Zusketti with Fresh Mozzarella and Meatballs

During my purge, the questions of utility, need and worthiness needed to be asked of each item.  There are quite a few items that have not made the cut but my spiralizer definitely has. I'm not sure why I've never posted anything about it thus far.  It's a slicer that turns regular ole veggies into super duper noodles.  That's kind of a kitchen essential yes?

There was a period last fall where I was obsessed with spiraling veggies.  Zucchini makes the closest thing to noodles but carrots and beets are also pretty fun.  

What kid or grown up wouldn't eat something that comes out spirally and fun like this?  

I found the that the technique on  Against All Grain's site worked best to remove the moisture. I leave the peel on these days, but if you peel the zucchini and use the oven drying method, the zucchini look a lot more like regular 'ole noodles.  

This is what the "pasta" looks like if you don't oven dry first.  Still tasty and if you don't care and are willing to just drain off the excess moisture, you can skip the drying step.  Either way, it tastes pretty fantastic...if you are a veggie lover.  Let's not kids ourselves here though that you'll think you're eating pasta.  You'll know you're eating a veggie, but a pretty yummy one at that. 

Zusketti with Fresh Mozzarella and  Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lbs ground chicken
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 oz fresh mozzarella

2 lb zucchini, spiralized, 

1 tsp salt
5 cups of a favorite tomato sauce

fresh basil leaves for topping

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, garlic powder, basil, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper.
3. Combine gently with a fork.
4. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
5. With a cookie scoop, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto sheet pan. You should have about 40 meatballs.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.
7. Prepare(or warm up) tomato sauce
8. Remove meatballs and reduce oven to 200 degrees
9. Add meatballs to tomato sauce and cook on low heat while zucchini cooks.  
10. Spread zucchini noodles over baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until moisture is released. 
11. Dice fresh mozzarella and set aside
12. When noodles are cooked, place on clean cloth and wring to remove additional moisture.  
13. Serve zucchini topped with meatballs, sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil.

Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Sauce

I've been on a pasta kick recently.  Since I'm not the world's biggest pasta fan to begin with, I'll admit I'm on a pasta making kick.  The eating part is just what you do with it all after you make all of the ridiculous amounts of pasta. 

If you don't like mushrooms, avert your eyes here, and probably for the remainder of the post.  There are lots and lots of mushrooms here.  Love those little suckers. 

I have this handy dandy ravioli maker that makes quick work of ravioli.  If you don't have one, you can of course lay the pasta sheet out, fill with filling and cut around the dough in that traditional ravioli making way.  If Laura Ingalls Wilder had been Italian and ridden in a covered wagon across Umbria, she'd have made it that way. 

I like that the filling fits so nicely in the little hollows of pasta and that a rolling pin crimps and seals these little guys in no time.  It does stick a bit though so flour the ravioli maker liberally before placing the first sheet of pasta down. 

This recipe makes enough for three dozen ravioli and freeze perfectly if you don't happen to need three dozen ravioli.  Just separate the ravioli on a baking sheet, place sheet in freeze and freeze for 2-3 hours. After the ravioli are frozen, you can throw them together in a freezer bag.  

The white wine sauce perfectly compliments the mushroom filling.  If you don't like to mix your whites and reds you can use white wine in the filling.  I used red because it was hearty enough to be match the earthy boldness of the shrooms, but white wine would work as well. 

The white wine sauce may separate a bit at first, but whisk, whisk, whisk and it'll all come together into a delicious cheesy deliciousness. 

Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Sauce

Pasta Ingredients
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil

Ravioli Filling 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb baby bella mushrooms finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1 garlic clove finely minced

1/2 cup dry wine

1/2 cup ricotta

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper

White Wine Sauce 

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp flour

1.5 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup parmesan

1. Add all pasta ingredients to Kitchenaid mixer with dough hook attachment. Turn power to 2 and mix for 6-7 minutes or until dough is smooth and indent pressed into dough bounces back. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
2. While dough is resting prepare the mushroom filling. 
3.  Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add mushrooms and salt and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta, parmesan and black pepper. 
6. Cut the rested dough into two equal halves. Cut each half into equal thirds to give you 6 equal sized pieces. Keep all dough covered that you are not working with.
7. Flatten each dough section into a long oval. Pass through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Close the pasta roller one notch and pass through again. Close the pasta roller again pass the pasta through again. Add flour to the pasta with each each pass through the pasta roller. Continue to do this until the pasta is thin. I used the manual roller setting 8.
8. Lay one layer of dough down on working surface or ravioli maker if using one.  Add 1 rounded tsp filling to each.  Lay another sheet over top and press firmly around all ravioli pieces.  Cut apart.  If using ravioli maker, lay second sheet on top and use a rolling pin to roll seal and crimp edges. 
9. Place a large pot of salted water on to boil before you prepare the sauce.
10. To prepare sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Add flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes stirring throughout
12. Whisk in white wine and continue whisking until sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add parmesan and whisk well until all cheese is melted
13. Cook ravioli in salted water for about 4 minutes or until they begin to float.  
14. Remove ravioli from water and serve topped with white wine sauce. 

BLT Pasta

I've had this recipe hanging on my fridge for ages.  Yes, tons of cookbooks, Pinterest pins, and Cooking Light and Food Network Magazine subscriptions and I still rip out random recipes and stick them to the fridge.  Go figure. 

This BLT pasta has all of the yummy flavors of BLT minus the mayo which just happens to be my least favorite part anyway.  If you love mayo, I'd say this pasta is so flavorful, you might not even miss it.   If you really wanted to add mayo to the cold version of this salad, you'd probably have pasta salad.

The recipe itself is hardly complicated....boil pasta and chop veggies...but the end product is full of chewy pasta and bacon goodness.  Yep, there's tomatoes and spinach but really it's about the bacon right?

You start off with making some garlic breadcrumbs which is a perfect way to use up the last of that baguette you couldn't resist at the market.   Process until you have fine crumbs.

Heat oil and garlic in pan and then add breadcrumbs and toast. 

 Set aside and grab your other ingredients. Love the substitution of spinach for lettuce. 

I'd show you a photo of the bacon cooking but really, this is a more telling photo of what happens when bacon is cooking in this house.  Puppies need bacon.

Deglaze the pan with white wine before adding tomato paste, vinegar, stock and  a bit of red peppers.  I added quite a bit.

Turn off heat and toss in spinach and tomatoes and toss.  Pretend I mentioned earlier in the post that you should start your water and boil your pasta. 

Add the cooked pasta and crumbled bacon.  Toss and serve.  I threw some breadcrumbs in at this point but really they are best tossed on top of each individual dish of pasta. 

BLT Pasta

adapted from torn out newspaper recipe

Ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 cup french baguette cut into bread cubes
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 strips thick-sliced bacon
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes

2 c fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tbsp tomato paste
spaghetti, linguine or any pasta really--cooked al dente

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook bucatini according to package instructions.
2. Mince garlic in a food processor. Add bread cubes, and process until you have crumbs. 
3. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium; add crumbs and toast until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and set aside.
4. Saute bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease.
5. Deglaze skillet with wine; simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add the broth, vinegar, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Simmer until liquid is reduced by a third, about 5 minutes.
6. Add spinach, tomatoes and toss.
7. Transfer cooked pasta from cooking water to the skillet using tongs. Add crumbled bacon and toss to coat with sauce. Season with salt. 
8. Sprinkle with bread crumbs prior to serving.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Zucchini Ribbons and Comfort Food by Ellie Krieger

I've never had an alfredo sauce that didn't come from a jar.  Even as a type that I almost don't even believe it myself.  My mom didn't make a lot of pasta as we were growing up and when I go to an Italian restaurant I order eggplant parm or chicken piccata.

When I received Ellie Krieger's new cookbook Comfort Food Fix, (Cookbook #81) I was immediately drawn to this recipe that included a healthier alfredo sauce and tons of zucchini ribbon "pasta." I love Ellie and her healthy twists on food.  My absolute favorite thing about Ellie's cookbooks is that she is not about substituting low fat, artificial foods and sweeteners to just to lighten the calories in foods.  She uses real ingredients and sugars and fats but in moderation and includes healthy additions to improve the nutritional value.   Comfort Foods is full of those recipes that we love such as quiches, french toast, coffee cakes, quick breads, burgers, cobblers, cookies and casseroles, but with a cleaner, healthier twist.

Chicken Alfredo Pasta.  Yep, not necessarily known for being light and healthy.  But with substituting whole wheat pasta for regular, replacing some of the pasta for veggies and creating a sauce with evaporated milk, I think she was pretty successful in creating a recipe that is ultra creamy, cheesy and rich.  Almost a little too rich tasting.  I am though, the girl who's never had real alfredo sauce to compare this to.  

Love the zucchini ribbons twist.  I would easily make this again with just the zucchini and omitting the pasta all together.  The garlic cooked zucchini was that delish.

