One thing about me I haven’t shared on the blog, is that I LOVE to cook. Better yet…. I LOVE to EAT. Five kids, including 3 toddlers, puts a bit of a damper on dining out. On the rare occasion we do venture out, it’s usually to a kid-friendly place with typical kid-friendly food. Even then, it turns out to be a stressful game of zone defense for Matt and I. Not a great way to expand the palette, in my mind.
To compensate, I am always looking for quick and easy recipes for good food. The easier, the better, in my book! I’ve run across some phenomenal recipes, and thought I would start sharing them… not to mention this gives me a place to capture my favorite recipes in one place. I have boxes and boxes of cookbooks, but they are still in the boxes out in the garage. I, like everyone else, have a million ‘paper’ recipes of various sizes and shapes, shoved inside these cookbooks. I search various internet sites for recipes, magazines, word-of-mouth… whatever works! However, I really like the idea of having them all in one place, hence the beginning of ‘Main-Dish Mondays’!
Here’s how it will work. Each Monday, I will post one of my favorite recipes. Along with the recipe, I will include a picture, hopefully one from MY kitchen, and where I found the particular recipe. If you happen to make one of the recipes, please leave your comments/reviews. Have a favorite recipe? Share it!
Today’s recipe: Drunken Tuscan Pasta
Source: Rachael Ray’s ‘Express Lane Meals’ cookbook
(For my Facebook friends… you’ve already seen me post this, but it is by-far one of my most favorite recipes these days, and was a logical one to start with.)
Ingredients:
- 1 Bottle red table wine (I used 2-Buck-Chuck, Merlot)
- Course salt
- 1lb perciatelli, bucatini, or spaghetti (I used spaghetti)
- 3 TBS EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 1/4lb Pancetta
- 3 Portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves, chopped
- 2-3 pinches red pepper flakes
- 4-5 cups dark greens, your choice of chard, escarole, spinach or kale (I used baby spinach)
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 TSP nutmeg
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (handful, plus some to pass at the table)
Directions:Bring the entire bottle of red wine plus two bottles of water to a boil. Once boiling, add salt and spaghetti and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. (Note, you will need to ladle out some of the cooking liquid prior to draining the pasta.)Meanwhile, heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 TBS EVOO, twice around the pan, then chop and add the pancetta. Brown the pieces until they are golden at the edges and transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the mushrooms to the EVOO in the same skillet, season them with the chopped rosemary, and cook until they are deeply golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan and add the remaining TBS EVOO to the center of the skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the EVOO and cook them for a minute or so, then toss the mushrooms together with the garlic mixture. Add the greens to the pan and season them with salt, pepper, and the nutmeg. When the greens have wilted down, add a couple of ladles of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the pan and cook for a minute to reduce it a little.Drain the pasta well and add it to the skillet. (You may find it easier to add the skillet contents to the pasta pot… I did.) Add the pancetta and a handful of cheese to the pan. Toss the pasta for a minute or so to allow it to absorb the remaining liquid. Adjust the seasonings and serve. Enjoy!
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