Cookbook offers a chance to try new recipes
I got another new cookbook recently and I’ve been busy trying
out recipes from it. The book is
”
Rachael Ray’s look+cook,
”
and it’s a move away from her traditional 30-minute meals. While
some of the meals are still quick, weeknight meals such as the
twist on pesto below, others require a couple-hour effort.
Cookbook offers a chance to try new recipes
I got another new cookbook recently and I’ve been busy trying out recipes from it. The book is “Rachael Ray’s look+cook,” and it’s a move away from her traditional 30-minute meals. While some of the meals are still quick, weeknight meals such as the twist on pesto below, others require a couple-hour effort.
The best thing about the recipe book is that it shows pictures of each recipe at various stages of completion so readers get an idea of what they should be doing at each step. It’s still a good idea to read through the recipes before planning on making them, however, as I did not read all the way through the Bolognese with pappardelle recipe I made last week and was surprised when it called for simmering the sauce for more than an hour. I improvised the recipe, using flour to thicken the sauce after adding the wine but before adding the stock. I then simmered it for about 30 minutes, before following the last few steps, and it turned out tasty. But I can’t wait to try it again when I have more time to let all the flavors marry together.
The pesto recipe was an interesting take on a traditional pesto since the sauce is made with butter lettuce, which allows for less olive oil and a mix of other herbs to flavor it up. My mom doesn’t like mint, so we left that out in favor of more basil. The recipe was tasty, but I would prefer it without the bits of fresh lettuce tossed on top as garnish.
Meat-free blt spaghetti with butter lettuce, leek and tomato
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Salt
1 lb. spaghetti
2 heads butter lettuce
½ c. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ c. fresh basil or ¼ c. tarragon leaves
¼ fresh mint leaves
¼ lightly toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
Parmesan cheese for tossing and garnish
Black pepper
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
¼ c. to 1/3 c. of extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp.
3-4 leeks, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced into half moons, cleaned and dried
3-4 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ c. dry white wine
Juice of ½ lemon
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook the spaghetti to one minute shy of al dente.
Meanwhile, chop and reserve one head of lettuce, then chop the second head and add to a food processor with the parsley, basil or tarragon, mint, nuts, cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon zest. Pulse-chop the greens, then turn on the processor and stream in ¼ c. of the extra virgin olive oil to form a pesto. Add an extra tablespoon or two if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Transfer to a large pasta serving bowl and reserve.
Heat the 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the leeks and garlic. Saute for three minutes, or until the leeks are wilted. Add the grape tomatoes, stir, raise the heat a bit, and place the lid on the pan. Cook for eight to 10 minutes to burst the tomatoes; the force the last few along with a potato masher or a wooden spoon if you get impatient. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the wine, and cook off for one minute.
When the pasta is almost al dente, add a ladle of the starchy pasta water to the pesto, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the pesto in the bowl along with the tomatoes and leeks, toss for one minute, then adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Douse the pasta with the juice of the lemon half and garnish with the reserved chopped lettuce. Serve with extra cheese for topping.
Bolognese with pappardelle
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ lb. pancetta, cut into dice or ground
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 lb. ground pork
1 onion, cut into small dice
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 carrot, cut into small dice
2 celery stalks, cut into small dice
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. dried marjoram or oregano, 1/3 palmful
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ c. tomato paste
2 c. red wine
3 c. beef stock
1 lb. pappardelle or fettucine pasta
1 c. whole milk or half and half
1 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
½ c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and the fat is rendered, three to four minutes. Add the sirloin and pork to the pot and brown for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the lumps. Add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about six to seven minutes.
Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram or oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato paste and stir for a minute or so, then add the wine and scrap up all the drippings. Reduce the wine by half for two to three minutes, then stir in the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and thicken the sauce for one to one and a half hours, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
When ready to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente.
Add the milk to the sauce and simmer for a couple minutes to heat through. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasonings to taste. Turn off the heat.
Once the pasta is done, reserve about a cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and toss it back into the pot it was cooked in along with the reserved water, a cup of cheese and chopped parsley. Add half the pasta sauce and toss well to coat. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls, topped with additional sauce.
