TarHeelMom
Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-12-02 AT 12:00PM (Est)[/font][p][font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-07-02 AT 11:43 AM (Est)[/font]
Hi folks!
I concocted a new pasta dish last night that turned out just fabulous and I thought y'all might enjoy seeing it. It's really just a doctored-up version of pasta with basil, plum tomatoes and garlic, but man is it yummy. I served it with a fresh salad and some berries that I tossed with a bit of confectioner's sugar right before dinner so they'd juice up good. I thought my boys would lick the bowls. Enjoy!
Kathy S.’s Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Basil, Black Beans and Grilled Vegetables
Serves 4 generously
The original recipe called for the following:
¾ - 1 full cup (to taste) fresh basil leaves, washed and shredded fine.
(NOTE: The recipe said not to shred the basil with a knife as it would bruise the basil, so I used sharp kitchen shears instead to save time, and it came out fine.)
1 14-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (or crushed, or diced, which is what I had on hand), drained and chopped)
(May also substitute really great fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped)
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I used more than that, and I used the minced garlic in oil in the little jar – I think I used about 1½ Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ to 1 full tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (I used a full tsp. because we like it hot)
½ to 1 lb. spaghetti or other favorite pasta
(NOTE: I cooked a pound of thin spaghetti, but only used about ½ to ¾ lb. and felt that using much more would have stretched the sauce too far.)
To this basic ingredient list I added the following (any of which could be omitted, and you could add other items from your own leftovers or pantry that you love):
½ of a tall jar sundried tomatoes in oil, NOT drained (I’d say this quantity translated to a really generous handful, in other words)
1 drained and rinsed can of black beans (just for protein and added color and texture – they were a GREAT addition)
2 cups assorted grilled vegetables, coarse-chopped
What I had to add was: asparagus, red and yellow peppers, sugar snap peas, Vidalia onion chunks and zucchini spears, which I had lightly tossed in Hain’s garlic oil – any good olive oil or flavored oil would do – and grilled until al dente, then lightly salted with coarse-ground sea salt. I grilled a large quantity on Monday evening on a medium grill, checking carefully every few minutes. The onions and asparagus cooked very quickly, the peppers and peas came off next, and the zucchini (because I cut it into spears) took a few minutes longer. The whole thing could be duplicated on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven in about 12 -15 minutes. I do that a lot in the winter.
Start water for pasta, adding a tiny bit of salt to the water. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for just a minute or two. You don’t want the garlic to brown, just to soften. Next, add the tomatoes and sundried tomatoes, basil and salt and pepper, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and making sure the sauce doesn’t get too dry. If necessary add a tiny bit of the water from the pasta cooking pot (I did). Check seasonings and adjust after a few minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente and drain well.
While the pasta is draining, add the black beans and grilled veggies to the skillet, and add the crushed red pepper. Continue cooking for about 3 to 5 additional minutes, just really to warm through the veggies and beans and to integrate the red pepper. Check seasonings once more before adding pasta.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet if space allows, or mix the sauce and pasta in a large bowl. Toss gently but thoroughly.
Serve with fresh Parmesan on the side.
http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif [FONT C OLOR=Blue]Kathy S.[/FONT]
Hi folks!
I concocted a new pasta dish last night that turned out just fabulous and I thought y'all might enjoy seeing it. It's really just a doctored-up version of pasta with basil, plum tomatoes and garlic, but man is it yummy. I served it with a fresh salad and some berries that I tossed with a bit of confectioner's sugar right before dinner so they'd juice up good. I thought my boys would lick the bowls. Enjoy!
Kathy S.’s Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Basil, Black Beans and Grilled Vegetables
Serves 4 generously
The original recipe called for the following:
¾ - 1 full cup (to taste) fresh basil leaves, washed and shredded fine.
(NOTE: The recipe said not to shred the basil with a knife as it would bruise the basil, so I used sharp kitchen shears instead to save time, and it came out fine.)
1 14-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (or crushed, or diced, which is what I had on hand), drained and chopped)
(May also substitute really great fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped)
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I used more than that, and I used the minced garlic in oil in the little jar – I think I used about 1½ Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ to 1 full tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (I used a full tsp. because we like it hot)
½ to 1 lb. spaghetti or other favorite pasta
(NOTE: I cooked a pound of thin spaghetti, but only used about ½ to ¾ lb. and felt that using much more would have stretched the sauce too far.)
To this basic ingredient list I added the following (any of which could be omitted, and you could add other items from your own leftovers or pantry that you love):
½ of a tall jar sundried tomatoes in oil, NOT drained (I’d say this quantity translated to a really generous handful, in other words)
1 drained and rinsed can of black beans (just for protein and added color and texture – they were a GREAT addition)
2 cups assorted grilled vegetables, coarse-chopped
What I had to add was: asparagus, red and yellow peppers, sugar snap peas, Vidalia onion chunks and zucchini spears, which I had lightly tossed in Hain’s garlic oil – any good olive oil or flavored oil would do – and grilled until al dente, then lightly salted with coarse-ground sea salt. I grilled a large quantity on Monday evening on a medium grill, checking carefully every few minutes. The onions and asparagus cooked very quickly, the peppers and peas came off next, and the zucchini (because I cut it into spears) took a few minutes longer. The whole thing could be duplicated on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven in about 12 -15 minutes. I do that a lot in the winter.
Start water for pasta, adding a tiny bit of salt to the water. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for just a minute or two. You don’t want the garlic to brown, just to soften. Next, add the tomatoes and sundried tomatoes, basil and salt and pepper, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and making sure the sauce doesn’t get too dry. If necessary add a tiny bit of the water from the pasta cooking pot (I did). Check seasonings and adjust after a few minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente and drain well.
While the pasta is draining, add the black beans and grilled veggies to the skillet, and add the crushed red pepper. Continue cooking for about 3 to 5 additional minutes, just really to warm through the veggies and beans and to integrate the red pepper. Check seasonings once more before adding pasta.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet if space allows, or mix the sauce and pasta in a large bowl. Toss gently but thoroughly.
Serve with fresh Parmesan on the side.
http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif [FONT C OLOR=Blue]Kathy S.[/FONT]
It doesn't matter whether you use the 4X or the 10X super-fine kind. A touch -- and do use a light hand on this -- of any kind of sugar "macerates" the berries -- a fancy word that Emeril taught me