Lemon Pasta With Artichoke Hearts, Tuna, Sundried Tomatoes And A Cream Pesto Sauce

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I know that by now you must be thinking that this has turned into a gardening blog instead of the food blog you originally subscribed to.  The truth is that since I had back surgery last August, my interest in food has all but evaporated.  I have lost almost 20 lbs and I am delighted to meet up with my old size 10 clothes.  These days, I eat to sustain.  It's all about calories folks, and eating less is a sure bet to weight loss.  Don't over think it.  Listen to your stomach and eat when it tells you.  Just a little will keep it content.  I am not hungry until mid afternoon when I have a small snack.  I eat a normal dinner, including a sweet, if I feel like it,  and that's it until the next day.  The only exercise I do is in the garden or going up and down the stairs that separate us from Madame Mere's apartment.

Yesterday I got inspired... at Homegoods, of all places.  It was a jar of sun dried tomatoes that made me want pasta.  They often have wonderful artisanal pasta made in Italy and I always stock up when a new shipment comes in.  The one that got my attention was the lemon linguine.  I thought it would go well with the sun dried tomatoes and....tuna! I also remembered the jar of artichoke hearts in the pantry that I had noticed was getting near expiration.  Voila, a new dish was born!  From there it was just a matter of tweaking with herbs.  Very soon I was going to be enjoying a dish and memories of the South of France.

By the time I got home I was starving and ready for an evening of creativity.  My daughter had just made a Costco run and there on the counter was a jar of what would make this dish sing, basil pesto.  And crunch, Parmesan Crisps! No matter she had forgotten the napkins which was the reason she had gone there in the first place!

I encourage you to make the recipe as is.  Don't substitute for the Sherry with white wine.  It needs the sweetness and body only Sherry can add.  If you can't get lemon pasta easily, don't sweat it.  Add a TB finely shredded lemon peel or chopped lemon balm.

I only used half the package of pasta and it was enough for four people.  I tend to like more "goodies" and less pasta and these are the right proportions.  If you make the whole package, double up on the rest of the ingredients.

This would be a great ladies lunch in Summer or Spring or a quick dinner any time of the week.  Put your feet up, enjoy the garden and imagine you are in the South of France!

Lemon Pasta With Artichoke Hearts, Tuna and Sun Dried Tomatoes In a Cream Pesto Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 TB butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot chopped
1/2 cup Dry Sherry
2 TB basil pesto
8 oz. heavy cream

1/2 lb Lemon pasta, linguine or fettuccine, cooked al dente*
1 can artichoke hearts
1 can tuna, packed in oil and drained
4 or 5 sliced sun dried tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste ( I added a few flakes of Aleppo pepper)

Parmesan cheese, shredded
Parmesan Whisps

Chopped basil or parsley for decoration (optional)


Directions:

Pre warm the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the pasta as per package directions. Leave a little al dente. Drain and save some of the cooking water.

Saute the garlic and shallot in the oil and butter until translucent.

Add the Sherry and reduce to half.

Add the basil pesto.  You can use homemade or ready made.  Stir

Add the cream and let it simmer for a bit until it thickens.

Add the artichoke hearts, roughly chopped, the tuna and the sliced sun dried tomatoes.

Add the cooked pasta and stir until the noodles are fully coated.  If you find it is too thick (you won't) add a little of the pasta water.

Place in a casserole dish, sprinkle some shredded Parmesan cheese and top with crunched Parmesan Whisps.   Cook covered for 20 minutes.  Uncover and cook for another 5 or until it browns.  Don't let the pasta dry up!

Add chopped parsley or basil on top before serving (optional).  I was too hungry!

* you can use plain pasta but add about 1 TB finely shredded lemon peel.

