Chicken, Pork and Sausage Pastalaya Recipe

This amazing Pastalaya recipe was given to me by my LaPlace, La. friend and neighbor, Amanda. 

16 Ounces Fettuccine

1 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken meat

1 Lb Smoked Sausage (I like Vernon's)

1 Lb pork tenderloin

1 Medium Green bell pepper- small dice

2 Medium onions – small dice

4 Stalks celery – small dice 

1 Can of cream of mushroom soup

1 Jar of Heinz savory beef gravy

½ can tomato sauce

½ can of Rotel Original diced tomatoes w/ green chilies

3 Cups chicken broth

Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning

Accent

Cut the meats into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a 5 or more quart pot and add in the sausage. Sprinkle some Tony's seasoning and Accent on the sausage, brown, and remove to a bowl. Do the same with the chicken and pork and cook until done.

Add the veggies into the pot, sprinkle with the Tony's and Accent, then saute until very tender, about 20 minutes.

Then add in chicken broth, Rotel, tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and savory beef gravy; mix well. Add in meat and any accumulated juices and stir to combine.

Break the Fettuccine in half, add to the pot, stir to combine, and then bring to a boil. Ensure the pasta is covered by the liquid, then cover it. Place the pot into a 300-degree preheated oven, cook for 45 minutes, and check the pasta for doneness. Replace the lid once the pasta is tender, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve in deep bowls.

If excessive liquid is in the pot, stir gingerly and place it back into the oven, uncovered, for a few more minutes. 

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe - The Red Light is On

Fettuccini Puttanesca 

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a quick, simple, and rustic pasta and tomato dish with a history as rich as its delicious sauce.

In Italian, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca directly translates to whores spaghetti and as the story goes (well, at least one of them), this was a staple meal prepared and consumed by Neapolitan prostitutes between clients. It makes sense to me but let's get to the recipe.

I concocted this recipe from a variety of online sources which like most recipes, can differ greatly. Some didn't look too appetizing and others did, some used Italian sausage and others not, and some used cherry tomatoes and you guessed it, some used canned tomatoes and the same as with olives. So, here is my version.

Recipe Ingredients

8 Ounces bulk Italian Sausage with fennel 

1 Tbsp anchovies paste or 4 fillets oil-packed

1 28 Ounce can of whole tomatoes crushed by hand in a bowl
2 Bay leaves

2 Tbsp capers

¼ cup pitted black olives, oil-cured if you can find them

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ Cup olive oil

3 Large cloves garlic

8 Ounces thick, long-stranded pasta

Note: I reduced the number of the olives as seen in the pics

Recipe Procedure

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and gently fry garlic until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan when finished and don't forget to snack on them.

Then fry the sausage breaking it into small pieces. When done, add the capers, pepper flakes, anchovy, and olives and cook for 1 minute then add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat, and stir to combine. When slowly bubbling reduce the temp to low and gently simmer until the sauce thickens about 20 minutes. Add salt/pepper if necessary.

At the 10 minute mark, place your pasta into a pot of salted water and boil until al dente.

Once finished, drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. Note: The Kalamata olives are quite pungent and eating them with the pasta will overpower the subtle flavors of the sauce. They made their contribution to the sauce so at this point I recommend that you remove them from the sauce before combining or simply push them to the side of your serving bowl or plate.

Buon Appetito! 

Beef and Sausage Sunday Sauce (Ragu) Recipe

Click on Image to Enlarge

This is a really good recipe for a Sunday Sauce a/k/a Ragu compliments of Laura Vitale.

Recipe Ingredients

1 Medium Onion, diced

3 (28oz) Cans of Tomato Puree*

3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ½ Lbs Cubed Chuck Roast trimmed

1 ½ lbs Sweet Italian Sausage w/fennel, cut in half

1 cup of Beef Broth or Red Wine

Salt and Pepper, to taste

4 TBSP dried Basil, finish with fresh basil

Recipe Procedure

1) In a large pot over medium high heat, preheat the olive oil. Add the sausage and season lightly with salt and pepper, cook until brown on all sides. Remove to a bowl.

2) Add the chuck and brown. Then remove to the bowl with the browned sausage.

3) Add the chopped onions to the remaining drippings and add a bit more oil if necessary. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until they start to develop some color. Add all the meats right back in along with any accumulated juices. Add in the broth or wine and cook for 1 minute

4) Add the tomato puree along with 2 cups of water.

5) Bring to boil and reduce the heat to low, partially covered and let it slowly simmer for 4 hours or until the beef is very tender. Stir every 20 - 30 minutes with a wide wood, rubber or silicone spatula. Do not use anything that is spoon-shaped because it clearly is not designed to scrape the bottom of a pan. Add water as necessary. 


