Cacio e Pepe, Pasta With Cheese And Black Pepper

Yup, that’s it!  

This is such a simple, delicious dish that comes together in no time. 

I had watched a video on this dish years ago, done by a chef in Italy but it just slipped my mind, until recently. 

I was in the market for a new and easy lunch plate and in walks this 

Cacio e Peppe 

Serves 1

56g of your favorite long Pasta, I always have Barilla® brand Thick Spaghetti 

+/- ½ C. grated Cheese – Parmesan, Pecorino, the kind of hard cheese you like 

Freshly cracked Black Pepper, as much as you want 

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box with a bit of Salt. 

Once the Pasta is cooked to your preference, reserve about 1 cup of that starchy water and drain the Pasta. 

Place the Pasta back into the pot and return it to a very low heat. 

Stir in your Black Pepper to taste, next pour in about 1/3-1/2 cup of the reserved water to start. 

Sprinkle in the Cheese and stir well until it melts in and makes a lovely, creamy sauce. Does it need more water? Add as much as you feel is best. 

Serve in a warmed bowl with more Cheese on top and maybe some Flat Leaf Parsley for eye-appeal.

Now you can gild the lily as I did in the photo above and top everything with some Anchovy Fillets if you like, and my dearest Husband does … so …  

Mangiamo!  

Let’s Eat!!!  

Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own. 

Cook for your friends and family!    

… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.    

MAHALO! 

Olive Salad 2.0 …

After making the Tortellini Olive Salad, I thought, how can we morph this into another salad?

💡

Why not take that basic recipe and use a different Pasta?

YUP!

👩‍🍳

I used Barilla® brand Cellentani or Cavatappi, cooked to just past al dente.

I also added in some diced Sweet White Onion, Carrot, Celery and Sweet Bell Pepper (any color you like), maybe a 1/2 cup or so of each – you decide what’s enough – I “eyeball” alot of my dishes.

This go around, I had already on hand pre-sliced Hard Dry Salami and cut them in half, meh. We liked the chunkier pieces better.

This also made for a lovely light meal, very tasty.

Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.

Cook for your friends and family!    

… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.    

MAHALO!

Tortellini Olive Salad ~ Pure YUM!!

I like to look around for different recipe ideas to make for us two. I can’t remember were or how I came across this one, but of course I had to customize it to our liking.

😊

Tortellini Olive Salad 

4-6 servings 

4 ½ oz. dried Barilla® brand Tortellini – cooked and drained according to package directions 

½ C. canned pitted Black Olives, drained and halved 

½ C. jarred Manzanilla, green olives, drained and halved 

¼ C. Hard Dry Salami, sliced into ¼“ bite-sized pieces (I used Soppressata) 

¼ – ½ tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning – to your liking 

¼ tsp. ground Black Pepper 

¼ – ½ C. Olive Garden Salad Dressing, divided (or any Italian style dressing you like) 

¼ – ½ C. grated Parmesan, divided 

¼ C. Parsley, chopped 

Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, using only ¼ cup of each: Salad Dressing and Cheese (you can always add more later, but you can’t take away). 

Gently mix well. 

Taste for seasoning; adjust accordingly. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight is better.

When you’re ready to serve, give it all a good stir … does it need more Dressing or Cheese? I usually add more and then some… 

This was my first attempt at making this Salad and you’ll see that I did not cut the Olives in half. Believe me when I tell you, cut them in half.

For a nice entrée salad, I made a chopped salad of Lettuce, Cucumbers, (Tomatoes for DH) and Sweet White Onions. Placing the Tortellini Olive Salad over the top of it.  And let that freshly grated Parmesan Cheese snow!

Well, then I added some Anchovies for DH. 

Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.

Cook for your friends and family!    

… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.    

MAHALO! 

Auntie’s Italian Sausage & Baby Kale Pasta

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, well anything. 

So, let’s kick this off with a super easy dish that I threw together just the other night. 

Auntie’s Italian Sausage & Baby Kale Pasta

Makes 2 large servings 

2 Sweet (or hot, your choice) Italian Sausages, remove the casing 

½ C. Olive Oil 

½ medium Onion, sliced pole-to-pole into ½ inch thick pieces

3-4 cloves of Garlic, chopped 

¼ C. dry White Wine (something that you would drink) 

5 oz. Bag of Baby Kale (I found this at Trader Joe’s) 

1 pinch freshly grated Nutmeg (or the jarred stuff if that’s what you have) 

2 servings of cooked Cheese Tortellini 

Heat 10 inch skillet (or larger) over medium, add the Olive oil and heat until it shimmers 

Brown the Sausage, breaking it up as you go 

Add in the Onion and sauté to a crisp tender 

Throw in the Garlic and stir until fragrant  

De-glaze the pan with the Wine, it will evaporate some 

Toss in the Baby Kale and stir it through the “sauce” (I found that tongs work really well for this task)

Sprinkle in the Nutmeg and stir well  

Add about 2-3 tablespoons of water and cover 

Cook until the Baby Kale is tender (this doesn’t take long) 

Serve over the Tortellini (or any pasta of your choosing) 

Serving suggestion: Drizzle some really good Olive Oil over the top, along with some grated Parmesan Cheese and bread on the side to mop up any “sauce”. 

Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.  

Cook for your friends and family! 

… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.

MAHALO! 

Auntie Doni’s Cold Somen Salad

*** Here’s another re-post of a recipe that I recently re-visited and realized that it needed to be updated.  So anything that you see in red, is the addition.

The original date that this came out was June 21, 2019 ***

In Hawaii, there are many cultures that have influenced the cuisine there.  Japanese-style dishes are just one of them that I really enjoy. Since it’s already starting to heat up here in My Kitchen In The Middle Of The Desert, this recipe came to mind recently and I thought I’d share this lovely cold salad to add to your Summer menu.

Auntie Doni’s Cold Somen Salad

Serves 3 

Salad Ingredients:

½ of a package of Somen Noodles

1 C. Lettuce, shredded

½ C. each, Carrots, Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork, Kamaboko or Steamed Fish Cake, julienne

1 C. Hot House Cucumbers, julienne

1 Egg

1 pinch each, Dashi Powder and granulated Sugar

2 stalks of Green Onion, sliced finely

1 tsp. Sesame Seeds

Prepare the Noodles, following the directions on the package; rinse under cold running water, drain well and set aside in the `fridge.

Beat the Egg along with the Dashi Powder and Sugar.  Cook up as a flat omelet, cool and julienne finely; set aside in the refrigerator.

[I always use Aloha Brand Shoyu in all of my recipes]

Dressing Ingredients:

⅓ C. Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp. each Soy Sauce, granulated Sugar, Sesame Oil

1/2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar 

Heat the Broth in the microwave for 30 seconds or less, just enough to dissolve the sugar.

Combine as of the Dressing ingredients in a tightly sealing jar; set aside, you got it, in the cold box.

Now that you have everything together, or what’s called your Mise en Place, it’s time to assemble our salads.  Be sure that all of the ingredients are well chilled.

I like to make individual salads, but you can combine all of the above as one big Family-style salad and let everyone serve themselves.  Dress your salads just before serving though.

Now this is just how I do it, you put yours together how you feel is best.  I like to start with the shredded Lettuce in a bowl, with the Noodles next; then artfully arrange all of the “goodies”.  

You could stop at this point, cover, stash them in the `fridge and serve later.  This is a great make-ahead dish for dinner or even a potluck.

This our most recent bowl of Cold Somen Salad

When your ready to eat this gorgeous looking creation, spoon the Dressing over the top and combine everything well.  I find that using my hands works best, but it’s up to you.

This is quite a refreshing salad and it’s also surprisingly filling.

The toppings of the salad can be whatever your family craves.  What about Shrimp or Crab; some folks use cooked Spam®, Deli Ham, Cilantro, Mung Bean Sprouts, or even go Vegetarian and use Tofu — you decide.

Our family likes loads of goodies, no matter the kind.

ENJOY!

Chicken Cacciatore, Another Sunday Supper

I’m pretty sure that I’ve made mention previously that I really like to make some sort of Italian-Inspired meal on Sundays, hence, Sunday Suppers. 

One of the dishes that I enjoy is Chicken Cacciatore, MMM!  It’s a pretty simple main course and can be multiplied, made ahead, and any leftovers freeze beautifully.  My version is a bit different than what you’ll find in other kitchens.

