Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Some traditional Italian pasta dishes have fabulously evocative names; like spaghetti alla carbonara, this pasta dish also paints a vivid picture of its supposed originators. Puttanesca derives from puttana, a prostitute, and the name connotes an easy, cheap, and deeply savory meal a working girl might hasten to throw together between, ahem, clients. Whatever its real origins, I love the name. Slattern spaghett'.

Those familiar with the basic ingredients of puttanesca might note that cured olives go conspicuously missing in mine. As I've mentioned a few times before, I just can't ....do....olives... but, I do love tapenade! The tapenade I use is actually a sundried tomato version which I absolutely adore and think adds a lot to the flavor of the sauce, so if you opt for a 1/4 cup of cured olives instead of tapenade, maybe chop up a few sundried tomatoes too! Puttanesca, much like its namesakes of yore, is very accommodating.  

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Makes 3 servings

Adapted from A Food Obsession

*1/2 lb high quality spaghetti (De Cecco! I never use anything else.)
*EVOO
*3 large cloves of garlic, minced
*6 anchovies, chopped
*1 tablespoon chopped capers
*Pinch red pepper flakes
*1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
*Pinch sugar
*Pinch oregano
*Freshly ground black pepper
*1 "big spoonful" tapenade, about 2-3 tablespoons (or, cured olives)
*3-4 leaves basil, torn

Heat a puddle of evoo in a pot over medium and melt the anchovies into the oil for a bit before adding the garlic, capers, and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. After a minute or so, pour in the tomatoes and stir in the tapenade with a pinch of sugar and oregano. Tear in the basil leaves and grind some pepper into the mix, too.

Let the sauce cook over medium-low, stirring frequently, as you put the pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the water well and boil the spaghetti until al dente, then drain and toss with the sauce. Reserve a smidge of the pasta water in case the dish is a little dry.

Shells with Chickpeas, Sausage & Kale

Today I'm setting out a quick, simple and tasty pasta dish, the type I usually turn to on oh, say, the Monday night before payday. It's a little more gussied up than some other cucina povera classics on rotation in my kitchen, but you can easily nix the sausage if you don't have any on hand or don't eat meat, just up the amount of the kale & chickpeas and it'll still be a very satisfying bowl of comfort food. Feel free to sub orecchiette for the shells; I've made it with both and each form the most delightful little nooks for the chickpeas and other little goodies to nestle.

Shells with Chickpeas, Sausage & Kale
Makes 3 servings

*1/3-1/2 lb shells (De Cecco is always my preferred pasta)

*EVOO

*2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed

*Good handful of chopped onion

*1 anchovy fillet, minced (optional)

*3 cloves garlic, 1 sliced, 2 minced

*3-4 kale leaves sans rib, ribboned

*Pinch red pepper flakes

*Glug of white wine (about ¼ cup)

*1 cup chickpeas, drained & rinsed

*S&P

*Pinch of chopped fresh thyme leaves

*Grated Parm

Put a pot of well salted water on to boil for the pasta. Saute the sausage in a wide pan with a little olive oil until nicely browned and cooked through, then remove and set aside. Add a touch more oil and saute the onion for a couple minutes, then throw in the anchovy if you please, and let it mmmmelt into the oil. Add the garlic then after about a minute add the kale and saute for a couple more minutes. Splash in the wine and once the alcohol whiff burns off, add the chickpeas and sausage. Set to low, season, and then add the drained pasta to the pan, tossing with a little reserved pasta water if it's dry. Dust servings with freshly-grated parm and thyme leaves.

Herbed Pearl Couscous Salad

Cold pasta salads are ubiquitous during high summer, but for good reasons - they're excellent vehicles for summer produce, they're delicious, and can be made in advance and left to loiter in the fridge (or in the cooler toted to a picnic) until needed. This is one of my absolute favorites to make; the pearls of Israeli couscous deviate from the well-trod rotini rut, and it is superlatively tasty and cooling on a hot summer day. It's a nice way to showcase all the herbs that are exploding on my porch, too - the basil, parsley and cilantro provide a rich green backdrop for the mint to accent in refreshing little flourishes.