All photos Lindaraxa

Quick And Easy Summer Meals...Fettuccine With Mushrooms And Asparagus

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I have fallen in love with asparagus this Spring.  Don't get me wrong. I have always adored them; but this year it's like falling in love all over again.  You know that feeling...the little smirk on your face, the twinkle in your eyes.  It must be a metabolic thing, just like the time I fell in love with tomatoes when I was pregnant with my first child. All I wanted were those big juicy tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and basil; and big glasses of tomato juice in mid morning with saltine crackers.

Even though I haven't posted an asparagus recipe this year (there are tons of them from the past) we have been having them at least twice a week.  We love them cold with olive oil and vinegar, sometimes with chopped eggs on top, and with Hollandaise Sauce once in awhile.  I think I am finally coming to the end of this love affair and I am now looking forward to the summer bounty.

Morels are in season now but I haven't found them at the local markets.  If you find them where you live, you must buy some; but don't fall in love with them, they are quite pricey and will break your heart (as well as your pocketbook).   Only entertain the idea for a fling or a one night stand.

Baby Bellas, on the other hand, are easy to find and  less pricey.  They are available at my local Costco but they come in a big box, So you have them with steak one night and use the rest for something like this.  They keep well in the produce compartment of the fridge.

*The main thing about this recipe is that it is cooked in the classic Italian fashion by adding the al dente pasta to the pan with the sauce and letting it finish cooking there. Instead of swelling with more salted water in the final minutes, it will absorb as mush flavor as possible from the essence of the sauteed mushrooms and the rest of the sauce.

You will enjoy this pasta.  It is substantial and filling enough to serve on its own with a glass of chilled French rose.  If you must serve dessert, make it a light one!
   

Fettuccine With Mushrooms And Asparagus

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red onion cut into small dice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth and thinly sliced (or Baby Bellas)
1/2 cup homemade vegetable (or chicken) stock or store-bought, low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2-1 pound thin or pencil asparagus, thinly sliced on the bias, tip end left about 1 1/2 inches long
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 pound dried fettuccine or pappardelle
2 tablespoons shredded basil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Procedure:

1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.

2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).

5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.

6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.

7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.

A little Parmigiano on top is not a bad idea!



Adapted from Nightly Specials: 125 Recipes for Spontaneous, Creative Cooking at Home
All photos Lindaraxa

Turkey And Sage Cannelloni In A Bechamel Sauce

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Who would have thought that less than a pound of leftover sliced turkey would turn into a dish like this? Someone, like Lindaraxa, who hates to throw food away.

After a long weekend of guests, followed by grandchildren,  I had more deli sliced turkey and ham than I cared to see go to waste.  Turkey meat from the deli, no matter how good, tends to spoil much quicker than anything else.  I find myself throwing it away, more often than not, and I hate it.  I come from a generation that was taught to eat everything on the plate and reminded, ad nauseum, of all those poor starving children in China.  Ha! and look at them now...

I often make croquettes out of leftover turkey, chicken or ham but, sometimes, I am too lazy to go through the two day process....so I came up with this.   For the filling I use the same recipe as the one for the croquettes, but slightly looser and along the same lines as the Picadillo Stuffed Manicotti or Pigs in A Blanket, as my children used to call this popular (at least in my house) recipe.

Manicotti are the large pasta tubes most often found in this country and appropriate for a filling like this.   Sometimes I like to fool my guests into thinking they are eating homemade cannelloni by using the no boil lasagna sheets from Barilla.  I just cook them for about five minutes in boiling water or until they are pliable, easy to stuff, fill and roll.  I sometimes find large pasta tubes made in Italy in my "wanderings" and snap them up by the truckload. I had a few in the pantry this time and they are what you see in the photos.

This recipe made enough for four with plenty of leftovers for lunch.  We each started with two to be polite and all of us got up for seconds...but just one more.   Count on three apiece if you are making the cannelloni using the oven ready lasagne cut in half.