 

Auntie Doni’s Chicken Cacciatore

2+ servings

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided

2 boneless-skinless Chicken thighs, diced bite-sized

½ C. Onions, chopped

1 C. Mushrooms, diced (I prefer Crimini)

1 C. Sweet Bell Peppers, diced

¼ C. Wine (optional)

1-2 C. prepared Marinara (I buy Trader Joe’s jarred sauce, tastes just like mine homemade)

 

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.  Sauté the Mushrooms until they’re golden and next add in the Onions and Peppers; sauté until the veggies are crisp-tender, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil and sauté the Chicken until brown and a little crispy around the edges.  Deglaze the pan with the Wine (or a bit of Stock or even water is fine), add back in the veggies-mixture and your preferred amount of Marinara, make it as saucy as your family likes.  Stir well; lower the heat to a bare simmer and cover.

Here’s where you can start your sides, like homemade Fettuccini, or any other pasta, potato, rice, noodle, what have you, to serve with you Cacciatore.

When ready to serve, check your sauce, you may need to add some water if it’s gotten too thick.

As always, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, you take it and make it your own.

New And Improved Homemade Cheese Raviolis

Below is a copy of a previous post from my blog, well actually this is the third ‘recycle’ of this blog post.

What I wanted to add to this post is that I finally bought a set of Ravioli Cutters.  One is round and one is square, and they make hefty sized Ravs!

I’d never tried to make Ravioli using this technique before, and I found it much more satisfying then using the Ravioli Maker and Press.  I’m not really sure why, but it wasn’t as stressful.  No, I do know why … I didn’t have to worry about the dough sticking to the maker and falling apart!

I rolled out the Pasta Dough using my Kitchen Aid attachments, laid each sheet on the counter, used my teaspoon disher to load the filling, topped it with a second sheet of pasta and cut.

I also tried a different recipe for the filling with this first go-around of Large-Round cutter, Spinach and Cheese Ravs.  They were delicious!! I don’t remember the recipe I used but you can search the WWW for one that you’re family would like.

Large Round Spinach and Cheese Ravs topped with Olive Oil, Garlic and Grated Cheese for Me

Cheese Ravioli with Garlic, Olive Oil, Grated Cheese and Anchovy Fillets for DH

 

January 21, 2018

*Edit*

Originally this post was published back a year ago.  I had been looking through my recipe binder to make a batch of ravs and decided just to pull this up instead.

WHAT!?

I messed up on this recipe guys, big time!

Please note that the filling is missing EGGS!  I’ve rectified this and would like to re-post this with the correction added below.  This really is a wonderful dish that is time consuming, but well worth it, ask my husband 😀

 

One of my long time followers, Krystle, who also blogs at Pictures And Plane Tickets (please check out her blog) requested my recipe for Cheese Raviolis.

Ya know, I could have sworn that I’d posted this recipe previously, but I guess not, just mouth watering photographs of the end product… sorry, my bad.  So with no further ado, here we go.

Auntie’s Cheese Raviolis

Dough:

3 1/2 – 4 C. All Purpose Flour (or Semolina)

1 1/2 tsp. Table Salt

4 large Eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Water

Filling:

1 lb. Ricotta Cheese (I get the Whole Milk, go for it I say 😉 )

1 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated (buy the best quality you can find)

3 large Eggs, beaten

1/4 C. Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Now, let’s get to it.

For the dough:

In a food processor combine the dry ingredients; with the machine running add the Eggs and Oil. Pulse in enough Water for the dough to JUST come together, you don’t want it too wet or sticky but firm and smooth to the touch.  Turn the dough out to a large piece of plastic wrap, bringing all bits together into a ball; cover well and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 24 hours, it turns a funny looking grey, unappetizing color.

For the filling:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Take a zip-top baggie, fill about half way (not too full as it makes it unyielding when it comes time to fill the raviolis).  Snip a smallish hole in one corner, this makes the filling process much easier; close up the bag and place in a small bowl to keep everything contained for now.

To assemble:

Divide the dough into about 12 pieces, being sure to keep the dough covered in the plastic so that it doesn’t dry out.  Dust your counter top with a small amount of flour, then with a rolling pin, flatten out 1 piece of dough into a rectangular shape, thin enough to go through a Pasta Sheet Roller on the first setting. Dust the dough lightly and run it through as many settings as you like, I go from #1 to #4 on my KitchenAid attachment.  Set aside and repeat a second sheet.  Using a Ravioli Mold makes life easy.  Place one sheet over the flour dusted mold, make the rounded indentations and fill by squeezing that baggie of goodness in to that spot, not too much though; very lightly moisten all edges of the form with your finger dipped in some water.  Place the second sheet over the top, starting from on end and gently pressing out any air.  With the rolling pin provided (or your own) seal and cut all edges well (you’ll see the metal edges come through), peel away the excess dough (save that under the plastic wrap) and turn the Raviolis out on to a floured sheet pan.

