Tag Archives: pasta

Lemon Chicken & Orzo Soup

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Have you ever thought, “I could make this from scratch and it would be much better.” It occurred to me, while having a bowl of something similar out of a can, that I could do just that.

Lemon Chicken and Orzo Soup

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Carrots (diced)
2 ribs of Celery (diced)
1 medium Onion (diced)
1 bulb of Fennel (diced)
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon dried Sage
1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary
4 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Water
2/3 cup Orzo Pasta (cooked)
4 cups chopped Kale
2 cups cooked and shredded Chicken
The Zest and Juice of one large Lemon

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high and saute the carrot, celery, onion, and fennel for about 5 minutes. Add the sage and rosemary, salt and pepper and saute for a few more minutes.

Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the kale, chicken, lemon (zest and juice) and orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until the kale is cooked down and the chicken is warmed through. Test for seasoning and add additional salt or pepper if needed.

Serve with garlic cheese bread.

Minestrone Soup

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Here’s a recipe to warm you up in the chilly weather.

Minestrone Soup

1 cup Pasta Shells (Cooked)

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup diced Onion
3 cloves Garlic (sliced)
1/2 cup diced Carrot
1/4 cup diced Celery
1 teaspoon pepper

1 small Zucchini (large dice)
1/2 cup White Wine
4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
2 cups Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 can Kidney Beans
1/2 cup Frozen Green Beans (thawed)
1/2 cup Frozen Corn (thawed)
2 cups Fresh Spinach
5 leaves Basil

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed stock pot. Cook the onion and garlic gently until onion is soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add in the carrot and celery, and pepper, cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini, oregano, white wine, stock and tomato sauce. Turn up the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat, simmering for 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add to the pot, stirring gently. Stir in the green beans, corn and spinach. Cook until heated through, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve with the torn basil sprinkled on top and with a hot ciabatta loaf.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

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All the credit for this recipe goes to Jef, who, when I was recovering from surgery a few months ago took over the cooking duties for a few days. This recipe is a result of his cooking adventures.

For the Salad:
1 lb Orzo Pasta
4 cups halved Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
2 cups crumbled Feta Cheese
4 cups chopped Cucumbers
2 cups pitted Calamata Olives
1 cup chopped Green Onion

Cook the Orzo Pasta in a large pot with plenty of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside to cool completely. You could also rinse it under cold water until chilled.
Combine the pasta and the rest of the prepared veggies and Feta cheese in a large bowl. A LARGE bowl! This recipe makes enough for about 20 side servings and about 10-12 meal size servings.
Toss the salad with the dressing and serve chilled.

For the Dressing:
1 cup White Wine or Champagne Vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Whole Grain Mustard
2 tablespoons chopped Fresh Dill
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
2 cups Olive Oil

Place all the ingredients in a blender and whiz it until it’s emulsified. You can also put everything in a large jar and give it a good shake.

Dinner Tonight: Lazy Day Pasta

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After a lovely week of just 70 something degree weather yesterday it shot back up to 86. No wait that’s just how hot it was in my kitchen.

Using the oven was not an option.
It was also one of those situations where I’d neglected to plan anything for dinner and it was too late to go to the store.
Bad Mommy! No ice cream!

So, I went scrounging in my cupboards and in the fridge. This is what I found:

1 Box Bow tie pasta
2 lemons
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mushrooms
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 Eggs
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup chopped bacon

Prep:
Zest and juice the lemons
Roughly chop the mushrooms, parsley and bacon.

Whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and half the Parmesan cheese.
If cooking immediately set aside, If you’d like to make the sauce in advance, you can put it in the fridge for later.

Brown the bacon and mushrooms and cook and drain the pasta.

Combine the cooked pasta and the browned bacon and mushrooms, stir well.
Next, pour in the egg and cream mixture and stir until mostly absorbed by the pasta. You can mix in a little more cheese if you want.
I served it with an arugula and tomato salad.

The great thing about Lazy Day Pasta is you can use just about anything to accompany your sauce.
Here are some ideas
Spinach
Arugula
Sautéed Carrots
Frozen peas
Cubed ham…. Whatever you have leftover really.

Let me know in the comments what you found in the fridge!

Dinner Tonight: Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

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Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

1 lb. spaghetti
3 egg yolks
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream
6-8 rashers of bacon
2 tablespoons of bacon drippings
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Prep:
In a bowl mix the egg yolks, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream then, set aside.

Chop the parsley and set aside.

Next, chop the bacon into roughly 1inch pieces and fry-up until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.

Boil the spaghetti according to package directions or for 10-12 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti and place back into the pot. Add the bacon drippings, the bacon and the egg and cream mixture. Stir briskly until all the spaghetti is coated well.

Dinner Tonight: Baked Ziti

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This recipe from the Williams Sonoma catalog has gotten a lot of mileage this winter, it’s very hearty and meaty.

Baked Ziti

  • 4 tsp. plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 can (28 oz.) crushed plum tomatoes with juices
  • 5 oz. ziti, cooked until al dente
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup rinsed chopped Kalamata olives
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.

In a 10-inch nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tsp. of the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Discard all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and warm 2 tsp. of the olive oil. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, under tender and browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Set the pan over medium heat and warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add the sausage, pasta, basil, olives, 2 cups of the mozzarella and the tomato sauce to the bowl with the eggplant and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta mixture to the fry pan and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover the pan and broil for 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.