Turkey And Sage Cannelloni In  Bechamel Sauce

Serves 6:

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 lbs cooked turkey or chicken
1 can evaporated milk
2 TB fresh sage, chopped coarsely
6 TB flour
Salt and pepper

Filling:

3 TB butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 TB Worcestershire Sauce
2 TB dry Vermouth
1 TB grated lemon peel
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Cups Bechamel Sauce*
1/4 cup dry Vermouth
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated plus 3/4 cup for topping

1 Box Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Or 12 Manicotti


Directions:

 Place the chopped turkey meat, the can of evaporated milk and the flour in the blender. Blend for about a minute.  Stop, use a wooden spoon to stir around add salt and pepper to taste and turn on the motor again.  Mix until completely blended. Add the sage and turn on the blender again for about 10 seconds to mix.

Saute the chopped onion in 3 TB. butter until the onion is soft.  Add the mix from the blender and stir with a wooden spoon on medium low heat until everything comes together.  Add 1 TB Worcestershire Sauce, white pepper and salt to taste.  Raise the heat to medium, continue stirring and add 2 TB Vermouth and 1 TB lemon peel. Continue stirring until the mix thickens and begins to separate from the sides.  Remove from the heat.  Let cool.

Make two cups bechamel sauce. Add 1/4 cup Vermouth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat immediately and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add a 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano.  Remove from the heat.

Butter the bottom and sides of a  Pyrex dish large enough to hold 18 cannelloni side by side.  Add about a 1/4 cup of the bechamel sauce on the bottom and spread to cover.

Cut the lasagna noodles in half.  Place 1 tsp of the filling and roll into a tube.  Place, seam side down in the Pyrex dish.  Continue with the rest of the pasta until you have eight cannelloni on each side for a total of 16.

Pour the rest of the Bechamel Sauce on top, sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and dot with butter and more sage leaves.

Cook in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. or until bubbly and lightly broil, about 6 to 8 minutes. You want a golden color on top.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Slices of tomato with a balsamic vinaigrette or an arugula salad are great to serve alongside.


*Bechamel Sauce

For 2 cups

4 TB butter, unsalted
4 TB. flour
2 Cups hot milk

Melt the butter, add the flour, cook for about a minute stirring.   Add the 2 cups of hot milk, a little at a time.  Continue stirring until sauce begins to boil.  Immediately remove saucepan from the heat, set aside and let cool.

Recipe and photos Lindaraxa 

Spring is Here!...Fettuccine With Smoked Salmon And Dill Sauce

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Yes it's really here, finally...Spring!  The daffodils are blooming, the weeds are coming out and tonight we set our clocks forward to Daylight Savings Time.  Whoever thought of that is a genius!

 

 

 

 

 

We have spent the day laying mulch in the flower beds, cleaning around the azalea bushes, which were full of dead leaves, and spraying Roundup around the paths (and other places)  without my daughter knowing I am doing such a criminal enterprise.  Yes, she gets mad at me but I'm certainly not going to spend all my time digging up weeds where I don't need to.  I am a tired puppy and I hurt all over, but it feels good.  Nothing a couple of Tylenol and a vodka on the rocks, or two, can't cure.

 

 

I feel safer working in the garden now that I have Coco guarding the yard!

 

When the daffodils come out and the clock gets moved up one hour, it is time to think Spring and shelve all those comfort food cold weather recipes.  Good bye stews, goodbye braising, hello grills and welcome asparagus, strawberries and...you know the rest.

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of nights ago, in anticipation of a warm spell, we had this iconic Spring pasta.  Well, at least, iconic to me.  For some reason, when I think of Spring I think of salmon, smoked or otherwise.  It is a wonderful recipe for a midweek dinner or for a ladies lunch.  Your pick.

 

I used Spinach fettuccine but regular will do.  The cream sauce is light but nicely coats the pasta and salmon.  A teaspoon of grated lemon rind is the icing on the cake, a suggestion from my daughter.  I know you will enjoy it as much as we did.

 

 

 

 

 

FETTUCCINE WITH SMOKED SALMON AND DILL SAUCE

 Ingredients:

4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon or mild lox
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons minced shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
6 ounces fettuccine
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
Small sprigs of dill, for garnish
1 tsp. grated lemon rind

Procedure:

Cut the smoked salmon in lengthwise strips about two inches by three- eighths inch, cutting with the grain, so strips hold together better.

