Another Two Pasta Day

Yesterday I was flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks ( I say that a lot, I know- I love them all), Faye Levy's latest Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy these recipes, I assure you. I was looking for a soup recipe, something different to add to our winter repertoire (I finally have my Honey enjoying soup) and came across this one that sounded interesting ... and Presto Pasta Night friendly too.

Yemenite Red Lentil Soup with Noodles & Tomatoes

It's very easy to make - five minutes of work, 30-40 minutes of smelling the wonderful aroma of cumin and turmeric doing their work. Thick and smooth with a glorious kick from the cayenne pepper you see sprinkled on top. It's perfect for the weather.

And then I discovered this recipe that intrigued me....

Persian Saffron Spiced Yellow Split Pea Pasta

First, let me say, although the name here doesn't, this gorgeous, vibrant orange pasta dish has a healthy dose of ground lamb. That's what really caught my attention. That and the cinnamon and saffron threads. I love spaghetti and meat sauce....Bucatini Bolognese with lots of mushrooms and big fat noodles, or the two different ones in my own cookbook - one from Grandma Hazel and the other from Grandma Dolly - both delicious and yet a little different.

No matter where or when I've eaten spaghetti with meat sauce - it's always been red and I always sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and red chili pepper flakes. This one is unique and I guarantee it will surprise you. First and foremost...it's golden orangey yellow in color, second it's sweet and definitely Middle Eastern in flavor. The cinnamon and saffron delicately transport you there.

Don't forget...you still have some time to send me your pasta recipe for the big Presto Pasta Night #100 that I'll be posting tomorrow. Thanks to those of you who've already sent in your fantastic dishes. It's certainly going to be a spectacular event!

Pasta #3 for Presto Pasta Night #100

The truth is...my heart skipped a few beats when I flipped through the latest issue of Delicious - Australia and I saw their recipe for spaghetti with garlic butter, bacon and prawns. I was absolutely drooling by the time I got home and made my own variation.

Farfalle with Garlic Butter Shrimp & Pancetta

When I was a kid, my dad would take the family out for special occasion dinners , often to a swanky seafood restaurant called Neptune's... no longer in existence anywhere but my memory. The waiter made the Caesar Salad in a large wooden bowl right at our table and my all time favorite dish was Garlic Scampi served on rice. It didn't matter what else was on the menu.

And what could be more special than Presto Pasta Night hitting the big 100! So what are you bringing to the big party? You still have a couple of days to send me your entries. Just email all the details to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com. And remember, if you don't have your own blog, just send me the recipe and I'll post it on my site.

Special Presto Pasta Night 100 Image

I don't normally double post, but I think this time I can be forgiven. It is a special week for me - 100 Presto Pasta Night Roundups is nothing to sneeze at. In case you don't visit Presto Pasta Nights often....

I hope you all join me in making this week truly spectacular. Fireworks seems like an appropriate backdrop for the Presto Pasta Night big 100th post celebration. Feel free to use the logo if you like when you post your entry.

Please post your recipes on your blog, mention and link to Presto Pasta Nights . If you don't have a blog - no worries - email your favorite pasta recipe to me directly and I'll post them on Once Upon a Feast and add them to the roundup....Oh...and as if that's not enough of a request...Spread the word - tell all your friends to do the same. Email: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Norene's Penne al Pesto Jardiniere for Presto Pasta

Norene Gilletz is one of my favorite people. I've written about her and her delicious dishes often. They've graced my table at just about every family gathering over the years. In fact, I did a search for past posts here and came up with no fewer than 8. Her website is packed with information, including lots of recipes. I even found one for Herbed Passover Noodles that I will definitely be making this Passover.

Needless to say, I'm excited that she has graciously shared a recipe from one of her earlier books for the big Presto Pasta Night 100 Celebration this Friday.

PENNE AL PESTO JARDINIERE
Source: Healthy Helpings (Whitecap) by Norene Gilletz

The starchy cooking liquid binds with the cheese to thicken the sauce. So pretty with 3-color pasta!

1 lb. penne (ziti, fusilli or rotini can be used)
1 onion, halved & cut in strips
4 peppers, (green, red, yellow &/or orange), halved, seeded & cut in strips
2 zucchini, cut in strips
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
3–4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. fresh basil, finely chopped
1 1/2 – 2 c. tomato sauce (bottled or homemade)
1 chopped tomato, to garnish
Parmesan cheese, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare vegetables and place on a sprayed (or non-stick) baking sheet. Add garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and mix well. Roast vegetables uncovered at 425 F for 20 minutes, until nicely browned.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, about 10 minutes, until al dente. Ladle out a little of the cooking liquid just before draining pasta. Drain pasta but do not rinse.

