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Posts Tagged ‘spaghetti’

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Spaghetti con Vongole & Chorizo

In Clams, Pasta, Pork, Recipes, Seafood on February 21, 2014 at 4:49 PM

Spaghetti con Vongole & Chorizo

Spaghetti con Vongole & Chorizo

A few nights ago, Betty made a big platter of her famous Paella Isabella. It served 5 for dinner very nicely. However, not all of the clams and chorizo that we had bought wound up in the paella, which got me thinking about what to do with them the next day.

Having a vague recollection of a pasta dish with clams and pancetta, and thinking about dishes where seafood and pork combine nicely, I decided to experiment with these leftovers. A light tomato sauce, almost a Marechiaro, seemed to be the right approach. Rather than parsley, Betty suggested a little cilantro to finish the dish. It was the right thing to do, and the result was sublime.

(Serves 2, preparation time, 30 minutes)

Ingredients:

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
7 cloves of garlic, minced
2 dozen Littleneck Clams, scrubbed and rinsed
¼ lb. Chorizo, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup of dry white wine
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut-up
½ lb. spaghetti
Chopped cilantro, about 3 tablespoons

Procedure:

1. Boil a large pot of water for the spaghetti.
2. Heat olive oil in a separate pot, about 5 qt. sized.
3. Add the garlic to the oil, and sauté lightly; do not let it burn.
4. Add the wine and bring to a boil.
5. Add the clams and cover the pot.
6. After about 2 or 3 minutes, add the tomatoes and chorizo.
7. When clams begin to steam open, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to directions.
8. Once most of the clams have opened, to avoid over-cooking them, remove them to a bowl while the sauce continues to boil and thicken, and until the spaghetti is done.
9. When the spaghetti is al dente to the taste, drain it and add it to the sauce.
10. Transfer the spaghetti and sauce to a large serving bowl, add the clams and garnish with cilantro.
11. Serve immediately.
12. Feel free to add grated pecorino-romano cheese, if so desired.

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Mussels Marinara with Spaghetti alla Luigi

In Guest Chefs, Mussels, Pasta, Recipes, Seafood on July 28, 2013 at 11:21 AM

Ingredients for Mussels Marinara

(Preparation Time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 15 minutes – Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 dozen mussels, rinsed and de-bearded if necessary
2 28 oz. cans of San Marzano tomatoes. Cut up and drained
1/2 cup cognac
1/2 lb. spaghetti
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsps. unsalted butter
I Jalapeño pepper, sliced
1 &1/2 tbsps. garlic, minced. About 4 good sized cloves.
Fresh basil chopped., about 1 cup
1 cube of Knorr Caldo con Sabor de Camarón (Shrimp Flavor Bouillon)*

* omit, if desired

Procedure:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil for the spaghetti.  When the water comes to a boil, add a bit of salt and cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to instructions on the package
2. In the meantime heat the oil in in a large sauté pan, add garlic and jalapeño and cook briefly until garlic is translucent, add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. Melt butter in a 3 qt. pot with a cover. When melted, add cognac and bring to a boil. Add the Shrimp Bouillon cube and stir well.
4. When the cube has disintegrated, add the mussels, cover and steam until all are opened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook.
5. When the mussels are all open, transfer them and all of the liquid to the pan with the marinara, lower the heat and continue cooking until the spaghetti is ready.
6. Drain spaghetti, add it to the mussels in marinara, add basil stir mix well serve.

Mussels Marinara with Spaghetti alla Luigi

Mussels Marinara with Spaghetti alla Luigi

Please see: Luigi the Barber

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Spaghetti with Del Monte Sauce

In For Moms on the Go, Pasta, Recipes on April 9, 2011 at 3:06 PM

Ingredients:

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2 12 oz. cans of Del Monte tomato sauce
1 pound of spaghetti
Kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground Locatelli Romano cheese
Dorothea’s Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce

Steps:

1.    Fill a six quart pot with water and bring to a boil.
2.    In the meantime, pre-heat a mid-sized sauté pan on medium then add the ¼ cup of olive oil.
3.    When the oil is shimmering add the garlic, sauté until it becomes light gold in color.
4.    Add the oregano and stir quickly.
5.    Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato sauce, return heat to high and bring to a boil.
6.    When the water is at a full boil, add a dash of kosher salt or sea salt plus the tablespoon of olive oil.
7.    Add the spaghetti and cook according to the instructions on the box.
8.    After tasting the spaghetti to determine if it is al dente, drain it in a colander.
9.    Transfer the sauce to the large pot, return the spaghetti and mix thoroughly.
10.    Serve in bowls for people to add their own grated Locatelli Romano cheese and Dorothea’s Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce.

Note: This quick, easy to prepare dish is best accompanied by a simple salad with Homemade Italian Dressing, a loaf of fresh, crusty, Italian bread and a bottle of Chianti Classico.

Please see Pasta Memories

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Pasta Memories

In General Articles on April 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM

My earliest Pasta Memory, one filled with nostalgia for the simpler times in life, is Spaghetti with Del Monte Sauce. This was a ritual many Friday nights in our 3½ room apartment in the Inwood neighborhood of northern Manhattan, when I was growing up in the 1940s and 50s. First came the savory aroma of sliced garlic sautéed in hot olive oil, then the pungency of dried oregano added to the pan, finally the sizzling sound of canned Del Monte tomato sauce as it hit the hot oil and the fragrant aroma of tomato was released into the apartment. With the water for the spaghetti already at a boil, dinner was less than 15 minutes away.

My father, Big Mike, the designated Friday night cook, (he learned to cook from his mother, but I suspect that he perfected this meal while serving with the CCC out West) would sample the macaroni (he never called it ‘pasta’) after about 9 minutes of boiling and announce that it was al dente; that was the signal that we should take our seats at the table. After draining the spaghetti in a colander, (a ‘skoola pasta‘, in the Sicilian dialect he learned from his immigrant mother) he would return it to the pot, mix in the sauce, stir it well and scoop it into bowls. The spaghetti was always accompanied by freshly grated Locatelli Romano cheese, which was to be sprinkled liberally over it, by all. All that is, except my mother, Dorothea, who disdained cheese on her macaroni, as she claimed it detracted from the flavor of the sauce. Instead, she would heap one or two teaspoonfuls of her homemade Hot Pepper Sauce onto her bowl, as if that did not detract from the flavor of the sauce! She then proceeded to cut the spaghetti with a knife and fork and eat it with a spoon, so as to ‘get the spaghetti together with the sauce in one mouthful’.

Big Mike working for the CCC (circa 1934)

After my wife and I married, Spaghetti with Del Monte Sauce became a regular meal in our household, though not every Friday night, as it was quick, easy, inexpensive and delicious. Big Mike had another pasta dish that he enjoyed cooking and eating, and Another of Big Mike’s Favorites was also a regular Friday night dinner.

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