Three Cheese Baked Penne Rigate with Spinach

I was exploring google play on my Logitech Revue and found an app for Kraft foods. After I downloaded the app, I found out that it contained a lot of videos of recipes and cooking demo. In one of the video, I found a recipe for three cheese baked penne which got my attention so I played it and found myself drawn to how tasty the dish looked and how easy its preparation was. Before long, I was on my way to the grocery store buying the things I need for the dish. I modified it though to fit my taste and preference. I used Italian sausage instead of chicken as I am not really too fond of eating it. I also added a little sugar to sweeten it a little. What can I say? blame it on my Filipino palate that is more used to easing a sweeter version of Spaghetti as opposed to the original Italian version :) Nonetheless, you can skip adding the sugar if you wish.

The preparation was a breeze as well as the cooking and baking process. And soon I was able to taste it - my verdict: It's a keeper for me. An easy to prepare dish which can be easily multiplied to serve for an impromptu get-together or unplanned entertaining. By using store bought spaghetti sauce, you save a lot of cooking time. Of course, you are also free to make your own from scratch. Personally, I do prefer to make my own spaghetti sauce according to my preference but this time around I used the store bought variety.

Ingredients:

 2 cups Penne Rigate
 24 oz bottle of Spaghetti Sauce
 1/2 Lb Italian sausage, boiled and sliced thinly
 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
 1 small onion, chopped
 1/2 cup evaporated milk sugar to taste (optional)
 1/2 cup sliced portabello mushroom, sliced thinly
 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

1. Boil penne according to manufacturer's instruction. Once penne is cooked, add spinach and cook until the spinach welt slightly then drain. Discard liquid.

 2. In a sauce pan, saute onions and italian sausage. Saute until onion is translucent then add mushroom. Saute for a couple of minutes.

 3. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer until mushroom is cooked.

 4. Mix in milk, cheddar cheese, and sugar (to taste). Simmer for 2-3 minutes then add the drained pasta. Mix well

 5. Add half of the mozzarella and mix thoroughly.

 6. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

 7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes then remove the cover and bake for another 5-10 minuted until top browns slightly.

 8. Remove from heat and let it cool a little bit before serving.

Linguine Fini in Creamy Arugula-Walnut Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto

I went grocery shopping yesterday, the second time for the week, and bought prosciutto di parma, arugula, walnuts and other basic ingredients. I could not wait to get home as I already have something in mind that I wanted to eat. Went home and started making arugula-walnut pesto which is a variation on the original pesto sauce with the substitution of arugula and walnuts in place of basil and pine nuts. It is a less pricey alternative to the expensive pine nuts and basil (darn, I need to grown my own as these babies are getting pricier each time I shop for them)and pine nuts but taste just as good. Arugula usually has a rich, peppery taste but surprisingly mellows when placed in combination with the other ingredients in pesto sauce.

After I finished making the pesto sauce, I proceeded to making a creamy pesto pasta with crispy prosciutto. Uhhmmm...yummy good. Nothing can beat a crispy piece of pork, right? Prosciutto di parma is a little bit pricey at $20+++ per pound but so worth it. I usually like to wrap it in around melon slices and eat as an appetizer...ahhh, that one taste heavenly...hehehe. Prosciuttio is Italian for ham. Some of the most famous places where prosciutto are made includes Parma and San Daniele. It makes one think what is up with these Italians and food, right? Hahaha, they must have been blessed by the food gods or something. Anyways, the creamy pesto is quite easy to make and didn't take me long to finish the dish.



Ingredients:

Arugula Pesto Sauce:
2 cups fresh arugula leaves, stems removed
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place walnuts andarugula in food processor.
2. Process until it is grinded. Scrape the sides with spatula.
3. Add olive oil in steady stream while continuing to process using a food processor.
4. Add garlic and grated parmigiano reggiano. Blend until well incorporated.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to a container then set aside

Pasta:

1/2 lb linguine fini

1. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add salt and oil before adding pasta.
2. Cook according to direction.
3. Save some of the pasta water before draining water from pasta using a colander.
4. Set aside.

Creamy Pesto Sauce with Crispy Prosciutto:

3-4 pieces of prosciutto
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup arugula walnut pesto sauce
2/3 cup heavy cream


1. Heat pan over medium low and add olive oil. Fry prosciutto until crispy then remove from heat and transfer to paper towel lined plate.
2. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of the oil from the same pan where you fried prosciutto.
3. Add pesto sauce and heat gently.
4. When pesto sauce has warmed thoroughly, add cream. Mix well to make sure that pesto is incorporated well into the cream.
5. Simmer for 2 minutes before tossing pasta in. Coat pasta with the sauce.
6. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
7. Top with crispy prosciutto.

Linguine al Nero di Seppia (Squid Ink Linguine)

This my tribute to the recently concluded Korean drama entitled "Scent of a Woman". The main characters met in Japan and had this pasta. I really wanted to make the one with the squid ink sauce but couldn't find any prepared ones. Short of having to collect the squid ink myself, this is a better alternative...hehehe. I may have to order some online though so I could make risotto al nero di seppia (Squid ink risotto) or arroz negro (black rice). The good thing is that I found this newly opened(or so I was told) place at the Farmer's Market in Third and Fairfax that sells squid ink pasta and the guy whom I talked to said that the company who makes the pasta might be releasing a new product, squid ink gnocchi, soon. Oh, that sounds really nice...can't wait for them to carry it.