Serve over a thick pasta such as rigatoni, penne or gnocchi. 

Note: The last time I made this I used a 106 oz can of tomato sauce from Sam's and it made little difference from when I used Cento San Marzano whole tomatoes. In the future, I'll only use the "good" stuff strictly for a special marinara sauce.

Special note- if one was not enough. You will probably find that this recipe makes more sauce than you thought or intended so save the remaining sauce for another day as it will have all of those incredible flavors.  

Classic Marinara Sauce Recipe

A bit of history: In the 19th century, French chef Marie-Antonin Careme developed what is commonly referred to as the four mother sauces; a fifth one was added in the 20th century. These sauces were created as basic building blocks for secondary sauces that are known as finishing sauces.
 
If you really think about it, the most important element for success in life is a solid foundation and makes little difference if we're talking about social skills, architecture or rocket science. I opine that otherwise, it's akin to reading a 10 chapter book beginning with chapter 5.  

So in that vein, I present a classic Marinara sauce recipe with some recommendations. 

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Large onion diced
4 Cloves garlic sliced
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and grated
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground preferred
2 - 28 oz cans San Marzano whole peeled  tomatoes
2 Tbsp dried thyme 

Procedure:
In a 4 quart pot heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic celery, carrot, salt, and pepper until tender about 10-15 minutes. 

Pour the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl and crush by hand removing any tough pieces. 

Add tomatoes and the bay leaves into the pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add more water as needed in the process.

Season again if necessary 

Serve immediately or better yet, once cool, cover the pot and refrigerate overnight. 

Enjoy!

My Recommendations:

Pasta is bland so add a couple tablespoons  of table salt into the boiling water 
Don't put oil in the pasta water
Cook the pasta al dente
Drain the water from the pasta but don't rinse

  

Italian Meatball Recipe

1 pound ground beef - 80/20

1 pound ground pork

1/3 plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

1 diced onion

2 Tbs olive oil

3-4 cloves crushed garlic

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 tbsp dried parsley 

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning 

In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs in the milk and let stand for 20 minutes, and then mix once again.  

Lightly saute the onions in the olive oil.

Mix all of the ingredients except for the meat into a paste. Then add in the meat and mix gently with a large spoon until well combined. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Roll into 2 inch balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425 degrees oven for 20 minutes or until done. 

Simmer with your favorite tomato sauce for about an hour.  

For a video of this recipe go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/220854/chef-johns-italian-meatballs/

Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Chef John's Recipe

Tone's Italian Spaghetti Seasoning Blend

Click Image To Enlarge

There is little to say other than if you want a really good tomato sauce in minutes instead of hours Tones Italian Spaghetti Seasoning Blend is for you. 

Just add tomato sauce (or diced/crushed) and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes uncovered so the dehydrated onions, garlic, etc. have a chance to rehydrate and soften and the spices to blend together.  

Great with cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken, pork, veal, and seafood. Serve over pasta or rice depending on your preference or serve in a bowl for a great marinara sauce for dunking a nice crusty hunk of bread.   

Shake the container well before dispensing. 

If the sauce is too salty just add tomato paste tablespoon at a time. 

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

8 oz dry spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 eggs 

4 ounces roughly chopped thick bacon or small cubed Pancetta

3 Tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmigiano cheese
8 ounces Spaghetti or Linguine 
salt 

freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and then add in the cheese and 1 tsp of pepper and incorporate. Set aside.

Place a large pot of water on the stove and salt well. Bring the water to a boil, break the pasta in half and cook until the pasta is al dente.

As the pasta is cooking, saute the bacon in the oil and 1 tsp pepper in a large pan or Dutch Oven until the bacon becomes almost crisp.  

Drain the spaghetti (save 1 cup of the water) and immediately add the pasta in the pan with the bacon and mix thoroughly with tongs.

Then slowly add the egg mixture to the pan and stir constantly until all of the pasta has been coated. Add some of the saved pasta water (if need) until the carbonara is creamy.

Add salt and/or pepper to taste. 

Plate the carbonara, lightly garnish with a small amount of pepper and cheese.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe

Barr's Big Easy Shrimp Scampi 

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp green onions or 1 1/2 tsp dried chives  

1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley or 1 1/2 tsp dried
1 Tbsp Basil Leaves or 1 1/2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 Clove Garlic diced or 1 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

8 Ounces shrimp and/or Scallops  

8 Ounces Fettuccine or Linguine boiled al dente in well-salted water.  

Add the pasta in a pot of water boiling. Read the directions to determine about how long the pasta takes to cook.   

Add the first 7 ingredients to a deep pan and saute until the shrimp is cooked through (pink in color).

Take the cooked and drained pasta and pour over the shrimp and combine with the cheese using tongs. Put the heat back on if necessary and adjust salt and pepper and then plate. 

