Penne alla Vodka

Tags

basil, Italian, pasta, tomato, vodka

Vodka with dinner? Yes please! Hehe. Add in pasta and it makes it that much better! 🙂 I’ve always eyed the jars of vodka sauce in the grocery store, curious about what it really was. It just seems odd to add something such as vodka to a pasta sauce. But much to my surprise, it is awesome! And I’ve made it twice now in the last couple of weeks. It’s fast and easy, and really good. It has a little kick from the red pepper flakes, with a little bite from the remaining vodka. It’s a perfect way to jazz up spaghetti night at home!One Year Ago: Morning Harvest Muffins and Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

Penne alla Vodka

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ small onion, minced (about ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt
⅓cup vodka
½ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 pound penne, or desired pasta shape
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, until just shy of al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, add half of the tomatoes to your food processor and pulse until smooth. Dice the remaining tomatoes into ½-inch pieces. In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the diced and pureed tomatoes and add the reserved tomato liquid until the total measures 2 cups.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add in the onion and tomato paste, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the tomatoes and salt; take the pan off of the heat and add the vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer until the alcohol flavor is mostly cooked off, about 8 to 10 minutes; stir constantly, lowering the heat if needed to maintain a simmer. Stir in the cream and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Add the pasta back to the large pot; pour the sauce over the pasta, and toss over medium heat until the pasta absorbs some of sauce, about 1-2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water as needed. Stir in the basil and season to taste with additional salt, if necessary. Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Source: Tracey’s Culinary Adventures via Cook’s Illustrated

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Eggplant Parmesan

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basil, breadcrumbs, Cook's Illustrated, eggplant, garlic, Italian, tomato

I’m a little late in getting in the Christmas spirit. I’m still trying to get there, and am starting to feel like I’m really running behind. I’ve just now sort of started my Christmas shopping, and in terms of Christmas baking… well, I have ideas and plans, so now I just need to motivation and spirit to get started! Hopefully soon. 🙂

In the meantime, it is super cold  here. Not compared to places where it snows and whatnot, but it’s cold for my area, and it’s very cold to work outdoors in! It’s times like this that warm comfort food is perfect. And for me, at least, Eggplant Parmesan fits that bill. It’s my favorite Italian dish of all times. Yes, it is a little time consuming with multiple steps and components, but so worth it! Especially since this recipe is baked instead of fried, so it’s healthier than your standard Eggplant Parmesan, and certainly doesn’t lack in flavor like some healthier alternatives sometimes do.

Salting the eggplant helps remove some of the bitterness from the eggplant, and remove some excess liquid so you don’t end up with watery Eggplant Parmesan. You make your own simple sauce, which could be skipped to make things a little simpler if desired. And the really unique thing about this recipe is that you leave edges of the eggplant exposed while baking it, so it doesn’t end up all soggy and mushy, but instead has some crunch to it! Gotta love a variety of textures! I serve it alongside some spaghetti with tomato sauce, olive oil and garlic, or butter and Parmesan to keep things simple and purely Italian! 🙂 Enjoy!Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant:
2 pounds globe eggplant, cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
8 slices high-quality white bread, torn into quarters
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce)
10 fresh basil leaves torn, for garnish

To prepare the eggplant: Toss half of eggplant slices and 1½ teaspoons kosher salt in large bowl until combined; transfer salted eggplant to large colander set over bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant and kosher salt, adding second batch to colander. Let stand until eggplant releases about 2 tablespoons liquid, 30 to 45 minutes. Arrange eggplant slices on a triple layer of paper towels; cover with another triple layer paper towels. Firmly press each slice to remove as much liquid as possible, then wipe off excess salt.

While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Pulse bread in food processor to fine, even crumbs, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to pie plate and stir in 1 cup Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in large zipper-lock bag; shake to combine. Lightly whisk eggs in a second pie plate. Place 8 to 10 eggplant slices in bag with flour; seal bag and shake to coat eggplant. Remove eggplant slices, shaking off excess flour, then dip in eggs and let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; set breaded slices on wire rack. Repeat with remaining eggplant.

Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet, tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place breaded eggplant on the sheets in a single layer; bake about 30 minutes, until eggplant is well browned and crisp, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

To make the tomato sauce: While eggplant bakes, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is light golden and fragrant; stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit. Spread 1 cup sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Layer remaining eggplant and dot with 1 cup sauce, leaving majority of eggplant exposed so it will remain crisp. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 degrees F for 13 to 15 minutes, until bubbling and cheese is browned. Cool 10 minutes; scatter basil over top, and serve, passing remaining tomato sauce separately.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated January 2004

Italian Meatloaf

Tags

basil, beef, Parmesan, tomato

Meatloaf is a pretty generic food, one that most people tend to dislike. I’m not sure why, because I’ve always been a fan of it, but maybe I’m part of the minority in that sense! To me, meatloaf is another comfort food. It’s perfect served up with some macaroni and cheese or fettuccine, and it’s time in the oven helps to heat my apartment! It’s always fun to find a twist on a classic, though, and this is an amazing twist! I found the recipe on a leaflet on a bottle of sun-dried tomatoes. It sounded super tasty, so I decided to take the recipe and run with it, and basically create my own Italian meatloaf. If you like sneaking vegetables into food, now is your chance! Finely chopped onions and carrots, and maybe even celery, would go great in here. Sun-dried tomatoes add a nice kick in every bite, and adding cheese and wine always makes Italian food taste better! 🙂 Italian Meatloaf

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
¾ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
⅓ cup ketchup
¾ cup red wine
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup dried basil
¼ cup dried oregano

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, using your hands to mix it thoroughly. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan. Cook for 70 minutes or until cooked through.

Source: Adapted from Recipe Source

Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and Brie

Tags

basil, cheese, dip, garlic, seafood, shrimp

You have to love when you find a recipe that you know will be good. Every single ingredient is delicious, and together they sound perfectly divine. When I came across this recipe, I knew it was love. After I was done drooling, I bookmarked it and thankfully I managed to not forget I had saved it, even a couple weeks later. So when I finally tried it, oh yum! Even my husband sounded enthusiastic about how good it was, and he’s normally one of those people who says “good” all doubtful sounding so it’s hard to tell if he’s actually pleased with the food or not.This makes a great light dinner, or a tasty appetizer, and is so easy to make! Everything pretty much goes under the broiler for a little bit and it’s all done. The end result is delicious shrimp with herbs, tomatoes and melted cheese, along with a buttery wine broth perfect for dipping bread.Broiled Shrimp with Tomatoes and Brie

1 pound raw, peeled, deveined shrimp
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup dry white wine
4 to 5-ounces soft brie cheese, cut into chunks with rind removed
¼ cup basil, some chopped and some left whole, divided
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Crusty bread for serving

Preheat broiler of your oven

Spray a broiler-safe baking dish with non-stick spray.  Make sure shrimp are completely dry and season liberally with salt and pepper then add to the dish, laying them flat and in a single layer. Scatter tomatoes, butter chunks, garlic and some parsley and basil (reserving some for garnish); add wine. Place dish directly under the broiler and broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp appear to be pink in color. Remove dish from oven and sprinkle cheese chunks over top. Place back in the oven and broil for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool, then sprinkle additional basil and fresh parsley on top. Serve while still warm with crusty bread for dipping.

Source: Slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

Checca Sauce

Tags

basil, garlic, Italian, pasta, sauce, tomato

I don’t care if the weather people say this isn’t a hot summer. If you had to work outside in it, you’d think it’s a hot summer, too! Therefore, I continue to try and find good summer recipes. Even though I still feel a need to bake and use the oven… and yes, I know I contradict myself right there, but I still need my sweets. 🙂

This is one of the simplest pasta sauces, and has become a regular for me whenever tomatoes are in season. Plus, no heat required. Always a good thing as the heat of summer continues! Combine the sweetness of tomatoes, the saltiness of Parmesan, the creaminess of mozzarella, and the pungent kick of garlic to make a deliciously simple sauce to top any pasta. An angel hair or other long stranded pasta would be best, or you can be like me and go for fun shapes! Checca Sauce

4 scallions (white and pale green parts only), coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan, coarsely chopped
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor work bowl fitted with the chopping blade, combine the scallions, garlic, tomatoes, Parmesan, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped, but do not puree. Stir in the fresh mozzarella cubes and season with additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately over hot pasta.

Source: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis