Artichoke Stuffed “Pasta”

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 2 (8 oz.) cans of artichoke hearts, drained and patted dry
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Wonton wrappers

Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Transfer artichoke mixture to cleaned bowl of processor, then add cheese, yolk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped.
Place 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Spoon generous 1 tablespoon artichoke mixture into center of wrapper. Top with another wrapper for ravioli or for tortellini fold wonton wrapper in half and then half again to form a bundle. Brush edges of wrapper with water. Press edges together to seal. Make sure to eliminate all air bubbles. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Working in batches, cook ravioli and tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch.

Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano and your sauce of choice.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet (January 2007) “Artichoke Ravioli with Tomatoes” and Bon Appétit (May 1999) “Swiss Chard Ravioli.”

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Fusilli in Cream Sauce with Peas and Bacon

 

• 1/2 pound peas
• 1 large red onion
• 1 package (6 slices) of turkey bacon
• 1 pound dried fusilli
• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Chop onion. Cut bacon into strips and fry over low heat. Do not overcook or else the bacon will not meld with the pasta. Fill a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for pasta.

In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet cook onions (with butter, oil or water) with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander and add to sauce with peas, bacon, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat mixture over low heat, gently tossing until just heated through.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Pappardelle in Lemon Cream Sauce with Peas and Smoked Salmon

• 1 pound asparagus*
• 2 large shallots
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon (optional)
• 1 pound dried pappardelle or fettuccine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Trim asparagus and diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Finely chop shallots. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure 3 tablespoons. Cut salmon into 2 x 1/2-inch strips.

Fill a 6-quart pasta pot three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for asparagus and pasta. Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water.

Cook asparagus in boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, and with a slotted spoon transfer to ice water to stop cooking. Reserve water in pot over low heat, covered. Drain asparagus and set aside some asparagus tips for garnish.

In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet cook shallots in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and zest and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and remove skillet from heat. Return water in pot to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente and ladle out and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta in a colander and add to sauce with asparagus, 1/2 cup pasta water, three fourths salmon, remaining tablespoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat mixture over low heat, gently tossing (and adding more remaining pasta water as needed if mixture becomes dry), until just heated through.

Serve pasta garnished with reserved asparagus tips and remaining salmon.

Serves 4 as a main course.

Gourmet
June 1999

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Substitutions: *The original recipe calls for one pound of asparagus, I used peas instead because they are sweeter. I used one red onion in place of shallots and sauteed the onions in water rather than butter. I used six ounces of salmon. Next time I will not mix the salmon with the pasta because it cooked the fish.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup or more grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 slices thick bacon or pancetta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound dried spaghetti

In a good-sized salad bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper to form a mixture heavier than cream but lighter than pancake batter. Cut bacon or pancetta into small pieces and fry slowly in olive oil. Meanwhile, cook pasta in three or four quarts of boiling water. When pasta is al dente, drain and quickly add to the bowl with the cheese and egg mixture and toss. Add the hot bacon and olive oil in which it was cooked, and stir to cook the eggs. Serves 4.

Recipe by Franca Tasso from Life is Meals by James and Kay Salter

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Substitutions: Used turkey bacon in place of bacon/pancetta. Added green onions because Mario Batalli does so in the Spaghetti alla Carbonara at Otto in New York City.

Skillet Penne and Sausage Supper

Italian pork sausage can be used here, but you may have to spoon off some of the fat before adding the pasta. When you are adding the spinach, it may seem like a lot at first, but it wilts down substantially. Be sure to use at least a 12-inch skillet for this supper dish. This recipe also works well with ziti.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, minced
• Salt
• 1 pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
• 8 ounces penne (2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
• Pepper

1. Heat the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and milk over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

From The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Serves 4-6

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Substitutions: Sauteed the onions using water instead of olive oil. Used shallots instead of onions. Used Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage. Used non-oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Used a pound (1 bag) of whole wheat rotini pasta and doubled the broth and milk. Did not add Parmesean directly to the pasta, but had on hand for everyone to use to their own liking. Added carrots.