White Pork Ragu

 

from “Smitten Kitchen Keepers: new classics for your forever files” by Deb Perelman

serves 4-6

2 Tablespoons oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 small bulb fennel, chopped 
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes
1 pound ground pork

1 Parmesan rind 

1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 bay leaf
Pasta water, as needed
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound dry fettuccine, or 1 pound fresh
Lots of cracked black pepper & grated Parmesan, to serve

Build the sauce:

Heat a medium-to-large heavy pot or Dutch oven (4-5 quarts) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, and once it is warm, add the onion, carrot, and fennel and season well with salt and black pepper and/or pepper flakes, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned all over. Don’t worry if anything sticks. Add the pork and garlic, season it generously with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up with your spoon, it until it has browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up any stuck bits; cook until the wine disappears (1-2 minutes). Add the broth, milk, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer; then reduce the heat to the lowest simmer, leaving the lid off. Congratulations, you’ve now reached the “walk away” portion of the recipe.

Cook the ragu:

Here’s how the next 1 to 1.5 hours will go:Check in on the sauce from time to time, adding more water if needed to keep it loose, but not enough to submerge the meat (which would boil, not braise–shudder). Taste it from time to time, and add more seasoning if needed. The sauce is done with the meat tastes tender, butter, and rich; this takes 60 to 90 minutes. There’s little harm in going a little longer (up to 2 hours) if real life is more interesting. Do a final taste for seasoning, and cook any remaining liquid down to a saucy puddle. Remove from heat; discard the bay leaf and either discard or chop up Parmesan rind & add back to sauce.  Add the cream, and stir to combine.

To finish:

Cook your pasta 1-2 minutes shy of done in well-salted water. Before you drain it, ladle a cup of the pasta water int a glass by the stove. Drain the pasta, and add it directly to the ragu, along with a quarter to a half of the reserved water. Cook the pasta and sauce together until the pasta is as as done as you like it, adding more pasta water if needed to keep it moving. Serve in wide bowls, finished with Parmesan and pepper. 

Ravioli w Vodka sauce & Arugula Salad

• For pasta & sauce: 
• 3 tablespoon Butter
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• ⅓ cup Tomato Paste
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to your spice preference)
• 1 shot Vodka
• ¾ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 cup Parmesan grated and divided
• 2 boxes fresh ravioli (we like Costco chicken & mozzarella ravioli)
• 2 balls Fresh Burrata

For salad:

Lemon Dressing

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 4 cups arugula
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Whisk/emulsify dressing ingredients. Combine dressing, arugula, and Parmesan 

 

• Boil a pot of water to cook ravioli.
• Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat then add garlic. Cook down for a few minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned.
• Add tomato paste and chili flakes to the pan and continue stirring until everything is incorporated and the tomato paste has darkened slightly; about 3-4 minutes.
• Now add the vodka and stir vigorously for another 2-3 minutes until the pan has been completely deglazed and the sauce has come together.
  • Turn the heat to medium-low and add heavy cream and stir until incorporated. Let it simmer on low for 3 minutes then add sugar and a pinch of salt followed by ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese and continue stirring until it’s melted. Turn the heat to low and simmer.
  • At this point, the ravioli water should be boiling. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until it starts to float and puff up just slightly.
  • Drain ravioli, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add pasta water as needed until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy! If it still looks dry, add more of the reserved pasta water, little by little, over medium-low heat until the sauce looks silky and smooth.
    Add ravioli and stir to combine. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and arugula salad (either on top of pasta or as a side)

Gracie's Meatball Pie

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/italian-meatball-pie/1d49d8bb-2040-411d-ac39-3f0439a2225a

We made a few substitutions.  Click on link above for original recipe

Ingredients:
9 oz Spaghetti noodles
1 egg

1 Tbs butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
32 frozen bitesized meatballs, thawed
1 can olives, sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1

  Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a large, round, high sided casserole dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.
• 2

  Beat egg and butter in large bowl with fork or wire whisk. Stir in fettuccine and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon mixture into casserole dish, press evenly on bottom and up side of pie plate using back of wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
• 3

  Toss spaghetti sauce, meatballs and olives in large bowl. Spoon meatball mixture into fettuccine crust.
• 4

  Cover with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella & paremesan cheeses. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Goat Cheese & Olive Pasta Salad

https://www.kroger.com/r/pasta-salad-with-arugula-goat-cheese-and-olives-recipe/5e4420a49da07c0b43f60f2b

