Tag: Pasta

Recipe

Dinner for Two

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Looking for a nice, healthy meal for the two of you?  It can be hard to find recipe for just 2 people, but these are winners:

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp & Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

    • 8 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • 4 ounces angel hair pasta, uncooked
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon chopped shallot
    • 6 stalks asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
    • 1/4 cup peeled seeded, diced tomatoes
    • 1/2 cup slice shiitake mushroom caps ( or your favorite mushrooms)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/8 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
    • 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
  2. Heat a 9-inch skillet over high heat 1 minute; spray with vegetable spray and add olive oil and shrimp, garlic and shallots; cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
  3. Add asparagus and next 4 ingredients; stir in wine, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen any particles, if necessary.
  4. Add pasta, basil, and remaining ingredients; toss gently.
  5. Serve immediately.
  6. (you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil on finished dish if desired).

Romaine Salad

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 Romaine Heart
    • 1/2  Red Onion
    • 1 lime
    • 1.5 oz Queso Fresco
    • 3 Tbsp. pepitas
    • ½ cup Low-Fat Sour Cream
    • 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp. paprika
    • 1/4 tsp. Mexican oregano
    • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
    • 1/4 tsp. ground cumin

DIRECTIONS

  1. Wash and dry the fresh produce.
  2.  Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; roughly chop the leaves.
  3. Small dice the onion.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine the diced onion and the juice of lime.  Allow to sit for a few minutes to marinate.
  5. To make dressing: add the sour cream and spices to the diced onion-lime juice mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. n a large bowl, combine the lettuce, pepitas, queso fresco and as much of the dressing as you’d like (you may have extra dressing). Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Shelby

Restaurant Review: Toscano’s Bistro

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Happened to be in Shelby today at dinner time and called my order in based on pictures I’d seen online.  Because of the state mandated discontinuance of dine-in eating, they only had call in available, but when we are back to normal I can see myself making a special trip just to eat there!

As it is, they allow you to call in and they’ll deliver your order to you curbside.  You don’t even have to leave the car!  My order was super inexpensive too, especially considering the amount of food they give you!  I got the delicious pasta with a creamy sauce and tender chicken, studded with sun dried tomatoes.  Perfectly seasoned and so good!  This came with a garden salad and two pieces of garlic bread.

Honestly, I brought most home, and my son had the rest for his dinner, that’s how much food they gave us!  Great value and really amazing taste.  Can’t wait to go back to this great restaurant in charming downtown Shelby!

Recipe

Spaghetti Carbonara

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Pasta is from God.  It can’t be bad, I refuse to believe it.  Dinner the other night for us was Spaghetti Carbonara.  Delish!  I clipped the recipe from a magazine a few years ago, but found a link to it online: Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients

Kosher salt

12 ounces spaghetti

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces), plus more for topping

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the spaghetti and reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet and toss to combine.
  3. Add the eggs, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper; toss to coat. Cook, tossing continuously to avoid scrambling the eggs, until the sauce is creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley. Serve topped with more Parmesan.
Charlotte · Davidson · Mooresville · Restaurants · Statesville · Wilmington

Best of Restaurants: Pasta

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God bless carbs.

Pappardelle at Kindred in Davidson

Peirogies at Twisted Oak Bar and Grill in Statesville

Fussili Al Toscanaccio at Fiamma’s in Charlotte, NC

(sautéed with chicken, mushrooms, served in a vodka pink sauce with sundried tomatoes)

Tagliatelle at Kindred in Davidson

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Beef Stroganoff at Queen City Craft & Gourmet in Charlotte

Creamy Mushroom Ravioli from Olive Garden in Mooresville, NC.  I KNOW!

Black Truffle Pappardelle from Circa 1922 in Wilmington, NC
 
 
SPRING PEA RAVIOLI Beurre Monte, sweet peas, mint, serrano chips at Stoke in Charlotte

Maltagliotti from the Goodyear House in Charlotte

Charlotte · Restaurants

Fiamma Restaurant in Charlotte, NC

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Restaurant Week Winter 2018!!  I’ve managed to hit 3 (or will) this week.  Chillfire in Denver, The Foundry in Denver and Fiamma in Charlotte.  Oh be still my heart!  Fiamma was so worth the wait.  I’ve had it on my wish list forever!  It is authentically Italian, probably some of the best I’ve had in this area.  Their fish is flown in daily from Europe and they hand make all of their pasta.

Fiamma is also open for lunch Monday through Saturday, so you can try it during the day if you can’t make it for Restaurant week or forget to make reservations at night.  You can easily make reservations online through Open Table, though, so don’t forget.  This place is hopping!

The service here is top-notch.  I found all of the staff to be kind, knowledgeable and prompt.  I felt cared for, but never bothered.  This is a true accomplishment during harried Restaurant week!

Let’s talk about the food.  YUMMM!

When you sit down, they bring out a plate of fresh bread and crunchy bread sticks to dip in this luscious and tangy pesto.  If I had a big bowl of that pesto and a hunk of bread, I think I’d be happy.  It was so good!

St. Germain Coctail: Prosecco, St. Germain liquor, on the rocks with lemon and lime.

Refreshing and crisp, this is my favorite cocktail ever.  Reminds me of a sweeter mojito.

