#96 - Spaghetti with Peas, Pancetta, and Spring Onions

We made the tuna and white bean bruschetta as an appetizer, but the main course tonight was this pasta dish from Chef Obi Wan, Jonathan Waxman.

Spaghetti with Peas, Pancetta, and Spring Onions

From Italian My Way This is a pasta with a cream sauce, with peas, spring onions, and - you guessed it - pancetta. Jonathan Waxman had a recipe for homemade pasta, but when we tried it, the dough never came out right, so we went with Plan B, and used some Barilla spaghetti. If you're not making your own pasta, this is a pretty simple recipe. You cook the pancetta in some unsalted butter, then you add the cream and greens, and you top it with some Gruyere cheese, and you're done. This was a really good alternative to your standard Alfredo sauce. When we want a simple pasta, we usually whip up an Alfredo and add whatever we have laying around - ham, peas, rotisserie chicken, whatever.

But this shows what you get if you plan out ahead of time. The pancetta goes really well with the peas and green onions, and the Gruyere cheese adds a different dimension than what we're used to.

Simple and delicious. That's what Chef Kenobi does. Make this, and you'll be pleased.

Ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pancetta, diced
• 2 cups spring peas
• 3 spring onions, diced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the pancetta and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the peas, spring onions, and cream and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
5. At the same time, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
6. Drain the pasta
7. Toss the cooked spaghetti with the sauce and Gruyere cheese and serve.

#78 - Butcher's Ragu with Fusilli

Looking through Food & Wine magazine, we saw this recipe for a ragu by Mario Batali. Since we have his Dutch oven, and we like ragu, we thought we'd give it a shot.

Butcher's Ragu with Fusilli

From Mario Batali Now this isn't any ordinary ragu - it's Butcher's Ragu. That means it has like 10 types of meat. Well just three really, ham, pancetta, and ground beef. So you have your carrots, celery, garlic, and onions, and then you add the three meats to it in Mario Batali's Dutch oven, or whatever big pot you have at home. Once that's browned, you have the next slightly unusual part of the recipe. There's no tomato sauce, it's just made with tomato paste. So when you're done, the sauce is a lighter version that gets its liquid from the browned meat, some milk, white wine, and water. The verdict for this one? Not bad.

The things that made it unique were probably the parts we liked the least. There probably was a little too much meat, and the sauce wasn't as saucy as we'd like.

So was it tasty? Yes. Would we make it again? Probably not. Here's the recipe for you, if you feel like a meaty pasta.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 medium celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 4 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 lb baked ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup water
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb fusilli
• Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese, grated for serving

Preparation

1. In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the pancetta and ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until shiny and rust-colored, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the ham, milk, white wine, and water to the pot and simmer the ragu over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and saucy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Season the ragu with salt and pepper.
7. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the fusilli until al dente.
8. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.
9. Stir well to coat the pasta.
10. Serve the pasta right away with grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese.

#76 - Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

We were looking through some of our Bon Appetit and Food and Wine magazines, looking for new things to cook, and this one recipe stood out as something completely unique. It was a pasta that wasn't a red sauce, wasn't a cream sauce, wasn't a pesto, and wasn't baked. It was all of the above. Oh, and it had peppers and eggplant. We had to try it out.

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

From Bon Appetit Wanna see how crazy this pasta is? Just look at all of the ingredients: So to start off, this pasta has some roasted vegetables. So we have to cut and roast the peppers, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes. It also has this pesto-like crumble topping that's made of basil and pine nuts. And the sauce is a little weird because you don't cook it before baking. You just blend the tomatoes, cream and some basil in a food processor, and set aside until it's time to layer everything. Wow. Who would have thought that all of these things would work well together? Who thought of putting them together? Who cares? It's wonderful.

It's got the rich and creamy taste of a pink sauce, the warm flavors of roasted peppers and eggplant, the gooeyness of mozzarella, and then this weird pesto-like crunch on top that's extra delicious. This is great, and we can't tell if it's because of or in spite of its craziness. Make all your pasta dishes at once with this one.

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 large eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 medium yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch squares
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 3 large garlic cloves, divided
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups firmly packed basil leaves, divided
• 1 cup Parmigiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 lb rigatoni
• 1 lb whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation

1. Preheat over to 425 and spray a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Add eggplants, pepper, and tomatoes to baking sheet.
3. With a garlic press, squeeze 1 garlic clove onto vegetables.
4. Drizzle vegetables with the olive oil and toss.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Roast vegetables until tender, stirring often, for 35-45 minutes.
7. In a food processor, combine 2/3 cup basil, 1/2 cup Parmigiano, pine nuts, and 1 garlic clove.
8. Blend until crumbled and season topping with salt. Set aside.
9. Blend tomatoes with juice, cream, 1 1/3 cups basil, and 1 garlic clove in food processor until smooth.
10. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
11. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender but still firm to bite.
12. Drain pasta and return to pot.
13. Toss with vegetables, sauce, and 1/2 cup Parmigiano.
14. Transfer to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
15. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and pine nut topping.
16. Bake pasta at 425 until heated through, about 25 to 35 minutes.
17. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

#35 - Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

When her children get married, Mrs. Limarzi thinks a good present for the newlyweds is a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. Johnny is one of her children, we got married, and so we earned ourselves a subscription. This recipe was on the cover of one of those issues, and we decided to try it out today.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

From Bon Appetit
If you want to make this recipe, you're going to have to go to the store first. Unless you live on a farm. A farm that has frozen peas.So, yeah, this recipe calls for a lot of vegetables, and therefore, a lot of prep time. You need asparagus.
And peas.
And parsley and green onions.
All in all, this was an okay dish. It was a surprising meal, as every bite brought forth a different flavor. Sometimes you could really taste the pancetta, and then your next taste you'd notice the lemon or the asparagus or something else.

But since it wasn't knock-your-socks-off wonderful, it probably wasn't worth all of the shopping, chopping, and plopping.If you're a pea-freezing farmer, try this:

Ingredients

• 12 oz fettuccine
• 3 oz pancetta, chopped
• 1 1/4 lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced with white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, drain, and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, off of the heat.
2. At the same time, cook the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain.
4. Pour off all but one teaspoon of the drippings from the pan.
5. Add the asparagus, and sauté for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are just tender for about 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
7. Add the vegetable mixture, dark green parts of green onions, Parmigiano, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, half of the parsley, and half of the basil to the pasta.
8. Toss together, adding more pasta water if needed, a tablespoon at a time.
9. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and sprinkle the pancetta and remaining parsley and basil on top.

#32 - Pasta alla Norma

We wanted to cook a new pasta, and we were over at Mamu and Nonno's house so we decided to look into a cookbook that we didn't have at home. We've used Giuliano Hazan's recipes before, but this was the first time we could use one of his mom's recipes.

Pasta alla Norma

From Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
When we copied down the recipe, we didn't remember to write down what Marcella called it, but googling the ingredients, we found that it's a variation of a dish called Pasta alla Norma. Traditionally, that would use ricotta salata, but this version used a good old-fashioned wet ricotta.
After chopping the eggplant, the first step is to salt it, and let it sit for an hour. Then, you rinse them and squeeze out the liquid in a dish towel. If you plan on making this pasta, you might want to designate an eggplant wringing towel because the one we used got pretty dirty.
After draining the eggplant, you fry it (delicious), and then add it to a sauce (delicious), and toss it with the pasta and cheeses (delicious).
So how did it come out? You guessed it - delicious. Fried eggplant, tomatoes, and cheese can't be bad, but this did come together really well, and it went perfectly with spaghetti. Next time we want a classic Italian meal, we'll be borrowing that Marcella Hazan cookbook again.Here's you can make it yourself:

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• Salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced very thin
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
• 2 cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and cut into strips without their juices
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 3 Tbs freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 3 Tbs ricotta cheese
• 8 to 10 basil leaves

