to the pan, season with salt, pepper, basil and the crumbled bullion cube. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring meanwhile (and crushing the tomatoes at the same time). Tip: If I had a blender here, I would have even pureed the whole lot, to get a nice thick pasta sauce.

# Finally add the bacon and some wine, heat through and serve over spaghetti. Oh, and of course you’ll need to cook the spaghetti in the mean time, don’t forget that!

Still inspired by the flavors of fall, despite the rise in temperatures again, I decided to pick up some squash at the Town and Country Farmer’s market last Wednesday.

I love finding new ways to use squash, and after a request to incorporate penne pasta, here’s what I came up with.

By the way, if you’re looking for something to do with all the seeds from your squash, check out Eliza Domestica’s recipe for roasted winter squash seeds here.

Here’s the fruit of my efforts from last week’s market selection:

Penne with Roasted Acorn Squash, Vidalia Onions and Chile Rubbed Pork Chops

1 lb whole-wheat penne pasta

1 large Vidalia onion

1 acorn squash

3 1-inch-thick pork chops

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ c parmesan cheese

For the pork chops:

2 tsp ancho chile powder

1 tsp chipotle chile powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

Combine spice mixture and rub on pork chops. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.

Cut the acorn squash in half and then into slices, lengthwise, and cut the onion into wedges.

Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast the squash and onion at 375 for 20 minutes. The pork chops can go in the oven at the same time, but roast them for 20-35 minutes, or until they’re no longer pink in the center.

Allow the pork chops to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing to retain juices.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions.

After the squash and onions have cooked and slightly cooled, remove the skin from the squash and dice. Toss squash and onions with pasta. You can either dice the pork chops and toss with the pasta, squash and onions, or place on top.

Top each dish with some of the parmesan cheese.

Serves 3-4.

Ez az egyik kedvenc magyar kifejezésem: zabahét. Ez nálam és a barátaimnál azt jelenti, hogy jöhet a mértéktelen evés. De szigoruan csak egy hétig. Majd persze előfordul olyan is, hogy megnyújtjuk, még pár héttel:P hehe:P Mi is ez valojában?

Az elmúlt hétvégén budapessten voltam és az ártatlan mókázós délutánból, melyet szombaton tartottunk, véresen komoly zabaESTté avanzsálódott. Kezdtük egy kis hot-dogozással Ikeaban,

majd úgy gondoltuk nem vlt elég az amúgy nagyon finom sajtos és sima ikeas hot-dog nekünk még megkell kóstolni a bio-tésztát, mely Marci szerint borzalmas,, mondván Ő már kóstolta és “vízes a szósz”. Jóhát minket köztudottan a kajálástól ez sem tántoríthat vissza így Dancsi és én mindenképp úgy döntöttünk hogy zabálunk tovább. Én 3 hotdog, a többiek 2-2 hotdognál tartanak. Ezután jöhetett a másodikon a biotészta.

Én kaptam egy jó nagy adagot, amit befaltam, majd Eni nem is értettem, hogy hogy fordulhatott elő, otthagyta a fini bolognaihoz hasonlító kaját(hus nélkül), én meg fogtam aztis bebúrtam!:) Volt aki ebből nem evett, azoknak üzenem : nem tudjátok miből maradtatok ki. Ezután go Arena plaza, Interaktív forgatás, de lekéstünk róla. Bent mozinál leültünk és veszekedéssel égettük a kaloriákat. Majd megérkeztek shopping körútjukrol Dávidék, és úgy döntöttünk Vivivel(napisuna), hogy nyalokázni akarunk. GO TESCO. Ott természetesen mikor megéreztem a grillcsirke illatát nem tudtam ellenállni, rohantam a pulthoz. Pechemre az utolsót épp egy csajszi kérte ki, aki amúgy utánunk jött csak be a tescoba. Na nembaj, ezután kostoltunk tejberízst, és úgy döntöttünk spájzolunk, veszünk hátha este folyamán még megkívánjuk. Többiek fagyit kívántak, és akkor nagynehezen:P de rábolíntottam a fagyira is, ami a pénztárnál kiderült csak 90FT, hát vicces. A tejberízs drágább volt. EZután beburva a fagyit, rízst zsebrevágva elindultunk ki megkeresni Dancsiékat. Elhaladva a Pizza HUT mellett kivolt irva, hogy 1nagy +ajándék 1nagy. AMi annyit tesz ha veszek egy nagy pizzát, kapok mégegyet ajándékba. Hát gondoltuk ez a hülyének is megéri. Betérve az aréna pizzahutjába megérdeklődtem, hogy mekkora a nagyméret náluk, a válasz mindannyiunkat megdöbbentett: 25-28cm :O “leesett az állunk”. Hát abból kettő se lett volna elég ennyi még mindig éhes szájnak. Pláne hogy 2500FT egy 25cmes pizza. Na ekkor mondtam hogy menjünk el a kedvenc török gyrososomhoz a nyugatinál a körúton.Kifele jövet belebotlottunk Lakatos Márkba és a SZERETEM A TESTEM c. műsor forgatásába, és megis interjúztattak minket! Odaérve a star kebabhoz a gyrosból ettem (kizárólag joghurtos tésztával)