Herbed Pearl Couscous Salad
Makes 5-6 servings

*1 1/3 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous

*1 cup water

*3/4 cup vegetable stock (or, just use 1 3/4 cup water)

*1 small onion, thinly sliced (or, about a half cup of caramelized onions)

*2 packed cups of assorted herbs: my breakdown is 1 cup parsley, 1/2 cup cilantro, a palmful of basil leaves and a couple sprig’s worth of mint leaves, maybe 7-8. Mint is essential, but don’t overdo it!

*1 clove garlic                        

*1/4 cup olive oil

*S&P

*Handful of pistachios, toasted and chopped

*Handful of arugula or nasturtium leaves, chopped

*Healthy squeeze of fresh lemon juice
*1/2 teaspoon citrusy hot sauce (I love Chile Spot's Fatalii Fantasii Sauce for this)

In a pot over medium heat saute the onions in some evoo until translucent if you're not using caramelized onions. Remove the onions and add the couscous; saute a few minutes while you bring the water and stock to a boil. Add the boiling water/stock to the couscous, stir well, cover, and cook on low for about 11 minutes. Make the herb pistou by blitzing the herbs along with the oil, garlic and pinches of S&P in a small food processor.  Add the pistou, nuts, onions and greens to the couscous, mix everything together well, and then season with the hot sauce, lemon juice, and S&P to taste. Serve at room temp or chilled.  

Farfalle with Butternut Squash, Sage & Sausage

Although butternut, onions and sage are more autumnally associated than most flavor combinations, this is one of my favorite pasta dishes to make whenever there's a chill on the breeze, and this Smarch weather still certainly allows for plenty of roasted butternut squash.  I love farfalle for this dish, as each piece makes a solid and sturdy shelf on which the squash and other goodies naturally collect. Plus, seeing all those the bow-tie shapes fanned out on the plate is pleasing to the eye, or at least my eye! No matter what pasta shape you use though, it'll be an incredibly tasty and filling dinner.

Farfalle with Butternut Squash, Sage & Sausage
Makes 4-6 servings

*1 medium butternut squash
*1 lb farfalle pasta (preferably De Cecco)
*2-3 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed

*1 small onion, diced 

*4 cloves garlic

*12-15 fresh sage leaves

*3 tablespoons toasted pepitas

*1/4 cup freshly grated Parm-Reg plus extra for dusting

*EVOO

*1 tablespoon butter

*S&P

Preheat the oven to 400 and cut the squash in half. Scoop out the guts and brush the flesh with olive oil and season with S&P. Place the squash flesh-side down on a baking sheet and pop in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, towards the end of the roasting time, put on a large pot of water to boil and salt it well. Saute the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Set aside when cooked. Add a tablespoon of butter drizzled with some evoo and saute the onion until nice and soft, seasoning as you go. Add the garlic in and continue to cook for a couple more minutes, then set the onion and garlic mixture aside with the sausage. Turn up the heat and add a little more evoo if necessary to fry the sage leaves. Once they are crisp, set aside on a paper towel to drain.

Boil the farafelle until al dente. While the pasta is cooking take the squash out and scoop the soft innards into a bowl and mash with the Parm-Reg. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the pasta water, and then after quickly wiping out the pasta pot, throw in the pasta, squash mash and sausage/onion/garlic mix and combine everything well, seasoning to taste. If it seems a little dry, wet it with some of the reserved pasta water. Crumble the sage, reserving a leaf or two for final garnish, and mix it in along with the toasted pepitas. Serve with an extra dusting of Parm and some more sage crumbles. 

Classic Mac & Cheese

This is more than comfort food - it's nap food.  It is indeed, as its nickname implies, so rich and filling that more often than not it puts me and my husband into a food coma after we lick the last bits of delicious velvety cheese sauce from our forks.

Since it's a very basic recipe, its success depends on the quality of ingredients you choose to use. I make this when I have knobs of pretty great cheeses hanging around in the fridge that need a nice vehicle to take them out entirely... a good slab of intense Quebec cheddar, a piece of sharp Gruyere, a salty wedge of Parm, some creamy Fontina, say. Just try to not make it with pre-shredded, bagged stuff. And don't make plans the night you eat it, just in case you happen to fall into unintended slumber.