Sprinkle the with Parmesan cheese and serve.   

Enjoy! 

Penne Vodka Recipe

Penne Vodka

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup Vodka
1 28oz can of canned Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to paste
1 Lb. uncooked Penne pasta

Preparation

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, add the hot pepper flakes, oregano and stir to combine. Add the vodka and cook until reduced by half.

Add the crushed tomatoes and reduce the heat to low, cook partially uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring frequently until you have cooked down the sauce to what appears to be a wet paste. 

Meanwhile fill a large pot with water add in a generous sprinkle of salt and bring it to a boil.

After the 45 minutes season the sauce to taste and add the heavy cream. Turn the heat up to medium and let it cook uncovered for 8 to 9 minutes. This is the perfect time to add the pasta to the salted boiling water.

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, turn the heat off and add a few fresh basil leaves and the grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and serve right away.

Compliments of Laura Vitale  

Sausage Pizza Ravioli

The other day I was in the mood for a sausage pizza but I was in Ravioli mode so I decided to make a Pizza Ravioli. Interestingly, I found a plethora of pizza ravioli images that were simply pizzas with ravioli's laid on top. This is not what I wanted to make.

I also found a video where the ravioli consisted with a large dollop of tomato sauce, a slight sprinkling of mozzarella and a tiny piece of peperoni on top...not even close to what I thought would be acceptable.  I wanted to make a ravioli that tasted like a pizza with the same ratio of ingredients (+/-) i.e. mostly cheese, a lesser amount of sausage and a bit of tomato sauce.

After musing for more time that was probably necessary I decided on the following proportions:

10 Oz sweet (mild) Italian Sausage with fennel seeds

1 Lb. (16 ounces) Whole Milk Shredded Mozzarella

1 Cup of your favorite Marinara Sauce

1 Tbs Olive Oil

Making The Filling:  Brown the sausage in the oil and then transfer into a fine mesh strainer to drain (do not press down on the sausage to expel the grease). Let cool and crumble and then mix the sausage, cheese and sauce with a large spoon mix until all of the ingredients well-incorporated. You can prepare the filling up to a couple of days before you make the Ravioli.

Making the Ravioli: 

http://barrsoltis.blogspot.com/2013/09/making-homemade-pasta.html

Cooking Them: The traditional method of cooking Ravioli is by dropping them into a boiling pot of water. Other ways are by deep frying, pan frying them in butter and olive oil or even baking them. I chose to pan fry them and they were delish!

Serving Them: Coated with marinara sauce, a side garden salad or whatever else strikes your fancy.

Enjoy!

Making Homemade Pasta

If you ever thought that making homemade pasta was difficult, think again.  All you really need is a food processor and a hand-crank pasta machine.  Suffice it to say, it takes about a minute to make the dough in the food processor. 

Assuming that you have a food processor I will concentrate on some of the devices that will make pasta making easy.

Making Pasta..The Machine: I bought the Marcato Atlas 150 Wellness model for less than $70.00 at Amazon.  The unit is made in Italy and I suggest that you stick with any Italian-made pasta machine.    There are two problems with this machine.  The first is that there are settings that determine how thin to your pasta but the instructions are pathetic and don't give much in which setting for are for what kind of pasta, i.e. for spaghetti, fettuccine or ravioli.  The other is that the hand crank does not lock into place so a couple of times it dropped to the floor.  None of these are deal killers but you should be aware of them.  

Marcato-Atlas-Wellness Pasta Machine


Making Ravioli:  A large 3 inch round or square ravioli stamp (or both) is indispensable.  I recommend the Eppicotispai simply because the edges are sharp and easily cuts through dough unlike some of the others that you may find for sale.  This cost me a pasta noodle more than $6.00.  If you are making ravioli as a main course a large stamp is invaluable. Hand Wash Only! 
Eppicotispai Aluminum Ravioli Stamp - 3"

It is advisable to own at least one gadget to make ravioli.  I own two.  The second cost under $14.00 and makes perfectly shaped and filled ravioli in 2.5" x 2/5 inch squares which is a good size for appetizers. You will need a rolling pin and to use this gizmo.  
 Norpro 12 Raviol Maker With Press


Pasta making pasta dough/ravioli videos: 

Laura Vitale Pasta Dough Recipe 

Laura Vitale Ravioli Video 

Note: I know that there are many, Laura Vitale included, recommend that the pasta for Ravioli be thinned to near the lowest setting.  For me, I find that the thickness of setting #6 (of 9 for my pasta machine) makes a pasta sheet that maintains its integrity when  it needs to be stretched to top a well-stuffed ravioli or when dumped into a pot of boiling water.   


