Creative Cooks

Penné Bosciaola
Serves 4-6 people

2 Pints Grape Tomatoes, cut in half
5 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 Sweet Red Onion, sliced
2 handfuls Arugula or Spinach
6 oz. Chicken Broth
3 oz. Butter (2/3 stick)
4 oz. Grated Romano Cheese
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
12 oz. (3/4 lb) Penne Pasta (cook pasta and strain)
Salt, freshly ground Pepper, and fresh Basil to taste

How To Cook
Lightly sauté garlic and onions until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and cook 30 seconds. Finish by adding chicken broth, butter, arugula, basil and cheese. Stir until heated, toss with cooked pasta.

Drunken Pasta
Servings 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, cut into 3 pieces
1/2 teaspoon red hot chili pepper
1-1/2 cups red wine
8 ounces spaghetti
Pinch salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.

In a large skillet, heat oil, garlic and chili pepper on low heat. Gently cook about 5 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Remove the garlic and add the red wine. Increase the heat to medium.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook for only about 3 minutes. Drain well and add to the skillet, tossing in the wine with tongs until wine is absorbed and pasta is cooked, about 2 more minutes. Test pasta for doneness. Taste for salt and add what you feel it needs. Toss with the cheese and parsley and serve.

Mediterranean Einkorn Pasta
Prep time 60 mins Cook time 20 mins Total time 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients
Pasta
2 to 3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour *
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs
(Or 8 ounces prepared pasta)


Topping
1 tablespoons olive oil
½ fennel head, diced
2 cloves garlic. Minced
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed if using canned
½ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup artichoke hearts, diced
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
Zest and juice from one lemon
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 to 3 ounces feta cheese
Olive oil, for finishing

Instructions
In a food processor, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and eggs. Pulse until mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, 20 to 60 seconds. Add more water if the dough looks too try or add a bit more flour if the dough is sticky (if it’s tacky- that’s fine, you will add flour as you roll it out.) If you don’t have a food process, combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until dough comes together, ditching the spoon for your hands when needed.
Remove dough from the food processor onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, dough should be smooth and not sticky. Dust with flour, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. To make pasta, divide the dough into 6 pieces and divide those pieces in half. Using a machine or a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin, yet manageable thickness (I use setting 4 on my Kitchen aid pasta roller). From there, cut (or using a pasta machine) cut the strips into fettuccine sized noodles. Cook pasta in 2 to 3 batches, roughly 5 minutes per batch. Pasta should float to the top and be tender. Remove and divide into two batches, saving one batch for later use.
While pasta cooks (whether premade or homemade) heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring often, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until garlic is fragrant. Add in chickpeas, olives, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, zest and juice, parsley, and black pepper. Stir and cook until everything is warm, 2 to 3 minutes.
Place ½ the homemade pasta (one of the batches you set aside) in a bowl. Top with the cooked vegetable mixture, followed by the feta. Finish with a nice drizzle (1/4 to ½ cup) olive oil. Toss until everything is combined.
Notes
+ If using sun-dried tomatoes that are dry packaged, be sure to let them soak in water until tender.
+ Toss the remaining half of the pasta with a bit of olive oil and save for later use, either with some marina sauce or another pasta dish.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einkorn_wheat

Pumpkin and Bacon Pasta
Prep time: 20 min Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
2 cups dry whole grain shells
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 ounce light cream cheese
1/4 cup fat free evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 cup sliced scallions or green onions

Preparation
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and return to pan. Reduce heat to low.
Add pumpkin, cream cheese, evaporated milk, garlic, salt and pepper and stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is warmed through.
Divide between two bowls and top with crumbled bacon and green onions.
Try this: add caramelized onions for a sweeter, more buttery flavor, or add sliced cherry tomatoes to the mix.