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Like almost everyone, I fall into a cooking rut and prepare the same dishes over and over again. This is especially true with pasta. All winter long I’ve been whipping up linguine with Bolognese sauce because everyone in our family loves it. We did enjoy pasta with Gorgonzola sauce during the Turin Olympics last month, but it’s been a while since we sat down to something different.
Noodles can be tossed with an array of ingredients. Fish and seafood always pair well with pasta, and fresh vegetables and sausages can enhance a bowl of orecchiette. Sometimes a simple platter of linguine with garlic, olive oil and Parmesan brings smiles all around.
Some chefs and home cooks add about one ladle-full of pasta-cooking water to the ingredients just before they are tossed. It adds balance to the sauce or olive oil used in the dish.
We round out our pasta dinners with a big tossed salad and a loaf of bread. Sometimes I make garlic bread and I always follow the recipe from the Vesper Club, circa the 1950s.
Wine choices are limitless when it comes to pasta. We recently introduced my sister Sandy to Barbera, a fruity, dry red wine from Piedmont. Now she always asks for it whenever I prepare pasta.
Here are some dishes that can help any cook out of a pasta rut.
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausages
Ingredients:
3 large sausages of your choice
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 pound orecchiette
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Hot pepper flakes, to taste
Parmesan
Directions:
Pierce the sausages all over with a fork. Place in a microwave-safe dish, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for four minutes. Remove from the microwave, turn the sausages over, re-cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for another four minutes. Remove from the dish and place on a plate to cool. Once cooled, roughly chop by hand or in a food processor.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and blanch for one to two minutes. Drain in a colander. Run under cold water and set aside.
Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and sauté for about two to three minutes. Chop the broccoli rabe and add to the skillet. Turn off the heat.
Cook the orecchiette according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, place the skillet on medium and sauté the broccoli rabe/sausage mixture for about five minutes.
Drain the pasta and pour into a warm bowl.
Top with the sausage/broccoli rabe mixture. Toss well.
Add the salt, pepper and the hot pepper flakes and serve.
Pass the Parmesan around the table.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: You may wish to add two fat, sliced cloves of garlic to the pan when you sauté the broccoli rabe. I also like to use a mix of hot and sweet sausages in this dish. If the pasta feels a bit dry, simply add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to it and toss again.
Pasta with Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 pound pasta of your choice
1 onion, diced
1 large fennel bulb, sliced
1 small head of radicchio, diced
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmesan
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss well. Set aside.
Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until translucent, about two to three minutes.
Add the vegetables and sauté until the onion is translucent, about five minutes.
Drain the pasta in a colander. Place in a large, warm bowl. Pour the vegetables over the pasta and toss. If the pasta feels dry, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil.
Add the salt and pepper and toss.
Pass the Parmesan around the table.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: This is a free-form recipe that adapts well to any vegetable. If you have a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes, slice and add to the mix. You can substitute a large leek or shallot for the onion. Any pasta works well here, too, but I think a stubby pasta, such as penne or ziti, holds up well to the vegetables.
The Vesper Club’s 1950s Garlic Bread
Ingredients:
4 club rolls, sliced in half
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
Garlic powder
Imported Hungarian sweet paprika
Directions:
Place the rolls on a cookie sheet. Brush each with the melted butter. Sprinkle on the garlic powder and paprika.
Run the rolls under the broiler for about eight to 10 minutes. Watch carefully as all oven temperatures are different.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: In today’s world, we make garlic bread with olive oil and run cloves of fresh garlic over each slice before placing in the oven. Or some cooks slice up a baguette and grill the slices in a skillet using olive oil. The above recipe is definitely retro and sometimes it’s fun to return to one’s childhood
