she lives! + Italian comfort cravings

Its certainly been a while, hasn't it? 3 months since my last post?!? Yeeesh.


The truth is, from the end of May to early August I'd been battling some pretty debilitating morning sickness. Happy and exciting news, yes, but not so much for my foodie appetite. I subsisted on crackers, popsicles and flat soda for weeks on end, and spent many many hours kneeling in front of my toilet in gory reunions with the aforementioned foods. I could NOT bare to eat, cook, smell, touch, shop for, look at, write about or even think about food. Needless to say, this did not make for interesting blog material.


The great news is that I'm finally into my second trimester, and food is my friend again! I can watch the Phantom Gourmet and flip through Everyday Food without running to the bathroom! I can eat and drink things besides ginger ale! Hallelujah! I've spent the past few weeks catching up on all my fave foodie blogs, maggies and shows, and it has been so nice. I've missed you guys! 

 I've been craving Italian food like its nobody's business and so, I thought I'd come back from the dead and share this fave recipe with ya'll. Baked ziti isn't a dish that would normally come to mind as a typical end-of-summer meal but, its definitely something to keep in mind for the cooler nights that are becoming more common as we ease into fall.

Baked Ziti

{Recipe adapted from Food Network Kitchens}

Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried tubular pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
• 3 1/2 cups quick tomato sauce* (recipe follows)
• 1 pound fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook pasta as directed until al dente, drain.

3. Toss the cooked pasta with the tomato sauce, a handful of shredded or cubed mozzarella, half the Parmesan and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to an oiled 9 x 13 inch baking dish, and cover with the remaining mozzarella (thinly sliced if fresh) and Parmesan cheeses. Bake until lightly browned and hot, about 20 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

*Quick Tomato Sauce

Yields: about 5 cups

Ingredients:

• 
  
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 
  
  1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled
• 
  
  1/4 of a medium onion, diced
• 
  
  3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 
  
  3 1/2 cups (one 28 oz. can) whole, peeled canned tomatoes in puree, roughly chopped
• 
  
  sprig of fresh thyme
• 
  
  sprig of fresh basil
• 
  
  salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until just beginning to brown, then add the onion and garlic, and continue to cook until sausage is browned and onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and herbs, and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Discard the herb sprigs, season with salt and pepper to taste. If not using immediately, sauce keeps covered for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.

Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking. I've used chicken sausages, ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey), dried herbs, and homemade marinara sauce in different variations and they're all great. You could also add sauteed veggies, sliced meatball, or even some red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick-- the possibilities are endless. The sauce is probably the best quick recipe I've come across in all my recipe searches, and its delicious over freshly cooked pasta if you just can't wait (oh, do I know that feeling!). This is an easy-peasy recipe and impossible to screw up, my friends.

Ah, it feels good to be back in Blogland :o)

x

week night pasta for one

Cooking for one can be tricky. On nights when J is working late and I'm left to dine solo for the evening, I generally turn to something quick, easy, and inexpensive... which, normally leaves very little option for healthy or imaginitive (mac & cheese, anyone?) Last week, I found myself in this position but -with some leftovers, 2 store-bought ingredients, and a little creativity- I had a simple, tasty vegetarian dinner for one that didn't come out of a box. And it was still done in 20 minutes. Amazing, right? I thought so, too.

We tried chicken Milanese with arugula salad earlier last week with great results but, had some leftover greens and red onion... which made me think of this Real Simple dish I had stuffed in my recipe files ages ago. I also had that too-much-for-one-but-not-enough-for-two portion of gemelli leftover from a pasta salad of weeks passed; some handy chicken broth to sub for the wine and -$5 at Super Wal*Mart later- a small soft wedge of Brie and a carton of earthy creminis. It was meant to be.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it but, this was the first time I had *ever* cooked mushrooms or tried Brie cheese, and only the second time preparing arugula! I was rewarded for stepping out of my food comfort zone, though. The savory sauteed creminis and onions, peppery arugula and tangy Brie tossed with perfectly al dente gemelli was a delicious alternative to my stand-by boxed Annie's (I still love you though, Bernie!)

Gemelli with Brie, Arugula & Mushrooms

{adapted from Real Simple}

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup of dry gemelli, or other shaped pasta (penne, rotini, farfalle, ziti, etc.)
• 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 button or cremini, or 1 portobello mushroom, stems removed and caps cut into bite-sized wedges
• 1/4 of a small red onion, sliced
• 4 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth (or dry white wine)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 ounce of Brie, cut into small pieces
• handful of fresh arugula, torn into bite-sized pieces

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. *Remember* to reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and red onion, and cook 2-3 minutes tossing occassionally, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices. Add the broth (or wine), season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown and the liquid reduces, about 5-6 minutes.

3. Mix the Brie pieces with the warm pasta so that they start to melt. Pour the reserved cooking liquid over the Brie to facilitate melting, and toss together until the cheese is completely melted and the pasta is coated (if your Brie is being stubborn, place the pot over a still-warm or low heat burner, mixing constantly, until it is fully melted). Stir in the sauteed mushroom-onion mixture. Add the fresh arugula, toss and serve.

Cooking for the fam? Check out the original recipe (serves 4).

Just a little FYI for you first-time fungus cooks like myself: button, cremini and portobello mushrooms are all the exact SAME species of mushroom, they're just picked at different points in their development. All are lovely and suited for this dish, though the smaller varieties (button and cremini) are the easiest to chop into perfectly bite-sized slices.



Do you have a favorite just-for-one recipe in your arsenal?

Share it with me in the comments! x