valamint pudingot, míg a többiek vásároltak egy igazán nagy pizát 45cmeset, vaastag tésztával 1390FT-ért! Na nemmindegy hogy 2500-25cm vagy 1390-45cm. Ezután már mozdulni sem bírtunk a kajától. De mindezt megismételjük most 7végén! Csak bírjuk szuflával. NYAM

Joétvágyat mindenkinek!:) Ja és egy jotanács, szard le az alakod,egyél ha úgy akarod,, ha azt kívánod. :) xoxo.

Penne pasta with tomatoes and pesto

This a good stand-by and easy to make with few ingredients and little time. While the penne is cooking empty a few spoonfuls of pesto into a pan along with a few cherry tomatoes, halved. Squish the tomatoes with the back of a cooking utensil so they are flat and the juice runs into the sauce. Add it in the penne when done cooking, grate a bit of fresh Parmesan on top and you’re good to go!

Hello lovely people! I hope you’ve all had an enjoyable weekend so far.

As I said in my last post, I’ve been trying out recipes from my newest cookbook, The Accidental Vegetarian. So far the recipes I’ve made have all been delicious.

+ honey, mint, olive oil, and sesame seeds on toast

After Matilda and I okayed our outfits we went to a few vintage shops around the area. I am currently in search of a hat like this…

They've always got interesting window displays.

Two nights ago it was First Friday around here. I’ve mentioned it before on the blog, but it’s a night where all the galleries in the area show off their new exhibitions. The streets, venues, and restaurants are all busy with people dressed to impress.

I went with the pup and hung out with my roommate the gallery she works at for most of the time. Matilda was definitely the star of the night. Everyone just went up to her like she had some sort of magnetic powers. I’m almost certain that she possesses some unearthly gift that makes her so incredibly captivating.

A lazy bowl for breakfast.

Saturday mornings for me usually mean an effortless breakfast before my 9 am class. I just warmed up some soymilk with Nature’s Path vanilla almond granola and strawberries. Effortless but delicious! Some of you have mentioned that their Pumpkin and Peanut Butter flavor granolas are yummy. I think I know which two flavors I will be trying out next!

Another Accidental Vegetarian recipe!

The recipe was Moroccan Spaghetti, but I didn’t have any spaghetti on hand so I just used penne. I spiced the sauce and chickpeas with turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin.  I made sure not to use too many mint or cilantro leaves. The chopped almonds added a nice crunch to my lunch. I decided to go on a nice walk with Matilda to meet up with an old friend of mine for some serious catching up over some apple cider.

Did you guys know that Ina Garten absolutely hates cilantro? She refuses to use it in any of her recipes. So if you Googled the words cilantro and Ina Garten, you would come up with no recipe but rather information on how much she dislikes this herb. I use to not like cilantro either, but over time I guess you could say that it’s become an acquired taste.

Is there something any of you use to dislike, but have later come to appreciate?

None for you!

We headed back home before it got too dark and cold.

The colors of the leaves made everything have a shade of red.

My friend and I caught up on all our guy issues and reminisced over high school memories from 7 years ago. It’s crazy to think how time seems to be going by faster and faster. For time most part I just stay in the present, but sometimes I get overwhelmed with thoughts about my future and where I want to end up in life.