Ah, the walk through the farmer's market was really nice. I found fresh lemon grass which I could use for another squid recipe that i have in mind. There were also passion fruits which, at $1.98 a piece, was a little too much in my opinion. But then again, that was the first time that I have seen passion fruit in a long time. Maybe I should have gotten some...

In Filipno cuisine, we really don't use squid ink other than leaving the ink sacs when we cook squid adobo. Squid ink is very popular in Italy where they use it in risotto and as ingredient to make squid ink pasta as well as pasta sauces. It is also very popular in Spain particularly Valencia where they use squid ink as an ingredient for arroz negro or black rice. As I have previously stated, this dish uses squid ink pasta instead of using squid ink in the sauce. One advantage of squid ink pasta over the squid ink sauce is not having to deal with blackened teeth as a result of eating the dish...hehehe...not a good food for date night. Although I have to say squid ink pasta is a lot milder than using the ink for the sauce.



Ingredients:

4 oz squid ink linguine
1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium vine-ripened tomato, cubed 1/2 inch size
a handful of parsley, chopped roughly
10 large shrimps, shelled and deveined with the tail left on
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


1. Cook pasta according to direction. Add salt and oil to the pasta water. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining pasta using a colander.
2. Heat pan over medium heat.
3. Add onion and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent.
4. Add shrimp and saute until it changes into orange color.
5. Add tomato and mix well(NOTE: the reason I am adding the tomato a little later is because I did not want it to cook too long and breakdown)
6. Add wine and simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Add salt and pepper, to taste
8. Add pasta and parsley, mix well.
9. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. YOu may also add some pasta water if it is too dry.
10. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Penne Rigate with Fresh Tomatoes,Salmon, and Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano in Homemade Pesto Sauce

Whew this has been a busy morning for me... hahaha...and all because of this dish. I made some pesto sauce prior to cooking this one and it was delish which, in turn, made this dish taste really good. The only thing that I had to cook was that pasta because I baked the salmon a couple of nights ago. As with the inngredients for making the pesto sauce, you also need to choose ripe, fresh, juicy, and succulent tomatoes for this dish. The salmon was cold since I left it in the refrigerator so I warmed it in the toaster oven set on bake and at a low temperature of 300F over 10 minutes. I did this while I was cooking the pasta. I think it took me around 30 minutes to make this dish and that includes the time spent for making the pesto sauce.



Tip on shaved parmigiano reggiano : use a vegetable peeler to do this.

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 cup of homemade pesto sauce, recipe here (you can useas much or as little as you want as long as all of the ingredients are coated with it)
baked salmon, flaked (recipe here)
8 oz. Penne Rigate
1 to 2 tomato, diced coarsely
shaved parmigiano reggiano.
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to direction. Pour water out when cooked and drain on a strainer.
2. Transfer pasta to a bowl. Add tomatoes and baked salmon. Mix well.
3. Seasonwith salt and pepper according to taste.
4. Top with shaved parmigiano reggiano.
%. Serve warm.

Angel Hair in Creamy Kimchi Sauce

I have been wanting to create this dish but got sidetracked several times with my discovery of the no-knead bread recipes. Finally had a chance to make it last night. It was pretty good in my opinion especially since it was on the spicy side...just the way I like my food to taste.

Ingredients:

8 oz Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup black pork belly, thinly sliced
* you can use regular pork belly if you like. As for me, I just love
the taste of black pork.
1 tsp Gochujang
1 small onion, chopped
1 Korean pepper, sliced diagonally and thinly
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 medium tomato, finely diced
2 scallions, sliced diagonally and thinly
2 small green bell pepper, sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Cook pasta according to direction. Drain and set aside.
NOTE: Don't forget to add salt and oil on the boiling water.
Don't forget to save some pasta water.
2. Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent.
3. Add Tomato and continue to saute.
4. Add pork and cook until it turns brownish in color.
5. Add kimchi and gochujang. Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Add cream and milk. Lower the heat to medium low andcook until the sauce thickens slightly.
7. Add green bell pepper, korean pepper, red pepper flakes, and green bell pepper. Mix well.
8. Add pasta and mix.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

Pasta With Sardines, Bread Crumbs and Capers

I bought 2 cans of sardines in oil when I went grocery shopping for my tuyo pasta recipe which I meant to substitute for tuyo in case I couldn't find one. But, as luck would have it, I found a bottle from another Filipino store that I went to. Now, I have this sardine cans but no idea what to make it into so I searched the net for recipes and found one that interested me. This recipe is based from New York Times website recipe which I changed a little bit. I used Moroccan spiced sardines in olive oil instead of sardines in extra virgin olive oil.



Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 onion, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

1 lb linguine fini

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons drained capers

2 cans moroccan spiced sardines

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley, plus more for garnish.





1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook pasta according to direction. Save some of the pasta water. Drain and set aside.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.





3. Add the remaining oil and the onion to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent.




4. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the lemon zest, capers and sardines. Cook until heated through.






5. Add the pasta to the sardine mixture and toss to combine.





6. Add the parsley and most of the bread crumbs. Mix well.




7. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with parsley and the remaining bread crumbs.




Yield: 4 to 6 servings.