Category: Passionate Dishes For Your Valentine

Pasta Puttanesca

2/1/2022

Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 ounces anchovy fillets, drained or anchovy paste
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
3 Tbs capers, rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
A few grinds black pepper
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 pound dry spaghetti
Cold water to cover
1 teaspoon coarse salt

grated cheese for passing

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat with the oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Sauté the mixture until anchovies melt into the oil and completely dissolve and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add olives, capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Heat the sauce until it bubbles then reduce the heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Prepare the pasta while the sauce is simmering. Combine pasta, water to cover and salt in a 3-quart, high-sided saute pan. (Water should just barely cover pasta). Cover and set over medium-high heat.
When water reaches a boil, remove the lid and decrease heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Stir the pasta every minute or so, making sure the ends of the noodles stay submerged and that they aren't sticking together. Add more water as needed to keep it submerged. Drain when cooked and serve with the sauce. Pass grated cheese on the side.

*Low-carb Pasta Substitution:

1-2 packages Shirataki Noodles-drain, rinse, dry-fry to remove extra moisture (3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally).
Roasted spaghetti squash

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Magic Chocolate Mousse

4/17/2021

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I cannot take credit for this incredibly delicious and easy chocolate mousse recipe. This recipe appears on my favorite recipe website Food52. Follow this link to read how this amazing recipe came to be.

Serves 4
3/4 cup (6 ounces) water
8 ounces chocolate (we used 70% bittersweet — choose a high-quality chocolate you love)
ice cubes
whipped cream for topping (optional)
Optional flavoring:brewed espresso, orange liqueur, raspberry liqueur, orange bitters, brewed Earl Grey Tea,

Simply pour water into a saucepan (which will be improved from the gastronomic point of view if it is flavored with orange juice, for example, or cassis puree). Then, over medium-low heat, whisk in the chocolate. The result is a homogenous sauce.
Put the saucepan in a bowl partly filled with ice cubes (or pour into another bowl over the ice—it will chill faster), then whisk the chocolate sauce, either manually with a whisk or with an electric mixer (if using an electric mixer, watch closely—it will thicken faster). Whisking creates large air bubbles in the sauce, which steadily thickens. After awhile strands of chocolate form inside the loops of the whisk. The whipped chocolate should look like soft pudding. Pour or spoon immediately into ramekins, small bowls or jars and let set. Top with whipped cream and serve.

Flavoring your mousse:
Replace some water with an equal amount of the optional flavoring listed above. Try different flavored liqueurs or tea. I often replace 2 ounces of water with 2 ounces of orange liqueur. If you are using the bitters, add 3-4 drops.

Note: Three things can go wrong. Here's how to fix them.

If your chocolate doesn't contain enough fat, melt the mixture again, add some chocolate, and then whisk it again.
If the mousse is not light enough, melt the mixture again, add some water, and whisk it once more.
If you whisk it too much, so that it becomes grainy, this means that the foam has turned into an emulsion. In that case simply melt the mixture and whisk it again, adding nothing.

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Sausage and Shrimp Fra Diavolo

3/4/2021

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Serves 4

½ pound angel hair pasta
1 pound Andouille-style sausage (or other spicy, cured sausage), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, slice thin
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 24-ounce bottled tomato sauce (or 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes and 1 6-ounce can tomato paste)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 pound 26-30 sized raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ cup fresh flat-leafed parsley, chopped
Kosher salt ground pepper to taste
Parmegiano Reggiano, freshly grated

To cook the pasta, bring a large sauté pan filled halfway with water to a boil with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring occasionally, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 6-8 minutes. You will see that the pasta will absorb most of the water and the water will become cloudy with the starch from the pasta. Plan to use some of the leftover water to add to your sauce if you like.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large sauté pan with the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage, onion, and garlic slices. Cook stirring occasionally until the sausage is lightly browned and the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and red-pepper flakes. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and continue to cook, covered, just until the shrimp are opaque, about 4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce with ½ to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired. Cook for 1 minute to allow the pasta to absorb the flavorful sauce. Turn off the heat and add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with parmesan cheese on the side.

