by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas
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by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Vegetables
I love this simple Red Pepper pasta, with a little kick of red pepper flakes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 2 tbsp oil (EVOO)
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes (use less if you have an aversion to spice)
- 15 fresh basil leaves (sliced)
- 1 box of spaghetti (300 grams) or 300 grams of fresh spaghetti
Instructions:
Boil water for pasta. I have my fresh pasta here which I will post the recipe to in a couple of days. Be sure to salt the water after water boils. Julienne the peppers into ¼” wide strips. Chop the onion into same size julienned strips. In a large skillet add the oil and butter to medium high heat, then add the onions and peppers, sauté for approximately 10 minutes until both are slightly browned. Add salt and toss. Add in the cream and the red pepper flakes and cook down till cream thickens. Pasta should be timed so that they are finished around the same time. Using pasta tongs, add spaghetti to the pan of peppers adding in some of the pasta water so that it dilutes the sauce a bit, so it’s not too thick. Stir pasta to coat all of the spaghetti. Place the pasta into bowls then add the sliced basil to the bowl. And voila!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Sauces
PESTO
This large batch recipe is a way to store your summer basil, and have access to homemade pesto all winter long
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by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas
Traditional “Pasta Alle Vongole”, spaghetti with clams, is almost impossible to make here is the US, as “vongole” (the small, Mediterranean Wedge Shell, also known as the Tellina or “bean clam”) are hard to come by in Boulder, CO. So, in this dish, I used little neck clams, which are slightly larger and have a thicker shell. My mother-in-law adds ginger to this dish, which makes it a little different than the traditional version. The following recipe serves 4 people.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 40 littleneck clams in the shell (scrubbed)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp pureed ginger
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, soak clams in cold water and make sure they are scrubbed clean.
- Add spaghetti to boiling water, and cook until slightly underdone; pasta will finish cooking in sauce. Meanwhile, place a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and add olive oil, garlic and ginger. Sauté gently, reducing heat if necessary so garlic does not brown.
- Add wine and clams, and cover. Clams should open in about 2 minutes. (If pasta is ready first, drain it and toss with a small amount of olive oil.) Add hot drained pasta, cover, and shake pot gently. Allow to simmer for another 1 or 2 minutes until it is done to taste.
- Discard any clams that have not opened. Add half the parsley, and shake pan to distribute evenly. Transfer to bowls, and sprinkle with remaining parsley.
- Other versions add peperoncino flakes (1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes for a little kick). Serves 4
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas, Sauces
Okay, since I’m mostly Swedish, I cannot claim to have a perfect Italian Risotto, but my psuedo-Italian husband can! He definitely “thinks” he’s Italian, especially since he spent a number of year in Italy. Being green-eyed and blond-haired, the Italians always questioned his origin… it’s actually Michigan! Nevertheless, after many years, I can honestly say he has mastered the classic Italian risotto. And according to my children, I am incapable of making his perfected recipe. I actually don’t mind handing over the kitchen to him once in a while, so HE can “slave over the hot stove”.
The key to an honest Risotto, is definitely the broth, (my recipe can be found here). You also need to make sure you use Arborio rice. It is an Italian short-grain rice, named after the town of Arborio, in the Po Valley, which is situated in the main growing region. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy if cooked just right. The key is cooking then stirring, cooking then stirring, a labor of love for sure.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped onions
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 2 cups of dry white wine
- 5 cups of homemade broth
- pinch of saffron strands
- 2 cups of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Warm the broth in a pot on low heat, making sure it does not boil. In a large sauce pan on medium heat, add oil, butter then onions and sauté for several minutes until they become translucent. Add in the Aborio rice and stir to coat. Now here comes the hard part, you are going to add in the liquid 1 cup at a time and stir to cook. Start with the wine, as you want this to cook down over time, then alternate with the broth. You’re going to keep adding in the liquid one cup at a time for at least 20 minutes, maybe more. The point is to add the liquid in small doses, and stir it as it absorbs. When the rice starts to get a little puffy you want add in the strands of saffron. Stir for a couple of minutes, and then start tasting it. You want the rice to be firm, but not hard in the center. Once you get the right consistency, get your warm plates and ladle ready, add in the parmesan cheese and stir. You might need to add a little salt at the end, but remember the parmesan cheese is quite salty. Now you ladle one large scoop onto each warm plate, and jiggle it around so flatten it out. Remember this is really rich, so please don’t make the portions too big. Think Italian size… not American portion. Sprinkle a little parmesan on top… Mangiare subito!
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas
I think I’ve said this before… but we LOVE pasta! This is one of the first homemade raviolis I have attempted to make, using a cool new ravioli stamp, courtesy of my Mother-In-Law. This device came straight from a little shop in northern Italy and was brought back for me to attempt my own homemade ravioli. I found the same tool on Amazon, which was called the Eppicotispai Aluminum Square Ravioli Ejector Stamp with Beechwood Handle. So, if you’re adventurous and daring you can try it yourself.
Ingredients:
For the pasta: 100 grams of flour per 1 egg. (full recipe can be found here) – follow those instructions so you have strips of thin dough. Using setting #7 on your Atlas Pasta maker. You should end up with strips that are at least 3 inches wide. I used 300 grams and 3 eggs which produced 40 ravioli.
For the pasta filling:
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (do not pack into measuring utensil) – should be fluffy
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp truffle oil (I used Urbani White truffle oil)
- ½ tsp salt
Mix all ingredients into a bowl, making sure the truffle oil is well incorporated. You will also need to whip 2 eggs in a separate bowl which will be used to seal the pasta closed.
For the Burnt Butter Sage:
- 1 cup sage (cut into strips)
- 1 stick of butter
- ½ cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
Before making the pasta dough, be sure to put a large pot of water set to boil, and make sure to add enough salt to the water.
Directions:
Layout the strips of dough onto a floured surface. Using a basting brush, brush the egg onto the pasta dough strips. Scoop 1 tsp. of the cheese-truffle mixture, spacing them onto the top portion of the pasta, and about 2 ½” apart. Fold up the bottom part of the strip to cover the cheese filling, making sure to push out all of the air around the cheese. You want to ensure they don’t fill with air. Once it is sealed over the cheese you now get you handy-dandy Eppicotispai Aluminum Square Ravioli Ejector Stamp and stamp over each portion of cheese filling. I had to wiggle it around on the cutting board, to ensure the edges were cut. Please be careful as the edges of the stamp are very sharp.
You should end up with a row of ravioli just like this. After you repeat the process with all of the strips of pasta dough you can line the ravioli onto floured wax paper. 
You can now make the burnt butter sage sauce. Melt the butter on medium heat. Add in the sage and cook for 10 minutes or until the sage is crispy and the butter slightly browned. You now can cook the pasta. Approximately 5 minutes, but be sure to test them as they cook, you don’t want them over cooked, just al dente. Drain the pasts with a slotted spoon, making sure all the water is drained well, (otherwise the butter sauce gets watered down). Place a large pinch of parmesan cheese onto the pasta then pour the sauce over the cheese. It will slightly bubble, melting the cheese. I personally like to plate individual portions, but be sure to remove any left over raviolis as they are great reheated in boiling water the next day.