As the cookbook mentions, save some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce a bit.  Mine was pretty thick so I used all of the pasta water.  It made a super saucy pasta because I dumped the zucchini and the pasta into the sauce rather than vice versa.  Next time I'd definitely conservatively spoon the sauce over the zucchini and pasta.  In the end though, the sauce all soaked into the noodles as sauces usually do. 

Ellie's recipe had instructions for pan cooking some chicken, but since my grill came to live at my place, I always have chicken marinating in the fridge to throw on the grill. This was pretty fantastic with some juicy grilled marinated chicken thrown on top.  

Fettuccini Alfredo with Zucchini Ribbons

adapted from Comfort Foods by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini
• 8 oz ounces whole wheat fettuccini 
• 2 tsp flour
• 2/3 cup cold 1% milk
• 5 oz can evaporated skim (not condensed milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Using a vegetable peeler, carefully create long strips of zucchini. If pieces are too wide, use a knife to cut into fettuccine width pieces 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Add 1 clove of the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the zucchini ribbons, cover and cook until the zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 
3. Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the package. Ladle out a half cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta. 
4. For the sauce, stir the flour into the low-fat milk until it is completely dissolved. 
5. Put the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet and heat over a medium-high heat. Add the remaining clove of garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 
6. Add the flour-milk mixture and cook until the mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. 
7. Add the evaporated milk, salt and the cheese and cook, stirring, until the cheese is melted, about 1 minute. 
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
9. Add the the zucchini and pasta in the pot and toss to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water as necessary to loosen the sauce to a light and creamy consistency

Pumpkin and Sausage Ravioli

Sage infused brown butter and squash or pumpkin is one of those perfect flavor combos...right up there with sea salt and caramel and chocolate.  Since it is pumpkin frenzy time, let's get started. 

Did you know that sometimes sausage comes fully cooked?  My sausage naivety shows here.  Fully cooked sausage does not crumble while it cooks so I just chopped it up fine before returning to the pan.

My pasta rolling skills aren't the hottest apparently but I just saved up all these excess scraps, cut them into mini noodles and let dry a bit.  It's almost chicken noodle soup time and I think think/hope they'll be perfect in that.

Yep, A LOT of work.  For an easier version(minus the sage brown butter), you could also slice the sausage, brown it up and then add the garlic, pumpkin, ricotta, herbs and spices. Add broth or milk to thin it out a bit and toss with penne or any other boxed pasta cooked al dente. Same pumpkin and sausage flavors and only 1/10th of the effort. 

Missing my mom's chest high, 4 foot wide sage bush.  My sad sage options now.

All the leftover scraps ready for chicken noodle soup sometime soon. Once they were dry enough to not stick together, they went into a baggie in the freezer. 

I took pictures of the brown butter as well, but then deleted them all and reformatted my CF card so every single one is gone.  To make brown butter, you just melt a stick of butter over med-high heat and then let it sizzle away as the fat cooks out all of the water in the butter.  Watch carefully because it tends to go from regular butter to brown butter relatively quickly.  When the butter is a dark amber shade, throw in 10-15 leaves of clean dry sage and let them sizzle.  Serve ravioli with a brown butter drizzle and don't forget the crispy sage...it's the best part in my opinion. 

FRESH PASTA

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water

1. Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. 
2. Add eggs, salt, and water to well. With a fork, gently beat eggs and water until combined. 
3. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. 
4. Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form a dough, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). 
5. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes(I throw in the KitchenAid at this point with the dough hook because I don't enjoy kneading.  
6. Leave in mixer bowl and cover with a plate. Let rest for an hour. 

PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE FILLING

1/2 lb chicken sausage(removed from casing)
1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup ricotta
1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp chopped sage

a couple of grates of fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper 

1. In medium skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage taking care to cook through
2. Add garlic and cook additional minute
3. Add pumpkin and ricotta and heat through.  Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper
4. Remove from heat and set aside while you roll out pasta

Nigella Kitchen Papardelle with Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese

Happy New Year!!!!

 I do plan on doing a real post sometime soon, or rather a post with some sort of writing.  But sometimes, usually right after the holidays and the back to work schedule, other things are calling out for attention when I get home at the end of the day.  There are some Christmas photos still to share though so works out perfectly.

