Spaghetti With Pumpkin Sauce

1 pkg spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup chopped shallots
4 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable broth
15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 lb Gruyere
3 Tbs shredded Parmesan
1/4 pint whipping cream
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat on stovetop, cook shallots in butter for 30 seconds.  Add the mushrooms, and continue to cook until the mushrooms have browned. Stir in the flour and brown slightly. Add the wine and broth, stirring until thick. Add and stir in basil leaves,garlic powder and pumpkin puree.  Add artichoke hearts, Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese and whipping cream to sauce.  Cook slowly on low heat until ready to serve.

3) Serve sauce over noodles. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Review:  This was initially a very difficult recipe that involved making fettuccine with pumpkin puree and it was served with chicken it.  I liked the sauce idea and had some frozen pumpkin puree in the freezer, left over from a can used a couple of weeks ago.  The original recipe is here.  However, I was not about to make a chicken dish, nor was I up to the challenge of making such fancy pasta.  I also decided I could reduce the amount of sauce.   So, this is actually an original recipe at this point!  Once the sauce began to cool, it congealed and became too thick.  I might increase the amount of broth next time by 1 cup.  It was super yummy, however and I really liked it.  I'm a big fan of pumpkin in normal foods, and not just an ingredient for pie.  :)

Pasta With Black Olive Sauce: Stringozzi Alle Olive

1 pkg spaghetti
3 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lb white mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 cups pitted black olives
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, in a 12 to 14-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute over high heat until the mushrooms are browned. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sauteed mushrooms and garlic, the olives and the parsley and puree. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3) In the same saute pan, heat the butter over high heat until it foams and subsides. Add the olive puree and chile flakes and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste.

4) Toss pasta in the saute pan with the sauce. Divide evenly among 4 warmed pasta bowls, grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over, and serve immediately. 

Review:  I bought a can of chopped black olives, as it was cheaper than buying 2 cups of whole olives!  However, I fear their quality isn't good and I got a few pit pieces.  Ick.  And, this is more of a pesto than a sauce.  I liked the taste, but as you can see, the appearance is a bit offsetting. 

Sweet Potatoes With Warm Black Bean Salad

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1) Prick sweet potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place in a baking dish and bake at 425 degrees F until tender all the way to the center, about 1 hour.)

2) Meanwhile, in a medium microwaveable bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, oil, cumin, coriander and salt; microwave on High until just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan over medium heat.)

3) When just cool enough to handle, slash each sweet potato lengthwise, press open to make a well in the center and spoon the bean mixture into the well. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Review:  Yum.  Sweet potato and black bean is an amazing combination.  I baked the potatoes in the oven and cooked the "salad" on the stovetop.  For Mike's serving, I served it as a topped baked potato.  However, I don't like the skin, so I scraped the inside out for me and topped that.  Yum.

 

 

Penne With Hazelnut Pesto, Green Beans & Parmesan

2 cups (packed) fresh Italian parsley
2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs finely grated lemon peel
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14.5oz box penne
1 8 oz bag trimmed French green beans (haricots verts)
2 bunches green onions, sliced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1) Blend first 5 ingredients and 1/3 cup oil in processor until nuts are finely chopped. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
2) Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Add beans; cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
3) Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
4) Drain pasta and beans; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta and beans to pot. Toss with pesto, onions, 3/4 cup cooking liquid, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Review:  This was pretty good.  I was somewhat surprised, as I've tried parsley pestos before and they weren't good.  I really liked the toasted hazelnut and haricots verts combo.  However, I cooked my beans a little too long, so they were a bit mushy.  Still yummy, though.

Fettuccine In Mushroom Broth With Truffle Oil

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms (1 cup)
2 Tbs olive oil
12 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
½ cup finely chopped shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup frozen peas
1 Tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tsp truffle oil, divided
8 oz fettuccine

1) Bring 3 cups water to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat, add porcini mushrooms, and soak 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms; squeeze out and reserve excess soaking liquid.
2) Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake and porcini mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft. Add wine and porcini soaking liquid, and simmer 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add peas, and simmer 2 minutes more. Stir in parsley and 1 tsp. truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3) Meanwhile, cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta, and toss with mushroom sauce. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. truffle oil over each serving.

Review:  I used the freeze dried mushroom mix from Costco, which helped shave some time off the cooking process.  I also added about 2 Tbs of dried porcini powder.  This was tasty, but wasn't good for leftovers.  I'm not sure how that works.  Mike piled Parmesan cheese on his bowl and said it made it even better.

Artichoke Ragout With Saffron & Olives

1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp crushed saffron threads
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups white mushrooms, quartered
1 8-oz pkg. frozen artichoke hearts
1/4 cup kalamata olives

1) Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add oil, then onion and garlic.  Saute 1 to 2 minutes, or until garlic turns gold.  Stir in saffron and black pepper.
2) Add bell pepper and wine.  Increase heat to medium-high, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until wine is reduced by half.  Add tomatoes, and cook 3 minutes more.
3) Stir in mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Remove lid, and cook off any excess moisture, if necessary.  Stir in olives, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Review:  This was pretty yummy.  I served it over bulgur to have a filling base.  It had a bit of tang from the artichoke hearts and olives, but a nice savory flavor from the saffron.  Yum. 

Cajun Mushroom Loaf

1 stick butter
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 lbs sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbs Cajun seasoning blend

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Put the butter into a 4-quart pot and place over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion, garlic and thyme sprigs. Saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pot, stir, and raise the heat a bit. Cook the mixture until the liquid has cooked off, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3) Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Add the cream, parsley and Cajun seasoning and whisk to combine. Add the mushroom mixture 1 serving spoonful at a time to temper the egg mixture, stirring well after each addition. Add the breadcrumbs and stir well.

4) Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and pour the mixture into the pan. Set in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with water halfway up the loaf pan. Place into the top half of the oven and bake until the center is set, about 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before turning out onto a plate to slice.

Review:  This was tasty, though I believe I could have doubled the amount of breadcrumbs and it would have been more stable.  I didn't think the loaf alone would be filling enough, so I sauteed another pound of mushrooms in butter, with onion and cajun seasoning.  I topped the loaf with that and it was a great addition.  Yum.