quick

This recipe comes from the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Shane and I just loved it. It’s a quickie as-is, but you can cut your prep time further by purchasing the pre-washed baby spinach that comes in a box or bag, and not chopping it (see note at bottom of recipe).

• Fusili with Ricotta and Spinach •
from Cooks Illustrated Magazine

11oz (1 1/3 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb fusili
1 lb baby spinach* 
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 oz (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese plus more for sprinking

Mix 1 cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Add the baby spinach to the pot with the pasta and stir until wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain pasta and spinach and return them to the pot.

While pasta cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, nutmeg and cayenne in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/3 cup ricotta, cream, lemon zest and juice and 3/4 teaspoon salt until smooth.

Add ricotta-cream mixture and parmesan to the pasta and spinach. Let pasta rest, tossing frequently, until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats pasta, 2-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta cooking water if necessary. Transfer pasta to a serving platter (or leave it in the pot if you’re feeling casual) and dot evenly with reserved ricotta mixture. Serve with additional parmesan for sprinkling.

*The recipe says to chop the spinach, but since I used the little leaves that come in a box, I didn’t chop. This also made it easier for my 6 year old to pick out the dreaded green bits.

I’ve taken to keeping a batch of Marcella’s famous sauce around for nights when I just can’t seem to get my act together, dinner-wise. If we happen to have gnocchi or ravioli in the freezer, served up with Marcella’s sauce you have a perfectly decent meal. If all we’ve got is penne (which we buy by the case at Costco), then it’s nice to have a little ad-hoc pesto on hand too.

Pesto is a great way to use up any fresh herbs in your fridge that might otherwise go bad. I blend said leaves up with whatever nuts we have on hand (almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews all work well) a good amount of olive oil and some parmesan or pecorino cheese. You can throw in a clove or two of garlic if you want too. You really can’t go wrong, especially if you taste along the way. It’ll keep in the fridge for a week or so, and even longer if you freeze in little portions.

How is it possible that I’ve been alive for 42 years and never learned that Thai curry is a cinch to make? This evening, I happened to glance at the back of a can of Thai coconut milk, the recipe I found there was my inspiration. On the back of the can!

Rose whined “Awww, this is restaurant food.” Because at the moment she finds takeout food to be utterly abhorrent. I took the restaurant comment as a compliment. Shane’s rave review was “really good.”

Add coconut milk to skillet and bring to a boil. Add curry paste and brown sugar and stir to combine. Add and simmer until cooked through (cut a piece open to check). Add peas, carrots and bell pepper and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until peas are tender but still bright green. Add basil and fish sauce and stir to combine. Serve over rice.

This is one to bookmark for busy weeknights. Frozen potato  gnocchi (from our local Italian market) with Marcella’s Famous Sauce, a quick pesto, and an easy vegetable side.

The photo shows my plate. Shane mixed his pesto and red sauce, and Rose opted for red sauce only. I like a meal that can please everyone.

It’s helpful to keep a batch of Marcella’s sauce in the freezer whenever possible. It’s also easy to make if you’ve got 3 minutes to bung everything in the pot and 45 minutes to simmer the sauce.

For the pesto, I used the remainder of a bunch of fresh basil, a handful of raw cashews, a pile of grated parmesan, a pinch of salt and several glugs of olive oil and just blended it up.

Zucchini rounds sautéed in butter goes over well in our house, and takes no more than 10 minutes to prep and cook.

Go simple!

Sometimes all you need is pasta with Marcella’s Famous Sauce and some sautéed zucchini.

It was just me and the kids for Valentine’s Day dinner tonight. Shane was out drinking beer and whiskey. I don’t mind, neither of us has ever really gone for the romantic stuff.

Usually we have a red dinner, it’s a family tradition. Since everyone’s a bit pasta-weary, we had heart shaped quesadillas instead. The quesadillas made Rose’s day (well, that plus all the chocolate).

Lots of love to you all.

The cupboard was relatively bare tonight. All we had on hand was pasta, anchovies, and some peppers my Auntie Gail brought over. Fortunately, we also have the internet. Hello Bucatini with Anchovies and Peppers!

If you like anchovies, garlic and red bell peppers, you’ll like this recipe. It is a quickie, 20 minutes start to finish (assuming your kids aren’t having simultaneous meltdowns).