She gave me a wonderful gift she picked up while she was in Canada a few months ago.

I’m a sucker for packaging and this is just so darling!

Speaking of darlings, check out Katie’s generous giveaway. Moreover, don’t forget to stop by and read about the Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness.

Just a little cake humour on a Sunday!

I found this picture on the Serious Eats site and it’s called Osgood pie; perhaps because it’s “oh so good”.

]]> http://peetersplace.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/penne-integrali-auguri/ Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:17:13 +0000 Jerônimo http://peetersplace.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/penne-integrali-auguri/

Ingredientes:

• 350 g de macarrão grano duro Integrale / Penne (já cozido)
• 50 ml de azeite Extra Virgem
• 5 g de alho laminado
• 200 g de tomate em cubos
• 120 g de mussarela de búfala
• 50 g de rúcula em Juliana
• 1 g de salsinha picada
• 30 g de sal (para cozinhar a massa)

Modo de Preparar:

• Em uma frigideira pré-aquecida, junte o azeite, o alho e deixe fritar sem dourar.
• Na sequência, acrescente o tomate e deixe refogar por dois minutos.
• Junte metade da mussarela e a massa Petybon Grano Duro já cozida (conforme as instruções da embalagem) e quente.
• Misture bem e retifique o sal.
• Coloque na travessa, disponha a rúcula com o restante da mussarela por cima, regue com um fio de azeite e sirva.

Fonte: Chef Allan Vila Espejo – http://www.capitalgourmet.com.br

Ingredientes:

• 1 bandeja de Ossobuco (músculo com osso)
• 500ml de Molho Base-red
• 500ml de água
• Azeite doce (até cobrir o fundo da panela)
• Sal
• Pimenta do reino
• Farinha de trigo
• Cebola em rodelas
• 1 pct de massa tipo Gravata

Preparo:

1. Lave a carne em água corrente;
2. Tempere com sal e pimenta do reino;
3. Passe na farinha de trigo;
4. Numa caçarola aberta, aqueça o azeite e sele a carne uma à uma,  cada lado. (selar carne = colocar no azeite quente por 10seg  cada lado da carne. – dando choc térmico-, evitando que ela se desmanche no cozimento)
5. Coloque a cebola na panela e os pedaços da carne selada.
6. Adicione o Molho Base-red e a água.
7. Após levantar fervura, abaixe o fogo e deixe a carne cozinhar.

Após o cozimento da carne, prepare a massa como sugere a embalagem.

1. Pegue a travessa que será usada para servir e forre o fundo dela com um pouco do molho da carne;
2. Adicione a massa cozida;
3. coloque o restante da carne por cima e misture tudo.

Agora é só servir com uma boa salada verde.

Dica: Essa carne vai bem com polenta e outros tipos de massa – inclusive o penne.

I tried a recipe VERY similar to this one back in October of last year. It’s funny, go look at the pic of that dish. It looks *pretty much* exactly the same as this pic, except the fork is on the other side of the plate! Anywho, Toby reads the parenting magazines we get on his train ride into work, and he came home with this recipe torn out and told me to make it. I told him I had made something similar before, but he wouldn’t listen. MAKE IT he cried! So I did. Well, it’s a very pretty pasta sauce, that’s for sure. It lacked something, though. It just was a little bland, and I had to add…wait for it…HOT SAUCE. Me! Toby got it out and added practically a half cup to his, and I reached for it and he said “careful!” I put literally one drop in mine. It jazzed it up a little but it wasn’t what it needed. Oh well. With this, we enjoyed a salad and some garlic bread.

Pumpkin Penne
(from the Nov.. 09 issue of Parents magazine)

1 12-ounce box whole-wheat penne (I used plain)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used veggie chicken broth)
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried)
1 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return to pot, covering to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, cook and stir until tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, evaporated milk, pumpkin, spice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss pasta with sauce. Spoon into bowls and top with parsley and cheese. Makes 6 cups.

