Pasta, pasta, pasta...post your favorite recipes HERE.

[Blackpaw]

I have a version of carbonara that i LOVE its a very loose interpretation of carbonara mind you!

I 'discovered' it when i had a blocked nose one time and didnt notice that id picked up cilantro instead of italian parsely...

Butter
1 egg
Dash of Milk
Small carton of Cream
Grated Parmesan
Coriander/Cilantro, roughly chopped
4-6 thick (about 1/2cm) slices of Pancetta
Packet of Spaghetti or i prefer spaghettini

Cube the pancetta and fry it until crispy, set aside. Cook your pasta how you like it. Meanwhile melt the butter on medium, add in the egg and stir super quickly, adding a dash of milk (you dont want the egg to cook so dont have the heat too high!). Stir a little then add the cream, heat that for awhile and then add in parmesan to taste (i tend to find its best not to make it very cheesy, then add parmesan on top). Then put the cooked pasta, pancetta and chopped coriander in the pot and mix it all around. And serve!

I just put it together as im going, depending on how much i want to make so i dont really have exact measurements. I do find that the above is pretty good for 4 servings...

 

[Blackpaw]

Oh and these ricotta sauces sound so delish, i wish my SO didnt have dietary issues

 

[CUSO]

I am Italian and a great cook. This is the best pasta recipe ever!!!!

Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: hr min Cook Time: 55 min Level:
Easy Serves:
6 to 8 servings Ingredients
Kosher Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 links fennel pork sausage (about 3/4 pound)
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) peeled whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Get yourself a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a generous 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.

Add another 2 count of oil to the skillet, then your onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

By this time your pasta water will be boiling. Add the rigatoni, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

A new fav around here....spaghetti Quattro....but I use an 1/8 of the the EVOO they call for!

http://www.quattrorestaurants.com/cookingwithquattro.html

cheers--Sharon

 

[Blackpaw]

CUSO im drooling that pasta sounds so good, if only my SO could eat sausages. Oh the humanity!

 

[jaysonsmom]

Guess what I just made for dinner? Pasta of course!

It was Homemade chicken and penne alfredo, with crumbled bacon bits on top! We have creamy sauces more because that's what the kids like, but I do made them eat a healthy portion of salad with every meal!

 

[House Cat]

This one is Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa. It's fast, easy and yummy. Note: the sauce will taste strong/salty until you add pasta.

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespooons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half rounds (this looks nice, but I no longer do this)
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7-10 minutes or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12 inch) heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp,. 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 miunutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices and the red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well and serve.

I make something almost exactly like this. I'm thinking I must have seen this recipe, adapted it somehow and made it my own. The only other ingredient I add is a couple of tablespoons of capers, which are incredible in this dish.

 

[aviastar]

Christina Pasta, so named because my friend Christina made it up:

Bowtie Pasta
50/50 creamy alfredo and pesto sauce:
I use the dry packets, 1 envelope for each sauce, and follow the directions on the packet. I start with the alfredo and when it's thickening in the pot, I add the pesto envelope and it's ingedients. It ends up being a good ratio of alfredo to pesto. Toss the cooked bowties in with the sauce mix so all are coated evenly.

Depending on mood or what's in the fridge, I then add chicken, cut into bite size peices and browned, and lightly steamed veggies. My favorite veggies for this one are broccoli and asparagus tips.

Add a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and some fresh shredded parmesean and you are good to go!