Bruschetta Pasta

Serves 6

My friend Sara reminds me that technically, bruschetta means 'grilled bread' and NOT the tomato, basil garlic deal that you put on top. Happy Sara? That having been said, this recipe is bruschetta pasta - pasta with tomatoes, basil and garlic - as apposed to pasta with grilled bread.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta, spaghetti works nice here
• 2 large tomatoes
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 dozen large basil leaves, torn into smallish pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Remove seeds from tomatoes and chop roughly
3. Put tomatoes in a bowl with the garlic, basil and olive oil - season with salt & pepper
4. Drain pasta, add to bowl and toss well with tomato mixture
5. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese - and maybe some grilled bread just to make Sara happy

Tuna Pasta

Serves 6

Pasta with canned tuna sounds bizarre, but there are plenty of fancy shmancy Italian restaurants that have a version of this on the menu. The cool part is that almost all of this can come right out of the cupboard.

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced medium
• 1 can tuna (in water) drained
• 1 14 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 1 5 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 pound pasta, you choose
• parmesan cheese
• parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta
2. In large pan, saute onion in olive oil until softened
3. Add tomatoes and tuna, heat well
4. Add tomato sauce and fresh ground pepper, heat through
5. Drain pasta and add to sauce in pan - mix well and serve with parmesan cheese and parsley

Roasted Tomato Pasta

Serves 4-6

This is a totally fresh, not heavily-sauced pasta. The roasted tomatoes are so damn good, you'll be lucky if they all make it onto the pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of the small cherry or strawberry sized tomatoes
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped, mashed, squished whatever
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• One pound pasta - a spaghetti type would be nice here, but pretty much any kind will work
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Basil, finely chopped - optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 and put a large pot of water on the stove to boil
2. Rinse tomatoes, then cut them in half and place in a bowl
3. Add the chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper
4. Dump tomatoes onto a baking sheet and spread to a single layer
5. Roast about 25 minutes or until they get soft, squishy and amazing
6. During the tomatoes last 10 minutes in the oven, cook the pasta according to package directions
7. Drain pasta well in a colander and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of the olive oil
8. Plate the pasta and top with the tomatoes, some Parmesan, a little more pepper and then the basil if using

Pasta with Clear Sauce

Serves 4

So simple yet totally great! You have to like garlic for this one though.

Ingredients

• Pasta - your choice but I like spagehtti for this one
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 big cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta per the package directions
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan (but not too hot)
3. Add the sliced garlic and lightly brown in the oil - for maybe two minutes (Do not over brown or it becomes bitter)
4. Drain the cooked pasta and pour the olive oil with garlic directly onto it - stir well to mix
5. Sprinkle in some freshly chopped parsley and mix
6. Put some pasta onto a plate and sprinkle with a bit more of the parsley, some parmesan cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste
7. That's it - simple

Blue Cheese Gnocchi

Serves 4

If you hate blue cheese, don't make this. If you love it, then get busy..

Ingredients

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 pound gnocchi
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 ounce 'ready bacon', diced

Directions

1. In a small pot, combine whipping cream and blue cheese - simmer on low/medium until it starts to thicken, stir
2. Cook diced bacon with peas in a small non-stick pan until the bacon is crispy and the peas are defrosted...soft and bitchin
3. Cook gnocchi in a pot of boiling water - when they float, they're ready
4. Drain gnocchi and add to cream sauce - mix well
5. To serve, put on a plate and add bacon/pea mixture and fresh ground pepper

Crab and Bacon Pasta

Serves 6

Pasta, crab, bacon and peas...what?

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta
• 1-2 ounce pack ready bacon
• 1-16 oz bag frozen baby peas
• 3-4 ounces store bought pesto
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound lump crab

Directions

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions
2. Chop bacon to a medium dice and cook in a non stick pan until crispy, set aside
3. Add peas to pasta during the last 4 minutes of cooking, then drain out the water
4. To the noodles and peas add the pesto, bacon, red pepper flakes & 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
5. Mix well and plate - top each with crab
6. Finish each plate with fresh ground pepper

Crispy Gnocchi Two Ways

Serves 4-6

Quickly boiled then pan fried makes these little gems even better than normal. And btw, I'm not sure I've ever used 'gems' to refer to food before.

Ingredients

• 1 pound gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• or.....
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
• Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

1. In a large pot of water, boil gnocchi about 2 minutes or until they float - drain well
2. Melt butter in a non stick pan over medium heat and add gnocchi
3. Cook until starting to brown on both sides and add pesto OR garlic & tomato paste
4. Mix well until pesto or tomato paste is well incorporated into gnocchi
5. Plate and serve with Parmesan cheese

Gnocchi with Mascarpone

Serves 2

Gnocchi is a great pantry staple, along with most of the other ingredients, here, so delicious and made in just 10 minutes. And trust me the San Marzano tomatoes make this.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• half yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 can tomatoes (San Marzano brand recommended - imported from Italy)
• 1 cup Mascarpone
• 1/2 cup vodka
• Sprig fresh basil, chopped
• 1 pack Gnocchi
• Pepper to season

Directions

1. Heat a large pot of water, bring to a rolling boil, in the meantime…
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, cook the onion for 2 minutes
3. Add garlic cook for one minute
4. Add tomatoes to the pan (not the sauce) by squishing them using your, hand one by one, mix and when heated through, add the Mascarpone and vodka, mix and cook for 1 minute
5. Add the Gnocchi to boiling water, and cook for about 4 minutes or until they float, drain and mix them into the sauce
6. Serve, garnish with a sprinkle of basil and freshly ground pepper.

Asparagus and Pea Pasta

Serves 4

Quick, fresh, light and delicious - make it, so easy.

Ingredients

• 1 pack Penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 asparagus spears, 1'' pieces
• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup fresh or defrosted frozen peas
• 1/4 cup cream
• zest 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon finely crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and pepper to season

Directions

1. Boil salted water in medium pan, add pasta cook for 7-9 minutes
2. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat, throw in the leeks and asparagus, cook for 4 minutes
3. Add the peas and garlic cook for 2 minutes
4. Add the cream, parmesan, zest and stir
5. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and coat with the sauce
6. Season with Kosher salt and pepper, eat!

Orecchiette with Tuna & Arugula

Serves 8

Quit looking down ur nose at tuna - it's not a junky ingredient. And when it's this delicious, you'll want it all the time.

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta (little ear shape)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 - 6 ounces cans albacore tuna, drained
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch arugula
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic - heat but don't let it brown
3. Add tuna & red pepper to garlic & oil, stir well and heat through
4. Put arugula on top of garlic & oil
5. Drain pasta and add to arugula pan - mix well until arugula wilts
6. Add lemon zest and season with salt & pepper - mix well and serve