Maybe it was because steaming hot pasta sounded good to my girlies, who were frozen solid after playing outside for an hour or so. Maybe it was because my husband had eaten a light lunch and was extra hungry. Or, maybe it was because No Thank You Boy has been minding his p’s and q’s due to Santa’s impending visit.

Whatever the reason (and who really cares, a home run is a home run!) – there were practically no leftovers, and the leftovers I did have had to be hidden away in the garage refrigerator so that I had something to shoot for my little ol’ blog!

I’m breaking my ‘sale ad rule’ today, in that only the only ingredient on special this week is the pasta I used. But, I can justify sharing it with you (ask my friends, I can justify just about anything) because sale or not, this dish is incredibly inexpensive to make. The meat cost a grand total of around $4.00! You might even already have most of the other ingredients on hand in your fridge or pantry.

This rustic dish is the perfect accompaniment to subzero temperatures. Serve it up in heated pasta bowls for an extra special touch!

Stay warm out there!!

One quick note: I made this quite early in the day, so it had a chance for the flavors to blend in the fridge all afternoon. If you make it ahead of time, add a little extra chopped basil just before serving, just to bump up that yummy basil flavor. Fresh herbs can get tired after sitting around for a while. (Isn’t that a great tip? I learned it from Martha Stewart!)

PENNE IN COUNTRY RAGU

Serves: 4-5

Source: epicurious.com

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 Italian sausages, casings removed
• ½ lb. ground veal
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 – 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (I like to use fire-roasted tomatoes here)
• 1 c. chicken broth (plus additional if sauce becomes to thick)
• ½ dry red one (be sure to use one that you’d like to drink; I used a sale Malbec)
• ½ c. chopped fresh basil, plus additional for garnish

• 16 oz. penne pasta

Freshly grated Romano cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, ground veal, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes; sauté until browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, about 7 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and onion, sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with their juices. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup chicken broth and wine, stirring to incorporate. Simmer uncovered until liquid is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Add basil; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Simmer uncovered until ragu thickens to desired consistency, stirring often, about 10 minutes longer. Adjust with additional chicken broth if necessary. Season ragu lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, rinse if desired, and return to pot. Place pasta in shallow serving bowls (warmed in the oven if you want to be fancy) and top with ragu and Romano cheese. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs if desired.

I’m practically falling all over myself to share this recipe with you today; not only is it extremely thrifty, but it’s the absolute epitome of fall comfort food: roasted butternut squash, tender pasta, earthy fresh sage, and a hefty helping of Parmesan cheese, wow. I’m in love!

I’ll tell you what, those DamKids were skeptical when they saw the sheet pan packed with cubes of gorgeous, golden squash. But as usual, my girls stepped up to the plate (so to speak) and gobbled up the finished product. Who could resist? The squash breaks down just slightly; its starches and the Parmesan thicken the sauce in a way that’s almost similar to a good mac n’ cheese.

No Thank You Boy ate around the squash and was not exactly doing cartwheels over this meal. A foregone conclusion, of course. I don’t even bother getting my knickers in a twist over his dining habits any more.

I’m of the opinion that this dish would make an outstanding first course at any autumn dinner party…it would also be lovely topped with toasted breadcrumbs, baked for a few minutes, and served as a side dish.

Or, you can eat it for breakfast like I did.

Happy Wednesday!

CAVATAPPI WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Serves: 4 as a main course

Adapted from epicurious.com

• 1 pound cavatappi pasta (DaVinci Shortcuts are on sale, look for the ‘twists’)
• 1 – 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into ½” pieces (on sale)
• 3 T. olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. chicken broth (plus additional to thin if necessary)
• 1 t. chopped fresh sage, plus additional for garnish if desired
• ½ t. salt
• 3 T. butter, cut into cubes (I didn’t bother using this)
• 1 c. finely grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving

Preheat the oven to 450. In a large bowl, toss the cubed squash with olive oil to coat (approximately 1 ½ tablespoons or so). Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Spread squash on a sheet pan with sides; roast squash for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and stir, continue to cook for another 5 -10 minutes or until squash is tender and beginning to brown in spots. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on package until al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta; rinse lightly, and drain again. Return the pasta to the pot.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic until pale golden, about a minute. Add the chicken broth, sage, roasted squash, and salt and simmer for five minutes or so. Add the cubed butter and stir until incorporated.

