10

Jun

Linguini with Clam Sauce

Some of the best, most authentic pastas I’ve had also had the fewest ingredients.

Simple. Thoughtful. Delicious.

This also goes for my mother-in-law, Pat’s, recipe for Linguini in Clam Sauce. It is creamy, yet light. Simple, yet elegant. Delicious yet not over-powering. And she graciously shared her recipe with me (and with you, too!).

Linguini with Clam Sauce

 You can use other pastas like spaghetti or fettucini, whatever you have on hand.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 butter or margarine (butter tastes better)
1/3 cup chives (3 entire stalks)
4 cloves of smashed garlic (use a press or chop by hand)

Step one: In a hot saute pan, combine the olive oil, butter, chives and garlic and saute for several minutes, until garlic is soft.
1 can progresso white clam juice
6 oz clams
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 TB fresh)
Step two: Drain the clams and KEEP the juice. Set the clams aside. In the saute pan, add the clam juice from the jar and from the clams can. Add the basil and oregano. Stir. 
4 roma tomatoes, diced
3/4 pound pasta
Step three: Then add the tomatoes and stir. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. During this time, boil water and cook the pasta al dente. After 20 minutes, add the clams in and heat it through to serve. (Don’t leave the clams in too long, as they’ll become rubbery.)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Step four: Once the pasta is cooked, keep a little bit of the water in the pot after draining. Scoop 2 TB of the clam sauce and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese into the noodles and stir. Serve the noodles topped with plenty of clam sauce for a wonderful, classic Italian dish. Serve with a salad and crusty bread for dipping.

 I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have. It’s so fun to be able to make a dish that Matt loved as a child (and to not screw it up too much!). 

Happy eating! Laurel

~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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06

May

Lowfat Stuffed Shells

I’m a sucker for pasta. Pretty much every kind I’ve tried. There’s something really wonderful about Italian food…

  • homey, hearty
  • rustic with simple ingredients
  • beautiful dishes, yet not TOO pretty to eat
  • a little mysterious (I didn’t grow up with an Italian grandmother sharing all of her secrets)
  • and, best of all, it is meant to be shared!

 So let’s share some shells…
Stuffed shells were a treat in college. Living in Boston and having a tight budget, ordering Italian takeout was a treat. It was especially good because I don’t think I ever had REAL Italian until moving to Boston. And there are a ton of great Italian places in the city…mmm, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. One of my roommates turned me on to stuffed shells. They were humongous, full of melted cheese and had this amazing sauce. The flavor was spectacular! 

So here’s my first shot at making the home-version, which has a LOT less fat but hopefully is full of flavor still. This one uses jar marinara but, if you have time/access, I strongly recommend fresh sauce and fresh basil. Yummm.

Lowfat Stuffed Shells
serves 8 (4 shells each)

32 shells + 2 quarts water + large pot + dash salt
step one: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Let pasta cook according to instructions on package. Once the shells are cooked, drain the water and lay the shells out in one layer on a dry towel. Set aside.

1 TB olive oil + large saute pan + 4 garlic cloves, chopped + 1 bell pepper, chopped + 1 onion, chopped
step two: Heat the saute pan on medium-high, adding oil. Saute bell pepper and onion and cook for 3 minutes. Then add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Set pan aside. 

large bowl + large spoon + 1 pint fat free cottage cheese (or ricotta) + 1/4 cup parmesan cheese + 16 oz. chopped spinach (if using frozen, thaw and squeeze out water) + sauteed veggies from pan + 1 TB Italian seasoning (or 3 TB fresh chopped basil) + 1 egg + 2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
step three: Combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl. This is your “stuffing” for the shells.

3 cups marinara + 9X11 baking pan + 8X8 baking pan + non-stick cooking spray
step four: Spray each baking pan with spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup marinara in the bottom of each baking pan. 
step five: Using a spoon, stuff 2 TB of cheese mixture into each shell and place opening-down in each pan. Repeat the process until all of the shells are stuffed. [20 shells fit in the large pan and 12 fit in the smaller pan!]

1/4 cup parmesan + 1 1/2 cups ‘Italian blend’ shredded cheese [use mozzarella, more parm, pecorino romano, or your favorite cheese blend] + 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs [optional]
step six: After all of the shells are stuffed and arranged in the pans, pour the remaining 2 cups marinara over the shells. Sprinkle cheeses over the top and breadcrumbs [if you want a little extra crunch]. Bake for 30 minutes.

Adapted from: Recipe Girl, Live Better America

There you have it, stuffed shells! Serve with steamed veggies or a giant salad on the side. Enjoy the flavor without all of the takeout guilt. 🙂

   

Happy eating!
Laurel
~Laurel~

13 years ago Short URL

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24

Jul

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I‘m completely puzzled by the British TV show, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, now aired on TLC. 16 year old Irish Travellers (negatively labeled “gypsies”) marrying boys their age and preparing for a life of cooking and cleaning, beginning their domestication with the most outlandish, over the top wedding celebrations. It’s a fascinating culture of scantily clad young women with traditional Roman Catholic values and male dominance as breadwinners, as well as prejudice and ostracization by their neighborhoods (the “country folk”). Watch it sometime–I’m warning you, though, it’s a mind warp, but still interesting.

On to other things…

We made this the other night, and it’s time to share…Giada’s Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders. Easy, tasty, versatile. We had this with a side of macaroni & veggies one night, and I’ve topped a bed of salad mix with a few tenders to make a filling/healthy lunch the last two days. You can make a sandwich with it, come up with homemade sauces for dipping, the possibilities are endless!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders 
from Giada

4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 pounds chicken tenders (about 24 small to medium in size)
1 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs

Cut tenders to desired size and place in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over the chicken and stir a bit. Let soak for 15–30 minutes.

In a large pie pan, combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. One by one, roll and press chicken into bread crumb mixture. Arrange breaded chicken onto a cookie sheet lined with foil (or parchment paper). Brush olive oil on the foil before adding chicken. After sheet is full of tenders, drizzle a little extra olive oil on to prevent sticking and keep chicken moist. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked in the middle and edges are crispy.

Yes, the sweet potatoes took over the plate. Yummm.

Suggested dips:
Homemade honey mustard
Barbeque sauce (Laurel’s)
Balsamic vinaigrette
Ranch dip (Matt’s)
Honey
Aioli
Wasabi ketchup (Ketchup-the restaurant-in LA is closed…we missed the fun dips, but you can prob recreate this one at home)
As a bonus, Matt made sweet potato fries for me. Delicious! Unfortunately, they were a little browner than I meant…I left them in the oven too long, against Matt’s suggestion. Oops. But they were delicious, I do admit. Hope fully attempt #2 will be better (and will merit more pics on here!).

Eat, drink, do be merry!

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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