Classic Mac & Cheese
Makes 5-7 servings

*1/2 lb shells

*3 tablespoons butter

*3 tablespoons flour

*2 cups milk, warmed

*About 3 cups grated cheeses + 1/4 cup grated Parm-Reg

*Couple generous dashes of Tabasco

*1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

*1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
*S&P

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a baking dish, or as I did for this recipe, two small cast iron pans. Boil the pasta no further than al dente and drain. Meanwhile, in another pot, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted and foamed, gradually add in the flour, whisking all the while. Cook the roux for a few minutes, and then gradually pour in the milk, whisking to stamp out all the lumps. Cook the sauce until it comes to a low boil, then cook a few minutes more, stirring all the while. Remove the pot from heat and toss in the cheeses, Tabasco, and pinches of S&P. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta and stir to combine well. Pour the pasta in an even layer in your baking vessel, then combine the thyme and bread crumbs with some S&P and extra grated Parm-Reg and sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top. Bake for 15-17 minutes, flicking on the broiler for the last 2 if you like a nicely crisped top.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Pepitas and Sage Butter

It's a scenario I face frequently - my pal Michael G, culinary genius, will post a picture of some scrumptious-looking foodstuff he created and I am compelled to make it myself as soon as humanly possible. Recently he posted an perfectly executed autumnal scene of pumpkin gnocchi tossed with roasted seasonal vegetables that set me slavering away at first glance, and after securing the recipe from him I set to work. My first attempt was...fine. Having never made gnocchi from scratch I was thrown by certain aspects of the process, like how sticky the dough would be for one, but I managed to make something edible. Subsequent attempts saw the pumpkiny pillows perfected. I love the idea of tossing the gnocchi with roasted veg, a la Michael G, but I ultimately prefer a more simple prep with browned, nutty butter, crisped sage and toasted pepitas. Serve as you like, but if you go the pepitas route, you'll want to make extra because they are an addictive crunchy treat. Goes without saying that you'll wanna make extra gnocchi too - I've had very good experiences with freezing them, so double away!

Dapper Owl plate from Rachel Kozlowski for West Elm

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Pepitas, Browned Butter & Sage
Makes 3 servings

 Adapted from the aforementioned Michael G!

*1 cup pure pumpkin puree

*2 tablespoons finely grated Parm-Reg, plus extra for serving
*1 cup flour

*1 egg yolk

*Pinch of sea salt
*Pinch of pepper
*Small pinch of nutmeg

*4 tablespoons butter

*1 smashed clove garlic

*8 leaves of fresh sage, some slivered 

*2-3 tablespoons roasted pepitas

Set your pumpkin puree in a fine mesh sieve to drain for about 30 minutes to an hour. To roast the pepitas, toss with olive oil and S&P and roast at 325 until browned. I tossed them again when done with a pinch of allspice.

Put a large pot of water on to boil (or two, which will cut down on time). In a wide saucepan, start to melt the butter over medium-low, throwing the garlic clove in as it cooks. Combine the flour and the grated cheese along with pinches of seasonings in a small food processor and blitz until everything is very fine. Combine the pumpkin and the yolk in a bowl, then add the flour in parts, working everything together with just your floured fingertips. Do not overwork! You don't need every last speck of flour worked into the dough, which, as I alluded to above, will be quite sticky. Flour your work surface and your hands and divide the dough into 3-4 pieces. Roll each blob into a long rope of about a finger's thickness, and cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces with a floured blade or pastry scraper and place on floured wax paper. You can get fancy and roll them down the tine of a fork or a gnocchi board to get nice-looking ridges, or you can leave them shaped as is. Cook them in batches in the rapidly boiling water until all the gnocchi float, about a minute or two. You don't want to overcrowd the pot, which is why I advocate for the two-pots-of-water decision.

Meanwhile, raise the heat for the butter and as it deepens in color, throw in the sage leaves. Take out the garlic clove, season the butter with S&P, and as the gnocchi rise to the top of the boiling water, remove with a skimmer and toss into the sage butter sauce to sear lightly before serving. Dust each portion with freshly grated Parm-Reg and speckle with the pepitas.


*To freeze, simply drop the cut gnocchi onto a cookie sheet that has been covered with floured parchment paper, pop in the freezer, and bag when frozen through. Do not thaw when ready to prepare, just simply toss into the roiling water*

Orecchiette with Sausage & Sundried Tomato Pistou

If pressed hard to name my favorite pasta more times than not I'd blurt out, "orecchiette!!". It's such a toothsome, fun pasta, each little hat holding a cache of some caught sauce or sausage under its brim. For this particular batch of orecchiette, I knew I wanted something with sundried tomatoes, for which I'd been nursing a heavy craving lately. I fixated on a pesto - only to find that the sole nuts in the house were....raw unshelled peanuts. I skipped nuts and presto, pistou! On a humid summer's eve, I appreciated a sauce sans nuts, as it was slightly lighter fare.

Make sure you're using jarred sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil for this recipe, and feel free to double the pistou batch - extra pistou makes a tasty spread on crusty garlic-rubbed crostini.

Orecchiette with Sausage & Sundried Tomato Pistou
Makes 4-6 servings
 

*1 packed cup sundried tomatoes

*1/4 cup densely packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few extra for garnish

*Scant 1/4 cup olive oil from the sundried tomato jar + extra as needed

*6 cloves garlic, 2 finely chopped

*2 tablespoons freshly grated Parm-Reg

*Pinch red pepper flakes
*S&P
*About 1 lb dried orecchiette pasta (preferably De Cecco)
*2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed

Make the pistou by blitzing the tomatoes, tomato oil, basil and 4 of the garlic cloves in a small food processor. Add the Parm, red pepper flakes and pinches of salt & pepper and taste until it's seasoned just so. It should be relatively thick , no need to thin it out to the consistency of its greener pesto cousins.  Set the pistou aside and put water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, saute the sausage until browned and cooked, breaking it up into small pieces, and then set aside. Add a touch of tomato oil to the pan, lower the heat and saute the finely chopped garlic cloves for about a minute or so and then add to the sausage. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and toss the orecchiette with a bit more of the tomato oil (it is proving indispensable, eh?). Add the pasta back to the pot, along with the pistou and sausage-garlic mix. Stir to combine thoroughly, adding a touch of the cooking water if necessary (it wasn't necessary for me, but reserve some just in case...!). Dish out and dust with extra Parm-Reg and aromatic ribbons of basil leaves.

Fiddlehead & Shrimp Linguine

The lil' curlicues popping up from the dun-brown crowns of awakening ferns are among my favorite signs of spring - namely, because I can eat them. When cooked-crisp, fiddleheads are toothsome and have a lightly grassy, asparagus-esque taste to them. A perfect spring vegetable! You might be able to find them at better farmers' markets or at specialty food stores, but it's always more enjoyable to search them out and collect them yourself! When foraging, make sure you're clipping from edible (most likely ostrich) ferns, and only taking fiddleheads which have not yet unfurled. Regard the picture below to get the right idea. Also, be a pal and don't deplete an entire plant - I usually only take one or two fiddleheads per fern.  In springs past I've simply sauteed them with a hint of butter and s&p as a side for meat, steamed them lightly or even thrown 'em raw into salads, but this time the coiled fronds reminded me of the shrimp I had in the freezer, cutely tucked in similar position.  So, I decided to add them both into tangles of pasta. A little side salad of young dandelion greens, also foraged, completed the springy supper.

Happy foraging!

Fiddlehead and Shrimp Linguine
Makes 1-2 servings

*4 oz linguine
*1 handful fiddlehead ferns, washed thoroughly in a couple changes of water (brown flecks all removed)
*6-8 medium shrimp, cleaned
*2 tablespoons butter
*1 tablespoon minced shallot
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 pinch red pepper flakes
*2 tablespoons white wine
*1/2 teapsoon lemon zest
*Juice of 1/2 lemon
*S&P
*Grated Parm-Reg

Set water on to boil for the pasta. Blanch the fiddleheads in another pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium and saute the shallot and garlic for 4-5 minutes, adding a pinch of red pepper flakes near the end. Bump the heat up a little and add the fiddleheads and shrimp; saute about 2 minutes per side. Add the wine and lemon juice to deglaze. Reduce heat, stir in the zest and simmer for a few minutes, seasoning to taste. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet, tossing well. Dish out and dust with Parm-Reg.

Pasta Frittata

Frittatas are just about the easiest, quickest, tastiest, and most versatile one-pan weeknight meals ever. They serve as an excellent vehicle for ridding the fridge of leftovers, and, are great leftovers themselves - an eggy wedge warmed up in the oven the morning after makes for a very tidy breakfast. I've gotten into the habit of making them when I have some extra cooked pasta lying around as I enjoy the extra heft the noodles provide, as well as the satisfying chewiness. Served with a big green salad and a glass of sparkling saison, it's a damn fine repast.

