Creamy Pasta with Mushrooms and Ground Beef

This recipe, from my husband's Aunt Sally, yields a dish so yummy and comforting that a mere photo would not do it justice. Moreover, I don't have a photo. But imagine a white sauce-covered pasta studded with chopped mushrooms and small crumbles of nicely browned ground beef. Mmmm. So tasty. So creamy. So what if it's incredibly fattening? I guess you should probably serve small portions with a huge supply of green vegetables, but that might not stop people from taking second or third helpings.

1 box angel hair pasta
some pasta water reserved
1 1/2 c. sour cream (use nonfat!)
1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock
1 c. each, grated jack and cheddar cheeses
1 pkg. mushrooms, sauteed
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained thoroughly
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving about 1 cup of the water just to keep the pasta wet while adding other ingredients. Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Drain the beef in a colander over the sink. Saute the mushrooms in the fat left from the beef. Drain mushrooms too!

Add pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water, stock, cheeses, sour cream, and spices together in a large pot. Stir thoroughly. Add mushrooms and beef. Add more pasta water or stock as necessary to keep sauce from getting too thick. When it's at the consistency you like, taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary. You might want to add a bit of crushed red pepper too, for a little kick.

You can also add red sauce to this, but I don't think it's necessary, and I can't comment on how it tastes because I didn't try it that way.

Wish This Were My Lasagna

This is based on a gorgeous lasagna that my friend made for me several weeks ago. She, at first, based it on my original recipe, but couldn't resist changing things to suit her palate. I think it is a superior lasagna to mine, and I only wish I had another one sitting in my fridge right now. I also wish I'd taken photos before it was devoured.

The essential difference between hers and mine is fresh, farmers' market tomatoes picked at the height of ripeness at the end of the season. I generally use canned or even (gasp!) a jar of spaghetti sauce, mixed with a few fresh, pureed tomatoes. However, she used 4 pounds of the reddest, ripest, most burstingly perfect tomatoes I have seen in a very long time. The tomatoes didn't even come from NJ -- they were grown in northern California! Additionally, what also may have contributed to the intense flavor was the fact that she chopped these tomatoes very slowly while chatting outside, inadvertently allowing the tomatoes to warm somewhat in the sun. I think that she and the tomatoes were out sunning on the deck for about 45 minutes in total, but I have no scientific proof that this additional sunshine changes the recipe any. I believe, however, that chopping while having a leisurely chat at least improves the cooking process.

3 boxes no-boil lasagne noodles
28 oz. ricotta
2 eggs
1 c. parmesan cheese
handful fresh italian parsley, chopped fine
4 cups shredded mozzarella

for sauce:

1/2 small onion, minced.

2 cloves garlic, pushed thru press

4 pounds fresh, very ripe tomatoes.

5 leaves or so fresh basil.

1 sprig fresh oregano

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

For the sauce:

First, cut tomatoes into 8ths, set aside. Saute the onion in olive oil over low heat, season with a sprinkle of salt, wait a few minutes, and add garlic. Saute until onions are translucent and a tad brown. Add tomato paste and cook till brown and thick- 5 minutes.

Pour in a bit of the juice from tomatoes and scrape up the sides. Sprinkle with more salt and add a grinding of pepper. Add tomatoes and let simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

Get out the stick blender (or put half of the sauce in a blender then put back) and give it a few rounds; taste for salt and pepper. Cook another five minutes. Chop up the basil, it's best to do it right before and tear apart the thyme. Add to sauce; cook 5 more minutes. Finally, add two or three tablespoons of really good olive oil and stir well.

Meanwhile, mix together ricotta, eggs, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper.

The single most important thing to do when making lasagne is this: first spray your lasagne pan with spray oil (preferably olive oil). Then spoon down a layer of tomato sauce, and to make it even better, follow that by a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. This ensures that the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pan (and then burn).

Layer the pan this way:
sauce
noodles (do not let noodles overlap - break them to fit)
ricotta mixture
sauce
noodles
ricotta mixture
etc.

Finally, top with more parmesan and a thick layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake covered for about 45 minutes, at 350. Remove cover and continue baking another 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbling.

Elbows with Spinach, Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce

1/2 pkg elbow noodles
1 pkg chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pushed thru press
olive oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 small white onion, diced small
salt & pepper

For the sauce, begin by sauteeing onion and garlic in about 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, long enough for the onion to turn translucent. Add red pepper and tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes up a bit in the pan with a potato masher. Add another 2 tbsp olive oil, and cook at a low simmer about 1/2 an hour. When tomatoes are very soft and mushy, stir in half the spinach. See how it goes - you might like it with less, you might prefer more. I like the whole package. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. When pasta is ready to eat, stir the shredded mozzarella into the sauce, and toss with the pasta. Yum!

