Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts, Gorgonzola, and Brown-Butter Pecans

I am not one to shy away from bold flavors.  Foods that are known for being either loved or loathed or some of my favorites, for instance brussels sprouts and gorgonzola cheese.  Which is why this recipe from Fine Cooking magazine is right up my alley!  Throw in some brown butter for good measure and this is one tasty pasta dish.  This is a heavy dish so a little will go a long way... trust me!


Ingredients: 
20 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed (4 cups) 
3-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 
Freshly ground black pepper 
1 lb. dried orecchiette 
1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans 
2 large shallots, minced (3/4 cup) 
3/4 cup heavy cream 
4 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled (1 cup) 
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 



Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, set a heavy rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

Fine Cooking's version
Slightly prettier than mine...

In a food processor fitted with the medium (4 mm) slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts. Transfer them to a large bowl, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss until well coated. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and spread the Brussels sprouts on it in a single layer. Roast, stirring once about halfway through the cooking time, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and flecked with charred bits, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette according to package directions until just al dente.
In a medium heavy-duty skillet, melt 1/2 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until the butter is deeply browned and the pecans are toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, add 3 oz. (3/4 cup) of the Gorgonzola and stir until melted.
Drain the orecchiette and return it to the pot. Add the Brussels sprouts, Gorgonzola sauce, and lemon juice and toss well. Serve, sprinkled with the pecans and the remaining Gorgonzola.


Enjoy!

Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pasta

Hope you all had a great weekend!!! No stories or nostalgia to share with today's post...  Just a quick pasta recipe. For those of you reading regularly, you know I am a bit of a carbo-loader, so it should come as no surprise that I make pasta on a pretty regular basis.  This particular bowl came about when I had some chicken Italian sausage that I wasn't quite sure what to do with.  Its now in my regular weeknight dinner rotation.  Hope you enjoy as much as my family!


Ingredients:
8 ounces of bow tie or penne pasta
3-4 tbls of olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, minced                                           
1 medium onion sliced thinly and cut in half
1/2 a red bell pepper, chopped or sliced
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes cut in half
package of precooked chicken Italian sausage (like Amy's or Trader Joe's), cut into small pieces
1/4- 1/2 cup of pasta's starch water
1 cup of parmigiano reggiano ( I probably use more  :) )
red pepper flakes




Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of the starchy water to use in making the sauce. Meanwhile, in a deep skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and garlic.  Add sausage and cook until pieces begin to brown.  Add vegetables and continue cooking until they are tender and golden and sausage is browned evenly.  Pour in pasta and cheese and slowly stir in water till you have the desired consistency of sauce.  For extra heat, stir in some red peeper flakes.  Sprinkle shaved parmigiano reggiano over top and serve.

I also suggest pouring yourself a nice glass of Cabernet!

Pantry Shrimp Pasta

So, first let me vent a bit... I do not have a final presentation picture for this dish and I am beyond frustrated about it!  I actually made it for dinner tonight.  Because it was late and I was being lazy, I took the picture with my iphone instead of my camera.  Later, I went to back up my phone to my computer and hit the restore button; which caused me to lose all my recent photos. Ughh! Fortunately, my husband took a picture while I was cooking so at least there's something... But the plating on the final dish was oh so pretty! :( 
(If any of you know a trick to get the pictures back let me know!)

Ok, so on to the meal...

It is always crazy in our household.  My children are 5 and 2 and are systematically trying to sabotage my quest to actually be a "put-together" mommy.  My husband is a workaholic and a bikeaholic.  The combination of all these things makes for a lot of last minute menu planning.  Thanks to my home away from home, Trader Joe's, I almost always have a bag of frozen shrimp on hand.  Shrimp is the easiest and fastest thing to prepare when you are short on time; or short on patience.  It cooks through in minutes and somehow makes you feel a bit more sophisticated than if you were eating chicken; Again.


I like to call this dish Pantry Shrimp Pasta because everything you need is likely on hand in your pantry.  If they are not, perhaps you should consider stocking your pantry with the basics.  :)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of olive oil (approximately, I never measure olive oil...)
3 tablespoons of butter
juice of 1 lemon or about 1/4 cup of lemon juice 
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 full handful of fresh parsley finely chopped (you can substitute dried if you must)
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 16 oz bag of thawed uncooked jumbo shrimp
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
salt to taste

8-10 ounces long pasta (I like linguine or angel hair)

In a deep saute pan heat olive and butter over medium high heat until butter is melted.  Add lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and bread crumbs.  Cook a few minutes until garlic and bread crumbs start to turn golden in color.  Add shrimp and cook until cooked through and opaque in color.  Season with desired amount of salt and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Add drained pasta to skillet and stir. (The bread crumbs help to coat the pasta and thicken the dish in absence of a cheese. )  Dish up and eat!

Enjoy!