APPETIZERS

Burratta – fresh creamy buffalo cheese served with arugula, roasted red pepper, grilled eggplant, and prosciutto di Parma

Calamari al Salto – sautéed fresh calamari, tomato, avocado in a white wine sauce

This was a perfect hearty warm salad.  The calamari was tender and not rubbery and provided a perfect canvas for the avocado and tomato to give it such flavor.  The girls were mostly impressed with the party hat on the lemon, though.

Delizia Del Contadina – mixed greens tossed with walnuts, pears, and Tuscan Pecorino cheese in a light balsamic dressing.

This was my first course, and it was lovely!  A basic salad, but sometimes that’s just exactly what I want, a simple salad, with fresh ingredients that are all perfect.  This hit all of the marks.

Then came this palate cleanser: orange sherbet.  I was charmed 🙂

MAIN COURSE

Veal Ossobuco (Fiamma’s Specialty) – braised veal shank served with a side of saffron risotto

This was the best dish of the night.  The veal was so tender it fell apart with a touch of the fork.  The sauce it was simmered in was so flavorful and rich, you could tell it had reduced for hours.  The one blight on the meal was the saffron risotto.  It was so salty, it was inedible.  No, we didn’t send it back.  Restaurant week is super busy and we were seriously enjoying everything else so much it became an afterthought.

Branzino – Mediterranean fish stuffed with fresh seafood and served with spinach, potatoes, and asparagus

Tagliolini alla Scoglio – homemade pasta sautéed with fresh seafood in garlic, red pepper flakes, white wine sauce

This was my selection.  It was incredibly hardy.  I couldn’t believe how much seafood it had, especially during restaurant week!  They truly don’t skimp on portions.  The wine sauce was light and really let the homemade pasta and seafood stand out as the stars.  I took most of it home and it was even better the next day.

Fussili Al Toscanaccio – sautéed with chicken, mushrooms, served in a vodka pink sauce with sundried tomatoes

I tasted a tiny bite of this dish, and it was packed with flavor and the chew on the pasta was perfect!  I rank it the second best dish of the night!

DESSERTS

Panna Cotta – cold Italian custard served with mixed berries

Tiramisu – layered coffee-soaked ladyfingers topped off with a mascarpone cream and cocoa

This dessert was creamy and light, not with an overwhelming coffee flavor.  I thought it was perfect, but my dining partner wanted the coffee to be more prevalent.

Cheesecake – ricotta and mascarpone blended cheesecake, served with berry sauce and vanilla ice cream

So light and creamy, and not too sweet.  perfect with the berry drizzle.

Crema Tostada – warm vanilla custard topped with torched sugar, served with fresh berries
 This was my dessert, and despite the name, as you can see it is Creme Brulee.  Not very imaginative of me, but so good 🙂
Anessa’s Cappuccino

Recipe

Linguine With Mushrooms and Garlic Cream Sauce

Suzanne Strength3 Comments

Pasta, mushrooms and cream.  Really, that’s all I need to write, right?

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Linguine With Mushrooms and Garlic Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS

  • Parmesan, for sprinkling
  • fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 4 ounces linguine
  • salt
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and generous amount of pepper. Cook until mushrooms exude their juices, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain well. Add pasta and cheese to sauce and stir until cheese melts.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Recipe

Pasta Carbonara

Suzanne StrengthLeave a comment

Sometimes you just need a big bowl of pasta to get you through.  Tomorrow we are supposed to be experiencing a “Snowpacalypse” in the Carolinas, and I am seriously nervous.  I hate being closed up in the house for too long, and I HATE the thought of losing power and sitting in the dark and freezing.  To calm myself down, I made a big pot of creamy pasta.  It worked, I’m cool as a cuke now.  Bring it on, wretched snowstorm.

Pasta Carbonara
Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

coarse salt and pepper

6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

4 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced ( white and light-green parts only)

3/4 lb short pasta, such as campanelle (I used gemelli and more like 1/2 lb.) or 3/4 lb orecchiette ( I used gemelli and more like 1/2 lb.)

2 large eggs

1/2 ounce parmesan cheese, grated ( 1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. (I did not pour off any fat… it looked too good to discard.) Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until leeks are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

2. Add pasta to pot and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and lemon zest and juice. Whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into egg mixture.

3. Drain pasta and immediately add to egg mixture, along with bacon, leeks, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired and serve immediately.

Recipe

Recipe: Mike Isabella’s Pepperoni Sauce (For Pasta)

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I love Top Chef!  Each season I pick an early favorite and in Mike’s season…he wasn’t it.  In fact, I really didn’t even like him.  Then I saw him on the fan favorites show, and though I rooted for Richard, I developed a new appreciation for the brashness that was Mike.  He had passion that seemed limitless…and this sauce.  Sinfully delicious.

This sauce is most likely designed to be a garnish, not to cover and entire plate of pasta.  It is extremely intense.  I made this and then added it to my regular Marinara sauce  (4 cups marinara, I’d guess?) and it was perfect.

Mike Isabella’s Pepperoni Sauce (For Pasta)

ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, cut into small dice
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, cut into very thin slices
  • 1 lb pepperoni, cut into thin slices
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted (see NOTE)
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 -12 ounces canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
  • 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 fresh bay leaf

directions

  • Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil shimmers.

  • Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.

  • Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

  • Add the tomatoes and their juices (to taste), the broth and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate.

  • Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  • The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color.

  • Remove from the heat.

  • Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf); puree until smooth.

  • The sauce is ready to use. Or cool, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

  • NOTE: Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color. This only takes a couple of minutes.

  • He also recomends using San Marzano tomatoes for this recipe.