Pair with Ceago Vinegarden 2006 Merlot, Camp Masut

Everyone should have a good pasta sauce recipe in their repertoire and this one sure fits the bill. This hearty sauce, served over your choice of pasta, risotto or polenta along with a glass of Ceago Vinegarden 2006 Merlot, Camp Masut is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  You can also double the recipe and freeze some for later

1  pound Italian sausage removed from casings and crumbled

1   medium onion – chopped

2   cloves of garlic – minced

1   pound assorted mushrooms – chopped

1   cup Ceago Vinegarden Merlot

2   tablespoon tomato paste

1   14 ounce can of whole Italian tomatoes – liquid removed and tomatoes chopped

3   tablespoons olive oil

¼   cup fresh basil – chopped

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 pound penne pasta

Heat one tablespoon of the oil to high heat in a large frying pan.  Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cook until tender and reserve.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil to medium high heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and sausage meat. Cook until the sausage is lightly browned.  Remove most of the drippings then add the wine, basil, tomato paste, reserved mushrooms and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve over Penne pasta prepared according to package directions.

Serves 6 – 8

I love doing seasonal dishes when I can. Much like my affinity for cooking based on what I can get fresh at the big shopping centers I typically go to as well as what is locally grown and that always means great seasonal faves. As I mentioned before, I missed apples this year, so therefor it was all about pumpkins this year for ideas. A recent trip to Italy found a lot of great squash recipes of which they were just beginning to touch on the gourds for their dishes and although I haven’t gotten to write out my own version of the risotto I had, this was perfect for what I could put together conceptually from that idea… The typical meal in courses means there are two main dishes, not served together, although, you could, if you so chose (might be a bit of palette overkill). You can use either fresh or canned, it takes about 2-3 times shredded pumpkin to equal the same amount you would use canned, but if you are doing this during fresh season, I strongly suggest a good sized sugar pumpkin and you’ll get a lot of use out of the flesh for cooking.

For the pasta part (Primo, first course), Italian cooking is really about the dish, not the sauce, so don’t go overboard making a huge amount of sauce unless you are going to set it aside and freeze it for a later meal. It should lightly coat and accent the pasta. Chances are you aren’t making the pasta fresh, so follow the direx below, if you are making it fresh, I wouldn’t even boil the pasta, I would blanch it and finish it in the sauce. If you are using prepackaged remember to finish it al dente or to taste in the skillet NOT in the stock pot otherwise it’ll be overcooked. Same thing goes on serving, you can offer additional cheese (and pepper) at the table, but really, it should be a garnish, not changing the texture or flavor of the dish. Moral of the story go easy on the sauce! For this, I actually like a wheat or multigrain pasta as the nutty flavor it brings to the dish.

As for the secundo, the amount of fennel and pumpkin is up to you. I would personally roast some extra pumpkin since this really is supposed to be a nice season dish and the pumpkin is going to be the feature, but remember too, the pumpkin and fennel should BOTH be playing accent to the pork, don’t kill the pork by going overboard with the veggies and don’t go overboard with the spices comparred to the veggies, the veggies should stand on their own too!

Finally, the last thing is the nutmeg… fresh is always better than the packaged preground.

Primo
onion
bell pepper
carrot
garlic
pumpkin
oil
nutmeg
black pepper
parsley (flat leaf)
veggie stock
penne
heavy creme
parmesana reggiano
heavy skillet
stock pot

finely dice the onion, bell pepper and garlic, shred/ grate the carrot
Combine in a heavy skillet with some oil and begin to sweat the veggies
Add the pumpkin and allow it to begin to soften (if shredded fresh this is a separate step, if canned add the next step too)
Add the the veggie stock and creme (about 1 cup stock to 2-3 tbsp creme)
Season with the black pepper and nutmeg
Boil water in the water in the stock pot
Add the penne to the water and cook till just about al dente (follow package instructions usually 6-8 minutes do NOT over cook!)
Allow the skillet to simmer over low heat, reducing liquid by at least half and begins to take on a thickened consistency
Drain the pasta, reserve a few tablespoons of the starched pasta waster
Add the pasta and the flat leaf parsley to the simmering skillet
Toss lightly, reseason as necessary with the black pepper and nutmeg and toss again

