Both of the following sounded good, but turned out just okay. I also wish that I would have cut back the portions just a bit. "Serves 4" has been too much for me lately. Will have to work on that in the coming weeks.
Pasta with Artichokes and Fresh Ricotta (Ckng Lght Apr 09, pg 80) 3.0
I did modify this just a little to make prep simpler and I reflected that in the recipe below. I used frozen-thawed artichokes instead of prepping my own. I tried to find "fresh" ricotta - not certain how "fresh" it actually was but I found a tub of something at Cub in the "specialty cheese" section. I used campanelle pasta because I had some in the drawer. Overall, this was simple to pull to gether, but a bit on the bland side. I found I kept adding salt to bump up the taste factor. I think either some red pepper flakes or a dollup of goat cheese would go a long way in the flavor department.
Pasta with Artichokes and Fresh Ricotta
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pkg frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1-2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups uncooked penne rigate pasta (about 8 ounces tube-shaped pasta or substitute)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add artichokes and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and cook 10 minutes or until artichokes are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, artichoke mixture, pasta, reserved cooking liquid, parsley, and pepper in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Add ricotta in spoonfuls, stirring gently to combine. Spoon 1 1/3 cups pasta mixture into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Noodles with Bamboo Shoots and Shitake Mushrooms (Ckng Lght May 09, 168) 3.0
This recipe really got modified by the time all was said and done. I love Asian noodle dishes, but if I need "hard to find" ingredients (I don't live in an area that carries a lot of Asian ingredients) it doesn't get made. This one I felt I could modify but still keep the essence of the dish.
Well, darn it. I can't find the recipe on-line! It doesn't appear to be posted yet.
Okay, I took ww linguine and cooked it al-dente. It was still a bit uncooked in the center - very important. Set the pasta aside. I then dry-fried firm tofu until nicely browned and set it aside. I added some olive oil to the pan and tossed in one clove of garlic and about a tsp of ginger. To this was added one 4oz pkg of shitake mushrooms and 1 can rinsed and drained bamboo shoots and I sauteed for about 3 minutes. Then I upped the heat slightly and added 1/2 cup of sherry (amontillado) and let it reduce. Then I added 1 cup of vegetable broth and about 1 tsp of siracha chili sauce and added the noodles to the pan and let everything heat back up. Towards the end of this cooking period I tossed in the tofu to warm up as well. Green onions were sprinkled over the top.
I thought this turned out pretty decent and I was glad I added the siracha sauce. It needed a little bit of a kick.
On deck for next week:
Huevos Rancheros Verdes from Eating Well
Chinese and Chicken Noodle Salad from Eating Well
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