The beauty of the frittata is that it will gladly accommodate anything you bring to it, so if you don't have cooked pasta on hand, but rather a mess of veggies growing a wee bit long in the tooth? A surplus of luncheon meat? A bunch of ragged cheese bits? As long as you have eggs on hand, you have the beginnings of a delicious disc of dinner. Done.

Pasta Frittata
Makes 5-6 servings

*7 eggs
*S&P
*2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (+ more for sprinkling on top)
*1 tablespoon chopped parsley
*5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
*Small dollop of bacon fat (or butter, or a bit of EVOO)
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*Pinch red pepper flakes
*1 heaping cup cooked pasta

Flick on your broiler. Whisk the eggs with pinches of salt and pepper, the cheese, parsley, and tomatoes. Melt the bacon fat over medium in a nonstick oven-safe skillet (I'm using a 9 inch) and saute the garlic until golden, then add the red pepper flakes and the pasta. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and guide it around all the nooks and crannies by tilting the pan if necessary, and cook over medium heat until the perimeter is completely set and the middle is getting close, about 8 minutes. If you want, finely grate some more cheese over top at this point (optional) and then stick it in the oven. Broil the frittata for about 3-4 minutes until it's golden and bubbly, watching to make sure it doesn't burn, then remove, slice and serve.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

A tangle of pepper-spangled spaghetti alla carbonara is one of my favorite simple meals - only five basic ingredients and 15 minutes needed to make this light yet lusciously creamy dish. The name is derived from the Italian carbone, charcoal, which the dusting of pepper on top of the dish is meant to evoke. Coal miner's pasta is how it's described in English on occasion, and you can almost imagine a sooty chap setting down to make something easy and robust over a cookstove with some cured meat, eggs taken from out of a kerchief, a hank of dried pasta and a knob of cheese from his pocket, inadvertently shaking off coal debris into the mix as he goes.

Mastering temperature when tempering the eggs is paramount...no one wants a grainy and ungainly sauce (although in truth I've scrambled my eggs on more than one occasion, and it still comes out tasting delicious). Peas and cream are anathemas here as far as I'm concerned, but if you'd prefer to sub pancetta (or guanciale!) in place of bacon, go right ahead! I prefer the bit of smokiness that good bacon lends to the dish.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Makes 2 servings

*8 oz spaghetti
*3 slices good slab bacon
*1 large organic egg + 1 egg yolk at near-room temperature
*2 tablespoons finely grated Parm-Reg, plus more for serving
*Copious amounts of freshly cracked black pepper

Boil spaghetti until al dente. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a pan and remove the slices when crispy; crumble and set aside (save that sweetsweet bacon fat for another use). In a stainless steel bowl whisk the eggs with 2 tablespoons grated Parm-Reg. Reserve a tablespoon or so of the cooking water before draining the pasta, and then whisk in just a touch of the water with the egg mixture to temper the eggs ever so slightly. Then, add the pasta to the bowl and stir rapidly. Taste, and add a smidge more water if necessary. Throw the bacon in with the pasta, dish out onto plates, and dust liberally with pepper and more grated Parm.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

At the risk of inundating the blog with pumpkin posts, no matter how seasonally apropos they might be, I'm going ahead with this entry for one of my favorite personal recipes, one for pumpkin mac & cheese. A couple years back, I came across a tasty pumpkin mac & cheese dish at The Institute in Philadelphia which inspired me to create my own version, as it saved me oh, a good 50 minute drive and parking woes whenever a craving would come up. After numerous tweaks, I finally achieved a dish that I'm proud to say trumps other pumpkin macs I have had since, which unfortunately seem to be widely overspiced and sweet - a problem that plagues other savory gourd-based dishes I've had whilst eating out in autumn. Open note to all area chefs: easy on the nutmeg...!

(The Institutes's remains absolutely delicious, though - I go pay homage to the source every autumn).