Add the squash mixture and the Parmesan cheese to the pasta; stir to combine season with salt and pepper to taste. If mixture seems dry, add the reserved pasta water (or additional chicken broth). Serve in shallow pasta bowls; pass additional cheese at the table.

I had lunch with a girlfriend this past week who told me she’s afraid of cornmeal.  CORNMEAL, for goodness sakes!   I didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I stifled my snicker, but seriously….cornmeal?  It’s not that much different that oatmeal.  It’s harmless, right?

I’m not here today to go about mocking my friend, not only because she’s one of my favorite people ever, but also because I have my own set of ingredients that intimidate me.  A short list is as follows:  yeast, celery root, certain squashes, stone fruits, whole chicken on the bone, and …wait for it….fresh clams.

Yep, clams in their shell freak me out.  Every fresh clam recipe I’ve ever read seems to contain a laundry list of hoops you have to jump through in order to dine on them at home (soak them, rinse them, repeat, repeat – throw away the ones that don’t open, blah, blah, blah).  This week’s sale ad inspired me though.  I thought I would “get my feet wet” (I know, sorry) with the clams that are on special.

You’ll find them in the seafood section, naturally.  They’re shrink wrapped in a 2-pound package, and they’re fully cooked, which is a beautiful thing, because it takes the soaking, rinsing, and fear of steaming them properly out of the equation.

This recipe was a hit with the DamFam!  We all loved it and I would definitely make it again.  The end result with the clams in their shells atop the linguine and fresh herbs was quite impressive, I have to say!   I would even serve it to company – especially my parents, who both love clam sauce.

It didn’t exactly conquer my fear of fresh clams, but the recipe gave me confidence that clams in the shell can taste good at home.  Maybe next time I’ll attempt the recipe with raw clams, just for ha-ha’s.

What about you guys? Which ingredients make you shudder with fright?  Call me curious (or call me nosy, I sure don’t mind), but I would love to know what foods intimidate all of you cooks out there.  And please say you’ve got something more terrifying than cornmeal and clams on your list!

Leave your fearful foods in the comment section here, or comment on Facebook!  If we get a big list of scary foods going, we’ll enlist the chefs at Sendiks to help us face our food phobias.

For now, don’t be scared … just enjoy the linguine!

LINGUINE AND CLAMS WITH FRESH HERBS

Serves:  4-5

Source:  adapted from Epicurious.com

• 1 pound linguine

• 2 – 6 oz. cans chopped clams, drained (reserve juices in a glass measuring cup)
• ¼ c. half and half (or, gild the lily and use whipping cream, they’re your thighs)
• ¼ c. white wine
• ¼ c. bottled clam juice (find this on the top shelf above the canned tuna)
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about a tablespoon)

• 3 T. olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ t. crushed red pepper (add more if you like a bigger kick)

• 2 T. chopped fresh basil, divided
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 1 – 2 lb. package fully cooked clams (on sale), drained of any liquid from their package

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain pasta but do not rinse it.

Add the half and half, white wine, clam juice, and lemon juice to the reserved clam juice in the glass measuring cup.  You should have roughly 1 ¾ c. liquid.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a very large skillet (or large saucepan) over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the clam juice mixture and half of the fresh herbs and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the clams in their shells; cover pot and simmer (this is just to heat the clams through) for about 5 minutes.  Use tongs to remove clams to a plate, cover to keep warm.  Add the cooked pasta and the canned clams to the sauce in the skillet.  Toss over medium-high heat until sauce thickens and coats pasta (about 7 – 10 minutes; the starch from the pasta will help to thicken the sauce).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add reserved fresh herbs, toss.  Divide pasta between serving bowls; top with clams in shells.  Garnish with fresh herb sprigs if desired.

You know Sandra Lee, right?  The uber-perky blonde on the Food Network, who’s always planning a party or making dinner out of pre-packaged ingredients?  I think her show is called “Semi Homemade”?  Going to the outer limits with her attention to detail, Sandy features instructions for fancy ‘tablescapes’, themed flowers and party favors…even wacky window treatments to tie in with her meal d’jour.  Some even require the use of a hot glue gun.

