by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Pastas
My family loves pasta! Any kind of pasta, but a good homemade pasta is hard to beat! Fortunately I was given the right set of pasta tools! Thanks to my mother-in-law that lives in Italy a majority of the time, and my somewhat Italian husband, I have a great set of pasta tools. First time around, it was a little labor intensive, but once I became more familiar with the Atlas Pasta maker, it became super easy. The ingredients are so straightforward: eggs and flour! That’s it!
Tools needed: Atlas Pasta Maker, kitchen scale (measuring grams), and a fork!
Measure out 100 grams of organic all-purpose flour per 1 egg. I used 400 grams of flour and 4 eggs for this batch.
First you measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a crater in the center of the flour, and crack in the eggs. Slowly stir your fork into the center, slowly incorporating more flour from the edges, until the eggs are nicely mixed in. You can then transfer the mixture onto a floured surface, and kneed the dough, until eggs and flour are well incorporated. Next you divide the portions into fourths. Using your Atlas Pasta maker, on setting “zero” (which has the widest space), run the dough through the mixture. On the Atlas, the higher the number on the dial, the thinner the dough. If the dough is too moist it will stick to the surface of the rollers, so add some more flour. If the dough is too dry, it will pass through and crumble out, so add a big of water and kneed the dough again. I run the dough through several times, adjust the width, so that I end up at the fifth (5) setting for pasta, or seventh (7) setting for fettuccini.
Once you have 6 strips of thin pasta dough, you can now add on the spaghetti/fettuccini attachment, and run the dough through the spaghetti roller. I also purchased the Atlas Drying rack in order to hang the pasta, until you are ready to cook.
Meanwhile put a hit pot of water on to boil, and be sure to add enough salt, since the dough is not salted. Cook the pasta for approximately 4-5 minutes. I’m at altitude so it takes a bit longer to cook, so it might cook a bit quicker. Be sure to only cook it al dente.
Add your favorite spaghetti sauce and serve! Must be eaten immediately.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Meats, Paleo, Pastas, Vegetables
Since watching CowSpiracy (on Netflix), I am constantly trying to find alternatives to red-meat (beef). So I made some modifications to a traditional Ragu (or Bolognese) using Buffalo meat. If you prefer the Paleo version, you can skip the pasta and just place the Ragu/Bolognese into a butter lettuce leaf, for a tasty lettuce wrap!
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 ½ lb buffalo, ground
- ¼ slab bacon, or 5 thick slices diced
- ½ tube organic tomato paste
- 1 cup organic canned crushed/or chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup milk (skip for Paleo version)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
- ½ cup organic whipping cream (skip for Paleo version)
Directions:
In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft, but please make sure not brown them, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the buffalo, and bacon and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add in the cream and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.
When ready to use, the cooked pasta should be added to a saucepan with the appropriate amount of hot ragu Bolognese, and tosses so that the pasta is evenly coated by the ragu. For Paleo version, spoon meat ragu into the butter lettuce leaves.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Vegetables
Yes, another pasta dish. Here is a simple pasta dish to make with some zucchini and pecorino. Makes 4 “european” size portions.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced approximately ¾” cup
- 5 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 small-medium zucchini chopped in ¼” pieces
- ½ cup pecorino cheese
- ½ cup cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- ½ tsp pepper
- salt to taste
- 4 servings of pasta – I used spaghetti but I think Fussili or Farfale would have been better
Preparation:
In large pot, boil pasta water. Add pasta to salted boiling water. Zucchini takes about 15 minutes to time your pasta accordingly. In a large sauce pan, on medium-high heat melt the butter. Add in the onions and garlic until translucent. Add in the zucchini and cook until zucchini start to brown slightly. Add in the cream and cook until it thickens. (If sauce gets too thick you can add in some of the pasta water). Add salt to taste and parsley and basil. Drain pasta keeping some water for reserve (to thin out the sauce if too heavy for your liking). Plate pasta onto each bowl, add the zucchini mixture. Add in the cheese to each plate. Toss before eating.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas
Here is an easy anchovy and Broccoli pasta, with a bit of Manchego and red pepper flakes. This recipe serves 2 so be sure to adjust quantities as needed.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of small broccoli florets
- 7 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil (EVOO)
- ½ tsp of pepperoncini (red pepper flakes) * add more if you can handle the heat
- 3 tbs anchovies cut into pieces
- ½ cup finely grated Manchego cheese
- Fettuccini for 2
In a large pot, boil water, and add salt. Place the broccoli florets and cook until tender but not over cooked. (At altitude about 5 minutes – less time needed at sea level). Remove broccoli and set aside. Add in the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente. While pasta is cooking, in a small sauce pan, on medium-low heat, add in the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. Cook at low heat, making sure the garlic does not brown. When pasta is finished, strain and set aside. In the large pot, add the oil garlic mixture and broccoli and cook until broccoli is coated. Add the pasta to the pot and stir, for a few seconds, making sure all of the noodles are covered with the oil and broccoli mixture. Place pasta into bowls and sprinkle the Manchego cheese. Mix in the cheese so it evenly covers the Fettuccini, and voila… a simple anchovy pasta dish.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Sauces, Vegetables
Here is a fun, lighter spaghetti dish with ricotta, mozzarella, basil, garlic, cherry tomatoes and parmesan. My son loves ricotta and if he has his preference he would pretty much add it to anything.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 6 cloves chopped Garlic
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes (slices in half)
- ½ cup chopped Burrata (or fresh mozzarella cheese)
- ½ cup of whole milk organic Ricotta cheese
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes (chili)
- 1 cup Roasted tomatoes sliced
- 1 box of spaghetti (barilla or other Italian brand)
- salt as needed
- 10 leaves of fresh basil sliced
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Boil pasta water (making sure to salt after boiling). In a small sauce pan, add the oil and garlic and cook at medium heat, making sure garlic does not brown. Mix together cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, ricotta, red pepper flakes, and roasted tomatoes. Add ¼ tsp salt and stir. Cook pasta. Strain pasta, saving some of the water. Add olive oil and garlic to ricotta mixture. Stir in pasta to mixture to coat spaghetti well, add additional salt if needed. Serve into shallow pasta bowls, sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese and serve. Makes 4 Servings.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Pastas, Sauces
Our family LOVES pesto! I have tried different kinds of store bought pesto and really never discovered one I love, so I decided to make my own. We are fortunate enough to have access to large 1 lb. bags of basil, which I usually buy in 5 lb. increments. We also purchase the bulk pine nuts and Parmegiano Reggiano from Costco, which is so much more affordable than Whole Foods. When I make pesto, I like to make it in large batches then freeze in 2 portion Tupperware containers (see photo). It is key to have a great food processor. I have a new “Breville Sous Chef Food Processor” that I received from my mother-in-law, that I absolutely love! Anyway, so here are the ingredients and the instructions.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound basil (9 oz leaves after removing stems)
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ½ cup fresh Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cup pine nuts
Place the washed basil leaves, and oil in the food processor (using “S-Blade”), till minced, pausing occasionally to scrape in the basil on the sides. Add in the cheese, garlic and salt and process until smooth. Add in the pine nuts at the end, you can make it as crunchy or smooth as you like. My son loves it chunky but my daughter likes it super smooth. You are now ready to place the pesto into ½ cup storage containers. Now you can freeze your batches. Thaw as needed, but please do not microwave. When you add to your pasta, please save some of the salted pasta water to thin out the pesto a little so it has a smooth and slightly liquid consistency.
