The Clock is ticking..........

Pardon the Rush

Some people spend their youth learning new things. By the time they are in their 50's their children are grown and they have more leisure time and begin traveling. At least that how it is with most of my friends. 

Courtesy of Rodney Watts

I however, spent my youth traveling and exploring the world. I ate in restaurants and friend's homes. I tried a multitude of cuisines which led to a desire to cook. In my 30's I attended the Culinary Institute of America and began a life long love of food and cooking. This has led to my blog, which has inspired a myriad of other interests.  I now have a burning desire to learn about writing, photography, computers and even more cooking!

I've begun taking classes in Algebra  (?), French, photography, photo lighting and one small little Artisan Bread Class. 

I feel that if I don't study these things now, when will I? So I've put cleaning on the back burner and have begun reading, studying and feeding new information into my hungry brain.

My kids think I'm crazy, my friends think I'm a women possessed. Rodney commented "Pam, whenever you've found yourself with an empty plate, you heap servings of everything on it until it's over flowing!"

Left unchecked I would probably be pursuing two hundred other things I'm interested in.

That in mind, I find that when I have to prepare dinner I need to make it fast, fresh and healthy. Never frozen, (unless I prepared it earlier and froze it myself).  The last two nights I needed to prepare such a meal. I made two different pasta entrees. Besides being fast they are recession friendly which is always a plus in this economy.

The first was a simple meat sauce with a Puttanesca twist.  I browned about a pound of ground beef added garlic, crushed red pepper, diced tomatoes, anchovy fillets, and right before serving I added pitted black olives. Served with fresh Reggiano Parmesan cheese and the Rosemary Walnut bread I made in class, it was a satisfying dinner and allowed me to get on with my homework.  

 

The second was an elegant pasta of cream, oven dried tomatoes, mushrooms and fresh basil. Silky and flavorful, my son gave it the ultimate compliment "Tastes just like a restaurant, Mom!"

 

So if you find yourself with time on your hands.....just remember the clock is ticking......so get on with it!

Pasta with Meat Sauce Puttanesca Style
Down load Recipe PDF

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can, 28 ounces, diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pitted black or green olives
Handful parsley, chopped
Pound pasta, cooked 


Heat olive oil in a saute pan, add ground beef breaking it up with a fork. 
When the beef begins to lose it's raw look, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Saute, add the white wine and allow to boil for a minute.
Stir in the anchovy, allow to cook for a minute or two and then add the tomatoes.
Allow the sauce to simmer while you prepare the pasta. 
Just before draining the pasta, remove 1 tablespoon of pasta water from the pot and add to the sauce. Stir in the olives and serve.

Serves 4 hungry people.

Creamy Oven Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

Down load PDF

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed in a garlic press. Just express the juice into the pan.

10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

 1 cup oven dried tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream 

 sea salt and pepper

handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Heat the olive oil in the pan, add the mushrooms and saute until they release their liquid. Add the garlic and saute several minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half.

Stir in the cream and reduce slightly. If it gets too thick add a little pasta cooking liquid. 

Right before serving, add the basil chiffonade

I served this over fresh chicken and mozzarella ravioli.

Serves 4 hungry people.

  All text and photos are property of The Gypsy Chef

Presto Pesto!

Pesto is the perfect fast food. It's quick, easy and versatile. Like everyone else in the western world I use it to dress pasta, add cream to enrich it as a sauce and I also add mayo to turn it into a sandwich spread. One of our favorite panini is made with pesto, mozzarella and spicy capocollo.

The best pesto I ever had was in at "da Costantino Qua se Magno", a deli in Rome. It was around the corner from our hotel, Hotel Italia. The pesto was bright green, fragrant and full of flavor. In broken Italian and English we found it had been made with young, tender Genovese Basil leaves. We were told this ensured a sweet and fresh flavor. We devoured it and went back for more everyday.
Just yesterday an old friend from high school ask me if I had a good pesto recipe. Myra had an abundance of beautiful fresh basil in her garden. I immediately went back in time to Rome and knew I had to relive one of those unforgettable meals. I whipped up the pesto with some organic basil I had gotten at the farmer's market
It's easy! Place the pine nuts, garlic, salt into a food processor
and process until chopped
add the basil leaves
while processing, pour in the oil.
and process until smooth.
In a large bowl add the pesto to the pasta, I like to add my cheese at this point.
Toss
and garnished the dish with a few oven roasted tomatoes.
Colorful, aromatic and flavorful it was a treat for the eyes as well as the mouth!
Buon Appetito!

Genovese Pesto


2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pick all the basil leaves from the stalks and wash thoroughly.
Place the pine nuts, garlic, salt and basil leaves in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the oil in the feed tube, and blend until the oil is incorporated.
Remove to a bowl and beat in the cheese by hand, or add as you toss it with pasta.
*If you are planning to serve the pesto with pasta, add 1 tablespoon of the pasta water to it at this time.
Two American gentleman enjoying a Roman Feast!

Text and recipes are property of The Gypsy Chef