3. Return pasta to saucepan. Add Parmesan, basil and about 1/4 cup of reserved cooking liquid; mix well. Add tomato sauce and roasted vegetables. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cook briefly, just until heated through. Garnish with diced tomato and sprinkle with a light dusting of Parmesan cheese, if desired. Great hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 main dish servings. Reheats well. If frozen, vegetables may lose some of their texture.

267 calories per serving, 4.6 g fat (1.1 g saturated), 3 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 342 mg sodium, 434 mg potassium, 3 mg iron, 4 g fiber, 77 mg calcium.

• Penne with Roasted Vegetable Purée:
In Step 2, reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid from pasta. In Step 3, process 2 cups of the roasted vegetables until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of reserved cooking liquid to thin the mixture; process briefly. (If necessary, add a little more liquid.) Stir purée into pasta along with remaining ingredients. (This is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!)

A very big THANK YOU, Norene!

If you have a recipe that you would like to share, please email it to me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot)com. Those of you with blogs of your own, send me the link and a mention of Presto Pasta Nights. As my niece Katie used to say when she was little...."only three more sleeps" to the big roundup on Friday.

No Pasta Tonight

The magazine is open to the right page. The garlic, fresh basil and butter are sitting on the counter. The shrimps are in the freezer and the pancetta in the fridge, but tonight's pasta is on hold.

Why...you ask? Because I'm a genius. First let me say that it is -7C (19F) with a windchill of -25C(-13F) and yes it matters if you have to leave your windows open. So who in their right mind would do something that forces you to leave the windows open? That would be me. I chose today to stain my bookcase. I definitely need more shelves in the living room...all those cookbooks and food magazines in piles on the floor are driving me mad. We did some furniture rearranging on the weekend and now I can't stop myself.

By tomorrow, I'll be a happy lady and perhaps by the weekend, I'll even have everything set up. But tonight, I have that polyurethane film lining my nose and that's all I can smell.

So tonight's dinner....Choc Chip Chili from the freezer. Hopefully the robust flavors will make it past the poly smell.

Don't forget to send me your entry for the 100 Presto Pasta Night Celebration by Thursday. Just email the recipe if you don't have a blog of your own and I'll post it for you. Email: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com. And don't forget to tell your friends to join in the fun too.

Mediterranean Inspired Pasta for a Winter Escape

I did mention yesterday that I would be making pasta every day this week to inspire all of you to share your pasta recipes with me for the big...make that GIANT Presto Pasta Night Celebration this coming Friday. 100 weekly roundups is an accomplishment, and I couldn't have done it without all you pasta loving fans out there. Don't forget to send me your recipes for the big night...even if you don't have a blog! Just send me an email with the full recipe and I'll post them for you email: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

I didn't expect to actually eat pasta TWICE in one day, but last night I made this very tasty dish inspired by the back cover of the latest issue of Fine Cooking .

Naturally I changed things up a bit...I left out the proscuitto because I made this as a side dish for some salmon that I purchased before the brilliant plan to cook pasta every day this week. I didn't like that recipe as much as I thought I would, so...no sharing here. I think it would have worked better if I just roasted it with tons of herbs & spritzed with some lemon juice.

Although I was in a grocery store, I forgot to buy some grape tomatoes...oh well. That actually inspired me to make this more Mediterranean (at least to me) using preserved lemons, more of those tasty sun dried olives I seem to be addicted to, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil - I like them better than dry dried. Is that a real term, or did I just make it up? You know what I mean.

In my normal world, I would see this as a summer dish. Of course then I would be whining that it's too hot to boil a huge pot of water or heat my oven, so perhaps it really is perfect on a cold wintery day to at least bring the thought of summer to the table, or the fantasy that I'm heading off to the Mediterranean where it's warmer than here.

Mediterranean Inspired Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Olives, Preserved Lemons & Arugula

(long enough title for you? but each ingredient is a star)

Don't forget to come to the big 100th Presto Pasta Night Party with your tasty pastas. Send your entries to me to join the fun. Email: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com