Repeat

I get anywhere from 6 to 7 dozen Raviolis with this recipe.  Allow the Raviolis to rest for at least 3 hours on the kitchen counter, uncovered.

To Cook:

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the appropriate amount of salt and stir.  Gently drop your desired amount of Raviolis into the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or to your preferred doneness.

Now that’s just one technique of assembly Raviolis, you could go without the mold and simply roll out the sheet of pasta, squirt on some filling, fold over the dough and cut as desired.  I have a hard time with that, they wind up exploding in the boiling process, not good eats.

I like to make a large batch of Raviolis and once dried, I pop the entire sheet pan into the freezer overnight, dust off the flour and place in a zip-top bag for later consumption… I mean 84 Raviolis are ALOT!!! 

*Added bonus – if you like, this dough makes wonderful fresh Fettuccine or Spaghetti or really any shape you like.  I do this with the leftover scrapes of from the Raviolis.  I gather them all up into a ball, sheet it out and cut as desired.  I roll the sheets up into a “cigar shape” and use my parring knife, unfurl each strand into that sheet pan of flour, toss to coat in the flour and allow to dry a bit.  You can freeze the fresh pasta for next Sunday’s Supper.

ENJOY!

Italian Wedding Soup, How Do You Soup?

It’s raining out and trying really hard to turn to snow.  This calls for a nice pot of Soup!

 

I had Mini-meatballs in the freezer, along with the every present Homemade Chicken broth.

I chopped some fresh Kale (frozen Spinach works here as well) and cooked that in the broth until it was tender, along with the mini Meatballs.

In a separate pot, I cooked some Orzo (you can use the pasta shape of your choice) to al dente, drained it well, tossed it in a touch of Olive Oil and set that aside.

I simmered the pot for a few minutes and then put it on a low flame until lunchtime.

I added the pasta to the soup at the last coupla minutes before plating, just to warm it through.

About 2 minutes before I ladled up the bowls, I beat an Egg, along with some grated Garna Padano (or Parmesan) cheese and swirled that into the pot.

 

 

With a sandwich, that was our lunch!  LET’S EAT!!

 

[turn the volume up, this is a neat video-and oh, check out my YouTube Channel]

Now, I didn’t write down a real recipe for you, mainly because, I just winged it!  And you can to, adjusting the quantities of each ingredient to your family’s size.  As always, recipes are simply someone else’s idea, you take it and make it your own.

 

Homemade Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork

Since we’ve moved to Northern Arizona, I no longer have an Asian Market within an hour’s drive of our home.  This means that when I run out of one of my beloved local-style foods or ingredient, too bad!  For the most part, I’ve been able to stockpile most of what I need to create the dishes from back home, but one item that is quickly consumed in our house is Char Siu or what folks here on the mainland call Chinese Barbecued Pork.  Other names you may see are chasu, chashao, cha sio and char siew, barbecued meat, xa xiu.  Whichever name you like, its dang delicious!!!

For the most part, I use Char Siu in Noodles Bowls

This Noodle Bowl was mine

And my Fried Saimin or Fried Noodles

So, as I’ve done in a number of cases of need, I figure out how to make it myself.  I watched a bunch of videos and read articles on how to make Char Siu from scratch,  but let’s be real here, I wasn’t about to find Red Fermented Bean Curd (aka Tofu) nor Chinese Rice Wine here in NoAZ.  I did have in my pantry, for a really long time I gotta say, a packet of Noh’s Char Siu Seasoning Mix!!!

I had a very large Pork Butt or Shoulder if you will, almost NINE POUNDS in size, for the intent of making Kalua Pig, but I mean come man, that’s an awful lot.  The smart girl that I am, I lopped off a 2 pound piece and put it aside for my first attempt at making my own Char Siu.

Let’s try!

