Our Bella Cucina » Pasta

Not Your Mother’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

sarah — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:40 +0000

This recipe was an I-need-to-use-up-old-stuff-in-the-pantry creation that conveniently used up 4 of the 5 cans of tuna I had. I was very pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. Even my husband (who dislikes tuna) and my 4 year old (who dislikes pasta) ate it! Three cheers for me!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 cup port
8 oz rotini noodles, cooked
2 10 oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
12 oz canned tuna, packed in water,drained
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (if you don’t have fresh, canned is fine)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your noodles according to the direction on the packet.

Over a medium heat, pour the olive oil into a pan and saute the onions until tender.

Add the port and simmer until the alcohol evaporates and the remaining liquid has reduced in volume slightly.

Notice the difference between this and the previous photo – this is how much it needs to reduce.

Set the pan aside until later.

In a large bowl combine the cooked and drained noodles, condensed soup, sour cream, and mayonnaise.

Add the onions and port mixture to the noodles.

Mix in the mushrooms, peas, tuna, garlic salt, paprika, and parmesan cheese.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.

In a sealed quart size Ziploc bag, combine the cheddar, mozzarella, and breadcrumbs.

Spread the cheese and breadcrumbs evenly over top of the dish.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned and the corners are bubbling.

After removing the dish from the oven, allow it to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I’m so pleased with how well this turned out for something I just made up off the top of my head. I hadn’t planned on it being good enough to share, so I didn’t even photograph it when I made it last week. I had to cook it again this week so I could get the photos to show you all!

♥

Vodka Cream Pasta

sarah — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:58 +0000

I’m on a quest to show my husband that you can have a satisfying meal that doesn’t contain meat, but all he does is grumble if there is no animal flesh to be seen. He wants me to add chicken to this dish, and you could, but I’m still refusing. Not every meal has to contain meat, baby!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely diced
1 cup vodka
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1 32oz can crushed tomatoes (mine had basil in it)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn (optional)

I’m not secretly an alcoholic – the large bottle of vodka is leftover from a party we had months ago!

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat then add the butter and oil.

Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and gently sauté for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness.

Add the vodka to the pan.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate and the mixture should reduce in volume by half.

Add the vegetable or chicken stock.

Followed by the tomatoes.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat, and allow it to simmer while you prepare your pasta according to the directions on the package.

When your pasta is ready, add the cream to the sauce and stir until combined.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the sauce returns to a boil, remove it from the heat and drain the pasta if you haven’t already. Put the drained pasta back in its pot and pour the sauce over the top.

Give it all a big stir to evenly coat the pasta. If you’re going to use the fresh basil, now would be the time to throw it in so it gets distributed throughout.

Serve immediately with some fresh parmesan on top if you so desire.

YUM!

♥

It’s PW Thursday – Fettuccine Alfredo

sarah — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:00:09 +0000

Yes I know this is probably one of the most unhealthy dishes on the planet, but in the words of Paula Deen, “I’m your cook, not your doctor.”

That’s all I have to say about that.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound Fettuccine Noodles
1 stick Butter
1 cup Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
4-6 slices of bacon (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat to the level of done-ness you normally like. I love my cast iron skillet for things like bacon!

Sit the bacon slices on some paper towels to absorb some of the fat then cut it into small pieces.

There was more bacon than this but certain little fingers kept stealing it!

Put the pasta on to boil, following the directions on the box. I like to add a splash of olive oil to the water before putting in the pasta because I find it helps keep the pasta from sticking to itself too much.

Over a medium heat, melt the butter.

Pour in the cream and bring to a gentle boil until combined.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Now this is where I changed things a little. Ree has you put half the parmesan cheese (1 cup) into a bowl before pouring the sauce from the pan into the bowl on top of the cheese. I decided to mix half a cup of cheese into the sauce in the pan first.

Then I put 1 cup of the cheese into a large bowl before pouring in the sauce.

Add the bacon to the sauce and stir to mix.

Drain the pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.

Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan.

Yes, I did forget to toss it before adding the cheese!

Toss to combine, thinning with some of the pasta water if necessary. I didn’t need to thin mine because I used 12oz of pasta instead of a full pound, so there was more sauce to go around.

Serve immediately as a main course or accompaniment to meat or salad.

We do like meat in our house and I think if I were to serve it on its own like this again I might add some chicken to it instead of the bacon. The original PW recipe didn’t have the bacon, I just added it on a whim to see if it would work and it would work well if you were serving it as a side dish. Another thing I would change in the future is to add a little garlic to it.

Criticism aside, it was mighty tasty!

I was watching my 2 year old inhale this dinner last night and was so pleased he liked it that I asked him “Who makes the best dinners?”

His response? “Mommy does…….and Daddy loses!”

Poor Daddy.

♥

Molly’s Cavatini Dish

sarah — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:00:51 +0000

I got this recipe from a co-worker last winter. It was an instant hit in our house, so we have made it quite a few times! I love it because its kind of a mix between lasagna and ziti. Its like a decked out ziti or a lazy lasagna!

This recipe calls for a mix of three different types of pasta. Rather than measure it out, I have found a bag similar to the one pictures above works just great. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well and set aside.

Brown ground beef in skillet over medium-high heat with onion and green pepper until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes. Stir in pepperoni and cook until heated through. Drain fat.

Combine spaghetti sauce and beef mixture; simmer 5 minutes.

Arrange half the pasta in lightly greased 3 quart casserole. Spoon on half the meat mixture, spread with cottage cheese and sprinkle with half the mozzarella. You can also substitute with whole milk ricotta, like I did in the above picture. I have found that whole milk ricotta has a much creamier texture than the lower fat varieties, but its up to you!

Arrange second half of pasta on top, spoon on remaining meat mixture and top with remaining mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.

Molly’s Cavatini Dish

Makes 8 servings

3 C. mixed, uncooked pasta, such as 1 C ea. rigatoni and mostaccoli plus 1/2 C each rotini and shell macaroni
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 oz. pepperoni, sliced
1 (28-30) oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 C. cream-style cottage cheese or ricotta
12 oz. mozzarella, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well and set aside.
Brown ground beef in skillet over medium-high heat with onion and green pepper until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes. Stir in pepperoni and cook until heated through.
Drain fat. Combine spaghetti sauce and beef mixture; simmer 5 minutes. Arrange half the pasta in lightly greased 3 quart casserole. Spoon on half the meat mixture, spread with cottage cheese and sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Arrange second half of pasta on top, spoon on remaining meat mixture and top with remaining mozzarella.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.

~ Valerie

PW’s Sesame Noodles

Steph — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:00:58 +0000

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

So after trying 2 other recipes from Pioneer Woman Cooks and being less than thrilled with the results my husband decided he would try to make these. It’s a very simple, straightforward recipe and he was able to make it in about 10 minutes, which is important to him since he’s not the biggest fan of cooking. Oh and my kids love noodles so it was a hit with them.

1 package Udon noodles, cooked and drained

¼ cups soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons pure sesame oil

½ teaspoon sriracha

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons hot water

4 whole green onions, sliced thin

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.

Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.

Sprinkle with green onions and red pepper flakes and toss.

Pioneer Woman’s recipes and I have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes they’re great and don’t need tweaking but a lot of the time I find them sorta bland. I know not everyone agrees with me and that’s fine. I just crave big flavors. That being said, I didn’t change much in this recipe. I just cut back the sesame oil a bit (it’s strong!) and added a little red pepper flake for more texture and a nice bite. Oh, and I used Udon noodles. I love me some thick noodles.

This is great for days that I make my husband cook. He doesn’t do it often but when he does he prefers recipes that are quick and simple. He made this in about 10 minutes. My children loved it. Anything with noodles and they’re sold.

16 oz Udon noodles, cooked and drained

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons pure sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sriracha

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons hot water

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 whole green onions, sliced thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles, green onions, and red pepper flakes) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and red pepper flakes to serve.

-Steph

Absolutely Fabulous Macaroni & Cheese

sarah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:14:38 +0000

Taken before baking. The final product is a toasty brown colour on top!