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs dried dill
• 1 box (16 oz.) rotini pasta, prepared according to package directions
• 1 cup olives, pitted and sliced (we like kalamata)
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
• 2 cups baby arugula, packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Step 1
  In lidded jar, shake together lemon zest and juice, oil, mustard, & seasonings.
• Step 2
  In large mixing bowl, combine pasta, olives, goat cheese, arugula, salt and pepper. Drizzle vinaigrette over; toss until coated.
• Step 3
  Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Baked Spaghetti

https://dinnerthendessert.com/baked-million-dollar-spaghetti/

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti , cooked two minutes shy of directions and drained
• 1 pound chicken Italian sausage (or ground beef)
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic , minced
• chopped veggies of choice (optional~we used 1 small zucchini, 1 head chopped spinach, and 1 jar sliced olives~mushrooms, eggplant, peppers would also be good)
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper)
• 32 oz jar Marinara Sauce
• 8 ounces cream cheese , softened (goat cheese, ricotta, or other soft cheeses are also good~sometimes I use a mix of all to get rid of things in the fridge)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we like a sprinkle of parmesan too)
• parsley , chopped (optional as a garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet add the sausage,onions, & garlic into the pan and cook thoroughly.  
3. Once browned, turn off the heat, drain the liquid left in the pan and transfer to a mixing bowl.  Then mix in one cup of the marinara sauce.
4. Iff using veggies, saute veggies in the pan for 5 minutes until softened. Add the remaining marinara sauce.
5. Add the cooked spaghetti to the marinara sauce mixture and toss to combine.
6. Mix the cream cheese and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
7. Add half the pasta/sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
8. Add the cream cheese mixture and top with the remaining pasta/sauce mixture.
9. Add the meat sauce mixture on top of the pasta and top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.
10. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
11. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

https://www.budgetbytes.com/ravioli-with-sage-brown-butter-sauce-spinach-and-walnuts/

Our recipe is loosely based off this one (Keith and I like it just as is, but the kids' tastes have made some adjustments)

• 9 oz. ravioli or tortellini
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup nuts (cashews are the kids' preference)
• 4 Tbsp butter 
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 lb. fresh spinach (or broccoli rabe or peas)
• toppings to taste~Gracie likes some lemon juice and lemon zest sprinkled on top, Kenny likes a dollop of pesto, Keith and I like some red pepper and grated parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS

• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the ravioli. Once boiling, add the ravioli and cook until tender (check package for specific cooking times, as this can vary with the ravioli size or whether it is fresh or dried). Once cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the ravioli in a colander.
• While the ravioli is cooking, prepare the rest of the dish. Mince the garlic and chop the nuts before you begin the sage brown butter sauce, since the sauce cooks very quickly.
• Add the butter to a large skillet and melt it over medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Once the butter begins to sizzle and becomes foamy (about 2-3 minutes), add the minced garlic and chopped nuts. Continue to stir and cook over medium-low heat until the sediment in the skillet turns deep golden brown (about 3-5 minutes). Once it becomes browned, remove it from the heat, and stir in the dried sage.
• Add the spinach and the 1/4 cup reserved ravioli cooking water to the skillet. Return the skillet to low heat, and stir until the spinach is wilted (about 2 minutes). Taste the spinach and add salt to taste. Finally, add the cooked and drained ravioli to the skillet with the spinach and sage brown butter sauce, then toss to coat.
• Serve the ravioli with toppings as desired.

One Pot Creamy Noodles with Bacon & Peas

https://www.noyolks.com/en-us/recipes/videos/24039/One-PotCreamyNoodleswithBaconandPeas.aspx

Love this one with a protein (leftover grilled chicken pieces, shrimp, etc)

Ingredients:

8 ozbacon, diced

12 ozNo Yolks® Extra Broad Noodles

2 cupsdiced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

3 1/2 cupslow sodium chicken broth (some white wine is good too)

3/4 cuphalf and half

1 cupfrozen peas
2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cupgrated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsplemon juice

 salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1.  Heat large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate; set aside.

2.  Discard all but 2 tablespoons of grease. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and tender. Add garlic and quickly saute.

3.  Add broth, half and half, and uncooked noodles to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stir occasionally while simmering.

4.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add peas, spinach, Parmesan, bacon and lemon juice to skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 8

Easy Peas-y Lemon Squeezy Pasta Primavera

1/2 pound whole wheat fettucine (or pasta of your choice)
1 cup frozen peas
1 carton broccoli slaw mix
1 lemon (zested & juiced ~1/4 cup)
1 tsp dried dill
2 Tbs pesto
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half & half

Add cooked protein of choice~diced chicken, shrimp, etc

Boil water & cook pasta to al dente.  Add peas last 30 seconds of cooking.  Drain well.
Saute broccoli slaw in large pot until softened (~5 minutes)
Mix together lemon juice through half & half.
Add pasta & peas to broccoli slaw in pan.  Stir well.  Pour lemon juice mixture over top and cook x 10 minutes of medium heat, stirring frequently.

Serve with protein of choice or a bit of shredded parmesan or goat cheese over top.

