Pasta

Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta Recipe

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This is a copy cat recipe for Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta from The
Cheesecake Factory.

I’m not really a huge fan of cheese cake, or really cake for that matter. Weird I know, but it’s the reason I haven’t been to The Cheesecake Factory, like ever. Recently I met a very good friend of mine at the mall for some much needed chatting and she suggested we go there for dinner. The other options not being all that thrilling I said sure and was actually rather surprised to find a varied menu fill of things I actually wouldn’t mind eating.

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Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

By Jessica

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This is from one of my many favorite restaurants in Downtown Saratoga Springs. This is where Chuck took me for my Birthday Dinner, the sweetie.

It’s one of those sultry, dark little places that’s always has light jazzy music in the background and is full of the sounds of clinking glasses. It’s perfectly romantic and the food is to die for. Every time we go there is something different on the menu or in the specials that makes our little hearts just flutter, whether it be a braised rabbit, hydroponic lettuce, homemade pasta, quail stuffed with sausage & herbs, a bowl of pasta piled high with seafood or even just the bread they put on every table. It’s all so good.

Also if it happens to be your birthday, be prepared for one of those impeccably dressed waiters to feed you your first bite of desert after a whole group of them sings to you in Italian. It’s totally embarrassing, you’ll be red, but it’s ok even the free lemon gelato they give you if you don’t order desert is amazing, so just go with it.

This dish is my own take/imitation on one of their dishes, the one in fact that I had on my birthday. It was pretty amazing, and seemed so simple I had to give it a try in my own kitchen.

I did in fact buy a full pound of sausage, but the rest was popped into some breakfast burritos for us to finish out the week, since I’m trying really, really hard to actually eat a full healthy breakfast, and something more than a granola bar and tea.

All in all I think I was able to successfully recreate their dish, it was as easy as I thought, and absolutely delicious. I think it may become another one of those staple meals I make around these parts.

Penne Con Finochietto: Fennel Sausage & Sun dried Tomato Pasta

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 2 Servings

Ingredients

½ lb mild Italian sausage
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1/3 cup diced oil packed sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups cooked pasta (aldente)
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Instructions

In a large skillet cook the sausage until browned.
Drain well and add fennel. You may need to add a touch of oil to stop the fennel from
sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the fennel begins to brown, stirring and
breaking up the sausage.
Add the sun dried tomatoes, rosemary, and cook for an additional minute.
Add the wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has reduced to half.
Adjust seasoning and add pasta to the pan; cooking for just a few seconds, while tossing all the ingredients together.
Serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese. (Serves 2)

The Creamiest Pesto Stuffed Shells

By Jessica

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Sometimes I swear that I am a genius, I mean I have come up
with some pretty amazing recipes.

Not that I can take all the credit, I get lots of
inspiration from all different places.

Inspiration for this recipe came from Amanda K. by the Bay,
an amazing blog full of wonderfully comforting recipes; both classic and
modern.

I love pesto, as evidenced here, here and here, so this
recipe instantly struck a chord with me. I knew I wanted to make it but I also
had some different elements I really wanted to try, and I knew that Chuck would
appreciate some of them. The ol’ man loves him some meat.

The secret to this dish is the decadently creamy pesto béchamel
sauce. For something so simple béchamel is pretty damn wonderful on its own.
Then the addition of a little extra garlic, parmesan cheese, and a whole lot of
pesto just takes it to a whole new world.

This is one of those great dishes that you can prepare ahead
of time and bake a day later just before you’re ready to eat it, and feed a
whole horde of people at the same time. Could it get any better? Let me answer
that for you and just say, no it really can’t.

Unless of course you’re a vegetarian in which case a little
more spinach or tofu, maybe some pine nuts or walnuts mixed in, or perhaps some
chopped red pepper could all take up the space of the sausage, but that’s really
up to you. Maybe that will be an experiment for a later date.

Pesto Béchamel Sauce

1 stick of butter

¼ cup pesto

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

3 cups milk

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

Stuffed Shells

½ lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled and
cooked

1 large egg

12 oz chopped fresh spinach

16 oz container of ricotta cheese

1.2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 box Large Pasta shells, prepared according to package
instructions

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 tomato deseeded & chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a thick bottomed sauce pan
melt butter and whisk in garlic, pesto and cook for an additional minute. Whisk
in flour and cook until it begins to turn golden (5-6 minutes). Add milk and
whisk until smooth. Bring to a light simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes whisking
continuously. Add cheese and salt and remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl
combine sausage, egg, spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese, mixing until
well blended. In an oven safe baking pan ladle enough béchamel to lightly coat
the bottom on the pan (about ½ cup). With a spoon stuff each shell with some of
the sausage mixture and place in the pan. Continue until the pan is full or the
shells are gone. Ladle the remaining béchamel over the shells. Top with
parmesan cheese and tomato. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or
until the top has melted and begun to brown.

