Penne Romana

I will always try a new pasta dish.. they are my weakness :) This one was really simple yet amazingly good! I didn't even need to make a special trip to the store for ingredients! Simple and amazing! :)

Romana Sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped in 1/4”pieces
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 cups white wine
2 tsp rosemary, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped (1/4 tsp dry)
Salt to taste
2 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
2 cups chicken broth

Pasta
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups green beans, blanched
1 cup tomato, diced
4 cups Romana sauce (see above)
4 cups penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
3 Tbsp Romano cheese
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan at medium-high heat. Add onions and crushed red pepper. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add minced garlic and cook for one minute. Whisk in wine, rosemary, parsley and salt.
   
2. Whisk cornstarch and chicken broth in a separate bowl. Add mixture to sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil and set aside.
   
3. Heat sauté pan over medium high heat. Add green beans and tomato and cook for 1 minute. Add Romana sauce and cooked, drained penne pasta. Add Romano and Parmesan cheeses. Stir well to ensure pasta is completely coated.
   
4. Serve hot.

Pesto Lasagna

I have a huge basil section in my herb garden, both purple and green basil, sweet and Italian basil. I love basil so much! No surprise to my husband that I came up with a pesto lasagna. It's super yummy. It's definitely not a meal, unless you fiend for pesto, but it'd be a nice side dish :)

For the pesto:

• 4 cups basil leaves, loosely packed, washed and tough stems trimmed and roughly torn
• 2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the lasagna:

• 1 pound fresh lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1-ounce)

For the pesto: Combine half pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process until evenly blended, about 1 more minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in upper third.

Meanwhile, alternatively layer a scant 1/4 cup pesto and 1 sheet of fresh lasagna noodles in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish, trimming noodles, as needed, to fit. There should be about 10 to 12 layers. Top lasagna with cheese and bake until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

Alfredo

For those of you who know me, Alfredo is my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E food! If I could, I would eat it every day... but that's not realistic. :) This is a rich, creamy, succulent recipe that I got from the Olive Garden website. It's EASY to make but you need to be patient when you temper the egg yolks or you'll have lumpy sauce (from the cooked yolks). This is from personal experience :) It's totally doable though. I have been making this for about 10 years. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated
6 egg yolks from fresh jumbo eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat.

Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering).

Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.
This sauce is for a serving of 4.

Shrimp and Beef Chow Fun

This is one of my favorite Chinese food dishes. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I came across the recipe while searching the web. I added a few of my own ingredients (veggie wise) and it turned out so great. I ate the rest of what was left for breakfast the next day :) I found the rice noodles in a co-op store in Corvallis but you could find them in any Asian market or specialty store. In all honesty, you could probably use fettucini noodles, though the texture wouldn't be the same, it'll still taste just fine. Enjoy.

1/2 to 3/4 pound flank steak
1/2 to 3/4 pound deveined shrimp
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 tsp. Chinese rice wine or Dry Sherry
3 tsp. cornstarch
Sesame Oil
1/2 pound of fresh or dried rice noodles
Assorted Veggies - baby corn, snow peas, onions, green onion, baby bok choy, I like cut up portobello mushrooms, bean sprouts, zuchinni
2tbsp. Chinese Black Bean Sauce
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 tbsp. oyster sauce
5 tbsp. oil or so for frying (I used sesame oil)

Cut flank steaks across grain into strips about a 1/4 inch thick. Add dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Add shrimp to meat mixture. Marinate 15 minutes.

While steak is marinating, prepare vegetables into bite size pieces. Prepare noodles as directed on package. Heat wok, add 2 tbsp. oil. When oil is hot, add meat. Lay flat and cook 1 minute. Add black bean sauce and cook meat until browned and shrimp is pink. Remove meat from wok.

Clean out wok and add 2 more tbsp. oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and stir fry until aromatic. Add rice noodles and stir fry until browned. Remove noodles from wok. Add 2 more tbsp. oil, add veggies, and saute briefly. Add noodles to veggies and add oyster sauce. Mix well. Add meat and stir together. Serve :)
Serves 3-4

Tortellini Argula Salad

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and just decided to make it for a family function. It quickly turned into a dish that gets requested often. I have even substituted mini-ravioli for the tortellini, it's a nice difference.

• 2 pounds packaged tortellini, I use frozen and fresh but frozen is cheaper
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 1/4 cups
• 3 cups of grape tomatoes or 4 cups chopped tomatoes
  
• 4 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
• 4 tablespoons chopped, on a bias, basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley leaves
• 2 minced shallots
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick into approximately 30 slices
• 4 cups fresh arugula
  
• Salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions. When fully cooked, drain and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and arugula allowing to wilt a little and to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, herbs, shallots, lemon juice, and remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil. Mix to combine and season with salt and pepper to combine. When the tortellini have cooled to room temperature toss with the vinaigrette.

When ready to serve, line the perimeter of a large serving platter with overlapping slices of the mozzarella. Spoon tortellini mixture in the middle.

Serve chilled. Serves 6+