PW's Easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/05/quick-and-easy-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Pasta Of Your Choice (I Prefer Short Ones Like Rigatoni, Penne, Etc.)
• 4 Tablespoons Butter or a drizzle of olive oil
• 1/2 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 jar (15.5 Ounces) Roasted Red Peppers, Drained And Roughly Chopped
• 1 1/2 cup Vegetable Or Chicken Broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper and maybe a shake of red pepper or hot sauce if the kids aren't around....
• 4 Tbs Goat cheese (or cream cheese or even half & half in a pinch)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)
•  Finely Minced Parsley or Chopped Fresh Basil (if You Have It!)

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter or a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)

Heat the other 2 tablespoon butter or a drizzle of olive oil back to the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet. Add the broth, salt, and pepper, and stir until heated. Crumble in goat cheese (or the substitute you are using) stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add Parmesan and parsley/basil, then stir it together to coat the pasta.

Serve in bowls with extra Parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley on top.

Crockpot Pasta bake

http://littlefellows.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-crockpot-meal-ive-tried-yet.html

1 bag of frozen/refrigerated tortellini/ravioli (we really like the mushroom ravioli from safeway)
4 cups fresh spinach
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained 
1 clove garlic, minced
 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
2 cups or chicken broth
8 oz neufchatel cream cheese
1 lb. chicken sausage

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot,
chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

Spaetzle/Egg Noodles

These are SO good in chicken noodle soup

2 Tbs milk
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 cups (and a bit) of sifted flour

I just use my Kitchenaid mixer but I'm sure you could do this by hand if you wanted to be authentic:
Beat together milk and eggs
Once well mixed, add salt and sift in flour.  Start with 2 cups and mix together.  Add flour as needed to make a soft but not sticky dough (I usually use another 1/4 cup or so to get the right consistency)

If you're making true spaetzle, plop dough into a colander with wide holes and use the back of a big spoon to push dough through holes into a pot of boiling water.  Boil for about 10 minutes then drain and serve with desired toppings.

I use this dough for soup/as wide egg noodles mostly.  Roll dough out on a well floured surface to desired thickness.  Use a pizza cutter to cut into wide noodles (or whatever shape floats your boat)  Let sit for 20 minutes then plop them into your chicken soup.  They take about 10 minutes to cook in the soup but are even better as left overs the next day.

Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta

From Pampered Chef

1 pound chicken breasts, diced

2 Tbs olive oil, divided

salt & pepper (& a dash of lemon pepper)

1 lemon (zest for 1 Tbs & juice for 3 Tbs)

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken stock

1/2 medium onion, chopped

12 oz uncooked angel hair pasta

2 oz cream cheese

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained

1/4 cup capers

handful of chopped fresh parsley & grated parmesan cheese

Marinate chicken in 1 Tbs olive oil, salt, pepper, & a dash of lemon pepper while prepping other ingredients.

Saute chicken in remaining 1 Tbs of olive oil until browned/chicken cooked through. Add chopped onion & garlic & saute until softened.

In a separate pan, boil broth and pasta uncovered 7-8 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Add lemon zest & juice & cream cheese and stir until blended.

Add chicken mixture, artichokes, & capers to pan & cook 1-2 minutes until heated through.

Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and parmesan cheese.

Creamy Broccoli & Sundried Tomato Orzotto

Pampered Chef Recipe

This is easily a main course with some chopped chicken stirred in with the veggies.

1 medium onion, chopped

3 minced cloves garlic

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup white wine

8 oz jar sundried tomatoes in oil, drained & chopped

2 cups (1 head) chopped broccoli

2 oz shredded parmesan cheese

6 oz mascarpone cheese

handful chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil over medium high heat & saute garlic & onion until fragrant. Stir in orzo, chicken broth, and wine. Cook, uncovered, 14-16 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender.

Stir in tomatoes & broccoli. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 5 minutes.

Add cheeses & stir well.

Serve with a sprinkle of parsley.

Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/fresh-gnocchi-with-mushroom-cream-sauce/

This recipe holds a lot of nostalgia. Keith & I had a favorite Italian restaurant in Virginia that made an amazing gnocchi with mushroom sauce. I had it the night Keith proposed :)

If I'm feeling really sentimental, I serve it with Spinach salad with Warm Bacon Balsamic Dressing

• 1 package gnocchi
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 teaspoon Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chives, Diced
• ½ teaspoons Dried Thyme
• 2-½ cups Sliced Mushrooms (if you want to indulge, get the fancy exotic mix. Otherwise, cremini are fine)
• 1 cup Vegetable Stock
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Preparation Instructions

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of salted, boiling water, per package directions. Drain the gnocchi from the water and lightly toss in oil. Set aside until sauce is ready.

Melt butter in a large saucepan with olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, chives, thyme and mushrooms and cook until tender. Add stock and heat on medium-high. Once the stock comes to a slow boil, reduce head and add cream. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add gnocchi and heat until warmed through. Toss in cheese, ensuring the gnocchi is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with additional chives and enjoy!