Combine the shallots and wine in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook over low heat about five minutes or until the liquid is reduced to about two tablespoons.

Stir in the cream, and return to a boil. Cook over medium heat about six minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the pasta. Cook, uncovered, over high heat, separating strands occasionally with a fork, for 30 seconds to two minutes for fresh pasta or two to five minutes for dried, or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain well. Transfer to a heated platter.

Bring sauce to a boil. Remove it from heat and stir in the snipped dill. Pour the sauce over noodles and toss. Gently stir in the salmon, using a large fork. Add salt and pepper to taste (salt may not be needed, depending on the saltiness of the smoked salmon or lox). Garnish with dill sprigs, lemon rind and serve. Makes four servings.

Recipe adapted from Faye Levy Sensational Pasta
All photos Lindaraxa

 

 

 



Cannelloni Di Magro Con Funghi

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I have written about Harry's Bar in Venice on a few occasions, here,  here and here, so I won't bore you with more of the same.  Suffice it to say, it is expensive but their food is very, very, good.  Why?  They get the best and freshest ingredients before anyone else in Venice, and everything, including their pasta, is made on the premises every day.  The people who go there, those you are hoping to see, don't care what they pay for a meal.  They are there to eat with other people they know, enjoy a menu they are familiar with and get good service.   That is the secret of places like Harry's Bar in Venice and Swifty's in New York.  Thus,  if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it.

Nowadays I couldn't afford to go to Harry's Bar unless I'm invited, so I can only dream about and cook some of my favorite dishes from their cookbook.  The recipes are excellent and authentic and everything they are famous for is in this book.   Unfortunately our ingredients can't compete with those they are able to get.  Like tomatoes from Sicily, fresh seafood from the Adriatic, incredible white peaches in the Spring and the list goes on.  Not only that, you can't replicate the ambiance.  This is something I  have learned from wines.  Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered a wine that was simply fantastic?  Then you have gone out and bought a bottle, same vineyard, same year but it just  didn't taste the same.  You are not the only one.  The difference is subjective, and it has to do with the ambiance in the restaurant where you had it, the mood you were in, who you were with and what you had to accompany the wine.  All that being said, this recipe is as close to what I remember having in Venice

.

 Don't be intimidated.  This looks a bit involved because there are five things to prepare before assembling the dish: Making the filling, cooking the pasta, making the tomato sauce and the béchamel sauce and sauteeing the mushrooms.  Most of these components are on hand every day at the restaurant and all the cooks have to do is integrate them into the dish. If you want to make these with zucchini, for example, just substitute sautéed zucchini for the mushrooms and you have another variable of the same recipe.  All I can do to minimize the process  is suggest you have some ready made tomato sauce always in the freezer, like I do.  The spinach filling can be made early in the day and refrigerated.  Everything else needs to be done on the spot.

One of the things I have saved you from is making homemade pasta.  Kind of.  I have done this several times and it works like magic. I hate the curly edges on most lasagna noodle brands and substitute Barilla's No Boil lasagna sheets, except I boil them for a few minutes to make them pliable and easy to work with.

My pictures are terrible and I wish they did justice to the results.  I did over broil a bit so watch carefully.  I also had one too many and ended up with the tomato sauce and mushrooms on top of the béchamel sauce, instead of the other way around.   This is what happens when you post pictures with your recipes.  No touch ups or replays.  Just like the Tonight Show!

Cannelloni di Magro Con Funghi
Spinach and ricotta filled cannelloni with mushrooms
Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Filling

1/2 10 oz  package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese or Gruyere
1/4 lb. whole milk mozzarella, diced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
freshly grated pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 egg yolk

For the Béchamel Sauce:

3 Tb butter
3 TB flour
1 1/2 Cup whole milk, hot
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Tomato Sauce:

1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, mashed
4 TB olive oil
1 28 oz box Pomi chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. chopped basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

For the mushrooms:

4 cups thinly sliced shiitake or other mushroom
2 tb. butter
1 garlic clove
chopped parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

1 package Barilla No Boil lasagna noodles

Directions:

 Defrost the chopped spinach and squeeze all water from it. Put it in a food processor with the whole milk ricotta, the grated Gruyere cheese,  the whole milk mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Blend briefly to make a green, well-combined paste but do not overwork it.  Scrape mixture into a bowl and blend in the salt, pepper, cayenne and egg yolks.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

 Next, the béchamel sauce.

 Melt the butter in a pan then add the plain flour; cook over a medium heat until it becomes sandy textured. Add the hot milk, whisking all the time; bring to the boil, stirring – it will thicken. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.

For the tomato sauce:

Add oil to the pan.  Sautee de onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the chopped  tomatoes and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and the chopped basil.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  The sauce can be made at any time, including the day before.

For the mushrooms:

Melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and sautee until golden brown, 6-8 minutes.  Add garlic and parsley and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the wine and boil down for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Assembling the cannelloni:

 To make Harry’s Bar Cannelloni de Magro con Funghi for six, spread half the béchamel in an ovenproof dish. Boil a large pan of salted water and drop in eight or nine dried egg-pasta lasagne sheets. Cook for three minutes, drain and lay on a tea towel, side by side.  Cut in half.

Fill with equal amounts of spinach mix then roll up and place seam side down in the dish on top of the béchamel.

 Cover with a layer of stir-fried sliced mushrooms, a layer of tomato sauce, then the remaining béchamel.

 Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven  until bubbling and browned, about 10 minutes.  Place 3 inches from the heat source and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, turning the pan around to brown evenly.  Serve immediately and pass the Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

 

All pictures Lindaraxa

Recipe adapted from The Harry's Bar Cookbook

Upgrading the Oldies...Tuna and Pasta Gratin With Mushrooms and Crushed Potato Chips

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...just kidding, this is just a great recipe for an old fashioned tuna noodle casserole very popular in the 1960's and now upgraded.

If you were a kid in the 60's, the chances of getting Campbell's Tuna Noodle Casserole at least twice a month on Fridays were pretty high.  By the time my generation got married, the odds were not as high, but still there.  Just ask my kids, they remember it well.  How could you as a Mother deprive your children of something that was such a part of American culture and American cooking.  Not me!

It seems that every other recipe that came out in those days was based on one type or another of Campbell's condensed soups.  The three popular ones were of course, Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Celery and Cream of Asparagus.  You always approached the soup aisle of the grocery store with some trepidation hoping that the shelves were not empty of just the soup you needed to show off your newest casserole recipe.  Those were the days, just a can of soup to make your day.

 Nowadays, food recipes seem to have more elegant names and unusual ingredients.  If we don't feel we are knocking ourselves out, it can't be any good. Can you imagine if I just posted a recipe for Tuna Noodle Casserole like Campbell's did in the 60's?  My hit average would go down the charts!

Since every generation deserves to be known for the food it craves and the food it eats,  here is my upgrade of an old favorite for the new millenium. I must say, though, that given the choice, my daughter refused to let go of potato chips in favor of Panko.  Some things never change, and shouldn't.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 scallions, finely sliced
1 small box white mushrooms, (go shiitake if you want fancy)
2 TB. unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 package of Barilla Elbow Macaroni (Mueller's is so-o-o 1960's)
1 small can of whole red pimientos (1960's), or 1 roasted red pepper (2000's)
1 best 6 oz. canned tuna in olive oil
1 cup grated real Parmigiano Reggiano  or Gruyere Cheese
1 cup frozen petit peas
Crushed Potato Chips (1960's)  or Panko (2000's)
Dash of Paprika
Salt (1960;s) or Sea Salt (pink is so in right now) and Pepper to taste.

