Let’s cook!

Pasta with Low & Slow Sunday Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds of pork stew meat

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

4 oz pancetta, sliced 1/4 thick

1 large yellow onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 cup dry red wine

28oz can diced tomatoes with basil

28oz can tomato puree

4 thyme springs

1 rosemary spring

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add to the dutch oven.

Cook until light brown and transfer to a bowl (for some reason the picture looks grey but the meat is light brown).

Add the sauage to the dutch oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until light brown as well.

Transfer the sausage to the bowl with the pork and then add the pancetta to the pot.

Cook the pancetta for about 5 minutes, then add onion, garlic, and carrots and cook, stirring a few times, until semi-softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the wine and stir to release any yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Boil the wine to reduce by half, then add the chopped tomatoes, and puree and bring to a boil. Now add the meat.

Reduce the heat add the thyme, rosemary, and cover and cook on low for 2 hours.

Cook your pasta per the instructions. Time to plate!

Here is a close-up.

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Pasta with White Clam Sauce

10 oz can chopped clams

3 slices prosciutto

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

6 plum  tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add wine and cook for 15 minutes.

Add clam juice bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in clams and prosciutto.

Add basil, season with salt and pepper.

Toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet for 5 minutes.

Cook pasta per the instructions. Drain and add to the skillet with the sauce.

Toss to coat. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and shaved parmesan and time to plate.

Here is a close-up:

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Spicy Shrimp Scampi with Pasta

1 box spaghetti

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-3 tablespoons red pepper flakes, depends how spicy you like it

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper

For the pasta, cook per the instructions on the box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.

Once the butter has melted and the oil is hot, saute the shallots and garlic for 2-3 minutes.

Add red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 mintues.

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until they have turned pink.

Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add lemon juice and wine to the pan and bring to a boil.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter.

When the butter has melted, add basil and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.

Return the shrimp to the pan.

Add cooked pasta.

Time to plate:

Here is the close-up:

Simple dinner and easy clean-up!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Sweet Sausage Pasta with Truffle Oil

1lb sweet Italian sausage

8oz dried pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of diced tomtoes, drained

1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried parsley

fresh grated parmesan cheese

white truffle oil

salt and pepper

Cook the sausage over medium heat on a large skillet.

Once brown, drain and return back to the skillet, add garlic and onion (this is a great time to start making your pasta).

Add diced tomatoes.

Add Italian seasoning and parsley.

Add mushrooms.

Cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Drain the pasta. Add the cooked pasta to the sausage.

Time to plate.

Time for the truffle oil which Jen gave me for Chirstmas.  How much truffle oil you add is really up to your taste.  We really like it, and this type of oil came in a spritzer bottle, so we added about 6 sprays of the truffle oil to the serving of pasta.

Add grated parmesan cheese and garlic bread and this meal is complete.

Here is the close-up:

Now you have a complete meal under 30 minutes which is packed with favor!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Pasta with Vegetable Bolognese

1 pound of pasta

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

5 oz. assorted mushrooms

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside and let the mushrooms rest.

Place the carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic in the food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still chunky.

Put olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the chopped vegetables, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.

Strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the porcini mushroom liquid.

Add the porcini mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, and tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste. Cook until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the porcini mushroom liquid to the sauce.

Add red wine.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes (this is when I start the pasta). Add mascarpone cheese and stir.

Time to plate:

Here is a close-up:

I hope you enjoy this dish. Tomorrow I am going to post another chili recipe that I am making tonight which is perfect for those cold winter nights!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s Cook!

Pasta with Tomato, Basil and Prosciutto

1 package fresh linguine noodles

1 package thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

4 tomatoes, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced (we didn’t have any large cloves left over so I used several small ones to get the right amount of garlic)

1/4 cup basil, chiffonade (fancy name for cutting it into small strips)

2 Tablespoons olive oil (for making the noodles)

1 Teaspoon chopped kalamata olives (optional)

Red Pepper flakes to taste

Parmesan Cheese to taste

To start off, you will have a good bit of chopping to do.  I chopped my red pepper and onion right away as I planned to have them cook for a little while.

Add the onions and peppers into a pan with a little bit of butter so they won’t stick and saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat to soften the veggies a little.

Remove the onions and peppers from the heat and set aside.  Time to start the water boiling for your noodles and continue with the chopping.  I minced my garlic…

Diced my tomatoes…

And cut my basil into a chiffonade.  The easiest way to do this is to take several basil leaves and stack them on top of each other and roll them up into a tight ball.  Start slicing at the tip of the leaves down to the stems, and you will have a perfect basil chiffonade.  To me, it always makes a dish look a little more gourmet, since it looks like you took a long time to slice up the basil into even strips. I like any shortcuts that make me look like I am a master chef, which I am very far from.

Last thing to cut up is the prosciutto.  I left mine in pretty big chunks as I love prosciutto, which is very odd since I do not like bacon at all.  Just one of my personal little quirks.

By now, the water should be boiling for the noodles.  Just add them into the water and put the olive oil in with it.  The fresh noodles only take about 3 minutes to cook so be sure to stay close to the stove.

Now, it is time to drain the noodles and put it all together in a big bowl.  Here’s what mine looked like for serving.