Preparation

1. Peel the eggplant and cut into 1 1/2 inch thick cubes.
2. Place the cubes in a colander, sprinkle them liberally with salt, and let them sit in the sink for at least 1 hour.
3. After the hour, scoop up a handful of the cubes, rinse them in cold water, and then squeeze out all the moisture using a dish towel.
4. Lay the eggplant cubes on a clean dry towel or paper towels.
5. Pour enough vegetable oil into a large frying pan to come up 1/2 inch up the sides, and heat on medium-high.
6. When the oil is hot, slip in as many of the eggplant cubes as can fit loosely in the pan, fry them until tender, and then remove to paper towels. Repeat as necessary until all the eggplant has cooked.
7. Pour off the vegetable oil, and then add the olive oil and sliced onions.
8. Cook over medium-high heat until the onions have become light gold.
9. Add the garlic, and cook for a few seconds.
10. Add the tomatoes, turn the heat to high, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
11. Add the eggplant, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for a minute or two.
12. Taste the sauce, correct for salt, and add some freshly ground black pepper.
13. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water, strain, and toss with the eggplant sauce, the pecorino, the ricotta, and the basil.

#30 - Spaghetti with Bacon and Arugula

After lunch, we still had some arugula left over, had no plans for dinner, and found this recipe online for a pasta with ingredients we had around the house.

Spaghetti with Bacon and Arugula

From TasteFood
Since it's Sunday and we had everything else around the house, we thought today would be a good day for making homemade pasta. That's what that little nest is in the middle of the picture.
After cooking the bacon, you toast the breadcrumbs in a tablespoon of the bacon fat. Don't worry if it seems like there's not enough grease in the pan; that's how it's supposed to be.
After getting the breadcrumbs ready, you make a simple cream sauce, mix everything together, and you're done.
Oooh. This was a delicious pasta. The arugula and the bacon went well together, the cream sauce was not too heavy, and our homemade pasta was a solid touch.

For being such a simple and tasty meal, we think we're going to make this again next time we have leftover arugula.
Here's how to make recipe #30:

Ingredients

• 12 oz bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp salt, plus salt for pasta water
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese, grated
• 3 cups arugula

Preparation

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown, and then transfer to paper towels.
2. Remove all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet, and add the breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Saute until the breadcrumbs are golden, and then transfer to a small bowl.
4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and throw the pasta.
5. Meanwhile, in a clean saucepan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
6. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
7. Add the cream and simmer until slightly reduced and thickened for about 3-4 minutes.
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the cream.
9. When the pasta is al dente, strain and toss with the cream sauce.
10. Add the bacon, arugula, and half of the Parmigiano, and toss to combine.
11. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the remaining Parmigiano over the pasta, and briefly toss.

#28 - Pasta all'Arrabbiata

We've gone a while without making a new pasta, and so we decided to go with this one that we've eaten before (and liked) but haven't ever made for ourselves.

And since the Giada pasta wasn't so great, we went back to our old faithful, Giuliano Hazan.

Pasta all'Arrabbiata

From The Classic Pasta Cookbook
Since we're already known at our Giant as the pancetta people, that's an ingredient we've become accustomed to getting. What was new with this recipe was the Pecorino Romano cheese. Nonno likes to stink up the microwave with the stuff, but on its own (without Fritos) and in this pasta, it's actually pretty good.
Besides the tomatoes, olive oil, and basil, there's of course pancetta.
But what makes the arrabbiata sauce arrabbiata is the red pepper flakes. For just being a little heat, the red pepper flakes really make this dish great. It just adds another level to a tasty tomato sauce.
This is a perfect midweek meal. It's simple to make, doesn't take too much time, and is delicious. Add on to that, we now have tasty leftovers for lunches at work.
Here's what you have to do:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 1 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 oz pancetta, cut into thin strips
• 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt
• 12 medium-sized fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 2 Tbs freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Preparation

1. Put 1/3 cup olive oil and the garlic into a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle.
2. Add the pancetta strips and cook until the pancetta is browned but not crisp.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, the red pepper flakes, and a little salt.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the oil, about 30-40 minutes, and then add the torn basil leaves.
5. Cook pasta in salted boiling water, strain, and toss with the sauce.
6. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the grated Pecorino.