Bechamel:

4 TBs. butter, unsalted
4 TBS flour
2 Cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the elbow macaroni according to package directions until al dente.  About 14 minutes.  You can add the frozen peas the last 6 minutes (I forgot them altogether!).  Rinse in cold water and strain in a colander.

In a skillet, melt the 2 TB of butter and sautee the mushrooms and scallions until slightly golden.  Add the wine and reduce to 2 TB. Set aside.

Prepare two cups of bechamel sauce:  Melt the butter, add the flour, cook on low for a couple of minutes.  Add the hot milk and stir with a whisk until sauce thickens and starts to come to a boil.  If the sauce is too thick add some wine (or some vodka from your drink)

Slice the pimentos or red peppers and add them to the sauce.  Drain the tuna and also add it to the sauce together with the mushrooms and scallions.  Add the pasta and peas (you might not want to add all  the pasta at once, so add half and continue adding until you get the ratio you like.  Stir everything together.

Add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of paprika just to pick it up a bit.

Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan, stir and invert everything into a casserole.  Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top and about 1 cup crushed potato chips or Panko.  Sprinkle a dash of Paprika on top.

Place casserole in the upper half of your preheated oven and check after 25 minutes.  It should be bubbling and brown on top.  Wait 10 minutes before you serve (okay, five)

Do you have a favorite Campbell soup to cook with?

Recipes and Photos Lindaraxa

Bucatini With Spicy Anchovy Sauce And Dill Bread Crumbs

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Even if anchovies aren't part of your culinary repertoire, the way the sweetness of the onions and the saltiness of the anchovies interact, combined with  the unexpected crunchiness of the bread crumbs, will make you forget that you are eating something you may not be overly fond of.

There are many people who won't touch a dish because it has anchovies as part of the mix of ingredients.  Sometimes they like the dish, particularly something like salade nicoise, but will think nothing of leaving them out.  They have no idea what they are missing  If the spiny little things are what gets in your way, then use anchovy paste.  Anchovies add a certain richness and dimension to a dish, particularly one with a red sauce.  Trust me, when all is said and done, you won't be able to identify the wonderful flavor in your pasta and nobody will be the wiser. I can't tell you the times I have served anchovy flavored dishes to people who swear they can't stand them!

I have played a little with the recipe by adding three cloves of garlic to the oil before you sautee  the bread crumbs and at least another can of anchovies if you are making one pound of spaghetti.  Also make sure you cook the onions until they are caramelized.

This is a great fast dinner for the two during the week or a casual dinner with good friends.  All you need is a green salad, a crusty baguette and an Italian Sangiovese such as  Peppoli.

Yield: Makes 6 servings


Ingredients

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 cloves of garlic mashed and finely chopped

2 cups fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette)

3 garlic cloves smashed and minced

1/4 cup chopped dill

1 pound red onions, thinly sliced (3 cups)

1 to 2 (2-ounce) cans flat anchovy fillets, drained and chopped

1 pound bucatini or perciatelli pasta (long tubular strands)

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes


Preparation

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, add the garlic and sautee for a couple of minutes.  Add the bread crumbs and sautee stirring constantly, until deep golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer bread crumbs to a bowl and toss with dill and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper.

Wipe out skillet, then cook onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining 1/2 cup oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Add anchovies and cook, mashing anchovies into onions, until dissolved. Or substitute about 1 tbsp of anchovy paste if you don't want to deal with the little devils.

Meanwhile, cook bucatini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 5 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.

Stir red-pepper flakes and reserved water into anchovy sauce, then add pasta and toss to combine. Add about half of bread crumbs* and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with remaining bread crumbs.


*make sure you add the first half of the bread crumbs when you are ready to serve, otherwise they will become soggy.

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine 2008

Let's Do Lunch In Cap Ferrat...Pasta Provencal

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Right about this time of the year I start thinking about light pastas,  fresh tomatoes,  anchovies and capers, and so many other things typical of the South of France;  but more than anything, I start thinking of tuna.  No, not tuna as in sushi, just plain tuna as in tuna fish.   I also switch my cocktails to French dry roses and start wearing espadrilles and striped t-shirts.  It must be time to move to the Riviera...physically or otherwise.