Peppery Pasta salad & Chicken Roulade

By Jessica

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And finally I have reached a carb-full moment. Do you see
what I did there?

If you have been following along last week I was in
basically crying my eyes out over the lack of pizza, pasta, melty cheese, and
fried goodness in my life. Don’t worry these things won’t be gone forever, just
for a little while. I had been feeling the need since fall hit to clean myself
up, you know eat things that actually make me feel better about myself, after a
summer of big beers, and parties, then I got engaged and a few months of
celebration happened. I don’t regret a thing, except maybe those 10-12 lbs I gained,
and a few drunken word vomits but its ok we are working on it all.

Last week was tough, I cut out all sugars refined sugars (I couldn’t
say no to honey with a sore throat!), heavy carbs (ie breads, pasta, etc.), as
well as red and fatty meats. I drank an excess of green and herbal teas
(English breakfast I miss you!), smoothies, and water. I drank lots, and lots,
of water, and NO WINE (don’t worryboos are back after this week). I mean this wasn’t
the detox diet of all detox diets, but I was realistic with myself, my love of
food, and I made a plan I knew I could handle. The results were pretty
astonishing.

I feel a lot better about life, including that extra bit of
chub I gained so my spirits have improved. My dry skin hasn’t sent me into a bloody
scratching fit in a few days; I haven’t decided yet whether that’s because of
the influx of healthy fats, (avocado & fish) or the excess water I drank,
but either way I’m liking it. My face is nearly crystal clear, and my hair is tamer
than its usual frizz ball.

Unfortunately I know that his diet is not one that I can
keep up forever without cheating, so this weekend I decided to cheat in the
best possible way. With pasta.

Peppery Arugula Pasta

6 ounces pasta of choice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh arugula

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. In a sauce
pan heat oil, broth, and pepper stirring to combine. Once fragrant (1-2
minutes) remove from heat and toss with pasta. Add cheese and arugula and toss
again before serving. (serves 2)

Chicken Roulade with Lemon, Oregano and Goat Cheese

2 chicken breasts

4 oz goat cheese

1 tbsp chopped oregano

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup chicken stock

1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare chicken into piallards,
spreading goat cheese and oregano on one side. Roll the chicken up securing
with a tooth pick and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a oven safe
pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Place roulades in the pan and cook
for one minute before turning. Allow them to cook for an additional minute on
that side before placing in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until
juices run clear. Remove pan from the oven and place on the stove top over
medium heat, remove chicken and set aside. Add stock and the juice from one
lemon to the pan cook until reduced by half and pour over the chicken to serve.
(Serves 4)

Hopefully this will tied me over for the next week or so,
while I attempt to stick to this diet and add some workouts to the mix. I’ll
post an update next week with the Operation Get Fit link up to let you know how I’m doing.

We are almost halfway through January. How are your New
Years Goals/Resolutions or non resolutions going?

Pesto Alfredo Sauce

By Jessica

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I posted a very similar recipe to this one way back before I
even had a follower. It’s one of my long time favorites, so I was excited to
get it out there. In the subsequent almost 2 years since I have learned a lot
about cooking, and writing recipes, and looking back I am not impressed.

This recipe is amazingly decadent, stupendously easy, and
not in the least bit time consuming. This is why it is one of my favorites.
Well that, and I have a deep love of pesto, but you already knew that.

Although the proportions are for the single diner, it is
pretty easily expanded for more, so don’t hesitate to serve it for a last
minute get together. Now all you need is a side salad with a nice vinaigrette and
your friends will think you are a veritable Martha Stewart.

The original recipe also included shrimp, because I like to
glam things up, not that it’s needed at all with this creamy deliciousness. If
you are interested in adding a protein to this, grilled chicken, shrimp, or scallops,
make wonderful additions.

Tortellini with Pesto Cream Sauce

3-4oz cup dry/frozen tortellini

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp prepared pesto

½ cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated parmesan
cheese

Handful of cherry tomatoes,
halved

Prepare tortellini
according to package instructions. Meanwhile heat garlic, and butter over
medium high heat until the garlic becomes fragrant (1-2 minutes). Reduce heat
to low and stir in pesto, cook for an additional minute before adding cream.
Gently whisk in cheese and allow the mixture to thicken. Serve over prepared
tortellini and tomatoes.

Pasta

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