Secondo

onion
bell pepper
carrot
garlic
pumpkin
fennel (both the bulb – firenze finocchiol and the fronds – finocchiella)
oil
nutmeg
black pepper
parsley (flat leaf)
veggie stock
white wine
pork ternerloins
skillet
large roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
finely dice the 1/2 fennel, onion, bell pepper and 1/2 garlic, shred/ grate the carrot
Combine in a heavy skillet with some oil and begin to sweat the veggies
Add the 1/2 pumpkin (shredded part) and allow it to begin to soften (if shredded fresh this is a separate step, if canned add the next step too, if you are doing fresh, reserve some long strips of the pumpkin not shredded for later)
Take the other 1/2 the fennel and make long slices of the bulb, an 1/2 half the pumpkin and make slices out of
Add the stock and wine (about 1:1 ratio, no more than 2:1) along with black pepper and nutmeg
Place the entire mixture into the roasting pan
Season the tenderloins by rubbing with black pepper and nutmeg (along with dried garlic, onion, celery if you have it)
Sear with a small amount of oil in the heavy skillet over high heat until browned on all sides but not cooked through
Place the tenderloins in the roasting pan
In the skillet arrange the strips of fennel and pumpkin (or if no pumpkin is fresh, use 1/4 of the canned in this step)
Sear and then add to the roasting pan
Bake until a thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees, which is about 30 minutes normally
Remove the pork and allow to rest
Return the liquid and veggies to the skillet over high heat but holding aside the remaining slices of fennel and pumpkin
Allow the sauce to reduce by at least half
Slice the meat and plate with the roasted fennel and pumpkin
Serve the sauce over the slices of meat with the emphasis being on the meat, not the sauce!

Dag 25 – Två hela dagar försvann från planeringen när migränen slog till. Jag kan tyvärr inte ta de läkemedel som finns att köpa utan får helt enkelt vänta ut attackerna, men det går det med. =) Idag har jag dock mått bra och har nu kommit hem från jobbet igen. Nu när jag är på gång igen tar vi nya tag och fortsätter med vår köksstädning.

Hösten är så vacker tycker jag…

Dagens aktivitet: Spis & Ugn
Nu var det spisens tur att få sig en genomgång, innan bak och godistillverkning påbörjas på allvar. Jag börjar med utsidan, drar fram spisen och torkar hela den samt rengör golv och väggar runt om. Keramikhällen görs rent och ”skrapas” med rakblad och knapparna läggs i blöt och diskas ordentligt. Det sista jag gör idag blir att gnida in ugnen med grönsåpa och värma den till 100°. När såpan bubblar stänger jag av och låter den kallna tills i morgonbitti.

Dagens middag: Pastasås med kyckling & kokt penne

Dagens hushållspyssel: Plocka ihop & dammsuga

This is why I believe the number 101 is better than 100! This is reason why I decided to have a giveaway to celebrate this special occassion. Definitely special enough!

Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

Yeah that’s actually my contained version of my excitement! I know I’ve expressed it quite a few times what this blog and all you friends out there mean to me. So what’s my way of celebrating this special occassion? With a snip-it of what it’s like to live in my life for a couple days and a special surprise at the end from yours truly. I’ll be honest, these last couple of days have been rough. But I had a reminder of how much harder things can get when I learned some sad news relating to someone I know. It really helped me push through, and helped me to stay motivated to rise above the stress. Anyway, here’s a little glimpse starting from Saturday night…

Scarves really help out when coming up with an impromptu costume!

Warm soy milk with Nature's Path Hemp Plus granola and sliced banana.

A nice way to start a grey chilly Sunday. I swear Nature’s Path makes some awesome granolas for something that comes out of a cereal box. Usually I find those granolas to really be lacking. The two flavors I’ve tried – Vanilla Almond Flax Plus and Hemp Plus are nothing short of delicious.

I decided to go out and check my mail, since I’m special and I get mail on Sundays. I really just forgot to check the day before, but let’s pretend.

From one of my most favorite and admirable people ever!

I had forgotten my driver’s license and cash in her purse from the night we went clubbing in Miami. I got way more than that! One time someone complimented her on her sweater and she asked if they’d like to have it. This girl means what she says. I had mentioned that I liked her keychain cover, and she remembered that.

Gio is one year old!

I did some things around the apartment and before I knew it my tummy was growling for lunch!

Penne with Artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan, ricotta, and pine nuts.

I stumbled upon this yummy site full of pasta recipes. I was feeling kind of down and out after some studio time and some “old/new” crush heartache (he decided to go MIA), so I called a good girlfriend of mine to do some retail therapy.

