Italian Pasta and White Bean Soup

This is a really wonderful hearty soup to have in the winter time. The leftovers only get better with time and it will go for a long time.

Italian Pasta and Bean Soup:

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrot, diced
3 zucchini, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 16oz cans cannellini/white beans
1 small can tomato pasta (6 oz, I think)
2 cups shell pasta
2 bay leaves
5 cups chicken stock* can substitute vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 tbsp basil/italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden. Add the beans, stock and water, zucchini, bay leaves, herbs, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, cook the pasta al dente. When the soup is hot, add the cooked pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

I like to sprinkle parmesan cheese over sourdough bread slices and broil until the cheese gets browned and then dip these into the soup. Ta~asty!

Serves 6-7

-Jirafa

Spicy Baked Penne

The best things in the world start like this:

and end like this:

Oh baked penne, how I love thee. You are perfect for dinner parties, where I'm too cheap and lazy to toil over lasagna. (My secret has been outed). You are also perfect as leftovers, eaten cold out of the baking dish at 1am after the 800th round of this game:

(My last dinner party involved going through the entire family Apples to Apples card set TWICE. Oh yes, that's how we nerds party.)

Before all the epic nerdery began though, we were nomming down on this:


Don´t mind me, just licking my laptop screen.

Spicy Baked Penne:

1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 28-ounce cans crushed Italian plum tomatoes
3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 pound penne or rigatoni
2 1/2 cups packed cheese (sharp cheddar and mozzarella are tasty)


Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a LARGE skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, dried basil and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Add broth; bring back to boil. Reduce heat to medium or lower and simmer uncovered until mixture is thick and is reduced, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook pasta until aldente. Drain well but don't rinse. Return pasta to pot. Pour sauce over and toss to blend. Mix in half the cheese. Transfer to baking pan and top with remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Serves 5 to 6.

(PS, if you´re wondering why the pictures look suddenly fab, it´s because they were taken with my friend´s gorgeous fancy expensive camera. I am using them to my advantage.)

I Hate Jury Duty Bento

I have to report for jury duty tomorrow and since I have no idea how long they're going to want me to wait, I decided to make a bento just incase.

Presenting my "I Hate Jury Duty" Bento:


Hard-boiled egg surrounded by Italian Orzo Salad
For dessert, a piece of instant cheesecake with strawberry jam and almonds


And a face to express how I feel about having to find a courthouse in a town I'm unfamiliar with.

:)

--Jirafa

Italian Orzo Salad

Clear sign I need to buy groceries: I start making up recipes.

Looking forward to eating this tomorrow though. :)

Italian Orzo Salad

¾ cup orzo pasta
½ large zucchini, diced
¼ yellow onion, diced
2 large mushrooms, sliced
1 cup garbanzo beans
1 tomato, diced
½ cup Newman’s balsamic vinaigrette


Boil orzo until al dente. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil and cook zucchini, onion, and mushrooms for ~4-5 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add in vegetables, followed by the beans, tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette. Mix well; chill.

Best served cold.

Serves 3-4.

--Jirafa

Spicy Veggie Pasta

Over the past few months I’ve moved away from jarred sauces because they taste too sweet (and contain way too much sugar) and end up being too heavy and rich for my palate.

Canned tomatoes are so much cheaper than pre-made sauce and just as easy to use. Not to mention they create a nice, light sauce that’s still flavorful without being overbearing. Those of you whose pasta is invisible under the mountains of red—you know who you are. Feel ashamed.

Sometimes I want to put a spoon in a jar of sauce and hand it to these people (I have them in my life, and I do judge).

But I digress. Try this, please pretty please?

Spicy Veggie Pasta:

½ lb rotini pasta (shells would also be lovely, I think)
½ small yellow onion
1 zucchini
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp basil flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup chicken stock
½ tbsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

Cook pasta per package directions. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil OR coat pan with olive oil cooking spray. Add onions and allow to cook for 1 minute. Then add your zucchini and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add in mushrooms last and cook until mushrooms are soft and brown, about 4 more minutes.

In the meantime, drain your pasta and set the pot back on medium heat. To this pot add tomatoes, chicken stock (white wine or vegetable stock might substitute), basil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. When the vegetables are done, add them to the sauce and mix well. Allow sauce to heat through; about 4 minutes. Add pasta to sauce, season with salt, and serve. Top with parmesan cheese.

Serves 3.

--Jirafa

Stuffed Shells (Or, The Only Food With Mystery Filling You WANT To Eat)

I’ll be the first to admit I have an obsession with stuffed pasta. It’s the novelty of it really. “Oh hey there pasta, let me cut you open. *GASP* What is this glorious surprise you have here for me?”

Well, that’s the idea. I imagine the people who eat my stuffed pasta think that since I spoil the surprise for myself by being the relatively unimportant figure behind the meal. *cough*

And they’re so easy to make I’m appalled that I don’t make stuffed shells more often!

Step 1: Glorious fiery bubbling sauce



Step 2: Messily stuffed ricotta-romano joy shells


Step 3: Cue Spice Girls: “When 2 become 1~~~~~” (+ cheese :D)


Step 4: Melty cheesy happy pasta goodness



Stuffed Shells:

Sauce:
1 zucchini, cubed
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ onion, chopped finely
½ lb ground beef
1 cup olives, diced
24 oz tomato sauce (jarred pasta sauce works fine, too)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp basil
Salt and pepper
(The spice measurements are all relative, as you have to adjust it to your own tastes, really)

Filling:
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
½ cup parsley leaves, chopped
24 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
Salt and pepper
¾ cup Romano cheese

1 box conchiglie (AKA super huge shell pasta)
1 ½ cups mozzarella and cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground beef in a large pan; transfer to small bowl and set aside. Add 1 tbsp of oil to pan over medium-high heat. Toss in zucchini, garlic, mushrooms, and onion and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add olives, beef, tomato sauce, and spices. Stir well and simmer for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat.

Boil pasta as directed.

Mix all filling items together. Fill pasta shells with about 1 tbsp filling each. (Warning: pasta shells will be very hot so run them under cold water before handling!)
Line pasta shells in a 9x13 baking dish; cover with sauce. Sprinkle grated cheese over top and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with salad!

Serves 6-8.

--Jirafa

Fettuccine Experiments #1--Mushroom Chicken Fettuccine

I’ve started falling in love with fettuccine pasta. That and Target sells whipping cream in tall plastic bottles.

This recipe is basically me pulling a good old-fashioned “by-the-seat-of-my-pants” meal and creating something sinfully delicious.

And oddly enough, there’s no sugar. Could it be that there is sin sans sugar?

Fine, No Sin Sans Sugar (Or Whipping Cream). All better.



Mushroom Chicken Fettuccine:

½ lb fettuccine pasta
2 thinly-sliced chicken breasts (or 1 large), cut into chunks
½ onion, diced
1 ½ cups mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup tomato/pasta sauce
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
½ tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to package directions.

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-heat. Fry garlic, chicken, mushrooms, and onion until chicken is cooked through (about 3 minutes). Add in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly. Heat another 2-3 minutes.

Either mix cooked fettuccine into sauce or serve fettuccine in bowls, topped with sauce.

Serves 2-3.

--Jirafa

Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti

Winter quarter begins tomorrow so I held a farewell winter break luncheon today. Manicotti seemed like the perfect food to have on a chilly day. Yes, what really is better than manicotti, salad, and Torchwood season 1?

Manicotti shells that boiled intact, maybe. Lo and behold, ALL of the shells went into the water whole and came out aldente and like flat tortillas instead of round tubes.

Fine. Manicotti is essentially lasagna enchiladas anyway, no reason to not treat it as such. If this happens to you, fill the pasta, curl it into a tube shape and place it into the pan seam side down. It comes out looking and tasting just the same and it’s really a lot easier to fill this way!



Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti:

1 80z package manicotti pasta
1 ½ cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Sauce:

½ lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 24oz can or jar of tomato sauce
1 cup sliced black olives
1 tablespoon basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Ricotta filling:

2 cups fresh baby spinach
15oz ricotta cheese
¾ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup parsley
Salt and pepper

In a medium sauce pan, brown the ground beef on medium-high. Transfer to bowl; cook onions and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Return ground beef to pan, as well as all remaining ingredients. Turn heat down to low; cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Boil pasta as directed. While pasta boils, combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Run pasta under cold water, as it will be very hot. Then, using a small spoon (or your fingers, it’s a messy job), fill the manicotti tubes with the spinach-ricotta filling. Line manicotti in a 9x13 glass pan.

Cover manicotti in sauce; finish by covering in both cheeses.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serves ~6

--Jirafa

Turkey and Orzo Soup

My roommate came home with a huge bag of leftover turkey, courtesy of his mother, saying something about making soup. I immediately volunteered to make it, having had a box of orzo and dreams of deliciousness stewing in my mind for weeks.



Let’s just say it was just what we needed on a chilly December evening. We had a bowl (or two) of this delicious soup and ran off to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the windows of our apartment. Then spent an hour trying to ward the cats from our tree. Would say more but there’s a 9-page term paper on Robinsonades waiting for me to write it.



Turkey and Orzo Soup

2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded turkey meat
6 cups chicken stock (or leftover turkey stock if you made it!)
1 cup orzo pasta, cooked
1 cup pasta water
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook celery, carrots, onions, and garlic for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, turkey, basil, bay leaves, cooked orzo, and pasta water. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat for a half hour.

Devour.

--Jirafa

Quick and Dirty Tuna Spaghetti

I got the idea for mixing tuna with tomato sauce from my French Éclair, who fed me one weekend while we practiced our Japanese. In truth, I stole the idea. Stole it, ran away, and—okay, I’ll stop.

Some of you are still eating Thanksgiving leftovers.

I’m not quite sure if that makes you lucky or not. I cooked a small dinner for my two roommates. What was your Thanksgiving like? Huge family or close-knit group? Did you eat with friends? Roommates? If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, did you have a great Thursday? :D

At any rate, leftovers are gone at my place and I was hungry.




Good college fare. And not “good” in the “can be nuked in the microwave” kind of way. I’m still frightened by most microwavable food.



This is me making use of the only leftover vegetable from Thursday. Don’t judge me.

Tuna Spaghetti:

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6-8oz angel hair or spaghetti pasta
2 cups pasta sauce of choice
1 small can chunk tuna in water
Various spices

Boil pasta according to directions. In the meantime heat 1 tbsp oil in a small frying pan. Add celery and garlic and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and return to the pot. Add cooked celery/garlic, pasta sauce, tuna, and whatever spices you’ve chosen. I find that canned sauces come lightly seasoned so I like to throw in basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, a dash or two of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook until heated through and serve with parmesan cheese.

+This would also be great with some diced onions. Just throw them in with the celery.

-Jirafa

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna





Lasagna is a family-food for some, a comfort food for many. It works best for dinners parties, served with garlic bread and salad. It’s one of the few foods I will eat leftovers from, so it holds a heralded spot in the recipe center of my brain.



The secret to a fabulous lasagna is in the ricotta center. I see so many lasagnas that don’t include this portion; it makes me sad. If you’re cooking for kids, I understand why it’s easier to just leave it out. As a child I remember scraping the visible vegetables out of my lasagna and eating only what had cheese touching it.



As an adult, I’ve learned to love this spinach-ricotta center. Lasagna feels barren and lost without it.



Does anyone know why lasagna noodles have those cute ruffled edges?



I can’t tell what’s more fun: putting together lasagna or eating it?

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna:
Mama Pita’s Pasta Sauce (see previous post)
1lb lasagna noodles
16oz medium cheddar cheese, grated
16oz mozzarella cheese, grated
*Spinach-Ricotta Filling (see below)

Boil noodles as directed on package.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a 12x18 glass or ceramic baking dish, spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Layer with noodles, more sauce, and 1/4 of the cheese. Layer with noodles, all of the ricotta mixture, more noodles, followed by sauce, another fourth of the cheese, more noodles, the rest of the sauce, the third-fourth of the cheese, more noodles, and top with the remaining amount of cheese.

Place into the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top and looks golden and crispy.

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna Filling:
2 cups fresh baby spinach
15oz ricotta cheese
¾ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 ½ cups parsley

In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.

Next Recipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cake (Scheduled post: Wednesday, November 19, 2008).