Farfalle with Broccoli, Anchovy and Cream

     It's been a while since I've done anything of value in the kitchen. Apparently getting ready for a baby is somewhat time consuming. I guess this is just a taste of things to come! I figure I should probably try out some quick and easy recipes to make sure The Wife is fed, as she is the feeding station for The Spud. Naturally, I turn to pasta for a quick and easy dish. The Wife loves pasta, and if Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy. I found this little gem in The Geometry of Pasta. You can never go wrong with a cookbook for nerds. This recipe made a very subtle, savory pasta with just a kick of heat. This could certainly be the base for adding shrimp or chicken. I call it a winner and will enter it into our regular rotation! As always, notes and changes are in blue.

Farfalle con Broccoli E Alici
(Pasta with broccoli, anchovy and cream)
via The Geometry of Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound farfalle (we went with 1/2 pound and there was still plenty of sauce coverage)
• 1 head broccoli (3/4 pound), cut into florets
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (in retrospect, a third clove would have been great)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (insert favorite virgin joke here)
• 3/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (3/8? Who measures like that? We used 1/2 tsp)
• 3-4 salted anchovy fillets, chopped (I used 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, straight from the tin)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (our heavy cream had turned into a large cheese curd. We used half & half instead with no harm done)
• Generous 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Black pepper

Directions

1. Cook farfalle and broccoli together in plenty of well-salted water. 
2. In a pan, fry the garlic in oil until starting to color. Turn off the heat and add the red pepper flakes. When no longer sizzling, add the anchovies and crush with a wooden spoon to dissolve into oil (I never thought anchovies could dissolve, but sure enough, they do. SORCERY)
3. When the pasta is almost ready, add the cream to the garlic mixture and return to the heat. Drain the pasta (pasta should be very al dente and the broccoli soft), and add it to the sauce. 
4. Cook together until the sauce coats thickly, adding the Parmesan and black pepper to taste at the end.

Good times!

Pasta with Zucchini and Shrimp

     Our garden has been zucchini fabulous this season. Even in late October, it's still producing. We have been desperately searching for ways to use it up. There's only so many zucchini breads or zucchini boats you can eat. The recipe we settled on turned out to be extremely easy and tasty. While we made some adjustments for what was actually on hand, I think we're actually pretty close to the intended recipe here. We're calling it a winner. As always, notes and changes are in blue.

Pasta with Zucchini and Shrimp
Originally Maccheroni alla Chitarra con Gamberi e Zucchini
via The Geometry of Pasta

Ingredients

• About 1/2 pound maccheroni all chitarra (that's the same thing as medium shells, right? Because that's what I used)
• 2-3 zucchini (about 2/3 pound) (they must have some weak-ass garden where they are, because our zucchini are about 2/3 pound EACH. That's just how badass we are. We used one zucchini and one small yellow squash)
• 4-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2-2/3 pound raw shell-on prawns, shelled (prawns! La-de-da! Unfortunately, my chauffeur had the flu so I couldn't get to my man on the coast. I had to make due with a bag of frozen shrimp from Wal-mart. Scandalous.)
• 3-1/2 tablespoons butter
• 10 basil leaves, torn or shredded

Directions

1. Top and tail the zucchini, then cut across into half to make them a manageable length. Slice each section lengthwise in thin, 1-2 millimeter slices, then stack the slices and cut into julienne strips the same width as the pasta will be when cooked. You could lightly season these with salt a few minutes, but it isn't really necessary.

   

   Yeah, it's totally not going to happen like that.

   (Now the previous instructions as we did it: Cut the ends off the zucchini. Run the bastard through a mandoline with the julienne blades in. Don't worry about how long you cut them. Carry on.)
2. Put the pasta on. (I would, but it doesn't go with my outfit at all)
3. A few minutes before the pasta is cooked, heat a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic, which should fry a little, but not color. 
4. Add the zucchini, prawns (shrimp), and salt and pepper to taste. Fry until prawns are half cooked, then add the butter. Sautee until the sauce is luscious (Whoo! Somebody had their thesaurus out when they wrote this!) and the zucchini is wilted, but with some bite.
5. Drain the pasta and toss into the sauce, increasing the heat to high for the last 30 seconds. Stir in the basil and serve.

Good times!