Who has time for that?  I mean, seriously.  If you’re using pre-packaged ingredients, doesn’t that indicate that you’re probably challenged for time?  More than likely you don’t have all day to cook from scratch, let alone scour Michaels and JoAnne Fabrics in search of silk flowers and calico for a party-themed cornice board.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Having said all that, I’m pulling a Sandra Lee on you today, minus the faux flower napkin rings and handmade placecards (besides, I haven’t seen my glue gun in years).  My daughter has requested Spaghetti & Meatballs for dinner, but we have a jam-packed schedule later on, and 100% homemade is just not in the cards this afternoon.

You know by now that it’s important for me to use real food in my cooking, but I do take the help from convenience products now and then.  Today I’m going to make the meatballs from scratch (with the Tallgrass ground beef that’s on sale), but punt with the marinara and use jarred Alessi’s sauce (also on sale).  The end result will taste homemade, because I’m going to blast the meatballs in the oven to quickly brown them, then finish cooking them in the sauce on the stove.  This method not only saves time, but also eliminates the icky, greasy mess on my stovetop from browning them in hot oil.

Alongside we’re having a simple tossed salad (romaine is on sale) and mini Italian baguettes (also on sale).  I might pick up an extra baguette or two to make subs with the leftover meatballs another night this week.  Genius, right?

Enjoy this time saving version of Spaghetti and Meatballs, and mum’s the word about my Sandra Lee moment.  I’ll deny it to the never ending!

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

Serves: 6

Source:  Barefoot Contessa Family Style, by Ina Garten, pp. 102-103

For the meatballs:

• ½ lb. ground veal
• ½ lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef (Tallgrass lean ground chuck is on sale!)
• 1 c. fresh white breadcrumbs (4 slices, crusts removed, pulse them in your food processor – Classic Wonder Bread is on sale and would be fine here)
• ¼ c. seasoned dry breadcrumbs
• ½ c. grated Parmesan (ahem, ix-nay on the een-gray an-cay)
• 2 t. salt
• ½ t. freshly ground pepper
• ¼ t. ground nutmeg
• 1 extra large egg, beaten

• Your favorite jarred sauce (Alessi’s is on sale, I used two jars of their basic marinara)
• 1 T. fresh Italian parsley, minced
• Hot cooked spaghetti
• Grated Parmesan for serving

Preheat the oven to 425.  Line a cookie sheet with foil for easy cleanup, spray it lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients plus ¼ cup warm water.  Don’t over mix, or you’ll have tough meatballs.  Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2” balls, you will have 14-16 large meatballs. (**See note.)

Place the meatballs on the sheet pan.  Bake them for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned on the outside.  Meanwhile, place the jarred sauce in a 4-6 quart saucepan.  Stir in the Italian parsley. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Transfer the meatballs to the saucepan and cover.  Simmer on the lowest heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.  Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the Parmesan cheese at the table.

**Note:  I always make my meatballs much smaller; I usually end up with about two to two and a half dozen.  After I’ve browned them in the oven, I separate them out, cooling and freezing a dozen or so for a rainy day.  I’m always happy to find them in the freezer when I don’t feel like cooking!

When I made this dish for the first time back in June, I have to admit that I had low expectations.  I wasn’t quite sure how blending up a bunch of grape tomatoes with toasted almonds could ever turn in to one of my favorite pasta dishes of all time, but it did.  Wow, did it ever.  In fact, immediately after the dishes were washed and the kitchen was put back in order, I sat down at my computer and fired off the recipe (along with a glowing review) to a handful of the foodies in my life.  Several days later I heard back from them with comments that ranged from “delicious and amazing” to “heavenly and life changing!”.  Yes, one friend even said it changed her life.  I trust these girls – if they tried a recipe and hated it, they would absolutely tell me to go jump in the lake.

The point is, you simply cannot go wrong with this recipe.

I’ve served it as a main dish with sliced grilled chicken on top, or as a vegetarian meal with a simple green salad.  I’ve doubled it with no trouble and frozen some for a rainy day.  Now, please go to the Store immediately and gather the minimal ingredients required for this dish!  You will not be sorry!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

PASTA WITH TOMATO & ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

Serves 4-6

Source:  Cooks Illustrated Magazine, June/July 2009

• ¼ c. slivered almonds
• 12 oz. grape tomatoes (about 2 ½ cups), on sale this week
• ½ c. packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced finely or pressed
• 1 small pepperoncini (hot peppers in vinegar), stemmed, seeded, and minced (find these by the olives, capers, and roasted peppers at the Store)
• Salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/3 c. good quality olive oil – repeat, good quality olive oil, thank you.
• 1 lb. pasta
• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra for serving – again, use a good quality Parm’ and kindly do not resort to the green-canned variety, let’s maintain some standards here if you please.

Toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2-4 minutes.  Cool almonds to room temperature.

Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 t. salt, and red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.  Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula.  With machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, about 30 seconds.  Adjust seasonings.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the pasta and 1 T. salt and cook according to directions on package.  Reserve ½ c. cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.

Add pesto and ½ c. Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with the reserved pasta water so that the pesto coats the pasta.  Serve in shallow bowls, passing additional Parmesan at the table.

I tend to over think things a little bit – that is,  stress out and fret over everything from deciding the perfect menu, to having the proper candles and placemats, to selecting the right music, and even whether the guests will know each other well enough to make friendly conversation….ugh, it’s the entertaining minutia that bogs me down, I guess.  In fact, I’m getting a knot in my stomach just listing off all of these hostessing duties, and I’m not even planning a dinner party right now!  Gah!  I’m a head case, what can I tell you.

Anyway, I love to be invited to Ashley’s house because she puts all of her guests at ease.  She greets each one with a big hug and an even bigger glass of wine, and welcomes everyone in to her kitchen where she resumes prepping, or chopping, or sautéing something that smells delicious.  In the summertime we dine on her pretty patio, and in the winter, there’s always a fire roaring in her cozy familyroom.  The meal is always wonderful, the conversation flows easily (as do the cocktails), and inevitably, the evening ends too soon.

When I call to thank her the next day, I nearly always hit her up to share at least one of the recipes from the night before.  Most recently (just last week in fact), she served this delicious pasta dish that all of us just adored, and she was kind enough to share it with me.

Just a thought – she doesn’t know that I’m blogging about her right now – I hope she doesn’t mind!  After all, I’d sure hate to be kicked off the guest list for her next soiree… so just to be safe, let’s not tell her she’s being mentioned here today.

Some notes on the recipe:  you might notice that my photo doesn’t look a thing like angel hair; that’s because it’s not.  I had a little mishap; not my proudest moment in the kitchen, but I will share my mistake with you.  Please don’t go and sacrifice good pasta like I did!

I neglected to give my pasta a quick little rinse after I drained it.  Therefore, it stuck together in a giant glutenous glob, and there was no way to fix it.  I had to start over with the pasta step, and so it’s a good thing I had picked up the Creamette Pasta, five boxes for $5.00!  Having the extra pasta on hand saved me another trip to the Store, only I had to use spaghetti instead of angel hair.  Worked just fine, by the way, but the moral of the story is to remember to give your pasta a nice little rinse.  Then please drain off all the water you can, or your delicious dressing will not stick, and that would be too bad, because the dressing is fabulous!

I’m looking forward to changing the recipe up a little bit next time I make it. For instance, I think it would be great with baby bok choy (or even purple cabbage) instead of the radicchio; or a little bit of fish sauce and mint to make it slightly more “Thai” flavored.  The tweaks are endless!  Enjoy!

Ashley’s Awesome Asian Angel Hair

Serves:  6-8

• 1 lb.  angel hair pasta (I used the Creamette that’s on sale!)
• ¼ c. peanut oil
• ¼ c. soy sauce
• 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
• 2 t. toasted sesame oil
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 t. red pepper flakes
• 2 t. minced fresh ginger
• 1 t. minced fresh garlic
• 2 t. salt
• 1 ½ c. coarsely chopped radicchio
• ½ c. chopped scallions (on sale this week)
• 1/3 c. minced cilantro

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Drain and rinse lightly so your pasta doesn’t stick together in a big glob!  Place in a large bowl.

Place all dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and process for 30 seconds or so.  (I used a plain old jar with a lid and this worked out just fine).

Toss the pasta with the dressing and coat each noodle thoroughly.  If you’re making this ahead of time, cover the pasta and chill it in the fridge.

When you’re ready to serve, add in the radicchio, scallions, and cilantro, mixing to blend.  Serve at room temperature.