Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Monday, November 18, 2013

Pasta in Burnt Butter

 
Spaghetti in burnt butter is a great Greek dish.   A few years ago I learned to make it with scrambled egg for added protein.  It looked odd at first, but I've made it several times since... It's inexpensive but filling and flavorful. 
 
I have to admit that this recipe is almost too easy. 
But I am posting it so you can remember to add it to your menu planner.  
 

 
 
Boil a water in a large pot.
 
 
 
 
Add a ton of salt.  One of the cooks on The Chew says pasta is Italian and so the water should be like the ocean, salty.



Add a pound of spaghetti. 



As it wilts, stir so it doesn't stick.  Cook for 9 minutes.

 
 
 
Pour the cooked spaghetti in a colander to drain, dry out the pot with a paper towel and  melt 1/2 stick of butter in the pot.  You can also melt the butter in a smaller pot and pour over the plated spaghetti, but I don't like to dirty a pot unnecessarily.    

You can also add minced, crushed (or powdered) garlic for added flavor.



Let it cook, undisturbed, till it browns.




Remove from heat.  Add drained spaghetti to burnt butter and stir.

 
 
Pour 1/2c Parmesan cheese and stir.  You can add 1/4 c crumbled feta or Asiago to make it interesting.  

 
 
Yumm! 




But you don't have to stop here.  You might want to add more protein.  You can sauté shrimp.  Or you can try an omelet. 


Omelet

Scramble an egg and pour into a greased/buttered sauté pan.  Tilt the pan so the egg thins out and covers the bottom. Flip for even cooking.  Cook servings separately or in a large pan so the egg stays thin. 

 
 
Umm, use a nonstick pan so you don't make a mess.  

 
 
 
Add ketchup or  hot sauce and serve with sliced fruit.  Makes a quick, cheap, hot dinner.
 

Monday, April 29, 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Lenten Meal Plan, Week #5



SUN- Briani
 
MON- L/O Spinach and Rice 

TUES- Potato Fritters

WED- Baked Tofu and Rice
 

FRI- Cincinnati Style Chili and Pasta

 
I never did make Lenten Dolmathes.  I'll just wait till the real thing after Lent. 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Toss Up a Pasta and Shrimp Salad

This evening I was tired by dinner time and hunger was creeping in.  I knew my son had been snacking all afternoon so I wasn't worried about what he was going to like and I took a risk.  I threw together this Pasta and Shrimp Salad.

Yes, I am off track with my menu plan.  I have been distracted with the card business and laundry... I don't even know what I was supposed to cook for today.  So glad I had my basic GO TO's on hand.  Elbow Macaroni, frozen shrimp, garden veggies. 


I boiled 1/2 a pound of elbow macaroni for 5 minutes in salted water.  I added ground turmeric, garlic and @ 10 shrimp (which I cut in thirds or half to stretch the portion) to the boiling water and cooked the shrimp.


After I drained the pasta, I cooled it off a bit and then added

Finely chopped:
  • 4 green onions (wish I had red onions)
  • fresh parsley (cilantro would have also worked)
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1/2 seedless cucumber
  • 1/2 c (well drained) crushed pineapple (wish I had chunks)
  • a shredded carrot 
  • (grapes might have gone well in this dish too)

I poured 1/2 c of Asian salad dressing and tossed, as in mixed- not threw away.  It needed more salt so I included a dash of soy sauce.  


 
 
 
 
It was pretty good, if I have to say so myself.  Actually, I do since I was the only one who ate it.  If you try this recipe, you'll have to let me know how you like it. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Pierogies-Possibly Polish for Potatoes and Pasta.

 
This is my quick GO TO dinner.  It's so easy and makes everyone happy.
 
 
 
 
 
Boil water and drop in frozen pierogies.  Cooks in 5 minutes.
 
 

While water is boiling, saute sliced onions, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil.  Season with salt.

With a slotted spoon, remove cooked pierogies from water and add to pan with vegetables. 
Gently stir and serve. 

Monday, April 01, 2013

Small Shells in Clam Sauce

 
 
Just a quick dish I whipped up since I didn't make it to the grocery store today and I didn't have what I need to stay on my Meal Plan. I reached for my Lenten Staples and came out with this delicious dish.
 
 

  • I boiled small shell macaroni in one pot. (Remember I like to have a variety of macaroni in my pantry so I don't get bored with spaghetti.  Any macaroni will do.)  I cooked the whole pound since I knew my son wasn't going to eat what I was making and he'd want some with spaghetti sauce. 
    • Yes, I serve him sauce from the jar once in a while.  He'd pour ketchup over any wonderful dish I served him so I don't mind.  I'm just beating him to the punch.
  • In a small saute pan, I heated up some olive oil, threw in 5 chopped green onions and 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped.  
  • Waited a bit and then added chopped parsley and chopped fresh spinach. 
  • Added a can of chopped clams, with the juice.  Having cracked a tooth last month (on koliva) I am chewing everything on my left side till I can see the dentist next week, so I went ahead and chopped the clams a bit more before I added them to the pan.
  • When the macaroni still had 2 minutes to cook, I scooped 3 ladles full of macaroni with the some water it was boiled in and added it to the pan. 
  • I added another ladle of water from the pot to help the macaroni finish cooking.
  • I dissolved 1 T Corn Starch in 1/4 c warm water (I actually used the can with the clams so I wouldn't get another thing dirty)  I wanted to thicken the sauce.
  • Squeezed a lemon into the mix, careful not to add the seeds, and  gave a few shakes of dried dill. 
  • I let it sit on the stove a bit longer to do it's magic and voila! 
  • The whole dish took 15 minutes. 
It's so yummy!!!