Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Pasta

You know how when were a kid you hated some vegies, but now that you are an adult you are finding that some of those rotten old vegies are actually pretty tasty? Meet Cauliflower. If you had of tried to feed this to me before the age of...probably 25 I would have said..."um thanks...but no thanks". I used to be the same way about broccoli, but then...I discovered a wonderful thing called cheese sauce. Slowly but surely as long as it was covered with cheese sauce I would eat my broccoli and my cauliflower. This past September I went to a new restaurant called Zupas and had THE best cauliflower soup. That soup has sparked in me a desire to get to know cauliflower a little better.

This pasta was AWESOME! I loved this new take on your typical pasta covered in some kind of sauce. It was full of flavor and simply...well awesome. I did however add some seasoned grilled chicken to mine to make it more kid and husband friendly. I have been wanting it ever since the day I made it a few weeks ago. This will certainly be on our table again soon! YUMMO!

Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Pasta
www.melskitchencafe.com


*Serves 4-6

2 heads garlic, papery skins removed, top quarter of heads cut off (on the pointy side of the garlic) and discarded
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 pound short pasta (such as fusilli, rotini or campanelle)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 – 3 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I'm not a fan of walnuts but I LOVE cashews so I substituted cashews here.)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, place a large rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut one 12-inch sheet of foil and spread it flat on the counter. Place the garlic heads, cut-side up, in the center of the foil. Drizzle ½ teaspoon olive oil over each head and fold up the sides of the foil to seal well. Place the foil packet directly on the oven rack (not on the preheating baking sheet) and roast until the garlic is very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the foil packet from the oven, open the foil and set it aside to cool.

While the garlic is roasting, trim the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut the stem flush with the bottom. Cut the head from pole to pole into 8 equal wedges and then cut the cauliflower into large bite-sized pieces. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Carefully transfer the cauliflower to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the cauliflower is well browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes

While the cauliflower roasts, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook until al dente. Squeeze the cooled, roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic to a smooth paste, then stir in red pepper flakes and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/4 cup oil.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the chopped cauliflower to the pasta; stir in the garlic sauce, ¼ cup cooking water, parsley, and ½ cup cheese. Adjust the consistency of the pasta with additional cooking water and season with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkling with remaining ½ cup cheese and toasted nuts.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated

Creamy Tomato Pasta

This recipe is one that was once featured on Oprah. I guess the claim was made that if you want a man to fall in love with you that this is the one dish that you should make him. Ummm I don't know about that. I love pasta and my husband likes it too but if there were one dish that I was to make my hubby to make him love me more it would more than likely be a fat juicy steak or something like that. I mean this dish doesn't even have any meat in it. LOL. That aside, this dish was very tasty and very quick to put together. I'll definitely be making this again. My husband and I both enjoyed it and my toddler couldn't get enough of the stuff.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

2 cups of Italian stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbl spoons of tomato paste
1/3 cup of fresh parsley, chopped (I didn't have any so left it out)
salt and pepper to taste

Puree stewed tomatoes in a blender. Sauté garlic and olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes to the pan. Add whipping cream, tomato paste, parsley and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes. Serve over cooked fettuccini noodles (or your favorite pasta). You could also top with some seasoned grilled chicken breast if you were looking to get your protein in.

I like Sketty mummy!

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce and a conversion story

Before he tasted these, my husband would have told you, if asked, that he doesn't like meatballs. I know strange huh? Who doesn't like meatballs? Anyway, the first time I heard that I was determined to change his mind. He just hasn't had GOOD meatballs obviously. One Saturday while watching my American's Test Kitchen DVD's I watched them make this recipe for Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. They did look like allot of work but I was up for the challenge. So a couple of weekends ago I set out on Sunday to make these Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. I watched anxiously as my husband took his first bite. Sooo? I asked him. His response was "These are really good!". I didn't stop there but continued to grill him for a couple of minutes to make sure he really liked them and wasn't just being polite. SUCCESS! He now won't tell you, if asked, that he doesn't like meatballs. Thanks American's Test Kitchen- as always you never disappoint!

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

ATK
Serves 8- Freezes very well

The meatballs and sauce both use the same onion mixture.

Onion Mixture

1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions , chopped fine
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Easy Marinara

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf
Salt
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar , as needed

Meatballs

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread
3/4 cup milk
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage , casings removed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

1. For the onion mixture: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onions until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside.

2. For the marinara: Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in water and tomatoes and simmer over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.

3. For the meatballs: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except ground beef, to bowl and mash to combine. Add beef and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2 1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.



4. Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. (Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

Creamy Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

A few weeks ago I found this recipe for homemade Creamy Skillet Mac n Cheese on My Kitchen Cafe's blog. I LOVE her blog! My Gabe loves macaroni and cheese and the box stuff is...well crappy! I don't really want to know what is in that powdered cheese! I always feel sick after I eat the box stuff and it always seems so grainy. Anyway when I found this recipe I was excited to try it. I had tried a couple of other recipes in the past and just wasn't really happy with them. They always seemed to end up being rather tasteless and just weren't satisfying. This recipe however was creamy and quite tasty. We all enjoyed it. I'll definitely keep this recipe. It was also very easy to make and took no time at all. A definite plus in my book!

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes


3 1/2 cups water, plus extra if needed
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
12 ounces (about 3 cups) elbow macaroni
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
Ground black pepper to taste

Bring 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the macaroni, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook at a vigorous simmer, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has thickened, 9 to 12 minutes.

Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce together in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet. Continue to simmer slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack, one handful at a time, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce (I didn't need any additional water when I made it). Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Ham and Corn Variation
Follow the recipe, adding 4 ounces deli-style baked ham, diced medium, and 1/2 cup frozen corn to the skillet with the cornstarch mixture in step 2.

Delicious Spaghetti Pie

Last week one day when I was home I made this delicious Spaghetti Pie for dinner. We all loved it. The photos don't even close to do it justice. It was soooo flavorful and yummy I can't rave enough about it. While I wouldn't usually make this during the week due to time constraints and energy levels etc this would be perfect to make on a Saturday or any other day you have the time to spend a little longer on dinner. As a working mum I have to plan my weekly dinner menu accordingly. Sadly it just isn't realistic for me to spend hours in the kitchen when I get home from work. Nevertheless if you try this dish you will not be disappointed. I'll certainly be making this again. It made for awesome left over’s that both my hubby and I were excited for.

Delicious Spaghetti Pie

From CC
Serves 6 to 8

Pasta Crust

Table salt
4 ounces vermicelli , broken into 2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic , minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg , beaten
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Filling

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion , chopped fine
1/2 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 large egg
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt and vermicelli and cook until al dente. Drain well.

2. Combine cooked vermicelli, garlic, butter, Parmesan, egg, and basil in medium bowl. Press mixture into deep 10-inch pie plate.



Bake until crust has set, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool while making filling.

I could have just eaten the crust it smelled so good!

3. For the filling: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add beef and cook until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sugar and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Stir ricotta, egg, and oregano together in small bowl. Spread ricotta mixture over pasta crust. Top with meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.