Another thing that you will probably need is a drying rack for spaghetti and like shaped pasta.  This one cost a whopping $12.92.  

 Norpro-1048 Pasta Drying Rack


NOTE: Don't wast your $$$ on those all-in-one electric machines where you dump in all of the ingredients that magically extrudes pasta.

Homemade Ravioli / Beef, Ricotta cheese and Basil with Mushroom Sauce UPDATED

 Click on Photo To Enlarge

If you ever thought about making your own Ravioli then maybe this pic will encourage you.  Making them is actually quite easy. I made the fillings with:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil to brown beef
8 ounces (package weight) of browned beef ground beef
8 ounces of Ricotta cheese (1 cup)
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves (1Tbs of dried Basil)
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
(Complements to Cooks Illustrated) 

The Pasta:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

Water

Brown the beef and drain. Transfer to a bowl and let cook just for a minute or two, mix in the Ricotta, then the egg and basil. Refrigerate up to to days.

Pulse the flour in a food processor to aerate. Add eggs and process until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. If the ball forms small pebbles add some water a tbsp at a time.

Turn out the dough ball onto your counter and knead it for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Cut the dough into 5 equal parts and using a manual pasta machine roll the dough into sheets. I have the Atlas 150 Wellness, made in Italy as is of excellent quality.

After passing the dough through the machine, starting out large and the adjusting and passing it through the machine several times the gough will be ready.

Lay the dough on a cutting board, and depending on the size of your ravioli place the filling on the bottom sheet accordingly.

Then using water or egg whites mixed with water, brush the pasta sheet where the filling is just where where the second sheet will meet the first.

Cover the first sheet and filling and press firmly to make a seal between the two and then using a ravioli stamp, punch out the individual ravioli's.

I have bought a few and I'll say the best are made in Italy. This is the one that I used most often...Eppicotispai Aluminum Round Ravioli Stamp with Beechwood Handle, 3-Inch

Note: The top layer of pasta has to be larger than the bottom sheet.

In 4 quarts of gently boiling salted water cook the pasta for about 2 minutes Gently and constantly stirring. Remove to a strainer, drain and then add your sauce which could be a simple tomato sauce.

The Sauce:

I made the sauce with milk, chicken base, mushroom base, thyme leaves, parsley, marinated mushrooms, butter and grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: It's been about 6 years since I made this and I just threw together the sauce so I can't provide any measurements.

But as a sideboard comment I once fried them in brown butter and they were off the chain!

Macaroni & Cheese

6 OUNCES WHITE SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE (grated)
2 OUNCES MONTERREY JACK CHEESE (grated)
(Cheeses should be combined)
8 OUNCES UNCOOKED ELBOW MACARONI (cooked al dente)
4 TBS BUTTER (salted)
3 TBS FLOUR
1 TBS SALT
1 tsp PEPPER (white if you have it)
3 CUPS WHOLE MILK
Unseasoned Bread Crumbs - Optional


First, you have to make a white sauce.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk in flour a bit at a time stirring all the time for about 2-4 minutes and quick enough so you don't burn the mixture (roux).  It should smell like toasted flour something akin to a cooked pie crust and light in color. 

Gradually stir in COLD milk stirring rapidly until you use 1/2 of the milk. Then, after the milk has been incorporated into the flour and butter mixture and has begun to thin out, add in the remainder of the milk. Increase the temp to med-high and to simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to room temp. 

In a large bowl, add the pasta after it has cooled along with the sauce and mix to combine. Then add the cheese and mix again until well combined. You do not want the cheese to melt in the mixture. 

Pour into a baking vessel and top with additional cheese and bread crumbs if using. 


Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (depending on the depth of the pan) until hot and bubbly. Remove the cover in the final few minutes to brown the top layer of cheese and unseasoned bread crumbs (optional).

Serve and enjoy!

Note: Boil the pasta in water salted to the extent that it tastes like seawater.  

Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/fettuccine-alfredo/61d2461a-da1e-4f20-b101-e0a5186ef337

This is a wonderful meal, to say the least.  The last time I made it was nestled around a nice grilled chicken breast but it should be equally good with bit-sized pieces mixed into the pasta.  An additional morsel would include mushrooms. That said, at some point, it becomes something other than the classical dish so I would avoid tampering with this recipe.

Also, Fettuccine Alfredo can be an exceptional side-dish for a standing rib roast like a fine macaroni and cheese such as I have listed on this post under the Pasta, Beef, and Poultry labels just so you don't miss an opportunity.

In closing, I will stress that you should use the expensive, but high-quality Parmesan cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, not the crap in the familiar tube-shaped containers stuff if your budget permits.  The bottom line is that the difference will be quite remarkable. You get what you pay for...period!


Ingredients

16 oz uncooked fettuccine

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper

Chopped fresh parsley