Variations:

For a low carb version, serve with cooked spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles instead of pasta
Cook sliced mushrooms with the sausage and onions.
Add black olives (kalamata or oil cured) and/or capers with the diced tomatoes
Add canned artichoke hearts with the diced tomatoes

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Roasted Beet Salad

2/10/2021

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Serves 2-4
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
4 beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes ( to save time, you can purchase Loves cooked beets from the produce section at your grocery store.
2-4 ounces baby arugula or other salad greens-radicchio or shaved red cabbage would be beautiful too!
¼ of small red onion, sliced thinly
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or chopped pistachios

Put the vinegar and olive oil in a jar with a cover. Shake to combine.
Heat oven to 400° F. Place cut beets into pan or in a casserole dish, drizzle with a bit of oil, add a splash of water, cover with foil and roast until tender (about 45 minutes). Cool. If using already cooked beets, cut them into cubes and put them under the broiler and cook until they brown up a bit-about 5-8 minutes.
Place the beets in a large mixing bowl. Toss with half of the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the arugula in a separate bowl and toss it with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the arugula on a serving platter or individual plates and then arrange the beets, red onion slices, and pumpkin seeds on top. Serve.

Note: this salad is wonderful with warm beets too!

Additions:
Orange segments-add on top to keep the color bright.
Feta, cheddar cheese curds, or goat cheese-use as garnish
Toasted croutons
Capers
Cooked shrimp, scallops, steak, or lamb

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Roasted Fruit on Mascarpone Toast

2/9/2021

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Serves 4
2 cups hulled strawberries, cut in half
2 cups dark purple grapes
1 dark purple plum, cut into 8 wedges
1 small orange, cut into 4 wedges
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
Four slices of artisan bread, cut in half and toasted
1 cup mascarpone cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
Spread the fruit out on the baking pan in a single layer, drizzle the butter and the honey over the fruit. Sprinkle with salt. Place the pan into the oven.
Roast the fruit for about 15-20 minutes, the fruit should soften and the juices should mingle with the butter and honey on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and cover to keep warm.
Spread each piece of toasted bread with mascarpone cheese. Leave a depression in down the middle of the cheese. Spoon the roasted fruit onto the center of the cheese. Squeeze the orange onto the fruit. Sprinkle with pistachios. Serve warm.

The roasted fruit can be covered and warmed up to serve.

Other fruit combination:
Black plums, pears, peaches, black grapes
Peaches, strawberries, blackberries
Pineapple, banana, strawberries
Figs, peaches, grapes

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Red Wine Pasta with Pancetta

2/9/2021

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Serves 6 entree, 8 appetizer

1-pound thick spaghetti, dry
1 bottle red wine-table wine-not too dry
1-tsp sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ pound pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup flat leafed parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup freshly grated Italian table cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling on the finished pasta

Fill a large cooking pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 2 Tbs of kosher salt and the dry spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes (pasta will not be fully cooked). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta in colander and return empty pot to stovetop. Dry it with a towel if wet.
Heat oil in the dry pasta pot. Add the pancetta pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain.
Add the crushed red pepper and the garlic to the fat in the pot and cook over low heat. Cook the garlic until it begins to turn light brown on the edges, about 2 minutes.
Add the bottle of wine and the sugar to the garlic in the pot, raise the heat and boil vigorously 2 minutes.
Add the partially cooked pasta. Gently stir with tongs until coated and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the wine is absorbed, about 6 minutes (pasta will be al dente). Use some of the reserved pasta water if the pan becomes dry.
Add the chopped parsley, grated cheese, the salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with the reserved pancetta. Serve immediately.

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Pasta Puttanesca

Magic Chocolate Mousse

Sausage and Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Roasted Beet Salad

Roasted Fruit on Mascarpone Toast

Red Wine Pasta with Pancetta

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