Popeye’s Mostaccioli

From: Gold’n Delicious – Junior League of Spokane, page 113

 

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/3 cup pine nuts

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach

1 (14 1/2 –ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained

1 pound mostaccioli or penne pastas, cooked al dente

12 ounces feta cheese, crumble

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and garlic and sauté until pine nuts are light brown, about 5 minutes. Thaw and drain spinach. Add spinach and tomatoes and sauté until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Place cooked pasta in a large bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Top with spinach mixture, feta, salt and pepper and toss well. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Mostaccioli – “little mustaches” – are similar in shape to penne, but shorter.

Nancy’s Notes: I made a version of this recipe Nov. 22, 2009. I used the leftovers from Pasta Pancetta, adding the spinach and pine nuts plus two cups of my homemade tomato sauce. In addition to the feta I added some mozzarella cheese. Not planning to eat immediately I filled a casserole dish and topped with additional mozzarella. Baked long enough to heat through. Excellent combination of flavors.

Pasta Pancetta

From: Gold’n Delicious – Junior League of Spokane, page 113

¼ pound pancetta or smoked bacon, diced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ cup white wine

1 (14½-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

6 ounces mostaccioli pasta, cooked al dente

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until cooked, but not crisp. Drain all but 2 teaspoons grease from pan. Add red pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add wine and stewed tomatoes and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 12 minutes.

Combine pasta and sauce and top with Parmesan. Serves 2

Pancetta is an Italian bacon that cen be found in Italian markets or delicatessens.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 22, 2009 – Very good. I was surprised how spicy it tasted – full of flavor. Would do again using good-quality smoked bacon in place of the pancetta.

Italian Sausage Quiche

From: Purple Sage – Junior League of Tucson

1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

½ cup coarsely copped sweet Italian sausage

½ cup chopped onion

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

¾ cup milk

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon red pepper (cayenne)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

½ pound Muenster cheese, shredded

Prick pastry shell with a fork. Partially bake at 400° until just beginning to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Brown sausage in small skillet. Transfer to medium bowl. Add onion to pan drippings and saute over low heat until tender. Add onion to sausage. Stir in eggs, evaporated milk, whole milk, parsley, salt, nutmeg and peppers. Sprinkle cheese on bottom of pastry shell and pour in sausage mixture. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue baking 25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nancy’s Notes: Made Nov. 8, 2009 – Good, I didn’t think it was exceptional but perfectly acceptable. Bob ate most of the leftovers.

Linguine with Tomatoes & Basil

From: Art of Cooking – Junior League of Ogden (Utah), page 91

4 ripe large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes

1 pound Brie cheese, rind removed and torn into irregular pieces

1 cup cleaned fresh basil leaves, cut julienne

3 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon best-quality olive oil

2 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

8 ounces linguine or angel hair pasta

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, 1 cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Prepare at least 2 hour before serving and set aside, covered, at room temperature.

Bring 6-quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining salt. Add the linguine and boil until tender but still firm, 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato sauce.

Garnish with freshly ground pepper an grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 4-6.

Nancy’s Notes: Made August 2007 – I found this somewhat disappointing, seemed a waste of a pound of Brie. Perhaps I need more seasonings.

Fresh Basil Pesto

From: http://simplerecipes.com

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan – Reggiano or Romano cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine basil and pine nuts in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Nancy’s Notes: When basil is plentiful from the garden I like to make batches of this and freeze in ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop the cubes into a zip lock bag in the freezer. These are a great asset throughout the year to add to soups, sauces, veggies, pastas and pizzas.

Italian Sausage Soup

From: Reflections Under the Sun, Junior League of Phoenix

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

6 (10-ounce) cans chicken or beef broth

1 cup chopped celery

3 carrots, peeled, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes with basil

1 ½ cups shredded cabbage

1 pound mild Italian sausage links
Salt and pepper to taste

Italian seasoning to taste

2 zucchini, sliced

3 to 4 ounces vermicelli, broken in half

3 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ to 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and 3 cloves of garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add the broth, celery, carrots, tomatoes and cabbage: mix well. Place the sausages in a baking pan; prick each several times with a fork. Bake at 325° until cooked through; drain. Slice the sausages. Add to the soup. Add the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Simmer until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Add the zucchini and vermicelli; mix well. Simmer until the vermicelli is tender. Heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Saute the remaining clove of garlic in the oil until golden brown. Add the tomato paste. Cook until the oil is absorbed into the tomato paste, stirring constantly.
Add the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Stir the tomato mixture into the soup. Simmer the soup until heated through, stirring frequently. Serves 8-10.

Nancy’s Notes: Made 10-5-09 – Good, worth doing again. I used red cabbage because I had some that needed used, it dyed the soup to an ugly puce gray color. Use green cabbage next time. Made a big pot of soup, enough for us, Michael to take home and freeze a container.