This version made with habanero cheddar & gouda, with Parm-reg and  manchego on top


Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Makes 8-9 servings

*1 lb of any short ‘n stubby pasta shape. I like cavatappi or shells.
*6-7 slices of bacon (optional)
*A couple tablespoons of butter (4, to be precise, if you’re not using bacon fat)
*3 tablespoons flour
*3/4 cup pumpkin beer at room temperature. I recommend Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout or Schlafly's Pumpkin ale. Alternately, a roasty porter would work nicely. If you want to nix beer altogether, chicken stock’s your sub
*2 cups milk (whatever % you have on hand, but whole is best)
*A couple of shakes a'piece of: allspice, curry powder, cayenne. I go heavier on the curry, about 1/2 teaspoon's worth
*Salt and pepper
*12 oz of pure pumpkin purée, or MOST of a 15 oz can. (I like to have a bit of leftover pumpkin to stir into yogurt or oatmeal the next day, or to make the Pumpkin French toast I posted about earlier)
*2 3/4 cups grated cheese(s) of your choice plus extra cheese for topping. I usually use about 1 cup of extra sharp yellow cheddar, 1 cup of smoked gouda, and 3/4ths cup of a delicious habanero cheddar from the local Shadyside Farm, Parm-Reg and manchego for the topping. But feel free to use any combo of good melting cheeses you like
*Sprigs of thyme (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 and set a large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta until al dente and set aside. Fry the bacon in a pot over medium until crisp and then set pieces to drain on a paper towel, reserving the rendered fat. Supplement the drippings with butter to have 4 tablespoons of fat sizzling away in the pot (I usually render about a tablespoon, so I add 3 tablespoons of butter). When the added butter froths and begins to brown, sprinkle in the flour and cook for a couple minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually pour the pumpkin beer into the roux and continue to whisk very frequently for 4 to 5 more minutes before gradually adding in the milk, stirring all the while. Speckle the mixture with shakes of allspice, curry, cayenne, salt & pepper. Adjust seasoning as you see fit. Mix thoroughly and continue to cook a couple more minutes or until the sauce leaves a luxurious coat the back of a wooden spoon. Whisk in the pumpkin purée and then stir in the cheese until everything is melty, orangy goodness. Mix the pasta into sauce, crumble the bacon in, and dump it all in a large casserole dish. Add a good carpeting of the extra cheese and dot the top with small nubbins of butter. Throw in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes or so and then flick on the broiler for 1-2 minutes, keeping careful watch to make sure it doesn’t burn. Garnish each serving with tiny green flecks of thyme leaves, if you so desire.

Gemelli with Browned Sage Butter and Sausage

I took a look at my extensive herb garden yesterday and realized that I hadn't yet used sage even once this summer. In order to rectify this oversight, I recalled a delicious and simple recipe given to me by my friend and Italian food guru Michael G. - twists of pasta and sausage coins bathed in browned butter beautifully scented with fresh sage leaves. A sagacious choice to highlight the herb! I went with gemelli, but Michael recommended cavatelli as his choice pasta shape to use. Anything with nooks and crannies to catch the sumptuous sage butter will do, though!

Gemelli with Browned Sage Butter and Sausage
Makes 2 hearty servings

Recipe adapted from my generous pal Michael.

*1/2 lb hot Italian sausage
*1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons of salted butter
*6 fresh sage leaves
*Lots of freshly cracked pepper
*8 oz gemelli pasta
*1/4 cup grated Parm-Reg
*Handful of chopped parsley

Put water on to boil for the pasta. Fill a wide saute pan with about a half-inch of water over medium heat, and lay the sausage in when it starts to simmer. After 10 minutes, flip the sausages over and simmer them for another 5 minutes, at which point the sausages should be firm and almost entirely cooked through. Transfer them to a cutting board and slice them into coins about half an inch thick. Discard the water in the pan and after a quick rinse 'n wipe, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and put back on the burner on the higher side of medium. When the butter melts, add the sausage coins in an even layer and let them cook – untouched – until they are deeply browned on the first side. Flip and brown them on the other side. When the sausages are browned, set them aside and add the fresh sage leaves, 3 tablespoons butter, and a few twists of pepper. Stir the butter and scrape at the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. After a minute or two, it should stop foaming and start to take on color. Cook a few more minutes while you drain the pasta, and then add the pasta and the sausages to the pan. Add the cheese and parsley and a little more pepper, stir everything together until nicely incorporated, then dole out dinner!

Dan Dan Noodles

My adoration for our local Sichuan restaurant Han Dynasty has been briefly detailed in some previous posts, but I haven't yet mentioned the dish that upon first bite made us fall in love with not just the restaurant, but with Sichuan cuisine as a whole - the dan dan noodles. A toothsome tangle of pasta bathed in a pool of fiery sauce topped with flavorful pork mince and coarsely cracked peppercorn, this scrumptious, scorching bowl has us coming back to Han with feverish devotion at least once a month. This recipe is my valiant effort to construct an acceptable simulacrum of the dan dan noodles at home, and although it certainly doesn't top Han's, it's a super tasty and satisfying bowl of food. Fair warning though, it's very spicy... so approach with caution!

Dan Dan Noodles
Makes 2 hearty dinner servings

Recipe is a composite of a couple Fuschia Dunlop recipes in Land of Plenty, with some personal additions

Lay out two bowls. Measure out the following for each bowl:
*3 teaspoons Chinese sesame paste
*1/2 heaping teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
*1 tablespoon light soy sauce
*1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*2 tablespoons chili oil
*1/2 teaspoon black vinegar
*1 pinch of sugar
*1 scant tablespoon peanut oil

*10-12 oz good dried spaghetti (or Chinese noodles)
*Peanut oil
*1 teaspoon coarsely ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns
*4 oz ground pork
*1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
*2 teaspoons light soy sauce
*Sliced scallions (optional)

Put water on to boil. Measure everything from the sesame paste to the peanut oil and place the stated amounts into each of the two bowls - you can either mix the ingredients together to form a sauce (as I like to do) or leave them in sitting in a state of heterogeneity (like the other household half prefers). While the pasta is boiling, heat a bit of peanut oil over medium-medium high in a wok and stir-fry the coarsely ground peppercorns for about 30 seconds before adding in the pork. As soon as it starts to separate, splash in the sherry and the soy and continue stir-frying, scraping the bottom, until the pork mince is entirely cooked and starting to get a little crispy. Drain, rinse, and drain the pasta again and then dole out between the two bowls, onto the sauce, and top with the pork mince (and sliced scallions, if using). You can either stir the noodles into the sauce at this point, or let everything meld together naturally as you eat your way to the bottom.

Sunday Gravy

Here's another stellar recipe (one of my all-time favorites, in fact) from my pal Michael G., he who provided me with the delicious Olive Oil Bundt recipe that I posted a while back. He related the recipe for his traditional Sunday gravy in anecdotal form, and it's so perfect as is that I'm just going to quote him wholesale.

"Here's how my family makes it (4 generations) every week: Saute two pounds Italian sausages (sweet or hot or both, whatever you like, still in their casings) in a good amount of olive oil (about 1/2 cup) until brown all over. Remove the sausages and set them aside.

Chop two large yellow onions and cloves from one whole head garlic and saute them, adding more oil if needed. Saute them slowly on medium-low heat for 30 minutes or so until they become "sweet", translucent. Do not let them brown. Salt them as you saute them. Add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes, dry oregano and a few basil leaves (never use dried basil!!!). Then stir in two small cans tomato paste and two cans crushed tomatoes. Then fill up the empty cans of tomatoes (both cans) with water and add the water to the pot. Then add the sausages and a dash of sugar. Simmer for about 4 hours, with the lid slightly ajar. Stir every few minutes, making sure the tomatoes do not stick to the bottom and burn. You can add meatballs in the last 30 minutes of cooking. It's important to keep the simmer very low, just a few slow bubbles, and also to stir the sauce every few minutes. When I was little, whenever my grandmother was busy doing something like gardening, she would yell at me to stir the sauce about 3 times an hour."

Very generous of Michael to share this, especially since you couldn't wrest family recipes away from most Italian nonnas with a crowbar.

My variation on Michael's Sunday Gravy (Slight sacrilege. I know.)
Makes enough to feed a small army.

*2 lbs hot Italian sausage
*1/3 cup EVOO
*2 (small) yellow onions. If you like onions, go H.A.M. and get bigg'uns. I have to keep other household half's onion hate in mind.
*1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and chopped finely
*S&P
*1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
*1 teaspoon dried oregano
*3 large basil leaves
*A couple sprigs of thyme
*12 oz can of tomato paste
*2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
*Pinch of sugar
*Homemade meatballs (optional, but highly recommended)

Follow anecdotal recipe above, with a few amendments: After the veg has sauteed for 30 minutes or so, add the tomato paste and fry for a few minutes on its own before adding in the crushed tomatoes (and the fresh herbs). Also, I usually just fill one 28 oz can with water and add that in. If you are making meatballs, pour off some of the grease but leave a bit in the pan, add a touch of tomato paste, fry for a couple minutes, deglaze with a small glug of beef stock and add to the sauce.