I believe I first got this recipe from my fellow Cucinian Valerie. It is a little labour intensive, but believe me, it’s so worth it! It makes the creamiest, cheesiest mac and cheese you’ll ever eat! Mac and cheese is a serious weakness of mine, so I only ever make it for special occasions or to take to a friend’s house. It’s what I call a red light food – one you must stop before it even comes into the house because I know I won’t stop eating it till it’s all gone!

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg (16oz) elbow macaroni
3 c. (24oz) 4% cottage cheese
1/2 c. butter, cubed
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
3 c. half & half
1 c. milk
4 c. (16oz) cheddar cheese, shredded

Topping:
2 c. dry breadcrumbs (I love to use panko breadcrumbs for added crunch!)
1/2 c. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the macaroni according to package directions.
Meanwhile, place the cottage cheese in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and garlic salt until smooth.
Gradually add the cream and milk.
Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Drain the macaroni and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and white sauce then toss to coat.
Transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish. (Dish will be really full.)
Combine the bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
If you prefer, you can put the dish under the broiler after baking to brown the topping some more.

This recipe makes a seriously large amount of food and you could easily halve it and still feed a family of four.

♥

Oktoberfest Dinner

sarah — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:30:31 +0000

Over 12 years ago my husband saw an article about a local German restaurant in the newspaper. The article gave the restaurant a rating of 5 forks, the highest they give out. Such a high rating seems to be few and far between, so we decided to give the place a try. We weren’t sure what to expect since neither of us had ever had that type of food before, but that was the beginning of our love affair with the german cuisine.

A couple of weeks ago I saw an advertisement for a cooking class titled “Oktoberfest Dinner” at Chefs Catalog and thought it would be a lot of fun to learn how to make jaegerschnitzel, spaetzle, rot cabbage, potatoes and spaghetti ice. The price was a bit heafty at $65 for a 2 hour class, but I figured it would be worth it to learn one of our favorite German dishes.

The class was scheduled for Monday evening. I arrived a few minutes early only to find that the chef had not arrived yet and the class was canceled. Apparently there was a miscommunication between the chef and the manager of Chefs Catalog. The chef thought he was showing us how to make the dishes at his restaurant, however all the classes sponsored by Chefs Catalog are always at the warehouse in their special teaching kitchen. Since the restaurant was about 30 minutes away, the group decided it would be better to reschedule the class for another night.

Although I did not get to attend the class, I did gather a few details while I was there. Most of the other students attend classes at Chefs Catalog on a regular basis. The classes always cost $65 for a two hour session. The attendees are fed all of the food that is made during the session. In fact, some even brought containers to take food home, because there is always tons of food leftover. The session is not a hands on class, but more of a seminar. The chef cooks in a large kitchen area and the students sit around a large horseshoe shaped countetop that surrounds the stove. Its sounds like there is lots of chatter and discussion that goes on during the session.

I have nothing against the class, but I was expecting more of a hands on type training, specially for the $65 price tag. So, I decided to Google the recipes and attempted to make an Oktoberfest Dinner at home instead. It really wasn’t that hard, and turned out great. I am getting a refund for the class, no need to learn jaegerschnitzel now!

Here are the recipes I found with some changes that I made…

German Spaetzle Dumplings

Ingredients
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch pepper.
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.
1/4 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Mix together flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Press dough through spaetzle maker, or a large holed sieve or metal grater. Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well. Saute cooked spaetzle in butter or margarine. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top, and serve.

Note: I used a metal spoon that I rubbed along the grater to push the dough through. I held the grater over the boiling water and allowed the dough to drop into the pot.

Schnitzel

Ingredients
4 Pork cutlets, cubed
2 Eggs; beaten
Salt and pepper.
1 c. Bread crumbs

Directions
Rub salt and pepper onto cutlet. Let stand for about 10 minutes. Dip cutlet in beaten egg and then in crumbs. Brown in a small amount of oil over low heat for approximately 10 minutes on each side.

Home Fries

Ingredients
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, and stir to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, cook for another 10 minutes, turning frequently until brown and crisp.

I served all of the above with warm saurkraut and kaiser rolls. Yum!

~Valerie