I forgot to take a close up shot, but you get the idea.  This was a really quick and easy dinner to make and it tasted light enough for a great summer dinner.  Add the Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to your liking.  I like mine pretty spicy so I didn’t put the pepper flakes on until after I made my bowl.  Be sure to tune in tomorrow when the Cooking Husband will return.  Also, I’m going to try to commandeer the website again to post a dessert in the next couple of weeks.  It is a rare occasion around our house that we have dessert, but it is always worth it, and I had a great sweet treat a few months ago at a party that I am dying to recreate. 

Happy cooking!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 banana pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

4 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

3 springs fresh thyme

1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan (I use my dutch oven for this) over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until they lighly brown.

Add green/red pepper, jalapeno and banana pepper to pan and cook for 5 minutes.

Add basil.

Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Stir well. Add herb springs (which I tie together using kitchen string) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 2 hours. Time to make the meatballs.

Meatballs

3 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, pork, beef, parmesan, parsley, salt, onion, garlic, and egg.

Time to get your hands dirty. Mix until everything is combined and season with black pepper.

Using your hands, gently form the meat mixture into slightly larger than golf ball-sized balls. DO NOT PACK THE MEAT MIXTURE TOO TIGHTLY OR YOUR MEATBALLS WILL BE TOUGH!

Refrigerate for an hour (check your sauce).

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally until well browned on all sides.

Transfer the meatballs to a plate with a paper towel on the bottom to drain the oil.

Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

Transfer the meatballs to a cookie sheet that has been covered with foil and lightly coated with olive oil. Place in oven and let bake for 15 – 20 minutes (I cook the linguini while the meatballs are cooking).

Time to plate. Scoop pasta into a bowl and add pasta sauce. Top with meatballs, fresh grated parmesan and basil. Here is how I did it:

Here is the close-up:

So there you have it-you can now make homemade meatballs and sauce!

This next week Jen will be out of town on business so I am going to have a party. Just kidding, I am going to feature cooking for one which will start on Monday. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Cooking!

Linguini with Seared Sea Scallops, Lump Crab and Spinach

1 package of linguini cooked

3 sea scallops per plate

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small shallot, diced

1 bag (3 oz) sun-dried tomatoes

1.5 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup white wine

4 oz lumb crab meat – cooked

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Sear scallops in a hot saute pan with olive oil.

Remove the scallops from the pan after you sear each side and set aside to rest.

In the same pan, saute the garlic and shallots. Cook for about 2 – 3 minutes.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach and heat through.

Time to get the yummy goodness from the bottom of the pan-deglaze with white wine.

Add crab and red pepper flakes after the smoke settles from the deglazing the pan.

Do not stir anything. Add cooked pasta into the pan and then toss (or stir if your are not comfortable with tossing a hot pan).

Time to plate, so garnish with pine nuts and parmesan (see I told you this was a quick meal).

Here is a close-up:

So here is another “I beat Rachel Ray” dinner, and trust me ,this is simple yet PACKED with flavor!

Tomorrow I will decide what to cook based on the emails I get  from readers on what they want to see. So if you have a special request, be sure to send it to: thecookinghusband@gmail.com

HAPPY COOKING!

Seared Sea Scallops with Herb/Wine Sauce on Linguini

1 package of Buitoni Linguini

1 pound of sea scallops

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons of butter

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

4 springs fresh thyme

1 cup of white wine

a good handful of fresh basil leaves torn

about half of a handful of parsley, chopped

1 lemon, you will use the zest and juice from this lemon

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turn the oil in the pan so it gets coated. Now add 2 tablespoons of butter.

When your butter melts into the oil it is time to add the scallops. You will want to ensure your butter/oil mixture is hot and you will be able to tell by the smoke produced by the skillet at the surface. DO NOT ADD SCALLOPS UNTIL THE SKILLET IS HOT! Ok got your attention trust me this makes a difference on the meal.

Brown the scallops which if you followed the directions on ensuring of a hot skillet, this will take about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Ok now the scallops are done, remove the scallops from the pan and cover with foil to keep them warm while you finish the rest of the dish. (This is when I start my pot of water for the linguini)

Now add just a little bit of olive oil to your skillet over high heat and add garlic, shallots, crushed red pepper, thyme, and salt to taste.

Once this comes to a boil, reduce the heat a little and saute everything for about 4 minutes. During these four minutes make sure you stir constantly and I enjoyed a glass of wine while stirring to make it a little more interesting. Ok now add the wine and this should free up the pan drippings which I call YUMMY GOODNESS! Now once the drippings free up add the clam juice.

Cook this for about 4 minutes and now add the basil/parsley:

Add lemon zest:

Add lemon juice:

Then add the remaining butter:

While the butter is cooking into the sauce, I add my linguini noodles to the pot of water that should be boiling by now. Stir the wine sauce and within two minutes my noodles are done and I add them to the sauce.

Let the pasta soak up the sauce for 1 minute before you start stiring everything up–this also makes a difference in this dish.

Now time for the plating:

I served this dish with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and we actually ate outside which was very nice. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Jumbo Shrimp with Fresh Angel Hair Pasta

Check back tonight for the recipe and pictures.