And once more, for good measure - do not simmer for less than 4 hours. 4 1/2-5 hours is what I shoot for, normally. It's a watery tomato sauce 2 hours in - after it crosses the 4 hour mark, it edges into the sublime.

Also, might be a good idea to put down paper towels around the pot because even partially covered and at a low heat setting, this sauce will spit and splat all around your counter and stovetop when it's a couple hours in. Fair warning.

Saison-steamed Mussels

We had a good 1/3 of a growler left of Victory's Helios Saison and no real designs on drinking the rest over the weekend (especially because other household half got his own growler filled with a double IPA), so I  put it to good use in service of a batch of mussels. It made for a sensational broth, spiked with sea liquor and saison spice. Paired with the last bit of Helios from the bottom of the growler and crusty rustic bread, it was a fantastic, summery dinner.

Saison-steamed Mussels
Makes 2 servings

*2 lb bag of mussels
*2 tablespoons butter
*1/2 onion or a small shallot, minced
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*A pinch of red pepper flakes
*A couple sprigs of thyme
*S&P
*1/2 lemon, juiced
*15-20 oz saison-style beer (For local folk, the aforementioned Helios is a solid saison and pretty inexpensive for a bomber/growler)
*A handful of parsley, chopped
*Lots of crusty bread, preferably toasted and rubbed with garlic
*Lemon slices

Clean and debeard the mussels (instructions here), making absolutely sure to discard ones with broken shells, or that are gaping open and don't close when tapped or under running water.

Melt the butter in a large pot, and add the minced shallot and garlic when it starts to foam. Saute for a couple minutes and then add the thyme, pepper flakes, and a good spangling of S&P, followed by the saison and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, add the mussels, cover, and then lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened (it helps to shake the pot a few times throughout the simmer to move everything around). Discard any mussels that still have their trap shut, and ladle the lot into deep bowls with plenty of the delicious broth. Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the mussels and serve with warm, crusty bread and lemon slices.

Bonus recipe - Any leftover broth in the pot? Add a bit of butter and reduce it down until thickened, and then use it to dress fettuccine or spaghetti, with some cut-up cherry tomatoes and lots of parsley (add mussels or bay scallops to make it even better).

Cavatappi with Sausage, Kale & Tomatoes

A superquick, supertasty weeknight meal. My husband had some credit with Amazon that, if I have the story straight, could only be used on Groceries (?) so he bought a pallet (!) of De Cecco cavatappi (and, quaintly/weirdly, a pallet of UK-style Heinz baked beans in cans that look like Mad Men props) so pretty much any pasta dish I've cooked up in the past couple of weeks has incorporated this corkscrew style. It works well here but that's not to say your favorite pasta shape wouldn't work just as well.



Cavatappi with Sausage, Kale, & Sundried Tomatoes
Serves 2 + modest leftovers for lunch

*3/4 lb cavatappi (or pasta of your preference)
*1/2 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed or in patty form
*A couple large leaves of kale
*1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
*3 tablespoons butter
*2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
*1 lemon
*Red pepper flakes
*S&P
*Chopped parsley (optional)

Put water on to boil for the pasta. In a small pan melt 3 tablespoons of butter, and lightly saute the garlic. Wash, dry and slice the lemon and place all the pieces but the ends in the butter and simmer over low heat for the duration of the pasta's cooking process. Remove lemon pieces (and strain if you'd like).

Meanwhile, brown the sausage until fully cooked, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, and then set aside. Remove the ribs from the kale, chop into manageable pieces, and saute softly in a stolen spoonful of lemon butter. Add some red pepper flakes, a crack of pepper and some salt, and a little bit of the pasta water to further wilt the kale. Set the kale with the sausage after about 6 minutes. After pasta has cooked to al dente, drain casually (you don't need to shake every last drop out of those coils) and return to the pot. Mix in the sausage, kale, lemon butter, and sundried tomatoes. S&P to taste. Squeeze the ends of the lemon over the mix to get the last drops of juice from the teensy bits of fruit flesh left. Garnish with chopped parsley if you please.