I opted for the wet marinade as opposed to the dry rub of Noh’s Seasoning.  I took my sharpest knife and made several punctures into the Pork, going all the way through.  I parked my soon to be Char Siu in a large Zip Top bag and left it in the refrigerator for a little more than 24 hours.  At this point I patted the meat dry and arranged it in my adjustable roasting rack.  Into a moderate oven (350⁰) it went until the internal temperature reached 145⁰.

I let the roast cool completely before I sliced into it, YUM!

The taste was there, but I think I can do better next time around, I think I need to slice the Pork thinner, so that the marinade can do its work better.

Homemade Cheese Raviolis

*Edit*

Originally this post was published back a year ago.  I had been looking through my recipe binder to make a batch of ravs and decided just to pull this up instead.

WHAT!?

I messed up on this recipe guys, big time!

Please note that the filling is missing EGGS!  I’ve rectified this and would like to re-post this with the correction added below.  This really is a wonderful dish that is time consuming, but well worth it, ask my husband 😀

 

One of my long time followers, Krystle, who also blogs at Pictures And Plane Tickets (please check out her blog) requested my recipe for Cheese Raviolis.

Ya know, I could have sworn that I’d posted this recipe previously, but I guess not, just mouth watering photographs of the end product… sorry, my bad.  So with no further ado, here we go.

Auntie’s Cheese Raviolis

Dough:

3 1/2 – 4 C. All Purpose Flour (or Semolina)

1 1/2 tsp. Table Salt

4 large Eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Water

Filling:

1 lb. Ricotta Cheese (I get the Whole Milk, go for it I say 😉 )

1 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated (buy the best quality you can find)

3 large Eggs, beaten

1/4 C. Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Now, let’s get to it.

For the dough:

In a food processor combine the dry ingredients; with the machine running add the Eggs and Oil. Pulse in enough Water for the dough to JUST come together, you don’t want it too wet or sticky but firm and smooth to the touch.  Turn the dough out to a large piece of plastic wrap, bringing all bits together into a ball; cover well and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 24 hours, it turns a funny looking grey, unappetizing color.

For the filling:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Take a zip-top baggie, fill about half way (not too full as it makes it unyielding when it comes time to fill the raviolis).  Snip a smallish hole in one corner, this makes the filling process much easier; close up the bag and place in a small bowl to keep everything contained for now.

To assemble:

Divide the dough into about 12 pieces, being sure to keep the dough covered in the plastic so that it doesn’t dry out.  Dust your counter top with a small amount of flour, then with a rolling pin, flatten out 1 piece of dough into a rectangular shape, thin enough to go through a Pasta Sheet Roller on the first setting. Dust the dough lightly and run it through as many settings as you like, I go from #1 to #4 on my KitchenAid attachment.  Set aside and repeat a second sheet.  Using a Ravioli Mold makes life easy.  Place one sheet over the flour dusted mold, make the rounded indentations and fill by squeezing that baggie of goodness in to that spot, not too much though; very lightly moisten all edges of the form with your finger dipped in some water.  Place the second sheet over the top, starting from on end and gently pressing out any air.  With the rolling pin provided (or your own) seal and cut all edges well (you’ll see the metal edges come through), peel away the excess dough (save that under the plastic wrap) and turn the Raviolis out on to a floured sheet pan.

Repeat

I get anywhere from 6 to 7 dozen Raviolis with this recipe.  Allow the Raviolis to rest for at least 3 hours on the kitchen counter, uncovered.

To Cook:

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the appropriate amount of salt and stir.  Gently drop your desired amount of Raviolis into the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or to your preferred doneness.

Now that’s just one technique of assembly Raviolis, you could go without the mold and simply roll out the sheet of pasta, squirt on some filling, fold over the dough and cut as desired.  I have a hard time with that, they wind up exploding in the boiling process, not good eats.

I like to make a large batch of Raviolis and once dried, I pop the entire sheet pan into the freezer overnight, dust off the flour and place in a zip-top bag for later consumption… I mean 84 Raviolis are ALOT!!! 

*Added bonus – if you like, this dough makes wonderful fresh Fettuccine or Spaghetti or really any shape you like.  I do this with the leftover scrapes of from the Raviolis.  I gather them all up into a ball, sheet it out and cut as desired.  I roll the sheets up into a “cigar shape” and use my parring knife, unfurl each strand into that sheet pan of flour, toss to coat in the flour and allow to dry a bit.  You can freeze the fresh pasta for next Sunday’s Supper.

ENJOY!