Cap Ferrat

La Leopolda, Cap Ferrat

If you are part of the well healed LWL (Ladies Who Lunch) you will be readying your home in Cap d"Antibes or Cap Ferrat  (Marbella and Ibiza are okay too),  drawing up your guest list and thinking of some menus for practically every day of the week.  The season, which goes from July to the end of August, is just around the corner.  Better stock up on Campari and plenty of dry Rose.

Restaurant Eden Roc, Hotel Du Cap, Cap D'Antibes

If you are not part of that upper echelon, you will be readying your house in the Hamptons, Newport or Maine, maybe in Litchfield County or somewhere along the Hudson Valley.  Everyone else will be hiding in their closet come the weekend.  No matter where you are, there better be water around and if there isn't, don't bother even mentioning you have a summer house even if it is a country house.  Case in point, now that our house is not directly on the lake, our weekend visitors have gone down by 90%!

Pastas in the Riviera are very popular in the summertime; but it's more about the main ingredient than the pasta itself.  A popular combination is pasta with tuna, anchovies, olives, tomatoes and olive oil.  As long as everything is in season, you can add or subtract anything you wish. Subtract the tuna or the anchovies and you have a good pasta, but not a great pasta.

To complement your lunch, don't forget a fresh tomato salad, some of those thin Italian breadsticks and a bottle of French rose from Provence. A lemon sorbet would be perfect for dessert.  Then espresso and a well deserved nap!

I guarantee you will like this pasta, but only if you have it by the water, any water....turn on the sprinklers if everything fails.

Something like this would do 

It's been awhile since I've visited any of those summer resorts but I still have the memories and the palate to try to reproduce some menus at home.  Just close your eyes, smell the roses,  listen to the birds and you could be anywhere! For the Pasta Provencal recipe click below.

Spaghetti Primavera Sirio Maccioni

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I'm taking the day off from cooking and posting on Mother's Day, but I'm passing along this recipe which I found last night while browsing through a cookbook.  Very timely for this time of the year.  I also thought that some of you might want to see the original recipe for pasta primavera as created by Sirio Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque, a far cry from what is been served these days.  Did you know, for instance, that the original had two sauces?

This poor dish has gotten so bastardized over the years that what you get is but a ghost of the original.    Pasta Primavera has come to define simply any type of pasta with vegetables, olive oil and cheese.

I had the real thing in New York at Le Cirque a lo-o-o-ong time ago and it was marvelous but, unfortunately, it was so popularized that people simply got tired of it.  Every restaurant from New York to Peoria had it on the menu; every hostess at her lunch buffets. The Ladies Who Lunch simply adored it!

Nowadays, it's not even on the menu at Le Cirque, although you can get it if you simply ask for it.  It’s prepared on a cart close to your table and served piping hot so the veggies are still steaming yet crunchy fresh.

Sirio Maccioni's recipe was the signature dish at Le Cirque in the 1970's and 80's.  It was one of those recipes which, like the molten chocolate cake, came by quite by accident. According to food historian and restaurant critic John Mariani, Maccioni was entertaining a group of chefs at a hunting camp in Canada in 1975. It had been a long evening, everyone was ravenous -- but no one wanted to eat anything too heavy because of the late hour.

Maccioni went into the kitchen, grabbed a bunch of fresh vegetables, and made up two sauces, a cream sauce and a fresh tomato sauce. He steamed the vegetables, and served them and the sauces over spaghetti.

The dish was a sensation.

Maccioni dubbed it pasta primavera -- it's a wonderfully light evocation of sunshine and spring growth, and ''primavera'' means spring in Italian. He put it on his restaurant's menu, where it was soon the most popular item and was copied everywhere.

If you decide to make the recipe, make sure you buy the freshest vegetables available and the best spaghetti money can buy.  That's all there is to it.

Thinking Of Summer...Linguini With Shrimp And Lemon Oil

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I was up until 3:00 am last night reading the Williams Sonoma catalogue, not because it was that good, just because I couldn't sleep. This recipe struck my fancy and I decided to make it for dinner tonight.  My daughter, who enjoys withholding her praises even when things turn out exceptionally well, couldn't stop raving about it and telling me it was a keeper.  So there you have it...on a scale of 1 to 10,  I think what she meant was it was an 11.

It is truly a delightful pasta, very lemony and perfect for lunch or summer.  I have to say I cheated and used a California Meyer lemon infused oil.  I am going back tomorrow to buy a few bottles to keep in the pantry for the coming months.  You can find lemon oil at most specialty stores or, as I did, at Homegoods.   You can also make your own, as detailed below. Nothing to it.

I also did not make my own pasta, using instead Barilla linguini.  But it's up to you, whether you go the long route or the short one, as I did, this dish is spectacular!


In Sicily’s fishing villages, rustic handmade pasta is tossed with olive oil, garlic and fresh seafood. It’s all about casual simplicity—and making the most of the day’s catch. Inspired by that tradition, we created this recipe using prawns and lemon-infused olive oil. For the best results, make your own pasta from scratch.

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt, to taste
  
• 3/4 lb. spaghetti or linguini
• 1 1/4 cups olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 zested
  
• 3 cups coarse bread crumbs(I used Panko)
• 2 lb. prawns, peeled and deveined
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving (optional) I did not use

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Rinse the pasta with cool water; set aside.

Pour 1 cup of the olive oil into a small saucepan. Using a knife, cut the peel off 1 lemon and add the peel to the pan. Set over medium heat and heat the oil until just warm. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain the lemon oil; set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1/4 cup plain olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Wipe out the sauté pan, set over medium-high heat and warm 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil. Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Add half of the prawns to the pan and cook until pink and opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side; stir in 1 tsp. of the garlic during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Transfer the prawns to a bowl. Wipe out the pan and repeat with 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil, the remaining prawns and 1 tsp. garlic. Toss the prawns with the lemon juice.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil. Add the anchovy paste and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the pasta, capers and lemon zest and stir until heated through, adding more cooking water as needed. Transfer to a platter. Top with the prawns, bread crumbs and parsley. Drizzle with some of the lemon oil (reserve the remaining oil for another use). Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.


Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.
Photos Lindaraxa

Tagliatelle With Morels And Pancetta In a Cream Sauce

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The trick to this recipe is to make enough sauce to save for the next day's lunch over toast!

You can make the sauce earlier in the day and cook the pasta at the last minute.The perfect dinner for two with leftovers to die for or an elegant first course for a formal dinner party.

Ingredients

1 ounce dried morels (that's a handful in my book!)
1/2 cup pancetta, diced in small cubes
2 tbs olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 cup Mornay Sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and white pepper

Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 lbs tagliatelle or fettucine

Soften the morels in warm water for 30 minutes. When soft, remove from the water and place in a colander to dry.  Dry thoroughly with a towel and cut some of the big ones in half.

In a skillet, cook the pancetta in the oil until crisp.  Remove and set aside.
Cook the diced shallots and the morels in medium heat for about 3 minutes..  Add the parsley. Add the wine, raise the temperature and reduce to about 2 TBS. Set mushroom mix aside in a plate.

Make the Mornay Sauce. 

To the skillet add 2 TB. butter.  When melted, add 2 TBS. flour.  Mix well and cook for 1 minute.  Add slowly 1 cup of milk, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, salt and white pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and almost comes to a boil.  Add 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese.

Add the mushroom mix to the sauce and keep in very low heat until pasta is cooked.

Cook pasta in water as per package instructions.

Drain pasta.  Serve in individual plates.  Add sauce on top and Parmesan cheese before serving.

Recipe Photos Lindaraxa