Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Potatoes

Recipe: Whole Wheat Farfalle with Roasted Potatoes
Page: HTCE p. 523
Rating: ****

This was a terrific, simple dish. We added some Parmesan and didn't use the red pepper flakes. I also sauteed the garlic in the olive oil before tossing it with the cooked pasta and potatoes. Yum yum yum! Inexpensive, simple, and tasty.

Pasta with Bacon and Dried Tomatoes (variation)

Recipe: Pasta with Bacon and Dried Tomatoes (variation of Pasta with Pancetta and Pecorino)

Page: HTCE p. 506

Rating: *****

Since I've rated Pasta Carbonara highly, it should be no surprise that our family enjoyed this as well. This is easier and the dried tomatoes add a nice flavor dimension. Mmmmm

I used thick sliced bacon, didn't use any additional oil when I was cooking it, and just kept adding ingredients to the drained pasta as they were ready. I added a bit of reserved pasta cooking water at the end.

Spaghetti with Pesto

Recipe: Spaghetti with Pesto

Page: HCTE p. 507

Rating: *****

How can you go wrong with freshly cooked pasta and homemade pesto? Enough said.

Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

Recipe: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

Page: HCTE p. 506

Rating: *****

Move over, Macaroni and Cheese! This is one of our go to recipes--quick and tasty. It's less fattening than mac-n-cheese, too, since it's not loaded with cream sauce on top of the cheese. It does have a significant amount of butter in it, but otherwise it wouldn't taste good or keep you full for any length of time. We add peas to it (an addition he recommends), but it's good plain and simple. It benefits from a sprinkling of good salt at the table.

Here's the recipe link.

Pasta Carbonara (Variation)

Recipe: Pasta Carbonara (variation of Pasta with Pancetta and Pecorino)

Page: HCTE p. 506

Rating: ****

I'm a big fan of Pasta Carbonara: it's quick, relatively healthy (the bacon and eggs provide your protein--they're not any more fattening than an entree that's meat based!), and inexpensive. It's also tasty. Mark's version is great; you do have to dirty up a few dishes in the process and have everything ready to go as soon as the pasta is done cooking. That being said, the process is easy to master. I heat a big pottery bowl with hot water (from the tap) and let it sit while I saute the bacon (I do not add all the drippings to the eggs/cheese later like he suggests). I also grate the cheese. Then I start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. I add the pasta to the boiling water when the bacon is nearly done. I have the eggs beaten and ready to go in another bowl. When the bacon is done and cooled slightly, the pasta is about 2 minutes away from being done, and the eggs and cheese are ready and waiting, the fun begins: dump out the hot water from the big bowl, add bacon, eggs, and cheese to the bowl. Drain the pasta and immediately toss it with the bacon and eggs. The eggs will cook enough to be safe, but should give you a creamy sauce. Mmmmmm

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This was the first time I've ever made mac'n'cheese not out of a box, and like many other thing I've made in this cookbook, I don't see going back again! The recipe labels this as "make ahead" but I did step 4 (making the sauce) while the noodles were boiling, cutting the time by 15 minutes or so. I used shells - although any pasta will do - and whole milk. I also put this in a deep corning ware dish because I don't have a 9X13 right now and everything baked just fine. After it came out I just mixed it up so that the breadcrumbs were coating all of the parts.

The only critique I have of this was that it was VERY hard to pour the milk into the butter/flour mixture while whisking and control the amount that pours out. I would recommend putting the milk into a dish to pour it in to or having a companion help you out with that step.

HTCEV p. 460
HTCE p.508
Full Recipe 

Fast Tomato Sauce, with or without Pasta

I love this recipe!! I even wrote a whole post about it on my "Favorite Things" blog. The only change (as you can see in the post) that I make to this simple recipe is that I add garlic and red pepper flakes at the beginning and then Italian seasoning at the end (instead of the fresh herbs). I also usually add meatballs (as you can see from the picture) to satisfy my meat-eater husband. Once you eat this homemade sauce you will never buy Ragu again!

To make this a pot-luck worthy dish make the recipe with a pound of pasta as the recipe indicates. Toss the pasta and the sauce in a 13x9 dish and top with shredded mozzarella. Place the entire dish into a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts. This dish looks as good as it tastes!

I have yet to try any of the 20 variations that Mark lists because I love the basic recipe so much. Maybe one day I'll read how to make this great recipe better and try one of them out. Until then I'll enjoy this sauce on pizza, pasta, chicken parmigiana, etc.

HTCE p.502
HTCEV p.445 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Personal Variation: Old Fashioned)

So Bittman has a baked macaroni recipe in this cookbook that is good, but it is no show stopper. Before I tried this recipe I had another baked macaroni recipe that I think is just to die for (literally and figuratively). I was pleased when I realized that my recipe was just a version of his, with slightly different ratios of ingredients, but the same exact method!

Here is my list of ingredients (I've written them in the left margin of my cookbook so that I don't have to keep that other version around anymore):

• 1 1/3 cup cream or half and half
• Salt
• 2 1/2 cups milk (why would you want to use low fat here?)
  
• omit bay leaves
  
• 1 pound penne
• 10 tablespoons (1 stick and 2 tbl) butter(I told you it was to die for!)
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 10 oz. grated cheese, I like White Cheddar
• Can omit Parmesan (but when is less cheese a good thing?)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup or more bread crumbs, preferably fresh (p.876)

The only changes to the method are these:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 instead of 400.
2. No changes.
   
3. Melt only 1/2 of the butter. After you add the cheese add the cream.
4. Top the bread crumbs with remaining butter cut into small pieces. Bake for 30 minutes and let stand for 5 before serving.

If you bring this dish to a pot luck I guarantee you will not bring any home and that for you might be a good or bad thing!

HTCEV p.460
HTCE p.508

Bittman Saves the Day (or Dinner, at the very least)

Recipe: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan

Page: HTCE p.506 (table p.976) HTCEV p.447

Rating: *****

I could probably write a post with a similar title nearly every week, but tonight is a stellar example. I find out at 5:35 that my husband won't be home until 7 AND we won't be meeting the neighbors at the local Mexican joint for dinner. This is not my hubby's fault; he works in a top secret building some days (and often doesn't know in advance) and there is no phone/cell phone/email access there.

I should mention that I have two 2-year-olds and one 4-year-old. They'd had a pretty good snack, but still... "What to have for dinner?" is suddenly an urgent question.

Sure, I could do pancakes or something breakfasty, but we've had NO veggies all day and I wasn't in the mood for eggs. Ergo, time to check out the top 30 minutes or less recipe list at the back (I had frozen peas and sweet potatoes as my veggie options). Ta da! Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan. Perfect for a cold winter night. I threw in some frozen peas (I have real issues with needing some green on that dinner plate) and served with a side of sweet potatoes (cooked in the microwave). Time from recipe discovery to dinner on the table? Less than 30 minutes. Processed ingredients used? Nada. Kid-friendly? You betcha. Will hubby enjoy it when he gets home? Absolutely (I even saved some pasta water to add to his pasta when we reheat it).

Recipe Used: Spaghetti with Butter and Parmesan, p. 506

Rating: GREAT! (make sure to add generous salt and pepper; kids sucked it down and asked for more and they're not pasta fans....)

Incidentally, I should mention that I spent (wasted) 15 minutes trying to see if another cookbook had a better idea or even if there were better ideas in the Bittman pasta section. I should know by now that feeding my family, especially on short notice, doesn't have to be gourmet.... just healthy, tasty, and low stress.