Pantry Pasta

We all have those nights don't we? The day's been long, it's already dark outside and the fridge has little else in it other than milk, mustard and jam. My solution? Pantry pasta! I love coming up with quick mealtime solutions with what I happen to have on hand -- and it doesn't become much easier than this concotion!

The dish is made using sweet shallots (but you could use onions instead), marinated artichokes and a crumbly breadcrumb topping. Easy weeknight dinners don't get tastier than this!

Bacon and Pea Pasta

If you ask me what I have at all times in my freezer, the answer would definitely be frozen peas. Sure, I'll get my hands on fresh peas if I can, but most of the year, that really isn't a tangible reality. For most quick meals, having a bag of these frozen green jewels helps add vegetables to a simple pasta, or make an easy side dish, simply complemented by a little butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Adding more vegetables to our everyday diets also seems to fit quite nicely with all these new year's resolutions, doesn't it? This pasta dish is garnished with crispy prosciutto and flavoured with Canadian bacon so the healthy points are not entirely there...but the delicious points definitely are.

Orichiette with Spinach, Shrimp and Garlic Chips

Have I mentioned my undying love for garlic? If not, you should know that garlic is on the top of my list of favorite ingredients and that I have yet to to try a dish that I think is too garlic-y. Sure, raw garlic is a bit of a different ball game, but when it's cooked I love it in almost any savory dish.

In the current Valentine's day spirit I'm not sure that garlic is the most favored flavor but in my case, if you want to be my Valentine, the more garlic the better. Lucky for me, I share most of my time with someone who loves garlic just as much as I do. Just this past weekend, Oliver and I made garlic and lemon chicken with an herb and roasted garlic sauce. Roasted garlic gives garlic cloves a sweet and almost nutty taste - it's amazing. We made an extra head of garlic and munched on the extra cloves while touching up the sauce.

I realize that this might make me a little strange, but we all have our obsessive food habits, don't we? The garlic in this pasta concoction really made the dish. This pasta dish was another one of those meals I didn't really mean to make a post out of but couldn't resist once I saw the finished product sitting on the table. It was simple and the perfect quick lunch.

Recipe (for 2)
Orichiette for 2
10 shrimp
4 garlic cloves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A good handful of fresh baby spinach
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
In the meantime peel the garlic and slice it into even-sized garlic chips. Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a pan on medium low heat and add the garlic. Allow the garlic to flavor the oil and turn a light shade of golden brown. Add the peeled shrimp to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium. As soon as the shrimp turns pink in color add the spinach and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the drained pasta to the pan (with about 1 teaspoon of pasta water) and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning.Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

Penne with Prosciutto, Broccoli Rabe and Artichokes

As I have already mentioned, I am always trying out new pasta recipes to make on those days where you don't have too much time but still want something hearty and comforting to fill you up. I made this pasta a couple days ago, and I think it fits that motto pretty well. I used some leftover prosciutto from my eggs baked in tomatoes recipe, and some delicious broccoli rabe I had picked up this weekend. I've also taken a liking to using jarred artichokes. I usually try to get good quality ones that are stored in oil and spices and I find myself coming up with new ways to use them all the time.

On a different note, I will be taking Chocolate Shavings to France very soon! I'm going home for the holidays as well as a couple days to Venice which I am very excited about. I have a list of French cookbooks I can't wait to pick up, local markets I am planning on visiting and foods that I've missed and am looking forward to indulging in. As an early Christmas gift to all of you, I am taking any France-related food requests - so if there's a French dish you want to know more about or a type of recipe, ingredient or store you've been looking for, I am offering to be your official guide to Paris! I hope to hear from all of you!

Recipe (for 2)
180 grams of penne
4 cloves of garlic
2 small bunches of broccoli rabe, stems removed
8 artichokes, jarred
2 thin slices of prosciutto
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, and extra for serving
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately strain, and transfer to a bowl of water with ice to stop the cooking process. In the meantime, thinly slice the garlic. Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a pan, add the garlic in a single layer and place the pan on medium heat. Cook the garlic on one side for 2 minutes and then flip them and cook for another minute. Add the broccoli rabe and saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Coarsely chop the artichokes and add them to the pan. Cut the prosciutto into bite-size pieces and add to the pan. Make sure that the prosciutto has direct contact with the bottom of the pan, and don't move it for a couple minutes so it has a chance to crisp up.

Strain the pasta adding a couple teaspoons of the cooking water to the pan. Add the pasta gently, and mix the ingredients so they meld in nicely. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the Parmesan and stir. Transfer to a bowl and serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil and some Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom, Spring Onion and Pine Nut Pasta

To tell you the truth I wasn't planning on posting this recipe. I was making a quick lunch yesterday, was in a hurry to head out the door and then realized that this was exactly what I needed to write about... the fact that sometimes we have very little time to make ourselves a quick meal, but that with a few simple guidelines it can be a wonderful, heart-warming dish that keeps you going for hours.

I very often turn to pasta dishes when I'm in no shape to cook a lengthy meal. As I have mentioned before, I am not a big fan of pasta with a lot of sauce, especially for everyday lunches. Here are the few guidelines I have been living by: firstly, don't underestimate the power of mixing your pasta in the pan where you cooked the vegetables, meat or whatever else you are using as a garnish. Mixing the pasta in that pan melds in a few seconds all of the flavors together and makes the pasta actually taste flavorful.. because, let's face it, pasta on its own has very little flavor. And, secondly, any pasta can use a little bit of crunch! Whether it's pine nuts like here, toasted breadcrumbs, crispy pancetta or al dente peas - a little crunch adds wonderful texture to any pasta.

All to say, that I ended up spending some time taking a picture of my lunch, ate it cold, and was late!

Recipe (for one!)
100 grams of spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large portobello mushroom, sliced
2 spring onions, diced
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, and more for the table
1 small handful of pine nuts, toasted
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta. In the meantime, drizzle some olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms in a single layer. Don't move them for 2 minutes. Turn the mushrooms and cook for another minute. Turn the heat to medium low, add the spring onions, garlic and stir with a wooden spoon. Once the pasta is al dente add a teaspoon of pasta water to the pan. Add the drained pasta and stir vigorously. Add the Parmesan and the pine nuts and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and extra Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Sausage and Cilantro Pesto

Who says pesto can only be made with basil and pine nuts? Certainly not me! I have been testing different ways of making pesto - using different types of herbs and nuts to see how the flavors changes. I tried this cilantro (or coriander) pesto a couple nights ago and was pleasantly surprised by the result. Cilantro can be a little overpowering at times, so I used a handful of peas in the mixture to soften its taste and it worked well with mild Italian sausage.

The point is.. I might be a bit of a rebel (but certainly not a maverick!) and don't really like following recipes too closely. I do when I bake - doughs can turn out seriously wrong if you don't follow ratios - but when I cook savory foods, I tend to let my imagination go. Pesto is one of those things I tend to have a sudden craving for, so it helps to be able to tweak the original recipe and make it with what I have on hand that day.

Recipe (for 4)
One bunch of cilantro
2 small garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted if possible
1/4 cup of frozen peas, thawed
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground pepper
450 g spaghetti (for 4 people)
2 good quality mild Italian sausages from your Deli
2 tablespoons of bread crumbs

To make the pesto: In a blender place the cilantro, garlic and pine nuts. Pulse. Slowly add the olive oil while blending. Once half of the oil is added, add the peas. Pulse again. Add the lemon juice. Once the mixture is smooth (but still a little chunky) add the Parmesan and pulse again. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Boil the water for the pasta. Salt generously and cook the spaghetti for the indicated time on the package until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, heat a pan to medium high heat with a good drizzle of olive oil. Slice the sausage and add to the hot pan in a single layer. Do not move the sausage for about 3 minutes. Turn on the oven side once the sausage is nicely browned. Add the breadcrumbs to the pan. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Make sure the breadcrumbs are nicely toasted and coat the sausage. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove and place on a paper towel to soak up excess fat.

Once the pasta is cooked, add a small ladle of the pasta water to your reserved pesto to loosen the sauce. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the sausage. Add the sausage, the pesto and mix in. Serve. Enjoy!