Tag: pasta
Spaghetti all’Aragosta
Spaghetti all’Aragosta
Lobster pasta is very popular off the Almafi coast of Italy and all over the Mediterranean. If you’ve never cooked with lobster, don’t be intimidated. This recipe is easier than it looks and will impress whoever you’re cooking for. You can use either lobster tails or a whole lobster. The other great part of this recipe is that you create about a quart of lobster stock that you can use in multiple recipes.
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails 4-5oz each
- 3 tsp salt divided
- 1 lb fresh pasta spaghetti, bucatini, fusilli
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup shallots diced
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
- parmesan cheese to taste
- crushed red pepper to taste
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Split your lobster tails in half.
- Drop into a half gallon pot of boiling water.
- Boil for 5 minutes until tail meat is cooked through. Remove from the pot. Allow to cool. Remove the meat from the shell and dice. Place the shells back in the lobster stock and simmer until ready for use. Save the stock.
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook your pasta al dente according to your package instructions. Drain.
- Heat up 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots for 5 minutes. Season with 1 tsp of salt.
- Add in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze with the white wine. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the lobster and pasta. Add in a 1/4 cup of lobster stock.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes and parsley. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat.
- Top with shredded parmesan and crushed red pepper. Serve with a lemon wedge.
Pasta alla Trapanese (Sicilian Red Pesto Pasta)
Pasta alla Trapanese (Sicilian Red Pesto Pasta)
Red Pesto sauce is a Sicilian variation of the traditional basil pesto, but using cherry tomatoes, almonds, and pecorino romano instead of pine nuts and parmesan. This sauce is raw and doesn’t get cooked other than being lightly heated from the hot pasta; giving it a fresh taste. Using a curly shaped pasta works best for catching the sauce.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peeled almonds
- ^ garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup pecorino romano grated; plus more for serving
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes
- 1 lb fusilli, gemelli, or any curly-shaped pasta cooked
Instructions
- Place the almonds and salt in the foods processor and chop as fine as possible. Add in the cheese and pulse.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and purée. Place the pesto a large saucepan.
- Cook the pasta al dente; saving 1 cup of pasta water. Strain.
- Add the cooked pasta to the red pesto. Add in the pasta water and stir.
- Top with more pecorino romano.
Val’s Antipasti Salad
Val’s Antipasti Salad
In Italian cuisine, antipasto is looked as an appetizer to prepare the stomach for a meal; dating back to medieval times. Cured meats, seafood, olives, cheeses, and pickled vegetables are some of the many forms of antipasti. Moving forward to modern times, Italian Americans combined these ingredients in pasta salad form with a vinegar-based Italian dressing as the sauce. This particular recipe is my sweetie Val’s personal recipe, which is quite delicious. Other additions you could add to this salad include cherry tomatoes, artichokes, marinated mushrooms, salami, mozzarella, basil; just to name a few.
Ingredients
- 16 oz tri-color rotini or fusilli pasta cooked al dente
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese cut into 1/2” cubes
- 8 oz cheddar cut into 1/2” cubes
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 6 oz pepperoni cut into half moon slices
- 1 cup pepperoncini peppers chopped
- 1 cup black olives sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