But first, I wanted to share this recipe because it was delightful (imagine sing-song voice here). Usually, I'm not a huge pasta eater (or cooker).  I'm pretty convinced that our upbringing has a bit to do with what foods we cling to as adults.  Sure there are new foods that we grow to love as adults, or childhood foods we will NEVER voluntarily eat as adults (oh the childhood trauma of green bean casserole) but I've noticed that many have a preference for the "starch" they grew up with.  Guiseppe sits in Thailand eating pasta almost nightly, I have a midwestern friend who swears he needs potatoes daily, and some of us with asian blood, well, we need rice.  I'm pretty sure I've gone months without pasta--which is why this dish was a delightful (same sing-song voice again) pasta treat...butternut squash and sage is always delightful. It's so delightful, you could even leave off the blue cheese if you are not a fan.  That's four "delightfuls" in case you were wondering.

Technically I didn not have papardelle, but I did use a big fat substantial pasta so kind of the same idea. it was a perfect hearty pasta for the butternut squash "sauce."  And of course, a girl who throws spinach into Blueberry Bars is absolutely going to find a way to throw it into pasta.  It was a perfect addition, but for the record, Nigella's recipe did not call for spinach. Silly girl.

Nigella called for over a lb of pasta.  Since I'm more of a veggie girl I only used half a lb. The perfect thing about pasta recipes in general is that you can very often adjust the ratio of pasta to sauce to your preference.

Nigella notes that the sauce can be made 1 day ahead — simmer until the squash is tender, then transfer to a nonmetallic bowl to cool. Cover and refrigerate, then reheat gently in a saucepan and proceed as directed.

Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Pine Nutsadapted from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Marsala
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)
8-16 oz  pappardelle or other robust pasta based on preference
5 oz  soft blue cheese, crumbled

Fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy-based pan that can accommodate all the pasta later. After about 10 minutes, add the paprika. Add the cubed butternut squash, then add the butter, stirring everything together well in the pan. Add the Marsala and water. Once the mixture starts to simmer, put the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender but still holds its shape. Season to taste (keeping in mind that the cheese will be salty too), then sprinkle the sage into the squash mixture, reserving some to garnish.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Toast the pine nuts in a separate hot, dry pan, tip them into a bowl and set aside.
Before you drain the pasta, reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the squash and slowly stir to combine. Add some of the pasta cooking water to help the sauce emulsify, then add the blue cheese and half the pine nuts. Gently combine, then sprinkle the remaining pine nuts and sage on top and serve.

Sweet Potato Pasta

I know I've already raved about the sweet potato pasta and sage brown butter combination before. Sage and squash or sweet potatoes is so perfect though it deserves some experimenting. I think I've made a plain pasta with a sweet potato filling and I've made a sweet potato pasta.  And never have I tried semolina flour before.  Having semolina flour, a sweet potato and fresh sage from my mom's garden was like culinary destiny screaming to be fulfilled.

I'm not going to lie to you.  The ravioli was a lot of work.  A lot, a lot.  But it was worth it. There's nothing like the oozy filling seeping out of a filled pasta.  Using the remainder of the dough to make linguine?  Eh.  I felt wasteful tossing the two remaining sections of dough so made up some linguine and stored it in the fridge. I cooked it up a few nights later with some garlic, olive oil, mushrooms and peas.  It wasn't filled, it wasn't magical.   That's a lot of work for just eh.  Especially when you can pick up fabulous sweet potato pasta at the farmer's market.  That only takes 30 seconds tops. 

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Pasta

2 sweet potatoes
2 tsp dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cup semolina flour

2 Tbsp butter
8-10 large fresh sage leaves

For Ravioli
1 cup ricotta (or mozarella cut into small pieces)
Remainder of sweet potato puree

Microwave sweet potatoes until tender.  Once the potatoes are cool enough to work with, remove the peels, and pulse in food processor with 2 tsp dried sage. 
Pour flours onto countertop blend in the salt and nutmeg.
Make well in center and add egg. Mix in the flour a little at a time along with 1/2 cup sweet potato puree. Use more or less flour as needed to make soft dough.
Let dough rest for 10 minutes.


To make Ravioli:
Cut pasta dough into 6ths and process each section through pasta machine--flattening to 4th or 5th setting.  You want a relatively thin dough since you will be pressing two layers together.
Lay one section of flattened pasta dough onto counter and fill leaving spaces enough to seal and cut each ravioli.  I used a sqaure of mozarella and some of the sweet potato puree.  Ricotta is more traditional but I was not up for running to the store.
Brush egg mixture around filling and top with another piece of dough.  Press firmly around the filling to completely seal.  Use rolling cutter to cut into squares. 

Brown butter on medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Toss in sage leaves and remove from heat.
Boil large pot of potted water. Cook ravioli for 3-5 minutes
Serve ravioli drizzled with brown butter and topped with freshly grated parmesan