Bolognese a la Sianessa

I had a craving for bolognese sauce tonight, something I rarely eat, but when I do, it's so satisfying and tasty. This recipe combines my toddler-fooling veggie puree with roasted garlic and red bell pepper to make a reasonably healthy and flavor-packed meat sauce.

1 lb ground chuck or sirloin

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I like Classico sweet basil)

2/3 cup veggie puree

2 red bell peppers

3 cloves garlic

spray olive oil

1/4 cup red wine (syrah is nice)

1 small can tomato paste

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or more to taste

salt & black pepper to taste

1/2 box elbow noodles, cooked according to pkg directions

On a cookie sheet, place peeled garlic cloves, and halved and seeded peppers with the skin side up. Spray liberally with olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of salt on top. Broil about 5 minutes, watching carefully. The pepper skins should blister and get a bit blackened, but not totally charred. The garlic will brown deeply. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel skin from peppers -- it should come off easily. Then chop the pepper into 1/2 inch pieces, and mince the garlic. Refrigeration will help the garlic to solidify enough to allow chopping -- if it's too warm it's still mushy. But mushy is ok too.

Next, break up the meat into a deep saute pan. The one I use has sides that are about 3 inches high and is about 10 inches wide, which is a perfect size for thick sauces like spaghetti sauce. Brown the meat in its own fat until no pink is left. While sauteing, add the wine, and sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper, then add the roasted garlic and red bell pepper.

When all ingredients are hot, add the veggie puree and the jar of spaghetti sauce. When all that is incorporated, add the tomato paste, the crushed red pepper and stir until fully incorporated. Simmer, letting all flavors meld, about 5-10 minutes. If the sauce is too dry for your taste, add a bit of water.

Ladle out over pasta of your choice and serve with grated parmesan cheese and more of the red wine. Voila!

Alfredo Sauce with Secret Veggies

Yet another toddler-fooler, which is rich and delicate enough to impress adults. I'm a fan of pouring it over spinach-cheese ravioli.

8 ounce container low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup whole milk (you could use heavy cream for better flavor, but it is fattening)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups baby carrots
1 head chopped broccoli
1/2 green bell pepper
1 can chick peas

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil. When golden brown, remove and set aside. In same saucepan, combine ricotta, milk, and parmesan cheese. Add milk as necessary to thin out.

Steam carrots, broccoli and bell pepper until just tender, but NOT MUSHY. It's important not to overcook this, or the texture of the whole sauce gets mealy. Shock with ice water to stop the cooking process. Then place in food processor, add drained chick peas, and garlic. Process all together until it forms a smooth paste.

Add about 1 cup of the veggie mixture to the ricotta sauce, and whisk gently until incorporated. Save the remaining veggie mixture for other "veggie-secret" recipes.

Heat the sauce through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over ravioli and serve.

Veggie-Rich Red Sauce

One of my favorite things to both make and eat is homemade pasta sauce. I don't really adhere to a particular recipe because each time I tend to open the fridge and use whatever I have on hand as ingredients. Lately I have been sneaking extra vegetables into the sauces I make because my toddler is utterly dead-set against consuming any green vegetables, so I have to disguise or hide them from her. The best way I have found to do this is to use the food processor! Here's my toddler-fooling pasta sauce:

1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 pkg portobella mushrooms, chopped
1 sm/med zucchini or summer squash, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
olive oil
1 scant tsp oregano
salt & pepper
1 bay leaf

Saute onion, garlic, and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano until onion is soft and slightly golden and mushrooms have cooked down to about 1/2 their regular size. Dump into food processor. Add 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and puree until smooth. Transfer from food processor to large saucepan.

In same saute pan, add a bit more oil and saute zucchini, broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper with a tiny bit of salt and pepper until broccoli is tender. Carrots should be getting soft, but definitely not mushy. Dump into food processor. Add remaining 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and puree until smooth. You may need to add a drizzle of olive oil to get a better consistency. Transfer from food processor and combine with onion/tomato mixture. Add bay leaf.

Heat tomato sauce to bubbling, stirring to prevent it from burning or sticking to the pot. Add tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes so all flavors can blend. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add water. If you like it thicker, let it simmer down on the stove.

Serve over the pasta of your choice, and smile to yourself as your family eats their veggies without even knowing it!!!

Note: sometimes I will leave some of the sauteed veggies out of the food processor for the adults who like them. In the pic above, there are visible pieces of red bell pepper and mushrooms.