Note: it's a big deal if I wear my hair up.

Jeez Matilda!

But she can also be a little lady.

Picking up my friend and admiring the leaves.

Matilda welcomes all passengers!

We picked up some coffee and headed to the doggy store. I got Matilda some goodies!

A couple pumpkin "pup"cake cookies, a spooky cookie, and a new harness (finally!)

Then we headed to Anthropologie! And what did Matilda do the second we got there? Peed, of course! It was weird because she had never done that before.

Some things I tried on...

Being sneaky taking pictures in the dressing room. I always feel like this is forbidden.

Super cool shirt!

Here’s a new addition to my necklace collection

Why hello there!

My friend snapped some pictures of us crossing the James River on the way home.

Appreciating the fall season.

Got home and cooked some dinner.

I vaguely followed the recipe for pasta with ricotta, basil, and tomato. On the side are some hot butter and garlic artichokes with grated parmesan. Later I prepared my meals for the next day so I could spend all day in the studio.

Ah, Monday Monday…

I had some European style plain yogurt with Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread, cranberry cinnamon swirl toast with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, and some slices with Artisana tahini and agave nectar. Oh! And can’t forget the apple I had already started biting into. May I just add that tahini + honey or agave = the bomb.com?

Then it was off to my morning Taoism class - first day of learning some exercises with sticks.

Then I stopped by my apartment real quick to get a snack and the rest of my goods.

Graham-wiches!

U.S. Mills sent me these awhile ago and I finally got around to trying them. I got to try the Honey Graham & Vanilla Creme sandwich cookies and the Chocolate Graham & Peanut Butter Creme kind. Both were seriously so good.

Sandwich cookie powers unite!

Then it was time for my "Kick Ass in the Studio Day"

Then I took a break to go to my Literature class.

I came prepared!

I made banana dahl + coconut oil with brown rice and vanilla butternut squash mash with cinnamon and ricotta.

All mixed together.

Some of the butt-kicking that went on.

Energy bar break!

Have you guys ever tried the Prana Bars by Divine Foods? Well, I was lucky enough to be sent some to sample for a review, which I will be posting later. The sneak preview – this flavor was incredibly delicious and I could definitely taste and even see the coconut shreds. The sweetness mainly comes from the date paste and agave I believe.

After having a dance party while setting up my piece in one of the critique rooms, I finally got home around 9 pm and let Matilda out to take care of her business.

So Tuesday rolled around the corner and it was critique day. Dun dun dun.

Random breakfast

I crushed up Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels, a fun-size Butterfingers, vanilla yogurt, and Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread. I had an orange for a vitamin-c boost since I was feeling under-the-weather.

Crit Room 3

All that stuff on the table and in front of it on the floor fit into someone's Nissan Sentra.

And my sculpture... it also had a sound piece to it.

I was so scared about this critique… nauseous scared.. I wanted to go against my perfectionist tendencies as an artist, and just experiment and go with the flow. That felt so uncomfortable, so a lot of insecurities rose up. However, much to my surprise, the critique did not make me cry, nor did I actually throw up.

So now here’s the surprise! I decided to have a giveaway in celebration of this blog’s 101st post. The prize?

Lots of goodies!

A Sunshine Burger baseball cap so you can rep the best veggieburgers in town. A Nature’s Path Optimum Blueberry Flax and Soy bar (yummy icing). All the Prana Bars which are vegan, high-raw, and delicious. There are also some coupons and a vitamin case. Last but not least, I’ll also be sneaking in some other goodies but that’s a secret.

So what do you have to do?

1. Tell me your favorite recipe! It can be a sandwich, yogurt-mess, bowl of oatmeal bliss, dessert, whatever your hearts desire! I will recreate the winner’s favorite  - and no worries if it’s not vegetarian. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

2. Link back to this contest.

3. Add me to your blogroll.

And please let me know if you do numbers 2 & 3. The contest will end on Saturday noon time EST. Thanks and good luck!

p.s. All you folks that have been treating yourself to Pumpkin ice cream, try it with walnuts!!! Speaking of sweets, I will be updating my recipe page so you can see the recipe for the scones! Enjoy your Wednesday everybody; we’re in the middle of the wave and it’s smooth riding from here.