pasta Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

October 3, 2018

Green and Black Noodles with a “Cheese” Sauce

This was my first real foray into making a nut-based cheese sauce but I thought I’d give it a shot. Nutritional yeast is kinda weird but REALLY works, it’s crazy. Also I wanted to use up the rest of my squid ink pasta and also use zucchini noodles so I just went ahead and combined them here. You can definitely use one or the other but you gotta admit, it does look pretty cool with two colors of noodles.

{serves 2}

2 cup leftover squid ink noodles (optional)
2* cups zucchini noodles (zoodles, if you will) *[FOUR cups of zoodles if not using leftover squid ink pasta]
1 generous dash of everything but the bagel spice (trader joe’s)
8 oz crimini mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1/2 cup each; cashews and almonds
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp sauerkraut juice (literally the juice in the sauerkraut jar)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 dash himalayan salt

soak cashews and almonds in hot water for an hour
in a food processor blend nuts, and following 5 ingredients until smooth, add water if too dry
in a big skillet or wok heat the olive oil and add the everything bagel seasoning over medium heat, add mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes with lid on
add zucchini noodles and coconut aminos and cook for an additional 5 minutes, you can do this in batches if it’s too much for your pan, stir occasionally
then add other noodles (already cooked), if using
spoon the sauce over the noodles and mushrooms and stir until combined
garnish with basil or chili flakes or both, done!

February 17, 2018

Mean Green Pasta, with Goat Cheese!

I didn’t want to go to the store yesterday so I whipped up this pasta with all stuff we had in the fridge/freezer/pantry. I like this frozen Kale/Spinach mix from Costco, it’s great for smoothies and cooking! Soft goat cheese is a great base for sauces. It’s melts down so easily and pairs well with just about anything.

{serves 3-4}

1 box Banza penne (or pasta of your choice)
3 oz goat cheese
3 garlic cloves
1/4 white onion
5 cups frozen greens
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp mustard seeds
10 green beans
1/4 cup pistachios
olive oil
parmesan and red pepper flakes for garnish

mince garlic and chop onion, heat oven to 350º F
heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok and add garlic, onion and mustard seeds
when the onion has turned opaque add the greens, you can use any frozen greens you’d like, squeeze in lemon juice
meanwhile bring salted water to a boil for pasta (according to box instructions)
when greens are heated add goat cheese and stir until it’s well incorporated
cook pasta, toast pistachios for 5-7 minutes or until smelling toasty
once the goat cheese is melted and stirred in, turn off heat and cover the sauce
chop green beans removing ends, chop pistachios roughly and set aside
serve green sauce over pasta, top with green beans, pistachios, red pepper flakes and parmesan

February 9, 2016February 9, 2016

Penne with Tomato-Goat Cheese Sauce and Sauteed Spinach

This is a super simple, pretty healthy and wholly satisfying meal. Also very affordable. These were all just things I happened to pick up at Trader Joe’s the other day.

(serves 1)

4 oz goat cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
10 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
red chili flakes
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
2 sprigs rosemary
3 generous handfuls of spinach

heat olive oil in a medium sized pan over medium high heat add (minced) garlic and tomatoes and cover
cook pasta according to instructions
once tomatoes start to blister, pop them with a knife or fork and add goat cheese
once goat cheese starts melting, mix it with the tomato juices and add rosemary (remove from stem), bring down heat and let simmer
when pasta is finished, drain and quickly steam spinach in the pasta pot with a couple teaspoons of water
remove spinach with tongs, shaking off excess liquid, and add it into the goat cheese sauce pan and take that off the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste
pour sauce over pasta, sprinkle with chili flakes, pour yourself a glass of wine and dig in!

March 14, 2015March 14, 2015

Pasta in Red Wine Mushroom-Tomato Sauce with Swiss Chard

There’s nothing like a hearty red sauce on a rainy day. When I was growing up my mom always used to make big batches of red sauce on rainy days (which weren’t often because I grew up in San Diego). I remember coming home to the smell of a full-bodied pasta sauce that had been simmering all day. It was like her version of baking cookies.

1 can tomatoes (diced ideally)
1 cup red wine
10 crimini mushrooms
1 large shallot
2 cloves garlic
2 pats butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper
pasta (to serve four)
1 bunch swiss chard
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (plus more for grating)
1/4 cup saucisson (dried sausage) or prosciutto

melt butter in large pot with olive oil over medium low heat
mince garlic and slice shallot, add to the pot
slice mushrooms and add to the pot when shallots are browned
add the wine and let simmer until mushrooms turn dark brown
dice saucisson into small pieces and grate parmesan, add to the sauce
add tomatoes, cover and let cook down, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes
cook pasta according to directions
in a medium sized pot steam swiss chard briefly, then drain and add to the sauce, grate parmesan and add to sauce then add pasta into the pot, serve with crusty bread and more parm and red wine

January 22, 2015January 22, 2015

Baked Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

Two of my favorite things are food and friends. I aim to enjoy both as much as possible. I love cooking with friends too and last night I had the pleasure of making some tasty, unconventional mac n cheese with my friend, for my friends to eat on our cute patio with some beers and good conversation. What more do you need? ‘Twas a delicious night.

*guest chef spencer moore, recipe interpreted by domenica berman

**serves many people

2 sweet potatoes
500 grams/17.6 oz pasta
1/4 cauliflower
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 pats butter
3 cups mixed cheeses (we recommend raw cheddar, sharp cheddar and gouda)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
olive oil
salt/pepper

poke sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350°F for about an hour, until soft and mushy, remove and let cool
in a food processor, blend them with a little olive oil and either water, milk or chicken broth to thin
blend cheeses in the food processor (might want to clean it first) until it’s a curdy texture, cottage cheese-like
move your sweet potato sauce into a medium sized skillet and gradually add in cheese as you go
season with salt and pepper to taste
cook pasta but slightly under cook it (like 3 minutes under the suggested time because you’re going to bake it after)
mince garlic and heat butter in a medium sized sauce pan, then add garlic to the butter
cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and throw em in the sauce pan, cover and cook over medium high heat until tender
pre-heat oven to 350°F
mix the sweet potato sauce into the pasta, add the cauliflower when cooked through
spread the pasta concoction into a large rectangular baking pan and sprinkle bread crumbs over, bake for 20 minutes or until starting to brown
remove and sprinkle parm over, put under broil for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy